this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. six people have been killed and a seventh is critically injured after a multi—vehicle crash in birmingham, west midlands ambulance service have said. plans to automatically enrol hundreds of thousands of young people in workplace pensions for the first time, to help them save for retirement. i think especially in london, moved jobs quite frequently, tend not to stay in one place too long, so pensions have always been lower down the list in things i've been conscious of. a new leader of south africa's ruling anc party is expected to be announced today — after years of scandal and corruption. england's ashes hopes are fading — captainjoe root one of the men out already with more than a day to bat to save the series. also in the next hour......hailed as a triumph of modern design engineering — the world's steepest funicular railway opens in switzerland. ...climbing an incline is so steep,

that specially constructed carriages are used to enable passengers to stay upright. and our sunday morning edition of the papers is at 9.30 five — this mornings reviewers are katy balls, political correspondent for the spectator and journalist and broadcaster shyama perera. west midlands ambulance service says six people have died in a serious crash on one of birmingham's main roads. a seventh was critically injured. several vehicles are believed to have been involved. officers have described the scene as "very difficult and upsetting". the road, belgrave middleway, is expected to be closed

throughout the day — between islington row and bristol street. our reporter ian palmer is here to tell us more. we know the crash happened around ten minutes past one this morning at the entrance to the underpass at the middle way. underpass at the middle waym underpass at the middle way. in the first car, a man and a woman, the vehicle suffering extensive damage but astonishingly the pair managed to get out. they were taken to the hospital by ambulance. the second vehicle, a black taxi, on its side and ambulance personnel say nothing

could be done to save the driver who was confirmed dead at the scene. the men and the women in the back of the cab were taken out but they could not save the woman who was pronounced dead at the scene also. a man was taken to the major trauma centre at queen elizabeth hospital in birmingham but sadly died in hospital. four men from a third car all rejected tragically, three of the four declared dead at the scene and a fourth taken to the major trauma centre, obviously a terrible accident to happen in the centre of birmingham in the early hours of the morning. most of the information coming from the west midlands ambulance service talking about the

hospitals where the casualties were taken? i have seen the pictures. it is terrible. you can see lots of emergency service personnel around. corbin off the area. the road will be closed for most of the day if not all day. —— close off the area. it's terrible, terrible road traffic accident to have happened on a sunday morning. more details still emerging. we will bring you more on that throughout the morning. thank you for the moment. every worker aged 18 or over will begin saving into a workplace pension — unless they opt out. that's under government plans being unveiled today. at the moment, employers must enrol staff aged 22 and over into a pension plan if they earn more than £10,000 a year. ministers say they want to reduce the minimum age to 18 —

a move that could affect around 900,000 young people. but the changes won't kick in until the mid 2020s, as our business correspondent joe lynam reports. 0lly browning is 21 and, like many young people, he hasn't started saving for his retirement. if the government has its way, he would soon be automatically enrolled for a pension at his company. it's not really crossed my mind yet. maybe i am a bit relaxed about the whole thing but i have always, especially in london, moved jobs quite frequently, i tend not to stay in one place too long, so pensions have always been low down the list of things i have been conscious of. at the moment, only those aged over 22 are automatically included in a pension scheme by their employers but this consultation could see that age lowered to 18. that could mean 900,000 additional people will be saving for their pensions. but, is that a good thing?

it's important that people are educated about their options because if they don't understand what a pension is, they are far less likely to know what their rights are. to an 18—year—old, retirement must seem a very long way off. especially if they don't earn much and saving for a house is a lot more pressing. if this plan proceeds, it could help younger people financially in decades to come. joe lynam, bbc news. theresa may says the last ten days have "marked a watershed" in the uk's departure from the european union. writing in the sunday telegraph and the sunday express, the prime minister says she will "not be derailed" from securing an "ambitious" brexit deal. meanwhile, the foreign secretary borisjohnson has told the sunday times that it's vital the uk doesn't mirror eu laws in the long—term — or the country risks being a "vassal state. " joining me now is our political correspondentjonathan blake... we have been hearing from the prime

minister today. two editorials in the sunday times and sunday express setting up the achievements as she seesit setting up the achievements as she sees it of the brexit process so far, all the catchphrases and cliches perhaps are in there, taking back control, proving the doubters wrong, and made all the noise, she says, getting the job done. wrong, and made all the noise, she says, getting thejob done. stirring words for those enthusiastic about brexit. she points to the citizen ‘s rights issue as a major treatment. she got what she wanted in brussels. —— major achievement. protecting uk citizens living in the eu and vice ve rsa . citizens living in the eu and vice versa. this is the exciting part, she says. the prime minister speaking and not for the first time the foreign secretary writing. some

will say he is on manoeuvres again. what has borisjohnson said? he says he has set out the state of affairs after leaving the european union that we should not mirror eu laws. we should be able to diverged from their rules and regulations after brexit, do our own thing, set our own rules, make our own rules in various areas. if we were to simply stay closely aligned we would be going from a member state to a battle state, he says. this isn't too dissimilar —— a vassal state. he is enthusiastic about brexit but a reminder that there is disagreement at the top levels of government as to how the european union should have a relationship with the uk in

the future. what the end brexit state should be. a reminderfor the prime minister that is one big issue she is yet to sort out and the cabinet will meet this week to do so. cabinet will meet this week to do so. a reminder of what a soft brexit might be. staying in the single market, customs union, sun said. now, alignment, whatever that means exactly. it comes down to whether you think britain which will leave the eu as things continue as they are on march 29 2019, as to how closely we should align ourselves. whether our own rules and regulations exist to allow us to trade and interact as seamlessly as possible, frictionless is the word some will use. 0r whether we should use different rules and regulations to get to the same destination by a different path. it gets complicated

but that is the disagreement at the heart of it, stay closely aligned or diverged and go on our own. now to south africa where the ruling anc — at its national conference — is deciding who will succeed president zuma as leader of the party. the two frontrunners are the deputy president, cyril ramaphosa, and the former foreign minister nko—sa—zana dla—mini—zuma who is one of the president's former wives. and nkosaza na dlamini—zuma who is one of the president's former wives. we can speak to our correpsondent milton nkosi, who is at the anc a momentous day and decision? n0 sound. 511th

54th national conference, anc standing down after leading the organisation for ten years. his replacement will be the leader of the anc, biggest political party in south africa and potentially the president of south africa. let me show you the newspapers. look at what's they are saying. a picture of the frontrunners. look at the tabloid. normally reserving its pages for soapy gossip. look at what they have today. down to the wire for... they are going with

n kosaza na wire for... they are going with nkosaza na dlamini—zuma. they wire for... they are going with nkosazana dlamini—zuma. they are saying she would be a better leader as far as they are concerned. tell us as far as they are concerned. tell usa as far as they are concerned. tell us a bit about the two rivals, the two frontrunners for the job, who are they? there were seven at the beginning, two have fallen away and it looks like the others will definitely won't make the cut when it comes to it. the delegate our meeting, over 5000 of them making the decision. they are supporting a lawyer by background on the one side, deputy president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa. he alongside nelson mandela led negotiations to end white minority

rule. went into business, became wealthy, and has returned in 2012. 0n the other side is dr nkosazana dlamini—zuma, president zuma's former wife. that is not only a medical dr graduated from bristol university. qualifications additionally from liverpool university, nelson mandela's first health minister in a post—apartheid administration. she then went to become the chairperson of african union. currently an ordinary member of parliament. when will we know, milton? we think of voting and perhaps the results will come late into the night, around 9pm local

town, about 7pm your time. —— local time. police in australia have arrested a man suspected of being a north korean agent. 59—year—old chan han choi has been charged with trying to sell missile parts and technology on the black market to raise money for pyongyang. they named him as chan han choi, who is originally from south korea. this is a very, very important arrest. the charges being laid are of the gravest nature. i will say no more about the fact of the case. they will be dealt with in court. north korea is a dangerous,

reckless, criminal regime threatening peace in the region. it supports itself by breaching un sanctions, not simply by selling commodities like coal and other goods, but also selling weapons, drugs, engaging in cybercrime. it is vitally important that all nations work relentlessly to enforce those sanctions because the more economic pressure that can be brought on north korea, that regime will be brought to its senses. to some breaking news now. we're getting reports out of pakistan that there has been an attack on worshippers inside a church. it's believed to have happened in the city of quetta which has been the scene of a number of attacks in the past year. it's believed to have happened in the city of quetta which has been the reuters news agency is quoting pakistan's home minister as saying it was a christian church and that casualties are feared. we'll bring you more details as we get them.

mps say they have "serious doubts" the ministry of defence can afford all the new warships and jets it plans to buy. a report by the commons defence select committee says the mod will struggle to find the money it needs to pay for newjets, warships and armoured vehicles. six people have been killed, seven critically injured after a multi vehicle crash in birmingham and officers have described the scene as difficult and upsetting. plans unveiled to automatically enrol hundreds of thousands of young people into workplace pensions for the first time to help them save for retirement. a new leader of south africa's reading party is expected to be announced today after years of scandal and corruption. —— leading

party. the united nations security council is considering a draft resolution affirming that any unilateral decision on the status ofjerusalem must be rescinded. the proposal comes in response to america's decision to recognise jerusalem as israel's capital. from washington david willis... the draft resolution was situated by egypt. it calls upon member states to refrain from establishing diplomatic missions in jerusalem to refrain from establishing diplomatic missions injerusalem and stipulates a unilateral decision on the status of the city would not have legal effect and should be rescinded. the move follows president trump's decision earlier this month to recognisejerusalem as israel's capital. a decision which prompted international condemnation and has led to protests in the middle east and elsewhere. following that decision, arab foreign ministers agreed to seek a security council resolution and it is possible the measure could be voted

on early next week. although it has broad support, the resolution were almost certainly be vetoed by the united states. the palestinian movement fata has called for protests when vice president mike and visits jerusalem protests when vice president mike and visitsjerusalem next protests when vice president mike and visits jerusalem next week, protests when vice president mike and visitsjerusalem next week, the latest action urged by the palestinians against mr trump's decision. switzerland is known for its transport challenges — with children regularly using cable cars to get to school. now the world's steepest funicular has been unveiled and opens to the public later. virginia langeberg reports up here, 1,300 metres above sea level, is not a view for the fainthearted. and transporting people up this steep swiss mountainside is not without its challenges. two years behind schedule, it has taken 1a years of building with a pricetag of $53 million. but the swiss are convinced

their new funicular on the world's steepest line, is worth it. translation: to construct a tunnel with 110% gradient has rarely been done before. all the workers have to secure themselves. sometimes they have to work hanging in the ropes. we have to be very careful with the material. if you drop something, it falls all the way down. and what is even more dangerous, if you drop something, it could fall on the head of a worker down below. if the breathtaking climb itself doesn't leave you weak at the knees, standing upright in the carriages shouldn't be a problem either. they have been uniquely designed to allow the floors to adjust with the gradient as it travels. each carriage can carry 3a people at a speed of ten metres per second, meaning the climb or descent lasts no longer than four minutes. the line replaces an old funicular that had been operating between the valley town of schwyz to the mountain village of stoos since 1933. the new space—age—looking

carriages have been hailed an engineering success. it remains to be seen whether it will help take the area's tourism to new heights. celebrities in california have shared their fears as raging wildfires spread towards their homes. new evacuation orders were issued as a huge wildfire flared up again. the blaze — which has been named the thomas fire — is the third—largest in the state since reliable records began. meteorologists say fresh northerly winds are likely to drive the flames towards santa barbara county, hillside homes in the montecito area and the pacific coast. sarah corker has the latest. fierce winds are driving one of the biggest fires in california's history towards the wealthy neighbourhood of montecito. they have already destroyed more than 700 homes. now another 18,000 are

at risk, as the flames move towards the coast. strong winds that were north pushing the fire back downhill, so extremely gusty, cold, and relative humidity being low, it's a very hazardous fire. this area north—west of los angeles is home to many celebrities, including oprah winfrey, who tweeted. .. and earlier this week, talk—show host ellen degeneres, who was forced to leave her home, posted this to thank firefighters. and west wing actor rob lowe shared shocking photos of the fire raging close to his house. "pray for santa barbara," he wrote. tens of thousands of people have fled. this is what they are escaping from. 8000 firefighters are working around the clock to try to contain this mammoth blaze called

the thomas fire. two people have been killed. the fire's been burning for nearly two weeks, blackening everything in its path. it's pretty crazy. went to sleep last night about midnight and then woke up to the roar of the fire coming through about 3am. the trees at the base are going to go up pretty soon. that's what they are telling us. and the thick billowing smoke is causing breathing problems across santa barbara county. the community can come by the station. we have masks sitting out on the patio in front of the station and they are welcome to as many as they would like. the authorities say 40% of the fire is contained, but with winds of up to 60 miles an hour forecast, firefighters are battling to protect coastal cities and towns. sarah corker, bbc news. image experience, flooded fields.

severn trent water says most customers who were cut off in the tewkesbury area of gloucestershire have now been reconnected. 10,000 homes were left without water when a main burst on friday. the company said repairs to the pipe which lies underneath flooded fields had been difficult. we are advising people to plan ahead. consider what time they travel. certainly if you were planning to travel next friday the

22nd, you might be wise to think again. also think about the time you travel if you can travel later or earlier. stagger your travel if you can travel later or earlier. staggeryourjourney, travel if you can travel later or earlier. stagger yourjourney, that would be a good idea. now it was 65 years ago this month that a thick smog engulfed london forfour days. thousands are estimated to have died in the great smog in december 1952. the smog was so thick that visibility was just one metre. in response, the government passed the clean air act to reduce the use of smoky fuels. witness speaks to dr brian commins, who worked for the air pollution unit set up at st. bartholomew's hospital in london in the 1950s. reporter footage: ordinary fog does little harm, but smog, smoke and fog, has become one of the greatest mass murderers of modern times. the smog began on a friday, and it was black. it was described as a pea soup because it was a bit yellowish. you could smell it.

it tasted a bit acidic. and it caused absolute havoc in the levels of pollution, they were horrendous. you could not see your feet. i remember on one particular occasion i wanted to cross a very wide road, and i shuffled across, and after 10 minutes i did not know where i was. and finally i ended up on the same side of the road as i started. it was extremely cold for several days. and, of course, londoners wanted to keep warm, because it was so cold, and so they burnt coal on their open fires. the pollution did not rise up, it tended to drift down and pervade the street and everything else. the smog got in everywhere,

you couldn't avoid it. reporter footage: special filtering masks are the latest weapons designed to combat smog. quite a number of people had bronchitis because of industrial exposure and because they smoked. and, of course, when they breathed polluted air, this became very hard for them. reporter footage: heaven help the doctor on a night like this. what can you do when records and experience tell you that the city's death rate is about to jump? as many as 100,000 people in london were made ill by the pollution at the time, especially people with asthma, cardiovascular problems, and also, the very young and the elderly, they also suffered.

reporter footage: if you looked at his x—ray, you would see plenty. we don't know exactly... and to see somebody fighting for air is a harrowing experience. breathing heavily. trying to get air into their lungs. and, of course, it would be dirty air, even in the wards. there were estimates that there were some 4000 excess deaths, and there was a shortage of coffins, because there were so many people who died. the government recognised we need to study this pollution, and that is why we had set up an air pollution research unit in barts hospital in central london. and i was a founding member of that unit in 1951, there were three of us. in 1956, the government decided

to pass something called the clean air act to try and discourage and minimise the amount of smoke and fuel that was being used. reporter footage: new flats without chimneys are a part of the campaign... we still had but as time went on, we had the availability of smokeless fuels like gas and oil. without that, we would have been in a bad way. he worked at saint barts hospital in 1952 at the time of the great smog in london. more on the serious car crash in birmingham early this

morning. six people have died, a seventh is critically injured after a multi—vehicle crash which happened on the afterjunction. it happened at belgrave middleway. police described it as a harrowing scene. i have just arrived here described it as a harrowing scene. i havejust arrived here in described it as a harrowing scene. i have just arrived here in the last five minutes. i can see some damaged ca i’s five minutes. i can see some damaged cars in the underpass but i am assuming those are the cars that only suffered minor damage because they don't work that bad. the ambulance service have told us six vehicles involved. a man and a woman inside the first car, extensive damage, but by a miracle the man and a woman got out and suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital. a black taxi on its side,

the driver pronounced dead at the scene. a man and a woman were in the black cab, expedited by the emergency services. the man died at the scene. the woman taken to hospital and has died now. third car, all men, three of four dead at the scene, the other in critical condition. three other cars involved. either minor injuries or none at all. the sea has been taped off. also a police tent