BBC在线收听下载:美国东部海岸遭遇飓风袭击

Hello, I'm Neil Nunes with the BBC News.

The jailed former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has stepped aside to allow his running mate Fernando Haddad to stand in next month's elections. The Workers Party made the announcement outside the jail where Lula is serving a 12-year sentence for corruption. Here's our Brazil correspondent Katy Watson.

Lula being allowed to run was always going to be a long shot. Under Brazil's Clean Slate law, a candidate is unable to run for office if they have a criminal conviction that's been upheld on appeal. Lula has now asked his supporters to vote for Fernando Haddad, but the former Sao Paulo mayor will have a hard job trying to win all of Lula's support. Since the announcement, the Party has adopted a new slogan: Haddad is Lula. There's no clearer signal but the country's most popular politician is still in the minds of millions.

The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to unveil plans to turn the EU into a more serious player in global politics when he delivers his annual State of the Union Address in Strasbourg. The centerpiece will be a proposal for a free trade deal between Europe and Africa. Adam Fleming has more.

Even though it's losing a member next year, Jean-Claude Juncker will say it's time for the EU to take its place at the top table of global powers. He'll propose a new Africa-Europe alliance based on cooperation, not charity, leading to a continent to continent free trade agreement. He'll recommend that the Euro be used more strategically as the biggest currency after the dollar, and he'll urge countries to give up their national vetoes in some areas of foreign policy.

The most powerful storm in nearly three decades to threaten the Carolina states on the US East Coast is expected to strengthen over the next few hours. Officials are warning that hurricane Florence described as a monster poses a serious danger to human life. With winds of more than two hundred kilometers an hour, the hurricane is predicted to make landfall on Friday.

President Trump said federal and state authorities are well-prepared. Any amounts of money, whatever it takes, we're gonna do. But we're already set up. We have tremendous trucking systems; we have food systems; we have a lot of contractors waiting.But for the most part, it's been handled by FEMA. And also we've coordinated locally. We should be in great shape.

World news from the BBC.