welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: a new era begins injapan, as emperor naruhito formally ascends to the throne. i will do my maximum effort to serve the country and the people of japan. i'm mariko oi — live in tokyo — where people are looking forward to the era of beautiful harmony. we are expecting the car of the new imperial couple to drive off any minute and hundreds of people are gathering, hoping to get a glimpse of them. nicolas maduro makes a defiant speech on venezuelan television — as opposition protests

against him continue. we've a special report from iraq — and the endangered wetlands believed by some to be the original garden of eden. japan's new emperor, naruhito, has formally ascended to the throne at a brief but symbol—laden ceremony at the imperial palace in tokyo. he received three sacred treasures a sword, jewel, and mirror that his father, akihito, relinquished when he abdicated on tuesday. emperor naruhito‘s accession heralds a new imperial era, designated reiwa, or beautiful harmony. my colleague mariko oi is in tokyo. tell us more. as you said, within

the last hour, they held a formal ceremony for emperor naruhito to ta ke to ceremony for emperor naruhito to take to the throne, becoming 126th emperor of japan. strictly speaking, he became an emperor at midnight japan time. but we also heard from him, for the first time, as a public address as the emperor. let's hear what he had to say. trans- mac i ascend to the imperial throne. when i think of this important term, i really think a great heavy burden onto my term. my father, the former emperor, always served the country and the people ofjapan and i will

always see and he showed his great work as an emperor. emperor emeritus showed us as emperor as symbol of the state and i will say thank you to emperor emeritus. this occasion i inherited the imperial throne, to emperor emeritus. this occasion i inherited the imperialthrone, i will look back the history of imperial lineage and i will do my maximum effort to serve the country and the people ofjapan and also i abide the constitution and i work as abide the constitution and i work as a symbol of the state, i pledge my duty to enhance people's happiness

in the piece of the world. emperor naruhito making his first public address as the emperor in the last hour. the rain of his father, emperor akihito, ended officially yesterday when he abdicated, becoming the first japanese emperor to abdicate in more than two centuries. it is truly an historic day. we also heard from japan's by minister during that ceremony. let's hear what he had to say. trans- mac i congratulate the people of japan on behalf of this succession. —— trans— mac. i look back on the great work of emperor emeritus. i hope that emperor will serve as a symbol of the state and also the prosperity

of the state and also the prosperity of the state and also the prosperity of the country and the peace of the world. we receive his majesty's word. and in the term of the world, we will keep the future of japan and the future of our country, we will make, we will build the future of the new imperial error. and i hope the new imperial error. and i hope the peace and prosperity of the imperial throne. japan's prime minister shinzo abe speaking there is representative of the japanese people in the constitution doesn't allow the emperor to have a political view but

it was interesting to know that in his first public address, he talked about the protection of the constitution and how he will respect his role as the symbol of the country. as you can see, we are waiting outside the imperial palace. we are expecting the new emperor and his wife, empress masako, to leave the palace. hundreds of people waiting, hoping to get a glimpse of them. just a thought for you as a japanese person, it's obvious hundreds of people who we can't see ca re very hundreds of people who we can't see care very much about a new emperor but the imperial family has care very much about a new emperor but the imperialfamily has no political power. how much does it matter? is there but in the country that says, we have a government, we don't really need an imperial family oi’ don't really need an imperial family or other universally popular?” think it's fair to say that unlike in the uk, where opinions are somewhat split about your royal

family, erinjapan, no matteryour politics, the majority of people really do respect the role of the emperor. you don't really hear anyone of the public criticising the monarchy, at least publicly, as far asi monarchy, at least publicly, as far as i have been aware. it was really evident that emperor akihito, who abdicated, he brought the imperial family closer to the japanese people. his father, emma —— emperor hirohito was emperor during the second world war, soldiers died in his name but emperor akihito took to the throne and he made a real effort to connect to the japanese people, visiting areas that were affected by natural disasters and speaking to them, mingling with them, having a cup of tea with them and we expect his eldest son, emperor naruhito to continue that but at the same time, he and his wife will represent a lot

of firsts. the university educated, they lived abroad, it's been said that emperor naruhito even did his own laundry when he was living abroad. a lot of new aspects of the imperialfamily abroad. a lot of new aspects of the imperial family as well. it's not to say it's without challenges. this abdication has reignited debate. japan has a law which only allows a man to be an emperor and of course, because we are seeing, there is only one mailairand the because we are seeing, there is only one mail air and the youngest generation, 12 years old. there have been discussions about whether the governor government should change the law to allow women to be on the throne. i really noticed compared to the last transition, 30 years ago, when emperor akihito took to the throne, this time, it was a party

across the country. my favourite was across the country. my favourite was a guy at midnight, he was wearing two t—shirts, at midnight he took it off. a lot of celebratory mood. as you can see, a lot of people waiting for the new emperor to come out of the imperial palace as well. the venezuelan president, nicolas maduro, has given a defiant television address, after a day of mass protests against his rule. sitting alongside military commanders, he saluted the loyalty of the armed forces. mr maduro said only a small group in the military had sided with the opposition leader, juan guaido and their plan to oust him had failed. he accused the opposition of trying to mount a coup with the support of the united states, and said those involved would be brought tojustice. juan guaido, who insists he is venezuela's legitimate president, says the armed forces are turning against mr maduro. he says protests will continue on wednesday.

with the truth as a sword, as a shield, we face so many attacks and so shield, we face so many attacks and so many lies and next to it, we have emerged victorious with every situation and will continue to emerge victorious in any difficulty we face from now on. in the upcoming months and years, i have no doubt about it. venezuelan opposition leaderjuan guaido says that president nicolas maduro did not have the support of the armed forces, and called on members of the military to "keep advancing" in efforts to oust the socialist leader. the regime's claim that it has control of the armed forces is a farce. maduro does not have the respect or backing of the armed forces. nor does it of the venezuelan people because it doesn't protect anyone, doesn't provide results, doesn't provide solutions. we have an opportunity for venezuela to progress. today, maduro does not have the backing of the armed forces.

today was a historic day for the country, the start of the definitive phase of operation liberty for the end of the usurpation. at least 17 houses have been destroyed by a landslide in the city of la paz in bolivia. this footage shows the moment homes began to disappear in the suburban area known as the "mountain city". houses built on hilly areas of la paz often have very fragile foundations. authorities evacuated many families and no deaths are reported. special counsel was tasked with investigating interference by russia, possible collusion, between

russia, possible collusion, between russia and president tom's election campaign. let's go now to our north america correspondent. there is a 2— year investigation, a final report, 400 pages. what is the complaint? the complaint seems to be, and we should stress we haven't seen the full text of the letter that's been written but the essential complaint seems to be the initial summary by the attorney general lacked context. that fully reflected what the report was really saying. what he seems to be getting at is the detailed talks about the attempts by the president to derail the investigation, an investigation we now understand. the initial report suggested he be cleared of obstruction ofjustice when in fact the detail doesn't suggest that and a course, we

remember president trumper upon —— responded immediately by saying he had been vindicated. that isn't exactly when you look at the detail. nothing was actually inaccurate or misleading seems to be the suggestion but there were emissions, failure to provide context. this interesting point. he asked if robert mueller supported these conclusions. we now know that on march the 27th, robert mueller said to him, he mischaracterised his findings. he was lying. we are learning a lot more now. the precise quote is it didn't capture the context, nature and substance of his offices, work that had gone on for two years and was explained in some considerable detail in that link the report. the complaint is, it was

misleading. it seemed to clear the president when this is something that democrats are now picking up on, that it painted the president in a more positive light. thank you very much indeed. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we report on one of the world's critically endangered animals, the sumatran orangutan, and the industry that is fuelling their decline. nothing, it seems, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government help to build better housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to

admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them. they've taken the capital, which they've been fighting for for so long. it was 7 o'clock in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a new era begins injapan, as emperor naruhito formally acends to the throne. nicolas maduro makes a defiant speech on venezuelan television, as opposition protests against him continue.

iraq is facing a water crisis. last summer the country's marshes, believed to be the original garden of eden, shrunk to a quarter of their original size. many of the 250,000 marsh arabs, were forced to move. in the second of his two special reports from iraq, our correspondent martin patience has visited these extraordinary wetlands, to find out why they hold a warning for the rest of iraq. this is iraqi's miracle in the desert, only made possible by the country's two great rivers, which flood this plan. it is little wonder some believe the marshes were the original garden of eden. but saddam hussein drained the wetlands after an uprising against his rule. well, an uprising against his rule. well, a little over 15 years ago, none of this existed. the marshes had been

drained. but in 2003, they were brought back to life. the threats now are very different. they are pollution, a lack of water, as well as climate change. people may have returned, but life remains tough here. families depend upon the marshes, but there have been three droughts ina marshes, but there have been three droughts in a decade. last year, the wetla nds droughts in a decade. last year, the wetlands shrunk to a quarter of their original size, and for the buffalo, that was a killer. if they can't survive, then neither can the community. this man lost 20 of his animals last summer. translation: the water completely dried up. we had to move from one place to another in search of water, and when

we found water, it would then dry up, and we were forced to move again. life is fragile here. but dams and a lack of rainfall mean the marshes aren't getting the water they once did. this man has dedicated his life to the marshes. he is the guardian of these waters. translation: i fear he is the guardian of these waters. translation: ifear the he is the guardian of these waters. translation: i fear the marshes could dry up completely, that the beautiful scenery and local culture could vanish, that the buffalo breeders could be forced into different areas. we all dread the day when there isn't enough water from the tigris and euphrates to keep the marshes alive. the marshes have survived for millennia, but

they may not last much longer. u nless they may not last much longer. unless iraqi gets to grips with its water crisis, millions could be forced to move, and a way of life could be wiped out forever. charities working to protect the orangutan in sumatra are warning the species could become extinct within two decades. its habitat in indonesia is under serious pressure as vast areas of tropical rainforest are cleared to make room for palm oil plantations. from sumatra, our correspondent mehulika sitepu. this rescue team has been told the wife of a soldier has been keeping a young orangutan as her pet. bom bom was kept in a cage for three years. they have agreed to hand him over. it's hard to watch. life with this family

is all bom bom has known since his mother was killed. getting him to a rehabilitation centre is his only chance of freedom back in the wild. bom bom is a victim of indonesia's deforestation. this country is the world's biggest palm oil producer. in the past two decades, huge areas of rainforest have been destroyed. millions of indonesians now depend on the crop for a living. inside this, there is a kernel, like this. this is where biofuel comes from. 0rangutans have been pushed aside. many are killed by farmers as they search for food on the fringes of plantations. the babies are captured and sold as pets. this large male was shot 62 times by farmers.

he was shot, two in one eye, one in the other. charities do what they can. so yeah, he's going to spend the rest of his days as a captive animal. the plantations will say, oh, orangutans come out the forest to eat our palm oil seedlings. but they'll eat palm oil seedlings in the same way that a shipwrecked mariner will eat his shoes or his belt. you know, it's not food, it's just the only thing there that they can try and survive with. indonesia's government says it is trying to limit palm oil expansion, but also lobbies heavily for the multibillion—dollar industry, which is dismissive of the needs of orangutans. this is the journey back to freedom for one lucky orangutan. but charities can only do so much. well done. good luck, harry! countless others are being lost.

bye, harry. good luck. mehulika sitepu, bbc news, sumatra. more now from venezuela, after the the venezuelan president, nicolas maduro, has given that defiant tv address, after a day of mass protests. let's speak to carlos comacho, the miami herald correspondent in caracas. what has changed after the president's address, and what do you think is actually going on behind the scenes? we are hearing... we are hearing and seeing a new report of violence, of gunfire outside the air force base in caracas. that is what has changed. because there was this

curious scene, wasn't there, at the start of the day, wherejuan guaido appears along with another 0pposition leader who has been under house arrest, along with a group of soldiers, implying that the military we re soldiers, implying that the military were changing their loyalties, they might be moving against president maduro. then—president maduro gives atv maduro. then—president maduro gives a tv address with military commanders next to him, praising the loyalty of the armed forces. which way do you think the military is going? somebody's line, because the shooting has continued. nothing is under control. juan guaido is out and about, and there is shooting, pure and simple. president maduro, of course, says a coup is under way, but a coup has been crushed. what do you think is the truth?” but a coup has been crushed. what do you think is the truth? i think nothing has been crushed. to call guaido in control of the —— maduro is in control of the armed forces. if maduro captures guaido, it is

over, until then, anything goes. the reports we are getting is that he is losing power, bit by bit. that is what we hear. what did you make of suggestions early in the day from the us secretary of state and the national security advisor that there had been a plane ready to take mr maduro out to cuba, and that russia had dissuaded him from going? do you give credence to that? it wouldn't surprise me. russia has a lot of sway over maduro. they have loaned him money and advises here, and sold him money and advises here, and sold him armaments. so that sounds like a credible report. russia imposing itself on maduro, saying no, you can't leave. when mr maduro said in his tv address today has been an intense day, he wasn't kidding, was he? it's been pretty intense, yes, but it's far from over. thank you very much indeed. we may talk to you again on all of this. it sounds as

though things are moving pretty fast there. thank you very much. i think we can go back to tokyo, we have been covering the dramatic events there. what is happening? we are still patiently waiting for the new imperial couple to leave the imperial palace behind us. as you can see, the hundreds of people waiting patiently with a japanese flag in their hands. of course, he took to the throne just in the last hour. he became the 126th emperor of japan. he is part of an unbroken monarchy which has lasted for over 2000 years. can you actually hear the helicopter sound ? 2000 years. can you actually hear the helicopter sound? that is the japanese media probably trying to film the departure of the imperial couple leaving the imperial palace. very shortly, i hope, iwas couple leaving the imperial palace. very shortly, i hope, i was hoping to bring you live in our programme,

that if not, we will continue monitoring this. thank you very much. much more on the news on the bbc website. thank you for watching. hello there. at the beginning of the week, it was 21 degrees in northern scotland. by the end of the week, it's going to be 6 degrees. it's turning colder everywhere. but yesterday, we did have some warm sunshine around, helping temperatures to 18 or 19 degrees. at the same time, though, we've got this band of cloud here. it's been moving very slowly eastwards, some showery bursts of rain still amongst all that cloud at the moment. but ahead of it, some clearer skies towards the south—east of england, east anglia and lincolnshire, so turning a little bit chilly. but elsewhere, those temperatures a bit higher than they were the previous night. and as we head into the morning, we expect more cloud across scotland, most of any showery rain towards southern areas for the time being. but it should have moved away from northern ireland, a much drier, brighter, sunnier day,

and feeling a bit warmer as well. but some pockets of showery rain coming in across wales, western england, perhaps into the west midlands. further east, some patchy mist and fog, with those clearer skies for east anglia, the south—east and lincolnshire. those should tend to lift, and these areas probably dry for most of the day, but we're likely to set off a few showers almost anywhere, really. some of those could be on the sharp side, helped by a little bit of brightness and sunshine, perhaps. but temperatures may be a shade lower for most places than they were yesterday. warmer in northern ireland, cooler in northern scotland, where we've still got a few heavy showers around during the evening. a lot of those will tend to fade away further south, and skies will tend to clear, so we'll see a little bit of mist and fog around too. but nothing too low in terms of temperatures — down to about five or six degrees in quite a few places. as we move into thursday, then, and we've got more of these showers, may showers, of course. some sunshine around, but those showers developing in quite a few places. they may be heavy and thundery, some wetter weather moving down

across scotland into the north—east of england. the wind direction changes as a sign of things to come. colder air arriving in northern scotland, further south, highs still of 15 or 16 degrees. but as we move into friday, we've still got more cloud moving down into england and wales, where we'll see some heavy showers developing again. but the showers in scotland, they're going to be of a wintry flavour, even to some lower levels as well. temperatures of six degrees on friday in northern scotland. 15 for southern parts of england and wales. but that northerly wind, that colder air, is going to come sweeping down across all areas during friday night and into the start of the holiday weekend, so we may start with a touch of frost around. quite a chilly feel in that wind down the eastern side of the uk on saturday, and there may be a few showers around as well. but on the whole, the bank holiday weekend looks dry for many places, and those temperatures recovering by monday.

this is bbc news — the headlines:

japan's new emperor — naruhito — has formally ascended to the throne — at a brief but symbol—laden ceremony at the imperial palace in tokyo. he received two sacred treasures — a sword and a jewel — that his father — akihito — relinquished when he abdicated on tuesday. the venezuelan president — nicolas maduro — has given a defiant television address — after a day of mass protests against his rule. he saluted the loyalty of the armed forces and said he would emerge victorious in the face of the oppositon campaign to force him to stand down. senior democrats in the us are saying they've reached agreement with president trump to invest $2 trillion in infrastructure projects. this will include modernising roads, rail lines and water supplies and upgrading the power grid to deliver greener energy. they've also agreed that broadband should reach every american home.