Mexico earthquake and May’s UN speech

Hello. Here’s your morning briefing:

The epicentre of the earthquake – which follows another measuring 8.1 earlier this month that left 91 dead – was near Atencingo in Puebla state, about 120km (75 miles) from Mexico City. Phone lines are down in the capital and about two million people there are without electricity. Residents have been warned not to smoke on the streets as gas mains may have been ruptured.

“We may still find people under the rubble,” said President Peña Nieto in a televised address. “Stay in touch. Follow lines of communication. We will keep people updated.”

It’s already caused widespread damage on Dominica. Now Hurricane Maria is heading for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, as it makes its way through the Caribbean. It weakened briefly but has been classified once more as a maximum-strength, category 5 storm. Officials in Puerto Rico warn that debris left by Hurricane Irma earlier this month could add to the danger, with Maria creating sustained wind speeds of 175mph (280km/h). “You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you’re going to die,” Puerto Rico’s public safety commissioner, Hector Pesquera, told the public. “I don’t know how to make this any clearer.”

These exercises come at an interesting moment. The Russian military is transitioning from the old Cold War-style Red Army into a more modern and flexible force, capable of conducting combined operations across land, sea and air, tailored to a variety of potential scenarios – just like the more sophisticated of Nato armies.

There’s continued focus on cabinet disagreements over Brexit, with the Times and the Daily Telegraph reporting that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has pulled back from the possibility of resignation after reaching a deal with Theresa May and her team. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s debut speech to the UN “stunned” those present, according to the Guardian, with its threat to “destroy” North Korea. And the Sun headlines on 47-year-old Tess Morten, who has amazed the medical world by having her first baby seven years after going through the menopause.

Lung cancer Life-extending drug approved for NHS in England

12:00 UK Cyclist Chris Froome follows his Tour de France and Vuelta victories by attempting to win the men’s time trial at the Road World Championships in Bergen, Norway.

12:00 Prime Minister’s Questions takes place, with First Secretary of State Damian Green deputising for Theresa May, who will address the UN General Assembly in New York later.

1970 The Soviet space probe Luna 16 lands on the Moon, becoming the first unmanned craft to collect samples from its surface.