tonight at six — hurricane irma leaves a trail of devastation in its wake. the eastern caribbean islands were first in line for a battering — at least nine people are dead. reduced to rubble — nine out of ten buildings in barbuda have been damaged. we had cars flying over our heads, we had a0 foot containers flying left and right. my whole house caved in. there was seven of us. and all we had to do was pray and call for help. britain offers £32 million for the relief effort and is sending a military task force. also tonight... mps clash over the brexit bill, which will transfer eu laws into british law. how likely are you to be a victim of crime? the answer might surprise you. the bbc launches a new online tool. first day at school for prince george — and william does the school run. and coming up in sportsday on bbc news...

premier league clubs vote to end the summer transfer window before next season starts. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. hurricane irma — one of the strongest ever recorded in the atlantic ocean — has destroyed almost everything in its path as it sweeps across the eastern caribbean. at least nine people are known to have been killed, with many more injured. the islands of barbuda and st martin were first to feel the full force of its 180mph winds. then came puerto rico and now it's heading northwest towards cuba and florida. with phone lines down, roads destroyed by flooding

and airports damaged, it's been difficult to get the latest information. our correspondent, laura bicker, reports from puerto rico. hurricane irma, as storm the size of france, has carved a destructive path through the caribbean. in puerto rico, three people were killed as winds battered the island. as daylight came and career began, most felt lucky to have survived such a storm. go! don't come here any more. this man told me he felt blessed to be alive and the only damage was downed power lines and fallen trees in the street. they have kept their age or say. there is a collective sigh of relief in puerto rico. there is work to be done, up to 30 foot waves threw up debris and downed trees but when it comes to that catastrophic eye of

the hurricane, that only skirted the island, unlike others in the caribbean. 0n the tiny island of barbuda, barely a building was left untouched. thousands of families find themselves homeless. the house, i lose my home, i lose my shop. everything is damaged. and right now, i have nowhere to go more sleep. we had cars flying over our heads, 40 foot containers flying left and right. and the story that you are getting from most of the residents is that the eye of the storm came just in time. persons we re storm came just in time. persons were literally tying themselves to their roots with ropes to keep them down. the prime minister said the island was barely habitable. what i saw was heart—wrenching. absolutely

devastating. in neighbouring saint maarten, the full force of the eye of the hurricane was caught on camera. winds of 185 mph the island. but than 70,000 people live in this area, which is made of dutch and french territories. shipping containers were tossed around like lego bricks. moored boats were smashed in the harbour and there are warnings that the death toll is likely to rise. france has sent three emergency teams to help with the corrupt and has already set up a reconstruction fund. in the british territory of anguilla, uk response was criticised as pathetic and disgraceful. the only hospital has been badly damaged and residents say they need food, water and shelter. a british task force is on its way

there, including royal marines and army engineers. efforts are under way to get supplies to the island of saint barts. the french government says the priority is making sure people have food and drinking water. the british virgin islands is the latest place to be pummelled. it is a tropical paradise transformed. hurricane irma is not finished. she has maintained her wind speeds and is barrelling towards another british territory— the low—lying turks and caicos islands. the us sunshine state of florida will be nextin sunshine state of florida will be next in her sights. they are nervous after watching others injure her rat. in a moment we will speak to will grant rat. in a moment we will speak to willgrant in rat. in a moment we will speak to will grant in havana. first, the latest from laura bicker who is in portugal. there is so much damage, places cut off, are you getting a sense of the scale of this disaster?

there is no doubt that hurricane irma is a terrifying force of nature and we did not feel the full force of the winter ski in puerto rico but even then, at times it felt and sounded like a jet engine was going off back outside and one resident in anguilla put it best, she said it felt like a nuclear bomb had gone off. when it comes to the damage in puerto rico and elsewhere are clear at this beginning but the problem with the hurricane like this is that it makes them fearful about what might come and there is another one in herwake, might come and there is another one in her wake, hurricane jose might come and there is another one in her wake, hurricanejose is already on his way. well in havana, they have seen what hurricane irma can do, what preparations are happening? yes, if the cubans were not aware of the sheer destruction and power of this storm, having seen

everything that has happened in the region, they are acutely aware right 110w region, they are acutely aware right now and people are doing what they can to stock up on clean water, to get fuel for generators, to board up homes and the government has put into effect evacuation orders on the eastern end of the island, trying to move communities into safer ground. they have closed schools already and of course there are tourists, a lot of course there are tourists, a lot of tourists in the lower lying regions, coastal regions. that is one of the resorts are so there is an international effort involving travel agencies, international embassies and the cuban government to try to get those people perhaps here to the capital in havana. thank you both. hurricane irma is now the longest lasting category 5 super—storm ever recorded, surpassing the record set by typhoon haiyan, which hit the philippines in 2013. so why has it gathered so much energy? and are these types of storm becoming more frequent? 0ur science editor, david shukman, explains. and menacing swirl of clouds

stretching over the caribbean. this view from space of hurricane irma shows its extraordinary scale. if it was over britain it would cover most of the country. our brave flight crew enter is right inside. and facing them with a staggeringly large walls of the inside of the eye. this hurricane has set a new record for having dangerously fast winds for the longest time. on the ground, the effect is shattering. this part of the world knows all about hurricane sue and an early warning has definitely saved lives, but this one is stronger than most. how do hurricanes become so destructive? the strongest form of back the coast of west africa, warm waters caused the error to rise, triggering thunderstorms and that is when the winds can circulate and as

this weather system crosses the atla ntic this weather system crosses the atlantic it grows and becomes stronger. if the winds are moving in the same direction at all levels, as with irma, they reached devastating speeds. closer to the caribbean, the hurricane gets another boast as it passes over yet more warm water. and ocean temperatures are unusually how this year, making the winds even more aggressive. 0n this year, making the winds even more aggressive. on top of this, the low pressure inside the hurricane creates a storm surge, a huge wave that strikes the coast. as climate change is changing the level of the sea, the impact is all the greater. as the people of the caribbean try to cope with the terrible aftermath, many are asking if there will be even more scenes like this as the world gets warmer. scientists say they do not know if hurricane sue will become more frequent but they do think they will become more violent. one of the things we know about climate change is a warmer atmosphere can hold more water. that means when a hurricane hits, more

rain can come out of it and cause more flooding and that is one thing we definitely know and another thing is the warmer oceans feed the hurricanes, they are the energy source so hurricanes, they are the energy source so i hurricanes, they are the energy source so i warmer ocean hurricanes, they are the energy source so i warmer ocean will lead to stronger hurricanes. this comes as the people of texas are still recovering from hurricane harvey last month. there are plenty of quiet years but this one is shaping up quiet years but this one is shaping up to be one of the most violent on record. this sequence shows how right behind irma there is another distinctive swirl of clouds— hurricanejose. distinctive swirl of clouds— hurricane jose. the distinctive swirl of clouds— hurricanejose. the research patrols have been kept busier than ever before. david shukman, bbc news. today marks another milestone in britain's brexitjourney. mps have started debating a bill that will repeal the 1972 act of parliament that took britain into the european union. the bill will also convert all eu legislation into uk law. finally — and this is controversial — it includes new powers for ministers to alter laws without full parliamentary scrutiny. labour has already said it

will not support the bill. 0ur political editor, laura kuenssberg, reports from westminster. from brussels to westminster, laws have landed here from the continent for 44 years. today's government bill will use 66 pages to try to tra nsfer bill will use 66 pages to try to transfer all of it. with 28 clauses, the withdrawal bill, it cuts and pastes the european real on two hours but if the government riles just six rebels, they would face defeat. villagers say it is nothing to worry about, just a paper exercise. 0pponents fear on these harmless looking pages there is a power grab on a huge scale. european union withdrawal bill, second reading. but sadly, this bill is an essential step. whilst it does not ta ke essential step. whilst it does not take us out of the european union,

thatis take us out of the european union, that is for article 50, it does ensure that on the day we leave, businesses know where they stand, workers' rights are upheld and consumers remain protected. this bill is vital to ensure that as we leave, we do so in an orderly manner. but there is so much to sort out that affects all of our lives, the government says there is no time for mps to take over every detail so ministers will be able to make twea ks ministers will be able to make tweaks here and there. that gives them the same power as medieval monarchs, says labour. the combined effect of the provisions of this bill would reduce mps to spectators as power poured into the hands of ministers and the executive. it is an unprecedented power grab, rule by decree is an affront to parliament and accountability. though the arguments are plenty, in the commons and in the lords, and esters privately concede they will have to give some ground but they also know

that it give some ground but they also know thatitis give some ground but they also know that it is far from the only scrap they face either at home or abroad. if talks about the overall brexit deal are going well, the official negotiator in brussels did a good job of hiding it this morning. complaining about the british unwillingness to talk about the cash. translation: unwillingness to talk about the cash. translationzlj unwillingness to talk about the cash. translation: i have been very disappointed in the british position, there is a problem of confidence, accusing the uk of backtracking. closer to home, a letter doing the rounds among tory mps has been linked to the bbc. dozens of brexit supporters demanding the prime minister sticks toa demanding the prime minister sticks to a crisp exit and not a longer, softer transition. warning ministers they must not allow the country to be kept in the eu by stealth. it was circulated, if not signed, by a junior member of the government. let us junior member of the government. let us take very explicitly that we are in favour of leaving the single

market and the customs union. he wa nt to ta ke market and the customs union. he want to take back control of our laws. we want a strictly time—limited transition period, we wa nt to time—limited transition period, we want to be able to strike free trade agreements with the rest of the world. all of that is consistent with government policy. remain tory mps don't buy that, during conservative divisions could burst again. in the tory party, in parliament and in the power struggle but the eu... no brexit! not much chance of keeping the peace. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. while mps have been debating here, the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, has been speaking in brussels. 0ur correspondent, damian grammaticas, was listening to him. we have also heard about some personal remarks being made about david davis? yes, you're right. this is internal minutes, official documents from the eu published

today of official conversations between michel barnier, the chief negotiator, and jean—claude juncker, the president of the commission. this is in july the president of the commission. this is injuly after the opening round of negotiations when they are discussing david davis. both of them questioning his approach to the talks, particularly the idea that he would come for an opening session, return to london, let the negotiators get on with things, come back for a closing session at the end of the week. michel barnier he needed someone high level to resolve political questions with. today they simply said they had no problems. michel barnier did say he had big issues with the substance at the minute, so on ireland the questions about the border — he said the uk had to put forward proposals on how to sort that out. the onus is on the uk, and on money he said there was a legal basis for every euro the eu is asking for, that david cameron had

approved the eu budget, and that all of that he said had to be honoured because the current uk approach to question legality was extremely negative for the outcome of these talks. back to you. thank you very much. our top story this evening... hurricane irma leaves a trail of devastation in its wake — at least nine people are known to have died in the caribbean. it's now heading for cuba. and still to come... england take charge of the deciding test against the west indies. we'll have the latest from lord's. coming up on sportsday on bbc news, ben stokes takes six wickets in the third test. jimmy anderson still needs one for 500. all of the details in sportsday at 6:30pm. if you go by the headlines, we should all be worried about crime. but do we really understand how likely we are to be victims? the bbc has launched

this new tool online — it's called the crime calculator. you put in some details about your gender, age, and where you live, and it'll show you how likely you are to be a victim of crime. it's been launched in conjunction with the office for national statistics, whose figures suggest that there is a gap between how we perceive the risk of crime, and the reality. our home affairs correspondent dominic casciani reports. crime seems to be everywhere. we watch it on tv, it's in the papers, and we talk about it on social media. surveys show many of us fear that crime is growing nationwide. the bbc‘s crime calculator gives you a more accurate idea of your personal risk. so here in reading, were people's perceptions on target? friends 0mar and victor are soon off to university, and they have both been victims of crime. my friend here, victor, he had his bike stolen from this

very spot, actually. but you personally, you never had anything specific like a bike stolen or a mobile phone stolen? i got my mobile nicked here as well, actually. so how does 0mar compare to the national average? a higher risk of being a victim of robbery, and a higher risk of theft. i didn't expect that, actually, for that to come out if i'm being perfectly honest. that was quite surprising. i did not expect that. victor gets a similar result. statistics show that young men are more at risk of crime. but as you get older, you actually become safer. you become safer? yeah. yeah, that is quite surprising, because you might expect older people to be more vulnerable to certain types of crime. the truth is, that as we get older, we live gentler and safer lives. we learn how to protect ourselves from crime. june, from the bowls club, has been a victim of online fraud. so how likely is she to be a victim of face—to—face crime? the calculator shows that people like her have a low risk. it's absolutely brilliant,

i can rest in my bed without worrying any more! it's ingenious this, actually. most of us get on with our daily lives without being too concerned about crime in our neighbourhoods, but official figures show that there is a real perception gap between the sexes. men are the most likely victims, yet they worry the least. women worry more, even though they are often safer than they may think. 0fficial surveys show that our fear of crime is influenced by the media, and what we see in the wider world around us. we cannot know for sure whether it will happen to us because many victims and offences simply are not included in the figures. but most experts still say that we are safer than we used to be. dominic casciani, bbc news. a brief look at some of the day's other news stories... the united nations says that nearly a quarter of a million muslim rohingyas have fled their homes in myanmar for bangladesh since october last year. two thirds of those have escaped in the last two weeks after attacks by rohingya militants led

to army reprisals. one in five people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual have experienced hate crime in the last year, according to new figures, but the vast majority don't report it to the police. the charity stonewall says three out of five gay men don't feel comfortable holding their partner's hand in the street. premier league clubs have voted to close the summer transfer window earlier from the start of next season. the new deadline will be 5pm on the thursday before the start of games next august. universities in england could face fines if they fail to justify paying their vice—chancellors more than the prime minister's salary of £150,000 a year. a new regulator for students will also force universities to publish details of all senior staff earning over £100,000 a year. 0ur education editor branwenjeffreys is here. why has this row blown up now? term

is about to start with people packing their bags for university and this year students in england will be facing tuition fees of £9,250. all of that money goes straight to universities so today the ministerjoejohnson was saying to vice chancellors, you have got to justify what you do with that and that includes your own salaries. 0n average 250,000 but some up to £400,000 a year. the promised too that the regulator will look at whether they are handing out too many top degrees. why now? one reason possibly the government has to make a tough decision in the next week or so, to decide whether to let fees go up with inflation again next year when they reach £9,500. thank you. prince george had his first day at school today. the four—year—old is attending thomas's school in battersea, south london, where he'll be known to his classmates as george cambridge. he was dropped off by prince william but the duchess of cambridge missed the occasion, as she's

suffering from severe morning sickness due to her pregnancy. nicholas witchell reports. it is a daunting day for any four—year—old, no matter who you are, and george arrived looking, well, understandably a little nervous for his first day at the new school in south london his parents have chosen for him. dad was there to take his hand and carry his schoolbag, but not mum. she had to remain at kensington palace, suffering from acute pregnancy sickness. each day at thomas's school in battersea starts with a handshake with the teacher. george knew what was required, as did his father. and then it was time for those shiny new school shoes to head for the classroom, to find the peg for george cambridge and to meet the 20 other four—year—olds — boys and girls — who will be in the reception class with him. for william, it may have prompted memories of the day 30 years ago when he was taken by his mother for his first day at school. back then, it was all rather more formal. a boys—only school complete

with a school cap. school caps and formality were much in evidence in 1957, when the queen took prince charles for his first day at his prep school. charles was in fact the first heir to the throne to go to school rather than to be tutored privately. fast forward 30 years and george's school offers a broad curriculum with a strong emphasis on sport and human values. it's a choice of school which represents a bit of a break with royal tradition. nothing too radical, of course, it's still private and fee—paying, but it is coeducational and the school has a strong emphasis on kindness. george will find that ‘be kind' is one of the guiding principles for pupils here, together with courtesy and humility. all useful qualities for a future king. nicholas witchell, bbc news, battersea. england's cricketers made a strong start to the third and decisive

test match at lord's today, bowling out west indies forjust 123. the series stands at 1—1. james anderson, meanwhile, began the match trying to reach 500 wickets in test matches — he needed just three more today. joe wilson was watching. this man prepared for the match with no plans for retirement. this man arrived at lord's knowing it was his final test, henry blofeld of test match special, dressed to stop the traffic for his final commentary. it's very good to be here, old thing. do we hope for something of a west indies revival to continue? certainly. i do, it would be lovely if they won the series. it would do their cricket so much good, wouldn't it? there's widespread goodwill towards sportsmen representing the caribbean, especially at this time. but runs in a test match are hard earned, especially with james anderson bowling... test wickets number 498 and 499 came before lunch, surely historic 500 would follow? the thing is — other england bowlers were excelling. ben stokes was making the ball

swerve and swing like never before. commentator: bowled him! repeatedly unplayable. .. as wickets fell to others, anderson was desperately trying to get one. how did that miss? the umpire didn't know... the west indies were nine down, another for stokes. caught by anderson. so, are you going to give me a chance to get my 500th? well, no. next ball 123 all out, and stokes's career—best figures. six wickets for 22, and the biggest compliment anyone could pay? that it reminded them of anderson. it's a team game and you only win test matches by batting well. england right now certainly are not, and ben stokes instead of resting right now is batting. and just about surviving. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. and you're going to start with

hurricane irma. absolutely. having caused widespread catastrophic destruction to parts of the caribbean, there will be residents feeling very worried at the moment in the turks and caicos islands and also the bahamas, as hurricane irma bears down on them. the main core of this hurricane will be close enough to bring torrential falls of rain and a similar picture too in cuba. it across the turks and ca icos too in cuba. it across the turks and caicos islands that in the next six hours we will see a direct hit. with winds gusting to 212 mph, a storm surge 20 foot high summer three times my height, we will see further catastrophic damage here in the turks and caicos islands, then florida later this weekend. here in the uk meanwhile it has been a cloudy day with outbreaks of rain

pushing southwards and that will continue overnight tonight. the heaviest rain sinking southwards into wales across the midlands, and by the end of the night reaching southern counties of england. all the while, some brisk winds blowing in showers across the rest of the uk but at least the winds will keep the temperature is up, 15 degrees the most. this rain could be heavy with thunder and gusty winds as well. to the north of the weather front, widespread showers and in between those showers probably only limited bright spells, probably the best of these across north—east england, where some could stay dry but i wouldn't bet on it. 15 degrees in glasgow, perhaps feeling autumn has set in place, and more coming this weekend with low pressure still with us, widespread showers in the forecast, often cloudy and becoming increasingly windy with gales in the second half of the weekend. we will

be keeping a close eye on what hurricane irma has been up to and we will keep the progress of that storm up—to—date on the bbc weather website. there is also more on the bbc twitter feed. a reminder of our main story... hurricane irma leaves a trail of devastation in its wake — at least nine people are known to have died in the caribbean. it's now heading for cuba. that's all from the bbc news at six. it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello.

this is bbc news. the headlines: hurricane irma continues to cause destruction across the caribbean. some islands are said to be completely destroyed. at least nine people are reported dead so far. britain is sending a military taskforce to help with humanitarian relief. this is the moment irma struck st martin, cutting communications and destroying the airport. the small island of barbuda is said to be "barely habitable". as these images from the space station show, irma is one of the biggest hurricanes ever recorded in the atlantic, roughly the size of france. the turks and caicos islands are expected to be hit next. in other news, mps have started debating the landmark brexit bill, which transfers thousands of pieces of eu regulation into british law. after weeks of deliberation, premier league clubs agree to close the summer transfer window before

the start of next year's football season. and prince george starts his first day at school, with a little encouragement from his father. but first, a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. we'll have the latest on the destruction caused by hurricane irma and where it's heading next. residents stranded on the turks and caicos islands tell about us what they're doing to prepare for a direct hit. as the storm continues to move across the caribbean, the former international development secretary baroness amos willjoin us