hello. this is bbc news — i'm ben bland. our top stories: the girlfriend of the las vegas gunman tells the fbi — and her lawyer — she had no idea what her "kind, caring, quiet" partner 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." spain's political crisis deepens — catalonia's leader accuses the king of siding with the government and "ignoring millions of catalans". securing afg hanistan‘s future. president ashraf ghani tells the bbc his country has ‘turned the corner‘. plastic pollution threatens the planet: calls to curb the eight million tons dumped in the sea every year. and i'm sally bundock.

catalan catastrophe looms for spain — as it risks the loss of a 200 billion euro economy — and a quarter of its exports and tourists. plus — it's a giant of the internet — but a minnow in the world of mobile phones. can google‘s new pixel devices change that? we take a closer look. hello and welcome to bbc news. police in las vegas say the man who shot dead 58 concert—goers on sunday, and injured nearly 500, spent decades acquiring weapons and living a secret life. they also believe stephen paddock intended to survive, and perhaps didn't act alone. they hope his girlfriend, just returned from the philippines, will shed some light. the fbi met her as she landed in los angeles. laura bicker reports from las vegas. police believe stephen paddock got

help getting hold of his arsenal of weapons. he legally bought some of his guns here in a shopjust weapons. he legally bought some of his guns here in a shop just outside of las vegas. he owned dozens of semiautomatic weapons which he modified to turn into machine—guns. officers are also trying to work out how he moved all of his guns on notice into a hotel room on the 32nd floor. from here, he waited and till the concert ground was full of thousands of people and then he started firing. gunfire. what we know is that stephen paddock is a man who spent decades acquiring his weapons. it will never be fully understood. his girlfriend, marilou danley, has been questioned by the

fbi. she blew back from herfamily home in the philippines after hearing about the shooting. she said the 64—year—old paid for her to go and she thought he was breaking up with her. " he wired the money which he said was free to buy a house for me and my family. i was grateful but honestly, i was worried that first the unexpected trip home and spent the unexpected trip home and spent the money was away of breaking up with me." -- her sisters in australia said she knew that nothing about stephen paddock‘s plans. australia said she knew that nothing about stephen paddock's planslj know she doesn't know anything as well. she was sent away. she was sent a wave so that she will be not that they are to interfere. —— there. detectives say they still do not know why stephen paddock decided

to commit mass murder but they are building a picture of the killer and they believe he had been planning this attack for some time. our correspondent gary o'donoghue is in las vegas. a bit more detailfrom the girlfriend but still no indication ofa girlfriend but still no indication of a possible motive. no, they reasoned. although the police still do seem to begin to be having some theories. they are not telling us about them at you can tell from their news conferences today is up for example there was a key moment a year ago for example there was a key moment a yearago in for example there was a key moment a year ago in october 2016 were something may have changed, the moment which stephen paddock really accelerated his purchase of weapons. he bought 33 in the space of the yearup to he bought 33 in the space of the year up to the massacre. that is one thing. they have also changed the tone in terms of whether they

thought he had help. they stressed he acted alone in the early moments after this shooting and now they're talking about it being difficult to imagine how he could have acted alone. that changes the nature. and another absolutely key and central thought that came out today is that the police do seem to believe quite firmly and again they wouldn't tell us firmly and again they wouldn't tell us why, quite firmly that he planned to get away. that he didn't plan to die in that hotel room, that he planned to escape after doing what he did. that sheds a whole new range of possibilities on the table in terms of motivations. also the president's visit to las vegas? the white house will see it as a successful visit, he stuck to the script and made the right noises in the right places. he gave what i suppose you describe is a pretty

powerful speech. stuck to the work that had been given to him and delivered it in a pretty sombre fashion. none of the gaffes or perceived gaffes that we saw in puerto rico. they call him in these times, can solar in chief. —— consolar. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. 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. three american soldiers have been killed in an ambush in niger. officials said the special forces commandos were on joint patrol with local troops when they were attacked near the border with mali. the us military has been providing training and other assistance to niger's army to help combat islamist militants

a0 people have been sentenced to life in prison in turkey for trying to assassinate president erdogan during last year's failed coup. the defendants, mostly former special forces, were convicted of attacking a hotel where mr erdogan had been staying. amnesty international is urging european countries to stop returning failed asylum seekers to afghanistan. a report by the rights group says the determination to increase deportations is in brazen violation of international law — and it accuses european governments of being wilfully blind to evidence that civilian casualties in afghanistan are mounting. the president of catalonia has again appealed for mediation over the region's bid for independence. last weekend's referendum was violently disrupted by police, and has been declared unlawful by the central government in madrid, and the european commission. the spanish government has said there can be no mediation unless catalan leaders respect the law. from barcelona — our special correspondent fergal keane sent this

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 forfailing 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's 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 anymore, we don't like it anymore. 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. it's 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's 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 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. there is a strong economic angle and

sally has more on that. behind the push by independents, amongst other things, the feeling amongst other things, the feeling amongst many catala ns amongst other things, the feeling amongst many catalans that the region doesn't get a fair deal. —— independence. the economy was worth 212 billion euros in 2016. this is just catalan, that is the highest gdp in all the regions in spain. that makes it a bigger economy than portugal, greece, the czech republic 01’ portugal, greece, the czech republic or many other small eu countries, just to put it in perspective. it works out about 17% of the entire spanish economy. but in terms of exports it's even more important. it really punches above its weight. at 65 billion euros in 2016 — catalonia accounts for well over a quarter of all spanish exports. its location on the mediterranean mean it's a vital port area

for spain. it's also hugely important for tourism — 18 million foreigners visited catalonia and its capital barcelona last year — almost a quarter of all trips to spain. it's not all good news financially though — catalonia is the most indebted of all the spanish regions — debt has tripled since 2008 and is now at 35% of gdp. can it really ‘go it alone?‘ we'll be getting the views of an economist in 20 minutes time. we are also looking at google. it dominates internet search — and together with facebook controls most of the online advertising market — worth billions of dollars a month. but in the ultra competitive world of smartphones — compared with apple and samsung it's a mere minnow. google hopes its latest pixel device will change all that. our technology correspondent rory cellanjones has been taking a look — you can see

is report in 20 minutes time don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, i'm @sallybundockbbc i will set marc lock reminder. —— my clock. "we have a security plan and we're racing through it" — that's the pledge of the afghan president, ashraf ghani. with nato forced to return troops to the country, just two years after winding down their mission — afghanistan appears locked in a violent stalemate. but in a bbc interview ashraf ghani says things are improving and the corner has been turned. the president spoke to justin rowlatt. we have a four—year security plan and we are racing through it. look at our ministry of defence now. and look at it three years ago. this year, the war has been superbly managed. because we were like 12—year—olds taking over the responsibility

of a 30—year—old but we grew in the process and now, in terms of management and leadership, things are really falling in place. within four years, we think, our security forces would be able to do their constitutional thing, which is the monopoly, claim to legitimacy momopoly of power. but look at the statistics last year — i mean, 7000 ana soldiers lost their lives, some 12,000 were injured, you had desertions, i mena, in effect you lost 10% of your fighting force. —— i mean. no army can sustain losses like that indefinitely and continue to wage a successful war. i mean, are you telling me that the corner has been turned? yes. when first. . .you know, it breaks my heart, but please understand, over 100,000, over 110,000 nato isaf troops withdrew. they were suffering casualties, in thousands. we are a developing country, aren't we? but i am extraordinarily proud of the sacrifices and the reason it is changing is because

recruitment is up. in 2014, when i became president, it looked like an impossible task, now it looks like a difficult task, and difficult is within our grasp. we see the taliban extending our the area it controls and contesting more territory, in afghanistan. if it does not have support how could it possibly be doing that? it has not been able to take a single province. its aim was to overthrow the government or to create two political geographies — it has failed miserably in both of these things. well, if you look at somewhere like helmand. .. no. (crosstalk). of course. helmand is a drug war. the taliban are the largest exporters of heroin to the world. why is the world not focusing on heroin? can the conflict in helmand be sustained a day without the heroin component? this transnational criminality needs to be addressed. the president of afghanistan

speaking there. stay with us. still to come. warning tourists against a wildlife selfies. one charity tries to clamp down on animal cruelty. 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: the girlfriend of the gunman who shot dead 58 people in las vegas has said she was unaware of the planned attack. police say it's unlikely stephen paddock acted alone, and it appears he intended to survive. catalonia's leader accuses the king of siding with the government and ignoring millions of catalans.

downing street says cabinet ministers have been calling the british prime minister to offer their support, following her party conference speech which was beset by mishaps. however, the bbc has learnt that unease about theresa may is growing among some of her mps, who are considering asking her to resign. eleanor garnier‘s report contains flash photography. a clear of the throat before what was meant to be theresa may's comeback and the start of the conservative revival but it soon became clear this would be a speech remembered not for its words but for its interruptions. first, a prankster who managed to make it to the podium. boris, job done, i have given her a peak a5. the podium. boris, job done, i have given her a peak 45. he handed her a fa ke given her a peak 45. he handed her a fake p 45 redundancy notice. but as she pressed on, new plans for housing and capping energy bills.

but her voice began to falter. what we re but her voice began to falter. what were meant to be old statements were repeatedly choked by coughs. cabinet ministers rose to their feet four of patients to give the prime minister time to recover and the chancellor even tried to help with a coughs men. i hope you notice that, ladies and gentlemen, the chancellor giving something away free. as if that was not enough, the party slogan literally fell apart as she spoke. but with determination, she ground on. let us to feel our duty to the british people, let from phil our duty to our country, let us fulfil oui’ duty to our country, let us fulfil our duty to britain and let us renew the british dream. thank you. cabinet colleagues gave loyal support and praised her resilience.

i think it was really ambitious, the proposal, and dishes on housing. i think it was really ambitious, the proposal, and dishes on housingm was a brilliant speech and the most important thing is that she set out a vision as to how to renew the british dream. a hug from her husband, not perhaps in celebration but instead, in comfort. theresa may eventually found what she needed to soothe her sore throat as she tried to make light to what had been a terrible, terrible day. plastic waste is becoming a higher and higher profile problem. latest statistics suggest more than 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the sea every year. there's a major gathering of environmental experts in malta this week. john maguire has been to the west coast of sweden, where currents and winds mean a great deal of plastic accumulate. reducing the eight million tons

plastic dumped is now a priority around the globe. closing the loop by recycling is one answer. commonplace across sweden and possibly coming to a town near you. first in scotland with england and wales watching closely. these are deposit return we put used plastic bottles in and they pay out. it scans of the barcode on the label and offers the chance to make a donation to charity or credit to a supermarket. ten bottles of worth around 1p. collections are made across sweden and brought here, to this plant, 90 minutes south of. the capital. what is next? the boss tells me technology will mean less plastic. bottles need to be made

recycla ble. plastic. bottles need to be made recyclable. i think there is very much what to do. the swedes have been using this system since the 80s but it is not a stranger to the scourge but it is not a stranger to the scourge of plastic pollution, especially in the sea. it is a major problem but one of the environment minister insists is solvable. there are many interesting new materials coming up from research and innovation and i see that once we have knowledge of really sustainable material, we can enter them into market rather quickly because of the riether public demand and we have legal tools if needed so yes, i am optimistic. it is the work together policy and industry. as plastics breakdown and enter the food chain

in ouroceans, it breakdown and enter the food chain in our oceans, it is notjust an issue for coastal communities but a problem that affects all of us and can only be solved by all of us. argentina, paraguay and uruguay are to make a joint bid to host the football world cup in 2030. the announcement was made at a ceremony in buenos aires — the argentine president said the three south american nations would make great hosts. but he admitted that the challenges would be much greater now than when uruguay organised the first world cup in 1930. syria head into thursday's first leg of their world cup play—off against australia as clear underdogs. the match in malaysia is a "home" game for syria before they play the second leg in sydney next tuesday, the winner then goes on to face the fourth placed north american side for the right to feature in russia next year. but the syrians aren't afraid of the challenge ahead of them. australia are bidding to reach a fourth successive world cup

and they haven't been in this position since 2005 when they eventually qualified under guus hiddink, but theirfailure to secure automatic qualification this time has put pressure on their coach ange postecoglou. campaigners believe the growing trend for tourists taking selfies with wild animals is causing problems. snapping as self it with a local wildlife, for some tourists this is pa rt wildlife, for some tourists this is part of the holiday experience at there is a less cuddly side to it. charities are warning that posing for wildlife selfies and posting them online is fuelling animal cruelty. world animal protection says the number of such pictures on

instagram is quadrupling in the past four years. behind—the—scenes, many creatures have been snatched from the wild by tour operators or kept in poor condition and harmed by tourist interaction. it is of particular problem in the amazon region with the pink river dolphin and three toed sloth and animals such as these in danger. they are trying to down on wildlife selfies so that animals are not put at risk by the sad according to instagram. you can reach me and there is plenty more on the stories on website and twitter. we are about to go through the papers shortly. see you soon. wet and windy weather yet to clear

across the south coast but it will in the next few hours and the gusty wins likely to ease as well. a real north—south divide expected this morning. anywhere south of the m4 will start the day with wet weather. behind it quite a clearance. decent sunny spells coming through and not a bad start across much of northern england and northern ireland and scotland. a few isolated showers driven in by a little bit more of a blustery wind just here and that will take the edge of the feel of things just will take the edge of the feel of thingsjust a touch. will take the edge of the feel of things just a touch. as we go through the day, the rain clearing steadily south. a few scattered

showers across northern scotland. one to across the north—westerly breeze maybe to the north midlands. the 11- 17 breeze maybe to the north midlands. the 11— 17 degrees the overall high. clear skies by date mean a chilly night to come so if you are heading for the international football matches taking place, there are that in mind. it will be quite nippy towards the end of proceedings. high pressure building leading us into quite a nice day on friday before more wet and windy weather set to arrive. first thing on friday morning, with clear skies, we could see a touch of light frost and that is something we have not seen significantly this autumn. with clear skies lots of sunshine and temperatures are recovering. over by the end of the day and spreading east. the start of the weekend

cloudy, light rain possible brighter weather through the ease. a misty murky start in the south—east with a drizzly rain. showers are heavier out to the north and west. sunday looks likely to be the better day of the weekend. many of us it will be predominantly dry with the cloud braking and with sunshine possible. showers in the west. this is bbc world news, the headlines. the fbi has been questioning the girlfriend of the las vegas gunman — who was in the philippines during the massacre. marilou danley insists she had no idea what stephen paddock was planning. police now say it's unlikely he acted alone, and it appears he intended to survive. president trump has visited las vegas — to offer his support and thank

the emergency services. he said "america is truly a nation in mourning" for the mass killings that left 58 dead and nearly 500 injured. the spanish government has rejected a call by the catalan leader for mediation over the region's demands for independence —