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Kevin Spacey: Netflix severs ties amid sex assault allegations

Entertainment company Netflix has severed ties with Kevin Spacey, star of its House of Cards show, amid a number of sex assault allegations against him.

Netflix said it would hold talks with the producers to see if production, which was suspended this week, could resume without Spacey.

Netflix also said it would not release Spacey's film about writer Gore Vidal.

Meanwhile, police in the UK have opened an investigation into the American actor over an alleged sexual assault.

A British actor said he had woken up to find Spacey performing a sex act on him in 2008, the Sun newspaper reported. The man is said to have run from the property after Spacey allegedly said: "Don't tell anyone about this."

Spacey said on Thursday he was seeking treatment after facing allegations of sexual misconduct from a string of men.

Netflix suspended production on House of Cards on 31 October following allegations by Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp, who said Spacey had tried to "seduce" him when he was 14.

Spacey said he was "beyond horrified" to hear of the incident, which he said he did not remember.

'Hiatus time'

House of Cards, which is based on a BBC programme, was first broadcast in 2013.

The first season garnered nine Emmy nominations, becoming the first online streaming series to win such mainstream accolades.

"Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

"We will continue to work with MRC [series producer Media Rights Capital] during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show.

"We have also decided we will not be moving forward with the release of the film Gore, which was in post-production, starring and produced by Kevin Spacey."

MRC said in a statement earlier that it was "deeply troubled" about the allegations against Spacey.

It said it had dealt with one incident in 2012 in which an unnamed crew member "shared a complaint about a specific remark and gesture made by Kevin Spacey", that immediate action had been taken and that the issue had been resolved.

Spacey had "willingly participated in a training process", it added.

Source – bbc.com

Lebanese premier resigns, plunging nation into uncertainty

Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri resigned from his post in a televised address from the Saudi capital Saturday, accusing Hezbollah of taking the country hostage, in a surprise move that plunged the nation into uncertainty amid heightened regional tensions.

In his resignation speech, Hariri fired a vicious tirade against Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah group for what he said was their meddling in Arab affairs and said that "Iran's arms in the region will be cut off."

"The evil that Iran spreads in the region will backfire on it," Hariri said, accusing Tehran of spreading chaos, strife and destruction throughout the region.

Hariri was appointed prime minister in late 2016 and headed a 30-member coalition government that included members of the Shiite militant Hezbollah. But it's been an uneasy partnership between Hariri, who heads a Sunni-led camp loyal to Saudi Arabia, and Hezbollah, which represents a camp loyal to Shiite Iran. President Michel Aoun, who was elected in October 2016 after more than a two-year presidential vacuum, is a close ally of Hezbollah.

As U.S. and Saudi Arabia sought ways to curb Iran's growing influence in the region, Hariri has come under pressure to distance himself from the militant group which has sent thousands of troops to neighboring Syria to shore up President Bashar Assad's forces.

It was not immediately clear whether Hariri intended to return to Lebanon. In a statement, the presidential office said Aoun was informed by Hariri in a phone call of his resignation, adding that the president now awaits Hariri's return to clarify the circumstances of his resignation and proceed accordingly.

Hariri's bombshell resignation — even close aides seemed unaware of the announcement — ushers in a stage of deep uncertainty and potential instability. It also throws into doubt parliamentary elections slated for early next year which have been repeatedly delayed.

It comes amid a sharp escalation in Saudi rhetoric against its regional archrival Iran and puts Lebanon at the center of that rivalry.

Hazem al-Amin, a Lebanese writer who follows regional affairs, said Hariri's resignation is "completely a Saudi step" that comes in the context of an international and regional atmosphere against Hezbollah and against Iranian influence in the region.

"Lebanon is a fragile country. This confrontation (between Saudi Arabia and Iran) is more violent than Lebanon can stand up to," he said, warning of economic and security ramifications.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said the resignation is a plot by the U.S., Israel and the Saudis to foment tensions in Lebanon and the region, the semi-official Iranian Tasnim news agency reported.

Ghasemi dismissed Hariri's "baseless accusations," which he said indicate that "a new scenario" for the region was being drawn.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hariri's resignation and comments "are a wake-up call to the international community to take action against the Iranian aggression that is trying to turn Syria into Lebanon 2."

"This aggression endangers not only Israel but the entire Middle East. The international community needs to come together and stand against this aggression," he said.

Hariri's resignation was unprecedented in the way it was announced, in a televised address from an undisclosed location in Riyadh. In his speech, Hariri suggested he feared for his life and said the climate in the country is similar to the one that existed before his father, the late prime minister Rafik Hariri, was assassinated in 2005.

Several Hezbollah members are being tried in absentia for the killing by a U.N.-backed tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. Hezbollah denies any involvement.

Hariri said Hezbollah's policies have put Lebanon "in the eye of the storm." His attacks on Hezbollah come on the heels of new U.S. sanctions on the group that many fear will impact negatively on the Lebanese economy. Hariri has frequently called on the group to withdraw its fighters from Syria.

"I declare my resignation from the premiership of the Lebanese government, with the certainty that the will of the Lebanese is strong," Hariri said.

"When I took office, I promised you that I would seek to unite the Lebanese and end political division… But unfortunately, this pushed Iran and its allies to more interference in our internal affairs," he said.

In Beirut's Tarik al-Jadideh neighborhood, a predominantly Sunni neighborhood supportive of Hariri, residents described the shock resignation as a positive step.

"Prime Minister Hariri has reached the stage where he is not able anymore to bear the pressure on Lebanon by Arab nations, due to the intervention of Iran," said Mohyeddine Awwad, sitting in a cafe where posters of Hariri hung.

Earlier this week, Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan sharply criticized Hezbollah, calling for its "toppling" and promising "astonishing developments" in the coming days during an interview with the Lebanese TV station MTV.

Al-Sabhan met with Hariri in Saudi Arabia when the now resigned prime minister was visiting earlier this week. Hariri abruptly returned to the kingdom again on Friday after a meeting in Beirut with Ali-Akbar Velayati, foreign adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.

In tweets after meeting Hariri, al-Sabhan criticized the Lebanese government for tolerating Hezbollah's criticism of the kingdom.

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Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Nasser Kariri in Tehran contributed to this report.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Typhoon slams into Vietnam, killing at least 15

Typhoon Damrey slammed into Vietnam's south-central coast on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and leaving four others missing, officials said.

In the worst-hit province of Khanh Hoa, 14 people were killed by collapsing houses or washed away by floods, the provincial disaster agency said in a statement.

The typhoon destroyed 302 homes and blew roofs off of more than 25,000 others, while sinking 112 transport and fishing boats, the agency said. The typhoon also caused extensive damage to the province's rice fields and other crops.

One person was killed and four others reported missing in the provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen, disaster officials there said.

Widespread blackouts were reported in the region and dozens of flights were canceled.

More than 35,000 villagers in high-risk areas were evacuated to safe places before the arrival of the typhoon on Saturday morning, according to the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority. Schoolchildren in several provinces were ordered to stay home to ensure their safety.

It was the second natural disaster to hit the Southeast Asian country in a month. Some 75 people were killed and 28 others were reported missing in several northern and central provinces by flooding triggered by a tropical storm last month.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

NYPD says it has enough evidence to arrest Harvey Weinstein for rape

WATCH NYPD gathering evidence against Harvey Weinstein

New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said Friday there is enough evidence to arrest disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein for rape but quickly added no warrant has been issued and it's unclear whether there's enough to bring the case to trial.

Boyce explained that while “we have an actual case” and there may be probable cause to arrest Weinstein, there was not yet enough information to seek an arrest warrant.

“If this person was still in New York and the case was recent we would go and make the arrest,” Boyce said before noting that the allegations of actress Paz de la Huerta are seven years old and Weinstein is currently not in New York.

NYPD detectives became aware of de la Huerta’s rape allegations against Weinstein on Oct. 25 via a phone call, Boyce said, adding that de la Huerta put forth a credible and detailed narrative.

Actress Paz de la Huerta claims Harvey Weinstein raped her twice NYPD has 2 open sexual assault cases against Harvey Weinstein

He said she was able to articulate “each and every movement of the crime” alleged. Detectives then sought corroboration and found it, Boyce said.

“We have an actual case here," he said.

ABC News confirmed Thursday that de la Huerta was the subject of one of two active cases the NYPD has involving Weinstein. The other involves Lucia Evans, who has alleged that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex.

Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex through his spokeswoman.

The 65-year-old Hollywood producer, however, has been accused of committing crimes in jurisdictions outside of New York City as well. The Los Angeles Police Department told Los Angeles ABC station KABC Thursday that a second person has come forward regarding Weinstein, alleging lewd conduct stemming from a 2015 incident. The Beverly Hills Police Department is also investigating the producer, as are British authorities.

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Is Hollywood cleaning house amid sexual misconduct scandals fallout?

WATCH Kevin Spacey faces new allegations from 'House of Cards' crew

It hasn't even been a month since the Harvey Weinstein scandal first broke, and since then dozens of women and some men have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against director James Toback, director/producer Brett Ratner, executive Roy Price, and actors Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Piven and Dustin Hoffman.

Each man has reacted in some way to the allegations made against him.

Though Weinstein has admitted to wrongdoing, he has denied all accusations of non-consensual sex. Toback denied 38 allegations of sexual harassment, saying the women's claims were "biologically impossible" due to his medical conditions. Ratner’s attorney told ABC News his client "vehemently denies the outrageous derogatory allegations" made against him by six women, and he sued another for libel. Piven slammed a groping claim made against him as "appalling." Price resigned from Amazon in light of an allegation of harassment, and Spacey and Hoffman both apologized for possibly engaging in inappropriate behavior several decades ago, though Spacey said he did not remember the alleged incident.

But the sum total of allegations has people wondering if Hollywood is finally cleaning house.

Melissa Silverstein, the founder and editor of the blog Women and Hollywood, calls it an "industry-wide moment of reflection."

One that is long overdue, said Martha M. Lauzen, the executive director for the Center for the Study of Women in Television, Film & New Media at San Diego State University.

Invision/AP, FILE

"As more women speak up, it demonstrates that sexual harassment has been a part of the Hollywood culture for many years, that it is not aberrant behavior confined to just a few individuals," she told ABC News. "The longer the issue remains visible, the greater the likelihood that we will see a shift in behavior and policy. Visibility is key."

Talk in the entertainment industry has been about little else these days. At the recent Producers Guild of America's third annual Produced By NY conference, sexual harassment and what to do about it were hot topics during the day-long panel discussions.

"We all, as producers, have to stop and do something a little different," Lori McCreary, the head of Revelations Entertainment and co-president of the PGA, told the audience.

The Directors Guild of America has vowed to do the same.

"For far too long, many have not spoken out – directors, agents, crew, executives, performers, producers, writers. This shameful code of complicity must be broken," DGA president Thomas Schlamme said in a statement on the guild's website.

"As directors and team members who solve problems for a living, we are committed to eradicating the scourge of sexual harassment on our industry," he added.

Brett Ratner files defamation suit against accuser Kevin Spacey seeking 'evaluation and treatment' after allegedly making sexual advance on minor

In the days after the Weinstein scandal broke, LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy called for a commission to develop "new, industry-wide protections against sexual harassment and abuse."

“It would be interesting to hear what she has in mind,” Lauzen said. “Certainly, industry-wide action is what is needed since harassment and the lack of gender diversity is an industry-wide problem.”

Now the PGA is working with the directors guild, the writers guild, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Television Academy to discuss creating such a commission. Meetings are scheduled for Nov. 10 and Nov. 15. The Screen Actors Guild has a safety hotline for actors to report workplace concerns, and SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris noted that the organization is collaborating with the International Federation of Actors (FIA), the AFL-CIO, and others to develop best practices relating to complaints.

Similarly, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson also told members in an email last week that the Board of Governors would establish a code of conduct for members, which will include a policy for evaluating alleged violations. Harvey Weinstein was expelled by the Academy last month amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

It can’t happen too soon, Lauzen said.

“The film and television industries are in fairly urgent need of some central organization or source that would push for and oversee greater diversity, track overall progress or lack thereof, and keep records on sexual harassment claims,” she said.

But it will take more than just addressing claims of sexual harassment to shift the culture in Hollywood. It’s going to take changing the whole look of the industry.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

“Once our film crews look more like our audience, our industry is going to be better for it,” McCreary told the audience at the Produced By NY conference. “We’re going to know how to treat each other. We’re not going to let these kind of things to perpetuate for another 30 years.”

Silverstein agreed. “The fight for gender equality, which I’ve now being doing for 10 years, is so relevant to reframing the film world — the film culture,” she told ABC News.

She said the lack of women in leadership positions has led to a “deficit of diverse voices and different perspectives,” which only feeds “this toxic white masculinity that pervades everything in this business.”

The DGA, which, according to its website is 23.4 percent female, notes that hiring decisions are made by employers, including studios, networks and producers.

However, the DGA has successfully campaigned for female and minority directors to be given opportunities, and recently found for the first time, a sharp rise in first-time employment in episodic television, according to a September 2017 report.

“Finally, after years of our efforts to educate the industry, hold employers accountable through our contracts, and push them to do better, we’re seeing signs of meaningful improvement,” Schlamme said.

“The fact is, it all starts with the pipeline,” he continued. “The hiring decisions employers make today can have enormous impact on the composition of the pool in two years, five years, ten years’ time. Our research shows that when employers actually do the work of being inclusive, they find talented directors who overwhelmingly succeed in establishing longer-term careers.”

Similarly, last year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a plan to overhaul membership policies with the hope of doubling the number of women and diverse members by 2020.

Still, amid all the fallout created by the Weinstein scandal, Hollywood certainly has the opportunity to remake itself and change the way it does business. But Lauzen questioned if it will.

"Will any of the leaders in the industry suggest putting more women in positions of power in an effort to short-circuit or lessen the chances that this type of behavior will occur in the future? Or will they wait for the smoke to clear and conduct business as usual?" she wondered.

ABC News' Lesley Messer contributed to this story.

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China's answer to anthem disrespect: up to 3 years in prison

China's rubber-stamp legislature on Saturday made disrespecting the national anthem a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison amid rising nationalist appeals from the ruling Communist Party under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed an amendment to the country's criminal law outlining punishments for people found "seriously" disrespecting the national anthem in public.

The move follows Xi's appointment to a second five-year term as party leader, for which he has touted a vision of achieving a "Chinese Dream" of a powerful, prosperous nation. It also comes as the anthem, "March of the Volunteers," has in recent months been a political flashpoint in the southern Chinese city of Hong Kong, where tensions are rising over Beijing's efforts to assert its authority over the territory.

According to the amendment passed Saturday in Beijing, penalties include detention, imprisonment of up to three years and the deprivation of political rights. Such punishments previously applied to the desecration of the national flag and emblem in public, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The legislature also moved to apply a separate, recently passed law on the national anthem to Hong Kong and Macau, Chinese semiautonomous regions with separate legal systems.

Soccer fans in Hong Kong have booed the anthem when it's played at games between the home team and teams from China or other countries, leading to fines from FIFA, the sport's governing body. Pro-democracy activists and lawmakers fear a national anthem law could be used to undermine freedom of speech in Hong Kong.

The National Anthem Law, which came into effect in October, stated that playing the anthem on occasions deemed improper, including funerals, or for changing its wording or presenting it in a disrespectful manner could be punished with 15 days in detention. China's legislature adopted a decision to include the law in Hong Kong's and Macau's mini-constitutions, known in each territory as the Basic Law.

Xinhua cited Zhang Rongshun, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the top parliamentary body, as saying it was "urgent and important" to apply the anthem law in Hong Kong to address recent incidents.

"In recent years, incidents of disrespecting the national anthem had occurred in Hong Kong, challenging the bottom line of the principle of 'one country, two systems' and social morality, and triggering rage among Chinese, including most Hong Kong residents," Zhang said.

Since his appointment as party leader in 2012, Xi has established a growing cult of personality that leans heavily on his image as a patriotic leader who brooks no slight to national dignity. Hallmarks of his term in office have included a stronger military, bolder foreign policy and aggressive economic expansion abroad, as well as sharply reduced space for criticism or political dissent at home.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Climate change: US report at odds with some in Trump team

The White House has sought to downplay a major climate change report, which was compiled by 13 US federal agencies.

The study is at odds with assertions from President Donald Trump and several members of his administration.

It says it is "extremely likely" human activity is the "dominant cause" of global warming.

A spokesman for the White House said it supported "rigorous scientific analysis and debate" but added that the climate was "always changing".

White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah said it was not certain how sensitive the Earth's climate was to greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Trump, who has embarked on a tour of Asia, once said the concept of global warming was created by the Chinese in order to make American manufacturing less competitive.

Earlier this year, he announced he was pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement to cut global emissions.

• What is climate change?
• Five effects of US pullout from Paris climate deal
• Record surge in atmospheric C02 in 2016

Apocalyptic predictions

The Climate Science Special Report, which was approved by the White House, was compiled by US government scientists.

It argues that it is "extremely likely" that human activity is causing rapid global warming with dire consequences for the US and the world.

The scientists' predictions include:

• A global sea level rise of up to 8ft (2.4 metres) cannot be ruled out by the end of the century

• Risks of drought and flooding will increase

• There will be more frequent wildfires and devastating storms

Running to nearly 500 pages, the report concludes that the current period is "now the warmest in the history of modern civilisation".

It is "extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause", it finds, adding that "there is no convincing alternative explanation".

President Trump has made it easier for industry to pollute and he has appointed to key government positions men who are sceptical of their own scientists, the BBC's James Cook, in Los Angeles, says.

Only on Thursday, Mr Trump's Energy Secretary, Rick Perry, told US media that while he thought climate change was real and humans had an "impact on it", he still thought "the science [was] out on" whether humans cause 100% of it.

The researchers say there was no political interference in, or censorship of, their report.

Source – bbc.com

Red Cross: $6 million in Ebola funds went missing from fraud

Red Cross officials say nearly $6 million meant to help fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa went missing because of suspected fraud.

In one instance, an internal investigation found "likely collusion" between bank employees and former staff of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. A statement says as much as $2 million was lost.

The IFRC says it is working with Sierra Leone's Anti-Corruption Commission to "investigate and legally pursue any persons involved."

Other investigations revealed suspected fraud in the two other hardest-hit countries during the 2014-2016 epidemic. In Guinea, at least $1 million disappeared because of fraudulent billing practices by a customs clearance service provider. Two other investigations there are pending.

More than 11,000 people died during the world's worst Ebola epidemic.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Laurence Fishburne files for divorce after 15-year marriage

Court records show Laurence Fishburne has filed for divorce from his wife of 15 years.

Fishburne cited irreconcilable differences in Thursday's filing as the reason for his breakup with Gina Torres. The pair has a 10-year-old daughter together, and Fishburne is seeking joint custody.

The petition, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, states Fishburne and Torres have reached an agreement on how to distribute their assets.

The former couple married in September 2002 and Fishburne states they separated in October 2016.

Fishburne stars in "Last Flag Flying," which was released Friday.

The divorce was first reported by celebrity website TMZ.

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Anthony Weiner to report to prison by Monday

WATCH Former Rep. Anthony Weiner sentenced in teen sexting scandal

Former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner, who was sentenced to 21 to 27 months in prison for sending obscene material to a 15-year-old North Carolina high school student, must report to federal prison by Monday, WABC reported Friday.

Weiner, 53, who pleaded guilty last May to a single count of transferring obscene material to a minor, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

The disgraced politician will serve his time in Massachusetts at the Federal Medical Center, Devens, located about 40 miles west of Boston. The facility houses more than 1,100 male inmates who require medical or mental health care. It also offers sex offender treatment.

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At his sentencing in September, Judge Denise Cote said, "This is a serious crime that deserves serious punishment."

At the time, acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said in a statement, "Anthony Weiner, a former Congressman and candidate for Mayor, asked a girl who he knew to be 15-years-old to display her naked body and engage in sexually explicit behavior for him online. Justice demands that this type of conduct be prosecuted and punished with time in prison. Today, Anthony Weiner received a just sentence that was appropriate for his crime."

Evan Agostini/AP Photo

The sentencing marked the end of a six-year saga during which Weiner resigned from Congress, unsuccessfully ran for mayor of New York and separated from Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, who filed for divorce the day he was indicted. Weiner and Abedin are parents to a young son.

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Source – abcnews.go.com