tonight at ten — spain's prime minister imposes direct rule on catalonia hours after its politicians vote for independence. the catalan parliament had opted to secede, but now the region's leader has been sacked, along with his government. the prime minister mariano rajoy said imposing direct rule on catalonia was essential to "recover normality" there. translation: this independence is very sad. it causes anguish. that is what all catalans who are not for independence felt today. the scene in barcelona tonight where pro—independence crowds have gathered to show their support. with spain now facing a huge political challenge, we'll be asking where this crisis goes next. also tonight: a man appears in court accused of encouraging the murder of a labour mp. the nhs is told to get its act

together after a cyber attack that saw operations cancelled and surgeries shut. the murder ofjohn f kennedy — why was the head of the fbi so keen to establish lee harvey oswald as the killer? and england cricketers deny a drinking culture in the camp as they focus on the ashes in australia. coming up on sportsday on bbc news: we'll find out how lewis hamilton got on in practice in mexico, where he could seal his fourth world championship on sunday. good evening. spain is in a state of constitutional turmoil, with the country's prime minister mariano rajoy announcing that he has sacked the catalan leader,

his cabinet and the chief of police after catalonia's parliament voted this afternoon for independence from spain. mr rajoy said he'd seek to have that vote declared illegal and he said there'd be fresh elections held in december for a new catalan parliament. tonight, there are crowds amassed in the centre of barcelona in a defiant show of support for independence. but the situation has caused alarm elsewhere in europe. our first report tonight is from our europe editor katya adler who's in barcelona. si, si, si. one by one the yes votes we re si, si, si. one by one the yes votes were counted, celebrated, relished by this delirious pro independence crowd. as they watched the catalan parliament finally after weeks, some hearsay years,

parliament finally after weeks, some hearsay yea rs, vote parliament finally after weeks, some hearsay years, vote on separation from spain. do you believe it will happen today? yes. it has to be today. and today it was. all around here catala ns all around here catalans are singing their national anthem, the national anthem they now believe belongs to the independent republic, separate from the spanish state. there are so many questions. what will the spanish government do? but for now this crowd wants to celebrate. spanish government do? but for now this crowd wants to celebratem spanish government do? but for now this crowd wants to celebrate. it is a long time we are waiting for this moment, we deserve this.” a long time we are waiting for this moment, we deserve this. i am crying. i you moment, we deserve this. i am crying. iyou happy? moment, we deserve this. i am crying. i you happy? very, very. but anxiety soon spread amongst all the euphoria as the what is next began

to weigh heavily on people's minds. the catalan republic had been declared, but not in everyone's name. many here do not want independence. just around the corner we found this man waving a spanish flag. translation: i am not happy, i am not represented, the catalan people as a whole did not vote. am not represented, the catalan people as a whole did not votem is disastrous, the result of an extended manipulation which does not reflect the will of the people. but nothing today was going to stop the cata la n nothing today was going to stop the catalan president savouring his moment in history. from the catalan parliament he spoke of his emotions, but also of his conviction that declaring catalan independence was the right thing to do, the legitimate thing to do, he said. hardly the view of the spanish government in madrid which is fuming. the public prosecutor here

says he will be filing charges of rebellion against the catalan president. at the very same time the cata la n president. at the very same time the catalan parliament voted on independence today, the spanish senate gave the green light to mariano rajoy‘s government to sack the catalan leadership and bring the reins of power back to madrid. this is the first time in modern spanish history that one of the country's autonomous regions has had its power is stripped away. tonight after an emergency cabinet meeting, the spanish prime minister explained why. translation: normality styles with law in order to return institutional legitimacy and to give a voice to all catalans i have now dissolved the catalan parliament in order to hold regional elections on the 21st of december. but what he did not explain is how he intends to impose direct madrid rule on the

hundreds of thousands of catalans who reject it. can i independence supporters in barcelona are celebrating with abandon, their brand—new republic with no power and little recognition. they are dancing on the edge of a precipice. they are dancing on the edge of a precipice. the decision by the catalan parliament to declare independence has been condemned by leaders across europe, with britain saying it wanted the unity of spain preserved. catalonia has long had a fractious relationship with madrid, but things have been brought to a head by the disputed independence referendum in the region earlier this month. sarah rainsford reports from madrid. support for a tough stance against cata la n support for a tough stance against catalan independence. many spaniards, like their government, see the move to break away as illegal. so they have begun flying the national flag here illegal. so they have begun flying the nationalflag here to illegal. so they have begun flying the national flag here to show they are backing for a united country and

for madrid's moved to take control in catalunya. for madrid's moved to take control in catalu nya. this for madrid's moved to take control in catalunya. this lady told me the separatists should be in prison for their move. this man still hoped the crisis could be sorted so catalunya stays with spain. his friends are from all over the country. but cata la n from all over the country. but catalan separatism has deep roots. the region's push for autonomy was a key triggerfor the civil the region's push for autonomy was a key trigger for the civil war and general franco's refresh and was brutal. now at least temporarily madrid is imposing control. after securing support from the senate, spain's government moved quickly into a crisis meeting to decide its next steps. imposing direct rule over catalonia is an unprecedented move and one with unseen consequences, but at this point there seems to be little mood here in madrid for compromise. tonight

the government set out its plan. the cata la n the government set out its plan. the catalan parliament will be dissolved with new elections on the 21st of december. catalan ministries that employ more than 28,000 people will be run from madrid. the chief of police has been fired with 17,000 members of his police force now overseen by the spanish state. for 110w overseen by the spanish state. for now madrid has international backing. the president of the european commission said spain had made its choice and the eu will not interfere. but on paper the government's plan is one thing, implementing it in this climate is fraught with risk. there will be more attention and confrontation in the coming days and weeks. at a certain point there will be an incident and that could trigger a serious confrontation and nobody knows what will happen. despite this apparent calm, how the government handles its next move will be critical. handles its next move will be critical. more now from our europe editor, katya adler, whojoins us from barcelona.

you have witnessed an extraordinary day in spain. that is right, extraordinary and historic, the day we re extraordinary and historic, the day were after so much toing and froing the catalan parliament did proclaim a new independent republic of catalonia. at the same time the spanish government used a power never used before in modern spain, to strip away one of spain's regions of its autonomy. catalans tonight go to bed in two parallel universes. those who believe an independent catalonia think they go to sleep in it and those who do not want to think they are going to sleep in spain and they are waiting for the spanish government to return what they call normality. everyone, though, will be dreaming of the what next? what is next because many people will be watching this with

great anxiety? well, of course. first, let's look at the new catalan republic. how can that work when it has no power, no recognised legitimacy outside of this region and those people who believe in it. if we look at madrid, it wants to impose direct rule on catalonia and it is 300 miles away, so how will it impose it on all the catalans here who will not recognise it and the 200 thousand catalan civil service is who want to work for the catalan government. how far is the prime minister wanting to go to force his will? tonight there are many questions. everyone here sees stormy days ahead but they hope very much there will be no violence. an alleged member of the banned far—right group national action has appeared in court accused of planning to murder the labour mp rosie cooper with a machete. the 22—year—old man is charged with terrorism offences and threatening to kill a policewoman. he appeared at westminster magistrates‘ court along

with five other men. they were all remanded in custody. daniel sandford reports. arriving at westminster magistrates‘ court this morning in a police convoy from manchester, the two men accused of a neo—nazi terrorist plot to murder a labour mp. in all, six men appeared in the dock. all are charged with being members of the banned neo—nazi group national action. one of them can't be identified for legal reasons. the allegations are that the six had been meeting in this warrington warehouse which they had converted into a gym, and in a pub nearby. the charge says that from the day national action was banned in december last year until the day they were arrested in september, all six men had, in fact, remained members. the prosecution say that christopher lythgoe was their leader, and he is also charged with encouraging murder, in fact with giving permission for one of the group to kill rosie cooper, the mp for lancashire west, on behalf of national action.

the man he's accused of encouraging, the 22—year—old who can't be named, has been charged with preparing a terrorist act by buying a machete with which to murder rosie cooper mp. he also faces a separate charge of making a threat to kill a detective who was investigating him. all six men said they would plead not guilty and will remain in custody until they appear at the old bailey next friday. before national action was banned last december, it had been most active in northern cities. the home secretary said it was a racist organisation which glorifies violence and had absolutely no place in britain. daniel sandford, bbc news at westminster magistrates‘ court. downing street has said any allegations of sexual harassment and abuse at westminster are "deeply concerning". it was responding to a report by the sun newspaper of claims made by researchers and assistants on social media. alex forsyth is at

westminster for us tonight. well, no official complaints have been made and no mps have been named but according to this newspaper report a group of parliamentary aides and researchers have been sharing information about supposedly inappropriate and sleazy behaviour by mps on the messaging service. we do not know that this group exists, but when asked to date, a prime minister‘s official spokesman said any reports of harassment were deeply concerning and allegations would be taken seriously, and anyone with information should contact the authorities. tomorrow, jeremy corbyn will be giving a speech in scotland in which he is expected to say that for too long there has been a warped and to grading culture in which abuse of women is tolerated, including here at westminster. he

will say that any woman who has experienced such behaviour should feel free to report it, and he will say any mp who has engaged in such behaviour must be held to account. the department of health and the nhs have been told to "get their act together" and improve their cyber security, following a major hacking attack in may this year. the national audit office said more than a third of trusts in england were affected, with around 7,000 appointments cancelled. our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones reports. it was a cyber attack that affected laptop computers around the world, with a message demanding a ransom payment, but the nhs was among the organisations worst hit and it was not ready to deal with it. 81 health trusts across england were affected. more than 19,000 appointments were cancelled, including 139 potential cancer referrals. everything we do is based around the use of computers for the records so when you don‘t have that, it‘s basically impossible to work with any degree of efficiency. this gp surgery on merseyside was among nearly 600 whose work was disrupted,

with no clear instructions about what to do. in medicine we have this thing called the golden hour. when anything major happens, that first hour is critical. nothing happened. there was no, "please check business continuity is accessible, you might want to print off your list of patients this afternoon, you might want to put some contact numbers in there, you might want to do social media or whatever". all that side of communications was completely absent. this, the royal london, was one of the worst affected hospitals, with ambulances having to be diverted to other a&e departments. there was a national plan to deal with a cyber attack but it hadn‘t been rehearsed at local level. that meant people didn‘t know who to contact, and the fact that their computers weren‘t working made it even trickier. all this could have been avoided if health trusts had followed instructions to apply security patches which would have stopped the ransomware in its tracks. it wasn't a terribly sophisticated virus and so the patches that are issued nationally by nhs digital and updated locally by those bodies,

in some cases that hadn't happened and so it was quite simple for the virus to get into those organisations. now the nhs has been told it needs a clear plan to respond to future cyber attacks. we have been getting our act together, we are getting our act together, we are putting funding in, we are putting education in. we are rolling out the programmes that were in place before this attack, and we will continue to improve over time. the government now says north korea was behind the wannacry ransomware and further attacks can‘t be ruled out but hospitals are warning that cyber security is costly and they will need more money to shore up their defences. rory cellan—jones, bbc news. the public needed to be convinced that lee harvey oswald was the real killer of president kennedy, in order to quash the conspiracy theories.

that was the opinion of the then fbi directorj edgar hoover, revealed in a huge release of previously classified documents. but those hoping to find out all the answers about kennedy‘s assassination in 1963 may have to wait, as nick bryant reports now from washington. it appears as though something has happened in the motorcade group. something terrible had indeed happened, and from the moments afterwards until the modern day, it has been the subject of fascination and dispute. the president of the united states is dead. as the grieving began, so, too, did a global investigation, the assassin quickly identified as lee harvey oswald, the lone gunman, according to the official explanation. the newly declassified documents reveal warnings from the fbi to the dallas police that he, too, might be murdered. just days afterwards, of course, he was shot and later died, spawning conspiracy theories he‘d been silenced. and the fbi suspected his killer, jack ruby, had mob connections.

there is also a memo from the then fbi directorj edgar hoover, which hints of a rush to judgment. even the freeway was jam—packed with spectators waiting to see the president... just 25 minutes before john f kennedy‘s death, even as his motorcade was making its way through the streets of dallas, the documents reveal an anonymous call to a british newspaper, the cambridge news, telling the reporter to ring the american embassy because big news was in the offing. i don‘t know what happened at the time, but we don‘t appear to have covered it then, so it may be that an editorial decision was made that it was a crank call, or it had nothing to do with reality. part of a conspiracy, or simply a coincidence? many of these documents add to the confusion. this has not yet proven to be quite the treasure trove jfk scholars were hoping for. the crownjewels, the most

classified materials, are still being held under lock and key by the national archives, following last—minute interventions by the cia and fbi. president trump wants those released over the next six months. it‘s more than half a century since kennedy was laid to rest, but the conspiracy theories are very much alive, and that will continue while a shroud of secrecy still cloaks this traumatic event. nick bryant, bbc news, washington. a brief look at some of the day‘s other news stories. two lorry drivers involved in a fatal accident on the m1 in august have pleaded not guilty to eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving. both men will stand trial in february. ryszard masierak also denied causing death by careless driving while over the alcohol limit. david wagstaff, who‘s 53 and from stoke, admitted causing death by careless driving. a minibus driver and seven

passengers were killed in the crash near milton keynes. the bbc has said it treats any allegations of harassment seriously, in response to reports of complaints about an unidentified bbc radio presenter. the daily mail says that eight female members of staff have come forward to say they‘ve been sexually harassed by the man. tiger woods has been sentenced to a year‘s ovation after pleading guilty to reckless try things. he was arrested in may after officers found him slumped at the wheel of his car near his florida home. south africa‘s huge corruption scandal has cost it billions, and it‘s destroying the country‘s international reputation. that warning, from presidentjacob zuma‘s former finance minister, came as another global company was caught up in the scandal. at the centre of the allegations is south africa‘s enormously wealthy gupta family. it‘s claimed they used their close ties to president zuma to win contracts and siphon off huge payments, claims they deny.

from south africa, andrew harding reports. south africa is in trouble, a young democracy now engulfed by a spectacular corruption scandal. at its heart, allegedly, president jacob zuma and a wealthy family, the guptas, originally from india. leaked e—mails have fuelled claims of a conspiracy to create a parallel shadow state, in order to loot on a grand scale. our concern is the fact that they come into a country like ours, which is a young democracy, and essentially rob us of billions, even hundreds of billions of rands. and that‘s damaging our democratic project and our credibility as a country. the guptas and president zuma deny any wrongdoing, but the net is widening, fuelling public anger. global companies have become embroiled in the scandal.

the british pr firm bell pottinger is already in ruins after admitting to an inappropriate campaign on behalf of the guptas. the guptas‘ auditors, kpmg, have sacked their top management here. now comes the news that germany‘s software giant sap is being investigated over claims it pays multi—million dollar bribes to a gupta—linked company. scotland yard is looking at whether british banks were involved. the fbi has also begun an investigation. it‘s all prompting some alarming questions. is president zuma in control of the state, or is there a shadow system that is running appointments, procurements? is it a mafia state then? well, it certainly has hallmarks that appear that the accountability is completely eroded. president zuma, may we ask you a question, sir? these days, he almost

never gives interviews. hardly surprising. president zuma is under growing pressure here in south africa. for years he‘s been shrugging off allegations of corruption, but now international governments and foreign companies are getting involved, making it much harderfor this scandal to go away. the allegations are stirring up tension within the governing anc. the chairs flying, as prominent figures warn that mr zuma is wrecking the nation. we are fast approaching that precipice, and it is zuma looting the state with his cronies, and demolishing the capacity of the state. again, mrzuma insists he has done nothing wrong, but this resilient nation is being tested. andrew harding, bbc news, south africa. the england cricket captain,

joe root, says the team is planning on ben stokes not being with them for the entire ashes tour. the all—rounder won‘t travel to australia tomorrow with the rest of the squad, after being suspended following an incident outside a bristol nightclub last month. root also denied there is a drinking culture amongst the team, as dan roan reports. his team may currently hold the ashes but captainjoe root knows england‘s grip on the urn is about to be tested. questions have been asked of the squad‘s strength in depth. here at lord‘s today, root said australia may have underestimated the tourists. i see a squad of players more than capable of going over there and doing something special. you look around the dressing room and we spoke about it a lot in the last week or so and if you don‘t believe you can go and do something good and come back winning, there is no point getting on the plane. i look around everyone in the eye and they‘re all keen to go out there and determined to win and come home successful. but england will depart

without arguably their most important player. top all—rounder ben stokes is not being considered for selection while he waits to hear if he will face criminal charges, after footage emerged of this street fight outside a bristol nightclub last month. and today, root spoke publicly about the incident for the first time, along with the issue of player behaviour. it has been suggested this may be a culture issue with this side, a drinking culture. does there need to be a change? i don‘t think there is a drinking culture in cricket and in our side. i think we‘ll address the issue as a side and make sure situations like this do not happen again. of course, no one wants that. we are grown men, we know how to behave and we will make sure that we conduct ourselves well on this tour. we know what‘s happened has not been good enough and we‘re determined to get that right. after losing 5—0 last time they toured australia, england regained the ashes two years

ago, but they‘ll travel as outsiders despite a promising summer. 0n the field, joe root‘s captaincy has got off to a great start, winning his first two test series in charge, but off it, this has been a troubled build—up to cricket‘s ultimate challenge, and england realise that when they leave for australia tomorrow, they have to produce something very special if they are to retain the ashes. dan roan, bbc news, at lord‘s. that‘s it. now on bbc one, it‘s time for the news where you are. have a very good night. good evening and welcome to bbc london news with me i‘m louisa preston. the daughter of a woman who suffered horrific burns at a croydon nursing home says anyone worried about relatives in care need to speak out. 72—year—old polly dunkley was so badly injured by temporary

hello and welcome to sportsday — i‘m katherine downes. 0n the brink of glory — a top five finish for lewis hamilton in mexico this weekend — and a fourth world title will be his. humbled down under. england‘s rugby league campaign starts with a defeat to defending champions australia. england on their best behaviour, promises from captain joe england on their best behaviour, promises from captainjoe root england on their best behaviour, promises from captain joe root as england prepare to fly to australia without ben stokes. we know what happened hasn‘t been good enough, and we are determined to get that right. good evening — lewis hamilton is aiming to become world champion for a fourth time at the mexican grand prix this weekend. finish fifth or better

on sunday and the title is his no matter what happens to his closest rival sebastian vettel. red bull‘s daniel ricciardo headed out hamilton in a closely contested second practice this evening. vettel was fourth fastest as the ferrari driver clings to his fading title hopes. if vettel is second in the race, hamilton needs only ninth to clinch the championship. if the ferrari driver finishes anywhere else, hamilton takes the crown regardless. it was always going to be a tough start to the world cup for england — against australia who are the best in the world, and on their home turf. the 18—11 defeat shouldn‘t affect england‘s chances of qualifying for the latter stages of the tournament. katie gornall reports. for england, this is about as tough as it gets. australia, like the all blacks, have an air of the unbreakable about them. ten times at the world cup they have

been the last ones standing. all: and we will rise as one. england are here trying to deliver a new script and with a new squad they had reason to be optimistic. jermaine mcgillvary seized his moment. commentator: england claim the opening try of this world cup! the hosts were stirred into action. england tried to plug the gaps, but the pressure was building. matt gillett was a powerful problem for england. eventually he punched through. now australia had the lead and the momentum. england will know all about how dangerous billy slater can be — stopping him is another matter. perhaps a bigger a blow was landed just before half—time. sam burgess is england‘s talisman. he‘s now unlikely to return before the quarterfinals. without him, england were chasing the game. later on they were chasing josh dugan. his interception, five minutes from time, put the match beyond reach. commentator: this will be a dagger in the heart of england. england expect to improve but will now face a tougher route through this tournament. the hope is their world cup doesn‘t

start and end with the same result. rugby union now. it will be a long trip home for exeter chiefs fans this evening but they will make it as league leaders after beating sale sharks 10—6. the key moment of the match came when lachie turner burst through to score the only tryjust after the break. second place saracens play london irish tomorrow. seven games, seven wins for glasgow in the pro 1a, and they took a bonus point against southern kings. the warriors ran in seven tries in a 113—13 victory against the south african side. and ospreys ended a seven match losing streak by winning their welsh derby with dragons 28—14. sam parry scored the first of four ospreys tries to earn them a bonus point victory. connacht beat munster in the other pro 1a match.