this is bbc news. the headlines: incident, thousands have taken part in one of the biggest rallies this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: —— in sudan, thousands have taken part in one of the biggest rallies mass demonstrations continue in sudan. against the country ‘s president protesters call for the military to since protest began in december. for the first time they converged on the national army help them overthrow the president. headquarters in khartoum. they called on the military to join them in theircampaign theresa may continues against al—bashir. british prime minister theresa may to call for a brexit deal, saying the alternative has insisted she had to reach out to labour in order to deliver would be no brexit at all. brexit or to risk letting it slip through theirfingers. libyan government forces try to hold mrs may said there was choice the advance of rebel troops between leaving the eu with a deal as they continue their or not leaving at all. march on tripoli. there are reports of new fighting on the outskirts of tripoli and out with the old, in with the new — north korean where rebel forces are television undergoes advancing on the capital. they are reported to be within 25 kilometres of the centre of the city something of a facelift. — government forces are trying to hold the advance of rebel troops hello and welcome to bbc news. now on bbc news — click.

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 developments. 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. 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. as soon as she was out the door. to libya there are reports of new 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. earlier i asked ahmed sewehli an activist for a democratic libya whether he anticipated more violence as general haftar‘s forces advance on tripoli. unfortunately, i think so. over the past two or three days we have seen attacks from various fronts by haftar‘s militias. haftar has given the order to attack tripoli. however we have seen that the forces loyal to the internationally recognised government in tripoli have repelled a number of attacks and already we're seeing haftar being defeated in a number of locations around tripoli. including tripoli airport where some of his extremist militias have been captured and that is a big blow to haftar.

you say a blow to haftar, is this a blow to his credibility then as well? well, on two fronts. it is a blow to his credibility because he has said, he has been deemed to be the strong man, and he has been attacking city after city in libya and has taken them with ease because there has been little resistance. this is the first time he has actually come up against organized battalions and that is why his forces are losing at the moment, but also militarily because the brigade, his most vivious fighters basically, have surrendered themselves in tripoli airport very easily and that is a blow to him militarily. given those blows, how do you see the next couple of days panning out? well, with haftar, nobody knows. unfortunately he has committed

a number of war crimes. which we see as war crimes. i know there are investigations goin on about this in cities in the east. what we hear, for example, at the moment in tripoli, is that there is indiscriminate shelling of residential areas. and that is what htey have done in the past in other cities. what i'm worried is that there will be a lot of bloodshed before haftar is repelled. the international community through the united nation's has requested that he goes back to his barracks — he and his forces — however i think we need a resolution to order him to go back to his barracks for the protection of civilians in libya. i'm guessing from that, you think the international community simply has not done enough? it definitely hasn't. this has gone on for five years after since haftar declared his coup against at the time the only government in libya. he has not stopped fighting at all. over that time there has never been no condemnation by the international community and that is why we are in the situation where we are. france in particular, which of course is a security

council member, has been supporting haftar both logistically and politically. haftar was received in paris by the president there and that is why i think there has not been any resolution against haftar in the past. but now it has become very critical. the government in libya, the internationally—recognised government in libya, has now declared that haftar is indeed the enemy and needs to be repelled for a democratic libya and indeed for libya to become stable. ahmed sewehli an activist for a democratic libya, speaking to me earlier. now to orion which is trying to cope with some of the worst flooding in decades. a number of towns and villages are urgently being evacuated —— iran emergency services are struggling to cope. at least so many 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 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 world news. the latest headlines: mass demonstrations continue incidental protesters calling for

the military to help them overthrow the military to help them overthrow the president. tensions between ethnic groups in the east african countries started long before under the belgian colonial rule, which favoured the minority. the killings of tens of thousands of children orphaned. the bbc‘s ferdinand omondi is in kigali and has met some of them, now grown up and trying to make sense of their country's history. these are the only memories this woman has of her mother and father. at the mention of the word death, she instantly thinks of them. her pa rents she instantly thinks of them. her parents died during the 1994 genocide when she was just one—year—old. this is my father as well, and that one in the middle is my mother. the

killers came and i was sleeping beside them. have you forgiven them? to have this in my head, i decide to forgive them, i say that when i was young until now, just my mother... she said her life was hard. she lives with her cousin whose parents we re lives with her cousin whose parents were also killed 25 years old in health provided by the state for genocide survivors. her tenacity kept her going and she made at university where she is now studying for her masters. she also devotes time to learn as much as you can about the genocide and understand what happened to her family. many of those who were killed in the genocide were buried in mass graves here at the memorial more than 250 million people are buried. the place that honours the memories of the dead but also provides crucial

lessons about the past. and the future. the un estimates more than 95,000 children are orphaned and around 300 thousand children were killed. oswald does not know if any of his relatives are still alive. he was saved from the jaws of death as a baby, although he wasn't aware of this until he was older. oswald ‘s druggies to explain his past, so he offers to take us to the woman who saved his life and who he 110w woman who saved his life and who he now calls mum. josephine who risked her life to save oswald. translation: i saw him, raising her life to save oswald. translation: isaw him, raising him hands and trying to suckle from his mother. but she was dead and he was covered in blood. i looked right and left to see if anyone was watching, saving it would be dangerous for me, but i sought to save him at any cost. i thank god because even

though we lived under difficult circumstances, he had taken care of us. the children of the genocide may not rememberfirst the children of the genocide may not remember first hand of the the children of the genocide may not rememberfirst hand of the horrors of 25 years ago and many of them now wa nt of 25 years ago and many of them now want a future that will brighten and cover their deep, dark shadows of the past. after months of international outcry, russia is set to release almost 100 wales held in captivity in the country's far east. georgina smyth has more. it has been dubbed the whale the prison — floating off russia's far east coast is a series of enclosures holding captive nearly 100 killer and beluga whales. some of them have been here for months. and momentum for their release appeared to be frozen over, but russia has now called for their release. conservationist jean—michel cousteau, son of french explorer jacques cousteau, arrived at the remote facility on saturday to expedite the process,

but the task is colossal and complex. some of the creatures are injured or may have been in captivity for too long. safe release is not guaranteed. it's a matter of the answers that our teams will be able to give. many of these whales were legally captured in the waters near the facility under the banner of scientific or educational purposes. but the kremlin says the whales were in fact destined for theme parks in china where one whale can fetch up to $6 million. despite the obstacles ahead, warmer weather will aid scientists in the repatriation process and it seems there just might be a happy ending to this whale tale. georgina smyth, bbc news. north korea is known as being one of the most controlling states in the world. that of course extends

to the country's media. but north korea watchers recently saw something a little different when they tuned in. 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 plain format and a signature news reading style. but one day in late march, north korean watchers got a surprise. the economics report in 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's 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 sd 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, has to make itself look a bit more interesting if it's to hold the attention of people in north korea. 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 can 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 of what's going on 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 street to sample the mood. now, 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 of factories is going up, on how companies are producing new 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. for years, the giant panda was an endangered species. but recently, there's been some better news. the number of wild pandas has started to climb. and in a zoo in germany,

two not—so—wild pandas are doing their bit too. tim allman explains. springtime in berlin and an age—old story about a boy and a girl and, well...you know the rest. # love is in the air, everywhere i look around... except this boy and this girl are a pair of pandas — jiao qing and meng meng. it seem for one half of this couple, n , the biological clock is ticking. translation: she is beginning to make different vocalisations than she normally does. they usually communicate a bit like goats, and then she starts to squeal like a piglet. she is looking for physical contact so she lifts her tail and so on, and then we know it is the right time. # love is in the air, love is in the air... ah, yes, the right time. the female panda is usually fertile every two to three years

and then only for around 72 hours, so the zookeepers have to act quickly but, you know what they say — true love never runs smooth. translation: we just open the slide and they sniff each other a bit. she found his behaviour a bit too intrusive and then she gently slapped him and he was shocked and scared. she definitely wears the trousers in this relationship. # love is in the air, love is in the air... meng meng usually shows her unhappiness by walking backwards. hopefully, this is not a bad omen for any potential future offspring. if all goes well, she should give both within three to six months and this would be the first panda ever to be born in germany. tim allman, bbc news.

a lot of information about panda mating habits of their. —— there. goodbye! 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 going to 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 a bit of cloud lingering around the east coast for a time. still some rain on tuesday on that weakening weather front. it's 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. 14 or 15 degrees in that milder air, but you've got the cloud and the rain further south. so, looking ahead towards the middle part of the week. we've got that mild airfor a 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.