this is the briefing. i'm victoria fritz. our top story: cyclone kenneth strikes northern mozambique — it's forecast to bring storm surges to a country already devastated by floods. president macron outlines plans to modernise the french economy and bring an end months of protests, but will tax cuts be enough? prince william delivers a powerful message on defeating 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.

coming up in the business briefing: amazon, and on. another huge quarter for the online retail giant as it posts record profits. but are its days of massive growth coming to an end? 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. the actor daniel craig says james bond has always moved with the times. this bond will be played, he says, with "an eye on" changing attitudes to gender politics. do you want a politically correct bond? join in the conversation here on #bbcthebriefing.

for the second time in five weeks, mozambique has been hit by a powerful storm. cyclone kenneth has brought with it, high winds, power cuts and flooding, although the extent of the damage is not yet clear. kenneth struck the north of mozambique around the pemba area late on thursday. 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. the french president emmanuel macron has revealed his long awaited response to nearly half a year of street protests. he promised tax cuts and higher pensions — along with a less abrasive leadership style. but less popular elements of his reform programme, such as longer working hours, will go ahead. 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 1st of may, are going to be viole nt, very viole nt, 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. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. the authorities in cyprus say a greek cypriot army officer has confessed to murdering seven women

and girls in what is said to be the island's first serial killings. the suspect has reportedly indicated that he has killed some thirty women. world leaders are gathering in beijing for a summit on china's belt and road initiative which aims to expand global trade links. the project has funded trains, roads, and ports in many countries, but has left some saddled with debt. chinese officials have tried to address concerns surrounding the project, which is expected to involve more than $1 trillion in investments. it's reported north korea tried to bill the united states $2 million 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. a german—russian woman who passed herself off as a wealthy heiress to swindle high society new york has been found guilty of multiple charges, including stealing over $200,000. a manhattan court found that anna sorokin fraudulenty received loans from banks, travelled free on private planes and lived in luxury hotels for months without paying her bills. if you're a company thinking of challenging amazon, well that taskjust got even harder. the company's profits more than doubled in thefirst quarter, allowing it to invest more money in delivering parcels even quicker than before. jane foley from

rabobank joins me now. is there no end to hammers on‘s ambitions? and our profits are starting to rise. this is about the fa ct starting to rise. this is about the fact that amazon has branched out. the margins on some of the businesses, its cloud computer space, advertising e—commerce, that isa space, advertising e—commerce, that is a real movement away from perhaps a very low margin retail business into much higher margin technical business. this is where it gets interesting. webster goes on here? we're talking about food delivery, healthcare in the future and it gets extremely interesting. it is adjusting. after years of loving a lot of the money back into fund these new projects, things like web servers and the four cycads paying off. there are now returning to the prime customer, the people who are paying money to subscribe to a service to get quicker delivery and the west —— the rest of it. they are

rotated to that business, why is prime so important for them? there is obvious money to be made, there is obvious money to be made, there is competition in that space, some other companies delivering delivery as well. we get one date of the free already. it's around as well. we get one date of the free already. it‘s around 20— as well. we get one date of the free already. it's around 20— 25% of prime customers already get one day delivery, obviously in a large country like the usa needs to be more investment in order to provide that one day delivery for more people. that's what they want to do and really, it is because of the competition. it is amazing, isn't it? one day delivery worldwide. that's quite an ambition. we're going to go through the paper is a little bit later on. 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.

and he criticised social media companies for not cracking down on extremism. hywel griffith reports. reclaimed as a place of prayer, the al noor mosque is no longer a crime scene but what happened between those walls has scarred every memory. the prince came to bring a message of hope that the unity shown here in christchurch to overcome the actions of the government. in a moment of acute pain, he stood up and you stood together. in reaction to tragedy, you achieved something remarkable. i've had reasons myself to reflect on grief and sudden pain, and loss in my own life. and in my role i have often seen up close the sorrow of others. that message of love overcoming hate does still resonate here for the survivors and the families of the tombs. a message that they do belong here, that this

is their country. and that meant something to this family, one of the 50 gunned down in the mosque. his wife and daughter felt the words we re wife and daughter felt the words were genuine. that means they are acknowledging that we are not left alone, there acknowledging what a do us alone, there acknowledging what a do us and they're showing that they are sharing our feelings and they are supporting us. it's really appreciated. sharing our grief from appreciated. sharing our grief from a really authentic and honest base. before leaving, the prince laid a wreath for the victims of the 2011 earthquake, a reminder that the city has been tested and overcome tragedy before. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: with security forces still on alert, the uk's foreign office advises against all but essential travel to sri lanka.

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. you're watching the briefing. 0ur headlines: cyclone kenneth makes landfall in northern mozambique. it's forecast to bring storm surges to a country already devastated by floods. president macron outlines tax cuts and other plans to modernise the french economy and bring an end to weeks of protests. tourists in sri lanka are being told to keep a low profile in the wake of the suicide attacks on easter sunday. western governments have warned against all but essential travel to the country amid fears of retaliation, muslims in sri lanka have also been urged to pray at home on friday and not attend mosques. 0ur correspondent jon donnison reports.

five days after the esther sunday bombings, sri lanka is still very much on edge. the tourists in the southern city it is an uneasy atmosphere. sri lanka and people are absolutely fabulous, but no. no, we won't be coming back. the sri lankan government has lowered the number killed in the blasts, now believes around 20a people were murdered. among them, this 15—year—old, who was studying for her gcse‘s and her 19—year—old brother, daniel, they had been on a family holiday. their father matthew and brother david have returned to london and were talking to the bbc. a lovely girl. you're expected to say that. but she really was. lovely inside and out. he would go out of his way to travel to different places. he volunteered in ethiopia. he lived with a mongol

tribe in mongolia. he came back from each one with equally close friends. the foreign office says it is providing support for all those british citizens affected by the attack. of those in sri lanka it says it is up to them whether they decide to leave or stay put. the government is now advising against all but essential travel to sri lanka. 0vernight, the capital, colombo, remained under curfew, with several suspects are still on the run. there are fears another attack is likely. jon donnison, bbc news. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. let's begin in germany at 0800 gmt, where shareholders from pharmaceutical company bayer will meet to discuss a range of issues including the avalanche of lawsuits its facing, after a us federal court found its product round—up had been a factor in causing cancer of a us man.

later on in indianapolis, president donald trump will speak at the national rifle association for its 148th annual meeting. and finally in spain, political parties will hold their final rallies ahead of a general election on sunday. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello there, i'm tulsen tollett, and this is your friday sport briefing, where we start with the tennis news that rafael nadal is through to the quarter finals of the barcelona 0pen where he'll face jan—lennard struff — after a straight sets win over fellow spaniard david ferrer. nadal, who dropped a set in his second round win over leonardo mayer, managed to beat his great rival ferrer in straight sets, 6—3 6—3 as he looks to make it four titles in a row at this event. it has been an emotional day. happy, of course, for the victory. but very sad to say goodbye to one good

friend. 0ne friend that we shared all these things that we shared together, all our careers. it is a tough moment. but i really hope that he is very happy with his decision and he is able to do whatever he wa nts. in la liga, real madrid made the short trip to getafe but played out a goalless draw meaning they stay third and fourth respectively. while in the netherlands it's tight at the top as psv eindhoven beat villem tvay 3—0 to move level on points with ajax — just two games remaining in the eredivisie. and atlanta will play lazio in the coppa italia final after they beat fiorentina 2—1 in their semi final second leg for a 5—4 aggregate win. liverpool can return to the top of the premier league with a win over already relegated huddersfield town later on friday at anfield. there are 7a points between the two sides and the visitors last recorded a win over liverpool 60 years ago.

it's clear we are one point behind city. and we you, for a long time, that if we win our last two games, the next two games, then the decision will be made in the last game, in the last match there, and thatis game, in the last match there, and that is pretty special. but for that we have to win the next two games morejust difficult we have to win the next two games more just difficult enough, adverse of all we to play the against huddersfield. and that is what we are concentrating on. top seed and world number one naomi 0saka will play donna vekic later as both players look to move into the stuttgart grand prix semi—finals. 0saka's win over shay su way on thursday was her first clay court match of the season and the 21—year—old japanese player will now hope to move past croatia's vekic and into the last four. at the world snooker championship australia's neil robertson will take a 5 frames to 3 lead into his second round match with shaun murphy later. in the battle of the two former winners of this event, robertson jumped out to a 3—0 lead before englishman murphy

was on course for a maximum 1—4—7 in the final frame of the session but missed the last red. the defending nba champions, golden state warriors, leading their series 3—2 can advance to the next stage of the play—offs with a win at the la clippers later on. the warriors missed the chance to advance to the western conference semi finals when the clippers won game 5 to narrow the deficit to one. but the clippers coach admits this series has lasted so long because of his side's relationship with the fans. the art of deceiving a goalkeeper from the penalty spot has become one of the many innovations in modern football, and here's one from australia. eric bautheac completely fooled adelaide united's goalkeeper paul izzo in brisbane roar‘s 5—3 defeat. a rare high for the roar, who've conceded 71 goals in the campaign — an a league record. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. but from me, tulsen tollett,

and the rest of the team, that is your friday sport briefing. now, unless you've been living under a stone somewhere, you'll know that britain's prince harry and his wife the former meghan markle are about to have a baby — and lots of people are interested. rumours have swirled about dates, names and plans for the royal birth. now it is just around the corner, are we any wiser? 0ur royal correspondent sarah campbell takes a look at what we know, and what we don't. we don't know how long the birth is going to take, because nobody knows how long a boat is going to take, when it starts. here is what we do know about the impending role birth... and what we don't. —— royal. we know very little actual detail. so the due date, they haven't given us, that is not unusual. she told

somebody it was due at the end of april, beginning of may. do we know where megan is going to have the baby? the simple answer is no, we don't. the options are a home birth, they have just moved into frogmore cottage, traditionally, the queen had all of our children either in buckingham palace or clarence house. but if she didn't, hospital might be seen as a but if she didn't, hospital might be seen as a better bet. there is a hospital close by which is where the dozens hospital close by which is where the d oze ns of hospital close by which is where the dozens of wessex had her two children. when you switch on the telly hoping to see the first pictures of harry and meghan's new baby you might expect to see me and various other royal correspondence outside this hospital door, but you'd be wrong. we're not expecting this big total ball in front of banks of photographers, it is going to be very private —— photocall. but there is something about harry and meghan, they have a stardust that appeals to people who maybe haven't even been that interested in the

royal family before. so on the day, my will ross to wherever we have to go. we would expect that to be in windsor, because clearly that is where the family's new home is. you'll be seeing people like me standing in front of a load of trees and we will be waiting for the news as well of hundreds of millions, potentially, people around the world. could have dual nationality. we don't know a name. meghan and harry probably have slightly more leeway. in reality because he or she is the seventh in line to the throne. they don't want to say here. that makes it sound like they have knowledge. they haven't. i did not want the bookies said. they said the latest favourite name is grace. diana is also in there for obvious reasons, as is elizabeth and there is alice and victoria for the traditionalists. if it is a girl. it is not automatically going to be a prince or princess. the queen, however, could decide that harry's children could have that title. it

is not definite. we will have to wait and see on that one. they have kept things very private. not least because of megan's difficult relationship with thomas markle, her father. we do know that for harry he has had a very, obligated relationship, then, with the press over the years. he wants to protect meghan as much as possible. and he certainly wa nts meghan as much as possible. and he certainly wants to protect his child. how do you follow a story like that unless you have a story up your sleeve about squirrels? 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.

so there you go. that is pretty strange. let us talk about our talking point. tell me what you think. the actor daniel craig says james bond has always met with the times. and this bond, the 25th movie in the franchise, it will be about changing gender politics and attitudes about relationships. we want to know do you want a politically correct james bond? we you want a politically correct james bond ? we have you want a politically correct james bond? we have had great tweets coming in. people coming in saying that they do not care if there is good acting in a good budget and it is in plot they don't care. 0ne says how about a big and —— vegan bond. 0nce as i did not want a bond at all. i think concept has run its course. 0ne asks how exactly is

reflecting modern attitudes politically correct in ways that a bad thing? let us know what you think. the hashtags there. get in touch with me. plenty more coming up with lots of business news in just a few minutes. they will see you soon. hello there storm hannah has been named by the irishman service and it will bring some wet and windy weather across other parts of the uk through the course of saturday. before we get there it is unstable. this picture was taken in self as we ended the day on thursday. we have some similar things on friday. it will be another day with sunny spells but equally heavy and at times thundery showers around. things are going to be feeling cold over the next few days. the warmer that has been with us is getting squeezed away towards the east, opening the doors for this cold air mass with the blue colours returning to the uk. a real dipping temperature over the next few days. reasonably mild as we start friday

morning. sunshine for central and eastern parts of england, eastern scotla nd eastern parts of england, eastern scotland as well. mcleod in the west was jahri rain for northern ireland, wales, the south—west of england, making its way further north—eastward through the day. temperatures in the west, 11—12, for the likes of belfast and carter. 17 celsius in the sunshine in eastern england. moving on into friday evening, that is where we see the wind speaking up. storm hannah moving in. initially the strongest winds will be across southern ireland. by the early hours of saturday transfer into the south—west of england and wales. showers on the map as we start the weekend. let us look at storm hannah. this low pressure system will be deepening and developing. lots of isobars, especially towards the south of that area of low pressure. that is where we will see the strongest of the winds, especially across wales and the south—west of england. widespread gales or severe gales with gusts possibly around 60 mph or more in association with storm hannah. then

the strong winds and heavy showers push their way eastwards across much of the uk. very windy weather for the south—east of england during saturday afternoon. plenty of showers around. it will feel pretty chilly, 10—12 on saturday. they return to sunny skies for the west late in the day. as that area of low pressure clears away towards the east as we had entered the second half of the weekend, we have a ridge of higher pressure building in for sunday. sunday the better day of the week and for much of the uk. not as windy. 0ne week and for much of the uk. not as windy. one or two showers around, declare across eastern england bursting. more jahri in moving on from the west late in the day. some siding intervals. not as cold. temperatures 13—111.

this is the business briefing. i'm victoria fritz. amazon, and on. another huge quarter for the online retail giant as it posts record profits. but are its days of massive growth coming to an end? plus, selling the new silk road. china pushes its trillion—dollar infrastructure plan at a summit in beijing — amid growing concern from the us and its allies. and on the markets: asian shares subdued after a mixed session on wall street — investors awaiting a key estimate of us economic growth due out later. a string of solid earnings reports from us firms giving some optimism