good afternoon. tens of thousands of people are showing their support for the spanish government this lunchtime with demonstrations against those calling for independence for catalonia. the pro—unity rally is taking place on the streets of barcelona — the heart of the independence movement. the spanish prime minister has said he will not allow the region to declare independence under any circumstances. gavin lee is in barcelona for us this lunchtime. gavin. these are the so—called silent majority, now in full voice, taking to the streets of barcelona, uniting under the colours of spain's nationalflag. many under the colours of spain's national flag. many here under the colours of spain's nationalflag. many here refused under the colours of spain's national flag. many here refused to vote in catalonia's independence referendum. the result was 90% in favour of independence, but more than half of the population stayed away from the voting stations. they are calling for unity. people here are calling for unity. people here

are saying once and forever that we wa nt to are saying once and forever that we want to be free to speak our minds, to say that catalonia is in spain. we want to show people that not everyone in catalonia wants independence. as you can see, there are a lot of people that once spain and catalonia to be together. there has been a week of demonstrations and those calling for dialogue, but the spanish government is claiming this is the biggest rally by far. it is huge. there are streets blocked off and coaches coming in from elsewhere in spain cannot get here. those are supporting independence are saying, stay indoors today and don't add to these numbers, and then we will see the real support on both sides. the spanish prime minister, mariano rajoy, spoke. translation: have the absolute reassurance that the government will prevent reassurance that the government will p reve nt a ny reassurance that the government will prevent any declaration of

independence to turn into something. spain will continue to be spain, and it will continue being spain for a very long time. 4000 national police officers have been drafted to the region, and since the violence of the referendum, they have been forced to leave catalan hotels, staying in military bases. as well as divide on the streets, there are reports that the catalan government is divided on its next steps. according to a source, if there are no negotiations by tuesday when the cata la n no negotiations by tuesday when the catalan president, carles puigdemont, visit parliament, unilateral dependents may be claimed. the former prime minister sirjohn major has weighed into the debate over theresa may's future, calling those seeking to undermine the prime minister in the conservative ranks "self—absorbed and disloyal. " mrs may has admitted her mishap—laden speech at the party conference last week had been "uncomfortable" for her, but says she's "resilient" and determined to carry on in thejob. here's our political

correspondent, susana mendonca. awarning, a warning, there is some flash photography in her report.“ a warning, there is some flash photography in her report. ifi a warning, there is some flash photography in her report. if i win, i shall continue as prime minister... fending off the plotters was a full—timejob minister... fending off the plotters was a full—time job for sirjohn major. when he was prime minister he faced a leadership election and won. more than two decades on, he is now coming to the defence of theresa may against those plotting to take her down. writing in a sunday newspaper, he said the country has had enough of these self absorbed and frankly disloyal behaviour seen among some in the conservative party, and he urged party members involved to focus their minds on the needs of the british people rather than on their own personal ambition. theresa may's speech to her party conference

was beset by problems. now the prime minister has admitted that that speech was uncomfortable, but insisted she was resilient and determined to keep going, and senior collea g u es determined to keep going, and senior colleagues have joined calls for the plotters who want her out to pipe down. it is about delivering for the country. it should not be about private ambition. long viewed as being in the running for a potential successor, the foreign secretary has joined the chorus of cheerleaders for the prime minister after weeks of accusations to say that he was not behind her. he's come out this week to say that he is fully behind every dot, comma and t of the florence speech. do you believe him? i want to see the prime minister hold him to that. the steam seems to have gone out of a plot by grant shapps to unseat theresa may. she needs to stamp her foot down. one of the way to do that is to have a reshuffle, also to bring in some of the talent that we

had after 2010. downing street says talk of a reshuffle is speculation, but after what has been a gruelling week, the prime minister may be hoping for some time for quiet contemplation over what to do next. huge explosions at a fuel depot in ghana have killed at least six people and injured more than 30 others. the first blast in the capital accra last night sent a giant fireball into the sky, forcing residents to flee. it's understood to have triggered a second explosion and a fire at a nearby petrol station. hurricane nate has made landfall in the united states, moving inland to parts of mississippi, alabama and florida. weakening winds now mean that it's been downgraded to a tropical storm, but torrential rain and flooding have led to evacuation orders for some low—lying areas. nate is the fourth major storm to hit the region in two months. the scottish national party's annual conference gets under way this afternoon. the impact of brexit on scotland will loom large, with snp leader and first minister nicola sturgeon

suggesting the snp would guarantee rights of eu citizens living and working in scotland after the uk leaves the eu. let's speak to our political correspondent, iain watson, who's in glasgow for us this lunchtime. the conference getting under way this afternoon. what's on the agenda? what's interesting is what isn't on the agenda. officially, independence isn't on the agenda. there will be concentration on the domestic agenda, the health service and education, where the scottish government has been criticised. brexit will loom large. there will bea brexit will loom large. there will be a very specific proposal from the snp. if people from the eu want to stay on in scotland after brexit, the scottish government will pick up the scottish government will pick up the tab if there is any cost

associated with applying for what is called settlement status. that is symbolic. what is interesting is that back in march, nicola sturgeon made it clear she wanted to see a second scottish independence because of brexit before march 2019. today she said she wasn't putting a timescale on this, and that she would wait for the dust to settle on brexit. the focus from her is going to be getting a second brexit referendum rather than a second scottish referendum. the number of women having surgery to prevent breast cancer could be cut by a third, according to the scientists behind a new gene test being developed in manchester. the scientists hope it proved successful it could be rolled out across the nhs. our health correspondent jenny walrond reports. it's sometimes known as the angelina jolie gene. the actress had surgery to remove her breast tissue and ovaries after learning she had a brca gene mutation. one in 400 of us have it.

women who test positive for the brca mutations are told their risk of breast cancer is up to 87%, but the risk could, in reality, be much lower. scientists have developed a test that looks at 18 genetic variants that can affect the likelihood of having breast cancer. using these common variant tests and putting them all together in a package means that we can get far better, far more accurate ideas about the risks women are likely to have in their lifetime. this research could make a huge difference to the choices made by women with a family history of breast cancer. scientists here believe it could cut the number of patients having risk—reducing surgery by a third. the more that we learn about the genetic components behind these increased risks of developing breast cancer in women who have got a family history of the disease, the better they can make choices about their health, so that

hopefully in the future fewer people will be diagnosed with breast cancer. the new test is likely to be available on the nhs in manchester in around six months for women at high risk. they want it to be available eventually for all women, and also hope they can extend their work to understand how our genes affect our chances of developing other cancers. jenny wolrond, bbc news, manchester. lewis hamilton has won the japanese grand prix to close in on a fourth formula 1 title, after his closest rival, sebastian vettel, was forced to retire with engine failure. the victory stretches hamilton's championship lead over vettel to 59 points withjust 100 left to play for. he could be crowned world champion at the next race in texas in two weeks' time. that's it. the next news on bbc one is at a 5:45pm. bye for now.

hello. you're watching the bbc news channel. it's ten past one exactly. we can talk more about hurricane nate now. it has hit the united states, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds to communities along the southern coast. since making landfall, its winds are weakening and it has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. but weather officials warn the threat of dangerous storm surges remain. after claiming at least 30 lives in central america, it became the fourth major storm to make landfall in the us this year. anisa kadri reports. as it approached, hurricane nate promised strong winds and torrential rain.

it hit the gulf coast of the united states, causing flooding in parts of mississippi, alabama, florida and louisiana, where people have been ordered to evacuate. although it is weakening, the impact is still being felt. we are still seeing wind gusts between 70 and 80 mph. we have water coming up on most of our roadways. about two miles inland. so we've got about seven to ten feet of storm surge. so our first responders are kind of overwhelmed right now. the force of nature has already devastated central america, killing at least 25 people. in nicaragua, honduras and costa rica, where hundreds of thousands of people are reported to be without running water. and scenes like these have become all too familiar in the past few months. after back—to—back hurricanes irma and maria, people in the caribbean

have been left without homes, power or clean water. visiting the islands to see the damage, the united nations secretary—general had a stark message. it is clear, warmer climate means more hurricane and more devastating hurricanes and we need to do everything to stop this. we need to make sure that the paris agreement on climate change is implemented, and more, as the paris is not enough, thate nhanced commitments are made by all countries around the world, in order to make sure that we are able to dominate this very dramatic evolution. people in new orleans, who remember the devastation of hurricane katrina 12 years ago, did what they could to prepare themselves for the impact of nate. but early indications are that they have been spared the worst. some americans are seeing nate as a near miss, as it is been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, but there are still warnings of life—threatening

storm surge flooding. the duke of cambridge and prince harry have been very open about their own experiences with mental health, and set up their charity heads together to encourage people to speak out. now they've announced the next phase of their mission. it's a £2 million investment fund to help improve the nation's mental health through technology. our royal correspondent sarah campbell has finding out more. in the run—up to the london marathon, the younger royals‘ focus was almost exclusively centred on heads together, the campaign they founded, and which aims to improve the nation's mental health. in april, thousands took up the challenge to run the 26 miles and, in doing so, help to raise awareness of an issue that affects millions of people. this has been an unapologetically personal mission, with the princes opening up in a way they hadn't previously. do you think we've made enough of an impact, or a stepping stone into the schools area at a younger age? i think we are making good progress.

so, has it worked? in a high—tech suite in imperial college london, prince william was shown survey data which indicates their campaign has encouraged more people, and particularly men, to talk about mental health issues. and evidence from the partner charities which make up heads together suggests a significant impact. the mental health charity, mind, had its busiest ever day with 58% more calls the day after the marathon. places2be, which focusses on childrens‘ mental health, has seen a 148% increase in their downloads to schools. and young minds saw a 15% increase in calls to their parents helpline around the time of the marathon. phase one of the heads together campaign was about starting the conversation on mental health. now it is moving on to phase two, which is about practical solutions to keep the conversation going. starting with a £2 million grant from the royal foundation to fund

digital ways to help people cope with mental health issues. digital allows us to open up the timescale that people can access stuff, so a lot of people struggle late at night with their mental health, and it's very difficult for traditional services to stay open. could a digital intervention start working in that space, so there's always someone you can talk to? as well as digital projects, heads together will focus on mental health in schools, workplaces, and the military, with this issue remaining at the very top of the agenda of the royals. thank you all very much. pleasure. sarah campbell, bbc news. mental health staff in the uk are working in a "powder keg" environment, as assaults by patients soar, according to a bbc investigation. figures obtained by 5 live investigates show there were more than 42,000 reported attacks on staff over the last year. they included a healthcare assistant who was stabbed to death, and a worker having part of their thumb bitten off. the department of health says it's

supporting mental health staff and plans to create 21,000 new posts by 2021. tens of thousands of people are showing their support for the spanish government this lunchtime with demonstrations against independence for catalonia. the pro—unity rally is taking place on the streets of barcelona. our europe correspondent gavin lee is in barcelona. those people behind you, calling themselves the silent majority and think they have not made their voices heard enough? the silent majority of 950,000 people according to the organisers. just announcing that figure in the last few moments. i have been yearfor the past that figure in the last few moments. i have been year for the past week and a half. i have seen the crowds

at other demonstrations, pro independence, much smaller. coaches and buses can't get here. all the streets at downtown barcelona, com pletely streets at downtown barcelona, completely blocked. people have said that they are rallying to the government, to say that they want to stay united. these images are going around the world today, butt independence supporters are being urged to stay indoors. some people just sleeping. because they said they do not want to add to these numbers. 7.5 million in this region. it is difficult to calculate. but just listen to this noise around me, a real fiesta atmosphere. just listen to this noise around me, a realfiesta atmosphere. it just listen to this noise around me, a real fiesta atmosphere. it is just listen to this noise around me, a realfiesta atmosphere. it is not violent. people had been fearing

that. shouting patriotic songs. displayed that, we have still got this session on tuesday of the cata la n this session on tuesday of the catalan parliament, expected to be a declaration of independence. where do we go? i am struggling to hear you. buy up this morning, remember we have had another comment from the spanish prime minister rajoy, uncompromising and he said that if it is necessary, and even if it means extreme measures, the catalan government cannot have independence. spain is always going to be spain. the catalan government have said that on tuesday, the president is going to announce in a speech, the next steps. 48 hours from there... on thursday, the declaration of unilateral independence. people are

clapping. because they want to negotiate, get room for the legal referendum. this is going to go on through the day to day. thank you very much. gavin, reporting from barcelona. the headlines on bbc news: after leaving a trail of devastation across central america, hurricane nate moves inland in the south east of the united states. after her difficult party conference, theresa may says she's resilient and won't hide from a challenge. ahead of the snp's annual conference, nicola sturgeon says she will commit to exploring all options to secure eu citizens‘ status in scotland. time now for a look at the sport, with katherine downes. it's been the perfect day for lewis hamilton at

the japanese grand prix at suzuka. the briton started from pole and went on to win for the eighth time this season. he now leads the championship by 58 points with just four races to go. hamilton will be confident of claiming his fourth world title, thanks mainly to misfortune for his rival sebastian vettel. the german's ferrari broke down and had to retire after just four laps. england may have made sure of their place at next year's world cup, but a route to russia via the play offs remains a possibility for the rest of the home nations heading into the crucial final round of qualifying matches. wales and northern ireland are second in their respective groups, as are scotland, who are in slovenia ahead of their match at five o'clock today. after victory against slovakia on thursday, the scots know another win will secure their playoff berth. as soon as i walked off the pitch, as soon as i walked in the dressing room, i could sense we were ready now... there was no singing and dancing, anything like that. we realised they'd beat a good side. we have to play another good side. as a group of individuals, we know how important it is to everybody. we know how important it is, because we're all getting texts

from all our friends, wishing us good luck, and e—mails, and people we've not heard from in a wee while. so we know that. northern ireland are expected to field their strongest team for the world cup qualifier in norway today they're already guaranteed to finish second and could be assured of a play—off place before the game even starts if other results go their way. we've been good in the double headers to date. and again, you know, as i say, we come into this game knowing that there's a huge amount at stake. we have neverfor one minute thought it was anything other than that. and you can tell already that the players are looking forward to the game. but they know that, obviously, they have to try and make sure they win the game as well. england also playing lithuania, having already qualified. britain'sjohanna konta has lost her place at the end of season wta finals after caroline garcia leap—frogged her into the final qualifying spot.

garcia beat the new world number one simona halep to win the china open, her second title in two weeks. konta is taking a couple of weeks off with an injury and must now reach the final of the kremlin cup which starts on 16 october to claim back her place at the season finale in singapore. that's all the sport for now. thanks. have a good afternoon. i'm back tomorrow. more now on ghana where an explosion at a fuel station in accra has killed at least six people and injured more than 35. the blast, involving natural gas, sent a giant fireball into the sky causing panic among residents. it's understood the blaze triggered a second explosion and fire at a nearby petrol station. thomas naadi reports. the incident occurred just a few metres behind me. two separate explosions were heard here. the exact cause is not known. there are a number of security personnel here, including the ghana fire service, who are battling to put the fire under control.

this latest incident has once more questioned safety standards at the country's fuel stations. white nationalists have held another rally in charlottesville, virginia, after a woman died after clashes at a previous protest in august. several dozen people took part in a torchlight protest led by far—right activist richard spencer to oppose the removal of a statue of the confederate general robert e lee. the city's mayor, mike signer, tweeted saying the protestors were not welcome and telling them to "go home". the un secretary general, antonio guterres, is currently touring the caribbean to see the damage caused by this year's hurricane season. he spoke to my colleague alpa patel and said he's increasingly concerned by global warming and its effect on the weather. it is horrible to see a paradise islands like barbuda transformed into hell.

95% of houses destroyed. totally devastated. people evacuated. this is something we are seeing more and more. an increased intensity and frequency of hurricanes, frequency, devastation. the origin is clear. we are facing the consequences of climate change. we are hearing the most appalling stories of people homeless, without clean water, hospitals are without electricity. do you think the response to these hurricanes was not good enough? there is an enormous effort by the caribbean states themselves, the caribbean emergency mechanism which is working. the un is doing its best to support here in the islands. we launched an appeal and it is not sufficiently funded. i strongly ask the international community to increase humanitarian aid to the caribbean states and especially to be able to support these states for reconstruction and to build resilience for the future. an important conference in context in terms of world bank and the annual meeting. i appealfor very solidarity to be taken with the people of the caribbean. they are in the first

line of victimisation. they need the support of people of the international community. you said donations are not flowing into these countries. why do you think that is? well... i think the world is so focused on so many crises, so many situations, that naturally these things tend to be forgotten. but this level of destruction and devastation is such that i believe we have all, because we are all contributing to climate change around the world, we have all the moral obligation to express solidarity to the first victims of these dramatic increases that we are seeing of the consequences of climate change. you talk about climate change. as we speak, another hurricane is on its way through this area. will we see more and more of these hurricanes?

unfortunately, it is true. the scientific proof is there. more co2... means warmer oceans, and as oceans are warmer, more evaporation, more vapour in the atmosphere, heavier rainstorms. the hurricane intensity is increased as it moves over the ocean and when it reaches land it has the devastating impact that we have seen. instead of dissipating over the oceans, the intensity is enormously enhanced. it is clear, warmer climate means more hurricanes and more devastating hurricanes. we need to do everything to stop it. we need to make sure the paris agreement on climate change must be implemented and because it is not enough, enhanced commitments are made by all countries around the world in order to make sure that we are able to dominate this very dramatic evolution. un secretary—general there.

close to four tonnes of cocaine has been seized after a ship was intercepted in the atlantic. the spanish authorities acted on intelligence provided by the national crime agency in the uk to intercept the boat between madeira and the azores. the nca says, if sold, the cocaine would have fetched more than £200 million. seven men have been arrested. there's only one week to go until the old pound coins are taken out of circulation. from midnight next sunday the round pound will lose its legal tender status and no longer be accepted in shops and restaurants. people have been urged to spend them, bank them, or give them to charity before then. time for a look at the weather. it isa

it is a sunnier sunday, especially compared to yesterday. we are seeing some patchy rain affecting west of scotla nd some patchy rain affecting west of scotland and more of us over the afternoon. a lot of cloud over northern ireland but also some brighter spells west. maybe the odd shower four east anglia, but for most of us fine. feeling warmer and light winds. cloud west to east. some outbreaks of rain, and it is not going to be a cold night. temperatures at double figures for most of us. tomorrow is going to the cloudier and the weak weather front bringing some patchy rain. not amounting to much. sunshine is going to be hard to come by. some sunshine for northern ireland, and the cloud

increasing. temperatures at around 14-18. the increasing. temperatures at around 14—18. the web for the week ahead is looking changeable, going to become windier for a looking changeable, going to become windierfor a time, wet at looking changeable, going to become windier for a time, wet at times over higher ground, north—west scotla nd over higher ground, north—west scotland and england. south east england by the end of the week, warming up and temperatures could be heading to the low 20s for some. more in half an hour.