Buildings swaying back and forth and there were the lot of powder coming up between the buildings in fact both like a big cloud of just I have been able to smell gas in several places that's all one building the group there were flames coming up from the building above the norm fire but there were flames on the roof of the building because apparently one of the gas tank rocks or the Mexican president and Rick Pena Nieto said that parts of the country are facing an emergency. Be. Released because we are facing an emergency in Mexico citizens in the states of point. Following the 7 point one magnitude earthquake with an epi center and poor bla We're here in Mexico City to help those people affected members of my cabinet helping in the operation we may still find people under the rubble stay in touch phone lines of communication we will keep people updated Kuan Polly a from our Latin American service b.b.c. Mundo is in Mexico City and has been a tragic and distressing day always flee here in many parts of Mexico this is a c.t. The capital stealing shock it was quite heavy and prolonged shaking and few seconds were enough to destroy dozens of meanings I was on the streets until recently and the scene was one of chaos mountain desperation dozens and dozens of people that just didn't know what was going on but they wanted to help rescuers are still searching for survivors because there are reports that many people are under collapsed buildings and the other reason was that there were that gas leaks so that was an extra brisk the rescue workers were asking to the people in there to turn off the more while phones because these these could prompt an explosion it was. Very tense situation and there are these terrible reports that one of the collapsed buildings is a school I understand that happened in the south of the city I don't know what the situation is right now there but these earthquakes struct just after 1 pm local time so the pupils were in school obviously it could be an even more tragic day here in Mexico and there are these reports that there were there were national earthquake drills taking place anyway which in some ways may have and people are up to speed on what to do but in others it led to people who perhaps ignoring the alarms that could have been really possibility because these earthquake struck except leak 32 years after a quake that left 10000 people dead in this city so just capital of hours before this quake heat there was a drill acids Normally we are on this anniversary. Yes I guess many people thought this was part of a drill but at least in the part of the city I was the building started to shake in a way that even even for us he did that he subtly oil to use to this kind of or furth quakes it felt from the berry 1st moment each of each felt lega difference. And I relieved that most of her people thought they had to evacuate as soon as possible Kwan polio from b.b.c. Him and I got another firsthand account of the earthquake from Eduardo Garcia where to a teacher at a school in Pueblo Actually I'm a teacher I'm not sure and I want isn't a school and I was with my group or we didn't happen like one recent immigrant and then we tried to ignore. Students outside to say did you know what 33 friends because it was like a few seconds but he was like really really strong movement or you have to deal with the kids and all this spending they were crying I mean I was due to get so I was there were 3rd raters and they were Anika and it was really funny because in the morning at about 11 am 10 am we got this rehearsal for their break that happened 31 years ago so they wondered what it was a big one so will you know memorial we got this rehearsal for the Arab League and so we were like kind of prepared in that moment since the timing was incredible Yeah you know we were like lucky to have your practice that that exercise to move over to rest and safety all the school buildings still standing yeah I mean we hear some cracks on the building to this is a big building 34 building but so far the building is still standing still. Eduardo Garcia wetter in the Caribbean Maria a Category 5 hurricane is pummeling communities with winds of 280 kilometers per hour many of the islands in the storm's path were hit by the other category 5 hurricane of the season the u.s. Hurricane Center is warning of potentially catastrophic consequences for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in the coming hours Mike thesis is a National Geographic storm chaser currently in far harder Puerto Rico getting dark right our most warm night but he can turn for the it will be making landfall most likely. Here presuming watery. Center getting much for now islands in Maria's path could also face a storm surge up to 3 meters high on long side heavy rainfall and extreme winds the B.B.C.'s Jeremy Koch is in the British Virgin Islands and reports on the impact of Hurricane Maria. She is a mighty force of nature barreling in from the Atlantic. Hurricane Maria hit Guadalupe hard the French authorities talking of extremely violent winds ordering people to stay in. In Martinique to high winds and heavy rains as the hurricane I passed within 30 miles but perhaps the worst so far has been Dominique conditions so bad hardly any pictures of emerged people I mean I know verified video posted while the lights went off with their tax records 7 years. Even the prime minister could not escape the storm posting on Facebook my roof is gone I'm at the complete mercy of the hurricane house is flooding. Right until the last minute today the shattered community has been doing their best to prepare if it was a new. Counterpunch what's predicted next feels like a low blow I'm homeless for a friend it's all too much because all the shelters are full and this is the device station I can't find any clothes you notice so I'm just we rarely need help here because a lot of people suffering. The harsh reality here is that all the tons of debris can't be fixed or made safe before the next hurricane is due to him adding to the problems here the drains a clogged with every more flooding seems inevitable there's a lot of loose debris all over the trees that act like a barricade to the strong winds all the leaves are gone and some of the trees are fallen and the trees of all the hillsides so have a lot of rain we're going to have some erosion on potential mudslides so that's become. Indications that Hurricane Maria is making one for here on the British Virgin Islands What we don't know of course is the strength of the winds which we will face here in the coming hours the hope is that the eye of the storm will pass well south of the British Virgin Islands that may mean this sort of rain and flooding but not for the catastrophic damage the B.B.C.'s Jeremy Cooke communications with the island of Dominico have been caught but local amateur radio operators say more than 90 percent of properties have been damaged our correspondent Will Grant and son on the capital of person Rico told me how people on the island were preparing what we've seen quite soon frantic last minute preparations taking place here in San Juan the capital people obviously boarding up their homes trying to make sure they have good stocks of clean drinking water for the next few days we've seen businesses of the shut down and then the streets just sort of emptied and I assume that was people just going home getting ready being with their families and getting ready to see through the night and the fear is flooding isn't it it is largely Yes I mean the winds of serious huge concern with a hurricane of this city but it is flooding there are a lot of rivers in Biko and a lot of them may well have bands that is the big Sharon and as you explained right in the introduction. This whole piece this comes very very quickly on the heels of Hurricane So there's already been a rain dumped across the region including here in Puerto Rico will grant we will keep you updated on the progress of Hurricane Maria in the hours ahead. Bombastic nationalistic and courageous words used by politicians to describe President Trump's 1st address to the u.n. General Assembly the u.s. President took aim at Iran North Korea and Venezuela the latter accused him of supporting racist there is that will return to the Cold War However the Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he'd never heard a bold a speech at the u.n. Correspondent Nic Bryant watched the speech in New York before the 193 member u.n. General Assembly the world's most multilateral body Donald Trump spoke unapologetically about his America 1st doctrine I will always put America 1st just like you as the leaders of your countries will always and should always put your country's 1st in previewing this speech u.s. Official said Trump would hug the right people and slap the right people but his address was much stronger than that in parts this was a Twitter trumpet sounded like he was giving voice to some of his angry at tweets and he mocked the North Korean leader Kim Jong un deploying the nickname he 1st used on Twitter over the weekend Rocket Man the United States has great strength and patience but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself the North Korean delegation was in the front row of the hall but most of its assigned seats were empty and official listened to the translation and took notes Donald Trump also had Iran in his sights he called it a corrupt dictatorship and hinted he might not recertify the Iran nuclear deal negotiated in 2015 by the a bomb a ministration we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program Don Trump then moved on to what he called radical Islamic terrorism a phrase that Barack Obama had always studiously avoided because of the fear it would insult and inflame Muslims we will stop radical Islamic terrorism because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation and indeed to tear up the entire world in tone and in language this felt like the Foreign Affairs equivalent of his inaugural address where he spoke of American college although it did end on a more inclusive knives we will fight together sacrifice together and stand together for peace thank you God bless you God bless the nations of the world and God bless the United States of America thank you very much. The cameras show the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clapping Hosley as if he just watched the show stopper on Broadway Iran though has given the speech a scathing review back in November the United States elected an avowed America 1st president and that's what they cost the United Nations today. Nic Bryant reporting it's coming up to $420.00 g.m.t. . Kenya's Supreme Court is preparing to deliver a full explanation of why it or not the presidential election the chief justice has vowed to protect the independence of the judiciary at Mit is increasing criticism and concerns that the new elections scheduled for next month may be delayed the opposition is demanding changes to the Electoral Commission and the voting system before it will take part in a rerun of the poll the technology company which round the electronic ballot says time is running out to hold the election within the constitutional deadline as Alastair lethal reports from. The election date is supposedly fixed the campaigning underway but Kenya still isn't sure when the presidential rerun will take place and who will take part since the Supreme Court declared the original ballots null and void the candidates the Electoral Commission and the country have been waiting to hear exactly why all could become clear on Wednesday when the full judgement is released and the details of why the poll was an old made public. The president insists the independent electoral and Boundaries Commission will run the ballots again and by the end of October as set by the Constitution but the opposition has threatened the boycott unless significant changes are made to the Electoral Commission personnel and its processes where the Supreme Court points the finger of blame could determine what happens next supporters of President who are Kenyatta have been pointing it firmly at the judiciary so much so the chief justice felt he had to publicly defend its independence criticizing increasingly aggressive threats against judges including from the president himself and in purely practical terms the French company that provided the electronic voting system for the original vote says it can't rerun the poll until the end of October at the earliest and there are significant changes are asked for by the Supreme Court it could be even later that's when the country could enter a constitutional crisis where deals will have to be done to keep the country running and neither side seems to be in a conciliatory mood Alastair Leithead on Monday a controversial referendum will be held in Iraqi Kurdistan on whether to declare independence from Iraq all the signs are that people living in the Kurdish part of Iraq will vote yes but neighboring countries like Iran and Turkey don't want to see a Kurdistan established the Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani has said the referendum could be called off but only if the Iraqi government promises them another route to independence the B.B.C.'s Paul Morse reports from northern Iraq. It is normally the custom to wait until after the vote before you celebrate victory but in Iraqi Kurdistan right now everyone's assuming that people will say yes to independence in next Monday's referendum and in the regional capital there below a huge party was being held by the exuberant Yes campaign. I'm so ready for their friends then and for Independence Park or distract it's something that we are all waiting for happen 1st so long and now it's time for it I don't know of ever seeing quite such optimism before a vote not such an absolute belief in the kind of future the lies ahead we've been waiting for this day for ever I was 14 years old when I was arrested by said I'm president I'm badly tortured on Monday we will feel very bad to understand all this bright shiny optimism you have to appreciate that Kurds until now almost define themselves as people who suffered whether at the hands of Sadam Hussein and other rulers in Baghdad well going back to the betrayal they felt when they weren't given their own country after World War one. Not everyone's fears about Kurdish independence of Barry deep down Comanche money is one of the few Kurds who openly campaigned against a yes vote rather pointedly he arranged to meet me in an Arab rather than a Kurdish cafe a symbol of the good relations which he says currently exist between the 2 ethnic groups. Kemal has been relentlessly abused called a traitor on Facebook but he continues to warn that a declaration of Kurdish independence will provoke violence and particularly in contested places like cook which is rich in oil as a mixed population and which the Iraqi government insists is not even part of Kurdistan in can't cook The Could this population is the majority but there is a very big community of Turkmens are not us they do not accept holding her from them in their city if you go for a friend on we will lose the kind of existence that you are very much proud off and Iraqi army will interfere. Well this is a good way to remind yourself what's at stake in this referendum indeed well can happen in this part of the world when politics breaks down I've come to one of the main bases of the Peshmerga the Kurdish fighting forces which have been here for decades they fought against Saddam Hussein and most recently they've been fighting Islamic state and with me is one of the 1st women Peshmerga fighters to be sent to the front Lieutenant negatives Farhad Aren't you worried that if Kurdistan declares independence you will set off a whole new round of fighting we worried about that it's always but absolutely I'm going to sacrifice myself for my country and my people my grandfathers and grandmothers is filed against Saddam and it's our turn to find out I ask everyone's please just say yes to be a free country reports by Paul Moss Nic has some other stories from our news desk police in Britain have arrested a 3rd suspect in connection with last week's attempted bombing of a tube train in London a 25 year old man was detained in the world city of Newport 30 people were hurt last Friday when a homemade device partially exploded at Parson's Green station in the southwest of the capital the British prime minister Theresa May will use a speech at the United Nations in New York later to Internet companies to take stronger action against online extremism is expected to challenge them to take down terrorist material within wanted 2 hours of its 1st appearing the general counsel of Google came to Walker said technology firms are all doing their part to try to tackle the problem and German police have thanked a refugee family who found a bag containing more than $16000.00 on public transport and handed it in a teenage girl from Iraq to scrub the bag on a subway train in Berlin on Friday she took it to her mother who gave it to the police it's thought the family will receive a reward for. That good deed American Scientists have developed an artificial ripoffs sick muscle that can lift a 1000 times its own weight it's a major breakthrough in the design of robots and as the news from reporter Richard Hamilton explains it could have wide ranging applications in the future. I'll be back. Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a killer Android in the Hollywood movie that Terminator but this artificial muscle is so strong that it would make Arnie look puny by comparison it's been developed by the creative machines laboratory at Columbia University in New York they used a 3 d. Printing technique to make it they started with a blob of silicon rubber and inserted bubbles of alcohol the muscle was then activated by a thin wire carrying an electric current the resulting artificial tissue can expand and contract exactly like a human muscle but it's 15 times stronger it was built by Professor Hod Lipson who says the creation of a soft robot has been the holy grail for scientists in this field up until now we've been stuck in this corner of the possibilities of robotics because we've been making robots that are rigid they're made of rigid components hard material if you look at nature most many animals are not hard they're made of soft tissue and they can do a lot of things because of this compliance and so it's fascinating to imagine what robots could do if they were soft and all these different things that they don't do to do so it's become possible the one thing that comes to mind are robots that have to interact with humans physically not just interact through a screen or through audio but actually touch humans for example in a home care child care elder care Professor Lipson believes his team has therefore overcome one of the final barriers to creating life like robots while he says it could be. Useful for providing services like surgical operations or childcare he declined to be drawn on whether it could have more sinister applications such as military use on the battlefield Richard Hamilton with that reporter mind the main news rescue efforts are continuing into the night in central Mexico after a devastating earthquake killed nearly 150 people dozens of buildings collapsed in Mexico City and neighboring states you have been listening to the news room from the b.b.c. World Service here on the b.b.c. World Service we're continuing a season of programs exploring our relationships with nature and each other life story. I think at an n.p.c. Will help the consumer culture but just to for a. Poor. Me it's normal loneliness of the mind when I think I want to do with my life in I guess my dreams whether you're grieving for someone you love. Find someone Tower Records in the example or certainly mixture so it doesn't look like I'm even on the wooden chest feeling lonely from time to time is what it is to be human I'm really just really rich from everybody I care about I am one hour down bank I will pass because of this cause it's a little to me to negotiations who for many different reasons have style themselves to an isolated and I know but it was newness and what can be done about it. In Lagos at b.b.c. World Service dot com slash documentaries.