the met office issues more weather warnings of snow and ice, for large parts of the uk. it follows the coldest night for seven years, with hundreds of schools closed, flights cancelled at some airports, and treacherous driving conditions for motorists. it's like armageddon. lorries jackknifed all up this road. there's lorries jackknifed. there's vehicles everywhere. we will be live in hampshire, where the m3 is blocked in both directions because of three jackknifed lorries. minor roads like the one behind me are virtually impassable. also, on tonight's programme... the mother of a three—year—old girl has become the first person convicted of female genital mutilation in the uk. the political initiative now lies totally with the ayatollah. john simpson reflects on the 40th anniversary of the ayatollah khomeini's return to iran, propelling a revolution. a baby girl is in hospital, after being left in a shopping bag in freezing temperatures,

in a park in east london. i come from a very large family indeed. mammals, as a matter of fact. laughter and remembering jeremy hardy, the award—winning comedian, who's died, at the age of 57. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news... we're in dublin to preview the six nations, where the defending champions, ireland, kick off their campaign against england here at the aviva stadium. good evening, and welcome to the bbc news at six. the met office has issued weather warnings for snow and ice across large parts of the uk. more than a thousand schools in southern england and wales have been closed today, after the coldest night in seven years.

the m3 motorway near winchester is blocked in both directions. flights from a number of airports — including cardiff and heathrow — have been cancelled, and bristol airport is closed for the rest of the day, causing problems for welsh rugby fans heading to paris for the start of the six nations. our correspondent, robert hall, reports from bodmin moor in cornwall, one area badly hit by the poor weather. robert. around ten centimetres of snow fell here over the last 2a hours, one of the worst affected areas in the uk joining this recent band of snow. conditions improved during the day but tonight, temperatures have plunged again, there is a politically cold wind and the critters are out trying to keep minor roads free of ice. we are on one of the highest points of england, bodmin moor, and the ancient building behind me played a vital role for those trapped in the

snow. silent and frozen, images filmed by drivers as winter closed its trap on one of the uk's most exposed stretches of road. on the hillside above, jamaica stretches of road. on the hillside above,jamaica inn, stretches of road. on the hillside above, jamaica inn, travelers haven for three centuries. last night, it was once again in the right place at the right time. hello, vehicle short of fuel and driver short of food. the lights of the year and were a beacon to those who set off into the snow to reach them. the only way i can describe it is like armageddon. i have lived in norway for three months of the year for the last nine yea rs months of the year for the last nine years and i haven't seen anything like this. there were lorries jackknifed all this road, there were vehicles everywhere. alone and in groups, more and more travellers trudged up the icy hill to find one. eventually, they filled every available corner of the hotel as kitchen staff raided their reserves for hot food. there are about 100

people. they had to make up the beds and the sofa beds in the dining room and the sofa beds in the dining room and the sofa beds in the dining room and the sitting room. it all happened quite suddenly? the forecast was rain. through tonight hours and into the gloomy dawn, the snow tracked north and east, laying its blanket across the uk. all in all, a miserable morning for those who had to travel. stop, start, slithering at a snail‘s pace or simply giving up. some, of course, can never give up. simply giving up. some, of course, can never give up. on dartmoor, the park rangers had stepped in to help a community nurse reach her patients. i couldn't do without them. no way could i do without them. i couldn't do without them. no way could i do without themlj i couldn't do without them. no way could i do without them. i should just be sat here. worse case scenario, we would walk. we have done that in the past. but you do have to get these patients. with temperatures hovering around freezing and in some areas well

below, airports worked to de—ice planes and clear runways, but disruption was inevitable. at cornwall‘s college, students and staff had emerged from an unexpected sleepover. drifting snow and icy roads meant the bosses could not get through. in the end, we had about 300 students stayed tonight here at the college. everyone is absolutely fine, they have all been fed and watered, they have had a good night's sleep. for a teenager, imagine, two or three hours. in cou nty after cou nty, imagine, two or three hours. in county after county, there were excited voices, hundreds of schools and colleges were forced to close, a lwa ys and colleges were forced to close, always good news for those with an appetite for winter sports. but the grip of winter has also intensified hardship. bristol has launched an emergency programme to provide help to the city's rough sleepers.|j didn't to the city's rough sleepers.” didn't sleep last night, was that cold. i had a sleeping bag. not being funny, i had to sleep in all these clothesjust to keep

being funny, i had to sleep in all these clothes just to keep warm. back on bodmin moor, the roads are open, the surprise guests have rescued their abandoned vehicles and staff at the old smugglers hideaway know they may be needed again before winter leaves us. robert hall, bbc news, cornwall. in a moment, we'll get the latest from duncan kennedy in whitchurch, in hampshire, but first, let's speak to scott ellis at bristol airport. scott, a lot of problems were due throughout the day. that is right, they are still working behind me here and you cannot see the tarmac on the runway, that has not been the case for most of the day. the snow, again last night, this is the second—highest airport in the uk, 20 centimetres of snow, subzero temperatures and 130 flights were cancelled, that is all of them throughout the day. disruption for 20,000 passengers, many of them rugby fans heading over to paris for tonight's game or dublin for tomorrowmatch. and giving it isa

dublin for tomorrowmatch. and giving it is a rider, as their view stag do is not going to schedule. they are on the tarmac, they can get a ntifreeze on the tarmac, they can get antifreeze on and flights should start again in the morning and there should be of full schedule, but check before you travel. scott ellis at bristol airport. duncan, check before you travel. scott ellis at bristolairport. duncan, how check before you travel. scott ellis at bristol airport. duncan, how well have they been coping in hampshire? it looks pretty terrible at the moment. it is, we have been driving around hampshire and box all day and the snow simply has not stopped falling. we're just off the a34 near andover and this is what happens to the b roads, they simply can't cope. there are gritters out. we have seen them on the b roads and the m3 roads but they soon get covered over. tonight, the m3 is blocked in two directions because ofjackknifed lorries nor the winchester, but as temperatures and snow continue to

drop, driving conditions are likely to become extremely challenging throughout the rest of this evening. duncan, thank you, duncan kennedy in whitchurch, in hampshire. the mother of a three—year—old girl has become the first person to be found guilty, of female genital mutilation in the uk. the 37—year—old ugandan woman, from east london, was accused of cutting her daughter in 2017. the girl's father was cleared of the same charges. adina campbell's report contains some distressing details. it's a crime that has been illegal in the uk for more than 30 years. today, a mother has been found guilty of cutting her three—year—old daughter — the first conviction for female genital mutilation in the uk. at the heart of this case is a three—year—old girl who was caused serious injury as a result of her mother's actions. we can only imagine how much pain she suffered and how terrified she was. during the trial at the old bailey, the jury heard the 999 call made by the girl's mother, who claimed

that her daughter had fallen onto a kitchen cupboard while trying to reach for biscuits. but the jury did not believe her. the court also heard evidence about the mother's interest in witchcraft. during a police search, two cows' tongues and ingredients used to create silencing spells were found in her freezer at home, next to the names of police officers, social workers and foster carers involved in this case, and the girl's interviews were also played to the jury. she was heard telling her foster carer that she had been cut by an old lady, someone she referred to as a witch, while being held down by her mother. the girl was treated at this hospital in east london. when doctors saw her, she was lying on a towel, soiled with blood. her injuries were severe, with three separate cuts on her genitalia. for legal reasons, we can't name the girl's mother. she is 37 and originally

from uganda. the girl's father, a 43—year—old man from ghana, was also on trial for the same offence, but cleared of all the charges against him. today's guilty verdict has resonated with those who have also suffered this type of abuse. this woman was cut when she was six years old. a lot of people are afraid of it, because they are attached to a colour, attached to different religions, attached to different communities and that is what we fight about. do not attach it to anything except child abuse. the girl's mother is now facing up to 14 years in prison. she will be sentenced next month. adina campbell, bbc news. a new report says uk manufacturers have been preparing for brexit by stockpiling raw materials at a record pace. companies were hoarding more quickly last month than at any other time in nearly 30 years. employment in the manufacturing sector has also fallen, with "near—stagnant" export orders.

our economics correspondent, dharshini david, is here. interesting findings in the survey. it really is. this is the purchasing managers report, provided for the major economies every month and on the one hand, the report claims our manufacturers were busy —— busy than those in france and germany last month, on the other, they are warning our manufacturing sector is at risk of recession so how can they happening side by side? the answer is stockpiling, the warehouses full of components for making things to devoid —— to avoid any disruption to supply chains and we are seeing an increasing stock of finished goods. honda is bringing forward copper production for example. so everything from cosmetics to chocolate, stationery, is being stockpiled by companies, reassuring news for those of us concerned by what might happen in the event of no—deal. but it is quite interesting, as you say, if you look

beyond this temporary boost to activity, or orders have pretty much stagnated, particularly export orders. the reason for that is customers feeling nervous about putting in orders for delivery after march the 29th in case you don't know if they will be delivered on time or cost more. those concerns drove the pound down against the dollar earlier. thank you. a baby girl has been found abandoned in a shopping bag in a park, in near—freezing overnight temperatures. the newborn was discovered in east ham in east london, when a woman walking her dog heard the baby crying. she was taken to hospital, and is said to be in a stable condition. karen allen has more. this is the moment captured on security cameras when police cars race in and it dawns on concerned neighbours that something is up. in fact, what has happened is this newborn baby girl has just been discovered abandoned in an east london park. given the winter chill, it's a wonder the infant survived at all. temperatures were way below freezing here. as dog walkers discovered her

wrapped in a blanket and gently placed in a plastic bag and set down next to this bench. she appears to have been there a while. my mum, she was walking the dog, and she heard a noise coming out from the bag. she rang me up, because she was too scared to approach the bag and i came, ijust found the baby in the bag. and we phoned the ambulances and police. the child, she had a frosty forehead, so maybe, i don't know, 15 or 20 minutes or so. it was very cold. yeah. it started snowing shortly afterwards. the baby has been called roman, after the street next to the park. it's a harsh beginning for a baby girl, but roman is now spending her first full night in hospital, safe with medical teams. but as temperatures are set to plummet, police are growing increasingly

concerned for the welfare of her mother. so too are residents, who just wish they could have done more to help. you assume perhaps that it is a vulnerable young person and i would have been pleased if they had knocked on my door, because i would have welcomed that person. baby roman is reportedly doing well, but what pushed her mother to such desperate lengths, one can only imagine. karen allen, bbc news, east london. the time is 18:14. our top story this evening. the met office issues more weather warnings of snow and ice, for large parts of the uk... it follows the coldest night for seven years, robbie's six nations gets under way tonight with wales in paris. the latest reports, interviews and features from the bbc sports centre later. exactly forty years ago today, the exiled cleric,

ayatollah khomeini, returned to his native iran, helping to establish a revolution that recast the country, and its role in the middle east. iran's ties to the west were radically changed, and the ayatollah became the supreme leader, of the new islamic republic of iran. our world affairs editorjohn simpson was on that flight from paris to tehran with the ayatollah, and witnessed first hand, the revolution unfold. it was a key moment in modern history. underthe shah, iran was increasingly westernised, but its vast oil wealth brought corruption and social upheaval and that led to a year of violent demonstrations. ayatollah khomeini was in exile in france. he was implacable. the shah must go. and soon, the shah was forced to escape abroad, a broken man, dying of cancer. throughout the revolution,

sir david reddaway was a young diplomat in the british embassy. when we were in the middle of all the events of the collapse of the old iran, neither we nor really anybody else, knew what was going to come out of it. and i don't think many iranians knew what they would be seeing over this timescale. on khomeini's flight back to iran, i asked him what he was feeling. he ignored me. a moment later, someone else asked the same question. nothing, he said. his return was a huge defeat for the west and a massive boost to islamic fundamentalism. even today, the pictures are still extraordinary. these were the crowds outside, i mean people say it was the biggest crowd in human history. it was certainly a couple of million, maybe 3 million. there was a brief showdown between the army and

the demonstrators a few days later. i watched as the victorious crowds trashed a secret police headquarters. the policeman's uniforms and the files that they have found inside have been scattered to the winds and the demonstrators are in complete possession. ever since, the clerics have ruled iran, clamping down in particular on women's rights. the only real challenge for them came in 2009 after a disputed presidential election. it was called the green revolution and it rocked their religious leadership, but it was put down savagely. the bbc‘s persian service is banned in iran, but millions watch it anyway. rana is one of its presenters. there is appetite for a change, but because there is nobody to mobilise the youth who want change, i cannot imagine another revolution happening, despite the widespread corruption.

its economy is troubled, but modern iran can be surprisingly relaxed and pleasant. still people are scared to come out against the government. that has kept the system going for a0 years. john simpson, bbc news. the national audit office, says the three main health screening programmes in england, for bowel, breast and cervical cancer, failed to reach as many people last year, as the government had hoped. the nao also says nearly a hundred thousand women, are waiting longer than they should, for the results of cervical smear tests. here's our health correspondent, catherine burns. do you like cakes? nicole went for her first smear test this time last year. she should have got her results through in a fortnight, but actually she waited ten weeks. ithought, oh, you know, if i haven't heard anything, no news must be good news, like, you sort of assume

that, don't you? so i didn't really think too much about it, ijust thought, if i don't know something by now, it should all be ok. but it wasn't ok. afterfurther tests, she found out she had cervical cancer. she had to have a hysterectomy when her youngest child was just a —year—old. the national audit office has found that delays like nicole are happening all too often. in march last year, there were more than 150,000 samples piled up in laboratories across england, waiting to be analysed. that month, only a third of women got the results within14 days. these delays are apparently being blamed on a lack of capacity and staff at laboratories and there is hope that it is just a temporary problem, but the system is under huge pressure and all this comes at a time when women are constantly being told to make sure they go and get screened. i can

stand here and say this. i know what it is like to go through a cervical smear test, it is not comfortable, sometimes for some, it will be embarrassing and sometimes it is painful. for those few minutes, those few minutes can save lives. this comes after major problems with screening programme —— programmes. last year it emerged that many women had not been invited to screenings. these programmes have targets for what percentage of people are eligible actually get screened. the report found that all three major screening programmes in england failed to reach agreed standards. for bowel cancer it was a near miss, there was a bigger gap for breast cancer and cervical cancer was furthest from its target. it is frustrating and

concerning that our programme is letting women down, there has been a lack of investment, there is a complicated system that means that things are stepping through the gaps. nicole says her smear test saved her life but she has questions about the impact of the delay. would the tumour had been so big? it makes me wonder whether i would have had to have such a radical procedure. the government says are screening programmes are world class, and it is committed to making any necessary improvements. catherine burns, bbc news. the actor clive swift, who starred in the bbc sit—com, ‘keeping up appearances,‘ has died, at the age of 82. he played the put upon husband of hyacinth bouquet, one of television's most notorious social climbers. a statement from his agent said he died at home after a short illness, surrounded by his family. there have been numerous tributes throughout the day, tojeremy hardy, the comedian and political activist, who's died at the age of 57. he'd been receiving treatment for cancer. he was best known for his appearances on mock the week, and the radio 4 panel shows‘ the news quiz‘, and‘ sorry, i haven‘t a clue.‘ lizo mzimba, looks back at his life. actually i was the youngest of five

children and i felt a bit weird, i felt i was not wanted and was a mistake and i think that having had four children what my mother really wa nted four children what my mother really wanted was a holiday. jeremy hardy‘s self—effacing style of humour was what made him a star. one of the finest comedy minds in britain. his career began as a stand—up in the 1980s and continued for decades on shows like mock the week. in the second world war, there was just a piece of cardboard. this is mr wilkins, he was not a german spy. he inspired, i saw he was very unfussy, very self—deprecating, he always said he wasn't very good at that. he was principled, always principled, compassionate, but kind, but just so wonderfully funny. i think it is fair to say that the bbc has never practised discrimination. they have always taken on any oxbridge graduate regardless of talent. despite jokes at his expense,

he became a regular on bbc radio four panel shows like the news quiz and, i‘m sorry, i haven‘t a clue. films books and tv shows that flopped. grant of day two. seen it. around ikea in 80 days. a lifelong socialist, his beliefs informed much of his comedy and he frequently campaigned, too, on numerous issues. i remember him as a great friend, the otherjeremy. we did lots of events together. he was always giving his time to raise money, so that other people could speak for them, human rights causes, justice causes. what a loss. more committed to socialism than to singing... he will be remembered for his sharp, brain and, as his radio listeners knew, a unique way with a tune. the comedian, jeremy hardy, who‘s died, at the age of 57. rugby s six nations tournament

begins this evening, with wales taking on france in paris, and ireland, the favourites to lift the trophy, playing england tomorrow. here‘s our sports editor, dan roan. it is time for rugby to take centre stage. the 6 nations always enjoys a special place in the sporting calendar, but with a world cup looming, this is the most eagerly anticipated championship for years and after all the build—up, the action is finally about to begin. in paris tonight, a resurgent welsh team are aiming for their tenth consecutive win against french opponents even harder to predict than usual and coach warren gatland wants his confidence to rub off won his players in this, his tenth and final 6 nations in charge. i was asked about the 6 nations and i sort of playfully said, if we beat france in the opening game, we will win the 6 nations. i do believe that. but i kind of wanted to send that message out to the players — if the coach is saying that, then they can believe it, then it is a possibility, it is true.

scotland have been handed a kind start at home against outsiders italy tomorrow and despite a spate of injuries, they are seen as dark horses, despite some encouraging performances in last year‘s campaign. realistically, could you actually win the 6 nations, do you think? well, that is the aim, the aim for every team going into this tournament and the 6 nations is such a big tournament, but also it is game by game. maybe with the world cup around the corner, there isjust that added focus of players delivering this year. the team to beat, however, is ireland. the champions are aiming for back—to—back grand slams for the first time, but with their campaign getting off to a mouthwatering start against england, nothing is being taken for granted. the little bit of fear that you go into games with and there is no doubt, when you play england, you have that little bit of fear,

and that is what it can do, we saw a lot of it... england did not frighten anyone last year, finishing fifth, their worst championship for more than 30 years. despite a recent revival and the return of some key players, according to the coach at least, they are being written off, or is thatjust mind games? we don‘t really care, but the only thing we are aware of is that basically no one outside our camp thinks we can win and everyone inside our camp thinks we can win. so we willjust wait and see what happens at the weekend. england have come here determined to prove a point after last year‘s disappointing campaign and with three of the word‘s top four teams involved in this year‘s championship, standby for what promises to be an enthralling year for rugby. dan roan, bbc news, dublin. time for a look at the weather... here‘s phil avery. this was taken by one of our weather

watchers. it has not all happened. it is still happening and that is why we have concerns and there are still warning through the rest of this evening and overnight, lying snow and ice is a problem. as we speak, look at what has been happening and continues to happen, significant snowfall has already badly impacted the m3, a few of the local airports as well having issues and that whole area of weather, likely to sit around for the next few hours at the very least, looking further north, other wintry showers are available, to the east of the pennines and into the north, particularly the north of scotland, towards the great glen and onto the northern isles. real concerns in the short term about the intensity of that snowfall, as you see, it is still there, peter greenaway slowly into the small hours, clear skies to the west, another frosty night, widespread frost, down 2—10 or so. a bright crisp start on saturday, that

weather feature pose off into the near continent, a little bit of high pressure in central and western parts, but it does not do enough to kill off go showers, showers in eastern parts of the british isles and still wintry nature, but elsewhere, a decent day for the early pa rt elsewhere, a decent day for the early part of february, not overly warm but at least there is plenty of sunshine, conditions underfoot still quite tricky, after really cold night from saturday into sunday, another area of cloud and wind and rain and snowfall as well and works its way across the british isles during the course of the day. saturday looking to be the better day. that‘s it. so goodbye from me. now on bbc one, let‘sjoin our news teams where you are. have a very good evening. hello, this is bbc news with lu kwesa burak. the headlines: heavy snow causes hundreds of schools to close across wales and southern england after the uk suffered its coldest night for seven years. more snow is on the way.

millions of commuters face nightmare journeys as some places are hit with several inches of snow. drivers are told not to travel. take extreme care, drive with caution, take everything nice and gently, the throttle, the brakes, the steering. the road is very treacherous indeed. my advice first is to stay at home. in a landmark ruling the mother of a three—year—old girl has become the first person in the uk to be found guilty of female genital mutilation. a new report reveals that the stockpiling of goods and raw materials by manufacturers has intensified ahead of brexit. the search continues for the mother of a newborn baby girl found