welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is gavin grey. our top stories: hurricane irma slams into florida's west coast as strong winds and storm surges leave at least three people dead. millions of homes are without power and parts of miami are underwater. almost 200,000 people have fled to emergency shelters. barely a soul on the streets. that's due to risk of flying debris. caribbean islands count the cost of the hurricane. about 30 people lost their lives. damage to housing and infrastructure could total $10 billion. and 90 people are now thought to have died in mexico's strongest quake for a century. the fear of aftershocks is forcing many to camp in the streets. hurricane irma has slammed

into the us state of florida and is moving up its west coast bringing widespread coastal flooding, torrential rain and winds of about 120mph. power supplies have been cut to more than three million homes and businesses. several cities in the state have declared overnight cu rfews to prevent looting. the storm has been downgraded to a category 2. the streets of miami's business district have been swamped by up to 3ft of water. 0ur correspondent aleem maqbool is there. they warned miami would flood, and it has. irma's massive downpours and ocean surges combined to inundate the city's financial district.

as thousands from the city hunkered down in hurricane shelters, others captured dramatic footage of the storm coming through. probably the hardest it has been all day. power lines being torn down... oh my god! ..lethal tornadoes being unleashed. a roof being torn off a home, a smashed crane, and water surging into town. more than a million homes and businesses are already without power. there is barely a soul on the streets anywhere in southern florida. and that is because of the risk of flying debris, the risk of power lines or trees coming down. the emergency services say that even for them in the coming hours, it is going to be near impossible to operate.

the hurricane first hit florida in the islands of its keys. that right here is the road in front of our house. this surge, i'm going to go with seven feet. brian tribbell is one of those who defied the orders to leave his home and was live on social media as the eye of the hurricane approached. we are in the eye wall. i'm not sure what category it is. maybe you guys can tell us what it is now. the massive coastal surges were preceded by this extraordinary sight, the tide being sucked away by the hurricane, building up the energy to be smashed back against the shore with full force. there is a serious threat of storm surge flooding along the entire west coast of florida. this has increased to 15 feet of impact above ground level in south—west florida. we're hearing a lot of mixed reports right now... alix perez escaped the keys to shelter in a hurricane—proof

building in miami. he is anxious, keeping in touch with those left behind. a bunch of different areas of town have different levels of housing, some higher and some lower. some places have floodwaters up to people's waists, some up to people's roofs. up to people's roofs! yeah, very severe flooding. up the florida coast, more are preparing, warned that irma could make further direct hits. president trump has been meeting with his cabinet to be briefed on the latest. every group has coordinated really well. i mean, the bad news is that this is a big monster, but i think we're very well coordinated. after causing so much destruction in the caribbean, it is here, and the most densely populated city in its path so far, where so many are still sheltering from the might of irma. aleem maqbool, bbc news, southern

florida. major richard rand is from the north miami police department. he told me what his main message was to the people in florida. we do have some people that are venturing outside and we are asking them to please stay inside, it is very dangerous inside right now even though the storm has passed, we still have a lot of issues we are still have a lot of issues we are still facing. what are those issues, what are the risks they face by going out? we have approximately five to seven feet of standing water in some areas. 80% of our city has downed power lines. we're getting reports of trees on fire due to these powerlines. we're getting reports of some grooves that have been blown off homs. we even had reports earlier of a young mother and her four—month—old child reports earlier of a young mother and herfour—month—old child who was trapped in the home because of the water rising in the home, we were able to rescue both the child and the mother and safely get them to a shelter. we've been dispatched to

calls of violence, we've had a couple stabbings in our city. we're busy. has there been looting too? there has not. i can tell you right after the storm passed we have a tea m after the storm passed we have a team of 25 teams of officers out there. we have a unique vehicle driving around the city. we're taking the initiative to clear the streets, we're going house to house in some cases, we're going alleyway to alleyway, business to business, street to street, we're not leaving any stone unturned. we're here to serve the public and we're doing just that. how are you and the officers and the team behind you co—ordinating the off efforts, where are you staying, how are you getting by? we're tired, i'm not going to sugarcoat this, i haven't been home in three days, i haven't seen my family in three days, i don't even know if i can get to my home home. some of the families stayed at the station because they didn't feel safe at home but the officers are

strong guys and girls and their out there and they know theirjob and responsibility when they put on the badge and the uniform is to protect and serve, and that's what we're doing. many people who have never endured the weather conditions you have there will be stunned to hear things like snakes, alligators all coming into the edge of the city and so coming into the edge of the city and so four, plus with power lines down, some of those areas of water are carrying live electricity? yes. that is the danger that we are concerned about, especially after the storm. we're letting our residents know through social media, through any means through social media, through any mea ns necessary through social media, through any means necessary not to come outside. like i said, we have about 25 teams of officers out there, we're identifying every single powerline that's down, we're calling into florida power and light and we're letting people know they have live powerlines down in their front and back yards not to come outside.

in the caribbean at least 25 people were killed by hurricane irma, five of them in the british virgin islands, where a relief effort is under way. homes and boats have been destroyed, and a state of emergency declared. britain's foreign secretary boris johnson has defended the government's response, saying it would be helping in the long—term. the largest of the islands is tortola, from where our correspondent laura bicker reports. the british virgin islands look like they have been hit by the blast wave of a bomb. 0n the biggest island of tortola, houses have been ripped apart and contents scattered for miles. an over—20—foot wave surge crushed boats, beaching them among the rubble. arron glasgow was at home as irma hit. this section of my mum's room, the roof came off. then my bedroom came off. we ran to the living room. glass everywhere. we had all this boarded up. you've lost everything? everything. people talk about the winds

that came through here as if they were alive, as if it had come from another world. and now, five days after the hurricane struck, they are in desperate need of food, of shelter, and clean water. others are just simply desperate to leave. the shock of seeing this terrifying force of nature is overwhelming. some are trying to fly home to relatives in the uk. the masson family made it to the shelter after neighbours with machetes hacked through debris to help them hike from their damaged home. we don't know what planes are going, or when they're going. literally this morning was the first time we had heard any news at all of what was happening. some residents have criticised the uk government's response to this crisis as pathetic and slow. there are also reports of looting across the island, as many are desperate

for basic supplies. there are large queues for food and for petrol. help has now arrived. the british military have brought aid, and are already re—establishing order. they are working on a plan to try to restore power and water. one woman told me she wept with relief as she saw the plane land. hurricane irma's trail of destruction is vast, and yet the caribbean spirit prevails. as our team walked the streets, so many people told us the same message. they're simply grateful to be alive. coastal communities and tourist resorts in northern cuba have suffered widespread damage from the hurricane. emergency officials in the capital, havana, rescued dozens of residents in neighbourhoods flooded by huge waves. 0ur correspondent will grant is in havana. havana's streets

hava na's streets resemble havana's streets resemble canals. forfamilies from havana's streets resemble canals. for families from its havana's streets resemble canals. forfamilies from its poorest neighbourhoods the situation is becoming desperate. when hurricane irma came crashing into the island she brought rains and storm surges that flooded entire city blocks. cuba's picturesque capital that flooded entire city blocks. cu ba's picturesque capital today that flooded entire city blocks. cuba's picturesque capital today a city of delft trees and debris. power's out across havana, complicated and the cleanup operation and people are coping as best they can. cubans are thankful to have avoided the loss of life seen elsewhere in the caribbean, but the damage to property and livelihoods here has been huge. irma may have knocked cuba's economies just as hard as she hit its coastline. and hit it she most certainly didn't. for almost two days hurricane irma crept along cuba's northern shore, thrashing everything in its path, from tiny fishing villages to 5—star resorts. thousands of tourists remained

trapped at the beach town of vadabero, tensions gradually rising as the chances of making it home weekly as the chances of making it home wee kly lu ke as the chances of making it home weekly luke morgan might. cuba's communist government is on an emergency footing, mobilising all the resources at its disposal. from the resources at its disposal. from the army to the state's security apparatus, every bureaucrat, every administrator has been drafted in but it is neighbours helping neighbours that will get cuba through this initial crisis. the long—term cleanup, though, will need international aid. will grant, bbc news, havana. and there's much more coverage of the hurricane on our website. you can get the latest live updates about the irma's path and hear more from those affected. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: a bruising encounterfor the popein come: a bruising encounterfor the pope in columbia. he hits his head

against the popemobile, suffering minor injuries. freedom itself was attacked this morning, and freedom will be defended. the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible. bishop tutu now becomes spiritual leader of 100,000 anglicans here — of the blacks in soweto township, as well as the whites, in their rich suburbs. we say to you today, in a loud and a clear voice, enough of blood and tears — enough! translation: the difficult decision we reached together was one that required great and exceptional courage. it's an exodus of up to 60,000 people, caused by the uneven pace of political change in eastern europe. iam free! this is bbc world news.

the latest headlines: hurricane irma has slammed into florida's west coast with strong winds and storm surges leaving at least three people dead. the first funerals have been held for those killed in a massive earthquake off southern mexico on thursday night. rescuers continue to dig out the bodies of up to ninety people who were killed in oaxaca and chiapas states, which bore the brunt of the damage. at 8.1 in magnitude, the earthquake was the strongest the country has seen in a century. sarah corker reports. the town of ixtaltepec has been reduced to rubble. this area in southern mexico was hardest hit by thursday's

monster earthquake. churches, schools, homes, roads, have been torn apart, flattened. through the maze of debris, the first funeral processions. the coffin of an 85—year—old woman who died when her house collapsed is carried by mourners. many houses have been destroyed, many people buried below the rubble. rescuers say there is no hope of finding anybody else alive. translation: no, it is no longer a search for people. it is now support for the community. we are recuperating belongings, whatever can be retrieved, assessing the damage and helping the wounded. in daylight, people start to salvage whatever they can. at night, families sleep on the streets. since the initial 8.1 magnitude earthquake, there have been more than 700 after—shocks.

that isn't the only concern. we are here so people do not loot our houses, because various houses are open. and there have been after—shocks, we want to be outside so we don't get hurt inside. electricity and water supplies were cut off and emergency aid has now started to arrive. while mexico is prone to earthquakes, people here say that in their lifetimes, they've never seen one so destructive and deadly. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. health officials in nigeria say the number of suspected cholera cases in north—eastern borno state has more than doubled

in the past five days. it now stands at nearly thirteen—hundred. 35 people have died. the outbreak is concentrated in camps for people displaced by the conflict with islamist militants from the boko haram group. the ex—president of georgia, mikheil saakashvili, has successfully crossed from poland into ukraine after two failed attempts earlier in the day. ukraine is mr saakashvili's adopted homeland but he was stripped of citizenship after accusing president petro poroshenko of blocking efforts to fight corruption. italy is also experiencing flooding at least six people have been killed in flooding and landslides caused by a torrential downpour in the italian city of livorno — including four members of one family when their basement home was flooded. pictures of the city's streets show debris and wrecked cars lifted and dumped by the force of the floods. the foreign minister of bangladesh has described myanmar‘s treatment a new conversation regarding north

korea's sanctions will be held on thursday afternoon. they faced condemnation and a un resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by any major countries involved in order to pass. the foreign minister of bangladesh has described myanmar‘s treatment of its rohingya muslim community as "genocide". violence and persecution inside myanmar — formerly known as burma — have caused large numbers to flee in the last two weeks, with nearly 300 thousand now on bangladeshi territory. the cause was a major military crackdown, sparked by rohingya militants attacking police posts. 0ur south asia correspondent justin rowlatt reports from teknaf, close to the border. three big fires were burning across the border in myanmar today. officials told us they had seen helicopters hovering, before the smoke started to rise. and still the rohingya were pouring into bangladesh, struggling with whatever belongings

they could salvage before they could flee. this man claims he was involved in one of the attacks that started all of this. translation: in the village we agreed, if we do nothing, the world will never know about our plight. he said he and some other villagers wanted to take action against the government in myanmar. he says the rohingya people have been persecuted. translation: the militants came to our village and gave us bombs to plant on the road, to attack the army vehicles. every village was given two or three bombs like this. we planted the bombs. 0ne exploded, but no soldier died. this is what happens next.

look, look, says the man. the soldiers are coming in helicopters and jeeps. they are going to kill us. the government claims there were dozens of attacks on 25 august. it responded with what it called an anti—terrorist clearance operation. we can't verify any of the mobile phone footage in this report, but the stories the refugees tell are remarkably similar. meanwhile, the camps have become bloodbaths. hundreds of thousands of rohingya refugees now live in filthy hovels, on whatever land they can find. but still, the makeshift settlements grow and grow and grow.

so this is what the de facto leader of myanmar, aung san suu kyi, has to say about human suffering. the nobel peace prize winner told an audience at 0slo town hall in 2012 that wherever there is suffering there are the seeds of conflict. because, she said, suffering degrades and bitters and enrages. a senior un source told me today it is now working on the assumption that as many as 500,000 rohingyas will flee myanmar. and in the final hour of his tour pope francis was given a colourful —— pope francis —— has had a minor accident while driving through a street procession. after treatment, he spent time with workers in a shelter. he later joked he spent time with workers in a shelter. he laterjoked he had punched himself. and in the final hour of his tour, pope francis was given a colourful and musical goodbye.

before he left he made another appeal for peace and reconciliation. he reiterated the need forjustice, in orderfor colombia to move forward on a peace deal signed by the government and former rebels from the farc group — which has now become a political party. india's women cricketers may have lost to england in the final of the world cup, but they still won a major victory on home turf. cricket clubs across the country are reporting a surge in interest from young girls. we've been to one cricket academy in hyderabad to see the next generation in training. i will make a record for india. translation: the girl playing here is my daughter. she is showing a lot of interest in cricket. as a parent, i feel that girls should play cricket as well. notjust the boys. translation: people made fun of my decision to send my daughters

to play cricket. the perception about women's cricket was totally uncalled for before. they used to ask us questions like you play with the same rules and bats? i am sure those things will not be repeated henceforth seeing the girls play in the matches in the world cup. translation: i had doubts whether people would respect women playing cricket, but after watching women's cricket on television and seeing the indian women's team in the finals, i knew i had made the right decision. experimenting with robotics can be expensive and because of this some of the latest technology is only available to those

with lots of resources. but one research team in georgia is hoping to solve that problem by offering access to their swarm of small robots to anyone with a good idea. robotics research is a little strange because it takes so many resources. so a few years ago i got more and more irritated that the best labs in the world, mine included, were those that had the most money, not the best ideas. so i thought, you know what?

i'm going to solve that. you have to allow users to upload bad code, code that doesn't work, code that makes the robots do stupid things. if you only had correct code being uploaded it wouldn't be research. what we can't accept is code that breaks our stuff, code that makes the robots collide, or makes the robots get angry and attack my graduate students. one thing that i'm really hoping is that some smart group in germany, working together with girl scout troops in georgia, working together with a research group injapan, together they accelerate the research. i'm hoping that not only people use it, but it will be an accelerator for robotics research. stay with us for the headlines, more a legs on hurricane irma are on the

website —— more updates. hello. as irma continues north across the state of florida, we here in the british isles have experienced quite an unsettled weekend. and that theme continues on into the forthcoming week. for a time, we'll see cool and at times windy weather and some pretty heavy downpours to boot. the concerns start as early as monday morning, especially so across wales and the south—west, where some of the gusts of wind could easily be up at around 50, if not 60mph. at the same time, those conditions could be exacerbated by some squally showers indeed. elsewhere across the british isles, how do we start the new week? ina similarvein. the wind not a concern as in wales and the south—west. but the wind will be ever present for many parts of western scotland and northern ireland and a good part of england and wales. and there will be plenty of showers to go around as well. at times, some of those showers will merge to give the odd longer spell of rain. perhaps nowhere more so than this

north—eastern quarter of scotland. quite close to an area of low pressure there. showers, quite sharp, they will have hail and thunder. if you see too many, you are not going to be in the mid to upper teens, closer to 10—11. out of monday and into tuesday, a little ridge of high pressure working across the british isles, tending to settle things down. this is one of the quieter days of the week, at least to start with. it will feel pleasant with less wind. 16—19, something like that. later in the day overnight into wednesday, we could see the emergence from the atlantic of a very vigorous area of low pressure gradually churning its way right across the heart of the british isles. there are already warnings from the met office about the intensity of that rain for the northern parts of england and wales and the strength of the wind. the system has the good grace to move on into the north sea, leaving behind, for the bulk of us, wednesday as another really showery day. and do you know what, we continue that theme on into thursday. the wind from the north—west still quite a noticeable feature

of the day. in the midst of all of this there will be sunny spells but it really won't do much for the temperatures, never better than about 12 or 13 in the north, around 17 or 18 in the south. thursday and friday, a tantalising and teasing prospect of some high pressurejust beginning to work into the west, but it probably won't keep those fronts at bay for the northern parts of britain. this is bbc news. the headlines: hurricane irma has slammed into florida's west coast, with strong winds and storm surges leaving at least three people dead. millions of homes are without power and parts of miami are underwater. almost 200,000 people have fled to emergency shelters. at least 25 people were killed by hurricane irma in the caribbean, five of them in the british virgin islands, where a relief effort is under way. homes and boats have been destroyed, and a state of emergency declared.

damage to housing and infrastructure could total $10 billion. the first funerals have been held for those killed in a massive earthquake off southern mexico on thursday night. 90 people are now thought to have died in what was the country's strongest quake for a century. the fear of aftershocks is forcing many to camp in the streets. now on bbc news, time for hardtalk.