Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 15 Oct 2017

1. Oscars board throws out Harvey Weinstein

Harvey Weinstein has been expelled by the Oscars Academy amid a string of accusations of sexual harassment and rape. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences stripped the film producer’s lifetime membership at an emergency meeting on Saturday. The group said it had "voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority to immediately expel him from the Academy".

2. Leading MPs team up to block a 'no deal' Brexit

A cross-party group of MPs is planning to block Theresa May from allowing Britain to crash out of the EU without a deal in 2019. The alliance comes after warnings that a 'cliff-edge' Brexit would be catastrophic for the economy. Meanwhile, the DUP has told the PM she must order the Chancellor to change course on Brexit or be sacked.

3. Blair admits he got it wrong on Israel and Hamas

Tony Blair has admitted that the international community was wrong to bow to Israeli pressure to impose an immediate boycott of Hamas after the group won Palestinian elections in 2006. In a new book he says: "In retrospect I think we should have, right at the very beginning, tried to pull [Hamas] into a dialogue and shifted their positions. I think that’s where I would be in retrospect."

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4. GPs will be able to ask patients about sexuality

GPs in England will be able to quiz patients on their sexual orientation under new government plans. Starting in 2019, patients aged over 16 who go to their family doctor or hospital could be asked to confirm whether they are straight, gay or bisexual. NHS England says the guidance is to keep in line with equality legislation. Patients will be allowed to decline to answer.

5. Berlin says Trump's Iran posturing threatens Europe

Germany says Donald Trump’s decision to not certify the nuclear pact signed with Iran could bring the danger of war close to Europe. Foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel said that in response, Iran "might revert to developing nuclear weapons," adding Israel would not allow that and "then we will be back where we were 10, 12 years ago with the danger of war relatively close to Europe".

6. Mockingbird novel removed from Mississippi schools

To Kill a Mockingbird has been removed from a Mississippi school's reading list because it was making "people uncomfortable". School administrators in Biloxi made the decision to withdraw Harper Lee's American classic about racism from the 8th grade curriculum after receiving complaints about the language in the book. The 1960s novel has sold 30 million copies worldwide.

7. Austrian election could see far-right join alliance

Voting is under way in Austria with 31-year-old conservative Sebastian Kurz tipped to become the European Union’s youngest leader and form an alliance with the far right. The People’s party (OeVP) is projected to win more than 30% of the vote after vowing to be tough on migrants. It is likely to form a coalition with the eurosceptic Freedom party (FPOe).

8. Men cannot say they are feminists, says Rees-Mogg

Men should not call themselves feminists, Jacob Rees-Mogg has argued, saying that giving himself the label would be "ridiculous". The Tory MP said that though he supported feminism but did not consider himself a feminist, explaining that women should be the ones to decide whether someone qualified for the definition. "I think it has particular political connotations," he said.

9. Speeding drivers could soon receive life sentences

Drivers who cause death by speeding, street racing or using a mobile phone may be handed life sentences under new legislation. Ministers are also exploring the possibility of a new charge of causing death by dangerous cycling after a series of incidents involving bikes. Justice Minister Dominic Raab said the government had "taken a long hard look at driving sentences" after receiving 9,000 replies to a public consultation.

10. 'Horror' as 40 die in ongoing Californian wildfires

The death toll in the Californian fires stood at 40 this morning. Hundreds are still missing after six days of wildfires destroyed thousands of homes. California's governor said it was "one of the greatest tragedies" the state had ever faced, adding: "It is a horror that no one could have imagined." More than 10,000 firefighters are battling 16 remaining blazes.