looking at the caribbean and also latin america. host: what was the interest in the caribbean? >> multiple interest in the caribbean. there was a sense in needing to use financial means towards political and on the part of the state department. there is the sense of the early history of dollar diplomacy, which your viewers will know that i did of substituting bullets for dollars in terms of foreign relations became important through that kind of work of roosevelt and taft. so, banking institutions were very important in terms of organization of central banks in the caribbean, very important in terms oftant t currency system in the caribbean and the organization of these financial institutions was critical to theca state department's goal of political stability in the caribbean region, which was increasingly important in the context of world war i as well as in the context of the opening of the panama canal and the need to protect the cable lines and passages between the atlantic and pacific. beyond that there are of course purely financials and commercial interestsu.s. at the u

banks, wall street had in the caribbean region. these differ island to island colony to calling but, of, course, sugar was one of the most important ones with the institutions like the citibank and maybe the chase, involved in the financing of sugar plantations throughout thehout t region. there was an interest in the financing of caribbean sovereign debt which is really in the first part of the 20 century was, the debt was held byby jpmorgan as well as fire and company, but later became very, very important to institutions like the citibank and like the chase. chase became the largest lender to cuba by the end of the 1920s. beyond those questions of sovereign debt, there was also simply the question on one level commercial banking, the financing of trade but also what we might call personal banking. there was a movement in the 20s, especially by citibank to set up branch banks in thench ba caribbean which would serve as middle-class customers. suggest the opening of compoundd interest deposits was a new and revolutionary thing in t

hurricane irma continues its trail of destruction through the caribbean. at least 1a people have been killed. more thani million people are estimated to have been affected by the storm across the caribbean, which is now heading towards the united states. raf planes are loaded with aid for victims, as the prime minister chairs an emergency cobra meeting. but critics say the government was slow to react. we should have been in step with persons like president macron, who ensured that military was on the ground. in other news, a review of the criminaljustice system in england and wales finds discrimination in the treatment of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. mexico is hit by its most powerful earthquake in a century, killing dozens of people. a 13—year—old girl who donated her organs has helped a record eight different people. the parents ofjemima layzell, who died in 2012, say they are proud of her special legacy. and, on track to do the double — can chris froome add the vuelta espana title to his tour de france victory earlier this year? go

and some of the missions in the region to puerto rico and others parts in the caribbean. extremely grateful during this whole event and the aftermath to the colleagues in the department of defense as well as dutch, french and british authorities that have cooperation. for more specific information about travel and shelter and service, people viewing and the people that have questions about the countries look at travel dot state .gov on the website of the state department website and finally in conclusion, i want to thank you for your continued support particularly see sis, the caribbean ambassador, sally for her endless efforts as well and many others that have shaped the strategy that we are now beginning to implement and as we move forward in our efforts we will continue to rely on you as our partner to build on the strategy to try to pass a more robust relationship. so thank you for organizing this event and again, our hearts go out to our friends and family who are going through this devastating disaster. thank you. [applause] first, thanks to see sis for the invitatio

and in the countries of the caribbean. we have organized the program today to bring greater attention to the impact of the hurricanes and to the critical local and international response. this is the latest in a series of panels presentations and publications we've been doing on the caribbean. two months ago, we published a report discussing the most important aspects of u.s. relations with the caribbean. with mexico and canada, the caribbean represents our third border. our caribbean effort has been led from the very beginning by dr. george fario who is here in the audience today who's had a long history of involvement at csis. george has been assisted by a great group of other senior advisers and associates and by our great americas program staff. without further ado, i'd like to turn the floor over to sally, a friend of csis and the executive director of the caribbean central america action. thank you very much. >> thank you, michael. first of all, i want to thank everybody who came here today, everybody who is watching

and countries in the caribbean. we've organized the program today to bring greater attention to both the impact of the hurricanes and to the critical local and international response. this is the latest in a series of panels, presentations and publications we've been doing on the caribbean. two months ago, we published a report discussing the most important aspects of u.s. relations with the caribbean. with mexico and canada, the caribbean represents our third border . our caribbean effort has been led from the beginning by dr. george fario. he's been assisted by a great group of other senior advisors and associates, some of whom you will see today. without further ado, i would like to turn the floor over to .ally, a friend of csis thank you very much. >> i want to thank everyone who came here today and it one who is watching online. this is an important discussion. we are a nonprofit, we are happy to work with csis on anything involving our region. when something like irma happens, all of us who have an interest in

the storm has already had a deadly impact across the caribbean. ve called it an unparalleed event. well, matt taylor from the bbc weather centre talked us through what the next few days have in store. one of the most recent areas to be feeling the wrath of hurricane irma have been the low—lying areas of the turks and caicos and also the southern bahamas. these are areas, again, very low—lying, nothing to stop the path of that raging storm as it goes across, and nothing to hinder its progress. now, it has weakened a little bit now to a category 4, but it is still packing winds over 150 miles an hour, and they can still strengthen over the coming days. the forecast track for that storm is to continue to push its way westward. it mayjust clip the northern portion of cuba. the crucial thing, though, could be where the eye of that storm is, the strongest of the winds. if it remains over open waters, it will retain its strength and perhaps even strengthen further. the water is key to keeping the ingredients there for that storm to maintain its strength.

it's being sent out to the caribbean and that laurie is about to leave. ee days ago, people are saying. they knew the devastation the hurricane was likely to cause. the secretary of state for international development was here before, priti patel, and i asked her about the speed of british response. today, we are sending out the various response “— today, we are sending out the various response “ routes, today, we are sending out the various response —— routes, buckets, lanterns, practical relief that people need after the type of disaster we have seen. there is a range of equipment going out. it is being deployed. we have already seen a sea being deployed. we have already seen a sea 17 fly from brize norton carrying a range of equipment, so it's very much the type of kit, shelter kits, power kit, but also buckets which will help provide water, water purification that people need up to such a disaster. 0k, people need up to such a disaster. ok, these are just the sort of things she was talking about here. this is the water purification kit. it goes in dirt

the past. danger to thee caribbean. ey are becoming so monstrously aroundecause the seas the caribbean are much hotter. that is global warming. as the hurricanes pick up the they becomee seas, bigger, larger, stronger. we are the victims of all of this. it is warring to us when death will reading -- worrying to us. it.re the victims of we worry that we have had to evacuate every person from barbuda which suggest we are seeing societies have existing for a long time, the footprint in their country is being obliterated. there is a danger of extinction, if these hurricanes continue like they have been. i am very worried about dominica. there has been considerable damage but am not sure how much because it is just turning daylight. the assessment of the damage will take some time. in antigua today, we had much stronger winds. this morning at 7:00, sustained winds of 90 miles per hour, stronger than during irma. this indicates the power of these hurricanes and why they are a danger, and why we must worry about them. so heavil

we'll get all the very latest from the caribbean later on the news channel.overnment proposals to cut the number of low skilled eu migrants after brexit could be catastrophic. but theresa may says things have to change. overall, immigration has been good for the uk, but what people want to see is control of that immigration. as tens of thousands of rohingya moslems flee myanmar

the winds, like a jet engine, roar through the eastern caribbean. category five hurricane ripped roofs off homes, devastating some of the oldest buildings in saint martin. and all communication was lost to 2000 people stuck on the island of barbuda where there are reports of a 20 foot storm surge. irma has become known as a beast. and as she barrelled towards the virgin islands, hundreds tried to get to safer ground. this rare view from the air gives you an idea of the sheer scale of the storm. around the eye are catastrophic 185 mile an hour winds. and this is what they fear on the island of puerto rico. the aim is to try to save as much as possible. neighbours in this area are handing out wood boarding and supplies. this shop owner describes them as angels. we are a strong island, you know, we have been through this before. it's a lot of emotions going on, you know? the governor inspects one of the shelters set up for the thousands who are expected to evacuate low—lying areas. he says the next few hours of preparation could be the difference betwee

and menacing swirl of clouds stretching over the caribbean. of hurricane irma shows its extraordinary scale. if it was over britain it would cover most of the country. our brave flight crew enter is right inside. and facing them with a staggeringly large walls of the inside of the eye. this hurricane has set a new record for having dangerously fast winds for the longest time. on the ground, the effect is shattering. this part of the world knows all about hurricane sue and an early warning has definitely saved lives, but this one is stronger than most. how do hurricanes become so destructive? the strongest form of back the coast of west africa, warm waters caused the error to rise, triggering thunderstorms and that is when the winds can circulate and as this weather system crosses the atla ntic this weather system crosses the atlantic it grows and becomes stronger. if the winds are moving in the same direction at all levels, as with irma, they reached devastating speeds. closer to the caribbean, the hurricane gets another boast as it passes over

hurricane irma continues to cut a trail of destruction through the caribbean. at least 1a people have been killed. the massive storm caused major damage in the british virgin islands overnight where a state of emergency has been declared. all of us have been affected by irma, some more than others. apart from the structural damage, there have been reports of casualties and fatalities. i am truly heartbroken by this news. the prime minister prepares to chair a cobra meeting as raf flights are loaded to deliver water, rations and troops. we'll have the latest on the british aid effort and from our correspondents in the region. also this lunchtime. a review of the criminaljustice system in england and wales has found bias and discrimination in its treatment of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. and suggestses a new approach. deal with the drugs, deal with the family background, deal with the education, the anger management. intervene and save the system money, save the victims going through this lengthy trial. a powerful earthquake has struck the so

it has already killed many people in the caribbean. do not believe you can ride this out. >> more than half a million people have been told to evacuate. people made a rush for gas. by one estimate, nearly 40% of the pumps in miami and ft. lauderdale have run dry. >> this is scary looking at the news. >> reporter: though much of the focus is on florida, forecasters own irma could also punish areas to the north in georgia and the carolinas. >> reporter: as you can see behind me, this gas station is boarded up. if you are ordered to evacuate, this is the last day to do so. authorities are saying it might be a safer bet than hitting the highways to find friends or family in the area. ann marie, if you are headed to a shelter, you need to bring three days worth of food and water. >> good to know, meg oliver in miami. >> meteorologist, troy bridges of our orlando affiliate, wkmg, has the latest on what's happening with irma. troy, good morning. >>> good morning, ann marie. the real concern is that we are going to continue to see this strong s

we have great contacts across the caribbean in. closely with rotary international collea g u es closely with rotary international colleagues and with the local government agencies and our partner agencies, such as the red cross. we have these good contacts. we have fantastic transport support, all over the world. if more than the 2,000 bits of kit that we have ready and waiting in panama are required, we will source those from all over the world. once your people get the window and the weather that they need to do what they want to do, just tell us about how these shelterboxes, how they work. well, what is likely to be most useful in these scenarios is what we call a shelter kit, which supplies people with the ability to repair their damaged buildings or indeed make rudimentary shelters themselves. that consists of heavy duty tarps, and tools to clear land. and essential items you might not think of immediately, where power is down, you need solar lighting. we supply those to families because personal lighting is very important in t

three raf flights have been despatched to the caribbean. e their homes with the storm due to hit their this weekend — the rest are hunkering down. president trump has warned that it has historic destructive potential. a powerful earthquake has hit southern mexico and killed at least 3a people. the country's president said the tremor was the strongest to hit mexico in a century. a review of the criminaljustice system in england and wales has concluded that people from black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are still facing bias and overt discrimination. three raf flights have been despatched to the caribbean — as the government steps up the relief effort to the british overseas territories that have been devastated by hurricane irma. a royal fleet auxiliary ship which has delivered six tonnes of aid to anguilla is now travelling to the british virgin islands, where a state of emergency has been declared. it follows criticism that the uk hasn't respond quickly to the disaster. duncan kennedy reports from raf brize norton. the first raf f

you have seen the pictures coming out other parts of the caribbean. ons even more urgent. yes, they are very urgent but this is an unprecedented storm. we are doing all we can but the damage, is highly likely to be very bad. so how do you prepare, not for the hurricane hitting but for the recovery? oxfam and other agencies on the ground are working to supervise water and sanitation and hygiene conditions. so that cholera and other conditions don't spread after the storm leaves because after it leaves that is when people will be left, that's the worst scenario here. we've already seenin worst scenario here. we've already seen in places like barbuda, communications are the first things to go down so how do you prepare for that. many aid agencies and others, some have satellite communication but that is not reliable either. let's see what we can do first. in terms of the buildings in haiti we have already seen barbuda described as almost not habitable. the buildings where you are, have a stronger, are they more likely to be able to bearup stronger, are th

it gets more powerful as it island hops across the caribbean. reak one of these hurricanes up, cooler water can do it, but you will not get that because the sea temperatures are above where they should be in this part of the caribbean. we also have very little land mass. you're talking about little, smaller islands. you need a big landmass with mountain to break it up. one interesting thing, the track it takes across hispaniola and cubais track it takes across hispaniola and cuba is crucial to its future development. they are big islands with big mountains and a direct hit would take out some of its energy. but at the moment the track doesn't give a direct hit, it takes just to the north, remaining over the warm waters so it gathers more fuel and it is likely to remain a major hurricane, perhaps category three or four as it arrives at the usa. we saw what happened with hurricane harvey, downgraded to a storm, but that's when the trouble began because it simply sat over parts of louisiana and texas and dump its reign. harvey was a much weaker stor

and we'll hear from the caribbean island of barbuda. f the storm — the island's been flattened. we'll ask the head of the red cross there if they'll have to start again from scratch. and our political editor, nick watt, is hearing growing political criticism of the uk government's disaster response. why are our prisons so full of young black men and women? is it racism, unconscious bias orjust a failure of the system? david lammy tells newsnight the criminaljustice system has been complacent. and on the eve of north korea's national day, we report from the other side of the border. the dissidents who are no longer scared to express what they feel about the great leader. he just tried to slice a portrait of kim jong—un with a knife and the south korean police swooped in and took it away. good evening. donald trump spoke straight to camera this evening to warn of the absolutely historic destructive potential of the hurricane on his doorstep. "it is of epic proportion" he tweeted. "perhaps bigger than we have ever seen". the president is us

there is barely a soul on the streets due to risk of flying debris. caribbean islands count the cost of the hurricane. about 30 people are dead. 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. hello. 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 120 miles an hour. 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 two, but officials are warning of life—threatening storm surges. the streets of miami's business district have been swamped by a up to three feet of water brought by a storm surge. 0ur correspondent, aleem maqbool, is there. they warned miami would flood, and it has. irma's massive downpours and ocean surges combined to inundat

from the florida keys around the caribbean. is is the scene live in miami, described asa the scene live in miami, described as a ghost town, as the storm approaches. cuba was battered overnight. there's been "significa nt damage" and the recovery process is now beginning. in other news: officials in mexico say at least 90 people are now known to have died in thursday's earthquake. tony blair calls for tougher immigration rules numbers without the need for brexit. sir mo farah becomes the first athlete to win the great north run four times in a row. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. after battering its way through the caribbean, hurricane irma — currently a category four storm — has slammed into the lower florida keys, lashing the island chain with winds up to 130 mph. the hurricane made landfall in cuba late on friday. it engulfed villages, causing widespread damage and leaving whole communities homeless. the eye of the storm has now reached the florida keys, bringing extreme winds that are expected to last for the next fe

the and of course in the caribbean. he is chris fawkes. the next and of course in the caribbean. low slide into a more u nsettled picture, a slow slide into a more unsettled spell of weather. this area of rain has affected increasingly northern england and will continue its journey southwards as we continue this evening, patches of rainfora as we continue this evening, patches of rain for a time, and overnight is when the rain band will really start to get a wriggle on. even as the main area of rain works in, behind that there will be plenty of showers. it will be quite a blustery old might. temperatures 10—15d. it would be too cold. a grey old start of the day. in england on friday. —— it will not be too cold. gusty winds. elsewhere, look at all the showers. there are so many of them, you have a high chance of catching one, particularly across the north—west. nowhere will be in being. in between the showers, quite a bit of cloud, limited bright spells, feeling cool in the wind, highs ofjust 1a degrees in glasgow. that's your weather. this is bbc news. i'm simon mccoy. the headlin

france was giving to its caribbean spaces and the attention that the british were giving to the caribbeanldings in the region as well. it was impossible to find information about the u.s. virgin islands. the president of france is already on the ground in the caribbean right now. surveying the damage with his own eyes. a lot of this attention was happening before irma even hit. it is true since irma hit the virgin islands and eventually the florida keys and florida, by the time it hit the continent, it was downgraded to a category 4, or it hit the virgin islands as a category 5. many experts are saying is the worst hurricane to ever hit the region. now we are beginning to get attention and there have been great articles, what in the nation, and many others that are bringing attention to the virgin islands. but i was watching tom bossert's september 12 report about the hurricane hitting the caribbean with close attention. and he, who is the white house's national home security adviser, he spoke about the caribbean in very focused ways. person, i caribbean really appreciated. he talked abou

the storm ribbed through the caribbean over the past few days, specifically to the caribbean. irma a category 4 hurricane, it is moving through the bahamas toward south florida, still on a very unpredictable track. however, the national hurricane center is warning that parts of southern florida could see catastrophic impacts, structural damage, widespread power outages. let's go to nbc's gadi schwartz in homestead, florida. good morning to you, gadi. homestead was wiped out a couple years ago and completely rebuilt. i think that was after hurricane andrew. they know what they're dealing with when it comes to big storms. >> reporter: that's right, alex. hurricane andrew devastated this area. we've been driving around. let me show you what it looks like right now. we're seeing some of the outer bands of this storm. this is something people have been preparing for. a lot of people remembering what hurricane andrew did to this town. in fact, a little while ago we were driving by one area. it's almost like a monument to what happened in hurricane andrew. we're going to head out ther

ravage much of the caribbean causing mass evacuations u.s. president donald trump is describing new u.n. sanctions on north korea as only a very small step he suggesting that much stronger action will be taken against pyongyang in the future both korea has also promised painful consequences for the u.s. . a meeting of the arab league in cairo has descended into shouting as ministers from qatar on the four states blockade in the gulf nation traded insults . the u.a.e. as foreign minister said the blockade by his country saudi arabia bahrain and egypt would stay in place until stopped interfering in other countries affairs minister for state affairs said no evidence had been presented for the claims it supports terrorist organizations and called the blockade assault on its sovereignty on live television comes as the crisis enters its one hundred day on weapons team called us as a nonresident fellow at the institute for middle east politics he says the outburst shows that the parties aren't close to resolving their dispute. i think that there are

the storm ribbed through the caribbean over the past few days, specifically to the caribbean. irma a category 4 hurricane, it is moving through the bahamas toward south florida, still on a very unpredictable track. however, the national hurricane center is warning that parts of southern florida could see catastrophic impacts, structural damage, widespread power outages. let's go to nbc's gadi schwartz in homestead, florida. good morning to you, gadi. homestead was wiped out a couple years ago and completely rebuilt. i think that was after hurricane andrew. they know what they're dealing with when it comes

our top stories: hurricane irma devastates the islands of the eastern caribbean. barbuda and st martin pick up the pieces. irma heads for haiti and then florida, where mass evacuations are ordered. an unfolding humanitarian disaster — families flee myanmar as buddhists target rohingya muslim villages. and we bring you a special report on what's being called the nightmarish conditions in a detention camp for refugees in libya. hello. hurricane irma, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the atlantic, is sweeping across the eastern caribbean with devastating force. at least ten people have died, and hundreds of buildings have been flattened or flooded. deaths are reported in the us and british virgin islands, and anguilla. haiti and the turks and caicos islands are now making frantic preparations. the islands of barbuda and st martin were the first to feel the full force of the winds and storm surge. then puerto rico, cuba and florida still lie ahead. with phone lines down, roads destroyed by flooding, airports damaged, it's difficult to communicate and to get

the caribbean has been hit by another category 5 hurricane — maria. sland of guadeloupe. the british virgin islands, still recovering from hurricane irma, are set to be hit tonight. myanmar‘s leader, aung san suu kyi, has said her government does not fear "international scrutiny" of its handling of the growing rohingya crisis. foreign minister borisjohnson says he is not going to resign when asked about reports that he could quit before the weekend. time for a check on the sport now. and the latest on whether rio ferdinand might become a boxer. yes, more on rio in a minute. summer has long since finished, but there's still one series to fit in on home soilfor england's cricketers before the season ends. old trafford is the venue for the first one day international against the west indies. the tourists won the toss and decided to bat first. chris gayle was eventually out for 37 after being dropped before he'd scored any of them. the west indies innings is a little precariously poised at the moment. they are 132—4 after 29 overs. the england lionesses‘ w

>> we expect hurricane irma to continue over the northern path of the caribbean. ptolemaic --over saint bartolomeo. it will move towards puerto rico and the bahamas and beyond that alongsideit to track the greater antilles. it might affect hispaniola and cuba in a few days time. >> this is pretty much certainty. >> certainly within the next two to three days. it's likely the i will keep offshore of the bigger islands of the northern part of the caribbean. there is still a big question mark as to what happens over the weekend. >> you have been working in the field of tropical cyclones for many years. how rare is it to see a hurricane of this magnitude? >> certainly in the atlantic it's very rare. hurricane irma is among the strongest hurricanes we have seen in the atlantic region in the historical record. there have been other tropical cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons which have been stronger in other parts of the world where you might get stronger storms. >> one of the burning questions is whether it is linked to climate change. do we have a sense that storms are

meanwhile, the caribbean is trying to assess the damage. they've reported at least 38 storm-related deaths. the world food program said 250,000 people are in need of aid on the eastern islands. cnn has teams across the caribbean on some of the hardest hit islands. we'll bring you their reports this hour. some people are starting to return to the florida keys, to see if their homes are still standing. the area was blasted with some of hurricane irma's strongest winds when it made landfall on sunday. cnn's brian todd takes a look at the damage. >> the florida keys recovering from winds of over 130 miles per hour. plus a devastating storm surge. further down on the delicate chain of islands, debris has piled up from the storms. some homes have the roofs ripped off. authorities setting up shelters and food and water contribution points. >> my heart goes out to the people in the keys. there's devastation. you know, i just -- i just hope everybody, you know, survived. it's horrible. i know for our entire state, but especially for the keys, it's g

the boss of virgin atlantic tells us how they're helping customers in the caribbean and aiding the recovery effort. hello. hurricane irma, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the atlantic, is barreling across the eastern caribbean with devastating force. at least ten people have died and hundreds of buildings have been flattened or flooded. deaths have been reported in the us and british virgin islands, and the island of anguilla. the islands of barbuda and st martin were the first to feel the full force of the winds and storm surge followed by puerto rico. haiti and the turks and caicos islands are the latest places to be hit by the storm. cuba and florida still lie ahead. andy moore has the latest. this is what it's like to look out of your hotel room in the turks & ca icos of your hotel room in the turks & caicos knowing one of the strongest storms in recent memory is heading your way. starting to hear the noise of the wind as well through the doors and windows. and from all around us really. but we're not even close to the worst bit yet, which is a bit scary. on the british vir

the headlines at 2pm: hurricane irma continues its trail of destruction through the caribbean. n affected by irma, some more than others. apart from the structural damage, there have been reports of casualties and fatalities. i am truly heartbroken by this news. the prime minister prepares to chair a cobra meeting, as raf flights are loaded to deliver water, rations and troops. a review of the criminaljustice system in england and wales finds discrimination in its treatment of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. mexico was hit by its most powerful earthquake in a century, killing at least 20 people. also in the next hour...

a menacing swirl of clouds stretching over the caribbean. ws its extraordinary scale. if it was over britain it would cover most of the country. a brave flight crew enters right inside. and facing them, the staggeringly large walls of the inside of the eye. this hurricane has set a new record for having dangerously fast winds for the longest time. 0n the ground, the effect is shattering. this part of the world knows all about hurricanes, and early warnings have definitely saved lives, but this one is stronger than most. how do hurricanes become so destructive? the strongest form off the coast of west africa, warm waters cause the air to rise, triggering thunderstorms and that is when the winds can circulate and as this weather system crosses the atlantic it grows and becomes stronger. if the winds are moving in the same direction at all levels, as with irma, they reach devastating speeds. but closer to the caribbean, the hurricane gets another boost as it passes over yet more warm water. and ocean temperatures are unusually high this year, ma

so those are the latest lines we have coming in on the situation in the caribbean. government is going to hold a cobra meeting. chris mason is with me. a big response from the uk with more aircraft heading out today and tomorrow. tell us heading out today and tomorrow. tell us what's expected at that cobra meeting then. yeah, this is the latest gathering of the government's civil contingency committee that gathers in instances like this to coordinate the response across the british government to what is happening in the caribbean. the meeting due to get under way here at the cabinet office in whitehall a short distance from downing street within the next half an hour or so. we expect to hear from within the next half an hour or so. we expect to hearfrom sir michael fallon the defence secretary shortly after that. the ministry of defence this afternoon have updated us on what they are doing, what they are coordinating. they're calling it operation rumen. they say 300 uk military personnel have been sent to the caribbean, leaving from raf brize norton in 0xfordshire ye

hurricane irma crushes the caribbean and gets closer to cuba and the bahamas. we are tracking the storm's path from cuba to florida. >> the great escape. people are hitting the road to get out of harm's way. others are bracing for what's on the way. >>> a father murdered, right in front of his daughter. now police are searching for the robbers wanted in the deadly shooting. we're live with developments in the investigation. >>> good morning. this is nbc 10 news today. i'm rosemary connors. >> and i'm vai sikahema. let's get right to meteorologist erika martin. within the last hour, erika told us that irma has been downgraded to a category 4, but we're not dismissing at all the power of this system. >> not at all. because what you have to consider, vai, is that as it makes landfall, it's expected to, in florida, it's not just going to be feeling like it's 155-mile-per-hour wind speeds. it's going to feel like it's a lot stronger. so we have to think about the exponential effect of it actually making landfall. however, what i do want to mention is that it's reall

the caribbean islands make final preparations before hurricane irma hits. owing protests as president trump scraps a scheme protecting undocumented child migrants from deportation. more than 35,000 rohingya refugees flee myanmar in a single day. the un warns of a humanitarian disaster in neighbouring bangladesh. a french celebrity magazine is ordered to pay damages to the duke and duchess of cambridge as they win their privacy battle over topless photos. my run will start in los angeles and go all the way through colorado. and meet the endurance runner aiming to become the fastest woman to run across america. hello. hurricane irma has strengthened to a category 5 storm, the highest possible level, and has in its path a string of caribbean islands, puerto rico, haiti, cuba, and then florida. the national hurricane centre in miami is recording sustained winds of nearly 300 kilometres, more than 186 miles an hour. a state of emergency has been declared in florida, puerto rico and the us virgin islands. sarah corker has the latest on preparations for the most po

we are keeping our eye on three hurricanes in the caribbean. e as strong but still the potential for damaging winds off the northern leeward islands. hurricane irma is heading turks and caicos, heading towards cuba, eventually florida by the weekend and hurricane katia in the gulf of mexico is making rain with a lot of damaging wind. somewhat quieter over here at home but still an unsettled end to the week thanks to this area of low pressure driving the weather. there will be strong winds at times particularly across southern coastal counties and the north—west of scotland and northern ireland as well. here there will be some showers from the word go. not quite so many showers here first thing tomorrow across the eastern side of scotland, maybe sunshine coming through but always a lot of cloud. showers never too far away across northern england. there'll be some spells of sunshine coming through across the northern parts of wales, but again there will be showers here through the day. and the showers are getting going across south—west england an

>>> making news in america this morning, hurricane irma crashing into the caribbean. one prime minister says 90% of his island is leveled. >> it's scary. and i pray for everyone that's out there. >> the 185-mile-per-hour winds folding a massive cell tower splitting palm trees in half and sweeping a woman away. >> the powerful storm is demolishing everything in its path as it turns toward florida. millions being urged to leave. >> you can rebuild your home, not your life. >> the state's highways jammed. gas stations empty and flights fully booked. >> just told me all the flights are full. >> this morning two more hurricanes are taking shape. we're tracking it all. >>> a good thursday morning to you all. i'm diane macedo. >> and i'm nick watt. we have the latest information on hurricane irma as it tears its way across the caribbean. >> the incredible size of the storm. its winds have decreased a little to 180 miles per hour but they can be felt as far as 50 miles from the center of the storm. >> and new video shows what irma did to antigua knocking down trees, blocking r

from doha also coming up the death toll from hurricane hanna rises as officials across the caribbean and the u.s. struggle for a full assessment of the storm's damage. heated exchanges between qatar on the blockading nations as the gulf crisis boils over john an arab league meeting in cairo. and an eye on victory iraqi forces whatever what they hope is the last phase of the war against isis. north korea's foreign ministry has denounced the new sanctions approved by the u.n. security council on monday in a statement the ministry says the resolution was fabricated by the us employing all sorts of despicable and vicious means and methods pyongyang holds a promise to redouble efforts to increase its strength to safeguard the country's sovereignty its ambassador to the u.n. is threatening consequences for the u.s. the force coming. by. will make it to us so for the creates pain it's never experienced in its history i mean our u.s. president donald trump says the new u.n. sanctions are only a small step towards dealing with pyongyang nuclear program we had a vote yesterday on sanctions we t

it's one of the biggest ever to hit the caribbean. the storm is on course to hit florida by the weekend. 500,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes. this is a storm of absolutely historic, destructive potential. i ask everyone in the storm's path to be vigilant and to heed all recommendations from government officials and law enforcement. raf planes are loaded with aid for victims. the prime minister has just finished chairing an emergency cobra meeting. we'll have the latest from the caribbean islands and florida. the other main stories on bbc news at 5pm: dozens of people are killed in mexico — after it is hit by its most powerful quake in a century. a new review finds evidence of racial bias in the way courts treat black and ethnic minority offenders in england and wales. are you by yourself? yes, it'sjust me. and elizabeth 0lsen and jeremy renner team up in the thriller wind river. hear mark kermode's thoughts about this, and the rest of the week's cinema releases in the film review hello. welcome to the bbc news at 5pm.

by hurricane irma. 90 percent of homes damged in the keys - as devastation turns to despair in the caribbean. plus - a path to recovery. a star studded telethon providing help for hurricane victims. the ubelivable new numbers just coming in with how much was raised. and breaking overnight - a heated immigration debate ending in a midnight vote. the down to the wire decision in college park - just ahead. good morning washington. toss to eileen - a few morning showers/sprinkles - rain chances today & tomorrow - - still watching jose today: mostly cloudy. warm and humid. showers/sprinkles, mainly before noon. highs: 80-84 winds: e to s 5 mph tonight: clear, becoming cloudy after midnight with rain developing west of d.c. lows: 63-67 winds: s 5 mph thursday: morning rain. scattered pm thunderstorms. warm and humid. highs: 78-82 winds: ssw 5-10 mph were following breaking news at 5:xx - massive hole after a car slams right into it. sam sweeney is live in upper marlboro - sam? now to the clean up after irma - this morning evacuees are beginning to return to their homes in flori9da. but in the keys