welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: police in the us and uk launch investigations into sexual assault claims against the hollywood producer harvey weinstein. oscar winner emma thompson tells us... this man is at the top of a very particular iceberg — i don't think you can describe him as a sex addict, he's a predator. held hostage by the afghan taliban for five years: pakistani forces rescue a north american couple — and their 3 young children. fears for a new civil war in iraq — as iraqi troops head north towards the country's kurdish population. and london's monsterfatberg. we lead the team unclogging the

city's ageing sewers. —— we need to. —— we meet. hello: the growing scandal surrounding harvey weinstein is now being investigated by police in london and new york. the hollywood producer is facing multiple allegations of rape, sexual assault and harassment — some of which he denies. in his first public comments, he's said everyone makes mistakes — and he asked for a second chance. stars including emma thompson and jane fonda have spoken to the bbc about the allegations — and the film industry's reluctance to speak out. sarah corker reports. the movie mode will harvey weinstein is facing a growing litany of accusations from summer films biggest stars. —— mogul. more than 20 women including angelina jolie, gwyneth ultro, cara delevignge and have a gwyneth ultro, cara delevignge and havea grain gwyneth ultro, cara delevignge and have a grain of spoken out. kate

beckinsale is another one who has spoken of her encounter. on 0n bbc hardtalk, on bbc hardtalk, jane fonda talked about the film industry's reluctance to speak out. i found out about him about a year ago and i wish that i have spoken out. why didn't you? well, it didn't happen to me. nonetheless... i didn't want to expose and i will admit i should have been braver. mr weinstein is now being investigated by the nypd in the metropolitan police in london. the 65—year—old denies three accusations of rape and any nonconsensual sexual relations. speaking on wednesday to reporters, he said: wasn't the weinstein investigation a

slam dunk? prosecutors in new york have been criticised for not pursuing a pace ——a case against met —— mrweinstein pursuing a pace ——a case against met —— mr weinstein when the nypd launched a sting operation against him after allegations of sexual assault. if we had a case, we would have. speaking to the bbc, oscar winner emma thompson claimed there are many others like harvey weinstein in hollywood. are many others like harvey weinstein in hollywoodli are many others like harvey weinstein in hollywood. i didn't know about these things but they don't surprise me at all and they are endemic to the system anyway and what i find this sort of extraordinary is that this man is at the top of a very particular iceberg, you know, and i don't think you can describe him as a sex addict, he is a predator. mr

weinstein is now thought to be on his way to a rehab clinic in arizona as this scandal continues to deepen. and you can find more on the allegations against harvey weinstein on our website. or download the bbc news app. you'll also find analysis of how the case may effect the hollywood film industry. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. president trump has signed an executive order circumventing obamacare. the new measure makes it easier to purchase basic health insurance plans that omit the minimum benefits required under the affordable care act. mr trump claimed his reforms would cost the us government almost nothing, but would bring "great healthcare" to millions of americans. the united states is pulling out of the un's cultural organisation, unesco. the state department said the decision reflected concern about the need for fundamental reform and what it called anti—israeli bias. washington had already cut off its funds after unesco granted membership to the palestinians.

as results continue to come in from tuesday's presidential election in liberia, george weah — the former international football star and fifa world player of the year — has opened up a clear lead. if no candidate wins fifty percent of the vote, the top two contenders will go forward to a second round next month. ajudge in south africa has ruled that a prominent anti—apartheid activist was murdered by being pushed to his death from the tenth floor of a police building. this overturns a 1972 ruling that ahmed timol committed suicide days after he was detained. it's the first time since the end of apartheid that an inquest into an activist‘s death has been re—opened. it's being reported that a british woman, a prominent recruiter for the extremist group the so—called islamic state, has been killed in a drone strike. sally—annejones travelled to syria in 2013 and took part in propaganda activities, targeting western women and girls. our security correspondent frank gardner reports. iconic, threatening and british.

the jihadist recruiter and muslim convert sally—anne jones from kent. she fled to syria in 2013 with her young son and joined so—called islamic state. from there, she broadcast a stream of hate—filled anti—western propaganda online, as well as the addresses of over 1000 us service personnel. she was married to this man, junaid hussain, a computer hacker. together, they plotted attacks on the west and gave instructions on bomb—making. hussain was killed in a strike two years ago. now, jones appears to have met the same fate. operating from this us airbase in the nevada desert, pilots are said to have remotely targeted her using an unmanned drone similar to this one. killing her with a missile injune, close to syria's border with iraq. today, the government gave this stark warning to anyone joining is, also known as daesh. i can confirm that if you are

a british national in iraq or syria and if you have chosen to fight for daesh, an illegal organisation, that is preparing and inspiring terror attacks on our streets, then you've made yourself a legitimate target, and you run the risk every hour of every day of being on the wrong end of an raf or a united states missile. this boy was identified by his grandparents in an earlier is propaganda video as sally—annejones' son, jojo. his fate is unclear. interpol had his mother on its wanted list, which gave her adopted pseudonyms and alleged crimes. she was certainly useful to is for publicity purposes, but an expert on jihadist movements gave this damning verdict. i remember speaking to syrian women who had joined isis themselves, and they would ask me about women like her, and they would say, what does she have to do with us? this is our civil war.

i think her legacy is one of the bewildering clash of lost souls in europe attaching themselves to a civil war and a distant movement that has nothing to do with them. sally—annejones, the former punk rock singerfrom chatham in kent, is now likely to be one more of the hundreds of western recruits to is to perish in the collapse of its caliphate. frank gardner, bbc news. a young couple kidnapped by the taliban in afghanistan five years ago, have been released. canadian joshua boyle and his american wife caitlan coleman were freed by pakistani security forces, along with their three children who were all born in captivity. our north america correspondent aleem maqbool reports. over five long years, the families ofjoshua boyle and caitlin coleman had only seen them in a series of videos released by their taliban captors. they really will not settle this until they get what they are demanding. the couple disappeared

in afghanistan. bay, and then our three children, with reid after being ta ken into pakistan. joshua was finally able to call its mother. it is the first time in five years we got to hear his voice. it was amazing and he told us how much he looked forward, his children were looking forward to meeting their grandparents and that he would see me in a couple of days. we are waiting for that. it is believed their hostage takers had been demanding the release of taliban prisoners, a demand never met before pakistani security forces freed the family. i would like to thank the pakistani government. i want to thank pakistan. they worked hard on this and i believe they are starting to respect the united states again. that is very important. i think a lot of countries right now are starting to respect the united states of america once again. the pakistani army praise the way american agencies worked with them.

the success underscores the importance of timely intelligence sharing, said a statement. and pakistan's continued commitment towards fighting this menace. while both sides are unusually congratulating themselves on their cooperation, there will now be a lot of questions asked of the couple that has been freed about their time in captivity and about what they were doing in afghanistan in the first place. at least 29 people are now confirmed dead in the wildfires still raging over northern california's wine country. rescue and recovery teams are working with specially trained dogs. 21 separate fires are reported, covering an area of almost 200,000 acres. let's get the latest from cbs correspondent, greg mills in santa rosa. they do have some containment. the

biggest buyers, they have stopped the progress but it's only 1% of the fires have got 99% of the fire they haven't stopped. but, hey, that's a step in the right direction because if they felt they weren't making any progress, this is daily numberfour, all the vicious winds we have had to deal with, especially monday and wednesday and a bit today, today not nearly as bad as expected, just a light breeze but 3500 homes and buildings were burnt down here and there is a different perspective here and centre rose. some homeowners —— homeowners are here and going through the sad task of salvaging anything. as far as you can see, i’ow salvaging anything. as far as you can see, row after row, street after street, every single house burned down. more than 1000 is the estimate from the people who work in the city centre rose and have been here a long time. the priest 1000 homes here in santa rosa were burnt down.

hold your nose for the ‘fatberg' clogging london's sewers — parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life. but in the marina area, where most of the damage was done, they're more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he's gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20 pound bomb which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, ripping a hole in the front of the building. this government will not weaken. democracy will prevail. it fills me with humility and gratitude to know that i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours. this catholic nation held its breath for the men they call the 33. and then...

bells toll claims against him. pakistani forces have freed a north american family held hostage by the afghan taliban for five years. israel has criticised the reconciliation agreementjust signed by the two palestinian factions, fatah and hamas. the accord could end a rift that's lasted a decade. it focuses on who controls the contested gaza strip and it's hoped might ease the desperate humanitarian situation there. our middle east correspondent, tom bateman, reports from jerusalem. o warm dle east correspondent,

o warm eazfiesaorrespondent, 0 w 7’ o warm eggsecsmrre: east: of bitter a and deal was. o warm eggsecsmrre: east: of bitter qt??? and fatah g o warm eggsecsmrre: east: of bitter a and fatah in i after fm— erma barnes and fatah ‘famaftéfnafeéi hamaa and fatah ‘famaftéfnafeai talks 57.25.2512; .. skz.:a'::_s::‘t~;;xtz—l:.— «557,777? . . a ..... tea! in; 57.25.2512; .. skz.:a'::_s::‘t~;;xtz—l:.— «557,777? . . a ..... 712“ gammy! firs? translation: , , — f £5? translation: we —— — f 7l? translation: we are = for gaza. translation: we are serious and ready and you will see that we will work with with all of oui’ that we will work with with all of our capacity for the success of the reconciliation and for this to be the basis and the initiation to face the basis and the initiation to face the zionist scheme that wants to ta ke the zionist scheme that wants to take our people's right violence erupted a decade ago in palestine. conditions for the 2 million residents in gaza is dire. electricity is only available a few

times a day. israel and aged type tightened a blockade a few years ago. recently, the palestinian authority imposed sanctions on how must. so far, absence of reconciliation had failed. last week, a symbolic breakthrough. palestinian prime minister came to gaza for the first time in two years after egypt mediated a push for progress. hamas said it would dissolve its shadow government. today's agreement was welcomed by many in gaza. the deal says that the palestinian authority will will assume full control by december. crucially, it could see restrictions eased at the border crossings, particularly that with egypt. key issues including control over the armed wing of hamas have yet to be decided with more talks promise.

israel, which regards the group as a terrorist organisation, says any deal gives access to weapons. the deal gives access to weapons. the deal today amounts to significant progress in the seaside is coming together, particularly with hopes that it may ease the dire conditions for the residents of gaza. the on the warm embraces and the rhetoric of unity, this is a partial deal and full reconciliation between palestinian factions still faces significant obstacles. with the most difficult talks still to come, the test of this deal will be whether life can improve for gaza's residents. with tension growing in the north of iraq, despite successes against the extremist group islamic state, the prime minister of iraq has denied that his forces are now about to attack iraq's kurds. the kurds, concentrated in the oil—rich northern provinces, make up about 20% of iraq's population, and last month voted for independence in a referendum

the government in baghdad says was unlawful. our correspondent orla guerin — who's south—west of kirkuk — has seen a big build—up of iraqi forces. she sent this report. on the move once again. we came across on the move once again. we came a cross co nvoys of on the move once again. we came across convoys of iraqi troops. something the authorities did not wa nt something the authorities did not want us to film. they were on the road towards kirkuk. held by the kurds, claimed by baghdad. kurdish commanders say they are coming for the oilfields. senior iraqi officials denied they are closing in on the city. the troops told us otherwise. god willing, we are going to kirkuk says husein. we will crush them. the city belongs to iraq. this area has only just

them. the city belongs to iraq. this area has onlyjust been cleared of the so—called islamic state. already, we are seeing a large amount of military movement, convoys on the road. iraqi troops, federal police and shia militia units. this time, the enemy is different. it is the kurds are. nearby, we found troops showcasing their latest victory over is. at ease in what was the militant‘s victory over is. at ease in what was the milita nt‘s last victory over is. at ease in what was the militant‘s last urban stronghold. britain and america want iraqi forces to stay focused on battling the extremist, not the kurds. locals who tell us they had suffered yea rs of kurds. locals who tell us they had suffered years of anguish. this sunni arab family was torn apart. some trapped behind is lines, others outside, unable to reach them. when his wife died, the militants wouldn't allow him to come home to

bury her. his young relative has just been reunited with his mother. he says it is time for the next national. —— a battle. i hope iraqi forces will liberate hamas today, not tomorrow. the kurds want kirkuk, and they hate the arabs. i am ready to fight myself. this could be just a show of force by baghdad to intimidate the kurds. but it is risky and there are fears that kirkuk would be the spark that ignited civil war. more than 30 people have been killed in floods and landslides in vietnam. officials are searching for a0 others who are missing, after several days of heavy rain. where thousands of people have been ordered to leave there homes. rescue teams have been sent to the region.

new research shows the chemicals containing short—lived chlorine compounds — widely used in plastics and paint strippers — could delay the closure of the hole in the earth's protective ozone layer by 30 years. the chemicals are now mainly produced in china and are not regulated. experts say the montreal protocol — which banned the use of other ozone—damaging substances — should be revised. there are signs that the european union will begin internal preparations on post—brexit trade with the uk — while refusing to discuss the issue with the british government. speaking at the end of the fifth round of talks, the eu's lead negotiator, michel barnier, said insufficient progress had been made to allow the start of discussions on a future trade deal. translation: we confine ourselves to technical discussions. useful, but technical discussions. useful, but technical discussions. useful, but technical discussions. on this

question we have reached a state of deadlock which is very disturbing for the thousands of project promoters in europe and it is also disturbing for taxpayers. the british chief negotiator david davis — clearly frustrated by the eu's stance — urged the european council to expand mr barnier‘s ability to move forward when they meet later this month. the prime minister's speech set up the scope of our ambition. also laid out the case for a simple, clear and timely period of communication on current terms. as i said when i stood here last time, i hope this will provide the means to glory way forward with us. —— explorer a way forward with us. —— explorer a way forward with us. —— explorer a way forward with us it weighs 130 tons — it's more than 820 feet long — and it's blocking one of the biggest sewers in london. the object in question is a mass of grease — bound with all kinds of other waste,

widely referred to as a ‘fatberg'. specialists have spent weeks trying to cut it down to size and remove it our science editor, david shukman‘s been given exclusive access to the teams doing the work. a warning — it's revolting. in east london this morning, chris casbolt embarks on one of the worstjobs in the world. he checks a sensor that will detect toxic gases, he's given a constant supply of fresh air. this is what's needed to fight what's called a fatberg down in a sewer. we give chris and a colleague cameras to capture what they're facing. are you ok? yeah, i'm good. i asked to join them, but wasn't allowed. they're venturing into extremely dangerous territory. hang on, i need a hose. hose! they arrive in an alien and hostile world, a supervisor calls out to check the gas. what's the gas reading down there? in the hot fetid air, the fat releases fumes of sulphur. this narrow tunnel is the only access to the fatberg, but right now it's too deep in sewage for anyone to pass.

a pump is used to try to clear it, but gets blocked with chunks of fat. right, the suction‘s blocked. suction's blocked? yes. then the flow begins. it's dropping, mate, it is dropping. the way is now clear, but the tunnel is too low to stand in, so chris has to hunch and shuffle in the dark. at last he can do what he was sent for, hack away at a congealed mass of fat, tampons, wipes and condoms. it's blocking most of the sewer. pressure hoses can't be used because the brickwork is damaged, so it's one shovel stroke at a time, and it's hard to believe this is happening in 21st century britain. while they're working, the pipe reaching the surface

twitches as each lump of fat passes through, but the work can't go on for long, it's just too hard. look at how tired chris is and what he's covered in. it's horrible down there, mate. there's so much fat everywhere, do you know what i mean? even upstream, upstream you can see 20 meters that way it's fat. do you know what i mean, its solid. and this is a piece of the fatberg, a compacted mass of oil, fat and grease. it's rock solid and, as you'd expect, it smells a bit like a blocked toilet and rotting meat, and the real problem here is that the only way to get it out is by hand. this is a national problem affecting countless sewers and it's getting worse. since the victorians built the network, the population has grown and diets have changed. fried food and takeaways mean more grease is flowing into drains. there are devices to trap fats, but few places have them. we've visited over 700 food service establishments, takeaways, restaurants to really understand what they're doing with the fats, oils and greases that they pour down the sink, and we found that over 90%,

around 90%, have no type of fat removal to trap that fat and stop it going into the sewers. the fat is hard to break apart, it'll be turned into fuel. but as one of the sewer teams recovers, the hope has to be that less fat will end up underground in the first place. david shukman, bbc news. our main news again briefly, police in london and new york are investigating multiple claims of sexual assault against harvey weinstein. in his first public comments he has told reporters that eve ryo ne comments he has told reporters that everyone makes mistakes and he hopes for a second chance. much more on all the news any time on the bbc website. thank you for watching.

iam going i am going to talk about hurricane ophelia in a moment but first of all we will take a look at what the weather has in store for us today. this is the set up. low pressure to the north—west, moving in bringing wet weather and tightly packed isobars letting you know what will bea isobars letting you know what will be a windy day with cows around coastal hills. the temperature sta rts coastal hills. the temperature starts in double figures everywhere so mild start the windy. this area of rain will be slow moving across scotla nd of rain will be slow moving across scotland and northern ireland. a damp start to the day across parts of northern england and the rainfall totals mounting up across the high ground, the cumbrian fells in particular could see quite a lot of rain before the weather system is through. behind that there will be some sunshine coming up through the afternoon but the south things become increasingly wet in the afternoon in wales. the wind picks up afternoon in wales. the wind picks up across afternoon in wales. the wind picks up across england and that wind should low a full hole into the current so occasional sunny spells

are possible but overall, a lot of cloud. overnight the weather front stops moving southwards and returns back northwards, we're left with rain across northern england and north for a time. slightly fresher airfor north for a time. slightly fresher air for scotland and northern ireland although not exactly cold. 16 degrees overnight to this into saturday morning across parts of northern england and wales. here is the chart. we start of the weekend, whether from pushing the chart. we start of the weekend, whetherfrom pushing northwards, the wind coming from a long way south, dredging of mild air where it stays cloudy, temperatures reaches the high teens but where we see sunshine this weekend could see highs up to 23 degrees. much warmer than it should be at this stage of october. here is the chart for saturday. most of us begin on a cloudy night with rain clearing away from northern england, down from a western scotland. grange retirement northern ireland. a lot of cloud but it is mild everywhere. where we see sunshine and will be mild and warmth, possibly a better chance of

seeing breaks in a cloud on sunday and where we see temperatures will reach 23 degrees, cloudy, we call of the north—west of scotland. yonder, look at this. hurricane ophelia will pass close to the eastern azores. from there it stops being a hurricane on sunday. the wind expands as it moves underneath a powerful jet stream in expands as it moves underneath a powerfuljet stream in the storm system powerfuljet stream in the storm syste m co m es powerfuljet stream in the storm system comes towards the british isles. it could go to the west of ireland, it could cross the uk. it will not be a hurricane when it reaches our shores that it could bring stormy and disruptive weather to make sure you stay in touch with the weather forecast over the next few days. this is bbc news.

the headlines: police in the us and uk are investigating allegations of sexual assault made against harvey weinstein. several actors have now accused him of inappropriate behaviour, sexual harassment or assault. the film producer denies claims of non—consensual sex and says he hopes for a second chance. pakistani forces have freed a north american family held hostage by the afghan taliban for five years. the family's three children were born in captivity. pakistan's army revealed they were rescued after a us tip—off. president trump said it was a "positive moment" for ties between the two countries. 29 people are now confirmed to have died in california's wildfires and hundreds are still unaccounted for. entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed with thousands made homeless. there are fears that strong winds could further fan the flames. now it's time for a look back at the day in parliament.