live from london, this is bbc news. the un secretary general calls for a ceasefire in sudan, as nearly 70 people are killed in fighting between rival military factions. the leader of the nurses�* union in england says they're prepared to hold strikes until christmas unless more money is offered. appeals for calm after an indian former politician convicted of kidnapping is shot dead on television along with his brother. the building of new so—called smart motorways in england is being cancelled over safety concerns and costs. and an ancient symbol of scotland's monarchy known as the stone of destiny will travel to westminster abbey for the king's coronation.

welcome to the programme. i'm lucy grey. gun battles are raging in the sudanese capital, khartoum, as rival wings of the armed forces fight for power. there are reports of nearly 70 people dead — with almost 600 injured. among the dead are three un workers who were caught in gunfire at a military base. these are the latest pictures from khartoum where there is black smoke over the city. the united nations secretary general has condemned the fighting between the army and another military group, the rapid support forces. there are fears the violence will delay the planned transition to civilian rule in sudan. latest reports say the situation is getting worse. there are now reports of fighting around the country, with eyewitness accounts of sudanese army air

strikes in the city of 0mdurman. the target is an rsf base north east of the capital khartoum. beverly 0chieng from the bbc�*s monitoring service has the latest from nairobi. some of the latest tallies we are seeing from the doctor's union is that nearly 70 people have been killed in two days of violence. there have been clashes largely near military installations in merowe where there have been heavy deployment by rsf and the sudanese army, and they are making competing claims about areas that they have seized or areas they are disputing each other having taken. this morning the sudanese army said the general command was not taken by the rsf, contrary to some reports. it is frustrating trying to get information on the ground, because the state tv is only playing piece music, calming music, peace music, calming music,

and it is very difficult to get news out of sudan. and we do know that so many people have been killed and hundreds injured. we have been hearing from doctors on the ground calling for safe passage for ambulances and also calling for international aid for the hospitals in khartoum and the areas which are being affected. yes, there have been. there was an appeal for medical aid, but there are also calls for a ceasefire, because the fighting would curtail any possibility of medical aid being able to reach victims or hospitals. we do know that the airport has been closed, there are no flights going in and out of khartoum, so it would be very difficult to bring aid into sudan. it has been in a state of conflict, the economy is ailing and they do need international support. they have been calls from regional powers and the international community for there to be a ceasefire, but it seems that the escalating violence, even the rhetoric coming out

of the two military leaders in the interim president, it doesn't look like this is about to go down. we have had the un calling today for a ceasefire as well as you mention. we have also got the arab league holding an urgent meeting, and i can see one of the lines coming out of that is egypt has called on sudanese party to the conflict to ensure the safety of all egyptian interests in sudan. have either of the two sides today called for any mediation at all? as of last week, there had been some planned mediation, but overnight burhan said he ruled out talks with the rsf, and there was a change of tone, because now we see the army is increasingly referred to the rapid support forces as a militia. they are trying to malign them, because it is their narrative they are competing for,

both in the media as well as in the public. but it looks like where the army stands, there is no possibility of talks at the moment, and perhaps some international and regional pressure, there might be some window where the arab league and other actors in the region. is there any sense that you know of of what actually sparked this latest upsurge in violence? because we had been hearing that there had been this framework agreed in terms of this transition to civilian rule, and then this happened. one of the biggest issues with sudan's political reform process since the coup in april 2019 has been the unification of the armed forces, so the integration of the rsf into the army. there have been concerns that having a powerful force outside the national army could lead to various centres of power, as we are seeing now, so this framework agreement, it accelerates that integration over a five or ten year timeline, but then all the parties were pushing for a shorter period of integration, so that has led to this sort of bloodbath that we are seeing. it has been a worry for sudan over the years, the fact that the rsf

is quite autonomous outside the army command despite the fact that it is within the intelligence and the army services. beverly 0chieng there. the leader of the nurses�* union in england says they're prepared to continue strikes right up to christmas unless the government puts more money on the table. members of the royal college of nursing rejected a 5% pay offer and a one—off bonus last week. the government says the offer is fair and reasonable. 0ur political correspondent tony bonsigniore says the different health unions are divided on their position. so you have had one union that has accepted this offer. a couple of other unions are currently out balloting their members, but then the key one here is the royal college of nursing, pat cullen heads that. they actually recommended this offer to their members, but last week we got the result at the end of last week, and it was a narrow defeat for pat cullen. the members of the rcn rejected that

offer, so we are back now into this prospect of more strikes, not only at the end of this month, but potentially in many months to come, perhaps even all the way up to christmas if, as they promise, and there is no settlement, they ballot for another six months potentially of industrial action, so pat cullen was asked on laura kuenssberg about that prospect of months and months of strikes. she said that the ball is now in the government's court. it is fundamentally a question, but they've got the answer to that. the answer to that is to put more money on the table for our nursing staff. treat them properly, make sure that we can fill every vacant post that we have got. that's what the people of england deserve. it's what every patient deserves. we hear that more and more patients now have had to resort to private health insurance because they can't get the treatment and care that they've paid into the nhs for year over year, and why not? because our nurses are leaving in droves. now the doctors are

leaving in droves. this is a government that has turned their back on the nhs, and now we need to all get round a table and make sure that the crisis within this nhs is sorted out. and, tony, talk us through the political reaction, then. so greg hands, the conservative party chairman, has been out doing the media rounds this morning, and steve barclay, the health secretary, wrote to the royal college of nursing this morning, although pat cullen told us there was nothing really new in there. he was asked about the prospect of the government giving some more ground on this. what greg hands said and the government have said, this is a full and final offer, they say. except there is perhaps just the tiniest hint of a little bit of wiggle room. greg hands told laura kuenssberg that steve ba rclay�*s door is always open. we want to see what the other unions have to say, what the other people i being balloted have to say|

about this very good offer, and i stress again, £5,100 for a band five nurse, - £2,000 into their- account by the summer. that is a very, very good offer. labour are in a quite difficult position on this, meanwhile. they haven't publicly supported the strikes, but haven't come out against them either, given their very close and historic links to the unions. the shadow health secretary, wes streeting, also out on the airwaves this morning. he repeated something that he's been talking about for a few weeks now. his concern about the impact on patients. i'm really worried about it, particularly the decision they appear to have taken to remove derogations, the exemptions they put in place previously around emergency care, cancer care, i think that is a real risk to patient safety. i hope they don't feel that escalating in that way is necessary. do you hope they don't? i really hope they don't. i must say, i think the dereliction

of leadership from the government this week has been appalling. we have barely seen or heard anything of the health secretary. the prime minister told parliament he didn't want to get in the middle of this. you are the prime minister in the middle of the biggest crisis in the history of the nhs. we have seen hundreds of thousands of cancelled operations, real risk to patient safety, not my words, the words of nhs leaders. as i say, lucy, i don't think this is where anybody thought we would be or wanted us to bejust a couple of weeks ago when there were so many intensive negotiations. and as you heard wes streeting there, the political ramifications of this possibly go even further than these months of discontent. it's the effect it may potentially have on waiting lists and the recovery from covid. i'm sure it's something that mps will want to question the government about when they return to westminster tomorrow. the chief minister of the indian state of uttar pradesh has appealed for calm after a former politician who's a convicted criminal was shot dead while under police escort.

atiq ahmed, who had been convicted of kidnapping, was shot dead live on television along with his brother. they were answering questions from journalists when they were killed in allahabad. 0ur south asia regional editor anbarasan ethirajan gave me this update. it was a shocking incident, and it was all shown live on tv when this gun attack happened. atiq ahmed is from uttar pradesh, the most populous state in northern india, and he was a former politician, member of the state assembly is a former mp, but there were dozens of cases against him of attempted murder, extortion and kidnapping, and the police and others accused him of running an underworld operation in the uttar pradesh state. he was convicted in a kidnapping case last month, and he and his brother were brought to the city for a medical checkup, and journalists were asking questions. the whole thing was live on tv, and suddenly shots were fired

and these two men were killed, and the police say that they have arrested three suspects, but this has sent shock waves across the country about how this was allowed to happen when someone, even though he was a convicted criminal, could be killed when policemen were surrounding him and it was live on tv, so this has triggered a lot of criticism from opposition parties, and one of the opposition leaders described this as a cold—blooded murder, and called for a supreme court investigation. i understand that his teenage son had been killed just days earlier, and some of the journalists who were talking to him were talking to him about that at the time of the shooting. his teenage son and another man, both were killed in a shoot—out, that is what the police have described it as. they were wanted in a murder case. this also raises questions about their shoot—out in the state of uttar pradesh, which is ruled by the hindu nationalist bjp.

the chief minister of the state has been taking a tough stance on what he calls law and order problems, he wants to take it under control. he says anyone taking law and order into their own hands are criminals will have to face the wrath of the state. but rights groups say more than 180 people have been killed in police encounters or shoot—outs, what the rights activists describe as extrajudicial killings in the state in the past six years, but the government has strongly refuted these allegations and say that some of these occasions happened when those accused of crimes were firing at police. so this is also coming under the spotlight now, and that is why opposition leaders say what is happening in uttar pradesh state needs to be examined, and now they are calling for a supreme court monitored investigation, because mr atiq ahmed himself went to the supreme court

himself last month, saying he was receiving threats to his life, even from the police, but the court refused to entertain the petition, saying it was already being heard in a lower court. anbarasan ethirajan reporting there. motoring groups in the uk have welcomed the government's decision to cancel the construction of new smart motorways, but insisted the announcement does not go far enough. existing stretches of smart motorway in england will remain, but more emergency stopping places will be put in place. 0ur reporter nicky schiller is in the newsroom with more details. smart motorways were first introduced in 2006 and currently make up about 10% of england's motorway network. however, there are three types of smart motorway. let's take a look. the first, controlled. the second, dynamic. and the third is known as all lane running. firstly, controlled is where there is a permanent hard shoulder, however if there is congestion, say from an accident, then technology like electronic signs can be used to slow

the traffic down. the second is dynamic, that is when the hard shoulder is opened up to traffic at times of congestion, but then you will always see that the speed limit is reduced. the third is the most controversial, that is known as all lane running. here on the m1, you can see there is no hard shoulder, just four lanes of traffic. however, built along the route are these emergency bays where cars that get into trouble can go in. they are monitored by cctv, however this is the most controversial of the smart motorways. what is supposed to happen is road signs will say if there is an obstruction, however take a look at what can happen. the building of the smart motorways has now been cancelled. campaigners have welcomed that, but they wanted to go further. it is good news, and it is good that it has gone as far as it has to cover routes that are already being built, i didn't expect it to go that far. but obviously it doesn't cover existing roads, and it's the existing roads that

are killing us. so it's half the battle, but there is still half the battle to go. a bbc panorama investigation in 2020 found that 38 people had died on smart motorways between 2015 and 2020. indeed, on one stretch of the m25, near misses went up 20—fold from 72 to 1485. across europe there are similar smart motorway schemes, including in austria, belgium and germany. one of the biggest is in the netherlands. it's known there as the rush—hour lane. during busy times, lanes are opened up for traffic. over in the united states, there are fewer schemes. department for transportation officials say there are two dynamic schemes. one is in virginia, the other in minneapolis. let's get some of the day's other news now. gunmen in central mexico have killed seven people including a child

in an attack in a waterpark and spa in cortazar. numerous families had been enjoying themselves at the park when about 20 armed men approached a group of people and opened fire. the area has seen a surge in drug—related violence in recent years. yemen's houthi rebels and the saudi—backed yemeni government have exchanged additional prisoners on the final day of a process which has seen nearly 900 detainees exchanged in all. two planes carrying 90 detainees in total left from the houthi—run sanaa international airport and the government—held northern city of marib. at the same time, another plane took off from sanaa towards marib carrying dozens of prisoners and abductees from militia prisons. climate ministers from the g7 group of industrialised countries meeting injapan have agreed to work together to reach their environmental targets. a statement from the group said they would speed up the development of renewable energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels by 2050.

at least twelve inmates have been killed in renewed violence at one of ecuador�*s most dangerous prisons. clashes between rival gangs broke out on friday at the litoral penitentiary. on thursday three female guards were killed by armed attackers outside the jail. a sacred, ancient symbol of scotland's monarchy known as the stone of destiny is to make the journey from edinburgh castle to westminster abbey for the coronation of king charles. the exact details of when and how are a closely guarded secret, but new techniques are being used to find out more about the stone's history. 0ur scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie reports. the stone of destiny, or stone of scone, was legally transported from westminster abbey to edinburgh castle on st andrew's day in 1996. intricate preparations, including digital scans and a 3d printout, are now in the final stages for its return to london for

the coronation of king charles iii. it's going to be a really momentous occasion. it's a once—in—a—generation event, really. and it's really significant that the stone of destiny is going to continue its historic role in the coronation of monarchs of britain. until it was seized by king edward i of england in 1296 and enclosed within the coronation chair, the stone was used in the inauguration of scottish monarchs. at westminster abbey, the chair is being prepared for the new king and the stone of destiny will again be placed within it... ..as it was for many coronations, including that of the late queen elizabeth ii. here you can see three different tool marks... a digital 3d model of the stone has been created for the first time.

it can now be viewed in greater detail than ever before. the 3d—printed replica of the stone will also help in preparations for the coronation. in terms of planning on how to insert the stone into the chair, the 3d prints have beenjust to get the choreography done right. it's a very precious object and very heavy, so to be able to utilise the print physically in the first hand, just means the actual stone is in the best of hands on its way temporarily down south. four scottish students stole the stone from westminster abbey on christmas day in 1950. months later, it was found in arbroath. some say that the stone of destiny should not be taken to london for the crowning of king charles iii. but there is an agreement that the stone should only leave scotland for a coronation and then be returned here to edinburgh castle. for now, the stone sits alongside the crownjewels of scotland

but will soon be returned to its original home in perth. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news, edinburgh. a month from now we will know the winner of this year's eurovision song contest, which will be taking place in the uk. and ahead of this year's competition, contestants are taking part in live shows around europe, including one in london this evening. earlier i spoke to william lee adams — founder of eurovision blog wiwibloggs — who was at one of the live shows in amsterdam last night. there were 30 acts from this year's competition, they were leaving it all on the stage, confetti was falling, the voices were big and the passion was high. everyone wants to win, and they really are going for it this year. this is like the us presidential election, it starts months before, years before. nothing is as long is that! we are in the home stretch now. so just explain what these are, they are like concerts, but a really great opportunity to be

performing live to a lot of people, because let's face it a lot of these acts haven't had that much experience, have they? it is a fair point. depending on where you are from, the size of your music market, you may not be used to performing live in front of a big audience, so these concerts are sort of the prep work, it's like the boot camp to learn how to perform in front of a big crowd. but also to test out variations of your song. for instance you may think certain tweaks work well, but then they fall flat with a live audience. so the record labels will often accompany their artist for intelligence to see what they should and shouldn't be changing. 0h, right. so it could have an influence, you could influence the actual routine, maybe. they don't want to give it all away, though, do they, before the actual big event. presumably they will hold something back? yes, i think there is a built—in holding back, because a liverpool they will have fantastic graphics

and led screens and props, whereas when you are at a club in madrid or barcelona, you don't have access to multi—million dollar technology. and also that creates a bit of a problem. if you have a dramatic ballad, and you are performing it in a sweaty club, it is not necessarily the best setting for you. whereas at eurovision, through the technology they can create a setting that enhances the emotions of your song. so everything is still left to play for. this is all one long tease. william lee adams talking to me a little earlier. the oldest known book printed on a mechanical press is going on display in paris for the first time in 50 years. jikji originated in korea and was published in the fourteenth century. tim allman reports. this is no ordinary book. nearly 650 years old, it is a collection of buddhist teachings.

but it is so much more than that. translation: this is the oldest known dated typographical - print in the world. it is an absolutely exceptional document that was printed in korea. what is quite remarkable about this document is it uses a technique that gutenberg would use 70 or 80 years later. johannes gutenberg printed his bible in the mid—15th century. william caxton began using his printing press not long after. butjikji predates them both by decades. only one volume survives, and it is held by the national library of france. this public appearance is incredibly rare and, for some, incredibly special. "i think there's a big difference between seeing all the objects in pictures and seeing them in real life," said this man.

"and it's very moving to see them in person." no examples of the printing press that created the book exist, so it never became widely used or widely renowned. butjikji was the first of its kind and many in korea hope one day it will return home. tim allman, bbc news. a reminder of our breaking news. gun battles are raging for a second day in the sudanese capital, khartoum, as rival wings of the armed forces fight for power. three employees of the world food programme are reported to have been killed. these are the latest pictures showing black smoke over the city. tanks are rumbling through the streets as fighter jets roar overhead. nearly 70 people have been killed in the clashes between the regular army and the paramilitary

rapid support forces. plenty more on that throughout the day here on bbc news. thanks for watching. hello. after some sunshine for many of us yesterday, today is a much cloudier affair, and that cloud is still thick enough this afternoon for some patchy light rain and drizzle, particularly the further west you are. early mist and fog has cleared from coastlines, and hear some spells of sunshine, so it is a day of contrast across the uk, fairly grey and gloomy where we have got the thick cloud but also some sunshine coming through, and where it does it should feel a little bit warmer than it has done recently. that is how the rest of the afternoon shapes up. a lot of cloud across the uk, the best of the breaks the further east you are. as i mentioned, we could still catch some light rain and drizzle for more western areas. where the sun does

come through, potentially temperatures getting up to 15 or 16 celsius, but more like the low teens where we keep the cloud cover. through this evening and overnight, once again that cloud will continue to thicken up and we will see outbreaks of rain developing along the spine of the country through the south—eastern england too, not quite as chilly was last night, temperatures holding up to between four and eight celsius. this is how we start the new week. high pressure is firmly in charge and we will keep that for much of the week, could see some changes towards thursday and friday, but where last week was fairly wet and often windy, the week ahead is looking drier, there will be spells of sunshine for all of us, and at first feeling a little bit warmer. a lot of cloud around start the day on monday, still some outbreaks of rain through parts of central and south—east england. just some spells of sunshine developing for many, but also keeping an eye on this band of cloud moving in from the north sea, it may turn things quite dull and gloomy for some eastern coast. in the sunshine, temperatures up to 16 or 17 celsius,

always somewhat cooler exposed to the breeze of the north sea, and as we had from monday into tuesday we still keep the area of high pressure, but notice how the isobars start to come close together as we start to come close together as we start to come close together as we start to develop a more easterly wind. tuesday should bring a good deal of sunshine, some cloud developing, across the south—east through the day, but notice the strength of the wind. we will all feel the strength of that wind, high temperatures in the best of the sunshine, perhapsjust 12 or 13 sunshine, perhaps just 12 or 13 celsius sunshine, perhapsjust 12 or 13 celsius for some eastern coasts. then for the rest of the week it is mainly dry, but we could see some rain developing through thursday and friday across more southern areas. goodbye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the un secretary general calls for an immediate ceasefire in sudan after nearly 70 people were killed in fighting between rival military factions. the leader of the nurses�* union says they�*re prepared to continue strikes in england right up to christmas unless the government puts more money on the table for a pay deal. the chief minister of the indian state of uttar pradesh appeals for calm after a former politician convicted of kidnapping is shot dead live on tv along with his brother. the building of all new smart motorways in england is being cancelled over safety concerns and costs — this includes 11 already on pause

and three set for construction. a sacred, ancient symbol of scotland�*s monarchy known