destructive winds which are is more than 100 qantas offshore, us national hurricane centre says storm surges and torrential rainfall will very soon become a serious threat to life and property. extreme weather news, a huge storm is heading towards the philippines. heavy rains and winds of up to 160 miles per hour. two russian men who admit they are the suspects identified by the uk have gone on state tv to deny carrying out a nerve agent attack on salisbury. they said they were merely tourists. and now on bbc news, it is time for hardtalk. today, my guest is the

spanish foreign minister, dominated by the political stand—off in catalonia. it is with the socialist party in power. he is opposed to cata la n party in power. he is opposed to catalan independence. the 70 solution to spain's intractable problems? welcome to hardtalk. you

have been in powerfor three months. the problem has dogged spain for so long. the problem of catalonia. in the time you have had, you have signally failed to change the dynamic, to change the crisis. why is that? the crisis is a structural loan. it's going to last. it has beenin loan. it's going to last. it has been ina loan. it's going to last. it has been in a cocoon for many times. without the central government doing nothing about it, waiting and seeing. an important part of the cattle population has already disconnected psychologically about the idea of spain. i'm very sad when

people say catalonia is but —— split in two parts. i come to the point about how to change the dynamic. i would put it to you when the prime minister, pedro sanchez, appointed you to a senior position in the government, that was a signal to cata la n government, that was a signal to catalan is that he was not interested in reaching out in a new way. you were interested in reaching out in a new way. you were seen interested in reaching out in a new way. you were seen in catalonia and you are seen way. you were seen in catalonia and you are seen as a man who way. you were seen in catalonia and you are seen as a man who has been adamantly opposed to all of the claims of independence movement? i wouldn't say that. i would have the prime minister appointed me as minister for the prime minister appointed me as ministerfor foreign the prime minister appointed me as minister for foreign affairs. the prime minister appointed me as ministerfor foreign affairs. i have been president of the european parliament. i have quite a bigger record than just opposing catalan independence. you are right, but

cata la ns independence. you are right, but catala ns read the independence. you are right, but catalans read the detail, and you area catalans read the detail, and you are a man who, for example, has dismissed the current leader of the cata la n dismissed the current leader of the catalan regional government as a man worse than marine le pen. my phrase was that he could not be part of an electoral list of marine le pen. marine le pen took out, throughout to people for saying much less. your message to those who support catalan independence is that they are in essence part of an acceptable antidemocratic far right political movement? i never said that. catalan

independence is half of the population, 2 million people. in 2 million people, you find every kind of people. you find people by the way you are describing. let's talk about the thing that they accept, not about the thing they say. isaid i said once, society is wounded. before heeling them, we have to disinfect the wounds. it's been said that i said that you have to disinfect catalonia. it's not exactly the same thing. the god god

is the driver of the simon peyton could someone to do a nation — quite clear. and you also recognise, i guess, as spain did in a un covenant from 1976, which spain signed, you recognised the right of people to have self—determination. so if you recognise that right, and you recognize that catalonia is indeed a nation, then i am struggling to understand how you cannot allow the catalonian people an authorized referendum on their right to self—determination. let's once again use the right words. it's secession. first, the spanish constitution doesn't allow for it. it is a sentence of the constitutional court, saying clearly you can ask about secession, but every question you want to put about it has to be done on the framework of a constitutional change. second there is nothing in the international law that gives catalonia the right to with secession. inspite that mr torra saying that every day it's completely false. maybe elsewhere, in ireland for other europeans, the right to secession is realised. and in international law. there is no basis at all for that.

second, there's nothing in the international law that gives catalonia the right to secession, in spite that mr torra saying that every day, is completely false. only in abyssinia, ethiopia maybe, or some islands in the caribbeans, the right to secession is recognised. in international law, there is no basis at all for that. there are some lawyers who disagree with your take on that. of course. but in a way, this is about politics as much as it is about a fine reading of the law. what do you think it says.... a fine reading of the law is quite important. it's not unimportant, i agree with you, but politics is important too. what do you think it says about spain that today you have in spanish prison nine activists, catalan politicians who it seems are going to face trial on charges of sedition and rebellion in october. what is that saying about spain to the international community? because frankly it looks like political show trials. i personally would prefer these people to be unconditionally free.

i think there are other ways of taking care that they don't fly. so why does... getting back to the basic question... that's my personal opinion. your government and its responsibility to find new ways of tackling the catalan crisis, why doesn't your government pardon these people? tell the authorities that these people are going to be pardoned, they should be released and now, and then start to talk to them. have you heard about division of powers? in spain, there is a division of powers. it is a judge who has taken this decision, the parliament had nothing to do with it. so you're going to see those trials go ahead, you're going to see carles puigdemont, for example, staying in brussels, germany, wherever he chooses to be, with your government deperately seeking extradition and being rebuffed by the german courts. and the international perception of spain is going to be that

of a country that simply cannot accept the desire of what you call a nation within your state to get a vote on its own future. once again, catalonians are split into two parts, don't think of catalonia as a homogenous thing, you know? catalonia wants. i'm talking of the name of catalonia when i say everything. 47% of the people voted for independency. it's not even half the population. minister, give them the authorised vote, which madrid will sanction, and then let's see. and if you're right, then of course, the secession will not happen. do you think in a country like spain we have to obey the sentences of the constitutional court? do you think we have to be the sentences of the constitutional court in a country who ranks among the 20 full democracies in the world? yes? but in this case, we can do it, but in the framework of a constitutional change. you said yourself, quoting you from the financial times three months ago, "the secessionists have successfully revived the black legend," as you called it, tying spain to the repression of franco, even the spanish inquisition back in history. you said, "we are losing the information war." in this sort of conversation today,

do you think you are winning the information war? i am not fighting against you. no, but the point is, you're trying to win in the court of public opinion in your own country, the catalonia and the wider world. that's why i'm here. do you have a winning message do you think? we have to start changing the trend. look at the press, we analyse the press every day, and we analyse what the government says. it's clear that when people listen to mr torra saying the catalan people is being suffering the same kind of situation as the kurds in turkey, or like the moroccans in greece, and we want to become the new kosovo, well, people start thinking that i'm not really serious. i guess the analogy that people would draw, the comparison, you said yourself, quoting you from the financial times three months ago, "the separatists have successfully revived the black legend," you called it, "tying spain to the repression of franco even the spanish inquisition back in history". you said we are losing the information war. in this sort of conversation today do you think you're winning the information war? i'm not fighting anything. no, but the point is you're trying to win in the court of public opinion, both in your own country, in catalonia, and in the wider world. that's why i'm giving this interview. do you think you have a winning message?

we have started changing the trend. started changing it. look at the press. we analyse the press every day. and we analyse what the government says, and it's clear that when people listen to mr torra saying catalan people is suffering the same kind of situation with the kurds in turkey, or the moroccans... we want to become the new kosovo. well, people start thinking that this is not really serious. i guess the analogy that people would draw the comparison would be scotland. the british government gave the scots the right to vote on their own future. in the end the scots voted to stay as part of the union, the united kingdom. scotland is the comparison. not the right. today, the scottish people are asking for a new referendum. and mrs may say no. if they had the right they should not be asking for permission. let's talk about other key

challenges facing your nation today. no doubt one of them is migration. it's a problem for many different countries around europe, but particularly pressing in spain where you've seen the numbers of immigrants arriving this year spiral up to, i think it stands now at something like 27,000. it's far higher than last year. to be exact, 34. 3a now. it's not so much. not so much? it represents a rise of well over 100% on the same time last year. you know the rate of change depends on the initial position of the variable.

we were at zero. you go to one it's a big increase, but in absolute terms it has been a peak in the summer. every summer is a peak. and now it seems, things seem to be more or less going back to the situation... but it is very interesting what your government has decided to do. premier sanchez has essentially tried to differentiate himself from what we hear in italy, for example, where we sit today, where the government has refused to take any more migrant boats that have been full of people trying to escape from north africa. italy won't take them. spain has taken two or three of those boats in a humanitarian gesture. and pedro sanchez refuses to play the populist game. do you think politically, in spain, that's going to cause him and you a problem? maybe. we will face it. pedro sanchez, today, represent a strong pro—european stance. and a strong anti populism stance. we can make mistakes but our idea is clear. basically about catalonia, about immigration, about europe, about everything.

we are not looking for the applause. we try to present things in that rational way, and i will go back to the catalonians again, if you allow me to give another example about migration. what pedro sanchez has done is to produce a kind of shock. the europeans were looking on the other side. and it's not helping italy. i understand the italians. they have been left alone for years. in front of a migration they could not manage themselves. and pedro sanchez came and said we have to face the problem all together. and it's happening. your facilities now are being overwhelmed. the popular party, led by pablo casado, is now saying that your policies risk making spain a magnet, a pull factorfor more

and more immigrants. he said there are one million people in north africa who are now looking to come to spain. you could be overwhelmed, you could suffer the consequences that angela merkel suffered in 2015 in germany when she said, "we must keep our borders open." and they got 1.5 million people, don't exaggerate. we're talking about 35,000 on one side, 1.5 million on the other. i think things are different. magnet? did you say a magnet? the whole of europe is a magnet for african youth. go to senegal, look at the tv, there there is a magnet. they don't need anything more than that. when your rival, mr casado says this, he says, "it's fundamentally not for spain to absorb these people looking for a better life in europe. we have to say no, even if it's not politically correct to do so."

what is your response? we have to make a clear distinction between asylum seekers and irregular migrants who don't have the right to a silent. —— asylum. we have to make a clear and quick distinction among them and we have to send back the people who don't deserve asylum. people have to understand that with our demographic, we need migrants, but we need migrants in a regular and organised way. i just wonder whether you listen to the voices — i picked this up from the spanish press the other day, just one typical voice from the south of your country, from a place called la linea, which is close to a detention centre, it is a 34—year—old builder, a construction worker who said this to the press: "we in the spain risk becoming the fools of europe welcoming whoever wants to come. we cannot afford these policies." once again, these figures, the realities, the facts, are not in a way this

man is describing. you know better than me that in europe today and many parts of the world, data, facts, are not necessarily as important to politics as emotions, to the way people feel. i am telling you about how evidence is changing of peoples feelings in spain. i can tell also the feeling of people, putting the migrants in the gymnasium, installations, they are offering hospitality, i can tell you about how many spaniards feel solidarity. in spain there is no le pen, not 0rban, not salvini, this new prime minister in austria, not wilders. really? spain is fundamentally different from the rest of europe? ? where is the spanish le pen, where is spanish wilders, where is spanish salvini?

0rban? we are not. it is interesting that a spain has a socialist government. one could argue it is partly by accident because of political scandal which it did for the popular party and prime minister rajoy, but nonetheless, you are in power now as the socialist party, and you only have 80 something seats in parliament of 300, but you are in power. do you think that you can reverse the trend we see in much of europe where traditional, social democratic, centre—left parties, are doing disastrously badly? how do you change that dynamic? we have to punch above our weight. once upon a time during felipe gonzales‘ government, spain was... that is when the socialist party was powerful. and it played an important role in europe. powerful and playing an important part in europe. with the greatest respect,

that was in the 80s and 90s, and here we are in 2018 — yes you are in power at a minority government with an uncertain future. my question to you is that you change the trajectory for centre—left social democratic politics? because in most of europe, these parties, like yours, are in disastrous shape. i wouldn't say disaster, but bad. look, social democracy was a 40% party, 40% of the vote everywhere, everywhere. and now we are a party of 20% of the vote, everywhere. for sure, this is not going to be changed overnight. but portugal and spain can represent the renewals of social democracy. i think it is an opportunity. here is an interesting comment from an analyst who has been consulting for the spd, the social democratic party in germany, michael broening, he says "social democratic parties

in europe have forgotten how to mobilise." we see the far right mobilising, we even see the out and out left represented by people likejeremy corbyn in the uk, mobilising. what we don't see is traditional, old school parties like yours really mobilising, particularly young people. i agree with that diagnosis. i think social democracy has become an establishment party... you are part of the elite, part of the status quo. look at you — with all due respect, a long and distinguished career. you were of the most senior figures in the european parliament, your government service goes back to felipe gonzalez, you are part of spain's elite. what is bad with that? we are in an era of anti—elite politics. that is what's bad with that. this is a bad trend on the politics in europe. but that is a classic elitist thing to say!

it is how people feel right now, they are sick of the status quo, of people like you. i understand very well, i am a cosmopolitan nomad. i am travelling here and there, i am part of elite. and i understand very well that people who have been damaged by the consequences of globalisation don't feel protected by social democracy. we have cut all links with popular classes. that can be mended. and i think the messageof pedro sanchez of the government, with a lot of new young people, not old people like me with maybe too much experience are in of mood. we have to reconstruct our link with popular classes and our capacity of mobilisation. your diagnosis is very good, i share it totally. before we end, i must touch upon another challenge facing not just spain, but the entire eu, that is brexit. we in britain may be somewhat

obsessed and preoccupied with it, but it does matter to europe too. ijust spoke you in italy to matteo salvini, perhaps the most powerful politician in the europe today. —— in italy. and he said he believes that he believes the eu is trying to swindle, to cheat britain from its own self—determination, its own will expressed in a referendum. he says france and germany are not being sufficiently helpful and he would like to see more concessions made to britain to find a good deal to allow britain to leave with a deal that it can work with. where do you sit on that? this spanish government is working to reach an agreement. we believe no agreement is the worst solution, and we are putting on the table constructive proposals. i don't know which are the proposals for mr salvini. in essence, i suppose

it gets down to this. mr macron in france insists there will be no cherry picking, theresa may says we want parts of the single market, we want free trade in goods, but we will not accept the free movement of people. are you prepared to do a deal on that? no. clearly no. i don't think any country in europe can accept to split the freedoms, the fourfreedoms, which bases the european unions. these freedoms, i take this because i like it, this one i don't like it, i don't take it. no, it will not be like this. what are you sacred of? why are you so worried that giving britain a bespoke deal, if i can put it that way, would be so detrimental, so damaging to the eu? it is a matter of political project. the eu is not the supermarket, you know? but is the eu so fragile, so weak,

that if britain gets a bespoke deal, it could lead to the collapse of the entire union? i don't think so. no. what is the problem? britain is a powerful, powerful neighbour, the most important trading partner on the continent. and i regret that it is leaving. i regret deeply. i think, from my point of view, they make a big mistake and it is up to them to decide. they have to understand europe is a project, that this is not a supermarket — i take this, no. you are part of it or you are not part of it. you are not part of it, we will have the best possible relations. believe me, the spanish government is working very hard to reach an agreement because if not, we will suffer, spain. josep borrell, we have to end there. but i thank you very much for being on hardtalk. it has been a pleasure.

i thank you for all of your questions. foreign minister, thank you very much indeed. hello. well, before we go to the weather forthe uk, an update on hurricane florence battering the east coast of the united states. and the worst of the weather is technically still out to sea. the storm's eye isn't expected to cross land, that is, make landfall, until around about lunchtime on friday uk time. but it has already been battering north carolina, south carolina, areas towards the north as well as further inland, and it is a slow—moving storm, that means it is dumping

a lot of rainfall in the same place for a considerable amount of time, and those destructive winds, the storm surge, likely to be some destructive flooding from this weather system. meanwhile, off asia—pacific, we have a very powerful storm, even stronger, typhoon mankhut, a super typhoon heading for northern parts of luzon in the philippines, and the effects of the storm could be catastrophic, so two very powerful storms both sides of the globe. meanwhile, here in the uk, obviously it is a lot quieter, thank goodness. showers in the north, much more dry in the south, and this is a satellite image from the last 12 hours, clouds into the northern part of the country, further south the clouds have broken up at bit, so we have clearer weather. and that's how we start friday morning. a lot of dry weather, notjust in the south but some eastern areas, whereas in the north—west notice

the rain in northern ireland, western scotland and the north—west of england. as we go through the morning into the afternoon, there is the clock, ten, 11, 12- the rain is breaking up, so showery spells, in the south—east it should be dry, if not even sunny, 19 in london, fresh in aberdeen at around 15 degrees. now that takes us into friday night and eventually saturday. high pressure to the south of the uk will bring warm and sunny weather in the near continent and not so bad in the south of the uk as well as in the midlands. sunshine on the way for saturday. you can see some of the bright weather extends all the way to scotland but a weather front only coming from the north—west, so eventually on saturday in the north—west, there will be some rain and a decent breeze. 21 the top temperature on saturday. here is a look at sunday's weather forecast and a weather front is expected to move across the uk. that means the central swathe of the country could have some rain, but either side we have some brighter weather and the warm spot of course in the south

and the south—east up to around 22 degrees. that's it from me. this is the briefing. i'm victoria fritz. our top story: destructive winds whipped up by hurricane florence have begun to affect coastal regions of the us states of north and south carolina. one person has been killed and several injured in a series of gas explosions in the us state of massachusetts. dozens of homes and buildings have been set on fire. 10 years on from the global financial crisis, we take a look at why spain was so badly hit and why it is still trying to recover. coming up in the business briefing, trading blows. g20 ministers gather in argentina as trump tariff tensions run high. plus, 10 years on from the collapse of lehman brothers we'll be finding out why asia was spared the worst of the crisis.