Cyclone Chido brought wind speeds of more than 220km per hour, flattening areas where the poorest people lived in sheet-metal roof shacks. The French President Emmanuel Macron said he will be travelling to the French Overseas Territory in the Indian Ocean in "the coming days", as he pledged to support fellow citizens, civil servants and emergency services involved in rescue efforts. We hear from Senator Salama Ramia from Mayotte who sits in the French Senate in Paris.

Also on the programme: why members of the Alawite community of ousted Syrian President Assad are fearful of the future despite assurances from the country's new rulers; and we pay tribute to Indian tabla musician Zakir Hussain who has died aged 73.

(Photo: Aftermath of Cyclone Chido in Mayotte Credit: Reuters/Chafion Madi)