a twelve—hour attack on a major hotel in the afghan capital ends with the deaths of 19 people. 1a of the dead were foreigners, thought to have been deliberately targeted. the taliban says it carried out the attack. is your relationship with her over? lam not is your relationship with her over? i am not making any comments. more questions for the ukip leader henry bolton over his personal life — as he faces a vote of no confidence from his party. an eight—year—old is stabbed to death in the west midlands — in what police are describing as a "domestic incident". heavy rain brings flooding and mudslides to south west england — elsewhere snow and ice cause problems on the roads. and in australia british number two kyle edmund reaches his first grand slam quarter—final. good evening.

the authorities in afghanistan now say that m foreigners and four afghan nationals were killed in an attack on an international hotel in the capital kabul. after heavy fighting that lasted twelve hours, afghan special forces took control of the intercontinental hotel, killing the gunmen who stormed it yesterday evening. more than 150 people managed to escape, or were rescued. 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 battled to regain control of the 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 national flag waving from the roof, proof that the building has been reta ken. more than 150 people, including some foreigners, were inside yesterday evening, when gunmen burst in and opened fire. pa rt part of the hotel was burned, black smoke has blackened as part of the hotel. more than 150 people were in the hotel when eyewitnesses burst in. eyewitnesses said they were looking forforeigners. in. eyewitnesses said they were looking for foreigners. translation: they were knocking on hotel rooms trying to reach targets, they killed ordinary people and officials, they we re ordinary people and officials, they were also targeting foreigners. these images filmed by local tv, showed people escaping by closing down bed sheets that

they'd 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 escape or burn. i got a bed sheet and tied it over the balcony. i tried to come down but i was heavy and my arms were not strong enough. ifell and injured my shoulder and leg. this has probably been the deadliest attack on foreign citizens in afghanistan since the invasion. we are told that the attackers spoke for the managers and told afghans to be separated from foreign national. this assault will prompt urgent questions as to how the gunman got through. zia shahreyar, bbc news, kabul. ukip's national executive committee has backed a vote of no confidence in the party leader henry bolton

as he faces further questions over his personal life. after a brief relationship withjo marney — whose texts about meghan markle became public — he says his personal life shouldn't affect his political career. the party membership will now be asked to vote on his future. here's our political correspondent ben wright. iam not i am not making any comment. shortly before ukip's top brass met to discuss their beleaguered leader's fete henry bolton came out fighting. you could save my own party don't have confidence in me as leader sol shall stand down. i could do but i shan‘t. i want. shall stand down. i could do but i shan't. i want. the former soldier has only been head of the party for four months and it is relationship with his girlfriend jo marney that got him noticed. last week he dropped his girlfriend after it emerged that she had sent reportedly racist texts about meghan markle. later they were both spotted out at

a london bar. we're talking about the leadership being a moral court as to my domestic situation. what is important to the members and the people who voted to leave the european union is that this country gets it independence back from brussels and we can move forward blanch... he brussels and we can move forward he became the fourth ukip leader in the year and promised to bring fresh focus to the fractures party. however even some of its leading figures now believe it could be curtains for ukip. if we have a situation where we wiped out in the cou nty situation where we wiped out in the county council elections and then the general elections, if we are also wiped out in the district elections then maybe people will have to get around the table and say, is the electorate trying to tell us something and is that thank you, good night. earlier this month the party ‘s national executive agreed to a meeting today about the leader. today's meeting has been held in huge secrecy and after much digging we found out it was being

held in the office of the ukip general secretary, paul oakley, a barrister. this meeting will determine possibly henry bolton ‘s fate. he went in and insisting that he wouldn't quit but it is clear that many on the ukip national executive want to go. after three hours of talks the chairman emerged with the verdict. they decided to ta ke with the verdict. they decided to take a vote of no—confidence in henry bolton as our leader. that vote was carried unanimously with the exception of henry bolton himself. that doesn't mean mr bolton is forced to go today, there will 110w is forced to go today, there will now be an emergency general meeting of party members to decide his fate. ben wright, bbc news. an eight—year—old girl who died after being found with stab wounds near walsall has been named by west midlands police as mylee billingham. a 54—year—old man has been arrested. liz copper reports. eight—year—old mylee billingham, who has died an what police are describing as a tragic set of circumstances. floral tributes have been placed outside the bungalow in brownhills where police were called last night.

neighbours described their shock as officers arrived. i never in my wildest dreams would ever see down this street. everyone was shocked. because down here it's quiet, know what i mean. a 54—year—old man has been arrested in connection connection with this incident. he was taken to hospital with a stab wound to the stomach and his condition is described as critical. as forensics experts continue their inquiries, police say they are treating this as a domestic incident and are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation. liz copper, bbc news, brownhills. turkish troops have crossed the border into northern syria in a significant escalation of their battle against a kurdish militia. the turkish president has said he hopes the offensive will be brief. the kurdish ypg militia is backed by the united states but viewed by turkey as a terrorist organisation.

our correspondent mark lowen sent this report from the border area. as if syria needed more of this. artillery fire from turkey launching a new ground and offensive. it is called operation olive branch although it is anything but a gesture of these. from the skies turkish f—16s struck yesterday, their target the syrian militia known as the wye pg. turkey sees them as terrorists linked to the outlawed kurdish militants pkk and it wants them pushed back from this border town of afrin. the turkish president has his own troops and with elections next year rallies his supporters. translation: this is a national struggle and we will crush anyone who stands against us. but

the wye pg as powerful friends trained and armed by the us which has infuriated turkey, which thinks that the americans have chosen terrorists over their nato ally. in the hills by the border we found a further build—up as the offensive shows no sign of ending. every few minutes you hear the third of an artillery strike. turkey has clearly committed militarily to this operation and has widespread popular support here but if the turks suffer losses or civilian casualties grow that could change. and the risk is clear this border town was hit by a rocket said to be from the wye pg, killing one and injuring more. turkey is on dangerous ground and a long costly offensive is onlyjust beginning. mark lohan, bbc news, on the turkey— syrian border. thousands of people are expected to turn out in las vegas today for the main american rally on a weekend of women's marches, one year on from those that took place as president trump was inaugurated.

demonstrations have already been held in london, where hundreds gathered outside downing street, and in paris. the message at both — time is up on sexual harassment and abuse. let's join our correspondent rajini vaidyanathan in las vegas. what are you expecting their rajini? well, if last year it was all about protesting the fact that donald trump had just taken office, this year it is about protesting his policies in his first year. many women say they are concerned about his agenda on issues like immigration, health care and reproductive rights, which they say adversely impacts are women. others say that in the wake of the metoo movement they want changes, many say they are survivors of sexual harassment and violence. others are fighting for equality in the workplace and equal pay. if last it was a rallying cry, this year it is all about getting things done, one of the main focuses of this event is

getting women to register to vote and perhaps even run for office. don't forget donald trump one of the majority of white women voters. plenty of women in america think he's doing a greatjob. so this event is a reminder that in america women's rights and women's issues area women's rights and women's issues are a very divisive topic. rajini vaidyanathan are a very divisive topic. rajini vaidya nathan in are a very divisive topic. rajini vaidyanathan in las vegas, thank you. extreme weather has affected several parts of the uk today, with flooding and mudslides in south west england and snow and ice causing problems elsewhere. the met office has issued yellow "be aware" warnings for scotland, north wales, most of england and northern ireland. phil bodmer reports. after the snow came the rain and with that flooding, the south—west bearing the brunt. least say a number of roads are affected by flood water and mud slides like here in north devon. at the jack russell in near barnstable they were surveying the damage caused by the

flooding. the kitchen isjust as bad. we have turned everything off. emergency services helped others as flood water rose in barnstable and quinn martin. in scotland two climbers were airlifted to safety in the highlands, the duo were lynched to safety after a night on the mountain in and go. glasgow airport closed for a brief period as often and so the runway could be cleared after very heavy snow. tonight much of britain remains in the icy grip of britain remains in the icy grip of winter, here in leeds teams have been working nonstop to give the road network sorted with temperatures around 0 degrees. northern england also experienced heavy snow. this was so go land in south yorkshire. in sheffield drivers left their cars at home, with forecasters predicting milder

conditions ahead, there may be better news for commuters later this week. a former premier league footballer is about to become president of the west african nation of liberia. george weah — who played for chelsea and manchester city — told the bbc he was ready to meet the expectations of his people. he will be sworn in tomorrow. his victory is the latest extraordinary chapter in liberia's emergence from the horrors of civil war. from the capital monrovia here's our africa editor, fergal keane. a fa nfa re a fanfare for the people's man. who rose from the slums to become an international football star. and now president of his country. are you doing? george weah is the face of a changing nation. the first time in more than 70 years power is being transferred between democratically elected leaders. can you be as successful a president as a

footballer? you only look at me as a former footballer but i am a human being. i strive to be excellent. i can be successful. today he was leading a team of friends against an army selection and still scored. it was in europe, playing for teams like chelsea and ac milan that he became a legend. fifa footballer of the year. george weah inherits a nation still struggling with a legacy of war. nearly two thirds of the population lives below the poverty line. in the slum where he grew up, they are hoping he will bring jobs, health care, grew up, they are hoping he will bringjobs, health care, housing. when you come here to the streets we re when you come here to the streets were george weah grew at the scale of problems facing liberia is fairly clear. for any kind of meaningful change to take place, please is

essential. and this is a generation that has grown up without knowing more. in a country that was once a byword for anarchy. in 1a years of war, a quarter of a million people we re war, a quarter of a million people were killed. child soldiers like joseph became symbols of pitiless violence. today he is one of those looking to george weah in hope. like his nation, joseph is scarred by the past but determined not to repeat it. doing homework with his children, joseph's life challenges those who would write off a nation, even a continent, as "failed". what do you hope george weah can do feel? we had he will design programmes and bring in investors, sastoseph, so there will bejobs bring in investors, sastoseph, so there will be jobs and we can have a better liberia than before.

expectations are high, can george wea h expectations are high, can george weah possibly meet them, i ask? the one thing, when people love you you have to strive for them. liberia loves me, what i've done before in my life, and ok i'm going to do it again. football teaches that you cannot succeed alone and the new president as the people on site. but more than anything now george weah is going to need their patients. fergal keen, bbc news, monro villar. with all the sport - here's lizzie greenwood hughes at the bbc sport centre... after defeat in the ashes, england have won their one day series against australia, after taking an unassailable 3—0 lead following a 16—run victory in the third odi in sydney. alex gulragani reports. under the guidance of eoin morgan, england's short form game continues to thrive, yet recently, the captain himself has struggled for runs. his, one of six wickets that fell with the score looking unfavourable

for the tourists. jos buttler and chris woakes soon changed that as the pair dominated proceedings. the final over of the innings delivered a half—century for chris woakes and all three figures forjos buttler. 303 the target for victory, one that aaron finch fancied chasing down, showing authority in attack. but the real power on the field lies elsewhere. the umpires wanted to check their decision to give steve smith out. replays were somewhat inconclusive, but their opinion was the one that mattered, not smith's. his team still kept up the attack, marcus stoinis setting up a nervy end, but when he departed, england made sure their winning run would continue. kyle edmund says you have to believe after reaching his first grand slam quarterfinal. the british and the two came from one set down to make

the last eight of the australian open tennis. our correspondence david ornstein reports. carrying the hopes of a nation is no easy task but in the absence of andy murray britain has a new flag bearer. the rise of kyle edmund has been steady, his form here spectacular. it seemed that was about to change one against andreas seppi he lost the opening set and went down a break of serve in the second. he was however quick to respond, a change of shoes coinciding with the change in fortu nes coinciding with the change in fortunes and there was no looking back. one decade andreas seppi's junior, kyle edmund is the higher ranked and is in the gulf in age and quality became apparent. both were bidding to reach a maiden grand slam quarterfinal although only one had the power and the poise to get there. kyle edmund becoming the first british man apart from andy murray to make the last eight in melbourne since 1985. hopefully we

have more british here individual. for me, i'm just very happy to get through and keep doing my best. i know people at home are waking up at silly hours in the morning so i am grateful for that. edmund silly hours in the morning so i am gratefulfor that. edmund now silly hours in the morning so i am grateful for that. edmund now faces world number three grigor dimitrov. whatever the outcome, britain seems to have a new star to celebrate. david ornstein, bbc news. watford have sacked that manager this morning. tottenham drew them much, harry kane only needs one more goal two reaches 100 premier league goal. one late goal at tynecastle got hearts into the fifth round of the scottish cup. the rangers game was postponed. plenty more sport on the bbc sport website including how saracens scraped into the

quarterfinals of the european champions cup. for me, goodbye. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel, we are back with the late news at ten o'clock now on bbc1 its time for the news where you are. goodbye. hello. this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. theresa may has said she'll set out plans in the coming weeks to crack down on company executives who enrich themselves while jeopardising their workers' pensions. writing in the observer newspaper, mrs may describes the practice as an unacceptable abuse that will be ended. earlier i spoke to the former pensions minister, baroness altmann. she explained what powers the pension regulator have to make companies keep their schemes in good order. the pensions regulator already has the power to stop a company paying dividends if it believes that that would jeopardise the pension scheme.

but the pensions regulator would only do that if the trustees call it in and the regulator looks at the scheme and decides that the company should be putting money into the pension scheme rather than into the dividend payment. it also has the power to question executive pay as well, but i think there are duties on trustees and of course on company management that need to be taken really seriously when we have such problems with pension deficits in so many of our big companies. thousands of them are operating with a black hole, i was reading, so what more needs to be done to make sure that trustees and managers act responsibly? well, i certainly think that the bhs and now carillion situations are a necessary wake—up call so individual management and pension trustees, as well as investors, look more carefully

at the pension situation. too often, i feel that pension liabilities have been almost ignored when a company's analyst is looking at what is happening, and if the analysis that hedge funds have done, which led them to short the carillion stock, partly because the cash flow was not sufficient, had also been undertaken by the pension trustees and calling in the regulator, then it would have become much clearer, much sooner, that the dividend payments may need to be controlled or curtailed. and also that the top executive management pay would need perhaps to be looked at because money was

definitely needed for the pension scheme which hasn't necessarily gone into it. how much stress is the fund and. how much stress is the fund andm is very well funded and in fact has budgeted for a number of large schemes to fall into it which hasn't really happened. some of the corporate failures that have happened like the adjusted and end up happened like the adjusted and end up peak pf. currently i am sure well but it can take on a few of the large pension schemes but it could not take on all of them by any means. it could not take on too many. those that is why i think it is urgent —— that is why i think it is urgent —— that is why i think it is urgent —— that is why i think it is urgent that the prime minister ‘s determination to make sure that bosses don't underfund pensions when they could find them better. and also the pension regulator's powers to require trustees, perhaps, to look at their corporate sponsor in

detail and very carefully, i used much more. because we may be entering a bit of a danger zone for pension schemes over the next few yea rs, pension schemes over the next few years, and we don't want to swamp the pension protection fund unnecessarily. equally, of course, we wa nt unnecessarily. equally, of course, we want to make sure that we have thriving businesses as well. so there is a delicate balancing act. but i think in some cases it has been far too late to look at some of these issues, and we want company management not to just treat these liabilities as an important, they are real liabilities, they are not less important than your bank debt or your dividends. and indeed perhaps they are more important because they have peoples lives attached them. former pensions minister baroness altmann. no time for the weather.

a very wintry mix, snow and ice causing problems on the road, we've had pictures from weather watchers of settling snow, although a lot of it will gradually revert to reign as milderair it will gradually revert to reign as milder air makes inroads from the atlantic. into this evening still some sleet and snow across high ground of central and eastern scotland, dumping a little milder pushing to the west, a milder end to the day across northern ireland and drier as well. bombard milder the day across northern ireland and drieras well. bombard milderair feeding into much of the south—west, eventually reaching the midlands and eastern england as a head through the night. we've had flooding problems in the south—west because of snow melt and the rain and also with further rain falling here, bad news through the night. affecting cornwall and devon and then slipping along the south coast for a while as the night wears on, some rain

towards northern scotland, look at those temperatures, much milder than in the last few mites. you can see the orange colours across most of the orange colours across most of the country, monday starting on a fairly mild note, rain in southern areas clearing and also clearing away from northern scotland and then we are into a fine afternoon, a few showers across western areas, some sunny spells as well, with temperatures in double figures in the south, milder than it has been of late across the north. tuesday possibly the mildest day of the week. south westerly winds blowing across the country, we'll see cloud, outbreaks of rain across western hills, look at those temperatures, double figure follows for most of us. wednesday more unsettled, this area of low pressure might be a big player, bringing gales, bands of

rain as well, some quite heavy, mild across much of england and wales, something a little fresher pushing towards scotland and northern ireland late in the day. temperatures between 11 and 13 degrees in the south. this is bbc news, our latest headlines. officials in afghanistan say 18 people have been killed by a gunmen who stormed a luxury hotel in kabul last night. 1a of them were foreign nationals.

ukip's ruling committee has unanimously backed a vote of no confidence in leader henry bolton.