in damascus, in umayyad square where huge crowds of syrians are gathering here and across the country for what is described as victory day, a celebration of the end 50 years of repressive rule. and a chinese businessman described as a "close confidante" of prince andrew has lost an appeal against a decision to bar him from the uk on national security grounds. hello, i m annita mcveigh, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. we will be back in syria shortly. breaking news now from paris. the french president emmanuel macron has named francois bayrou as the

country's next prime minister following the collapse of the government last week. mr emmanuel _ government last week. mr emmanuel macron was expected to elect a prime minister who could satisfy the demands of a broad coalition and pass a budget for next year. france has been political turmoil since the president called a snap parliamentary injuly. snap parliamentary in july. hugh snap parliamentary injuly. hugh schofield, can mr bayrou solve the problem is that michel barnier had? that is the question. in the betting must be on the answer no because nothing has changed. the arithmetic is the same. he has chosen, macron, another man from his camp. chosen, macron, another man from his camp-— chosen, macron, another man from his camp. from the centre. our country _ from his camp. from the centre. our country was _ from his camp. from the centre. our country was from _ from his camp. from the centre. our country was from the - our country was from the centre—right. now we have bayrou, a very, very experienced politician, very much from the centre and the macron section of parliament. and his task is going to be to

reach out to bits on the rights, bits on the left to see if he can cobble together a that an informal coalition or a de—facto group of people who vote for him to get legislation through. but i don't see why anything has particularly changed. the same sort of promising beginning was therefore barnier. everyone pronounced goodwill and said, we will see how he does. but when it came to the first test of a government which was in hicks case to table a budget, a programme of decisions on money, it all came down —— his case. i don't see why that should be any different. there is plenty of good will to bayrou, everyone respects him and he has been around 40, 50 years and is the man in the middle of french politics and doesn't automatically anchor one side or the other. but can't see why his predicament will be more favourable than barnier�*s to be honest with you. barnier's to be honest with 0“. i . ., , barnier's to be honest with ou. �* .. , ., ., you. because the far-right and the hard left _ you. because the far-right and the hard left in _ you. because the far-right and the hard left in french - the hard left in french politics, one of their camp,

they want to be the next prime minister. do you see this as president macron trying to up the antique with those on the far—right and the hard left and saying, if you don't agree to this prime minister and you don't work with this prime minister, the public will hold you responsible for the failure to pass a budget, for example? well, that may be what he has calculated. everyone sees there is a need to get a budget through soon. the country will continue. there will be emergency legislation pushed through now that will allow 2024 budget to take over a month by month into next year. so things will go on. but everybody knows that is a recipe for inertia and complete stasis if there is no government that is prepared to institute reforms, take the country in any given direction. right now, there is no direction, there is no government. and the frightening

prospect is there of a period lying ahead of us when nothing is done exceptjust the taking over of business, taxes collected and debts raised on the markets, and nothing else happens. which of course, that is going to be an appalling prospect for a country which faces so many problems. as to the question of whether derek mackay thinks he is putting pressure on the extremes or the far—right and the far—left to come on board because otherwise, the country will fall apart and they will get the blame, i'm not sure that argument works —— macron. madame le pen was blamed by christians last week for bringing down the government and being irresponsible in their view, and being irresponsible in theirview, but and being irresponsible in their view, but polls show she has gone up even further. 0utside has gone up even further. outside of paris, no—one has been looking on this at all because they are bemused by the politicians in paris.— politicians in paris. thank you very much — politicians in paris. thank you very much for— politicians in paris. thank you very much for the _ politicians in paris. thank you very much for the moment. i politicians in paris. thank you - very much for the moment. hugh schofield in paris. we are expecting statements to come from there very soon on this new appointment. thank you.

let's cross to our chief international editor lyse doucet in damascus. for the evolving situation in syria. it is good to see you and brings up—to—date. yes, we are live from damascus on the edge of umayyad square and you can see the tremendous scenes. a momentous day, a day many thought they would never see. an end to the 50 long years of repressive, brutal rule by the assad family. today is called victory day, the first friday after rebels came into damascus and toppled the regime of president bashar al—assad. look at the images behind me. the square is absolutely packed and i can see all of the streets feeding into the square. cars are stream again, people are walking towards the square, wanting to

be part of this moment of history. and it's notjust here in the capital, damascus. let's bring you the scene from the main square in what was the coastal heartland stronghold of the assad family. the sector which they belong, there is a crowd gathering, and you can see the flag of the opposition, the green and black with its three red stars. it is being waived everywhere. and amidst the beeping of the cars, there is the occasional starter of gunfire, gun is fired into the air in celebration. there was a nurturing, a message this morning from abu mohammed al—jolani, the leader of the main islamist group, hayat tahrir al—sham, main islamist group, hayat tahriral—sham, he is main islamist group, hayat tahrir al—sham, he is now using his own name rather than his war name, ahmed al—sharaa. he issued a message urging the people of syria to celebrate today, but to celebrate

peacefully. translation: | would - like to congratulate the great syrian people for the victory, for the blessed revolution. i would like to invite them to public squares to express theirjoy, but without gunfire and terrorising people. and then, let's move onwards towards building this country back. as we have said since the beginning, we shall be victorious. god willing. he issued that statement before friday prayers. there were huge crowds here outside the grand mosque of damascus. and after presented at that mosque and mosques across the country, people entered into the squares. my colleague has been in the square below and has been speaking to people there. thousands have started to pour into the streets holding the revolutionary flag, and they are just starting to... great sense of celebration. they're chanting

revolutionary songs. for every single city, you know. many people are around me here. families, men and women and children. even the rebels are surrounding us, in celebratory mood. and the songs are going back to the 2011 songs, you know, commemorating those who died and the life that they've lived there. they've lived there. many people are, you know, many people are, you know, saying, today is the big saying, today is the big celebration day, is the day celebration day, is the day of victory, and tomorrow, we're of victory, and tomorrow, we're going to start work. going to start work. we'll leave you to have a look we'll leave you to have a look and see the celebration mood. and see the celebration mood. cheering cheering a mood of celebration and a a mood of celebration and a days syrians have waited for so days syrians have waited for so long and have paid such a high long and have paid such a high price. a huge and painful price. a huge and painful price. a huge and painful price. we have reported all price. a huge and painful price. we have reported all week on the scenes of people week on the scenes of people searching for their loved ones searching for their loved ones

in the prisons, hospitals, even in the prisons, hospitals, even in the prisons, hospitals, even in the prisons, hospitals, even in the morgues to find out what happens when their loved ones disappeared. the international committee of the red cross said they registered 35,000 people in the past decade. i'm not all parts of syria are quiet. there has still been fighting in the north, in the north—eastern corner of syria, which is dominated by the kurds, and there syrian national

happening. the syrian national army tried to take over the city and tried to attack another city. there was some kind of discussions and talks between the us and the general command. there was a deal there was going to be a ceasefire. the ceasefire started today and the kurdish forces will withdraw, alongside other arab forces. however, for the result, there was a kind of deal and discussions with hts. sdf took over the city during the withdrawal of the syrian regime, now they hand over the city to the border with iraq to hts. 0ther city to the border with iraq to hts. other than that, there was a statement yesterday evening from the general command that the russians already asked them three weeks ago to support and

fight alongside the russians against hts, but the sdf general command responded they will not fight against hts at that time. so the area is quite clean. everybody is hoping to have a kind of deal and talk between the kurds and between the transition government in damascus by hts. there is some kind of rumour saying that there was a delegation went yesterday from qamishli to damascus to stop this kind of deal in damascus. == damascus to stop this kind of deal in damascus.— damascus to stop this kind of deal in damascus. -- to begin this kind _ deal in damascus. -- to begin this kind of — deal in damascus. -- to begin this kind of deal. _ deal in damascus. -- to begin this kind of deal. as _ deal in damascus. -- to begin this kind of deal. as you - deal in damascus. -- to begin this kind of deal. as you have| this kind of deal. as you have outlined, it is a very complex political area, that group backed by the united states, groups backed by turkey, the kurds caught in the middle. but from what we can see, the group which dominates here in

damascus, hayat tahrir al—sham, technical committees wanting to have overall charge even of the kurdish areas, is that your understanding? —— hts, is wanting to have. understanding? -- hts, is wanting to have.— understanding? -- hts, is wanting to have. i'm not sure, there is serious _ wanting to have. i'm not sure, there is serious discussions i there is serious discussions and talks happening between hts and talks happening between hts and the syrian kurds. we are mostly talking about the general command of hts. i think there are messages going through, some indirect and official channels by the us government to hts, such a kind of dialogue between hts and the syrian democrat