this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines at six: 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's of incredible importance to my family that we are able to build a secure sanctuary for our three surviving children to call a home, to focus on edification and to try to regain some portion of the childhood they have lost. tougher sentences for the perpetrators of acid attacks — victims give a cautious welcome to proposals for minimum jail terms. the fear of going to jail is always a deterrent in some way, even if it's a small way. so a start is good, is what i'm saying. there's more that needs to be done, but a start is always good. also in the next hour: the hollywood establishment holds crisis talks over harvey weinstein. the board of the academy of motion

pictures, which hands out the oscars, is meeting to decide whether to expel harvey weinstein after a string of allegations against him. weather forecasters warn that hurricane ophelia is approaching the uk and may bring heavy rain and gusts of up to 80mph. good afternoon and welcome to 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, after being held hostage by islamic militants linked to the caliban. ——

the caliban. he said his wife had given birth to four children, all in captivity, one of them, a baby girl, killed. afghanistan, parts of the country remain in the grip of islamist militants. caitlin coleman, travelled, he says, it was here that canadian joshua boyle and his wife caitlin coleman, travelled, he says, to carry out aid work. but instead the couple were kidnapped by members of the haqqani network, linked to the taliban. over five years their captors released a series of videos. one of them showed their children — all four 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 ordinary 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 joshua boyle's parents described hearing his voice for the first time since his kidnapped. tonight we had the wonderful news that they happened rescued and 20 minutes later, we work a large actual talk

withjosh. later, we work a large actual talk with josh. that was the first time in five years. while they are undoubtedly relieved, caitlyn coleman's own father says his daughter should never have been taken to such a dangerous place. 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. for five years, the story was that they had been backpacking, it seems an unusual place to go on holiday. that he did have an interest in afghanistan and islamist issues. but last night, it emerged at the airport in toronto that he was, in his words, a pilgrim. and they were on a mission to help people in taliban to buy territory. he said that they were in areas that government and private aid groups

had failed to penetrate in the past. this came out of the blue, there has never been any suggestion from any group that they were affiliated with them, so it appears they were on some kind of self—styled mission to help people in afghanistan. and is complicated because of his kind of indirect connection with people with quite strong islamist views, his first wife appears to have been an issue for american an issue for american security officials? hs first wife is an issue for canadian security officials as well. she is the sister of a child soldier taken captive in afghanistan by american forces who was the only canadian detained in guantanamo bay. mr boyle at some point showed up and volunteered to be a

spokesman for the family and ended up marrying his sister. their father was closely tied to some of the ——osama bin laden, the sister is a very, very out spoken supporter of isis, among other things. and in fact, her brother is still under court order that forbids him to have contact with her. so we had a couple who, there are kind of questions about their, certainly the husband's associations. but notwithstanding that, they were held for five years. and clearly that must have had an impact on them and theirfamily? it's dreadful for them, their families and friends. she appears to have given birth to four children in captivity, we had only known about three, the fourth we heard last night was apparently

murdered by their captors. in terms of the efforts that have been made by the canadian authorities to get them back over the last five years, how extensive has that been? well, we never know. members of the family at times complained that canada wasn't doing enough, the policy of the canadian government is to never discuss these things. there was no independently verification. but i spoke to the family, they were full of praise at canada's efforts so it's difficult to say. but the family had given up hope of any sort of rescue attempt. there have been suggestions in the past that that was going to happen but it occurred this week because of american intelligence which was passed on to pakistan. whatever the interest that mr boyle had in afghanistan before he was kidnapped, he now has the challenge of trying to integrate himself and his wife back into society they've been isolated from

for five years and indeed to introduce their children to a country, a culture of which they have really no knowledge. no, no. and i would imagine, it sounds as if in captivity they were extremely isolated, so the children have very little knowledge of society in general. their world has been their parents and their captors for their lifetimes to date. so it's going to be very, very difficult for all of them and i think for their family as well. everyone is happy to be reunited but tremendously difficult adjustments are going to be have to meet by everyone. ian was talking to us from ottawa when canada. 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 is considering whether he should be expelled. rebecca is in la, where this is taking place. this is a huge headache for the academy coming years been accused but not convicted yet, but is clearly damaging the industry. it's a key moment here in hollywood. this isa51i a key moment here in hollywood. this is a 5k member board that comprises some of the top executive producers and actors, including tom hanks, with the top executive producers and actors, including tom hanks, with goldberg, stephen spielberg. they are meeting to discuss revoking the membership, kicking up one of the industry's most powerful producers. harvey weinstein stands accused of sexual abuse, dating back decades. the names that have come forward in the last week include woody paltrow, angelina jolie, ashleyjudd. —— gwyneth paltrow stop they say he

abused his powerful position here in hollywood. he has apologised for some aspects of his behaviour but he denies the allegations that the sex was nonconsensual. he has never left la, he is believed to be in some kind of rehabilitation. —— he has now left la. when it comes to the company he co—founded, he has now been fired. his brother spoke to the us media this morning, saying that he did not know anything about these claims of abuse. he said that when it came to his brother, he was a bully, he felt that he suffered at his own hands, and said that he would be pleading with the academy to kick his brother out. that's quite a strong statement, then stop and ina quite a strong statement, then stop and in a sense, quite an important sign as to how the mood has shifted. what about in the industry in general, has it started getting people asking questions about the

power relationships in the industry between executives and people who call the shots, who are generally men, not exclusively but generally, and the people they employ, but actors and actresses and the people on the team? there is a feeling that hollywood now is taking a good, long, hard look at itself and it may be some kind of tipping point. when you speak to many women who have come forward, we have heard from emma thompson this week who said that harvey weinstein mayjust be the tip of the iceberg, that women have suffered at the hands of producers, powerful executives, for many years. i spoke to young, aspiring actresses this week he say that they, too, have heard stories that they, too, have heard stories that they, too, have heard stories that they, too, have worried about what they may have to do to get the parts that they want in this time to stop i've spoken to women in film who set up a hotline for women to come forward and report abuse, that hotline has been staffed by lawyers

who can help them take their case to court if needs be stop they say they have been in in —— inundated with calls of their college will whole culture of hollywood to change. they wa nt culture of hollywood to change. they want more women in powerful positions behind the scene,, executives, producers, people in charge of casting. they say they need to be more diversity including in the academy awards board itself. and is there any indication of when we are likely to get a decision from the board's we are still waiting to find out. what we do know is that they may be a statement at least in they may be a statement at least in the next few hours, it's one of these decisions that is quite difficult for the academy awards board because when it comes to it, if they do nothing, they will be condemned, widely condemned by others within the industry. if they do something, they may feel that they arejudging, do something, they may feel that they are judging, especially as harvey weinstein has not yet in charge. when it comes to the

allegations, there are no more than 30 women who have come forward. he denies many of these accusations. thanks very much. the us backed coalition besieging raqqa in northern syria say that islamic state must surrender they will be killed. members of is have left in a convoy after a deal with foreign officials,. there is expected to be more heavy fighting but the city may be captured within days. 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.

some victims say it does not go far enough. alexandra mackenzie 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 agony of the aftermath of an attack in london. this man says the acid melted his motorcycle helmet, which saved his face from longer term damage. i realised it was acid andi term damage. i realised it was acid and i was just screaming out on the street, crying for water, and i was just screaming out on the street, crying forwater, it and i was just screaming out on the street, crying for water, it was getting more dryer and more worse. i thought my face was going to be destroyed. i think you should be punished for that because he wanted to destroy somebody‘s face. 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. the home office say victims and

survivors are at the heart of everything they are doing. but some say that this does not go far enough and more needs to be done to bring people to justice. 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. the headlines on bbc news: a canadian who was kidnapped with his wife and hell for nearly five years by the taliban in afghanistan say their captors murdered his baby daughter. victims of acid attacks give cautious welcome to the proposals for minimumjail

for minimum jail terms. the oscars board meet to discuss response to the accusations of sexual assault by hollywood producer harvey weinstein. the republic of ireland has issued a status read weather warning for part of the country as hurricane ophelia heads towards the british isles. the met office says it is currently category three with wind speeds of up category three with wind speeds of up to 150 mph. first question, it's not going to be quite that bad, is it, when it gets the uk? otherwise, people are going to be battening down the hatches now. not that bad. by down the hatches now. not that bad. by the time they get here, think it will be more to the golden stone, but pretty in usual what is happening out there in the atlantic now. “— happening out there in the atlantic now. —— a typical autumn storm to

stop. this is stronger than you usually find this far east. it's down to temperatures, c temperatures just west of the azores are above average of what they should be this time of year. those mightily tedious. be one of the water is fuel for the storm. but it is said to track its way northward, and of course we don't have that sea water around the uk and renewable temperatures. as it starts to work its way northward, it will slowly leaking, a slow process, eventually reaching the south west of ireland by the time we hit the monday morning rush hour. —— it will slowly weaken. so they will feel the first effects. it will avoid the azores? kebble sideswiped the azores but the first time it comes on land will be in ireland. the met have a red weather warning across the southern

west of ireland. you can still see, it's a very important storm, for the mainland of the uk, it will be a different sort of story to ireland. it's mainly the coasts of england and wales, perhaps northern ireland to. the celtic sea, the irish, conceded kind of winslet which will be enough to disrupt transport, there will be disruption of the irish sea crossing. but it's mainly towards the coast of england and wales, northern ireland will see more widespread problems on monday before the storm makes its way... so as ever, keep up with the bbc weather forecast and what you update on the website? certainly. in terms of this season, is itjust the way we have in reporting it as journalists, we seem to have had a lot of hurricanes, or is it actually

perfectly typical hurricane season if they such a thing? , it's been a further active season. i think the thing is the number of major hurricanes we have seen, sort of, they have all hit landfall. that honour worthless. you do get seasons where it doesn't make landfall as much. but as hurricane seasons go, it has been active and strong. so best advice, full all updates and be prepared for is slightly rough start with the week. mostly western areas. eastern areas will only see a breeze. thank you very much. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn has warned that conservative infighting over brexit was putting britain on a path to "economic disaster". he accused the government of failing

in brexit negotiations. the government says it is optimistic for a given special partnership after leaving the eu. —— deepened special partnership. britain has said it will defend the international nuclear deal 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. a woman who was gored by a stack in richmond park in london told the bbc she thought she was going to die. ——

eight stag. she showed us the video she was recording seconds before she was attacked. still fragile and onlyjust home from hospital, she is still in shock after being brutally attacked by a stag. this is the phone footage she was taking in richmond park moments before the deer ran out. he uses the outline just attacks my upper thigh area. and this enormous force picked me to the floor and i felt extreme pain on my stomach and my thigh. at that moment, i think, i pain on my stomach and my thigh. at that moment, ithink, i know pain on my stomach and my thigh. at that moment, i think, i know i'm going to die. its meeting time for deer, whose population is said to be at its largest for 1000 years. other experts say it is very rare for them to attack a human being, she wants

to attack a human being, she wants to make other londoners aware of the dangers. icy wildlife everyday in london. —— icy wildlife and i'm very used to it. and there are lots of photos online, you can see people petting dear, feeding dues, laying next to them and taking photos. that creates a kind of illusion. whatever the tenth nation of a cute photo opportunity, the advice from wardens is clear. dearer wild and territorial animals and it's best to put at least 50 metres between you and them, especially at this time of use. “— and them, especially at this time of use. —— 15 metres. the remote island of st helena is getting its first ever airport at bolton. —— opened. the service will

link saint helena tojohannesburg, turning the territory into a potential tourist hotspot. the authorities in california are warning that huge wildfires north of san francisco could spread further, as they're fanned by dry windy conditions. 36 people are known to have been killed in the past week and many more are missing. from california, dave lee reports. these fires have choked california, displacing 90,000 people and destroying more than 5,000 buildings. sir, you've got to go! this footage shows a police officer's view on sunday. he was in the city of santa rosa helping terrified residents evacuate. the next day the city looks like this. we walk and see our neighbourhood, flattened. it looks like a bomb has gone off in our neighbourhood. it's so heartbreaking. the smoky air can be smelt

as far as 100 miles away. this is our wine making facility. the harvest was complete. so all of our grapes were in. over there is our press and our crush pad with the tanks and that was all outside. obviously, you can see it's completely destroyed. police are having to deal with looters seeking to capitalise on block after block of empty homes. some of the biggest fires are showing signs of being contained thanks to the efforts of more than 8,000 firefighters drafted in to help. these firefighters are bracing themselves, weather forecasts suggests more high winds are on the way. this is already the deadliest wild fire in the state's history and it is not over yesterday yet. a new £600 million toll bridge over

the river mersey opened earlier this morning. the mersey gateway route is the largest infrastructure project in england outside london and connects runcorn and widnes in cheshire. andy gill reports. hundreds of people lined the banks of the mersey to watch a spectacular firework display a few hours before the new bridge opened. it links widnes on the north bank and runcorn on the south. tolls aside, the locals approve. it's very smart, it's a lot better than the sister bridge. it reminds me of the one in america. i think it's brilliant. long time overdue. it's a really fantastic development. and just past midnight, the bridge was opened, hundreds of bikers among the first to cross. the mersey gateway bridge is the biggest civil engineering project in the country outside london. the total cost is more than £1.8 billion.

20 million vehicles a year are expected to use it. and its 810 miles of cable would stretch from lands end to john o'groats. the old runcorn widnes bridge now closes for a year for repairs. when it reopens, both mersey crossings will be tolled. locals can travel free if they pay a registration fee, but there is real anger among individuals and businesses who have to pay. the transport secretary says the bridge should be free to use once it's paid for — in 2042. won't believe you like over the bridge? if you were to just float gently in a hot—air balloon. that they have been doing in

albuquerque, new mexico, for an annual balloon festival. i can't they give a better way of getting a view of that new bridge. maybe someone view of that new bridge. maybe someone has done that already. but this is quite a skyline shot. much of it takes place over the desert in new mexico so you get that kind of stark contrast between these creative, imaginative designs and the landscape below. and lots of these are sponsored by commercial companies who will be desperately hoping that there is end up on the front of the local papers. and you also get lots of cartoon characters. anyone here who goes to the international balloon fiesta in the still will note all about these spectacular sights. —— in bristol. so, there we are. one of those cartoon characters i was topping about. he albuquerque, new mexico, balloon fiesta. and that's more

celebrations from the ground earlier today, before the mass of sensitive place. that looks to me like maybe can't duck tour, something to stop —— contract till. but now, if only had a blimp i could flood across the newsroom! we do that but we can simulate the effect as we head up towards the balcony and the man of the match today. —— man at the map. bit of a contrast to the dog hurricanes earlier. you would not want to take a balloon at times. wet and windy weather, but mild and moderate in places across england and wales. northern ireland and scotland will see some cloud and rain. strong winds you as well, gales in spots, temperatures only dropping to 12—111. just habitually

across the foreign office scotland. tomorrow, a data base across the foreign office scotland. tomorrow, a database but important, northern ireland and the west of scotla nd northern ireland and the west of scotland think howard can bring, this slowly sinking suffered and eastward through the day. southern england and wales will be largely dry and of the cloud breaks up to reveal sunshine, particularly in the east, temperatures could easily hit 20 but some place might even get 23. how, keep an eye on this, currently on the atlantic, hurricane ophelia, it would be a hurricane as it approaches us but still will give some very windy weather in the west. that's all from me for now.