08/09/2017 World News Today

This is BBC World News today. Our top stories... Karacan are continues

its deadly rampage across the Caribbean. And now, there's another

hurricane coming up behind it. In Barbuda, where is already

overwhelming destruction, a mass evacuation is happening to escape a

second hit. Everything just started to decay and just crumble. What have

you eaten in the last few days? Hardly anything, because there's

nothing to eat. You can't cook. Irma is heading to Florida, where those

who can leaving. Others are hunkering down and hoping for the

best. This storm is wider than our tyre state, and is expected to cause

major and life-threatening impacts from coast -- our entire state. We

will have the very latest from the affected region, and we will be

looking at whether worth so much worse is yet to come. The worst

earthquake in a century hits Mexico. Dozens are known to be killed. And

we have the story of the girl who gave eight people life, after

deciding just days before her death to become an organ donor.

Hello, and welcome to BBC World News today.

Hurricane Irma has torn across the Caribbean, leaving death

So far, at least 19 people have been killed, and more

The massive storm - one of the most powerful Atlantic

hurricanes ever recorded - has passed through the Turks

and Caicos, and Haiti, after causing widespread damage

It's forecast to pass between Cuba and the Bahamas

in the next few hours, before heading towards Florida

And there's another hurricane coming up behind Irma in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Jose is strengthening to a category four, with driving winds of

200 kph. That is around 105 mph. Forecasters warned it could

strengthen still further. Laura Bicker is the first foreign

journalist to reach Barbuda, already devastated by Irma, where the

islands are racing to evacuate before hurricane Jose makes

landfall. The island of Barbuda was once

a Caribbean paradise. Hurricane Irma has

reduced it to rubble. The ruins lie scattered,

torn and ripped apart. Having survived the worst

storm in living memory, and knowing another is on the way,

people are exhausted, I'm just waiting to get

evacuated from here and then I'm going to come back and try

and salvage something and help. Everybody will tell you the same -

they're not coping. Everyone is in the same situation,

and nobody can help one another. Don't worry, we're

going to get you off the island and we're

going to get you to safety,

and you'll be taken care of. The Prime Minister has travelled

from neighbouring Antigua Be patient, we're going to get you

all out. He knows this is a race against time

before Hurricane Jose We heard him haggling for every

boat, helicopter or plane to help But fear starts to spread that not

everyone will get out in time. This woman has been told she does

not have a place on the next boat. The sheer horrifying scale

of the devastation here means barely That means that the whole island

will have to be rebuilt, and the government has already

admitted it simply The Prime Minister knows he'll need

to find funds from somewhere. We're hoping that friendly

governments and international partners will step up to the plate

and assist us. They should not see this as a form

of the Prime Minister and the people of Antigua and Barbuda coming

with a begging bowl, cap in hand. This is a disaster,

a national disaster of epic proportions, and we really

need external assistance. The fragments of people's

lives now lie in ruins. They can only hope that one day

they will once again call the island home,

but for now they must leave by any means possible,

including this towed barge and they don't know

when they will return. The Netherlands is sending more

forces to contain what it calls serious post-storm looting

on the island of St Martin. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said

more soldiers and police would be deployed on the island

which is shared between France and the Netherlands,

amid reports of people with guns Neil Crase, a resident

of St Martin, gave us an update on the situation, and told

us what it was like Well, the storm was terrible, and

the damage was unbelievable. And a lot of people were left homeless.

But the big problem has been the looting that you've referred to and

the total lawlessness. We heard this morning that tourists who had been

sheltering were robbed at gunpoint. And that mobs were going

door-to-door, robbing people. We've seen no evidence of the soldiers

that we understand on the island. In our area, we've not seen a single

one. Very quickly sticking to the looting, do you think this is an

opportunistic event, or are people desperate? Are they trying to get

food and water? Well, I think it started off maybe a little bit like

that. But this in the end has been organised. We are only high point,

we saw yesterday it of all traffic jam of people to the supermarket of

the island, which has been completely stripped bare. The whole

car park was for the whole day of people, and not the side of a police

officer or anything. I understand that Saint Martin is essentially

split between the French and the Dutch. The Dutch side being a bit

more industrious, do you think there has been more recovery efforts

targeted here? Is that where the airport is located as well? Yes, the

main airport is on unserviceable at the moment, as I understand. A

couple of small planes have landed with relief supplies, but that's it

at the moment. Do you think, Neil, that there was enough preparation

put in place? Well, obviously not. I mean, one would hope that there was.

There were a few days to get ready. We certainly made our preparations.

But the response so far, the roads are still blocked, which means we

haven't seen anything being moved, there's nothing happening. You're

describing a situation of lawlessness, almost. That's the

problem. The roads are clogged. There's supposed to be a curfew in

place which they keep saying on the radio, nobody should be on the road,

and yet I'm viewing, you know, people driving up and down. A little

later in the programme we will get all the latest from Florida, where

the governor has won all 20 million of its state inhabitants that they

really do need to be ready to evacuate -- has warned.

And as if the destruction in the Caribbean wasn't bad enough,

an earthquake has hit Mexico, it's being described

It had a magnitude of eight and struck just off the Pacific

Buildings shook in the capital, Mexico City, hundreds of miles away.

The tremor is reported to have lasted about a minute.

A bowling alley in Chiapas, the closest state to

This is a country used to earthquakes, but not

600 miles away, the tremors rocked Mexico City.

Frightened, some people preferred to stay outdoors.

Many can still remember the earthquake of 1985

which was similar in magnitude, and which killed

I never felt anything so scary in my life.

It was small at first, but then it started shaking a lot and it felt

As pictures have emerged from the most severely hit

areas, the death toll has continued to rise.

The fear is there may be more shocks to come.

TRANSLATION: So far there have been 65 aftershocks.

However, it's possible that over the next 24 hours we could see

a shock that's as strong as the earthquake.

In less than a minute, Juchitan's town hall was reduced

to rubble and at least 17 of its citizens were killed.

Daylight has revealed the extent of the devastation and the huge

effort which will be required to rebuild.

For more on this, I'm joined by a geologist who is an expert on

earthquake preparedness. Thank you for joining us. First, what was your

initial reaction when you heard about the earthquake in Mexico?

Well, I remember the earthquake that hit my city in 1985, that was a huge

earthquake, and more than 10,000 people died that time. And I was

praying for the Mexican people. Where use a price that the country

had been struck? Well, unfortunately -- were you surprised. Where it has

taken place, the reason for earthquakes to happen, the plates

are moving. Earthquakes happen where they happened. You have a lot of

experience with Nepal. How did that particular earthquake, I believe it

is the one in 2015 that we are talking about, that earthquake, how

would that compare to what we're seeing in Mexico? Mexico's was

stronger? Well, the Nepal earthquake was several times less than that of

Mexico this time. It is a 7.8. But the death toll was 9000. And that

was considered well below. You know, all earthquakes are different.

Earthquakes sometimes behave differently, you know, the

topography, the people, what is the exposure. I was going to say, when

you say they behave different, do they behave different because of man

being in the location of the earthquake? What is the greatest

danger is Matt the earth man being there with these buildings and what

have you? Right, the earthquake... It takes place, but when it causes

damage, it is the man, it is the way that man lives there and constructs

there. What is the exposure, you know. If the exposure is big and the

vulnerability is there, the exposure is vulnerable, then the damage is

big and the cost of the earthquake... Is there any way to

prepare for an earthquake? The reason I ask this is that at the

time of the Nepal earthquake in 2013, there had been some prediction

that we would never have another strong earthquake in the poll again

because of the timing, you note -- in the poll. We might have small

ones, but certainly not of that magnitude. How long does it take for

that accumulated energy in the earth's cost to build up? Well, in

our case the relation is... The moment is about two centimetres per

year. For a century, that makes it quite a significant build-up, and it

releases. So one can never say that, you know, the earthquake is not

going to take place. You never know, you know. Depending upon how long

the rapture is taking place, it is the Earth... Do know, we were

preparing for the earthquake, you know. Every eight or nine years, and

earthquake effects Nepal. So we were preparing for that. But it depends

on the preparedness, how prepared you are, how you build, how you

live. And if you do not do that, you suffer. In the case of Nepal, we are

not as prepared as Mexico is now, you understand? Although, the death

toll here, I mean, the preliminary figures that we have seen of the

deaths that have taken place, it is well below what could have been

there. Thank you very much for your insight. More in a moment on the

hurricane has linked towards Florida. -- hurtling.

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, in the black Soweto township as well as the white

suburbs. We say to you today in a loud and clear voice, enough of

blood and tears. Enough. 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. I am free!

At least 14 people are known to have been killed by Hurricane Irma -

with one organisation claiming that more than a million people have been

The Mexican government says at least 35 people are dead after an

earthquake shook the country's south. It struck just off the

position -- the Pacific coast, and was felt hundreds of miles away in

the capital. Let's get more on hurricane.

The Governor of Florida has warned its 20 million residents

that they should all be prepared to evacuate in the face

of Hurricane Irma, which is wider than the entire state.

500,000 people have already been ordered to leave their homes,

and the highways out of the state have been clogged with cars.

They are now calling this one of the biggest mass evacuations

The roads heading out of Southern Florida are clogged,

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.

Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our people.

At Miami's airport, people scramble for the last chance to get out

But basically most of the flights are sold out, so we're not

The worst case scenario that we're going to get hit by a hurricane,

and it's terrifying, and we're going to be

I had to purchase another ticket yesterday costing $8500 to go one

way back to London, and I've already paid once.

So, I'm just hoping they're going to get me on this plane.

The area of Miami normally packed with tourists

is within the evacuation zone, and has been left

Just extraordinary to see Miami's iconic South Beach

as deserted as this, but it is an indication of just

how seriously people here are taking the warnings,

particularly having seen the type of destruction that's been wrought

If they are coming here, it's to fill pillowcases with sand

to barricade their homes before Irma hits.

Donald Trump himself will be affected.

His Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, has been forced to close,

and is in the projected path of the storm.

The National Guard has been deployed here.

They're stockpiling commodities that could become scarce in the coming

days, like drinking water, but they're also preparing

for what's likely to be a massive rescue operation.

Right across this State, there's a sense that time is running

Aleem Maqbool, BBC News, in Miami, Florida.

So, a clear message there to be prepared.

You can read about the situation there on our website -

A 13-year-old girl who died from a brain aneurysm has helped

a record eight people, including five children,

Jemima Layzell, from Somerset, died in 2012, her parents

said she was clever, compassionate and creative -

and would have been "very proud of her legacy".

Officials were able to transplant her organs into eight other people.

It was just before her mum's birthday party five years ago that

Doctors tried to save her life, but her parents were

We'd seen the scans, and there was such a huge shadow

on the left side of her brain, she would never, ever recover.

By chance, Jemima had spoken to her parents about organ

donation just a few days before she collapsed.

When she died, they felt they had to follow the schoolgirl's wishes.

She did specifically say that she wanted

And Sophie, how did that help you then make

It made that decision so much easier.

You know, it's like an automatic thing, yes,

Five years on, Jemima's family have now been told that her organs,

including her heart, lungs and kidneys, have helped more

Freddie is one of those Jemima saved.

He had been given just weeks to live before

he received her liver in a transplant.

This week, he started secondary school.

Thank you - but that just doesn't seem enough,

that they actually stuck to Jemima's wishes and let

So it's really tough, but we can never be thankful enough.

This month, the two families will meet for the first time

at a charity ball organised in Jemima's memory.

Her parents know that not everyone would make the decision they did,

but with more than 6,000 people waiting for transplants,

they're now campaigning for more of us to register as donors.

John Watson has all the sport for us. James Anderson reach 500 Test

wickets, joining the likes of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath to reach the

total. His 500 was soon followed by his 501st to remove both West Indian

openers at the start of their second innings. The West Indies finished

the second day of the third and final Test on 19-3. Of the

floodlights, play continued long into the evening after early rain

delays. James Anderson's 500th wicket was the landmark achievement,

of course. The first English player to do that, just the third fast

bowler, and after close of play he said he's happy to carry on,

debated, energised, feels he still improving as a bowler. He also know

that so what of work to do in this Test match. -- knows that there's

work to do. It been bowler friendly conditions throughout this Test

match. The West Indies resume on Saturday. They will feel they are in

with a shout. Mind you, James Anderson, of course, will come back.

You're always improving. I just try and soak up as much as I can from

coaches or other players, and try and add that to my game, if I can.

So, you know, it's endless how much you can do that. Kylian

Mbappe-Lottin scored on his debut for Paris Saint-Germain following

his much-publicised loan move, which is set to become permanent next

season. He was an the scoresheet in the second half. Neymar added a

third. They lead 3-1. He is expected to join him on a full transfer,

making him the second most expensive player of all-time behind team-mate

Neymar. Paris Saint-Germain on course to make it five league wins

from five so far this season. Tennis, the first men's semifinal is

about to get under way and there will be a new Grand Slam finalist.

Kevin Anderson and Pablo Carreno Busta have never reached this stage

before. Chris Froome has taken another step towards winning the

volta is by no. Less than two months after his fourth Tour de France

title -- Vuelta is by no. Chris Froome finished in the peloton more

than 12 minutes later. There is just one meaningful stage to go before

Sunday's ceremonial finish in Madrid. Andrew Parsons has been

elected the new president of the International committee. The

Brazilian beat three other candidates at the IPC General

Assembly in Abu Dhabi earlier today. He succeeds Sir Philip Craven, who

had headed the organisation since 2001. Sir Philip oversaw the growth

of the Paralympic movement, which is now the world third biggest sporting

event behind only the Olympics and the World Cup in terms of global to

guess. That is all the sport. Back to you.

STUDIO: Thank you, Tom. A reminder of our top story: Relief

efforts on Caribbean islands hit by Hurricane Irma

are being complicated by the imminent arrival

of another powerful storm. Efforts are being made

to rescue all 1600 residents of the island of Barbuda before

the category four Hurricane Jose Don't forget that Florida is also

preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Amer. You can keep

up-to-date with that on our website. -- hurricane Irma. Also get in touch

with us here at world news. You can find me on Twitter. Stay tuned,

plenty more coming up shortly. Hello. We are still dodging some

downpours this evening. But some of us will be turning drier as the

evening goes on. Although overnight we will keep a feed of