the spanish prime minister, has insisted that any declaration of independence by the catalonia region will have no effect. he was speaking after a day of rallies around the country in favour of national unity. thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the capital, madrid, and the catalan city of barcelona. some councils say they're not getting the money they need to carry out urgent safety improvements on tower blocks following the grenfell disaster. a number of local authorities in england and wales say requests for government funds for refurbishment are being rejected because they're deemed non—essential. angus crawford explains. it was a fire no—one thought possible, flames engulfing the building, spreading through the cladding in minutes, raising urgent questions about blocks right across the country. fire tests showed more than 100 weren't safe. some residents had to be evacuated, leaving them fearful, confused and frustrated.

now, accusations the government won't pay out money it promised for urgent repairs. councillor adam hug says these flats will cost millions to make safe. so, for blocks such as this across westminster and across the country, there needs to have sprinklers retrofitted. if the government doesn't pay, the council's got to foot the bill. nothing's coming from government, and that means fewer affordable homes will be built, and residents will be dealing with repairs for the next 20—30 years. the horror of what happened here exposed dangers in buildings across the country. some councils believe the government made a pledge to pay for all the work needed to make tower blocks safe. after the disaster, public anger mounted.

ministers promised to make all high—rises safe. whatever it takes, we will take the expert advice, do what ever it takes to make those buildings safe, or make those people safe. whatever it takes, we have to be led by the experts, but there can be no short cuts to this. but today, the government said building owners are responsible for funding measures designed to make a building safe, and urged councils to come forward if they had funding concerns. it was a national tragedy, but who now will pay to make sure it never happens again? angus crawford, bbc news. now on bbc news — our world his is probably the most recognisable face in latin america. perhaps one of the most iconic images in the world. synonymous with youthful rebellion, with socialism, with revolution.

but today, 50 years after the death of che guevara, what does he mean in a fast—changing cuba? as the communist—run island evolves, some see his example as more relevant than ever. others see a different future ahead, one that breaks with the indoctrination and intolerance of the past. i have spent the past few years living on this fascinating island at a period of great upheaval and want to know what el che means today. it's the start of another school day in cuba's capital, havana. and the seconds are ticking down to assembly at nicolas estevanez primary school

in the city's vedado district. it's one of countless schools across the island in which the memories and achievements of the country's independence heroes are marked every day by children in their distinctive uniforms of the socialist pioneers. but there's one revolutionary who has a special place reserved in the education of these cuban children, whose name is repeated in unison every day, and has been for decades. that's not the first time i've seen the morning assembly in a cuban school. and it's funny because on one level, it reminds to you of when you were at school.

but, of course, there's something here, something about the declaration towards undying commitment to communism and saying that you're going to be like che guevara that is purely unique to cuba. 50 years after his death, che‘s image still adorns the corridors of the primary school, as he does in schools across the country. for the headteacher here, waldir ladron, who exactly was che? camila granado was a pupil at this school herself before training as a teacher and returning three years ago. che looked down on her as she studied in these same classrooms, just as he still does on a generation even further removed from the original. ernesto guevara was a guerrilla commander, an experienced doctor,

a man of the people and right—hand man to fidel castro as he seized power in cuba in 1959. crucially, unlike some of those in the guerrilla army, che guevara was a committed marxist from the very start of the cuban revolution. and to this day, he remains a colossus in his adopted country's self image, as a bastion against imperialism and injustice. his last resting place, a beacon for tens of thousands of visitors and pilgrims every year from the world over, fascinated by a life documented by iconic photographs and projected as the epitome of romance and rebellion. ernesto guevara was born into a middle—class buenos aires family and studied to be a doctor. but an adventurous streak saw him travel the continent. influenced by examples of us intervention in the americas, hejoined a group of exiled cubans led by fidel castro in their bid to remove

the military regime in havana. the men under his command began to call guevara "che", the argentine slang for friend. against the odds, after two years of guerrilla warfare in the sierra maestra mountains and in the cities, the bearded revolutionaries were victorious and took power in cuba. che‘s supporters saw in him the embodiment of the so—called "new man in socialism", the very driving force of the revolution. but to his opponents, he was ruthless and brutal. che might have settled down. but instead, he took the revolutionary struggle abroad, entering countries in disguise. who would have guessed that this smart businessman is, in fact, che guevara, preparing to reach congo to wage a guerrilla campaign. but che‘s enemies finally caught up with him, and in 1967, the revolutionary icon was killed, fomenting rebellion against the us—backed military junta in bolivia. terrorist to some, the image of christ—like martyrdom to others.

only five made it back from bolivia, and his fallen comrades are buried alongside him in this tomb in the town of santa clara. luis monteagudo fought with che in cuba and again during the revolutionary war in congo. still today he is under the spell of his comandante, che. what do you feel when you see your friend here? che was not alone in giving his life to international revolution. more than 2,000 cubans died fighting in conflicts around the world. and those who survived still revere him. what was che like as

a leader and as a friend? if a young person from europe or from the united states or from africa was to come to you when they were visiting this space and say, "well, what has the revolution achieved, what did it do?" what would you say to them? but cutting dependency on the us came with repercussions. an economic embargo was imposed which, together with a planned socialist—style economy, has left enduring scars. in the country, empty roads cut through swathes of underdeveloped agriculture. while in havana, many homes are crumbling after years of underinvestment.

the classic 1950s and soviet—era cars aren't only iconic, they're a symbol of an island economically trapped in the past. but today, cuba is beginning to change, not least in its fractious relationship with washington. i have come here to bury the last remnant of the cold war in the americas. applause recently, president trump has begun to roll back on that policy. however, the most obvious benefit of the new relations, a boost to tourism, so far seems unaffected. ironically, much of the tourism features the great marxist revolutionary himself, central to the island's brand, on every street corner, on every t—shirt. it's an irony that doesn't worry some, though. among them, che‘s son, who, as well as his distinctive features, also shares his father's first name, ernesto. along with an argentinian investor, the ernesto guevara runs

a motorbike tour company named after che‘s famous bike of the motorcycle diaries, la poderosa, on which he toured south america in the 1950s. does his son sense the irony of building a capitalist enterprise on the life story of a marxist icon? with so many new tourists to the island, business is booming for la poderosa, and ernesto is a busy man. ernesto rarely talks to the media but has invited me to ride with him to experience havana by motorbike. in its three—year existence, la poderosa has taken advantage of new laws allowing private enterprise in cuba. previously, most private businesses were banned. today, la poderosa is gathering pace. it's close to paying back the initial foreign investment and operates a small fleet of the few harley—davidsons available on the island. on our tour, we'd arrived at a place

of particular relevance to the story of el che — la cabana fortress. but la cabana is synonymous with another part of che‘s history. 0ver his six months in charge here, dozens of men and women received summary trials and were sent to the firing squad. will the decades have come and gone. so have the us presidents. —— the decades.

but 50 years after che‘s death, his portrait still assumes place of honour at the nation's annual demonstrations. the late fidel castro stood at this podium for countless marches in his signature fatigues and peaked cap. today, his younger brother, raul, presides over proceedings. but with raul announcing he will step down early next year, it is perhaps as important as ever to demonstrate stability will reign on after the castros in cuba. this is the image that the cuban government want to project of cuban youth — loyal, dedicated and faithful. young people turning out to pay homage to the socialist project. this man has been participating in the event since he was a small boy, and he's clearly a committed revolutionary. many don't share his passion, though. in santa clara, beneath the mausoleum of che guevara itself lies a poor neighbourhood

known simply as the hole. the residents never had permission to build their wooden shacks and breeze block homes so aren't legally recognised by the state. and with no formal address, the community can't receive basic services. gladys was born in this neighbourhood and has lived in it her entire life. but despite their proximity to one of the revolution‘s heroes, she says they've been ignored

by the government for decades. music plays the well—worn strains of the song that immortalises che guevara, sung by the cuban bard silvio rodriguez, considered one of the revolution‘s most emblematic voices. the song is known off by heart by millions of cubans and encapsulates how the cuban state would like people

to remember el comandante che. but that vision isn't shared by the singer's son, silvito el libre. his reality is very different. silvito‘s the cuba you don't know takes a hard look at the island, raising the kind of issues that the authorities prefer to keep under wraps — violence, social decay and police control. despite his uncompromising lyrics, silvito insists he is no opponent of cuba. but silvito‘s candour has brought him problems.

he says he's been detained and his friends have been intimidated by the authorities. it's led him to move away from the island to tampa, florida, where he is free to follow his career as a rapper. do you think that fear is one of the legacies of the generation of el che and fidel castro and raul castro? few know that better than the island's dissidents. among those calling for a new political system in cuba are the ladies in white. 0riginally formed by the wives of political prisoners, their weekly protests to call for free elections are often broken up by the police and state security, the organisers arbitrarily detained. libertad, libertad! they say they're calling for greater human rights on the island.

the cuban government accused them of being mercenaries funded by right—wing anti—castro groups out of miami and washington. certainly the cuban government allows them no room to operate. this was their protest on the eve of a visit by president 0bama in front of the world's watching media. when our cameraman tried to film a weekly protest outside the lady's house, the police intervened. he was told he couldn't film there. and the police removed the camera from the scene as the mood began to heat up. what happened next was predictable and swift. a number of women were detained that day. it's a side of cuba thatjars with a new hip image of the island in the eyes of the rest of the world. in some cases, even the image of che guevara no longer appears sacred. his revolutionary beret and olive—green fatigues

drained of ideology and deployed for striking effect on chanel models at their recent fashion show in havana. critics thought the show was condescending to ordinary cubans, flaunting the worst of capitalism's excesses in front of them. but others thought it refreshingly reframed cuba as a global cultural icon for the 21st century. that's exactly what people like gabriela domenech would like to see. herfashion magazine, garbos, is only available through a revolutionary idea called el paquete. with very little internet permitted on the island, it distributes global but not overtly political popular culture via a semilegal system of downloading using hard drives. she is optimistic about the magazine's impact. in spite of all the difficulties we are facing in cuba, i think that young people, entrepreneurs, are very optimistic. all these kinds of people want to find their own way here in cuba. they are trying to find a way

to make a different country with new ideas, new projects. there is a lot of optimism in cuba at the moment. but i can't help but wonder, 50 years after his death, how che would feel if he viewed the island today. as the conversation turned back to che guevara, gabriela had an extraordinary revelation about her family for me. my grandfather died with che guevara — in bolivia. and he died struggling for the revolution, for the freedom of cuba. so i grew up with this feeling in my family, and this is what the young people have now. this legacy and this force for struggling to get what we want. gabriela's grandfather, she told me, was 0rlando pa ntoja,

a guerrilla who fought alongside che in bolivia exactly 50 years ago. he died in the battle in which che was captured. i was interested how gabriela's family connection to the world—famous revolutionary influenced her life as an entrepreneur in today's emerging cuba. do you feel like you are inspired by the sacrifices of your grandfather and his generation, or are you growing away from what they built? in spite of i belong to another generation, of course, i feel inspired by this legacy. he was struggling by what he wanted, and i'm doing the same right now. having died so young, today che guevara is all things to all people, adored and reviled in equal measure around the world for his socialist legacy. but inside cuba his image has assumed almost spiritual significance, ever present in people's daily

lives and struggles. as the island redraws its future, the uncertainty is tangible. amid the transition, che guevara is a source of continuity, even as today's cuba becomes further removed from the one he helped to create. hello once again. despite my sphere, some of you got lucky on saturday. the cloud may have parted quite late in the day. too late for some. but at least it parted. not sure that was case further to the south and west in plymouth. first thing, yes, a lot of cloud for sunday. but at least it will help to keep the temperatures up. let's see how the day shapes up. i am hopeful, stressing "hopeful," there will be more brightness around. one or two overnight showers to be had in the north—east of scotland. quite a dull start to the day

in northern ireland. bits and pieces of rain running through the north channel down towards north of wales and on towards the manchester area. murky fare in the south—west. elsewhere, a bit of brightness, a bit of sunshine. enough cloud for some odd rain here and there. that is how the day will tend to go on. the chance of one or two showers in the eastern shores of both england and scotland. will and there will still quite a bit of cloud on the north—westerly down through the irish sea, in towards wales, the north—west of england, the north and west midlands. enough to give a showery burst of rain. passing through on the breeze. the high, 16—17. possibly 18. the cloud fills in late in the day in the north and west of scotland. weak weather fronts here dragging in the far north. all the while, the world cup qualifiers going on across europe. it looks like there are a variety of conditions, as you'd expect.

england seeing the wettest weather in lithuania. coming closer to home for monday. again, a lot of cloud around. a lot of dry weather as well. only the north—west will see cloud and rain into the afternoon, eventually getting to northern ireland in the latter half of the day. that is the shape of things to come for many of us. that's because as far ahead as monday evening and on into tuesday, we will see the first signs of a real weather front bringing real rain to all of us. gradually, it sweeps its way down and across the british isles. following behind, bright skies, showers in the north—west of scotland. and a slightly fresher feel to the day. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani — our top stories... the un secretary general tours the caribbean devastated by recent hurricanes. he tells the bbc if he thinks the international community done enough. we launched an appeal and the appeal is insufficiently funded so i strongly ask the international

community to increase humanitarian aid to the caribbean states. hurricane nate makes landfall in the us, bringing torrential rain and strong winds to states on the gulf coast. tens of thousands on the streets of spain — as the country faces a critical test — over catalonia's demand for independence. this is horrible — i don't agree with any of it. i hope we reach a solution soon because it's very bad for spain. modern masters — the odd couple who challenged the world of art —