this is bbc news. i'm david eades. our top stories: catalonia could declare independence from spain within days. the region's leader gives the bbc his first interview since sunday's disputed referendum. body—camera footage shows the terrifying moments when police reach the scene of sunday's deadly shooting in las vegas. health charities have called it ‘a global badge of shame‘ — now comes a commitment to prevent 90% of cholera deaths by 2030. and the business stories... the tax crackdown steps up a gear — in the european commissions sights luxembourg and amazon. and the head of us bank wells fargo gets a grilling by us lawmakers over its corporate culture, and the millions of fake accounts it created. catalonia will declare independence

from spain in a matter of days, that's according to the leader of the region's government, who has given an interview to the bbc. the spanish king has also intervened. in a rare tv address he called for unity, while talking of the catalan authorities ‘irresponsible conduct‘. hundreds of thousands of people have been out on the streets of catalonia in protest at police violence during the referendum vote on sunday. our europe reporter gavin lee reports from barcelona. catalonia is a region the size of eltham and there are 7500 people living here. goes on sunday, people,

nearly 2 million voted. 90% of those voted yes for independence. that is about 5.3 million eligible voters, just over 42% of the voting population. bear in mind, more than half of the people he did not vote. the other thing, while we have been told about was the result they are still good declare the official exact revolt. when that happens in the next few days, 48 hours after that there will be a vote in the cata la n that there will be a vote in the catalan parliament about whether to declare independence. if they do that, the spanish government says they could enact article 155 of the constitution to take control of the government. the other thing to bear in mind is that there have been rallies and strikes on the street. people united not just rallies and strikes on the street. people united notjust in support of the referendum and those who say they want independence, but many people outraged at the police violence, bad times, rubber bullets,

women being dragged by the head. that is what is bringing people out onto the streets. and so we get a sense of where the political narrative is going, i think there will be more people coming out onto the streets. catalonia's leader, carles puigdemont, has been speaking exclusively to tom burridge, our correspondent in spain. and he made it plain that, once the votes in the referendum had been counted up, he would declare independence from spain provided there was majority support. this palace, in the gothic quarter of barcelona, dates back to the 15th century. it is the headquarters of catalonia's devolved government. will you hear a critical moment. because catalonia's leaders say they are on the verge of wrecking away from spain. good to see you again.

this is carles puigdemont‘s first interview since sunday's disputed referendum. he is the leader of catalonia's devolved government. translation: were going to declare independence 48 hours after all the official results are counted. when will that be? translation: this will finish when we have the votes in from abroad at the end of the week and then for we will act over the weekend or early next week. and then for we will act over the weekend or early next weekm and then for we will act over the weekend or early next week. it site you are delaying and trying to provoke spanish government from acting so that they look like the bad guys. we would always have liked this process to have been driven by dialogue. there would not have been police violence but in any case we decided some time ago that it would be the catalans who will decide. you talk about a process including sunday's referendum. it has been going on for years. it is a keen to

you taking the spanish constitution tearing it up. how could spain accept that? no society should accept that? no society should accept a status quo it does not want. against its will, through force and beatings. and this can only be resolved with democracy. there are people who interpret the constitution like the bible. that it contains absolute truth more important than the will of the people. but you are creating catalan laws and saying they are above spanish law. whether you like it or not you are still part of spain. how can that be right? it is obvious that we form part of spain but we can and we have the right to create oui’ can and we have the right to create our own state. there is a clear popular desire which i don't think anyone disputes any longer, for us to decide our own future. many cata la ns to decide our own future. many catalans do to decide our own future. many catala ns do not to decide our own future. many catalans do not wish to leave spain. if, finally, through a non—binding constitution, referendum, whatever

mechanism, there is a majority of cata la ns mechanism, there is a majority of catalans who mechanism, there is a majority of catala ns who want mechanism, there is a majority of catalans who want an independent state we must be a political response. we must not lose sight of this. what feelings, when you watched the violence from the spanish national police? for me it was very sad. i saw a close—up. they indiscriminately smashed a polling stations where i was due to vote. where my daughters go to school. they hurt a lot of people. people that i know who have never used violence. people who had their hands in the air. people who did nothing, nothing, nothing were hit by police. the spanish government says that the spanish national police were simply doing theirjob. how can we explain to the world that europe is a paradise of democracy if we hit older people and people who have done nothing wrong. this is unacceptable. we have not seen such

a disproportionate and brutal use of force since the death of the dictator franco. 0ther force since the death of the dictator franco. other governments talking? no. icalled dictator franco. other governments talking? no. i called yesterday asking from mediation and no—one responded. what do have the spanish government intervenes and takes control of your devolved government? that will be another error in a long list of mistakes. after each mistake we have become stronger. today we are closer to independence than we we re are closer to independence than we were one month ago. each week, after every mistake, we have gained more support from society. a bigger majority and catalonia who do not accept this situation. a more clear—cut error, like taking over rail administration or arresting members of our government, this could be the ultimate mistake. the president of catalonia's devolved government, police in las vegas have been giving more details about the extent of the planning that stephen paddock put into his deadly mass

shooting on sunday. police have confirmed that some of these weapons have been modified to function like automatic weapons. they've also released body camera video from officers arriving at the scene. get down! go that way! amid the chaos and confusion, the officer keeps his instructions clear. he ushers others to safety as he runs towards the hail of bullets. police, desperately trying to find out where the shots are coming from, as the barrage of gunfire rained down on concert crowds for over nine minutes. among those trying to stay alive was trainee paramedic caitlin. first she ran to the medical tent to help. then she called her father. first she ran to the medical tent to help. then she called her fatherlj don't remember saying it but

supposedly i said daddy, they are shooting us. the emergency crews already at the concert were employed by caitlin‘s father. now his staff and his daughter are being shot at and his daughter are being shot at and he had to help. he rushed to the scene. i cannot describe it as anything but carnage. yesterday... i don't think any hour what went by that i was awake where i did not cry. i have been doing this a long time and thought i had seen everything. that i have to say, i am one of the lucky fathers. because there were 59 other people, and multiple people in the hospital. their lives have changed for ever. my their lives have changed for ever. my heart goes out to all of them. all of them. i do know i am one of the lucky ones, i really do. it could have been her, in a half heartbeat. you see people come together in this sort of the situation and if we did that day to day, be different. this isjust one

of the weapons found in the room of the 32nd floor of the mandalay hotel which the killer, stephen paddock, had used as a base. so far police have failed to find a motive for the massacre. i do not have answers for you yet. we are understanding that nobody wants answers to why more than the police and the victim ‘s families do. but we have a responsibility to get it right. that is why it will take time and we will ta ke is why it will take time and we will take that time. america is once again grieving the victims of another mass shooting. president donald trump will visit the city later today amid calls for stricter gun laws. he said now is not the time for the discussion. 0thers gun laws. he said now is not the time for the discussion. others here ask if not now, then when? let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. in turkey — over 40 soldiers charged with attempting to assassinate president tayyip erdogan during

last year's attempted military coup will arrive at court where a verdict will be delivered. the hearing is due to begin in an hour. a malaysian government pathologist says the banned vx nerve agent was used to kill kim jong—un‘s estranged half—brother. the confirmation came during testimony at the trial for the two women accused of administering the poison, during an attack at kuala lumpur international airport. the women, one from indonesia and the other from vietnam, have pleaded not guilty. the us government has expelled fifteen cu ban diplomats from washington. it's the latest move in a crisis triggered by unexplained sonic attacks against american embassy staff in havana. 21 people there have complained of hearing loss, nausea and dizziness. havana has strenuously denied any involvement in the attacks. the english city of oxford, which has strong ties to the leader of myanmar, aung san suu kyi, has voted to remove an honour from her because of her government's treatment of rohingya muslims. 0xford granted the nobel laureate the freedom of the city twenty years ago.

half—a—million rohingyas have fled myanmar since late august. time to pick up with the business news. sally is here. it is funny how things from the past can come back to wa nt things from the past can come back to want to. indeed. the european competition commission seem determined to make people pay back what they are owed. the european commission is expected to announce the result of its probe into member states‘ tax deals with multi—national companies. in the spotlight this time — luxembourg. it has been accused of offering illegal tax breaks to amazon. the decision is not against the retail giant itself, but against luxembourg, which can be forced to present amazon with a bill for the alleged back taxes. the case echoes a similar ruling against ireland, forcing it to claim 13 billion euro,

or $15.3 billion, from apple. a decision which has been appealed by both the country and the company. we will have a discussion about this latest move on the part of the competition commission in europe in world business report. the boss of wells fargo was grilled by us lawmakers over the steps taken to change the bank‘s corporate culture. a culture that led to the creation of three and a half million fake accounts over eight years. the hearing comes just a year since the former wells fargo chief executive appeared before the same senate banking committee. if he was expecting a warmer reception mr sloan was disappointed. we will have a full report in wbr. the vatican is meeting child protection experts in a three—day conference that aims to tackle child

exploitation online. the catholic church says it wants to use its experience dealing with the sexual abuse of children to help prevent further cases. andrew plant reports. a conference in rome on protecting children from sexual abuse. the vatican says it wants to use its experience and the lessons it has learn from sexual abuse scandals to protect young people in future. the church has become increasingly aware of the experiences of the victims, on their suffering, and the need to listen to them in order to work on various fronts. applause. the conference comes as one is the vatican‘s and diplomats stands accused of uploading child pornography. so far unidentified, he was recalled from washington in

august and is currently under investigation. the diplomat has been dealt with according to the diplomatic standards, i believe. this was handled between the vatican state and the us authorities. from my point of view, it should have been dealt with much more upfront. delegates heard the scale of the problem, told that 18 million children have suffered abuse in europe. although these problems are a mess i believe we can make progress. but doing so requires a new kind of thinking, a new kind of approach. because what we are experiencing has not happened before in history. there are no true parallels. we must unite in our resolve. the progress we make together will determine the future of over 1 together will determine the future of over1 billion children who suffer abuse and violence in their everyday lives. this three-day meeting will present its ideas to pope francis on friday. the hope is

to find new ways to protect young people and prevent more from becoming victims in future. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: health officials from around the world are meeting in france to commit to preventing 90% of cholera deaths by 2030. and how comfort dogs are being used to help the victims of the vegas mass shooting. in all russia‘s turmoil, it has never come to this. president yeltsin said the day would decide the nation‘s destiny. the nightmare that so many people have feared for so long is playing out its final act here. russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. it was his humility which produced affection from catholics throughout the world. but his departure is a tragedy for the catholic church. israel's right—winger ariel sharon visited the religious compound and that started the trouble. he wants israel alone to have sovereignty over the holy sites, an idea that's unthinkable to palestinians. after 45 years of division,

germany is one. in berlin, a million germans celebrate the rebirth of europe‘s biggest and richest nation. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: police in las vegas release body—camera video showing the terrifying moments officers try to track down the gunman who claimed 58 lives and injured more than 500 others. let‘s stay with that story now. well, after such a traumatic event, there is a need for escape for the victims, first responders, their family and friends. dogs are being deployed to help those cope with the tragedy.

tim hetzner is president and ceo of lutheran church charities. he started the k—9 comfort dogs ministry. and we‘re joined by lois the dog and rick polland, the dog‘s handler. theyjoin us now from las vegas. and thank you very much forjoining us. perhaps i could start with you, tim, in terms what you‘re doing now, right now, it immediately, for so many. and let‘s be honest, this is a huge number of people who have been affected. well, we have been going into the hospitals. we are at a hospital that the majority of the people and the victims are. we are going in everyday for them. we are going in everyday for them. we are going to some of the schools. we we re going to some of the schools. we were at a high school today, where

two of the victims, twins, were shot, and others. and one of their alumni was shot. we were with 16 stu d e nts alumni was shot. we were with 16 students for a good five hours and we will do a couple of other schools in the las vegas area to help them cope and make some sense out of what has taken place. we are also spending time with the hospital staff and other first responders that have been working endlessly on this. because it is still an ongoing investigation. so we‘re here to basically serve the whole community. that is with mercy and compassion, which comes by these very 4—legged golden retriever. just explain, rick, that element of compassion, what can louis actually do, how does it work? well, it is not about the dog, it is about building bridges to

build relationships with people who have been traumatised. and louis is just merely the bridge that we used to connect with people. and once that connection is established, people start talking and healing begins. i mean, louis looks like a wonderfully calming influence. i guess that is the point, isn‘t it? just to be able to be stroked brings something which we can‘t necessarily do three words alone. that's correct. the beauty about a dog is, you know, they are actually comfort rugs. they show unconditional love. they are confidential. they don‘t keep notes and they are not judgemental. and so they are safe for people to pat and, of course, when somebody pets dog that calms them down. and when they have calmed down, they are able to share what they are feeling. and for many of them they were there at the concert

and just the horror of what took place. and an important part of the healing process is to be able to talk about it. and dogs are a good place to start to talk about it. and then of course people handling the dog. i mean, i understand you have 16 louises with you for this sort of moment. you are old hands at this now. well, we respond to crisis and disaster response, so we have dogs in texas, florida, and in orlando, in the dallas shooting, so, sandy hook, so anywhere in the country we are invited in, we don‘t charge those we serve and we are there to serve those in the community by working through churches and schools and whoever in the community, first responders, that need help to just process what has taken place. yeah, iam sure process what has taken place. yeah, i am sure it is hugely appreciated. tim, rick, and of course, louis,

thank you very much indeed. health officials from around the world are meeting in france to commit to preventing 90% of cholera deaths by 2030. it‘s the first time such a pledge has been made. the disease, which is spread through contaminated water, kills about 100,000 people every year. one of the worst cholera outbreaks on record is currently taking place in yemen. the bbc‘s global health correspondent tulip mazumdar reports. bangladesh is the home of cholera. 200 years ago the first pandemic emerged from these swamps. and now a major health crisis looms large as nearly half a million rohingya refugees gather en masse in cramped and squalid conditions. this is the perfect breeding ground for cholera, a waterborne disease which causes severe diarrhoea and can kill within hours if left untreated. after fleeing violence in myanmar, weak and tired refugees are forced to drink from the same water supply they go to the toilet in. cholera spreads by people ingesting

water which has been contaminated with faeces. in yemen, more than two years of civil war has left crucial infrastructure, such as water treatment plants and sewage systems, in ruins and that has led to one of the biggest cholera outbreaks on record. more than 770,000 people have been infected. even though cholera is easy to treat with cheap rehydration salts, the barely functioning health system has been overwhelmed and more than 200,000 people have died, many of them children. it‘s this massive outbreak in emergency situations that tends to hit the headlines, but there are also regularly occurring outbreaks that happen in the same areas at the same time almost every single year and it‘s these countries which will be a major focus of today‘s pledge to prevent 90% of cholera deaths. it is the first commitment of that kind that the world has ever made and one of the key strategies

to achieve that is to provide water, toilets, hygiene, you know, washing your hands, to everybody, particularly focusing on hotspots across africa and asia, where cholera is particularly likely to break out. it is estimated there are almost 3 million cholera cases across 40 countries each year, but only a tiny percentage of those are actually reported. nations in africa account for most of the cases. in ethiopia, nearly 275,000 people are estimated to have been infected and 10,000 people have died. in nigeria it‘s almost 220,000 people, with over 8,000 deaths. but india has the largest number by far, with over 675,000 cases and more than 20,000 deaths. by targeting only those places in priority we are going to achieve a great deal of control, not only of cholera itself but all of the waterborne diseases. as refugees continue

to stream into bangladesh, almost1 million cholera vaccines have been sent to the border, but they will only protect people for a limited time. the vaccine alone doesn‘t solve the problem, water and sanitation is a long—term solution. what we need to do is work to make sure we are doing both. northern europe and the us managed to eliminate cholera 150 years ago. today‘s pledge aims to finally achieve that goal for some of the world‘s poorest people. stay with us. we will look at the papers ina stay with us. we will look at the papers in a moment. hello.

wednesday‘s weather gets off to a fine start for some of us, but things will have changed by wednesday night. if you are an early riser you will notice a chill in rural spots. there are gus 50— 60 mph through the day. an area of rain is pushing south through scotland into northern ireland. for much of england and wales that they will get off to a fine and chilly night with plenty of sunshine. already fair weather cloud running into north—west england with showers around to begin the day. some outbreaks of rain he having moved through northern ireland. further south, you are likely to start the day dry. some of the rain into southern scotland, especially south or scotland, could be quite wet in the morning. northern scotla nd wet in the morning. northern scotland has sunny spells and showers in the northern isles will

gradually ease. elsewhere with increasing cloud the wind will pick up increasing cloud the wind will pick up and we will see the rain turning heavy and more persistent in northern ireland in the afternoon. southward scotland, northern ireland in the afternoon. southwa rd scotland, north—west england starting to develop into north wales. temperatures around 12— 16 degrees. some sunny spells to be had, although they are hazy in east anglia and south—east england in the afternoon. a developing area of low pressure will bring heavy rain more widely across the uk through wednesday night. it is gusting at 60 mph, which could be disruptive, along with the rain in lancashire, which is very wet for a time. the last of the rain clears from southern england on thursday morning, followed by sunshine with cloud building and a chance for a show in northern scotland. still windy on thursday to begin the day across eastern part of england. the wind will ease slowly. more so by the time we get to friday as an area of high pressure builds in. variable cloud, sunny spells, and lot of dry

weather, light winds, so quiet on friday. it won‘t last long, though because on the weekend we have low pressure coming close to us, pushing weather fronts across us, so it may start fine on saturday morning but expect a good deal of cloud to develop and occasional outbreaks of rain to spread south and east across the uk with the breeze picking up again as it happens. for part two of the weekend on sunday i think things start to quieten down again a little bit. we don‘t expect a huge amount of sunshine, some sunny spells. the chance for some showers. it is quieter on sunday. hello again. this is bbc world news. these are the headlines. catalonia could declare independence from spain within days. the leader of the region gave the bbc his first interview since sunday‘s disputed referendum and he warns that government intervention could be a definitive mistake. body camera footage showed a moment ‘s police arrived at the scene of sunday‘s deadly mass shooting in las vegas. detectives say the suspect had deliberately planned the attack from

his hotel room. health charities have called it a global badge of shame. collarette kills up to 143,000 people each year and officials around the world are meeting in france to commit to preventing 90% of deaths