this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 11:00pm: 48 hours to the big brexit vote, the prime minister urges mps to do what she says is right for the country, but there's little sign she has the support she needs. an avalanche kills three people in the austrian alps, as the region struggles with perilous conditions. the 11—year—old killed in a hit and run in manchester. police are questioning a suspect. nicola sturgeon refers herself for investigation after claims she broke the scottish government's ministerial code. and at 11:30pm we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers, business journalistjohn crowley, and rachel cunliffe, comment and features editor at cityam. stay with us for that. good evening and welcome to bbc news.

in the 48 hours before the parliamentary vote that could define brexit and herfuture, the prime minister has told mps not to play games, but to do the right thing for the country. theresa may is widely expected to lose a commons vote on the withdrawal deal she's negotiated with the eu, withjeremy corbyn saying today labour will table a vote of no confidence in the government soon after. mrs may says voters‘ trust in the democratic process is at stake if brexit is not delivered. our chief political correspondent vicki young reports. she bought herself more time by delaying this crucial brexit vote but theresa may has just two days to

persuade mps to back the deal. so far there is little sign of growing support. the prime minister continues to make her case, writing in the sunday express she warned mps that if parliament stopped brexit it would be a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy. the government is hoping for more reassurances from the eu on the terms of the uk's departure. the brexit secretary admitted the government faces a challenge to get its deal through. we are working ha rd its deal through. we are working hard with colleagues and eu leaders, the pm speaking to them in terms of the pm speaking to them in terms of the specific concerns we have heard especially on the issue of backstop. after losing crucial votes in the commons downing street says it is worried opponents of brexit could find a way to take control of parliamentary business. mr berkeley said it should focus the minds of brexiteers. uncertainty of what will happen in the house is increasing so those seek ideological euro tea and

risk brexit. last week speakerjohn virgo made it clear he is determined to allow mps to have their say on brexit —— bercow. the unpredictable political situation is even more uncertain. even if mps can seize control of what's going on in the house of commons, can they agreed on an alternative to theresa may's plan? some want to stop a no—deal brexit. others want a different kind of deal or another referendum. will you went a confidence vote? so what does the labour leader want? jeremy corbyn is against theresa may's deal and wants a general election. many in his party want another referendum. he sounds reluctant. my own view is i would rather get a negotiated deal now if we can to stop the danger of a no deal expert from the eu on 29 march which would be catastrophic for industry, trade, and the long—term effects of that would be huge —— exit. we will do

everything we can to prevent a no deal expert. the people's vote campaign group were out in force in sheffield this weekend, insisting support for another referendum is increasing. the liberal democrats' leader thinks mps will assert themselves if the government lose on tuesday. parliament will take control of this process, will insist that we pursue the option of no brexit. it could happen in one of two ways, simply by cancelling article 50, which would be resented by lots of people, or it can happen by lots of people, or it can happen by parliament saying we go back to the public to have the final say. by parliament saying we go back to the public to have the final saym is hard to find anyone in westminster who thinks theresa may will win the vote. everyone is talking about plan b. there is no agreement about what that is. that report was by vicki young. well, earlier, vicki gave us this further update from westminster as there is news of some small comfort for the prime minister. four of her brexit backing mps have said that they will now swing behind

her deal. i spoke to one of them, sir geoffrey clifton browne, and he says he has deep reservations. he thinks of bits of the deal are very bad. he said that the uncertainty means we could have no brexit at all. and particular he focus on the controversial role of the speaker, the intervention last week whenjohn bercow made it clear he would give mpsa bercow made it clear he would give mps a greater say in the process. that is leading some to think that a brexit not happening at all is a far higher chance of that. of course theresa may needs doesn't more to agree with that and there isn't much sign of that —— dozens. meanwhile at westminster everyone is talking about their plan b. some leaning towards another referendum although it is clear that jeremy towards another referendum although it is clear thatjeremy corbyn is very reluctant to go down that route. others have been saying that in law no deal is still the default position. others say we should have a much closer relationship with the eu after brexit. and of course they can't all be right. although it looks bleak for the prime

can't all be right. although it looks bleakfor the prime minister tonight, feels like a damage limitation exercise, unless mps can agree what they want instead of her deal, she could just keep trying. our europe editor katya adler is in brussels, and gave us this assessment of the eu's possible moves on the coming days. the eu is unwilling to make any significant move until he can see that parliament is behind theresa may, or it can see mps moving around a particular alternative to her deal, or around a particular amendment, if the eu thinks it can swallow that amendment, but we are nowhere near there at the moment. so at the moment lines of communication at the moment lines of communication at head of the vote are wide open between russells and number ten. and my sources here are telling me that they have a letter of assurance is ready on the deal and they are waiting for the go—ahead from number ten as to when to publish that letter —— brusells. and whether to publish it at all actually, because it won't contain anything new. it

will contain assurances on the irish backstop, where the eu will say once again that it is a guarantee mechanism, something it doesn't want to activate. if it had to activate it, it wouldn't want to keep it live for any longer than absolutely necessary. as i say brussels isn't willing to go further than that until it can see in what direction parliament is going. for now the eu wa nts to parliament is going. for now the eu wants to keep up the pressure on the uk, saying this is the only deal, and story, but europe will be watching the vote on tuesday extremely carefully to see if the deal passes. and if it doesn't, by how much, then the internal conversation will start inside eu circles. the family of an 11—year—old who was killed in a hit and run accident in manchester yesterday have paid tribute to him, saying he was an intelligent, loving boy who was always smiling. taylor schofield was treated by paramedics at the scene but died of his injuries in hospital. police are questioning a suspect, as fiona trott reports. he was an 11—year—old boy out of playing on his bike.

taylor scofield was treated at the scene, but died a short time later. it happened here, on albert street, in beswick, just after six o'clock last night. greater manchester police say they are trying to establish the full details of what happened. a grey volkswagen golf was abandoned nearby. they're asking anybody with information to come forward. today, people living in this close community came out to lay flowers, including members of taylor's family. friends and neighbours say they're devastated. it's heartbreaking, it's absolutely awful what's happened. absolutely devastating. my thoughts are just with his family and obviously all the close friends and stuff that have been affected by it. it's absolutely devastating. the police investigation into what happened here is still ongoing, but people in the neighbourhood say this has been a dangerous road for years. how many lives have got to be taken before they step up? they need bumps on this

road to stop it. it's disgusting. something needs to be done. tonight, taylor's family have released a statement saying he was a cheeky, handsome lad who loved his mates, football and man united. he's going to be missed by everyone, he was taken too soon from us. fiona trott, bbc news, greater manchester. scotland's first minister has referred herself to a standards panel over meetings she had with her predecessor alex salmond while he was being investigated over claims of sexual harassment. he denies the allegations. our scotland editor sarah smith is in glasgow and explained why nicola sturgeon has taken this step. she is facing the biggest political threat of her career and she is hoping that this panel of independent advisers will establish she did not break the ministerial code. nicola sturgeon says she hasn't done anything wrong but she is travelling to explain why she met three times in person with alex

salmond and spoke to him twice on the phone during the scottish government's investigation into these allegations of sexual misconduct. when a first minister she wasn't allowed to have any involvement in that investigation, she wasn't even supposed to know it was under way. there is also now outright civil war inside the snp between supporters of alex salmond and those loyal to nicola sturgeon herself. mr alex salmond think there isa herself. mr alex salmond think there is a conspiracy against him and that people are trying to remove him as a political threat. now the real political threat. now the real political threat. now the real political threat is his former friend and successor nicola sturgeon as this meeting is a very real threat to her position. sarah smith reporting. three people have been killed, and a fourth is missing, after an avalanche near the austrian ski resort of lech. austria has been hit by record snowfall in the past week, and there have been more than 20 weather related deaths across parts of the alps so far this month. bethany bell reports.

mountain regions in austria are used to snow, but this is extreme. days of heavy snowfall are taking their toll. last night, three skiers from germany were killed in an avalanche in lech. their bodies were found on a ski route that had been closed off because of the danger of avalanches. a fourth person is still missing. translation: yesterday evening we decided to cancel the search because it had become too dangerous. we know how the weather will develop, so we can probably initiate the search again on wednesday. the risk of more avalanches is very high. some ski resorts and mountain villages have had to be evacuated. other areas are snowed in. these firefighters near the town of kleinzell in central austria are working round the clock to clear snow from homes and buildings. the snow is very heavy and there is a real risk this roof

could cave in. translation: it's quite dangerous work. as you can see, all the men are harnessed because you can easily slip off while coming down. so the risk is relatively high. driving conditions are treacherous. it's a struggle to keep the streets clear. underneath this white blanket is a tarmac road. this area hasn't seen this much snow in well over a decade. in neighbouring germany, the army has been brought in to help clear the roads, and people here are bracing themselves for more. heavy snow is forecast over the next few days. bethany bell, bbc news, near kleinzell in the austrian alps. two men have died in separate falls in the mourne mountains in northern ireland, an area popular with hill walkers. neither death is being treated as suspicious. declan harvey reports. high winds had been forecast on the

mournes today, and they came. the beauty here can mask the potential danger. just before midday walkers on wee binnian which overlooks the south heard cries for help. the alarm was raised. one hour later, similar scenes of five miles north on slieve commedagh overlooking newcastle. these photos from the police air support unit have been released. the operation was described as challenging. both men died at the scene. veronica mccann was also on the mournes today. even lower down she said the winds were strong. i had to protect myself against the wind because i can be blown over. it was that sort of a gust and we were not high. i was saying to myself that i am not on the top today. it is an extreme tragedy. local representatives paid tribute including the sinn fein mla conor murphy who said one of the men

was from here. he said this is a close—knit community in utter shock. the partial shutdown of the us government over president trump's demands for funding to build a wall along the mexican border has entered its 23rd day. more than 800,000 workers haven't been paid, and today the president tweeted it was all the democrats fault. —— tweeted it was all the democrats' fault. david willis reports. as the politicians wrangle, the tangible effects of the longest government shutdown in us history are on display. this, a food bank for some of the hundreds of thousands of government workers who are working but not being paid. most of all, the shutdown is affecting me emotionally. i'm a veteran. i have served my country as well as working at the state department for over 35 years. pressure is building on president trump, as the latest opinion polls show more americans blame him and his party for the shutdown than the democrats. for his part, the president

is making much of the fact that whilst he is here in washington, ready and willing to negotiate, democrat leaders are in puerto rico for a winter retreat, and a fundraising performance at the musical, hamilton. early this morning, he tweeted... the president has toyed with declaring a national emergency in order to get funding for his wall. but some senior republicans are urging caution. i would urge him to open up the government for a short period of time, like three weeks, before he pulls the plug, see if we can get a deal. the trickle—down effects of this dispute are being felt at places like this. miami international airport has been forced to partly close one of its terminals because of a shortage of staff. with air traffic controllers also caught up in the dispute,

union officials are warning that the longer it goes on, the greater the chance that passenger safety could be compromised. the mayor of the polish city of gdansk has been seriously injured in a knife attack at a charity event. pawel adamowicz was stabbed on stage in front of thousands of people. he is now undergoing emergency surgery. the attacker complained that mr adamowicz‘s party, the civic platform, had tormented him. the interior minister called it an act of inexplicable barbarism. the headlines on bbc news: theresa may warns mps a failure to deliver brexit would be "a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy" ahead of a crucial vote this week. 3 people have been killed and a fourth is missing after an avalanche near the austrian ski resort of lech.

police question a man after an 11—year—old boy, taylor schofield, was killed in a hit and run collision in beswick in greater manchester. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's tulsen tollett. good evening. let's start with the big match in the premier league today — tottenham hosting manchester united at wembley in what was billed as ole gunnar solskjaer‘s first real test since taking over as united's caretaker boss last month. and he passed with flying colours, asjoe lynskey reports. in the second half of this match, totte n ha m in the second half of this match, tottenham was stopped from scoring 11 times but it is the mercedes in a single match all season. even his teammates could not fathom at. but this is a united team with a new

manager a new confidence. players are trying passes like this one. it was in the stride of marcus. 1-0! this is the finish of our man the previous boss said lost his cool in front of goal. he has scored now in free games in a row. that was the breakaway and now for the barrage. they needed every fingertip and both feet to keep spurs out. perhaps the pick of this aid, this point—blank adjustment on the goal line. what a display it has been. there would be plenty to choose from. harry kane tried that this was a day for the goalkeeper. we have a tradition of having a fantastic goalkeeper. that has grown and grown and i have to say he deserves that man of the match today. amidst the joy of

united, it was heavy blow for the spurs title hopes. and then they had to watch harry kane limped from the field. we hope that it is not a big issue and that will not be big problem for us to do this match had been billed as an audition for both managers. in the end it produced one inspired performance. everton beat bournmouth in the day's early kick off. kurt zouma's first goal for everton, a headerjust after the hour mark, opened the scoring, then in added time dominic calvert—lewin added an excellent second to give them the three points on a very wet day at goodison park. 2—0 the final score, everton up to tenth in the league. it's been a big weekend of european rugby union, and saracens are through to the quarter finals of the champions cup after a comfortable bonus point win at lyon. ben spencer scored the last of four tries in a 28 points to ten win to keep sarries top of pool 3 ahead of glasgow...who are also closing in on the last 8 after beating cardiff blues.

elsewhere exeter ran in 6 tries to beat castres. england have made a good start to netball‘s quad series — beating new zealand 54—41 in their opening match in liverpool. they were just a goal ahead at half time, but pulled away in the second half. the commonwealth champions will go on to play south africa and then the world's number one side australia at the copper box in london next weekend. all part of preparations for the world cup which takes place in liverpool injuly. we've had two shocks on the first day of the masters snooker at alexandra palace. defending champion mark allen is out — losing 6—5 in a deciding frame to belgium's luca brecel. only the top 16 players in the world play in this tournament, and it was a high quality match with breaks of more than 50 in all but two of the eleven frames. john higgins is also out. the two—time champion lost to ryan day by 6 frames to 5. the welshman sealing the win in emphatic fashion with a total clearance of 128 in the decider.

that's all the sport for now. don't forget the australian open starts overnight, full coverage on the bbc sport website and app and on bbc radio 5 live sports extra from midnight. in yemen, clashes this weekend in the strategic port city of hodeida have dealt a fresh blow to the fragile truce that's been in place since last month. the ceasefire agreed between houthi rebels and government forces backed by saudi arabia and western allies, has allowed some much—needed aid into the country. the un says 80% of yemen's population are in need of assistance. but some of the more remote areas have yet to receive any aid at all. a bbc team travelled to one such village — raymah — that's had no outside help since the war began 4 years ago. nawal al maghafi reports.

in the mountains of yemen, villages like raymah are sheltered from the war. but not its consequences. aid agencies can no longer reach these remote areas, and all government funding has stopped. 16—year—old samar is one of many children who have been forced to leave school in order to earn a little money to survive. she's carrying rice and flour to a local village. translation: i want to live like the other girls. they get provided for, they get to rest. the money samar made today is only enough to pay for this bread and tea. like two thirds of yemenis, she doesn't know where their next meal is coming from. her mum says life hasn't always been like this. translation: we were once

happy and comfortable. now we live day—to—day. if she is sick, we all end up hungry, waiting for her to get better. i'm sad because of this reality that we are living in. death is kinder than this. seven months ago, fatima gave birth to her daughter, lamia, and has struggled to feed her since. doctors have told us she is severely malnourished. translation: i want her to get better, to grow like other children. i don't want her to stay like this. i want her to to take her first steps and walk. but because of the war, she won't get better. it has left us with nothing. 4000 families used to rely on daud mohammed's clinic for basic health services.

we used to care for the children suffering from malnutrition, we used to distribute aid, he says. to the nearest clinic. with fuel so expensive, the car isn't an option. people have to make these dangerous and lengthy journeys through the mountains on foot. abdullah has been walking for over three hours, carrying his grandson in a basket. translation: we just can't afford to take a car here. i've been walking for hours with the baby on my back, because he needs to see a doctor. this centre was set up to provide with vaccinations and aid. now, it has to cope with life—threatening illnesses. it's overwhelmed.

and it's notjust the clinic that is struggling. at this school, one of the few in the area still open, teachers haven't been paid for over two years. but they still show up, hoping the children at least have a chance at a better future. nawal al maghafi, bbc news. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, has arrived in saudi arabia as part of a tour of the middle east. it's a politically sensitive stop because of tension over the killing of the saudi journalist jamal khashoggi. the us senate has blamed the crown prince, mohammed bin salman, for the murder. mr pompeo has not, but says he'll raise the issue. well, our washington correspondent, barbara plett usher, is in riyadh. earlier she explained mr pompeo would be bringing up the khashoggi case. he called an outrage and the us want

to get more facts to make sure that those responsible are held accountable. he says there is no direct reporting about a link between the crown prince and the murder but equally he wants to raise theissue murder but equally he wants to raise the issue about making sure that those who did carry it out will be punished and the reporting has been, including from intelligence agents, but those in the inner circle of the crown prince were involved. these are the sort of things he will be asking the crown prince, and pressing him and other saudi officials to say that we want to see you are serious about punishing the people involved but we also want more facts about what happened because the state department has said before his visit that they still do not believe the explanation from the saudi government is credible. you have been talking to a senior member of the saudi royal

family. what was said?” senior member of the saudi royal family. what was said? i spoke with him abouta family. what was said? i spoke with him about a number of issues related to mr pompeo's tripper particularly one that has dominated, the decision by president trump to pull us troops from syria and. mr pompeo has tried to explain that the allies wherever he visited and the saudis had a lot invested in supporting rebels in that conflict and they wanted a strong us presence. now they see that mr trump is pulling those us troops out, there were never that many to begin with. i spoke to a senior member of the royal family andi senior member of the royal family and i asked him what he thought about that decision to pull out of syria. the actions of the us from my perspective is that it will further complicate the issue rather than find a solution to it. it will further entrench not only the

iranians but also the russians and the turkish president. from my perspective, of course, it is quite negative. mr pompeo has said that this is simply a tactical change, a movement of troops to the us still has enough military power in the region to do what it needs to do to fight islamist extremists and ineffective the us pulls those troops out it will be exposing territory that could be open for iran, russia or the turkish president and i think that is what worries many allies here. we have just been hearing from president trump. mike pompeo is trying to clarify the position of the administration on the middle east. we hear from the administration on the middle east. we hearfrom president trump that starting the long overdue pull

out while heeding the caliphate hard earned from many directions and they will attack again from any existing nearby base if it reforms. he is referring to isis there. this is more on that reaction to syria and the comments from the saudi prince. likewise, do not finally, we also benefit that it is now time to bring our troops home and stop the endless war. saudi arabia does not agree with the us pullout. and that is the latest from donald trump. in the meantime, let's catch up with the weather. a mild day today with temperatures

reaching 13 celsius and it has been mild in terms of the winter here in the uk. not a lot of snow. however, behind this cold front we now have no showers setting in across shetland. there is a bit of a taste of winter out there but it is a glancing blow, really. as we go through the night it will be cold and cold on the mainland scotland with patches of frost but otherwise tell other much cloud around and too windy for any cold weather overnight. temperatures dropping to between six and eight celsius, something like that by the end of the night. for many of us it will not be a particularly cold start although there will be some frost in scotla nd although there will be some frost in scotland and then turns cloudy with patchy rain. a few showers elsewhere but across western and southern areas we will see the mildest weather. were as across the eastern side of the country, that