28/12/2017 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at 10pm:

A suicide bombing in the Afghan

capital, Kabul, has claimed

the lives of at least 40 people.

The Islamic State group says it

carried out the attack

in the west of the city.

We report from the scene.

This is the building

where the explosion happened that

you can see that the building has

been almost completely destroyed.

More than 80 people were injured.

There were women and children

among the casualties.

Weather experts say they're

expecting further disruption

in many parts of the UK,

because of ice and

heavy snow tonight.

How the NHS in England raised more

than £174 million in hospital

parking charges last year.

And an unbeaten 244

from Alistair Cook puts England

in control of the fourth

Ashes Test in Melbourne.

Good evening.

A suicide bombing in the Afghan

capital, Kabul, has claimed

the lives of at least 40 people

and injured more than 80 others,

with women and children

among the casualties.

The Islamic State group says it

carried out the attack,

which targeted a cultural

organisation and news agency

in the western part of the capital.

In recent months so-called

Islamic State has attacked many

Shia Muslim targets

in this area of Kabul

where the majority of the city's

Shia population lives.

Our correspondent in Kabul,

Zia Shahreya, has sent this report.

The force of the explosion

is clear to see.

Among the rubble, relatives

desperately search

for their loved ones.

But there was little left behind.

The bomb went off inside this

building, a cultural centre and also

home to an Afghan news agency.

Students had been marking the 38th

anniversary of the Soviet

invasion of Afghanistan.

The suicide bomber apparently has

entered through that way inside this

hall where the seminar was happening

and the hall was full

of people, students,

female and male, from different

universities in Kabul.

TRANSLATION:

I saw

many dead in the area.

I was looking for my cousin

but I could not find his

body and I'm not sure

what happened to him.

The number of dead

people has increased.

After the explosion,

ambulances took the injured

to the hospitals nearby.

This man, one of dozens badly

hurt in the explosion.

Some of the wounded

were taken in for surgery.

TRANSLATION:

A total of 35

dead were registered

here and 20 others wounded.

There are men, women

and children among the injured.

For some waiting outside for news,

it was all too much.

Back in the area, to

the west of the capital,

where the bomb went off,

armed guards patrolled.

The initial blast was followed

by two other explosions

but no one was hurt in those.

So who was behind the attack?

So-called Islamic State has

claimed responsibility,

saying it targeted the centre

with a suicide bomber

and other bombs.

It has behind a number of other

attacks on Shia targets

across the country in recent months.

The President's spokesman called

the attack an unpardonable crime

against humanity and pledged

to destroy terrorist groups.

Zia Shahreya, BBC, Kabul.

Weather experts say they're

expecting further disruption

in many parts of the UK because of

ice and heavy snow tonight.

The AA said conditions for many

drivers today were appalling,

while passengers who were stuck

at Stansted last night have

complained about the airport's

response to the weather,

as Anisa Kadri reports.

Hanging around for a flight

longer than you expected.

It's not much fun, especially

when the queues are just getting

longer and you find out your flight

is now not just delayed,

it's cancelled.

More than 12 hours after Sarah's

flight to Stockholm was meant

to take off from Stansted,

Sarah was still here

and will now fly tomorrow.

I only found out literally I think

it was three hours after my flight

was supposed to leave

that it was cancelled,

and there was no boards to tell us

that it was delayed or anything

so it was literally like going

backwards and forwards

between the one personnel

who was there kind of thing.

I just ended up lining

up for like ten hours

to try to get a new flight!

Did you get any sleep at all?

No.

I think I've been

awake 25 hours now.

You only need to head to social

media to get an idea

of the frustration some people

here felt last night.

One person tweeted it was

a shambles, another posted a picture

of people sleeping on seats.

Stansted Airport says it has cleared

the backlog of stranded passengers

and things are returning to normal.

But they say there still could be

delays because of the weather.

And the weather has been causing

problems elsewhere, too.

In the Cairngorms, three climbers

had to be rescued after getting lost

in blizzard conditions.

The rescue took five hours.

The wintry weather is not going away

as we are being told to make

sure our vehicles are safe

for the road.

Check your tyres, make sure

you've got some good tread

and they are well inflated,

that should keep you safe

on the road, because they keep

you gripped to the road, after all.

And pack accordingly,

so have your own winter break down

kit with plenty of spare warm

and dry clothing, a flask,

some snacks, a shovel and certainly

a fully charged mobile phone.

Today in Inverness people

were enjoying the snow

but there is more on the way

for Scotland and the Met Office

is warning that tonight could be

the coldest night of the year.

Anisa Kadri, BBC News.

NHS hospitals in England made

a record £174.5 million

from car parking charges

in the past financial year.

The figures, obtained

through a Freedom of Information

request, showed more than half

of hospital trusts also

charged for at least some

of their disabled bays.

Our correspondent Phil

Mackie has the story.

A hospital visit can be upsetting,

even traumatic, and that's before

you pay for your parking ticket.

NHS hospitals in England made over

£174 million in fees last year.

That's a rise of 6%

on the year before.

And nearly £1 million came from

fines which was an increase of 32%.

The Hospital Trust which make

the most money was the Heart

of England which runs three

hospitals in Sutton Coldfield,

Solihull, and here in Birmingham.

Last year its income from car

parking was £4.8 million.

A bit shocking actually

because I come quite a lot

with my son and the amount we have

to pay, it's really bad.

I don't mind paying a small fee

but I've had occasions where I've

spent £20 in one day.

It's the hassle of visiting

hospital on a regular basis,

it's just another hassle.

No one from the Heart

of England Trust was available today

but they have given a statement

saying they know that parking costs

can be a financial burden

to patients and visitors.

They say that fees have come down

in the past year and the money

they make is reinvested in,

among other things, utility bills

and the maintenance of car parks.

Fees have already been largely

abolished in Scotland and Wales

and campaigners think it is time

they were lifted elsewhere, too.

You might have to make 50 trips

to hospital if you are

receiving cancer treatment.

Sometimes you need to be

there all day which means you might

have to pay £25 or £30 just to cover

the cost of your chemotherapy

on that particular day.

So it has a really

big effect on people.

Today's figures will only raise

pressure to cap or end

charges in the future.

Phil Mackie, BBC News, Birmingham.

A woman who was found dead

in an outbuilding in Finsbury Park

in north London has been

named by police.

Officers say 22-year-old

Iuliana Tudos died as a result

of a stab wound and a head injury.

It's thought she was

killed on Christmas Eve.

A murder investigation

has been started.

Every year, thousands

of planning permissions

are granted for new homes

but the properties

are not actually built.

There are currently 684,000 valid

permissions that haven't yet

been put into effect.

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond,

has set up an urgent review

to understand the reasons.

So in the midst of an acute housing

shortage, why is the process

of building much-needed new homes

proving to be so cumbersome?

My colleague Sophie Long has

been to Clacton in Essex

to try to find out.

Clacton-on-Sea.

Like many towns across the country,

they need to build hundreds

of houses here, to provide homes

for those that don't have

them, in a way that is

sympathetic to those that do.

Well, this is a site that got

planning permission over two

years ago for 300 homes,

but as you can see,

nothing's been built yet.

One problem is that developers

are not building on land

where permission has been granted.

The loophole they found

here is that they can land bank.

They can get permission

on land with no intention

of developing it any time soon,

get the permission, put it

in the bank, go on to the next site,

get permission for that one.

The developers say they find that

accusation staggering,

that they would be building here now

but this is a textbook example

of local planning issues stopping

house-builders from building

the homes that the country needs.

They say:

Building is happening,

but not on the scale needed

to solve the housing crisis.

Developers say they are not the ones

dragging their feet.

Overall, the system

is just too cumbersome.

There are too many things that get

put through the planning system

that don't need to go

through the planning system.

That means that once you've

got an initial consent,

you still need to do a lot of work

before you can get on site

and start development.

Nearly everyone agrees there's

a housing crisis and more

homes need to be built.

The question is how and where.

Unblocking the problems

in the planning process has now

become a national priority.

A couple of miles along

the coast is Jaywick Sands.

Developers don't want to build here.

It is the most deprived

place in England.

Transport links are poor

and unemployment is high.

But the need for new

housing is clear.

There's a lot of houses what's empty

what could be done up

for people who ain't got

housing and everything.

The council says it is now taking

the lead and community activists

are hopeful that change is ahead.

We've been talking about this

for four or five years

and nothing has happened.

My view is that everybody should

have a decent place to live in.

The social housing

has got to happen.

Council housing is there,

part of it, everybody wants

that social housing.

And starter housing,

stuff like that.

The problem is that local

authorities and developers have

different priorities.

But the need to find common ground

and get more homes built quickly

now has a new sense of urgency.

Sophie Long, BBC News,

Clacton-on-Sea.

The former footballer George Weah

has won the Liberian

presidential election.

Mr Weah played for a string

of football clubs, including

AC Milan and Chelsea.

He entered politics after his

retirement in 2002 and will succeed

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,

Africa's first elected

woman president.

Apple apologised to customers

tonight after admitting slowing down

older iPhone models to protect their

batteries. Apple said it would never

intentionally shorten the life of

any product and said it would be

offering replacement batteries at a

discounted price.

The cricket news, and England go

into the fourth day of the fourth

Ashes Test in a few hours' time

in the driving seat,

thanks to an unbeaten

244 by Alistair Cook.

England finished the

third day on 491-9,

a lead of 164 over Australia.

Cook's double century

was the highest score by a visiting

batsman at the Melbourne

Cricket Ground.

And he's now sixth in the all-time

list of leading Test scorers,

as our correspondent

Patrick Geary reports.

For England, finally, belatedly,

serenity at the MCG but those

who have followed them

here are always wary of a wave

just around the corner.

Followed perhaps by unwelcome ducks.

So imagine the ripples caused

by Joe Root's misplaced hook.

61, out, missed out.

Dawid Malan's error was maybe even

stranger, given LBW,

he chose not to review.

The hotspot showed he had hit it,

a lifeline ignored.

Jonny Bairstow came and went,

then Moeen Ali, under

pressure for his place,

tried to be carefree

and ended up careless.

In contrast to the muddled

minds, the continuing

clarity of Alastair Cook.

Beyond 150, then fortunately

just beyond Steve Smith,

the second time he dropped him.

Cook took over the management

of the innings, driving

England into a lead,

pushing on to a remarkable

double century.

He found a loyal lieutenant

in Stuart Broad.

At first brave, then bold, he made

a 50 that infuriated the Aussies.

By the close, England's

total was nearly 500.

Cook had scored more runs than any

visiting Test batsman

here and he had been at the crease

in the Melbourne heat

for ten and a half hours.

All surrounded by doubts

about his future.

Did you ever doubt yourself

going into this match?

Yeah, 100%.

I've doubted myself for 12 years.

I'll probably continue

to doubt myself.

Obviously the longer it goes,

the harder it becomes.

I suppose that is why

I can be quite proud.

I was proud last night,

going to the well again

and delivering a performance

like that was pleasing.

It is just a shame it is three

and a half, four weeks too late.

Afterwards we heard England's

players applaud Cook back

into the dressing room,

a tribute to his resilience,

fitness and concentration.

On day four, it's going to be over

to England's bowlers to turn Cook's

tireless effort into a first victory

of this Ashes series.

Patrick Geary, BBC News, Melbourne.

The immense power of social media

was once again in evidence

this Christmas time,

when a welder from south-west London

left his Christmas wage

packet in a local pub,

the Alexandra in Wimbledon.

More than a million people

responded to an online appeal

and identified Mariusz

so that the pay packet could be

returned yesterday, six

days after he lost it.

Chi Chi Izundu takes up the story.

This is the story of a welder,

a pub and a lost wage packet.

Last Thursday, after a few

hundred people had been

here at the Alexandra pub

celebrating their Christmas parties,

at the end of the night a small

brown envelope stuffed with cash

was spotted on the floor.

The only reason I realised

it was actually a wage packet

is because I used to get paid

in similar wage packets

back when I first moved

over to this country.

All they had was the name

Mariusz and £600.

Landlord Mick and his

wife posted a picture

of the envelope on social media.

That was reposted by author JK

Rowling and then hundreds

of thousands around the world joined

in the search.

We did not find him straightaway

and then a couple of celebrities

retweeted it and it went bonkers.

My phone was like a fridge,

it went bzz bzz bzz!

We were getting messages

from all over the world.

So much interest trying

to find this guy, people

contacting us saying,

have you found him?

Keep us posted.

What's happening?

From Canada and America

and Australia, everywhere.

And then what happened?

Lo and behold, yesterday, Mariusz

walked in the door and said hi,

I'm Mariusz and I believe you've

got my money!

It was like the biggest

anti-climax in history,

he just wandered in and said,

I think you've got my money!

Mariusz explained that he whipped

out his phone to take pictures

of his Christmas party

with his colleagues

and that is probably when his wage

slip slipped out of his pocket

and under this chair.

He didn't notice until

about a day later.

Mariusz hadn't seen

the social media posts.

It was his son who

alerted him to them.

And he may have kept

the loss quiet from his wife

to have, as he called it,

a stress-free Christmas!

He came in yesterday

and got his money.

And in a show of gratitude,

he gave Nobby a generous tip

to see in the new year.

Chi Chi Izundu, BBC News.