with the shooting now over, questions will be asked about what motivated the attacker and how to prevent something like this happening again. aaron safir, bbc news. in switzerland, final results in a nationwide vote show nearly two—thirds of swiss voters have approved proposals to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and identity. the country has been holding a referendum on whether to make discrimination against the lgbtq community a crime. now it's time for a look at the weather. storm ciara continues to batter the uk and all areas have already been affected by the severe weather with the potential for a further

peak in the winds early evening. the met office has an amber warning for severe gales across england and wales, but central scotland may see gusts in excess of 85 mph through the early part of the evening. showers start to thin out further into the evening and then overnight, they mostly concentrate to the north of the uk. we will notice they turn white. colder air behind ciara. there's ciara pushing into scandinavia to start the new week, but the isobars stay tightly packed, there is no letup in the winds and the other big change is we feed in much colder air right the way across the uk. a chillier feel for monday, a risk of ice in the north with the wintry showers, accumulations of snow possible above 100, 150 metres, showers of rain to the south.

hello this is bbc news with shaun ley. the headlines: storm ciara hits the uk — 12,000 people are without power and there is severe travel disruption across the country. a person's being treated at the royal free hospital in london after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total in the uk to four. a briton in majorca has also contracted the illness. counting is underway in the irish general election as an exit poll puts the three main political parties level pegging. sinn fein is a saying it would like to see a government that didn't include the other two parties. it is likely all three will argue about who should take power. thousands of mourners in thailand have held a vigil for 29 people shot dead by a rogue soldier yesterday. now on bbc news, ahead of tonight's academy awards,

an 0scars special on talking movies. hello from the soon—to—open academy museum in los angeles, a globalfilm hub celebrating the art and science of cinema. i'm tom brook and welcome to our special programme previewing the 92nd annual academy awards. we recently went on a tour of the museum, which is priming itself for an unveiling later this year, after considerable delays. so, to a brief overview of the oscars race. the headlines this year: very close best director and best picture contest. nobody is quite sure which film will win.

will it be the irishman or once upon a time in hollywood? or could the south korean picture, parasite, triumph? or will it be the british war epic 1917? i think right now the race is pretty divided between 1917 and parasite, but i have hope that parasite will win. time and time again the parasite crew, like, the director and the actors have been hollywood popular royalty during this race, so i think it will prevail, but certainly there is so much support for 1917, and i think it is totally the front—runner right now. what might help 1917 capture the crown is its breathtaking cinematography, designed to immerse audiences. it looks as if the movie is just one continuous unbroken shot, although there are hidden edits. this technical achievement could help bring britain's 14—time 0scar nominee, cinematrographer roger deakins, his second academy awards trophy.

we had to rehearse months and months before we shot because we had to rehearse before the sets were built, because everything had to be designed to the shot, and there's a danger doing all that that everything then becomes very mechanical. so i'm kind of glad i don't feel the film feels mechanical, it feels quite organic, even though there was so much prep and thought put into it. in the eyes of many, the academy has brought shame on itself or not being sufficiently inclusive with 19 of the 20 acting nominees being white and, once again, no female filmmaker was nominated for best director. i think that the huge push from the academy to increase the diversity of its membership has been very successful and very pointed, but the kind of old boys network of hollywood is so entrenched. i mean, after all, let's not forget the oscars were invented to salute themselves, you know, and that network is very deep and old.

the academy is a movie industry spectacle, but it's also a television ceremony, and there is massive pressure to increase ratings. a downward trend was temporarily arrested last year. the decision not to have a host may have actually helped halt the ratings slide, so expect the same format this year. as an institution, the oscars is struggling to stay culturally relevant. i mean, yes and no. people still care about the oscars, i can attest to that. like, our day—after 0scars stories always perform very well on our site, but at the same time i think there's less respect or interest in watching a whole 3—3.5—hour ceremony and more tuning in the next morning, the monday after, to see what won, what lost, what people should be paying attention to for next year or what they might have missed the year before. but as far as, you know, really caring about the pomp

and circumstance of the ceremony, i don't think the same interest exists as much as it used to. when you review this year's list of nominated films, it appears that academy members may be guilty once again, critics say, of gender bias. the charges made that pictures with themes that are traditionally thought of as masculine — such as war, violence and organised crime — win more 0scars. well, is this true? emma jones has been finding out. last man standing. the saying "may the best man win" seems particularly appropriate at this year's 0scars. war, cars, old school mafia and tarantino — this year's best picture list seems to play to traditional male interests. i'm working on a novel. it's a story of my life and my sisters. there's also one film about four 19th—century heroines based on one of the most popular books of all time. six—times nominated little women

is up for best picture too, but its director, greta gerwig, isn't in the all—male best director category. and parasite, bong joon—ho. nice, you did it. applause. i did it, thank you so much. congratulations to those men. and finally... two yea rs after #metoo, five years after #0scarssowhite, the oscars still seem to reward so—called male tales, films either made by men or films that pursue the interior life of men. cynthia erivo may have a best actress and best original song nomination for harriet, theme — emancipation, but the film itself is ignored. can you be more sensitive? what do you want from me? to scream and cry like you? so are other box office hits by female directors, such as lulu wang's the farewell, theme — family, and hustlers, theme — strippers.

marielle heller's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, theme — kindness, gets a nomination for tom hanks. learn to get along with the boys? you're sexy but too much work. i have a whole list. will other women come forward? bombshell, directed by a man, theme — sexual harassment in the workplace — is rewarded only in acting categories. sweetheart, this is an island of safety and truth. it'sa man! sometimes we look for the oscars to reflect our times and be a gauge of what's going on on the wider cultural scale. this year, it looks like it's about ageing, the ending of an era. it looks like it's very much about men being preoccupied with politics and war, and we live in blokeish times, you've got trump and boris johnson. you're back to these kind of very masculine people bullying in their sort of politics, and maybe the films that we're choosing are reflecting those times. we've got orders to cross here. that is the german frontline. hold back!

but perhaps nominations are also more reflective of the actual age and priorities of academy voters, which, in 2012, was 63, and even now is 72% male. the press reported that twice as many women as men were coming to early academy screenings of little women, but the public box office tells a different story. i'm so sick of people saying love is just all women are fit for, i'm so sick of it! generations of readers have loved little women, the story of the march sisters, and this particular film adaptation has been awarded with six 0scar nominations. and having made more than $100 million at the box office, surely some of these are going to see the film too? i've had guy friends see it. even at the new york premiere, a have a friend who's not in showbusiness at all, doesn't see a lot of movies, and i looked over and he was fully weeping, you know? and he's a very good test

for me because he has no reason to lie or anything. this is a movie that's not as much about female empowerment and the struggles of being a woman at the time but also today in the way it lines up, but it's also, like, about the pursuit of artistry, and ifeel — and i don't want to personalise this, but maybe because i also grew up in new york or a showbiz building, i didn't have that, i really did have the little women — like, i grew up with my sister and her friends basically. that should be more 0k. the little women cast is represented in the oscar acting category. so is scarlettjohansson, twice. in the british baftas, margot robbie and johannson were both nominated twice. that left no place in the awards for actresses from more diverse films, such as hustlers and the farewell. although these films have been commissioned, they aren't being recognised, and the one woman who won a directing 0scar, kathryn bigelow for the hurt locker, made a film about war. i believe that because kathryn bigelow is the only woman to win

best director and it being a film about war means we have a lot of work to do. i think that obviously she deserved that nomination and that win, but we have to really consider other stories about women and girls and all the other people who live on this planet. everything isn't about war, everything isn't about, sort of, disaster, some of the most beautiful stories come from the heart and they're about human connection and positivity and other things that really aren't considered by the academy at this point. what the academy considers important is increasingly at odds with the demographic going to the movies. when they come to consider best picture, there is at least one choice left that's a middle way familiar to both genders — netflix's marriage story, about divorce. let's look a little more closely

at the oscar—nominated south korean picture, parasite, from director bong joon—ho — a personalfavourite. it could have a big night at the academy awards, it's certainly the favourite to win for best international feature. it's a dark comedy thriller in which a poor family in seoul insinuates itself into the lives of an extremely rich family, with all kinds of unexpected consequences. it's a story of class warfare cowritten and directed by 50—year—old modern master of south korean cinema, bong joon—ho. translation: we currently live in an era of capitalism. i think it's inevitable to tell stories about the rich and poor, notjust me, but directors all over the world. bong joon—ho has a very accomplished track record. his first film, a dark comedy of errors, barking dogs never bite, was released in 2000. he followed it up with a critically—acclaimed crime drama, memories of a murder. arriving three years

after that was his first big commercial success, the monster movie, the host. 0ther hits have included his first english language film, snowpiercer, set on board a train in a dystopian future where passengers are rigidly divided by class, and then there's the celebrated 0kja, an anti—corporate farce and a fantasy involving a young girl and a genetically engineered pig. critics see parasite in keeping with his body of work. i would say that thematically it fits in with what he's really devoted his career to, which is this idea of individuals who are just in danger of or about to be crushed by these giant, impassive systems, you know? he has been always really interested in the ideas of capitalism but also of, like, large systems and the ways in which individuals are lost in them.

this story has really resonated powerfully with audiences around the world. in what way is it making an impact with people? translation: i don't think it's necessarily because of the universal story. i think it's really because of the amazing charm that our actors have, their expressions and gestures, the physicality they express, and i think that's why it has become so popular. some people have complained that the film is excessively violent, particularly at the end. bong laughs what is your response to that? good! translation: so, the violence is, you know, part of a big tragedy that happens in the end, and if i explain further it will spoil the film, so i would like to refrain. parasite has been on a winning streak from the time it came out of the gate to win the palm d'0r, the prime prize at cannes last may. it's now going to hollywood's most coveted trophy, that of 0scars best picture. it's certainly come to the forefront

of the race, and i also think that the industry loves it. you know, when you see bong joon—ho and his actors at these award shows, they get standing ovations. everyone wants to meet him. i think that just shows how much this film has kind of swept up hollywood. whatever happens at the oscars, parasite will definitely have an afterlife. a version of it in black and white has already emerged and a parasite television film series is going to be produced by the american cable and satellite network hbo. parasite is becoming much more than a critically acclaimed arthouse film from south korea. it's a box office phenomenon, a multimedia spectacle and a possible 0scars night sensation. 0ne academy award category where women do dominate this year is in the best documentary feature race, where four out of the five films up for an oscar were directed or co—directed by a woman.

tristen daly has been looking at one of them, called american factory. it's the first film released by former president barack 0bama and michelle 0bama's production company. 0ur town, where we live — dayton, ohio — has lost so much. people have lost theirjobs. because of that, they have lost their homes, their sense of being part of the community, part of the middle class. it was this sense of empathy for fellow citizens afflicted by the 2008 economic downturn that drove co—directors steven bognar and julia reichert to make the netflix documentary, american factory. in the wake of the recession, a factory that served as a general motors plant was shut down. it had previously employed thousands in ohio, leaving many without the means to support themselves. for a year and half, i didn't have anything. we lost our home, we lost a vehicle. american factory picks up in 2015 when hope arrives to the heartland of america in an unexpected way.

a chinese billionaire came along and bought a gm plant that had been abandoned by general motors. he bought it. we were all very excited and we thought, wow. this has never happened in our hometown. we're not even sure if it has happened in the us. that was so much hope. there was so much excitement forjobs finally coming back to our little town, and then it got really complicated. when i started at fuyao i was thankful, i was blessed, i wasjust on my knees thanking god that i had something. this former factory for american cars was transformed into a leading windshield manufacturer called fga, or fuyao glass america. though the workers are at first happy to have newfound employment, obstacles abound. the chief among them seemed to be the culture clash of a chinese company attempting to manage an american workforce, which culminates in a vote

on whether or not to form a workers‘ union. the chinese billionaire chairman of fga prefers not to have unions interfering with the profitability of his business. here in los angeles, american factory faces stiff competition in the academy awards‘ documentary category. however, one thing it does have going for it is its topicality, which might help netflix win an oscar trophy. american factory resonates as a deeply relatable story for us citizens, as it deals with complicated relations between the united states and china. it has way more topicality than we ever thought when we were making the film. because of course we have a new president who started a war, a trade war, with china. and ourfilm takes place partly in china and partly here. so people look to us, look to our film, to say, like, how can we understand globalisation? how can we understand what's going on for our working class? the conditions are not favourable.

this documentary is bringing 0scar voters, many of whom live privileged lives, a vivid portrait of working—class america. this is partly due to the fact that the filmmakers got incredible access, not only documenting personal struggles of the american worker but also private corporate meetings among higher—ups. despite the culture clash that takes shape between the managers and the workers in the american factory, the filmmakers hope that viewers and oscar voters see a bigger picture. well, i think it reveals that there are different managerial styles between the americans and the chinese, but i think it also reveals something about capitalism and power, and that no matter what economic system you're coming from, workers are always going to get squeezed by the machine. nothing in america has changed in terms of working people working hard. what's changed in america was rich people deciding they wanted to rewrite the rules to take advantage of people. it's time to stick my neck out and try to predict which films and individuals will be going home

with the top 0scar prizes. in the acting race, there are clear favourites, but that's not so in other categories. the screenplay categories are the hardest to figure out. my guess is the best adapted screenplay will go to steven zaillian for his work on the irishman. but in a year when women were shut out of the best director race, most notably greta gerwig, the academy may be inclined to compensate by giving her the adapted screenplay prize. best original screenplay will probably go to two—time 0scar winner quentin tarantino, but don't be surprised if filmmaker bong joon—ho steals that price from him for his work on parasite, a film that is very popular with academy members. with the best animated feature, many think toy story 4 will pick up the oscar.

we never give up on the americanjourney. to me that would be un—american. best documentary feature, well, the oscar for that could go to american factory, the story of a chinese multinational which takes over an abandoned car plant in ohio. best international feature, almost everyone is betting that bong joon—ho's south korean hit parasite will take that trophy. having picked up just about every pre—0scar award, it will be very surprising if it doesn't win. the race in the best director category is a little uncertain, but the conventional wisdom is the prize will go to britain's sam mendes for his very accomplished world war i epic 1917. but that trophy might also go to quentin tarantino or bong joon—ho.

it's a close contest. can you tell me a little more about what's going on? because part of what we're going to do together is telling your story. best supporting actress, well, it will be laura dern‘s turn to win an oscar for playing a tough divorce lawyer in marriage story. she is the definite favourite. you hitch up and down burbank boulevard all day till someone says they'll drive you to chatsworth? so is brad pitt in the supporting actor category, who's expected to take home an oscar for his portrayal of a stuntman in once upon a time in hollywood. # somewhere over the rainbow... in the top acting categories, for actress in a leading role, that prize has to go to rene zellweger for her spellbinding portrayal of judy garland. when did you become convinced that you had got it right? that you had actually made it work? that never happened! that never happened. that, uh, no. just keep trying and trying and trying, that's all. manic laughter

and best actor, well, joaquin phoenix is expected to take home that trophy for playing the dc comics villain in the film joker. and finally, the best picture category. 1917 is probably going to walk away with the oscar's top award, but don't be surprised if parasite steals the crown. it very well could. well, that brings a special 0scars preview edition of talking movies to a close. we hope you've enjoyed the show. please remember you can always reach us online at bbc.com/talkingmovies, and you can find us online on facebook and twitter. so from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies team here in los angeles, it's goodbye as we leave you with the oscar—nominated song from toy story 4. i want you to meet forky! uh, hi? all: hello! he's a spork! yes, yeah, i know.

# i can't let you, i can't let you # i can't let you throw yourself away # i can't let you, i can't let you # i can't let you throw yourself away # don't you wanna see the sun come up each morning? # don't you wanna see the sun go down each day? good afternoon. it probably can't have escaped your notice that storm ciara has been battering the uk. here's a recent image from 0xfordshire. that is someone's murky. a lot of pictures being sent in to us today

we have had gusts in excess of 80 miles an hour across the uk and swirling around storm ciara, bands of showers and persistent rain. from this evening at 9pm, we have an amber warning this evening at 9pm, we have an amberwarning in this evening at 9pm, we have an amber warning in force for england and wales. gusts of wind could touch up and wales. gusts of wind could touch up to 80 miles an hour, particularly as showers clear through to the south that it looks like across southern scotland in the next hour 01’ so southern scotland in the next hour or so there could be a peak in the winds, 85 miles an hour through the central lowlands. overnight, it does get quieter but only a bit. storm ciara rolls into scandinavia. the wind eases but still stays strong, gale —force wind eases but still stays strong, gale—force for many but colder air floods and, showers turn wintry and that could mean blizzard to the north for first thing on monday. the risk of some ice as well as the colder air runs across the uk. basically for the start of the week, we still got tightly patch isobars, storm ciara moved to scandinavia but

we still have cold air from the poles. quite frosty with the risk of ice and snow showers keep on piling up ice and snow showers keep on piling up through the day, rain mostly across england and wales, there could be some hail and thunder, certainly heavier downpours are possible and it's a chillier feel for all of us. it has been relatively mild today. our concern start as we see the snow showers continuing into tuesday. accumulations for some of the highest ground by this point, the 48—hour windy, up to 20 centimetres, up 48—hour windy, up to 20 centimetres, up to 150 metres, possibly a good covering of snow. tuesday into wednesday, fine but blink and you'll miss it, there's a little bit of high pressure and that will ease the winds for wednesday so it should feel quite different. it will still be chilly, there will be a frosty start and a lot of sunshine but it just won't be as windy. still if you wintry flurries to the northwest and then towards the atlantic for thursday, there is the next area of

low pressure set to come rolling in so low pressure set to come rolling in so it's pretty relentless for the week ahead so please stay safe in the coming hours. the winds will stay strong into this evening, more heavy rain as well and things don't let up too much as we move into the new week.

this is bbc news, i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 5pm: storm ciara hits the uk with winds of more than 90 miles an hour, causing severe travel disruption across the country. there are widespread flooding and two severe warnings, meaning a danger to life, are in place in north wales. a person's being treated at the royal free hospital in london after testing positive for coronavirus — bringing the total in the uk to four. in hong kong, thousands of people who have been stuck on a cruise ship for four days have been allowed to disembark after tests for coronavirus came back negative. counting is under way in the irish general election as an exit poll puts the three main political parties level. thousands of mourners in thailand hold a vigil for 29 people shot