live from london. this is bbc news. ukraine's president zelensky has met with pope francis in the vatican as part of his visit to italy. reaching the final hours of turkey's presidential election — campaigning goes down to the wire. and hitting the right note — only a few hours to go until the eurovision song contest gets under way. hello i'm vishala sri—pathma. welcome to bbc news. we start in rome, where ukraine's president zelensky has been meeting italy's prime minister, giorgia meloni — ms meloni said italy would remain a solid ally,

and provide kyiv with all the assistance it needed in the war against russia prime minister meloni also stressed that the conflict would only end when russia stopped its aggression, and withdrew from all ukrainian territory, adding that any other outcome would jeopardise peace in all of europe. president volodymyr zelensky is now at the vatican for a private audience with pope francis, it's the first meeting between the two men since russia invaded ukraine. we can see pictures of that meeting now. our europe regional editor paul moss has been telling us about the significance of this visit. they very publicly embraced each other and as you suggested, ms meloni was vocal in her support. she said she would be an ally of ukraine

and the war would only end when all russian troops had left all of ukrainian territory. no sense of a compromise. the italian president was in a similar vein when he said it was an honour to have mr zelensky visit. he thanked them and said about the evil rash is doing in his country. he was sure all italians shared that attitude. the trouble is, that is not a chilly the case. italy is more divided on each of ukraine and many other countries in europe. many actively support russia but many also against sending russia and ukraine any military aid. many more against it than in favour. italian politicians in the coalition a chilly support putin including silvio ballas gurney who considers himself a friend of vladimir putin. and matteo salvini. mr zelensky

knows when it comes to italy, he really has to wind people over and he hopes to have been doing that by making this visit today. we think president zelensky is in the vatican right now. what you think is trying to achieve by this to italy? think is trying to achieve by this to ital ? , ,., ., to italy? this is another interesting _ to italy? this is another interesting visit, - to italy? this is another interesting visit, you i to italy? this is another. interesting visit, you could to italy? this is another- interesting visit, you could think of it as a courtesy call while he is in rain. but the pope's attitude is one that president zelensky may not be entirely comfortable with. on the one hand, the pope has been very clear to condemn the suffering of crane do make ukrainian people and the war crimes committed in ukraine. on the other hand, some people feel he could be more critical of russia and he seems to suggest there is blame on both sides. he has quoted a diplomat who said that nato had been barking at russia's door, almost

suggesting that nato were partly to blame for russia's invasion. there is another aspect, the pope has said that he has a secret mission to bring peace to ukraine. what is that? he hasn't given any details and i wonder if president zelensky might hope that while visiting, the pope might be able to give him a hint of what that is. he may worry about, and this is only speculation, that there is some kind of compromise being suggested in which russia may be allowed to retain ukrainian territory. we are in the realm of speculation. what's going on in the vatican right now we may get some idea of later. we on in the vatican right now we may get some idea of later.— get some idea of later. we are seeinu get some idea of later. we are seeing pictures _ get some idea of later. we are seeing pictures of— get some idea of later. we are seeing pictures of president i seeing pictures of president zelensky meeting with the pope. it has been confirmed that his next stop is berlin. in

has been confirmed that his next stop is berlin.— has been confirmed that his next stop is berlin. in some ways, he is 'ust auoin stop is berlin. in some ways, he is just going to _ stop is berlin. in some ways, he is just going to give _ stop is berlin. in some ways, he is just going to give one _ stop is berlin. in some ways, he is just going to give one very - stop is berlin. in some ways, he is just going to give one very big - just going to give one very big thank you. germany has just announced its biggest aid package yet, nearly $3 million worth of military materials. ukraine had been asking for this. something also forgotten sometimes that germany is also hosting about a million ukrainian refugees. i'm sure mr zelensky would appreciate the chance to say thank you for that. but once again is, he has to shore up support in germany as polls suggest that german people are less and less enthusiastic about giving money to ukraine, worried the country can't afford it. the support for taking on ukrainian refugees it seems to be sliding. hannah roberts is rome correspondent for politico —

she told me about the italian�*s view on the war in ukraine. she told me italians aren't that supportive of sending arms to ukraine, although they are broadly supportive of sanctions. but meloni came down squarely on ukraine's side. she made it clear that they will continue to support ukraine's defence, saying that they will fight for us, that ukraine is fighting for the freedom of the whole of europe, and that peace will only happen when russia withdraws. meloni's doing pretty well in the polls. she's got very high approval ratings for prime minister six months in, so she doesn't have to worry too much about what the average italian voter thinks. what she's more worried about is how her foreign policy comes across abroad. so she has been working very hard, even since before she was elected last september, to gain the trust of allies in the us and to appear like a responsible pair of hands. so what she is doing with this

meeting with zelensky is showing we are a steadfast, unwavering ally of nato's and the us and will continue to be so. and that should give her some cover with the financial markets, which are always a risk for italy as an indebted country, and which italy has problems when its way ever wavers on later, and europe as the cost of its debt can become unsustainable. ok, and president zelensky is also meeting the pope. clearly, lots of very high profile politicians come to rome to visit the pope. what is this particular state visit going to do for ukraine and also of relations between the two countries, do you think? well, i think what's interesting is zelensky would likely have had two very different meetings today. as we've seen, meloni was extremely supportive of ukraine,

the pope is more worried about the threat to the entire world and the possibility of a nuclear escalation. so vatican watchers here think that the pope could likely have urged the city not to go ahead with their counter—offensive against russia and to instead seek a diplomatic solution. now, whether zelensky will listen is another matter, again, this is speculation. but the pope has certainly been far more measured, much more likely to show sympathy for russia than anyone, any european leader. and on that, i mean, he's been talking about proposal to mediate between the two countries, something that paul alluded to a bit earlier on. and also sort of lack of knowledge around what that proposal might be. is that something that you've covered? yes, it is. i've covered it when the pope has often said, "i will go to kyiv,

but only when i can also go to moscow." so the pope has been constantly trying to reach out to the russian side as well. mr zelensky�*s visit to italy comes as russia has carried out a new wave of air strikes on kyiv and other cities. ukrainian authorities say the county's military intercepted all drones directed at the capital. but in the southern city of mykolaiv, three people were injured in attacks. and in the western city of khmelnytsky, critical infrastructure as well as residential and government buildings were hit. the latest russian strikes come as ukrainian forces say they have made progress near the eastern city of bakhmut. our correspondent hugo bachega is in kyiv. russia carried out another wave of air strikes on ukrainian cities overnight. and the ukrainian military says that 21 drones were fired by russia.

iranian—made drones that russia has been using to attack ukrainian towns and cities. and the country's air defence systems intercepted 17 of those drones. one of the target was the reason of khmelnytskyy were civilian infrastructure was hit. this is a transport hub in the west of ukraine. the authorities say at least 11 people were injured in that part of the country. the city of mykolaiv was also hit and at least three people were injured. these latest attacks happen as ukraine says it has made gains around the city of bakhmut, a key target for russian forces in the east of the country. yesterday, the russian defence ministry seemed to acknowledge that ukrainian forces have made some gains around bakhmut. and it also said that russian forces had abandoned some positions.

there was some criticism from the head of the wagner group, yevgeny prigozhin, whose group has been leading the russian efforts to seize bakhmut. he said that what had happened near bakhmut was actually a rout. hugo bachega with the latest there from kyiv. the presidential candidates in turkey are completing a final day of campaigning — before sunday's crucial election. president recep tayyip erdogan held a rally in istanbul, where he built his popular support as mayor more than 20 years ago. and his secular challenger, kemal kilicdaroglu, has also been campaigning — he's been pledging to restore democracy and improve relations with the west. let's speak to our senior international correspondent — orla guerin, in ankara. orla, what's at stake in this election? ina word,

in a word, you could say everything. turkey is facing a binary choice in effect after 20 years of rule by president erdogan. there is now an alternative an offer, the opposition kemal kilicdaroglu who is the leader of the main opposition party in this election. he is standing on a coalition of six opposition parties. that is a very broad church, every kind of party, even former allies of president erdogan are in this coalition. they have come together with one aim in early, to unseat him. we saw today that president add was complaining up to the last minute with that rally in istanbul which imagined. he has been sitting hard against his opponent, once again claiming without any proof that kemal kilicdaroglu and his party are linked to the band party.

that is an accusation he makes pretty regularly during the campaign. mr kemal kilicdaroglu is very different in tone and has emphasised his desire to bring people together. he appeals to young turks, met in the millions here voting for the first time.- voting for the first time. thank ou. around half a million people are being evacuated to safer areas in south east bangladesh, ahead of a cyclone forecasters say could be extremely dangerous. cyclone mocha is predicted to make landfall on sunday, with speeds of up to i70kph, and storm surges of to 12 feet. there are concerns the cyclone could impact the world's largest refugee camp, where close to a million people live in makeshift homes. from cox's bazar, our south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan reports.

well, this school has now become a cyclone shelter. and throughout the afternoon, we've seen families arrive with young children, carrying bags full of whatever they want to get them through yhe next few days of this terrible days of this terrible weather, even some people turning up with their livestock as well, with chickens and with cattle. now, the government has been telling people that they should come to one of these shelters to seek sanctuary. although away from here, we've seen a lot of people who are carrying on with their normal lives, unaware of what might actually happen. now, as you can see here, this is one of the classrooms. lots of families here. the government in bangladesh is hoping that around half a million people will eventually be moved to the shelters to stay safe during cyclone mocha, which some forecasters say could be the worst such storm to hit this

area in more than a decade. one thing important to note is that while people here do have a safe place to see this storm out, there are close to a million rohingya refugees not too far from where we are who are living in the world's largest refugee camp in very flimsy, makeshift shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin. and the bangladesh government doesn't allow them to leave those refugee camps. and there are real concerns in the camps about how safe people will be. and here and in the camps, another concern isn'tjust that the storm may pass through this area, but it's also the aftermath, flash flooding and also landslides. and many aid agencies have already been preparing for what they fear could be a humanitarian crisis as well in the aftermath. eurovision fans from around the world are getting ready

for tonight's grand final in liverpool. the uk is hosting on behalf of last year's winners, ukraine — the contest cannot be staged there because of russia's invasion, and we're told that tonight's programme will reflect the culture of ukraine as well as the host city. well, the show kicks off in just a couple of hours — and sweden and finland are among the favourites to win. our arts correspondent david sillito has been soaking up the atmosphere. a quick question. are you enjoying yourselves? all: yes! welcome to liverpool. brilliant. amazing. absolutely amazing. there is what you might call a bit of a buzz. planet eurovision has landed. did you have to be convinced to wear this? no, no, no. i love it. the first time when i see that, i went, give me that.

because, when i put it on, i feel so superhero. clapping and cheering and after all that build—up, the question is, is liverpool embracing the revision spirit? and i think that gives you your answer. it's so fabulous to bring so many people together in such a probably traumatic world at the moment, with what is going on. and, you know, everyone is so positive, everyone is so lovely. it is what you want. the city is bouncing. just look at the queues for the eurovision village. the live venue for those who couldn't get tickets for the main arena. just compare it with when harrogate staged a show in 1982. back then, eurovision felt like a golf club dinner dance. these days, it is like

a citywide carnival. a sequin—strewn olympics of music. and the blue and yellow of ukraine is everywhere. and there will be a lot of attention on how the country is represented in tonight's show. eurovision�*s no—politics rule means there will be no video address from volodymyr zelensky, but rehearsals have been watched closely to see how far a contest staged in the uk can reflect ukraine. what do you make of the response of liverpool? great. especially the people. it's amazing people. it's very touching to speak with them. they are not only very friendly, but very much supportive. do you think ukraine is being reflected here properly? quite well. but it depends whether we win or not. and there is a good chance of two wins in a row for ukraine.

but the favourite is loreen from sweden. # how cruel you were to me # the uk's hopes lie with mae muller, and i wrote a song, which will be the final song of the night, in a show which will be, for the first time, open to votes from viewers beyond the 37 eurovision countries. # da, da, da, da # instead i wrote a song.# so lots to celebrate today — but not everyone is finding it easy to get to where the party is. train strikes are continuing across the country. passengers are facing more disruption as today's action is affecting 14 different train operators, with many running only limited services. the union's leader has called for a summit with government ministers to negotiate. lets get you an update from pakistan now — because dramatic events there yesterday, after the country's former prime minister,

imran khan left court premises in islamabad, a day after the supreme court ruled his arrest on corruption charges was illegal. mr khan's arrest on tuesday sparked days of violent protests, in which a number of people have died. well, imran khan hasjust released a video statement. lets go to bbc urdu's saher baloch in islamabad — saher what has he been saying? he spoke about how... he spoke about how he is still in the disbelief over the fact that his supporters are being accused of perpetrating violence and destroying property. this is something already knew from him because he spoke about it in a roundabout way as you may be aware

after his a risk. his supporters allegedly went out and damaged public property and went and stole. now he was just addressing his supporters and said he is still in disbelief over how his supporters chose violence. he didn't apologise or condemn it but he said his supporters cannot do this. some of his address was still a repetition of what he has been saying so far but in this case, it was a huge thing that he still spoke about how his military as understanding his intention so far.— intention so far. what is the situation — intention so far. what is the situation at _ intention so far. what is the situation at the _ intention so far. what is the situation at the moment? . intention so far. what is the l situation at the moment? we intention so far. what is the - situation at the moment? we saw violent scenes and unrest. what is the situation now? he violent scenes and unrest. what is the situation now?— violent scenes and unrest. what is the situation now? he is now back in his residence- _ the situation now? he is now back in his residence. now _ the situation now? he is now back in his residence. now there _ the situation now? he is now back in his residence. now there is - the situation now? he is now back in his residence. now there is a - the situation now? he is now back in his residence. now there is a lot - the situation now? he is now back in his residence. now there is a lot of l his residence. now there is a lot of quiet. last night i came from lahore to aslam abad and lots of blocks on the roads were removed from the area

especially after supporters were dispersed by the police. there is a section imposed to stop protests in the streets. the rest of my thought that he is going to ask his supporters to come out tomorrow apparently. it will be seen how they go about it but at the moment, it is far more peaceful than it was two days ago. far more peaceful than it was two da s auo. �* . , far more peaceful than it was two dasauo.�* ., , , days ago. and has daily life been im acted days ago. and has daily life been impacted by _ days ago. and has daily life been impacted by the _ days ago. and has daily life been impacted by the a _ days ago. and has daily life been impacted by the a risk _ days ago. and has daily life been impacted by the a risk in - days ago. and has daily life been impacted by the a risk in the - days ago. and has daily life been impacted by the a risk in the lastj impacted by the a risk in the last few days? impacted by the a risk in the last few da s? , _, �* impacted by the a risk in the last fewdas? , �* ,, few days? yes, we couldn't access youtube or _ few days? yes, we couldn't access youtube or twitter _ few days? yes, we couldn't access youtube or twitter or _ few days? yes, we couldn't access youtube or twitter or anything. i few days? yes, we couldn't access| youtube or twitter or anything. we are still using a vpn for twitter and youtube at the moment. the same time, lots people earn their money through wi—fi. especially food apps.

and car ride sharing apps. a lot of problems were faced by people whose main earnings depended on the internet. because of the blockage, a lot of people couldn't earn money at all. it was like everything came to all. it was like everything came to a complete halt in afghanistan for the last three days. —— pakistan. we the last three days. -- pakistan. we heard the last three days. —— pakistan. we heard from the prime minister earlier on that he urged the a risk of supporters of imran khan. what is he likely to do now this video has been released?— he likely to do now this video has been released? after the supporters went on a rampage _ been released? after the supporters went on a rampage inside _ been released? after the supporters went on a rampage inside the - went on a rampage inside the commanders house, and other property is damaged, the army as well as the civilian government are trying to gather day to on everybody involved. cctv footage has been taken into control on the prime minister today in a press release said he is going

to go after them and has given to the authorities 72 hours to a risk. it's also the military keeping the day to on who was involved and the rampage we saw. day to on who was involved and the rampage we sava— day to on who was involved and the rampage we saw-— day to on who was involved and the rampage we saw. thank you for the u date. the tiny swiss village of brienz is now empty after its residents were ordered to evacuate by friday evening because of the risk of an imminent rockslide. they'd been given just 48 hours to abandon their homes following warnings by geologists that days of heavy rain could bring two million cubic metres of loosened rock crashing down the mountainside onto the village. louisa pilbeam reports. packing up and leaving a life behind. this woman is one of the villagers in brienz in switzerland, getting out before the mountain comes down. "you have to save your life" she says. "you can't stay here — one day it will all come down". the mountain is coming down. boulders have fallen

into people's gardens. just watch this time—lapse video of huge rocks rolling off the mountain, one after the other, and they're heading towards this picturesque village below in the swiss alps. two million cubic metres of rock could break loose within days, and could destroy the homes and farms below. this is why the entire population of brienz — 84 residents and their livestock — have been evacuated, and authorities have barricaded off the village. translation: we cannot completely rule out the possibility _ of a large landslide, which is less likely but still possible, which would then break off almost suddenly in a very fast process and would then also have a very large range, and would also drive into the village here and cause great damage. just look at the church spire — the subsiding land has caused it to lean. cracks have appeared in buildings for years,

with heavier rainfall linked to global warming. villagers are taking what they can and most will stay in a neighbouring village, awaiting news of one day returning. experts say that could be weeks or several months. so the question is how much of this beautiful village will be left when they return? louisa pilbeam, bbc news. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. although parts of east and south—east england remain grey and quite cool all day. much of the country had a very fine and sunny starts to the weekend.

part two of the weekend looks quite mixed. there will be some sunshine around, particularly in wales and england. but scotland and northern ireland, will start to see this weather front moving in off the atlantic, bringing outbreaks of cloud and rain, and a drop in temperature. but high pressure will bring is a fine evening and night. largely clear skies for many, but that's a low grey cloud across the east will start to roll back westwards again. for much of eastern england and the midlands. western scotland and northern ireland, be turning wetter and breezy, is that weather front pushes in. so, quite a mixture of temperatures. obviously, quite cool under clear skies. sunday then, we start off with some sunshine around. that grey weather across the east of england should tend to improve. the clouds burning back to the coast. one or two showers into the afternoon through the midlands. this weather front will start to move out of scotland and northern ireland. it brightens up later in the day with a few showers that will feel much cooler for scotland and northern ireland. low to mid—teens. sunny spells across parts of england and wales.

again, we could be up to 21 degrees. sunday night that weather front weakens, clearerskies, sunday night that weather front weakens, clearer skies, blustery showers across the north and west of scotland and under clear skies with this cool air, it will be a chilly night to come here. for south—eastern areas where, seven to 10 degrees. that weatherfront clears away eventually and we see further showers around the edge of this area of high pressure which will bring us north, north—westerly winds. showers for northern scotland and north—eastern england down to east anglia. the best of the sunshine towards the south and the west. could be up to 15 degrees here but you will see it as a much cooler day across the board, ranging from ten to 13 celsius for most of us. that is below par for this time in may. the caller hangs around on tuesday and into wednesday, particularly in north and eastern

areas. we see those yellow and orange cooler is returning. so a chilly start to their week with showers around but temperatures will cover towards the end of the week. high pressure nearby means we will stay mostly dry.

this is bbc news. the headlines: ukraine's president zelensky has had a private audience with pope francis.

after the forty—minute meeting — the vatican said the pope had assured the president of his constant prayer and continuous invocation to the lord for peace.