Prepared for some snow this morning, quite tricky and some of the roads. The snow will not last all day and turning much more mild tomorrow gcioss turning much more mild tomorrow across the country. The Intercontinental Hotel in kabul, blackened and smoking good morning, first our main story. The authorities in afghanistan say a siege of a luxury hotel in kabul has come to an end, more than 12 hours after it was attacked by gunmen. An interior Ministry Spokesman said five civilians were killed at the Intercontinental Hotel, along with all three attackers. More than a hundred people have been rescued. Andrew plant reports. The Intercontinental Hotel in kabul, blackened and smoking after an ii hour siege. The shooting started after nightfall, several gunmen armed with grenades and automatic weapons. Translation at first, i heard some gunfire and then, after 15 minutes, a worker from the hotel approached and said that suicide attackers entered the hotel. Security forces were fighting the gunmen floor by floor, with reports of hostages being taken. We now know that around 100 guests have been allowed to leave. Its thought the security guards at the entrance to the 5 storey building are among those who came under fire. The Intercontinental Hotel in kabul is popular with foreign guests. Situated on a hilltop a few miles outside the city, it has been the target of an attack before, in 2011, when 21 people died, including nine attackers. Security forces said two of the gunmen had been shot and killed, two more were thought to be hiding in the building. The attack comes days after the us embassy in kabul issued a warning about hotels in the city, saying extremist groups could be planning an attack, saying hotels, as well as public gatherings, could be potential targets. Andrew plant, bbc news. Lets now see the scene live in kabul. You can see the Intercontinental Hotel there in the background, where Security Services have now brought that 12 hour siege to an end. There was a warning by the us embassy last week that extremists we re embassy last week that extremists were planning attacks in hotels. They think the government might have got into the hotel through the kitchen entrance. No group have yet claimed responsibility for the attack but we understand a0 foreign nationals were rescued from the scene, one was unfortunately killed, we do not know the nationality yet but we will bring back to you when we know. The future of the ukip leader, henry bolton will be up for discussion when the Partys National executive holds an emergency meeting later today. There have been calls for him to step down after it was reported his girlfriend had sent offensive texts, including racist comments about prince harrys fiance meghan markle. Lets talk to our political correspondent, emma va rdy. Is this a sort of d day for the ukip reader today . Absolutely, it has been building up to this and this will be the crunch moment, its the follow we have seen developed since christmas. Its all down to henry boltons relationship with thejo marney, her racist and offensive Text Messages were leaked to newspapers that led to calls for henry bolton to resign and step down and there has been mounting pressure on him since. He says he is no longer in that relationship however he has lost the confidence of many people within the party. He is expected to face a vote of confidence from the Committee Meeting this afternoon but that will not necessarily lead to him going, that committee cannot sack him and that committee cannot sack him and that would lead the wider party about. If he doesnt go that will just compounds the catastrophic year for ukip and leave them looking for their first leader for ukip and leave them looking for theirfirst leader in for ukip and leave them looking for their first leader in just over a year. We will follow closely. For now, thank you. We will speak to the partys brexit spokesman, gerard batten, indeed a few minutes time. Large scale recalls of dangerous and faulty goods will be managed by a new body from today. The office for product safety and standards will ensure theyre removed from homes and shelves more quickly. Our Business Correspondent joe lynam reports. In recent years, there have been notable product recalls such as the Samsung Galaxy note and some whirlpool tumble dryers. Now the government hopes to accelerate the time between recognising a problem with a product and removing it from shops and homes. The new office for product safety and standards will primarily cover electrical or white goods, like washing machines or fridges. It will have a panel of experts to help decide whether a minor or local issue requires a national recall, and it will ensure that imported goods from the eu will be properly checked once the uk leaves next year. What this new body will do is it will ensure that the know how and the Technical Expertise is available to prevent any delays and keep the public as safe as possible. Hundreds of electrical products are recalled in britain every year. This new agency hopes to prevent these kinds of incidents. Joe lynam, bbc news. Turkey has warned that it could deploy Ground Forces today, after launching air attacks against kurdish fighters in northern syria. More than a hundred targets were bombed in the afrin region. 0ur turkey correspondent, mark lowen reports. The first strikes of a new front in syrias war turkish f 16s pounding kurdish positions from the air. Thick plumes rising above the enclave of afrin, held by the Syrian Kurdish militia, the ypg. Turkey sees them as terrorists linked to the Kurdish Militant Group the pkk, which has waged an insurgency in turkey since the 1980s. The airstrikes were backed by turkish artillery from the border, tanks in place, ready to roll in. Turkeys aim is to stop the kurds extending their territorial control in northern syria. Standing side by side with turkey, syrian rebel fighters leading the ground offensive for now. The incursion is called 0peration olive branch, but it is anything but peaceful. Turkey is up against Kurdish Military might. They have been backed by the us in the war against islamic state, which has incensed the turkish government. An estimated half a Million People have been killed in syrias war. The theory is with this new offensive, that number could rise again. Mark lowen, bbc news, on the turkey syria border. A fresh attempt will be made to break the deadlock that led to shutdown of part of the American Government. A fresh vote in the senate is expected tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands of government workers face the prospect of unpaid leave if it continues. Democrats say President Trump block a compromise deal, it claimed the white house has denied. Theresa may has said she will sit out a plan to crack down on Company Executives who jeopardise the companiess pensions. She describes it as unacceptable abuse that will 0011 it as unacceptable abuse that will soon be ended. People with dementia and autism could get Blue Badge Parking permits in england under new government proposals. It is hoped that providing the permits for those with hidden disabilities will create equality between the treatment of physical and Mental Health. They say a mans home is his castle, and for one artist in brazil it really is. Marcio matolias has lived in a sandcastle for 22 years in an upmarket neighbourhood of rio de janeiro. It isnt huge inside, but he has everything he needs. Marcio says if there is heavy rain he just sculpts himself a new sandcastle. He compares his style to niemeyer and gaudi, and makes money from donations and runs a book exchange. Im glad to see hes got the flag, but no moat hes only been in the job for four months, but today henry boltons future as ukip leader will be discussed at a meeting of the partys nec. Earlier this month it was revealed that his then girlfriend had sent a series of offensive Text Messages, including racist remarks about meghan markle. Mepjonathan arnott has since resigned from the party in protest, and several other ukip Party Members say its now time for henry bolton to go. One of those is mep gerard batten, whojoins us now from our london newsroom. Good morning to you. What has changed for your . 0n good morning to you. What has changed for your . On monday morning you said it was despicable for people in the party to fight for a leadershipjob that they people in the party to fight for a leadership job that they do not exist but now you see he has got to go. Things have moved on, people have been jockeying for position but things have moved on. I spoke to henry on friday and said it is reg retta ble henry on friday and said it is regrettable and im sorry its come to this but i think you have two move on because its now damaging the party. He has got this meeting today and i very much hope he desires to resign. If he does not the nec may be forced to pass the vote of no confidence, at which point i hope he will resign because with the way things have developed so with the way things have developed so quickly with this story his position is now untenable. If henry is still the leader on monday we will lose members, activists and owners and this jeopardises the very existence of our party. I hope henry does not want to be the man whose legacy is he destroyed ukip. You are already losing members and omissions by the looks of it. You spoke to him on friday, what did he to your . He thought he could still turn the situation around which is commendable in a way but in politics that comes a time when everybody had to realise the game is up and move on. Today i will offer my services to the National Executive committee as an interim leader to get us past the elections in early may because i believe i can come and be more support in the party. So you want to be with, this is right you changed your tune. |j so you want to be with, this is right you changed your tune. I do not want to be with her, i offered to step in due to the sense of duty. Another mp is also another member is also offering his services and we will work together, if the nec desired to take up our offer and this is purely about getting through this is purely about getting through this crisis and enabling the party to thrive going forward. Henry bolton said he ended his relationship with his girlfriend, some would say why should anyone have to resign because their girlfriend has said something we do not like . Politics is a very unfair business. There was a story about hendry leaving his wife which then developed into what his girlfriend is alleged to have said potts said and im afraid hendry is being judged found guilty by association in some of this story but its got to the stage where his readership is untenable and the party has become a laughing stock his leadership is untenable and we need to move on very quickly. This will be the fifth leader in two yea rs, this will be the fifth leader in two years, you are losing money, could you even afford another leadership contest . I spoke to the treasurer last night who should be if we have two move to in if we have to move to an emergency general meeting is sufficient money to organise that. The donors have got money, we have plenty of donors who want to support the party but they want to see a plan for moving forward and the leader with the confidence of the party. If we can move forward over the next three months and there can be another leadership contest and we can hopefully see credible people rising to take up that challenge. The immediate challenge is to survive over these next three or four months. You have been there since the beginning with nigel farage. Patrick coughlin, the former economic spokesman said the party is drinking and the last chance saloon. Is this possibly the end . We are facing a serious challenge. Every party in the history of british politics has had different financial crisis, thats not the biggest problem, the biggest problem isnt political credibility. We have massive support amongst the public of people who are concerned about brexit, mass immigration, living standards, houston, beginnerjess, our members do not believe the politicians represent the patriotic core working class people of this country and we can represent that for them. 0ur position is very much reversible, we can get back to respectable positions in the elections and move forward. Ukip came into existence to fill a political vacuum when no party was seeing we should leave the eu s, but there is lots of other things that need to be done now. Gerard batten, thank you for your time. People with dementia and autism could get Blue Badge Parking permits in england under new government proposals. It is hoped that providing the permits for those with hidden disabilities will create equality between the treatment of physical and Mental Health. Lets get more now on who might qualify, and what it would mean for them. Werejoined by sam cleasby from the disability charity, scope. How would this make a difference to you . Personally i have a condition that requires a permanent colostomy bag, ido that requires a permanent colostomy bag, i do not have a large co ntesta nt bag, i do not have a large contestant so i wear a bag attached to my stomach all the time. Large intestine. It would make life so much easierfor me, there is lots of support for people with visible disabilities but for those with the head and implement it can be more difficult. What kind of impact will this have . It will make a huge impact to so many people with many different invisible impairments we cannot see. Just being able to be a more active member of society, public transport can be really difficult for disabled people, whether it lack of accessibility or the cost, and so driving is often the only way people can getaround. Driving is often the only way people can get around. Being able to park close to wherever they need to go is a very important. We said it is real victory for common sense and i do believe that. You are in the process for applying for a blue badge, what do you come up for a blue badge, what do you come up against going through this process . Up against going through this process . Because i am not entitled to the side of the personal independence payment i really need to fight my corner and explain why i need this badge. For myself, its about being able to work and to be a normal active member of society. It can be really difficult when you have got this bag, it is the dignity, accessibility and it is about understanding this is about people, not unlike an impairment. Nobody is saying every Single Person with every single impairment should get a badge but we should listen to disabled people. So it would be on merit . I think so. People with the same impairments have very different experiences so it is about listening to people. Have very different experiences so it is about listening to peoplem would be so frustrating having to convince people that you should get this badge. How long have you been waiting . I have been ill for around 15 years, six surgeries in the last five years and not entitled to any support or help. I work full time and they work very hard to give me adjustments to be able to do myjob, they can see my skill level and so its just about society realising the skill level of disabled people. How does it make you feel . M the skill level of disabled people. How does it make you feel . It can be a humiliating experience, not only for the blue badge but people applying for personal independence payments, they have two battle hard to get this. So many people tell us its a humiliating experience, its really a difficult thing, having to tell people about your worst days when most people just want to get through life. Very good of you to come in. Thank you very much for telling us your story. We wish you luck in getting hold of that blue badge. Thomas as got the weather for us this morning. It is cold. Relate cold in the north. It was bound to minus 13 celsius in some places. Quite a headache for forecasters to predict how much snow there will be today. The very mild air across the south, 11 celsius in penzance at the moment, but 13 degrees in the north and in the middle is a weatherfront moving across the country which means once the weather front encounters the blue frost, the freezing air, it will turn to snow. So there will be problems on roads today are mostly central and Northern Areas but it could fall as far south as the ma but only for a short period. Lets look at the weather for 9am. Just about starting to turn to snow across south western scotland, stopping turning to snow in the North Western parts of england, freezing rain could fall first of all which is even worse because that causes black ice on the roads. Some snow on the heels of wales. Not in the south and south west where it is far too mild. This pattern is likely to continue, mild in the south, cold in the north. You get a trail of snow which will last for the few hours and that could be quite a bit of it in some areas, some towns and cities keeping mostly rain, some of us who do want the snow will be disappointed but suffice to say it will be a tricky day on the roads. Through this evening and overnight, the mild air off the atlantic coming in, early on monday morning it is well above freezing across most of the country. Tomorrow about some apart from some blips in the morning it will be a much better day, completely different, temperatures are nowhere near as low as today and the week ahead is a story of the more mild they are winning, coming in off the atlantic, some cold is always waiting to come our way but the mild ear will be the theme for at least tuesday and wednesday and maybe by thursday it could come more cold. But in the short term it is that unpredictable mix of rain, sleet, snow and freezing rain and it can va ry snow and freezing rain and it can vary between city to city. Thank you very much indeed. Youre watching breakfast from bbc news, its time now for a look at the newspapers. Science and medical writer Stuart Farrimond is here to tell us whats caught his eye. Well speak to him in a minute. First lets look at the front pages. The sunday telegraph which has got comments from Boris Johnson the sunday telegraph which has got comments from borisjohnson talking about donald trump and saying he should be welcome to britain because the countrys ties with the usa are a vitalfor the countrys ties with the usa are a vital for security and provide single most extraordinary economic relationship. A picture of Catherine Zeta jones who has been praising her husband and standing by him despite false, as she says, accusations of indecent behaviour made by a former employee. Sunday times, lots of pictures of bed sheet, with his fiancee. But the main story, Jeremy Corbyn allies plan to oust 50 mps. According to the paper the hit list has been drawn up to target centrist candidates. Lets stop to stuart. So the apple executive is telling young people to avoid social media but particularly his nephew. Is he telling other young people or only his nephew . He is sharing his experiences, one of the chief executives of apple says he would not let his nephew use social media. He said he does not have kids, the closest thing he has is his nephew and he cares about him because later on. Should there be a Health Warning on apple products. Possibly. You are not supposed to have a facebook or youtube account until you are 13. Important because religionjudged on until you are 13. Important because religion judged on social media until you are 13. Important because religionjudged on social media do not have the beneficial effects of person to person relationships and research is beginning to show the relationship between social media and Mental Health, it longer should study over time. My study over time. My ten year old is keen addicted. Well, yeah, and we try to keep the mobile phone and the ipad away but what depresses me as it parent is its all about image and how you compared to somebody else. And she is only ten. I think enjoy being a little girl first and compare yourself later, maybe. Thats one of the key reasons that affects Mental Health in a negative way, it encourages comparisons with you and another person and the image someone portrays is not a realistic one,. You cannot see behind the post but someone makes, you do not know the reality behind anything. Parents can set a good example. Lets talk about the tribute paid this morning to the michelin starred chef. Remarkable man, he divides a very recently aged 91. He died. He has had three michelin stars since 1965. I brought him up. That cannot be many people with that. He had president macron treating the wood tweeting about his loss. He revolutionised the culinary art. With open we would not have this fantastic beautiful dishes we have today. He was the father of the celebrity chef, transformed cooking from something that a servant led to a profession. He is credited with simplifying cooking ring it right down to the very basics flavours and ingredients and let it speak for itself. He is quoted as criticising people who cut peas into quarters. You pulled out a column from the sun about how to survive the latest universal credits. Its an issue close to my heart. I recently started training to the independent advocacy, which is essentially supporting people generally a whole manner of issues, but people going through the benefits system. If you ever had to fill out one of those forms you know they are quite an undertaking. He gives an update on how things are changing, they have brought down the waiting time from six weeks to five weeks but if you have to wait five weeks to be paid you will notice it and if you have no savings it increasingly difficult. The comments on the fact the amount people are getting has been produced since the universal credit was introduced. I recently met somebody, they can also take away a0 of what youre entitled to if your Council Tax Arrears or outstanding debts, which is quite probable if you are in this very ha rd probable if you are in this very hard up situation. There is a gentleman, i guess he was in his early 30s, he was on £150 per month and he had to pay all his bills and feeds himself of that. And you think how on earth. I agree its about encouraging people to get back to work but how do you live off that . Was squeezed in this one, the packaging scandal that is on the high street. Talk us through this. Why is jaffa cakes not on their . Jaffa cakes have not got smaller but the box sized hands. This is highlighting. And though digestives, there are seven if few biscuits. Toblerone, we see the huge gaps between the toblerone. That is extraordinary. This is about cost. They are blaming brexit. The change in the pound has been blamed for it, you can also spin it in terms of reducing our calories. This is raising the point is so much air in these packets. The cheese strings, ten centimetres of air, the smack is only 12 centimetres. Huge waste of packaging, you are being deceived when you buy it. Not environmentally friendly. Stuart, thank you. Coming up in the next half hour theyve braved temperatures of minus a0 degrees and battled winds of 60 Miles Per Hour to become the largest all female group to ski coast to coast across antarctica. Well be talking to the ice maidens live from the Union Glacier at 8. A0. Stay with us, headlines coming up. Hello, this is breakfast with Christian Fraser and babita sharma. Its 8 31, heres a summary of this mornings main news afg ha n Afghan Security forces say a siege ata Afghan Security forces say a siege at a luxury hotel in kabul has come to an end more than 12 hours after it was attacked by heavily armed militant. Five civilians were killed at the Intercontinental Hotel, along with all three attackers. More than 100 people including 16 foreigners had been rescued. This is a live shot of the hotel now. The smoke is no longer drifting from the roof. There were warnings from the us embassy that a hotel in kabul was potentially going to be attacked by extremist groups. This particular hotel had been handed over to a new Security Company just a hotel had been handed over to a new Security Companyjust a week ago and according to the reports we have seen this morning, those attackers went in through the back, a kitchen entrance, so clearly there will be some investigation. A12 some investigation. A 12 hour siege, they will be trying to find out who carried that attack. Nobody yet has claimed responsibility for it but we will keep you updated on that. A new body to manage large scale product recalls has been set up by the government. The office for product safety and standards was set up after several fires were linked to faulty electrical items. The independent panel of experts will also take over the monitoring of goods imported from the eu after brexit. Ukips ruling National Executive committee will meet today for a specially convened meeting to discuss the controversy surrounding the partys leader, henry bolton after it was reported his girlfriend sent a series of offensive texts, including racist comments about prince harrys fiance meghan markle. Mr bolton has faced calls to step down, including from ukip founder member gerard batten. Earlier mr batten told breakfast that he was willing to step in as interim leader to protect the future of the party. On monday, if henry is still leader of this party then were going to lose members, activists, branches and donors, and this jeopardises the very existence of our party and i hope henry doesnt want to be the man whose legacy is he destroys ukip. Turkey has warned it could deploy Ground Forces today after launching air attacks against kurdish fighters in northern syria. More than 100 targets were bombed in the afrin region. A fresh attempt will be made to break the deadlock which has led to parts of the United States government. Hundreds of thousands of American Government workers face the prospect of and had to leave if the stand off continues. Democrats say donald trump blocked a compromise deal, the claim has been denied by the white house. Theresa may has said she is to set up theresa may has said she is to set up landing coming weeks to crack down on Company Executives who enriched themselves while jeopardising their workers pensions. Writing in this mornings 0bserver magazine she describes the practice as an unacceptable abuse that will be ended. People with hidden disabilities in england could soon be entitled to blue badge permits for free parking. The department for transport said the change would make it easier for those with conditions such as autism and dementia to Access Services they needed. The blue badge scheme was first introduced in england in the 1970s. Today, around 2. A Million People with disabilities have one. It allows them to park free of charge on roads, and normally without a time limit. The government is now proposing to extend the scheme. It wants people with hidden disabilities and conditions, like autism and dementia, to be able to qualify for a blue badge, so they too can enjoy the freedom to get out where and when they want. The department for transport says only some councils recognise hidden disabilities under the current scheme, because they interpret the existing rules differently. The proposals would be the biggest change to the scheme since it was first introduced. The plans will now go through an 8 week public consultation. Helena lee, bbc news. They say a mans home is his castle, and for one artist in brazil it really is. Have a look at this. Marcio matolias has lived in a sandcastle for 22 years in an upmarket neighbourhood of rio de janeiro. Have a look inside. It is not very big but we are told he has everything he could possibly need inside. Marcio says if there is heavy rain he just sculpts himself a new sandcastle. He compares his style to niemeyer and gaudi, and makes money from donations and runs a book exchange. Good foundations. Ive been watching this through the morning and thought of working out how he does it. Edward and foundation. I wonder what its like inside, the temperature, because it gets quite hot in rio. I saw quite a few of those on the beachin i saw quite a few of those on the beach in rio and they are impressive, but none quite like that. Chuckles iam that. Chuckles i am speechless. I was going to Say Something profound but i cant think of any day. Tell me about the cricket and the tennis. It has been an exciting couple of hours in australia, an exciting few minutes because it has all happened in the tennis, so that is where we will. Yes, lets start with tennis because kyle edmund is on course to reach a grand slam quarterfinal for the first time. Britains number two has had to deal with some incredibly hot conditions in melbourne on his way to the last 16. Its much cooler today, its just 26 degrees. But it has been intense from the start against italys andreas seppi. Despite 26 places between them in the world rankings, it was tight as the italian took the first set on a tie break. The briton fought back though, taking the second set 7 5, and then romping through the third set comfortably, winning it 6 2. He hasjust won match he has just won match literally in the last couple of minutes, in three hours on court. He took the fourth set 6 3. Staying in australia. Englands cricketers have given themsleves a decent chance of clinching their one day series against australia. They made 302 from their 50 overs in the Third One Day International in sydney. After a slow start with the bat, england came alive with the partnership of chris woakes and jos buttler. They put australia to the sword with a dominating performance at the crease. Woakes making a half century in the final over of the innings with a six, and off the final ball, buttler got to 100. They have made inroads into australias innings. David warner out for just eight runs. Woakes taking that wicket. And theyve got another, Cameron White gone. Australia now 70 2. Alexis sanchez is on the verge of joining Manchester United from arsenal, after united midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan agreed to be part of a direct swap. The players will both have their medicals today. Mkhitaryans paperwork for his transfer was completed yesterday. The length of the armenians contract at arsenal, and his salary, is undisclosed. Sanchez missed arsenals a 1 win over Crystal Palace because he was travelling to manchester. The premier league paid tribute to cyrille regis, with fans across the country taking time to remember the former england striker, who died last week. 0n the field, there were few surprises with those fighting for a top fourfinish, all winning, as drew savage reports. Before the action, time for reflection. Football took a minute to celebrate the life of west brom, coventry and and england striker cyrille regis, who died this week at the age of 59. And then, business as usual. Manchester city took another step towards the premier league title. Record scorer Sergio Aguero was at it again his 11th hat trick for city. Last weeks defeat at liverpool a distant memory. Newcastle united on the receiving end, beaten 3 1. It is so important because we need goals and we score in the past, in the present and we will score in the future. It was an important finish. So city are still 12 points ahead of Manchester United, who ground out a 1 0 win at burnley. They only had two shots on target, Romelo Lukaku put in the hard yards. Anthony martial put it away. That keeszose mourinhos side in second place, three points ahead of chelsea. Theyd started 2018 with five draws and struggled for goals. At brighton, that was no longer a problem. Commentator willian. Theres a lovely flow about chelsea here. Its absolutely sensational, what a wonderful goal a great afternoon for eden hazard, as well as playing his part in willians goal, he scored two himself and made this young mans day. Arsenal reacted to last weeks defeat to bournemouth by destroying Crystal Palace a 1. All their goals came in the first 22 minutes, although they are still some way off the Champions League places. And stoke city responded to new manager paul lambert with their first win for nearly a month. 2 0 against huddersfield, which means theyre out of the relegation zone. Elsewhere, leicester are up to seventh after beating watford, everton versus west brom and west ham versus bournemouth both finished 1 1. Southampton hosts spurs later today. Celtic cruised into the scottish cup fifth round with a 5 0 thrashing of brechin city. The scottish premiership champions have had a three week winter break, and looked refreshed at celtic park. Brendan rodgers fielded a strong team, despite his opponents currently sitting bottom of scottish footballs second tier, without a league win all season. Saracens are still in with a chance of retaining their champions cup trophy, after beating northampton saints 62 1a. The defending champions had to win against saint to have a chance of making the quarter finals. But, they still need other results to go their way today if they are to make the last eight. Scarlets have no such worries. They beat toulon to become the first welsh side to qualify for the quarter finals since 2012. Bath and 0spreys are out, though. Englands ross fisher is tied for the lead heading into the final day of the abu dhabi international, with rory mcilroy also in contention. Mcllroy, whos onlyjust returned from injury, is third one shot off the pace, after hitting eight birdies in his third round. Fisher produced some of his best golf, hitting a round of 7 under par to take the lead, and move to 17 under for the tournament. There will be a new name on the masters trophy this evening with mark allen taking on kyren wilson. Neither player has reached this stage before. Allen knocked out two time winner john higgins in his semi final, having already beaten ronnie 0sullivan. Wilson defeated world number three judd trump to make his first masters final. Now how is this for impressive driving in winter conditions . A mistake in the heat once saw the british duo nearly coming out over their sled in the final world cup events before the winter olympics, but thanks to mcneils quick reactions, the pair escaped crashing. Just look at this, its terrifying. Iimagine terrifying. I imagine quicker on one rail but not for long. Horrible, horrible how do you. I expect you to be an expert, get up ain . Expect you to be an expert, get up again . Listen, doing whatever they did. Lean heavily i cant watch that life flashing before their eyes i would have thought. Thank you, jj. We are going to stay with the snow theme. After two years of grueling selection and training Six British Army soldiers have become the first all female group to cross the antarctic using muscle power alone. They have done it. Known as the ice maidens, the team began their 1,000 mile expedition across the ice on 20th november and crossed the finish line at the hercules inletjust before 10am yesterday morning 13 days ahead of schedule. In a minute well speak to the ice maidens live from the antartic, but first lets take a look at their journey. Isnt that incredible . let me repeat those statistics, 1000 miles, temperatures as low as a0 celsius, across temperatures as low as a0 celsius, a cross crevasse temperatures as low as a0 celsius, across crevasse fields, pulling sledges. Major nics wetherill joins us now on the phone from the Union Glacier in antarctica. Major, that is a truly incredible effort, congratulations. And 13 days ahead of schedule, how did you do it . Thank you very much. Well, we worked really well as a team, we just kept going. We knew what we had to do and we just kept going. We knew what we had to do and wejust kept going going. We knew what we had to do and we just kept going and going. We knew what we had to do and wejust kept going and did it. We got there at the earlier. Tell us what the inspiration was, where did the idea to cross the antarctic come from . It was actually my idea. About ten yea rs from . It was actually my idea. About ten years ago i first had the idea when i was at a talk and heard someone telling about the crossing of antarctica. I thought, well that sounds amazing, but i didnt want to just hear about it i wanted to go and do it. Over the ten years its developed into taking me First Female Team across. And then as i was in the army, it turned out to be a military thing. A culmination of things over ten years and then in the last four years, i met nat and we decided to put this thing together and open up to as many women as possible and give as many women as possible and give as many women the opportunity to do this. The six of you must have got to know each other incredibly well. Tell us what the really low points were first book along the trip . First of all along the trip. We know each other really well. One of the low point was possibly near the start, it was near the start actually. Wed already been delayed by two weeks to get to our start line because of weather and then on day two and three the weather. Wins overall a hundred kilometres an hour and we thought we were never going to get going, and then we did. Then one of the girls got quite ill, so another challenge we had to face. That was when we all pulled together as a tea m when we all pulled together as a team and got through it and she got better and was able to carry on, so it was perfect. But at the start it was quite a mental challenge, more than a physical challenge. Ive seen the pictures of you at the south pole with the silver globe, that must have been the real high point of the journey, and walking must have been the real high point of thejourney, and walking in must have been the real high point of the journey, and walking in the footprints of some great explorers . Yeah, reaching the south pole was definitely a high in the middle of the whole thing. That was an incredible moment wed all been looking forward to, and it was very emotional. We still had a long way to go, we knew that, but we enjoyed the moment there. To think. Who else had been there. And like you say, that was incredible and we felt honoured to be able to get there. You have been doing some science along the way, tell us what you discovered about the female body in such extreme conditions. Chuckles 0na such extreme conditions. Chuckles on a personal level, weve discovered we can eat a lot and we canjust keep discovered we can eat a lot and we can just keep going, discovered we can eat a lot and we canjust keep going, but on discovered we can eat a lot and we can just keep going, but on a discovered we can eat a lot and we canjust keep going, but on a more scientific level. Weve been wearing sensors that have channelled to the uk. We cant read any data from it and that will be analysed over the next few weeks and months, and further testing when we get back, to see how weve changed. We had lots of test before we came out and will have the same tests when we get back to see what the difference is. No live science here that we can do. When you arrived at the finish point, i know when i spoke to you on Christmas Day you were eating out of these horrible packets, these sort of ready meal things that probably taste pretty awful. What did you eat when you arrived at your destination, and tell us a bit about where you are now. So, the finish line, you cant see it, theres nothing there, its just a mark on the gps. That was really difficult to find, but we crossed it. Then the plane that came to pick this up couldnt land and we were stuck with the russians we had. We had to go further five kilometres to where plane landed and they provided us with a salmon and avocados and and champagne and a brownie and that was just incredible. Now we are at Union Glacier, which is the sort of place where they have tentss, a lot more sturdy te ntss where they have tentss, a lot more sturdy tentss with heating inside, soa sturdy tentss with heating inside, so a bit more pleasant and luxuries. Major, congratulations to you and the team. Well done, its an heroic effort. Youve been an inspiration toa effort. Youve been an inspiration to a great many people, well done. That is superb im so chuffed for them, they did so well. You sort of wonder chequered flag and a tape to go through when you finish. Champagne, comfort food. This is where we say goodbye for the Andrew Marr Show to some above yours. The weather. I feel inadequate giving the forecast like this after what you are just talking about but we will be able to deal with it, wont we . Some snow and ice around. Takeit wont we . Some snow and ice around. Take it steady, it will be quite dangerous in some parts of the country. Here are the temperatures, dropped down to 13 in scotland last night, and at the same time it was 11 degrees in penzance, so huge contrast in temperatures in the uk between the south and north. A weather front is moving between the south and north. A weatherfront is moving in, meaning the temperatures are rising rapidly across scotland. They wont be anywhere near as low in the next hour or so anywhere near as low in the next hourorso and anywhere near as low in the next hour or so and with the weather front moving through, there will be some snow. Weve had some freezing rain and snow in western parts of the uk but i think through the course of the morning, this weather front you can see will be sliding, moving eastwards. So bitter brightness out there right now but is mostly cloudy, the snow will come your way. Lets see what happens during the course of the day. You can see, you will notice in a minute from the highlands across the southern uplands, through yorkshire, the north west, the midlands and down into the south, even in southern areas, its already been snowing in some areas. Not a lot in the south, most of it will fall more Northern Areas. Much to my old for any rain in cornwall and devon. This will be only temporary during this evening and overnight. Mild air winds. The temperatures will rise. In fact, winds. The temperatures will rise. Infact, in winds. The temperatures will rise. In fact, in some parts of the midlands and eastern areas, the temperatures will be rising through the night rather than dropping, that is the extent of the mild air coming off the atlantic. Tomorrow an entirely different day. It is going to be much milder, it will feel milder, no snow around, some sunshine around and a couple of showers. I think that really is the story for the weekend. Weve got milderaircoming off story for the weekend. Weve got milder air coming off the atlantic and that will stick around probably at least for the first half of the week. Temperatures at 13 degrees, not far off double figures in the north as well. So yes, some snow around at the moment. It is already starting to fall and will get worse in the coming hours and then tonight into tomorrow it will be over mostly. And lots of slush to go with it. Thank you very much. A walk in the countryside a simple activity that has inspired artists, writers and even the Prime Minister now, a 200a trek taken by a group of men has been turned into a play. Black men walking covers a few miles in the Peak District, but 2,000 years of black history. Ali fortescue put on her walking boots to meet the cast and the real men they portray. We are home. 2000 years of black british history, told on a walk in the Peak District. We walked england before the english. Its a play inspired by a real Walking Group and just days before the first curtain call, the cast have come back to where the story started for a final run through and to meet the men who inspired the play. So the story takes place on a day when the probably the walkers shouldnt be going out because of weather warnings, and along the way they encounter over 500 years of black british history, characters from the past emerging. Part of the play is looking at how long do have to be in a place to become part of it . How long do you have to be in yorkshire to become a yorkshireman or woman . So today is all about getting the characters into character, so here we are in the Peak District and this is, of course, all about a Walking Group. So shall we do is walking . Yeah. Why not were joining the original walkers on a route that theyve done many times. Its a long stretch a long the yorkshire derbyshire border. More than enough time for the actors to get to know the walkers and the story that theyll be bringing to the stage. So mark, youre one of the founding members of the original Walking Group. Why was that group started . We very much wanted something that was healthy, something that gave us an opportunity to share and all can discuss with each other, because its something that men dont do, particularly men, perhaps, within the black community. We felt that we wanted to continue to develop our friendship. And now youve inspired play, can you believe that . Its amazing to think that thats the case, so were looking forward to seeing what the play will do and say about the group, but, perhaps wider than that, what it has to say about living in britain today in the 21st century. Theres a real kind of misunderstanding that the black communitys just arrived recently, windrush, for example, when weve been here for centuries. I wanted to reflect that, i want to tell those stories. The sort of hidden british histories in my thesis are all black, and those are the stories were telling. More than ten years since they started walking, this is one theyll never forget, as the sheffield walkers bid farewell to the actors who will be taking their story around the country. Ali fortescue, bbc news. Black men walking is on at the Royal Exchange theatre in manchester before going on a nationwide tour. In the past few years, several fires have been linked to faulty fridge freezers and tumble dryers. Now, the recall of these defective products will be managed by a new body called the office for product safety and standards. Its hoped this new organisation will speed up the time between recognising a problem with a product and removing it. Joining us now is retail and consumer analyst, kate hardcastle. Why did the government feel it was necessary . It is necessary and it is about time. There have been working parties, groups and charities working and pushing for this. Its about getting information to us as customers sooner and being more proactive in making sure the standards are set at a good rate thats across all practices and making sure we get information when there are challenges, so we can do more to protect our family. Thats what its about at the end of the day. We have about a0 domestic appliances in our houses we tend to be much more to when there is a problem rather than proactive. You just told me when we buy a new product, we take it home, unpack it but we dont fill in the little card, the Warranty Card which comes with it. Why is it important to fill it in . Its important because it will allow us to have our information on the database, forget the marketing for a second, that can tell us when there is an issue with the product. That is the issue we have here with whirlpool, they cant locate all the purchases of those products. It should be down to just us as products. It should be down to just us as products are made on a woeful job of explaining what that information is. Its normally badly photocopied in the back of a box somewhere. But if we can understand as customers that it is part of our job to inform people we have these products, plus the retailers who have details as registered and then also help these charities and all the different groups, even trading standards pulled together an effort to get product information out there when there are faults better. If we can stop that altogether by better work and practices. Let me read whirlpools response. They say they have a whirlpools response. They say they havea campaign whirlpools response. They say they have a campaign out there and have achieved a resolution rate of more than three times the industry average. We dont have long but what do you hope the new database will achieve, what can you do on this database cluster achieve, what can you do on this data base cluster map achieve, what can you do on this database cluster map they think its good because it is above industry standards. What it means is there is still a million products out there with issues. That is not good enough for quick enough. It is a safety issue. It would mean they would have to work to much more stringent controls on the information would be with consumers sooner to let them know they have a product at fault. Very good to see you, thank you for coming in and explaining it. It is coming in and explaining it. It is coming up to nine oclock. That is all from us today. Dan and louise will be back at 6am tomorrow. Have a great weekend. This is bbc news. Im ben brown. The headlines at nine Afghan Security forces regain control of a hotel in kabul after it was seized by gunman six civilians died and 160 others were rescued. The ukip leader henry bolton fights to keep his job as the party holds an emergency meeting to discuss his future. Critics say its time for him to quit. 0n on monday, if henry is still the leader of this party then we are going to lose members, activists and donors, and this jeopardises the very existence of our party. People with dementia and autism could soon be entitled to Blue Badge Parking permits in england
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