welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is reged ahmed. our top stories: it's being called "a vicious monster and a threat to life." america's east coast gets ready for the might of hurricane florence. we are sparing no expense, we are totally prepared, we are ready. we are ready as anybody has ever been. china's president says the relationship with russia is more important than ever, as they hold joint military exercises for the first time. brazil's jailed former president lula da silva gives up his attempt to return to power in next month's election. and we'll be finding out why this raven has got a lot to crow about. hello, and welcome.

"if you've been asked to leave, get out," that's the warning from the director of the us federal emergency body, fema, as hurricane florence bears down on the country's east coast. it's now a category four storm, "big and vicious," according to one official, and predicted to be the worst storm to hit the east coast in decades. this map shows the path the hurricane is expected to take when it makes landfall on thursday. north and south carolina, along with virginia, could be worst hit by the storm, which is more than 800 kilometres wide. the bbc‘s gary o'donoghue reports. this is the calm before the storm. a storm that is barrelling towards the carolinas, with winds of up to 130 mph while, expected to make landfall overnight thursday into friday. this storm is a monster. it is big and it is vicious. it is an extremely dangerous, life—threatening, historic hurricane. more than a million people having ordered to leave

coastal areas in both north and south carolina, and some highways have been made one—way to smooth flow of hugely—increased volumes of traffic. people don't understand that when they say it is time to evacuate, there's no emergency services, the restaurants are closed, there's nothing else open, you need to go back and get back to the mainland so you have got some comforts. but for those chosen to stay, it has been a panic rush to buy essentials for the coming days. right now we are looking for water. we've been to walmart and the shelves are clear, then we stopped at walgreens, their shelves were clear. we decided we would bypass the water and come to lowe's and get batteries. as well as the threat to life, it's peoples homes and businesses that are endangered by florence, everybody doing what they can to protect against mother nature. taping up the windows before throwing boards over them, making sure that the top seals and side seals on the windows are nice and caught, so we don't go to worry about water

dripping in through the top. concern over the sheer strength of florence has also meant the navy is moving around 30 ships out to sea, away from ports like norfolk in virginiam, so that they can sail away from the path of the hurricane and reduce the likelihood of being damaged. at a meeting in the white house this afternoon, the president was briefed by the director of fema, he said it would be the biggest storm in decades. the safety of american people is my absolute highest priority. we are sparing no expense. we are totally prepared, we are ready. we are as ready as anybody has ever been. meteorologists say hurricane florence could bring a storm surge of up to 12 feet at the coast, and anywhere between 20 and 30 inches of rain, making severe flooding far inland a real threat. gary o'donoghue, bbc news. incredible pictures of the storm.

earlier, i spoke with cbs correspondent mola lenghi, who joined me from wrightsville beach in north carolina. i began by asking if people were heeding the warnings from authorities. well, at this point it appears they are. we were out here all day on the beach, this is wrightsville beach, this time of year it is a typically a relatively busy stretch of beach. it is not the peak season ofjune, july and august, but still you would normally see a few hundred to a few thousand people here. we saw about half a dozen in the immediate area, really, throughout the day. that illustrates the point that most people are not doing what they would normally be doing out on the beach. people were in town, boarding up their homes and businesses, putting the sandbags down, filling up their gas tanks, filling up their gas cans, going to the grocery store, going to the hardware store. loading up on those, sort of, survival supplies. moving their vehicles to elevated areas if they are not travelling or taking those vehicles with them. so yes, for the most part we have seen today lot of people heeding

the advice, doing those last—minute preparations. saw a lot of traffic moving away from the coast. your previous report mentioned how some areas are trying to expedite and make the moving process for drivers much easier and smoother by up highway lanes to move them all in one direction, all west, all away from the coast. there are a lot of other things that government agencies from the federal level down to the county, state and local level are also doing, from opening up shelters further inland, to bussing residents who don't have vehicles, bussing them further inland. monitoring the storm 2/47, fort bragg, which is a major military installation in north carolina, right now is housing about 400 fema trucks, full of supplies ready to deploy in the aftermath, the post—storm effort, talking about recovery. a lot being done to make the evacuation, to make the recovery, to make the preparation process as smooth as possible. and yes, folks that we spoke

to today who have lived in this area for years, decades, some of them generations, have been through many hurricanes, many hurricane watches, so many of them told us this one just feels different. a lot of times you have folks who will not exactly heed the advisories and warnings of government officials and try to ride out the storm. we found some of those people, there aren't many of them, we found some of them who wanted to be close to home and not abandon their properties. but by and large, people are saying this one feels different and they are heeding advice and they are moving inland and certainly moving away from the coast. we are seeing the waves behind you. one of the concerns has been the storm surges that are expected. how prepared do you think the coastline is, and the region, for something like this? well, the biggest preparation

in place are the evacuations. i mean, there are still thousands of homes and hotels and buildings and structures that, quite frankly, if we are talking about 12, 13 foot storm surges, there is a not whole lot that can be done. you can't move these homes, you can't move these buildings. the biggest and most significant step that can be taken is to move the people, to get people out of the area. afterwards, all you can really do at that point as far as people are telling us is prepare for the worst and hope for the best. if we see those 12, 13, 14 foot storm surges, we are certainly going see a lot of destruction, lot of devastation along the coastline. earlier, i spoke with cbs correspondent mola lenghi, who joined me from wrightsville beach in north carolina. if you want to look at the path of

the storm, head to alice in website. russia has begun its largest military exercise since soviet days. it's happening in eastern siberia, and by thursday 300,000 russian soldiers will be involved. but what really stands out is that, for the first time, troops from china and mongolia will also take part. richard galpin reports. these are military exercises on an epic scale. russia is claiming more than 30,000 tanks and other armoured vehicles are taking part, along with 300,000 troops. it is also claiming 1,000 aircraft are involved, and a large part of the navy. the kremlin has not put on a show of strength like this for more than 30 years, when the soviet union and the cold war both existed. and also taking part here at this command centre in eastern siberia are these chinese officers, a sign of the deepening relationship between the two countries.

this major general describes the joint exercises as strategic, co—ordinated, real combat, demonstrating their cooperation. the chinese contingent of these exercises, although significant, is comparatively small, with around 3,000 soldiers taking part. but at the same time, president putin has been meeting with the chinese leader, xi jinping, at an economic forum also in the far east of russia, all this bolstering the sense the two countries are growing closer together. while both countries have an interest in demonstrating their growing military capabilities, for russia these exercises seem to be a practice for mass mobilisation, and how to shift their forces quickly across the country — a message perhaps to nato countries, the kremlin justifying the exercises because of what it calls

aggressive and unfriendly attitudes towards russia. richard galpin, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news for you now. around a million people have taken part in a huge pro—independence demonstration in barcelona to mark catalonia's national day. it's the first such event since separatist politicians were thwarted in their bid to declare catalan independence from spain last year. that was ruled illegal by spain's constitutional court. a court in bangladesh has once again denied bail to an internationally acclaimed photographer arrested last month during mass protests over road safety. shahidul alam was detained on august fifth on charges of spreading rumours and false information against the government. he'd criticised the government's crackdown on the student demonstrations in a television interview and on facebook. pro—whaling nations have blocked an attempt to create a whale

sanctuary in the south atlantic. the proposal failed to get enough votes at a fractious meeting of the international whaling commission in brazil. environmental campaigners are outraged. the pro—whaling nations ofjapan, iceland and norway led the vote against a sanctuary. brazil's jailed former president, luiz inacio lula da silva, has obeyed a court order and stepped aside to allow his running mate, fernando haddad, to run for the presidency next month. the head of his worker's party announced the decision to crowds of supporters outside the police headquarters where lula is serving a 12—year sentence for corruption. it ends a momentous and controversial political career. 0ur south america correspondent katy watson looks back. in 2003, history was made, with luiz inacio lula da silva becoming brazil's first working—class president. it was the end of a long journey for the former metalworker.

lula came from humble beginnings, born into a poorfamily in the north—east brazil. he didn't learn to read until he was ten. at 14, he got his firstjob in the factories of sao paulo, it was as a metal worker that he started to dabble in politics, eventually leading the metalworkers union. throughout the 70s and 80s, he organised major strikes, defying pressure from brazil's military rulers at the time. translation: we all know why we are on strike. the government doesn't know and the businessmen don't care. the working class have never got anything in this world without a battle, without perseverance and without the will to fight until the end. from there, the worker's party was born. but lula was to run for president unsuccessfully three times, before eventually being elected in 2002. committed to prioritising the poor, he led brazil during a period of unprecedented economic growth, that gave him money to spend on social programmes, lifting millions out of poverty. and that helps to explain his

enduring popularity. they identify with lula because he is one of them. coming from the poorer section and then becoming a metalworker and then all the way to the presidency, without departing from his origin. but the good times didn't last forever. the economy slowed and protests over dirty politics grew. politicians of all stripes in brazil have been accused of corruption in operation carwash, the country's largest ever investigation of its kind, including a man who said he was different from all the rest. in 2018, lula was sentenced to 12 years in prison. from the metalworkers union where he began his career, he gave his last speech. translation: i am going to tell them to theirfaces, i am not afraid! i am not going to run, so they know i'm going to prove my innocence! a spectacular fall from grace

for a man who was once brazil's most popular politician. and he proved that in a country like brazil today you cannot be protected just because of how big he was, and i think this is a major legacy that lula will leave for brazilians, is that no—one is above the law. he is out of politics now, but it might still in the minds of many, and will be an influence in brazil in politics for years to come. katy watson, bbc news, in sao paulo. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: it's one of the world's shortest ferry crossings. we hear from the skipper trying to keep his business afloat. 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 the 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 news.

the latest headlines: america's east coast prepares for hurricane florence. the category four storm heads towards the carolinas, with winds of 225 km/h. russia stages what it claims is the biggest military exercise since the soviet era, and for the first time, chinese troops are joining in. this week, the bbc is launching a series looking at europe's identity crisis, exploring the rise ofanti—immigration, populist and nationalist politics across the continent. italy's deputy prime minister, matteo salvini, is considered a leading spokesman of the country's nationalist ha rd—right. in an exclusive interview, with the bbc‘s hardtalk programme, he has said that, despite international criticism, the country plans to deport around 90% of migrants arriving from north africa. here is caroline rigby. we need more lifejackets.

take them off people, if you must. let's go. a dramatic rescue of migrants of the libyan coast. in this occasion, 600 aiming for europe, hoping for a better life. previously, they had been taken to italy. but, promising to get tough on immigration, the country's interior minister closed its ports. translation: 700,000 migrants reached the italian coast over the past four years. many citizens arrested in italy are immigrants, so for social order, we need to reduce these arrivals. under eu rules, the migrants are the responsibility of the first member state where they land, meaning some countries face a far greater burden than others. italy wants to change that. translation: we are abiding to these rules, but we want to change them, because we can't accept that all migrants get to the italian coast, and we have to pay for them.

either europe steps in, or we do it autonomously. the country's populist government swept to power earlier this year on an anti—immigration platform, with tough words and tough actions. matteo salvini says he is standing up to those who voted for him, but critics accuse him of prioritising politics over people, even grandstanding. instead of speaking everyday about migrants, he should focus on real issues. but he's not doing that. he is always on facebook, on twitter, making provocative statements which are aimed at raising social tension, so he is unfit to be a minister. the un has also questioned matteo salvini's policies. it is planning to send a team to italy to investigate reports of an increase in violence and racism against migrants. the foreign ministry has rejected the criticism, and a man who famously said italy could not become europe's

refugee camp has no plans to water down his policies. and you can see more of what italy's deputy prime minister, matteo salvini, had to say on hardtalk with stephen sackur this wednesday at 8:30am gmt, 2:30pm, and finally at 7:30pm gmt. events have begun in ghana to honour the former secretary general of the united nations kofi annan, who died last month. mr annan‘s body has been lying in state to allow people to pay their respects. world leaders past and present, and royalty, too, are expected to attend his state burial on thursday. the bbc‘s thomas naadi reports. filing past the body of the former un secretary—general, kofi annan, they have come from the length and breadth of the country to catch a glimpse of the great man, and honour him one last time. most of the people paying their last respects today may not have had the opportunity of meeting the former un secretary—general. but his work in promoting peace across the world

has influenced and inspired some of them. the public was hoping to see kofi annan, but the family decided that the coffin would remain closed. for the people of this country, it is time to reflect on the great works of the former un chief. kofi anann means a lot to both the younger and older generation here. i've never seen him before. i was expecting that, as we were graduating from the university of ghana, as the former chancellor there, we would see him during graduation. but unfortunately, he left, and now there is a new chancellor, so i felt this is the only time i can pay him the respect that he deserves. he's been very systematic in talking about his experiences, so he's left not only the legacy of the people who view him and remember him, but he's also left documentation

on what his journey was, and so the best thing we can do is to study it. it is a great loss because through him, a lot of countries know there is a country called ghana. because we are a small population, so he came in, and it's great to know that such a great man was from ghana, west africa. the body will remain here until thursday, when the former un secretary—general will finally be be laid to rest. thomas naadi, bbc news, accra. it may not seem like much, but one man has turned a makeshift raft into a lifeline for people living in a slum in the indian city of mumbai. the ride costs just two rupees, about three cents, and residents find it convenient for crossing an otherwise polluted waterway. but the man behind this so—called "gutter cruise" now fears his service will be shut down. here is his story. in the past, we have brought you various reports about talented and extraordinary animals — dogs that go surfing,

cows that fight like gladiators, and even a raccoon that climbed up the side of a skyscraper. now, we can add to that unusual list a raven that speaks, but only when it wants to. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. rebecca 0stenfeld assures us that this bird is something special. translation: suddenly i heard a voice, and it was like there were kids playing outside, just like people talking to each other, and i thought, who is coming to visit me now? it was this raven. with a crooked legged, it can't fly, but it can apparently talk and talk and talk. translation: one of the first things it said was, "hi, mama." it can say a lot of funny stuff when it wants to.

i can't say, "hey, raven, say something." itjust talks when it wants to. unfortunately, when the local television crew arrived, it didn't want to. this was a raven playing hard to get. but a one—to—one with the cameraman, and suddenly, you couldn't shut it up. it is not entirely clear what the bird is actually saving, and this might make more sense if you speak icelandic, but we were promised a talking raven, and a talking raven is what we got. tim allman, bbc news. a reminder of our top story. president trump has promised the government will spare no expense in its response to hurricane florence. it is due to make landfall around thursday or friday on the coast of north carolina and we will keep you up—to—date with that giant hurricane

as it continues to track towards the east. hello there. a full uk weather forecast coming up in a moment, but first of all, the latest on that massive hurricane that's heading towards the eastern side of the united states. it is of course hurricane florence. it is a category four hurricane, four out of a five—point scale. sustained winds of 140 mph at the moment, but it's forecast to strengthen, with wind gusts getting up to 185mph over the next 2a hours or so. it's going to make landfall friday morning north carolina, but the effects will be felt up and down the mid—atlantic coast, with a risk of flooding, and those damaging winds as well. here in the uk, we've got a cold front sinking its way slowly southwards today, and that's going to have an effect on the temperatures. yesterday we saw highs of 25 degrees in both london and exeter, as well, but today we're looking at highs of around 18 degrees. so a 7 degrees celsius drop in temperature. not that it's going to feel cold,

but it will feel a good deal cooler. this is how we have the weather over the next few hours for the early risers. a lot of cloud around and outbreaks of rain. always heaviest across north—west england and the north—west of wales as well, but there'll be plenty of heavy showers working into north—west scotland over the next few hours, with a slice of clearer weather across northern ireland, northern england and eastern scotland. it's here where we'll have those temperatures dipping down into single figures. mild, though, further south — 15 degrees the low in london. now, looking at the weather picture through the rest of wednesday, our cold front sinks its way southwards, the rain becomes increasingly light and patchy, but there'll probably still be some left over across parts of south—east england well into the afternoon. there'll be some blustery showers for western scotland, but in between, a slice of sunnier weather. but the temperatures a good deal lower in the south, highs expected to reach 18 degrees celsius. now, looking at the weather picture for wednesday evening and overnight, our rain clears away from south—east england. heavy rain comes into the north—west of scotland, but there will be some clearer skies for the bulk

of england and wales, and it's going to be one of the cooler nights that we've seen so far this september, with temperatures across eastern parts of england around 3 or 4 degrees in the coldest areas. so it will be quite a chilly start of the day on thursday but there will be plenty of sunshine around here. a band of rain pushes southwards across scotland and northern ireland, weakening as it does so. just a few spots possible into cumbria to take us into the afternoon, but for many of us it's a dry day. showers again affecting western parts of scotland, though. temperatures in the sunshine — about 15 degrees for aberdeen and edinburgh, 21 degrees in london. bit more sunshine, so starting to feel warmer. and reasonable weather, actually, across southern england as we head through the weekend, but there will be some heavy outbreaks of rain across the north and west of the uk this weekend. that's your weather. this is bbc news.

the headlines: the most powerful storm in nearly three decades to threaten the carolina states, on the us east coast, is expected to strengthen over the next few hours. officials are warning that hurricane florence poses a threat to life when it makes landfall. mandatory evacuations have been ordered in some areas. russia has begun its largest military exercise since soviet times. it's taking place in eastern siberia, on land and sea, with 300,000 russian soldiers involved, as well as troops from china and mongolia. chinese president xijinping has stressed the importance of his country's relationship with russia. brazil's jailed former president lula da silva has obeyed a court order and stepped aside before next month's presidential election. the head of his worker's party announced the decision to crowds of supporters outside the police headquarters, where lula is serving a 12—year sentence for corruption. wages grew faster than expected as

they outstripped the cost of living for the fourth month in succession. 0fficial for the fourth month in succession. official statistics show that pay rose by 2.9% in the period while unemployment has continued to fall, remaining at its lowest level in over a0 yea rs. remaining at its lowest level in over a0 years. andy verity reports. the firm that runs this construction site in salford has no shortage of work. but a shortage of skilled workers is a growing problem. until this year, its subcontractors could find the staff they needed easily, mostly from the rest of the european union. we've got albanians working on here now but the dry liners, joiners, tilers tend to be eastern european. so, in some instances, when they leave, it gets very, very difficult to entice the british workforce back on to the sites.