today at 5pm: verdicts start to be returned in new york in the trial of former hollywood producer, harvey weinstein. in the last few minutes, weinstein was cleared of the most severe charges against him, but found guilty of third degree rape and sexual assault. this is the scene live from the courtroom in new york, where those verdicts have just come in. we'll have the latest on what it all means. the other main stories on bbc news at 5pm... fears of a pandemic spread. italy has the largest number of cases in europe.

long queues forface masks in south korea, seven people have died from coronavirus, with more than 760 infected. a man has been found guilty of murdering a pensioner by shooting him with a crossbow outside his home in anglesley last year. a town underwater: severe weather warnings for shrewsebury, with flood leveles expected to reach their highest ever. it's 5pm — our main story is that a jury in new york has started to return verdicts in the case of harvey weinstein, the former hollywood producer. of harvey weinstein, mr weinstein has been found guilty of third degree rape, but has been acquitted of predatory sexual assault and first degree rape.

that last charge would have carried a life sentence. thejury that last charge would have carried a life sentence. the jury has that last charge would have carried a life sentence. thejury has been deliberating since last tuesday in these verdicts started to come in within the last ten minutes or so. just outside the courtroom for us there in new york is our correspondent ben wright. bring us right up to date on what has been announced so far? the jury rang their bell about 25 minutes ago, telling the court that they had reached a verdict. they had been deliberating for five days, and we discovered ten minutes or so ago that harvey weinstein has been found not guilty of predatory sexual assault, but found guilty of a criminal sex act in the first degree, and guilty of rape in the third degree. so incredibly serious charges that he has been found guilty of. these relate to women, five charges in total that the jury we re

five charges in total that the jury were considering, they related to the claims made by two women. a former production assistant who said that mr weinstein sexually assaulted her in his manhattan apartment, and the second woman, a former actress who testified that weinstein had raped her in 2013 in her hotel in new york. thejury raped her in 2013 in her hotel in new york. the jury has decided that yes, mr weinstein is guilty of sexual... and guilty in relation to just command in the third degree. what made this a collocated decision for the jury what made this a collocated decision for thejury to what made this a collocated decision for the jury to grapple with in the last few days is that part of this trial was the claim of predatory sexual assault. now that is the charge that could have had a life sentence attached. but for the jury to find harvey weinstein guilty of a predatory sexual act, they had to prove two first degree sexual

assault charges related to separate women. now there was a third witness who was brought into this who was critical to that charge, a woman who was a former actor in the sopranos who said mr weinstein raped her in the mid—90s. the journey who said mr weinstein raped her in the mid—90s. thejourney has not gone down the route of finding him guilty of predatory sexual assault but i found him guilty on those two other charges. two convictions were the maximum the jury could other charges. two convictions were the maximum thejury could come up with, that is what we have done, and it is quite clear that mr weinstein is looking at a very long time behind bars stuff many thanks now, we'll talk again later. been right in new york, and the live images from inside the courtroom itself, just to recap we are getting these. ben was explaining some of the charges in the verdicts we've had.

with that in mind, let's bring in mark stevens, a prominent lawyer specialising in media lawjoining us from his office in central london who knows a lot about this case. thanks very much forjoining us. what would you say to viewers they should be focusing on in this set of verdicts that has come through?” think that these are serious sentences. so whilst the jury did not want to convict in relation to the most serious, these are rape and sexual assaults. so you might think that by a description of sexual assault in the third degree, if it tellsjust assault in the third degree, if it tells just facilitate something serious. this is a very serious offe nce serious. this is a very serious offence and as a result leads to an immediate custodial sentence following. with that in mind, let's not forget that he also faces a similar sweep of charges in los

angeles. so after this case is over, he will move to los angeles, and whether or not he is in custody, he will have to stand trial there. and of course on top of that, there are also investigations in relation to fraud and inappropriate behaviour in relation to the company credit card. i know that the new york district attorney is still looking at that, so attorney is still looking at that, so if you like, this isjust the very first chapter and he has been convicted of some really serious things. to underline the point you've made there, which is that this is the initial stage. when you talk about the outcome in terms of predatory sexual assault, what was the threshold there that the jury had to contend with when they considered their verdict on that very serious charge? at this time of day it is difficult to describe it

in any great detail. but it would have to have been a brute force rape in the traditional sense that we understand it. the other types of sexual assault are serious, they are intimate... he may have used his body weight depend somebody down and subject them to inappropriate assaults. mark, there is a little delay in the line, but thanks for bearing with us. when you talk about the next stage in los angeles, given what has happened today and the fact that he's looking at clearly a significant prison sentence, what else is there to come up which you could shed light on in terms of the cases to come? i think certainly in relation to the los angeles cases,

they are very similar in nature to they are very similar in nature to the ones we've had here. of course, a different group of women who went to their local law enforcement in california, therefore those cases are coming forward. i think also one must be clear that unlike... mark, i'm sorry we got a bit stuck there. i think we betterjust leave that for the moment, and our thanks to mark forjoining us for the moment, and our thanks to mark for joining us and for the moment, and our thanks to mark forjoining us and sharing his expertise. this was harvey weinstein earlier today arriving in new york, ready for this late stage in the case. he will will now consider the verdicts as having been delivered by the jury. consider the verdicts as having been delivered by thejury. as consider the verdicts as having been delivered by the jury. as mark was saying, he's been found guilty of

some very, very serious charges, but not the most serious on the list, which was that of predatory sexual assault. but as mark was saying, weinstein now will have to go stand trial in los angeles on other charges, similar charges in many ways, then have to come back to new york to face other charges which are to do with inappropriate behaviour, fraud, and other kinds of classes of allegation which will also stand trial on. this is the life image now from inside the new york court room where ben wright was reporting from just earlier. if you're justjoining us on just earlier. if you're justjoining us on bbc news, we've had the first set of verdicts in the very long list of allegations which have been set against the former hollywood producer harvey weinstein, and guilty of rape in the third degree.

the experts just underlining for us in the last few minutes that the most serious charge there of predatory sexual assault, he was not found guilty on that. but the seriousness of the charges will mean that he will face a sentence in prison for that. this is back in 2018 when he was making some of those earlier appearances in the initial stages of the legal proceedings against weinstein. 0f course one of the biggest scandals and biggest episodes of wrongdoing that's been reported in terms of the hollywood film business itself. that is the image from inside the courtroom, we should get a few other guests courtroom, we should get a few other gu ests to courtroom, we should get a few other guests to talk to us shortly, amy wolf will bejoining guests to talk to us shortly, amy wolf will be joining us on the line. but again to recap on what mark stevens was telling us there, it is the case of course that for those of

you joining us, it is not the end of the legal process in terms of harvey weinstein. it isjust the legal process in terms of harvey weinstein. it is just the the legal process in terms of harvey weinstein. it isjust the beginning of the verdicts process because he 110w of the verdicts process because he now has to stand trial in los angeles and back in new york again. and wejoins us angeles and back in new york again. and we joins us now. angeles and back in new york again. and wejoins us now. it is angeles and back in new york again. and we joins us now. it is very good to hear from you, and we joins us now. it is very good to hearfrom you, your initial thoughts on the verdicts so far? as a woman and a survivor, i am astonished and pleased that this alleged predator, no longer alleged, that so many women have given harrowing first—person accounts of having been abused or raped, or violated by a dashed in a myriad of ways, has been found guilty. found guilty of rape and criminal sex acts. and while headlines are

detailing he's acquitted of the serious charges, the other charges... confirmation of two different assaults in two different situations. so it makes sense to me that he's been found guilty of rape and criminal sex acts. i'm sure the victims are, you can never say relieved because their lives have been totally damaged in a way that people never completely healed from, but they came forward and told their truth about what happened to him to stop finally i want to say that i looked at outcomes for rape, and it is so rare because 12% of rapes are prosecuted get convicted, 6% in the uk. so the fact that such a powerful man was convicted of rape and is now guilty in front of the world of this very, very serious crime is an

important thing for justice very, very serious crime is an important thing forjustice and for women. very important day for justice and women, as you underline. i think it is worth pointing out that more than 80 women, because we are dealing here with some cases involving two women who brought charges against him, they've been vindicated for the most part, apart from that one serious charge i mentioned, but vindicated certainly. but there are more than 80 women who have accused him of sexual assault, stretching back decades. the verdicts today are really emblematic, aren't they?” verdicts today are really emblematic, aren't they? i don't know if emblematic is the right word because every woman's case is different. and i believe this closes the door on many other kinds of accountability, this is just criminal charges and i'm not a lawyer, but i believe that all these women have the right, unless it is

beyond the statute of limitations, to bring civil charges against the state or him. and as he said before we got on the call, this is really just the beginning. it is certainly important that these women who were testifying in this case, that in spite of the efforts of the defence to chip away, especially at the status of one of them and to demean her in various ways, that that did not stick and this verdict really does say that you don't have to be perfect, you don't have to be a nun, you don't have to be someone who is unassailable in every single area of her life to have a crime against you taken seriously, these very, very serious crimes. i don't think it is emblematic but it is clearly

important that at the heart of the defence tried to undermine and in some cases really smear at least one of these victims. this jury of men and women said, "you know what? you don'tjust get to commit violent criminal acts against people with impunity." so it is a very important day, and i really, really don't want to minimise something i think that is forgotten and a lot of news coverage which is that once you have been found not guilty, those victims who came forward and testified — this is a man who hired people to stalk them— those victims could be facing retaliation from weinstein very likely, from the scary operatives. so it is so important for their safety, for the rest of their lives, and it is important that men who have been convicted

of... they're not convicted, they're walking around free. this says you can't just meet people walking around free. this says you can'tjust meet people and expect to go back to the country club and be left alone by the criminal justice system. i don't think anyone at all is questioning the huge significance of the significance of what has happened today. i'm just reminding viewers that he faces these charges in los angeles then back to new york to face more charges. when you look at this case, when you say it is the legal process that weinstein is still undergoing, when you look at this process as it has run so far, and the questions it has raised, how has it changed public perceptions in the united states about the way that this industry has run in the past? i'm not sure i understand your

question, i think that the fact that young women, especially in hollywood are targeted by harassment and abuse and criminal sexual assault is well known. but it has been dismissed by the criminal justice known. but it has been dismissed by the criminaljustice system and often trivialized by perpetrators and theirfriends often trivialized by perpetrators and their friends and networks. as eve ryo ne and their friends and networks. as everyone has said, weinstein‘s behaviour was no secret. and you see this a lot in networks of powerful men in institutions. my abuser, not that they are on anything resembling the slight democrat same scale, as he passed away, there were many in his network who said that his behaviour was well known. i don't think this changes the fact that all of us know institution after institution where powerful men are predators and protected by the institution. but what it rather

shows is cracks in the patriarchy, really, because these institutions have not been successful. in com pletely have not been successful. in completely insulating the predators from the criminaljustice system now that seven men and five women said no matter how powerful he is, no matter how many baskets dashed back does he's one, he's a criminal. i think that is what you're seeing, i don't think you are seeing a sea change of people suddenly realising these are crimes and that they are wrong, i think what you are seeing is the willingness of victims to come forward, we are seeing totally, andi come forward, we are seeing totally, and i speak as a right to make a rape and sexual assault survivor, you are seeing rape and sexual assault survivor, you are seeing more rape and sexual assault survivor, you are seeing more and more rape and sexual assault survivor, you are seeing more and more women come forward with their stories, but it is less and less easy for the patriarchy to do its old tried—and—true tactics of calling a woman crazy 01’ a tried—and—true tactics of calling a woman crazy or a slot, because if

there are millions and millions of us there are millions and millions of us everywhere, serious and accomplished women, mothers and people in the military, actresses as well as women who are more easily dismissed by a sexist and classicist society, more women are willing to say it is not their shame, they are going to come forward, you want to silence them, and that does make it harderfor silence them, and that does make it harder for these predators to mobilise the institutions around them to fully intimidate victims like business as usual. and that is just huge, that is absolutely huge. i know annabelle if he or as an acquaintance, and it took incredible courage for her in her 50s, decades after this violent, horrific assault, incredible courage for her to come forward. she's not alone,

she has millions of women and men cheering her on, and she's not being marginalised in trash right now, she's being treated as a heroin — as she's being treated as a heroin — as she should be. but what was missing was the criminaljustice system behaving appropriately. you had attorneys general not investigating, continuing to cover up. so to finally get a serious conviction, not a trivial one, it will encourage other survivors to come forward. very good to talk to you today, thanks so much for sharing your views with us after those initial verdicts there. thanks so much to naomi wolf. just as we see the live images there from new york, i can tell you the latest from the courtroom is harvey weinstein, the former hollywood producer, will be held in custody. he was put in ha ndcuffs held in custody. he was put in handcuffs and put in custody according to those who are in the court today. just to remind people

just joining court today. just to remind people justjoining us, we are reporting on the fact that the former hollywood producer harvey weinstein has been convicted of sexual assault by a jury convicted of sexual assault by a jury in new york. and as naomi was staying there, it is a victory, one thatis staying there, it is a victory, one that is being marked by the me to movement because it is inspiring women to go public with allegations of misconduct against powerful men. weinstein, 67, is to be detained. he was put in handcuffs in court, this was put in handcuffs in court, this was him arriving today for the verdicts. the verdicts came through about half an hour ago, it may be a little longer than that. but this was harvey weinstein arriving. at one time one of hollywood's most powerful figures, one time one of hollywood's most powerfulfigures, he is 67 and has been convicted today of assaulting a former production assistant in 2006, and raping jessica man who was an

actress back in 2013. he faces the possibility of 25 years in prison for these convictions. he was acquitted of the most serious charge today of predatory sexual assault, which carried a potential life sentence. but as we were saying earlier, he faces further charges not in new york but in los angeles, similar ones, not in new york but in los angeles, similarones, and he not in new york but in los angeles, similar ones, and he will be back in new york to face charges of fraud. 22 minutes past 5pm in london here, those are the events in new york. if we have more on that for you and if we have more on that for you and if we have more reaction to the weinstein verdicts, we will bring them to you right away here on bbc news. 0nto today's other news. we've just been given one of the district attorney's statements coming up, is that coming up? district attorney's statement after the verdicts. let's have a look. welcome, thank you for

being here. don dunning, miriam haley, jessica man, annabella sora, terribly wolf, lauren young, eight women who have changed the course of history in the fight against sexual violence. these are eight women who pulled ourjustice system into the 21st century by declaring that rape is rape, and sexual assault is sexual assault no matter what. rape is rape, whether it is committed by a stranger in a dark alley or by an intimate partner

ina dark alley or by an intimate partner in a working relationship. it is rape whether it is committed by an indigent person or a man of... whether the survivor reports within an hour, within a year, or perhaps never. it is rape despite the complicated dynamics of power and consent after assault. it is rape evenif consent after assault. it is rape even if there is no physical evidence, and even if it happened a long time ago. this is the new landscape for survivors of sexual assault in america, i believe, and this is a new day. it is a new day because harvey weinstein has finally been held accountable for crimes he committed. the women who came forward courageously and at great risk made that happen. weinstein is a vicious serial sexual predator who used his power to threaten, rape,

assault, trick, humiliate, and silence victims. he has been found guilty of criminal sexual acts in the first degree, and it will face on that count a state sentence of no less tha n on that count a state sentence of no less than five years and up to 25 yea rs. to less than five years and up to 25 years. to thejurors, i want less than five years and up to 25 years. to the jurors, i want to thank thejurors years. to the jurors, i want to thank the jurors for their service in careful attention. there verdicts turn the page in ourjustice system on men like harvey weinstein. i want to say thank you to the assistant district attorney's paralegals and a nalysts district attorney's paralegals and analysts who worked on this case including maxine rosenthal, kevin wilson, shannon goldberg, carrie dunn, john erwin, alyssa marino, andy clark, stephanie luttrell, and emily hogan — and especially to harriet galvin, who conducted a

terribly difficult in meticulous investigation and performed masterly at trial under the brightest of spotlights. finally to the survivors of harvey weinstein — iao and we all owe an immense debt to you who had courage beyond measure to speak your story to the world, to this courtroom at great personal risk and in great personal pain. to those of us in great personal pain. to those of us who were privileged to be in the courtroom when they testified, you know what i mean. these survivors are not just brave, know what i mean. these survivors are notjust brave, they were heroic. words cannot describe adequately the sacrifices the survivors made to pursuejustice. weinstein, with his manipulation, his resources, his attorneys, his

publicists, and his spies did everything he could to silence the survivors. but they refused to be silent. they spoke from their hearts and they were heard. they were heard by weinstein's other survivors and by weinstein's other survivors and by sexual predators all over the world will stop they sacrificed their privacy and self protection knowing better than anyone the extent of weinstein's power, manipulation, retribution and abuse. to them, i would say that you broke silence to hold him accountable. and believe me when i say that because you have done so, a generation of sexual assault survivors and all of us sexual assault survivors and all of us heard your every word. thank you. i will take a couple questions suffering are you fully satisfied with this verdict, or do you think it came up short that it could be as little as five years? i'm certainly not a satisfied by the verdict test

verdict. this was a difficult and challenging case, and a case that really moved our understanding of what sexual assault is, where it can occur, and shattered myths that i think were part of the criminal justice system for a long time. so i believe a b felony conviction with a maximum of up to 25 years is not in the top accounts of indictment, but by no means am i disappointed with the jury's unanimous statement that harvey weinstein is guilty of sexual assault and rape. any other questions? it appears the jury repudiated their testimony. do you have any concerns that women will have any concerns that women will have to report such terrible cross—examination at the hands of weinstein's lawyers?” cross—examination at the hands of weinstein's lawyers? i think with regards to jessica weinstein's lawyers? i think with regards tojessica man, weinstein was convicted of rape in the third

degree. but annabella took great risk and was in substantial pain testifying about what happened to her many years ago. i cannot look behind thejury‘s her many years ago. i cannot look behind the jury's verdict or how they arrived at that. we have to respect that process. but by no means is that a statement against her or anything that she said in court. the jurors found a way through to a solution that they believe adequately rings them all together with the unanimous verdict. in terms of the cross—examination, i think we saw cross—examination the kinds we've seen for years and years and years. i hope that with this verdict, it will become more obvious that those kinds of attacks on the survivors and victims when they're on the stand, making it seem like it is all theirfault, will on the stand, making it seem like it is all their fault, will be realised as legal attacks thatjust simply are no longer going to work in this day and age, it is time that lawyers

stop using them in continuing the myths that i think the jury busted today. what is your message to women about why did it take so long for them to come forward? what is your message them? first of all i would say that with this verdict, i hope that survivors will see that in this justice system, prosecutors, judges and juries will believe them. even when the facts are not simple, and even when the dynamics of the relationships between the survivors and the abuser are complicated. so i think the message is that this is a big day, this is a new day, and i hope women will understand the significance of the jury verdict today.

in terms of the time it takes to report a sexual assault, we cannot put ourselves in the shoes of a victim of sexual assault, to understand what is going through his or her mind, you had on the witness stand the reasons why a number of these women, survivors did not come forward. they were afraid of harvey weinstein for one thing, that he would ruin their career, say there is also the dynamics that make survivors of sexual assault not co mforta ble survivors of sexual assault not comfortable to come forward. however, those stories are now part of what we all now understand better after this trial, that survivors have to go through. i think my hope is that with this verdict, survivors of sexual assault, whether it is of mrwine of sexual assault, whether it is of mr wine scene or whether it is of someone mr wine scene or whether it is of someone else, will come forward —— mr harvey weinstein, and our office and others like our office will be there to listen to them and help

them move forward. thank you so much everyone. have a good day that was the district attorney of new york, giving his response to the verdicts there. paying tribute to those who have been part of the case and more important than anything, paying tribute to the women who came forward in often difficult circumstances to give their testimony against this man, harvey weinstein, who has been convicted on serious charges and could be facing up serious charges and could be facing up to 25 years injail. serious charges and could be facing up to 25 years in jail. there are other cases yet to come. 0utside up to 25 years in jail. there are other cases yet to come. outside the court room is our correspondent, we spoke earlier about bbad acts as they came through, tell us a little more about the reaction —— about the verdicts as they came through. cyrus delighted that the case that he assembled and brought against harvey weinstein in this new york

court has ended with these guilty verdicts. quite a lot of pressure on him, he proceeded aggressively and assembled quite a complicated series of charges against harvey weinstein which he hoped would maximise convictions and that is what has happened. as we have been talking about, how they wisely has not been convicted on the most serious conviction on this list, predatory sexual assault. for the journey to go down that road and find him guilty would have required them to decide that he had committed to first—degree sex acts against two separate people. they have not done that but they have found him guilty ofa criminal that but they have found him guilty of a criminal sex that in the first degree in the concern of the case of mimi haleyi, and the other and jessica mann. they gave tearful evidence as they took the witness stand, recounting the trauma that they had experienced at the hands of harvey weinstein. he said nothing during the course of this trial, he

sat back and that his defence team did the work, calling their own witnesses to testify on his behalf, try and discredit the witnesses on the stand. as the jury read out, he was apparently pretty impassive, you cannot tell what he was thinking. he was handcuffed and taken straight into custody. he was taken straight to prison. he breakfast at the four seasons hotel before coming down to the court room to see whether or not the court room to see whether or not thejury had the court room to see whether or not the jury had found a verdict. he has gone straight to prison, such a thing will happen on march 11, it is not clear yet how long he is looking up not clear yet how long he is looking up behind bars but it could be up to 25 years. thank you very much. if there is any more reaction, including from some of those involved in the case, which may indie occur in the next few minutes, we will come back to it

straightaway. we are expecting some statements. all the microphones are in place. as soon as people appear, we will be back there. in the meantime, i would like to cover some developments on the coronavirus today. there is this going the other possible pa ntano today. there is this going the other possible pantano is coronavirus as it continues to spread globally —— possible pandemic. health experts warn that the chances of containing the virus are diminishing. most of the infections, around 77 thousand, are in china, but other countries including italy are battling to contain the spread. in china, nearly 2,600 people have died. there've been more than 1200 cases confirmed elsewhere, and more than 20 deaths. the uk is ‘well prepared' to deal with coronavirus, and the risk to individuals remains low, according to the government. our first report is by our correspondent richard galpin. so great is the fear

of coronavirus spreading that here in the alps last night, italian troops and police stopped this train from crossing into austria. two passengers were suspected of having the virus. hours later, the train continued its journey — they'd tested negative. elsewhere, in northern italy, the police are now setting up roadblocks to stop people entering and leaving a series of towns like this one. in total, 50,000 people are in lockdown. italy the worst hit country in europe, so far with more than 160 cases of coronavirus, the number of dead has increased to five. this civil protection official said the army and air force were ready to make barracks with more than 5000 beds available for people needing to be in quarantine. here in milan, people are preparing for the worst, stocking up with food,

emptying the shelves. already, iconic sights like the cathedral have closed, alongside schools and universities. but the spread of coronavirus in europe is eclipsed by what is happening here in iran. 50 people are reported to have died from the virus in one city, but the government is giving much lowerfigures. officials in neighbouring iraq, however, are taking precautions, checking people on the border with iran. we have these sporadic cases in other countries and sustained infection in these other hotspots, so the creation of sudden hotspots is telling us something. it is telling us that the infection has now spread from china to other countries, so it is only a matter of time before we call this a proper pandemic. another major hotspot in south korea. this is the queue for facemasks in the worst hit city of daegu.

the government has raised the infections disease alert for the country to its highest level. thousands of people have been told to put themselves in quarantine. across the demilitarised zone in north korea, the authorities have announced that 380 foreigners have been put in quarantine to try to prevent an outbreak of the virus. and in china, where the outbreak began, the government has had to postpone the annual gathering of thousands of communist party delegates for the national people's congress. this, for the first time in decades. the official reason — so they can deal with the health crisis in their home provinces. while preventative measures in china seem to be decreasing the number of coronavirus cases, the list of other affected countries is growing, fuelling the fears of a pandemic. richard galpin, bbc news.

0ur correspondents in south korea and china have been giving us the latest update on the situation, where they are. many people are just staying indoors. you saw them earlier queuing for masks. many of them left empty—handed. there is beginning to be fear spreading here, as over 700 people have contracted the virus and eight others have died. we are told by health officials that several others are now in a critical condition in hospital. the main area of concern is a psychiatric ward in a hospital a little bit south from here, where over 100 patients have contracted the virus. these are already vulnerable patients. meanwhile, the race is on to trace those patients who have been infected, including the members of a religious sect. police have been given special powers to track them using a mobile phone. health officials here tell us that the race

is on because they believe that the next few days in south korea are critical, if they are to prevent this outbreak from becoming an epidemic. here, the chinese government has postponed the most important annual political meeting. the national people's congress was do to start next week with nearly 3,000 communist party delegates descending on this, the chinese capital. you can imagine they are also coming from hubei province, the worst hit province in the country, and amongst those delegates, somebody could have carried the coronavirus into the great hall of the people, where this country's most senior leadership are, where the leadership of the military are also gathering. we don't know when this will be held, but that decision will be taken at some other time. however, a different picture is emerging from inside hubei province and in the rest of the country.

inside, we are hearing that the mortality rate is as high as 4%. but if you just take the city of wuhan out of the equation, across the country, that mortality rate goes down to 0.7%. so you can see what a different picture we are getting across the country. outside of hubei, these figures seem to be showing that it is working when the government imposed these restrictions on people's movements. the disease is spreading much less quickly and is in a much better situation than in hubei, where it is still pretty dire. professorjonathan ball, thank you for joining professorjonathan ball, thank you forjoining us. it is good to have you with us. thank you for waiting patiently to talk to us. while we look at cases of italy and iran and south

korea, what can you tell viewers about the nature of the spread?” think that really is the crux of the matter, we have got three parts of the world that geographically quite separated and we've had the right wrist spin introduced into those places and, unfortunately, we are not clear where the virus has come from. ultimately will have come from china but the reality is we do not know who the index case was, the first person to introduce the virus. we have had its red i ran the committee under the radar and that is why wasting large numbers of infected individuals. iran, we have reports of it spidering into neighbouring iraq and afghanistan. it isa neighbouring iraq and afghanistan. it is a real concern. we are probably already at the point of it being a pandemic. when the british government says today we have the measures in place just government says today we have the measures in placejust in government says today we have the measures in place just in case, government says today we have the measures in placejust in case, the risk is low, that is clearly meant to reassure people. do you think

thatis to reassure people. do you think that is responsible, realistic? how would you grade that advice?” that is responsible, realistic? how would you grade that advice? i think at the moment the risk is low because what you are going to see is the occasional case imported into the occasional case imported into the uk and on the whole, that is going to be from one of the areas where there is the most coronavirus activity. as time goes on, and it has been introduced into lots of different parts of the world, what we will see is the virus come into this country under the radar and start to transmit within the community and we will start to see cases and, more importantly, cluster of cases where we had no idea these we re of cases where we had no idea these were occurring. the only thing that they, can do is try and continue to limit the spread, but i think the reality is the horse has already bolted on the virus are starting to spread around the world because it is easily transmitted from human—to—human. we talk about a pandemic, for most people watching, they will think this is truly catastrophic development. how would you describe

pandemic to people, in the way it might impact their lives? in terms of pandemic, we think of the virus been able to spread within the community, chains of human—to—human transmission, i think we are releasing that. some of the reassuring factors coming out of china is the fact there is serious disease isn't anyway likely as we saw with something like the sars coronavirus, fewer than 20% of individuals are likely to get severe respiratory symptoms and the one or 296 respiratory symptoms and the one or 2% of fatalities that you are hearing about, we would expect that number to be hearing about, we would expect that numberto bea hearing about, we would expect that number to be a lot less because we suspect there are far many undiagnosed cases of coronavirus infection out there and therefore the case fatality rate will obviously be lower. this is something that can have a direct impact on people's health and it would have a direct impact on the nhs and how it can deal with the coronavirus infection. thankfully we're coming into summer, that

should limit the spread of the as well, but expect it to reappear at some point soon. jonathan, thank you to talk to, and for coming in. the uk needs over a million more homes, according to analysis by the bbc, which underlines the scale of the housing shortage. it's thought that at the current rate, it could take 15 years to make up the shortfall. a survey by the independent affordable housing commission also found a high number of young people in their 30s still living with their parents or other family members. 0ur correspondent simon gompertz has the details. i've lived here for a year and a half... keeping a roof over your head — for many it is a stress and worry. zoe spends more than a third of her pay on rent in london. she dreams of the keys to a home of her own, but that's a distant prospect. i can't do things like buying a car, which i would really like to. i can't move out, i have to still be in a flat share. i also keep getting evicted

through no fault of my own, and each time that's cost me over £1000. so every time i have saved money that i could put towards a deposit, it's gone. in a poll of more than 2000 for the affordable housing commission, 13% of adults say their mental health was affected. of those in unaffordable housing, costing more than a third of income, like zoe's, a quarter said they were affected. and she's one of them. it makes me feel really anxious, it made me very depressed. it made it really difficult to look for work, because i had so much of my mental time worrying about where i was going to live. you can't really present yourself best in an interview if you're sleeping on a friend's sofa and you're really worried you're going to be homeless. what's behind the worry is a shortage. we've built more than a million fewer houses than we should have done in recent years, and with the population growing as well, it'll take at least 15 years to fill that gap. and what's adding to the stress is that too few of the houses we're

building are affordable. i do like drawing people... hannah in 0xfordshire, who's 32, has lived with different family members rent—free while saving to buy something affordable — earning extra by selling her illustrations. but it still means sacrifices. i started saving when i was 14. ivery, very rarely, even now, spend anything on myself. there's a sense of guilt that i cannot spend anything on myself, because i have to save for a roof over my head, i have to have security for my future. the affordable housing commission found that more than half of 18 to 2a—year—olds live with family, and 18% — nearly one fifth — are still doing it as 25 to 34—year—olds. it's an increasing number. if you're living under someone else's roof, you're constantly under their rules, and therefore you can't have a relationship, really, with anyone. you can't invite them back. it's quite lonely. there's a lot of pressure. hannah's homeowning dream may soon

be more than just something on paper, because she has saved enough for a deposit on a flat, but the housing challenge, she says, has been constant stress. simon gompertz, bbc news. i'm joined now by lord best, chair of the affordable housing commission, and former leader of thejoseph rowntree housing trust. thank you for waiting to talk to us, we had lots to talk about from america earlier. it is good to have you with us. when we look at the scale of the housing challenge, do you detect that the political will is there to devote the kind of resources needed to meet this challenge? well, government is trying to respond. it allowed councils once again to build counselling housing, which is a very good thing, they have been allowed

to borrow as much as they can to build some more. that is going to ta ke build some more. that is going to take some time. leaving everything to the house—builders is not going to the house—builders is not going to work, they only build out as fast as they can keep the prices up. do not rely on them. the housing associations, we want to see them doing a lot more, they sort of stand between the private and the public sector. i think people want something to be done, but it is going to cost to build all the homes that we need and to build them on an affordable basis so people can actually afford to buy them or read them, it is going to cost serious money. we have to keep on a government to make sure they come up with it. the concept of affordability will va ry the concept of affordability will vary in different parts of the uk and different incomes, how would you explain to viewers how you go about defining what is an affordable housing proposition and what is not? absolutely. we have set our lines at

33% of your take—home pay. if you spend more than 33%, you may be getting into trouble. if you spend more than a0%, you almost certainly are going to get into trouble, arrears, doubt, personal problems, all those difficulties. —— you will get into debt. there are 2.4 million young people now up to the aged 35 who are staying at home, his parents are saying we do not think they are ever going leave now. we have looked at the people who have postponed perhaps far having children. housing is dictating all these ways in which we behave, instead of being the place where you bring up families, it secure, it is home. we have really got to get on top of this. in the past, where the supply of housing has been problematic, people have had the option in some areas, private rented housing,

finding other kinds of solutions, other than family solutions, that is no longer as attractive an option, is it? you mention people basically stuck, i suppose is the word, not being able to buy the places, the private sector is very expensive, in many areas, quality that is not great, let's just say. many areas, quality that is not great, let'sjust say. would many areas, quality that is not great, let's just say. would you agree this is an urgent social need to get on top of? you have nailed it. the private rented sector which is more expensive has doubled, it has gone up from 9% of our housing to nearly just about 20%. has gone up from 9% of our housing to nearlyjust about 20%. one in five homes. it is expensive. the cancer sector, the housing association sector, the social sector, that is halved —— the council sector. social sector have, come down from nearly a third of the

nation's housing, it has come down. we need affordable housing that we use the get from councils and housing association. to come back to my first question again, the government have a new mandate and a big majority in the commons, not many people he ran to do not recognise that housing supply isa do not recognise that housing supply is a problem, do you detect from your point of view that we are likely to see some political change in this area or not? government have said forfirst—time in this area or not? government have said for first—time buyers, in this area or not? government have said forfirst—time buyers, they in this area or not? government have said for first—time buyers, they are going to introduce a new scheme and thatis going to introduce a new scheme and that is a good idea, great, we want all the help we can get for first—time buyers. they will make the house builders pay for that, planning permission, they have to do so planning permission, they have to do so many affordable homes and homes for sale. that is good news. the government is focusing on this. at dinner is this at the expense of people who are not going to be able

to buy and need affordable rented housing? thejury to buy and need affordable rented housing? the jury is out, there to buy and need affordable rented housing? thejury is out, there is a budget coming, spending review, we have got to keep on at them. lord best, thank you for coming on. you can get more on this, by downloading the briefing on housing. you will see the links there to housing and there is a briefing pack for you. harvey weinstein has been convicted in new york, they found him not guilty of the most serious charges of predatory sexual assault and first—degree rape which would have carried a life sentence. the lawyer has just carried a life sentence. the lawyer hasjust in carried a life sentence. the lawyer has just in the past freeman has been giving her reaction to the verdicts of three of harvey

weinstein's victims. this is a legal reckoning for harvey weinstein. the witnesses i represent are rumbles of courage, in this case, without their willingness to be subjected to an intense and brutal cross—examination, this result would never have been one. mimi haleyi is one of the two victims in this criminal case and she is my client. her sacrifice to the right of privacy in the interest of justice. annabella sciorra the right of privacy in the interest ofjustice. annabella sciorra was a very brave witness on this issue of predatory conduct. lauren young was a witness, she is also one of the two victims in the los angeles cou nty two victims in the los angeles county criminal case against harvey weinstein, which will be prosecuted in los angeles very soon. all of my

three client should be considered heroes of the women's movement and the victims rights movement. these witnesses told the truth under oath, despite what many people felt were unfair attacks on their credibility by harvey weinstein's defence lawyers, who attempted to do anything and anything legally possible to challenge the motives of the witnesses and blame them for what the witnesses testified what harvey weinstein did to them. the attem pts harvey weinstein did to them. the atte m pts to harvey weinstein did to them. the attempts to discredit them were not successful. my clients bravely stood in their truth and refused to be intimidated, bullied or shamed. and to shamefully changing that testimony, i am to shamefully changing that testimony, iam happy to shamefully changing that testimony, i am happy thejury delivered their verdict that was read in court today as to mimi and

jessica, who i do not represent. the jury jessica, who i do not represent. the jury asked forfull jessica, who i do not represent. the jury asked for full questions in advance of the verdict and we thank them for their service. for thejob on this historic case and i believe it isa on this historic case and i believe it is a just result for mimi and jessica. harvey weinstein will now have to finally face the serious consequences of his criminal behaviour at his sentencing, here in new york on march 11. the most serious charge is the one that he was convicted on for my client mimi, felt that he can face 10—25 years. the victim does have an opportunity to speak at the sentencing and give her victim impact statement and in the event that mimi is available on march 11, she and i will be here in order to do that.

the lawyer for some of the victims with allegations against harvey weinstein. i look forward to seeing him in los angeles after the sentencing, as he attem pts angeles after the sentencing, as he atte m pts to angeles after the sentencing, as he attempts to defend himself against the criminal charges which will face him there. as i said, i represent lauren young who is one of the two victims for whom charges have been filed in los angeles. she was a witness in this case. and that is gloria. the lawyer for some of the victims who have brought allegations against harvey weinstein, dozens of them in all, two of them today he had brought the allegations against him in new york, verdicts returned,

he has been found guilty of some very serious charges. not the most serious on the list today of predatory sexual assault, but other charges of rape and sexual assault and as gloria was saying that, just on those charges alone, he could be facing a sentence between ten and 25 yea rs facing a sentence between ten and 25 years in prison. he will be sentenced on march 11 for new york. this was him arriving today. there is another case pending in los angeles and yet another case to do with fraud and other criminal behaviour in new york. all of that to come still. more on bbc news at six with fiona, coming up in a few minutes. here is the weather. some significant and disruptive snow in places, northern england, northern ireland and scotland today. the snow continues for a time it sta rts

the snow continues for a time it starts to fade away then. replace with furthering wintry showers, giving further accumulations across parts of scotland, northern ireland, may be down into wales as well. dry sinclair is in the east. a cold night for all of us, maybe down to -2. a night for all of us, maybe down to —2. a strong and cold north—westerly wind on tuesday, that will blow through lots of wintry showers. i mean they could have sleet, snow, hail, and also perhaps the risk of some thunder and lightning as well. not for many showers getting lost to eastern counties but nowhere in new to these wintry showers. strongest across south—west england and the channel case. the thermometer may read five celsius but with the strength of the wind it might feel even colder. goodbye.

he was once the king of hollywood — now, harvey weinstein is found guilty of rape and sexual assault. he was cleared of two of the most serious charges, but still faces years in jail. it's no longer business as usual in the united states. this is the age of empowerment of women and you cannot intimidate any more. the records will show, the history books will show that harvey weinstein is a convicted rate this. vindication at last for his female accusers. —— a convicted rate this. fear grows that the spreads of coronavirus around the world can't be stopped.