this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at eight. heavy snow causes hundreds of schools to close across wales and southern england, and 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. it is like armageddon. lorries are jackknifed all up this road, vehicles everywhere. in a landmark verdict, the mother of a 3—year—old girl has become the first person in the uk to be found guilty of female genital mutilation. the search continues for the mother of a newborn baby girl, found abandoned in a london park, on one of the coldest nights of winter. dramatic footage has emerged of the dam collapse last week in brazil, that left more than 300 people dead or missing.

i come from a very large family indeed. mammals come as a matter of fa ct. and remembering jeremy hardy, the award winning comedian, who's died, at the age of 57. the green book, a story of deep south racial division in the 1960s. see what mark thought of that and the rest of this week's releases in the rest of this week's releases in the film review. good evening. the met office has issued more weather warnings this evening for snow and ice across large parts of the uk. more than a thousand schools in southern england and wales were closed today, after the coldest night in seven years. many roads have been impassable and train services and flights have been delayed or cancelled.

lets show you this scene in basingstoke in hampshire, where people have had to help push an ambulance out of the snow as night falls. earlier in devon, hgv lorries became stuck on country roads, this one of many being towed by a tractor. there are long delays on the the m3 motorway near basingstoke, which was closed earlier after a series of accidents. authorities are urging people to avoid the area. flights from a number of airports including cardiff and heathrow have been cancelled, this is bristol airport — 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 is in cornwall, one of the areas badly hit by the poor weather — and has this report. silent and frozen. images filmed by

drivers as winter closed its trap by one of the uk's most exposed stretches of road. on the hillside, jamaica inn, a traveller's haven for three centuries, last night once again the right place at the right time. jamaica inn, a traveller's haven for three centuries, last night once again the right place at the right time. sweeping snow across the bleak hilltops of bodmin moor had brought the busy a30 to a standstill, the lights of the inn a beacon to drivers with nowhere to go. the only way i can describe it as like armageddon. i have lived in norway for three months of the year for the last nine years, and i haven't seen anything like this, lorries jackknifed all up this road, vehicles everywhere. alone groups, more and more travellers charged up the ic hill to find warmth. eventually, they filled every available corner of the hotel as kitchen staff rated their reserves for hot food. about 100

people. they had to make up beds and sofa beds. all of the dining room in the sitting room. it all happened quite suddenly. we were expecting rain. through the night come into a gloomy don, the snow tractor north and east, linkous blanket across the uk. all in all, a visible morning for those who had to travel, stop start, slithering at a snails pace oi’ start, slithering at a snails pace or simply giving start, slithering at a snails pace orsimply giving up. start, slithering at a snails pace or simply giving up. some of course can never give up. or simply giving up. some of course can never give up. on dark more, the park rangers had stepped in to help a community nurse to reach her patient. i couldn't do without them. no way could i do without them. i would just be set here. worst case scenario, we would walk, we have done that before. you do have to get to these patients. with temperatures hovering around freezing and in some

areas well below, and airports to theice areas well below, and airports to the ice planes and clear runways. but disruption was inevitable. cornwall‘s college, students and staff had emerged from an unexpected a sleepover, drifting snow and icy roads meant the buses couldn't get through. in the end, we had about under 300 students they did not hear at the college. everybody is fine and they have all had been fed and have water. and a good night sleep. for a teenager come at two or three hours. in county after county, excited voices on the chill air. i just of schools and colleges had been forced to close, always good news for those with an appetite for winter sports. but the grip of winter sports. but the grip of winter has also intensified hardship. bristol has launched an emergency programme to provide help to the cities rough sleepers.|j didn't to the cities rough sleepers.” didn't sleep last night. i was that cold. i had a sleeping bag from i

had all these clothes just to keep warm. back here, the roads are open, the surprise guests have rescued their brenda vehicles. staff at the old smugglers hideaway know they may be needed again before winter it leaves us. well our correspondent, duncan kennedy, has been driving across the border of hampshire and berkshire to see just what drivers have been up against today. somewhere out there is the a34. we are heading north into amber weather territory. the white of a b road. this is the border between berkshire and hampshire and where we meet our first person in difficulty. what are you going to do? going to turn round. smiling but struggling. we head on over the ma, where snow and the hills are adding to problems. how's it going?

having to concentrate very hard and it takes a lot of effort. i am considering turning back at this point. wondering when i have done my work if i can make it back up the hill. as i approach i am thinking should i turn around and i think i well actually. we leave him and head on down that hill. we have been driving around berkshire and north hampshire for several hours and wherever we have gone we have had this snow and went really laying it down sector across the countryside thick across the countryside and the roads we have been travelling along. in this particular area just north of the m4 the snow is maybe five or six inches deep. then it was on into a village where getting out could be getting difficult. tim thinks the small settlement might soon be hemmed in by the snow. you have a big hill and concerns about being cut off? we frequently do get cut off in this weather.

it is quite a steep hill with some turns and quite steep drop offs so it is not worth the risk. we will get the toboggan out and go to the hills and see if we can make some fun of it! some drivers moved and may wish they hadn't. whilst others cannot move and wish they could. a few hours in the life of the snowbound south. we have been driving around hampshire and berkshire all day and the snow simply hasn't stopped falling. as soon as you come off the a roads, the b roads simply can't cope. the volume of snow was so massive that it soon gets covered over. tonight we know the m3 is blocked in both directions because ofjackknifed lorries north of winchester, and as the temperature and snow continues

to drop, driving conditions are likely to become extremely challenging through the rest of this evening. and we've had this update from highways england, who say the m3 westbound still has long delays betweenjunction fourfor farnborough, and junction seven for basingstoke due to multiple stranded vehicles. highways england is working with hampshire police to re—open further lanes as soon as possible. earlier we spoke to mep molly scott cato who was one of those affected by the averse weather conditions. her train was being diverted after trees fell on the tracks. they seem to be quite a few trains across the line in, so i'm on a

south train and we are moving, we just took a huge long detour around to avoid the block part but i have to avoid the block part but i have to say looking outside, and one of those people that make it exactly quite a considerable amount of snow. the train is moving. i'm hoping to get to redding. i'm on my way to swindon without fingers crossed it leigh i will only be an hour late. are you surprised at the effect fit affect the snow has had? i'm patient when is a little bit of snow but looking at at it now, if there is a lot more than that. we get in not only make it a lot of snow. we don't have the best line but i will try will my question. before you set off, had you been given any travel advice at all? actually, no. that is

advice at all? actually, no. that is a good point. they did say things might get messy later on, but there was no suggestion not to travel. to be honest, the server seems to be running well but with the tree fell down, you would anticipate that. —— the real server seems to be. they have now found a way to get around that. —— make it you would not anticipate that. so huge travel disruption on the roads and rail — meanwhile our correspondent, scott ellis, has been monitoring the situation at bristol airport, where more than 100 flights were cancelled during the day because of the snow. still working behind me here and you can see the tarmac on the runway. that is not been the case for most of the day. the snow come again last night, the second—highest airport in the uk. 20 cm of snow, subzero temperatures, and a flights cancelled. all of them throughout the day. disruption for 20,000 passengers, many of them fans heading over to paris for tonight's game or heading over to dublin for

the match tomorrow. given it is a friday, a few stag dues and hindus also not going to schedule. the good news is, they have to the tarmac and they can go to get the antifreeze are now and flights will start again in the morning and there shouldn't bea in the morning and there shouldn't be a full schedule of flights checked before you travel. —— hen dos not going on. and our weather presenter, stav danaos is here where have seen the heaviest of the snow and what can we expect going into the weekend. what an incredible day in a half. or have we seen the heaviest snow?m has been the most significant snow of the season so far. in regards to widespread in the very populated areas. scotland has usually gets a lie. and this is been pretty disruptive. areas have seen two to five cm of snow. —— scotland usually gets a lot of snow. we had unofficial reports from last night snow a few areas have seen between 15 to 20 cm. this is pretty

disruptive. i have the snow radar out. this star said they 12 hour loop. 12 hours ago. you see the book of the heavy snow in the southern parts of england, very heavy initially in the southwest, it has expanded further into the southeast. there has been plenty of snow showers as you can see here. so running into eastern england, some settling there, but in the last few hours, they had snow across central and southern england. it has become very heavy again. it is likely to continue on for the rest of the night. another warning has been issued. a yellow warning by the met office for this. looks like a fried 999 office for this. looks like a fried egg but the outer area is ice. there will be warnings for ice across northern scotland in eastern england. that area and the middle, the yoke is the new warning which is for the heavy disruptive snow that we see across parts of hampshire. in

sussex. it was due to be lifted at eight p:m., it is not going to continue on till midnight. because it has taken quite a while to clear. it is causing treacherous conditions. going into the weekend. people catch up on south and outdoors. what can we look forward to? it is improved. those who love the snow, maybe not so much good news. tomorrow morning, we have that ice risk. it is going to be a drier day. winter showers easing from the south and more sunshine. there will continue to be some showers. but the rest of the country will be crisp and winter send but cold. same for sunday but it was like another was system will be moved again from the atlantic. that will bring a spell of rain and hail snow. atlantic. that will bring a spell of rain and hailsnow. heading atlantic. that will bring a spell of rain and hail snow. heading out to next week to look like temperatures are turning above average. the pictures we have at the moment, the latest shots from hampshire. how bad

has it been? it is me coming down so heavily the last two hours. it style the leigh snarled a lot of the rows. down to one lane in some areas. almost impossible. a really dangerous situation out there and will continue. check the forecast before you leave and listen to the bbc local radio. the snow is the problem but i'm starting to think ice risk is worse? it will be there. following snow, showers, lines number temperatures pollen, ice will bea number temperatures pollen, ice will be a significant risk. that will be a problem over the weekend. that's right temperatures falling. you are being kept quite busy. thank you for joining us. reminder of the latest news coming to us. from the m3 an update from highway england, saying from our

collea g u es highway england, saying from our colleagues at bbc radio who say the m3 is still close. all traffic from junction six to seven west is being held so police are extorting grifters trying to get through and recover three stranded hd tvs. very important to keep up—to—date with the latest. and to keep up—to—date on the latest weather and travel situation in your area, go to the live page on the bbc news website, at bbc dot co dot uk forward slash news, and you can also tune into your local bbc radio station. reminder of the latest news coming to us. the bbc has it all there. and we'll find out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. our guestsjoining me tonight are owen bennett,

who's head of politics at cityam, and the businessjournalist, john crowley. we will stick with the snow theme. meanwhile — the extreme cold that settled on the us mid west during the week, is expected to give way to warmer temperatures, bringing a threat of thaw and flooding. the deaths of at least 21 people were blamed on the freezing temperatures, which were the result of an arctic air mass or so called ‘polar vortex'. the us weather service says it will be the most extreme warm—up from record winter cold — ever seen in such a short time period. the headlines on bbc news... millions of commuters are facing nightmare journeys and hundreds of schools are closed — after one of the coldest nights of the year — and more snow is on the way.

in a landmark ruling, the mother of a 3—year—old girl has become the first person in the uk to be found guilty of female genital mutilation. the search continues for the mother of a newborn baby girl, found abandoned in a london park, on one of the coldest nights of winter. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's ben croucher. hello. good evening. the waiting is over. the six nations is finally upon us with the stade de france in paris playing host to the opening game of the competition. wales the visitors. . .. but it's the french who had the first laugh at least. louis picamoles bundled his way through the welsh defence for the first try of this year's tournament.

the conversation was missed by morgan parra. on the last few minutes, the welsh thought they had scored a try but it looks like it has gone to the pmo. lee and williams threw a five score, they did just checking the grounding. live on bbc one right now. wales are looking to extend their unbeaten run to ten matches. it's been raining heavily in the french capital too. the crowd seemed to think he lost that ball by the sound of it. the referee they‘ re that ball by the sound of it. the referee they're looking at it. they have disallowed that try. still france leading. in the women's competition, england ran in eight tries to demolish ireland in the opening match of the tournament... england's 15 side are fully professional and the class showed throughout with a 51—7 win in dublib. win in dublin. zoe harrison and emily scott were amongst the scorers

of the roses' eight—try victory. italy lead scotland 7—0 in a 7:35 kick off. the west indies have largely thwarted england's bowlers on another difficult toil in antigua on the second day of the second test match. the windies have moved onto 241 for six, that's a lead of 5a. john campbell was dropped byjos buttler before falling victim to ben stokes just short of his century. stuart broad's grabbed three wickets and moeen ali have picked up a couple of wickets each too but on a pitch that is still helping the bowlers, the home side have been very patient you can follow the proceedings on the bbc sport website and app with the cricket social team... the january transfer window shut in england yesterday but china's is still open and one deal done today is that of marouane fellaini from manchester united to join shandong luneng. the belgium internationaljoined united from everton in august 2013 and made 177 appearances in his time with the club, scoring 22 goals

and winning three trophies but had played just three minutes of premier league action under their new interim boss ole gunnar solskjaer. staying in asia where qatar have won the asian cup for the first time in their history. they beat four—time winners japan 3—1 in the final. not a bad goal to score in it too. almoez ali bravo to you. qatar will host the next world cup in 2022. deontay wilder says a heavyweight rematch with tyson fury is ‘100% on'. the pair fought out a controversial draw last december and the american says an agreement is in place for the rematch to take place in april or may this year in either las vegas or new york. we will see what happens. this fight will definitely happen. we have to keep it coming. the heavyweight division is very exciting right now and we had to make sure we do our

pa rt and we had to make sure we do our part to give that a excitement coming. the most successful female skiier of all time — lindsay vonn — has announced that next week's world championships — will be her final event the american has struggled with injury over the last few years and says "my body is screaming at me to stop and it's time to listen". the 2010 olympic downhill champion was hoping to break ingemar stenmark‘s longstanding record of 86 world cup victories, but she's four short of that mark. a quick update from the rugby, 20 minutes gone in paris, france still eating. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in sportsday at half past ten. -- still —— still leading. thank you. the mother of a 3—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 herfreezer 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 1a years in prison. she will be sentenced next month. adina campbell, bbc news. 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. dramatic footage from the brazil dam collapse. more than 300 people are now to have died or are missing after the incident. the vehicles in the background moving away at speed. more than 300 people are known

to have died or are missing after the incident —— in what's being described as the contry‘s worst ever environmental diasater. 5 people have been arrested including 3 from the company that owns the mine. in the state of minas, where the collapse happened, at least 200 dams are classified by the government as having a high potential for damage if they collapse. our correspondentjulia carneiro has been visiting one in the city. devastation as far as the eye can see. this is waste from iron ore mining engulfing houses, trees, trucks, and hundreds of people believed to be buried under the mud. the dam, owned by mining giant vale, collapsed in the brazilian state of minas gerais in the city of brumadinho. just over three years ago, another dam failed in mariana, only 120km away. now attention turns to neighbouring cities like congonhas, home to one of the biggest urban dams in latin america.

this is the casa de pedra dam, owned by csn. it's right next to the city and holds five times more mining waste than the dam that collapsed in brumadinho. when this neighbourhood here was built, the dam was a lot smaller but it was expanded over the years, growing closer and closer to the houses. it's just 250m from some of the constructions, and after what happened in brumadinho, residents here say it's either them or the dam — they don't feel safe here any more. translation: i'm terrified, i wake up scared, i have nightmares. ifear this could happen here too. we live right under the dam — i'm scared for everyone here. this activist says there's no dialogue with csn. the company did not want to comment on this report. translation: the lesson comes at a huge cost, with all the lives we lost, but it has to be applied

to prevent other collapses. people here want a solution — they don't want to live in doubt. structural problems were detected twice in the dam in the past six years, according to this prosecutor, and were repaired following judicial orders. at the time, csn said the demands had been followed, and the dam presented no risks for workers and residents. translation: it's a huge structure, very close to the city. if it breaks, it's going to be one of the worst accidents ever. mining workers here are concerned after the dam collapse. vale employees voted to interrupt their shift for two hours to mourn their colleagues in brumadinho. translation: if it's so safe, why don't shareholders live under a dam? we have to change the model of mining, and governments need to pressure private companies, instead of easing licences for mining. after two disastrous collapses,

brazil's mining dams are under scrutiny, and people living under their shadows don't want to be the next victims. julia carneiro, bbc news, congonhas, brazil. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav. we have seen further disruptive snow this evening across central and southern parts of england. which will slowly ease down as we reach the first part of the night but a lot of lying snow around and low temperatures and i it ice will be a huge problem. take care if you are heading out. the heavy snow clearing from southern england from the snow showers will continue across eastern scotla nd showers will continue across eastern scotland in the eastern side of england. elsewhere, lengthy clear skies and it will turn very cold hence the risk of eye. heading out saturday morning, it should be dry for many. a lot of sunshine and some which are showers in the north and east of the country. a few showers

affecting cornwall but other than that it will be a drier afternoon. quite bracing and a brisk northerly wind. for the weekend, a lot of sunshine around, which are showers in the north and east and into saturday, and weather system moving in off of the olympic which will bring rain but also hail snow in the north. hello, this is bbc news with lu kwesa burak. the headlines... heavy snow causes hundreds of schools to close across wales and southern england, and 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. jackknifed all across the road. these vehicles are everywhere. in a landmark verdict the mother of a 3—year—old girl has

become the first person in the uk to be found guilty of female genital mutilation. the search continues for the mother of a newborn baby girl found abandoned in a london park on one of the coldest nights of winter. dramatic footage has emerged of the dam collapse last week in brazil that left more than 300 people dead or missing. i come from a very large family indeed, mammals in fact. and remembering jeremy hardy —— the award winning comedian, who's died, at the age of 57. more now on the snow and the disruption it's causing. in wales, there's a weather warning in place, many shcools have been closed, and welsh rugby fans trying to get and remembering jeremy hardy —— the award winning comedian, who's died, at the age of 57. being stranded after flight cancellations due to snow. jordan davies reports.

it is picture—perfect, this morning, after a night of snowfall. it was scenes like this that much of southeast wales woke up to. because of that, no school for tabitha. instead, a trip into brecon. snow for her means... building a snowman and throwing it at my mum. despite the blanket of snow, there were no major issues on main roads. but there were problems for some getting to work. you couldn't get up there because all the cars are going to be up there. normally the gritters are upthere every winter back and forward, back and forward. but for some reason last night, nothing. what with the staff had to do now? go back to the village and walk up. high ground as always bore the brunt of the bad weather with parts of the south wales' valleys hit particularly hard. the busy friday morning commute was quieter than unusual, but disruption free, this was the scene along the valley. the cardiff central service rolling in on time. preparations for the weekend

went on as usual with a busy rugby line—up, supplies are of the utmost importance. the snow came into good use. the roads are usually the worst part but the roads are fine. we have a job to do at the end of the day, so we came here to do it. keeps it fine to keep the cold. but those actually heading to france for tonight's game did face disruption. cardiff airport was forced to cancel its flight, leaving fans and former players stranded. i'm on the eurostar now so i'm going to get a car to london and then jump on the eurostar. so, if not, i might end up doing some regional work for the bbc in cardiff, or something. but, yeah, give ita go, got nothing to lose. watch it in cardiff, by the looks of things. not a bad place to watch it. no, not at all. but obviously it would be better in the stade de france, but there we go. we'll go down to west wales for a spa weekend instead. and watch the game down there. much of the snow hasn't

now thawed, but as temperatures drop this evening, there will be concerned about how much ice will be left on the road. in that, he was talking to some fans. we later found in that, he was talking to some fans. we laterfound out in that, he was talking to some fans. we later found out that they we re fans. we later found out that they were able to get to the game. the national audit office, says the 3 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 test this time last year. she should have gotten her results through a fortnight but actually she waited ten weeks.

i thought if i have not heard anything, no news must be good news. you sort of assume that, don't you? so i did not really think too much about it. ijust thought if i do not know something by now, it should all be 0k. but it was not ok. after further tests, and she thought that she had cervical cancer. she had to have a hysterectomy when her youngest child was just one—year—old. the national audit office found that delays like nicole's are happy all too often stop in march of last year, there were more than 150,000 samples pot up in laboratories across england waiting to be analysed. that month, only a third of women got their results within14 days. these delays are partly being blamed on a lack of capacity and staff at laboratories and it is hoped that it is just a temporary problem. but the system is under huge pressure and all of this comes at a time where women are constantly being told to make sure they go and get screened.

i, as a prime minister, can stand here and say this. i know what it is like to go through the cervical smear test. it is not comfortable. sometimes it will be embarrassing. sometimes painful. but those few minutes, those few minutes can save lives. this comes after major problems with screening programmes for cervical and breast cancer. last year, it emerged that many women had not been invited to screening. these programmes have targets for what the sense people actually get screened. the nao report found that all three major screening programmes in england failed to reach agreed standards. the 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 cervical screening programme has a

windy down. that is a really complicated governance system, which means things are slipping through the gaps. nicole says her smear test saved her life, but she has questions about the impact of the delay. with the tumour being so big, it does make me wonder whether i would have had such a radical procedure. the government says that our screening programmes are world—class, but it is committed to making any necessary improvements. catherine burns. bbc news. tsb has blamed last year's it problems for a pretax loss of more than a 105 million pounds. the bank says, 2018 was its most challenging year. about 80,000 customers switched their bank account away from tsb in 2018, 30,000 more than 2017, after some people went weeks without working services. the bank also had to bear the cost of customer compensation and fraud. the off licence chain, oddbins, has gone into administration for a second time. its stores will continue to trade while administrators seek a buyer. more than 500 jobs are at risk.

oddbins' owners blamed tough trading conditions on the high street and uncertainty over brexit. universities will be required to publish information on what they are doing to tackle the attainment gap between students from different ethnic backgrounds — the government has announced. official figures show that record numbers of ethnic minorities are attending university, but only 56% of black students achieve top grades, compared with 80% of their white peers. as part of a string of measures announced today, universities will be required to publish data on admissions and attainment, broken down by ethnicity, gender and socio—economic background. 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 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. groundhog day too. 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. earlier, my colleague

reeta chakra barti spoke to the comedianjack dee who'd worked withjeremy hardy a lot during his career... i was lucky enough to work with him a lot especially over the last seven or eight years because we did i'm sorry i haven't a clue all the time. that involved lots of long train journeys and car journeys with jeremy so i renewed my friendship which began in 1986. he will be a very familiar voice to people, he had the wonderfully sardonic, world—weary tone, didn't he? he's brilliant. i have no doubt in my mind, he is one of the most important comic voices of his generation, frankly. he had that enviable ability, what i would describe, he spoke fluent comedy, taking any subject and making it funny, he was an absolutely outstanding as a comedian and a wonderful person as well, a lovely person.

he was political, wasn't he? a lifelong socialist, a committed, politically—minded person, how much did that influence his work? it certainly influenced to stand up certainly a lot. but i think his great gift was he could make it funny. a lot of people try to do politics and don't make it funny. but he could be left—wing without being pious and he could do satire without being a smart—arse, frankly, and that is what made him so special, he would engage anyone to listen to him, and he had friends from all walks of life and backgrounds, so he wasn'tjust working in a bubble of left—wing people but he was passionate about his politics. what sort of person was he behind—the—scenes? behind—the—scenes, he was endlessly good fun, very funny but very caring and concerned about your life, if you're his friend he wants to know everything about

you and would remember all the details when you pick up again and meet again. he was just a lovely, full person that you feel privileged to have known. there will be in a gap in the shows in which he was, how do you think he will be remembered?” in which he was, how do you think he will be remembered? i think people who perhaps had not had a chance to appreciate him for his brilliant will start to see him for who he was. those who were fully aware of him will miss them very much.“ was. those who were fully aware of him will miss them very much. if you can think of one particular moment that stands out give it a go?” can think of one particular moment that stands out give it a go? i am