welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is reged ahmad. our top stories: teeing off before tackling trade — president trump takes in a round of golf with prime minister abe on his state visit to japan. with most ballots counted, people in ireland have voted overwhelmingly in favour of making it easier to get a divorce. the top prize at the cannes film festival goes to a south korean black comedy about social divides. hello and welcome to bbc news.

president trump is beginning the first full day of his visit to japan. mr trump is currently playing golf with the japanese prime minister, shinzo abe. he'll also be the first world leader to meet the new emperor. althouthapan is a key us ally in the region, trade is likely to dominate their discussions. hywel griffith is our correspondent in tokyo. what will japan and what willjapan and the us want to get out of this visit? both sides are keen to nail down a trade deal, it has been something they have been discussing for the last couple of months. for donald trump it is important because he wants to show that his approach of being the dealmaker, talking to countries individually rather than having a big trade pact, is his way of making america great again. he wants to tackle a trade deficit between the us andjapan, tackle a trade deficit between the us and japan, and that is something he mentioned immediately after

landing and talking to business leaders here, saying japan had good for some time and he wanted to balance things out in terms of the deficit. donald trump is the first world leader to meet the new emperor, what is the significance of that? arguably whoever the us president had been they probably would have been the first people to be invited to meet emperor naruhito, but for donald trump it elevates status and power and shows the close relationship between the two countries. arguably it has only come about because he has such a strong relationship with shinzo abe. they are golfing now, and shinzo abe was at the white house celebrating melania trump's birthday last month. they have a personal relationship that they are cementing on the golf course right now, but the two countries have that long—standing relationship particularly since world war ii. so, this is really

added to. you are in tokyo, how is this visit being viewed by japanese people and injapan? this visit being viewed by japanese people and in japan? they won't lining the streets last night, a few people turned out to see them arrive at the hotel. they will have more opportunities to see him later, particularly when the president visits a sumo match. he has this tough man, strongman style, but there are many concerns about his approach to north korea. particularly may be today, because the president has been up and waiting for some hours, and one of his tweets referred to north korea's short—range metal tests. the security adviserjohn bolton said this contravened the security regulations, but president trump said he is not to worried, that we

shouldn't get too upset about it. i think discussions behind closed doors today will be about exactly where the president is today on the question of north korea. there is a lot of tension between china and the us, so where does japan fit in in that? conventionally, japan would have been opposed to chinese expansionism and growth. i think more recently the approach has been the realisation that china is growing regardless of what japan does, and it needs to be on the right side of history. shinzo abe has been developing some relations with china, but keeping america on—site is key to that because of us and china, if they fall out they need to be able to speak to both sides. and when we get issues like ta riffs sides. and when we get issues like tariffs on steel, for example, if chinese steel is seen as too expensive maybe there is an

opportunity for japanese steelmakers. at least 20 people have died in a fire at a tuition centre in the indian city of surat, in the west of the country. most of the victims were students attending private classes. the fire is believed to have been started by an electrical fault in the air conditioning. one of the owners of the tuition centre had been arrested. exit polls in ireland suggest voters have overwhelmingly backed easing the republic's divorce laws. the irish government has suggested it will change legislation to shorten the time spouses have to have been living apart before they can apply for a divorce. divorces granted abroad will also be recognised. it comes after the public backed legalising abortion and gay marriage in other recent votes, as our correspondent louise cullen explains. divorce only became legal in the republic of ireland just over 20 years ago, and that referendum in 1985 passed with a tiny margin,

just 50.3%, here we are some 23, 2a years later, and now we're looking at the figures you've just quoted there, more than 80% supporting these changes to the timeframe required for couples to have lived apart. it's a massive amount of change, and social upheaval, really. and voters were asked to vote not just on the timeframe, it was a single question, but two changes — a change to the timeframe for divorce, but also changes to the rules recognising foreign divorces, to make that more consistent in the constitution, and to make life easier, really, for people in this situation. it seems to have been really a period of very rapid transition, from a country that was largely dominated by the catholic church to a country which is very much loosening those ties, and making an emphatic statement about the loosening of those ties, by changing those laws

on various social issues. officials say a british man has died on mount everest, bringing the death toll to ten this season, on the world's highest peak. 44—year—old robin haynes fisher reportedly fell ill while descending from the summit. taken just two days ago, this photo shows the queues of people ascending everest, in what's been one of its most deadly weeks. ten people have died in recent days, climbing the world's tallest peak. among them, 44—year—old british man, robin haynes fisher and 56—year—old kevin hynes from ireland. record numbers are making the ascent, trying to take advantage of a window in the weather conditions. 381 permits have been issued, costing around £9,000 each.

but there had been calls for the number of permits to be limited and criticism of the trek operators. the icefall is a very treacherous part of the mountain, low down it is the first thing you get to coming from base camp. you know, what are they even doing there, who has taken them, who's said to them, it's ok? this week's death toll is higher than the whole for the whole of last year and calls for improved safety are rising. jenny kumah, bbc news. the prestigious cannes film festival has drawn to a close, and the top prize, the palme d'0r, has gone to the south korean film parasite, directed by bong joon—ho. it's a tragicomic tale that tackles the gulf between the rich and the poor. 0ur arts correspondent, vincent dowd, reports. a young man from a poor background taking upajob a young man from a poor background taking up a job with a rich family. parasite, the dark but comedic thriller exploring class, wealth and social dynamics in south korea, now a palme d'0r winning film. bong

joon—ho has become the first korean to be awarded the top prize. translation: when i was a young boy of only 12 years old i fell in love with film and wanted to become a director. now it is a great astonishment to be able to hold this award in my hands. thank you very much. there was no shortage of glitz and glamour on display across the red carpet. the 72nd cannes film festival featured its usual wide array of talent from around the globe. a senegalese filmmaker took the grand prix for atlantic ‘s, and intense drama about young migrants and sexual politics. it is the first major award for a black female director in the festival's 72 year history. it is pretty late, and it

is incredible that it is still an event today, that a black woman is incredible, but i knew it because obviously i don't know any black women who came here before, so i knew it but it is always a reminder that so much work needs to be done. emily beauchamp took home the best actress award for her appearance in little joe, while actress award for her appearance in littlejoe, while best actor went actress award for her appearance in little joe, while best actor went to antonio banderas, for his role in pain and glory. notably missing was quentin tarantino's pain and glory. notably missing was quentin tara ntino's once pain and glory. notably missing was quentin tarantino's once upon a time in hollywood, despite the fact that the audience gave it a seven minute standing ovation. it is not all bad news, which stars margot robbie, brad pitt and leonardo dicaprio, which is receiving a lot of positive

acclamation ahead of its release. you can get all of the top stories on our website. or download the bbc news app. this is bbc news. the headlines: a round of golf before getting down to business. president trump and prime minister abe prepare to tee off as the state visit continues. people in ireland have voted overwhelmingly in favour of making it easier to get a divorce. the contest to succeed theresa may as british prime minister has intensified, with more candidates entering the field. the latest to declare they will stand for conservative party leader include the former brexit secretary dominic raab and the former leader of the house of commons andrea leadsom. the bbc‘s chris mason reports. look into the camera if you want to be prime minister. the contest is on.

this man is keen... and so is he. we need a leaderfor the future, not just for now. matt hancock playing on his relative youth. he's a0. he reckons he could clear the way to do what theresa may failed to do — persuade the current crop of mps to back brexit. the majority in the house of commons wants to leave europe. there have been disagreements on how. and some of my contenders may say that if they don't get their preferred option, whether it be no deal or something else, then they'll have a general election. and i put it to you that that would be a disaster for the country and it would risk corbyn by christmas. both mr hancock and fellow cabinet minister rory stewart voted remain — though they'll tell anyone who'll listen that brexit must — and, crucially, can — be delivered. but... anyone who pretends there is some magic solution to brexit

is misleading the public. if there had been a magic solution it would have been done already. the reason there isn't a magic solution is it's not about the detailed lines in this deal, it's about the way in which people communicate and negotiate. and i worked in iraq, i worked in afghanistan. i was a professional diplomat, i negotiated. if distinctive jogging styles are enough to get you the job, michael gove — who voted for brexit in the referendum — would be a shoo—in. tonight, his friends are talking up his prospect. he could declare as soon as tomorrow. i think it's time for a bagel. so how will this contest work? theresa may is not leaving downing street just yet. she will stand down as conservative leader a week on friday. the following week, the race to replace her will formally begin. but mrs may will stay on as prime minister until towards the end ofjuly, when her successor is chosen. the former foreign secretary, boris johnson, is currently seen as the favourite. this former conservative leader

hasn't said yet who he will vote for, but appears tempted by mrjohnson. i do take umbrage at people going around saying, you know, there's all sorts of stuff and there are problems with boris. you know, there are plenty of leaders with a past... if you can name me one leader who hasn't got a past, who hasn't done things that are sometimes wrong or whatever, you would never have had people like churchill or attlee or anyone else, for that matter, that's ever been elected. so here we go. the topic is clear. and so is the prize. police are appealing for witnesses after a mugger held a knife to a young child's throat —and then robbed his grandmother. the incident happened in normanby, middlesbrough, between 5pm and 6pm. the victim, in her 40s, was taking her i9—month—old grandson for a walk. the suspect is described as aged 20—25 years old, around 6ft tall, with a medium build and short black hair. he was wearing a black tracksuit and gold nike trainers. anyone who might have seen a man matching this description should contact police.

the number of migrants arriving in the uk on small boats this month has reached mo. that's higher than the figure in december, when the home secretary, sajid javid declared a "major incident". eight migrants, describing themselves as iranian and afghan, were picked up in the channel today by border force officials and taken to dover for health checks and questioning. investigations are continuing into the suspected murder of two boys, aged 13 and 14, at a house in sheffield. a 37—year—old man and 34—year—old woman are being questioned by police. our correspondent phil bodmer has the latest. south yorkshire police have said that four children rescued from a house in the shiregreen area of sheffield yesterday have now been released from hospital. emergency services were called to an address, a semi—detached house some six miles from the city centre, at around 7:30am yesterday morning.

neighbours reported seeing emergency services and dozens of police cars and ambulances on the street. six children including a seven—month—old baby were taken to hospital. sadly, two teenage boys aged 13 and 1a died. now, today people have been laying flowers. there have been balloons and floral tributes outside the house where this tragic incident took place, as police investigations continue. the house remained sealed off tonight. a 37—year—old man and a 34—year—old woman remain in custody. they are being held on suspicion of murder. the results of postmortem examinations are due some time over the weekend. twenty—five years ago there was jubilation and hope as black south africans voted for the first time in their country. but while apartheid ended, poverty, corruption, and crime continued under successive anc governments. now cyril ramaphosa, who hasjust been inaugurated

as the country's sixth democratically elected president, faces the challenge of reviving those hopes. our southern africa correspondent nomsa maseko reports. gun salutes and deafening cheers of approval — the backdrop to cyril ramaphosa's swearing—in ceremony as the fourth democratically elected president of south africa. in front of a crowd of thousands at loftus stadium, he took the presidential oath. i assume, as president of the republic of south africa... among those attending the ceremony was nelson mandela's grandson, chief mandla mandela, who said his grandfather would have been proud of the newly inaugurated president. mr ramaphosa pledged to rebuild a united south africa, and has promised that there will be action and solutions to the country's problems. despite our most earnest efforts, many south africans still go to bed hungry.

many south africans succumb to diseases that can be treated. many live lives of intolerable deprivation. too many of our people do not work, especially the youth. as mr ramaphosa begins his first full term in office, he faces a very difficult balancing act of tackling corruption and unemployment and only appointing government ministers who are untainted by scandal. the newly appointed president has also pledged reforms to revive the country's economy. the former president, jacob zuma, who faces a host of corruption allegations against him, opted not to attend today's ceremony, and since mr zuma's exit, the newly appointed president has been working to clean up government corruption.

in recent times, our people have watched as some of those in whom they had invested their trust have surrendered to the temptation of power and riches. they have seen some of the very institutions of our democracy eroded, and resources squandered. the challenges that our country faces are huge, and they are real, but they are not insurmountable. they can be solved, and i stand here to say that they are going to be solved. mr ramaphosa also said south africans had chosen hope and unity over conflict and division.

ukraine has called on russia to comply with an order to release ukrainian naval personnel seized off the coast of crimea last november. the president said it would allow russia to signal that it was ready to stop the conflict with ukraine in a civilised way. russia said the tribunal had no jurisdiction a civilised way. russia said the tribunal had nojurisdiction in the case. the incident in november dramatically escalated tensions between russia and ukraine. the ukrainian vessels had tried to pass through the kerch strait the only access to ukrainian ports on the sea of azov. russia has controlled the strait in its entirety since annexing crimea from ukraine in 2014. moscow saw the attempted passage as a provocation. its coastguards fired on the vessels, injuring several crew members, before boarding the ships. ukraine turned to the international tribunal when other efforts

to secure the release of its sailors had failed. the courts did not uphold ukraine's request for moscow to suspend proceedings against the servicemen. they're accused of breaching russia's maritime border. but the judges backed kiev on its key demands. by 19 votes to one, the russian federation shall immediately release the 2a detained ukrainian servicemen and allow them to return to ukraine. ukraine's deputy foreign minister hailed the outcome. for us, this is a pure victory. how russia will act, this is not a matter of this tribunal. this is up to russia, how to release, what kind of actions to do. but the main thing is that they have to do this immediately. russia, like ukraine, is a signatory to the un convention on the law of the sea, but it said the court had no jurisdiction in this case and declined to participate.

the united states special representative for ukraine acknowledged that russia was unlikely to comply. of course, families in ukraine of the sailors and the public opinion generally is very concerned about the fate of the savouries and russia is using this as a pressure point. there is nothing legal whatsoever about russia's action. it's an early test for ukraine's new president, volodymyr zelensky, who was sworn in on monday. mr volker said he believed mr zelensky would stand up to moscow on this issue and others. some critics fear he might be more accommodating to russia than the previous incumbent. mr zelensky himself said that by allowing the servicemen and boats to return, russia could send the signal on stopping the conflict with ukraine in a civilised way. we will see, he said, what path the kremlin chooses. danny aeberhard, bbc news.

let us return you to our top story. the first full day of president trump's visit to japan. currently the two are playing golf and they will no doubt have a chat about trade issues as well. it is a very important visit. let us get a sense of what some of the issues are. this isa of what some of the issues are. this is a special advisor to shinzo abe's cabinet. hejoins is a special advisor to shinzo abe's cabinet. he joins me is a special advisor to shinzo abe's cabinet. hejoins me from tokyo. thank you so much for your time. the relationship between japan thank you so much for your time. the relationship betweenjapan and the us is seen as quite strong when, perhaps, the us has fallen out with other allies. what is japan's priority in this trip? it is the second meeting in a short space of time, three months. last month both the president of the united states

and the japanese prime minister met and the japanese prime minister met and also played golf. so this is the second golfing in just and also played golf. so this is the second golfing injust one month. they will meet again injune, at the end ofjune, because tokyo is going to host the g20 meeting in a place called osako. to host the g20 meeting in a place called osa ko. and to host the g20 meeting in a place called osako. and president trump is going to come to japan again called osako. and president trump is going to come tojapan again —— osako. they going to come tojapan again —— osa ko. they meeting going to come tojapan again —— osako. they meeting three times in three months. this one makes an important occasion for shinzo abe and donald trump to have a state visit for the us president to be granted the first baby newly enthroned emperor. and given the importance, i don't think this is anything about short—term issues, rather, it is a long—term reassurance of the us japan relationship. why is it important, that meeting with the emperor, as opposed to the meeting between the prime minister and president trump? it is all to do with the enormous

symbolic importance that the japanese monarchy still has in the minds of people injapan and you could see similar importance you can see in other monarchical countries, including the uk. the meetings between these two individuals bears significance, pretty much. much is being said about how donald trump feels about the trade deficit in balance with japan and no doubt prime minister abe is keen to keep the relationship with us on an even keel the relationship with us on an even keel, is there any concern that shinzo abe will be pushed into any kind of trade concessions in order to maintain their friendly relationship? the short answer to your question, which is actually releva nt, your question, which is actually relevant, is no, because both leaders have delegated the authority

inforging leaders have delegated the authority in forging trade deals to ustr lighthouse and his counterpart in japan. in these two men are meeting on the sidelines of the summit meeting and they made sure that no outcome can be envisioned at this juncture. and they think it will ta ke juncture. and they think it will take us still more months, perhaps 4- take us still more months, perhaps 4— five months. take us still more months, perhaps 4- five months. many people have been watching the trade war between china and the us. is there a danger that by japan becoming very close to the us they will unwittingly get in the us they will unwittingly get in the middle of that trade war? arguably, japan and the united states have already been very close. their national interests are almost inseparable. what differentiates japan from the case of china — us relationships is that japan

japan from the case of china — us relationships is thatjapan has been the second—largest job relationships is thatjapan has been the second—largestjob creator from among the foreign nations, second only to the united kingdom, actually. japanese companies such as toyota a re actually. japanese companies such as toyota are also investing in the united states, further creating jobs. i think they differentiates japan pretty much from sino us trade conflicts. the special advisor to the cabinet of shinzo abe. thank you so much for your time. thank you. i'll be back with the headlines in a few minutes. but first it is the weather. hello. for some, it's been a sunny start to the bank holiday weekend. we saw a high of 25 celsius in london on saturday afternoon. this is herne bay, in kent, around about the same time. for others, a very different story. cloudy, outbreaks of rain across parts of northern ireland, northern england and scotland, and many of us will see some rain

over the next few days. it will be turning cool and breezy, as well, but also some spells of sunshine. but the rain and the strengthening breeze comes courtesy of an atlantic front working its way eastwards, likely to stall through much of the weekend across the far north of scotland. it's certainly scotland which will see the lion's share of the rain through the early hours of sunday morning, and northern scotland will keep that rain through much of the day on sunday. rain initially across northern ireland, clearing its way eastwards and turning more showery on its journey across england and wales. the rain quite patchy across east anglia and south—east england. some may stay mainly dry. behind that band of rain, a few showers, but also some sunshine. a fine afternoon across northern ireland, north—west england and wales, but quite breezy. some gusty winds coupled with that rain across northern scotland, so temperatures here just nine or 10 celsius. elsewhere, we're looking at 14—19 celsius, maybe 20 or 21 across east anglia and south—east england. any rain here will pull away through the evening. behind it, some clear skies. still that rain continuing across scotland overnight, but slowly starting to become more showery.

this a slightly cooler night as we go into the early hours of bank holiday monday. we're looking at lows between about 7—11 celsius. so here's bank holiday monday. still some rain across scotland, sinking its way further southwards, becoming slightly more showery. elsewhere, it is sunshine and showers, and the showers most frequent the further north and west you are. not so many getting across to east anglia and south—east england, but nowhere immune on bank holiday monday from a shower, in between some spells of sunshine. that will help temperatures up to between 1a and 18 celsius, but certainly a cooler feeling day. we keep that cooler feel as we go into wednesday. ourwinds are coming from the north and the north—west. that's always going to continue to feed some showers across, probably not quite as many as what we'll see on bank holiday monday, but some of those showers could lingerfor a time through tuesday across south—east england and east anglia. fewer showers actually on tuesday the further west you are, potentially, but again, anywhere could catch a shower. temperature—wise we're looking at 11—17 celsius on tuesday. little change, really, wednesday and thursday. sunny spells and showers, the showers most frequent the further north and west you are, driest further south. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: president trump's state visit to japan continues with a round of golf with prime minister shinzo abe.