live from washington, this is bbc news. at least 30 people are dead and hundreds of others injured in sudan, as the army and paramilitary forces clash in the capital khartoum. disruption of the grand national, as animal rights protestors storm the racecourse. and after it was almost destroyed by fire, we see the remarkable restoration of the notre dame cathedral in paris. hello, i'm helena humphrey, good to have you with us. we start in sudan, where heavy fighting is taking place between two rival factions of the military. gunfire and explosions rocked

the capital, khartoum. the sudanese military has ordered citizens to remain inside amid clashes at the presidential palace and the city's airport. the two sides are in dispute over who governs the country. sudan has been run by the military since a coup in october 2021. a journalist from the washington post newspaper reported 30 people dead and nearly 400 injured, citing the united nations. at least two of the dead are reported at khartoum international airport. earlier, footage there showed large plumes of smoke and fighterjets flying low overhead. and this video from inside the khartoum airport shows passengers taking cover on the floor. major airlines have reportedly suspended flights. un secretary general antonio guterres has denounced the violence, with a spokesperson saying, "he spoke with sudan's abdel fattah al—burhan and rsf leader general mohamed hamdan dagalo, also known as hemedti, and is calling for an immediate end

to violence and a return to dialgue." the clashes come after months of tensions between sudan's military and the rapid support forces paramilitary group and are raising fears of a wider conflict. 0ur reporter simi jolaosho gives us more context now. it all begins with the former president of sudan, 0mar 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 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. earlier, i spoke to zeinab salih, a journalist in khartoum. we've been here for heavy gunfire

all around — we've been here for heavy gunfire all around the city. i'm at the western— all around the city. i'm at the western part of the city. we saw military— western part of the city. we saw militaryjets western part of the city. we saw military jets flying western part of the city. we saw militaryjets flying overhead into the southern part of the city. what we understood is they are going to hit a military base of the rapid group — hit a military base of the rapid group support forces. it has been like this, — group support forces. it has been like this, clashes between the rsf and the _ like this, clashes between the rsf and the sudan armed forces. it started — and the sudan armed forces. it started early in the morning at 9am in the _ started early in the morning at 9am in the southern part of khartoum. it quickly— in the southern part of khartoum. it quickly spread towards strategic places— quickly spread towards strategic places like the international airport. _ places like the international airport, the military hq, in khartoum city. is airport, the military hq, in khartoum city.— airport, the military hq, in khartoum city. airport, the military hq, in khartoum ci . , . ., ., , khartoum city. is it clear who is in control of the _ khartoum city. is it clear who is in control of the country _ khartoum city. is it clear who is in control of the country at _ khartoum city. is it clear who is in control of the country at this - control of the country at this moment?— control of the country at this moment? �*, ., . ., , moment? it's not clear, because eve one moment? it's not clear, because everyone is _ moment? it's not clear, because everyone isiust _ moment? it's not clear, because

everyone isjust claiming - moment? it's not clear, because. everyone isjust claiming things... the rsf _ everyone isjust claiming things... the rsf at — everyone isjust claiming things... the rsf at first claimed they controlled the international airport and said _ controlled the international airport and said they were going into the military— and said they were going into the military hq. at the same time, i was receiving _ military hq. at the same time, i was receiving statements on the army denying _ receiving statements on the army denying all this, saying that's not true, _ denying all this, saying that's not true, we — denying all this, saying that's not true, we are in control of all of these — true, we are in control of all of these strategic places. so we don't know— these strategic places. so we don't know actually who is in control. 30 know actually who is in control. sc claims know actually who is in control. claims and know actually who is in control. sr claims and counter claims, is there any potential for talks between the two sides, for a political solution here any time soon? it two sides, for a political solution here any time soon?— two sides, for a political solution here any time soon? it won't be an easy thing- — here any time soon? it won't be an easy thing- the _ here any time soon? it won't be an easy thing. the head _ here any time soon? it won't be an easy thing. the head of _ here any time soon? it won't be an easy thing. the head of the - here any time soon? it won't be an easy thing. the head of the rsf . here any time soon? it won't be an easy thing. the head of the rsf is| easy thing. the head of the rsf is calling _ easy thing. the head of the rsf is calling his — easy thing. the head of the rsf is calling his opponent a liar and saving — calling his opponent a liar and saving he _ calling his opponent a liar and saying he is going to drag him as a do- saying he is going to drag him as a dog into _ saying he is going to drag him as a dog intojustice. but at saying he is going to drag him as a dog into justice. but at the saying he is going to drag him as a dog intojustice. but at the same time _ dog intojustice. but at the same time saudi — dog intojustice. but at the same time saudi arabia for example has a hu-e time saudi arabia for example has a huge sway— time saudi arabia for example has a huge sway on sudan, and is calling on both— huge sway on sudan, and is calling on both of— huge sway on sudan, and is calling on both of them to sit down for

talks _ on both of them to sit down for talks the _ on both of them to sit down for talks. the international community as well, _ talks. the international community as well, the us and the uk, all of them _ as well, the us and the uk, all of them are — as well, the us and the uk, all of them are calling for that. we don't know, _ them are calling for that. we don't know, probably they will change their— know, probably they will change their position and sit down for talks — their position and sit down for talks. 50 _ their position and sit down for talks, , ., their position and sit down for talks, ,., ,., their position and sit down for talks. i. ,., ., their position and sit down for talks. i. ., talks. so you point to those international _ talks. so you point to those international calls - talks. so you point to those international calls from - talks. so you point to those | international calls from both talks. so you point to those - international calls from both sides to come to the table, but from the perspective of people there in the capital, the sudanese population, i mean, is there any sense of what the country could be heading for?- country could be heading for? people are actually very _ country could be heading for? people are actually very worried _ country could be heading for? people are actually very worried about - are actually very worried about this, _ are actually very worried about this, that — are actually very worried about this, that it could turn into civil war _ this, that it could turn into civil war. because, you know, the army has been controlled, i would say, mainly by peogle _ been controlled, i would say, mainly by people from the northern part of the country, and the rsf are coming from the _ the country, and the rsf are coming from the western part of the country. _ from the western part of the country, and sudan is divided along ethnic— country, and sudan is divided along ethnic lines~ —

country, and sudan is divided along ethnic lines. that is really worrying _ ethnic lines. that is really worrying for most of the people here _ worrying for most of the people here i— worrying for most of the people here. i hope it won't turn out to be like this _ here. i hope it won't turn out to be like this it — here. i hope it won't turn out to be like this it is — here. i hope it won't turn out to be like this. it is very worrying. a like this. it is very worrying. developing story from the us now. a train carrying hazardous materials has derailed and caught fire in rockwood, maine, fire officials said. rockwood fire and rescue posted this photo of the derailment on saturday on its facebook page and advised residents to stay clear. it was unclear if there were injuries. the derailment is the latest one to plague the rail industry. federal regulators and members of congress are urging railroads to do more to prevent derailments after recent fiery wrecks involving hazardous chemicals in ohio and minnesota prompted evacuations. to the uk, and 118 people have been have been arrested at the grand national, one of the most prestigious horse races in the world. they were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance

offences in relation to disruption. a large number of police had been deployed to the ground after animal rights activists had warned they would try to disrupt the race. 0fficers went onto the course to remove the protesters. the start of the race was delayed for 1h minutes whilst the group were cleared, but it did eventually go ahead and was won by corach rambler ridden by the jockey derek fox. 0ur correspondent sharon barbour was at aintree racecourse. it's been really tense day at aintree, a day of high drama. it began with the protesters, animal rising, which threatened to disrupt the most important race in the calendar, the grand national, due to start at 5:15pm. everybody said they could not possibly, there were so many police surrounding the race course and inside as well. protesters arrived, they sat down on the ground, we spoke to them, they said they were determined

to disrupt the race, but still it wasn't believed it was possible. well, they did, the race was stopped for around 15 minutes as they go onto the track, nine protesters were arrested. a little bit about that organisation — it was until a few days ago animal extinction, a sister to rebellion extinction, we don't know how many were here, but certainly they got onto the track and managed somehow to get through security and disrupted the race that is so important, not only here in liverpool, where the income is about £60 million, but right around the world. 500 million, thejockey club say, watched the race in 140 countries, so, certainly, even though the race got under way, for the activists, it was a success in raising what they say are issues around animal welfare.

certainly there will be a lot of questions, not only about security and what they can do to now protect that race, but also questions about what they can do perhaps about the safety of the horses taking part. uk prime minister rishi sunak is to ban the construction of new smart motorways, which use technology to regulate speed and traffic flow on some of the uk's highways. 1a planned smart motorways, including 11 that are already paused, will be removed from government road building plans. the bbc�*s panorama programme in 2020 investigated smart motorways, revealing 38 people have been killed on them over a space of five years. it led to the government reviewing the smart motorway network. here's a snippet from the documentary by richard bilton.

we put in a freedom of information request for one stretch of the m25. 0ne stretch was out of action for nearly a year. there was a ride in nearly a year. there was a ride in near misses, 72 in five years with a hard shoulder, 1&85 in the five years without. live now to our political correspondent damian grammaticas. we know these motorways have been controversial for years, but tell us more about how they work and what prompted the decision. the more about how they work and what prompted the decision.— more about how they work and what prompted the decision. the way they work, in prompted the decision. the way they work. in order— prompted the decision. the way they work, in order to _ prompted the decision. the way they work, in order to try _ prompted the decision. the way they work, in order to try to _ prompted the decision. the way they work, in order to try to improve - prompted the decision. the way they work, in order to try to improve the i work, in order to try to improve the flow of traffic on the motorways, and keep traffic moving, what the government has done over recent years is growing in the sort of measures. some are simply electronic board that advise you that they have changed the speed limits, to try to keep traffic moving. the one that is most controversial is the scheme that exists already on quite a number of motorways, where the hard

shoulder, the edge of the motorway, would not be used on traditional motorways as an area that you could park up if you had a problem... that had been converted on some motorways into an extra lane for permanent moving traffic. the idea was it is monitored by cameras, there are these billboards. if you had trouble, you were told to stay in your car and the traffic would be directed to slow down and go around you. part of the problem, there were accidents happening there. and as the panorama programme revealed, there had been some 30 pluss on some of those motorways in recent years. -- 30 of those motorways in recent years. —— 30 plus deaths. it pours the review on smart motorways and now we get this announcement that the projects that have been paused, 1a of them, will not go ahead. two

projects are nearing completion will actually now be done, but crucially, important to say that the ones already in place will stay. they will continue with some safety upgrades. so those will not change. so is this actually the end of smart motorways? can the government do this? ., �* , ., ~ this? no, it's not the end. at the minute, this? no, it's not the end. at the minute. smart — this? no, it's not the end. at the minute, smart motorways - this? no, it's not the end. at the| minute, smart motorways already cover something like 10% of the motorway network. some 400 miles here in the uk. so the ones in place will stay in place. what the government has done today is to say that for the time frame it can look into, up to the end of the decade, basically, all road—building plans where smart motorways were planned, they have now been removed from those plans. nothing before the end of the decade, and it will continue to look at how users view this.

worth saying too, this is notjust about safety. a large part of this is about cost. inflating prices for the work to convert motorways into smart motorways, the bill for the upcoming projects is put at about £1 billion. £1 billion of saving, the government is making. so there is a cost saving can make, as well as, it says, listening and responding to public about safety.— public about safety. damian grammaticas, _ public about safety. damian grammaticas, thank - public about safety. damian grammaticas, thank you. i staying in the uk, where coordinated strike action involving doctors and nurses isn't being ruled out, according to the union the british medical association, as their pay dispute continues. nhs leaders say the further planned walkouts by nurses in england pose serious risks. the royal college of nursing yesterday rejected a 5% pay offer. 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. 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. thisjust isn't the pay restoration 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. clint cooper, a nurse in yorkshire, was in favour of the deal. absolutely gutted. 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're asking for a 35% pay rise and their union hasn't ruled out coordinating strike action with nurses in future. it's difficult to hypothesise, but all options are very much on the table. and the ball is in the health secretary's court to prevent any further strike action. the royal college of nursing responded that it's in close contact with the bma, but insists there is no planned coordinated action. the government said the 5% pay offer made to nurses is fair and generous. it has been accepted by another union, unison. ministers say they want the best for patients and staff. malcolm matin sent the night in a&e at st thomas' hospital in london after falling and breaking a finger. i don't think they should be allowed to go on strike. because it's an importantjob.

hospital bosses say the nhs needs a period of stability. instead it's facing more disruption. simon jones, bbc news. let's turn to japan now, where a man has been arrested after throwing what appeared to be a smoke bomb at the country's prime minister. a 24—year—old man was held by security guards after a loud explosion at a campaign event in the city of wakayama, south of osaka, where fumio kishida was giving a speech. 0ur tokyo correspondent shaimaa khalil has the details. chaos among the crowd at a young man is wrestled by security and pinned to the ground. then smoke filled the air after a loud explosion, with screaming bystanders scrambling to flee the scene. this is how a speech ijy flee the scene. this is how a speech by the prime minister fumio kishida was interrupted. he was taken to

safety unharmed, no other injuries were reported, but those who came to see him fled in fear. translation: ., ., translation: something flew over our head, we translation: something flew over our head. we ran — translation: something flew over our head. we ran as— translation: something flew over our head, we ran as fast _ translation: something flew over our head, we ran as fast as _ translation: something flew over our head, we ran as fast as we _ translation: something flew over our head, we ran as fast as we could. - head, we ran as fast as we could. and about ten seconds later, we heard a loud noise. my child started crying. it was shocking.— crying. it was shocking. police say a man has — crying. it was shocking. police say a man has been _ crying. it was shocking. police say a man has been arrested - crying. it was shocking. police say a man has been arrested and - a man has been arrested and arrested. his motivation is unclear. translation: a defiant prime minister addressed the cloud crowd in another location and said it should not affect things. translation: ~ ., ., translation: we are in the middle of an im ortant translation: we are in the middle of an important election _ translation: we are in the middle of an important election in _ translation: we are in the middle of an important election in our _ an important election in our country. we have to carry on. violent attacks are extremely rare in japan. violent attacks are extremely rare injapan. this is one of the safest countries in the world, with very strict gun laws. but this smoke bomb incident comes less than a year

after the assassination of the former prime minister shinzo abe. since then, there has been heightened security around politicians but also a heightened sense of nervousness. in the attack today, the assailant appeared to be in the middle of the crowd as he threw the suspected smoke bomb. you can see him holding an unidentified metal device. the prime minister is safe and has continued the campaign trail events. but questions will be asked about why he was in such a vulnerable spot only a few months after his predecessor was assassinated. crowds have gathered injerusalem for the holy fire ceremony, the highlight of orthodox easter celebrations. but it comes against a backdrop of israeli police restrictions at one of christianity�*s holiest sites, the holy sepulchre church, and what locals say is a rise in hostility towards christians. our middle east correspondent yolande knell reports a roar of wonder. for orthodox christians,

this light is an easter miracle, and quickly it spreads around the holy sepulchre church. there's a crush of foreign pilgrims, but the number of local christians injerusalem is in decline — a minority feeling increasingly under threat. in this old city church, a religious jewish tourist vandalized a statue and ultra—orthodox teens desecrated graves in the anglican cemetery, breaking crosses. spitting is a regular occurrence. often, processions are targeted. church leaders believe extremists have been emboldened by the rise of the israeli far right. i don't believe that it is a strategy of the new government to attack churches. but these young people who practise these offences feel in some way protected because they have strong representatives in the government. there's a lot of tension here today.

the tiny christian community — it's less than 2% of the population — is angry at israeli police restrictions being imposed on the religious ceremony, the police say, for safety reasons. but all of this comes amid christian complaints thatjewish settlers are taking over more properties around here and they feel a sense of growing hostility, which many believe is meant to push them away. chairs were smashed in a recent attack byjewish extremists on this armenian—owned restaurant, and a masked youth entered the armenian quarter with a jewish group on another night. one of the youngsters decided to climb the wall to take down the cross—bearing flag of the armenian patriarchate. either the christian world decides to wake up and defend their christian brothers, who are here defending the land wherejesus walked, where is the birthplace of christianity, or we will lose it all. many christians injerusalem

are worried about the future and, as the holy fire arrives for orthodox easter, they're clinging onto it as a symbol of hope. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. in other news. opponents of nuclear power have been celebrating in germany as it shuts down its last three nuclear plants. berlin pledged to quit nuclear power definitively after the 2011 fukushima disaster in japan. anti—nuclear campaigners have welcomed the move, describing it as a "triumph". but surveys show most germans oppose the closures, as they see nuclear power as cleaner than fossil fuels. new york city has appointed its first "rat czar". on wednesday kathleen corradi beat 900 applicants to become the city's director of rodent mitigation. she said she would take on the city's estimated two million rats by tackling litter and food waste and using new products to exterminate the rodents.

now to france — it's been four years since the notre dame cathedral was nearly destroyed by fire. at the time, president macron's promise to have it rebuilt appeared optimistic. but it turns out that the restoration is on track for completion in late 2024. our paris correspondent hugh schofield has the story. 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 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. so, we have said we will do this in five years. so our reputation is at stake. inside the cathedral it is 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 medieval but 19th—century. unlike the spire, they were saved. firefighters knew not to spray them with water or they'd have shattered. the disasterfor them, ironically, is an opportunity to remove 200 years of dirt. translation: it's a human grease from the breath - of millions of worshippers, 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 there will be a new feature on the paris skyline. or rather a very old one — the spire of notre dame. hugh schofield, bbc news, paris. before we go, a reminder of our top story — heavy fighting is taking place in sudan between two rival factions of the military. gunfire and explosions rocked the capital, khartoum. the sudanese military has ordered citizens to remain inside amid clashes at the presidential palace and the city's airport. the two sides are in dispute over who governs the country. sudan has been run by the military since a coup in october 2021. a journalist from the washington post newspaper reported 30 people dead and nearly 400 injured, citing the united nations.

see you soon. hello. most of us got some sunshine on saturday. i suspect some day will be slightly cloudier. cloud rolling in from the west. that said, if you get sunshine it will feel relatively warm. but those cloudier conditions courtesy of this frontal system pushing in from the west, even bringing some splashes of rain. high pressure still holding firm, just about. so we are looking at mainly dry weather, closest to the central of the high, across eastern england, sunny but a chilly start with a early fog patches. further west, a lot of cloud, some rain and drizzle. in the afternoon northern ireland could brighten up, but some pretty sharp showers. north—east scotland

also seeing sunshine, lifting temperatures to around 17. more generally, 12—16. through sunday night, some large areas of cloud, which will break in places, but if you see clear spells for any length of time, we could fill in with patches of mist and fog. it stays cloudy and will remain relatively mild. in the clearer spots, temperatures dropping relatively close to freezing. monday, still this patchwork of clear spells and cloudy areas. we could see quite a lot of cloud rolling in from the north sea. coupled with a bit of a breeze from the north sea, that will make it feel rather chilly for some of our eastern coasts. temperatures in hull, for example, 13. the same in hull, for example, 13. the same in aberdeen. further west, in hull, for example, 13. the same in aberdeen. furtherwest, glasgow, 17, some spots up to 18. deep into the week, the high pressure stays without, which means it will be largely dry. but with this high building to the north—east of us,

the easterly wind will strengthen a little. the breeze quite noticeable in off the chilly north sea, which will make it feel cool on the eastern coast. cloud in the south on tuesday, may be giving rise to the odd shower. some sunshine elsewhere. once again, the highest temperatures likely across the north and the west of the uk, which will continue deeper into the week. a bit chilly further east, could turn cloudy around the middle parts of the week, always some spells of sunshine and generally warmest in the west.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour straight after this programme. on the battlefields of ukraine, you won't just find local soldiers... slava ukraini. ..but volunteers from all over the world. guatemala, portugal, america. ukrainian officials say 20,000 international volunteers have travelled to help fight back against the russian invasion. many of them came from britain. they needed help so that is why i got up and went. i've got a purpose in life out there. you didn't have any military experience previously? 100% civilian. from those who'd

never held a weapon, to experienced soldiers,