the taliban claim they've captured the final afghan province not yet under their control. they released a video on social media showing their flag being raised at the governor's compound in panjshir province. the leader of the local resistance fighters has accused the west of allowing the taliban to advance. the families of the 298 people who died when a malaysian airliner was shot down over rebel—held eastern ukraine are testifying at a murder trial in the netherlands. three russians and one ukrainian national are accused of downing flight mh-i7, in 2014. a court in belarus has given lengthy prison sentences to two key opposition figures who lead protests against president lukashenko last year. judges found maria kolesnikova and maxim znak guilty of extremism and plotting to seize power. the us and the uk have condemned the sentencing. now, what colour are the hands on the clockface of big ben?

surely the world's most famous timepiece. the answer isn't what you might think. after a multi—million pound restoration project, the hands have been returned to their original colour — as tim muffett reports — right on time. countdown to completion. one of the biggest restoration jobs ever undertaken on a landmark british building is approaching the finish line. good to see you, ian. and you. what is it you're doing here? we're servicing the rollers. this is one of the bits that we couldn't actually get to and service while the minute hands were on. if you're a clock mechanic, this is like the champions league and the world cup rolled into one, i'd imagine, this project. working on this clock will be a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. to actually have taken it all to pieces, putting it back together again, and then carry on looking after it for a few more years, that's just going to be fantastic. one of the most striking things you notice is the colour of the clock faces.

for many years, the minute demarcations, the numbers and the clock hands, were painted black. but during the refurbishment, as many layers of paint were stripped away, it became clear that they were originally this shade of blue — it's called prussian blue — and that is what they've been repainted in. this restoration project was originally budgeted at £29 million. the total bill is now set to exceed 80 million. as you pulled off the layers of this building, you find more and more that needs to be done. when we're taking out one piece of stain, adjacent stains often needed to be replaced. it's one of those things — until you can get up close to it, it's very difficult to see the scope of the repair. chiming with the clock mechanism out of action, a computerised system has meant that on special occasions, big ben has still been struck. we're standing in the belfry of the elizabeth tower, - and it was specially _ constructed so that the chiming bells for the four quarters i could be heard right across

london. there's one piece of damage here that's been deliberately left alone. this crack appeared when big ben was struck during a test in 1858 — the hammer was too heavy, but it gives the bell its unique tone. this is london. chiming it should be e, - the note e, but it does give it a slightly flat sound. a very serious sound, in fact. so that's one bit of repairing you didn't want to do? that's right, yes. no change to the bell. whatsoever, because it's become the familiar, the familiar note. - chiming a much—loved building, largely hidden for the past few years, slowly revealing itself once more. tim muffett, bbc news. now on bbc news: talking movies.

# under the boardwalk, down by the sea... welcome to the boardwalk on the beach here at world—famous coney island in new york city, as talking movies looks back at blockbuster season. we report on the excitement early on in the season as cinemas opened up. i was struck going back to the movies again, you know, how different it is to watch something on your couch versus in a theatre. and we survey the big blockbuster season crowd—pleasers and find out how horror has been bringing audiences in. # are you ready, black people? crowd: yes! plus, among the blockbusters,

a well—received music documentary that brought to light a little—known festival packed with talent. # i heard it through the grapevine! americans might have wanted to venture to the beach this summer but there was hesitancy when it came to going to the cinema. normally blockbuster season, which covers a period from may until september, brings hollywood more than 40% of its annual revenues. but this year, because of covid—19, that figure was lower. among the top grossing films this blockbuster season were marvel�*s action spy thriller, black widow, f9 — the latest instalment of the fast and furious franchise, and the horrorfilm a quiet place part ii. audience were pleased were to be able to return to cinemas. to be honest, i was almost over—the—moon excited about... this is my first visit to a theatre since probably 2019. although several would—be blockbusters stumbled at the american box office, the films that flew were those well—suited to watching in an auditorium as cinemas opened up. the film that has performed so well because it waited for the movie theatre, and it's so perfectly tailored for the movie

theatre experience, is a quiet place part ii. horror movies in general play better in a theatre — that communal environment, the electricity of everyone being scared together, and that movie perfectly played into the fomo factor, meaning that fear of missing out for audiences who knew they could not get that movie at home. although a slew of titles was released, there was the sense that no single film qualified as a landmark summer movie. nothing that has been released since restrictions started to be eased in theatres feels like an event to me. there were a lot of movies that i think in theory, like in another time would have been events, and i'm just naive enough to believe that it's not because people are over theatres in some sense, but rather because the circumstances don't make theatres attractive right now. as cinemas reopen, they had to cope with an audience that had grown heavily dependent on streaming. black widow was launched simultaneously, like several films, in both cinemas and on a disney streaming platform. box office at cinemas was seen

as having suffered as a result. the movie's star and executive producer, scarlettjohansson, made news by controversially suing disney for breach of contract. the movie released on disney+'s premier access platforms the same day that it released in theatres. and scarlettjohansson�*s lawsuit argues that, because it released this way, it cut into her earnings potential. this has been one of the most impactful responses to these new streaming services and their new release models that we've seen yet during the pandemic and i think that all of hollywood is watching. blockbuster season also had other controversies. lin manuel miranda's adaptation of his stage musical, in the heights, brought a vibrant latino cast to the screens. latinos have been woefully under—represented in mainstream american cinema but in the heights' cast was being criticised for being too light—skinned. so i think this is actually

an ongoing issue for hollywood. the lack of inclusion of black latinos, specifically, or darker—skinned latinos. we got in the heights because so many people were so vocal about the fact that hollywood was leaving latinos out, and that sort of criticism spurred the film, and then the film came out, and then those very same people were like, "hey, you're not representing all of us," and that, sort of, opens the door, it acknowledges the conversation and it allows for other projects in the future to be more inclusive. but the eagerly anticipated in the heights didn't do as well at the box office as had been expected, which could mean that studio bosses will be less than enthusiastic in green—lighting other big movies with latino casts in the future. i hope the performance of in the heights in theatres doesn't prevent studios from green—lighting films with diversity or featuring latino stories and those kinds of points of view, and i wouldn't give up on either musicals or films with diversity and those points of viewjust because one movie

or even two don't do as well as expected. these are challenging times for the film industry, this blockbuster season, as movie—goers have had to decide whether to venture into cinemas or stay at home with streaming. at least the stars of this summer movie season's films know where they would like their fans to see their work. matt damon stars in the thriller stillwater. i'd prefer that people go see it in a cinema. i mean, the relationship that you have to something is so different — if you control it and it's on your tv and you have a remote control in your hand, it's a very different experience than going at a set time and you all watch it together, you don't stop it and get up and make popcorn or if you have to leave the room, the movie's not going to stop for you, and that's a very different relationship and i was struck by that going back to the movies again. film release schedules have

been reshuffled numerous times over the past few months. the film industry wants to see a return to normality, as do movie—goers forever hungry for the magic and sustenance that cinema can bring to their lives. blockbuster season has traditionally been defined by big budget action films, but many of the better movies this year were smaller, more modest offerings. among them, coda, which stands for child of deaf adults, as noah gittell reports. the main character in coda, ruby, is the only hearing person in an otherwise deaf family. in other ways she's like every other teenager caught between two worlds — her childhood life with her parents and the future she dreams. ruby wants to study singing at a prestigious arts university. but she also serves

as her family's unofficial translator and a key employee of their struggling fishing business. the film effectively blends the emotions of a coming—of—age drama with an authentic portrayal of deaf culture. director sian heder, a hearing person, worked hard to get it right. i spoke with a lot of codas, i got a their firsthand experiences, i reached out to members of the deaf community, i made deaf friends, i, you know — it really was — if i'm going to do this, have to make sure that i have the people around me to be the check and balance to my own perspective. portraying deaf culture authentically is not only the right thing to do but it also makes for far more cinematic storytelling. film, after all, is designed to capture motion, and while speaking dialogue aloud can obviously be effective, and we have almost

a century of talkies to prove it, watching the characters in coda have passionate discussions in american sign language, or asl, is far more visually stimulating than having the characters simply speak aloud. the first time i watched an asl fight, right? i was like, this is awesome! like, talk about cinema! you're stomping, you're grabbing the other person, you're right — like, you don't walk away from a fight cos you have to be looking at each other. the filmmakers obviously want their movie to find as wide an audience as possible but the opinion of one particular demographic is crucial. deaf communities take their representation in film very seriously. there's even a social media campaign — #deaftalent — to call out projects who cast hearing actors in deaf roles. coda got that one right, casting three deaf actors, including marlee matlin, an oscar winner for 1986's

children of a lesser god, in the key roles. but there's more to it than just casting. portraying deaf people well also means highlighting the ways in which they're no different than hearing people. often they fall into two categories. it's an object of pity — being deaf is an object of pity. or... "oh, my gosh, how noble. "they've overcome the odds and, you know, "they're a shining light in this dark time". those are two narratives and they're very two—dimensional. there's no depth. there's no background, there's no real story. it's just very superficial. and deaf people are like everybody else. lately it feels like hollywood is starting to listen. lauren ridloff, a deaf actor who won a tony for the 2018 broadway revival of children of a lesser god, will

soon star as a marvel superhero in eternals. sound of metal, a harrowing drama about a man who loses his hearing and becomes immersed in a deaf community, won two oscars earlier this year. coda offers a different but savvy strategy towards progress, inserting a raw and authentic portrayal of disability into a comforting and familiar genre. it gives the issue of deaf representation its biggest platform yet. blockbuster season has featured quite a few horror films, among them emily blunt in a quiet place part ii and michael bay's the forever purge. and now candyman, nearly 30 years after it first hooked audiences, has been given a 21st century makeover, as emma jones reports. candyman. the urban legend is, if you say his name five times while looking in the mirror, he appears in the reflection and kills you. who would do that? the candyman of the 1992 original, starring tony todd and virginia madsen,

was a rarity — a black horror protagonist. he was the spectre of daniel robitaille, a black man lynched by a white crowd in chicago, now terrorising those living on a public housing estate. that film achieved cult status and inspired two slasher—like sequels. this one, produced byjordan peele, the director of get out, and directed by nia dacosta, whose next film will be superhero blockbuster the marvels, is altogether bigger, and a direct continuation of the original. this monster is the embodied rage and pain of black men who are victims of racial violence, as an artist antony, played by yahya abdul—mateen ii, discovers when he summons candyman. i think i made a mistake. what i find really powerful is the expression that this candyman is an expression

of the rage and pain and injustice and violence that has been done to so many black men. could you expand on that? for sure, i think the first film, which i absolutely love, it really focuses on this one figure, daniel robitaille, and it's sort of like, this happened to one person, and this is why he specifically exists, and what i love about the movie is they talk about systemic issues like gentrification — for me it was important to show this isn'tjust a one—off thing, it is like a wave of violence as opposed to these little specks and incidents. i feel really connected to this neighbourhood. candyman has other artful links with the original film. while the legend of the first film is told using shadow puppets, the same methods also used to tell these stories of racial violence. the shadow puppets ended up being really useful, because i have to tell those stories without sort of exploiting black bodies. since cinemas reopened, horror films, still cheap

in comparison to superhero movies, have carried on performing on the big screen. the forever purge, the fifth in the dystopian series, made its $18 million budget back already, three times over. john krasinski's a quiet place part ii has so far made $200 million globally. so has another horror franchise, the conjuring: the devil made me do it, produced byjames wan. another horrorfilm he has directed, malignant, is due out shortly. there are also high hopes for tom hardy's venom horror—comedy superhero sequel. it seems a thrill of imagined fear is one collective experience audiences still crave. given the collective trauma we have all been through in recent months, is there a cathartic nature to this kind of horror? oh, 100%. i think horrorfilms, when you look at them decade to decade, you completely understand what everyone was anxious about in that time. whether it is like, godzilla and the fear of nuclear weapons, nuclear war, nuclear proliferation, or it's a bunch of exorcism

films and religious anxiety, it pinpoints what we are scared of in any moment of time. candyman! say his name. screaming: candyman! candyman, like other blockbusters of this time, treads a fine line between entertainment and trauma. and it certainly reinforces the message that the true horror is in the human heart. the thriller stillwater was unveiled halfway through blockbuster season at the cannes film festival in july. it comes from a thoughtful american filmmaker, tom mccarthy, and stars a much—liked hollywood leading man, matt damon. the day you left for marseille... stillwater puts reliable hollywood leading man matt damon front and centre, playing an unemployed oil rig roughneck from oklahoma, travelling to marseille in france to visit his daughter who's been

imprisoned on the charge of murdering her girlfriend. father and daughter don't really get along. tell me exactly what you did, dad. i hate myself for ever trusting you! damon's character, bill baker, becomes immersed in a rogue attempt to exonerate his daughter. this larger—than—life american blue—collar worker definitely sticks out in very french surroundings. damon worked hard to get the role right. the character was not something i'd seen before, you know, a roughneck from oklahoma, that is a very specific thing. and it was really, going down there and researching and spending time with those guys was really...interesting and kind of critical to getting this guy right. the movie is really well observed. do you think part of the enjoyment is actually seeing your character as a kind of fish out of water? yeah, tom, but in a real way, not in a hollywood movie way. like, the character that i play is a very specific thing, and to sort of put that guy

in a place like marseille, which is in itself a very specific city and to kind of see how those two interact with one another was a really interesting movie. it is a drama that is directed and co—written by the oscar—winning filmmaker tom mccarthy, its story partly based on amanda knox, the us exchange student who was wrongly convicted of the 2007 murder of her british roommate in italy. early on, 10—11 years ago i was following that case, i thought it was fascinating. i think personally i felt like it was sensationalised in a way that wasn't ultimately very healthy, but i really wanted to examine the relationship, which was fictionalised at this point, between a young woman in prison in europe and herfather. one welcome addition to the cast is the french actress camille cottin, well known for the netflix series call my agent, who plays the eventual love interest to matt damon's character. she aids him in his effort to get his daughter out ofjail.

camille cottin has a real ease to her performance which was refreshing to watch. she is at least relieved that in these pandemic times stillwater ended up in cinemas, not on a streaming platform. i am so thankful that the film will be out on screen, and i think personally, this is a movie that has to be seen on a big screen, because it is a trip to marseille, and we can't travel anymore. at least we can have a glimpse of marseille in a very big screen, and it makes the experience much more intense. this film tries, through damon's character, to make some political points to take a swipe at american populism and a me—first mentality. it doesn't quite succeed. although there are some commendable components to this picture, it is an ambitious concoction that falls a bit short. and amanda knox certainly made it clear that she is not happy that this film was made. on twitter she posted that... "people continue to profit off my name, face and story

without my consent. most recently, the film stillwater." one of the pleasant surprises of blockbuster season was summer of soul, a documentary that threw a light on a little—known festival that took place here in harlem in new york city in 1969, the same year the much more high—profile woodstock music festival was held. tristan daley reports. nobody ever heard of the harlem cultural festival. summer of soul (...or, when the revolution could not be televised), is a documentary all about the harlem cultural festival, an event in which some musical legends performed to hundreds of thousands of attendees over the course of six weekends in the summer of 1969. the festival took place in new york's harlem neighbourhood in upper manhattan, and it was slated to celebrate black culture and history in america. those in attendance felt like it was a momentous occasion — but, back then, it was overshadowed

by woodstock. footage of the event sat in a basement for decades forgotten — until now. # are you ready, black people? crowd cheering. # are you really ready? the film was the directorial debut for ahmir "questlove" thompson, known by many as questlove, a founding member of the hip—hop group the roots. in the film, he drives home the sense of injustice felt that a cultural and historical music event that celebrated blackness had been seriously overlooked by the media for so long. we are a new people! i didn't believe such a thing happened. but when i saw the footage it was like, i got a responsibility. but this is not...i don't consider this my directorial debut, more that i consider it my chance to correct history. # i heard it through the grapevine... the film featured a strong lineup of performances

from iconic black musical acts including gladys knight and the pips, and stevie wonder. # i am just about, just about, just about... the documentary plays like a concert film commemorating the performances from musical legends. it also acknowledges the sociopolitical climate that surrounded the event in 1969, when black communities all across america were experiencing turbulence. �*69 was a paradigm shift, and you kind of had a younger generation that had demands. you know, the first draft, the first wave of civil rights was more about quiet, peaceful protest, and this new generation...you know, demanded respect. questlove hopes that audiences will embrace the blackjoy that is also present in the film. that's an element that also needs to be told in black stories. you know, we've told the trauma, we told the pain, we told the sorrow, we told some progress too — butjoy is also an element,

and this is what this has. well, we hope you've enjoyed the programme. please remember you can always reach us online at bbc.com/talkingmovies, and you can find us on facebook and twitter. so from me, tom brook and the rest of the talking movies production team here in coney island in new york city, it is goodbye, as we leave you with a music clip from lin—manuel miranda's in the heights, one of blockbuster season's early releases. # esa bonita bandera! # contiene mi alma entera! # in fact, can we sing so loud and raucous # they can hear us across the bridge in east secaucus? # pa'rriba esa bandera! # alzala donde quiera! # from puerto rico to santo domingo # wherever we go, we rep our people and the beat go... # esa bonita bandera! # contiene mi alma entera! # vanessa, forget about what coulda been # dance with me, one last night, in the hood again. # wepa!

# carnaval del barrio, carnaval del barrio... well, the warm southerly winds have arrived and a dose of summer heat is on the way. but it's not going to last very long. yes, a very warm and sunny tuesday on the way, but from wednesday onwards, late on wednesday, we could have thunderstorms in the southwest of the uk brought by this area of low pressure. but for the time being, high pressure over us, notjust over the uk but much of europe. and here's that warm air coming in from the south, spreading across the uk. so the early hours looks pretty quiet across much of the country. there will be some mist and fog forming, maybe northern wales,

merseyside, lancashire. and mild, if not quite warm, 15—17 celsius around dawn. and the temperatures will quickly skyrocket as we go through the morning and into the afternoon. now, it's going to be sunshine pretty much all around, although across some far northwestern parts of the country, it could be a little hazy and cloudy. much cooler in stornoway, 18 celsius, but the mid—20s for the lowlands of scotland, 27 for yorkshire, 30 possible in the midlands. and if we do get 30, which we are very likely to get 30, it will be the hottest day since 23july, after a relatively cool august, because the temperatures never really got that high during august — a little unusual. so this is what it looks like on wednesday, the weather map. you can see a low pressure approaching us, weather fronts here too. these are showers and thunderstorms reaching southwestern parts of england and also wales, some showers getting into northern ireland too, but the rest of the country is still basking in that summer sunshine —

temperatures just shy of 30 celsius, i think, on wednesday. i mean, they could reach 30 once again, but look at that, plymouth there, cornwall and devon, only around 19 celsius. and then wednesday night into thursday, those showers spread across the country. there could be some showers and thunderstorms almost anywhere, really. and on thursday itself, you can see it's much fresher across the uk. some of that warmth is still left around lincolnshire and east anglia, but the vast majority of us are back into the low 20s. so here's the summary and the outlook. you can see that whether going downhill as we go through the second half of the week. and the weekend? the weather's set fair. modest temperatures, around the low 20s. bye— bye.

welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughanjones. our top stories... the taliban say they're now in control of the panjshir valley — the last province to fall to them. the resistance says it will fight on. women have been taking to the streets to demand their rights, chanting "we are not afraid, we are united." relatives of the 298 people killed when flight mh—17 was shot down give harrowing testimony to a court in the netherlands. with just eight weeks to go until the next crucial climate summit, we look at the challenges ahead. and the actor michael k williams, who starred in the american crime

drama, the wire — has been found dead in new york.