live from london, this is bbc news. police make a series of arrests after animal rights activists storm aintree racecourse ahead of the grand national horse race. the race was delayed but was won by corach rambler, ridden by derek fox. at least three people have been killed in sudan — in fighting between the army and paramilitary forces, in the capital khartoum. doctors and nurses in england are considering co—ordinated strike action — after unions turn down the government's latest pay offer.

hello, i'm frankie mccamley. a number of people have been have been arrested at one of the most prestigious horse races in the world, the grand national. a number of protesters made their way onto the track at antrie their way onto the track at aintree which had delayed the race. as you can see from these images the protesters got right onto the course. animal rights activists had warned they would try to disrupt the world —famous race. a large number of police had been deployed to the raceground and they went onto the course to remove the protesters. the start of the race was delayed for m minutes whilst the protesters were cleared from track. the race eventually went ahead and was won by corach rambler ridden by the jockey derek fox. our correspondent sharon barbour has been following the developments in aintree. she's been speaking to protesters to get their perspective on the afternoon's activity.

people cut through the defences to get onto the track. you 500 million people around the world, hugely important to the economy here. you can't feel good about it? i important to the economy here. you can't feel good about it?— can't feel good about it? i think, and i believe _ can't feel good about it? i think, and i believe that _ can't feel good about it? i think, and i believe that we _ can't feel good about it? i think, and i believe that we are - can't feel good about it? i think, and i believe that we are in - and i believe that we are in transition to a new economy. we have to transition to a new economy. we cannot carry on to a better future. being here and opening this conversation about how our relationship with animals and nature needs to be fixed as soon as possible has been achieved today, so i'm really proud of everyone today. you know that they have taken huge

strides to make this race is safer for horses. they have lowered the fences, they have made all sorts of amendments to make sure it is safe. after all, thejockeys amendments to make sure it is safe. after all, the jockeys are on the horses. it is notjust about the horses. it is not “ust about the horses. ~ , horses. it is not “ust about the horses. , ., horses. it is not “ust about the horses. ~ , ., , horses. absolutely i am sure the “ocke s horses. absolutely i am sure the jockeys love _ horses. absolutely i am sure the jockeys love their _ horses. absolutely i am sure the jockeys love their horses. - horses. absolutely i am sure the jockeys love their horses. let's l horses. absolutely i am sure the l jockeys love their horses. let's be honest, every second race, a horse dies. you can't love someone and treat them good if you know there is a 50% chance they are going to die. it has been really tense here all day. huge numbers of police. i'm still curious as to how you managed to break through that security. that is what happens _ to break through that security. trust is what happens when a small group of people come together in a non—violent way and believe there is a better way possible. i know that next year we did not have to be here because the public willjoin on our side and not let the race happen. you know that the people, the racegoers, are deeply upset. how does it make you feel, having some of the comments and arguments. what they say to you? i of the comments and arguments. what they say to you?— they say to you? i feel very sad for --eole they say to you? i feel very sad for peeple who _ they say to you? i feel very sad for people who feel — they say to you? i feel very sad for people who feel sad. _ they say to you? i feel very sad for

people who feel sad. this - they say to you? i feel very sad for people who feel sad. this is - they say to you? i feel very sad for people who feel sad. this is not i they say to you? i feel very sad for| people who feel sad. this is not the point. we do not want to disrupt people, we want to invite people to join us. i do believe that by opening this conversation that people will go home and talk about it and it will open this channel to be able to reach the public and invite them join up. mike vince is a race course presenter at aintree. talk us through what happened. yellow the runners were waiting. it became quite clear there was going to be a delay. everybody waited patiently, the horses, some of them were sent back to the pre—parade ring, just to ensure they could be kept on the move while the police dealt with the incident. and then the all clear was given. one or two

of the ceremonial things, like the national anthem, of the ceremonial things, like the nationalanthem, did of the ceremonial things, like the national anthem, did not take place, and the horses then went to the start, which isn't farfrom and the horses then went to the start, which isn't far from the and the horses then went to the start, which isn't farfrom the main stance, and away we went. fortunately at the first time of asking. fortunately at the first time of askinu. ., ,, fortunately at the first time of askinu. ., i. i. fortunately at the first time of askinu. ., ,, i. ., ., fortunately at the first time of askinu. ., ., ., ., asking. for you, did you manage to seak to asking. for you, did you manage to speak to any _ asking. for you, did you manage to speak to any onlookers, _ asking. for you, did you manage to speak to any onlookers, any - speak to any onlookers, any racegoers? what were they saying? were people angry or understanding of these protesters? the were people angry or understanding of these protesters?— of these protesters? the thing you need to understand _ of these protesters? the thing you need to understand about - of these protesters? the thing you need to understand about this - of these protesters? the thing you need to understand about this is l need to understand about this is that the way the protesters got in, is at the canal turn, and the canal turn is a good, well half a mile plus, from the main grandstands. it is about the furthest point imaginable from the main enclosures. as a result of that, they were distant blobs through binoculars to those people in the main stands. as a result of that, i think the overriding feeling was, what on earth is going on. there was a huge

cheer when, finally, i was able to call for jockeys to cheer when, finally, i was able to call forjockeys to mount and the race was on the way. just following on from that. _ race was on the way. just following on from that, do _ race was on the way. just following on from that, do you _ race was on the way. just following on from that, do you think- race was on the way. just following on from that, do you think then - race was on the way. just following | on from that, do you think then that there were so far away and people couldn't see what they were doing, that they made their point? it is that they made their point? it is ve hard that they made their point? it is very hard for — that they made their point? it is very hard for me _ that they made their point? it is very hard for me to _ that they made their point? it 3 very hard for me to tell. i haven't been working as one of the presenters, i have been in the grandstands. when you are half or three quarters of a mile away from your audience, you don't need to have an a—level in rocket science to realise that rather diminishes the object of the exercise, unless they felt that was an area, and who am i to speculate, where they could actually sit on the course and ensure that the police, who are well primed, well—organised, well aware of what was going on and you will have heard some of their messages in the week, couldn't move them. they did move them. and understand a number have been arrested but that is a matter for merseyside number have been arrested but that is a matterfor merseyside police. i

haven't seen any updated figures on the number of people that have been arrested. find the number of people that have been arrested. �* , ., ., the number of people that have been arrested. �* i. ., _, , the number of people that have been arrested. �* ., , ., . arrested. and you, of course watch the race. arrested. and you, of course watch the face you _ arrested. and you, of course watch the race. you are _ arrested. and you, of course watch the race. you are commentating i arrested. and you, of course watch | the race. you are commentating on the race. you are commentating on the race. you are commentating on the race. a very prestigious, world—renowned event. do you think it went down well when it did finally get off to a start, a0 minutes late? finally get off to a start, 40 minutes late?— finally get off to a start, 40 minutes late? , ., , ., minutes late? yes, the winner was a ve aood minutes late? yes, the winner was a very good runner. — minutes late? yes, the winner was a very good runner, and _ minutes late? yes, the winner was a very good runner, and it _ minutes late? yes, the winner was a very good runner, and it is _ minutes late? yes, the winner was a very good runner, and it is a - minutes late? yes, the winner was a very good runner, and it is a winnerl very good runner, and it is a winner for scotland, lucinda russell, whose partner is former record—breaking jumper, peterscrewed partner is former record—breaking jumper, peter screwed more. they won again it by diminishing margin but it was corach rambler, and above all it was corach rambler, and above all it was corach rambler, and above all it was the favourite, and you could see some long payout cues surrounding the friendly bookmakers in the aftermath of the race. aha, big in the aftermath of the race. a big win for some. _ in the aftermath of the race. a big win for some, then. _ in the aftermath of the race. a big win for some, then. thank - in the aftermath of the race. a big win for some, then. thank you -

in the aftermath of the race. a big win for some, then. thank you very much, racecourse presenter speaking to is there who was at aintree. emma slawinski is the director of campaigns at the rspca and joins us now from horsham, west sussex. we do hear about concerns surrounding the horses. what are the main concerns for the rspca when horses are taking part in huge races like this, and we do see some fall and some lose their lives? i like this, and we do see some fall and some lose their lives?- and some lose their lives? i think that really — and some lose their lives? i think that really is _ and some lose their lives? i think that really is the _ and some lose their lives? i think that really is the main _ and some lose their lives? i think that really is the main concern . and some lose their lives? i think i that really is the main concern with a meeting like this race in particular. it is the size of the field and, as you say, when horses fall, it can be very difficult for other horses to avoid them. perhaps it brings those horses down as well. really the main change we would like to see in terms of this particular race, would be a smallerfield to see in terms of this particular race, would be a smaller field size, fewer horses competing. as the rspca we are concerned about the whole life of horse, from birth to death. the days when they are away from the racecourse as well as the days on

the course. we have been working with the british horseracing authority with their new strategy, to try to improve the welfare of horses in racing. we to try to improve the welfare of horses in racing.— to try to improve the welfare of horses in racing. we do hear from the races. — horses in racing. we do hear from the races. the _ horses in racing. we do hear from the races, the directors, - horses in racing. we do hear from the races, the directors, those . horses in racing. we do hear from the races, the directors, those in| the races, the directors, those in charge, that say, increasingly more and more welfare checks are taken. but what exactly... what do people, the trainers, the jockeys, but what exactly... what do people, the trainers, thejockeys, what welfare checks are in place for horses? do you think it is enough? i think there is always more that we can do and i think that days like today, sadly there has been a fatality in this race, and of course more than one over the course of the whole festival. the shows is that there is more that has to be done. we are happy to work with and engage with other people to bring those changes about. there are welfare positions in place. there are welfare officers at racecourses who inspect the horses before they race and after they race there are vets

on the course. you would have seen some of the emergency first aid that was happening today for some of the horses. there are quite a lot of provisions in place but we can never be complacent. we always to be pushing for welfare forces. i be complacent. we always to be pushing for welfare forces. i would like our pushing for welfare forces. i would like your reaction, _ pushing for welfare forces. i would like your reaction, nine _ pushing for welfare forces. i would like your reaction, nine have - pushing for welfare forces. i would like your reaction, nine have been| like your reaction, nine have been arrested. to think that was the right way to go about raising awareness of this issue? i understand that people feel incredibly passionate about the welfare of horses and the welfare of all animals. welfare of horses and the welfare of allanimals. i do, as welfare of horses and the welfare of all animals. i do, as well. however we would never condone people acting illegally. i think there are other ways to make your voice heard. we do understand that passion and where that passion comes from.— understand that passion and where that passion comes from. thank you very much. — that passion comes from. thank you very much. the _ that passion comes from. thank you very much, the director— that passion comes from. thank you very much, the director of— that passion comes from. thank you | very much, the director of campaigns at the rspca. sudan's army has claimed it's in control of the airport

and presidential palace in khartoum after a day of fighting with paramilitary forces. at least 3 people are reported to have died in the clashes. the two sides are in dispute over who governs the country. sudan has been run by the military, since a coup in october 2021. international leaders have urged a return to talks — which are meant to restore civilian rule. the uk foreign secretaryjames cleverly said the violence must stop and called on the sudanese leadership to do all they can to restrain their troops. the us secretary of state, anthony blinken, has described the situation as fragile. major parties in khartoum some weeks ago reached a very important framework agreement on how to proceed with a transition to civilian government. and there's been real progress in trying to move that forward. i spoke to general burhan just a couple of days ago on that very topic.

and there are still some remaining, important remaining issues that need to be dealt with. but i think there's a real opportunity to move forward on the agreed framework. and certainly that's what we're strongly supporting. it's a fragile situation. there are other actors that may be pushing against that progress. but this is a real opportunity to finally carry forward the civilian—led transition and one that we and other countries are trying to bolster. live now to dr siluman baldo, director of the sudanese think tank — sudan transparency and policy tracker. thank you forjoining us. we are hearing conflicting reports at the moment. just talk us through what both sides are saying.— both sides are saying. there are conflicting _ both sides are saying. there are conflicting claims _ both sides are saying. there are conflicting claims from - both sides are saying. there are conflicting claims from the - both sides are saying. there are| conflicting claims from the sudan armed forces and from. fighting

around sudan centres around streets that are used by the sudan air force as back—up for the main area in khartoum. one of the battle grounds has been the khartoum airport, the civilian airport. the idea is to destroy these planes before they start attacking. giving the advantage to the army. this is a fight to the finish. i don't expect that there will be winning party the coming hours, but the fighting is really ongoing in the capital, khartoum and the cities within the tripartite capital. find khartoum and the cities within the tripartite capital.— tripartite capital. and there are calls for the — tripartite capital. and there are calls for the arab _ tripartite capital. and there are calls for the arab states - tripartite capital. and there are calls for the arab states to - tripartite capital. and there are l calls for the arab states to help. what influence could they have? the

arab gulf what influence could they have? tue: arab gulf countries what influence could they have? tte: arab gulf countries in what influence could they have? t'te: arab gulf countries in particular saudi arabia, have great influence in sudan, because of their links to the sudan armed forces, having used them as proxy forces in the war in yemen. they have that access to the commanders of those forces. of late they have the political process leading hopefully, people were thinking of the transfer of power of the military establishment to some pillion democratic transition that would leave the military as tablets went out of politics. we were approaching that conclusion of that political process at a rapid pace when these problems and tensions broke out between the two components of the security forces, the army and air forces. of the security forces, the army and airforces. i believe that

of the security forces, the army and air forces. i believe that this of the security forces, the army and airforces. i believe that this is not a surprise, given that there are people trying to derail the political pro service. you talk about a way out. we are hearing about debts. it is also civilians, as well, that may try to be leaving the country. is there a way out for those who want to try to escape? way out for those who want to try to esca e? .,, ., ., way out for those who want to try to escae? ., ., ., ., escape? population in khartoum, the civilians are — escape? population in khartoum, the civilians are hunkering _ escape? population in khartoum, the civilians are hunkering down - escape? population in khartoum, the civilians are hunkering down in - civilians are hunkering down in their homes and still there are bullets and other ordinance hitting residential areas. people are

arriving wounded in hospital. there are deaths and casualties amongst civilians. therefore this is an area of serious killing that is ongoing in khartoum that has a lot of collateral damage among civilians. this is all over the place in khartoum. this is all over the place in khartoum-— this is all over the place in khartoum. ., ,, , . this is all over the place in khartoum. ., ~ , . ., khartoum. thank you very much for “oininr khartoum. thank you very much for joining us- — thank you very much forjoining us. here's our reporter, simijolaoso, to give us some of the background to this conflict. it all begins with the former president of sudan, omar al—bashir. he led the country for 26 years until 2019 when there were protests across the country in khartoum, including against his rule. that eventually led to a military coup.

civilians and military leaders came together to form the southern council. the idea was for this joint committee to eventually lead the country into a civilian led government. it was led by these two men, the military leader general burhan, and the leader of the rapid support forces. the rapid support forces are a paramilitary group that grew in power under the leadership of the former president. these two were always at odds and that takes us to october 2021, when there were pro—democracy protests, again, following several unsuccessful coos, which eventually led to the military following several unsuccessful coups, which eventually led to the military taking power. they had the prime minister arrested, they took over the state tv and radio headquarters. they even restricted internet access. it has been years of the southern council allegedly trying to transition the country into civilian led leadership. now, with open conflict

and the general elections that are planned forjuly this year, only time will tell if they will actually happen. here in the uk, the royal mail and the communication workers union (cwu) have reached agreement over pay and employment terms. both parties issued a statements on this — it's now expected that the agreement will be considered by the union's executive before it goes before the membership. the details of the proposed deal will be made public once it has been ratified by the union's executive committee — most likely next week. coordinated strike action by doctors and nurses is among options on the table, according to the union the british medical association, as their dispute about pay continues. nhs leaders have called further planned walkouts by nurses in england �*extremely worrying', and say they pose serious risks and challenges. it comes after the royal college of nursing rejected an offer of a 5% pay rise, although another union, unison, accepted it.

simonjones reports. preparing for more picket lines. members of the royal college of nursing will strike again over the may day bank holiday in england. for the first time it will involve those working in emergency departments, intensive care units and cancer care. hospital bosses are concerned. with nursing staff, obviously that represent a significant portion of the workforce, taking action in those areas as well, that will present an unprecedented level of action that we haven't yet seen from nursing staff, and therefore, the challenges with that, the organisation and all of the work that will go into managing and mitigating that, will be enormous. the pay deal on the table would have meant a 5% rise for this year, plus a one—off payment for last year. jessica collins, a paediatric nurse from cambridgeshire, voted against the deal. this just isn't the pay deal

that we asked for, in fact it is nowhere near, and i think there is a lot of disappointment in the unions for trying to encourage us to accept it. itjust feels like we are backing down. i didn't hesitate in my vote. clint cooper, a nurse in yorkshire, was in favour of the deal. absolutely gutted. there is nothing i can say more than that. i but i care about the nhs and i- understand why my colleagues have rejected it. but i stand by my word. i will not leave my patients. this morning, junior doctors returned to work after four days of strike action. they are asking for a 35% pay rise and their union hasn't ruled out coordinating strike action with nurses in future. it is difficult to hypothesise, but all options are very much on the table to prevent further strike action and patient safety. the royal college of nursing

responded that it is in close contact with the bma, but insist there is no planned coordinated action. the government said the 5% pay offer made to nurses is fair and generous and had been accepted by another union, unison. ministers say they want the best patients and staff. malcolm matin sent the night in a&e at st thomas hospital in london afterfalling and breaking a finger. i don't think they should be allowed to go on strike. it is an importantjob. hospital bosses say the nhs needs a period of stability. instead it is facing more disruption. simon jones, bbc news. let's ta ke let's take you live now to tel aviv. we have live pictures coming in. in tel aviv right now, tens of thousands of israelis are protesting against prime minister benjamin netanyahu's judicial overhaul.

we have covered this on bbc news many times. we have covered this on bbc news many times. it's a fifteenth week of protests across the country. police closed roads intel aviv and haifa, in tel aviv and haifa, where the biggest demonstrations have regularly been held. a counter protest in favour of the government plans has been held in netanya. the prime minister benjamin netanyahu has put the proposal on hold for now so that talks can be held on reaching a compromise. he dismissed the move on friday by the credit ratings agency moody's, which lowered its outlook on israel from positive to stable. mr netanyahu said that recent events would not harm israel's democracy or economy. we are looking at live pictures there in tel aviv right now. roads are full of tens of thousands of

protesters. after notre dame cathedral in paris was severely damaged by fire four years ago, it appeared that president macron's promise to have it rebuilt in five years was a very tall order. but it turns out that restoration work is on track to be finished in late 202a — as our correspondent hugh schofield has been finding out. four years ago, the world watched aghast as fire devoured notre dame. and the terrible climax — the spire of the cathedral crashing to its destruction. the spire has become a symbol, which, at a site in eastern france, they've been rebuilding exactly as the original. thousands of oaks from ancient forests have been felled and shaped, and now the first part, the massive base, is ready for assembly — bang on time. we have said we will do this in five years, so our reputation is at stake. we must unite all our efforts, all our knowledge, all our savoir

faire to reach this goal. inside the cathedral, it's still a sci—fi film decor of metal. scaffolding reaches up to the vast hole which was once the roof. but everywhere, craftsmen and women are at their work of architectural healing. one of the big tasks has been treating the stained glass. like the spire, these windows are not in fact mediaeval but 19th century. unlike the spire, they were saved. firefighters knew not to spray them with water or they'd have shattered. the disaster, for them, ironically, is an opportunity to remove 200 years of dirt. translation: it's a human grease from the breath - of millions of worshippers, plus the soot from the candles and the stains left by condensation. it has all left its mark. it may still look like an unimaginably complicated task,

but in fact the reconstruction of notre dame has been advancing much quicker than the doubters ever thought was possible. just in the last few days, the base of the spire which we saw being assembled earlier, has been transported here to paris and hoisted into place. soon they'll be building upwards, and by the end of the year, it's confidently expected that there'll be a new feature on the paris skyline — or rather a very old one, the spire of notre dame. hugh schofield, bbc news, paris. if you thought covid lockdowns were tough — consider this. a spanish endurance athlete has emerged from a cave, after spending 500 days with no human contact — in what's thought to be a world record. beatriz flamini entered the cave 70 metres underground in granada when the world was still in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic.

plenty more on our website if you want to read about any more stories we have been talking about. hello. we've had some heavy showers developing through the day across parts of east yorkshire, east anglia and south—east england. out to the west, this bank of cloud has been gradually working its way eastwards, turning the skies hazy across western areas and bringing some patchy light rain and drizzle into northern ireland and the western isles. and that will continue to slowly push its way eastwards through this evening and overnight. the light rain and drizzle will become increasingly patchy and, eventually, tend to fizzle out. some clearer skies at first across eastern counties, the showers fading here. but equally, we could also see some mist and some fog under those clear skies, and it will be a chilly night for parts of east anglia and south—east england. temperatures perhaps down to two or three celsius. elsewhere, temperatures generally holding up to between four and eight celsius. on into sunday, and we're underneath this area of high pressure, and we start to pull in more of a southerly wind.

so a milderair direction, pushing that milder air across the uk. but also, a moister direction, so we will see much more cloud through sunday. and actually, a fairly grey start for many on sunday. a lot of cloud out west, with some patchy rain and drizzle. mist and low cloud for the hills too. any early mist and fog for eastern coastal counties will tend to lift and, actually, we'll see some sunshine developing here, and that too will tend to extend north and westwards through the day. so we will see some spells of sunshine coming through the cloud and, where we do, temperatures rising to 16, maybe 17 celsius. so then, through sunday evening, it's a fairly quiet night, but also, once again, a fairly cloudy night, so that will keep the temperatures up a little bit higher. and then, for the week ahead, well, it's looking mainly dry for most of us. very little, if any, rain across the uk. some good spells of sunshine. and actually, for many, away from eastern coasts, with the breeze off the sea, it will be feeling a litle bit warmer. so, this is how monday shapes up. once again, we're under this area of high pressure, keeping the atlantic fronts at bay. still a fair amount of cloud

around on monday morning. some mist and some murk, particularly for western areas, and perhaps even still some drizzle through the day for the western isles and parts of north—west england. but for many, it's a mainly dry day. and actually, once we've got rid of the cloud through the morning, we should see some spells of sunshine, come the afternoon. and again, that will help temperatures quite widely into the low mid—teens, if not, 16 or 17 celsius in the best of sunshine. and actually, as i mentioned earlier, for much of the week ahead, it's looking mostly dry, with some spells of sunshine. and after what's been been a fairly cool and wet week, things are looking a bit warmer too.

animal rights activists storm aintree racecourse at the grand national, the race was won by corach rambler, raced by derek fox. at least three people have been killed in sudan after heavy fighting in the capital of khartoum. nurses and junior doctors in england are considering coordinated strike action after unions turned down the latest pay offer. the government says their demands are unaffordable. the french president has visited notre—dame cathedral which was nearly destroyed by a fire four years ago. the restoration is

expected to be finished on schedule.