21/01/2018 BBC Weekend News

A 12-hour attack on a major hotel

in the Afghan capital ends

with the deaths of 19 people.

14 of the dead were foreigners,

thought to have been

deliberately targeted.

The Taliban says it

carried out the attack.

Is your relationship with her over?

I'm not making any comments.

More questions for the Ukip

leader, Henry Bolton,

over his personal life,

as he faces a vote of

no-confidence from his party.

An eight-year-old is stabbed

to death in the West Midlands,

in what police are describing

as a 'domestic incident'.

Heavy rain brings flooding

and mudslides to South West England;

elsewhere, snow and ice cause

problems on the roads.

And in Australia, British number two

Kyle Edmund reaches his first

Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Good evening.

The authorities in Afghanistan now

say that 14 foreigners and four

Afghan nationals were killed

in an attack on an international

hotel in the capital Kabul.

After heavy fighting

that lasted 12 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.

EXPLOSION.

The final moments of a fight that

had lasted all night.

GUNFIRE.

Gunfire and explosions,

as Afghan special forces

battle to regain control

of the Intercontinental Hotel.

One soldier throws a grenade.

He moves away, then the explosion.

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 retaken.

We are in the area, you can see the

Hotel Intercontinental on the hill

in Kabul, and as you can see part of

the hotel was burned, and black soot

has blackened the southern part of

the hotel.

More than 150 people,

including some foreigners,

were inside yesterday evening,

when gunmen burst

in and opened fire.

Eyewitnesses said they

were after foreigners.

TRANSLATION:

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

burn or escape.

my roommate told me

to either burn or escape.

I got a bed sheet and tied

it 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 been probably the deadliest

attack on foreign civilians

in Kabul since the US

invasion of Afghanistan.

We've been told that the attackers

spoke local languages,

and shouted at Afghans to be

separated from foreign

nationalities.

This sustained and complex assault

will prompt urgent questions

as to how the gunmen got through.

Zia Shahreyar, BBC News, Kabul.

Ukip's National Executive Committee

has backed a vote of no confidence

in the party leader Henry Bolton,

as he faces further questions

over his personal life.

After a brief relationship

with Jo Marney - whose texts

about Meghan Markle became public -

he says his personal life shouldn't

affect his political career.

The party membership will now be

asked to vote on his future.

Here's our political

correspondent Ben Wright.

I'm not making any comment.

Shortly

before you get's top brass met to

discuss their Bellego leader's fate,

Henry Bolton came out fighting.

You

could say at that point the National

Executive Committee of my own body

don't have confidence in me and I

should stand down.

I could do but I

went.

It is his fleeting

relationship with 25-year-old Jo

Marney that has got notice. Last

week he dropped his new girlfriend,

after it emerged she had sent

reportedly racist text messages

about Prince Harry's fiance, Meghan

Markle, but the two of them were

then spotted out at a London bar.

Are we now talking about this

leadership thing being a moral

court, as to the state of my

marriage and personal relationships?

What is important to the 17.4

million people who voted to leave

the European union is that this

country gets back its independence

from Brussels and we can move

forward on that basis.

Henry Bolton

became the fourth Ukip leader in a

year, and promised to bring fresh

focus to the fractious and

floundering party, but even some of

its leading figures think it could

now be curtains for Ukip.

If we have

a situation where we were wiped out

in the county council elections and

then in the general elections, if we

wiped out again in the district

elections too, then maybe people

will have to get around the table

and say is the electric trying to

tell us something, and is that thank

you very much and good night?

Earlier this the Ukip National

executive agreed to have a meeting

about their leader 's recent antics.

Today's Ukip meeting has been held

in huge secrecy and after a lot of

digging we found out it is being

held here in the office of the Ukip

general secretary, Paul Oakley, a

barrister. This meeting will

determine possibly Henry Bolton's

fate. He went in it insisting he

would not quit but it is clear that

many want him to go. And after three

hours of talks coming Ukip 's Mac

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 will stop

that

doesn't mean Henry Bolton is forced

to go today and there will now be an

emergency general meeting of party

members to decide his fate. Ben

Wright, BBC News.

An eight-year-old girl, who died

after being found with stab wounds,

near Walsall, has been named

by West Midlands Police

as Mylee Billingham.

A 54-year-old man has been arrested.

Liz Copper reports.

Eight-year-old Mylee

Billingham who's died

in what police are describing

as a tragic set of circumstances.

Floral tributes have been placed

outside the bungalow in Brownhills

where police were called last night.

Neighbours described their shock,

as officers arrived.

I never in my wildest dreams

would ever see down the street...

Everybody was shocked, because,

down here, it's quiet,

you 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 enquiries,

police say they are treating this

as a domestic incident,

and aren't looking for

anybody else in connection

with the investigation.

Liz Kopper, BBC News, Brownhills.

Turkish troops have crossed

the border into northern Syria

in a significant escalation

of their battle against

a Kurdish militia.

The Turkish president has said he

hopes the offensive will be brief.

The Kurdish YPG militia is backed

by the United States

but viewed by Turkey

as a terrorist organisation.

Our correspondent Mark Lowen sent

this report from the border area.

As if Syria needed more of this.

Artillery fire from Turkey,

launching a new ground and air

offensive. It's called operation

olive branch, though it's 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 terrace, linked

to the outlawed Kurdish militants,

the PKK, and it once them pushed

back from the border town of Afrin.

Turkey's president has his own

troops fighting for their hero, and

with elections next week -- next

year, war rallies his Conservative

supporters. TRANSLATION:

This is a

national struggle, and in this

national struggle we will crush

anyone who stands against us.

anyone who stands against us.

But

the YPG has powerful friends, they

are trained and armed by the US.

That has infuriated Turkey, which

says the Americans have chosen

terrace over their Nato ally. In the

hills beside the border, we found a

further build-up, as the offensive

shows no further 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 only just

beginning. Mark Lowen, BBC News on

the Turkey Syrian border.

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.

What are you expecting there?

Well,

if last year was all about

protesting the fact Donald Trump had

just taken office, then this year is

all about protesting his policies in

his first year. Now many women here

say they are concerned about his

agenda on issues like immigration,

health care and reproductive rights,

which they say adversely impacts

women. Others here say that in the

wake of the meat to moment, they

want changes. Many say they are

survivors of sexual harassment and

violence. If last Joe was a rallying

cry, then this year is all about

getting things done. So one -- if

last year, is getting women to

register to vote and perhaps even

run for office. But don't forget,

Donald Trump won with a majority of

white women voters. There are plenty

of women in America who think he is

doing a good job, so this event is

of course a reminder that in America

women's rights and women's issues

are a very divisive topic here.

Extreme weather has affected several

parts of the UK today,

with flooding and mudslides in South

west England and snow and ice

causing problems elsewhere.

The Met Office has issued yellow "be

aware" warnings for Scotland,

north Wales, most of England

and Northern Ireland.

Phil Bodmer reports.

After the snow came the rain, and

with 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 Mudeford, North Devon. At

the Jack Russell in at swing bridge

near Barnstaple, they were surveying

the damage caused by the flooding.

The kitchen's just as bad. We've

turned everything.

Emergency

services helped others. This flood

water rose in Barnstaple and Kuhn

Martin. In Scotland, two climbers

were airlifted to safety in the

Highlands. The pair were winched to

safety from 3000 feet after a night

on the mountain in Glencoe. Glasgow

airport closed for a brief period

this afternoon, so that the runway

could be cleared, after some very

heavy snow. Well, tonight, much of

Britain remains in winter's icy

grip. Here in Leeds, gritting teams

have been working nonstop to keep

the road network sorted, with

temperatures hovering around 0

degrees. Northern England also

experienced heavy snow. This was

further land in South Yorkshire. In

Sheffield, drivers left their cars

at home. With forecasters predicting

milder conditions ahead, there may

be some better news for commuters

next week. Phil Bodman, 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 possibly be as successful

a president as a footballer?

Well, you only look at me

as a former footballer,

but I am a human being.

I strive to be excellent,

and I can be successful.

COMMENTATOR:

George Weah,

he has one to contend with,

he plays a 1-2, George Weah!

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 the legacy of war.

Nearly two thirds of the population

live below the poverty line.

In Claratown, the slum

where he grew up, they are hoping

he will bring jobs,

health care, housing.

When you come here to the streets

where George Weah grew up,

the scale of problems facing Liberia

is very 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 Duo

became symbols of pitiless violence.

Today, he's 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, has failed.

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 investors,

Joseph tells me, so there will be

jobs, and we can have a better

Liberia than before.

Expectations are high.

Can George Weah possibly

meet them, I asked?

Whether or not I am going

to meet the expectations,

because the one thing,

when people love you,

you have to strive for them.

The Liberians love me,

for what I have done before

in my life, and to make sure that,

OK, I am going to do it again.

Football teaches that

you can't 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.

With all the sport, here's

Lizzie Greenwood Hughes

at the BBC Sport Centre.

Hello, good evening. England's

cricketers have bounced back from

their comprehensive Ashes defeat by

winning the one-day series against

Australia with two games to spare.

Under the guidance of Eoin Morgan,

England's short form game continues

to thrive. Yet recently the captain

himself has struggled for runs. His,

one of six wickets that fell, with

the score looking unfavourable for

the tourists. Jos Buttler and Chris

Woakes Sciustree and change that, as

the pair dominated proceedings. --

soon change that. The final over of

the innings delivered a half-century

for Woakes, and all three figures

Reading Buttler. 303 sets victory, a

target Aaron Finch fancy chasing

down, showing authority attack. But

the real power on the field lies

elsewhere. The umpires wanted to

check their decision to give Steve

Smith out. Replays were somewhat

inconclusive. But their opinion was

the one that mattered, not Smith's.

His team still kept up the attack.

Marcus Stoinis set up a nervy end,

but when he departed, England made

sure their winning run would

continue. Kyle Edmund says you have

to believe, after reaching his first

Grand Slam quarterfinal. The British

and the two came from a set down to

make it to the last eight of the

Australian Open tennis.

Carrying the hopes of a nation is no

easy task, but in the absence of

Andy Murray, Britain has a new flag

bearer. Kyle Edmund Fozz eyes has

been steady, his form here

spectacular. They did seem that was

about to change when against Andreas

Seppi, he lost the opening set and

went down a break of serve in the

second. He was however quick to

respond, a switch of shoes

coinciding with a change in

fortunes, and there was no looking

back. A decade Seppi's Junior, yet

Edmund is the higher ranked and soon

the Gulf in age and quality became

apparent. Both men were bidding to

reach a made in Grand Slam

quarterfinal, though only one had

the power and poised to get there.

Edmund becoming the first British

man other than Murray to make the

last eight in Melbourne since 1985.

Hopefully we have more British here

in the future, so, yeah, for me

personally I am very happy to get

through and keep doing my best, and

I know people at home are waking up

at silly hours in the morning, so I

am just grateful for that.

Edmonds

now faces the world number three,

Grigor Dimitrov. Whatever the

outcome, Britain appears to have a

new start to celebrate. Watford have

blamed Everton's interest in manager

Marco Silva as their reason for

sacking him this morning. They are

expecting to appoint Javi Gracia

tomorrow. Meanwhile, Southampton are

still in the bottom three. Harry

Kane scored the Spurs goal and only

needs one more to reach 100 in the

Premier League or someone very late

goal at Tynecastle gifted Hearts a

place in the Scottish Cup next round

against Hibs. Plenty more sport on

the website, including how Saracens

scraped into the quarterfinals of

the European Champions Cup but for

me, for now, goodbye.