US braced for hurricane
Hurricane Irene has regained Category 2 strength with 100mph winds as it heads toward the east coast of the US, where towns are preparing for the worst.
The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said additional strengthening was expected and Irene could become a major hurricane in the next day or so.
Early yesterday it was centred about 400 miles south-east of Nassau in the Bahamas and was moving west-north-west at nearly 9mph.
In North Carolina, tourists on Ocracoke Island, accessible only by boat, have been told to evacuate. Irene might make landfall over the North Carolina coast on Saturday.