welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is lewis vaughanjones. 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 presdient‘s official residence. —— president's official residence. they're calling on the military tojoin them in their campaign to oust president bashir who's ruled for nearly thirty 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. 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.

in libya there is new fighting on the outskirts of tripoli. 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. now to hear rather which is trying

to with some of the worst flooding in decades. the number of sounds and villages are being evacuated and disaster agencies are struggling to cope and at least 70 people have lost their lives. 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 struggling 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 he 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. let's look at some other stories in brief. initial results from the parliamentary election in the maldives suggest that the party of the former president is on course to get a majority. it marks a comeback for nasheed who went into exile

after being convicted of terrorism by the previous government. dennis whalen protesters have gathered in the capital to protest against continued electricity blackout and water shortages. the march was called by the opposition leader who has been urging his supporters to maintain pressure on his rival stop maduro blames the blackouts on us backed sabotage. migrants have clashed with police for the third straight day. trouble began following a social media post suggesting that onward travel had been lifted. yellow vest protesters have taken to the streets of paris for a 21st weekend of anti—government rallies. so far there are no reports of serious violent. the french government has carried out what it says is a national discussion about policy,

the findings of which will be announced on monday. an italian man held hostage in syria for over three yea rs has held hostage in syria for over three years has returned to italy after being released. he disappeared during a trip to turkey. he had been shown in videos filmed by a group linked to al qaeda, held by gunpoint. this is bbc news. global questions travels to hong kong to discuss china and its place in the world in 2019. hello. welcome to hong kong for this edition of global questions with me, zeinab badawi. ferries come and go throughout the day with thousands of commuters and container ships co nsta ntly commuters and container ships constantly arrive and leave the harbour, one of the busiest in asia. hong kong, which is a special administrative region of china, has for centuries been a major trade

route and hub between east and west. trade has also transformed china. helping to lift more than 1 billion people out of poverty and making china the world ‘s second biggest economy after the united states. but this has also led to a global rivalry and tensions with the united states and other western countries. that is china's place on the world stage on global questions from hong kong. well, i have come inside now tojoin my kong. well, i have come inside now to join my panel and kong. well, i have come inside now tojoin my panel and my audience and we are right in the centre of this bustling crowded metropolis. as you can see behind me we have a terrific view of hong kong harbour with

ferries coming and going, a lot of traffic low. we have been admiring the view here. let me tell you who is on our panel. victor from beijing, the vice president for the centre for china and globalisation, one of the most influential think ta nks one of the most influential think tanks in the country. for several yea rs tanks in the country. for several years he was the interpreter for the previous chinese leader. susan is a vetera n previous chinese leader. susan is a veteran american diplomat and until july last year was the assistant secretary of state for asian and pacific affairs. we're also by alvin, the leader of the civic pride party, one of the major democracy parties in hong kong. and parada, born in india and based in singapore where he is a strategic global a nalyst where he is a strategic global analyst on asia advising governments and corporations around the world. welcome to your wall. —— to you