this is bbc world news. i'm gavin grey. our top stories: catalonia's leader says he will not accept madrid's plan to curb the region's powers. thousands take to the streets of barcelona as carles puigdemont makes a passionate appeal for the defence of catalonia's rights. we do what we do because we believe in a democratic and peaceful europe. after growing international criticism, the world health organisation says it's rethinking a decision to make zimbabwe's president a goodwill ambassador. millions of people across japan are voting in a snap general election — we'll have the very latest live from tokyo. the polling stations opened a couple of hours ago. storm brian batters parts of britain, bringing high seas and violent winds of more than 120km/h. hello.

the political crisis in spain has deepened with the leader of catalonia condemning the spanish government's plans to sack the regional administration. carles puigdemont declared that a coup was being mounted and compared the actions of the government in madrid to those of the fascist dictator, general franco. the spanish prime minister, mariano rajoy, said he'd been left with no choice by an illegal independence referendum. earlier, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, as 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. and we've got dignity. we've got our dignity. we've fought for it for years. we couldn't speak catalan 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 institutions and people of catalonia since the dictatorship of 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 had no option. he says it's 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. the spanish government and the cattle and devolved government have been nudging each otherfor weeks, willing each other to make a move. its plan needs to be approved by the spanish senate. that could take days. in the meantime, the catalan leader could try and convene the regional parliament to make a more emphatic declaration of independence. in practice, that might not mean very much. you can't just create a state overnight. i think the most interesting thing will be how the spanish intervention here in catalonia plays out on the ground. catalan officials say their bosses will keep going to work until

they are physically prevented from doing so. the spanish government argues that it would actually be suspending catalan autonomy because the institutions themselves will remain. but the fact is it will be taking control, reluctantly. the spanish government is under huge asherfrom public spanish government is under huge asher from public opinion across the country. but neither that one minister, or no on else in this region or minister, or no on else in this region oi’ across minister, or no on else in this region or across spain knows where this is heading next. at least 15 army cadets have been killed in an attack on a military academy in afghanistan. a suicide bomber drove a car full of explosives into a bus outside the training centre in kabul. it's the latest in a number of bomb attacks across the country this week. anbarasan ethirajan has this report. the minibus carrying the army cadets was leaving the military academy in kabul when it was targeted. police are investigating how a suicide bomber managed to reach the high—security compound. it was the second suicide attack on the afghan capital in less than 2a hours.

56 people were killed when a suicide bomber set off explosives at a packed shia mosque last night. the victims were buried in this cemetery outside kabul. those who died in the suicide attack have been remembered during funeral prayers. families have lost fathers, mothers, sons and daughters in the devastating attack. there was tight security outside the burial place as funerals were also targeted in the past. shia mosques in afghanistan have been repeatedly attacked. translation: the government has to provide security for its citizens, in any situation. the incident that took place was very tragic and we strongly condemn it. a routine friday evening prayer at this mosque ended in a nightmare. the blood—soa ked carpets and broken windows

show the level of devastation. the streets of kabul are tense today, and many residents say they are worried about the worsening security situation. many are angry that even a place of worship is not safe anymore. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. a billionaire businessman in the czech republic has scored a convincing victory in elections to the lower house of parliament. andrej babis emerged with just under 30% of the vote, but not enough for his ano party to govern alone. mr babis said he wants to work with allies across europe to halt illegal immigration. 2a hours after a militant ambush on policemen in egypt's western desert, the interior ministry says 16 officers were killed in the attack. a figure given earlier by security and medical sources suggested at least 53 security personnel had been killed. thousands of italians

have taken part in an anti—racism rally in rome. they marched in solidarity with migrants and refugees. more than 146,000 migrants are estimated to have crossed the mediterranean to europe this year. the head of the world health organisation says he's listening to the concerns many people have expressed after he named zimbabwe's president robert mugabe as a ‘goodwill ambassador‘. britain and the united states have made public their disappointment, along with many campaign groups. our 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 organization. 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 zimbabwe's currency and economy,

and of its once—impressive health system. zimbabweans who've fled abroad are outraged by today's news. it angers me, because i've seen millions of zimbabweans die. incurable diseases, which — some things which could be cured, but because of the health facilities that have collapsed, it has really been their death row. zimbabwe's falling apart. there's nothing absolutely that is all right. if i fall sick, where will i get just the consultation fee? critics point to a long history of human rights abuses in zimbabwe too. on that note, today 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 healthcare. we know that every — every other month president mugabe, even for eye cataract, president 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. gusts of more than 120km/h were recorded in some places. strong wind warnings and flood alerts are still in place across much of wales, the south of england and the midlands. briohny williams reports. storm brian unleashes its worst as

waves crashed against the coast of wales. the ferocity of nature showing its herd. has taken the whole side of the officers out. buildings damaged on roads flooded. —— and roads flooded. the picture in the south—west of england is similar. beaches empty. advice from the environment agency has been to stay away from the coastline. but walkers in the north—west of england couldn't resist watching the awesome scenes storm brian has supplied. fantastic will stop power of nature, isn't it? i don't want to go for a nice coastal walk this morning. isn't it? i don't want to go for a nice coastal walk this morninglj think i will put that on hold. the disruption hasn't been as widespread

as predicted, and storm brian is expected to ease over the coming hours. only then will the true impact be revealed. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: donald trump plans to allow the opening of a trove of long—classified files on the assassination ofjohn f kennedy. a historic moment that many of his victims have waited forfor decades. the former dictator in the dock, older, slimmer and, as he sat down, obedient enough. dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside korem, it lights up a biblicalfamine, now in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion — in argentina today, it is actually cheaper to paper your walls with money. we've had controversies

in the past with great britain, but as good friends, we have always found a good and lasting solution. concorde bows out in style after almost three decades in service. an aircraft that has enthralled its many admirers for so long, taxis home one last time. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: ina in a passionate appeal for the defence of catalonia's writes. ca rles defence of catalonia's writes. carles puigdemont says he will not accept madrid's plan to curb the region's power. stay with us because speaking in english, opera one said catalonia was an ancient european

nation and that deciding its future bya nation and that deciding its future by a peaceful and democratic referendum was not a crime.|j by a peaceful and democratic referendum was not a crime. i want to address the message to europe. but only to its political leaders, but also, and especially to all european citizens. our brothers and sisters, with whom we share european citizenship. they will also be at risk in europe and catalonia. them critically deciding the future of a nation is not a crime. these go against foundations that european citizens through their diversity. catalonia isa through their diversity. catalonia is a european nation. it's cold to european believers. we do what we do because we believe in the democratic and peaceful europe. the europe of

the charter of fundamental rights that should protect each and eve ryo ne that should protect each and everyone of us. you should know that what you are fighting for at your home, we are also fighting for in catalonia. and we will continue to do so. carles puigdemont there. almost a month after hurricane maria devastated puerto rico, the us territory is still struggling to provide basic services like electricity and running water. 3a people were killed by the storm, and some estimates have put the clean—up bill as high a $95 billion. speaking on thursday, president trump gave his administration ten out of ten for its handling of the disaster. but there was strong criticism of the response from the very start, and some of the strongest came from carmen yulin cruz, the mayor of the island's capital. she has been speaking to the bbc‘s yalda hakim. in one of his tweets, president trump said that

puerto rico is more or less broken. it has broken infrastructure, it is in trouble, it has debt. none of those things are factually incorrect? no, they're not. tell us something we didn't know, right? what is incorrect is for a president that is supposed to be the commander—in—chief to become the hater—in—chief, and to become the person thatjust tweets away his hate. that's what is incorrect. do you think it became personal, for you? i mean, do you think — he called you nasty, you called him a hater—in—chief, that it became too personal? that is personal. it is personal. when my people are being left to die, it is personal. who was the one who spoke about the debt? the president. who was the one they called us ingrate? the president.

who was the one that threw paper towels at us? the president. so hey, i'm not going to start a fight, but i won't shy away from one either, when my people are in danger or fighting for their life, which is what is happening here. when you deny people clean water, you are denying them any rights. is he denying puerto rico clean water? it is not enough. if — if you're not giving people what they need, and you are chaining me to a piece of legislation that does not allow others to help me, then you're making me just depend on you. and that is not the spirit that the american democracy was made of. you choose to play, or not to play. yeah. you know, we're getting food through churches, faith—based organisations, community leaders, and we have 21 community kitchens that have sprung up.

president trump has indicated that he is planning to allow the release of secret files about the assassination of presidentjohn f kennedy in 1963. the white house says the documents will be published by the national archives as scheduled next week, unless the security services provide compelling reasons not to. the bbc‘s laura bicker has the latest from washington. they were locked away 25 years ago by law, to try to quell conspiracy theories, but did anything but. because a recent gallup poll showed that around 30% of americans believe that the man accused of assassinating john f kennedy did not act alone. he of course was shot and killed

before he had his day in court. when it comes to these documents, they will be released on thursday, unless president trump says otherwise, and his tweets suggest that he will, u nless his tweets suggest that he will, unless a strong national security argument is made. so decades of secrecy argument is made. so decades of secrecy might be about to come to an end. in a landmark ruling three years ago, india's supreme court recognised its estimated two million transgender people as a third gender, stating that it is the right of every human being to choose their gender. now, the country's first transgender couple are planning a wedding. some people want to kill us. some people say that we are mad. some people even abuse us, sexually. i'm a male—to—female

transsexual person. i'm female—to—male transsexual. we are going to make a new story in the life. it was very hard to be a person with gender dysphoria. now i'm happy that i became who i wanted to be. i'm getting minimum three to five calls every day. what to do, where to meet my doctor, so many, many things they are asking. when i started doing these things, i was all alone. nobody was there to help me. so it was like fighting my own battle. so, if it happened with somebody else, ijust wanted to help them. i just wanted to work

for the betterment and welfare of people who are having gender dysphoria. i'll be doing that, but a small division will be there. especially females, they want pampering. polls have opened injapan‘s 48th general election, after prime minister, shinzo abe dissolved the lower house of the parliament last month and called for a snap election to renew his mandate. mr abe's liberal democratic party is expected to emerge as the biggest party. let us cross live to our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes in tokyo.

he wants to change the nation's defence force into a national army for the first time since the second world war, but that is extremely controversial in a very delicate subject for some. opinion polls in australia suggest the country is leaning towards a yes vote on introducing same—sex marriage. rallies are being held across the country, in one last push to urge people to post their yes votes. the postal survey is voluntary and non—binding, but prime minister malcom turnbull has promised that if a majority of australians support 93v a majority of australians support gay marriage, parliament will debate it. upbeat and positive, but not

complacent, the mood of the yes campaign is cautiously optimistic. with just over two weeks to go until the end of australia's postal survey on same—sex marriage. the end of australia's postal survey on same-sex marriage. in the very final hour of this campaign, we have to give it our all... those agitating for change have gathered in sydney. they believe the voters about fairness and equality. why shouldn't all australians be treated the same, they ask. no other country has done it this way, but we all have to find our own way to achieve marriage equality, wherever this happens. the reaction, though, in terms of turnout has been incredible. in the first few weeks we are already up at 75% turnout, and that is a huge response from the people. so i think the australian people. so i think the australian people understand how important this issue is, and they recognise that this is their moment to tell the politicians to get on with their job. there will be other rallies over the weekend across the country,

from hobart to alice springs, and darwin and the northern territory. opinion polls are suggesting a win for the yes campaign, but unlike australian elections, voting in the postal ballot isn't compulsory, so apathy could be a decisive factor. there are accusations of bigotry and bullying on both sides of the debate. the government has pleaded for it to be civil and respectful, while the senate, australia's upper chamber, has gone a step further. it has passed special legislation that bans intimidation and vilification. school told my son he could wear a dress next year if he felt like it. the antireform coalition for marriage hopes to convince the undecided that, should same—sex couples be allowed to marry, they would be serious consequences for children who would be exposed to radical views on sexuality in the classroom. 16 million australians

are eligible to vote. a final result is due in mid—november. one of the last letters written on board the iconic british ship titanic before it sank has been sold for a world—record price. the letter was written by an american businessman, oscar holverson, and today it was sold at an auction in england for $166,000. mr holverson had written the letter to his mother the day before the ship sank. it is the only letter on headed titanic paper to have survived the waters of the north atlantic. the ship hit an iceberg in april 1912, killing hundreds, including mr holverson. a reminder of our top story: the catalan leader, carles puigdemont, has made a passionate appeal for the defence of catalonia's rights.

hello there. storm brian has been bringing some strong winds across the united kingdom over the last 2a hours. the centre of brian crossed northern england during saturday night and headed out into the north sea, where it was going to be weakening through the course of the day. today, rain or showers showing up on the radar picture. we do have some strong winds around the coastline of wales and south—west england, yesterday. the forecast was for gusts up to 70 mph, which wasn't far off the mark. inland, the forecasts were gusts to around a0 or 50 mph. and again, we had those kinds of values across many inland areas. it was kind of a typical autumnal windy day, wasn't it? now, those strong winds are still with us, for the early risers, for the first part of the morning. outbreaks of rain across western scotland, north—west england, the north—west midlands, north wales. and the gusts were around a0 to 50 mph, irish sea coasts and the tops of the pennines, maybe one or two stronger gusts.

temperatures 9—11 degrees first thing. so there is brian, working to the north sea, where it's going to continue to weaken and die during sunday. nevertheless, we'll get this area of rain extending from north—west england across the midlands for a time, and heading into east anglia and south—east england, before clearing out of the way. what follows through sunday afternoon will be a mixture of sunshine and showers. the majority of the showers across western areas of the uk. dry weather across the east. north—westerly winds, though, bringing cooler and fresher air. so temperatures a bit down on those of yesterday. highs between 11 and 1a degrees. now, through sunday night, we'll see the next weather system approach, brining rain to northern ireland, wales, south—west england. there will be some low cloud around, some mist and hill fog patches developing. temperatures will be rising towards the south—west. 12 degrees as a low down towards south—west england. cooler conditions for a time across rural parts of scotland and north—east england. now, for monday, this strip of rain, this weather front, will continue to push its way in. so a lot of cloud, outbreaks of rain for many of us.

heavy rain for northern scotland at some times. brighter skies working to northern ireland and scotland as we go through monday afternoon. it turns a bit milder, temperatures up to 17 degrees across some areas on monday afternoon, and that's a sign of things to come. on tuesday, we've got a trailing weather front through the southern counties of england, bringing a lot of cloud. the potential of some outbreaks of rain as well. cloudy for many of us, but the best of the sunshine, really, for eastern scotland and parts of north—east england. notice the temperatures continue to rise. between 14—18 degrees — a sign of things to come, because as we head to thursday, mild weather for this time of year. we could see highs of 22 degrees. not bad for summer, pretty unusual for this late in october. that's your weather. this is bbc news. the headlines: catalonia's leader has made a passionate appeal for the defence of the region's rights in the face of what he called a coup by the spanish state. carles puigdemont compared the actions of madrid to those of spain's fascist dictator general franco.

thousands took to the streets to protest against the government. the new head of the world health organization says he's rethinking his decision to appoint zimbabwe president robert mugabe as a goodwill ambassador for the global health agency. it follows international criticism of mr mugabe's human rights record and zimba bwe's health infrastructure. millions of japanese people are voting in a snap general election. the prime minister, shinzo abe, called the poll more than a year earlier than needed. if he wins, mr abe has proposed changes to the constitution, including scrapping the article that declares japan a pacifist country. speed limits through motorway roadworks in england could be raised from 50 to 60 miles per hour to combat congestion.