i had welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: officials in sri lanka lower the death toll from sunday's bombings — they say it's hard to identify how many were killed. prince wiliam condemns extremism as he meets victims of the mosques attacks in new zealand. the message from christchurch and the message from al noor and linwood mosques could not be more clear. the global ideology of hate will fail to divide us. a 31 years after his first run for the white house, joe biden enters a crowded field of democrats vying to take on president trump. and cyclone kenneth makes landfall

in northern mozambique — it's forecast to bring storm surges — to a country already devastated by floods. call hello. the sri lankan government has sharply lowered the number of people it says were killed in the easter sunday suicide bombings. all the health ministry now believes 253 people died —— died, that's at least a hundred fewer than the previous figure. police have carried out more raids and have issued photographs of 7 people wanted in connection with the attacks. clive myrie reports from colombo. curfew in colombo. rain, the soldiers‘ only companion on empty streets after dark, as a nervous capital guards against more atrocities. the authorities have released the names and pictures of several suspects they want to question following easter sunday's massacres. foreign governments are now anxious for their citizens here. and these suspects, on the run,

are the reason why. the city of galle is a magnet for visitors, but troops now greet foreigners as well as guides. 8,000 britons are currently holidaying in sri lanka, too late to heed foreign office advice not to come. i won't be coming back. first and last time. but the people are wonderful here. the sri lankan people are absolutely fabulous but, no... no, we won't be coming back. the bombers killed and damaged churches and hotels. now tourism's been wounded, too. several countries, including australia, the us and canada, have issued advisories urging only essential travel.

for the moment, britons wanting to leave have to make their own arrangements. several people died when a suicide bomber blew up the breakfast room of the kingsbury hotel. three days on, they are sprucing up the entrance for the reopening. you know, it could have been close, i could have been there. you could have died? you don't know, i could have, you know, i could have, because i take my breakfast in this restaurant in the mornings, usually. you never know. but, you know, ithink you should not think of that, because anything you do otherwise, you will question yourself, what if? it's a view shared by many in the tourism industry here. giving into the fear psychosis would not really make any sense, because it's a beautiful destination. and, you know, it might be a small island but it's a vast space of land and there are plenty of places for people to be safe. but for the moment, this is a land still on edge. it streets pounded more by troops than tourists.

hundreds of thousands have joined a mass rally on the streets of the sudanese capital, khartoum, to increase pressure on the military to give way to a civilian administration. it's two weeks since president 0mar al—bashir was toppled. president xi jinping of china has opened a meeting of more than thirty world leaders in beijing, for the second summit to discuss china's ambitious global investment and infrastructure programme known as the belt and road initiative. in his opening remarks, mr xi said the aim was to create a win—win cooperation between participating countries. it's reported north korea tried to bill the united states two million dollars for the medical care of the american student 0tto warmbier, who was jailed there in 2015. arrested during an organised tour, he spent 17 months in detention and died after being returned to the us in a coma, with brain damage. it's understood the british and irish governments are planning fresh talks in early

may, to try to restore a fully—functioning devolved government to northern ireland. there's been growing pressure for a return to power—sharing at stormont, since the murder of the young journalist lyra mckee in londonderry a week ago. prince william has met survivors of the christchurch mosque attacks on the second day of his visit to new zealand. 50 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on worshippers in march. at the al noor mosque, the duke of cambridge paid tribute to the courage of the community. the message from christchurch and the message from al noor and linwood mosques could not be more clear. the global ideology of hate will fail to divide us. and just as new zealand is taking swift action to ban physical tools of violence, we must unite to reform the social technology that allowed hateful propaganda to inspire the murder of innocents. the bbc‘s phil mercer is in christchurch — he was listening to prince william's message. prince william was describing what he described as the unspeakable hate

that drove the gunman to murder 50 people here in christchurch exactly six weeks ago, now worshippers are gathering for friday prayers and it has been an hour or so since the prince left the al noor mosque here. he said the gunman wanted to spread fear and mistrust in the community, and he said that new zealand had denied him that opportunity because of its resilience. we have also spoken to some of the survivors who spoke with prince william and they've been telling us how important it is that he has come. we spoke to one man who suffered terrible wounds after being shot in the back of his leg. he spent many, many days recovering in hospital and he said that the prince's visit here was like a ray of sunshine for him. prince william also clearly has strong feelings

about social media. how's that going down? well, it ties into the approach of the new zealand prime minister, jacinda ardern, she has been asking facebook some pretty tough questions, given that for about 17 minutes, the gunman who perpetrated this atrocity in christchurch six weeks ago managed to live stream part of his attack for 17 minutes. it took the social media platform well over an hour to dismantle, take down that video afterwards. and the prime minister of new zealand is on a bit of a global crusade to make sure that sort of extremist material can never be propagated in the same way again. so prince william referring to that in his speech today, later this afternoon he travels to the other mosque that was attacked six weeks ago in christchurch, in the suburb of linwood.

the prince is meeting many survivors and crucially, hearing their stories. as you say, it's exactly six weeks since the attacks. is it possible to form any opinion on how it's changed the country? i think new zealand has, as a country and a society, has had to take a long hard look at itself in terms of its attitude to racism, to inclusion, to intolerance and i think that the prime minister's approach has been praised by many new zealanders. she has been very compassionate and understanding on one hand yet her swift action on gun control on the other hand, has marked her very strong reaction to this atrocity. the weapons used in the attacks here at the al noor mosque and further away at linwood in the middle of march, all those military style weapons are now being outlawed

in new zealand. and the prime minister says that it is imperative that that is the case in order to preventa similar atrocity happening in the future. phil mercer in christchurch. for the second time in five weeks, mozambique has been hit by a powerful cyclone. the storm struck the north of mozambique around the pemba area bringing winds up to 200 kilometers an hour and torrential rain. mozambique is still recovering from last month's cylcone idai which killed hundreds of people. caroline rigby reports. assessing the damage of cyclone kenneth. with category 4 hurricane—force winds the storm has already proven both destructive and deadly. authorities say at least three people were killed as it swept through the island nation of comoros to the east of the african mainland. for many there home is now an evacuation shelter. translation: we were up until 11 o'clock last night when things got out of hand. it was the neighbours who came to evacuate us. translation: we spent the night with fear in our stomachs. we couldn't sleep.

we didn't know where to go in the dark. on thursday evening, cyclone kenneth made landfall in mozambique. with winds of more than 200 kilometres an hour, it's the strongest and most northernmost system of this intensity every quarter to hit the country. winds are now easing, but forecasters predict the worst is yet to come. this slow—moving system is expected to dump more than two—thirds of the region's annual rainfall of the coming week and this, combined with a storm surge, could lead to catastrophic flooding. the un warns that could trigger a humanitarian emergency on the scale of cyclone idai. last month, it hit further south, killing 900 people as it brought destruction to mozambique, malawi, and zimbabwe. but officials say they have learned lessons from cyclone idai. 30,000 people in the path of kenneth have already been evacuated. though more than 680,000 are thought to be at risk in a largely rural region where many live in basic

homes, such as mud huts and shacks. the system is now slowly drifting north towards southern tanzania, where hundreds of people are already on the move in the hope of finding a safe place to ride out the storm. caroline rigby, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: president macron outlines plans to modernise the french economy and bring an end to weeks of protests, but will tax cuts be enough? 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 to build better government 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. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them. they've taken the capital, which they've been fighting for for so long. it was 7 o'clock in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: officials in sri lanka lower the death toll from sunday's bombings, but the country remains on high alert. the uk is warning against travel to the country. prince wiliam has delivered a powerful messsage on defeating extremism as he met victims

of the mosques attacks in new zealand. 31 years after his first challenge for the white house, joe biden has declared a new presidential bid, putting an end to months of speculation. the former us vice—president said, under president trump, the core values of american democracy were at stake. but he enters an already overcrowded race for the democratic party's nomination for 2020 — as our north america editor jon sopel explains. the next president of the united states, joe biden! will it be third time lucky for former vice presidentjoe biden? this is him, 30 years ago, going for the democratic nomination. he tried again 20 years later, when he lost out to barack obama. now aged 76, he is giving it one last shot. unlike many of his competitors, who are trying to ignore donald trump, he is taking the fight straight to him.

if we give donald trump eight years in the white house, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are. and i cannot stand by and watch that happen. but his pre—launch has been bumpy. accused by some women of making them feel uncomfortable with his touchy—feely approach to politics, he has tried to make light of it. by the way, he gave me permission to touch him! but that backfired, with many saying this is no laughing matter. also, there are now 20 democrats vying for the nomination. they call me mayor pete. early momentum has been captured by this man, pete buttigieg, a mayor from small—town indiana, who is gay, a practising christian and afghan war veteran and multilingual. this was him after the notre—dame fire. nous partageons la douleur aujourd'hui, que la cathedrale notre—dame, c‘etait comme un cadeau a l‘espece humaine. and then there's the socialist,

bernie sanders, who has raised a lot of money and wants to pull the democratic party to the left. the united states of america willjoin every other major country on earth and guarantee health care to all people as a right. lying in wait for all of them is donald trump. this morning, he tweeted this:. in the race for the white house, joe biden has instant name recognition. he won't have any trouble raising money. he will get big—name endorsements. he also appeals to blue—collar workers, the group that donald trump did so well with in 2016. but the president is not going to give up the keys to this place without a fight. it's going to be a long haul

and going to be brutal. the bbc‘s chris buckler is in washington. a short time ago i spoke to him aboutjoe biden's launch of his campaign. you got a sense of a man who was trying to say, i am different to donald trump. and i'm particularly different on moral grounds. the phrase that stuck out to me during all of this was the phrase that this is a battle for the soul of the nation, the 2020 election. he was saying very clearly as far as he is concerned, another four years of donald trump and the presidency could change america forever. but, what is worrying the white house and why donald trump is aware that joe biden could be a really significant competitor for him, is that he does appeal to some of those places in the midwest, in the likes of pennsylvania for instance whenjoe biden was launching his campaign today. there is this chance potentially

to bring some democrats back and to get them voting once again for the party. and that's whatjoe biden's message is for. and it's also why a lot of people are sitting up and taking notice. this has been a long held secret that he was going to be applying and running for nomination. but not a very well—kept secret. people have been waiting for this to happen. you get a sense that this battle to become the democratic candidate has really started today. and chris, as you say, he might well be a serious challenger to donald trump but he has to beat the other democratic contenders first to win the party's nomination. this is a party that's moved quite a long way to the left and is also very supportive of the me too movement, which might be a problem forjoe biden. yeah, you've got to remember as well, there are 20 people now running to try to become the democratic candidate as well. it's an incredibly crowded field in whichjoe biden has to stand out. at the same time, he does have that name recognition, he is well known, he is respected in the party, and that works very well for him. but, you're right. there are things

working against him. first of all, that idea that the democratic party has moved further to the left. bernie sanders when he ran against hillary clinton was putting forward ideas that perhaps were difficult for some in the party, but the party has moved in that direction which has helped bernie sanders and others like elizabeth warren. whereasjoe biden is perhaps a little more conservative with some of his ideas. and then there is a question of the me too movement, of course, because he has had these allegations of inappropriate behaviour. not allegations of sexual assault but inappropriate behaviour towards women which have captured a lot of headlines. beyond that, there is a feeling that the democratic party wants to be different going into 2020. they would like to see diversity in terms of their candidates. they would like to see more women coming to the forefront, and that means he is going to face challenges from the likes of amy klobuchar, kirsten gillibrand, kamala harris, all of these people. it's worth saying that with 20 candidates, the first time we will see them onstage together, they're having to divide it over two nights, just to fit them all in.

it's two months until they take that stage and of course it's some months before we get to the stage where they're actually fighting to win that nomination to become the democratic candidate. you can be sure they will be talking and fighting from here on in. the united nations refugee agency is expressing increasing concern about the safety of migrants and refugees in libya. there's been gunfire at a detention centre, on the outskirts of the capital tripoli. unverified footage shows refugees trying to take cover under fire. at least 250 people have been killed in fighting over the past 3 weeks — as a military commander from eastern libya tries to take over the capital by force. from tripoli, our chief international correspondent, orla guerin. gunfire. screaming. a hail of bullets and a terrifying ordeal. this unverified mobile phone footage

obtained by the bbc appears to show migrants and refugees under attack in a detention centre on the outskirts of tripoli. the government here has blamed militia loyal to general khalifa haftar, a commanderfrom the east who was trying to take the capital. these detainees have now been moved to a safer location. but others have not. we found hundreds of defenceless civilians in a detention centre in the suburb of tajoura, dangerously close to the front line. europe doesn't want them and libya can't protect them. well, conditions here are extremely basic. the men tell us they're facing every kind of problem. they don't have enough food. they don't have enough water. but the biggest issue now is safety. the fighting is very nearby and we have been able to hear it

ourselves, just a mile or two away. michael is a former medical student from south sudan. like many here he says he's living in fear. actually no—one leaves here. every time we hear a bomb. we hear a gunshot every time. every day. even in the night. we cannot sleep at all. you feel your lives are not safe here? of course. because i'm still facing the same problem that i was in south sudan. i escaped because of the war. and today i am in a war zone. the united nations says more than 3,000 migrants and refugees are in detention centres near frontlines and should be moved to safety. instead, ahmed says the international community has abandoned people like him in the line of fire. we don't see any move for us. so, actually, we feel like we are forgotten here. and it's hard to feel that you can do anything. just waiting until the sound

of the bombs pass and you find yourself, after that i found myself alive and that is good. it's not hit us. not this time. yeah, not this time. for three weeks now fighting has raged nearby, bearing down on the young. "when there is shooting," she tells me, "we hear it in our hearts. the children cry, afraid the bullets will kill them." many here dreamt of finding a better future for themselves and their children. instead they are now trapped in someone else's war. orla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. environmental protestors have targeted financial institutions across london on the eleventh — and last — day of demonstrations across the city. supporters of the protest group extinction rebellion blocked roads around the treasury and the london stock exchange.

more than 1100 people have been arrested since campaigners first blocked traffic on 15th april. france's president has signalled a shift in direction, following months of nationwide protests by the giletjaunes or yellow vest movement. emmanuel macron outlined plans for significant tax cuts, together with higher pensions and political reform. andy beatt reports. five months of street protests, violence, and france's worst civil disorder in decades. what began as a demonstration against fuel prices soon became a national movement against social inequality and president macron's economic reforms. now, in an eagerly awaited response at the elysee palace, he said he recognised the protestors' fair demands, pledging a change notjust of policy but approach. translation: i've given the impression of giving constant orders, of being tough, sometimes unfair. i regret that. because it's not what

i'm like deep down. and i don't think it's helped my case. among his planned changes are lower taxes for the middle classes, to be paid for by people having to work longer, protecting low pensions against inflation, the introduction of proportional representation at some elections, and huge cuts in civil servicejobs. at the same time, though, he vowed to push on with and even accelerate existing reforms. as france listens, some protesters said his speech changed nothing. translation: the yellow vest movement will carry on, because this speech doesn't give a ny concrete a nswe i’s to our questions and demands. when i say nothing concrete, it means that citizens won't see anything different in their wallets next month. translation: we won't call off any actions and meetings that are already planned. unfortunately, i fear demonstrations,

planned for the ist of may, are going to be violent, very violent, with many, many people. the protests have already cost lives and caused damage to the economy totalling billions of euros. whether president macron's intervention will win over the french people or mark the start of a new wave of unrest remains to be seen. andy beatt, bbc news. and finally before we go we'd like to leave you with some pictures of a cat who has adopted four baby squirrels. the orphaned baby squirrels were brought to a park in southern crimea by a visitor when they were just four weeks old. pusha the cat, who already had four kittens, was cautious about adopting them at first. but they got used to one another and now the cats and squirrels live together as one big, happy family. see, it was worth it. much more for

you at any time on our website. you can reach most of us on twitter. hello there. after the warm easter weather that we saw last weekend, it's been turning gradually cooler and also more unsettled over the past couple of days. and that unsettled theme continues for the next few days too. this amazing picture was taken as the sun set on thursday evening in salford. you can see the big shower clouds that we had, the heavy downpours. a similar picture on friday. there will be some sunshine around, equally some heavy showers in the forecast too. and things will start to feel cold over the next few days. you can see the blue colours, that is a colder air mass filtering in from the north—west. the warm weather that has been with us is now pushing further east across europe. so for friday morning we have got some clear skies for many eastern areas to start off the day. more cloud already in the west, with some showery rain for northern ireland, wales, the south—west of england

through the morning. that should then push its way eastwards into south—west scotland, northern england too, before the next bands of showers arrive from the west later in the afternoon. so temperatures for the likes of belfast and cardiff, only around 11—12, but we could still see 17 degrees 01’ so across eastern parts of england. but some heavy showers almost anywhere on and off through the day. into friday evening and saturday, that's when things turn particularly stormy. storm hannah moving its way in from the atlantic. that's going to be quite a troublemaker, i think, bringing a wet and a particularly windy start to saturday, wherever you are. so let's take a look at storm hannah. it's moving its way in from the atlantic through friday night and into the early hours of saturday. so this developing area of low pressure has got a lot of isobars associated with it, particularly on the southern edge. so it will be across ireland that we see the very strong winds, but they're also going to push into wales and the south—west of england. widespread gales likely here on saturday, with winds gusting around 60, even 70 mph. so notjust the strength of the wind, but also some really

heavy showery rain for many areas through the day on saturday. the heaviest of the showers and the strongest of the winds pushing eastwards through the day across central and eastern parts of england. should dry up for northern ireland, north—west scotland, and the south—west of england later in the day. but it will feel cold, with temperatures generally around 10—12 degrees on saturday. when you add on the windchill it is going to feel pretty chilly and we could well see some disruption due to the strength of the wind. as that area of low pressure then clears to the east into sunday we see a smaller ridge of high pressure building in. so sunday the quieter day of the weekend. not wall—to—wall sunshine, i think, quite a lot of cloud around still. perhaps one or two showers just lingering in the east, and then more showery rain moving on from the west later in the day. not as cold, though, as saturday, with top temperatures for most of us around about 13 or 1a degrees. bye for now.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the sri lankan government has lowered the number of people it says were killed in sunday's suicide bombings. officials now believe 253 people died. the uk government is advising against all but essential travel to the country. the foreign office says terrorists are very likely to try to carry out indiscriminate attacks. six weeks after the christchurch mosque attacks — prince wiliam has delivered a powerful messsage on defeating extremism. the duke of cambridge paid tribute to the courage of the community at the al noor mosque — and praised new zealanders for their compassion in the aftermath of the attack. 31 years after his first challenge for the white house, joe biden has declared a new presidential bid, putting an end to months of speculation. the former us vice—president said the core values of america's democracy were at stake under president trump.