hello, you're watching afternoon live — i'm simon mccoy. today at 2: two victims of the black cab rapist john worboys have won a landmark case against police — afterjudges at the supreme court ruled scotland yard was liable forfailures in its investigation. they had all the information there. they should have caught him. they could have caught him the very next day but they didn't, they chose to not believe me. a leaked document suggests the length of the brexit transition period could be extended — as 60 tory mps write to theresa may to insist the uk make a clean break with the eu. a doctor in the syrian enclave of ghouta says the situation is "catastrophic" — and he believes the international community has abandoned the people living there. the american evangelist, billy graham has died at the age of 99, after battling parkinson's disease for several years. he devoted his life to selling the christian message. busloads of students from the us school that saw a mass shooting last week arrive in florida's capital to lobby for tighter gun controls. and coming up we have the sport with

hugh and the latest from pyeongchang. without donations from the public they may well have never made it to pyeongchang, now mika moore and misha mcneill have secured teame‘s best ever finish in the women's bobleigh — thanks to you susan powell is in front of some big snowdrops. today we will be forgetting on wind and how the wind from the east could make it feel very bitter next week. thank you. also coming up: also coming up — it's the brit awards tonight. and we'll be hearing from the 22 year old londoner, dua leap—a, who's leading the way with five nominations. hello.

two victims of the ‘black cab rapist‘ john worboys have won a landmark legal case against the metropolitan police — after officers failed to take action when they reported him. the women were sexually assaulted by worboys in 2003 and 2007 and said their treatment by police — who didn't believe them — caused them mental harm. the ruling by the supreme court means police may now face legal action if they fail to properly investigate serious cases. here's our legal correspondent clive coleman. for years, john worboys cruised the streets of london in his black cab, looking for women to dupe, drug and sexually assault. this woman, known for legal reasons as dsd, was attacked by worboys in 2003, was the first to report him to police. i put my trust in the police. i went to them for them to sort this out. i knew who had attacked me.

i didn't know his name, but i knew who was responsible for this. they had all the information there. they should have caught him, they could have stopped him the very next day but they didn't. they chose to not believe me. if they had done theirjob in 2003, there would be one victim. i can deal with one victim. what i can't deal with is 105 victims because i wasn't believed. worboys was able to continue to attack women until he was finally brought to justice in 2009. dsd and another of worboys‘ victims brought a legal challenge, claiming the police failures breached their human rights and amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment. the metropolitan police fought them to the supreme court. today, the court ruled in the women's favour. we have held that failures in the investigation of the crimes, provided they are sufficiently serious, will give rise to liability

on the part of the police. and we further found that there were such serious deficiencies in this case. today's landmark ruling has huge implications for both the victims of violent crime and the police who investigate it. if they seriously fail in an investigation, they can face human rights actions by the victim, and have to pay out compensation. this is the highest court in the land telling the police that in the most serious of cases, they have to do theirjob properly. it's looking at things where perhaps article 3 isn't engaged. where there is no serious error: do we have to move resources from those sort of investigations to things like fraud, into supporting more work around serious crime? crowd chants: domestic violence is a crime! today's judgment can't make up for the police errors in investigating john worboys. but it will put real pressure on them to ensure such mistakes don't happen again.

clive coleman, bbc news. earlier our correspondent told united states more about why the judgment is such a legal landmark. for yea rs judgment is such a legal landmark. for years it was all be impossible foran for years it was all be impossible for an individual to sue the police under our for an individual to sue the police under oui’ common for an individual to sue the police under our common law in negligence to claim they had negligently carried out an investigation. the significant aspect of today's ruling is that this is a novel route using the human rights act, where victims of serious violent crime can hold the police to account and take them to court and they can win compensation. this is one big legal battle byjohn worboys‘ victims that is over successfully. but they face another significant battle, because the two women who are at the centre of this case are also the two women who are seeking to judicially review

the decision of the parole board to release john worboys. the decision of the parole board to releasejohn worboys. a the decision of the parole board to release john worboys. a full the decision of the parole board to releasejohn worboys. a full hearing in that review will take place at the high court next month. the battle isn't over for the victims, but today is a very good day for them. a leaked government document has left open the possibility that the transition period after brexit could go beyond december 2020 — the eu preferred end date. the paper says the uk believes the timetable should be determined by how long it will take to prepare and implement new processes. the document also suggests the uk is softening its position on the rights of eu citizens. 0ur political correspondent eleanor garnier reports. as the brexit secretary tours the eu capitals meeting greek politicians today, stumbling blocks remain. brussels and the uk both agree the need for temporary transition period after we leave the eu, to allow governments and businesses to get used to the new rules. but a leaked version of the government's latest position leaves some questions unanswered, including over the right of eu citizens. 0ur starting point has been

as the prime minister has set out, that we would allow people to, grand goal, live out their lives in the uk on the same basis as before. but we will need a conversation about how they will continue on after. the challenge for the prime minister, notjust in brussels, but in her own party. more than 60 eurosceptic tory mps have written to theresa may urging her to stand firm in the negotiations. laying down their red lines on brexit. they are issues that need to be clarified because there are some people in the government and around the government who seem to contest these things. for example, that we might be in a customs union or that we might be ruled takers from the european union after we have left. but colleagues in the conservative party are certainly not going

in the same direction. they think they are helping the prime minister. the prime minister has said she wants to deliver this deep partnership. she said she wants to keep frictionless borders, orderly transitions. give her the flexibility to do that. it is the timing of the intervention that is significant. this pressure from a faction of tory mps who are key to the survival of theresa may and her government, comes just as the prime minister prepares for tomorrow's crunch meeting of most senior ministers to thrash out an agreed position on what the government from brexit. the road to brexit is not always straightforward. tricky times notjust for this campaign bus but for the prime minister, too. it tough task to keep both sides of party onside. some will end of the disappointed. joining me now from westminster is our assistant political editor, norman smith. it was a boisterous exchange between

jeremy corbyn and theresa may over brexit? yes, i don't think it shed much light on what's going to happen in the next day or so as theresa may has that crucial meeting to try and get some sort of cabinet agreement. but what is interesting is we are getting a sense of the real anxiety among tory brexiteers without about theresa may is going. we saw this in a bit from the letter sent to theresa may setting out six help. helpful suggestions. we will see more of it today, we have got hold of this leaked document setting out the government's approach to the transition period. and i think much of that will make uncomfortable reading for brexiteers, because it suggests among other things there won't be a push back against mr

barnier‘s demands that freedom of movement should continue and there is no suggestion we would get a veto to block any new eu rules. some ambiguity over the length of transition. it says it will take as long as it takes. it says on new trade deals we won't be able to sign any during the transition period, u nless any during the transition period, unless the eu says that is fine. so there is plenty to fuel brexiteer fears that theresa may is backing away from the brexit they want. this meeting, how do we think that is going to play out? well the key figures in the cabinet, the rival factions in the brexit dispute, gather in the afternoon and all the signs are they are going to stay

locked inside until they can manage to come to some sort of agreement and then who knows, perhaps some white smoke may emerge from the chimney. but there are still some tense and difficult dis agreement over when and how and in what circumstances we can depart from existing eu rules and regulations, with those like mr hammond say we have to be close to eu. theresa may has to find some formula of words to bridge that divide. thank you. the evangelical preacher billy graham has died aged 99 after suffering from parkinson's disease for several years. handsome and charismatic, billy graham gave up work as a door to door salesman to devote his life to selling the christian message. he was well—known for his annual

televised billy graham crusades which ran from 1947 to 2005, and many of his sermons, were watched by millions of people all over the world. he was also a spiritual adviser to every us president from harry truman to barack 0bama. 0ur religious editor, martin bashir, looks back at his life. they're problems that face us tonight that will never be solved u nless we tonight that will never be solved unless we bring them to the lord. i gave my son to die for you. charismatic in every sense, billy graham's message was simple — people should turn tojesus. graham's message was simple — people should turn to jesus. i'm the door, come through that door. he had a remarkable effect on the public. god loves you and if there is one thing you get out of these days we are going to be in edinburgh it is this — god loves you. going to be in edinburgh it is this - god loves you. in 1954 london

first experienced the force of the billy graham brand. we come here to help lead you in a crusade to win men tojesus christ. help lead you in a crusade to win men to jesus christ. as his reputation grew, so did the crowds — from new york to nigeria. he was god and he was also man. i from new york to nigeria. he was god and he was also man.“ i want you to get p and he was also man.“ i want you to get pand and he was also man.“ i want you to get p and say, i want my sin forgiven. at was a billy graham rally in 1966 that cliff richard declared his christianity publicly. the pairjoined up on billy graham's television ministry. jesus has come to announce news. . . television ministry. jesus has come to announce news... beamed into churches and hopes and reaching hundreds of millions. thou has permitted richard nixon. he was courted by american presidents from

nixon to clinton. i am looking forward to death, want to go into that glorious new world and i'm going to have all the answers that now i would like to have answers to. isaid now i would like to have answers to. i said daddy what do you want on your tombstone. he thought. i said daddy what do you want on yourtombstone. he thought. he said, just preacher. that's it. despite cancer and parkinson's disease, billy graham was just that — a preacher and still thousands flocked to hear him. the archbishop of canterbury has issued a statement, saying dr billy graham was an example to generation of generations of christians and

cou ntless of generations of christians and countless numbers started their journey because of billy graham. i'm grateful to the god for the life and ministry of his servant. he challenged all christians to imitate how he lived. he was one who met presidents and preachers, the poor and the rich face to face. now he is face to face with jesus christ. and the rich face to face. now he is face to face withjesus christ. it isa face to face withjesus christ. it is a meeting he has been looking forward to for the the whole of his life. you're watching afternoon live, these are our headlines: the supreme court has ruled in favour of two victims of the black cab rapist, john worboys. thejudges upheld a high court ruling that the metropolitan police was liable for failures in its investigation. a leaked government document suggests the length of the post—brexit transition period could be extended. the un says the situation in syria is beyond imagination. in sport: at

the winter olympics, team gb's women are in the semi—final of the curling. defeat for the men means they will go into a play—off tonight. after losing their funding last september, mika moore and misha mcneil got britain's best ever finish in the bobsleigh after helps from the public. no defeats for english clubs so far in the champions league. can manchester united keep up the good work in spain? they take on sevilla tonight. morejust after half spain? they take on sevilla tonight. more just after half past. the government has ordered a review into three public health scandals. the past use of a controversial hormonal pregnancy test, primodos; the anti—epilepsy

medication sodium valproate and the use of vaginal mesh will all be looked into. the review will consider how authorities responded to concerns, whether enough was done to ensure they were acted upon, and whether any of the scandals merit a public inquiry. the health secretary, jeremy hunt, made the announcement in the commons. we must acknowledge the response to theseissues we must acknowledge the response to these issues from those in authority has not always been good enough. sometimes the reactions felt focussed on defending the status quo and asa focussed on defending the status quo and as a result patients and their families have spent too long feeling they were not being listened to, making agony of a complex medical situation worse. today, in addition to practical steps, for each of these three cases, i'm setting up plans to establish a fairer, quicker and more compassionate way of addressing issues when they arise, bringing different voices to the table from the start and giving individuals and their families a

clear path to answers and resolution. average wages went up slightly in the final 3 months of last year, rising by 2.5 per cent. that's according to the latest figures from the office for national statistics, which also show that the amount each worker produces — known as productivity — has increased. but there was also a slight rise in unemployment from a record low. here's our economics correspondent andy verity. this maker of upmarket switches and sockets has been growing its business and soon should be exporting to china. but it has its manufacturing plant near hastings and workers here have at last won a pay rise that matches inflation, without a fight. staff have been on the same salary effectively for the past three or four years. they have been working hard, the company doing well, so we felt it was time to reward them accordingly. the firm can afford to pay more because it has invested £200,000 in a robot

enabling each worker to produce more top—quality switches and sockets each hour. exactly the kind of boost to productivity that the economy has been crying out for. the robot will polish components to a much greater accuracy than a human. and the spin off is it does it in half the time. not every worker has done as well as these employees. unemployment has risen to 4.4%, the average pay rise was 2.5%, still less than inflation but between october and december demand that we produce per hour rose by 1.8%. if that keeps improving, and that is and is, inflation beating pay rises should become more affordable. there will come a moment when people realise they have more power in the labour market than they used to because we're losing a lot of immigrant labour in key sectors so wages are likely to go up in those sectors.

the figures show a change in who was joining the workforce. in 2017 the number of uk nationals working in the uk went up by 300,000. the number of eu nationals working here went up by around 100,000. but the number of non—eu nationals, people from the rest of the world, went down by 68,000. the squeeze on living standards has loosened its grip. but it is still uncomfortably tight. 0nly further improvements in pay and productivity can bring that to an end. andy verity, bbc news. scotla nd scotland yard are trying to establish whether there is a link between two fatal stabbings in london. the victims are believed to bea london. the victims are believed to be a boy in his teens and a man aged around 20. survivors of the florida school

shooting that left 17 people dead last week have gathered in the state capital to press politicians to take more action on gun control. president trump has backed a move to ban the accessory devices known as bump stocks that turn rifles into machine guns. it was used by a gunman in las vegas to kill 58 concert—goers last year. david willis reports. does he know where the shooter is? the scenes are nothing new here, but last week's high school shooting in florida has galvanised the debate on gun control in america in a way few here can remember. students who survived an attack which killed 17 of their teachers and classmates are speaking out, fluently and forcefully. do not let people try to get under your skin! their youthful voices resonating where those of long serving politicians have largely fallen flat. we're what is bringing the change, 0k? we're going to talk to these politicians tomorrow, we're going to talk to them

the day after that. we are going to keep talking. we're going to keep pushing until something is done. because people are dying, and this can't happen any more. reflecting the national mood of grief and anger in the wake of last week's shooting, president trump — who supports gun ownership — offered a concession. a ban on bump stocks, a device used to devastating effect in the las vegas massacre last year. i signed a memorandum directing the attorney general to propose regulations to ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns. i expect that these critical regulations will be finalised, jeff, very soon. students arriving for a rally later today in the florida state capital, tallahassee, say that is not enough. they're heading to washington at the invitation of the white house to press the case for comprehensive gun reform. some here are hailing it a turning

point. but america has been here so many times before. david willis, bbc news, washington. heavy drinking may be a risk for the onset of dementia. a study found a third could be caused by alcohol—related brain damage. doctors know drinking can lead to problems in the brain, but this study focussed on early onset dementia, that means affecting people under 65. researchers look at the records of 30 million people in france who spent time in hospital. and they published their results in

the health journal. they and they published their results in the healthjournal. they found one million people with dementia and of these 57,000 were under 65. among them heavy drinking was linked to 39% of cases. for the study, heavy drinking was defined of a daily inta ke drinking was defined of a daily intake of more than four units of alcohol for women and six for men. research suggested that drinking small amounts, particularly of red wine can have a positive effect. they study modest levels, perhaps one 01’ they study modest levels, perhaps one or two units a day and maybe that's lulled us into a false sense of security and when people have high levels of consumption that can be harmful in a variety of ways. the alzheimer's society said it is aware of the risk of heavy drinking and

the advice is to not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. we have been drinking you news of death of the preacher billy graham and in the last few moments, that is not what i'm going to show you, this what is i'm going to show you, this what is i'm going to show you, donald trump has been tweeting about the death of billy graham. the great billy graham is dead. a very special man. billy graham a great friend of us presidents from harry truman to richard nixon and president 0bama. don't forget — you can let us know what you think tweet us using the hashtag afternoonlive. all the ways to contact us on screen right now. you have got no excuse for forgetting those details. now the

weather. susan powell is here with us now. weather. susan powell is here with us now. good afternoon. so we are looking at what europe? i'm on it's all right. we can hear you. we are talking about hot air and cold air. today we are talking about wind. not yours personally. this is going well. but wind chill. i'm going to show you this high pressure chart repeatedly. we have an easterly wind and do you know why the wind chill makes you feel cold? go on. it is because your body has warm moist skin and the cold air, your body tries to maintain its warm. you have a boundary of warm air, the hairs that keep you cushioned and the wind

chill mixes that air off you and what makes you feel cold and speeds up what makes you feel cold and speeds up the rate that moisture evaporates —on up the rate that moisture evaporates — on the the same principle that a fridge works. fascinating. you are fascinating. i am. he is fridge works. fascinating. you are fascinating. iam. he is pretending well. i was out this morning and it was a beautiful morning. yes, but now we have to get dramatic and i'm going to talk about the beast from east. that is not you from the south—east of england. you will see this in the headlines, what is going to happen is this is next week. there is some snow. this area of high pressure is driving our weather already. but come next week it sta rts already. but come next week it starts to orientate itself and its massive. we don't often get a high this big and it orientates itself so if you follow the isobars, follow

the pipes back like plumbing and you can see from the arctic we will feed the airfrom there can see from the arctic we will feed the air from there to central europe. that will govern the way things feel for us. there is some uncertainty how much of a blast we get. will the high pressure move far enough south to take the cold away into france. 0r enough south to take the cold away into france. or will the high pressure push further north and bring the direct arctic siberian blast our way. so there is some uncertainty as to how raw it will be. but cold next week and you will be. but cold next week and you will be experiencing wind chill. does that mean snow? it does. particularly sunday. but at the moment we have a quiet story this afternoon. i will bore you with my high pressure chart. you will see a lot of it in the next ten days. not

a lot going on on our map. hardly anything to talk of in the way of weather fronts. 0ne anything to talk of in the way of weather fronts. one to the west, the high pressure will stop that. maybe some light rain. elsewhere bright spells. temperatures down already on yesterday. we are starting to push towards that colder trend. tonight, much of the cloud dis—solselves away —— dissolves away. look out for patches of mist and freezing fog first thing tomorrow. the best of tomorrow through the morning. 0n the map nothing much happening. perhaps a bit of thicker cloud for northern ireland and scotland giving some driz rl. -- ireland and scotland giving some driz rl. —— drizzle. but a sedate picture. friday, more sunshine and more of an easterly wind starting. at this stage we have not plumbed

into that air. but it will feel colder and then high pressure with us even on colder and then high pressure with us even on through the weekend and that cold weather willjust keep on coming. back to you. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. two victims of the black cab rapist john worboys have won a landmark case against police — five judges upheld an earlier high court ruling that the metropolitan police was liable forfailures in its investigation. the evangelical preacher billy graham has died aged 99 after suffering from parkinson's disease for several years. handsome and charismatic, billy graham gave up work as a door to door salesman to devote his life

to selling the christian message. he was well—known for his annual televised billy graham crusades, which ran from 1947 to 2005, and many of his sermons, were watched by millions of people all over the world. he was also a spiritual adviser to every us president from harry truman to barack 0bama. 0n the line now and it was like the reverend jesse jackson, who joins us from chicago. what a life he led. long and productive life. my childhood classmate knew him. at the time, the white church in the south was the most segregated of any institution. dr graham would allow some blacks to attend his crusades. that at the context of the time was a breakthrough. it was a very

talented man. when we marched wood sale, alabama for the right to vote, as transformers, along with the white ministers and rabbis, he was on the plus side of history, i think. i mentioned his good looks, his charisma. what else was it about him that made him so, well, millions of people around the world were influenced by those tv appearances. he was a talented man and he made people feel good about themselves. that is to say if you feel better, they are still facing racial segregation, and schools and housing, right to vote, you have to goa housing, right to vote, you have to go a step beyond conforming. but he was a transformer. he would

transform the culture, notjust speak to it as it was. billy graham and dr king, both of them were very talented man. billy graham drew bigger crowds. both were talented men who made a contribution in that time. he knew many american presidents from harry truman to richard nixon to barack 0bama. how much influenced evening he had on them? i do now. i don't know if his conversations with truman, eisenhower, nixon, all of those conversations was about bringing down barriers that separate

americans. racial segregation was so horrible. 45,000 blacks were left without indictment, they lived under the horror of white racial terrorism. he met with them, prayed with them, played golf with them. he has been described variously as the closest thing to a pope that america ever had. what was his influence in your country? he was extremely popular. a very talented man. in that sense, he became the pope of the evangelical movement, and we a lwa ys the evangelical movement, and we always hoped that he would, of

course, and his staff was integrated, his presentation was that. so again i would say he come down on the plus side. i have high regards for billy graham and his legacy. his legacy of course, this was the day he said he was looking forward to, the day he died, the day he could be united with the man he had preached all his life about of course, jesus christ. that was his ambition. he paid his dues to get there. jesse jackson, a great pleasure to talk to you, thank you for your time. now it is the sport, and the winter 0lympics, what is the latest? now it is the sport, and the winter olympics, what is the latest? we will talk about the curling first of all. it lasts pretty much the entire

length of the winter games but we are getting to the business end of things at the moment and it could be a pivotal win for the women's team gb side. they have read the semifinals. even more your head and their team. they came from 4—2 down going into the late stages and —— eve muirhead. this touched it with two point final end, they came away 65 winners. that winter team gb also means that the canadians, the defending champions as i said, are out —— 6—5 winners. the canadians have not reached the semifinals for the first time so it could be a crucial winford team gb. delighted, we knew it would be a tough end against canada, enemy came out to book our spot in that semifinal, it was our first goal and we are delighted with that. how about the jump delighted with that. how about the jump in the air, we saw you leaving theice jump in the air, we saw you leaving the ice with that brilliant shot.“ can't actually remember it, when you are in that zone community about the small things. but i am glad i landed safe on my feet!

things were very, very different for team gb's men — as the united states scored four points in the eighth end to hand britain a crushing 10—4 defeat... that means gb have a play—off on the way against switzerland, just after midnight tonight to see if they can make the final four... some people watching have invested in the bobsleigh team financially, and it is paying off. niasse, it has. back in september — british bobsleigh and skeleton association announced they'd withdraw — the funding for the women's team due to overspending — which left driver mica mcneill and her brakewoman mica moore in a precarious position. however they used ‘crowdfunding' to get donations from the public — earning more than £40,000 — to help get them to the start in pyeongchang and as a result they delivered the best ever finish in the women's bobsleigh in the winter games — with eighth overall — but what could have been — if the authorities had given them more support — afterwards they were understandably overjoyed. they said it had been extremely

stressful at the time to lose the money and then have to go to the public and ask for donations. 0ne money and then have to go to the public and ask for donations. one of the team actually got a sled from their parents, a 50,000 euros lead, but afterwards they were obviously understandably overjoyed. five months ago we didn't know if we would even be here, so to get here, thatis would even be here, so to get here, that is an achievement in itself, and we have just loved every minute of it may want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us. thank you for our family and friends, powered by the people. it hasjust been incredible. yes, it has been a crazy few months, this has been the cherry on top, we have enjoyed it so much. fantastic result for them. scotland head coach gregor townsend has named an unchanged starting line—up for saturday's six nations meeting with england at murrayfield. townsend keeps faith with the side that beat france , but has made three changes

to his replacements, recalling fit—again prop wp nel, who hasn't played since breaking an arm in november, lock tim swinson and centre nick grigg. manchester united face spanish side seville in the champions league last 16 this evening, looking to complete a set of positive results for english clubs in the competition. jose mourinho has a number of injury concerns ahead of the fixture, but should welcome his record signing paul pogba back into the side, and the united manager says at this stage of the competition anyone can win it. when you reach the quarterfinal is when any team can feel that anything can happen. sol when any team can feel that anything can happen. so i think this step of going from 16 to eight teams i think is always a very important step. maybe he will be smiling this

evening, you can follow the match on radio five live. it is a 7:45pm kick—off. the united nations has said the situation in a rebel—held suburb of damascus in syria, which has endured intense government air strikes for the past three days, is "beyond imagination". it has called on global leaders to demand that syrian government forces immediately stop bombing eastern ghouta. activists say at least 250 people have been killed there since sunday night. there are some disturbing images in tom burridge's report. this is the intensity of the bombing of eastern ghouta, by syrian forces who have russia's and iran's support. explosions. crying. the result is hard to watch. and hear. but those who survive the air strikes note that the nightmare is not over.

the un has again called on the syrian regime to stop its assault. but while we spoke to one woman, the missiles were still falling. assad has brought his forces to destroy ghouta and its families, adults and children. so that is 48 hours ago, hundreds of attacks by warplanes, rockets. oh, my god. 0h oh my god! more planes attack us now. after years of siege, the rebels have in this sprawling suburb of damascus a network of underground hospitals, but basic commodities are scarce, and there is only rudimentary care. the suffering of civilians left there is clear. 0ne

un official described it as unimaginable, but missing from the videos, filmed by activists, are the rebel soldiers. a complicated alliance of islamist groups, labelled as terrorists by the assad regime. washington's influence in syria has, over the years, waned. the state department says only the syrian regime and its backers can de—escalate the violence. syrian regime and its backers can de-escalate the violence. the horrors of east aleppo are being repeated in east ghouta, russia must end its support of the assad regime and its allies. they are responsible for the attacks, and the dire humanitarian situation in east ghouta and for the horrendous civilian death toll. outside actors, and there are many, have turned syria into a theatre for regional power struggles. eastern ghouta, syria into a theatre for regional powerstruggles. eastern ghouta, now

ina powerstruggles. eastern ghouta, now in a deadly phase, isjust powerstruggles. eastern ghouta, now in a deadly phase, is just the latest tragic chapter. tom burridge, bbc news. the majority of small and medium—sized companies are still paying male employees more than their female colleagues, according to the latest government figures. companies have six weeks left to report their gender pay gap. so far, almost 1,000 businesses have responded out of the 9,000 asked. our business & consumer correspondent correspondent nina warhurst has more. it is time to answer the question — what does every man and woman in your company get paid? and if you lined up all their salaries, what is the figure in the middle of each sex, and what is the gap between those two figures? for 74% of companies this figure was higherfor men, 15% higherfor women. what this data does not look at is any difference in salaries between men and women who were doing the same job. but what it does show is that while there were lots of women lower paid jobs, women aren't earning those big salaries in the same way as men.

at clydesdale yorkshire bank, men earned 37% more than women. there was literally four days of meetings, and there was only one female in those four days. there were almost four times as many women in lower paid jobs. but only three women on the board. it certainly has been lonely at times. i regularly find myself in positions where there is not nearly as many women. we have set ourselves a target. so by 2020, we want to make sure that there is 40% of women in our most senior roles. so i think that's quite bold, and i think everybody in financial services should be making those kinds of targets and progressing towards them. six weeks to go, around 8,000 firms still to report, then come the bigger questions: what exactly do the full figures tell us and what should and can be done? nina warhurst, bbc news.

in a moment the business news with rachel. first a look at the headlines on afternoon live. two victims of the ‘black cab rapist‘ john worboys have won a landmark legal case against the metropolitan police — after officers failed to take action when they reported him. a leaked government document suggests the length of the post—brexit transition period could be extended beyond the proposed date of december 2020. the united nations says the situation in a rebel—held suburb of damascus in syria, which has endured intense government air strikes for the past three days, is "beyond imagination". here's your business headlines on afternoon live. britain's unemployment rate has gone up — for the first time in almost two years. the numbers are for the three months to december. figures also showed the uk has seen its strongest two quarters of productivity growth since 2008, we'll have more in this in a moment. shares in aa, the roadside recovery and insurance group, have fallen by over one fifth after the firm warned that its full—year profits are going to be disappointing.

why? it's been investing in new technology, while the higher insurance premium tax rate has put off insurance customers and there's been a fall in new memberships. lloyds banking group has reported strong full year profits for its first year as a fully private enterprise since 2006. profits were up 24% on last year. but it's not out of the woods yet — it's had to put aside an extra £600 million to pay more compensation over mis—sold payment protection insurance claims. the bank of england's chief economist is hinting that interest rates might have to rise a bit more quickly than we had already been warned about. yes, so the reason why the bank of england would increase interest rates is to try to pull down inflation. so a rise in interest rates traditionally would help to pull down inflation, and inflation as you will now peaked at 3.1% back in november. it then fell

back slightly in december to 3%. it was against 3% forjanuary. lots of economists had expected it to slip down putts 2.9%. that is what could spark a quicker rise in interest rates. currently the uk interest rate is at 0.5%. inu interest in because we had a similar scenario in the united states, all the speculation about interest rates caused that roller—coaster we went through in the last few weeks. at the beginning of february, we had some very strong job figures out, so it could be that rages wise, we have more to spend, that rises inflation and that is when the bank needs to step in to try to raise interest rates to pull that inflation down. the federal reserve had a big meeting just the day before those jobs figures came out and the market started to slide. we will get the

minutes from that meeting in just a few hours' time, so investors and markets are keen to know what the people who make the decisions were actually saying. we don't have the minutes yet, but a man who is on the floor in the us knowing may be what the markets are thinking isjoe miller. he is in our new york bureau. thank you forjoining us on afternoon live. what are we expecting for these minute and how are other markets feeling? jitters is what is happening on wall street and how investors are feeling. i think really what is going to be happening around 2pm new york time is everyone is going to be running to the fed's website and scrutinising this document like perhaps it has not been scrutinised ina very, perhaps it has not been scrutinised in a very, very long time. and what they will be looking for is any detail, even the use of certain adjectives and words like further, that hint at whether they federal reserve is looking to high great more “— reserve is looking to high great more —— hike rates more than three

times this year. the market is already expecting three rate rises, whether there will be a fourth, that is the million, perhaps billion—dollar question today. any language that hints in that direction could send the markets into the sort of spin we saw a couple of weeks ago.“ into the sort of spin we saw a couple of weeks ago. i do know if you know what has been happening here in terms of contact fried chicken, because they have that rather unfortunate moment of running out of chicken. their parent company is listed on the new york stock exchange. what has the reaction been? financially the reaction has not been too great, because young brands that owns kfc also owns around 20,000 other brands that owns kfc also owns around 20 , 000 other outlets brands that owns kfc also owns around 20,000 other outlets around the world, so 900 in the uk without checking is not the end of the world, and the stock price hasn't really moved much. it is down a little bit. but in terms of public reaction, you can't move for newspaper articles about this shortage, and i expected to see quite a lot of schadenfreude on social media from the us but there

isa social media from the us but there is a lot of sympathy, people who love their kfc in the us, tweeting videos of people perfect reaction in the uk to stores being closed with ata the uk to stores being closed with at a sympathy. imagining what they would do —— at a lot of sympathy, a lot of clucking. the office for national statistics have been moving what? unemployment, productivity and wage growth. unemployment is up for the first time in two years, 46,000 more people unemployed in the uk, but at the same time we had more people who are employed. employment went up by 80 8000. some analysts have linked that to the wage growth figures. they were slightly better than expected, 2.5%. but remember, inflation is holding firm at 3%. so that squeeze continues. some a nalysts a re that squeeze continues. some analysts are saying that is why we

are seeing more people who would have been in the economic league in active pool moving out of it towards that extra 88,000 in employment or that extra 88,000 in employment or that extra 88,000 in employment or that extra 46,000 seeking employment. productivity? the strongest two quarters of growth since the recession. not .8% for the three months till september. it was .9% before that. unemployment we have talked about. what about wage inflation, which is going to be an issue? it is that problem between the wage growth stuff 2.5%, with inflation sticking at 3%. we talked through all of these figures earlier. she is managing director and economist at g plus economics. the bank of england has very mixed signals in terms of the economy here. of course productivity growth is picking up. there was nowhere near however the levels that we saw

before the financial crisis a decade ago. so there is some way to go. also the signals now that companies are relying on stronger outfit per worker rather than stronger hiring to support production from here. it suggest the economy has some spare capacity. so although inflation pressures are there, they are not as embedded in the recovery. that means the bank can probably take a few moments to consider how far and how fa st moments to consider how far and how fast it wants to raise interest rates, which is good news for borrowers. the ftse has been fairly flat. the aaa, we mentioned in the headlines, they issued a profit warning, share price down almost 2296, warning, share price down almost 22%, it was down even more earlier. lloyds banking group, they issued full—year profits in its first year since the government sold all its shares, which it of the last of in

may. they issued not as good as expected profits but they increased the dividend and talk about doing a share buy—back, so investors enjoying that. metro bank, first profit since they launched in 2010, but share price down 4.4%. we will talk about the aaa in a little more detail later on. it's the brit awards tonight. and it's 22—year—old londoner, dua lipa, who's leading the way with five nominations. the comedian jack whitehall will host the ceremony for the first time. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba has more and a warning his report does contain some flash photography. her global hit, new rules, has been viewed on youtube1 billion times, the youngest female artist ever to achieve that goal. the popularity of the 22—year—old londoner has helped her to lead the way with five nominations. at the moment, julie she is not work—shy, she will turn

up, do the interview, do the promo, spent 24 hours doing the video, and extreme focus, 24—7. spent 24 hours doing the video, and extreme focus, 24-7. she faces strong competition in best video and the prestigious best album award from ed sheeran. the most successful male artist of the last 12 months. he dominated the singles charts for much of the year. and his album, divide, spent months at number one, although huge commercial success doesn't always necessarily lead to winning at the brits. he won half a dozen awards with oasis. this year, liam gallagher gets his first solo nomination for best male, but in typical fashion has fallen out with the brits, accusing them of being too scared to ask him to perform at the show.

0ne liam who will be performing on stage is for more one direction member, liam payne. he is upper two awards, best video and best single for strip that down. unlike last weekend where at the bafta ‘s people we re weekend where at the bafta ‘s people were asked to wear black, people attending to wear tonight are being asked to wear a white rose pin for the support for the antiharassment movement. now it is time for a look at the weather with susan powell. when high pressure builds across the uk it generally means a lot of settled weather, which will be the case in the coming days but it is not the case that there are no changes to come. quite a big change actually till the way things feel. much colder by the start of next week. more on that in a moment. this

is our high as it stands currently and for the remainder of today and for thursday, it means a lot of dry and settled weather. patchy cloud around this evening, tending to thin and break through the small hours of thursday, allowing quite a widespread frost to develop. look out for some patches of freezing fog first thing thursday. 0vernight lows, honest to or —3 in rural areas. thursday, hopefully bright sunny for most of us but if anything a bit more cloud building through the course of the day. cheeky weather front trying to sneak into the northwest could even bring some drizzle into northern ireland and the north west of scotland but nothing too significant. temperatures though already just gradually sliding away. by friday though i think we will already start to notice more of a chill as the easterly winds become particularly nagging. temperatures by then are down in the mid range of single figures but that wind is what will really bring about the change in the way things feel. the high—pressure, i will get bored of seeing them in the next few days, still firmly with

us into the weekend. for the weekend, a lot of fine weather, decent sunny spells but still a significant chill in the air, widespread overnight frosts, daytime highs, five or 6 degrees. then a su btle highs, five or 6 degrees. then a subtle change from our high into next week, just shifts orientation slightly but if you follow the isobars back, you can see they go all the way to siberia by next week, which will allow some colder air to pull round that high and potentially had our way. i say potentially because it may just had our way. i say potentially because it mayjust stay had our way. i say potentially because it may just stay further south of us in france, but it may head towards the uk. either way we look at it though, next week will be significantly colder, widespread frosts possibly even lingering by day, the wind will be raw and there is the possibility of some snow particularly in eastern areas. here's that uncertainty, will the airfrom siberia dive further south into the continent and bring france the worst of the cold or will it be the worst of the cold or will it be the case that it pushes across us out into the atlantic and brings

biting cold to the uk? stay tuned. hello, you're watching afternoon live — i'm simon mccoy. today at 3. a leaked document suggests the length of the brexit transition period could be extended, as 60 tory mps write to theresa may to insist the uk makes a clean break with the eu. two victims of the black cab rapist john worboys have won a landmark case against police — afterjudges at the supreme court ruled scotland yard was liable forfailures in its investigation. they had all the information there. they should have caught him. they could have stopped him the very next day but they didn't, they chose to not believe me. the un says the situation in a rebel held suburb of damascus in syria, which is enduring - government