live from london, this is bbc news. after four days of intense fighting — and at least 180 dead — a ceasefire is expected in sudan in the next few hours. a court in moscow rejects an appeal by the american journalist — evan gershkovich — against his detention on spying charges. rupert murdoch will testify in a billion—dollar defamation trial — between the voting systems firm, dominion, and fox news. star hosts tucker carlson and sean hannity are also expected to take the stand.

sudan's rival generals have agreed a 24—hour ceasefire, after four days of intense fighting in the capital, khartoum, and other towns. the country's de facto leader, general abdel fattah al—burhan, said the ceasefire would start at six o'clock tonight — though other members of the army have denied that. the head of the rival rapid support forces, general mohamed hamdan dagalo, said he had approved the ceasefire, to ensure the evacuation of wounded civilians. these are the latest pictures from the capital, khartoum. at least 180 people have been killed so far, hundreds more have been injured by air strikes and shelling in crowded residential areas. the red cross says it's nearly impossible to provide humanitarian

assistance to people in the capital. it's receiving desperate calls from people hiding in cellars, some of them injured. the health system is close to collapse, with reports of military forces occupying health centres. the united nations says it intends to stay in the country but the world food programme has suspended operations after three of its staff were killed. we've spoken to dallia abdelmoniem, who lives in khartoum and who's taking shelter with ten people, including family members. we're making do, we're trying the best that we can. it's a very horrible situation for anyone to be in. where we are, we're at the heart of the clashes between the rsf and the army, so we have had no sleep whatsoever. we're tense, we're very agitated and we don't know what's happening. we can't get a clear picture of exactly what's happening outside.

i spoke to alyona synenko, the regional spokesperson for africa with the international committee of the red cross. she said access to health services is critical in sudan right now. the most urgent priority for us, if the ceasefire kicks in, is to be able to reach the hospital and to try to restore the water supply, to try to bring medical supplies, because the situation in the hospital has become catastrophic. so for us this is the first thing that we will try to do. and then, of course, there is a need to care for the wounded, to evacuate the wounded. also, collect the dead bodies that are in the streets. so there is a lot to do, so we really hope that the ceasefire does take place and that it lasts. in terms of your people on the ground, what are they hearing? because we have heard many reports of people trapped in buildings, some of them injured, trying to get help. but what are you hearing in terms

of accounts like that? we are receiving calls continuously from civilians, from people trapped in different places, at the airport without food, without water. at the market, in universities. so, these stories are heartbreaking and devastating, and for us, as humanitarian workers, we are there to help these people and right now we're just sheltering in place and we cannot move around and do even the most basic things. it is an extremely difficult situation psychologically for all my colleagues who are in khartoum right now. we can go live to khartoum now and speak to marina el ghoul, country director for relief international sudan.

just as i go to marina, the pictures have been lost. the fighting has been so intense in khartoum over the last four days, but today as well. these are some of the scenes from the capital. despite various flare—ups in the sudan over the decades, they have never seen intense fighting like this in the capital. that is quite unique. it has led to scenes like this, but people just trying to get away from khartoum. we heard from one women earlier who is sheltering, there are so many people like that. the red cross is trying to get help for people who are trapped without food or water, so are desperate for help. i suppose all of those things are the backdrop, and that is why the

ceasefire is so important. that is expected to come in a an hour's time local time, expected to come in a an hour's time localtime, if expected to come in a an hour's time local time, if it does come in. we have restored to lying to marina. i know there are difficulties with power, and that's why you were just moving around trying to get signal to talk to us. how bleak are things that they are? we to talk to us. how bleak are things that they are?— to talk to us. how bleak are things that they are? we are lucky enough to have a generator, _ that they are? we are lucky enough to have a generator, but _ that they are? we are lucky enough to have a generator, but it - that they are? we are lucky enough to have a generator, but it is - that they are? we are lucky enough to have a generator, but it is not i to have a generator, but it is not turning on so we did just lose power again. that is a situation all across khartoum, people without electricity since saturday. it is really difficult in the city at the moment. ~ ., ., ., ~' really difficult in the city at the moment. ~ ., , . , ., moment. we are looking pictures from earlier in the — moment. we are looking pictures from earlier in the day. _ moment. we are looking pictures from earlier in the day. the _ moment. we are looking pictures from earlier in the day. the explosion - earlier in the day. the explosion right there in at the centre of the city. but especially for your organisation and you. you are lost one of your colleagues on saturday?

yes, he was a beloved father. he has been working with us for the past four years in laughter for, been working with us for the past four years in laughterfor, which also has quite a lot of fighting at the moment. he was out showing someone the directions and was shot outside of his home. due to the clashes, they were not able to seek medical attention because the hospitals are inaccessible due to fire. it hospitals are inaccessible due to fire. , ., , ., ., hospitals are inaccessible due to fire. , ., ., , . fire. it is devastating to lose such a close member _ fire. it is devastating to lose such a close member of _ fire. it is devastating to lose such a close member of the _ fire. it is devastating to lose such a close member of the team. - fire. it is devastating to lose such a close member of the team. in l fire. it is devastating to lose such - a close member of the team. in terms of the risk to the people within your organisation, what you currently doing? are you hunkering down? orare you currently doing? are you hunkering down? or are you trying with all of this to continue work? it down? or are you trying with all of this to continue work?— down? or are you trying with all of this to continue work? it depends on the locations — this to continue work? it depends on the locations help _ this to continue work? it depends on the locations help we _ this to continue work? it depends on the locations help we do _ this to continue work? it depends on the locations help we do have - this to continue work? it depends on the locations help we do have some | the locations help we do have some locations where we are able to

continue clashes. in darfur and khartoum, everyone is sheltering in place. some of our sudanese staff who are stuck in homes, we do have food and water to get us through the next few days. unfortunately, with the power cuts, we are unable to confirm the safety and security of some of our international star. in terms of your relief programmes, tell me what you have had to stop doing. how important is this window if it ended as open in about an hour's time? we if it ended as open in about an hour's time?— hour's time? we do health, nutrition. — hour's time? we do health, nutrition, water _ hour's time? we do health, nutrition, water and - hour's time? we do health, - nutrition, water and sanitation. we have 45 helps civility is helping thousands of people every year. we have had to cut off services due to

the lack of access. we have already lost one staff member, we can't risk another one. we are working with the doctor's union within khartoum state. we are evaluating what medicines we have in stock here. the question is whether the ceasefire will last. there were ceasefires over the last two days for 2—3 hour windows, but that did not hold. the shooting and everything just continued throughout the ceasefire. we're really hoping this one doesn't last a whole 2a hours so we can't move some key staff, if necessary, but really release our supply of essential medicines. i but really release our supply of essential medicines.— but really release our supply of essential medicines. i can hear the tension in your— essential medicines. i can hear the tension in your voice _ essential medicines. i can hear the tension in your voice even - essential medicines. i can hear the tension in your voice even as - essential medicines. i can hear the tension in your voice even as you l tension in your voice even as you are talking to me. we see conflict around the world, but is worth underlying that despite the variety

of explosions and violence in sudan we have had over the past decade we have never seen fighting like this in at the capitol come in these residential areas. in at the capitol come in these residentialareas. it in at the capitol come in these residential areas. it is so unusual and extraordinary parentless, isn't it? , , ., , ., it? yes, in states where we have exected it? yes, in states where we have expected conflict, _ it? yes, in states where we have expected conflict, we _ it? yes, in states where we have expected conflict, we have - it? yes, in states where we have - expected conflict, we have prepared. we won't even prepared for this on the day that it happened. colleagues of mine and some other international staff based in the country where kayaking on the nile when this happens. we came out and got caught in crossfire trying to manoeuvre ourselves to a safe space. i know, those who have literally gone to embassies, whatever they can seek safe space. it was not expected. there are people stuck in at the airports, people stuck in hotels that have been occupied by armed forces. this is not something that we can plan for in khartoum. it is

aood a we can plan for in khartoum. it is good a view _ we can plan for in khartoum. it is good a view to — we can plan for in khartoum. it is good a view to talk _ we can plan for in khartoum. it is good a view to talk to us after those events you were describing. we are very grateful you have been able to take time to speak to us that live there from khartoum. thank you very much indeed. a court in moscow has, as expected, rejected the appeal against the pre—trial detention of the us journalist, evan gershkovich. the russian authorities accuse gershkovich of spying — charges he and his employer, the wall streetjournal, strongly deny. the court appearance was his first after being arrested in yekaterinburg nearly three weeks ago. the authorities say he'd tried to obtain classified information, but have offered no evidence to support their claims. he's the first american journalist to face espionage charges in russia since the soviet era. on monday, more than a0 countries led by the united states called for his release in a joint statement at the un condemning moscow's efforts to restrict and intimidate the media. after after mr gershkovich's appearance, the us

ambassador to russia — lynne tracy — had this short statement to reporters outside the courthouse. i was able to meet evan yesterday at the prison. it was the first time we were granted consular access since his wrongful detention more than two weeks ago. i can report that he is in good health and remains strong despite his circumstances. we will continue to provide all available support to evan and his family, and we expect russian authorities to provide continued consular access to evan. the charges against evan are baseless and we call on the russian federation to immediately release him. paul has been held more than four years in russia. we also call for the immediate release of paul whelan. paul has been held more than four years in russia. both men deserve to go home

to theirfamilies now. the wall streetjournal�*s russian bureau chief — ann simmons, spoke to me earlier. i asked her in terms of her assessment of seen her colleague for the first time in three weeks since his arrest and what she made of that. he was very upbeat. we saw the evan that we all know joking with his lawyers, having contact with the the us ambassador to russia. and so, yes, we understand that he's in really high spirits and really confident that he's going to get through this. they rejected, as expected, any attempt to release him before trial. what did you make of the nature of the charges, though, themselves? well, the wall streetjournal and the us government obviously vehemently deny that evan kerkovich is involved in any kind of spying activity in russia. he is a journalist,

he is a dedicated and passionate professional and was out on a reporting assignment. it's really unfortunate that he was not granted bail or granted house arrest or allowed to leave detention under certain restrictions, which is what the the lawyers also requested. so, for example, be able to be outside of prison but not be able to drive or to do other activities. so we're obviously very disappointed that he still remains in pre—trial detention, but we're still confident that he will get through this. i'll ask you about the timeline in a second or two. but the fear has always been right from the moment of arrest that he will be used or is being used as some sort of political pawn, given what we're seeing with the war in ukraine. but it's worth underlining, because he continually returned to russia, that's where his family were from.

he has a huge amount of love and affection for the country and simply telling the story, hasn't he? absolutely. evan is passionate about russia and russians. as you've mentioned, he is from a russian background. his parents are soviet emigres to the united states. they are now obviously russian americans. evan is always very particular about telling certain stories. he was able to understand the nuances of certain stories because he's absolutely bilingual — russian, english — able to be in a room and understand everything going on around him, really had kind of an intimate understanding and still does, of course, an intimate understanding of russian culture and literature history, which is so important for covering this story. it's understanding russia and russians. and certainly evan has shown that throughout his career. i mentioned the timeline. do you have any sort of sense

of what a timeline is likely to be here before a trial especially is being held? and i mentioned there the fear is he's being used as a political pawn. is that something that you fear too? well, i certainly can't get into the politics of it, matthew, but we're hoping that evan won't have to spend a very long time in pre—trial detention or undergoing the trial. the reality is, though, that we know that these types of cases can take a really long time, so it's not going to be a sprint. we all know it's going to be a marathon. he will be held possibly for a long time. for several months, we've seen in other espionage cases that that the defendants have been held while the investigators put together a case. the lawyers mentioned that they will continue to appeal. they will continue to appeal his arrest, his detention,

because he is innocent. and he actually declared his innocence today in court. and again, i should stress that the wall streetjournal and the us government vehemently deny that he is involved in any kind of spying. if there is more on that, we will return to that story. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. derby to cornwall for £40. this trip was not made by train, but by buses. it properly took a good half day of planning with maps and timetables to make it reasonably resilient to any problems. although i have to say i didn't encounter any problems, everything ran pretty much on time. andrew's goal was to take advantage of the tube and bus fare card introduced by the government until the end ofjune, and encourage

others to do the same. it is research — others to do the same. it is research to _ others to do the same. it is research to value _ others to do the same. it is research to value local - others to do the same. it 3 research to value local buses are not used them as much as possible. and recut 20 different buses to complete his challenge, stopping in swindon and exeter before arriving in penzance on saturday night. he is now challenge four planning his next challenge. due now challenge four planning his next challenue. , ., , , ., challenge. due to pound bus fare will hopefully _ challenge. due to pound bus fare will hopefully get _ challenge. due to pound bus fare will hopefully get extend - challenge. due to pound bus fare will hopefully get extend beyond | challenge. due to pound bus fare i will hopefully get extend beyond the end ofjune. i have met a lot of people who say that they have been making use of it and has made a difference to them. so, maybe derby to south coast. you're live with bbc news. india's supreme court has been hearing final arguments on a number of petitions aiming to legalise same—sex marriage. the couples bringing the cases say because they can't marry, they can't establish bank accounts, own property or establish pensions as a couple. india's government and religious leaders are against same—sex marriage and have urged the court to reject the requests. but it will be a group of five judges which has the final say.

let's go live to delhi and speak to utkarsh saxena, who along with his partner are among 18 couples bringing petitions to india's supreme court. thank you for being here on the programme. tell me a little more in terms of what you are so determined to bring this case?— to bring this case? legally and socially that _ to bring this case? legally and socially that have _ to bring this case? legally and socially that have been - to bring this case? legally and socially that have been quite l to bring this case? legally and socially that have been quite a j to bring this case? legally and i socially that have been quite a lot of developments in the country on queer rights. in identified transgender is a third gender in 2014. -- transgender is a third gender in 2014. —— india identified. once of the legal segment was taken away in 2018 with a de—criminalising judgment, it felt like there was more acceptance, sensitive portrayal is an depictions in popular culture, but there is also more acceptance in society that this just felt like the right time to move the petition and

to also seek marriage equality in india. ., ., ., , india. you mentioned dowdy decriminalisation _ india. you mentioned dowdy decriminalisation of - india. you mentioned dowdy i decriminalisation of homosexuality just a few years ago. that was such an important moment and was welcomed ljy an important moment and was welcomed by campaigners at the time. we are seeing pictures of that particular decision. how much discrimination still exists cosmic it is still very conservative society, isn't it? india is a diverse and heterogenous country, so i won't make a blanket statement about the entire society. in urban areas that are very safe and thriving spaces for the lgbt community. however, there is still a lot of tradition. but things have gotten better. there is less mockery and ridicule in popular culture. there is more sensitive portrayal. but there is also a lot of friction and pain in families who struggle to come to terms of this, especially

outside of big cities and english sections of society. since the stigma of the law has gone, more and more people feel comfortable and in building to come out. more and more people are coming to terms with this. so a lot of developments as the decriminalising judgment and a long way to go, but the overall trend looks positive and promising. in terms of india's solicitor general in this case, he has been arguing that this is not a matter thatjudges should decide on. it is something that only parliament and the site, the nature of marriage. what you make of an argument like that been put forward?— what you make of an argument like that been put forward? today was day one final arguments, _ that been put forward? today was day one final arguments, and _ that been put forward? today was day one final arguments, and the - that been put forward? today was day one final arguments, and the court i one final arguments, and the court hearing started with the solicitor general making argument that the court cannot be making laws. but in our reviews no one is making laws, these laws already exist. the

question is, county, allowed some groups and communities to access the privileges granted under those laws and not others. a question on these things has to be adjudicated. and whether the government can do this or not, in which case the supreme court is absolutely the right forum to address a question like this. in our view, this is the forum were at this ought to be adjudicated. what this ought to be ad'udicated. what ou think this ought to be ad'udicated. what you think the — this ought to be adjudicated. what you think the consequences are likely to be if you'll lose this case? and on the flip side of that, if you win, but in fact you think it is likely to have? if if you win, but in fact you think it is likely to have?— is likely to have? if we win, it will be a _ is likely to have? if we win, it will be a very _ is likely to have? if we win, it will be a very positive - is likely to have? if we win, it i will be a very positive development. it will no longer be just about not criminalising people for who they are, but fully accepting them as complete citizens with the same sets

of rights that other members of society get. if we are unsuccessful, even then, i think this is a incredibly positive moment for the country and civil works right in general. when i was growing up as a queer kit in india i could never imagine a situation where i could so openly and publicly without fear of authorisation —— authorisation and violence. even if we lose, there are ups and downs in the civil rights, but since the overall trend looks positive, we will keep battling. thank you so much forjoining us live from delhi. one more story this half hour.

the battle over the paint colour of a front door — on one edinbugh street. the owner of this house says she's really disappointed after the local council forced her to repaint her pink front door. here's our reporter naomi choy smith who can tell us more about this. the most talked about and was viewed stored on our our website. our colleagues in bbc scotland first picked up the story back in october. that is when miranda dixon first got an enforcement notice from edinburgh city council telling her to repaint her front door, which as you can see is this rather vibrant pink colour. in the past couple of days she has finally complied with that notice after failing to flout it. she has painted it a sage green colour. still quite vibrant. that is because miranda dixon has claimed there are

other doors in her street that in this historic part of edinburgh that are alsojust as this historic part of edinburgh that are also just as vibrant. she sent the bbc these pictures of other doors and her neighbourhood, you have got bright yellows, bright reds, bright blues. all this stems from the issue of conservation. in fact, the end of the city council provided these guidelines on which show homeowners what colours to paint their doors to keep everything in the traditional style. you may notice that there is a pink door there on the website. however, edinburgh city council claims that this is a much more muted colour that the colour that randall ended up that the colour that randall ended up painting her door. they say at the colour was not in keeping with the colour was not in keeping with the historic character. but something that they think door is in keeping with is miranda's style. you can see here the inside of her house

is for stent with pink — pink curtains, a pink bathtub, she has got pink hair. check out this amazing hot pink carpet inside her town house there. however, she has been forced to comply with the regulations for now. butjudging by the international attention the story is getting, this may not be the last to hear of pink door lady. it is at the top search. i don't know why. you are in charge of that, not me. yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching 21.2 in the highlands of scotland. the temperatures were particularly higher because of the scottish mountains. for most of us we have brisk winds, but those winds were blocked by the mountains. with light winds here, the sun's energy

was concentrated. elsewhere those brisk winds meant the sun because my energy was spread across a greater depth of atmosphere. more high—pressure means we have more sunshine to look forward to. in north—west scotland we are already seen temperatures into the low 20s and we could beat yesterday's highs temperature. it could be the warmest day of the year so far in at the highlands. but across eastern areas, temperatures will be suppressed, high is more likely 10 or 11 degrees. wherever you are, probably not feeling too bad. the chance of a lecture were across north—east england this afternoon. we have also got very high levels of pollen, particularly across western areas. for those who suffer from tree pollen, it could be quite a sneezy afternoon. the emphasis is still on afternoon. the emphasis is still on a lot of dry weather. with clear

skies, it turns chilly, particularly across the northern areas. tomorrow generally a bit more in a way of cloud for england and wales. this could be the light shower, but most of us having a dry day. the highest temperatures will be across western areas, with winds coming from an easterly direction. the air gets a little bit cooler on thursday. but mitigating that should be the fact that we see much more in the way of sunshine across the whole of the uk. again it is probably the highlands that will see the highest temperatures of the day. friday into the weekend we do see a change in the weekend we do see a change in the weather pattern, low pressure develops pushing rain northwards across the uk. expect rain at times. next week it's really quite chilly for april. next week it's really quite chilly forapril. bye next week it's really quite chilly for april. bye for now.

live from london, this is bbc news. after four days of intense fighting — and at least 180 dead — a ceasefire is expected in sudan in the next few hours. ——in the next half hour. a court in moscow rejects an appeal by the americanjournalist evan gershkovich against his detention on spying charges. rupert murdoch will testify in a billion—dollar