this is bbc news. the headlines: armenia says an explosion at a fuel depot killed 20 people and injured 200 more. one of thailand's most prominent political activists is sentenced to four years in prison for defaming the king. and tributes are paid to the actor david mccallum, who has died at the age of 90. he played many roles, including a russian spy in the man from uncle. the leader of the uk's liberal democrats sir ed davey will deliver his party leader conference speech today. he's expected to accuse the government of breaking promises about the nhs. it'll be the first time he has addressed the party's main annual conference, having previously been prevented by first the pandemic and then the death of the queen. let's go live to bournemouth and speak to our political correspondent peter saull,

who is at the conference. so, who is at the conference. what are we expecting to good so, what are we expecting to hear? good morning. it is a huge opportunity first and foremost this ed davey. 0ne opportunity first and foremost this ed davey. one of the problems the lib dems often have isjust ed davey. one of the problems the lib dems often have is just getting notice. he will have wall—to—wall coverage. it will be all over the news bulletins later on and all over the newspapers tomorrow too. we are expecting him, as you say, to really honein expecting him, as you say, to really hone in on the issue of the nhs. they say when they talk to voters on the doorstep, it is the one issue that keeps coming up and up, people unable to get a gp or dentist appointment, ambulance wait time key issue too. some expecting to really attack the conservatives�* record on that, and to attack their record more generally in office too, because the because the thing the lib dems will really do at the general election is target ruthlessly conservative held seats largely in the south of england, rural areas, largely in the south of england, ruralareas, but largely in the south of england, rural areas, but in some commuter

belt areas too. they believe they can really build on recent by—election successes. but i think there is a kind of quiet optimism here in bournemouth about the lib dems�* prospects when that general election eventually comes up. they were injubilant mood last night. i was at an event called the lib dem glee club. it�*s not quite as exciting as the tv show the glee club, but they all get together, have a bit of a singsong, they are just rousing themselves for the battles that are ahead. that is one thing ed davey needs to do today, rally the troops ahead of that general election campaign, but really, far more importantly, speak to voters out there and give them a clear sense of what exactly the liberal democrats stand for. exactly, because you have said what they don�*t stand for, but if they are to win these seats in the south that they are trying to go for, they will at some point have to produce a vision? , , ., _, , vision? they will. they have come up with a sort of — vision? they will. they have come up with a sort of draft _ vision? they will. they have come up with a sort of draft manifesto - vision? they will. they have come up with a sort of draft manifesto at - with a sort of draft manifesto at this conference. that will continue to crystallise in the coming months. but health is the number one issue,

as i say, that they wanted to like about. but of course, the other political parties also took an awful lot about that. they have been some tensions here. a lot of grassroots activists would like the party to take a much stronger stance on brexit. at the last general election, the lib dems were firmly the party of remain. a lot of their members want them to be the party now of rejoin. but their leader sir ed davey saying that for the moment, that if she was off the table. they want to close a relationship going forward. so i think one thing to watch for in the speech later on is to say what mention there is of brexit, if any. to say what mention there is of brexit, ifany. if to say what mention there is of brexit, if any. if he doesn�*t go hard on that, there might be some disgruntled supporters in the room. but it is also about speaking to those voters, and they are targeting a lot of seats in areas that voted strongly to leave in the referendum, so there is a political calculation on that. but one thing they clearly need to do is get across to voters a distinct message that sets them apart from the other political parties, and that is a key challenge for them. . ~ parties, and that is a key challenge for them. ., ~ ,, , . for them. peter, thank you very much indeed.

we�*ll have further coverage from 2.30 this afternoon, when we will be broadcasting ed davey�*s speech and providing analysis. the home secretary suella braverman will today call for major changes to international rules on refugees. in a speech to a right—wing think tank in washington, she is expected to say that the united nations refugee convention drawn up after the second world war is no longer fit for the modern age. live now to our offices in westminster, where we�*re joined by our political correspondent henry zeffman. henry, what does she see as wrong with this particular convention? suella braverman is in washing today, and she is basically arguing for a narrower definition of what a refugee is, who can be classed as a refugee. her issue is not necessarily with the convention itself, although she is going to argue that the world has changed a lot since 1951 in the aftermath of the second world war, when the

convention was written. her main issues with how the convention has been interpreted over the decades since 1951 by the courts, basically. and she will argue that they have moved from protecting people who are fleeing persecution to protecting people who might be at risk of discrimination, and she believes that simply incorporates far more people under the potential definition of refugees then she believes it should be.- definition of refugees then she believes it should be. right. but it remains the _ believes it should be. right. but it remains the case, _ believes it should be. right. but it remains the case, though, - believes it should be. right. but it remains the case, though, that. believes it should be. right. but it i remains the case, though, that many people are fleeing their country simply because it is economically dysfunctional, so it doesn�*t change, whatever the definition is, doesn�*t change the underlying problem much, does it? i change the underlying problem much, does it? ~ ., , does it? i think that is right. i think as suella _ does it? i think that is right. i think as suella braverman - does it? i think that is right. i. think as suella braverman would does it? i think that is right. i- think as suella braverman would see it, the problem is that people are seeking asylum who she believes should be applying for immigration status, and the sort of boundary is

being drawn at a point that she would not wish it to be drawn. i think one of the interesting question is, absolutely, is how this speech interacts with the government�*s policy on illegal immigration and small boats. now, they wish to change the definition will put the government, no doubt, on a collision course with the un refugee agency which governs the convention, but they are already in dispute with that agency over their plan to send illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to rwanda. so i think it actually just magnifies asylum seekers to rwanda. so i think it actuallyjust magnifies the distance between the government and some of the international bodies and other countries over how to handle this issue. thank you very much forjoining us. we will keep you up—to—date with what the home secretary has to say when she appears in washington, dc. that was our correspondent henry zeffman. let�*s now bring some live from rome.

—— some live pictures from rome. the state funeral of former president giorgio napolitano is under way. he was president for nine years, and in 2011 helped steer italy through a debt crisis by appointing a technocratic government. he began his political career as a communist in the 1950s. he was elected to the italian and european parliaments and served as interior minister before becoming head of state. here, he is getting an official sendoff in rome in italy. school support staff will begin a three—day strike in parts of scotland today. thousands of pupils will be affected as unison members at 2a of scotland�*s 32 councils stage industrial action in a row over pay. 0ur correspondent jamie mcivor reports. schools are communities. as well as teachers and pupils, there are catering

staff and janitors. and because many of those workers and others who support the running of schools are going on strike, many pupils face three days at home. my boy�*s in primary one so he�*s only just starting to settle in and they�*re going on strike. so i don�*t know how it�*s going to affect him when he has to go back. my husband's having to work from home for two of the days to look after the kids. so yeah, yeah, it's not great. my mum's going to have | to come one of the days, tomorrow i've had to take a holiday and then thursday i'm just - going to have to work from home and let them run wild. _ there are strikes in all the shaded areas on this map, but the impact will vary. in aberdeen and edinburgh, all schools will close, while in glasgow, 29 secondaries will be open for senior students only. today, dumfries and galloway said all schools would close, but in some other areas, including dundee, the situation varies from school to school. nurseries may also be affected. the best advice is to

check council websites. it�*s the second strike over council pay in 13 months. last year, the rubbish piled up. this time, it�*s school staff who are striking on behalf of many other council workers. this strike will be the biggest in the public sector in scotland since humza yousaf took office, but his message to those going on strike will disappoint them. he says there�*s no more money. we have put considerable amounts of additional scottish government money on the table provided on the table, provided funding flexibilities. that�*s why two of the trade unions involved here, unite and gmb, have suspended strike action, because they�*ve seen that the government has put additional money on the table and that cosla negotiated, i believe, in good faith, and i would urge unison, as the only trade union who is going on strike, to reconsider. but unison says its concerns about the pay offer still haven�*t been addressed, and it�*s warning further disruption

after this week is a possibility. jamie mciver, bbc news. rishi sunak is under growing pressure to confirm the future of the hs2 rail project. yesterday, he refused to comment on speculation that he plans to scrap the section between birmingham and manchester. the former conservative chancellor george osborne says doing so would be a "gross act of vandalism". a decision is expected this week before the conservative party conference. 0ur analysis editor ros atkins takes a closer look at this huge scheme, which has been bedevilled by delays, cost increases and cuts. in 2009, the then labour government introduced an idea for a new north—south high—speed rail line. it�*s an investment that you�*re making in fundamentally improving the connections between our major centres of population and our major economic centres too. three years later, the coalition government confirmed hs2 would go ahead, and referenced the victorians. but as a result of today's announcement, the railway revolution they started is happening again. this would involve a route

reaching from london to birmingham and onto leeds and manchester. the cost was initially estimated to be {37.5 billion. in return, we were told hs2 would create jobs, growth and prosperity and deliver critical capacity on our railways. but the plan has changed. in 2015, a connection to heathrow airport was deemed unnecessary. in 2021, the link between the east midlands and leeds was cancelled, replaced with localised rail investment. and in march, the government said, to save money, it was delaying when euston station in london would be ready for hs2. then there�*s manchester. this week, the prime minister was asked if hs2 will still go there. well, i'm not going to comment on that type of speculation, - but what i would say is - we're absolutely committed to levelling up and spreading i opportunity around the country. 0n manchester, mr sunak wouldn�*t say, and the context here is spiralling costs. the latest estimate is £71 billion.

after recent inflation, that will be higher now, which the government is well aware of. we do have to respond to the budgets in particular. we�*ve been hit notjust by a coronavirus, but also by the war we�*ve been hit notjust by coronavirus, but also by the war in ukraine, and i think any responsible government looks at that and says, does this still stack up? the war and covid have pushed up costs, but as well as that, three years ago, the national audit office had already noted that the department for transport and hs2 limited underestimated the complexity of the programme and, as that complexity continues to reveal itself, 11 years after the tories compared their ambition to the victorians, there�*s this warning, from labour�*s mayor of manchester. if you just pull the plug on that rail infrastructure, you're basically leaving the north of england saddled with victorian infrastructure for the rest of this century. no plug has been pulled yet, but hs2 in its current form requires renewed

political support and so far, rishi sunak hasn�*t provided it. thousands of letters from senior doctors to patients and their gps have been lost because of a computer error at a hospital trust in newcastle. the health regulator has demanded assurances that no—one has had their treatment delayed as a result. 0ur health correspondent sharon barbour reports. in a letter seen by the bbc, newcastle hospitals has told senior doctors that the cqc has issued an urgent warning about the potential harm to patients. the unsent letters date back five years to 2018, when a new computer system was introduced. it channelled consultants�* letters into a folder to be signed off before they were sent out. a review of all the trust�*s consultants has revealed that most have unsent letters going back several years in their e—record account.

many are discharge summaries, which explain what care the patient was given in hospital and what medications the patient needs to now take. but there are also a significant number of unsent letters from specialist clinics, which may spell out that urgent treatment is needed — letters that are all vital for a patient�*s continuing care. it�*s very important because, one, we will have the results of the investigations. that�*s very significant. and also, frequently there are tests which have been undertaken, blood tests and scans and so forth. so it�*s very important that we know the result of that. and also, once patient has been to the outpatients, medication, tablets, what is going to be prescribed in the future for the patient? we�*ve got to know that. so there is an incredible amount of information within the letter. an action plan now sent to the cqc says the trust will immediately deal with a 6,000—letter backlog

from the last year alone. more than 1,200 of those letters relate to medicine and emergency care. consultants have also been asked to record incidents of patient harm as a result of the backlog. in a statement, newcastle hospitals told us... it says a review is already under way and will be completed as quickly as possible. the cqc says after receiving concerns from staff, they took immediate action to understand the extent to which people may be at risk and evidence of the steps being taken to review the impact on patients. the cqc adds that if anyone

has any concerns, they can let them know directly. sharon barbour, bbc news. one year ago, shaun pinner was released from jail after being captured by russian—backed forces while fighting in ukraine. shaun is a former british soldier who was fighting in mariupol, when he was imprisoned for five months and sentenced to death. we will hear from shaun in just a moment, but first, let�*s look at this report on his story by robert townsend. gaunt, malnourished and exhausted, but free. we�*re now out of the danger zone. this was shaun pinner after his release from captivity last september, with four other british nationals. they spent several months in jail, held by russian—backed separatists in ukraine. a former british soldier, shaun moved to ukraine in 2018 and joined their armed forces. and, when russia invaded four years later, he stayed to defend his adopted home of mariupol. captured during intense fighting in the port city, he was accused of being a mercenary

and sentenced to death. just days before he was taken prisoner, and under heavy fire, he spoke on the phone with his wife, larissa. she told him to fight on and to survive. what followed was capture, torture and starvation. but larissa�*s words stayed with him. they would finally be reunited six months later at heathrow airport, after an unexpected release as part of a prisoner exchange with russia. he�*s since been awarded ukraine�*s order of courage by president zelensky, and spent the last year briefing nato�*s forces around the world. a short while ago, i spoke to shaun pinner about his experience in ukraine. i moved to ukraine in 2018 and got a teaching job with the national guard of ukraine. ifell in teaching job with the national guard of ukraine. i fell in love with ukraine and didn�*t move home for

five years after that. i also met my wife in the country. i was coming to the end of my contract with their marines when the invasion initiated last year, and i was in a forward observation point the date of the invasion, defending my city of mariupol. invasion, defending my city of mariuol. ., , ., , mariupol. you must have believed when ou mariupol. you must have believed when you were — mariupol. you must have believed when you were captured _ mariupol. you must have believed when you were captured that - mariupol. you must have believed when you were captured that you | mariupol. you must have believed - when you were captured that you were never going to make it out? you can�*t. i had conduct after capture training, nine years in the british military, and had to draw on that experience from 30 years ago. never lost hope. you go through ups and downs with capture, but really, the fighting in mariupol is the most intense, ifelt the fighting in mariupol is the most intense, i felt somewhat in control, even though i had no control when i was captured. but we�*re still dealing with the loss of friends, the fight going on in mariupol, are homes are still captured. 60% of my wedding picture, the guys are either dead or captured, which gives you some sort of context. it is about defending my home, where i was

living since 2018. what do you make of the state of the conflict now? how do you see this progress in, and do you see a way out? �* , ., ' ~ progress in, and do you see a way out? '. ,., ., out? it's a difficult question to answer. out? it's a difficult question to answer- i _ out? it's a difficult question to answer- i get— out? it's a difficult question to answer. i get asked _ out? it's a difficult question to answer. i get asked that - out? it's a difficult question to answer. i get asked that all. out? it's a difficult question to | answer. i get asked that all the time. even the professionals can�*t really give an idea of what is going to happen. it changes from day to day, week to week. i certainly think it won�*t be over this year. i think the russians will suffer a lot in the russians will suffer a lot in the winter period. the ukrainians are very good at dealing and fighting in their own country, and before the war, we were telling people it wasn�*t going to be a walkover. we were documented on news and media saying, we were going to give them a bloody nose. we understood how good they actually work while everyone else was writing them off and saying it was going to be over in three days. —— how good they actually were. so you can�*t predict anything. it is just going to go its course. and you see now sometimes a question about equivocation on the side of

the west in terms of continuing to supply weapons. what is your response to that game a i supply weapons. what is your response to that game a i think they should have — response to that game a i think they should have been _ response to that game a i think they should have been given _ response to that game a i think they should have been given earlier, - should have been given earlier, enabling us to do the job when we had the time in the summer to do that work, to push after the —— to push through to the azov sea and cut off the crimean peninsula so it cannot be resupplied. f—16s should have been brought in earlier. i am totally in favour of supplying ukraine with the weapons to defend its currency, and that�*s why i stayed and fought. its currency, and that's why i stayed and fought.— its currency, and that's why i stayed and fought. its currency, and that's why i sta ed and fou:ht. ~ ., ., ~ stayed and fought. what do you think the long-term _ stayed and fought. what do you think the long-term impact _ stayed and fought. what do you think the long-term impact on _ stayed and fought. what do you think the long-term impact on you - stayed and fought. what do you think the long-term impact on you has - the long—term impact on you has been? i asked that question because, of course, many ukrainians are still in ukraine and living this every day, and the impact on society is unfathomable, isn�*t it? we day, and the impact on society is unfathomable, isn't it?— unfathomable, isn't it? we still live it everyday. _ unfathomable, isn't it? we still live it everyday. everyone - unfathomable, isn't it? we stilll live it everyday. everyone knows someone who has died. everyone is dealing with that war every day. i use examples like living through the ira, when the bombs went off the uk. it isjust more ira, when the bombs went off the uk.

it is just more frequent. it happens. the city has got good air defence. but essentially, you know, the russian invasion, the narrative was to secure russian speakers. well, our community in mariupol were russian speakers. my wife is predominantly a russian speaker from crimea who identify as ukrainian. most of those now dotted around europe, trying to escape the war. it is a very difficult time. there is still the will to fight, and while there is still a will to fight, i think they should continue going. all the money and weapons in the world can�*t buy the will to fight. as a soldier, that is quite a well—known saying. you know, it is like giving a football team all the best players and expecting them to win the fa cup and the league. it just doesn�*t happen. find win the fa cup and the league. it just doesn't happen.— just doesn't happen. and as we a- roach just doesn't happen. and as we approach the — just doesn't happen. and as we approach the winter _ just doesn't happen. and as we approach the winter months, . just doesn't happen. and as we i approach the winter months, how just doesn't happen. and as we - approach the winter months, how will the course of this war playing out? i think it will grind down slower. i still think the ukrainians could continue the offensive. i don�*t see why not. they are very adaptable, innovative. i don�*t see why the offensive couldn�*t continue through

the winter months. they are certainly going to be fighting better in ukraine on their own doorstep. russian morale is really low, from what i have seen. they don�*t know when they are going to go home. they�*re going to stay on the front lines. the conscripts and other mobilised units are now there until the war ends, so their morale will bejust until the war ends, so their morale will be just devastated. the scottish actor david mccallum, with a film and television carreer spanning 60 years, has died at the age of 90 in new york. he starred in the great escape and appeared more recently as a medical examiner in the hit us crime drama ncis. but he�*ll be best remembered for playing a russian spy in the american 1960s tv series the man from uncle. david sillito takes a look back at his life. uncle is an organisation consisting of agents of all nationalities. it�*s involved in maintaining political and legal order anywhere in the world. for a certain generation, david mccallum was and always will be illya kuryakin from the man from uncle.

like my friend napoleon, i go and i do whatever i am told to. quiet, enigmatic, good looking. just a wave and a rare smile were enough for the hundreds of teenage fans who found david irresistible. the fan worship was rather overwhelming for an actor who was himself quiet, thoughtful and serious. the background that i had made me very reticent. very, very scots. i think this is where the word dour comes from, that you�*re not... you don�*t show emotion. it�*s a very inhibiting thing. 50 years later, he was once again back in prime time as dr donald "ducky" mallard in ncis. 0ur victim succumbed to a cerebral embolism here in the parietal lobe. if you wanted someone who looked as though they could solve fiendishly complicated mysteries, he was your man. and he loved doing the research to make it look convincing. clots will develop over a period of minutes or hours.

see you in piccadilly. scots bar. his first taste of big screen success had been the great escape, but his acting career had begun back in the �*aos in bbc radio plays. thank you. good luck. right. the child of musicians, he was born in glasgow and his family then moved to london. he left for america because he felt britain was becoming worryingly left wing. however, it didn�*t stop him returning to work here. they were recaptured and the architect was shot. colditz. .. so we�*re very near. not till we�*ve done what we have to. ..and then sapphire and steel. take it downstairs and burn it. however, it wasn�*t a patch on the man from uncle.

david mccallum. he wrote, he composed music and he knew a great deal about forensic science. but above all, he was, in the cold war, the west�*s favourite russian agent. the actor david mccallum, who has died at the age of 90. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. actually, we can go to rome briefly to giorgio napolitano, president of italy for a full nine years. he started life, actually, in politics as a communist, but his notable achievement was 2011, when he steered the country out of a debt crisis.

hello again. today we�*ve got some rain which has been pushing up from the south of england and coming in across northern ireland. both these bands of rain are moving northeastwards. you can see them quite nicely here in the pressure chart, the isobars alone telling you that once again it is going to be a breezy day. and out in the atlantic, we�*ve got our next deepening area of low pressure. that is storm agnes, which will come our way tomorrow. so the rain continuing to move across scotland and northern england. this morning�*s rain clearing into the north sea. but behind all of that, we�*re looking at a mixture of sunshine and showers. temperatures 1a in lerwick to 23 in norwich and in london. now, as we head on through the evening and overnight, many of the showers will tend to fade. we�*ll have some clear skies, but in the second part of the night, the cloud will start to build across the south—west. this is a prerunner to storm agnes. and once again, the wind will strengthen here.

0vernight lows cooler than last night, seven to 12 degrees. but in sheltered glens, temperatures will fall away to between about three and four. so tomorrow, this area of low pressure, storm agnes, comes in from the south—west and really is producing a double whammy. we�*re looking at some heavy rain and some strong winds, gales for some of us, gales around the irish sea coastline, up to 60, maybe 75 miles an hour, inland, we�*re looking at up to about 60. and it�*s the same across the western fringes of england, wales and scotland. we�*re looking at gusts up to about 50 to 60 miles an hour. many of us will start off on a dry note, but the rain will already be coming in across northern ireland, in through south—west england, parts of wales, northern england and through the day moving up into scotland. this is going to be heavier rain. coupled with the wind, well, it could well cause some disruption to travel. there could be some damage and there could also be some localised flooding. into thursday, a quieter day, storm agnes now having moved away.

a few showers in the west, some sunshine in the east. and then later a new weather front comes in from the west, introducing some more rain. temperatures ranging from 1a in the north to about 21 or 22 down in the south—east. then as we head on through the latter part of the week, there�*s some showers in the north and west on friday and saturday, some rain comes in from the south on sunday, but a lot of dry weather too.

live from london. this is bbc news. an explosion at a fuel depot reportedly kills 20 people as thousands continue to flee from nagorno karabakh. one of thailand�*s most prominent political activists is sentenced to four years in prison for insulting the king. the uk home secretary suella braverman is expected to say being gay is not enough to get refugee status in a speech calling for changes to international conventions. justin trudeau says honouring a former nazi soldier in parliament last week was deeply embarrassing for all canadians. at least 20 people have been killed in an explosion at a fuel depot in the disputed territory of nagorno—karabakh. that�*s according to armenian separatist authorities,

who say almost 300 people were also admitted to hospitals.