this is bbc news. i'm vicki young. the headlines at seven. 14 1a foreigners are among those killed ina 1a foreigners are among those killed in a hotel in afghanistan by gunmen. they thought to have been deliberately targeted. ukip's ruling committee has unanimously backed a vote of no confidence in leader henry bolton — the party members will now vote on whether they support or reject that decision. henry was disappointed but understands the party has a process to go through, he was offered the chance to resign but he feels he is the right man to lead the party forward. a man has been arrested in connection with the death of eight—year—old mylee billingham, stabbed to death in the west midlands. heavy rain brings flooding and mudslides to south west england — elsewhere snow and ice cause problems on the roads. hundreds of people queue to pay their respects to the singer with their respects to the singer with the cranberries, dolores o'riordan, in her home city of limerick. and victory down under

for kyle edmund in australia as he books his place in his first grand slam quarter final. more on that — and the rest of the day's sport in sportsday at 7.30. 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. you can see the hotel intercontinental on the hill. part of the hotel was burned, black smoke has blackened as part of the hotel. more than 150 people were in

the hotel when the gunmen burst eyewitnesses said they were looking forforeigners. translation: the attackers were knocking on hotel room doors, trying to reach targets, they killed ordinary people and officials, they were also targeting foreigners. these images filmed by local tv showed people escaping by climbing 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 on to the balcony. i tried to come down but i was heavy and my arms were not strong enough. i fell down and injured my shoulder and leg. this has probably been the deadliest attack on foreign civilians afghanistan since the us invasion.

we are told that the attackers spoke local languages and told afghans to be separated from foreign nationals. this assault will prompt urgent questions as to how the gunman got through. zia shahreyar, bbc news, kabul. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. our guestsjoining me tonight are ben chu, the economics editor at the independent and ruth lea, who's an economics adviser for the arbuthnot banking group. 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. party members will now be asked to vote on his future. here's our political correspondent ben wright. i am not making any comment.

shortly before ukip‘s top brass met to discuss their beleaguered leader's fate,e henry bolton came out fighting. you could say, my own party don't have confidence in me as leader sol shall stand down. i could do but i shan‘t. i won't. the former soldier has only been head of the party for four months and it is his fleeting 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 thing being a moral court as to the state of my marriage and relationships. 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... henry bolton became the fourth ukip leader in the year to bring fresh focus to the fractious party. however even some of its leading figures now believe it could be curtains for ukip. if we have a situation where we are 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 have an emergency 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 him to go. after three hours of talks

ukip‘s chairman emerged 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 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 55—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 that on 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 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. hundreds of people have been paying very speced to the lead singer of the cranberries, dolores o'riordan, who died suddenly in london last week. queues formed outside the church where her coffin had been placed. books of condolence have also been opened for mourners to sign. many expressed their shock and sadness at her sudden death at the age of 46. we grew up with her music, we would

be of the same generation and age, she will be sorely missed. be of the same generation and age, she will be sorely missedli be of the same generation and age, she will be sorely missed. i will have fond memories of dolores and the family. and is very sad to see her dead, 46 years of age and such talent. we shared the same birthday, i only realised at the weekend but she was wonderful, very good singer. we lived just down the road from her, i think it is wonderful of the itiuiti her, i think it is wonderful of the mum and the family to give us today. it was very, very kind to give that time today. people wanted to come and support her. absolutely, we will miss her, we would see her when she was. she was a beautiful goal from a lovely fa m ily was. she was a beautiful goal from a lovely family and we are heartbroken. we followed her success with pride and dignity and we will cherish the memories she has given us. extreme weather is affecting several parts of the uk, 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 it flooding, the south—west bearing the brunt. police say a number of roads are affected by flood water and mud slides like here in north devon. at the jack russell inn 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 combe martin.

in scotland two climbers were airlifted to safety in the highlands, the duo were winched to safety after a night on the mountain in glencoe. glasgow airport closed for a brief period as often this afternoon so the runway could be cleared after very heavy snow. tonight much 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 thurgoland 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. phil bodmer, bbc news. the us senate is holding a sunday session to try to resolve the row that has closed large parts of the federal government. so far, the impact of the shutdown has been limited but thousands of employees are due to return to work on monday morning —— and will have to stay at home

without pay if no deal is reached. president trump's republican party and the opposition democrats have blamed each otherfor the impasse. meanwhile vice—president mike pence has told us troops injordan that the trump administration would sort the problem — and made it clear who he blamed for the shutdown. you know, i'm sure you are all aware of what is going on in washington, dc. despite bipartisan support for a budget resolution, a minority in the senate has decided to play politics with military pay, but you deserve better. you and your families shouldn't have to worry for one minute about whether you are going to get paid, as you serve in the uniform of the united states. in fact, we're not going to reopen negotiations on illegal immigration until they reopen the government, and give you, our soldiers and yourfamilies, the benefits and wages you've earned. applause thousands of people are expected to turn out in las vegas shortly 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. rajini, feelings still running pretty high on this issue? yes, although the focus at this las vegas event is all about trying to get women to register to vote. you can see behind me the stadium is starting to fill up. in about an hour or starting to fill up. in about an hourorso, starting to fill up. in about an hour or so, maybe less, there will be speakers will take to the stage. this is called power to the polls, it's about getting people to register to vote and perhaps encouraging others to run for office. i'm joined by kristin from las vegas. why did you decide to come to this rally?

lam iamso lam so we i am so we wanted to come here with like—minded individuals encouraging others to register to vote. what is the biggest thing you think you are here for in terms of policy or fighting for something? women's rights. i want the opportunity to choose what is best for me. people are talking about immigration, health care, equal pay, what matters to you most? hi oh, my gosh, everything! gosh. istand to you most? hi oh, my gosh, everything! gosh. i stand with planned parenthood, that's a huge one for me. i am pro—choice. that's probably the biggest one. also supporting immigration. the immigrants having rights as well. general human rights. there are many in this country who feel donald trump has been a good president for women and the economy is doing well. how do you feel about that? many

people here feel the opposite. the masses in america do feel the opposite. the popular vote was not fortrump, opposite. the popular vote was not for trump, that has been proven time and time again so hopefully more will vote this year. do you feel he has been a good president? no i do not. why not? i have my 14-year-old sofi not. why not? i have my 14-year-old son does not my 14—month—old son with me and to know that that is an elected official, it saddens me that he cannot look up to his president. he isa he cannot look up to his president. he is a bully. he is very insulting to women if you listen to any speech. things like that matter to me and! speech. things like that matter to me and i want my son to grow up in a world where that is not ok. this is about getting women to run for elected office, would you consider that? i have never considered running for elected office, i've taken running for elected office, i've ta ken part running for elected office, i've taken part in different women's campaigns, helping write speeches

and things of that nature but as you can see! and things of that nature but as you can see i am not a good public speaker, politics are not my cup of tea. will more women want to run for office, even if you're not interested ? office, even if you're not interested? absolutely, after seeing trump in office a lot of women are going to run for office which is great. we shall see. thank you for joining us. this event will kick off in the next hour. we expect a range of speakers, people who are part of the women's rights movement, some politicians, people will go and this arena, getting people to fill out forms to register to vote because this isn't just forms to register to vote because this isn'tjust a rallying cry, it's about making sure that things are done and action is taken. thank you rajini. the headlines on bbc news. 14 foreigners are among 18 people killed in an attack on kabila hotel.

they thought to have been deliberately targeted. ukip's ruling committee unanimously backs vote of no—confidence in the death henry bolton. by man is arrested in connection with the death of eight—year—old mylee billingham, stabbed to death the west midlands. 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 fighting 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 air offensive. it is called operation olive branch

although it is anything but a gesture of peace. from the skies turkish f—16s struck yesterday, their target the syrian kurdish militia known as the ypg. turkey sees them as terrorists linked to the outlawed kurdish militants here, the pkk and it wants them pushed back from this border town of afrin. the turkish president has his own troops fighting for their hero, 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 ypg has powerful friends, trained and armed by the us which has infuriated turkey, which says that the americans have chosen terrorists over their nato ally. in the hills beside the border we found a further build—up as the offensive shows no sign of ending.

every few minutes you hear the thud 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 ypg, killing one and injuring more. turkey is on dangerous ground and a long costly offensive is onlyjust beginning. mark lowen, bbc news, on the turkey—syrian border. germany has moved a step closer to forming a new government after members of the centre—left social democrats gave their backing to new coalition talks with angela merkel‘s conservatives. at a party meeting in bonn, the spd‘s martin schulz had urged many sceptical delegates to press ahead, describing a new coalition as the best way to combat hard right politics in europe. the general election four months ago left no party with an overall majority.

our correspondent, jenny hill, is in berlin. jenny, the social democrats had a long hard think about this, didn't they? what do you think finally persuaded them to enter into formal coalition talks with angela merkel‘s party? you are right, this party is very divided and remains divided. a very divided and remains divided. a very slim majority in the vote today to allow the leadership to formally proceed with coalition talks. looking to form a partnership with angela merkel‘s conservatives. she herself this evening has welcomed the decision. quite poker—faced but i think it's fair to assume she breathed a sigh of relief because this proposed coalition with her old partners the social democrats is in reality her last shot of forming a government and staving off fresh elections. hard to say what bush to

the social democrats to this decision, they are deeply divided than there are some impassioned speeches. some within the party say, it is our duty to form a stable government for germany but plenty say, we have been in coalition with angela merkel before, she overshadowed us and took away all oui’ overshadowed us and took away all our sense of identity as a separate party. she still our policies and we don't want to get back into bed with her. there's people are there and this could complicate negotiations that will start later this week. it is worth bearing in mind that, should formal negotiations reach a d raft should formal negotiations reach a draft coalition deal, that steele has to go to the vote of the social democrat party membership, all 440,000 members will have to give their approval via postal referendum before any coalition government can go ahead. so today is important, it is key for angela merkel because it is key for angela merkel because it

is another hurdle out of the way. not out of the woods yet but she's taken not out of the woods yet but she's ta ken another step towards delivering the stable government she has promised germany for so long. what policy arenas will they be looking at in these formal talks? presumably one of the many differences they have is over refugee policy, is that a sticking point? and has been a sticking point although it is by no means the only one. we saw already what we're likely to experience again in exploratory talks weeks ago, refugee policy is difficult because mrs merkel has hardened her policies in response to the more conservative factions within her union. so you can expect discussions on if they should be limited on the number of people coming into the country. these compromises have already been thrashed out in exploratory talks so they may not come. expect, though, did you more about health care

insurance, tax reforms and also the future of europe. the draft document released at the end of those exploratory talks pledged on both sides to commit more money from germany to the european union, and to work on the future of the eu in the light of britain's imminent withdrawal. so expect topics like that to be discussed. it will be interesting to see how much both sides are willing to concede. the social democrats are not going into this with a particularly strong hand, given has split the party is over whether it wants not to be part ofa over whether it wants not to be part of a new coalition with mrs merkel —— given has split the party is. thank you, we will leave it there. jenny hill, in berlin. 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 and dementia to get access to the services they need. helena lee reports. the blue badge scheme was first introduced in england in the 1970s. 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 sometimes they tell us they don't want to go out, don't want to take their autistic son or daughter out to the shops or to schools and services and other places because they're worried about what might happen. but if they can park much closer to their destination, they can easily take someone away if there is an issue or 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. 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 fanfare for the people's man. who rose from the slums to become an international football star. and now president of his country. how are you doing? george weah is the face of a changing nation. for the first time in over 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 scoring. 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 clara town, the slum where he grew up, they are hoping he will bringjobs, healthcare, housing. when you come here to the streets where george weah grew up, the scale

of problems facing liberia is fairly clear. for any kind of meaningful change to take place, peace is essential. and this is a generation that has grown up without knowing war. in a country that was once a byword for anarchy. in 14 years of 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 for you? we hope he will design programmes and bring in investors, says joseph,

so there will be jobs and we can have a better liberia than before. expectations are high. can george weah possibly meet them, i ask? i know i've got to meet expectations. because, 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 to make sure they are ok, i'm going to do it again. football teaches that you cannot succeed alone and the new president has the people on side. but more than anything now george weah is going to need their patience. fergal keane, bbc news, monrovia. in poland, members of the clergy have been taking part in their annual skiing competition. the priests are timed over a slalom course at wisla, in southern poland. cassocks are optional, though as you can see, most of the priests kept them on. big changes in the atmosphere today

with milder airfrom the big changes in the atmosphere today with milder air from the atlantic but is it burnt into that cold air in place it brought some places significant and disruptive snow, also heavy rain, still cold enough ofan also heavy rain, still cold enough of an orphan and north—eastern areas forice of an orphan and north—eastern areas for ice at the start of tonight. then fat milder air will sweep the country. monday morning should start between three and 9 degrees, milder air in the west that will scrape the coast before moving into the continent, showers of scotland, particularly, it is mainly falling as rain at this stage, breezy wherever you are, windy in the north but for many places fine and dry. some spells of sunshine and a much better feel to the weather, much less chilly. between six and 11

degrees. milder still on tuesday with outbreaks of rain and some strong winds at times. this is bbc news, our latest headlines. 14 foreigners are among 18 people killed in the attack on a kabul hotel. they're thought to have been deliberately targeted. ukip's ruling committee unanimously backs a vote of no confidence in leader henry bolton.