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 three young children. fears for a new civil war in iraq as iraqi troops head north towards the country's kurdish population. and fighting london's monster ‘fatberg.’ we meet the team unclogging the city's ageing sewers. 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. harvey weinstein is admitting he needs help. in his first public comments on the widening sexual abuse scandal, he said he made m ista kes abuse scandal, he said he made mistakes but hopes the second chance. more than 20 women, among

them angelina jolie and gwenyth paltrow, have now spoken out. the latest is written jack paltrow, have now spoken out. the latest is writtenjack crisp kate beckinsale, just 17 when she claims weinstein first harassed her. —— british actress kate beckinsale. who are the women that he preyed on, and praise on young women? meanwhile, hollywood legend jane fonda has spoken of her knowledge of his activities on the bbc‘s card talk programme. most of these women we re talk programme. most of these women were in their 20s when it happened, vulnerable, afraid that if they said oi’ vulnerable, afraid that if they said ordid vulnerable, afraid that if they said or did anything, that it would ruin their careers. ifound or did anything, that it would ruin their careers. i found out or did anything, that it would ruin their careers. ifound out about him about a year ago, and i wish that i had spoken out. why didn't you? it didn't happen to me.

had spoken out. why didn't you? it didn't happen to melj had spoken out. why didn't you? it didn't happen to me. i understand that, but nevertheless...” didn't happen to me. i understand that, but nevertheless... i didn't wa nt to that, but nevertheless... i didn't want to expose him, i admit i should have been braver. male stars are also registering their revulsion at the allegations. it is terrific. anybody that i have spoken to shares the level of being appalled that i felt when reading of what went down. i wish that everyone who was a victim of it a speedy recovery and a peaceful part of it all and hopefully it makes would have a need to be made so it doesn't happen again, because it shouldn't. harvey weinstein has denied three allegations of rape and any suggestion of nonconsensual sexual relations. yet it has now emerged that police on both sides of the atla ntic that police on both sides of the atlantic are investigating separate allegations of sexual assault. prosecutors in new york have been criticised for not pursuing a case against weinstein two years ago after mounting an elaborate sting operation against him. if we had a case that we felt we could prosecute against harvey weinstein, we would have. when you say we, do you mean

you made the decision? we made the decision as an office. some believe the problem of sexual harassment in hollywood goes way beyond harvey weinstein. i didn't know about these things, but they don't surprise me at all and they are endemic to the syste m at all and they are endemic to the system anyway. what i find sort of extraordinary is that, you know, this man is at the top of a very particular iceberg, you know. i don't think you can describe him as a sex don't think you can describe him as a sex addict. he is a predator. harvey weinstein is now reported to have admitted himself into a rehab centre in arizona. meanwhile, police in new york are urging any other women with allegations against him to come forward. and you can find more about the allegations against harvey weinstein on our website. just go to bbc.com/news 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 0bamacare. the order makes it easier to purchase basic health insurance that omits the minimum benefits required under the affordable care act. that could make some health plans much more expensive, but mr trump claimed his reforms would cost the us government almost nothing, and bring "great healthcare" to millions. the united states is pulling out of the un's cultural organisation, unesco. according to the state department, it's a reflection of concern about the need for fundamental reform and what it called anti—israeli bias. washington had already cut off funds when unesco granted membership to the palestinians. results still coming in from tuesday's presidential election in liberia, but george weah — former international football star and fifa world player of the year — has opened up a clear lead. if no candidate wins 50% of votes the top two go forward to a second round next month. ajudge in south africa has ruled that a prominent anti—apartheid activist was murdered,

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. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner has the story. 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. 0perating 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. 0ur 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. the death toll from wildfires

continuing to ravage parts of northern california has risen to at least 29. fire officials say hundreds of people are missing in what is now the worst fire in the state's history. winds which were hampering firefighters' efforts to tackle the blazes have died down, but there are worries they may pick up at the weekend. let's get the latest from our correspondent, dave lee in santa rosa. this change in the casualties figures, i know the number of dead has moved. there are still hopes that a large number of missing people, some of them mayjust be uncounted in evacuation centres? yes, that's right. there are more than 20 centres around the area, and the hope is, as you say, that there are people there is it we haven't been properly recorded, haven't been able to use their phones to get in

touch with loved ones. while the number of people missing was as high as 1000 at one point, more than 600 of those people have now been accounted for. there are still 400 missing, but as you say, the hope is they will be found quickly and well. dave, there are a considerable number of separate fires, which all seem to have started at roughly the same time. 0fficials must be looking pretty ha rd same time. 0fficials must be looking pretty hard because of our. yes, we know be investigation into that has started. we were in santa rosa today, which was particularly devastated by this fire, a huge part of that city has now been destroyed. while we were there we saw people gathering pictures, evidence to track the path of this fire and track the path of this fire and track it back to where it began. the strongest theory we have heard so far, and the one that we heard from calfire, is that a weak powerline may have been the cult that, one

which may have fallen down, caused a spark which began the initial fire, and from there it was the high winds which carried the flames from one spot to another. —— been the culprit. embers were crossing streams and even lakes and starting new fires. but it is thought that perhaps the initial spark came from a powerline. they have not confirmed that yet, but are not ruling it out. just briefly, how was the weather playing into all of this, and the weather forecast? well, they have been at the mercy of the wind over the last few days. the wind strength was extremely high, but then it died down over monday and tuesday. there we re down over monday and tuesday. there were fears that the winds would pick up were fears that the winds would pick up again on wednesday into thursday, and that didn't happen. while there isa and that didn't happen. while there is a prediction that there could be strong winds into the weekend, as you said, they hope they may be spared again and they really need it. the firefighters here are working incredibly long shifts, as you can imagine. they have not

really been able to effectively contain the fire for that reason. so there is a hot that the weather will be on their side this time and they can finally start to get this enormous fire, which is now more than 200,000 acres in size in total, they hope to be able to contain this enormous fire soon. dave, thank you. and thank you to you for being with us. stay with us if you can. something coming up, horrible, but horribly fascinating. hold your nose for the fatberg clogging the sewers of london, and the workers fighting to re m ove of london, and the workers fighting to remove it one shovel struck at a time. —— stroke. 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 bells tolled nationwide to announce the first rescue and chile let out an almighty roar. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: as harvey weinstein says he hopes for a second chance, police in the us and the uk investigate sexual assault claims against him. 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. a warm embrace after years of bitter rivalry. the deal was signed between hamas and fatah in cairo after egypt brokered talks between the two palestinian factions. they spoke of reconciliation and a unity government for gaza. translation: we are serious and ready and you will see that we will work with all of our capacity for the success of the reconciliation and for this to be the basis and initiation to face the zionist scheme, which wants to take our people's right. violence erupted a decade ago in gaza.

conditions for the 2 million residents in gaza is dire. electricity is only available a few hours a day. while unemployment has become chronic. israel and egypt tightened a blockade a few years ago. recently, the palestinian authority imposed sanctions on hamas. adding to the pressure on it. so far, a sense of reconciliation had failed. but last week, a symbolic breakthrough. the 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 the palestinian authority will assume full control by december. crucially, it could see restrictions eased at the border crossings,

particularly that with egypt. but key issues, including control over the armed wing of hamas have yet to be decided with more talks promised. israel, which regards the group as a terrorist organisation, said any deal gives access to weapons. the deal today amounts to significant progress in these two sides coming together, particularly with hopes that it may ease the dire conditions for the residents of gaza. but beyond 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 real 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 convoys of iraqi troops. 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 deny they are closing in on the city. the troops told us otherwise. "god willing, we are going to kirkuk," says husein.

"and we will crush them. the city belongs to iraq." well, this area has only just 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's the kurds. nearby, we found troops showcasing their latest victory over is. at ease in what was the milita nt‘s last urban stronghold. britain and america want iraqi forces to stay focused on battling the extremist, not the kurds. locals here tell us they have 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 hasjust been reunited with his mother. but he says it's time for the next battle. "i hope iraqi forces will liberate hamas today, —— kirkuk 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 a risky move and there are fears kirkuk could be the spark that ignited civil war.

it weighs 130 tonnes, it's more than 820 feet long and it's blocking one of the biggest sewers in london. it 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, has been given exclusive access. just 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? 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. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. hi there.

i'm going to talk about hurricane ophelia in a moment, but first of all, the weather here in the uk. low pressure to the north of the uk. a weather front moving in with some wet weather and tightly packed isobars, telling you it will be a windy day with gales around coasts and hills in the north and west. temperatures starting the day into double figures everywhere. so it will be a mild start. there will be a lot of rain. could see around 60—80 millimetres of rain before the weather system is through. quite a lot of clout for most of particular mild. this weekend, high

pressure is with us. this would have front pushes northwards. it will be pretty mild. even warm all the time of year with tebbutt is potentially reaching 23 degrees where we see that sunshine breaking through. it will be a while before we see the cloud rake up and occasionally we will see some glimpses of sunshine. the reigning clearing away from northern england. wet for a time in northern ireland and west scotland as well. still cloudy, wet and cool for the far north of scotland. beyond that, we have to look to our south. this weekend, it will pass close to the eastern azores. it works northwards. it won't be a

hurricanes any longer from sunday. storm is heading to the british isles. don't know if it is going to the west of ireland. this storm, although not a hurricane, could bring some damage. it is uncertain. 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. 31 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 on bbc news, panorama. this programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting. a hidden world of childhood pain. when we were playing hide and seek, he used to follow me to where i was hiding and that's where it all started. a huge increase in reports of children sexually assaulting other children, even in the classroom. and like i felt him come close to me and we had skirts on. it was school uniform. he put his hands up my skirt.

tonight, they tell us what happened in their own words. i went to the loo to, you know, check on my hair. then he came in behind me and locked the door.