hollywood mogul harvey weinstein appears in court in new york, charged with rape and sexual abuse. he pays a million dollars in cash as bail. his lawyer says he will mount a vigorous defence. mr weinstein did not invent the casting couch in hollywood, and to the extent that there is bad behaviour in that industry, that is not what this is about. bad behaviour is not on trial in this case. mr weinstein denies the criminal charges, he is also facing a raft of civil lawsuits. also tonight. it's on, it's off — and now it could be back on again as president trump says he may yet meet the leader of north korea. ireland votes in a referendum on abortion — it's an issue that has divided the country and turnout is high. the british men being caught in online sextortion scams set up by gangs in west africa. and the lucky ones in kiev, but over 1,000 liverpool fans can't get there for the champions league final as now two tour operators cancel flights. and coming up on

sportsday on bbc news. chris froome swoops in to take control of the giro d'italia, as long—time leader simon yates falls apart with two stages left. good evening. the disgraced hollywood film producer, harvey weinstein, has been charged with rape and sexual abuse, after appearing in court in new york. once one of the most powerful men in america, he paid a million dollars — in cash — as bail and agreed to wear an electronic tag. the charges relate to two women, but dozens have made allegations against him since hollywood was shaken by claims of sexual misconduct last year. mr weinstein‘s lawyer said bad behaviour was not on trial, that his client denies the criminal charges and that he'll mount a vigorous defence.

nick bryant has more from new york. new york city can often feel like a giant movie set, but this was the criminaljustice system being put into action for real. and, as harvey weinstein arrived to be charged, i managed to confront him. this must be very humiliating, mrweinstein. mr weinstein, this must be very humiliating for you. he walked into the police station with three large books under his arm, one about broadway musicals. but, what mattered today, whether words on his charge sheet, accusing him of two counts of rape and one count of a criminal sexual act for incidents involving two separate women. inside the police station, he was arrested, fingerprinted and formally booked. then, about an hour later, he was brought out flanked by two detectives wearing handcuffs and what looked like a wry smile. harvey weinstein is now being taken to a criminal court, and this is the day his accusers longed to see. his demeanour had noticeably changed

by the time he was led into court. the movie mogul, who once loved parading on the red carpet, forced to take what the americans call a "perp walk". he looked numb during the short arraignment hearing, as prosecutors outlined their case. ...due to his position, money and power to lure young women into situations where he was able to violate them sexually. his lawyer claimed his client was innocent, and said he couldn't be prosecuted for "bad behaviour", just for criminal behaviour. mr weinstein did not invent the casting couch in hollywood, and to the extent that there is bad behaviour in that industry, that is not what this is about. bad behaviour is not on trial in this case. it's only if you intentionally committed a criminal act, and mrweinstein vigorously denies that. as news of his arrest and charges came out, the reaction on social media was swift and celebratory from some of those who have accused him of wrongdoing,

and others who worked hard to see him in court today. to see him in cuffs on the way out, whether he smiled or not, that's a very good feeling. the actress rose mcgowan has accused him of raping her. this is a big strike into the heart of abuse of power, and it shows people worldwide, which is what i was hoping the whole time, that this cannot and will not stand. harvey weinstein not only used to dominate and industry, he commanded almost every room. but to watch him today was to see his power drain away. harvey weinstein has been released ona harvey weinstein has been released on a cash bail of $1 million but he's had to forfeit his passport and has been tagged with an electronic device, which will monitor his movement is 2a hours a day. his movements have been restricted to new york and connecticut. studio:

from what his lawyer said, it sounds as though he's prepared to fight his accusers all the way. what struck me today was the aggression of harvey weinstein‘s defence team, and the way they targeted his female accusers. they said these allegations were from a long time ago and went reported to police at the time. they said these women wouldn't be believed after cross—examination in court. he also said it would be hard to find an unbiased jury whose members weren't consumed by "the movement which has overta ken consumed by "the movement which has overtaken this case". the movement in question is the me too movement. this will go to trial, i'm sure, and a key question will be how many women can testify? the two women whose accusations led to the criminal prosecution, or the dozens of women who have accused harvey weinstein of sexual assault and today had that moment of satisfaction finally seeing him in

court? it was on, then it was off — and now it could be back on again. president trump has suggested that the cancelled summit with north korean leader kimjong—un might take place next month after all. the us president took the world by surprise yesterday by announcing that he was the meeting was off because of what he called "the open hostility" shown by north korea. but today, he said both sides were in renewed negotiations. here's our north america editor, jon sopel. explosions. as north korea set charges to their only known nuclear test site, it seemed that all hopes of a summit went up in smoke at about the same time that these buildings were blasted to smithereens. the explosions taking place just as donald trump was pulling the plug on his planned meeting with kim jong—un, citing north korea's tremendous anger and open hostility. and that in turn provoked some open hostility towards the us president in south korea. but that was a whole 2a hours ago

and a lot can change in that time. overnight the north koreans issued a consolatory statement saying, the unilateral announcement to cancel the summit is unexpected and we cannot but feel great regret for it. and that was music to donald trump's ears. you remember the summit that was off? well, it might nowjust be back on. we will see what happens. it could even be the 12th. we are talking to them now. they very much want to do it. we would like to do it, we will see what happens. at the pentagon, the defence secretary, far from rattling sabres, was talking up the possibility, too. there is possibly some good news on the korea summit, if our diplomats can pull it off, it might be back on, even. today kim jong—un was striking an unusually relaxed pose, in pictures released by the north korean news agency.

a floppy hat, a white jacket, looking to all the world as though he was quite enjoying himself. and donald trump, who loves a drama as well, might be enjoying it as well. but for all that the atmospherics might have improved, substantial policy differences remain. a spokesman insisting that north korea must commit to the quick denuclearisation of the korean peninsula. who would bet on how this is going to turn out? jon sopel is at the white house, there is obviously a lot going on behind the scenes there trying to salvage this meeting, what's likely to happen next? there was one phrase donald trump used today which was telling. he said everyone plays games. i think it was aiming that at the north koreans but it might as well apply to some of the antics in the white house. donald trump's dramatic move yesterday to say the summit is off,

don't like the way you've been speaking to us, we aren't going to go ahead with this, i think that focused minds in north korea. i'm sure donald trump will say that his tough talk is what has made the difference and he's bringing the north koreans to the negotiating table. what we are seeing now is the senior officials who flew last week to meet the north koreans, where stood up, have flown home and now gone back again. very good for their airmiles, gone back again. very good for their air miles, terrible for the carbon footprint. the president's spokeswoman sarah saunders said it is going to happen onjune 12, spokeswoman sarah saunders said it is going to happen onjune12, we will be ready. a bit on the history of this. when this was proposed two 01’ of this. when this was proposed two or three months ago, donald trump took 45 minutes to say yes to king john —— kim jong—un took 45 minutes to say yes to king john —— kimjong—un in‘s offer of talks. yesterday he cancelled it. do i think we've reached the final position today? almost certainly not. in the trump in iraq, the one

certainty seems to be uncertainty. thank you. the polls have just closed in ireland's abortion referendum. people have been asked if they want to keep or overturn the country's constitutional ban on abortion — one of the strictest in the world. reports suggest turnout has been high with thousands of people flying home from around the world to cast their vote. this report from our ireland correspondent emma vardy contains some flash photography. cheering. an emotional day for ireland. for some, casting one vote was worth travelling many miles for. i've come from amsterdam. i've come home because i think it's very important for irish women. hopefully it will be an historic day and we will vote yes and finally irish women will have the right to autonomy over their bodies. it has been really horrible to watch from away and not be able to do much except for tweeting and facebooking and i really wanted to come home and cast my vote. a yes vote in this referendum would pave the way to legalise abortions up to the 12th

week of pregnancy. i work in brussels and i am coming home to vote. i believe this legislation is far too extreme. i believe killing for convenience is terrible. ireland's traditional catholic roots have led to the country retaining some of the strictest abortion laws in the world. what is known as the eighth amendment of the country's constitution gives an equal right to life for a mother and the unborn. but leo varadkar, the country's first openly gay prime minister has been leading the call for change. i always get a little buzz from voting. it always feels like democracy in action. not taking anything for granted, of course, but quietly confident, there has been a good turnout so far. polling stations have been recording high turnouts all day, a reflection of the strength of feeling on this issue in ireland and also the result of the vociferous campaigns that have been fought in every part of the country. i think it is an important day,

especially for all generations, for young people to have their say, it has been important and it is us who will be affected as well. this referendum is the culmination of an intense debate over one of ireland's most emotive issues. its result will be a measure of the country's social and political change. in the last ten minutes, the polls closed and tomorrow all eyes will be an island as the votes begin to be counted at 9am, with a result expected sometime in the afternoon -- all expected sometime in the afternoon —— all eyes will be an ireland. previous indications were that the yes vote was ahead but neither side is taking anything for granted. tomorrow's outcome will be hugely significant ireland. a brief look at some of the day's other news stories. vladimir putin has dismissed dutch and australian claims that russia was responsible for bringing down an malaysia airlines flight over eastern ukraine.

the dutch government said there was a ‘direct link‘ between the russian army and the missile that hit flight mh17 in 2014, killing all 298 people onboard. a fifteen—year—old has been arrested on suspicion of murdering another boy of the same age in sheffield. the victim died in hospital last night shortly after being stabbed in the lowedges area of the city. he is the second teenager to be fatally stabbed in sheffield this week. a 95 year—old man believed to suffer from dementia has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of his female carer. a sixty one year old woman suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital. according to scotland yard, the incident took place at the flat where she was working in islington, in north london. homebase has been sold by its australian owner, wesfarmers, for a pound just two years after it bought the diy chain for £3110 million and began what turned out to be a disastrous expansion into the british market. homebase, which has 250 stores and more than 11,000 employees,

is now in the hands of a retail restructuring firm. a report commissioned by the snp to make the economic case for an independent scotland has said immigrants could play a crucial role in the country's future prosperity. the growth commission, which was set up two years ago, also recommends that an independent scotland should keep the pound for at least ten years. our scotland editor, sarah smith reports. the price of a drink may not be the most important issue when choosing your country's future. but what currency you might use to buy a beer, or anything else, in an independent scotland is the big question that needs a clear answer before there is another vote. the idea is you would still pay for a scottish beer with british pounds, just like you do now. that's meant to reassure voters that their money won't change. but there is still the option of setting up a new scottish currency at some point in the future. i think in time it is entirely credible that an independent

scotland would want to have its own currency, and that that would be considered to be in the best interests of scotland and the people of scotland. but even the most ardent supporters of that position recognise that there would require to be a period of preparation and transition. back in 2014, the uk government ruled out a currency union with an independent scotland. i could not, as chancellor, recommend that we could share the pound with an independent scotland. now the snp don't want a formal pact, and say the uk can't stop scotland simply using the pound. alistair darling, can't we use the pound anyway? of course we can use the pound... ..a few seconds ago, he admitted we could use the pound anyway. so, have they now solved their currency conundrum? i think what we've seen today is pretty muddled. we'll use another country's currency, without a central bank, without a formal link to them, and then at some indeterminate point in the future will shift to something else. we're not telling you what that

something else is, and not telling you the steps in between. craft brewing is exactly the kind of growing industry an independent scotland would want to see thrive. it would be reassuring to know that an independent scotland could continue to use the pound, just because i feel a change of currency would complicate transactions with the rest of the uk and the rest of the world. but there would always be the possibility of a new scottish currency round the corner. if we've got to worry about different currencies, different exchanges and another layer of bureaucracy and administration, it will be more and more difficult. the snp are now suggesting a more cautious approach to independence economics. one that is reassuringly inexpensive, if you like, though possibly less inspiring as a result. sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. a bbc investigation has found that british men are increasingly being targeted by sextortion gangs in africa. the criminals trick their victims into filming sexual activity online

and then blackmail them. experts say that ivory coast in west africa has become a hotspot for the gangs. the number of cases reported to police in the uk has more than tripled in the last three years, as angus crawford reports. how scared were you at the time? oh...frozen. meet adrian — once a victim of sextortion, now warning others about the risk. it's very, very suspicious. we set up a fake facebook profile. out of the blue, we get a friend request. i'm asking, "where are you from?" she is very pretty, flirty — in her own words, naughty. the scam develops in minutes, live in front of our eyes. so you are probably moments away from being scammed. yeah, literally minutes away. the trap set, she's keen to move from facebook to skype. now suggesting video calling, and she's said, "i'm going to show you naked and you also." but she's not real — just a pornographic video

operated by a scammer, waiting to film and record us, their next victim. of course, we can't show you what would happen next. it might start with a girl, like, slowly undressing and that, you know, anything to just basically show yourself — your face and your private parts. is it threatening? the next message was definitely threatening, saying, "you know what this is, i'll show it to friends and family." what did you have to do to stop them? give them money. money that more and more ends up here in the ivory coast in west africa. cash transfers are easy, there's high unemployment, and even the poorest areas have access to the internet. the crime of sextortion began and was perfected in nigeria and the philippines before it went global. now ivory coast, and particularly here in abidjan, has become a hotspot of sextortion. many of the victims come from the uk. and here are the police files — a growing number being investigated by abidjan‘s cybercrime unit.

on the screens, some of the videos used by the scammers. they told us they know of at least 120 recent british victims. we want to track down one of the scammers, but they're hidden in the slums, controlled by gangs, and hunted by the police. we do eventually find one who will talk. translation: you have to do it without remorse. if you think about what you're doing, you'd never do it. but you do real harm to the victims. harm? well, afterwards you can sit down and say i'm bad, but you can't put things right. if he's thousands of miles away, how are you going to say sorry? it's no—one's fault — it's love. this is a growing crime with terrible consequences. some people actually take their own lives because of this.

did that ever cross your mind? um... the truth of the matter was at one point it kind of did. so if you find yourself talking to a girl like this online, beware. angus crawford, bbc news. part of a shopping centre in salisbury — that's been sealed off since the nerve agent attack nearly 12 weeks ago — has reopened to the public. barriers had been in place to protect the area where sergei skripal and his daughter yulia were found slumped on a bench in the maltings. officials say that the scene has now been decontaminated and is safe for the public. a burglar who repeatedly hit a world war two veteran over the head with a claw hammer has been given a twenty year sentence, after being found guilty of attempted murder. joseph isaacs — who's forty — attacked jim booth at his home in somerset last year. the 96 year old was left with fractures to the skull, and cuts to his head, hands and arms — but insists he has not been left terribly

‘het up‘ by the attack. he hit me six times on the head, as well as more on the arms, with a claw hammer, and the claw side of it too. each time between he was shouting "money, money, money." i think i probably just defended myself, because he was hitting me, you know. but i'm saying i blame myself because i was special services, and i think i should really have known how to deal with it. i didn't, too old, obviously! worse things happen at sea, as they say. cycling, and britain's chris froome has had one of the best days of his career — powering into the lead at this year's giro d'italia. the four—times tour de france champion went into today's stage in fourth place, but after a stunning mountain ride he now leads by a0 seconds. here's our sports correspondent andy swiss. it was perhaps the ride of his life. chris froome on the brink of history

after one of cycling's most staggering displays. he begun the day back in fourth, his hopes of adding the tour of italy to his title in france and spain seemingly distant. but what followed was a solo spectacular, because in the middle of the mountains, he scaled the heights, while others went backwards, including long—time leader britain's simon yates who plummeted out of contention. froome's participation here has been controversial. he is still being investigated over his use of an asthma drug. two spectators, one carrying a giant inhaler, seemed only too keen to remind him. but his focus was unwavering. his lead grew from a gap to a chasm, enough to move him into the overall lead. oh, chris froome! knockout performance! and so a victory which once seemed almost unthinkable is now, astonishingly, within his sights. andy swiss, bbc news. hundreds of liverpool football fans face missing tomorrow's

champions league final against real madrid in ukraine after two tour operators cancelled flights. natalie pirks is in the capital kiev for us tonight, what a disaster for those fans that so wanted to be there... absolutely. with less than 2a hours to go, the situation is shambolic. yet another flight due to leave liverpool tomorrow morning has been cancelled, this time because the aircraft did not have the right license. last—ditch attempts to get other flights are born have ultimately failed and that means hundreds of fans who were hoping to be here will instead be watching it on their sofas and the fans i have spoken to today, they know they are the fortunate ones. ole, ole, ole! it's been the soundtrack of liverpool's journey. a tale of the all—conquering charge to the finals. butjust having got here is reason enough to sing. this was just about affordable, and i meanjust about.

this is ridiculous, having it here. a lovely city, but come on. on the way back i'm going back via antaliya and ankara. it's all for the reds, that's all that matters. they're lucky. hundreds were left stranded at liverpool airport today, their match tickets now expensive reminders of memories never made. gutted, from an emotional perspective. disgusted, from the perspective of the way i've been handled. as a family, it meant so much to us. well, those fans are so desperate to be here because they truly believe this is their moment, and there's something about this cup run that has their manager believing his side, who he affectionately calls "my boys", will do something special against madrid. we are liverpool, and not only a really good football team, this club has in its dna that they can really go for the big things. nobody expected us to be here, but we are here, because we are liverpool. this team clearly has "it", that magic you can't quite explain.

can you repeat the question, please? laughter. even in front of the world's press, they cut relaxed figures. but they stand on the shoulders of giants. 13 years ago today, steven gerard's team won their fifth champions league trophy, in istanbul. it's time to step out of their shadows. it's about us creating our own history. we want to go one step furtherand remember it for the right reasons, and that's us winning the champions league. there's the small matter of getting past real madrid first, a side aiming for their third consecutive champions league trophy. current world player of the year cristiano ronaldo believes he and his team are beyond compare. mo salah, mo salah! liverpool fans have more than proved their dedication, simply getting here and turning kiev red in the process. now it's their team's turn to leave its mark. natalie pirks, bbc news, kiev. that's all from us.

now on bbc1, it's time for the news where you are. have a very good night. welcome to bbc london news. i'm victoria hollins. hello and welcome to sportsday, i'm lizzie greenwood—hughes. the headlines tonight. liverpool get ready for tomorrow's champions league final. where they'll take—on the record—breaking real madrid in ukraine. real madrid play against other teams, and they are really strong. nobody expected us to be here but we

are here. because we are liverpool. chris froome storms into the lead at the giro d'italia as long time leader simon yates crumples with two stages left. pakistan build a big lead in the opening test against england at lord's. 4 of their batsmen making half centuries. hello and welcome to sportsday. lots going on tonight, and we're starting with the build up to tomorrow's champions league final in ukraine. it's less than 2a hours until the biggest game in european football. liverpool v real madrid. 5 time winners liverpool are the definite underdogs against the record breaking read madrid — going for their 3rd successive european cup and liverpool's managerjurgen klopp admits, no one expected them to get this far. you think wow, we're pretty strong.

but they never played us. that is another part of the truth. and we are liverpool, not only do we have even a good football team. this cloud has in its dna that begin with the go for the big things. nobody expected us to be here, but we are here, because we are liverpool. as always big game slike this attract big names in the game and our reporter hugh woozencroft caught up with a few of them in the fanzone after a legends match to entertain the crowds. i think defensively, we have to be strong. but we know that, certainly in the semifinals, of course, we have to outscore madrid. because they like to plough forward. whichever team next whichever team

makes the least mistakes. it's hard to play, i think we all know, it'll probably be, they would change their style a nd probably be, they would change their style and let's hope it's a shoot and really entertaining. with document team, the players become their done amazing job, the players wa nt their done amazing job, the players want to improve, the best of each moment, it has been a difficult season for real madrid, but the champion finals, you have that extra step, in 1998. it's just champion finals, you have that extra step, in 1998. it'sjust a feeling that this is an opportunity to make the season right. the fans watching macca and co are the lucky ones because the flight chaos to ukraine

is getting worse... myriad travel have announced tonight they've been forced to drop one of their flights and that's in addition to the thousand people affected by the world choice sports cancellations which can't be rescheduled despite the best efforts of both the mayors of liverpool's and kyiv. it is simply not good enough for 2018, that uefa has allowed this to happen and all the people, as well. someone needs to take responsibility. somebody has to be held accountable for what clearly is, as i say... i am not in any way underestimating what this is. it is a shambles. as i say, people have been let down and wrongly so. chris froome is on his way to becoming the first briton to win all three grand tours after he swept to the overall lead in the giro d'italia with two stages to go.