welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: the fbi questions marilou danley — girlfriend of the las vegas gunman. police say he lived a secret life for decades. through a lawyer, she insists she had no clue of the carnage stephen paddock was planning. "he never said anything to me or took any action that i was aware of that i understood in any way to be a warning." president trump visits las vegas — to offer support and thank the emergency services. spain's political crisis deepens — catalonia's leader accuses the king of siding with the government and "ignoring millions of catalans". and — political speech or pantomime? theresa may's keynote address to the conservative party conference suffers a series of bizarre setbacks. police in las vegas say the man

who shot dead 58 concert—goers on sunday, and injured nearly 500, spent decades acquiring weapons and ammunition and living a secret life. at least 100 investigators are now combing through stephen paddock‘s life. they hope his girlfriend, just returned from the philippines, will shed some light. she was met by the fbi as she landed in los angeles. president trump has been in las vegas, to meet victims. 0ur north america editorjon sopel has the story of the day. it's just after 10pm and the first shots have been fired. police body cam images capture the panic that is starting to spread

in the concert ground. everybody stay down. stay down. police are trying to identify the source of the firing... it is coming out the window. ..and to shepherd people to safety. get down shut it down! screaming. today the president and first lady arrived in las vegas to meet some of the survivors and first responders. at police headquarters, he was briefed on the investigation and then spoke to the people of las vegas and america. we cannot be defined by the evil that threatens us or the violence that incites such terror. we're defined by our love, our caring and our courage. key to the investigation will be this woman, stephen paddock‘s girlfriend. marilou danley was brought back from the philippines last night and is questioned by the fbi. "he never said anything to me

or took any action that i was aware of, that i understood in any way to be a warning that something horrible like this was going to happen." donald trump has described paddock as demented and a madman. that's as maybe, but as more details emerge what's become clear is that this was a meticulously planned and executed attack by a man that had a massive armoury all legally attained. at the hospital, the president met medical staff and praised the way they responded to the disaster. it makes you very proud to be an american when you see the job they've done, and people that would not be around today are up there and they'll be leaving the hospital in a week or two weeks or five weeks. though one question he didn't want to engage with. does america have a gun violence problem? we're not going to talk about that today. but in washington, no such restraint from those demanding a tightening of gun laws.

gabby giffords, the congresswoman who nearly died after she was shot campaigning, leading the charge. now is the time to come together. be responsible, democrats, republicans, everyone. we must never stop fighting, fight, fight, fight! donald trump's motorcade passed by the mandalay bay. today he's fulfilled his role as consoler—in—chief, but on wider policy questions arising from this shooting, he chose silence. jon sopel, bbc news, las vegas. some extraordinary tales of survival have emerged — people who escaped the concert venue and those who helped save their lives — including the first paramedics on the scene. james cook has been hearing the stories. the first urgent calls

from inside the concert venue came from glen simpson and his team. i6 paramedics were on site when the shooting started. i had to look at people straight in the face that were asking me to do cpr on their loved one and tell them, "no, we're not doing cpr." it seemed that no matter which direction you looked, there was at least one person that was... was dead next to a person that was applying pressure to a gunshot wound on someone else. it was difficult to learn yesterday that one of my friends who attended the event was actually shot and killed. i don't know if he died in the venue, i don't know if i passed him at any point in the venue. i don't know if he ended up in the back of one of our ambulances. who lived and who died here was a matter of pure chance.

in dodging bullets, chynna zurflueh was lucky. we could see them through the air, because the way that they were angled, they were flying towards our faces and towards our heads. and when we would duck they would hit the ground next to us. the worst i saw was just shots to their upper body and above the shoulders and we saw a lot where it was their legs, and they would fall, but there was one man in our group who stopped and actually like put his hand inside someone‘s leg to stop the bleeding. we later found out that that man survived. best friends amy and krystal were lucky, too. we did have a guy that came and laid on top of us and covered amy's head and said "i've got you, i've got you." did you know him? no, we still don't know who he is, we don't know his name. we do know that he was shot. he covered my head. he said, "i've got you." he was much larger than me. i don't know his age, but he was... i could hear him right in my ear. we would love to know how he's doing.

closer than ever now, the friends are determined to stay positive. you know, it wasjust one bad... 0ne bad man that made a huge tragic incident. but that is not representative of our world. it is a fine thought, but staying strong is so hard in a city beset by grief. james cook, bbc news, las vegas. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. president putin has said that any military strike against north korea to destroy its nuclear and missile programme might not succeed, because pyongyang could have hidden military facilities that nobody knows about. much is known to be underground. the russian leader said he thought president trump was listening to russia's views. a0 people have been sentenced to life in prison in turkey for trying to assassinate president erdogan during last year's failed coup attempt. the defendants, mostly former

members of the turkish special forces, were found guilty of attacking a hotel where mr erdogan had been staying. argentina, paraguay and uruguay are to make a joint bid to host the twenty thirty football world cup. the announcement was made at a ceremony in buenos aires hosted by the argentine president, mauricio macri, alongside his counterparts — horacio cartes, from paraguay and tabare vasquez from uruguay. -- 2030. the president of catalonia has again appealed for mediation, following the recent independence referendum, which was declared unlawful by spain and the european commission. but the spanish government has said there could be no mediation unless catalan leaders respected the law. from barcelona — our special correspondent fergal keane sent this special report. bells ring and clatter. so much noise, and so far very little listening. the now nightly protest in barcelona. to which the ears of madrid have been firmly shut. tonight the catalan president appeared on television, criticising spain's king for failing to condemn police violence in his address last night. but also seeming to soften

his tone with an appeal for dialogue. i'm open to a process of mediation, he said. peace, dialogue and agreement are part of the catalan way of doing politics. emotions are running high. yesterday, nearly three quarters of a million people protested against spanish police brutality. among the president's core supporters, his pledge to declare independence in days is keenly welcomed. i'm for independence, it's my culture, this woman says. it's true that there is also an economic aspect and very potent oppression by the state. nationalism might be in the ascendant, but catalan politics is, and always has been, a complex mosaic. among the diverse coalition now confronting the spanish state is this barcelona academic.

translation: it's not necessarily that people only love what is catalan, rather they are saying that this state as it is does not serve us any more, we don't like it any more. the question is whether new alliances can be created from this common and broad rejection. but among those who oppose madrid, many are scared by the idea of cessation. in this bar, they celebrate left—wing heroes of the spanish civil war and the owner is deeply concerned at the move towards independence. translation: i don't support independence because i don't know what it means. what it is showing is that there is a fracture in society and it is breaking up families and friendships, stretching coexistence to the limits. declaring independence and actually making it work are very different things. the regional government here does have

a strong degree of popular support, but it is by no means universal. the coming days will pose fundamental questions. how many people here will back the government in a prolonged showdown with madrid? and how far would they be prepared to go in support of independents? —— independence. mediation, perhaps by the church, is possible, but it would require both sides to step back now from the politics of belligerence. fergal keane, bbc news, barcelona. the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has delivered a public statement denying a report that he'd become so frustrated with president trump he had to be talked out of resigning. mr tillerson told reporters at the state department that he supported the president's foreign and domestic goals. the vice president has never had to persuade me to become —— to remain a secretary of state because i have never considered leaving. i value

the councillors ship of the vice president and in my his leadership within trump's administration to address this post a foreign policy perspective a domestic objective. —— both. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: second world war secrets: the brothers who finally discovered their father's resting place — more than 70 years after his death. 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. da nley this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the girlfriend of the gunman who shot dead 58 people in las vegas has said she was unaware of the planned attack. she's flown back from the philippines to be questioned by the fbi. president donald trump has visited las vegas where he met emergency workers following sunday's mass shooting let's return now to our main story,

president trump's visit to las vegas scene of the mass shooting. 0ur correspondent gary 0'donoghue is in las vegas. what is the latest? the police have been speaking and giving some very interesting new details. a couple of things that stand out — one, it is their view that stephen paddoch intended to survive this massacre. —— paddock. they were categorical that he intended not to die at the scene. we now have learnt that he did die. we do not know exactly how it happened, i his hand or as a result of the blast at the door. it puts a whole new light on potential and the range of motivation that may

have driven him at that time. the police believe it is unlikely he acted alone. they think he must have had help in the preplanning of this and the arrangement. again, they did not produce any evidence thought it was pretty obvious. we also learned the first security guard to identify the first security guard to identify the room, that he faces a barrage of of 200 bullets as paddock shot through the hotel door at him. that is why the police had to regroup and bring us what team before going into the room. —— swaps. they have some hope that his girlfriend will now shed light. and yet they are talking ofa shed light. and yet they are talking of a secret i that he lived for decades? yes, although they are also

telling us that of those 47 weapons, 33 were bought in the last year or so 33 were bought in the last year or so and identifying 0ctober 33 were bought in the last year or so and identifying october 16 is the during which is something happen. was that some of the event that mentally might have changed in? that is something they are looking at very carefully. i think they have an inkling of something that may have changed. that may have caused this spree of buying weapons and ammunition. there were thousands of rounds left in the room when police finally got into the hotel room up there, behind me. he had murderous intentions, mass murderous intentions, mass murderous intentions and he was intending to get away afterwards. thank you very much. senior government members have rallied behind the british prime minister, theresa may,

after she struggled to deliver a major speech at her party's annual conference. as she struggled to speak through a persistent cough, she was interrupted by a comedian. here's more from our political editor laura kuenssberg — her report contains some flash photography. a wobble. a wave. and a long, lonely walk. her colleagues fixing those smiles for the camera. a clear of the throat... may coughs. ..before what was meant to be a comeback. sorry was not the hardest word at all, but it was the first important one. we did not get the victory we wanted because our national campaign fell short. it was too scripted, too presidential. and it allowed the labour party to paint us as the voice of continuity when the public wanted to hear a message of change. i hold my hands up for that. i take responsibility. i led the campaign. and i am sorry. applause.

for her husband and closest staff, this speech was to take the party by the scruff of its neck and move on. but then... it's the conservative party... just as she was finding her stride, out of the corner of her eye a piece of paper was proffered. in the buttoned—up guise of a tory activist, a man interrupted theresa may. stand—up comedian, simon brodkin, handing her a fake p45. boris, job done, i've given her the p45. to start with, neither the prime minister nor anyone else knew what was going on. a stunt during the biggest speech of the most powerful politician in the country. i did the job, it's done. go, go. get lost. go away. leave please. this gentleman will escort you. with terribly british polite irritation, the cabinet tried to get him to leave...

boris asked me! boris, please, say you did this, you asked me to, and now you're denying it! ..before eventually security guards and chants from the crowd got him out. it was allegedly a joke — nothing to do with the foreign secretary. there could be trouble for the conference organisers — a man cleared by the tight security here... reporter: anything to say, sir? ..causing trouble within inches of the prime minister, ending up in handcuffs. cheering and applause. back in the hall, an ovation in support, to will her on, those who eye herjob

wearing loyalty today. imagine this happening to you on your most important day at work of the year. her husband comforting, rather than celebrating with her at the end. but she led the party into an election she did not have to call, losing her majority and much of her authority. a precious commodity, today's speech was intended to restore. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg on a difficult day for the british prime minister. we all face challenges at one time or another but it's resilience and bravery that sets one apart. take for example joyce shujaa. she's a tanzanian teacher, with a different story. after being involved in a car accident that rendered her permanently disabled, she's turned out be one of the most respected teachers around her home area. focus on africa's david nkya went to meet her in da—es salaam. we are standing up. we arejumping.

joyce shujaa's home is full of children. she runs classes with children. she runs classes with children. 16 years, since her involvement in a car accident that damaged her spinal cord. the lorry turned over, it turned over upside down with its ties shopping hours. villagers saw the accident and came to help. it was by the grace of god that pulled me out but seven people died, including my sibling. she continued to live her life but started to notice difficulties in moving her legs and pain in her back. by the time she was able to seek medical attention it was too late. joyce shujaa says she went through many moments of depression. her condition renders her bedridden

and unable to move out into the world so she made the world come to her. herfriends again bringing children to the house to play and keep it distract it. soon, after what the game is a babysitting time turned into learning. the school is now gaining popularity in the neighbourhood. translation: even though she is teaching from her bed, the children are learning a lot from home. even when a child comes from outside doing nothing, when they come here after three days to begin understanding what they are reading. infrastructure limit her from expanding her ability further but she hopes for better. if i got the proper equipment, i think i would be able to teach more students and teach very well. in the meantime, it is back to the basic abcs from her

bedroom. twin brothers who've spent a lifetime trying to find out what happened to their father during the second world war have finally discovered how he died and where he was buried. the grave of edward graham, of the royal irish fusiliers, which was discovered at catania in italy has now been re—dedicated by his sons who were born just before his death in 1943. 0ur correspondent robert hall was at the ceremony and sent this report. the irish brigade, the royal irish fusiliers came over the river simeto in that direction. across the misty slopes of mount etna, edward and sydney graham are following a personal trail which has lasted a lifetime. so, this building behind us, which is pockmarked, is where the germans had one of their positions. the trail of a man who fought his way across sicily in 1943, with no idea that he'd become father to twin sons. he would never meet them. archive: this instalment of the war in sicily... the allied landings

in sicily led to six weeks of fighting across difficult and heavily defended terrain. the twins' father, also called edward, serving with the royal irish fusiliers, fell during a night attack. edward, sydney. this is the end of the journey. last night, as fog swirled around the volcano, researcher richard 0'sullivan took the brothers to the area where he died. it does bring it into perspective and it does make it more real, when you are actually here on the site. he was one of many brave men who participated in the liberation of europe. i just feel enormously proud. fusilier graham was never identified, buried as unknown among more than 2000 in the cemetery at catania, but after decades of dogged research, edward graham believed he had found his father's last resting place. we were able to narrow it down quite easily, of royal irish fusiliers in sicily, who had no known grave, and then at that point it was just a case of narrowing down their final

locations through war diaries. today, there was a new headstone alongside those of fallen fusiliers. edward graham's sons could finally be with their father. i am pleased that he has the dignity of a proper resting place and i am delighted that it is here amongst all his comrades. it is a day that will live with me forever and, yes, it is the end of the trail. robert hall, bbc news, at catania in sicily. more on that and all the news any time on the bbc website. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbc mike embley. thank you for watching. good morning.

the farmers may well have ploughed fields but that hasn't stopped our weather watchers from posting photos of the harvest moon. it has clouded over. not quite a full moon. 98%. we will see the full moon tonight. the time being, the cloud has arrived and we will see strong winds and rain but the next few hours and then that eases away through the south—east corner. it would be a damp old start first thing thursday morning. if you are travelling to work there will be outbreaks of rain and still pretty blustery. behind it, quite a clearance and some decent spells of sunshine to look forward to. not a bad start through northern england, northern ireland and scotland. scattering of showers to the north and west but they should be isolated. into the afternoon, we continue with the risk of a few showers and maybe one or two showers driven along by the north—westerly breeze to the north midlands.

it should be dry with spells of sunshine. the winds lighter and we will see highs likely at 11 to 17 degrees. 63 in terms of fahrenheit. with the clearer skies by day, it will lead into clear skies by night. for the football, it could turn chilly and that is worth bearing in mind if you are going to watch the international matches. the reason for the chilly feel, high pressure is set to build from the west. quieten things down quite nicely but it means a chilly start to our friday morning before more wet and windy weather arrives at the start of the weekend. friday morning first thing, we could see a touch of light frost and that is certainly worth bearing in mind if you are a gardener or a grower. despite the chilly start, there will be lovely spells of sunshine coming through. temperatures will recover. 9-16.

by the end of the day, more cloud into the western scotland and northern ireland. a cloudy weekend ahead for many of us. there will be rain around and particularly into the north and west. the best of the bright spells into the east. saturday looks likely to be the most unsettled day. after a misty, murky start, the showers will be light and by sunday, things will be that little bit quieter and any showers will be chiefly out to the north and west. highs again 11—17. enjoy. this is bbc news — the headlines. the fbi has been questioning the girlfriend of the las vegas gunman — who was in the philippines at the time of the massacre. marilou danley described stephen paddock as "kind, caring, and quiet" — and said she had no idea what he was planning. president trump has visited las vegas — to offer his support and thank the emergency services.

he said "america is truly a nation in mourning" in the wake of the mass killings that left 58 people dead and more than 500 injured. the shooting has prompted calls for reform to us gun laws. the spanish government has rejected a call by the catalan leader for mediation over the region's demands for independence. madrid said it would not accept "blackmail" from carles puigdemont. the recent referendum has been declared unlawful by spain and the european commission. now on bbc news, hardtalk.