this is bbc news. the headlines at 9: the oscar's board votes to expel disgraced holywood producer harvey weinstein, as more women come forward with allegations of sexual assault. drivers who cause death in the most serious cases of dangerous and careless driving will now face life sentences. austrians head to the polls for a snap general election — the 31—year—old conservative party leader sebastian kurz is tipped to become europe's youngest leader. also in the next hour: forty people have died and hundreds are still missing in california after six days of wildfires. the governor said it was "one of the greatest tragedies" the state had everfaced — swathes of countryside and thousands of homes have been destroyed. and our sunday morning edition of the papers is at 9.35 — this morning's reviewers are sian griffiths, education editor for the sunday times, and political editor, vincent moss.

good morning and welcome to bbc news. harvey weinstein has been been kicked out of the academy that runs the oscars. in a statement, the board said he no longer merited the respect of his colleagues. it follows a series of sexual assault accusations against the producer — including rape — some of which he has denied. mr weinstein has been denounced by many of the celebrities he launched to stardom and called a depraved predator by his own brother. peter bowes reports from los angeles. he once ruled the roost. one of the most powerful men in hollywood. harvey weinstein.

the movie mogul, the studio boss credited with scores of oscar wins and nominations. but now branded a rapist, and a serial sexual predator, the hollywood producer has been kicked out of the world's most influential organisation. it followed an emergency meeting. 5a leading figures, including the likes of whoopi goldberg and tom hanks. in a statement, the academy says it wanted to send a message: it means harvey weinstein will no longer be able to vote for nominees or winners of the oscars. there has been praise for the academy‘s decision but many say this should just be the start. mia farrow tweeted. .. the academy‘s action

is without precedent. other members such as the director roman polanski who pleaded guilty to a sex crime involving an under—age girl and bill cosby, who was accused of sexual assault, were not expelled from its ranks. harvey weinstein has been accused of rape by five women. he has denied in engaging in nonconsensual sex but the scandal continues to unfold. there are two police investigations under way in new york and london, while hollywood braces for more of its dirty secrets to be made public. we're joined now live from los angeles by showbiz journalist sandro monetti. thank you forjoining us. we were hearing in that report unprecedented for the academy to kick somebody out like this? the only time it's ever

happened in their 90—year history was in 2004 when an actor was kicked out for leaking his member—only for your consideration dvds online. this afar your consideration dvds online. this a far more serious offence and you know i'm so proud to be part of the hollywood community today. finally tinseltown is cleaning house and telling harvey weinstein to sling his hook and it is hopefully the beginning of the end of exploitation and the casting couch has been here too long, let's throw it in the dustbin and move on. some people would say it is not before time and that the the behaviour of harvey weinstein was an open secret for many years. so much of an open secret it was joked about by the host of 2013 oscars, anyone in

hollywood who claims they didn't know was not paying attention or wasn't listening. we all knew about it, but frustratingly nothing was done. this week everyone has moved so done. this week everyone has moved so swiftly in hollywood and well done the academy. can you imagine if they hadn't kicked him out if they had left him in? there was only one decision to make. meeting in beverly hills, the 54 members of governors met for two and a half hours and 90% voted to send harvey weinstein on his way. and as you say, he is by far not the only sexual predator in hollywood, but showing there are consequences for perverted actions, then hopefully the other people who have abused their power for too long will never do it again. now, they know there are consequences. he has

been such a dominant force within the oscars. his films have won dozens the oscars. his films have won d oze ns of the oscars. his films have won dozens of oscars over the years? actually 80. he has been responsible for five of the best picture winners. in 2004, five of the nominees for best picture were harvey weinstein films. no one has been so closely associated with the oscars and partly this is is why harvey weinstein was able to get away with it for so long. it was play nice with harvey, don't complain, because he can get our film an oscar and a lot of hollywood is culpable in him getting away with it. now they have kicked him out and they're in ever going to let him back. rightly so. you think that is an important precedent and will mark

an important precedent and will mark a change in the way things are done in hollywood? i'm sad to say that every actress i know has been a victim of sexual assault in one way 01’ victim of sexual assault in one way or another. the stories are horrible. and so i hope that things are going to be easier going forward and this whole attitude of you know, i'm the powerful man and you scratch my back, i will scratch yours, that needs to disappear. can't it all be about talent? let's hope so. thank you for being with us. thank you for being with us. killer drivers could face life behind bars under new laws being proposed by the government. motorists who cause death by speeding, street racing or driving while on a mobile phone are among those who may be handed the maximum punishment. andy moore reports. joseph brown—lartey was known to his friends as the gentle giant,

at 6'6", towering over his parents. he was killed three years ago in rochdale by a driver travelling 80 miles an hour in a 30mph zone. addil haroon was sentenced to six years in jail. the government says drivers like him could now face life behind bars. we think the courts should have power to impose impose life sentences for the reckless life—changing cases with multiple victims, or speeding or racing or looking at a mobile phone. the wreckage ofjoseph's car was displayed in front of the houses of parliament by the road safety charity brake, which welcomes the announcement. it is a victory by families of the bereaved, crash victims and charities including brake but we would like the government to go further and increase resources for enforcement so the law can be properly enforced. the parliamentary advisory council for transport safety said

there was no evidence that tougher sentences would act as a deterrent. i think it's understandable where it's coming from but i think there is a danger that it will disappoint the victims' families and have no effect on road safety. this lorry driver, tomasz kroker, was scrolling through music on his mobile phonejust seconds before he ploughed into a line of stationary traffic, killing four people. he was sentenced to 10 years injail. the government says cases like this should be seen as similar to manslaughter and a prison term should reflect that. tim shallcross is from iam roadsmart — a charity which campaigns for safer roads. he joins me now from worcester via webcam. thank you for being us with. what do you make of this, the would you support a toughening of the sentences? well i

support a toughening of the sentences? welll certainly support a toughening of the sentences? well i certainly don't object to it, but as some of the previous people have said, it is unlikely to have any effect on deterring people from committing these crimes. no one goes out to deliberately kill somebody on the roads, it happens as a result of something else idiotic that they're doing. what deters people is the fear of being caught. unless people think there is a chance of them being caught drinking and driving or racing or doing these things, then a heavier sentence, an increased sentence isn't necessarily going to have much effect. what will have an effect is extra police, extra cameras, extra ways of catching people so, people know if they indulge in this behaviour there is a chance of being caught. you think people think they can get away with it? well yes, nobody knows, doesn't

realise that they're breaking the law, you know you're breaking the law. nobody is ignore rant of that. they believe they won't get caught and that what is they do it. of all these offences, which do you think are the most dangerous, driving with are the most dangerous, driving with a mobile phone, talking on the mobile phone, street racing is obviously lethal. well the mobile phone is a good example, they have tried increasing the penalties and it has not had much effect, because people don't believe they will get caught. police are using cameras to catch people. the thing with mobile phones that people don't realise is how distracting it is. there has been research done that shows being an on been research done that shows being anona been research done that shows being an on a mobile phone and that includes hands—free conversations can be as distracting as being over the legal alcohol limit. so having

said all of that, do you still welcome the idea of tougher sentences? well we don't oppose it, we welcome it, it sends out a message. but it is the fear of being caught that will better people not the fear of a longer sentence. thank you very much. thank you very much. health professionals in england are to be told to ask patients aged 16 or over about their sexual orientation, under new nhs guidelines. nhs england said no—one would be forced to answer the question, but recording the data would help to avoid discrimination. lesbian, gay and bisexual people are currently disproportionately affected by health inequalities such as poor mental health and a higher risk of self—harm and suicide. police in surrey have begun an investigation into the death of a man at kempton park racecourse yesterday.

it's understood that the man, who was in his fifties, died in the stable yard. the meeting in sunbury—on—thames was called off before the second to last race. voters in austria are going to the polls for a parliamentary election in which the conservative people's party is expected to win the most seats. during the campaign, the conservative leader, sebastian kurz, adopted a hard line against refugees — pledging to shut down migrant routes into europe. we can go live now to our correspondent bethany bell in vienna. just tell us a bit more about this leader and what we are expecting to happen. well, if he wins, sebastian kurz would be the youngest leader in europe, if not in the world. he is only 31. he is no stranger to politics and he is serving as foreign minister here. he is very

much moved to the right with his party with this message against illegal migration. he positioned himself against the migrants that we re himself against the migrants that were coming into austria during the crisis of 2015 and 16 and he worked to try and close the balkan route for migrants and he has taken on a lot of the far right policies. but what is interesting is he could if he wins be on the verge of forming a coalition with the far right freedom party, bringing them into government, which could be cite controversial. what are the opinion polls saying and there is a general drift to the right in austrian public opinion as a result of that influx of migrants? it seems to be the case if the opinion polls are to be believed. there was a huge boost for sebastian kurz when he took up

the anti—migrant message. the far right freedom party, which is battling for second place according to the polls, was in top place, because it very much campaigned against migrants and it has had a strongly anti—muslim note to its campaign and so they are very much seen to have ridden that wave to the right if you like. last year in fa ct, right if you like. last year in fact, a freedom party far right candidate almost became president here. that is a ceremonial post, but 110w here. that is a ceremonial post, but now they could be on the verge of joining a coalition to bring them to power. when when will we know the result and will it take time to sort out the coalition. with should get

preliminary results soon. but there area preliminary results soon. but there are a lot of postal votes and so we may not get an official result until thursday. there will be a lot of haggling to try and figure out what coalition this will be — will bit that rightist conservative centre right with the far right? which could cause a problem for the eu. or will they try and patch together a centrist coalition with the social democrats? again this could be the beginnings of a real political shake up beginnings of a real political shake up in this country. thank you very much. the headlines: the board of the oscars votes to expel harvey weinstein. drivers could face life

sentences for the most serious offences. and austrians heading to the polls for a general election, the polls for a general election, the 31—year—old sebastian kurz tipped to become europe's youngest leader and to form an alliance with the far right. at least 40 people are now known to have been killed by wildfires which have devastated a major californian wine region. hundreds of others are missing, as the fires continue to spread. large parts of the state, including sonoma and napa counties, and the city of santa rosa, have been affected. dave lee has the latest. while huge fires to continue to burn over the hills, the unimaginable task of finding and identifying the dead is now under way. this part of santa rosa was known hauntingly as journey's end. it was a mobile home park, more than 100 people lived here.

specially trained dogs are being used to find bodies in the ash. it is heartbreaking. it happened so fast and there is nothing you can do. attempts to contain the fire are beginning to work. fire lines are being established by digging in and purposefully burning the vegetation. in this area, there is rugged terrain, a heavy fuel bad with oak and timber. still, the exhausted firefighters remain at the mercy of the wind, which has picked up again this weekend, forcing more evacuations. more than 90,000 have been displaced so far. emergency services here estimate it will take some time before people can rebuild their lives. but there is no impatience. this community knows it owes a lot to those who are facing the fires head on. it was 30 years ago tonight that

one of the worst storms in recent decades hit the uk. 18 people died and hundreds more were injured as winds reached speeds of over 100—miles per hour. just hours before it struck a certain weatherman told the british public that there was no reason to panic. michael fish has been on a journey revisiting some of the areas worst hit in 1987. i am michael fish and i was a bbc weatherman for over 40 years. a lot of snow in eastern parts of the country overnight and still a lot to come. we gave forecast in fahrenheit as well celsius. i've got nothing but bad news. we have trouble with the winds today. and then there was this. earlier a woman called the bbc and said there was a hurricane on the way and if you are watching, don't worry, there isn't. the worst storms for hundreds of years hit the south of england

early this morning, killing a dozen people and bringing the whole south—east to a halt. there was no warning, the weathermen were caught with their forecast down. so was it really a hurricane? i am meeting someone who should know the answer — tom schafernaker, the bbc weatherman. a mere eight years old in 1987, he is now a hurricane expert and i'm hoping tom can help me out. you are absolutely right, it was not a hurricane. hurricanes are different weather systems, they do not occur in the uk, they have to happen over tropical waters but the one in 1987 still produced hurricane—strength winds, so you don't have to have a hurricane to make hurricane—force winds, it can still be nasty. people are asking, why weren't we warned? didn't the weathermen know there was such a fierce storm on the way?

there is a very clear marker, you can see it from space, a particular cloud feature and i think back in 1987, even if you saw it on the satellite image, you would not know what it was because it was poorly understood. i am meeting my former colleague ewen mccallum at the swank headquarters of the met office in exeter. we are looking at satellite photographs, hand—drawn weather maps and photos from back then. look at that zone. this is very, very powerful. this is three o'clock in the morning. the storm was at its peak. now that would come across. there would be a warning five days in advance now. there would be no getting away from it. absolutely. and there you go. there is the danger staring us in the face. and if another one comes along, i am confident next time around, we will all get plenty of warning. ona

on a special edition of gardener's question time, they're at somewhere badly damaged by the storm 30 years ago. that is on radio four. from midnight tonight, the old round pound coin will no longer be legal tender. however, some stores — including tesco and poundland — will continue to accept them for a limited time, and banks will still take them. the new twelve—sided pound coin was introduced in march and has high—tech security features to thwart counterfeiters. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. the hunt is on for old pound coins. sofas are being searched, piggy banks empties and underused purses raided because from monday, those old pound coins will no longer be accepted in most shops. as of last night, the royal mint estimates that there might be £450 million worth of old coins still in circulation but from monday, shops and vending machines are no longer obliged to accept them. banks will continue

to take the round pounds for months, but urge customers to keep them separate from the new coinage when returning them. this has been a really, really big transition period with the £1 coin, probably more so any change in coin because it is so prevalent in coin—operated machinery and loose change. it has been quite a tight timetable but the important thing is people realise the deadline is looming, dig up the old ones and get them spent. all is not lost if you miss the deadline. some stores, including poundland, tesco and iceland, will continue to accept the old coins until the end of october and in case you were wondering what happens to the old coins, they will be melted down to make a new ones. let's talk about the new pound coins. loads of you will have had them by now, but, as we've been hearing, from today there are some places

where you won't be able to use the old pound coins. let's speak now to annie shaw, she's a money expert from the consumer site cashquestions.com thank you for being with us. we gather this still something like 450 million of the old pounds still in the hands of the public? apparently so. the hands of the public? apparently so. i knowi the hands of the public? apparently so. i know i haven't got any. i had a tradesman around the other day and didn't have enough to pay him and i was emptying my gym bag and there are apparently 450 million hiding somewhere. i bet there is one or two behind that sofa you're sitting on! possibly! have a look after this inter. why do we need the new pound

coin, people say what is wrong with the old one? well the problem was counter fitting. you would think it isa counter fitting. you would think it is a small value things that notes would be better. but it was apparently, i'm notan would be better. but it was apparently, i'm not an expert on counterfiting, but they found it easy to copy and as many as one in 30 were fake coins. so when you went to the vending machine and put in your pound and you didn't get what your pound and you didn't get what you wanted, that is probably because it was a fake. let's talk about what you have to do. the deadline is midnight tonight. yes. i expect there is a few sweet shops doing a good trade today with people getting rid of their small change. you can change them at the bank, you can ta ke change them at the bank, you can take them in and swap them one for one. various stores have said they

will continue to accept them, i think sainsbury, liddle and m&s say they won't. of poundland are making hay out of this, saying spend your pound with us. you need to be aware that these new coins are going to be the legal the tender. there that these new coins are going to be the legalthe tender. there might that these new coins are going to be the legal the tender. there might be some people coming back from holidays if they did know they had forgot and realise they can't spend them? i think so if there is anybody from overseas, a tourist watching on the news, they may have brought some over with them and i have done that and turned up when currencies have changed abroad, i have turned up with the old currency. so anybody who is, who has been abroad and not

been awake to this, the certainly. it is, they're nice little things, two colours, so probably more attractive than the others. some of the old ones are quite, could be quite valuable. i have been seeing a few things on forums and in the papers, about which old one pound coins are more valuable. there is a trade of the more valuable old designs. so before you, if you do find a few rattling around, perhaps check they have more than the face value of a pound. you might be able to sell it for more on ebay. you could give them to charity as well. the british legion said they will ta ke the british legion said they will take old coins. yes they will. that is always a good thing for foreign currency, if you have any spare change, always give to it charity. they can always deal with it. they

have special agreements with the banks. thank you. i want you to start checking that sofa now.|j banks. thank you. i want you to start checking that sofa now. i will do it now! thank you. now the weather. some warmer weather ahead of hurricane ophelia. that will track towards the uk, no longer a hurricane when it arrives. but ahead of it we are seeing the warm air being drawn to our shores. that cloud still producing some rain, thatis cloud still producing some rain, that is moving south across scotland into northern ireland. england and wales still dry and after the misty dry start with some fog, the skies are brightening. but not much sunshine scotland and northern ireland. england and wales staying

dry, but some cloud around in the afternoon in the west and wales. further east, the cloud will be thinner and we will see more sunshine. that will boost the temperatures to around 23 degrees. a fine evening here, we have a little rainfor fine evening here, we have a little rain for scotland and northern ireland and that rain gets a boost later as the winds begin to pick up and we draw up warmer air, a very mild night. by monday morning, what is left of ophelia will be heading very close to southern ireland and the centre of this deep area of low pressure here. so we are going to see the winds picking up on monday in the west through the south west and pushing up through the irish sea. gusts of 80mph. the winds picking up in northern ireland. very windy with some rain and rain in scotla nd windy with some rain and rain in scotland as you head further east along england and wales the winds

get lighter and we have the last of the warm airat get lighter and we have the last of the warm air at 24 degrees. but it is the strength of the wind that will cause issues on monday and tuesday. there is likely to be damage and disruption to travel. you can keep up—to—date on bbc local radio. the centre of the deep low pressure, although it is weakening, it heading through northern ireland and into scotland and pushing heavy winds into northern ireland and northern england. the winds only easing down further south lighter winds and rain later.