welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: thousands forced to evacuate as hurricane harvey heads towards texas — the category four storm could be the biggest to hit the us in more than a decade. the united states says north korea has fired three short—range missiles — but they pose no threat to the us territory of guam. one missile blew up almost immediately, and two failed in flight. protests turn deadly in india after a self—styled spiritual guru is convicted of rape, curfews are in place across several northern states. and counting down to the most—hyped fight of the year — mayweather versus mcgregor, it could be the richest in boxing history. welcome to the programme.

thousands of residents in texas have been told to evacuate their homes because of hurricane harvey, which is expected to make landfall shortly. the authorities warn it will be the worst to hit mainland america for more than a decade. this is a satellite picture of the category four storm as it approaches texas — with winds of 130 miles per hour. the national hurricane centre said storm surges may bring life—threatening floods in and around houston — and harvey could remain in the area until the middle of next week. james cooke reports from texas. the view from space as hurricane harvey barrels towards the united states of america. the storm blew up fast in the gulf of mexico, taking texans by surprise. now time is scarce to

prepare for the worst. it's a hurricane that will prove more dangerous than many hurricanes. not only are we going to be dealing with the high winds that typically come with what should be a category three hurricane, but we are going to be dealing with immense really record—setting flooding. in some coastal cities, though, evacuations were urged, not ordered. many people here are determined to ride it out. we're going to go ahead and stick it out here. we've got sand bags ready, food for about a week, we've got water, everything we need. but even before it arrives, harvey is threatening lives. here, ten critically ill babies are being evacuated from its path. getting out is not easy. the roads are clogged as tens of thousands of people seek shelter

away from a dangerous storm surge. the oil industry is bracing for a battering too. the area at risk produces some 7 million barrels a day. with production already slowing, oil prices are rising and at the pumps there is a rush to fill up, meaning that supplies are running short. so too is food and water. supermarket stocks are dwindling amid warnings about catastrophic flooding from torrential rain which may linger for days. in neighbouring louisiana, those warnings send a shiver through new orleans. in 2005, it was devastated by hurricane katrina. the city was ill—prepared and disaster followed. and yet this time it looks exposed again, with pumping stations not at full capacity. this is the first big domestic urgency for president donald trump, but the white house rejects claims that his administration is understaffed and inexperienced. some may defy the storm for now, but not for long. the authorities say a major disaster is just hours away. our correspondent, david willis has this update from washington.

it is now a category four, bearing down on the golf close to texas. it is due to hit landfall in a matter of hours —— gulf. president trump has been briefed by federal emergency officials. it is the first potential national disaster that he has to face as president. we all remember hurricane katrina, and those images which still haunt federal emergency officials to this day. more than 1000 people died. there was devastation caused to the city of new orleans. the national hurricane in centre says that to be iof hurricane in centre says that to be i of hurricane harvey is beginning to come onto land in the middle of

the texas coast. here are some pictures from earlier —— the eye. you can see the weather getting angrier and you can see the weather getting angrierand angry you can see the weather getting angrier and angry over the last few hours. you can see the waves crashing on to shore, that is going to bea crashing on to shore, that is going to be a feature of the coming days. a storm surge of several metres expected around the gulf of mexico. winds of up to 130 mph and what is thought to be catastrophic flooding. to give you an idea of the number of people that could be affected, about 8 million people have been given hurricane warnings. on the line is dr chris landsea, operations officer from the national hurricane centre in miami. can you give us an update on where this harry kane is and where it is making landfall? yes, as of 8pm

central daylight time, hurricane harvey was just offshore of texas in the united states. it was located about 60 kilometres east of corpus christi. unfortunately it continued to strengthen. it is a category for mac. that is what sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour, so that is very strong. there are multiple hazards, extreme wins. those kinds of winds can cause very substantial structural damage to your links, roofs, agriculture. as well, the strong onshore winds are going to be bringing storm surges of up to a0 metres. we are hopeful that the worst of it will come ashore in a not very populated area, but that remains to be seen. lastly, there is

going to be rainfall over the next five days, because hurricane harvey is going to be moving slowly. we might see up to one metre of rain in some parts of texas over the next five days. all three of those houses are extremely severe. we are looking at catastrophic flooding over the next few days. i was going to say, five days is quite an incredible amount of time. i guess that means that a lot of areas are not going to be able to watch this water away, and they? no, that is part of the problem. the onshore flow as well as the rain is contributing. with harry kane haavi staying close to the coast, that may continue producing onshore winds over the next few days over portions of texas. the ocean won't recede, and at the same time, the rain will continue to add to the flooding on the ground. the biggest cities are going to be in harm way

over the next few days. those would—be houston and corpus christi because of the extreme rainfall. changing category from three to four only happened in the last few hours, can you tell us why it was upgraded? we are very fortunate with the technology we have. we have brand—new satellites, ground—based radars. we also have the us air force and are keen hunters that have been watching and going through the storm or evening. the winds got a little bit stronger. it was not a dramatic jump. i little bit stronger. it was not a dramaticjump. i —— it went up ten commet as per hour, which triggered from category three to category four. this is a very powerful horror came, and the hazards of extreme wins, extreme storm surges and not now, but over the next five days,

perhaps one metre of rain. we appreciate your time on what must be appreciate your time on what must be a very busy and intense evening. we will be keeping across hurricane harvey here on bbc news, so do stay with us. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the us military says north korea has fired three short—range ballistic missiles. it said the first and third missiles failed in flight, and the second appeared to have blown up almost immediately. us pacific command said the launches did not pose a threat to the us territory of guam, which pyongyang threatened to target last month. more from our correspondent in seoul coming up later in the programme. a man has been shot and killed by security forces in brussels after attacking two soldiers with a knife. the man — a belgian of somali origin — shouted " allahu akbar" or " allah is the greatest."

prosecutors said they were treating the incident as a terrorist attack. the soldiers were slightly wounded. two police officers in london have been slightly wounded tackling an armed man outside buckingham palace. a man in his twenties has been arrested — the metropolitan police said it was too early to speculate on a motive. president trump has taken another step towards barring transgender people from the us military. he signed a memo banning recruitment and stopping payment for gender—related surgery for those already in the armed forces. he's left the fate of those already serving up to the pentagon. it's being reported that president trump's deputy assistant, sebastian gorka, has resigned. in a separate move, the us president also pardoned the controversial former arizona sheriff, joe arpaio. we are speaking out to a staff

writer with politico magazine. another resignation from the white house, explain why this is significant? in many ways, it is not especially significant. sebastian gorka was a national security adviser who seems to have never been given a security clearance. he was never really on the national security council wants mcmaster took over from security council wants mcmaster took overfrom michael flynn. he was not based in the white house but was based in the white house but was based next door in the office complex that is next door —— once. he was under the protection of steve bannon, he was not really doing much in hisjob and now bannon, he was not really doing much in his job and now that steve bannon is gone, sebastian gorka is leaving as well. in terms of this other announcement, a former arizona sheriff, that is going to be

controversial, isn't it? pardoning of this man? yes, the share of had been convicted of contempt of court. a federaljudge had ordered him to stop the pratt is of racial profiling. he was attempting to crack down on illegal immigration. donald trump was obviously elected ona donald trump was obviously elected on a promise of cracking down on illegal immigration. ohio endorsed the trump campaign back injuly of 2015. politically, this is on message for trump and obviously this is going to be controversial, if not explosive. it is friday evening on the east coast of the united states, and with a natural disaster possibly in the making in terms of harry kane haavl in the making in terms of harry kane haavi. what interesting timing for

this two events? —— hurricane harvey. yes, earlier this week donald trump t is that a rally in arizona that he was likely to pardon the sheriff, but he thought it would be too controversial to do it at that point. he has now done it at a point where the story is not going to get as much attention as it otherwise would have. thank you very much. a curfew has been imposed in two states in northern india after clashes which left 28 people dead. the violence in the town of panchkula followed the conviction of a self—styled holy man on rape charges. more than 100,000 supporters of gurmeet ram rahim singh had gathered there ahead of the verdict. after he was found guilty, thousands of them went on the rampage, as justin rowlatt reports. violence broke out almost as soon as the guilty verdict was handed down by the court in north india.

more than 100,000 of gurmeet ram rahim singh‘s followers had flocked to the town to demonstrate their support. they went on the rampage, burning cars and attacking the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. when that didn't subdue the crowd, they fired live ammunition, and there have been clashes elsewhere, too. this train was torched by an angry mob here in the indian, delhi. elsewhere in the city, buses have been set on fire. the guru has an absolutely enormous following, he estimates 50 million people, and the is that violence could spread in north india. guru ram rahim is a charismatic figure, he makes movies calling himself the messenger of god. his huge beard and flamboyant style has led to him being called "the baba of bling." despite his sometimes extraordinary appearance, he is regarded as a living saint by many of his followers.

this is the latest in a series of scandals here in india involving ascetics who claim exceptional spiritual powers. guru ram rahim insists his sect is a social welfare and spiritual group, but these two rape convictions aren't the only allegations of criminal behaviour. he has been accused of helping plan a murder and it is also claimed he persuaded a00 of his acolytes to have themselves castrated in order to get closer to god. it is that kind of devotion that explains the scale and intensity of the violence here in north india and also why the authorities are so concerned about it spreading. justin rowlatt, bbc news, delhi. 0k, ok, stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: we'll have the latest from vegas and one of the most hyped contests in boxing history. he is the first african—american

to accept the presidential nomination of a major party, and he accepts a5 years ago to the day that martin luther king declared, "i have a dream." as darkness falls tonight, an unfamiliar light will appear in the south—eastern sky. an orange, glowing disc that is brighter than anything save the moon — our neighbouring planet mars. there is no doubt that this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. it will take months, and billions of dollars, to re pair what katrina achieved injust hours. three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off duty in 117 years, so it was with great satisfaction that clockmaker john vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. welcome back. you are watching bbc

news. the latest headlines: thousands are forced to evacuate as hurricane harvey heads towards texas. the category a storm could be the biggest to hit the us in more than a decade. let's stay with that story, then. denise lange is on the line now from her home in galveston bay where the storm is due to make landfall shortly. denise, thank you for speaking to us. what can you see and hear out of your windows? right now, the storm is, we're right in the middle of a squall. we are seeing a bit of rainfall. he countries on my front ya rd rainfall. he countries on my front yard art bent over. just a lot of chaos going on outside right now. denise, we're looking at live

features. —— the palm trees in my front yard are. what warnings have you had about leaving? we live on a peninsular, and access is by its very or peninsular, and access is by its very 01’ one peninsular, and access is by its very or one roadway out. —— ferry. the last ferry went at five p. m.. so we are trapped here. we haven't lost electricity at, but it is imminent that we will. denise, how to ask how worried are you? this is my third harry kane. we were here for ike and rita, and we are both first responders. so we have to be close.

-- third responders. so we have to be close. —— third hurricane. but my house is on stalls. i am 12, 13 feet up on the ground. so i'm not worried about water getting in. the water is only supposed to get to four to five feet here. but for some others will get really bad. our biggest issue is when all the rain wake getting dumped north of us starts making its way back down to the gulf. that is we will see heavy flooding here. as a first responder, will you be heading out to help people?” a first responder, will you be heading out to help people? i am hoping not. we have large contingency of people here who are volunteer firefighters, and my husband and i arejust volunteer firefighters, and my husband and i are just secondary call. so they will be taking first, and if they get swamped, they will call us on. they will not be thinking that will be coming to pass. denise, thank you for speaking to us. we hope stay safe where you are at, there, in dallas and eight.

—— in galviston bay. more now on those short—range missiles fired by north korea. let's get the very latest from seoul in south korea — and our correspondent yogita limaye. tell us more about the missiles that have been fired? the us and south korean military say that these were fired on saturday morning, from the north—eastern province of north korea, in north—eastern direction. all three launches are said to have failed. they say to it exploded mid—flight, while one exploded premotor soon as it was launched. they said that there is no threat to guam orany they said that there is no threat to guam or any other american territory. that is in reference to a threat that north korea had made about ten days ago, saying it would fire for rockets at the waters around guam. it is important to distinguish this particular law shortly to launch as we saw injuly.

those were intercontinental ballistic missile launches, very long—range ones, and north korea said they were even capable of hitting the us mainland. this is short—range missile testing. but this is important because the us and south korean forces are conducting joint military exercises, and they have been since last week. these will continue for the next few days. we always see some kind of response from north korea when those drills are conducted. last year, shortly after the joint are conducted. last year, shortly after thejoint drills, are conducted. last year, shortly after the joint drills, we saw the revving of rhetoric. after the joint drills, we saw the rewing of rhetoric. thank you very much forjoining us, yogita. iraqi forces say they have broken through the defences of so—called islamic state and reached the centre of the city of tal afar. close to the syrian border, the city is one of the jihadists' last remaining strongholds in iraq after they were driven out of the city of mosul. the iraqi offensive to liberate the city has been under way for six days.

sarah corker reports. iraqi soldiers fire rockets at is positions in tal afar. so—called islamic state has held the city in northern iraq since 201a. —— tal afar. the battle in alleys, streets, and houses is fierce. iraqi forces say they have now seized about three quarters of the city, breaking through is defences. translation: the unions move towards oui’ translation: the unions move towards our neighbourhood, which has only about 5% left to retake from islamic state. then we will announce the liberation of this area. what remains is one neighbourhood, the citadel known as the old city of tal

afar. the city was once a main supply route for is, and is one of its last remaining strongholds in ir. tens of thousands of civilians have already fled, and food and water is running out. in one neighbourhood, soldiers found these vehicles, believed to have been prepared as car bombs by is. translation: while inspecting these liberated areas, we found the storage warehouses and these vehicles. we are continuing our search of the whole area. they also discovered a network of tunnels, packed with missiles and minds, which government troops then blew up. —— mines. it is estimated up to 2000 militants remain in the north—eastern quarter. the un has warned that around 30,000 civilians are trapped by the fighting. sarah

corker, bbc news. the circus has begun in las vegas ahead of one of the biggest fights boxing has ever seen. at the weigh in, the boxer floyd mayweather and the mixed martial arts star connor macgregor stood before the crowd in the t mobile stadium, where they will go head to head on saturday night. the fight has been dismissed as a stunt by boxing purists who say macgregor — who's not fought professionally before — won't stand a chance. but he's still confident he can win. that is the worst shape i have ever seen him in. he looks blown out, out of shape. i'm going to breeze breeze through him. trust me on that. there was a lot of talk about you having trouble to make weight, you did not. how tough was that? 153. i'm a professional. that's it. it is dedication and focus, but i make it. and that's it. look at me, i am in peak physical condition. i put in the work, as everyone can see. i'm ready.

it won't go the distance, mark my word. this was the last time in your life that you will ever have to get on the scale. has that set in, and what role does that play in final fight, that this will be your final fight? ? ijust want to thank the fans. i'm not worried about the scale or the last time. this will be conor mcgregor's last fight, also. that is why they call it fighting talk. and a reminder of our top story. a major hurricane and is travelling towards texas, and has developed into a category four storm. that is sustaining winds of 113 mph. it is already hit corpus christi. you can see the pictures there. the winds are picking up and there. the winds are picking up and the coastline is being battered by ways. storm surge is the big fear in the coming days. it is due to hang around taxes for five days. ——

battered by waves. hello. i'll get to the uk weekend forecast in just a moment, but first of all, what a night in texas. dealing with a major hurricane. this is it on the satellite picture, here. but it's a hurricane that's just going to hang around for several more days to come, which means the rain willjust keep on coming. this is how it looks during saturday, bright colour showing the intensity of our rain. but sunday into monday, as well, it's still close by. we are talking hundreds of millimetres of rain, here. catastrophic, life—threatening flooding could well be taking place over the next few days in texas. we'll keep you updated. onto our weekend weather, and some warm, sunny spells on the way for many of us. the chance for catching a shower. but for saturday and sunday, even though there'll be some around, most of us will not. sun for england to begin with on saturday. some showers one or two even in northern england. most places will avoid those and stay dry. if you do get shower in scotland, it could still be on the heavy side,

maybe with a rumble of thunder, but pleasant when the sun makes an appearance, and some spots with temperatures into the mid—20s. the cricket at headingley, as it continues for the next few days, things will warm up. it is a mainly dry picture. broken cloud and sunshine, turning breezy by the time we get to monday. as to the women's rugby world cup final in belfast on saturday evening, a fair bit of cloud around, by then, but is likely dry, and temperatures will ease away after the warmth of the day. this is a picture through saturday night. dry for most of us. the odd mist and fog patch developing, after a clearer night on saturday night in sunday morning. temperatures for some of us will be a little bit lower. a fine start to sunday. a bit more breeze in scotland, some patchy light rain to be had, here. but the vast majority will be dry. i don't necessarily expect clear blue sky. there will be some areas.

sunday looks like it will be a warm day, too. eastern scotland, temperatures will get to 20 celsius, but the higher temperatures will be in england and wales, low to mid—20s. that will continue on monday. ahead of the weather system, more outbreaks of rain in scotland and northern ireland on monday. if it is a bank holiday where you are, there are big contrasts across the uk on monday. so you can see the rain moving across scotland gales in northern ireland, but that sunshine for many across england and wales. and quite a range of temperatures, too. it will be on the cool side in the wind in scotland and northern ireland, but becoming very warm for a time in south—east england. this is bbc news — the headlines.

a major hurricane travelling towards the coast of texas has developed into a category four storm, with sustained winds of 200 kilometres an hour. thousands of residents have boarded up their homes and fled. up to a metre of rain is expected to fall on texan cities. the latest short—range missiles launched by north korea appear to have been unsuccessful. the united states military one missile blew up almost immediately and two failed in flight. the latest firings come during a joint us—south korea military exercise, which has been strongly criticised by pyongyang. at least 23 people have been killed in violent protests over the rape conviction of a popular religious leader in northern india. the victims are believed to be followers of the self—styled spiritual guru, gurmeet rahim singh. now on bbc news, stephen sackur

reports from eastern libya