this is bbc news, the headlines: in sudan, thousands have taken part in one of the biggest rallies against the president since protest began in september. the first time they converged on the national army headquarters in khartoum, calling for the army to join them in theircampaign this is bbc news, i'm against omar al—bashir. lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: theresa may has insisted she had mass demonstrations to reach out to labour to achieve continue in sudan. protesters call for the military to brexit all risk letting it slip help them overthrow the president. through ourfingers. theresa may continues she said there was a stark to call for a brexit deal, choice between leaving saying the alternative with a deal or not leaving at all. would be no brexit at all. libyan government forces try to hold the advance of rebel troops as they continue there are reports of new clashes their march on tripoli. outside of tripoli. the rebel army is expected to be 15 and out with the old, in with the new — north korean miles from the centre of the city. television undergoes government forces are trying to hold the advance of rebel troops loyal to khalifa haftar. something of a facelift. the defence secretary has ordered an investigation in the military,

mass demonstrations against president omar al—bashir of sudan have continued into the night. protestors have for the first time converged on the national army headquarters in the capital khartoum, close to the president's official residence. they're calling on the military tojoin them in their campaign to oust president bashir, who's ruled for nearly 30 years. our africa editor, fergal keane, has this report. the opposition wanted the biggest demonstration yet and it looks as if they have achieved it. tens of thousands made their way in peace to the heart of regime power. they chanted appeals for the soldiers to join them. as before, women to the forefront. in a movement led by the country's professional classes, turning against president bashir in vast numbers. omar al—bashir has been president of sudan since taking power in a military coup in 1989.

he is a fugitive from international justice, accused of committing genocide in darfur. but these protests, sparked by the tripling of bread prices, are the biggest challenge yet to his rule. some tear gas was fired, arrests made, but the sheer size of the demonstration would have made president bashir nervous about what the days ahead may hold. and tonight, this extraordinary scene, thousands sitting in, outside military headquarters, with many saying they will keep protesting until bashir goes. that was our africa editor fergal keane, who a little earlier gave us this assessment of the devleopments. it is significant that the army hasn't moved against the protesters tonight, but even more so that they didn't do it during the day, when the crowds hadn't built up to the size

we have seen now. they could have set up barricades to stem the flow at the source. that will make people think, certainly people in the crowds, that there are people close to bashir who want him gone. so we could be going into an endgame of some sort, but a big caveat — there is still a lot of violence that could be unleashed by the state. and even if president bashir does go there is no guarantee that a pluralistic, democratic, economically competent government will follow. the story of authoritarianism in africa and the 20th century is of flexibility and resilience, people who can change appearances but not really change the substance. let's get some of the day's other news. initial results from the parliamentary election in the maldives suggests that the party of the former president, mohamed nasheed, is on course to get a majority. it marks a comeback for mr nasheed, who went into exile after being convicted of terrorism by the previous government. hundreds of protesting migrants have clashed with police for a third straight day in northern greece. the trouble began following a social

media rumour that suggested onward travel restrictions had been lifted. the scuffles outside the migrant camp near thessaloniki. tens of thousands of opposition supporters in venezuela have gathered in the capital, caracas, to protest against continued electricity blackouts and water shortages. the march was called by the opposition leader, juan guaido, who has been urging his supporters to main pressure on his rival, resident nicolas maduro. president majuro blames the blackouts on us backed sabotage. an italian man who was held hostage in syria for more than three years has returned to italy after being released. sergio zanotti disappeared during a trip to turkey. he'd been shown in videos filmed by a group thought to be linked to al-qaeda being held at gunpoint.

the british prime minister has warned mps that they are putting brexit at risk unless a compromise can be reached with the labour party. in a statement released in last few hours, theresa may said that the longer it takes to find a deal parliament can agree on, the greater the risk of the uk never leaving the eu at all. earlier we spoke tojonathan blake, our political correspondent, and asked him what was in mrs may's statement. nothing hugely new from theresa may in terms of substance, but it is a timely appeal to mps in her own party and across the house of commons to give their support to whatever deal she is hoping to agree with the labour party. she starts off by saying that delivering brexit has been her priority since she became prime minister, and her strong preference was to do that with a deal she had agreed with the eu. but she acknowledges that can't command the level of support

she needs in the house of commons, so the only option she is left with is to reach out and try to compromise with the opposition labour party. she reminds her own party who are perhaps a bit nervous, or even angry at the fact that she is sitting down with the labour party to discuss brexit, that in fact the two sides to agree in some areas. they want to end freedom of movement, leave with a good deal, and protectjobs. she says though, the longer this process takes the greater the risk of the uk never leaving at all. which would mean the brexit the british people voted for slipping through our fingers, which is something she won't stand for. exactly how she intends to make an agreement with the labour party is unknown. very little in terms of substance has been made public, and both sides are remaining pretty tightlipped about where the discussions are. they appear to be in a slightly different place in terms of what they are expecting.

downing street describing a speculation, one idea reported that parliament could be offered a lock, so a vote on any changes to be agreed in the future, seen as a way of allaying fears that whoever takes over from theresa may could rip the whole thing up and start again. in libya, there is neitherfighting on the outskirts of tripoli. rebel forces and are reportedly about 25 miles from the centre of the city. forces loyal to the military commander khalifa haftar in libya are continuing their offensive, despite international calls to stop the fighting. there've been heavy clashes on the way towards tripoli with forces supporting the internationally recognised government. general haftar launched his offensive on thursday. ramzan karmali has more they are on the move with a purpose, to stop general khalifa haftar and his self—styled libyan national army from taking

tripoli, home to the government who they are fighting for. these troops have come from misurata, a city still loyal to the internationally recognised administration, and the foreign loyalists are not at all happy with the administration. translation: i believe that the people of libya have had enough of the violence, which has been going on for several years. they want us to find a political way forward. the proof of this is the great number of libyans who are registered to vote. they want the political process to win out over military rivalries, and it is important for the international community to support this approach. however, general haftar does have the backing of the uae and egypt. fresh fighting has flared near tripoli. fighting is also said to have taken place at the disused airport in tripoli, and it is unclear whether there are any casualties. since 2011 and the fall of colonel gaddafi, libya has experienced violence and division as various groups tried to take control of the oil—rich country.

based in tripoli is the national unity government led by prime minister fayez al—sarraj, who has condemned general haftar‘s advance. translation: we have extended our hand in peace, but the attack took place from the forces of haftar, and his declaration of war on our cities and capital, and his declaration of a coup d'etat to the presidential council will be met with strength and power. general haftar and his self—styled libyan national army are based in the eastern city of benghazi. they now control the oilfields. the international community, led by the un and its secretary general, antonio gutierrez, has tried to intervene, but have ultimately failed in stopping the crisis. it suggests that a planned conference on possible new election will still go ahead, but un troops have also been placed on high alert.

hundreds of people have been protesting in central london against brunei's strict new laws on homosexuality. protestors gathered outside the dorchester hotel, which is owned by the brunei investment agency. brunei has increased the punishment for sex between gay men to stoning to death, while lesbian sex will be punished by a0 lashes or ten years injail. jon ironmonger reports. many protests start at the dorchester but this time it is the target and this time there is a barrier. around 200 demonstrators surrounded the five—star hotel, this afternoon, calling for a global boycott of the business, one of a number of uk interests owned by the sultan of brunei. the laws that he has introduced are comparable to the extreme sharia laws that were imposed by isis when it ruled in its so—called caliphate in syria and iraq. we are hoping to hit the sultan financially in the pocket.

quite clearly he has not listen to reason or compassion so therefore when money talks, we want to make sure that money talks to him. earlier this week, the sultan of brunei introduced further ultraconservative islamic laws that will make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death. it led to a public outcry. with eltonjohn tweeting that he will refuse to stay at the dorchester in future. this protest began outside barriers here at the dorchester hotel, but the crowd have since pushed through those barriers and they have gathered outside the doors, which have been a loked by the management. chant: what do we want? human rights. when do we want it? now! the dorchester group has tried to distance itself from the issue, saying it should not be played out in their hotels but the boycott is already won backing from some senior politicians.

actions have to have consequences and i think that not only should there be demonstrations and boycotts of the sultan's premises, but that we should also be considering taking the action of expelling brunei from the commonwealth if they are not prepared to abide by the basic rules, the basic values of the commonwealth. meanwhile, more british institutions are wrestling with their connections to the country. today, oxford university joined aberdeen and king's college london by saying it would reconsider a decision to award the sultan an honorary degree in 1993. the tiny nation of brunei has big ties with britain and picking them all will not be easy. jon ironmonger, bbc news. erroneous coping with some of the worst flooding in decade. a number of towns and villages are urgently being evacuated and disaster agencies are to cope. at least 70

people have died. —— iran. one of the worst affected areas is khuzestan province, in the south west. and now neighbouring iraq has closed one of its border crossings with iran due to the flooding. adam hancock reports. after three weeks of unprecedented rainfall and, with more bad weather forecast, six more towns and cities are being evacuated in the south—west of iran. people living alongside the swollen karkheh river are currently most at risk. and those forced from their homes willjoin the tens of thousands already displaced. the extreme rains began in mid—march, affecting nearly 2000 villages, towns and cities. here in this north—eastern city of mashhad rats have been seen avoiding floodwaters on the streets and the city's religious sites have been battered by the relentless downpours. some have resorted to digging holes on the road to try to drain the water. aid agencies are strugglnig to cope with the scale of the crisis. the country's elite revolutionary guards have been

assisting with the aid efforts. able—bodied men have been asked to help with the rescue operations while everyone else in the at—risk areas has been advised to head for high ground. some of those whose homes have been effect are grown frustrated with the situation. translation: just provide us with cememnt and equipment so we can do the work faster, so that children can go to school tomorrow. nearly 90,000 people are living in emergency shelters with thousands of roads, bridges and buildings destroyed. with more rain on the way, the fear is more destruction will follow. adam hancock, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. into the wild — after months of pressure, russia agrees to release 100 whales being held in captivity. 25 years of hatred and rage as theyjump up on the statue. this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power, a power to influence.

today it's about the promise of a bright future. a day when we hope a line can be drawn under the bloody past. i think that picasso's works were beautiful, they were intelligent, and it's a sad loss to everybody who loves art. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: mass demonstrations continue in sudan. protesters call for the

military to overthrow the president. theresa may calls for a brexit deal saying the alternative would be no brexit at all. let's return to libya. renew clashes have been reported. we have this continuing troop movement which threatens to expand. do you think there is a chance of more clashes and violence? unfortunately i think so. and violence? unfortunately i think so. we have seen attacks from various militias. the general has given the order to attack tripoli however we have seen the forces

loyal to the recognised government have seen the defeat in a number of locations. including the airport where some have been captured and thatis where some have been captured and that is a big blow to general khalifa. is this a blow to his credibility as well? it is a blow to his credibility because he has said he is the strongman and he has been attacking city after city and has taken them with ease because there has been little resistance. this is the first time he has come against battalions and that is why his forces are losing, but also militarily because the brigade have surrendered themselves in tripoli airport very easily and that is a

blow to him. how do you see the next couple of days panning out? nobody knows with general khalifa. he has committed a number of war crimes. what we hear is that there is indiscriminate shelling of indiscriminate shelling of indiscriminate buildings. we worry they will be a lot of bloodshed. the international community through the united nation's has requested he goes back to his barracks however i think we need a resolution to order him to go back to his barracks for the protection of civilians in libya. you think the international community simply has not done enough? it definitely hasn't. this

has gone on for five years after general khalifa hafter has started his crew. he is not stop fighting at all. over that time there has been no condemnation by the international community. france in particular, which is a security council member, has been supporting general khalifa hafter logistically and politically. he was received in paris by the president and that is why there has not been any revolution — that resolution about hafter. the internationally recognised government has now declared that hafter is indeed the enemy and b repelled for libya to become stable. for stability and democracy that has to be that political resolution on the ground. how optimistic are you that will happen? the problem is most libyan civilians want a stable

country. they have had 42 years of dictatorship and i am sure they do not want another dictatorship especially with hafter at the helm because they have seen what he has donein because they have seen what he has done in benghazi and in derma. do not think that hafter can be part of a resolution. you cannot be trusted by libyans or a resolution. you cannot be trusted by libya ns or the a resolution. you cannot be trusted by libyans or the international community and a number of countries, including the uk, we saw community and a number of countries, including the uk, we saneremy hunt's statement yesterday or the day before, ordering that hafter must leave tripoli now and stop this attack on civilians in the capital. however, the un secretary general, as you are aware, has tried to speak to hafter and has admitted that

hafter has said to him he will not ta ke hafter has said to him he will not take part in any political deal and that he wants to take tripoli. i am worried that hafter, his personality would not allow him to have a political deal and he needs to be at the helm. thank you very much. after months of international outcry russia has agreed to release hundreds of whales. many have arrived... at the remote facility near nakhodka to fast—track their freedom. georgina smyth has more. it has been dubbed whales the present, a series of enclosures holding captive nearly 100 killer whales some have been here for months. momentum for the release

appears to have been frozen over but russia has now called for the release. this conservationist arrived at the facility on saturday to expedite the process but the task is colossal and complex. some of the creatures are injured or may have beenin creatures are injured or may have been in captivity for too long. safe release is not guaranteed. it is a matter of the answers of teams being able to give. many of whales these we re able to give. many of whales these were legally captured in the waters under the banner of scientific or educational purposes. in china one whale can fetch up to $6 million. despite this, scientists are involved in the repatriation process

and it seems theyjust might be a happy ending to this tale. north korea is known as being one of the most controlling states in the world. that of course extends to the country's media, with television news often dominated by propaganda, presented in a very straightforward way. but north korea watchers recently saw something a little different when they tuned in. take a look at this... not something you would expect from north korean tv but the country's state broadcaster, korean central tv, has been experimenting with a new high—tech look. kctv‘s bulletins are unknown for their plane format and a signature news reading style, but one day in late march, north korean watchers got a surprise. the economics reported the main news bulletin was presented by a young female newsreader but most importantly the report featured graphics throughout, which is very unusual as well as drone footage and time—lapse videos. what is behind this

new contemporary look? officially north korean television does not have any competition. people are banned from watching foreign tv channels, there is no cable tv, there's no satellite tv in the country. most homes, if they get television, only get one channel. but unofficially there is a lot more competition. a lot of information is flowing in from overseas on usb sticks and on st memory cards and a lot of that is chinese, us, uk and european movies and then also a lot of south korean tv. north korean tv has realised that it has to start to innovate, it has to make itself look a bit more interesting, if it's to hold the attention of people in north korea. normally it taked kctv a day or two to report what's going on but normally it takes kctv a day or two to report what's going on but it has recently reported news much faster. one example was kim jong—un‘s recent trip to vietnam, to meet president donald trump. that type of coverage is pretty unprecedented for the channel. and we only assume the reason is because more and more people are listening to foreign radio broadcasts

that north korea has to get out there and it has to get its own view out to the people before the information coming in from overseas gets too widespread. another new thing we noticed, is ordinary people making a rare appearance on state tv. normally production is confined to the studio but during the kim—trump summit the tv cameras went out on the streets to sample the mood. back to the high—tech stuff. so the look is new but what about the content? north korean tv is a propaganda organisation of the state. it tries to tell people how well the country is doing. so in these economic news segments, what we usually see is reports on how production in factories is going up, on how companies are producing goods for consumers. the content has not changed very much. we only saw this as one single news bulletin, the next day it was back to normal. are we going to see this again? it is possible that this is a trial and perhaps we could expect more of this in the future. krassi twigg at bbc monitoring.

fascinating stuff. you are watching bbc world news. hello. it is turning out to be a weekend of mixed fortunes in terms of the weather. some of us are keeping the cloud through the day on sunday. there will also be a few showers around, particularly in the east. but still some spells of sunshine, especially further west. now, quite a murky start to sunday morning. it will be frost—free with temperatures first thing around about 4—8 degrees. we keep that cloud across parts of scotland with some outbreaks of drizzly rain. eastern england too fairly cloudy with some heavy showers moving in as we head on into the afternoon. best of any spells of sunshine will be across parts of northern ireland, wales down towards the south—west of england too. in the south it's reasonably mild with temperatures aroud13—17 celsius. further north, across the northern half of the uk in fact,

we're looking at around about 9—12 degrees. it's going to be mild in london, 16 celsius or so, but for the boat races in the afternoon there is a chance that we could catch some of those heavy potentially thundery showers so something we're keeping quite a close eye on, those showers through sunday afternoon. into the evening hours, the showers drift their way a little bit further west. it is still a fairly cloudy picture across the country and, again, we are looking at largely frost—free conditions to start your monday morning. so monday will be something of a mixed picture in terms of the weather. we've still got some rain, particularly in the south, across parts of southern england, south wales too. this is a weak weather front which is going to be quite slow—moving across the region. but further north, actually a different picture here. we've got much more sunshine for much of northern england, northern ireland and scotland too. temperature here around 10—14 degrees or so. further south, we're likely to see some slightly milder weather. moving through now, monday night on into tuesday, we've still got this weather front which is goingto be lingering across the uk. some uncertainty about exactly how

far north that's going to be. low pressure sitting out towards the south—west. with an easterly breeze, we could well see cloud lingering around the east coast for a time. still some rain on tuesday on that weakening weather front. most likely across southern england into wales, but it could be a little bit further north. at the moment it looks like much of scotland, northern ireland and northern england should see some sunshine. 8—11 celsius. 1a or 15 degrees in that milder air but you've got the cloud and the rain further south. looking ahead towards the middle part of the week. we've got that milder airfora time, particularly in the south, but you'll notice the blue colours starting to edge their way a bit further south so things are set to turn a little bit colder as we look through the middle part of the coming week. lots of dry weather on the cards but you will also notice a fair amount of cloud through wednesday and on into thursday too. bye— bye.