live from london, this is bbc news. fighting in sudan rages on, as thousands are fleeing the country. the leader of the rsf militia group tells the bbc he won't negotiate untilfighting ends. the uk government has told nhs doctors in sudan they can now catch evacuation flights out of the country, in a u—turn on its previous policy. tom cruise and damejoan collins are announced as some richard sharpe resigns after reports say he wasn't open with borisjohnson about his interview process. and we look at how comic books are playing a big part of popular culture

in south africa. hello, i'm celia hatton. welcome to the programme. it's believed that a convoy of buses carrying 300 american civilians has left the sudanese capital, khartoum, bound for the coastal city of port sudan — 800 kilometres to the east. it's the first evacuation from sudan involving americans who are not diplomats. the operation is taking place under the protection of us armed drones flying overhead. as washington ramps up its evacuation plans, many other countries are winding down, having already repatriated thousands of their nationals. journalists in port sudan say the quayside is packed with hundreds of yemenis and syrians waiting to board ships that will take them to saudi arabia. a ceasefire announced by the two rival military factions in sudan has not held and there's been heavy fighting in khartoum and the western darfur region.

one of the generals, who leads the rapid support forces, the rsf, the paramilitary force fighting sudan's army, has told the bbc he will not negotiate until the fighting ends. he was speaking to zeinab badawi. i want to put it to you that the people of sudan, particularly in the capital are living in an absolute ordeal. what would it take for you to allow humanitarian corridors? translation: first of all, | i would like to thank the bbc for the interview regarding the truths. we have been asking for it from the first day of the war, we started the humanitarian corridor straightaway. we opened these corridors within the areas controlled by our forces. we started the truth from our side. we are working for the sake of the civilians and ourfight is on the behalf of the civilians.

we have no problems with these corridors and we are helping the diplomatic missions. the sudanese people acknowledge the areas under our control, we are working hands and feet to help others. we have no problem with these corridors whatsoever. hemedti's comments to the bbc come as millions remain trapped in the capital khartoum, where there are shortages of food, water and fuel. at least 512 people have been killed and more than 4000 wounded in the fighting, although the real death toll is likely much higher. herer�*s our world affairs correspondent, caroline hawley. her report shows images of injuries sustained by a doctor while escaping from sudan. this is what counts for a ceasefire in the capital, khartoum. it's less than two weeks since fighting erupted. so much damage already done. 0n the scale of human suffering growing by the day. and the scale of human suffering caused by this conflict is growing by the day. the journey to the airfield

is fraught with risk and time is running out now for any british national wanting to escape. for the past few days people have been queuing to get out with flights leaving day and night. this footage was filmed yesterday by a british woman who had to leave her young nieces and nephews behind. they weren't eligible for the airlift because they don't have uk passports or visas. we've been told that officials on the ground back in sudan can exercise some discretion on who gets on the planes. so who arrives here in cyprus has been something of a lottery. among those bused in to larnaca airport after an overnight flight was abdulrahman and his 86—year—old mother. he worked for 30 years as a gynaecologist in the nhs, delaying his retirement because of covid. he's a british national. his 86—year—old mother is not. they had to persuade british officials to let her come. 0ther nhs doctors with work permits were originally turned away.

abdulrahman was injured last week, shot at in his car by rsf fighters. he had to treat these wounds himself at home with pillowcases as bandages. we caught up with him as he waited to board his flight out to the uk. hi, abdulrahman. it was just like a dream, coming through here. it was like a dream coming true. once they knew that i had a gunshot, they took me straight to theatre there and they did all the necessary things. are you concerned that some people like your mum are now getting out and some people aren't? i can see there are people there about a day before us and they sent them back. they're quite desperate to get out, to be honest, quite desperate. some british families are now terrified for relatives still trapped in the city. 0ne woman's grandparents are living in an area too dangerous for relatives to go and take them to the airport. i can't even fathom

in words how worried me and my family are. it is beyond worry now. it is beyond worry. the air strikes are getting more and more consistent as the hours go on. we have no way of contacting them. they have no way of contacting us. so if they get left behind before 12 noon tomorrow, only god can help them and help the rest of my family. we don't know how many more people will make it out of khartoum on the last evacuation flights. but here at larnaca airport, the tiniest evacuees, yaram, just 25 days old, and dara, born in khartoum the same day, already uprooted. what future for them

and for sudan now? caroline hawley, bbc news, larnaca. the uk government has told nhs doctors in sudan they can now catch evacuation flights out of the country, in a u—turn on its previous policy. more than 20 nhs medics were initially told they could not board flights because they were not british nationals, although they have uk work permits. the change comes just hours before the uk's final rescue flights out of sudan. british nationals and the nhs doctors hoping to leave war—torn sudan now have until midday local time — 11:00 bst — to reach the wadi seidna airfield, with the final flight to depart at 18:00 bst on saturday. they have been instructed to make their own way to the airfield. well, many of those fleeing the violence have made it over the border to egypt, but the bbc has been told about the exploitation of refugees as they make the journey from khartoum. and there's anguish for those who've had to leave relatives behind. 0ur correspondent tom bateman sent this report from the city of aswan near the egypt—sudan border. the exhaustion is hard to bear.

they left their homes in a city under fire. now the sites are of dust and desert and other survivors also trying to move on. here at this bus station, a hub in the egyptian desert, there is still no sign of age groups, only the refugees fending for themselves. hosna got to before the fighting started but her teenage daughters are still trapped in khartoum, so she got work, trying to pay for their tickets. through the kindness of strangers, they gave her a job at the bus station teashop. translation: my daughters saw an artillery shell fought _ in our neighbourhood. i could not bring them here. i don't have a husband

or son to help them. i work day in, day out to save money. she needs $800 to get them here. the men running the routes from khartoum have put up the fares 20 fold, she says, with family and hope far off. translation: sudan is completely destroyed. i they are targeting people in their homes. the generals shouldn't be fighting this war amongst civilians. 16,000 people have now crossed over, say egyptian officials. red crescent is helping with aid at the crossing, but there is mounting concern about stifling conditions on the other side. we've been waiting here for over two hours now and this is the first bus to arrive. the journey is treacherous and difficult. this is a point of safety. but what we're getting a sense of here is just how painfully slow it is for those people

trying to escape and finally getting across the border. and then there are those who arrive to help, like esraa, who has family stuck over the border. she tells me of a desperate irony. sudan's people wanted civilian rule and did not expect it by having to help each other while the military factions fight and the world walked out. every day, i think up until i arrived, i kept thinking, tomorrow, it is so ridiculous, tomorrow, somebody... someone, one of these agencies is going to come. and i have been saying tomorrow since the first 72 hours. fleeing sudan has become a journey of the abandoned, and no—one is spared the toll of this conflict. tom bateman, bbc news, aswan, southern egypt. let's get some of the day's other news now. the us army is to ground non—essential flying units

for training after two recent helicopter crashes which killed 12 soldiers. the army chief—of—staff said that all pilots would next month undergo a day's training, except for those participating in critical missions. three us army soldiers were killed on thursday in alaska when two apache helicopters collided. the european union has reached a deal which will allow ukraine to continue exporting its crops through neighbouring countries. poland, slovakia, hungary and bulgaria had brought in restrictions, saying the cheap produce was undercutting their domestic prices. nhs england has warned that a planned strike by nurses on sunday will cause significant disruption during an already busy bank holiday weekend. members of the royal college of nursing are walking out from 8am until midnight on monday. the union has agreed contingency plans for staff to return to work in extreme cases and major incidents. a threatened strike by us

screenwriters demanding more pay could bring hollywood film and television studios to a standstill next week. a may1 deadline has been set for an agreement between the writer's guild of america and the major studios, but a deal remains elusive. the highest court in the us state of north carolina has assembly can redraw electoral maps to favour their own party in next year's national congressional elections. the decision by the court could allow the republicans to increase their slender majority in the house of representatives. live now to stanford california, where i'm joined by nathaniel persily, professor of american election law at stanford university. nathaniel, thank you for joining us. take us through the importance of this decision. it is only one state court's

decision but it potentially has national implications. as you said, the north carolina supreme court has basically said that nothing in its constitution prevents the republicans in this case from drawing an electoral district lines to advantage the republicans and disadvantage the democrats. what makes this striking is the same court six months ago basically ruled in the opposite direction, but that's because it had a democratic majority and now it has same republican majority. isn't this something that political parties on both sides in the us, and many parts of the world, been doing for a long time, the world, been doing fora long time, re— the world, been doing for a long time, re— drawing electoral maps to favour their own parties, so what is unusual in this case? in own parties, so what is unusual in this case?— in this case? in this case what's unusual- in this case? in this case what's unusual is - in this case? in this case what's unusual is in - in this case? in this casel what's unusual is in some in this case? in this case - what's unusual is in some ways how politicised the court has become, that we havejudicial elections in north carolina, like in many other states, and as a result of the electoral changes, essentially the state constitution means something

different. it gives unfettered power to the state legislature, which is now controlled by republicans, to enact legislative districts that could advantage one party and disadvantage the other. fine could advantage one party and disadvantage the other. are we seeinu disadvantage the other. are we seeing the _ disadvantage the other. are we seeing the rise _ disadvantage the other. are we seeing the rise of— disadvantage the other. are we seeing the rise of more - disadvantage the other. are we seeing the rise of more parties| seeing the rise of more parties courts across the united states? is north carolina an exception?— states? is north carolina an excetion? �* . ., , , . exception? we've had many such cases over _ exception? we've had many such cases over the _ exception? we've had many such cases over the last _ exception? we've had many such cases over the last few _ exception? we've had many such cases over the last few years. - cases over the last few years. when you have judicial elections, as we do when you havejudicial elections, as we do in the united states, inevitably they become partisan. while the republicans gained control of the north carolina supreme court, the democrats recently gained control of the wisconsin supreme court. so the polarisation we are seeing in us politics generally is now seeping into the state judiciary �*s. seeping into the state judiciary "s— seeping into the state judiciary 's. that's right, because _ judiciary 's. that's right, because elections - judiciary 's. that's right, because elections aren't judiciary 's. that's right, - because elections aren't new but is it because those being elected are more overtly partisan? i elected are more overtly partisan?—

elected are more overtly artisan? ~ partisan? i think the political arties partisan? i think the political parties and _ partisan? i think the political parties and those _ partisan? i think the political parties and those who - partisan? i think the political parties and those who spend j parties and those who spend money on elections have recognised the significance of the state supreme court elections. because so many of these courts are, in many ways, these courts are, in many ways, the watchdogs of politics in the watchdogs of politics in the individual states. so whoever can control those courts cannot only control issues like abortion or civil rights but also the electoral system itself. people are now realising that control of the supreme court can have payoffs in other election offices as well. . , , , . well. once been the public reaction — well. once been the public reaction to _ well. once been the public reaction to this _ well. once been the public reaction to this decision? i reaction to this decision? there hasn't been much yet. it's pretty fresh. but one thing i want to emphasise is that this decision is not only significant for north carolina but also for the nation because the us supreme court was considering this very case at the time and the fact that the north carolina supreme court has switched its mind means that the us supreme court may decide not to weigh in on this issue. so we're going to be in

limbo until the next case goes to the us supreme court about whether state legislatures have unfettered power to write election laws.— unfettered power to write election laws. thank you very much for _ election laws. thank you very much for taking _ election laws. thank you very much for taking us _ election laws. thank you very much for taking us through i much for taking us through that, nathaniel persily, from stanford university. the bbc chairman, richard sharp, has resigned after accepting the findings of a critical report, which found he'd failed to be transparent about his dealings with borisjohnson to the panel interviewing him for the job. the controversy centred on his involvement in facilitating an £800,000 loan guarantee for mrjohnson, who was prime minister at the time, and who signed off on his appointment as bbc chairman. mr sharp is to stand down injune from the role, which is meant to defend the bbc�*s standards and values. he said it would be a distraction for him to remain in thejob. so, why is the bbc chairman appointed by the uk prime minister, and what is the chairman's role? our analysis editor ros atkins explains. well, richard sharp's resignation raises questions

for the bbc, for the government and about how power works in britain. the job at the centre of the story is bbc chair. the chair leads the bbc board, which has to ensure the bbc delivers its commitments to the country and is tasked with upholding and protecting the independence of the bbc. and appointing a bbc chair isn't for the bbc to do, it's a government decision — ultimately, a prime minister's decision — and in 2021, it was borisjohnson who appointed richard sharp. but now, mr sharp has resigned after breaching the rules of the appointment process. first, he failed to declare that he told borisjohnson that he wanted the job before he applied for it. the next issue also concerns mrjohnson. let's bring in a canadian millionaire called sam blythe. he wanted to offer the former prime minister financial help with a loan guarantee, and he asked his friend richard sharp if he could make a connection. to do that, richard sharp spoke to the cabinet secretary, head of the civil service,

simon case. mr sharp thought that was sufficient disclosure. today's report found that it wasn't. and as we've been hearing, richard sharp says he now regrets not mentioning that conversation. and that oversight brought risks for the bbc because while the bbc didn't appoint richard sharp, its director—general, tim davie, has been vocal on impartiality. this story risked undermining that message. and, in the end, it's worth emphasising that all of this has happened because of a failure to mention one conversation, not because the bbc chair is a long—time acquaintance of the prime minister who appointed him, not because the bbc chair was a donor to the ruling party, not because each bbc chair is chosen by the government of the day. for better or for worse, this is all within the system. but there are renewed questions about whether it should be. pope about whether it should be. francis, on his second

on pope francis, on his second day on a visit in hungary is due to meet about 1000 refugees had saint elizabeth 's church in the capital of budapest. many will be from neighbouring ukraine but they are also expected to include refugees from pakistan, afghanistan, iraq, iran and nigeria. the pope has praised hungary's prime ministerfor his pope has praised hungary's prime minister for his welcome to 2 million ukrainians sheltering in hungary from the russian invasion. but the vatican has criticised budapest�*s attitude to refugees arriving from outside europe after they were put in harsh transit camps. pope francis had a strong message on the first day of his visit to hungary, and warned against rising nationalism in europe. nick thorpe has more. this is in stephen's basilica, the main church or cathedral in downtown dr pascoe in the last few moments francis has finished and address to the catholic clergy to the catholic faithful, many of them inside the church and many more outside here in the square.

he's had a busy and eventful first day in budapest. he went straight from the airport this morning to a meeting with political leaders, including prime minister viktor orban. to those dignitaries, he made a major speech with a message to everyone, to the hungarians, to show more kindness and open christian heartedness to refugees and strangers, to europe to end its divisions and work harder to show more creative energy, as he put it, to ending the terrible war in ukraine. he also had words of praise for his hungarian hosts, for their defence of the traditional family, and their support offered to persecuted christians around the world. it's taken the pope ten years to get to hungary for a major pastoral visit. he's got a packed programme and it seems a lot to say. there are two things you probably wouldn't expect to crop up in the same sentence —

black sabbath and ballet. the vintage heavy metal pioneers have teamed up in the uk with the birmingham royal ballet to create a show set to their music, complete with headbanging dancers and a guitarist on stage. tickets are already being snapped up by black sabbath fans, many who've never been to a ballet before. our entertainment correspondent colin paterson reports. # i need someone to show me... pirouetting to paranoid. # i can't see the things that make true happiness... this is black sabbath — the ballet in their hometown of birmingham. the heavy—metal pioneers were never exactly known for their pas de deux, with ozzy osbourne famous for biting bats, not ballet. but the all—time dance great carlos acosta — who's now based in brum — had an idea. one of the things that i wanted to do

when ijoined birmingham royal ballet is to bring awareness of the treasure that this city had given to the world, and black sabbath is a perfect fit. # can you help me occupy my brain? it is a subject that it opens curiosity, because we come from the ballet world and then the heavy—metal world — what's going to be the negotiation? what will be the product at the end? and that excites me. # has he lost his mind? the ballet, which will premiere in september, is described as a metal symphony over three acts. and, crucially, carlos persuaded sabbath's guitarist, tony iommi, to give the show his blessing. black sabbath — the ballet. why?! he laughs why not?! how much did you know about ballet beforehand? not a dot. no, i didn't... i've never been to a ballet. # evil minds that plot destruction...

how involved's ozzy? ozzy�*s not really involved. well, he's in the states anyway, and i'm the only one here. how is he at the moment? he's ok. i heard from him a couple of days ago. he's... he's doing all right — i think he's going to have another operation. but he's dying to get back here — he's dying to, he really wants to come back to england. and see the ballet? yes, he might well be — if he's back in time, he'll be...he'll be here, yeah. the birmingham run has already sold out, but there are hopes that the show will travel around the world. yes, black sabbath back on tour — ballet style! # i tell you to enjoy life... colin paterson, bbc news, birmingham. i would love to see that. comic books have become one of the most vital and important parts of popular culture. huge blockbuster movies based on the adventures of various superheroes fill the cinemas. but if you think comics

are confined to just the us or japan, think again. tim allman explains. for a lot of people, this is what comic books are all about. # i #iam # i am superman and i know what is happening... # i am superman and i know what is happening- - -_ is happening... capes, spandex, unchin: is happening... capes, spandex, punching bad — is happening... capes, spandex, punching bad guys. _ is happening... capes, spandex, punching bad guys. there - is happening... capes, spandex, punching bad guys. there is - is happening... capes, spandex, punching bad guys. there is a i punching bad guys. there is a captain america, even a captain britain. but what about captain south africa? she, or at least south africa? she, orat least a comic book containing the adventures is making an appearance at comic con cape town, and she is no ordinary superhero. town, and she is no ordinary superher0-— superhero. she is a political superhero. _ superhero. she is a political superhero, non-violent. - superhero. she is a politicall superhero, non-violent. one superhero. she is a political- superhero, non-violent. one of superhero, non—violent. one of the most difficult things to write because superhero is by nature are violent. but i was inspired by the people i went to university with, by these protests and movements that ask for political change that do not incite violence.- not incite violence. this is the first —

not incite violence. this is the first comic— not incite violence. this is the first comic book - not incite violence. this is - the first comic book convention here since the covid pandemic. more than 70,000 people turned up more than 70,000 people turned up to the last one. all of them came to fly the flag for african comics. i came to fly the flag for african comics.- came to fly the flag for african comics. i think it is definitely _ african comics. i think it is definitely long _ african comics. i think it is definitely long overdue. i african comics. i think it is| definitely long overdue. we have had such a big community here that has gone unnoticed for years. here that has gone unnoticed for years-— here that has gone unnoticed for ears. , . ., for years. they are the window into south _ for years. they are the window into south africa _ for years. they are the window into south africa as _ for years. they are the window into south africa as it - for years. they are the window into south africa as it is, - for years. they are the window into south africa as it is, and l into south africa as it is, and the culture.— the culture. comic con cape town run — the culture. comic con cape town run throughout - the culture. comic con cape town run throughout the . the culture. comic con cape - town run throughout the weekend and another convention takes place later in the year in johannesburg. the unique take on a global medium. capes and spandex, africa style. tim allman, bbc news. you will find lots more detail about the stories we are covering on our website, including the situation in sudan. had to our website or use the bbc news app. and you can get in touch with me and the team on twitter. i'm @celiahatton. stay with us here on bbc news.

bye— bye bye — bye for bye—bye for now. hello. the bank holiday weekend is upon us and the weather is looking a little mixed but, you know, overall, it's not going to be too bad. plenty of sunny spells in the forecast but one or two showers, and some of them could be heavy. let's have a look at the big picture across our neck of the woods. so a low pressure in the north atlantic, a large one, and it's helping to draw in a warm atmosphere from the southern climes — in fact, mild air coming all the way from the azores. but the very far north of scotland under the influence of a colder current of air from the north. so, here is the forecast for the early morning for saturday, and it's a sort of mild—ish start to the day.

it's certainly not frosty out there — 5 to maybe 10 degrees celsius in some spots. a lot of cloud in the morning first thing, particularly across the northern half of the uk, and then showers are expected to develop from wales, the midlands, the northwest of england, certainly in northern ireland, maybe one or two in scotland as well. the best of the sunshine and the warmest weather will be across the south. take a look at these temperatures — 19 or 20 in london, about that as far west as cardiff. but in scotland, chilly — only 7 degrees expected in aberdeen. in fact, it will be chilly right along the north sea coast. here's a look at sunday. i think there'll be quite a few showers around — hitand miss, sure — but some thunderstorms are possible in northern ireland, so there could be some downpours. again, the best of the weather on sunday further towards the south and east. temperatures in the high teens, but more typically, it'll be around about 15 or 16 degrees celsius. so, that's the end of sunday. how about the bank holiday itself? well, overall, again, not looking bad for most of us. high pressure is close by,

particularly out towards the west, but weather fronts are also affecting the north of scotland, and also, showers are in the forecast for east anglia and the southeast and, again, there could be one or two downpours, so, after a sunny saturday and sunday, showers on the cards for london and the southeast. elsewhere, variable amounts of cloud and actually not looking too bad at all. look at that — 17 in newcastle, around 16 in belfast. let's have a look at the outlook then for the week ahead. so, here's that little mixed weekend, and then, into next week, i think the temperatures will ease somewhat, but overall, the weather isn't looking too bad. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines fighting in sudan rages on, as thousands flee the country. the leader of the rsf militia group tells the bbc he won't negotiate untilfighting ends. journalists in port sudan say the quayside is packed with syrians, yemenis and others. the uk government tells nhs doctors in sudan they can now catch evacuation flights out of the country, in a u—turn on its previous policy. more than 20 nhs medics were initially told they could not board flights because they weren't british nationals, although they have worked permits in the uk.

the bbc chairman richard sharp resigns after a report finds