this is bbc world news today. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories. preparations for donald trump's meeting with kimjong un are under way. singapore and mongolia are reported as possible venues. fury on the streets of pamplona, as tens of thousands protest over the conviction of a group of men for sexual abuse rather than rape. more demonstrations in armenia, as the ruling party says it doesn't always have to be in power — we hear from the country's president. also in the programme, as part of the bbc‘s crossing divides season... we meet a sheep farmer in the yorkshire dales who's offering asylum seekers a taste of countryside life. north korea has hailed its summit with the south as an "historic meeting" which paves the way for the start of a new era. the two leaders — the north's kim jong—un and the south's moonjae—in —

agreed to work to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons. and the momentous meeting has further cemented president trump's summit with kimjong un later this year. caroline davies has this report. welcomed with a handshake, the smiles of the north and south korea leaders beaming around the world, but the north korean state—run tv station called the visit a turning point, it was hailed as the start of a new era. in the south the visit showed the north korean ruler kim jong—unin showed the north korean ruler kim jong—un ina showed the north korean ruler kim jong—un in a new light. translation: before he seemed quite strange and like a person from different country and we were not able to see him before but through the summit on television it was very moving and he felt very friendly. he smiled a lot, he was just a human being.

translation: surprisingly i found him frank and even capable of telling jokes, unlike his scary image, it was quite the opposite. but here and around the world others have been cautious about what the meeting might lead to. for years north korea has been working on improving its nuclear weapons, will kim jong—un follow through with a joint promise to denuclearise the korean peninsula? australia has emphasised the importance of carrying on with un sanctions and they are promising to send a military aircraft to monitor north korean vessels. we have had false dawns before on the korean peninsula and that is why it is really important to maintain the pressure of the sanctions. it is the economic sanctions that have brought this apparent change in attitude and that

pressure has to be maintained. china has applauded the talks, that is crucial, without china any deal could collapse, and all eyes are now on the planned meeting between resident macro and kim jong—un. on the planned meeting between resident macro and kimjong—un. —— president trump. president trump said this on twitter. the summit ended with fanfare and high hopes but the details are still sketchy. it has left the world asking, do the leaders have peace within their grasp oi’ leaders have peace within their grasp or will this be a show without substance? chris bucklerjoins us live from washington. picking out with this meeting with donald trump, he said progress was being made on twitter, any details about locations and timings? you get the sense that the apparent success of that korean, sage and —— korean

conversation at the border has led the way for this summit to take place and although we don't have a date and location, we were getting hints that mongolia and singapore we re hints that mongolia and singapore were being considered. he said two locations that it has been firmed up that those are the countries being considered, and certainly along with the talk of the summit there is a flurry of diplomatic activity. donald trump has been speaking to president moon but also the japanese prime minister shin soeda and on top of that we have had the us secretary of that we have had the us secretary of defencejim of that we have had the us secretary of defence jim —— james of that we have had the us secretary of defencejim —— james mattis talking to his career in cancer but, —— he's korean counterpart. talking about what they want for this, denuclearisation is the main thing. we have had moves and nods towards

denuclearisation in the past but they have not happen, how different things this time? —— are things. they have not happen, how different things this time? -- are things. you have a north korea leader who is trying to change his image and an event yesterday which was watched around the world but you are right that even in the last 20 years we have had a couple of events before that have moved those directions. the capable, denuclearisation as far as the americans are concerned is about north korea giving up its weapons “— about north korea giving up its weapons —— this is the key point. while we have these conversations that involve the north and south korean leaders saying they want to see the peninsula denuclearise, as far as analysts are concerned kim jong—un is not likely to give up his appeal weapons and he sees them as being very important to his control of power —— his nuclear weapons. for his family dynasty to completely control that part of north korea. at

the moment they is talk about denuclearisation but the reality of thatis denuclearisation but the reality of that is still far from being there —— there is talk. president trump is very optimistic talking positively but you also have this slight concern in the background and even in the statements that are coming out. james mattis when he was talking to his counterpart, he reaffirmed the ironclad commitment to defend the republic of korea, so this is reaching out, but still talking tough. indeed it is. chris, thanks forjoining us. well with north korea apparently prepared to cooperate over denuclearisation, the international focus could now shift to iran. president trump has said that unless european allies fix the "terrible flaws" in the iran nuclear deal by may 12th, he will refuse to extend us sanctions relief for oil—producing iran. reacting to mr trump's comments while in moscow, the iranian foreign minister accused america of breaching its obligations

on the nuclear deal. translation: there is a resolution of the un security council in respect of the iran nuclear deal and the us government was one of the masterminds of the resolution and it has an obligation to implement the deal. but mr trump has been reaching the obligation. —— preaching. today he is setting forth the new requirements that are unacceptable for the people of iran —— breaching. but the united states is urging not only its european allies but also others to impose sanctions on iran to curb its missile program. the new american secretary of state — who's on his first overseas tour of the middle—east — has arrived in saudi arabia. it is expected that iran's missile program would be a major topic in talks on sunday between pompeo and leaders from saudi arabia and israel. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news.

around 4,000 people have fled renewed fighting in northern myanmar — where the burmese military is reported to be pounding ethnic kachin rebels with airstrikes and artillery. the united nations says thousands more civilians are trapped by the violence. kachin insurgents have been waging an armed struggle for autonomous rule in their territory since the 1960s. huge crowds have taken to the streets of yemen's capital sanaa, for the funeral of the houthi rebels‘ top political leader. saaleh ul—sumud was killed earlier this month in an airstrike on sanaa, which is controlled by the houthis. it was carried out by the saudi—led coalition that's been bombing the country for three years. hundreds of people have welcomed the former president of malawi, joyce banda, on her return home after four yea rs of self—imposed exile. it's not clear whether ms banda plans to engage in politics. she fled malawi when she lost power

following a massive corruption scandal. for a third day running, tens of thousands have taken to the streets of pamplona in spain — where there is anger about the sentence handed to five men accused of gang raping a woman during the running of the bulls festival two years ago. protesters say the verdict is too lenient, and sets a dangerous precedent for gang—rape cases — as tiffany wertheimer reports. the chant from these protesters — "alone or drunk, "i want to return home". for the third day in a row, tens of thousands of demonstrators have filled pamplona's streets. mostly women, they are protesting against what they say is a severe injustice against rape victims. translation: all we want is that, when we go out at night, not to feel fear. we feel it constantly, and this is so horrible and unfair. it was during the popular running of the bulls festival in 2016 when five men surrounded an 18—year—old woman.

according to a police report, they had nonconsensual sex with her. they filmed the attack and shared it on the messaging service whatsapp under the group name la manada, spanish for "the pack". on thursday, a judge dismissed the rape charge against the men because there was no intimidation or violence, a technicality in spanish law that protesters want to change. prosecutors were pushing for 20 years' jail, but the men were instead found guilty of sexual abuse, a charge which carries a more lenient sentence. they have each been jailed for nine years. supporters of the victim have criticised how the five—month case was handled, saying it often felt like she was the one on trial. it's caused a national outcry. rallies have been held across spain, including in seville, where the men are from. translation: we believe this sentence is intolerable. justice blames us, and justice doesn't protect us.

a number of senior politicians are echoing the concerns. translation: it was a rape, clearly, and no one is going to change my mind. what happened was an act perpetrated by five beasts that don't deserve anything more than my contempt. the victim says she plans to appeal against the verdict, but the attackers say they will, too. alfie evans, the terminally ill toddler at the centre of a long legal battle, has died, nearly a week after his life support was withdrawn. alfie, who would have been two next month, had a degenerative neurological condition. alfie's parents have said they're heartbroken. our correspondent judith moritz reports. they call themselves alfie's army, but today their fight turned to grief. they gathered to remember the little boy outside the hospital where he died.

for the first weeks of alfie evans's life he seemed healthy, happy and well. but he soon started to develop problems. scans showed that his brain was being destroyed. he spent a year in intensive care before doctors said they felt his life support should be stopped. alfie's parents, kate and tom, strongly disagreed with the medical view that their son could not be helped. on the outside, he's shown the biggest fight and that's what's given us the biggest drive to get us through this. it's heartbreaking knowing the doctors just because they can't find a diagnosis think it's ok to come to me and mum and say, we can't find an answer, so we think it's time that we give up on alfie. no. if you're going to give up on him, please reassure us, and refer him. the couple took their legal case unsuccessfully through all the available courts several times in the uk and twice to europe. but on monday alfie's life support was switched off. and this morning, in a facebook post, alfie's father said his son had laid down his shield and gained his wings. fly high, alfie. to pay tribute to him.

they've just been so brave, they've been, they've done everything, haven't they, all they can, and this has happened. they've been so brave. for a mum and dad to stand that strong with their son. i would do the same. but they've done everything they can for him from day one. obviously, we don't know him personally. i think there's a lot of people, a whole nation that don't know him personally, but when you read somebody's story, it captures you massively. this has been a difficult time at alder hey — police are investigating complaints that staff and patients were intimidated by some protesters. today, the hospital said its thoughts were with alfie and his parents after their devastating journey. last week, alfie's father went to meet the pope, having fought to move his son to a hospital in rome. today the pontiff tweeted to say he was praying for the family and the catholic church in liverpool also praised the hospital. they couldn't have done

better or done more. i think we have a really wonderful hospital staff. one to be proud of. i think they've kept their integrity, and they've kept quiet about what's gone on. i think they've done it in a most wonderful way. alfie's parents say they're heartbroken. after many weeks in which their plight was played out in public, they were with their son in private at the end. judith moritz, bbc news, liverpool. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come. crossing cultural divides with a little help from sheep. we talk to an english farmer who welcomes asylum seekers to help him look after new born lambs. this is bbc world news today. armenia's ruling party says it won't put forward a candidate to become the country's next prime minister, in an effort to quell rising tensions. two weeks of anti—government

protests prompted the resignation of prime minister serzh sarkissian. he'd taken up the post the previous week. armenia's new president, armen sarkissian, has praised protesters for being "courageous and proud". before today's decision not to field a candidate, he spoke to the bbc‘s rayhan demytrie. first of all the most important, the constitution, and as you have seen, there is a big demonstration on the streets. we have seen them. these problems have regulated and they we re problems have regulated and they were not addressed or resolve, with corruption and social justice were not addressed or resolve, with corruption and socialjustice and young people, they don't see a bright future for themselves despite their talented work. they have a good education. and the most is the

absence of dialogue between the government and the people. so the president is the one who has to guide everybody towards constitution solutions for this crisis and i've been proud that we have had several su ccesses been proud that we have had several successes here. there were big demonstrations. former president and prime minister sarkissian, hearing what people said, he resigned on the 23rd of april and i would like to give credit to him for this courageous move. in other places, other times, the president would be fighting for their political career until the end. sarkissian showed courage and resigned. showing that this country can go towards democratic and free path. this country can go towards democratin leader ee path.

this country can go towards democratin leader says th. this country can go towards democratin leader says a |. this country can go towards democratin leader says a velvet opposition leader says a velvet revolution is unfolding in armenia, do you agree? i would not like to give nice slogans. rose revolution, pebble revolution... what is important, people have shown that the society exists in armenia and people are courageous and proud to express their opinion. —— purple revolution. hello and thanks for joining us on sport today. it's getting tighter at the bottom of the premier league table. the bottom three have all picked up points. stoke and west brom could both have been relegated this weekend, but they live to fight another day. stoke held liverpool to a goalless draw at anfield. liverpool had one eye on the second leg of the champions league semifinal, and will be pleased that none of their players picked up injuries. stoke had chances to win, and are still in big trouble, three points from safety with only two matches remaining. i'm really happy how the boys took

that game and how the intensity level and stuff like that, but it was not our best game, of course, for nobody. i said a lot of positive things, well—deserved about our crowd, but today in a game like this you can't only react to the situation on the pitch and you have to be on your toes. it finished goalless between burnley and brighton. that point for burnley means they will almost certainly be playing europa league football next season. crystal palace thrashed ten—man leicester 5—0. there were also wins for everton and bottom of the table west brom, who won at newcastle. southampton improved their hopes of reaching safety after beating bournemoth 2—i. swansea are still very much in danger after a 1—0 defeat at home to chelsea. to formula one, where ferrari's sebastian vettel‘s strong start to the season continues, beating lewis hamilton of mercedes to take his third consecutive pole position of the season

at the azerbaijan grand prix. the german, nine points clear of hamilton in the championship, has already won two of the first three races of the season. in the last segment of qualifying i knew i have the car that does what i want. not have it in terms of pole position but that i could put a good lap together. a few tiny bits where it wasn't exactly perfect and i knew on the second run, i would have to go out and get it again, and i was a little bit down at the time, a bit faster, and then i looked up and it caught me by surprise for the third turn andi caught me by surprise for the third turn and i wasn't sure, do i go straight and try to hang on to it? fortu nately straight and try to hang on to it? fortunately it was enough. looking good for ferrari. rafael nadal is into his 11th barcelona open final, and he did it by clinching his 400th career victory on clay. the spaniard beat the belgian david goffin in straight sets — 6—4, 6—0.

waiting for him in the final is the unseeded greek teenager stefanos titipas. he's into his first atp final. the big names keep falling at snooker‘s world championship and the biggest name of all went out today. ronnie o'sullivan was knocked out in the second round by ali carter. the five—time champion was beaten by ali carter 13—9 at the crucible, meaning his wait for another world title now goes on, after his last success in 2013. there was some needle between the two players during the course of the match, but carter said he wasn't going to let that affect him. in the past i've been guilty of ronnie intimidating me like he has done to many other players. he has turned me over here four times and twice in the final. it's nice to finally get one up. as i said, ifeel like a different person since i last played him in 2012.

i've been through so much in my life. i'm just delighted to win and delighted to get through. that's all the sport for now. as part of the bbc‘s crossing divides season, we've been looking at ways in which people are creating connections in a polarised world. well a sheep farmer in northern england is getting help during the lambing season from an unusual workforce. rodney beresford — who has 500 sheep in the yorkshire dales — has welcomed groups of asylum seekers to help him look after ewes and newly born lambs. spencer stokes reports. it's been one of the toughest winters sheep farmer rodney beresford can remember. looking after his flock spread across steep sided hills in the dales is tiring and time—consuming. but help is at hand. singing iranian folk songs, a group of 12 asylum seekers have arrived at ribblehead. some have been in the uk a few weeks, others several years.

all waiting to hear if they are allowed to stay. within minutes, they are passing newborn lambs to rodney and learning about sheep farming in yorkshire. why are you putting that on the tail? it shortens the tail to keep the lamb cleaner. so they don't get... keep the flies off them. oh, right. hopefully! you're a boy. the visitors come from all over the world, many from rural villages, so they are familiar with livestock. i feel very well because when i see lambs like this, i remember my home, i remember in somalia, i remember every single home. i remember my family, i remember everything. well, it's beautiful today, but it has been a brutal winter, particularly difficult for rodney, and having the asylum seekers here really does help him out. for every group that arrives, rodney receives a small payment,

a boost to his income after he spent an extra £14,000 feeding his sheep through the cold weather. this is one way of diversifying. i don't make a lot of money out of it at all but it's a big help. it's 100 people a year at least that come out for lambing. it genuinely makes a difference. it's one of the best things i've done, really, i think, over the years. there is more singing on the slopes below ingleborough over lunch. it all looks very jovial but this man is a burmese asylum seeker, his family victims of ethnic cleansing. their lives are at risk. and they flee. nobody would leave their home unless they were forced to do so. so many of these people have fled from their homes, they have suffered from severe trauma.

the journey here, many people won't talk about the journey because it has been too traumatic and too difficult. ingleborough. three peaks. after a quick geography lesson, the day on rodney‘s farm ends. some will come back, others face the prospect of a return to less friendly surroundings. spencer stokes, bbc look north, ribblehead. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @ lvaughanjones we have had a mixture of weather across the uk today, sunshine across the north—west of the country, and cloud bubbling up through the afternoon. a few passing showers in

scotla nd afternoon. a few passing showers in scotland and northern ireland, kevin sheedy that building there. south, it was a different story —— you can see that building there. outbreaks of rain throughout the afternoon in the eastern counties of england, so damp weather around, and big puddles on the ground. the ground is saturated and more heavy rain to come in the next couple of days and we could see some localised flooding developing. before we get there, for the night—time, we have the cloudy skies across eastern areas, temperatures not low, but a cold night further north and west with the skies clearing and pockets of frost by the end of the night in rural areas. sunday, the cloud thick enough. the chilterns and the downs, to bring some morning rain, so it could be a dem dane vilas on across the south—east and in any case late in the afternoon we have a band of raid working in —— it could be a damp day across the south—east.

through sunday night, the area of low pressure comes from the south, it will be bringing warm air, and instead heavy outbreaks of rain. not just rain causing concern on monday, also windy with gales developing around eastern areas and it will feel cold, like a winter morning, rather than a morning we would expect in the middle of spring. that is the wet weather pushing its way in. a cold morning from these temperatures, and the band of rain will be working in, uncertainty about how far west it reaches but on the western edge we could see over the western edge we could see over the high ground a bit of state and even snow mixed in. it won't settle but that shows how cold it will be, and there is uncertainty how far the band of rain gets and it might stay further east. the temperatures really struggling with sunshine further north and west, and webby too bad. tuesday, the cloud and

rain, not too bad, but now a cold day down the eastern coast. that is the weather. —— went petered out. —— won't be too bad. this is bbc news. the headlines. the supermarket chains asda and sainsbury‘s are at an advanced stage talks over a £10 billion merger. unions say they are seeking urgent meetings to any deal doesn't impact jobs. alfie evans, the toddler at the centre of a legal battle over his treatment, has died. hundreds of balloons were released earlier next to order a hospital in liverpool as a tribute to the child. government minister offered their backing to home secretary amber rudd after she apologised for not knowing her department had targets for removing illegal immigrant. more than 30,000 people in the northern spanish city of pamplona protested against a

court decision to convict