good afternoon. afghan special forces have ended a siege in a luxury hotel in the capital kabul, 12 hours after it was stormed by gunmen. six civilians, five afghans and one foreign woman, were killed along with all the militants. more than 150 people were rescued from the hotel by the security forces. the taliban says it carried out the attack. our correspondent zia shahreyar reports from kabul. the final moments of a fight that had lasted all night. gunfire and explosions as afghan special forces battle to regain control of the incident come to —— intercontinental hotel. one soldier throws a grenade. he moves away, then the explosion. the room is soon on fire, evidence of the struggle that had taken

place. the afghan nationalflag waving from the roof, proof that the building has been retaken. more than 150 people, including some foreigners, were inside yesterday evening when gunmen burst in and opened fire. translation: there were old people and children inside the hotel's rooms and the attackers were knocking on the door of each room, trying to reach their targets. they killed all people and officials. they were also targeting foreigners. —— ordinary people. they were also targeting foreigners. -- ordinary people. these images filmed by local tv showed people escaping by climbing down bed sheets they had tied to balconies. this telecoms engineer fell from the sixth floor as he tried to get away. translation: when the sixth floor caught fire this morning, my roommate told me either escaped or burn. i got a bed sheet and tied it the balcony. i tried to calm down

but i was heavy and my arms were not strong enough. i fell and but i was heavy and my arms were not strong enough. ifell and injured my shoulder and leg. the afghan security forces were deployed to the area and four insurgence placed themselves on different floors of themselves on different floors of the hotel and opened fire against the hotel and opened fire against the guests in the hotel. the latest figures we have got is that six people, including one foreign citizen, was killed in this attack. now, the interior ministry assessment team is inside the hotel, trying to find out and clear all the different floors of the hotel. the hotel is one of kabul‘s best—known landmarks. it has high levels of security because it is used by politicians and foreign visitors. it was last attacked seven years ago. this sustained and complex assault will prompt urgent questions as to how the gunmen got through.

tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in cities across america for the second women's march, with many protesting against donald trump's presidency. the main rally will be held in las vegas later on. marches are also taking place globally, including in london, as simon jones reports. time's up! what time is it? hundreds gathered outside downing street, determined to make their voices heard. the message, time is up on the sexual harassment and abuse of women. i think it's really important to come together and speak out against violence against all women across the world. men have unchanged inequality in the workplace. we are still getting paid way more than women and it's completely unfair. today's noisy events are taking place the year to the day that tens of thousands of women took to the streets to protest against president trump's first full day in office.

many here say a lot has changed over the past 12 months but there still much to do. donald trump has got to go. the trump presidency is very much the focus of marches that have already been held in the us. many repeated the slogan, build bridges, not walls. i really wanted to make sure that this year the momentum will still kept up and women's voices were heard. i want to resist the race is happening in our country, especially with the commander—in—chief. he sucks. although the crowds in london are predominantly made up of women, the organisers say men are also welcome and insist they are not setting out to demonise the entire male population, but looking for everyone to play their part in bringing about change. simon jones, to play their part in bringing about change. simonjones, bbc news, westminster. the ukip leader henry bolton has insisted he will not quit his job. mr bolton says it's not right for the party's ruling body tojudge him on his personal life. he's expected to face a vote of no confidence at an emergency meeting later today,

after offensive texts sent by his former girlfriend emerged last week. a man has been arrested after an eight—year—old girl was stabbed to death in the west midlands. police say they're treating it as a domestic incident, and aren't looking for anyone else. liz copper is in walsall for us this lunchtime. what are the police saying? police say they were called to this bungalow around 9:15pm yesterday, and when they arrived, they found that 80 rolled girl with serious injuries. she was taken to hospital and reportedly nothing could be done to save her life and she died a short time later. a 54—year—old man was also taken to hospital. he has been taken there with a stab injury to his stomach. his condition is described as stable. police say in due course, they will be questioning him. as you say, west midlands

police have said they are treating this as a domestic incident and as such, they are not looking for anyone else in connection with this little girl's death. liz kopper reporting from walsall. here two climbers have been airlifted to safety in the highlands after becoming stuck on a ridge. the pair were winched to safety from 3,000 feet up the mountain in glencoe. they'd first raised the alarm on friday but the poor weather meant they couldn't be rescued until yesterday morning. people with hidden disabilities in england could soon be entitled to blue badge parking permits under government plans. the department for transport said the change would make it easier for those with conditions such as autism to access services they need. helena lee has the story. the blue badge scheme was first introduced in england in the 19705. today, around 2.4 million people with disabilities have one. it allows them to park free of charge on roads, and normally without a time limit.

the government is now proposing to extend the scheme. it wants people with hidden disabilities and conditions like autism and dementia to be able to qualify for a blue badge, so they too can enjoy the freedom to get out where and when they want. for many parents, they tell us that sometimes they don't want to go out. they don't want to take their autistic son or daughter out to the shops, out to schools and services and other places because they are worried about what might happen. but if they can park much closer to their destination then they can easily take someone away if there is an issue and if there are difficulties when they are out and about. the department for transport says only some councils recognise hidden disabilities under the current scheme, because they interpret the existing rules differently. the proposals would be the biggest change to the scheme since it was first introduced. the plans will now go through an eight—week public consultation.

helena lee, bbc news. tennis and kyle edmund has reached his first grand slam quarterfinal. the british no 2 beat the italian, andreas seppi, in four sets at the australian open in melbourne. nick parrott reports. kyle edmund could barely stand after his last match in melbourne. now he has reached greater heights than ever before. the mercury was at a merciful 26 degrees but early on it looked like andreas seppi could prove too hot to handle. 27 places separate them in the world rankings. on court, it was much closer, with the italian taking the first set on a tie—break. at 33, seppi has a decade's experience on edmund and at times, it showed. the briton was broken first but a change of footwear led to a change in fortunes as he went on to level the match. winning five games in a row saw edmund grow in confidence and seppi's stubborn

resistance drained away. it took almost three hours to set up the biggest match of his career but edmund isn't getting carried away. you know, i have to believe i'm going to win and believe in my game and stuff so that is the way i've approached it, one match at a time and i will continue to do that. whatever happens next, edmund will climb the rankings and give hope that britain has found a successor to andy murray. nick parrott, bbc news. well done to him. the next news on bbc one is at 6pm. bye for now. hello.

you're watching the bbc news channel. more now on the story surrounding the ukip leadership. the current leader henry bolton has been conducting a round of interviews this morning, setting out his position. explaining why he should not leave the leadership of the party. he told the bbc‘s sunday politics programme it was not the job of ukip's national executive committee to consider his personal life. i'm not going to go into the details of that relationship. in terms of the party, that relationship is over. jo marney has resigned. she was suspended. no, she resigned yesterday, made an apology to the members yesterday for the embarrassment she has caused and any disruption and problems she has caused for the party. i think that draws a line under that. well, it does not really because you said publicly on monday the relationship was over and then you are seen having dinner with somebody

who's views, as has been revealed, she had to apologise for. if we are tojudge somebody by she had to apologise for. if we are to judge somebody by the company they keep you ought not really to be having dinner with her, whether you have a role —— romantic relationship oi’ have a role —— romantic relationship or not. we have put information in the public domain that shows, that proves there is a coup or insurgency going on within the party. some of that information came from her. in addition, she'd had a number of death threats she wanted to discuss and she had to collect some things from my apartment. that is all done. so you won't be having dinner with heragain and we so you won't be having dinner with her again and we won't see any more pictures? i may do, the romantic element is over but it would be in human of media simply walk away and cut the link entirely. i'm not going to do that. this is some of you has embarrassed the party and the leadership by sending racist m essa 9 es leadership by sending racist messages about meghan markle but you think it is appropriate to continue to co nta ct think it is appropriate to continue to contact her? i abhor the content of the messages, i have said it numerous times, they are appalling and she has admitted that. i was

shocked when i saw them and in no way defend them but myjob now is to get the party on its feet so we have a solid base from which to protect out a solid base from which to protect our politics in the brexit debate. henry bolton speaking earlier. theresa may has said she's to set out plans in coming weeks to crack down on company executives who enrich themselves while jeopardising their workers' pensions. writing in the observer newspaper, she describes the practice as an unacceptable abuse that will be ended. earlier i spoke to the former liberal democrat mp and pensions minister, steve we b b. he told me about the issues facing the government if they were to bring in such plans. i do think more needs to be done but it could well be years before anything actually happens. what we're hearing about is a white paper expected next month and that would have to be followed by a law and we already know what parliament's laws will be next year so we're talking 2019, 2020 and then another year to consult and implement so nothing will happen very quickly

and in the meantime, more people will see pensions at risk if their company goes to the wall. explain in layman's terms, we have the pensions regulator, so why are pensions still at risk in this way? it's a very good question. basically, huge pension promises have built up over decades and money is invested to pay for them. but the money invested goes up or down, so if the stock market falls, there could be a shortfall or if we all start living longer, the costs go up so in any given year there could be a shortfall and the regulator has to make sure there is a plan to deal with the shortfall. but what sometimes happens is that companies put money into things like dividends or executive pay when they could help reduce the shortfall quicker and the government could intervene there. they are not putting nothing into the pensions but it is not enough of a priority. in your view, is that what carillion has highlighted in particular, the idea of dividends being paid, executives getting big bonuses and a pension scheme looking pretty vulnerable? what struck me about carillion

is i looked at their annual report for 2016 and they boasted that every year for the last 16 years, they'd increased their dividend, which is great if you are a shareholder but obviously if you are in the pension fund and now wondering why you might not get yourfull pension, clearly that is a concern. i think one of the problems is, executives often get paid more if they boost the dividend so they have an incentive to prioritise other things than the pension. it is worth saying that if you are a brownhills subscriber —— t20 subscriber, some people will be worried about their pensions. if they are in an old final salary type schemes, the ones we're talking about, if they are in these are new pot of money pensions which new workers will be in, the things like legal & general, royal london and prudential and those kind of companies provide, there is no risk because those pensions are quite separate, so it is important not to alarm people who have the newer

pensions but we are talking about the older ones. some people would say you have to have a balance, companies that are profitable and pay dividends in order to get new investment, so it is a balance between profitability and the health of the company and looking after the pensioners. that is absolutely right. the best guarantee of the pensions being paid is the company still being there in 50 years so if you go in really hard on the company and say every spare pound has to go in the pension fund and they say that means they can't pay dividends and raise capital or invest in the business, that wouldn't work, either. in theory, talking tough about bosses sounds like a good idea. but trying to write a law that says "you didn't put enough in the pension scheme", because defining enough is very difficult, so although one understands what the government is trying to achieve, codifying it in law will be extremely difficult. steve we b b, steve webb, the former pensions minister, talking to me earlier. the headlines on bbc news. the taliban said it carried out an attack on a luxury hotel in the afg ha n attack on a luxury hotel in the afghan capital, kabul, in which at least six people were killed. ukip

leader henry bolton has hit back at his critics, saying the party's national executive committee has no power tojudge him on personal matters. hundreds of people have been taking in a women's time's up protest against examination and harassment at downing street. let's return now to the news that people with hidden disabilities in england could soon be entitled to blue badge permits for free parking. the department for transport said the change would make it easier for those with conditions such as autism and dementia to access services they needed. let's talk to kay ashton who is 27 and has a blue badge. thank you forjoining us. just tell us thank you forjoining us. just tell us why you have a blue badge. what is your condition? i live with a condition called neurofibromatosis where tumours grow on the nerve endings and that causes scoliosis,

which affected my walking so i walk with a walking stick. what has been your experience of the blue badge? you have had a feud tricky incident and confrontations. i have had a few insta nces and confrontations. i have had a few instances where maybe i have parked up instances where maybe i have parked up and i'm not quite ready to get out of the car, due to sorting things out in the car and people have been beeping at me, basically insinuating i should move out of the disabled bay. iwill insinuating i should move out of the disabled bay. i will hold up my badge. i've had people coming and knocking on my car window, trying to get me to move on, but again, you show them the blue badge, and then they will walk off but no apologies for it. if you looked at me, you know, in my situation, it is a hidden disability. it is only when i get out of the car and they see me with a walking stick that people can see the visual side of it. what would be your thoughts about extending the blue badge scheme to

people with autism or dementia, again, not always obviously visible? do you think it could lead to more confrontation? i think it would be a fantastic idea, especially with people with autism and stuff because of the condition they live with, being ina of the condition they live with, being in a crowded area, for a start, it can be a big issue for them. but if they are then into get —— then going to get into a confrontational situation, it could impact that person quite badly with that condition. i think it will be a big education for everyone really. i guess it is making sure people don't judge and maybe take a step back because people could easily now use a blue badge, like my dad, if he is picking me up, he is allowed to use the blue badge to park his car in a bay and come and collect the disabled person from wherever they are. in that situation, people

probably question things then as well. it may be a question of educating the public in a way. that's right. they are sometimes a bit intolerant and a bit too suspicious and judgmental in the way they look at people with blue badges? definitely, and definitely education but then that will help future generations as well, kids in school today and stuff, not to judge people when they see people in the street and ask questions where need be but not charged. —— but not judge. it could help people with hidden conditions going forward. thank you forjoining us. k ashton, talking about the idea of the blue badge scheme for disabled people being extended. hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in cities across the us for the second women's march, protesting against president trump on the anniversary of his inauguration. the largest demonstrations were in new york and chicago and protests have been held also in london, outside downing street. our correspondent simonjones

is there for us now. simon, tell us what has been going on. the protest is now coming to an end but hundreds of people have been here and their message has been, "time's up", time's up for sexual harassment of women, treating women as second—class citizens, time's up for the abuse of women on social media and very much a resident trump in people's minds today, a year after he spent his first full day in office. let's talk to one of the organisers of this event. tell me firstly, why are you here? we are here to stand with one voice, to make it clear that there are a numberof make it clear that there are a number of issues that have prevailed in our society and it needs to end, hence the reason for time's up and you have rightly surmised a number

of the issues that we are calling time's up on. this is a platform that amplifies the voices of not just women because the issues that we are raising transcend gender, colour, creed and race. this is really important for us and we are taking this, we have brought it to the streets in terms of protest but we going to take it from the streets to institutions, places of government, workplaces and schools, to see the change we want to see. you are taking your message to the top because i understand you are giving theresa may a letter in downing street to give to president trump. correct, so the women's march london has written a letter which is being delivered to prime minister theresa may and what we are trying to do is ensure that when she meets president trump in davos, that she can extend the message to him. and more importantly, for him to understand that we are watching very closely the policies he is putting together that impact the lives of women, notjust together that impact the lives of women, not just in together that impact the lives of women, notjust in the us but outside the us will stop for

instance, the block he has put on us funding for international family planning organisations is absolutely unacceptable. it is totally not supportive and it shows that women's rights are not at the top of the agenda of his administration. rights are not at the top of the agenda of his administrationm rights are not at the top of the agenda of his administration. it is agenda of his administration. it is a year since tens of thousands of women took to the streets in london and many other cities across the uk, marking president trump's first day in office. what has happened in the year that has gone by? we have had theissue year that has gone by? we have had the issue of harassment go to the top of the agenda here in westminster and also because of the scandals in hollywood. that's right. i will tell you what has happened, 2017 has been pivotal in ensuring that the platform and the voices of women are heard in a way that has never been heard before. thankfully, a powerful impact of social media and digital technology has been able to take messages all around the world faster than even mainstream

media. it is fantastic. when you have people of influence, like at the golden globe awards, using their influence to send the same message, it is equally powerful. 2017 has beena year it is equally powerful. 2017 has been a year where more and more people are only be experienced, sharing the experience, to be able to support each other and i like the fa ct to support each other and i like the fact that 2018 poses almost an infinite set of opportunities for us to see wider change and impacts. thank you forjoining us. people very much braving the snow and rain because they very much wanted to get their voices heard. simon, thank you very much indeed. a walk in the countryside — a simple activity that has inspired artists, writers and even the prime minister! now a 2004 trek taken by a group of men has been turned into a play. black men walking covers a few miles in the peak district, but 2,000 years of black history. ali fortescue put on her walking boots to meet the cast and the real men they portray. we are home.

2000 years of black british history, told on a walk in the peak district. we walked england before the english. it's a play inspired by a real walking group and just days before the first curtain call, the cast have come back to where the story started for a final run—through and to meet the men who inspired the play. so the story takes place on a day when the probably the walkers shouldn't be going out because of weather warnings, and along the way, they encounter over 500 years of black british history, characters from the past emerging. what the play is looking at how long do you have to be in a place to become part of it?

how long do you have to be in yorkshire to become a yorkshireman or woman? so today is all about getting the actors into character, so here we are in the peak district and this is, of course, all about a walking group. so shall we do some walking? yeah. why not! we're joining the original walkers on a route that they've done many times. it's a long stretch along the yorkshire—derbyshire border. more than enough time for the actors to get to know the walkers and the story that they'll be bringing to the stage. so, mark, you're one of the founding members of the original walking group. why was that group started? we very much wanted something that was healthy, something that gave us an opportunity to share and talk and discuss with each other, because it's something that men don't do, particularly men, perhaps, within the black community. we felt that we wanted to continue to develop our friendship. and now you've inspired a play, can you believe that? it's amazing to think that that's the case. so we're looking forward to seeing what the play will do and say about the group, but,

perhaps wider than that, what it has to say about living in britain today in the 21st century. there's a real kind of misunderstanding that the black community's just arrived recently, on windrush, for example, when we've been here for centuries. i wanted to reflect that, i want to tell those stories. the sort of hidden british histories in my thesis are all black, and those are the stories we're telling. more than ten years since they started walking, this is one they'll never forget, as the sheffield walkers bid farewell to the actors who will be taking their story around the country. ali fortescue, bbc news. time to get a sports round—up now with jj chalmers. lots of action in australia. england have won the one—day series against australia 3—0 with two matches to play after a 16—run

win in sydney. england got off to a slow start butjos buttler and chris woakes gave the innings impetus. buttler made an unbeaten century and woakes finished on 53 as england made 302—6. australia lost captain steve smith to a controversial caught behind decision. they were always behind in the required run rate. despite having wickets in hand, they fell short of their target. kyle edmond has powered into his first grand slam quarterfinal, beating andreas seppi of italy in the australian open. the british no 2 recovered from a slow start to win in four sets in melbourne. edmund trailed by a set and a break at one stage but cut down his errors to secure his place in the last eight. it's great to be in the quarterfinals. it is certainly my best result at a grand slam. you know, it's not easy to win four matches at a grand slam. definitely pleased. it shows i'm improving. lots of hard work paying off.

you know, like you said, that constant working at everything, my game, on and off the court, and it is good when you get results and it comes together. edmund will meet grigor dimitrov in the last eight after the bulgarian ended nick kyrgios' campaign with a gripping four set victory. three of the sets went to tie—breaks. kyrgios was the last australian in the men's draw. world number one seed rafa nadal and women's world number two caroline wozniacki are both through. watford are expected to name their replacement for the fact marco silva, spaniard javi gracia, who last managed rubin kazan. marco silva was dismissed after only eight months in thejob. everton silva was dismissed after only eight months in the job. everton approach the portuguese in november and they

say that is the catalyst for the decision. watford's statement said that without "the unwarranted approach" they would have "continued to prosper under his leadership". the hornets have won just one of their last 11 premier league games. there's one premier league match today. spurs could go fourth with a win at southampton in the 4pm kick—off. spurs beat the saints 5—2 on boxing day but mauricio pochettino is bracing himself for a tough match. i don't have doubt that they are going to success because the club is so strong, great manager, great coaching staff and great players. i have no doubt that they are going to win success, but i hope after sunday because for us it is so important, the three points, but i know it will be very tough because they need three points, too. in the scottish cup fourth round, it is the edinburgh derby between hearts and hibs. rangers were due to play fraserburgh of the highland league

but the match has been called off because of a frozen pitch. there will be a new name on the masters trophy this evening with mark allen taking on kyren wilson. neither player has reached this stage before. allen knocked out two—time winner john higgins in his semifinal, having already beaten ronnie o'sullivan. wilson defeated world no 3 judd trump to make his first masters final. the final is just getting underway at alexandra palace. these are live pictures. you can