ca rles carles puigdemont says that the catalan people cannot accept illegal measures decided by the spanish government as he calls on the region's parliament to act against him. the head of the world health organisation says he is rethinking the appointment of zimbabwe's president mugabe as a goodwill ambassador. storm brian hits the uk, guts of nearly 80 mph, although the disruption has not been as bad as predicted. donald trump says he plans to allow the release of classified documents around the assassination of presidentjohn f. kennedy. a big shock in the premier league, newly promoted huddersfield beat manchester united, for the first time in 65 years. good evening and welcome to bbc

news. the leader of catalonia has condemned the spanish government's plans to sack the regional administration as a coup. hundreds of thousands of people have turned out on the streets of barcelona to protest against the decision of the spanish government to take control in the region. the spanish prime minister, mariano rajoy, said there'd be new elections to the catalan parliament. he said he'd been left with no choice by an illegal independence referendum and leaders who had chosen confrontation. earlier, catalonia's president, carles puigdemont compared the actions of the spanish government to those of the country's former dictator, general franco. translation: in my latest letter to the spanish president, i asked him for dialogue, and i reminded him that this is a necessity... today, the ministry council has

shut down this claim and this petition. they have announced a series of measures that directly represent the liquidation of our self—government and the democratic will of the catalan, that catalan people decided at the ballot box. it has been cancelled. that is why the government, with the support of the socialist party. has given the strongest hit to our autonomy since the days of the dictatorship and franco. i want to address the political community. european citizens, brothers and sisters, with whom we share european citizenship.

if european foundational values are at risk in catalonia, they will also be at risk in europe. democratically deciding the future of a nation is not a crime. these goes against the foundations of european citizens through their diversity. catalonia is a european nation, it is core to european values. we do what we do because we believe in democratic and peaceful europe. the europe of the shelter of fundamental rights that should protect each and every one of us. you should know that what you are fighting for in your home, we are also fighting for in catalonia. and we will continue to do so. the head of the world health

organization has said he is "rethinking the approach" as outrage widened over his decision to name zimbabwe's president robert mugabe a goodwill ambassador. the decision had drawn criticism from several organisations and the british government, as zimbabwe's leader has been frequently taken to task over human rights abuses. army bomb squad specialists have been called to the nuclear reprocessing plant at sellafield to deal with hazardous chemicals found in a lab. the chemicals, contained within a number of canisters, were discovered during a routine audit at a laboratory at the site in cumbria.

they are industrial solvents which are potentially flammable in liquid states. and can crystallise and become unstable when exposed to air. sellafield limited, which runs the plant, said there's no reason for people living locally to be concerned. our reporter sharon barbour has more from outside the sellafield complex. we heard a small explosion, that was the bomb disposal expert carrying out a controlled explosion of the bottles of old chemicals, 25 years old, found in the laboratory, last night that laboratory was evacuated, and a 100 metre cord and set up around it. earlieri and a 100 metre cord and set up around it. earlier i spoke with security here. —— cordon. around it. earlier i spoke with security here. -- cordon. as to how long they have been there and whether they should have been dealt with sooner, it is a question of

exploration, then we deal with them as quickly and efficiently as possible. sounds like they had been there too long, as soon as you found out how long they had been there, the decision was made to remove them. yes, as soon as we were made aware, them. yes, as soon as we were made aware , we them. yes, as soon as we were made aware, we take proactive steps to get root of the problem as quickly as we can, once we had determined the properties, the nature of the chemicals, then we are getting on with the process. a member of staff said they had crystallised, and they crystallised? i cannot honestly answer that question, all that i can tell you is that the reconnaissance that was conducted yesterday determined there was no immediate threat from these solventss. the issue around crystallisation is quite an important one, if they do crystallised, these flammable liquids, they become unstable and dangerous. sellafield has said they had not crystallised. an

investigation is now underway and crucial to that we'll be having another careful look through the laboratories, to make sure any other old chemicals that are potentially u nsafe a re old chemicals that are potentially unsafe are removed. sellafield has stressed to us that the site here is safe. in a few minutes viewers on bbc one willjoin us for a full round—up of the day's news with ben brown. but first, storm brian has hit the uk with gale—force winds and high seas, as bad as predicted. though disruption hasn't been as bad as predicted. gusts of around 80 miles were recorded in parts of wales and also the isle of wight. there was flash flooding in several irish cities including limerick. in the south west of england, most places have escaped flooding caused by spring tides although there has been disruption to travel, with brittany ferries cancelling tonight's sailing from plymouth. clare woodling reports. dramatic scenes and fierce winds.

that's not the treacherous conditions forecast but certainly rough at times. we are expecting a surge of the spring tides, as the surge has come through a little under the forecast. so the result is that the levels in the harbour are a bit lower. they have not made it to the heights to start inundating the drainage system. two carparks at seton in cornwall are out of action but luckily no cars were stranded. there's at least six inches of water at here and sign on the pavement. it has not stopped drivers ploughing along the road, as you can see, and that in spite of all the dangers. i've even seen two buses full of passengers plough through as well. a mixed reaction to the weather from local people. it has been quite rough. with the car parks flooding and stuff, it's a bit of a worry for businesses down here.

i was expecting a lot worse. it's not that windy. hopefully it will get a bit worse later on. it's very windy along the coast. and it'sjust blowing away out there. other places have also taken a battering. the strong winds are expected to continue for several hours to come. pro independence demonstrators take to the streets in protest — international outrage as the world health organisation appoints zimbabwe's robert mugabe a goodwill ambassador. drivers in england could soon be allowed to drive faster through roadworks on motorways. and president trump is planning to open up secret files on the assassination ofjohn f kennedy. good evening.

the political crisis in spain has deepened tonight. the spanish prime minister mariano rajoy is planning to strip regional leaders in catalonia of their powers — following their controversial referendum on independence. almost half a million people have been protesting against the new measures — the catalan leader says they're the worst attack on catalonia since the fascist regime of general franco. tom burridge reports from barcelona. angrier than ever before. catalans who want independence, digesting madrid's unprecedented move. to temporarily scrap their devolved government. theyjust want to crush us down.

we've got dignity. we've got our dignity. we fought for it for years, we're going to be catalonia a0 years ago. we fought for it, like, 40, 50 years ago, are we going to go back to that? i want to see the army here. we're going to see it at this rate. i don't want that. i'm young and i don't have that much knowledge but i have enough knowledge to know that that isn't normal and it shouldn't be happening in our country. we are a developed country, this isjust outrageous. i'm speechless. the leader of catalonia's devolved government in the crowd. tonight he called it the biggest attack on catalonia's autonomy since the dictatorship of franco. translation: this is the worst attack on the freedoms of catalonia since the days of general franco. earlier spanish ministers approved what is known here as the nuclear option. in a few days, catalan autonomy will be suspended. the regional government sacked,

all of its responsibilities run from madrid. prime minister rajoy said catalan leaders will not be allowed to destroy the whole way in which spain is governed. translation: we apply article 155 because no government of any democratic country can accept disregard for the law. catalonia is divided on the issue of independence. and some here, like carlos, accept that the spanish government have no option. he says it is 50% madrid's fault and 50% catalonia's government for causing this crisis. a crisis which seems to be getting worse. they won't give up. even as european governments insist this is an internal issue for madrid. the key test will come when madrid tries to physically take control of the catalan authorities. will the catalan police and other local officials follow the spanish government's orders or disobey?

chanting a new country won't appear through words, even as they will it to happen. they know too that bearing down on them is the all powerful spanish state. and tom is in barcelona now. are we seeing a dangerous game of brinkmanship? the spanish government and the cata la n the spanish government and the catalan devolved government have been pushing each otherfor weeks, willing the other side to make the big move, madrid has done exactly that, and its planets to be approved by the spanish senate which could ta ke by the spanish senate which could take days —— it's plans. the catalan leader could try to reconvene the parliament here to make a more emphatic unilateral declaration of independence, and in practice that might not mean very much. you can't just create a state overnight so the most interesting thing will be how the spanish intervention in catalonia plays out on the ground,

cata la n catalonia plays out on the ground, catalan officials say their bosses will keep going to work until they are physically prevented from doing so. are physically prevented from doing so. the spanish government argues it won't actually be suspending catalan autonomy because the institutions themselves will remain but the fact is, it will be taking control, relu cta ntly, is, it will be taking control, reluctantly, the spanish government is under huge pressure from public opinion across this country, but neither the prime minister, no one else in this region or across spain, knows where this is heading next. tom, thanks forjoining us. human rights groups have condemned the world health organisation for making zimbabwean president robert mugabe a goodwill ambassador. the british government described the decision as disappointing, while human rights watch said it was "embarrassing". the who now say they are "rethinking" the decision. our south africa correspondent andrew harding reports. 93 years old and in frail health. president robert mugabe

is an unexpected choice to be the new goodwill ambassador for the world health organisation. and it's not just a question of stamina. the president's defenders insist he's earned this new honour, and yet, during his 37 years in power mr mugabe has overseen the collapse of zimba bwe's currency and economy, and its once impressive health system. zimbabweans who fled abroad are outraged by today's news. it angers me because i've seen millions of zimbabweans die, incurable diseases, some things which could be cured, but because of the health facilities that have collapsed, it is really death row. zimbabwe is falling apart. there is absolutely nothing that is all right. evenif even if i fall sick... where will i getjust the consultation fee? critics point to a long history of human rights

abuses in zimbabwe, too. on that note, the british government called mr mugabe's appointment: perhaps the mostjarring irony is the fact that for years mr mugabe has spent taxpayers money travelling abroad for his own health care. we know that every other month president mugabe, even for eye cataract, mr mugabe goes to singapore. president mugabe goes to the far east. he doesn't even trust his own public health system. and tonight, news that the backlash may be working, the who announcing a rethink. mr mugabe's goodwill ambassadorship may prove to be short lived. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. parts of britain have been battered by storm brian with gale force winds and high seas. this was the scene in south wales.

gusts of almost 80mph were recorded in some places. in aberystwyth waves crashed over the pier. yellow strong wind warnings and flood alerts are still in place across much of wales, the south of england and the midlands. president trump says he's planning to release thousands of classified documents about the assassination ofjohn f kennedy in 1963. but mr trump has tweeted that he'll release the documents, "subject to the receipt of further information". our north america correspondent, laura bicker, is in washington. laura, why are these papers so sensitive? they were locked away 25 years ago,

to try to stop conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of president kennedy. it didn't work. a recent survey suggests 30% of americans believe that the man accused of murder, lee harvey oswald, did not act alone. he of course was shot and killed before he had his day in court. the files that historians really want to look at, surround oswald's visit to mexico city a few weeks before the assassination, he met with cuban and soviet spies, and it is alleged he announced his intention to kill the president although that has not been made a fact as yet. when it comes to these documents, they will be released on thursday, unless president trump says otherwise and on twitter he has suggested he will u nless on twitter he has suggested he will unless strong national security argument is made, so decades of secrecy might be about to come to an end. laura, thanks forjoining us. here, speed limits through motorway roadworks in england could be raised

from 50 to 60 miles per hour. the proposed changes follow trials which found drivers would feel safer at higher speeds. sophie long reports. roadworks. some of them go on for mile after mile. the current speed limit is normally 50 mph, but highways england said it could be increased to 60. they conducted trials with heart rate monitors managing drivers‘ stress levels as they pass through roadworks at different speeds. 60% recorded a decrease in their average heart rate in the 60 mph zone. in the 55 mph zone, there was a decrease in 56%. what you find at 50 mph is many trucks have their speed limited to 56, therefore they try to drive faster, tailgate cars, a foot off their bumper, which becomes incredibly dangerous. on those stretches, if you can have 55 or 60 mph, you would get less tailgating,

fewer drivers just studying their speedometer, and it can really be safer. but what about people working on the motorways? the unite union which represents them say these proposals ignore their safety. they say in recent years a number of motorway workers have been killed, and increasing speed limits will make their working conditions even more dangerous. motorists have mixed views. it would make myjourney a lot shorter, because immediately i start the journey, i'm experiencing the 50 mph limit straightaway, so 60 would be an improvement for me. i think that's too fast, especially when there are people on the roadside, men working on the road, it's too fast, that is dangerous. the speed limit should be 50, it's that for a reason. even that's pretty fast if you go past. if a car passes you at 50 you can feel the speed of the wind from the car, i think it's too fast. highways england says it is carrying out further tests to ensure it can be done safely,

but the changes could be brought in by the end of the year. sophie long, bbc news. one of the last letters ever written on the titanic has sold for a record breaking £126,000 at auction in wiltshire. the letter, written by an american businessman, oscar holverson, was particularly sought—after because it was written the day before the ship hit the iceberg in april 1912. it's also the only letter on headed titanic notepaper to have been recovered from the north atlantic. with all the sport — here's karthi gna nasegaram at the bbc sport centre. good evening. there were some surprising results in the premier league. match of the day follows soon on bbc one so it's time to pop out of the room if you don't want to know today's results. the two manchester clubs were looking to consolidate their places at the top of the table. but david wagner's huddersfield side beat manchester united 2—1 in what the german described as "one of the proudest moments of his career".

united are now five points behind manchester city who are top of the table. city beat burnley 3—0. while champions chelsea had to come from behind before beating watford 4—2. newcastle are in sixth place after their victory over bottom of the table crystal palace. and there were much needed wins for bournemouth, leicester city and southampton. celtic are through to next month's scottish league cup final after a 11—2 win over hibernian. celtic‘s substitute moussa dembele scored their third and fourth goals despite hibernian‘s attempts at a second half fight back. the second semi final sees rangers take on motherwell tomorrow. following on from england's under 19s winning the european championship, england's under 17 team have beaten the usa to reach the semi finals of their world cup. a rhian brewster hat—trick helping england to a a—1win. they'll face either brazil or germany for a place in the final. british champions day at ascot

is known as the richest day in the british racing calendar. but there was also a record equalling victory for trainer aiden o'brien, a frankie dettori double and the offical celebration of this yea r‘s champion flat jockey. adam wild has the details. they called it british champions day, no more fitting title or venue then ascot, and no more fitting company, the irish trainer aidan o'brien wasjust one company, the irish trainer aidan o'brien was just one top—level winner away from the world record of 25 in winner away from the world record of 25ina winner away from the world record of 25 in a single year. his first chance to equal that mark came with hydrangea in the purple and this was the moment many came to see. modest, humble, but in modern flat racing aidan o'brien remains without peers. he had two chances to claim the record outright as is own but on both occasions he was aborted by another great of the sport, the jockey frankie dettori, included in

the big race. this was as much about making history, aidan o'brien champion trainer, and all eyes crowning the champion jockey, silvestre de sousa, the boy from brazil, the former factory worker, who has ridden more than 150 winners this season, in this the sport of kings, a day to honour champions. adam wild, bbc news. lewis hamilton could be crowned formula one world champion for the fourth time tomorrow. the british driver is in qualifying action at the united states grand prix at the moment. if he wins tomrorrow‘s race and his nearest rival, sebastian vettel, finishes lower than fifth place, hamilton will claim the world title. it's the second weekend of fixtures in rugby union's european champions cup and there was a big win for leicester tigers. they scored seven tries as they beat french—side castres 54—29 and go top of pool five. earlier glasgow and northampton both lost their pool matches. the rest of the day's sport is on the bbc sport website. including the latest from the world takewondo grand prix,

where jadejones and bianca walkden have both won golds medals. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. that's all from me. goodnight. the centre of the storm, this rain band, rain clearing away from south—west england, plenty of showers following for the rest of us overnight, the strongest wind gust have typically been 70 mph around the coast of england and wales, some very exposed sites have seen stronger gusts than that. inland, 40-15 stronger gusts than that. inland, 110—15 mph, exactly the same as what was forecast this time yesterday. not particularly windy, we get days

like this all the time in autumn. overnight, blustery winds will continue to drive in. rain clearing away from the south—west, those showers could pop up just about anywhere overnight. temperatures nine to 11 celsius. this is the picture for sunday morning, as brian works out into the north sea, it will begin to die away, blustery start, still rain affecting north west england and through sunday morning the rain will push into parts of the midlands, particularly the east midlands, but once that rain band is cleared out of the way, actually, the rest of the day, sunshine and showers kind of setup. through the afternoon there will be bigger gaps opening up, that means dry weather for bigger gaps opening up, that means dry weatherfor more bigger gaps opening up, that means dry weather for more of us. temperatures 12 to 1a degrees. the wind will switch back to a south—westerly direction, band of rain pushing across the country

quite cloudy, mist and fog starting, eventually, brighter skies getting into northern ireland and western scotla nd into northern ireland and western scotland and ending up with a bit of sunshine. weather front dangling and loitering, and so a cloudy day here with burst of rain. best of any sunshine across northern and eastern scotland, into north—eastern parts of england. temperatures coming up, highs of around 1a to 16 degrees in the north, 17 or 18 further south, thatis the north, 17 or 18 further south, that is a sign of things to come. towards the end of the week, thursday, wind coming from a long south, would you believe it, temperatures on thursday could reach 22 degrees, a temperature we would normally see in the middle ofjuly.