hello and welcome. this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. 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. 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. 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.

let's get some of the day's other news. initial results from the parliamentary election in the maldives suggest that the party of the former president, nasheed, is on course to get a majority, marking a comeback for mr nasheed who went into exile after being convicted of terrorism by the previous government. tens of thousands of opposition supporters in venezuela have gathered in the capital to protest against continued electric blackouts and wattage... water shortages. the march was called by the opposition leader guaido who has asked his supporters to maintain pressure upon president maduro who blames the blackouts on us backed sabotage. migrants have clashed with

police for a third straight day in greece, following trouble that began with a social media rumour that ongoing travel restrictions would be lifted. it happened outside a migrant camp. you live as protesters have taken to the streets of paris and a number of other french cities for a 21st weekend of anti—government rallies. so far there are no reports of serious violence. the french government is carried out what it says is a national discussion about policy, the findings of which will be announced on monday. and 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 had been shown in video filmed by a group thought to be linked to al qaeda, being held at gunpoint. you are watching bbc news.

still to come, the mod opens an investigation after six soldiers we re investigation after six soldiers were arrested following an allegation of sexual assault. 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 to jonathan 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. there is new fighting on the outskirts of tripoli. rebel forces are advancing on the capital of the city. capital of libya. 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.

there are reports that fighting has happened in three suburbs close to the city. 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.