this is bbc world news. i'm alpa patel. our top stories: the organisation behind the the oscars votes to expel harvey weinstein. a canadian hostage released by afghan militants speaks about his family's ordeal after being held in captivity for five years. i was iwas in i was in afghanistan, helping the most neglected minority group in the world, those villagers who live inside our stand. and it's champagne all round, as the first commercial flight lands at the airport labelled "the most useless in the world". this is a rock in the middle of the atla ntic this is a rock in the middle of the atlantic ocean. that gale that is blowing is on average, breezy day and its unpredictable. hello and welcome

to bbc world news. the movie producer harvey weinstein has been expelled from the prestigious film academy that organises the oscars. in the last ten days, there have been numerous sexual assault allegations, including rape. harvey weinstein has been fired by his company and criticised through sausage by many celebrities. today he was called a depraved predator by his own brother. laura bicker sent this report from la the glitzy veneer which has hidden hollywood's darkest secrets has now been peeled back. harvey weinstein was credited with over 81 oscar wins nominations, awards which now seem tarnished. this is a key moment for an industry which stands accused of developing a culture which made women feel that

exploitation was a price they had to pay to get a job. harvey is not in the academy because everyone thought he was a nice guy or even played fair, it's because he has been a genius at picking and promoting films and so in that way, he has helped a lot of filmmakers. now he's also proof that he had another life as a sexual predator. and that hurts so many people. harvey weinstein‘s brother, bob, has called him sick and predator. he says they have barely spoken in five years and he is heartbroken for the women his brother had harmed and hopes he gets the justice he deserves. british actress alice evans is the latest star to claim harvey weinstein propositioned her. they met at the cannes film festival in 2002. she says she asked her to go to a bathroom with him because he wanted to feel her breasts. she said no.

the next time they met, she says weinstein ignored her. nor her husband ioan gruffudd. harvey weinstein‘s downfall has been swift. harvey weinstein apologised. as the claims continued, he was sacked by his own company. and just days later, 13 more women published their stories in the new yorker magazine. including three accusations of rape which he strongly denies. there is now at least a realisation in hollywood that if change is to come, simply shrugging all looking the other way is no longer enough. let me just read you a few lines

from the statement released by the academy board of governors, explaining their decision to expel harvey weinstein. they say: i asked laura bicker if there's been any response from harvey weinstein to his expulsion from the academy. no statement yet. this is a powerful

message. tom hanks, steven spielberg ts, message. tom hanks, steven spielberg ‘s, steven spielberg, whoopi goldberg, the one thing that has been revealed the league is the so—called casting couch culture, this feeling that women and men are being exploited because they want a job by figures in power key in hollywood. when it comes to the statement, the message they are sending is strong and it is clear. what they are trying to do is say this era is now over. but there has been some criticism on social media that the academy is being hypocritical here, that there are some within the 5a that might also have the finger of blame here. when it comes to expelling harvey weinstein, the academy board of governors now has a problem because if we, as referred all week, but harvey weinstein is just the tip of

the iceberg, if there are more people out there who have committed predatory acts or even if there are figures of abuse certainly within the industry, and then they have to be looked at. what they are saying, though, is that this is an industry thatis though, is that this is an industry that is taking a long, hard look at itself but you are right. there is a little criticism coming through because if you've expelled harvey weinstein, what do you do about other people who have been accused of sexual abuse? you'll cosby, roman polanski, were both still members. by polanski, were both still members. by expelling harvey weinstein, are having to look at themselves and wondering if it ends there. there is a criminal investigation here in london and the united states. what of that? when will we see some evidence results on this? police are methodically working through it. as

they do so, more revelations come forward , they do so, more revelations come forward, more women come forward. i spoke to an organisation called women in film is set up a hotline where women can report abuse and ta ke where women can report abuse and take legal action but the problem in the united states, there is a statute of limitations which means if some of the allegations date back many years, they can no longer bring any action. it will be up to people in new york, where there is no such statute, to try and figure out whether or not anything will follow. a canadian man kidnapped with his pregnant wife in afghanistan has been giving distressing details of the five years they spent in captivity. joshua boyle and his wife were released earlier this week after being held hostage by islamic militants linked to the taliban. mr boyle told reporters his wife caitlin had been raped, that she had given birth to four children in captivity — one of whom he said,

a baby girl, had been murdered. john mcmanus reports. afghanistan — outside the capital, many parts of the country remain in the grip of islamist militants. it was to here that canadian joshua boyle and his heavily pregnant 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 attempted to use them as bargaining chips, releasing a number of videos. in one of them, the couple's children can be seen. all four were born in captivity. we are the worst to have a prisoner exchange with. on wednesday they were finally freed by pakistani forces and 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 the haqqani networks kidnapping of a pilgrim and his heavily pregnant wife engaged in helping ordinary

villagers in taliban controlled regions of afghanistan was eclipsed only by the stupidity and evil of authorising the murder of my infant daughter. marta boyle. he said his wife was raped by the militants. the canadian government has welcomed the family's safe return home. i'm going to ask people to respect their privacy and understand they've been through an extremely difficult period right now. and... but i can certainly say that we are pleased that the ordeal they've been through over these past years has finally come to an end. joshua boyle's parents described talking to their son to the first time in five years. we were told the wonderful news that our family had been rescued. 20 minutes later we were allowed to actually talk with josh. that's the first time in five years.

while both sets of grandparents are undoubtedly relieved, caitlin coleman's own father, jim, says his daughter should never have been taken to such a dangerous place. that we are able to build a secure century for our three surviving children... butjoshua boyle says he now hopes his surviving children can start again. john mcmanus, bbc news. i have spoken to alex edwards, a friend ofjoshua i have spoken to alex edwards, a friend of joshua boyle. i have spoken to alex edwards, a friend of joshua boylelj i have spoken to alex edwards, a friend ofjoshua boyle. i spoke i have spoken to alex edwards, a friend of joshua boyle. i spoke to him an hourago. he seems to be doing as well is possible under the circumstances. he isa possible under the circumstances. he is a resolute person. he came through as well as i expected him to. how easy finding being back home? he said, for him, it's mostly been dealing with the media spin bowling. do you know what his plans

are? he hasn't spoken about that. they try to re—establish some sort of normal life. what was your reaction when you heard he had been rescued? when you heard they survived their ordeal?” rescued? when you heard they survived their ordeal? i was thrilled. the last we heard, the news was not very encouraging. the government of afghanistan was going to go ahead and execute haqqani and the haqqani network threatened to kill the family of the government of afghanistan did that. this of course isa afghanistan did that. this of course is a highly dangerous part of afghanistan that they travelled to. what did you make of them travelling there, particularly as his wife was pregnant. i was surprised by it. joshis pregnant. i was surprised by it. josh is not explained his reasons. they went there with the intention

of helping people, doing freelance aid work. it's what they did in south america, in a honeymoon. it's what they did through much of central asia. recently saw a chance to help people. was it normal for joshua and his family to be carrying out this sort of work? as i said, they went throughout central and south america. for better or worse, they are devout christians and they ta ke they are devout christians and they take the idea of helping people very seriously. this was important, i suspect, to them. i want to ask you are there has been some questions raised about josh's are there has been some questions raised aboutjosh‘s marriage to zeinab kadir, a woman who has been linked to osama bin laden. as far as ican linked to osama bin laden. as far as i can tell, it is largely a

coincidence. his interest in afghanistan has been long—standing. it's all just one afghanistan has been long—standing. it's alljust one terrible coincidence. alex edwards, a friend ofjoshua boyle. coincidence. alex edwards, a friend of joshua boyle. he coincidence. alex edwards, a friend ofjoshua boyle. he spoke to me earlier. a truck carrying explosives blew up outside a hotel in the centre of mogadishu, destroying several buildings. police say two more were killed in a second bomb in another part of the city. anna griffiths reports. a huge cloud of smoke and into the sky of mogadishu, leaving behind scenes of devastation. a lorry packed with explosives detonated at the entrance of a popular hotel in the entrance of a popular hotel in the beijing —— the busy commercial pa rt the beijing —— the busy commercial part of the city. a second bomb went off in the medina district.

eyewitnesses described it as a scene of war. dozens were killed and many more injured. emergency teams were overwhelmed. the head of the ambulance service said they lost track of the number wounded. police are unsure who was behind this but the somali capital is the scene of regular attacks from the al qaeda— linked al shabazz regular attacks from the al qaeda— linked al sha bazz group regular attacks from the al qaeda— linked al shabazz group in its fight against the government. local media report that ministry staff are among the dead and with many more believed to be trapped beneath the wreckage, it is now a race against time to reach them. alan griffithjones, bbc news. after months of delays and a lot of money spent — the first commercial flight touches down on the island of st helena. ngaio st

in the marina area, where most of the damage done, they are conscious of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he's gone from being a successful diplomatic operator. a 20— pound bomb which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel. democracy will prevail. it fills me with your military and gratitude 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: the movie producer harvey weinstein has been expelled from the the prestigious film academy that organises the oscars, over allegations of rape and sexual assault. a canadian hostage released by afghan militants speaks about his family's ordeal after nearly five years in captivity. back to our top story. have been speaking to declan friedman. —— jacqueline. i have been speaking to declan friedman. ——jacqueline. iasked have been speaking to declan friedman. —— jacqueline. i asked why it took so long for the allegations to service. i think there is a culture of secrecy about the abuse abuse of women. men stick approach

other and women are scared. it is an old story, unfortunately. harvey weinstein has settled with some women outside of court. why did because women settled? you think that was a problem? i think the nondisclosure agreements that they we re nondisclosure agreements that they were forced to sign a certainly a problem. i think april is settled because they were threatened. harvey weinstein has a history of ruining the careers of people who cross in. so they may not have felt like they had any better options. but now some big names have been speaking out in support of some of these actresses. why do you think it has taken them so why do you think it has taken them so long to speak out? again, i really think that people are being forced in this moment to rethink what is inevitable and what isn't in hollywood. i think this way of doing business that involves the basement

of women is modus of randy in a lot of women is modus of randy in a lot of industries. —— operandi. of women is modus of randy in a lot of industries. -- operandi. what do you think should happen now?|j you think should happen now?” certainly think that every company, whether they are an entertainment industry company or not should be taking a long hard look at their sexual harassment policies. whether they have won not, they should be putting one in place. and if they have one, is working? are people coming forward? one of the allegation is against the boss? they should be looking at the office culture wherever they are to make sure that there aren't any more open secrets the way there were about hardy once seen. it is notjust about hardy once seen, though, is at? allegations have surfaced about the people around him, suggesting they were facilitated his behaviour. —— harvey weinstein. it is not credible to imagine that the company

and therefore did not know what was going on, given the size of the settlements, and given that senior staffers were involved in the ruse of bringing people in and then being sent out of the room. a lot of people had to make bad decisions in order to make this thing happen for decades. do you think something good can come out of all this?” decades. do you think something good can come out of all this? i think a lot of good is coming out of it. a lot of good is coming out of it. a lot of good is coming out of it. a lot of people are coming forward and talking about it. also, what i see is folks for whom this has happened are taking their own story seriously for the first time. there is a phenomenon we don't talk about enough where if you have been victimised in this way, it you become convinced that maybe it is your fault. become convinced that maybe it is yourfault. or you become convinced that maybe it is your fault. or you try to talk your way out of your own feelings and experiences. one of the great things about seen coming out of this is the people are feeling less alone unless crazy and less like, i should make

it big deal out of this. jacqueline friedman, a campaigner and author speaking to me earlier. kurdish fighters in northern iraq say they are preparing to defend their positions in the disputed city of kirkuk, against possible attacks by iraqi government forces. kurdish security officials says baghdad threatened to attack unless the peshmerga fighters withdrew from key military locations by midnight. but the iraqi authorities deny issuing any such deadline. earlier, there was a brief outbreak of fighting between government—backed shia militias and the peshmergas. wildfires are continuing to ravage parts of northern california. 36 people have so far been killed in the past week and many more are missing. large parts of northern california, including sonoma and napa counties, and the city of santa rosa have been hit. 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 wile fire in the state's history and it is not over yesterday yet. the british island of st helena used to be one of the world's most inaccessible locations. this map might give you an idea of why. previously, the only way to get to st helena was to take a ship from south africa — which only left once every three weeks.

but today, it's welcomed its first commercial flight. it's hoped the new weekly service could help to boost tourism and make the island more self—sufficient. our correspondent alistair leithead was on the inaugural flight — he sent this report. the champagne was flowing for what was an extraordinary flight. after £250 million, months of delays, and a problem with high winds that labelled it the world's most useless airport, the first commercial flight finally touched down on st helena. the government paid for the new airport, to bring in tourists and give the subsidised economy a well needed boost. but then they discovered wind shear that made it too dangerous for passenger planes to land. the islands governor greeted the first passengers to arrive, now they have worked out a way round it. darwin came here in the 19th century and complained about the wind. the department for international development has been

criticised for not realising. no, it is not a cock—up at all. this is a remote island in the middle of the south atlantic ocean. we have many, many challenges here. wind shear is just one of them and we have overcome it. well, standing here you can understand what the trouble is all about. this is a rock in the middle of the atlantic ocean. that gale that is blowing is just an average breezy day, and it is unpredictable. planes have been struggling to land. that is why they have the small aircraft to do the job. so, not quite as many tourists to take in the scenery and the history. this is where napoleon died in exile. his old house is now part of france. with a500 people, it is a close community. the average wage is just £7,000. british aid subsidises most things. what do you think about this flight that is coming in now? it is absolutely awesome, it is wonderful. it is popular, and you were up

there yourselves today, and saw all the clapping. it is really an island event. after a lot of fuss and a lot of money, saints, as they are called, are hoping for a silver lining. alastair leithead, bbc news, st helena. before we leave you — some gorgeous pictures from the albuqerque balloon festival. it's in new mexico, the largest such festival in the world. this is the 46 balloon dias. —— 46th balloon fiesta. we will leave you there. goodbye.

good morning. after hitting category 3 status on saturday, a rarity for the eastern atlantic, this hurricane and to the east of the azores will wea ken and to the east of the azores will weaken as it pushes towards our shores in the next 2a hours. but it is already having an indirect impact. to the west, was dragging cold air to the atlantic, warm air is being pushed in our direction. muqqy is being pushed in our direction. muggy conditions out there at the moment. starting widely the teens. still warmer than it should be at this time of year across the northern scotland. wet and windy here, with gales around the he readies. they would you start in scotla nd readies. they would you start in scotland and ireland, with outbreaks of rain becoming more expensive throughout the day, but not as heavy as we start with. south and east, morning cloud, fault in the hills. will break up later. after the wet start it will dry up in the hebrides. across scotland, lots of

cloud, with the occasional rain. sado northern ireland. there could bea sado northern ireland. there could be a splash of rain in cumbria by the time we hit mid—afternoon, but much of england and wales will be dry. resisted the west, with nothing u ntowa rd dry. resisted the west, with nothing untoward at all. like latvia compared to some eastern areas, where the outbreaks, temperatures will be above what you see here. maybe as high as 23 celsius in one oi’ maybe as high as 23 celsius in one or two spots. that is where should be at the stage in october. by monday morning, hurricane ophelia is getting closer. it will stop being a hurricane, but will still be a substantial storm, the core of which likely to affect the republic of ireland. southern and western areas of the eula. ross, we will see winds strengthened through the morning, particularly around rac coasts, celtic coast as well. the northern ireland secrecy damaging a destructive winds of 70 or even 80 miles an hour. —— irish coast. later

during the day, eight cold and the north. further east, a bit of a breeze, but not a bad day. temperatures could reach 23 or 24. monday night into tuesday, the centre of a low pressure system as it is scotland with heavy rain hit throughout the night. strong list of the winds in the south of scotland and northern in bundesliga to choose and northern in bundesliga to choose a morning rush hour. that could have an impact. you can see that low pressure pushing it was throughout tuesday. so the rain eases off and brightens up. the further south you are, the more pleasant it will be. temperatures in the high teens. this is bbc news. here the headlines. the organisation line the oscars has chosen to expel hardy

wines in over rain and assault allegations. two thirds of board members voted him out immediately. reporters from somalia said that bomb blasts in the capital have killed at least 30 people and injured around 100. a canadian man rescued with his family from militants in pakistan has been speaking about their ordeal. joshua boyle says one of his children was murdered, and his wife was raped during captivity. kurdish forces in northern iraq said they will defend their positions around the city of cocoa if they are attacked by government forces. security officials say that iraqi forces had threatened to attack them as the fight was withdrawn. now on bbc news, it is time for talking books. hello and welcome to talking books.