to this is bbc news. i'm ben bland. our top stories... america's battle over birth control: civil rights groups vow to fight the trump administration's new rules blocking access to free contraception. catalonia's government could be just days from declaring independence from spain — but its former leader warns the region's not ready to go it alone. vigils in las vegas for the victims of the deadliest mass shooting in recent us history. police say they've chased "more than 1,000 leads" but the motive‘s still not known. a group campaigning to abolish nuclear weapons is awarded this year's nobel peace prize. and 30 years after the chernobyl disaster, sweden's wild boars are still contaminated with high levels of radiation. the trump administration has issued new rules that limit women's access

to contraception under former president 0bama's affordable care act. the rule allows employers and insurers to not provide birth control if doing so violates their "religious beliefs" or "moral convictions". 55 million women benefited from the 0bama—era rule, a which made companies provide free birth control. the american civil liberties union has challenged the new rules in court in san francisco, and the state of massachussets is doing the same. speaking to reporters white house secretary sarah huckabee sanders defended mr trump's decision. the president believes that the freedom to practise one's faith is a fundamental right in this country. and i think all of us do. that is all today was about. the federal government should always protect that right. and as long as donald trump is president, he will. what would you say to the women out

there, the families out there, who now have to pay more out of their pocket to get contraception coverage that they choose and that they desire? this is a president who supports the first amendment and believes in the freedom of religion. i don't see why that should be an issue. the court has validated this decision many times over. the president is someone who believes in the constitution. if people don't like the constitution, they should talk to congress about changing it. as you'd expect, strong reaction on the story on social media. republican senator ted cruz welcomes the plans: "today the administration ended a policy that was repugnant to our country's tradition of religious freedom." a different view from democrat nancy pelosi. "no woman should be subject to the whim of her employer to access the contraception that is her right" and planned parenthood, a women's health organisation that

provides birth control, says the "trump administration is taking aim at 62.1; million women" in america which they say, is "unacceptable". i asked our correspondent peter bowes about the legal battle that are already beginning over this announcement. it is probably not going to be the practical chaos that the travel ban caused. we saw that at airports across the country. this is likely to be a legal battle going through the courts and it could take some time, and it could go all the way to the supreme court. because, as we have already heard from the organisations you mentioned, they are inclined to go to the courts, it is an example of how angry people are in this country with this decision which has come out of the blue for so many people even though the candidate, donald trump, said he would do this during his election campaign. nevertheless, now people are reading into the detail, there is a lot of anger. ijust wonder, does the president enjoy broad support for this change

within his own republican party? well, he certainly enjoys a large degree of support. the leader of the house, paul ryan, said it was "a landmark day for religious liberty." other leading republicans have stepped up to support this. we've heard constitutional arguments for this. but there is a potential danger. some people are pointing to the fact that this will mean many women, lots of low—income women, who may well be his supporters, in the months to come, as this rule changes, they may feel the effect of this. if they want contraception they will have to pay for it. they will not get it free from employers through health plans. if they feel agrieved with that, that could potentially affect their decision come the next election. so, perhaps we will see how this rule plays out. perhaps it will affect some people

in donald trump's base which will affect him politically down the road. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: the first funerals have taken place in brazil of children killed on thursday by a security guard who set fire to a childcare centre in the state of minas gerais. seven children — most of them aged four — and a teacher have now died. the man threw ethanol over the children and himself before starting the fire. he later died in hospital. the european commission says the international deal to curb iran's nuclear programme is working, and that all sides should keep to their commitments. it was responding to indications from president trump that he will decertify or reject the deal, which was agreed by barack 0bama in 2015. it limits tehran‘s ability to enrich uranium, in exchange for sanctions relief. the us is lifting most of the economic sanctions it imposed on sudan twenty years ago. officials said sudan had made progress in human rights issues

and cooperation in the fight against islamist extremism. sudan had been subject to a trade embargo and other penalties. human rights groups have criticised the decision, saying sudan has never been serious about introducing real change. the british prime minister has dismissed an attempt by some conservative mps to force her to step down as prime minister. in a short statement, theresa may insisted that she was providing the "calm leadership" that the country needed, and that she had the "full support" of her cabinet. earlier, the former tory party chairman, grant shapps, said he'd compiled a list of around thirty mps who wanted a leadership election. the spanish government has suggested holding new regional elections in catalonia to try to resolve the dispute about independence. the education minister said autonomous elections would be a positive move towards political co—existence. the catalan president is to address the parliament in barcelona on tuesday — fuelling speculation the region will announce

independence, despite madrid's bitter opposition. the former leader has warned that the former leader has warned that the end of the region is not ready for total independence even though he believed they had earned the right. espana, espana. tonight, spain has brought its football and its many arguments to this, the coastal city of alicante. the national sport reveals this country's divisions. spain's fundamental questions extend to these, its fans, and its national team. can you be both catalan and spanish at the same time, or must you choose between the two? gerard pique, the team's most famous catalan player, faces these questions. he was booed here in training for having publicly supported the catalan referendum. in a tearful statement, he even offered to leave the squad. but tonight, protected by headphones, he got off the team bus ready to play. but tonight, protected

by headphones, he got off the team bus ready to play. i don't really like him, to be honest. why? because he's mixing all the time sport and politics. but he won the world cup for spain! so? it doesn't allow him to say everything he wants anywhere, you know. translation: he can do whatever he wants off the pitch so long as he performs on the pitch. translation: i'm going to whistle him. he's a hypocrite who thinks one thing and says something else. tonight, at a bar in alicante, fans scrutinise pique's performance. translation: pique always delivers. the problem with him is that he always wants to be on the front page. gerard pique helped his team

to victory here and qualification for next year's world cup. and that really is spain's entire point, the whole country is better off when its catalans stay put. james reynolds, bbc news, alicante. and you can stay up today on what could be momentuous days to come for spain with our online coverage. so for the latest on the controversial vote in catalonia — including analysis on what might happen next, head to bbc.com/news. police in las vegas say they've followed up more than a thousand leads in their quest to establish a motive behind the killing of 58 people last sunday. stephen paddock opened fire from his hotel room on the crowd at a music festival before turning the gun on himself. there have been vigils to remember the victims of the shootings as our correspondent james cook reports from las vegas. # amazing grace, how sweet thy sound #. in their darkest hour,

they have turned to their god. #..like me#. the massacre in las vegas struck at the heart of the christian country music community. these are patriotic americans. they are proud of their country and of its freedoms, including the right to carry a gun, even after the deadliest of mass shootings. we lost my uncle from a head wound on tuesday afternoon. tara king is the niece of brett swanbeck, who was 61 years old. my uncle was the funniest, funnest, hillbilly, red neck, country music—loving good old boy. this was brett at the concert with his fiancee. even though tighter gun

laws may have perhaps saved his life his niece is resolute. i believe in the right to bear arms. we are in the land of free. we are here because we are free to make our choices. your uncle was shot and killed by a gunman. yes. that doesn't change your view? absolutely not. are you kidding me? my uncle is all about... ..he's all for guns. the worst thing that could happen, my uncle would be in a fit, my whole entire family, if they were going to take oui’ guns away. grief, it seems, does not heal divisions in the united states. guns and country music have always gone together. the cultures are intertwined. in rural america, you often hear people say that this lifestyle is maligned and misunderstood. and even in mourning, many people here are determined to defend their right to bear arms. for those americans, these crosses are the price of freedom.

james cook, bbc news, las vegas. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: tackling what's known as the male ‘bro culture' which dominates the tech industry as our 100 women series continues. 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. civil rights groups in the us have vowed to fight the trump administration's new rules blocking access to free contraception. the government of catalonia could be days from declaring independence from spain. the former leader warns that the region is not ready to go it alone. oiland gas region is not ready to go it alone. oil and gas companies have shut

their operations and begun to evacuate the gulf of mexico as the next tropical storm gets closer. it has killed at least 2a people in central america and damaged hundreds of homes. the storm system is now over the gulf of mexico. this image shows the eye of the storm at the bottom of the screen moving over the year per ton peninsula. the us can be seen towards the top of the scene. it is predicted to become a hurricane by the time it hits the united states. deadly floods, mudslides, destruction, scenes all too familiar this hurricane season. but this time, central american countries spared the worst of hurricanes irma and harvey have been in the firing line, honduras, costa rica and nicuragua. translation: the flood has taken away almost everything these people had in their homes. they had breakfast this morning

but have not had lunch or dinner because they've lost everything. aid agencies say the succession of major storms this years has prompted them to consider expanding their provisions for such events. one of the lessons might be that we need to relook at these scenarios and preparedness plannings and take into account the fact we will see more storms and they will be more ferocious. forecasters are predicting that what is now a tropical storm churning north could strengthen into a hurricane as it heads for mexico and the us, making it the third major storm to hit southern us states in two months. storm surge watches have been issued for alabama, mississippi and louisiana, which bore the brunt of hurricane katrina 12 years ago. it should be all right right here, but, uhh, i lost my boat in katrina, so, i didn't want to lose it again. louisiana has declared a state of emergency,

ordering people to evacuate coastal areas. because the waters in the gulf of mexico remain extremely warm, there is the potentialfor this storm to intensify very quickly. landfall is expected early sunday morning either as a strong tropical storm or a weak category i hurricane. texas, florida, puerto rico and many caribbean islands are still reeling from hurricanes harvey, irma and maria. but the hurricane season is far from over. for many, the end of november cannot come soon enough. janey mitchell, bbc news. the mayor of new orleans has ordered evacuations and a mandatory curfew in some parts of the city as tropical storm nate heads towards it. although overall rainfall may not be as high as other tropical events, short durations of rain as we can see can produce flooding. we are particularly mindful in this regard for this particular storm of coastal

flooding because of the potential storm surge for those areas of the city outside of the levy system. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the un has warned of a further exodus of muslim rohingyas from myanmar to bangladesh as the crisis in rakhine state continues. an estimated 2,000 rohingyas are escaping the region every day, where more than half a million have already fled since august. pope francis has urged internet companies to use their profits to protect children from sexual exploitation. he was addressing more than 100 international digital and child experts at a major conference in the vatican, in a speech shared live on facebook. the pope spoke out about the dangers of sexting and cyber bullying, calling it a true form of moral and physical attack. japanese advertising firm dentsu has been fined for making employees work excessive overtime. the firm was scrutinised after a young worker killed herself in 2015. but critics have claimed the amount of the fine, just over $11,000, is unlikely to be a deterrent to the company. an anti—nuclear arms group has won

the annual nobel peace prize, with the awarding committee in oslo saying the risk from such weapons is at an all time high. the international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, or i—can, say they're elated by the honour. in announcing the winners, the nobel committee said there was a risk of more countries wanting to procure nuclear weapons. paul adams reports. money could be spent on what people really need... you this is the fifth time the nobel committee has rewarded a group campaigning against nuclear weapons. for an organisation that's only been around ten years and has a relatively low profile, it's a big boost. the norwegian nobel committee has decided to award the nobel peace prize for 2017 to the international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons. ican.

the organisation is receiving the award for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons. more than 60 years after the world's first dreadful display of nuclear power, the nobel committee says the risks are once again growing. this year's series of provocative moves by north korea the most obvious and troubling example. ican brings together hundreds of non—governmental groups around the world. their efforts rewarded this summer with the first legally binding agreement outlawing nuclear weapons. 122 countries have signed on. none of the nuclear powers. it's long—term work. getting rid of nuclear weapons isn't going to happen overnight. the treaty is meant to make it harder to justify nuclear weapons, to make it uncomfortable for states to continue with status quo,

to put more pressure on them. that isn't going to happen overnight, of course. they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. it's notjust the weapons themselves. the group says fiery rhetoric could lead to what it calls unspeakable horror. some will question the feasibility of ridding the world of all nuclear weapons, but the nobel committee says this is a good moment to revitalise that debate. paul adams, bbc news. this year the bbc‘s 100 women season has asked teams to find solutions to tackle the everyday problems women face. this week, women in tech have taken up the challenge, to come up with a new product. along with two mobile phone apps, one of the women involved, product designer roya ramezani, has come up with an eye—catching way to portray everyday examples of workplace sexism. nuala mcgovern has been following the women all week, and here's what happened when they literally road tested

roya's idea. so, behind this door is some of the work that roya and her team have been creating, inventing, throughout this week. it is something that is meant to help with a solution to bro culture, to raise awareness. she also talked about bringing men and women into this particular project. i'm really excited to see what it is. and it is just beyond this door. oh, my goodness. it's huge! ok, bbc, 100 women. we saw some of the laser printing earlier, and let's see what's on the other side. there is the hashtag "me too" and so this is some of the painting and spray painting. what does sexism sound like? and then we've got a map of the world. so this is what was going on behind those closed doors of roya's team. i do wonder, what's next?

and here it is on the streets of silicon valley. we have our two first people trying out roya's invention to help smash the glass ceiling. there is a story that is told, the same story by a man and by a woman. and let's see what they think. it was very interesting because i first heard... so there was a guy saying, "i have to take my two—month—old baby to work because i don't have paternity leave." and then he said, "i still feel like i'm pregnant." right? and it was... and then after that, a woman said the same thing, so it was very different. it was kind of weird hearing a guy say that. do you want a word, maybe? yeah, do you have a word

to describe your feeling right now? i have to think about it a little bit. what did you think about what you heard? yes, i heard a male and then a female state about how you don't need to say anything, you just need to wear something that looks attractive and just stand there. and it was very interesting hearing it from a woman, which i think as a female is kind of relatable. ok, so thought—provoking and relatable. thank you so much. more than 30 years after the chernobyl nuclear disaster, radioactive wild boar are being found in sweden. in 1986 the nuclear reactor at the soviet union power station in ukraine exploded, scattering radioactive material across europe. today sweden's wild boars, a popular game animal in the country, have been discovered to be contaminated with several times the normal level of radiation. luxmy gopal reports. it's one of sweden's most popular game animals. today the country

consumes more wild or meat than ever but today the species has been found to have dangerously high levels of radiation, the result of fallout from chernobyl, in what remains the world's worst nuclear disaster, in 1986 the reactor at the soviet power station chernobyl exploded sending a plume of radioactive material into the air. more than 30 years on it's still leaving its mark among sweden's wild boar population. mop one animal shop that had more than ten times the safe level. translation: 13,000 becquerel, that really gave me a shock. are shot deer containing 32,000 becquerel 30 yea rs deer containing 32,000 becquerel 30 years ago but among wild boar, i've never heard of that. the levels have fallen in other wildlife but experts say while or are exposed to more radioactive material as they root around in the soil. the swedish authorities claim it doesn't pose a threat to humans. translation: what you can expect of radiation at such

low levels in downing crease risk of cancer, but at these levels at, at an individual level, there is a very low risk of —— increase of the risk. but many hunters aren't willing to ta ke but many hunters aren't willing to take that chance. in china a rare meteorite sighting was caught on camera. this dashcam footage shows what appears to be a fireball in the sky. witnesses described feeling the ground shake and hearing a loud roar as the piece of space rock hit the atmosphere. nasa released its satellite observation which describe the impact of the falling asteroid as an explosive yield equivalent to 540 tons of tnt. and you can get in touch with me and the team on twitter, i'm @benmbland. plenty more news whenever you want it on the website. go to bbc.com/news. i'll be back with the headlines injust a moment. hello, there.

we've had a treat over the last couple of evenings. some amazing sunset pictures and this was one of them from friday evening. beautiful colours there, all because the sun was setting underneath this bank of high cloud that's been down in the north—west. another picture from coventry. you can see the layers of cloud. back cloud has been thickening and bringing with it outbreaks of rain from the north—west. that's spilling down across england and wales. the rain not amounting to very much, but it does mean it is more difficult to see the moon at the moment. a lot of cloud a we head into the weekend. throughout the weekend we continue to feed in cloudier skies and probably on saturday you are more likely to catch some rain. it should be drier across more of the day on sunday and probably that bit brighter as well.

a dull start on saturday in southern parts of england and south wales. a bit of rain and drizzle round. brighter as you move northwards for a while. and other parts of wales and the midlands, already showers feeding in on the strong west to north—westerly winds. on the stronger winds, a lot of showers in northern ireland and scotland. the showers in the north could be rather heavy for a time. most of the showers in scotland and northern ireland will be in the morning. in the afternoon they become fewer and in the afternoon there should be sunshine breaking through in scotland. in between the drizzly rain bands that are moving towards the midlands, and the rain stuck in the far south—west, we could get some unreliable breaks in the cloud for central and southern england and wales. temperatures up to 17 degrees. not as warm for the super league grand final. that's at old trafford and there will be some rain around. it will be a dull and damp weekend on the whole across manchester. although the weather front is taking the rain away from the english channel.

around the top of the flat area of high pressure we again have lots of cloud. staying mild overnight. we still have some drizzly showers around on sunday, especially in western scotland. a few running on across wales and perhaps the midlands. many eastern parts of england and scotland, perhaps southern england and south wales brighter and brighter. which is similar too of saturday. it is the early part of next week and we find all of our weather coming from the atlantic. moving on more quickly over the coming few days, these systems weakening as they run across the uk. it means the wind will pick up on monday to wednesday and the wettest weather will always be in the north—west. at this stage, not much rain in the south—east. this is bbc news, the headlines. the trump administration has announced new rules that could deprive around sixty million american women of access to free contraception. employers and insurance companies can now exempt themselves from providing birth control on religious or moral grounds. civil rights groups say they'll fight the move. spain has apologised to people injured during sunday's disputed

referendum in catalonia. the catalan government could be just days from declaring independence from spain — but its former leader has warned the region's not ready to go it alone. vigils have been held in las vegas for the victims of the deadliest mass shooting in recent us history. police say they've followed up more than a thousand leads — but still don't know the motive for the attack that left 58 people dead and hundreds injured. duncan golestani is here at two o'clock but now on bbc news it's time to click.