this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at midday. six people have been killed and a seventh is critically injured after a multi—vehicle crash in birmingham. emergency services say they were met with a complex scene, spread over some distance. 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 four men out already with still a day to bat to save the series. also in the next hour.

prince harry takes on a new role as a journalist, interviewing the former us president barack obama. if you start using long pauses between the answers, you've got to get the face. laughter the interview was recorded as part of the today programme's guest editor series to be broadcast on the 27th december. and in half an hour here on bbc news — click investigates the weird world of quantum computing. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. six people have died after a multi—vehicle crash on one of birmingham's main roads — belgrave middleway at the junction of bristol road.

a seventh person is critically injured. officers have described the scene as "very difficult and upsetting". our correspondent matthew thompson is at the scene. matthew, tell us what more about the police and the ambulance service have been saying about this terrible crash. the emergency services aren't praying to the use of overly dramatic language, so when the west midlands fire service describes it as horrific it gives you a sense of the terrible nature of an accident like this. we don't know exactly what has happened yet, we are expecting a press conference this afternoon from west midlands police. we know some of the details, around 1am this morning the accident took place. we don't yet know the cause. we know that six people have lost their lives and a seventh is in

critical condition in hospital. the dead include the driver of a black taxi and his two passengers, a man and a woman, and three men who were thrown from their car and died at the scene. the fourth man travelling with them is in a critical condition in hospital. the ambulance service described the scene as extensive. we know a0 firefighters were sent and five ambulances and a hazardous area response team. those have largely disappeared. you can probably make up disappeared. you can probably make up behind me the heavy police cordoned in place, and police have set upa cordoned in place, and police have set up a number of forensic tents. if any good news can be taken from a tragedy like this we are told that two people, a man and a woman, walked away miraculously from one of the car ‘s most heavily damaged. 0bviously at any time of year if tragedy like this is upsetting but i think it's made all the more so given that we are just a few days away from christmas. just described the area, it's clearly sealed off at

the area, it's clearly sealed off at the moment but this is a very busy pa rt the moment but this is a very busy part of the birmingham traffic system. absolutely. this is a major, major dual carriageway 3% of birmingham. where the accident took place is that the edge of an underpass. speculation as to whether people drive along it quite quickly, we don't know if that was the cause. it isa we don't know if that was the cause. it is a very fast moving carriageway. just around it is the police cordoned. all of this road will be closed at least for the remainder of the day as the police investigate. a major investigation is ongoing so i can't imagine traffic will be moving through this area any time in the nearfuture. just to underline the scale of what happened, at one stage there were a0 firefighters at the scene and clearly a lot of ambulance crews as well. absolutely. 40 firefighters and five ambulances and a hazardous area response team. there are

several police cars, at least three orfourand several police cars, at least three orfour and several several police cars, at least three or four and several police manning the cordoned and even more in forensic suits. a major, major emergency services response. these are hardened veterans of accidents but police describing it as very upsetting, the fire service describing it as horrific. that brings it into sharp focus quite how distressing the scenes must have been early this morning. we are expecting to hear a bit more from the police in birmingham, there is a news co nfe re nce the police in birmingham, there is a news conference in about half an hour and we will bring you that an bbc news. 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 pounds 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. this morning the pensions secretary, david gauke, told the bbc why the government was extending auto—enrolment and trying to get more people saving for their pensions. that, i think, will get more people into the habit of saving. it will mean that younger people will be saving for those extra years, so that obviously is significant when it comes to their retirement. and so extending the benefit of auto—enrolment, which i think everybody agrees has been a huge success, is a really important next step. let's get some analysis now on this story. joining me now is holly mackay, founder of the consumer financial website, boring money.

thank you forjoining us. is this a good idea, a good proposalfrom the government? i think it is a really positive thing. it will get more young people into the savings environment and i think realistically know one wakes up the day after their 18th birthday party and thinks i must get myself enrolled into a pension. ithink removing the need for people to actively think about it and have to work out how to do it by themselves isa work out how to do it by themselves is a good thing. i think it's a really positive move. although some 18—year—olds will say they've got huge financial pressures at the moment as it is and can't really afford this, and think that retirement and pensions is such a long way off. i think it does feel like a long way off but i think the good thing about auto enrolment is that from april next year, it will

be 3% of young people's salaries which are being stuck aside for a pension. but that money will be sitting there for a0 years. if you put £1000 into the stock market now and leave it alone for a0 years, i would expect that to turn into more like £7,000. it's a great thing for people to do. they can always opt out. if that 3% is really going to make that difference, there is the choice to opt out but you're then giving up all the extra contributions from your employer as well. i would say to most people, if you can avoid opting out, go with it and it's a positive thing in the long—term. and it's a positive thing in the long-term. if it's such a good idea, why isn't it being brought in a bit quicker? it's not going to kick in until the mid 20 20s. quicker? it's not going to kick in until the mid 20 205]: quicker? it's not going to kick in until the mid 20 20s. i think it's not been brought in sooner because the auto—enrolment is still relatively new and the government

started it for people aged 22 and above. they are rolling it out to people at 18 plus which is a great thing. one thing i would say is that it still doesn't really solve the problem of the self—employed. the growing gig economy, that's the next stage, the next thing the government really have to tackle. is this part ofa really have to tackle. is this part of a wider malaise or wider problem in society that people aren't in general thinking enough about savings? it's a common criticism about the way we think. savings? it's a common criticism about the way we thinklj savings? it's a common criticism about the way we think. i think, of course, because you look at the cost of housing in particularfor many young people, it's such a problem. saving into a pension isjust effectively deferred consumption. it's not the most appealing thought. i think that's why having something like auto—enrolment which kicks in behind—the—scenes, you don't have to actively think about it, is a great

thing. it's actually compulsory in some markets. it changes the mindset and becomes something that everybody does. everybody saving into the stock market from a very early age and we are never likely to get off and we are never likely to get off and do it ourselves so something like auto—enrolment where it's just setup and ticking along in the background is a great way to tackle the problem that we have, this real problem of lack of pensions provision that we are making. thank you. two police officers have been seriously injured in a road traffic collision in the london borough of brent. the two officers were returning to a marked police vehicle near brent part in neasden when a car collided with them early this morning. the car sustained serious damage and stopped at the scene.

both police officers are constables in their30s, both police officers are constables in their 30s, one is male and one is female. 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". 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake has been explaining to me the prime minister's comments this morning. a defiant tone from the prime minister, putting down a marker. she calls this a watershed moment for the brexit process. after that deal was reached in brussels to bring to an end phase one of the brexit—lite go she is, she's clearly trying to remind us of her achievements as she puts it, proving the doubters wrong. some other brexit catchphrases

are in there, taking back control. she says amid all the noise we are getting on with the job. she also looks ahead to the next stage of negotiations, where the real detail will be worked out, and she says this is the exciting part of the negotiations. exciting is perhaps the word she is choosing. others could say it will potentially be the more difficult of the two. one of the more exciting things about her government is not only her that talks, it's the rest of her cabinet that also seemed to talk about brexit. what have we been hearing from borisjohnson and others today? if to be a reminder for the prime minister of the potential bumps in the road ahead, the foreign secretary giving an interview to the times. he was clear to praise the prime ministerfor getting us this far as he put it, but he said he would like to see the uk do not mirror european union

regulations and rules in the future, and to have the freedom to diverge and set its own laws and regulations. that's what you would expect him to say as an enthusiastic advocate of brexit, but it's also a reminder there are differences within the cabinet on how the uk's relationship with the eu should work in future. subtle in some cases, but also quite stark in others. this week will see that come to a head. the prime minister will chair a meeting on tuesday where they are expected to discuss what the end state should be to get the negotiating ducks in a row as it were, so that theresa may can go to brussels in the new year and david davis as well, to say this is what we are trying to achieve here. as to some clues as to what that might be, well, if we were looking for them this morning from cabinet ministers, then unfortunately we will be disappointed. david gauke, the work and pensions secretary, was asked about his position and he said that the uk will need to maximise access to european markets and we are going to have a negotiation. his view is that we need to get

the right result for the uk. the headlines on bbc news. six people have been killed and a seventh is critically injured after a multi—vehicle crash in birmingham, officers have described the scene as "very difficult and upsetting". plans to automatically enrol hundreds of thousands of young people in workplace pensions for the first time, to help them save for retirement. a new leader of south africa's ruling anc party is expected to be announced today — after years of scandal and corruption. sport now, and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. a rather disappointing day for england in the ashes. england on the brink of losing the ashes as australia built a huge score and took key wickets on the fourth day of the third test. england will need to bat out the final day in perth tomorrow

to stand any chance of staying in the series. steve smith reached 239 as australia declared on 662—9, a lead of 259. in reply, england crumbled, losing mark stoneman, alistair cook and joe root. james vince providing some resistance before a brilliant ball from mitchell starc saw him depart. england will resume on 132—a. rain may be england's only chance of salvaging a draw, bringing an early end to play today, with more showers forecast on the final day in perth. it's a special weekend. to get rick two is a good one for us. we would lovve to stay there for another hour and maybe get that fifth wicket today.

come back tomorrow for the next six. i think we've tried to put it to the back of our minds. today was going to be more of a wash—out than it was. i haven't seen a huge amount of rain in the time i've been in perth. two guys at the crease, spent a lot of time there in the first innings, slightly different conditions. we've got to have belief we can get over the line tomorrow. it's going to be tough, i'm sure there's going to be some good balls flying around out there. innings they can occupy the crease for a long time. hopefully getting off to a good start in the morning. justin rose has won the indonesian masters — finishing 29—under over the four rounds. it's the englishman's third win of the year. he was eight clear of the nearest challengers and dominated the tournament from beginning to end, starting and finishing with rounds of 10—under—par. it was a great week. i was in control of my game, absolutely. it was a nice mixture of driving the ball well, some good iron play and making putts. it's a good accommodation. that's a low score as either ever shot, 29 under par. to start with 62 and finished with 62,

i've never done that. many firsts this week and i don't think i've ever won a tournament with that many shots. i was aware of those things and because it was uncharted territory, it's not always easy. after last night's a—1 win against tottenham, manchester city are 1a points clear at the top of the premier league after extending their winning run to a record 16 matches. the gap could return to 11 points if manchester united beat west brom later. managerjose mourinho was matter—of—fact when assesing where his side stand heading into the busy christmas period. we are second. with this number of points we could be first in other seasons, but we are second. this is where we are. not first, not third, we are second. as i was saying, match after match, one match at a time. and lets see at the end of the

season how many points and where we are. that's one of two games on sunday in the premier league. the other sees liverpool at bournemouth. big respect for what they are doing there, in probably a difficult situation. i saw a few games at bournemouth this year and they didn't get the points they deserved, maybe. they were unlucky in a few moments. but we all know from behind they are coming, so bournemouth needs all the points as well, so it will be a tough game for sure. bradley lowery, the six—year—old sunderland fanatic who died from a rare type of cancer earlier this year, is to be given a special posthumous award at tonight's sports personality of the year ceremony. he became best friends withjermain defoe while the striker was at sunderland last season. bradley's been given the helen rollason prize, which rewards "outstanding achievement in the face of adversity". that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. a new leader of south africa's

ruling anc party is expected to be announced today — after years of scandal and corruption. the two frontrunners are the deputy president, cyril ramaphosa, and the former foreign minister nkosazana dlamini—zuma, who is one of the president's former wives. 0ur correspondent milton nkosi, who's at the conference, explained the background to today's vote. i'm at the 5ath national conference, anc president zuma is standing down after leading the organisation for ten years. his replacement will be the leader of the anc, which is the biggest political party in south africa, and potentially the president of south africa. let me show you what the newspapers are saying this morning. look at what the city press is saying. a picture of the two frontrunners. look at this tabloid, the sunday sun. normally reserving its pages for soapy gossip.

look at what they have today. down to the wire for cr17 and ndz. and look at the sunday independent. they are definitely going with ndz, which is nkosazana dlamini—zuma. they are clearly saying she would be a much better leader as far as they are concerned. milton, tell us a bit about the two rivals, the two frontrunners for the job, who are they? there were seven of them at the beginning, two have fallen away, and it looks like the others definitely won't make the cut when it comes to it. the delegates are now meeting, over 5000 of them making the decision. they are supporting cyril ramaphosa, he is a lawyer by background,

he is the current deputy president of south africa. cyril ramaphosa was leading the negotiations alongside nelson mandela to end white minority rule in the early ‘90s. he left politics, went into business, became incredibly wealthy, and returned in 2012. now he is leading by about 500 delegates. 0n the other side is dr nkosazana dlamini—zuma, president jacob zuma's former wife. to be fair to her, that's not her only credential — she is a medical doctor, graduated from bristol university. she also has qualifications from liverpool university. she was nelson mandela's first health minister in a post—apartheid administration. she became the foreign minister of south africa under thabo mbeki. she then went to addis ababa tp

become the chairperson she then went to addis ababa to be the chairperson of african union. she is currently an ordinary member of parliament. when will we know, milton? we think that voting and perhaps the results will come late into the night, around 9pm local time, about 7pm your time. at least five people have been killed and more than 20 injured in an attack on a church in the pakistani city of quetta. the methodist church was full of worshippers when it was stormed by two militants. pakistani media have broadcast footage of a fierce exchange of gunfire between security forces and militants. thousands of people living in southern california's santa barbara county have been ordered

to leave, in the face of the wildfire that's been burning for nearly two weeks. the blaze is the third—largest in the state since 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 a0% 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. prince harry has taken on a new role as a journalist, and interviewed the former us president barack obama. the interview was recorded at the invictus games in september as part of the today programme's guest editor series. the fifth in line to the throne takes over the show on the 27th december on bbc radio a — and he gave the politician some interview advice ahead of the discussion. doi do i have to speak faster because i'm a slow speaker. not at. you

should i do a british accent? if you start using long pauses between answers you're probably going to get the face. laughter i don't want to see that face. it will be a 20 minute package for the bbc after christmas and we hope to use the whole thing. excellent. 0k. christmas and we hope to use the whole thing. excellent. ok. i'm ready. do you guys have sound? sounding great. you're excited about this, i'm nervous about this. it's fine. i'll interview you if you want. lets keep it this way, i'd much prefer that! a three—man space crew has blasted off for a six—month mission on the international space station. the soyuz spacecraft took off from the bakonur cosmodrome in kazakhstan within the past hour. the multi—national crew are made up of an experienced russian cosmonaut, along with rookie astronauts

from the us and japan. they willjoin three other crew on the space station. a woolly mammoth which lived at least 10,000 years ago has sold at auction in france for more than £a80,000. the skeleton, which is more than 3.a metres high, was bought by a french waterproofing company, which uses the mammoth as its logo. the ceo said he thought there was enough room to display it in the firm's lobby. let's see what the weather prospects are. a bit of disappointing afternoon across england and wales. we've got an area of low pressure moving its way slowly eastwards. fairly breezy conditions with this rain as it spreads east. behind its quys rain as it spreads east. behind its guys brightening up quite nicely for

scotla nd guys brightening up quite nicely for scotland and northern ireland, despite temperatures dropping you have the sunshine to compensate. it will be called across eastern parts of england, particularly east anglia. the rain will eventually clear way and overnight it's going to be dry and clear with light winds, another chilly one in fact. frost in some rural places on a central northern areas and mist and fog too. we stop monday on a fine, dry night. it will be chilly but at least we have the sunshine to compensate. more cloud across the north and west of scotland. some cloud getting into the south—west. most cloud getting into the south—west. m ost pla ces cloud getting into the south—west. most places seeing single figure values. that cool air is pushed away and replaced by milder airfor the next few days. hello.