live from washington. this is bbc news. vigils are held for the four people killed in a shooting at a teenage birthday party in alabama. more fighting in sudan, with dozens killed and hundreds injured in battles this weekend. and spacex prepares to launch its mammoth rocket starship. hello, i'm carl nasman. great to have you with us. we start here in the us, where vigils have been taking place to remember the four people killed and 28 injured in a mass shooting at a birthday party in dadeville in the state of alabama. as of right now, there's no

official confirmation of what led to the shooting but president biden has described it as outrageous and unacceptable. one of the four killed has been identified as philstavious dowdell by local media. he was a standout high school athlete and was planning to attend jacksonville state university on an american football scholarship. earlier, alabama police gave this update on the victims. some of those injuries are critical. they are in critical condition. and that's why it's so important that we absolutely need everyone to continue to pray for those individuals to allow them to recover from what very enduring, as well as their families. live now to our correspondentjess parker. i understand you havejust arrived there. can you give us

arrived there. can you give us a sense of how the community is reacting? we a sense of how the community is reactinu ? ~ . , a sense of how the community is reactin: ? ~ . , ., , ., reacting? we arrived 'ust as a viuil reacting? we arrived 'ust as a viail had reacting? we arrived 'ust as a vigil had been h reacting? we arrived 'ust as a vigil had been taking _ reacting? we arrived just as a vigil had been taking place . vigil had been taking place just up the road from here in a kind of parking area and dozens and dozens of people from the local community were there. and you could really tell what a tightknit community this is. it is a small town here in rural alabama and lots of people were talking to each other, hugging each other. we did see young people very visibly upset. obviously a lot of people will have known the victims of last night's shooting. and that is the dance studio we understand the dance studio we understand the shooting took place last night. they don't know quite how much you can see behind me, but there is actually no police tape up there now, the door is sealed off and you can see some bullet holes in the glass there, but actually looking pretty low—key tonight after

pretty low— key tonight after the pretty low—key tonight after the terrible events where four people have lost their lives and their 28 people injured, the authorities look likely earlier when they were saying with regard to those injured, some are any critical conditions, others they suggested have much more minor injuries. what has also been quite striking is really the lack of detail we have been getting from the authorities about what happened here last night, how the shooting came to an end or where any suspects may be. an end or where any suspects ma be. . , ., , may be. certainly a community aurievin may be. certainly a community grieving tonight. _ may be. certainly a community grieving tonight. this - may be. certainly a community grieving tonight. this is - may be. certainly a community grieving tonight. this is not. grieving tonight. this is not the first shooting we have seen this year, there have been a string of mass shootings in the united states. can you put this tragedy in alabama into context for us? , , ., for us? yes, sir, there have been an _ for us? yes, sir, there have been an increasing - for us? yes, sir, there have been an increasing number| for us? yes, sir, there have i been an increasing number of mass shootings in the united date in recent years. well over 140 taking place in 2023 alone across america. and it has led to, again, that kind of

soul—searching debate among some as to whether more should be done in terms of gun control. as you were just reflecting, presidentjoe biden, of course a democrat, has again voiced his frustration stop he is wanting to push for more restrictions on arms but then of course there are people who are quite resistant to that idea. they believe in the right to bear arms as per the second amendment and a very against further gun control. it is of course a way we have talked about before, discussed before, it is something that is talked about after these types of mass shootings. i think this community here tonight, from what they can gather talking to people earlier, that is not something they are particularly talking about right as of right now because they are still very much in the process of grief. our correspondencejessica parker in dadeville for us tonight. thank you very much. well, the governor

of alabama, kay ivey, is a strong supporter of second amendment rights and last year signed a law ending the requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public. as part of her campaign to be re—elected as governor four years ago, she released this video. man, i'm sick of those dc politicians.— man, i'm sick of those dc politicians. me too. that is wh i politicians. me too. that is why i like _ politicians. me too. that is why i like governor - politicians. me too. that is why i like governor ivey. . politicians. me too. that is l why i like governor ivey. she is honest- — why i like governor ivey. she is honest. tough _ why i like governor ivey. she is honest. tough as - why i like governor ivey. sue: is honest. tough as nails. nothing dc about her. she shall cleaned up that mess. she is breaking records ofjobs breaking records of jobs subscription. breaking records ofjobs subscription. president trump kay ivey is a great governor. the woman knows how to get a bank for her bark. —— bank. straight shooter, that kay ivey. straight shooter, that kay ive . ~ ., ., straight shooter, that kay ive. ., ivey. with your aim to shame. yeah, ivey. with your aim to shame. yeah. look — ivey. with your aim to shame. yeah, look who's _ ivey. with your aim to shame. yeah, look who's talking. - for more perspective from alabama we're joined by muaath al—khattab, a community organiser with faith in action alabama, which works to address gun violence. muaath, thank you for being here. i want to start by asking you, what were your thoughts when you first heard about what took place at this birthday party in

your home state?— your home state? thanks for havin: your home state? thanks for having me — your home state? thanks for having me and _ your home state? thanks for having me and i _ your home state? thanks for having me and ijust - your home state? thanks for having me and i just want. your home state? thanks for having me and i just want to | having me and i just want to say on behalf of faith in action alabama our sincere condolences to those who are grieving and those affected in dadeville. our prayers are with them and we pray they are consoled and they find closure. my consoled and they find closure. my first thought was, i mean, this is a horrible tragedy of course, i really felt for the victims and those people who were traumatised from the shooting in dadeville and i just felt really sad that this keeps happening and that they had to experience this is a time it was supposed to be a celebration. we time it was supposed to be a celebration.— time it was supposed to be a celebration. ~ ., ., ., celebration. we heard from our correspondence _ celebration. we heard from our correspondence is _ celebration. we heard from our correspondence is there, - celebration. we heard from our correspondence is there, just i correspondence is there, just talking a little bit about how the community has been coming together. this is a small town, 3000 people living there, in your experience as a community organiser these sorts of shootings do, how do they affect a small city like dadeville? i affect a small city like

dadeville?— affect a small city like dadeville? ., ~ ., dadeville? i would think that eo - le dadeville? i would think that peeple are — dadeville? i would think that people are definitely - dadeville? i would think that | people are definitely shocked and traumatised and i think people probably in a state of disbelief. it also is possibly something that will bring the community together, the bonds together and try to lean on one another in this tragic time. you are an antiviolence organiser, you are an however, where the governor, as we just heard, is an outspoken proponent of gun rights. what is the discussion like in alabama when it comes to gun rights versus gun—control? well, i will say from our perspective, faith in action alabama, we concentrate on violence intervention and so different people have their views on gun rights, you know, on both sides of the aisle. we concentrate on humidity ——

community violence intervention specifically, sir andy gun violence.— violence. from your perspective, - violence. from your perspective, is - violence. from your| perspective, is there violence. from your- perspective, is there anything that can be done to try to reduce these types of shootings or also the day—to—day gun violence that is often seen in communities across the country? absolutely. i believe that really what needs to happen as people need to come together, relationships needed to be built is an strengthened. there needs to be implementation of actual proven ways to reduce gun violence by intervening and interrupting that violence. we have heard — interrupting that violence. we have heard many republicans recently, including former president donald trump who was speaking at the national rifle association conference of the weekend, and they have been framing, many republicans framing, many republicans framing this as not necessarily a problem with guns, but a problem with violent behaviour itself. what is your response to that? ~ ,

itself. what is your response tothat? g ,, itself. what is your response tothat? g , , itself. what is your response tothat? g , ., to that? my response is our aim is really to _ to that? my response is our aim is really to reach _ to that? my response is our aim is really to reach the _ to that? my response is our aim is really to reach the people. . is really to reach the people. there are ways in which people who are either at risk of committing gun violence or at risk of being affected by gun violence can be redirect to. there may be some cases where there are some behavioural issues, some mental issues, so i think that is really what should be concentrated on in a way to reduce the shootings across the state and the nation. . , , , nation. recently the republican covernor nation. recently the republican governor in _ nation. recently the republican governor in tennessee - nation. recently the republican| governor in tennessee approved stricter background checks on guns after a mass shooting in his state a few days ago. is there any chance of similar action happening in alabama, do you think? action happening in alabama, do ou think? ., , , action happening in alabama, do ou think? ., ,, , .,, you think? your guess is as aood you think? your guess is as good as _ you think? your guess is as good as mine. _ you think? your guess is as good as mine. it's - you think? your guess is as | good as mine. it's possible. you think? your guess is as i good as mine. it's possible. i mean... i will say anything is

possible. was probable is another story. so probably have to reach out to the lawmakers and see what are their thoughts on this issue.— on this issue. muaath al-khattab _ on this issue. muaath al-khattab as - on this issue. muaath al-khattab as an - on this issue. muaath | al-khattab as an anti- on this issue. muaath - al-khattab as an anti- violence al—khattab as an anti— violence organiser in alabama. thank you forjoining us. there's been more fighting in sudan, with dozens killed and hundreds injured in battles this weekend. these two men are at the heart of it all. the head of the sudanese army, and the leader of the country's biggest paramilitary group, known as the rapid support forces, or rsf. they're both now vying for dominance, after leading the two main factions in the ruling military regime. but caught in the middle, is sudan's population of around 50 million people. many are displaced and millions need humanitarian help. our senior africa correspondent anne soy has the full story.

a clash of forces. the sudanese army using its military might to crush a rival paramilitary unit. the fighting was sparked by political fallout among the generals running the two units and governing the country. they've battled over the control of the presidential palace, airports, and key security installations over the last two days. locals and foreigners were caught unaware. katharina von schroeder from save the children had gone to school to pick up her child. the strongest explosions were this morning, when we also saw some air force being deployed, forfighterjets, and we decided to go to the basement for around an hour. in total, we're now nine adults and kids. persistent street protests

helped topple the long serving leader in 2019. generals he had been working with, including those implicated in war crimes committed in the western darfur region two decades ago, entered an uneasy governing arrangement with civilian leaders. the deal was to transfer power to civilians after two years, but instead the generals staged a coup. the man they ousted has called for peace. translation: we need - to at least reach a truce that will lead to establishing a humanitarian corridor that will allow civilians to have access to medicine, treatment, and food. amid the uncertainty about sudan's future, global powers are calling for the de—escalation of tensions and a return to dialogue. the path to democracy from decades of military rule was never going to be easy. a once thriving economy is in dire straits — and it is the sudanese who continue to bear the brunt of this bumpy process. anne soy, bbc news.

around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. akeem dent want to do something special to mark eurovision taking place in the uk —— ekene letter. so she spent months making this new dress. she is even listed a mini graham norton to go with it.- even listed a mini graham norton to go with it. they love knittin: , norton to go with it. they love knitting. i _ norton to go with it. they love knitting, i love _ norton to go with it. they love knitting, i love eurovision, - norton to go with it. they love knitting, i love eurovision, i. knitting, i love eurovision, i thought wargan i did the two together and they had the smart idea and then everybody said don't be ridiculous, you can't sneeze a dress with all the flags of the country of eurovision, what are you talking about? so somebody tells me they can't do something that is when a pickup up my something that is when a pickup up my needles and off they went. ,, . ., up my needles and off they went. ,, ., ., ., up my needles and off they went. ,, . ., . ., ,, up my needles and off they went. ,, ., ., ., ., ,, went. shall we go and take some hotos? went. shall we go and take some photos? absolutely. _ went. shall we go and take some photos? absolutely. we - went. shall we go and take some photos? absolutely. we started l photos? absolutely. we started at abercrombie square, which is

to be renamed in honour of the event. it was then time to meet the fab four on a very windy pierhead. finally, a visitor where the big event will be taking place. it’s where the big event will be taking place-— where the big event will be taking place. it's kind of like the end of— taking place. it's kind of like the end of our— taking place. it's kind of like the end of our pilgrimage, l taking place. it's kind of like. the end of our pilgrimage, we have made it to the opening. you're live with bbc news. dissident farc rebels who rejected a peace deal with the colombian government in 2016 have said they are ready to begin negotiations to end decades of conflict. the leader of the group estado mayor central, representing more than 3,000 leftist rebels, said the talks would begin in a month's time. he suggested norway as a site for the negotiations after its role in the original peace deal. speaking to reporters, andrey avendano said, "our commitment to peace "with social justice is sincere, it is real". colombia's left wing president, gustavo petro, has promised to bring total peace to the country through dialogue with its remaining rebel groups.

live now to kevin whitaker, he served as the us ambassador to colombia from 2014 to 2019. first of all, how significant is this announcement now in light of these potential peace talks? this light of these potential peace talks? ~ , ., light of these potential peace talks? a ., , ., talks? as you noted, the petro administration _ talks? as you noted, the petro administration has _ talks? as you noted, the petro administration has decided - talks? as you noted, the petro administration has decided to l administration has decided to try to achieve total peace with the rebel groups that are out there including this one and these were the renegade part of these were the renegade part of the farc which did notjoin the 2010- 2016 the farc which did notjoin the 2010— 2016 negotiations embarked on by the santos government. so they are rejection lists on the face of it and that probably represents a problem with respect to their participation in these talks. who is this faction of farc rebels and why is it willing to come to the table now?

the farc started many decades ago, really in the 19605 and initially it was a rural insurgency dedicated to the overthrow of the democratic government. overtime, it really turned into a purely criminal organisation, a group dedicated to narco trafficking and extortion and other kinds of criminal act 705. the 2010 negotiations which began were intended to demobili5e the entirety of the farc and the santos administration which started the5e santos administration which started these talks made it 5tarted these talks made it clear that this was meant to be a one time only offer. if those members of the farc wanted to participate, fine, but if any members cho5e participate, fine, but if any members chose not to participate the fill weight of the law would be applied to them. so these are folks that rejected the idea of negotiations previously and they can only imagine that they think they can get a deal now

in the context of the petro's administration desire of total peace. administration desire of total eace. ~ ., , , peace. what is behind the thinking. _ peace. what is behind the thinking, then, _ peace. what is behind the thinking, then, of- peace. what is behind the i thinking, then, of columbia's government in terms of being willing to negotiate a second time with some of these groups? this is a recurring pattern in columbia and one that actually i think is a laudable ambition, and the idea is to come up with and the idea is to come up with a comprehensive solution that brings any or all of the armed bring5 any or all of the armed groups. it has really been going on since the 805 and through the 905, equally every president of columbia over the last 40 years has embarked on this kind of negotiation. the problem is that the underlying conditions which have resulted in this kind of criminality, especially in the countryside, continue to exist. this is the lack of government presence, the lack of infrastructure and

economic opportunities, and a lack of the basic services provided by government including health and education. without those, the basic conditions for criminal group5 conditions for criminal groups to move in and undertake the5e to move in and undertake these kinds of activities will continue to exist. you were the colombian amba55ador when that breakthrough peace deal with the farc was signed in 2016. how is that deal viewed now in the country? i was actually the us ambassador but i was there amba55ador but i was there then, and it was always a 50—50 thing, and it isn't because colombians who reject did the accord or were 5ceptical about the accord reject peace, it's because the colombian security forces had become so successful at eliminating the military threat posed by farc and because farc had so di5credited itself by use of violence that

there was an observation on the part of some colombian that this is no longer a problem for us and why should we make concessions to this group now in order to achieve something we already have which is a relative level of peace. obviously the members of the farc who did demobili5e in 2016 did so in exchange for certain benefits including exemption from regular traditional order, exemption from any possibility of extradition to the united states or elsewhere in connection with their crimes. special 5eat5 connection with their crimes. special seats of representation in the congress and special assistance programmes for their communities in the countryside. briefly if you can, from your experience, how likely is it do you think that these peace talks will succeed? this you think that these peace talks will succeed?- you think that these peace talks will succeed? as i said, this has been _ talks will succeed? as i said, this has been going - talks will succeed? as i said, this has been going on - talks will succeed? as i said, this has been going on for i this has been going on for decades. most of these have not decade5. most of these have not come to fruition. i greatly

admire and people should admire the ambition that is represented by the total peace approach but again, until the fundamental conditions which have made this kind of criminality po55ible have made this kind of criminality possible in the countryside are addressed, it country5ide are addressed, it is difficult to see that this will really take hold. kevin whitaker. _ will really take hold. kevin whitaker, the _ will really take hold. kevin whitaker, the former - will really take hold. kevin whitaker, the former us l whitaker, the former us ambassador to colombia, thank you so much your perspective. my you so much your perspective. my pleasure, thank you. in other news: elon musk and his spacex team are preparing to launch what is described as a mammoth rocket named starship into space on monday. the stainless steel machine is 394 feet tall — more than twice the height of a na5a space shuttle. the rocket and spacecraft combination can hold more than 100 people and is said to play a major role in nasa'5 artemis programme, which aims to establish a long—term human presence on the moon. earlier, i spoke with former

na5a astronaut and chemical engineer leroy chiao to get a sense of what to expect during tomorrow's launch. fir5t first of all, spacex have launched rocket5 before stopping what makes this one in 5topping what makes this one in particular so exciting? stopping what makes this one in particular so exciting?— particular so exciting? well, this is by — particular so exciting? well, this is by far _ particular so exciting? well, this is by far the _ particular so exciting? well, this is by far the biggest - this is by far the biggest rocket that will ever attempt to fly. it actually generate5 much more thrust, more than twice the thrust of the 5atin moon rocket5 from the apollo programme long ago and it is going to carry a5 programme long ago and it is going to carry as its payload the first 5tar5hip prototype to fly and it's going to make it almost all the way around one orbit but then it is going to come back down and 5plashdown near hawaii so this will be the first all up te5t near hawaii so this will be the first all up test of the 5tar5hip cosmic system including the falcon 5uper heavy booster so it is really exciting, 33 clu5tered engine5 exciting, 33 clu5tered engines in the first stage. this is going to be pretty hi5toric. so

going to be pretty historic. so this is historic, it's a this is hi5toric, it's a powerful rocket, it is a large, enormous powerful rocket, it is a large, enormou5 rocket. what is it designed to do? why does it have to be so big and so powerful wa5 yellow spacex has designed the 5tar5hip to be fully reusable, that is really an important point and also elon musk of course, he says he started spacex all those years 5tarted spacex all those years ago because he himself wants to travel to mars and wants to establish human colonie5 travel to mars and wants to establish human colonies on e5tabli5h human colonies on mars, therefore that is what 5tar5hip i5 mars, therefore that is what 5tar5hip is designed for. it is starship is designed for. it is bein: starship is designed for. it is being designed _ starship is designed for. it is being designed so _ starship is designed for. it 3 being designed so that a version of it in the future would be undertake about 100 people at a time to mars. so this is the first launch of this is the first launch of this vehicle, nothing else like it has ever been attempted before so a very exciting thing to be happening early tomorrow. thi5 to be happening early tomorrow. this particular rocket, this 5tar5hip, there have been a few different versions, i think as many as different versions, i think as many a515 different prototype. some have had more success than

others, how would you rate the chances of success for this particular launch? i chances of success for this particular launch?- particular launch? i feel re particular launch? i feel pretty confident - particular launch? i feel pretty confident that. particular launch? i feel. pretty confident that they particular launch? i feel- pretty confident that they are going to get this vehicle into orbit or into space and it will complete almost one full orbit before splashing down, so i think there is a pretty good chanceit think there is a pretty good chance it is going to work out. in any development programme, especially the first launch of a new vehicle, there is much higher risk of having an it in, something wrong that you hadn't anticipated or had checked out thoroughly. but they have gone through this methodically, you are right, there have been several prototype5 before of 5everal prototype5 before of both the 5tar5hip itself, which is the payload in this case, as well as the test firings of the falcon 5uper heavy boo5ter. 33 clu5tered engine, not a small deal, that is a huge deal, you can imaginejust the plumbing alone is kind of a nightmare but all that has to work for it to successfully launch so this is certainly not a sure thing by any means but i will be

watching very excitedly. if this launch is a success, what would that mean more broadly for the future of space exploration?— for the future of space exploration? well, if this launch goes _ exploration? well, if this launch goes successfully| exploration? well, if this - launch goes successfully then launch goe5 succe55fully then that means this programme will continue forward, of course, evenif continue forward, of course, even if it doesn't launch succe55fully even if it doesn't launch successfully the programme will likely continue forward since elon musk i5 likely continue forward since elon musk is personally got his mars mi55ion elon musk is personally got his mars mission in mind and it will take this rocket to get there but it is really a huge deal because this is the first all reusable spacecraft system ever. that means the booster comes back, the starship itself will come back. at tomorrow's launch, neither one of these things are coming back but it is really the first follow—up system test of the entire rocket and payload, or the spacecraft i should say. but in the future, that means both will be recovered, fully recovered and that brings the

economics of launching large things into space way down and it really is more revolutionary than i think most people reali5e. than i think most people realise. ., , ' than i think most people realise. . , realise. fascinating stuff and we will be — realise. fascinating stuff and we will be watching - realise. fascinating stuff and we will be watching as - realise. fascinating stuff and we will be watching as this . we will be watching as this starship rocket i5 we will be watching as this starship rocket is preparing for this launch. leroy chow, a former nasa astronaut, thank you forjoining u5. in the us, vigils have been taking place to remember the of a shooting in alabama. there is no official confirmation of what exactly lead to the shooting or who might be behind 5hooting or who might be behind it. president biden has described it as outrageous and unacceptable. one of the four killed have been identified as philstavious dowdell. he was a standout high school athlete and was planning to attend jacksonville university on eight football scholarship. we

will have more on that coming up will have more on that coming up in the next hours. stay with us on bbc news. hello. it was a drier weekend for many. still quite a bit of cloud around, but in the sunshine we saw temperatures reached just about 19 degrees celsius in northern ireland. that's the warmest day of the year so far. and we could see the high teens again during the day on monday, the start of the week, certainly a little warmer with some sunshine. and on the whole, it's a drier week ahead, but there will be some showers around. and as this high pressurejust drifts a little bit further northwards, we introduce more isobars, tightly packed lines here, stronger winds and one or two showers as well.

and that keen easterly wind coming off the chilly north sea will be noticeable, particularly across the eastern half of the country. but as we go through the remainder of the night, its low cloud, mist and fog with generally light winds and a few showers here and there. so largely frost free, just a little bit chilly where we keep the clear skies and they could, as i say, could well be some fog around first thing on monday morning with some fog over the hills as well as that. so generally quite leaden skies, but brightening — the april sunshine strong now, pushing the showers away, breaking the cloud up, butjust enough still for the odd shower here and there. but where we see the lengthy spells of sunshine, 17 or 18 on the cards, again, perhaps central and eastern areas up towards northern scotland, northern ireland once again. but as we go through the evening and overnight, we start to pick up a bit more of an easterly breeze, as you can see, coming off the north sea, just ushering in some lower clouds, some sea air and fret on the east coast and foggy conditions around first thing on tuesday morning under this slack ridge of high pressure

in the north. and it's the north, scotland, northern ireland, where we keep that high pressure for longest. in the south, we've got this little weather front starting to make its way across from the low countries to increase the risk of cloud on tuesday showers on wednesday, but it's that keen north wind, sorry, that keen east wind coming off the north sea that we are going to notice because at this time of year our sea temperatures are about as low as they get. so while inland, we'll see temperatures getting up into the mid possibly high teens, you can seejust on the coast, they'll be pegged back because of those cold waters of the north sea. into wednesday, we've still got these tightly packed bars, brisk winds pushing in, a few showers as well. and that risk continues, particularly across the southern half of england, wales through the rest of the week. so after warmish start, still a lot of dry weather, but temperatures just tapering off a little. more online.

china tops the agenda as ministers from the group of seven major economies gather in japan. plus a's booming beauty industries embracing digital tools, but will it be enough to raise profits? hello and welcome to asia business report. i'm karishma vaswani. we start the programme injapan were foreign ministers from the group of seven major economies have gathered for a three day meeting. china and its assertiveness within the region is expected to top the agenda, along with the ukraine

war. a business report