this is the briefing. i'm maryam moshiri. our top story: making history. kim jong—un becomes the first north korean leader to set foot on south korean soil. it's the first summit between the two countries in more than a decade. pyongyang's nuclear arsenal tops the agenda. the us says it hopes the talks will lead towards a future of peace and prosperity for the entire korean peninsula. coming up in the business briefing: from online bookseller to global retail giant amazon delivers another huge jump in sales. and makes the world's richest man even richer. we'll also be finding out what today's korean talks could mean for business in the region. a warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need

to know in global news, business and sport. and you can be part of the conversation. are you one of amazon's many millions of loyal customers around the world 7 or like president trump, do you think they're just too big and trample on small retailers? let us know your thoughts, use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. an historic meeting is taking place between north korea's kimjong—un and south korea's president moonjae—in. the two leaders greeted each other with a handshake at the military demarcation line that divides the peninsula. it's the first time a leader from the north has crossed into the south since the end of the korean war, 65 years ago. a south korean official says that in the talks morning session kim jong—un told the south korean president he had come to the summit to end the conflict between the two

countries and was willing to visit seoul if invited. andrew plant starts our coverage. a north korean leader setting foot in south korea for the first time since the korean war, more than six decades before. kim jong—un shaking hands with the president of south korea, the start of a historic meeting with international interest high, in a secretive regime that's suddenly, seemingly more accessible. this is where the two leaders are meeting. the border village of panmunjom, between their two territories. the finest details already defined. they will face each other across 2,018 millimetres of table, symbolising the year. and overlooking their meeting,

a painting of mount kumgang, a symbol of reconciliation designed to reflect the summit‘s slogan — peace, a new start. "we should have a positive meeting," he says, "and positive results, and going forward we should be determined to meet up more frequently and then we can make up for lost time." the world's major powers will be watching. north korea's nuclear programme part of the focus, kim jong—un has indicated a willingness to stop testing, but will that translate to an end to its weapons programme or is this part of north korea's entrance onto the international stage as an established nuclear power? proposed talks with president trump could come in the future, a meeting with the chinese leader has already happened. today's meeting, the result

of months of improving relations between north and south, two countries still technically at war. of the two sides have now separated will reconvene in a few minutes of time. it will end with a treeplanting ceremony, the delegates will then share a dinner. after years of increasing tension between the two countries, a relatively sudden softening and many will hope a more open and receptive north korea. andrew plant, bbc news. from tokyo we can now speak to david satterwhite, who's an expert on korean politics at temple university japan. a hugely symbolic and important meeting between these two leaders. it is indeed, having been engaged with north korea for 45 years, tears came to my eyes when i saw the

handshake at the panmunjom truce village. having known the two south korean president to an up to the north and who have been in the blue house, this was truly an emotional moment. let me say it is historic and several dimensions —— in several dimensions, our watches have summarised this, but i will briefly. it is the third such presidential summit on the korean furniture were sent the division of the korean can insulate. —— korean peninsula. it is the first in over a decade and so the first in over a decade and so the dialogue on the peninsula is resuming now after a decade hiatus. 2000, 2007 they went up. it is the first ever for 2000, 2007 they went up. it is the first everfor a dprk 2000, 2007 they went up. it is the first ever for a dprk leader, 2000, 2007 they went up. it is the first everfor a dprk leader, a north korean leader to step foot

into south korea. is truly historic andi into south korea. is truly historic and i have a lot of them is with regard to what can come out of today's summit. that is what i wa nted today's summit. that is what i wanted to ask you about, the key thing that so many people are watching for his wording in terms of denuclearisation, whether we will get back. how important would it be? let me try to put the summit firmly into historic context to try to end to that question briefly. clearly, the nuclear and missile programmes of north korea are front and centre on global attention and concern both globally but also here in the asia—pacific region, in japan globally but also here in the asia—pacific region, injapan and neighbouring countries. here is the historic debt. the us and international have rather unilaterally characterised north korea's nuclear and missile programmes as a threat to peace and

security. keep in mind that the vast leave superior strategic forces and nuclear weapons of the united states have targeted north korea ever since 0ctober have targeted north korea ever since october of 1951, during the korean war. so full 66 years, operation hudson harbour back then, at the targeting of north korea. the threat ofa targeting of north korea. the threat of a nuclear strike from the us on the regime is really what led the dprk to embark on its nuclear programme. particularly after the colla pse programme. particularly after the collapse of the soviet union. the question then, as you have raised it, how likely is it denuclearisation to take place? that really depends on whether the us, together with south korea, are willing to provide a security guarantee that north korea will not

be unilaterally attack, which is why they have made a forced. be unilaterally attack, which is why they have made a forcedlj be unilaterally attack, which is why they have made a forced. i am afraid we don't have time to carry on. we have got the main crux of what you're trying to say. thank you so much forjoining us. as we've been hearing, before their talks got under way kimjong un and moonjae—in made some introductory remarks on camera. the north korean leader said the summit heralded "an age of peace" and the beginning of a "new history" for the korean peninsula. let's hear his longer statement. translation: we should have a positive meeting and positive results out of this meeting. and going forward, we should be determined and we should make use of as much time as possible and we should meet as often as possible. and if we can get our heads together then the 11 years lost can be made up.

just about 200 metres, that was the crossing line and i had so many thoughts while crossing the demarcation line. and this is more like a starting line, firing the starting of the race, i should say. and if we can open our hearts to speak and if we can draw positive results from this meeting, that would be good. and instead of going back to the drawing board,

we should move forward. and if we can, hold our hands together and move forward. and i think so many talk about what is going on about the dinner party this evening — and if you could enjoy the pyongyang cold glass noodle. hope you can enjoy the pyongyang cold glass noodle. and we can talk seriously and honestly and we can talk about good things. and we need to talk about what's necessary. and i would like to say this in front of mr president

and all the others as well. south korea's moon jae—in congratulated mr kim for what he called "a brave decision" to meet. translation: and i think we should celebrate the meeting between us and the spring may have arrived on the korean peninsula. and all the world watching this meeting and the people of south korea and north korea and korean compatriots all over the world, they are watching and so much burden on our shoulders between us two. you are the first one who crossed the demarcation line, mr kim, the committee chairperson, this is like a symbol of the peace.

and the expectations of all of the world are on us. and i would like to give my thanks a the brave decision you made. and if we could make brave decisions together and then we could make a successful meeting and we have plenty of time to talk about. and if we can discuss things in detail as well, yeah, thank you. we will have more on the summit

throughout the briefing. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. president trump will travel to the uk onjuly 13th. the long—awaited and controversial trip will be a working visit, rather than a full—blown state occasion. he'll hold talks with the prime minister, theresa may — seen here with the us president, in washington, back in january last year. mr trump's earlier planned visit to britain was cancelled injanuary. the american comedian and entertainer bill cosby has been found guilty of drugging and molesting a woman at his home in philadelphia in 200a. cosby — who's 80 — could now face a prison sentence of up to 30 years and spend the rest of his life behind bars. let's turn to our top business story this friday. 20 years ago amazon was an online bookseller, today it's a global retail giant that will deliver you almost anything, from groceries to tv shows to cloud computing services.

sales in the first three months of the year have soared 43% to $51 billion. that has sent shares to a new record high and made the world's richest man, ceo jeff bezos — even richer. we have seen revenues go up, we have seen revenues go up, profits go up, we have seen revenues go up, profits go up, the number of people that amazon employees has risen to over 550,000 compared to q1 amazon employees has risen to over 550,000 compared to 01 last you. we are seeing strong growth in amazon prime, which announced it has 100 million subscribers and in the business services, the aws unit that is offering cloud computing services to companies. quite a bit of growth. mike rann is growing so big, how much growth can it get ‘s?

mike rann is growing so big, how much growth can it get 's? it depends on regular tory action, we have seen president trump being critical, that could be one limitation. other than that, there isa limitation. other than that, there is a lot of potential growth because amazon has shown that it can venture into new industries were people thought before that they were safe off and is on. they are branching into tv, looking at an nfl deal that they have just struck and they are also looking at insurance first fought their own employees but then also it could be something that they are doing for other companies. i think with regards to that, we might see them in all sorts of places where we didn't expect them to be. looking at the story on our business website, an interesting element of this is the fact that the founder has standards of production sites of donald trump recently, been criticised for trampling over retailers in the us and also u nfa i rly retailers in the us and also unfairly competing with them as well. how much theatre you think he

should have right now that he is going to be set on the sites not only of regulation but other aspects to two ? he has been silent towards the criticism of donald trump. amazon has said it is paying taxes according to what it has to. there isa according to what it has to. there is a question on how far this is a business and competition question donald trump raises, or whether it isa donald trump raises, or whether it is a personal issue he has with bezos because of his ownership of the washington post which trump says criticises him unfairly. donald trump acts unexpectedly. it is hard to predict. i know you will be back shortly to talk about some of the stories in the papers. stay with us for that and the briefing. all of

the sports news, including the results from thursday's europa league semifinals. the battle at the emirates. 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, it was only when radioactive levels started to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebrations. this is the end of a 12 year war, they have taken the capital, which they have fighting for for so long. it was 7am in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the majority

to the minority. when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed it's last white colony. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: the south korean president, moonjae—in, and the north's leader, kim jong—un, have concluded the first round of talks at their summit in the demilitarised zone between the two countries. it's the first such summit in more than a decade, and the first time a leader from the north has visited the south since the end of the korean war. let's stay with that now. we can now speak our correspondent, rupert wingfield—hayes, whojoins us from near the north and south korean border not far from where the summit is being held. we have heard the first round of talks have ended. that is right. the

two lea d e rs talks have ended. that is right. the two leaders have gone to lunch. we saw a little while ago, john and getting back into his limousine and driving back across on to the northern side of the peace village 2km from me now. —— kimjong—un. in ten minutes they will regather on the south side with president moon and kim jon—un symbolically planting and kim jon—un symbolically planting a south korean pine tree in soil from the north and south, and then water the newly planted pine tree from water from rivers water the newly planted pine tree from waterfrom rivers in water the newly planted pine tree from water from rivers in the water the newly planted pine tree from waterfrom rivers in the north and south. it will be loaded with symbolism of a need for unity and

peace on the korean peninsula, the binning together of the fraternal brothers and sisters north and south of the border. —— bringing. loaded with symbolism, but difficult talks ahead. the symbolism is definitely there in spades. how much will come out of this meeting, how much useful stuff will come out? will the get the all—importa nt denuclearisation statement from the north koreans? we will have to wait and see. even the most cynical of observers will agree the atmosphere has changed from even a few months ago. at the end of last year we were seriously concerned and thinking about the possibility of a conflict. and now these two leaders are chatting like old friends. kim jong—un said he apologised to president moon for keeping him awake at night because of his missile

testing. incredible. when it comes to nuclear weapons, this is the really big elephant in the room. most people believe kimjong—un really big elephant in the room. most people believe kim jong—un does not want to give up the weapons he already has. how that will be phrased and worded so that he can get to the next big step, the meeting with president donald trump, next month, that will be in the devil details. thank you for that. we will have more on that on the briefing. and now for the sport news. hello. will we have more lebron james heroics in the nda later? what is the latest on the heavyweight unification fight is? —— nba. —— fighters? the cleveland cavaliers

arejust one win fighters? the cleveland cavaliers are just one win away from advancing in the nba playoffs, leading indiana 3-2 in the nba playoffs, leading indiana 3—2 on friday. they go into the game with plenty of momentum after a dramatic 98— 95 win last time out. lebronjames dramatic 98— 95 win last time out. lebron james looks like dramatic 98— 95 win last time out. lebronjames looks like made a win, but kept it tied with this block. at the other end, he gave this 3—pointer to give the cavs a victory. the king of the court, the king of clay, and he is really playing like it at the moment. rafael nadal is yet to drop a set on the surface this season. you want to keep that going on friday at the barcelona open, taking on the slovakian player. that is after

blowing past garcia—lopez, his countryman. he dropped just one game in the opening set and then lopez put up more of a fight in the second with rafael nadal still taking that set, 6—3. could today be the day a deal is finally made for one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights in recent history. anthonyjoshua's camp will meet with deontay wilder's prepper is on the dips on friday. eddie hearn has asked them to show the money after the american claimed he had $50 million in the bag for unification fight. —— representatives on friday. in case you missed it, arsenal's hopes of sending—off arsene wenger with a

trophy suffered a major blow. they could only draw 1—1 with a letter to madrid in the semi—final on thursday. —— atletico. arsenal dominated the game with a host of chances. alexander eventually broke the deadlock in the second half. it is never straightforward with arsenal. antoine griezmann levelled the game, giving atletico a crucial away goal. in france, the other semi—final proved more comfortable for marseille. they work too— zero winners. —— were. —— 2—0. a bit of a handball with this shot. cameroon international clinton made ie 2—0 in the second half after coming off the bench. social media is where you

show off to your friends, isn't it? what about these skills from federico silva? he is ranked 4111 in the world. but look at that shot. humiliating or impressive depending on how you look at it. amazing. he said he was sorry to his coach today. remember, you can get all of their sports news on our website whenever you want. back to the main story, the historic meeting between north korea and south korea. we will be joining north korea and south korea. we will bejoining them soon north korea and south korea. we will be joining them soon for a tree planting ceremony. please stay with us planting ceremony. please stay with us for that. and you can get more information on our website. hello there.

it's been getting cooler day by day through this week and by the weekend, temperatures will be below the seasonal average, wet, cold and windy late on sunday. more on that in just a moment. we start friday on quite a chilly note, some areas a touch of frost in scotland but south, not quite as cold because we have this area of low pressure and outbreaks of rain. quite wet start across south—west england in towards south wales. the rain starting to push its way into northern and eastern parts of england as the morning wears on where as further north, it will start bright with plenty of sunshine. that rain will be in bands moving its way northwards across most of england and wales into the afternoon. a few drier interludes, quite strong winds across the channel through the channel islands for cornwall and the scilly isles, gusting up to 40mph. rain heavy into the afternoon. further north, the best of the sunshine in the far north of england and scotland. heavy showers. quite cool. temperatures of 9—13 celsius. certainly cool near the east coast. as we had through friday evening and overnight, the rain peters out. further north and west, you can see clear skies with another chilly night. into the weekend, it doesn't look too bad, particularly northern

and western parts of the uk. sunshine and showers, quite cool in that northerly breeze. that wet and windy weather arriving. this is the picture to saturday. a damp start across the south—east, some spells of light rain, low cloud, mist and murk. a bit of an improvement but the best of the sunshone across the north and west with a few heavy slow—moving boundary showers. cool again for the time of year. 9—12 celsius, particuarly cool across northerna nd eastern coasts. sunday as well. dry around, variable cloud, a bit of sunshine again, a few heavy showers in the north. later in the day, the wind begins to pick up across the south—east with outbreaks of rain and those temperatures again, 9—11 celsius. chilly for late april. the wet and windy weather in the south—east associated with this area of low pressure moving north out of the near continent. it's going to bring some atrocious conditions to much of the south and the east into monday. heavy, persistent rain, standing water, gale—force, northerly winds, gusting 50 or 60mp and it's going to feel cold. even a little bit of wintriness over the higher ground here. a bit of uncertainty towards the western extent but it looks like the north and western areas will see the best of the brightness.

but it's going to be a cool day across the board. this is business briefing. i'm maryam moshiri. from online bookseller to global retail giant — amazon delivers another huge jump in sales. and makes the world's richest man even richer! plus, a historic moment for the two koreas. but what will it mean for business in the region? we'll be live with our reporter in seoul. and on the markets... strong results from technology companies boost shares in the us and that positive mood is continuing in asia, markets in south korea at a one—month high on optimism about that historic peace summit.