this is bbc news. the headlines at four. a canadian, kidnapped with his wife, and held for nearly five years in afghanistan, speaks for the first time about the ordeal at the hands of the taliban. it will be of incredible importance to focus on edification and try to regain some portion of the childhood they have lost. tougher sentences for the perpetrators of acid attacks, victims and campaigners give a cautious welcome to new proposals automatic minimum jail terms. fear of going to jail is always a deterrent. there is still more that needs to be done but a start is always good. emergency talks are set to take place at the oscars over harvey weinstein — following multiple claims of sexual assault. weather forecasters warn that hurricane ophelia is approaching the uk and may bring heavy rain and gusts of up to 80mph. also, donald trump's

denunciation of iran. theresa may, the eu and brexit. that's all in dateline london, in half an hour, here on bbc news. a canadian man, kidnapped and held for nearly five years in afghanistan along with his pregnant wife, says she was raped and their baby daughter murdered. joshua boyle and caitlin coleman were freed earlier this week, along with three children, all born in captivity. as john mcmanus reports, mr boyle revealed the details after returning home to canada. afghanistan, parts of the country remain in the grip of islamist militants. canadianjoshua boyle and his wife caitlin coleman, came here, he says,

to carry out aid work. but instead the couple were kidnapped by members of a haqqani network linked to the taliban. over five years their captors released a series of videos. one of them showed their children born in captivity. on wednesday, the family were finally freed by pakistani forces. they arrived in toronto late last night where joshua boyle outlined their grim ordeal including the horrific murder of his daughter. the stupidity and the evil of this haqqani network's kidnapping of a pilgrim and his pregnant wife engaged in helping villagers in taliban controlled regions of afghanistan was eclipsed by the stupidity and evil of authorising the murder of my infant daughter. joshua boyle also said his wife was raped by the militants. the canadian government welcomed the family's safe return home.

i'm going to ask people to respect their privacy and understand that they have been through an extremely difficult period right now, but i can certainly say that we're pleased that the ordeal they have been through over the past years has finally come to an end. questions have been voiced by the couple's decision to go to afghanistan at all. they really will not... butjoshua boyle says he hopes his surviving children can regain some of their lost childhood. ian austen is a journalist for the new york times who's been covering the story. he explained why the family were in afghanistan. they were there backpacking, that seems an unusual place to go on holiday. he had an interest in

afghanistan and is the most issues. at the toronto airport he said in his words he was a programme and they were on a mission to reach people in need of help —— he was a pilgrim. and he boasted he was in places that groups had not been in the past. it appeared they were on some sort of self—styled mission to help people in afghanistan. some sort of self—styled mission to help people in afghanistanm some sort of self—styled mission to help people in afghanistan. it is complicated because he is in direct connection with people with strong islamist views. his first wife seems to have been an issue for american security officials? and canadian security officials? and canadian security vision. she was involved

with a child capture and the only canadian detained in guantanamo bay. at some point, he showed up and became some sort of a spokesman for the family. the father was closely tied to osama bin ladin. the system was a very outspoken supporter of harvey weinstein. a court order still prevents having contact with his sister. they were held for nearly five years and clearly that must have had an extraordinary impact on them personally and on theirfamilies? impact on them personally and on their families? it was dreadful for their families? it was dreadful for

theirfamilies, then, their families? it was dreadful for their families, then, their friends. ms coleman gave birth to it now appears four children, we only knew of three who are now back in canada. the fourth we learned last night was a p pa re ntly the fourth we learned last night was apparently murdered by the captors. in terms of the efforts made by the canadian authorities to get them back of the last five years, how extensive has that been? we never know. the family, members of the family at times complained that scanner family at times complained that scanner wasn't doing enough. the policy of the canadian government is never to discuss these things. —— canada wasn't doing enough. the pa rents were canada wasn't doing enough. the parents were full of praise when i spoke to them at canada's efforts. it is difficult to say. the family had given up hope of any sort of rescue attempt. there were suggestions of that in the past. it occurred this week because of

american intelligence passed along to pakistan. whatever interest mr boyle had in afghanistan before he was kidnapped, he now has the challenge of trying to integrate himself and his wife back into a society they had been isolated from for five years and to introduce their children to a country, a culture of which they have no knowledge really? no, and i would imagine it stands in captivity they we re imagine it stands in captivity they were extremely isolated. the children have very little knowledge of any society in general. their world has been their parents and their captors for the last times to date. it is going to be a very difficult time for all of them. and for theirfamily as difficult time for all of them. and for their family as well. everyone is happy to be reunited, but tremendously difficult adjustments are going to have to be made by

everyone. the home office is planning tougher prison sentences to tackle acid attacks. the number of incidents has more than doubled in britain in the past five years. ministers are proposing a minimum six month jail term for people who're repeatedly caught carrying acid or other corrosive substances in england, wales and scotland. alexandra mackenzie's report begins with pictures showing the physical injuries some victims have been left with. acid attacks can have devastating consequences. there were more than 400 in the uk between november 2016 and april this year, according to police figures. the government wants to give police more powers to prevent such assaults. i think it's really important that we send out a very strong message that carrying a corrosive substance in a public place, unless you've got a really good reason to have it, is just totally unacceptable. speak to any victim of an acid attack and they will be living

with lifelong scars. it's absolutely right that we take this as seriously as any knife attack. under the home office proposals, it would be an offence to possess a corrosive substance in public. there would be a ban on the sale of such substances to anyone under 18, and people caught carrying acid twice in public would receive a mandatory minimum six—month prison sentence if over the age of 18. the proposals and the consultation around them, what it will do, it will allow us to bring more charges and convictions when it comes to carrying the substances, even before they are being used. at the minute, we have to prove the intent, the fact why are you carrying that substance. these proposals look to change that and put the onus on the person carrying it to explain why they have a reasonable or lawful excuse to have it in a particular set of circumstances. in london, police are being issued with test kits to check the contents of suspicious bottles of liquid.

they are also being given protective gloves and water bottles so they can treat victims quickly. together with the proposed new laws, officers hope it will help prevent more attacks. earlier i spoke to rory geoghegan, a former metropolitan police officer, who is now at the centre for socialjustice. he's been telling me he why he thinks the new plans will make a significant difference. at the centre of socialjustice we have been arguing this for some time, and with an mp. it is a horrific attack and it has failed to keep pace with what has worked itself into the criminal culture in london and elsewhere. when it was first mooted when the figures kamal, we had a series of very nasty attacks in london. one of the points

made, it is not a new problem, one thatis made, it is not a new problem, one that is almost victorian. it was used a lot in victorian england by criminal gangs. it seems to fire up every $0 criminal gangs. it seems to fire up every so often. this is the latest? i think you can go back as far as you like and find corrosive or other su bsta nces you like and find corrosive or other substances thrown at people. now, there is a real concentration. 1—4 in one part of east london. the risk is, if we do not tackle this, it will seek further into the criminal culture. gangs of thing, it is easier to get acid, lesser sentence —— gangs are thinking. easier to get acid, lesser sentence -- gangs are thinking. notjust physical damage, as we saw a report, but life changing psychological damage. in terms of evidence for this, the difficulty is that you can increase sentences but you can't be

certain that deterrence. you make the point that part of this is about the point that part of this is about the availability of the substance. that is a much harder thing to tackle. it is three pronged. similar to knife crimes. you have to tackle supply, to knife crimes. you have to tackle supply, availability of these substances. the consultation promises this. the other element is to tackle people's risk of getting caught. it is tougher to say that longer sentences deter, but the risk of detection has a deterrent effect. if you have a lucozade bottle, something to test, you are less likely to carry that with acid in it. a former senior civil servant in the department for international trade has warned that leaving the eu without a trade agreement would be "a very serious outcome" for the uk. sir martin donnelly said a "no deal" scenario could harm the uk's ability to strike trade deals with other countries.

the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has also warned that conservative infighting over brexit was putting britain on a path to "economic disaster". earlier i spoke to our political correspondent jonathan blake and asked him if sir martin's intervention was significant. someone right at the heart until recently of international trade, liam fox is in charge, the secretary of state tasked with striking new trade deals after brexit with different countries around the world. and a hand in britain's future trading relationship with the eu. not crashing in here and causing a row with undiplomatic language but choosing his words carefully. the disadvantages, the dangers, of ending the brexit negotiations with no deal. he has been clear that this has been leading to legal uncertainty, bad for business, jobs,

investment in britain. he also was at pains to point out that it would make it very difficult for britain to agree future trading relationships with countries beyond the european union who may see britain as a gateway to the eu in future. agreeing those deals, he said, would be a long and at times difficult process. the americans might raise issues like chlorine treated chickens, hormones and eve, access to health service. the indians might say, well, we would like more visas. some countries might like more recognition of safety and product standard. all of these raise complex issues so a mistake to think there is some quick and easy alternative to the eu. over time, things change, but that is a slow process. talking about agreeing trade deals, we are not there yet because the uk cannot formally start

doing that until we have left the eu. the clerk may be taking on these negotiations but we are not at the no deal scenario yet. there is plenty of time for a breakthrough and things to fall into place. labour have been critical of the government's strategy. jeremy corbyn during a speech on monday using some of the strongest language yet to criticise the government's approach saying infighting within the conservative party is in danger of sabotaging negotiations. let's be clear. no deal is the worst possible deal. it will leave us with world trade organisation tariffs and rejections instead of full access to european markets that we need. the risk will be that key manufacturers leave for the european mainland, taking skilled jobs with them. in sector after sector, no deal could prove to be an economic disaster. theresa may's cabinet of chaos is

risking a jobs meltdown across britain. in response to this, the government has said they want a deep and special partnership with the european union after our exit they say that isn't everyone's interests and are optimistic of achieving it. they do say it is the duty of a responsible government to plan for all scenarios. as the prime ministers set, often, no deal is better than a bad deal. the headlines on bbc news: a canadian kidnapped with his wife and held for nearly five years in afghanistan says the taliban murdered their daughter. tougher sentences for the perpetrators of acid attacks — victims give cautious welcome to proposals for minimum jail terms. emergency welcome to proposals for minimum jailterms. emergency talks welcome to proposals for minimum jail terms. emergency talks set to ta ke jail terms. emergency talks set to take place at the oscars over harvey weinstein and multiple claims of sexual assault against them. crystal

palace have taken a surprise 2—1 lead against chelsea. tottenham, west ham and swansea are winning but goalless at anfield between manchester united and liverpool in the early match, chances few and far between. manchester city currently going two points clear, leading stoke city 3—2. leicester —— leicester are done. rafael nadal defeated marin cilic to face roger federer in the final in shanghai. back at 5:50pm. britain has said it will defend the international nuclear deal deal struck with iran, after donald trump decided he would no longer endorse it. the us president said iran had already violated the deal and has threatened to abandon the agreement altogether. all the other signatories — including france, china,

and germany — have said they remain committed to the agreement. as we have seen in north korea, the longer we ignore a threat, the worse that threat becomes. it is why we are determined that the world's leading sponsor of terrorism will never obtain nuclear weapons. donald trump speaking in washington last night. hurricane ophelia has strengthened to a category three storm, as it makes its way up the atlantic towards the british isles. winds nearing 150 mph. the most eastern category three hurricane in the atlantic. we heard from ben

earlier. it should not be so bad by the time it gets to the uk. before that, it reaches the republic of ireland. currently hurricane ophelia has sustained winds of around 100 mph. it's got all of the characteristics of a hurricane. not that far from our shores, sustained winds of 100 mph at the moment. this storm is going to not be a hurricane as it approaches us, but i'll show you the forecast for the next few days. watch this area of low pressure. when we see a load with isobars squashed together, that means strong winds. it will not be a harry kane but 80 mph gusts or more for the republic of ireland. —— hurricane. western areas 70—80 mph during monday. strong winds into scotland. at the same time, south—eastern

temperatures will be tropical. the air churned temperatures will be tropical. the airchurned up, some temperatures will be tropical. the air churned up, some heating us hard. presumably, you cannot be precise about where and when it will make landfall? because we get, as with any of the weather events, the more confidence we will have in our forecast. the track of the storm has been fairly consistent over the last couple of days, just to the west of ireland, the worst of the impact does look likely to be across the republic of ireland. that would hit before the end of the weekend? early pa rt before the end of the weekend? early part of monday, monday morning, we suspect. parts of western england, particularly irish sea coast, west wales, northern ireland possibly up to 70-80. wales, northern ireland possibly up to 70—80. eventually perhaps western scotland. if you have travel plans in these areas, stay in touch with

oui’ in these areas, stay in touch with our forecast. we have been talking about hurricanes in the last weeks. it isa about hurricanes in the last weeks. it is a particularly bad season?m certainly has been busy. hurricane after hurricane. the thing that is unusual is how far east it is in the atlantic. it forms over what is just to the south west of the azores, where temperatures have been a degree above average, 26 degrees, on the sea surface. plenty to drive the storm. it will cease to be a hurricane, but it will still have all the characteristics of a major storm and that is unusual for this pa rt storm and that is unusual for this part of the world. then bulky us up—to—date over the next 48 hours. the organisers of the oscars are to hold emergency talks later to discuss claims of sexual misconduct against the film

producer harvey weinstein. the academy of motion picture arts and sciences, which has awarded 81 oscars to films produced by his company, says the allegations of sexual assault were repugnant. adina campbell reports. facing possible expulsion from the organisation that catapulted him to stardom, harvey weinstein's future is hanging in the balance. normally known for its glitz and glamour, the academy the academy of motion picture arts and sciences, which has awarded 81 normally known for its glitz and glamour, the academy which organises the oscars will hold an emergency meeting later, rocked by allegations that the man behind some of hollywood's biggest films sexually harassed and assaulted dozens of women. he is someone who is different from the person i knew and the person who was involved for many years in democratic politics, for me and for barack obama and so many of us. he was very helpful and it is just appalling, what is coming out now, and i want to commend the women who are finally stepping forward. the us actress rose mcgowan is the latest woman to accuse

harvey weinstein of rape, while some of hollywood's other big names have made sexual assault, groping and harassment allegations, leading to police investigations in both the uk and us. before you even step into the room, am i the right look? are they going to like me because of this? i don't have that. but what if they ask me to do that? i can't do that! ok, maybe i shouldn't go. it sounds crazy, but that is literally the conversation that goes on in your head. harvey weinstein has denied allegations of nonconsensual sex and is now believed to be getting therapy in arizona. rumours are swirling that his film production company could soon be closed or sold, but in a statement his brother bob has rejected those claims, saying business is continuing as usual. 65—year—old weinstein has already been suspended from the british film academy, bafta, and may face the same fate or worse from the academy later. joining me now is dr emma chapman, a campaignerfor an end to sexual harrasment in academia. she's an astrophysicist. what do you make of the speed now of the reaction that there is to these allegations? we are starting to see

people taking action within the industry and the culture? is that a good thing or too little too late? industry and the culture? is that a good thing or too little too late ?|j think good thing or too little too late?” think it is a good sign. i'm glad people are starting to be honest but we should not be under any illusions that people have known for a long time that this kind of behaviour is prevalent. people are protecting their brands, forced to take action, but whether it is too little or too late, there is a serious problem affecting a huge number of people. the productivity of many industries, and we need to solve that quickly. in terms of the individual experiences that have been related by the women who have made the allegations, a lot it has been about power relationships in the film world. actors hired, fire, and a sense there is no formal structure.

the academic world can be different, but a lot of the same or similar problems? you can draw a huge number of parallels between any small community. there is a huge power imbalance where you have men in senior positions responsible for the career progression of junior women, often on a temporary contracts, for example. it does not take much for a bad egg to exploit that. especially when you have institutions, whether it isa when you have institutions, whether it is a workplace, university, hollywood, it does not take much to prevent the actions. they are blocking justice and preventing people coming forward. what you have done is in your own time, campaign work and research work is that it

seems an obvious area for proper academic research. is it happening? it is starting to. the 1752 group, we are one of the first research organisations in the area, particularly sexual misconduct. we need to bring experts from several different areas and find the answer. thank you very much. the year's biggest literary prize the man booker award will be revealed next week. between now and then we'll be previewing the six shortlisted titles here on bbc news. our look at the nominees continues today with george saunders discussing his debut novel lincoln in the bardo, about the us president's reaction to the death of his son william. the idea came from a story that i heard 20 years ago, and the story was that while lincoln was president, his beloved son willie died, and lincoln

was so grief—stricken that he actually entered the crypt on several occasions and actually interacted with the body. an exceedingly tall and unkempt fellow was making his way toward us through the darkness. this was highly irregular. it was after hours. the front gate would be locked. the form of the book was actually a big problem. so finally i settled on a kind of greek chorus approach, where it is basically a series of hundreds of monologues that come from other ghosts in the graveyard, from historical sources both real and invented. here are some examples of actual historical quotes that i used. he was never handsome, indeed, but he grew more and more cadaverous and ungainly month by month. in lincoln's washington — recollections of a journalist who knew everybody by wa crawford. i think in total there is 166 separate voices in the book, and it looks a bit on the page like a play or a screenplay. so it was a great adventure, and i'm glad i stuck with it. sir, friend.

am i doing it again? you are. take a breath. all is well. one of the daunting things about this book was that suddenly you've got lincoln in it as a character, which is kind of like having jesus as a character. so what i finally did is i thought, well, maybe it's not a book about lincoln, it's a book about a father, it is a book about a certain evening, it is a book about grief. and then you can allow yourself to sort of minimise lincoln's screen time a little bit. you know, you don't have to worry too much about the iconic figure. you're doing what fiction writers do, which is through specificity makes the illusion of reality. we had been loved, i say, and remembering us, even many years later, people would smile, briefly gladdened at the memory. and yet? and yet no one had ever come here to hold one of us while speaking so tenderly. ever.

and it's up up and away in albuqerque, new mexico, where thousands of people gathered to watch this mass ascension of hot air balloons on the last weekend of the international balloon fiesta in new mexico. the festival, which is held in against the backdrop of the region's desert landscape, includes inflatable characters hovering over the city, as well as hundreds of the traditional hot air balloons. hello there. some warm weather and some windy weather to come over the next couple of days. it's certainly been warming up in southern areas today, especially where we had some sunshine. sunny skies by day translate into clear skies overnight, with a few patches of cloud and maybe the odd mist patch. for northern ireland and scotland, more cloud, some outbreaks of rain, a strong wind, maybe galeforce gusts for some exposed spots.

temperatures 12—14 degrees, a very mild night indeed. tomorrow, quite a breezy day, particularly in the north—west.