their views, shouldn't they? absolutely. however, if you've got a couple of extreme voices who are doing all the shouting, all the screaming, they inevitably take up all the bandwidth. there seem to be two ideas of freedom in conflict here. the freedom to drive your car where you want, which is represented by the people here, and the freedom from the pollution and the congestion that cars cause, and they seem to be, these two ideas, irreconcilable. here's actor turned political activist laurence fox. we should be seeking more freedom, not less! i don't want to be restricted by politicians and stuff like that. but some freedoms require limits on others. what about the freedom to be able to cycle down the street without getting knocked off your bike? what about the freedom of asthmatics to have better air quality? so, we've given up a lot of different freedoms for the one freedom, to drive your car wherever you want at any time.

more roads are being earmarked for restrictions around the country. if it's the road where you live, which side will you be on? justin rowlatt, bbc news, oxford. you can see more on that story on panorama road wars: neighbourhood traffic chaos — which is on iplayer right now. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. thank you very much. the warmest day of the year so far for england, scotland and northern ireland, but a bit too much cloud in wales, 21, the warmest day of the year so far for the uk, that was in the highlands. over the next few days we have a chilly easterly breeze and the

temperatures will come down although they will still be quite a lot of dry weather but for england and wales, weatherfronts moving of the new continent, it will introduce more cloud and rain, especially towards the end of the week. more substantial rain in england and wales as the weather fronts move in and a lot of isobars on the chart, as well. the easterly breeze will be quite keen at times. the breeze picking up through tonight will feed in low cloud and mist in towards eastern parts of the country, pushing into the midlands and parts of wales, the clearest skies in the north and west. a few showers in the north—west of the highlands. temperatures between 1—5. the pressure chart for tomorrow here, a week where the front encroaching from the new continent, initially the early cloud and coastal fog will burn away quickly and then sunshine and then through the afternoon the south and south—east would have the weather front bringing thicker cloud and maybe some rain and the breeze

will be stronger for and maybe some rain and the breeze will be strongerfor all and maybe some rain and the breeze will be stronger for all areas so not as warm tomorrow. the north sea coast, off the the leaked videos and ongoing police investigation and to the. featuring longer spells of rain potentially. thanks forjoining us. joining us. thanks, stav. and that's bbc news at ten on monday 17th of april. there's more analysis of the day's main stories on newsnight with faisal islam which isjust getting underway on bbc two. the news continues here on bbc one as now it's time to join our colleagues mercenaries, the wagner group? a delay to the trial of rupert murdoch's fox news over its alleged role in spreading

false stories about voting machines in the 2020 presidential election. but it is set to begin tomorrow, and could see its key stars and mr murdoch himself on the stand. we hear from the former fox political editor who called arizona for biden and lost his job weeks later. and a petition demanding the bbc drops plans to make a drama about the grenfell fire has reached more than 56,000 signatories. despite tv�*s long history adapting real—life events, can the timing ever be right to dramatise such a tragedy? who runs scotland will be a critical part of the political future of the whole uk. since 2007 that has been the scottish national party, but as the party's interim chair has said, the snp is facing its biggest challenge in 50 years,

with accusations of financial mismanagement, arrests and infighting in a party famed for control and discipline. the prime minister, rishi sunak, has himself been dealing today with an investigation into declarations about his family finances and his wife's interests in a company that will benefit from last month's childcare reforms. more on that later. but first, here is nick on extraordinary times for scotland's dominant political force. a once impregnable fortress, the seat of the house of sturgeon for a decade. then, farewell, from one half of scotland's most formidable power couple. a house in new hands, but the sturgeon legacy is still hanging heavy over her party after a leaked video showed the former first minister playing down concerns over the snp's finances. the

minister playing down concerns over the snp's finances.— the snp's finances. the party has frankly been _ the snp's finances. the party has frankly been teetering _ the snp's finances. the party has frankly been teetering on - the snp's finances. the party has frankly been teetering on the - the snp's finances. the party has. frankly been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. the party has never beenin of bankruptcy. the party has never been in a stronger financial position than right now that is a reflection of our strength and membership so some context for the all to remember. mil membership so some context for the all to remember.— all to remember. all of that shortly before a complaint _ all to remember. all of that shortly before a complaint was _ all to remember. all of that shortly before a complaint was made - all to remember. all of that shortly before a complaint was made to . all to remember. all of that shortly | before a complaint was made to the police about those finances. two years later, and the police search nicola sturgeon�*s private house in glasgow. her husband, peter murrell, who had been the snp's chief executive, was arrested and questioned under caution. he was later released without charge, pending further investigation. a major headache for the new first minister, who was elected as the continuity candidate just weeks ago. and today, humza yousaf rejected opposition calls to suspend nicola sturgeon from the party. the only --eole sturgeon from the party. the only peeple that _ sturgeon from the party. the only peeple that i _ sturgeon from the party. the only people that i have _ sturgeon from the party. the only people that i have seen _ sturgeon from the party. the only| people that i have seen mentioned the possibility of nicola sturgeon resigning or political opponents,

they are hardly objective observers what happens in the snp, and given nicola sturgeon has beaten our opponents in election after election, hardly surprising they want to get rid of her altogether. i can be very clear, there is no reason for her to resign or be suspended whatsoever. at, reason for her to resign or be suspended whatsoever. a fall from . race suspended whatsoever. a fall from race for suspended whatsoever. a fall from grace for nicola _ suspended whatsoever. a fall from grace for nicola sturgeon, - suspended whatsoever. a fall from grace for nicola sturgeon, who - suspended whatsoever. a fall from j grace for nicola sturgeon, who has represented glasgow in the scottish parliament since it was founded a quarter of a century ago. this is a political home type of nicola sturgeon, glasgow southside, the constituency she represented in the scottish parliament. and it gives a former first minister a perfect view across the river clyde, at the scene of one of her finest hours. holding court amongst world leaders at the kop climate summit. all of that seems a distant memory as questions are being asked about how long the sturgeon can realistically hold on to her holyrood seat. a former

ministerial colleague who fell out with nicola sturgeon believes any ambitions of an internationaljob will have to be put on hold. ambitions of an international “ob will have to be put on hold. those terrible scenes _ will have to be put on hold. those terrible scenes of _ will have to be put on hold. those terrible scenes of the _ will have to be put on hold. those terrible scenes of the police - terrible scenes of the police attending the house last weekend for two days, and even on cnn, this was getting worldwide coverage, so any organisation looking at that will obviously hesitate if they were thinking about offering nicola sturgeon a job.— thinking about offering nicola sturgeon a job. thinking about offering nicola sturueon a “ob. ., ., ,, sturgeon a “ob. damage to the snp but not sturgeon a job. damage to the snp but not necessarily _ sturgeon a job. damage to the snp but not necessarily to _ sturgeon a job. damage to the snp but not necessarily to the _ sturgeon a job. damage to the snp but not necessarily to the cause for| but not necessarily to the cause for independence. the but not necessarily to the cause for independence-— independence. the independence movement is _ independence. the independence movement is not _ independence. the independence movement is not dependent - independence. the independence movement is not dependent on i independence. the independence l movement is not dependent on any individual, no matter how high or good that individual is. the independence movement as a solid core vote of around 45% in scotland. and come hell or high water, i believe that 45% will continue to vote for independence. the indications are some of them may no longer vote snp to get independence, they might vote for another

pro—independence party. but what matters most in my mind is at the core vote for independence is not damaged, and so for that has been the case. the damage has been to the snp as a political party.— snp as a political party. scottish labour, which _ snp as a political party. scottish labour, which was _ snp as a political party. scottish labour, which was the _ snp as a political party. scottish labour, which was the snp - snp as a political party. scottish labour, which was the snp askl labour, which was the snp ask cotton's largest party, is gearing up. it senses a chance for a comeback. up. it senses a chance for a comeback-— comeback. there is a real opportunity _ comeback. there is a real opportunity for _ comeback. there is a real opportunity for scottish . comeback. there is a real- opportunity for scottish labour but we are not complacent about this. under the leadership of anas sarwar, the party has rebuild itself and it has become very focused on what we believe are the people's priorities. instead of the snp, which is talking to itself about itself, we have scottish labour, resurgent, but we are not complacent. we are addressing what people are telling us matters to them. the cost of living crisis, resolving the crisis in the nhs, growing the economy and jobs. all things at anas sarwar is put at the centre of his leadership

and i think the people of scotland are responding to that.- are responding to that. changing seasons in _ are responding to that. changing seasons in the _ are responding to that. changing seasons in the sturgeon - are responding to that. changing seasons in the sturgeon citadel. | seasons in the sturgeon citadel. opportunities and political threats abound. as new tides sweep in. nick watt. with me now is former first minister of scotland and former snp leader, alex salmond, who now leads the alba party. we asked numerous snp representatives to come on but they would not. you are enjoying this but it has serious consequences for the independence movement. i’m it has serious consequences for the independence movement.— independence movement. i'm not en'o in: independence movement. i'm not enjoying it. _ independence movement. i'm not enjoying it. i— independence movement. i'm not enjoying it. i spent— independence movement. i'm not enjoying it, i spent a _ independence movement. i'm not enjoying it, i spent a lot - independence movement. i'm not enjoying it, i spent a lot of - independence movement. i'm not enjoying it, i spent a lot of my - enjoying it, i spent a lot of my life building up the snp from nowhere to be the dominant force in scotland so that is not my emotion. i would like to see the snp solve its problems but i am more concerned, as alex neil said in your piece, with what happens to the independence movement. that is a most important thing and that is meant to be the prime objective of the snp and it is certainly my prime objective so whatever happens we

must ensure the independence movement moves forward, whatever happens to political parties. h0 happens to political parties. no love lost between you and nicola sturgeon. did you back some of those opposition calls for her to be stripped of the snp whip and to resign? j stripped of the snp whip and to resi . n? stripped of the snp whip and to resin? ., ., ~ a stripped of the snp whip and to resin? ., ., ~ , resign? i tend not to kick people when they _ resign? i tend not to kick people when they are — resign? i tend not to kick people when they are down. _ resign? i tend not to kick people when they are down. humza - resign? i tend not to kick people i when they are down. humza yousaf resign? i tend not to kick people - when they are down. humza yousaf has a big problem. the continuity candidate, that is what he was elected two weeks ago and this is hanging around his neck like an albatross. what he should be doing is doubling, tripling, quadrupling down on doing things that shows he has his own man and this looses it in ink himself with what has gone on but he does not have to sack nicola sturgeon. —— and disassociating himself. he needs to dump some of the daft schemes and a variety of usually green influenced policies that are deeply unpopular. get rid of the greens from the coalition. certainly self identification needs to go. he should chart a different

policy course and make clear he has his own man and he has not shown any inclination to do this but he needs to if the party is to survive. i'd that video was from march 2021 and you formed the alba party one month before that. did you give any direct warnings? nicola sturgeon and peter murrell deny any wrongdoing but did you have concerns? right back to 2014 when i was leaving office, the vote for independence reached 45% and support for the snp was over 50%, had 87,000 real members. i am making a point that i do not believe the snp has 72,000 now. i am saying that 72,000 paid—up members. i don't think that is a real figure but more

importantly, i said to nicola sturgeon and peter at the time, it could not work, having the party leader and the chief executive married to each other. it would not work in any business organisation and it is all right when times are good but at some point it was going to come to grief and it took longer than i expected but certainly coming to grief in a spectacular way. he personally warned the former first minister? you cannot be married to the chair? ~ , , ., the chair? absolutely, and neither nicola or peter _ the chair? absolutely, and neither nicola or peter took _ the chair? absolutely, and neither nicola or peter took that - the chair? absolutely, and neither nicola or peter took that advice i nicola or peter took that advice very well! they took it rather badly. one of the earliest reasons for the breakdown of our relationship. we are where we are and humza yousaf, it is up to him to get out of it but up to all of us in terms of the independence movement. ten years ago the snp pulled independence forward, the vote was 45%, support for independence under

30% and we have the reverse. the snp is dragging the independence movement back, support for independence is high 40s and for snp independence is high 40s and for snp in the 30s and declining. ihlicaila in the 30s and declining. nicola sturueon in the 30s and declining. nicola sturgeon and — in the 30s and declining. nicola sturgeon and peter _ in the 30s and declining. nicola sturgeon and peter murrell, - in the 30s and declining. nicola i sturgeon and peter murrell, they in the 30s and declining. nicola - sturgeon and peter murrell, they are not here to defend themselves but your party, you spit the independence vote, labour and the conservatives will be laughing all the way to the ballot boxes? perhaps we have to discuss _ the way to the ballot boxes? perhaps we have to discuss with _ the way to the ballot boxes? perhaps we have to discuss with an _ we have to discuss with an independence convention, notjust between independence parties but variety of grassroots organisations and think tanks. people have felt excluded from decision—making in the scottish government over these last four years, scottish government over these last fouryears, get scottish government over these last four years, get them together at convention and try to decouple the independence movement in the fortunes of one political party. it seems essential that this is done. i remember interviewing view on the day that the alba party was launched and you had a few defections, any more on the way? i

and you had a few defections, any more on the way?— and you had a few defections, any more on the way? i think we had four mps so i more on the way? i think we had four mps so i am — more on the way? i think we had four mps so i am used _ more on the way? i think we had four mps so i am used to _ more on the way? i think we had four mps so i am used to leading - mps so i am used to leading political parties with two mps. sometimes these things take time. it is only one part. the point i am making is the independence movement, this powerful movement, the most powerful force in scottish politics, cannot have its fortunes tied to a political party, it must have a variety of options and find a unified computing base that decouples it from the fortunes of the snp at the present moment. thank ou ve the snp at the present moment. thank you very much — the snp at the present moment. thank you very much for _ the snp at the present moment. thank you very much forjoining _ the snp at the present moment. thank you very much forjoining us. _ as mentioned earlier, it's not the snp facing political discomfort today. the prime minister rishi sunak is being investigated by westminster�*s standards watchdog over a possible failure to declare an interest. nickjoins us now from glasgow. how potentially damaging is this? and what is a problem with hello it is not great for rishi sunak because when he became prime minister in his first speech he pledged to lead a

government that would have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. the settling angela rayner as saying the prime minister has failed to deliver that integrity. this prime minister has failed to deliver that integrity-— that integrity. this was sparked when the prime _ that integrity. this was sparked when the prime minister - that integrity. this was sparked i when the prime minister appeared before the commons liaison committee last month and he failed to declare that his wife has an interest in a childcare agency that could benefit from the government's childcare reforms. mps are meant to be open and frank in their dealings in parliament. if you are at number 10 is a prime minister did say when asked before the community whether he had any interests he said they have been declared in the usual way. that was a reference to the declaration he made about this to the cabinet office and the independent adviser and they decide whether these interests should be published. but he did not make the declaration in the register of mps or two financial interests. you could say he did not need to be because that talked about mps'

interests and potential benefits. the bar for the interests and potential benefits. the barfor the ministers is much higher, it talks about guarding against a perceived conflict of interest or an actual conflict of interest or an actual conflict of interest so he did make a declaration there. the view from hannah white, directorfor the hannah white, director for the institute hannah white, directorfor the institute for government, is rishi sunak should have made the declaration in front of mps and she expects a prime minister is heading for a quiet word from the parliamentary commissioner for standards. . , parliamentary commissioner for standards-— there's been a third day of fighting in the sudanese capital, khartoum and elsewhere in the country, between rival military factions vying for control. dozens are thought to have died, and hundred have been injured in shocking scenes centred around the international airport and the presidential palace. the paramilitary rapid support forces has partly embedded itself in civilian areas, adding to the risks. and tonight the eu said its ambassador to sudan had been assaulted in his home. western nations have

called for an immediate end to the fighting, but there is little sign of this. indeed some fear the involvement of russia's infamous mercenaries the wagner group. humanitariam ceasefires have not held, leading to concern about basic supplies for ordinary citizens, asjoe reports. ta nks tanks on the streets, jets and the skies and civilians caught in the crossfire. the power struggle between these men has once more thrown sudan into violent unrest. so, who are they? abdel fattah al—burhan has been the de—facto ruler of sudan for the last four years. he came to power after the popular uprising that ousted long—time dictator omar al—bashir and was supposed to oversee the move to civilian rule. instead, he staged

a coup. working with his then partner, now sworn enemy, general mohamed hamdan dagalo, better known by his nom de guerre, hemedti. he commands the rapid support forces, a feared paramilitary force. they fought in libya, yemen and had been accused of widespread atrocities against civilians. whilst both men claims to be acting in the national interest, few believed that. those two men are _ interest, few believed that. those two men are really, _ interest, few believed that. those two men are really, belong - interest, few believed that. those two men are really, belong to - interest, few believed that. those two men are really, belong to the| two men are really, belong to the old regime. they are protecting the muslim brotherhood who support the old regime. they are liberating the economy. they are killing the protesters. so the two men, their manner is really similar towards the sudanese and they want them to resign. j sudanese and they want them to resi . n. ., ., , sudanese and they want them to resin. ., ., , ,., resign. i mean, to give up power. now the army _ resign. i mean, to give up power. now the army and _ resign. i mean, to give up power. now the army and the _ resign. i mean, to give up power. now the army and the rapid - resign. i mean, to give up power. i now the army and the rapid support forces are in open warfare. so who

is winning? the truth is, it is very hard to say at this point. both sides are claiming to have the upper hand. the rsf say they have taken over sudan's main airport. here, theirfighters can be over sudan's main airport. here, their fighters can be seen on the runway. while inside, terrified passengers shelter in the terminal. from above, you can see the scale of the destruction. there has also been fighting around other key locations in the capital. here, we see heavy armour on the streets, it isn't clear which side it belongs to. the army is thought to have air superiority, although how decisive that will be in urban warfare is far from certain. there are also reports of damage to hospitals and medical staff fleeing the fighting. what we can say for certain is that, as ever, ordinary people are paying the price. ever, ordinary people are paying the rice. ~ ., .,

price. well, we are fine, we are safe. price. well, we are fine, we are safe- the _ price. well, we are fine, we are safe. the power _ price. well, we are fine, we are safe. the power is _ price. well, we are fine, we are safe. the power is out. - price. well, we are fine, we are safe. the power is out. that - price. well, we are fine, we are | safe. the power is out. that was something. _ safe. the power is out. that was something, you know, it's like i don't _ something, you know, it's like i don't even _ something, you know, it's like i don't even know what it is any more. was it— don't even know what it is any more. was it a _ don't even know what it is any more. was it a rocket propelled grenade, is that— was it a rocket propelled grenade, is that a _ was it a rocket propelled grenade, is that a military strike? i even know — is that a military strike? i even know. , .., , ., is that a military strike? i even know. , , ., ~ , know. outside the capital, the army, which is backing _ know. outside the capital, the army, which is backing general _ know. outside the capital, the army, which is backing general al-burhan, i which is backing general al—burhan, say they now surround sudan, while the army led by hemedti, have captured an air base. this footage of egyptian soldiers base their surrendering to the rsf. and egypt could be crucial in how this plays out, as could other powers. so when one side, out, as could other powers. so when one side. the — out, as could other powers. so when one side, the egyptians _ out, as could other powers. so when one side, the egyptians have - out, as could other powers. so when one side, the egyptians have been . one side, the egyptians have been backing the sudan armed forces, they see them as a younger cousin —— on one side. most of the sudan forces are trained by the egyptian military and the egyptians i think have been very clear about their preference

for having sudan run by a military —like figure. on the other side, the rapid support forces have established a relationship with the russians and the wagner group who they invited into the country even before the revolution started. for now, how and when this conflict will end is far from now, how and when this conflict will end is farfrom clear. both sides have been claiming victories and sending signals that they are ready and willing to fight. as ever, the wishes of ordinary sudanese people do not seem to play a part in the decision—making of dictators. now i am joined by kholood khair, founding director of think—tank confluence advisory in khartoum, and joana de deus pereira, senior research fellow at rusi europe, who specialises in counter—terrorism and sub—saharan africa. kholood, starting with you in khartoum, what is the situation on the ground, are you safe, what are you seeing?—

the ground, are you safe, what are ou seeinr ? , , ., you seeing? good evening, yes, i am safe. we you seeing? good evening, yes, i am safe- we have _ you seeing? good evening, yes, i am safe. we have just _ you seeing? good evening, yes, i am safe. we have just spent _ you seeing? good evening, yes, i am safe. we have just spent the - safe. we have just spent the afternoon coming to a much safer place. in khartoum. areas of relative safety. but there are certainly areas that have seen the lion's share of the bombardment taking place over the last 24 hours or so. we are seeing escalation of notjust or so. we are seeing escalation of not just the or so. we are seeing escalation of notjust the military or so. we are seeing escalation of not just the military tactics that are used, but also the level of desperation people are facing. for example, people don't have access to medical care, partly because hospitals are being targeted and partly because stores and pharmacies are running out of insulin and other necessary items. a similar picture. electricity has been out for a lot of people for almost 36 hours. and in the end, it is really a rather desperate picture. it is in the end, it is really a rather desperate picture.— desperate picture. it is a real humanitarian, _ desperate picture. it is a real humanitarian, some - desperate picture. it is a real humanitarian, some real- desperate picture. it is a real- humanitarian, some real humanitarian consequences already emerging and could get worse.—

could get worse. yes, it could get much worse- _ could get worse. yes, it could get much worse. because _ could get worse. yes, it could get much worse. because this - could get worse. yes, it could get much worse. because this is - could get worse. yes, it could get| much worse. because this is really for the generals. it has become an existential fight for the generals. it has become an existentialfight for for the generals. it has become an existential fight for the generals. neither of them can really go back to the pre—conflict status quo. so it is really a fight until the end. just expand upon that, how do we get to the point where these two generals who are on the same side can lay siege to their own capital city? can lay siege to their own capital ci ? ~ , ,., can lay siege to their own capital ci ? ~ , can lay siege to their own capital ci ?~ _., ., can lay siege to their own capital city? well, they both sort of came toaether city? well, they both sort of came together out _ city? well, they both sort of came together out of _ city? well, they both sort of came together out of a _ city? well, they both sort of came together out of a desire _ city? well, they both sort of came together out of a desire to - city? well, they both sort of came together out of a desire to avoid l together out of a desire to avoid accountability. and avoid having to reform the forces. however, they do have very divergent foreign policy, they have very divergent income streams, very separate, that have over the last four years since the fall of bashir led to multiple sovereignties and that has led cost of mounting a conflict against each other much lower. so we have a situation where neither side can backtrack. and the things that keep

them together have been superseded by the things that drive them apart and it is very difficult to see how we can get back to that kind of situation without one vanquishing the other which carries a massive cost. ., ., ., ., cost. can the international community _ cost. can the international community help, - cost. can the international community help, what - cost. can the international community help, what can cost. can the international- community help, what can they do, can they get a delegation into sudan? �* .., , can they get a delegation into sudan? �* , ., can they get a delegation into sudan? , ., , can they get a delegation into sudan? , ., sudan? because the airport is so badly damaged _ sudan? because the airport is so badly damaged and _ sudan? because the airport is so badly damaged and occupied - sudan? because the airport is so badly damaged and occupied by. badly damaged and occupied by fighting forces and where most of the bombardment has been concentrated, it is very difficult to get people, mediators in, even regional mediators in through that route. so other routes must be seen. but we also have to sort of think about the wisdom of asking the international community, which has been using the same tools, that in some ways precipitated this conflict, to then also use the same tools to come —— to solve this conflict, a massive rethink is required. conflict, a massive rethink is required-— conflict, a massive rethink is reuuired. ,, , �*, , required. stay with us, let's bring in joana required. stay with us, let's bring in joana on _ required. stay with us, let's bring

in joana on that _ required. stay with us, let's bring in joana on that issue _ required. stay with us, let's bring in joana on that issue on - required. stay with us, let's bring in joana on that issue on whether| injoana on that issue on whether much can be done and we know with the russian wagon group is connected in general to the gold areas particularly controlled by the rsf. what is the role of the international community, joana? hello, good evening. well, the role of the _ hello, good evening. well, the role of the international community i would _ of the international community i would say— of the international community i would say it would start on sanctions. we have had sanctions from _ sanctions. we have had sanctions from the — sanctions. we have had sanctions from the united states, from the european — from the united states, from the european union. and only through sanctions — european union. and only through sanctions and the enforcement of these _ sanctions and the enforcement of these sanctions and even possibly these sanctions and even possibly the inclusion on the terrorist list would _ the inclusion on the terrorist list would actually be more effective in the case _ would actually be more effective in the case of wagner, i would say. and 'ust the case of wagner, i would say. and just expand — the case of wagner, i would say. jifuc just expand upon the role of wagner in sudan right now and whether they are a factor here. well, wagner has beenin are a factor here. well, wagner has been in sudan since 2017.— been in sudan since 2017. first, they were _

been in sudan since 2017. first, they were brought _ been in sudan since 2017. first, they were brought by _ been in sudan since 2017. first, they were brought by omar - been in sudan since 2017. first, they were brought by omar al—bashir. he went _ they were brought by omar al—bashir. he went to— they were brought by omar al—bashir. he went to moscow in 2017 to forge this alliance between russia and sudan _ this alliance between russia and sudan. with the clear objective of building _ sudan. with the clear objective of building a — sudan. with the clear objective of building a military base in sudan. but also — building a military base in sudan. but also at — building a military base in sudan. but also at the same time, in exchange _ but also at the same time, in exchange of mining concessions in the gold _ exchange of mining concessions in the gold mines areas. and interestingly, at the beginning, they were all aligned as the previous— they were all aligned as the previous commentator was mentioning. but obviously, as the situation from the side _ but obviously, as the situation from the side of— but obviously, as the situation from the side of omar al—bashir was deteriorating, i would say that wagner, — deteriorating, i would say that wagner, that was used as a direct

tool of— wagner, that was used as a direct tool of the — wagner, that was used as a direct tool of the kremlin to start operating in sudan. also started to choose _ operating in sudan. also started to choose parties. and in this case, they— choose parties. and in this case, they started to align more closely to rsf _ they started to align more closely to rsf. and then they started to train _ to rsf. and then they started to train rsf — to rsf. and then they started to train rsf troops. they had initially 2018. _ train rsf troops. they had initially 2018, about 100 men training actively— 2018, about 100 men training actively sudanese military forces, and this— actively sudanese military forces, and this relationship has been strengthening since then. supposedly, the gold has been paying for the _ supposedly, the gold has been paying for the war— supposedly, the gold has been paying for the war effort in ukraine, and this is— for the war effort in ukraine, and this is the — for the war effort in ukraine, and this is the link that connects the kremlin— this is the link that connects the kremlin and the sudanese government and the _ kremlin and the sudanese government and the sudanese rebel forces in this case —

and the sudanese rebel forces in this case. �* , , and the sudanese rebel forces in this case. �*, , ., . ,, this case. let's bring kholood back in aaain. this case. let's bring kholood back in again- you _ this case. let's bring kholood back in again. you are _ this case. let's bring kholood back in again. you are suggesting - this case. let's bring kholood back in again. you are suggesting this l this case. let's bring kholood back| in again. you are suggesting this is more of a personal battle between two formally allied army generals, can someone pick up the phone, whether it is the west or the russians to stop these awful scenes? sure, i mean, we heard on the first day that actually, the russians had tried to phone particularly general al—burhan to get him to consider an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities and the phone went unanswered. it's important to know both russia and the wagner group have had documented ties to both general al—burhan's enterprises and endeavours as well as hemedti's. to different extents and in different ways. and it is this far self framing russia is on one side of it, it doesn't help us to understand the

real dynamic, this is mostly about the mystic control over sudan and its resources and less so about the russian angle. its resources and less so about the russian angle-— russian angle. much appreciated, kholood, from _ russian angle. much appreciated, kholood, from khartoum, - russian angle. much appreciated, kholood, from khartoum, and - russian angle. much appreciated, i kholood, from khartoum, and joana. after a day's delay, the defamation trial of rupert murdoch's fox news will start tomorrow, with dominion, a vote—counting software company, lodging a $1.6 billion claim against the us news network. the claim the company makes is that the us broadcaster knowingly or recklessly spread the suggestion that the vote machines were rigged against donald trump in the 2020 presdiential election, contriuting to his defeat. contributing to his defeat. the blockbuser trial is expected to feature live testimony from top fox talents such as sean hannity and tucker carlson, as well as mr murdoch and his son lachlan. fox will claim that it is defending the first amendment of the american constitution — the right to free speech. well, chris stirewalt is the former political editor of fox news, who famously called the key state

of arizona and its critical 11 college votes forjoe biden in the 2020 presidential election, to the dismay of then president trump and the apparent annoyance of his colleagues. he was fired weeks later, though rupert murdoch said this was not because of that call. i asked him what it was like at fox news when they started to report on the dominion voting machines during the dominion voting machines during the 2020 election. well, i mean, for the work that i did and the work that we did in the news side and on the decision desk and in the elections and critical division, we had moved past any of those notions almost as quickly as they had been uttered. and the fact that i... i guess it is a failure of my own imagination or perhaps understanding of human nature that i assumed that flummery like that would die of its own weight in very short order, so we just weren't thinking about that stuff or talking about that stuff, even as it lived on in some other quarters.

and so, your conclusion is definitively that it was sort of stirred up, that life was given to it by instruction from above? well, you know, the thing is, when it comes to television personalities, present company obviously excluded, the difference between self—delusion — what do they think and what are they spinning? — the line gets pretty blurry sometimes. so i have no idea what the anchors... in fact, this, by the way, is part of fox's defence, apparently, is that some of these people really believed what was being said. it seems evident to me that what was going on was less instruction to do wrong, but a failure to instruct to do right, or to insert appropriate safeguards. i think that's the closer claim than there was instruction to do the wrong thing.

it will be quite a moment, though, will it not, when you have hannity, carlson, rupert murdoch, lachlan murdoch, potentially, up on the stand? well, the question is, what is it worth to the company for them not to be on the stand, right? and that has sort of been dominion's bet in this all along, which is the reputational harm, the damage that this would do and that the depositions,, of which i have been a part, and other things, that as they come out, that the pain that it would cause fox. so, for example, having tucker carlson on the record talking about how much he despises donald trump and how he just can't wait for him to go away, when he's saying one thing off—camera and another thing on—camera, that the damage that represents for fox in terms of... it's the same drive to cosset and flatter viewers that they were engaged in in the aftermath of the election. that goes straight to that same kind of profit motive. so there are balancing tests here.

how much is it worth to have this go away, number one? and then, number two, what does dominion want? does dominion need a kind of public apology, do they need people to be fired? what are they asking for in terms of a settlement and can fox meet it? and so fox is deploying the first amendment defence here that this was free speech. and it is an extra stretch to say that this was being done on purpose, with malice, knowingly or recklessly disregarding the truth. it's going to be difficult to prove, is it not? well, look, this is, blessedly, in these united states, we set a very high standard for defamation and we have extraordinary privileges and protections for the press, which means you really have to have a lulu, you have to have a real stinker to get to the point where it could even get to this point. and this is an extraordinary kind of case. it's not something that you get to see. and what you have here, which is different than in most of these kinds of cases, is you have this voluminous paper

trail and the texts and the e—mails and the conversations that took place that went on and on that can go to what the motivations were and what the pressures were. so it is an extraordinarily high bar to have to clear to sue a news organisation when they're talking about public figures and public entities, but in this case, i've never seen anything like it. a petition demanding the bbc abort plans to make a three—part drama series about the grenfell tower tragedy now has more than 56,000 signatories. 72 people died as a result of the blaze in the london tower block in 2017. a public inquiry is expected to report later this year. the bbc series has raised strong objections, especially from many affected by the fire, concerned that dramatising that dreadful night is premature and offensive. but can such a series ever be made without causing complaints? and should tv dramatists persevere with telling victims�* stories, whether the victims want them to or not? i'm pleased to report that the situation in chernobyl is stable. tv and film has a long history of dramatising real life.

handled well, these programmes can be lauded. informative, effective storytelling adding depth and texture to a shocking news item. you are dealing with something that has never occurred on this planet before. chernobyl won critical acclaim for its accounts of the 1986 disaster. itv drama the murder of stephen lawrence was produced in 1999, six years after his death. it won a bafta. the 9/11 terror attacks changed new york in many ways. filmmakers such as spike lee grappled with them almost immediately, while tales of that day's events began making their way to the screen over subsequent years. sometimes the commissions don't have long to wait. the salisbury poisonings was on tv only two years after the novichok attack. the gunman's been named as raoul moat. and tv can't resist trying to get into the minds of killers — the moors murderers, dennis nilsen, raoul moat — while trying not to celebrate them.

i won't rest until we get them. but timing, sensitivity and context is everything. a bbc drama about the infamous paedophilejimmy savile, played by steve coogan, is due to be shown later this year, with reported nervousness about how it will be received. and now the bbc is facing protests about its portrayal of grenfell. grenfell has already had a dramatic treatment, with verbatim theatre productions of the public inquiry. channel 4 aired one of these productions in 2021. for its series, the bbc plans a comprehensive account of the events leading up to, during and after the devastating fire. opponents accuse the bbc of acting in the interests of entertainment. the creator of an online petition writes... but are there stories now beyond the influence of the victims of grenfell,

and when — if ever — is the time right to dramatise such a tragedy? i'm joined now by screenwriter luke neal, who wrote the drama about serial killer dennis nilsen, and kimia zabihyan, who lost a relative in the grenfell fire. what is the fundamental objection here? what is the fundamental ob'ection here? . ~ what is the fundamental ob'ection here? ., ~' what is the fundamental ob'ection here? ., ,, ., ., , here? thank you for having me. it is a rivileue here? thank you for having me. it is a privilege to _ here? thank you for having me. it is a privilege to speak— here? thank you for having me. it is a privilege to speak on _ here? thank you for having me. it is a privilege to speak on behalf- here? thank you for having me. it is a privilege to speak on behalf of- a privilege to speak on behalf of the grenfell next—of—kin who often find it difficult to have to face the cameras. it is a very delicate subject, a very sensitive subject. it is about timing and approach and it is no objection to the idea that people should hear about the grenfell on a global stage but it is just the way the thing has been handled. it is too raw and the way it has been handled is really insensitive and i am really surprised at the huge backlash

amongst the community and the next of kin and the survivors. you amongst the community and the next of kin and the survivors.— of kin and the survivors. you could conceive of — of kin and the survivors. you could conceive of some _ of kin and the survivors. you could conceive of some sort... _ of kin and the survivors. you could conceive of some sort... is - of kin and the survivors. you could conceive of some sort... is at i of kin and the survivors. you could conceive of some sort... is at the l conceive of some sort... is at the timing? the way it is being told? the person that is telling it? the thin that the person that is telling it? the thing that is _ the person that is telling it? tue: thing that is very the person that is telling it? tte: thing that is very different the person that is telling it? t"te: thing that is very different about grenfell is grenfell tower as part of a large estate and the witnesses to this terrible tragedy that went on for hours in real time or hundreds of people, and you cannot tell the stories without coming to them, approaching them with humility and openness, and involving them so that they are part of the process and part of the story. the other examples you gave in your intro, those are individuals in isolated situations or localities. grenfell was very different, grenfell tower

is part of the lancaster west estate in the steve mcqueen film brings it home, there are thousands of people staring and looking at this tower and it remained for nearly a year so how are you going to start trying to tell people this is what your story is, this is what happened to you, if you have not even involved and included them? forget about the fact that the announcement was made in variety and people heard about this on a whatsapp group. if the next—of—kin of the deceased, the 72 people who died, if the immediate family members of those people who are on the posters have not been contacted, did not know about this, then who knew? iloathe contacted, did not know about this, then who knew?— then who knew? who are you doing this for? there _ then who knew? who are you doing this for? there is _ then who knew? who are you doing this for? there is a _ then who knew? who are you doing this for? there is a rule _ then who knew? who are you doing this for? there is a rule for - then who knew? who are you doing this for? there is a rule for drama l this for? there is a rule for drama here in some cases. this this for? there is a rule for drama here in some cases.— here in some cases. as you have shown. here in some cases. as you have shown- there — here in some cases. as you have shown. there will _ here in some cases. as you have shown. there will always - here in some cases. as you have shown. there will always be i here in some cases. as you have shown. there will always be a i here in some cases. as you have i shown. there will always be a chance

with drama _ shown. there will always be a chance with drama to show a human side of it. with drama to show a human side of it to— with drama to show a human side of it to show— with drama to show a human side of it. to show the interaction almost in a simulated real—time, which