new pictures — of the barrage of missiles and drones launched by iran — at israel — as tehran rejects western criticism of its attack. world leaders meet in paris to discuss sudan — hoping to break �*the wall of silence�* around the conflict sudan, the french government says it hopes an international conference on sudan being held in paris will break the "wall of silence" around the conflict. will break the "wall of silence" fighting between the sudanese armed forces and the rapid support forces erupted exactly a year ago. so far it's claimed thousands of lives. 25 million people are now in need of aid there. and 8.6 million people are displaced. the conflict has triggered what the united nations describes as the world s largest hunger crisis . unicef say it s not a forgotten crisis.

it s a wholly ignored crisis. france has organised the gathering with germany and the eu to raise humanitarian funds and support mediation efforts. here's the french foreign minister. for years, the sudanese have been the victims of a terrible war, or they did not want that only produces chaos and suffering. sudanese people are also the victims of oblivion and indifference. ourfirst are also the victims of oblivion and indifference. our first objective are also the victims of oblivion and indifference. ourfirst objective is mobilising humanitarian funding as an emergency because the united nations response plan is not funded as a 5% today because actions are too often hampered. moreover, the task is colossal. the un secretary general has called on the international community to commit more financial aid for sudan. this is more than a conflict between two warring parties. it is a war being waged in the sudanese people and a war on the many thousands of civilians that have been killed and tens of thousands meant for life.

and on the 80 million people facing acute hunger in the communities now going down the threat of famine in the coming years. it is all on villages, homes, hospitals, schools and systems that have been reduced to rubble and conflict hotspots and the war in human rights and international humanitarian law and these attacks enduring in terrorising civilians could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. convoys have been targeted, humanitarian personnel and warehouses have been attacked and women and girls are subject to ramp to sex and violence and the violence is spewing across borders. next let's hearfrom bbc arabic�*s sudan correspondent mohamed 0sman who's in port sudan. safe areas like port sudan and also

stuck in the conflict areas and facing the dangers every minute. the conflict that erupted between the army and the support forces described the conflicts and conflicts in the world —— crisis and conflicts. people of force 1 million others to seek refuge in neighbouring countries in addition to damage of the infrastructure. and also millions of sudanese are saying that their worst fears will come true and this will go on for years. earlier, i spoke to lord jonny 0ates who is ceo of the charity, united against malnutrition

and hunger. first of all, this is going to raise the profile and was described by many as a forgotten and ignored conflict and we are hopeful that it will bring forward plenty of pledges because an urgent need for funding to the international organisations and the civil society bodies in sudan itself to get aid to those people in such great need and i think what we also need alongside this is pressure to come from all the parties and international parties that are engaged for humanitarian access to provide support for those people who are suffering so terribly but above all, we need peace back in sudan. 2024 is the year of elections — with at least 50 countries around the world going to the polls. but when it comes to the numbers —

one stands above the rest. india's general election — to be held over six weeks between 19 april and ijune — is set to be the biggest the world has ever seen. 969 million people will be taking to the polls — roughly one in eight of the global population. prime minister narendra modi is hoping to win a third successive term, but opposition parties say indians face the loss of many freedoms if he stays in power. most of mr modi's support comes from india's northern states — but he's campaigning heavily in the south, where the bjp barely has a presence. 0ur south asia correspondent samira hussain reports. drumming up support, blessings in return. in india possible southern states. regional parties dominate. here, the dmk when the clear majority in the last election.

while prime minister modi's party did not win a single seat and has limited presence anywhere else in the south. mr modi is desperate to change that because for the bjp, every single seat matters. they would never be able to make it, what we stand for and the values of self—respect and respect for our culture, great love for our language and identity, this is antithetical to the notion of this far—right and strife causing and rabble rousing and percentage politics. there is a profound impact on the values that this poses. on the values that this espouses. nevertheless, the prime minister has made eight trips since january.

and then, there is a young politician speaking of a strong order, able to connect to the people in their own language. hundreds of come out and support of the bjp�*s men here. the party is hoping that with the prime minister's support, and his charisma, that he will be able to crack the south. do you think you're going to win? 100% we are going to win. we are very confident and doing our hard work and longer groundwork, more importantly, it is a brand that is entering every house. a brand for integrity in their brand for honesty and a brand for hard work. that brand does not work for voters like this. she gets a thousand rupees a month from the state government which she uses for house expenses. both her kids get money for school and these welfare benefits have changed her life. do you think you could

ever vote for the bjp? i am very decisive about voting for dmk, even if others - have done good work, - i've always voted for dmk and that is what i wish to do. regional parties like the dmk will likely continue to dominate because the message the bjp is peddling of the pan, is peddling of the pan—indian hindi speaking identityjust doesn't resonate with the people here. breaking news to bring you from the reuters news agency and the according stage media here is their source. they say israeli settlers have killed two palestinians in the occupied west bank area. and israeli settlers have killed two

palestinians in the occupied west bank city and that is from stage media and coming to was from the reuters news agency and we do not have any more details and we do, will bring it to you. the author sir salman rushdie has been talking to the bbc about the knife attack which almost killed him. the award winning novelist was stabbed 12 times on a stage in new york two years ago. he said he thought he was dying, and that losing an eye in the attack upsets him every day. he's been talking to the bbc�*s alan yentob in new york. and just a warning that the interview contains some graphic descriptions of what happened. oh, my god! woman screams. today at six: author salman rushdie has been stabbed. more breaking news tonight - after author salman rushdie was attacked at an event... august 2022 — one of the world's most famous authors is left fighting for his life. it has shocked the entire world.

author salman rushdie, attacked. he was dressed in dark clothing and he had like a black covid mask, and hejust came sprinting up the stairs. in a major tv interview, he tells me what he remembers. i actually thought he'd punched me very hard. i didn't realise there was a knife in his hand. and then i saw the blood and i realised there was a weapon. and then he just started... i think he was just slashing wildly at everything. there was a very big slash here, across my neck, as well as the stab wound here. and there were wounds down the middle of my torso — one, two, three, like that. and two on the side over here. and then there was the wound in my eye, which was quite deep. it looked terrible. i mean, it was very distended, swollen, and it was kind of hanging out of my face, sitting on my cheek. and... and blind. while this was happening, something extraordinary happened,

in that the audience jumped onto the stage and... saved my life. talk about heroism. that's heroism. i was lying there on the ground, bleeding profusely, and i'm thinking, "i want my house keys." and i think that was that survival instinct that was saying to me, "you've got to live. "live, live." ijust remember the sounds of the machines, and the ventilator breathing for him. that's, that's what i remember. and i thought, you know, at least he's come through this surgery. i thought, at least i'm not a widow, is what i thought. rushdie�*s life has been threatened before. in 1989, after the publication of the satanic verses, the iranian supreme leader, ayatollah khamenei, issued a death threat, a fatwa, calling the book an insult to islam. i had come to think of that whole episode as being ancient history.

as i say in the book somewhere, i felt like a time traveller. it felt like somebody coming out of the past to attack me in the present. and so one of the first things that i thought when i saw him coming at me was, "oh, it's you," you know? "so, it's you." the man accused of carrying out the attack is hadi matarfrom newjersey. he pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. he took very little trouble to inform himself about the man he was planning to kill. he said he had read a couple of pages. he didn't say of what. and that he'd watched a couple of youtube videos and decided that i was disingenuous. disingenuous? disingenuous, and therefore right to kill. there is a sentence in the book where i say that language is a knife. you know, language is a way of cutting things open and revealing the truth. calling this book knife is notjust a description of the attack against

me. the book is the knife. the book is my knife. and it's my way of fighting back. still to come on the world today — the first disabled driver to compete in the british touring touring car championship — we speak to nicolas hamilton — half—brother of seven—time formula one world champion — lewis hamilton around the world and across the uk. this is the world today on bbc news.

intense today after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. the weapons supervisor for the film rust has been jailed for 18 months, following the fatal shooting of the film's

cinematographer on set. twenty—six year—old hannah gutierrez was sentenced today after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. she was in charge of weapons during the production of the film in 2021, when revolverfired by actor alec baldwin went off. halyna hutchins died following the incident, while directorjoel souza was injured. baldwin, who is a producer for the film as well as its star, faces a separate trial injuly. coral around the world is turning white and even dying as recent record ocean heat takes a devastating toll. the us national oceanic and atmospheric administration says it has triggered the fourth global mass coral bleaching event. bleaching happens when coral gets stressed and turns white because the water it lives in is too hot. coral sustains ocean life, fishing, and creates trillions of dollars of revenue annually. let's hear from coral reef ecologist derek manzello. significance is been recorded and at least 5a countries and territories around the globe since february 2023 and especially extensive and

recurring in all ocean basins across multiple countries. 0ur climate reporter georgina rannard told us more. what it means is this coral bleaching that you just talked about, this stress caused the corals that can lead them to die. it means it's happening all over the world across these huge coral reefs in multiple places. and it's been happening for a number of weeks and months now. we often talk about these climate records being broken, particularly since last summer, when we've also had el nino, this natural climate fluctuation that contributes to driving up temperatures. and that's come at the same time, of course, as the effects of climate change. when we talk about those records being broken, the heat in the oceans growing. but what this story is really showing is how that heat impacts living things in the oceans. and corals sustain all this ocean

life, this marine life. and now these scientists are saying that they've there's enough evidence that this global bleaching is happening in enough places that it's the fourth episode and we're in the middle of it. this is underway. it's still ongoing. and they do expect, unfortunately, for that to continue because as we know, it's summer in the southern hemisphere. we're coming to the end of it. but it will take time for that heat to leave the oceans, it doesn't just disappear overnight. and we have the first episode in 1998. that was the first time scientists saw this sort of mass bleaching. and now we're on the fourth episode in in just those couple of decades. so it's really another one of those very visible signs of how of the impacts of climate change on our planet and on these corals that we really rely on for so many things like fishing and tourism. nicolas hamilton was born with a form of cerebral palsy and was never expected to walk, let alone race cars. today, nicolas is the first disabled driver to compete in the british touring car championship. he also happens to be the half—brother of seven—time formula one world champon — lewis hamilton. and nicolas hasjust written a book all about his remarkable journey

and the lessons he s learned. i spoke to nicolas a little earlier — he told me of the incredible journey he's been on to get to where he is now. i didn't think i would ever be able to do it because obviously i was born two months premature or diagnosed with past—it diplegia which is a form of cerebral palsy. and i was just struggling to to walk. i was struggling to find my place in society. so i think the last thing i thought about was racing a car. but, yeah, it's it's been an incredible journey. so how does it how does it feel now, given the success you've had behind the steering wheel? yeah. i mean, you know, if you if you look at it, you know, i've gone from a kid that didn't really have his place in the world to, you know, going to school and being bullied to to then finding his purpose in motorsport and creating history in the sport and continuing to inspire disabled people through what i do. yeah, it's been an incredible journey and one that i'm definitely proud of. no doubt. and having lewis hamilton as a brother, it must be a blessing and a curse. absolutely.

yeah. i mean, first of all, i'm lewis's number one fan. you know, there's no bigger fan than me for him. but obviously, you know, having your own identity, trying to go in your own direction can be quite difficult when you're compared to to lewis all the time. but that's why, you know, me trying to find my purpose through through writing this book, you know, hopefully people will see both mine and lewis's lives have been have been different. we're both here for different purposes. and i realise my purpose is to inspire both able bodied and disabled people at the same time and plan to do it through through my book. so really excited to have released it this week. and what's next for you? i don't know. i mean, as well as writing my book, obviously i do a lot of public speaking and travel the globe sharing my voice. i believe, you know, my purpose is to try and inspire people through my voice. i mean, everybody in the world has a voice, but i have a platform and an ability to to speak my mind and try and inspire through what i've been through, through my life.

i mean, i'm only i'm only 32. i've got a lot to do still. i don't know everything, but as much as i can, as long as i can inspire at least one person, you know, then i'm living my purpose, doing myjob. so let's see where we go from five years from now. but if you said five years ago, i would be where i am today. i would have bitten your hand off. so i feel very privileged. there's some great news for bird lovers — loch arkaig in the scottish highlands has welcomed its first osprey egg of the season. the woodland trust in scotland says one of its visiting ospreys, called dorcha, began chirping on sunday morning — and treated livestream viewers to a glimpse of the egg just before quarter past 11. hospices providing end—of—life care say they're facing a devastating financial crisis which is putting services at risk. the charity hospices uk said last year had been the worst financially in around 20 years and they've urged the government to to provide more funding. the department of health said it recognised the valuable role of hospices and has provided an extra £60 million. mps will debate the topic

in parliament later today. sophie long reports. he was just a normal child, just running round like his sister, flying at the school, doing really, really well, and things started to change. we noticed his handwriting was starting to go off, he seemed to be struggling a little bit hearing. his walking changed. it was almost like he'd had like a mini stroke type of thing. ethan was diagnosed with a rare condition — adrenoleukodystrophy. the condition that ethan, who is nine—years—old, was diagnosed with results in symptoms similar to motor neurone disease and dementia. he's also already lost the use of his limbs. eventually, he won't recognise his parents or twin sister, they now rely on the help they get at the forget me not hospice in huddersfield, which supports children who have life shortening illnesses, and their families.

what we are able to do with every family that comes to us is support them in a really bespoke way, to help them with their particular needs and to help them cut through some the chaos they are facing in a time of absolute trauma and uncertainty. there should be a hospice for children and adults in every town and every city in this country. but forget me not hospices is facing a funding crisis. just 10% comes from the government. for the remaining 90% they rely on charity fundraising, and that's becoming more difficult due to the cost of living crisis and climbing prices. we start every single year with that degree of uncertainty, and what we say is that, you know, we would like to be able to support families today, tomorrow and in the future, but can i hand on heart say i could offer that certainty to families in three, four, five, ten years�* time? possibly not. at the ashgate hospice in chesterfield, six of their 21 beds lie empty, due to a lack of funding. there are 220 hospices in this country, none of which receive

the funding they need from the nhs. this affects everybody — we're all going to die. it is part of what the nhs is legally required to provide, and at the moment they are not providing the funding for it. this place gives us support and comfort, gives ethan support and comfort, but more importantly, it gives him a sense of normality, because here he can be himself. sophie long, bbc news. the aa has issued a new call for the introduction of graduated driving licences for young people. these would restrict their use of cars after passing their test — in terms of what time they can drive, and who they can carry as passengers. it follows a campaign by families who've lost loved ones to crashes involving young drivers. a six—year—old girl is being hailed as a hero after she ran into her smoke—filled home to rescue her mother

and two younger siblings who were all asleep on the sofa. 0livia patterson was playing outside with a friend when she spotted flames rising from the roof of her home in north yorkshire. danny savage reports a semi detached home near selby. well alight with four fire engines on the way. it's not clear if there's anyone inside a six—year—old girl, playing next door, she knows that there is. i didn't know what to do but i wanted to tell mummy. 0livia ran into the burning house to get her mum and siblings out. they were having an afternoon nap inside. i said, get out, get out, the house is on fire. i ended upjust waking up to 0livia bursting through the door and shouting, fire, fire, mummy, wake up,

get the babies, wake the babies, sort of thing. my initial thought was, what have you done? she thought i was playing with a lighter and i had put it on fire. i think she is immensely brave. for a little girl of six years old to see that a house is on fire. i was getting a bit upset. were you? because your house was on fire? because it was getting badder and badder. they are safe, thanks to a six—year—old girl who didn't think twice about saving them. do you feel like a brave person? a little bit. danny savage, bbc news, yorkshire. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. april certainly can be quite a fickle month. in fact, we had four seasons in one day today. just take a look at wet and windy at times, strong enough to blow down trees in parts of nottinghamshire. and there were two tornadoes reported. we also had a light dusting of snow

in bradford earlier on this morning. but at the same time, as the cloud, the wind and the rain eased away, there were windows of brighter, sunnier, spring—like moments — this was deal in kent. so let's take a look atjust what was responsible, this area of low pressure. the front moved through quite quickly, but a strong north—westerly wind fed quite a lot of showers in and, yes, to higher ground, there'll continue to be some wintry showers from time to time as well. so the showers will gradually recede as the low pulls off into the north sea. always the risk of a cold northerly wind driving more cloud and showers along that east coast. but clearer skies elsewhere mean a chilly start to our tuesday morning. tuesday on the whole will be a slightly quieter day for most of us. again, anywhere from yorkshire down towards east anglia could continue to see some cloud and showers. and with that strong northerly wind, a cold feel to the day. but further west, lighter winds a little more in the way of sunshine coming through. there will still be some showers,

but hopefully few and far between in comparison to today. and with those winds a little bit lighter, temperatures are likely to peak generally between 9—13 degrees. now, as we move out of tuesday into wednesday, we're starting to see an area of high pressure trying to build in from the atlantic. we'll need to be patient, but it does indicate a slightly quieter story as we head towards the weekend. still, there will be outbreaks of rain from this weather front that's toppling across that high pressure. so a quiet start on wednesday, a chilly start for some of us, but there will be some sunshine clouding over from the west across northern ireland, down through the irish sea, some rain into wales by the end of the afternoon and a few scattered showers elsewhere. temperatures starting to climb up to around 13 or 14 degrees. then the high pressure will tend to build, keep things largely fine and quiet as we head towards the weekend. a degree of so warmer with it as well. that's it. take care.

hello, i'm rajini vaydinathan. you're watching the context on bbc news. this is really an attack on a political opponent, that's all it is, so i'm very honoured to be here. thank you very much.

were waiting for high stakes jury selection to take place but really the majority of the morning was dedicated to what the judge said was tying up loose ends. it's going to be very difficult to whittle down from hundreds of potentialjurors to 12 — 12 individuals who do not appear to have preconceived notions. tonight — he's become the first former us president to stand trial in a criminal case. donald trump denies falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to an adult film star, stormy daniels. we'll bring you the latest on day one from the court in new york. iran rejects western criticism of its attack on israel when it fired a barrage of drones and missiles. britain's rishi sunak calls on "all sides" to "show restraint".

the uk government's plans to send some aslyum seekers to rwanda