i don't know zelensky but i do know her. she's always been the most talented political operator in ukraine. i wonder if she does show emerge as a prime minister or kind of a critical figure in that parliament. you know, what role will she play and how is the president able to strike some sort of deal with the people. again, the parliamentary election becomes the real contest going forward. i would not understate how difficult it is now. the country needs kind of shock therapy to make it a cleaner property run, market economy backed by a strong state, and that's not easy and again, it's a lot harder now than it was. >> could you just talk a little bit about the role of civil society because the past four years, most of what happened was as a result of pressure from civil society that then created a pinser on the government where western supporters of ukraine and society would work together to box in the government and force changes. are we likely to see that kind of tag team approach? does civil society have the same clout go

zelensky took the oath of office.ormalities over, president zelensky got down to business, trying to finish up--trying to end the eastern conflict with russian-baed forces. lensky: time ready to give up everything to stop our heroes dying. i am not afraid to lose my popularity. would even give up my own position as long as peace arrives. but we will never give up the territory. reporter: mr. zelensky is putting on a pretty good show. the message is clear -- ukrainians must come together and unite. ukraine's and political system will have to change. election hasy: my proof that citizens are tired of expense politicians who over the alst 20 years created opportunities to snd bribe. reporter: president zelensky announced that parliament was being dissolved, meaning more ections most likely in two months time. if he is to have any chance of achieving his amtious goals, mr. zelensky will need to replace there c crop of lawmakers with his own supporters. this wasgo the day thing serious for full at a mere lodymyr zelensky.

mr volker said he believed mr zelensky would stand up to moscow on this issue and others.ics 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's ta ke let's take you back to japan to show you these pictures coming in of shinzo abe and donald trump getting ready to play golf. there they are in the golf buggy, getting ready to move off. they are on the east of the japanese island, probably at quite a nice golf course, by the looks of it. they have a lot to talk about, this is quite an important state visit. not only is it the first state visit for the new emperor, emperor naruhito, but there is plenty to talk about in terms of trade relations. we will of course keep across all the activity taking place. results coming in from a referendum in ireland indicate that voters have overwhelmingly backed liberalis

mr volker said he believed mr zelensky would stand up to moscow on this issue and others.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's get some of the day's other news. exit polls in the irish republic suggest voters have overwhelmingly backed reforms to make it easier to divorce. at the moment couples need to wait four years before they can divorce. in the referendum, voters were asked to remove time frames and to allow parliament to decide the issue. if approved, the new rules would halve this time. cyril ramaphosa has taken the oath of office in pretoria, beginning his first full term as president of south africa. the anc leader vowed to tackle corruption and rejuvenate the struggling economy. he initially took over from jacob zuma in 2018 after mr zuma was accused of corruption. the con

mr volker said he believed mr zelensky would stand up to moscow on this issue and others.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. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the end of an american tradition. why this will be the last memorial weekend when these bikers roll into washington. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletic events to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7:00am. taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juve ntus enclosure. the belgian police had lost control. the whole world will mourn the tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the

mr volker said he believed mr zelensky would stand up to moscow on this issue and others.ensky 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. in america, it's memorial day weekend — a time to pay tribute to veterans. for the last 30 years or so, part of the commemorations has involved thousands of motorcyclists riding into washington. it's known as rolling thunder. but this year will be the last time the bikers enter the capital — as the bbc‘s tim allman reports. he's an old man now. ill—health means he has to walk with a cane. artie moller has given almost everything for his country. richard was our captain. we called him buck. a vietnam veteran he lost friends in that war. friends he will never forget. it was hard, very hard. very hard. sad. and when we come into dc on the memorial day weekend and you come over the bridge, it brings tea rs come over the bridge, it brings tears to our eyes

mr volker said he believed mr zelensky would stand up to moscow on this issue and others.umbent. 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 thi

president zelensky said his first task would be to achieve a lasting ceasefire in eastern ukraine.r reaching the top. (tx the tower and the esplanade at its base were closed after the man was spotted scaling the structure — which is 300 metres tall. the man, who has not yet been identified, clung to the parisian landmark for more than six hours. the tower will reopen to the public on tuesday morning. eight years before the start of syria's civil war, kevin bubriski was on assignment there. he was photographing ancient monuments and the daily lives of citizens. but over a decade later, the conflict has destroyed many of the sights he captured. kevin has a new collection of black—and—white photographs, and he spoke to us about his work. i think it's maybe through my photographs from 2003 that we can more deeply appreciate what siri is. not the ghosts of the past but what syria has the potential of becoming when the dust settles and is the syrian people can embrace their incredible, deep, cultural history and let the rest of the world know about it. i am kevin bubriski and i've just p

president zelensky said his first task would be to achieve a lasting ceasefire in eastern ukraine.gay mayor. at the ceremony, former federal prosecutor lori lightfoot vowed to tackle chicago's dangerous streets, weak finances and allegations of corruption. the new mayor faces a $252 million budget deficit for 2020. nearly 170,000 people are expected at this year's chelsea flower show, which begins in london this week. 0ne garden, including a tree house, a stream and waterfalls, was partly designed by the duchess of cambridge to promote the mental and physical benefits of the natural world. she has already taken her children, prince george, princess charlotte and prince louis, to see her work. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph reports. who better tojudge mum's handiwork than her three young children? george, charlotte and louis testing out the garden the duchess helped to create. louise seemed a little distracted, but from george, there was high praise. what would you give it out of ten, george? how many marks out of ten would you give it, ten being the highest? 20. 20 out of te

in his inauguration speech mr zelensky said that he wanted the government to resign and parliamentarye parliament building in kiev. this is life imitating comedy. he already played the inauguration in his comedy series and now he is doing it for real. that's right, in the tv series, mr zelenskiy arrived for his inauguration riding a b i cycle. for his inauguration riding a bicycle. today he walked into parliament, and as he came through behind me, he was giving people high fives and having selfies. the message was pretty clear visually that he considers himself to be a man of the people and it's not going to change him, being president. inside the hall he was surrounded, to be quite frank, by people who he had spent his comedic career mocking and making jokes about. it was a pretty strong speech. the first time we have heard him making a political speech of any sort having largely avoided rallies and political events in his relatively short political career. in that speech we have various commitments towards trying to achieve peace in eastern ukraine, trying to get ukrainians who work

ukraine's new president, volodymyr zelensky, has called on russia to comply with an order by an international tribunal to release naval personnel and vessels seized last year off the coast of crimea. russia said the court in germany had no jurisdiction in the case. with nearly all the results now in, voters in a referendum in ireland have backed liberalising the country's divorce laws. it would give politicians the power to reduce the time that couples must spend apart before they can secure a divorce. some sports news, and neil lennon has been offered the celtic manager's job permanently after the completion of an historic treble—treble. celtic beat hearts 2—1 to win the scottish cup. here is chris mclaughlin. the 134th scottish cup final. for celtic, though, three was the magic number. their prize — a treble for the third year in a row. for the men in maroon, a single—single would do just fine. the first half was pretty much like the mid—may glasgow weather — all a little bit dull. hearts sat in to soak up what celtic could offer, and despite this edouard chance, the champions offered up ve

today volodymyr zelensky was inaugurated as the real president of ukraine.the east. in his acceptance speech mr zelensky wasted no time in confronting the establishment — he called for the dissolution of parliament and snap elections in july. and he went on to say that ending the conflict with russian—backed rebels in the east is his top priority. translation: i can assure you i am ready for everything to ensure that our heroes are no longer killed. i'm certainly not afraid of making tough decisions. i am certainly not afraid of making tough decisions. 1am ready certainly not afraid of making tough decisions. i am ready to lose my popularity, my ratings and, if ready, i'm ready to lose my post without hesitation for peace to be achieved. and to never lose our territory, never. let's talk now to anna korbut from the international affairs think tank chatham house. he urged the parliamentarians to lift immunity, i bet that went down with a? these are popular moves with the general population because the rating of trust or approval of parliament, of the current

zelensky doesn't have a majority in parliament and has has called a snap general election forjuly.asis until elections in september. she replaces sebastian kurz, whose government lost a confidence vote in parliament over a video sting scandal. that's on the world service. and one of the most—read stories on the bbc news website — a baby born weighing just 245 grams, that's 8.6 ounces, believed to be the tiniest on record to survive premature birth, has been discharged from hospital in the us. baby saybie weighed the same as a large apple when she was born at 23 weeks and three days in december last year. at the time, saybie's parents wre told she had just hours to live. south africa has a new cabinet and for the first time in its history, half of its ministers are women. president cyril ramaphosa has also slimmed down the cabinet from 36 ministers to 28, saying it was to "promote greater coherence, better coordination and improved efficiency" and because, "many people believed our government was bloated." the opposition economic freedom fighters party isn't convinced, though. it sa

ukraine's new president, volodymyr zelensky, has called on russia to comply with an order by an international tribunal to release naval personnel and vessels seized last year off the coast of crimea. russia said the court in germany had no jurisdiction in the case. with nearly all the results now in, voters in a referendum in ireland have backed liberalising the country's divorce laws. it would give politicians the power to reduce the time that couples must spend apart before they can divorce. now on bbc news, dateline london. this week... extraordinary scenes from two great democracies. india's narendra modi showered in rose petals after winning the mandate of millions. and britain's theresa may anguished and alone in downing street as she made herfarewell speech. the fickleness of power. my guests this week... ashis ray of ray media, janet daley of the sunday telegraph, french algerian writer nabila ramdani and stryker mcguire of bloomberg markets. thank you india, said narendra modi last week. he'd just won an increased parliamentary majority in the world's largest democracy. so how did he

volodymyr zelensky, who played the role of the president in a satirical tv series, won a landslide victory said achieving a lasting ceasefire with russian—backed rebels in the east of the country was his first task. sweden has filed a formal request for the arrest of the wikileaks founder, julian assange, who's accused of rape. he denies the allegation. the warrant, if granted, would be the first step towards mr assange being extradited from britain, where he's currently serving a prison sentence for breaching bail. he's also wanted in the us. 400 students in the american city of atlanta have had a very pleasant surprise. they were at their graduation ceremony when dr robert f smith, a former student at morehouse college and a billionaire, announced that he was paying off all their student loans. this is my class, 2019. and my family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans. cheering after eight seasons, one of the most talked about tv shows has finally come to an end. but some game of thrones fans have complained about plot lines in the last series, but that's unlikely to stop i

ukraine's new president, volodymyr zelensky, has called on russia to comply with an order by an internationalbunal to release naval personnel and vessels seized last year off the coast of crimea. russia said the court in germany had no jurisdiction in the case. there have been more deaths on mount everest as record numbers try to reach the top of the world ‘s highest mountain leading to severe overcrowding. two latest deaths take the number of fatalities in the last week to ten. now on bbc news just after half past midnight it is time to reflect on the week in parliament. hello and welcome to the week in parliament. as theresa may names the day. i am today announcing that i will resign as leader of the conservative and unionist party on friday, june seven so that a successof can be friday, june seven so that a successor can be chosen. she leaves with an admission of failure on brexit and advice to the next prime minister. it will be for my successof minister. it will be for my successor to seek a way forward that honours the result of the referendum. to succeed, he or she will have to find co

volodymyr zelensky, who played the role of the president in a satirical tv series, won a landslide victoryld that she has had to claw for her pa rt that she has had to claw for her part in the sport. the most senior woman in world motorsport has told the bbc that there is "real concern" about the numbers of women entering racing. currently women make up just 5 per cent of motorsport participants. the comments by michele mouton, herself a former rally driver, come in a season that has seen the launch of a women only racing series and an all—female team in the united states — led by british driver katherine legge who says she has had to "fight and claw" for every opportunity. as part of the bbc‘s "change the game" campaign our sport correspondent katie gornall examines how progress in the sport of speed still seems to be relatively slow. nico does not know the difference. it does not know if you are male, female, black or white. it does not know if you are male, female, black orwhite. —— it does not know if you are male, female, black or white. —— the car. katherine legge has proved herself

in his inauguration speech mr zelensky said that he wanted the government to resign and parliamentarydlines on bbc news: google blocks huawei from using some of its mobile services, in a major blow to the chinese telecoms firm. president trump has warned iran it will be destroyed if a conflict breaks out between the two countries. the inquest into the london bridge attacks has been hearing evidence about ignacio echeverria, who died, fighting off the attackers with a skateboard. in the sport, brooks koepka wins the uspga championship for the second yearin uspga championship for the second year ina uspga championship for the second year in a row, leading from start to finish to take his fourth major title. england live up to the world cup favourite tag completing a 4—0 series win over pakistan at headingley. a stunning final dive wins gold medalfor grace reid and tom daley in london. i will have more on those stories later. all this week the bbc‘s "we are middlesbrough" series is focusing on untold stories from the northern town. in 2016, middlesbrough was named as the ‘worst place for

mr volker said he believed mr zelensky would stand up to moscow on this issue and others.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. president donald trump has arrived injapan for a four—day state visit, which will focus on trade, security, and japan's new imperial era. speaking shortly after his arrival, the president said that it was time to correct a trade imbalance that favours japan. mr trump will also become the first head of state to meet the country's new emperor naruhito since he came to the throne. in other news today: exit polls in the irish republic suggest voters have overwhelmingly backed reforms to make it easier to divorce. at the moment, couples need to wait four years before they can divorce. in the referendum, voters were asked to remove time frames and to allow parliament to decide the issue. if