Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20171014

Tougher prison sentences are being planned for people who are repeatedly caught carrying acid or other corrosive substances. The government wants to introduce a minimum six month jail term in england, wales and scotland. Its after the number of acid attacks across the uk more than doubled in the past five years. Heres our home affairs correspondent, danny shaw. Convicted this week, two robbers who sprayed a chemical on their victims. Joshua jordan and sadik kamara were part of a gang that attacked a shop assistant in east london. The woman, in her 50s, was squirted with ammonia at least three times. Herface burning, she bravely fought back. Later, jordan and kamara sprayed another woman with ammonia. They will be sentenced next month. The government wants to give police greater powers to prevent attacks with substances like ammonia. In future it will be an offence to carry harmful chemicals in public, unless theres a reasonable explanation. Its really important that we send out a very strong message that carrying a corrosive substance in a public place, unless youve got a really good reason to have it, is just totally unacceptable. You speak to any victim of an acid attack and they will be living with lifelong scars. Under the home office plans on violent crime, there will be a four year maximum prison term for possession of harmful chemicals. People convicted twice or more will face an automatic prison sentence. Ministers also want a knife ban in sixth form colleges, further education centres and universities just as there is in schools. In london, police are being issued with test kits to check the contents of suspicious bottles of liquid. Theyre also being given protective gloves and water bottles, so they can treat victims quickly. Together, with the proposed new laws, officers hope it will help prevent more attacks. We can speak now to russell findlay. Hes a journalist who was the victim of an acid attack in 2015. Hejoins us in our glasgow studio. Russell just outline the russelljust outline the attack russell just outline the attack that happened on you. What happened, why it happened . Good morning. Matthew. Two days before christmas and my doorbell rang. It was a man who was dressed as a postman and as he distracted me by getting my to sign for a parcel, he threw a bottle of what i later discovered to be sulphuric acid into my face. He came through the door at me. He also had a knife. Good luck was on my side and thankfully he was caught at the scene. He didnt manage to get away. And even more, thankfully my injuries were not permanent or life changing. And i mention the fact that you are a journalist and you write about organised gangs and that was the reason why you were attacked . Thats correct. This man was a hit man who usually uses guns. He came to my door with acid and a knife. He was paid a significant sum of money by a major organised criminal in scotland who i had written about. And i wonder what you think then, i mean, its quite frightening to think of, clearly the effectiveness if thats the right word, it may not be of acid in such an attack if a hit man says this will do thejobjust as an attack if a hit man says this will do the job just as well, it will do the job just as well, it will send a threat. I wonder what you think of the legislation thats being proposed today . you think of the legislation thats being proposed today . I think the legislation is a good thing, by and large. How it translates into reality is yet, will remain to be seen. But anything that deters people from picking up acid and using it as a weapon is a step in the right direction. I mean it is give for the authorities, isnt it . People do buy corrosive substances, builders buy them, plumbers use it, often to clear drains and the like. Imean often to clear drains and the like. I mean they are bought for legitimate purposes and how a bit like with the knife debate, how do you decide whether someone has it for a legitimate purpose or intent on using it for an attack . Thats correct. There are more common than knives, but these substances can be used for all sorts of things and are easily got. I think there is an interesting theory about the unintended consequence of the legislation that has led to a reduction in knife crime and people carrying knives because a lot of people who would do so realise that there is a dual sentence for them if they keep doing so. It maybe they have turned to acid in that as a solution to their problem. That suggests that it might help deter people. I wonder perhaps finally whether you think there is, being a personal victim of such an attack, whether you think there is too much emphasis however on acid attacks at the moment . They are still a relatively small proportion of the total number of attacks against the person that we see in britain at the moment . Yes, the statistics arent very clear, but this is the nature of news, what makes the news is it is so unusual and 0k, there have been a lot more recently, but they are shocking. I think people understand that its an cowardly thing to do. For many people, the consequences are absolutely devastating, so its understandable that its getting the attention that it is. And for whatever reasons, there has clearly been an upturn. Russell, thank you very much indeed for joining russell, thank you very much indeed forjoining us. Of course, we are glad that that attack against you was not as serious as perhaps it might have been. Thank you very much for talking to us this morning. Britain has said it will defend the International Nuclear deal with iran after donald trump decided he would no longer endorse it. Us president sthaid iran had violated the deal and has threatened to abandon the deal altogether. All the other signatories including france, china, and germany have said they remain committed to the agreement. As we have seen in north korea, the longer we ignore a threat, the worse that threat becomes. It is why we are determined that the worlds leading sponsor of terrorism will never obtain nuclear weapons. The organisers of the oscars are to hold emergency talks later to discuss claims of Sexual Misconduct against the Film Producer Harvey Weinstein. The academy of Motion Picture arts and sciences, which has awarded 81 0scars to films produced by his company, says the allegations of Sexual Assault were repugnant. Adina campbell reports. Facing possible expulsion from the organisation that catapulted him to stardom, Harvey Weinsteins future is hanging in the balance. Normally known for its glitz and glamour, the academy which organises the oscars will hold an emergency meeting later, rocked by allegations that the man behind some of hollywoods biggest films sexually harassed and assaulted dozens of women. He is someone who is different from the person i knew and the person who was involved for many years in Democratic Politics for me and for barack 0bama and so many of us. He was very helpful and it is just appalling, what is coming out now, and i want to commend the women who are finally stepping forward. The us Actress Rose Mcgowan is the latest woman to accuse Harvey Weinstein of rape, while some of hollywoods other names have made Sexual Assault, groping and harassment allegations, leading to Police Investigations in both the uk and us. It has opened up questions about what young aspiring actors are faced with in a fierce industry with a cutthroat culture. Before you even step into the room, do i have the right look . Are they going to like me because of this . I dont have that. But what if they ask me to do that . Oh, i cant do that ok, maybe i shouldnt go. It sounds crazy, but that is literally the conversation that goes on in your head. Harvey weinstein has denied allegations of nonconsensual sex and is now believed to be getting therapy in arizona. Rumours are swirling that his Film Production company could soon be closed or sold, but in a statement his brother bob has rejected those claims, saying business is continuing as usual. 65 year old weinstein has already been suspended from the british film academy, bafta, and may face the same fate or worse from the academy later. Im joined now live from los angeles by showbiz journalist sandro monetti. Whats the Academy Going to do . They have got a problem here, havent they . They have and in the 90 year history of the academy they have rarely made a closely watched decision. The sa members of the board will meet in a few hours to decide what to do about the Harvey Weinstein problem and on the surface the obvious play is to kick him out just as bafta have done, but it is not as simple as that. During all their nine decades the academy has sat injudgment their nine decades the academy has sat in judgment of professional achievements, never professional behaviour. So their options are kick him out, do nothing in which case they would likely to face resignation from membership and condemnation from womens Rights Groups or take away the best picture that Harvey Weinstein helped win for shakespeare in love. It is damned if they do and damned if they dont. Indeed. If they were to kick him out, does that then open them up to having to revisit other people, lets not name names, but other people who might have been found to have not conducted themselves in the best possible way in previous years . The allegations against Harvey Weinstein are abominable. If you look at other high profile people who are members of the academy, there has been a huge history of convictions and allegations for Sexual Harassment and lots of repugnant behaviour. The casting couch has been around for as long as hollywood has been and if you open up hollywood has been and if you open up the door to kick out one person, who else is going to come next . Does the academy have to be the moral arbiter of decent behaviour in hollywood . Thats what i mean when i say the decision may come with certain problems and whatever decision they take, its by far from the end of the story. I wonder if you can paint the wider picture. How is this playing out in hollywood . Does it feel like a seismic moment oi does it feel like a seismic moment or bearing in mind the number of people we knew who knew of Harvey Weinsteins behaviour, presumably, it is clearly notjust him, this is a massive industry, i wonder whether this feels like a moment of change oi this feels like a moment of change or whether actually this feels like a moment where the finger gets pointed at one individual and yet the systems continue as they have been . The floodgates have opened and certainly, lots of finger pointing is going on and i think even though its a very sad week for hollywood, its a very sad week for hollywood, its a very sad week for hollywood, its a huge opportunity Going Forward and certainly after the horrendous allegations here, the predators who no doubt exist in hollywood hopefully will think twice and hopefully will understand that this must never be done again because for so long, they have been able to get away with it and thats why hollywood has turned a blind eye to this sickening kind of behaviour. This is a huge opportunity to keep the eyes wide open and to say no, never again to this. It could be a turning of the page in Hollywood History and in wider society. All right, thank you very much for staying up late or perhaps youre off to one of the legendary la parties now thank you for your time with us this morning. The former us president ial candidate, hillary clinton, has warned that britain will suffer if it leaves the eu without a trade deal. Speaking to the bbcs andrew marr, she said the uk would face serious disruption and be at a big disadvantage. The concern over leaving the eu without a deal is growing. 0ur Political Correspondent Jonathan Blake is here. Jonathan, we have also been hearing this morning from the former head of the department for International Trade, sir Martin Donnelly on brexit specifically . Yes, thats right. Not a household name, but he was until recently the most senior Civil Servant at the department for International Trade and would have been leading the efforts which were under way, groundwork to prepare for britains relationship on trade terms with other countries after leaving the eu and he has been setting out in this, his first interview since leaving his post, the disadvantages as he sees it, the dangers even of ending this negotiation period with the European Union and having no deal in place. He talks about it in quite stark terms saying it could mean a huge amount of legal uncertainty. It would be bad forjobs. Bad for business. Bad for investment in britain. He says it would be a very serious outcome and would mean that companies in some cases would be less competitive and he also links the outcome of no deal to being a negative factor in britain trying to strike trade deals with other countries because this is, of course, one people that keen on brexit are very quick to suggest in that if we dont have a trade deal with the European Union, it doesnt matter because we will be able to trade freely with other countries with all the trade deals, we will be able to strike and he is sounding a little note of caution there saying that will be a difficult and slow prose ses. The americans might raise issues like chancellor reen treated chicken or hormones in beef or access to our health service. The indians might well say, well, would like more visas for it workers. Some Asian Countries might want more recognition of their safety and product standards. All these raise complex issues so i think its a mistake to think that there is some quick and easy alternative to the European Union. Obviously over time things change, but thats a slow process. The government still keen on a deal, it says, but the noises off from people like him, are suggesting there is serious concerns about how there is serious concerns about how the negotiation and how the government itself is managing this whole process at the moment. Government itself is managing this whole process at the momentlj government itself is managing this whole process at the moment. I think there are concerns, youre right and sirmartin there are concerns, youre right and sir Martin Donnelly clearly reflects what is a fear among some people in whitehall of ending up without a deal in place and i think it is also worth saying that given the lack of a breakthrough in the talks with brussels recently, sticky as they have been, that sort of gives rise to an element of panic, an element of uncertainty and we end up talking about this no deal scenario quite a bit, but we should stress it is the governments preferred option to end up governments preferred option to end up with a deal here. We had the Prime Minister in parliamentjust last week saying that the preferred outcome is a deep and special the with the eu and a deal that works for the uk with the eu and a deal that works forthe uk and with the eu and a deal that works for the uk and the eu together. Jonathan, thank you very much indeed for bringing us up to speed on that. The headlines on bbc news the home office is planning to introduce minimum six month prison sentences for people who are repeatedly caught carrying acid following a surge in attacks. The uk hasjoined other countries in defending the International Nuclear deal with iran after Donald Trumps decision to withdraw his endorsement of the agreement. The organisers of the oscars are to hold emergency talks later to discuss claims of Sexual Misconduct against the Film Producer Harvey Weinstein. Sport now and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, heres mike. Thank you. It isa thank you. It is a big game today, liverpool and Manchester United. The two teams meet in the premier leagues lunch time game. With ian to for Manchester United would put them ten points ahead. The liverpool manager, yurgen klopp has been defending his record ahead of this lunchtimes meeting between the two great rivals. He feels it is a per effect chance for his side to return to form. Its a big, big opportunity. Its like it is. Its, we are even probably when you see it a little bit different. We are at a really good moment. Not result wise. Not scoring wise, but performance, is not as bad a lot of people think so we are not so weak that we dont have to think that we dont have a chance against Manchester United. I won big matches at anfield. I lost big matches at anfield. I left that stadium so happy. I left that stadium so happy. I left that stadium so happy. I left that stadium so sad. Their supporters, they left that stadium in the direction of Champions League final and they left that stadium devastated because they lost a title almost in the last game. This is football. It is indeed. David moyes says he would find it ha rd to david moyes says he would find it hard to turn down the scotla managersjob. Scotland have already replaced manager Gordon Strachan with malky mackay, but that is only a temporary appointment, likely to bejust, for the match against the netherlands next month. Long term, the scottish fa might be encouraged by what one of their potential targets has told us. David moyes say he wouldnt turn down the job, although he would prefer to return to club football. I have worked closely with the sfa. I have worked closely with the sfa. I have been working with the coaches in scotland and they know where i am if they want to speak to me. Ti dont think anybody ever turns down their National Team opportunity, but it has got to be at the right time as well. My first choice would be to go back into club management. On the domestic front rangers won 3 0 at stjohnstone to stay in touch with the two leaders of the scottish premiership. Carlos pena got two this his second after stjohnstone had a man sent off. Rangers move to within three points of celtic and aberdeen. A new manager, and a new dawn for Birmingham City who are out of the bottom three, in the championship after beating the leaders cardiff city. Che adams scored the only goal, for steve cotterill, in his first game in charge. Meanwhile bristol city moved up to third after a goalless draw with burton albion. European rugby is back this weekend and the champions cup got off to a raucous start as ulster came from behind to beat injury hit wasps 19 9 in belfast. Wasps led at the break, but ulster turned it around in a couple of second half minutes. Jakob stockdales try was followed by another from Stuart Mccloskey to give the ulstermen victory. Britains Natasha Jonas maintained her perfect record as a professional boxer with a third round stoppage of hungarys Marianna Gulyas last night. Jonas knocked her opponent down three times before the contest was stopped in the third round for her third win as a pro. The 33 year old retired from boxing in 2015, but then changed her mind and turned professional in april 2017. Thats all the sport for now. You can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. Ill have more for you in the next hour. Thank you very much indeed. At least 36 people have died in the wildfires that continue to spread in northern california. Authorities say 9,000 firefighters are tackling 17 separate wildfires in a wine region to the north of San Francisco which are among the worst in the areas history. Three smaller fires have been contained. Dave lee reports. Sir, youve got to go this breathtaking footage shows a Police Officers view on sunday. He was in the city of santa rosa helping terrified residents evacuate. The next day, the city looks like this. These fires have choked california, displacing 90,000 people and destroying more than 5,000 buildings. Its burning an area thats almost the size of new york city. As some areas reopen after being deemed safe, other parts of this region are being told to get ready to get out quickly. There is some Good Progress being made, however, some of the biggest fires are showing signs of being contained, thanks to the efforts of more than 8,000 firefighters drafted in to help. Some have come from as far as australia to offer expertise, but with the weekend upon them, these firefighters are bracing themselves. Weather forecasts suggest more high winds are on the way. In areas where the fire has already been and gone, police are also having to deal with looters seeking to capitalise on block after block of empty homes. We walk and see our neighbourhood flattened. It looks like a bomb has gone off in our neighbourhood. Its so heartbreaking. The smoky air can be smelt as far as 100 miles away. In nearby San Francisco, air quality has been measured as the poorest on record worse than beijing. The strongest theory as to what may have caused this fire points to fallen powerlines. This is already the deadliest wildfire in the States History and its not over yet. Adelie penguins in east antarctica have suffered a catastrophic breeding season, according to scientists from the World Wildlife fund. Only two penguin chicks have survived from a colony of 40,000 birds. Its thought unusually high amounts of ice, late in the season, have meant that adult penguins have had to travel further to find food for their young. It is the second bad season in five years after no chicks survived in 2015. The duchess of cambridges uncle has been charged with assault. Gary goldsmith was charged on friday following an incident in the early hours according to the metropolitan police. He was bailed and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court later this month. Mr goldsmith is the younger brother of carole middleton. Now we will focus on hate crime. Yesterday a new campaign was lunched in scotland where more than 5,000 of these types of crimes were recorded in the past year. It coincides with the start of hate crime Awareness Week which will be marked by events across the country. I can now speak to hardyal dhindsa. He is the association of police and Crime Commissioners National Lead on hate crime. Good morning. Thank you very much for joining good morning. Thank you very much forjoining us. Good morning. Thank you very much for joining us. Perhaps good morning. Thank you very much forjoining us. Perhaps you can outline, you yourself, i believe, have been a victim of hate crime, several years ago . Yes, have been a victim of hate crime, severalyears ago . Yes, in have been a victim of hate crime, several years ago . Yes, in the 80s i was working in london as a probation officer and i had been out for a drink with a friend of mine and without any provocation or notice, a young group of gang of people attacked myself and my friend. It was a very traumatising experience andi was a very traumatising experience and i found it was a very traumatising experience and ifound it really, i really didnt know what to do and in those days i think the awareness of a hate crime and whether you should report it or not or suffer in silence was predominant and i sort of felt really quite uneasy and wary when i was out and about, particularly when there were young people about. wonder how much you believe the awareness has changed since those days . Because we do hear more about hate crime and i wonder whether that is because were more aware of them or because the incidents is increasing . I mean, ithink it or because the incidents is increasing . I mean, i think it is more about awareness. Incidents do increase when there are National Issues like the attack in london, and manchester, that heightens, there is a spirks but generally speaking, its more awareness. Police forces are more responsive now and proactively working to engage with communities, raise their awareness and this Awareness Week is pa rt awareness and this Awareness Week is part of that and Police Forces up and down the country are already doing many things and they will be doing many things and they will be doing quite a lot of initiatives during this week as well. Do you think that people from particularly ethnic minority groups feel that the police are on their side now because that has been a problem in the past, has it not . It has been. I think they do feel more that the police are on their side, but there is still more work to be done in terms of reaching out to new groups and you know race is probably the highest reported hate crime incident, but we have misogyny, around people of alternative cultures, disabled people are more like to be victimised and less likely to actually report it. So there is still more work to be done to increase confidence, raise awareness, and i think this awareness, and i think this Awareness Week will contribute towards that. Well, lets hope so. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Thank you. Here is the new £600 million toll bridge over the river mersey opened earlier this morning. The mersey gateway route is the largest Infrastructure Project in england outside london and connects runcorn and widnes in cheshire. Andy gill reports. Hundreds of people lined the banks of the mersey to watch a spectacular firework display a few hours before the new bridge opened. It links widnes on the north bank and runcorn on the south. Tolls aside, the locals approve. Its very smart. It reminds me of the one in america. I think its brilliant. A long time overdue. Yeah, its a fantastic development. And just past midnight the bridge was opened. Hundreds of bikers among the first to cross. The mersey gateway bridge is the biggest Civil Engineering project in the country, outside london. The total cost is more than £1. 8 billion. 20 million vehicles every year are expected to use it and its 810 miles of cable would stretch from lands end tojohn ogroats. The old Runcorn Widnes bridge now closes for a year for repairs. When it opens, both mersey crossings will be tolled. Locals can travel free if they pay a registration fee, but theres real anger among the individuals and businesses wholl have to pay. The transport secretary says the bridge should be free to use once it is paid for in 2042. Time for a look at the weather. Lets join darren for the forecast. Some damaging winds as ex hurricane ophelia arrives. It will drive off further north, not quite as warm. It will be 20, 20 further north, not quite as warm. It will be 20,20 2 further north, not quite as warm. It will be 20, 20 2 degrees further north, not quite as warm. It will be 20,20 2 degrees in further north, not quite as warm. It will be 20, 20 2 degrees in the south