welcome to bbc news. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: the most powerful storm ever to reach the bahamas makes landfall, bearing the brunt — the northernmost abaco islands. part of it is already under water and, in some areas, you cannot tell the difference as to the beginning of the street versus where the ocean begins. chaos at hong kong international airport as protesters block road and rail links and force dozens of flights to be cancelled. a blunt message for britain's conservative mps — block a no—deal brexit and be barred from elections.

hello. welcome to the programme. the strongest storm on record to hit the north—western bahamas is battering the low—lying islands. officials are warning that hurricane dorian could cause a life—threatening storm surge with winds of up to 290km/h. parts of the florida coast are also forecast to be in the path of the storm later on monday. from there, aleem maqbool reports. these were the last pictures out of the abaco islands of the bahamas before hurricane dorian hit. gusts were already strengthening but, when it made landfall, wind speeds were measured at 185 miles an hour, the strongest storm ever recorded here. this is a deadly storm

and a monster storm. on two previous occasions, i have asked bahamians to leave the quays. many have not heeded my warning, many have remained behind. i can only say to them, this is not the last time they will hear my voice. these are flat islands and the ocean surges predicted during the hurricane are expected to overwhelm them and anyone who did not evacuate. the police will not be coming for you in the middle of a hurricane. you will have to hunker down, if you're head is hard and stubborn and you will not move, you will have to hunker down, after a certain time, because no—one will render any assistance to you. the potential of severe risk to people's lives will continue, as the hurricane passes through the bahamas, but people on the south—eastern coast of the usa are already preparing

for what could come their way in the coming days. we have talked about the wind, we will also have substantial destructive, life—threatening storm surge, freshwater rainfall and four states — florida, georgia, south carolina and north carolina — can all expect to see tropical storm hurricane—force impacts over the coming days, so the time for preparation is now. well, the problem for people living in this part of the united states, as has been the case in the bahamas over the last couple of days, is that this hurricane has changed its path so dramatically, that it is hard to know where to evacuate and where is going to be safe. the immediate concern, though, is that all those who needed to escape for their lives in the bahamas manage to do so. aleem maqbool, bbc news on the east coast of florida. we have a taxi driver and tour guide on one of the islands it hasn't born much of the brunt of the storm in the bahamas.

the winds have almost subsided and we are looking at observing. how much damage have you seen out and about? i have not seen any physical damage that has been devastating here. what i have seen is the rising surf in the township about five miles north of me. we have had an unusual uptight so to speak in some of the street area. other than that, i would say it looks pretty well ok. it is getting late into the evening where you are. just take us through how you will organise your house tonight to protect yourself and your family? i think we are pretty much out of the woods as far as any further damage is concerned, so i am not planning on doing any extra

thing here tonight as far as preparedness are concerned. we have just got electricity that came back up just got electricity that came back up after being shut down about three o'clock this morning. wejust up after being shut down about three o'clock this morning. we just got electricity returned a few minutes ago. other than that, electricity returned a few minutes ago. otherthan that, like electricity returned a few minutes ago. other than that, like i said, i have not made any plans of further preparation to prepare as far as this storm is concerned. it is good to hear like you feel like you are out of the woods. preparations been like over the last few days?m out of the woods. preparations been like over the last few days? it has been sensible about the preparedness as far as been sensible about the preparedness as farasi been sensible about the preparedness as far as i am concerned. battening down their windows, doors, whatever is necessary. personally, i myself, idid limited is necessary. personally, i myself, i did limited preparedness this time around because i pretty well monitored movements, and is far as past experiences, i am concerned

with movements of hurricanes, i pretty much determined that we would not get a direct impact, which again, wasa not get a direct impact, which again, was a pretty sensible call on my part, even though it was not the proper thing to do, but then again, we came through it without any devastating damages. arthur nixon speaking to me earlier. hong kong is braced for more disruption on monday with calls for a general strike and a higher education boycott. it follows a weekend of serious violence, some of the worst in recent months. hong kong international airport was targeted for the second time in three weeks, blocking the access road and sabotaging the rail link. the bbc'sjohn sudworth reports from hong kong. hong kong airport, a vital part of an open, free trading economy, under siege... chanting: fight for freedom!

..with pilots having to clamber over the barriers as the pro—democracy campaign tries to hit this city where it hurts. well, this is the main airport approach road and, once again, this meandering, leaderless protest movement is showing its ability to take its message to the international community. they come, they disrupt and, if necessary, melt away and there is very little the authorities can do about it. thousands turned up for the action, and although many flights were still getting away, with transport links brought to a standstill, passengers faced major problems. do you support what they're doing? i support what they're doing but there's means and ways of doing it. i don't think this is the right way. hong kong's never had democracy and it's certainly not going to have it in the future, so... what do you make of the disruption? it's (bleep). i'm trying to go on my honeymoon.

eventually, the police arrived in force, but, as predicted, the protesters had already vanished. moving on to this nearby metro station, the service now a target of violence and vandalism for closing stations, giving protesters fewer ways to escape. yesterday, similar acts were met by a fierce response, heavily criticised over accusations that innocent bystanders were caught up in it. but defended today in this police press conference. "minimum force was used," they said. it was anger over that incident, though, that helped fuel today's demonstration, with many walking home along the airport expressway, as this city's extraordinary, escalating cycle of chaos continued late into the night. john sudworth, bbc news, hong kong.

let's get some of the day's other news. the us says it's concerned by rising tensions along the lebanese border after clashes between israel and the militant group hezbollah. the israeli military fired about hundred shells at hezbollah positions in southern lebanon following an attack on one of its bases. hezbollah sources reported several israeli casualties, but israel said none of its soldiers had been injured. a senior aid worker in yemen has spoken of his shock at what he saw at the scene of a saudi—led coalition air strike on a prison. it's believed more than 100 detainees were killed. they were prisoners of war who'd fought against the rebels for the yemeni government. argentina's government has introduced restrictions on foreign currency purchases in an attempt to prop up the peso, which lost a quarter of its value last month. the move requires exporters to seek the permission of the central bank to make transfers abroad. it's raised further concerns about the state

of argentina's economy. last month, after more than 33 years, japan resumed catching whales for profit in defiance of international criticism. for some in the country, this is a tradition that goes back centuries. but there's a growing number of people who say hunting whales is becoming outdated, and there's a new way to make money from whales, as rupert wingfield—hayes reports. a few hours ago, this ten metre long whale was harpooned off the pacific coast of japan. now it is whale was harpooned off the pacific coast ofjapan. now it is being hauled ashore to a little whaling town. immediately, a team gets to work butchering the six ton animal. the whale is here, but after 33 yea rs the whale is here, but after 33 years they are free to hunt again.

translation: (inaudible) here injapan, many people do not understand the outside world was my obsession with them catching wales. they have been doing this for centuries. they eat the meat and they do it sustainably. this is a traditional part of japanese culture. it is also true that these people lining up to buy the meat are a tiny ageing minority. this year, japanese whalers will catch just 227 animals. even the most ardent whaling supporters say the industry can't make money. definitely not. how they can make money from 227, and sooner or later, maybe my best

guess would be no more whaling. but there are other ways to make money from wales. 1000 kilometres south of tokyo life some remote islands. this is where the humpbacks come to breed and give birth. and this is where whale watching injapan began. she will now put the hydrophone down into the water and we will see if we can hear the wales calling. that is the sound of them calling to each other. a little far away, but there you go... a little far away, but what an amazing sound. for this

family, this has been a life changing experience. translation: when i saw them today, i thought they are so beautiful. it is very hard for me to even think about catching and eating them. far to the north, japan's fleet is setting sail. here, they are safe. tourists can marvel at these graceful giants of the day. rupert wingfield—hayes joins us now live from kushiro on the northern japanese island of hokkaido. rupert, how much of this is about commerce and how much is about tradition? i think it is very much about tradition. i should just say that you can see behind me they are preparing because the whaling fleet has gone out this morning, five ships left at five o'clock this morning. i understand they have already harpooned to animals and we

expect them to bring them back here and load them onto this lorry behind me here in the next hour or so. the whaling is continuing here as we speak. it is very much about tradition and it is very much about japan looking to the ocean for food because it is a country which doesn't have lots of agricultural land, it has always looked to the ceva protein. as i said in that report, this is a very small industry it employs about 200 people that can catch 220 animals this year, they are not going to start feeding the japanese population from the animals again like they did in the animals again like they did in the 1950s and 60s, but it is a small group of largely elderly people and a small industry that is supported by some very, very important politicians in japan, by some very, very important politicians injapan, including the japanese prime minister shinzo abe, and that is really why this continues. as i said, this is something that many people see as being an industry that is in decline and that, inevitably, it is not going to be able to make money in

the long run. inevitably, in the next decade or so, probably we are going to see it badly dying out here andjapan. rupert, do you see the younger generation are embarrassed or curious about the smaller group, as you describe them, carrying out the whaling? there is a strange dichotomy in japan between the number of people who say they support the continuation of whaling as an industry, which is 70% of people saying we should carry on whaling, and the number of people who eat the meat regularly, about 5%. i think a lot of people feel like this is not something that they should take orders from the outside world. for example, people say, we don't tell the friends not to eat horses, we don't tell koreans not to eat dogs and we don't tell you not to eat pigs so why do you say not to eat these animals? it is part of the culture and tradition. despite that, younger people, most younger japanese people say they are not interested , japanese people say they are not interested, beef taste much better.

thank you very much. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the devastating environmental and human cost of palm oil in the beauty industry. she received a nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was "a wonderful example of how to help people in need." we have to identify the bodies, then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting and wives are waiting. hostages appeared, some carried, some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today, described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. an early morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: hurricane dorian has made landfall in the bahamas. it's the most powerful storm ever to reach the islands. there's been a day of chaos at hong kong international airport, as protestors blocked road and rail links and forced dozens of flights to be cancelled. british conservative party mps have been told that if they vote to block a no—deal brexit, they will be suspended from the parliamentary party and barred from standing in the next general election.

a cross—party group of mps is planning to introduce legislation this week to stop the uk leaving the eu without an agreement. our political correspondent, iain watson reports from westminster. chanting: boris johnson's got to go! a week of protests on the streets, and a week of rebellion at westminster lies ahead. save our democracy! these protesters want the suspension of parliament later this month lifted. but mps will still meet this week and opposition parties plan to seize control of the parliamentary agenda and pass a law effectively ruling out a no—deal brexit. but if that happens, this cabinet minister refused repeatedly to say that the government would accept the will of parliament. we will see what the legislation says when it is put forward. let's see what the legislation says. you're asking me about a pig in a poke.

let's see what the legislation is. but michael gove also expressed hope that the government would defeat attempts to block no deal. i believe that a majority of mps in the house of commons this week will back the prime minister because we know the prime minister is making progress with our european friends and allies in attempting to secure a deal. and this could be the reason for michael gove's confidence. a procession of government whips going into chequers, the prime minister's country pile. over lunch, they cooked up a plan to turn up the heat on borisjohnson‘s critics. tonight, the gloves are off, notjust in the battle between boris johnson and the opposition, but between the prime minister and conservative rebels, some of them recently cabinet ministers. government whips, those responsible for party discipline, are tonight ringing around those rebels and delivering a blunt message: if you vote with the opposition to block no deal, you'll be blocked as a candidate for the conservative party at the next general election.

some of them perhaps didn't realise that's what borisjohnson meant when he said he'd unify the party behind him. a meeting scheduled for tomorrow between the prime minister and the so—called gaukeward squad, david gauke and otherformer ministers opposed to no deal, was abruptly cancelled tonight. number ten cited a diary clash. but david gauke signalled he is likely to rebel. sometimes there is a point where it is — you have to judge between your own personal interests and the national interest, and the national interest has to come first. but i hope it doesn't come to that, and i hope that cooler and calmer heads will look at this and think that trying to split the conservative party in this way is not a sensible way forward. labour say boris johnson could defuse any row with parliament, if he puts forward his own brexit plan and gives mps a say. the prime minister can cut through this very easily this week by saying, "i'm going to put my proposal "up for a vote, and i'm going to live by the result. "if parliament gives me backing to leave without a deal, "so be it, and if they don't, i'll abide by it."

but he won't do it. importing goods from the eu... this week, the government's going to step up its campaign to get us ready for brexit, but it's clear some of borisjohnson‘s mps are far from ready for no deal. the german president, frank walter schtinemeier, has asked for poland's forgiveness at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the invasion that sparked the second world war. he was speaking in the polish town of veelon, which was the first to suffer german aerial bombardment. our berlin correspondent, jenny hill, reports from warsaw. sudden, violent, the attacks came from air, land and sea. 80 years ago, nazi troops stormed in to occupy poland, an act of aggression which triggered the deadliest conflict in human history. air raid siren.

before dawn this morning, sirens to commemorate the first civilian casualties of the second world war. german bombers destroyed the town of weilun. speaking in polish, the german president said he was sorry. translation: i bow my head before the victims of the attack on wielun. i bow my head before the polish victims of germany's tyranny, and i ask for forgiveness. in warsaw, a chance to reflect on the horrors of conflict past, but among the leaders and heads of state, two notable absences. donald trump cancelled his attendance at short notice, and the russian leader, vladimir putin, wasn't invited. the leaders who came here today came to commemorate notjust war but europe's hard—won peace, yet they themselves are deeply divided over the very values on which post—war europe is built. there was a sense at times today that the unity those leaders are supposed to represent is in fact rather fragile.

jenny hill, bbc news, warsaw. preliminary results from state elections in eastern germany suggest there's been a surge in support for the far—right alternative for germany, but not enough to overtake the mainstream parties. damien mcguinness reports from berlin. there will be a sigh of relief in berlin tonight, decent result for angela merkel‘s conservatives in saxony. her party looks like it will stay in power there. and a narrow victory in brandenburg for the centre—left social democrats, mrs merkel‘s coalition partners in national government. they worried they might lose to the right—wing populist afd and that could have

sparked a crisis. translation: i am glad that we have had a very, very good result. what worries me is the result of the afd and that also means that we continue to face major challenges in this country. so not quite jubilation for germany's two main parties but a feeling that they dodged a bullet and managed to fend off the populists. translation: we made it, it is a message that is emanating from saxony this evening. a large majority of people who stand up positively for this country, who want something. the friendly saxony has won, said saxony‘s conservative leader, a clear reference to the afd which is accused of stirring resentment and xenophobia, but it was a close call. translation: dear friends, today is a historic day. our young party, we have only been in existence for six years, has shaken the stronghold, saxony. the afd is popular in both state and run an effective campaign.

the party tapped into disaffection in former communist eastern germany, where wages and pensions are lower than in the west — the afd even co—opted phrases from the dissident movement that brought dow nthe berlin wall, 30 years ago. as a result, the party has made big gains in both states. but the afd had hoped to win the most votes. that could have paved the way to possible future coalitions. that didn't happen so the afd has done well is has not done quite as well as some hoped. damien mcguinnes, bbc news, berlin. the french racing driver, charles leclare, has won his first ever formula one race at the belgian grand prix. he dedicated it to his compatriot, the formula two driver anthoine hubert, who was killed in a high speed crash at the circuit on saturday.

you can reach me on twitter. i'm @duncangolestani. hello there, good morning. cloudier, milder weather is set to return across much of the uk for monday. the weather will look a little bit different to the way it did on sunday. still a few showers around at the moment, particularly across northern areas but it is turning quite chilly and we have clearer skies across the south as well. we have had those cooler, fresher, north—westerly winds on sunday and they will be replaced by these west— south—westerly winds coming around top of this area of high pressure. we're going to find these weather fronts focusing the wetter weather across the northern half of the uk. ahead of that, with the clearer skies, in eastern scotland, eastern england, it will be chilly and temperatures could be lower than this in rural areas, perhaps three orfour degrees. milder across northern ireland and western scotland. they will start the day with cloud and outbreaks of rain which will push steadily eastwards.

further rain through the day across scotland. always wetter in the west. rain for northern ireland and northern england and north wales. a few spots of drizzle further south over those western hills. middle and south—east england, some sunshine in the morning, more cloud in the afternoon. it will probably be dry, temperatures at best 22 degrees. even further north with the cloud and rain, those numbers are higher than we saw sunday. quite windy in many places. those south—westerly winds should tend to push away the worst of the rain during the evening. it will stay a bit damp and dreary around some of these western hills and coasts. and on the whole, there'll be a lot of cloud on monday night, into tuesday morning. as a result, the temperatures will be a bit higher. by which time, we've got the high—pressure really getting squeezed down to the south of the uk. this broad westerly airflow, some weather fronts on the scene, complicating what is a fairly straightforward cloudy air mass that's heading our way.

there may be sunshine across eastern areas out to the west. we will find some thicker cloud, rain and drizzle. turning wetter later in the day for western scotland and northern ireland where there will be some brisker winds, too. still dry for eastern parts of england. in the south—east and we will see highs of 23 celsius. in the north—west, that rain could turn heavy later. it will slide its way down across england and wales and bring some rain into south—eastern areas. could be half an inch of rain or so overnight into wednesday morning as the wet weather hangs around for a while. and then we will get some sunshine and showers, longer spells of rain, driven down across scotland and northern ireland and into northern england. some really windy conditions, actually, for western parts of scotland and that will really start to drop the temperatures once again. briefly, we're getting a north to north—westerly wind on wednesday but then we're back to these atlantic winds as we head into thursday. again around that area of high pressure so more cloud and some rain in the north.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the most powerful storm in modern times to hit the bahamas is battering the archipelago's northernmost islands. hurricane dorian has winds of almost 300km/h. officials have warned of life—threatening storm surges of up to seven metres with some parts already underwater. thousands of pro—democracy protesters have brought chaos to hong kong international airport for the second time in three weeks, blocking road and rail links and forcing dozens of flights to be cancelled. thousands tried to enter the terminal building but were stopped by riot police. it comes a day after violent clashes at a banned rally. british conservative party mps have been told that if they vote to block a no—deal brexit, they'll be suspended from the parliamentary party and barred from standing in the next general election.