this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 8.00pm: hurricane irma pounds cuba with winds of more than 150mph. the cuban the cu ban authorities the cuban authorities did try to move large numbers of people out of harm's way, but still many have been left, particularly in the central province. we understand there are many thousands of people there about power. as the casualty toll mounts, it's confirmed five people have been killed in the british virgin islands. another person died in anguilla. as the storm approaches florida, governor rick scott gave a stark warning to residents that they must seek shelter. millions of people from florida will see major impacts with deadly, deadly, deadly storm surge and life—threatening wins. deadly, deadly storm surge and life—threatening wins. in other news: the manchester arena re—opens tonight with a benefit concert

more than three months after the terrorist attack which killed 22 people. and england's cricketers wrap—up the series against the west indies, winning the third test at lord's by nine wickets. good evening and welcome to bbc news. hurricane irma is continuing to sweep its way across the caribbean, en route to the us coast, leaving a path of devastation. in cuba, a million people, almost a tenth of the country's population, have been moved to safety, along with thousands of tourists. state media said it was the first time the eye of a category 5 storm had made landfall in the country for eighty—five years. winds pounded cuba's northern coast, causing flooding

and bringing down power lines. the bahamas have largely been spared after the storm changed course. this is irma's trajectory. it's expected to make landfall with us coast tomorrow, before heading inland. in florida, more than six million people, a quarter of its population, have been told to evacuate. officials have confirmed that six people have been killed in british virgin islands and anguilla. and there's another hurricane approaching the caribbean. jose has strengthened to a category four, driving winds of i25mph and forecasters warn it could strengthen still further the bbc‘s aleem maqbool is in miami and sent this report. there's little left for people to do in florida but to get somewhere safe and wait.

this hurricane shelter, like so many more across the city, is packed to capacity. wejust decided, we were going to leave. we got up and saw on the tv all the traffic backed up, to atlanta. we said, we have waited too late to leave. so we stayed. i mean, we left everything, you know. our furniture. our appartment. our apartment. but like i would say, material things, we can build them again. i think the most important is the family, you know? after days of talking, after all the warnings, it is now starting to feel real for the people of florida. the skies have darkened, the winds have picked up, and in the coming hours, people here expect to be in the firm grip of hurricane irma. power lines were brought down and

buildings badly damaged. nasa's recorded this spectacular footage of the eye of irma, and its massive cloud mass all on a projected course for florida. if you are in and evacuations and you have got to get out now. this is a catastrophic storm that this state has never seen. we can rebuild your house, you can't rebuild your life and we can't rebuild your family. in spite of the huge evacuation of the state, there are many in florida, like vince, who want to stay in their homes with their belongings right through the hurricane. what's out of your hands, out of mother nature's hands, you can't control. what you can control is boarding up, protecting it, having water and generators, having gas. making sure there are no big trees

right next to your house. you think you're going to be ok? i think so, yes. but thousands don't want to risk gambling with nature. they‘ re anxious, though, about the city they will emerge out into once irma has passed. aleem maqbool, bbc news, miami, florida. let's ta ke let's take you to sunny isles beach in miami. this is a live shot. we got this via the internet. you can see that the sea is getting rough and the palm trees are short and you just hide the wind has been building up. hurricane irma has become a category three storm as it crossed the coast of cuba, but it is still packing a punch. for florida itself,

because it has turned very slightly, the pat perez varied a little bit, it is neither west coast of people are worried about. naples and the west coast of florida are expected to get a direct hit. the national hurricane centre have increased their storm surge risk. some parts of the coastal areas could see as storm surge of between ten and 15 feet. we were hearing from the governor earlier he said that those heights your house will be submerged. that is the latest on hurricane irma. earlier i spoke to major richard rand from the north miami beach police department and he explained to me how they are preparing ahead of hurricane irma hitting the state of florida we are concerned. we have a residential neighbourhood section thatis residential neighbourhood section that is very close to the beach. the police department is very well

prepared. you can see this vehicle behind me. look at the size of it. we would use this to save people. if ican take we would use this to save people. if i can take you inside real quick, the officers will be taking people out of the flooded areas and rescued in them and bringing them in this vehicle. the government spoke about ais vehicle. the government spoke about a 15 foot storm surge. the size of the tyres and this awesome machine, we are prepared. we are doing everything we can to make sure that we are prepared for the hurricane to keep the residents safe and rescue anybody that needs rescuing. that is fantastic. how long do you anticipate you will have to wait before you can venture right onto the streets of miami to start rescuing people and finding those that need your help? we are

definitely going to set the store out and we will send officers i'd as soon as out and we will send officers i'd as soon as it is safe for us to give out there. probably sunday night, early monday morning depending on weather the storm slows down speeds up. whatever the situation is, we are completely prepared to get out there. it already looks very breezy behind you. it looks wet, too. are you happy with the way the evacuation order has been heeded by the residents? yes, i can tell you the residents? yes, i can tell you the north miami beach police department as well as partnering agencies and the miami dade county did an excellent job agencies and the miami dade county did an excellentjob in mourning as residents together. unfortunately, some people want to stay in their homes and with a storm like this, it is not recommended. we are hearing about people being told to head out to the shelters. for the people who can go to the shelters, where is the

safest place, where else could they have looked to try to seek safety? we have had families to northern florida, not even further than that because the stormers moving north. we're asking people to reach out to theirfamily we're asking people to reach out to their family and friends who are not in evacuation soon to possibly stay with somebody else. if the shelters are fool you are doing everything we possibly can to relocate these people, even if we have to take them to another county. what is your first port of call once irma has passed the new venture right onto the streets, what do you look for first in what is your priority? our priority is to rescue anybody that needs our help, to protect property, to enforce the law, to make sure that the bad guys are not doing some of the things that are usually do after the storms. our number one priority is to save people's lives.

officials in cuba say hurricane irma has caused "significant damage" along the northern coastline. tomasz schafernaker from the bbc weather team is in naples in florida. this is one of the areas that has been highlighted as facing the risk ofa been highlighted as facing the risk of a possible direct hit from irma. what if you find their? well, we arrived earlier on today. we drove from fort lauderdale across the everglades into naples. i have to say it is a very eerie calm before the storm here. naples is facing a

potential direct hit according to the national hurricane centre and the national hurricane centre and the biggest concern in this part of the biggest concern in this part of the world is of course the storm surge. where i am currently standing, we are at about maybe a0 feet above mean sea level and the storm surge as you are indicating earlier has been upgraded to possibly maybe 15 feet. so where i am standing right now, within the next day, the water could potentially be running through this entire area. this entire area could be underwater completely as we are not far away from the coastline itself. it is eerily quiet, notjust because the weather has not necessarily deteriorated yet, it is eerily quiet because there are very few people here. these are the

people that are still trying to get out. the government that says that anybody who decides to stay in naples it is almost like suicide. we have seen some people having little arguments here at the petrol station. it is a reflection of how intense the atmosphere is. i can tell you there is little sign of anybody necessarily wanting to stay here. most people seem to be wanting to get out. remind us of the timescale. it is set to make line fall —— landfall when? timescale. it is set to make line fall -- landfall when? it depends what we define as hit. well in advance of the actual landfall, the storm surge will start to come in and the strong winds will start to build. it is already getting a little bit windy. i don't know if

you can hear to the microphone, but you can hear to the microphone, but you could hear an ominous home in the air. the thinking is that probably in about 12 hours, up to 18 hours, we will be getting winds of hurricane force. we keep hearing about the size of irma and when you compare it to the state of florida, they are saying it is three times they are saying it is three times the size. also the dirty side of irma. what does that mean? yes, the dirty side of irma is actually a technical term, to an extent. basically, hurricanes are divided in such a way, almost lit and have that one side of the hurricane tends to bring stronger winds and heavy rainfall. the other side of the hurricane tends to bring less strong wind and less strong rainfall. it all depends of the direction of how

the storm moves. just so happens that as the moves northwards parallel to the west coast of florida, most of the state of florida, most of the state of florida will be on the dirty side of the hurricane, meaning that the winds will be coming in from the south, pushing in the storm surge that will be inundating coastal areas all the way from cape canaveral down through miami beach, all the way round the everglades and in particular this area around naples, which is extremely low lying and the eye of the storm is set to pass here, where the storm surge will be highest. harvey was slow—moving. how fast is irma? will be highest. harvey was slow-moving. how fast is irma? irma is moving relatively slowly and that is moving relatively slowly and that is an indication that it is starting to turn possibly north towards florida. it will be picking up speed

as it moves florida. it will be picking up speed 3s it moves across florida. it will be picking up speed as it moves across florida. harvey was a completely different story, it nearly stalled in taxes which is why they had all of that rainfall. this is more of a storm surge and wind problem, but there will be a lot of rainfall here, perhaps 20 inches of rain. thank you. stay safe. officials in cuba say hurricane irma has caused "significant damage" along the northern coastline. 0ur correspondent will grant gave this update from the capital, havana they have been very, very badly hit. for example, a fishing village, a well—known fishing village, called caibarien is largely submerged under water. that whole coastline is very popular with tourists, and we understand several quays are now cut off from the mainland. and water has surged over the sea walls in a number of areas along the northern coast here, in havana, where a lot of tourists and cuban people were brought for protection is also now facing a hurricane warning.

i can tell you that the winds are whipping up significantly at this stage. a lot of people are worried about the rain being dumped, that can cause storm surges in what is obviously a coastal city here in havana. a short time ago, the defence secretary michael fallon spoke after a chairing a cobra meeting. he outlined the current rescue and recovery effort being rolled out by the government. 0urship 0ur ship has been helping across the islands. there are troops now on the islands, but in total we have 500 troops in the region by tonight. we have two or three flights now going out each day bringing further troops, further engineers, medical support, palettes of temp two and

civilian police and helicopters to make sure that the aid can be properly distributed. the relief operation now is well underway. we can get more now on the british virgin islands. we have been talking to someone there about how they are trying to prepare themselves before hurricanejose. trying to prepare themselves before hurricane jose. people are trying to gather supplies. some of those stores are open, some of the road to rope in. it is getting better. the community is pulling together. rope in. it is getting better. the community is pulling togetherlj imagine this is a time when people are imagine this is a time when people a re really imagine this is a time when people are really trying to help each other. we have heard reports of looting on some islands. is anything like that happening there, concerns over security? yes, in torture will,

as far as over security? yes, in torture will, as farasi over security? yes, in torture will, as far as i know, it has been sort of controlled by the curfew that has been put in place since last night. have you received word of any aid coming from outside sources? yes, there are a couple of navy ships in there are a couple of navy ships in the area. there have been helicopters coming in. other than that, i heard there is some evacuee lists for the people most critically injured. after that it is kind of... it isa injured. after that it is kind of... it is a kind of weird and see. just to clarify, are you a resident on the british virgin islands or on holiday? yes, i'm from the us and have been a resident for 15 years. i

runa company have been a resident for 15 years. i run a company down he recalled the looking glass. my office is a total loss. a lot of my friends have been displaced. a lot of people are far away from home right now. but do you plan to stay? i plan to evacuate. i lost my house and my car and my office. the current living situation isiam in office. the current living situation is i am in the kpmg holding down time. their staff has been coming regularly. i have a family of five, i have five—month—old triplets, and we're waiting to hear about evacuation options. are a lot of people sheltering in business premises? i think so. people sheltering in business premises? ithink so. it people sheltering in business premises? i think so. it would be exempt because a lot of businesses have back—up generators. exempt because a lot of businesses have back-up generators. in the long term, will you come back to the british virgin islands? absolutely.

it is my home. i will get my office in order abroad and i will come back and try to do some good. nick, what is communication like on the islands in terms of conversations between people on the various islands?m in terms of conversations between people on the various islands? it is very difficult. there is limited mobile phone service. 0ne very difficult. there is limited mobile phone service. one of the carriers as part of the island, another carrier has another part. it is hard to coordinate the communication. all of that up—to—date information gets buried quickly on facebook, which is what i would say is the primary source of most of working indication. lee miles is a professor of crisis and disaster management at the bournemouth university and hejoins us live. a lot of criticism of the uk

government in terms of their response to the territories in the caribbean. what is your assessment? 0ne caribbean. what is your assessment? one has to be careful because initially we had set sophisticated management systems in place in the bvi and the mounts bay aid vessel is there. there was some provision in place, but the size of this hurricane was so large and the fact that it affected more than one area... it has been the case that more was needed. the commitment by the british government has been fairly substantial. some criticism has been about how quickly it has got there, but in the british case, unlike other islands around there, like the french and the dutch ones, we don't have permanent bases there

and that means that most of the stuff has to come in. another important point is that you don't wa nt to important point is that you don't want to commit to many of your resources before the hurricane comes in because they may be put in harms way and may be damaged by the hurricane. it is important in the response stage, if you like, that you can't commit as much resources as possible. we are starting to see that in a positive way. the size of the task is not a huge and it will bea the task is not a huge and it will be a major challenge. it is important to think about resilience, whether joy to jamaica but response affect the way you think about recovery. i understand you spent a bit of time on the british virgin islands looking at their preparedness. what is their biggest weakness? it is a very diverse group of islands. the bvi has a very

advanced system of disaster management and it has won awards for it. we were working with them very closely. we have something called the single point of failure, and we try to identify that. there are great differences between the islands meaning there are higher levels of vulnerability between them. in practice, that means that if there are small issues, little points of problems with people, places, policies, that if there is a specific failure, it will lead to a failure of a major part of the system. the problem with these very large hurricanes, they'd make things different. when you say major issues, what are you talking about, coordination between different governments? is a power lines, food, energy, accessibility? you're

probably right. these are small islands with high degrees of vulnerability, particularly in the structure and communications. if they get knocked out, as we find in most of the islands of the overseas territories, it leads the fundamental problems because it is when you talk about the response and then moving into recovery phase, you need to get the infrastructure back online. if you don't have the airports, ports and road networks not working, you can't get to the people. that is why getting helicopters has been so important, because you can make an important assessment of the risk. how long does it take to get infrastructure back up and running? the pictures we have seen an hour of utter devastation. beautiful blue skies, everything but score just, devastation. beautiful blue skies, everything but scorejust, but devastation. beautiful blue skies, everything but score just, but you can't imagine that anybody could live there. you are perfectly right.

0ne live there. you are perfectly right. one of the notable features about this hurricane is that they are indiscriminate phenomenon. 0ne this hurricane is that they are indiscriminate phenomenon. one of the challengers one would face here is for example if your power generation goes down, that really is a fundamental problem. in most of the overseas territories we may have a very picture. that means that when we have so many a very picture. that means that when we have so many overseas a very picture. that means that when we have so many overseas territories to deal with, the british government help has to be very selective. we need to address the specific points of failure. lee miles, professor of crisis and disaster management at bournemouth university, thank you very much. there is plenty more on hurricane irma and hurricanejose, thatis hurricane irma and hurricanejose, that is causing a lot of problems for the bvi, barbuda, a number of

islands very worried. more on both of those hurricanes on our website. rescue operations are underway in mexico after its most powerful earthquake in nearly a century killed more than 60 people. three of the poorest states in the country suffered the most, losing hundreds of buildings. president pena nieto has declared a national day of mourning. the bbc‘s juan paullier travelled to juchitan where the destruction is widespread. almost 2a hours after the earthquake, the rescue operations are still underway, because one person is still missing here in juchitan. it's a policeman that works in the city town hall, part of this 19th—century building collapsed. this was the most affected place by the most powerful

earthquake to hit the country in almost a century. it was almost the biggest experienced anywhere this year. a few seconds were enough to leave behind a trail of destruction, and reduce parts of the city to rubble. this is a tragedy in one of the poorest parts of mexico, and many people here, not only grieving over the deaths of relatives, the friends, the neighbours, but they are also deeply distressed by the destruction of their hometown, and concerned about their own immediate future, they simply don't know where they're going to live. manchester arena's doors have opened this evening for a special benefit concert, nearly four months after the suicide bombing which killed 22 people. the event is being headlined by noel gallagher's high flying birds. danielle hewson has been

there for us this evening and we spoke to her a little earlier just as the doors to the arena had opened. there has been a steady stream of people. the doors opened at five o'clock and people have been arriving in good time because there are stringent security checks in place. there are lots of armed police about to make people feel secure. it will be an emotional night, the first time the venue has been open since the bomb attack in may when 22 people lost their lives in of course many parents, children, the youngest of those who lost their life was just eight years old. the man who will be opening the entire show is poet tony walsh and i caught up show is poet tony walsh and i caught up with him earlier. it is notjust my responsibility, there is a fantastic line—up. i have the honour of opening the show. i will perform

the paul mbappe shared in albert square of the day after the bombing. it was quite a moment that night and people said nice things about it since, andi people said nice things about it since, and i think it will be a nice moment again this evening. it will bea moment again this evening. it will be a bridge between that day in the state, then we can move on with the show. people are seeing this as a bridge, away to remember what happened, but then move forward for the venue and city. tonight is about to 22 people who lost their lives. we are paying respects. we are raising money to create a permanent memorial. we are going to have a good time, as well. that is the spirit of manchester, we need to bounce back from this. how important was at that artists from this area we re was at that artists from this area were here tonight? it is all about ownership, proving what manchester can do when faced with adversity? we

have great artist here in manchester and they have all stepped up. it will be a mass of moment when noel gallagher steps up. rick astley, the man, the legend, it will be great! people are apprehensive coming here this evening, even if they weren't here that evening in may, they are still worried about turning up. sarah, you said that when you came up sarah, you said that when you came up the hill and saw the venue to give the butterflies. yes, i been all rights all day, but as soon as we crossed the hill and saw the steps, just a feeling of why we have come today, really. you just have to be wary. it is a sad feeling. you are bringing your daughter here later in the year because you put the ticket is way ahead of time and you are worried about that. we got the tickets last year for a little mix. the thought of bringing my nine—year—old, and thinking, should i. nine—year—old, and thinking, should i, shouldn't i question but they

have too. you can't be scared. it is what it is. barbuda you say you can't be scared? no, we need to show we are not scared that is why we have today. there was a huge amount of security here and there are councillors present, does that make things feel better? single the police around gives you the confidence that it will be ok, everything will be fine. it is also about a celebration, i looking forward to the evening? yes, we found out last night that peter kay is here, we can't wait. we want to remember that the people have come for a good reason and be happy from them. and of course, all the money raised from this sell—out event tonight will go to a memorial which will remember those who lost

their lives when the bomb went off backin their lives when the bomb went off back in may. england's cricketers beat west indies by nine wickets. jimmy anderson who celebrated his 500 landmark in this match finished with a new career best figures of 7—a2. the match also saw henry blair felt the best—known voice of cricket commentatorfor the the best—known voice of cricket commentator for the last time. let's get more on hurricane 0mar. we are going to cross the newsroom and speak to philip avery. we were talking to your colleague in florida and he gave us a time frame of about 12 to 15 hours? yes, and some. 12 to 15 hours? yes, and he gave us a time frame of about 12 to 15 hours? yes, and some. i'm just get a blizzard of context on things, but a lot of names pinioned

around. iwant things, but a lot of names pinioned around. i want to show you here the relative positions between burma and jose. the worry for the people in barbuda should be dimensioning. the whole system, as we speak, with regards to the wind, is more powerful as we speak, than hurricane irma. thankfully, the track is taken and it increasingly away from the islands of the caribbean and out into the open waters. that is not the case with hurricane irma. we expected to pick up strength as it moves into the southern parts of florida. here we are into sunday, then into monday, that is still a powerful storm. thomas was talking about the dirty side of the storm, what he would have added also is the prospect not only of the circulation being pretty devastating but also

the eastern side tornadoes. thankfully, things have been quite in the british isles, although we have had our howard thunderstorms to contend with. many peppered across england, to finish of the afternoon, they will tend to fade away, pressure just they will tend to fade away, pressurejust building, things turning quite overnight, little mist and fog and some chill, too. four or 5 degrees in east anglia and then things will pick up. a blanket of cloud will pull over in the night and matt turned into a wet old do in much of scotland and ireland. through sunday morning, come the afternoon, as the weather front moves further north and east, look at this, great peppering of really blustery showers coming in across scotla nd blustery showers coming in across scotland and northern ireland, the weather front yet to manifest itself but it was on sunday, and look at the number of isoba rs

but it was on sunday, and look at the number of isobars here. 60 mph gusts through the bristol channel area for the early hours of monday. because of the low pressure, it will be the day of blustery old showers, widely spread across the british isles. relief comes on tuesday, a quieter day, as the pressure begins to build again. a lot going on. more on all of the above on the bbc with a website. —— on the bbc weather website. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: hurricane irma is battering cuba with heavy rain and winds of more than 150 miles per hour — hitting the north of the country after already devastating several caribbean islands and killing and killing at least 20 people. 6.3 million people — a quarter of the state's population to evacuate their homes before the storm arrives tomorrow.

the united nations is warning of an unprecedented refugee crisis in myanmar. it says more than a quarter of a million rohingya muslims have crossed the border into bangladesh. the manchester arena is re—opening this evening — for the first time since the suicide bombing in may, which killed 22 people. extra security measures are in place for the show. inafew in a few minutes, we will be joined by viewers on bbc one for a full round—up of the news with kate silverton but first, let's return to hurricane irma. the hurricane is beginning to batter the us state of florida. the governor of florida said there was already optical wins and the sawn sturge high enough to

cover a house was probable long sections of the coast. it continues to remain a category three storm with winds of 125 mph. this is a deadly storm and our state has never seen a thing like it. millions of civilians will seen major hurricane impacts with deadly, deadly, deadly storm surges and life—threatening wings. there is a significant threat of saum sturge flooding —— storm surge flooding along the entire west coast of florida and this has increased to 15 feet of impact above ground level. 15 feet of impact above ground level. think about that. 15 feet is devastating. it will cover your house. in the tampa bay area, the

surge is forecast to be five to eight feet. think about that. the city —— the typical first story is ten to eight feet. this is a life—threatening situation. remember, the storm surge comes in after the wind, do not think the storm is over when the wind slows down. local officials will let you know when it is safe. the storm surge will rush in and it could kill you. seen anything like it. millions of floridians will see a major hurricane impact with deadly, deadly, deadly storm surge. this is a place that has been through some hard times. a night of mixed emotions as manchester arena reopens after the bomb attack that killed 22 people. relatives of those who died join the audience. and england beat the west indies to win the test series.

good evening. hurricane irma continues to leave a trail of destruction across the caribbean, today hitting the largest island cu ba's northern coastline, cutting power and engulfing villages in storm surges. the hurricane hit in the early hours of this morning, with winds of up to 160mph. more than a million people have been forced from their homes and thousands of tourists — many of them british — have been left stranded. it's expected to reach florida early tomorrow, landing initially in the florida keys and then moving across the southwest of the state. more than five million people there have been ordered to leave their homes in recent days. those that stayed are told it is now too late to leave.

we'll be getting the latest from florida but first this report from will grant in the cuban capital, havana. cu ba ns cubans had hoped they might avoid the worst of hurricane irma. they had no such luck. with the full force of a category 5 storm, the hurricane tore through the ireland's northern shore, the storm surge must com pletely northern shore, the storm surge must completely engulfing several small fishing villages. electricity and communication links are out across swathes of the country. as some communities along the coast were wondering how they will ever rebuild... 0thers wondering how they will ever rebuild... others are bracing themselves for irma's impact. even in the big cities, people are getting nervous. translation: in the big cities, people are getting nervous. translationzlj in the big cities, people are getting nervous. translation: i am really worried, my home is in a good state so i hope the hurricane starts moving out to sea. it is one of the biggest storms we have ever seen so we have to get ready. as hurricane irma rumbles down the coast of cuba, even those places that were supposed

to this serve as safe havens that the capital, havana, or under hurricane warning and for the many thousands who are evacuated here, they are just thousands who are evacuated here, they arejust hoping thousands who are evacuated here, they are just hoping they still have homes to go back to. cuba was in the middle of the tourism boom when the storm struck and thousands of holiday—makers found themselves suddenly trapped in the biggest terror came to hit cuba in more than 80 years. among them, a british couple who were evacuated from their honeymoon. they blame their tour operator, thomas cook, for not providing more information. the one suburb of thomas cook, the british, we re suburb of thomas cook, the british, were pretty much in the dark until thursday morning when a representative appeared and said we we re representative appeared and said we were going to be evacuated by coach so were going to be evacuated by coach so it just means were going to be evacuated by coach so itjust means we have been evacuated from one zone by the hurricane was headed for to another. in reply, thomas cook has defended their emergency response, saying basically follow the instructions of

the cu ban basically follow the instructions of the cuban government to transfer tourists to the resort. beyond those who have had their holidays ruined, this event could also cut short cuba's this event could also cut short cu ba's efforts to this event could also cut short cuba's efforts to rebuild its crippled economy. tourism has been the ireland's main economic motor recently, irma might have set them back for many months. will grant, bbc news, havana. we can go now live to aleem maqbool who's in miami, where the storm has begun to hit. yes, we have seen a distinct change in the weather in recent hours, sudden gusts and sudden violence downpours as well and we expect that to get much worse. more than 6 million people have been told to evacuate their homes but the governor of florida is advising that now it is simply too late and too u nsafe to now it is simply too late and too unsafe to travel by road here. even so many miles out to sea, irma is making her presence felt on the american mainland. there is little left to do

for people in florida but to get somewhere safe and wait. this hurricane shelter, like so many more across the city, is packed to capacity. wejust decided, we're going to leave and we got up and we saw on the tv the traffic was backed up. we said, well, we have waited too late to leave. so we stayed. we left everything, you know? our furniture, our apartment. but i always say, material things, we can build them again. the most important thing is the family. after days of talking about it and all the warnings, it is now starting to feel real for the people of florida. the skies have darkened, the winds have picked up. and the rains have started. and in the coming hours, people here feel they will be in the firm grip of hurricane irma. nasa has recorded this spectacular footage of the eye of the hurricane and its massive cloud mass. all on a projected

course for florida. this is a deadly, major storm and our state has never seen anything like it. millions of civilians will see major impacts with deadly, deadly, deadly storm surge and life—threatening winds. in spite of all the ominous warnings, there are many in florida who won't leave their homes. like vince, who we saw preparing his house before the rains came. what is out of your hands, which is in mother nature's hands, you can't control. but what you can control is boarding up, protecting it, having water, having generators, having gas. and down the road, christina, who says she is staying put. i'm not scared. i don't have... i know what is going to happen. nobody cares! but thousands don't want to risk gambling with nature.

they are anxious, though, about the city they will emerge out into once irma has passed. aleem maqbool, bbc news, miami, florida. the british government says it's continuing to step up military support to the region. around 500 additional troops arrived in barbados today to join up with other members of a joint uk task force. some of those will be deployed to the british virgin islands, which was badly hit, with at least five people feared dead. our correspondent, laura bicker, is one of the first journalists to reach the islands. it was one of the worst hit, how bad is it from what you have seen? we have just flown over the virgin islands and i can tell you that some of the devastation is very difficult to witness. houses looked like they have been blown apart in places, once prized possessions scattered and in ruins and you can see the effect of that 20 foot storm surge. boats are littered around the island

and where they have been word, together they have been crashed and sent flying into pieces. there has been criticism here of the british government's response to this crisis andi government's response to this crisis and i can tell you that the royal army engineers are here. they are assessing this runway as a priority and that is because they need to get aid in and people out. there has also been concerned about looting but i am being told by the deputy governor that they are trying to get things under control. but there is still a lot more to do here. thank you. rohingya militants in myanmar have declared a month—long ceasefire to enable aid groups to ease the growing humanitarian crisis. large numbers of rohingya muslims have fled to neighbouring bangladesh because of fighting between the militants and police in myanmar. that ongoing violence has seen nearly 300,000 rohingya muslims enter bangladesh — many left hungry and traumatised. our correspondent, justin rowlatt, reports on their continuing plight from teknaf, close to the border. they fled persecution and now they

are desperate. fighting just for a bag of rice. many refugees arrive with nothing. well—meaning bangladeshis, in trucks to hand out food. but the refugees need much more than this. yesterday, we met this woman, nine months pregnant. her baby is due any day. like most of the refugees, she says she escaped my in march after the army and radical buddhists attacked her village. translation: they came at 2am. they set fire to our houses and started shooting. that is when we fled. i have walked for seven days to get here. it has been so hard but we had to escape. guards moved her

and her family on to some land. but there is not room for everyone. tempers were high. today we try to find to get some help. but there was no sign of her and herfamily. find to get some help. but there was no sign of her and her family. after we left, the owner of this area told them that if you want to stay here you must give many, otherwise you have to go away. but how do you find someone have to go away. but how do you find someone in amongst all this chaos? as night falls, it begins to rain. beside the road is a family who crossed the border today. their baby girl is nine days old. she was born in the jungle on girl is nine days old. she was born in thejungle on the way here. they also have nowhere to stay. if there is one thing there is no shortage of

year, it is misery. this mother and her baby are on their way to hospital. they will get some care tonight. but the other woman and tens of thousands of others will not be so lucky. justin leonard, bbc news, techno. thousands of people are tonight attending the manchester arena for its first event since the bomb attack which killed 22 people. among the acts playing at the benefit gig are noel gallagher's high flying birds and rick astley. our entertainment correspondent, colin paterson, is there for us now. a might have mixed emotions? yes, this concert is about to hit the two hour mark and a very eclectic line up, blossoms have come off the stage and there is pixie lott, perhaps playing to the pop audience that attended the ariana grande concert. still to come, peter kay introducing

noel gallagher, who will lead a huge singalong of don't look back in angen singalong of don't look back in anger, the song which became such an anthem after the terrorist attack. earlier on, outside the venue, as people arrived, it was clear this was anything but your normal pop concert. manchester arena. back, open for business. there is heightened security with armed police and after the show, according will be in place around the arena. but that wasn't stopping those coming in from having fun. even if many were experiencing mixed emotions. obviously there is a bit of scariness but not as much as excitement. it is the overriding emotion of hope, to show that the event is opening again and what the terrorists did will not overcome us. we just want to come back for the opening and show people that nothing is going to stop people from coming here. we are manchester and pride. it is one to be a challenging evening for this family who bought

tickets for tonight despite having beenin tickets for tonight despite having been in the foyer when the bomb went off. scary, nervous. but we are going to enjoy it. we are here for the 22 people who died. we have to make memories, they cannot make those memories any more, can make? inside, the first people to sit in these seats since the bomb exploded in may. before the concert, greater manchester's may read the names of the 22 victims. saffie roussos. courtney and philip. wendy... and the poet, tony walsh, started proceedings. always remember, never forget. and to make sure that happens, the proceeds from tonight will go towards a permanent memorial for those who died. colin patterson, bbc news, manchester. with all the sport, ere's olly foster at the bbc sport centre. hello, there. england's cricketers have clinched the test series against the west indies. they won the decider at lord's by nine wickets with over two days to spare.

here's our sports correspondent, joe wilson. by by now it is almost automatic. another morning, he is off again. james anderson, his first over of the day. first wicket of the day. roston chase gone. this cork flew before 11:30am, it was not the last. anderson struck again before lunch, jermaine blackwood out and the match exaggerated. but shai hope busan a different level, he went past 50 as the west indies try to build a meaningful lead. then you any remaining chance rested with hope. anderson knew that, too. hope gone for 62 and anderson with several wickets in the innings. as west indies were all out for 177. job done. well, hisjob done. in a test match dominated by borders, england now had to score 107 in their second innings to wind the match. and the

series. aa of them came from tom westley, precious time for him in the middle. and for henry blow felled in the commentary box. the end of his last test match special stint, an audience beyond even the radio acknowledged his career. the winning runs came from mark stoneman, and other aspiring batsman. the winter ashes will be tougher. but joe batsman. the winter ashes will be tougher. butjoe root has already won two series as england captain and confidence is the most precious commodity. to take to australia. joe wilson, bbc news, at lord's. chris froome says that winning the tour de france and the vuelta a espana, the tour of spain, will be his greatest achievement. he will complete the double tomorrow after safely navigating the penultimate stage. a tricky mountain finish gave froome's rivals some hope of catching him but he finished third to extend his lead to over two minutes ahead of tomorrow's largely processional stage into madrid. it's almost a0 years since anyone managed to win the vuelta and tour de france in the same year. froome will become only the third man to do it. it wasjurgen

it was jurgen klopp's it wasjurgen klopp's heaviest defeat since taking over at liverpool and city's biggest wind against them in 80 years. in the day's other games, manchester united were held by stoke city. tottenham won 3—0 at everton, champions chelsea defeated leicester 2—1, arsenal were 3—0 winners at bournemouth, brighton have their first premier league win, beating west brom 3—1 at home and watford beat southampton 2—0. in the scottish premiership, aberdeen failed to go back to the top of the table after drawing 0—0 at hearts. motherwell took all three points against kilmarnock. it was a point apiece for ross county and partick and stjohnstone drew with hibernian. it is finals weekend at the us. open and there is some british success. jimmy murray has five grand slam doubles titles, he and martina

hingis won at wimbledon over the summerand hingis won at wimbledon over the summer and there are no us. open mixed doubles champions. they this evening, alfie hewett and gordon reid are in the wheelchair doubles final and reid are in the wheelchair doubles finaland in the reid are in the wheelchair doubles final and in the next few minutes, madison keys and sloane stephens face each other in the women's final. all the details on the bbc sport website. thank you. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. that's all from me. goodnight. hurricane it has been a day of mixed weather forjune is in any one location. whilst the area of low pressure has been the dominant feet of our weather, we had quite a bit of

shower activity post along by a north to north—westerly wind across the british isles lurking in the wings. a lot of showers, heavy thunderstorms drifting further towards the south and east but a little build of pressure just in the first part of the night will tend to kill off some of those showers and underneath the clear skies, in some eastern parts, it may be quite a cool night, especially in the countryside, in east anglia, it could get down to four or five degrees. this area of cloud and rain will make itself known across parts of scotla nd will make itself known across parts of scotland and northern ireland but in the opposite corner of the british isles, it will be a bright enough start. cool perhaps but a lot of dry weather around. the cloud fills in, the odd shower reversed of rain ahead of the main event which

lurks there just off the coast of wales and lurking all over the top of scotland, and indeed northern ireland, too. this is a weather front bringing continuous rain is the whole bout of whether moves its way ever towards the east so it will be replaced by a great raft of showers rattling in on a noticeable wind across northern ireland and eventually increasing across the mainland of scotland further south. the tail end of the weather front, from the north woodlands southwards —— north midlands southwards, and once that is through, local pressure very much the dominant feet char, with a lot of hours —— isobars. monday sets out to be another blustery showery day parts to shail is. something of the quieter as we get onto tuesday. more cloud and

rain later in the west. this is bbc world news today. i'm james coomarasamy. our top stories: hurricane irma hits the northern coast of cuba, tearing through towns and villages and knocking out communications. it's now heading for havana. even the places that were supposed to serve as safe havens are now feeling the impact. 6.3 million people have been ordered to leave their homes. a day of national mourning in mexico after the deadliest earthquake in 80 years. also in the programme: what lies at the bottom of this tomb? we'll have more on a 3,000 year old discovery in egypt.