this is bbc news. i'm rachel schofield. the headlines at 7. nissan is expected to announce next week that it's cancelling plans to build its new model suv at its plant in sunderland. russia joins america in suspending its involvement in a cold war nuclear weapons treaty. thousands take to the streets across venezuela to demand that president maduro steps down. for the first time in years, venezuela's opposition feels optimistic. protesters here want to try to keep up their momentum to bring down the fall of a government they detest. the met office issues weather warnings for ice in many parts of england, as wintry conditions continue to disrupt the uk. police searching for a 21—year—old student in hull, who went missing after leaving a club, say they have "significant concerns" about her safety. and in sportsday — we'll have a full round—up

of all of today's sporting action as scoland open their six nations campaign with victory over italy at murrayfield. good evening. the japanese carmaker nissan is expected to announce that it is cancelling planned investment at its plant in sunderland. in 2016, the firm said it would build the x—trail sports utility vehicle in sunderland after its executives met theresa may in downing street and received what they called "support and assurances" from the government about the impact of brexit. with me now is our business correspondent rob young. workers at the plant in sunderland

expect the company will announce over the next week it is reversing course and will cancel the planned investment at the plant in sunderland to build the x—trail model, which is currently only built injapan. model, which is currently only built in japan. when that model, which is currently only built injapan. when that announcement was made in autumn 2016 it was seen as a vote of confidence in britain. theresa may at the time said it was fantastic news. there is no comment on the reason is that lie behind this expected reversal, but there are probably many factors. european economies are slowing down. nissan sold fewer cars in europe last year, and consumers seem to be going off big diesel vehicles, which maybe they do not think they need to make they do not think they need to make the x—trail in europe, but we do not know if the decision to cancel the investment at sunderland means it is going somewhere else or not coming to europe at all. what can we

surmise about the impact of the decision? because we expect the announcement to be about cancelling planned future investment rather than stopping existing work, the impact on workers may be minimal. to perhaps nonexistent. at the time of the announcement the company said they expected 200 jobs to be created within a couple of years as a result of this investment in the x—trail assembly line. we do not know if any of those people have been hired. we will find out when the company confirms the news as expected. an impact is on jobs. confirms the news as expected. an impact is onjobs. local mps expressed concern and said they are worried about the decision and what it could mean for the future of the plant. does it have wider implications for the car industry in the uk? the car industry warned a few days ago they are on what they called red alert as brexit looms large. we still do not know what

britain's trading relationship with the eu will be after the end of march. all of the factors i listed against the backdrop is brexit, because the car industry is worried that if there are tariffs, border taxes, checks at borders are put in the way of cars being made going to europe, that might make british pla nts europe, that might make british plants less efficient and might make britain a less attractive place to do business and therefore they are worried it could hit investment. thank you. in our birmingham studio is david bailey, professor of industrial strategy at aston business school. how much of a surprise was this? it was a surprise they ever announced this model would come to the uk. in 2016 they said the next—generation car, an important model, plus the x—trail was coming. we had assurances from the government. we do not know what assurances but

clearly since then the situation in the uk and europe has deteriorated and there is massive uncertainty about our future trading relationship. nissan decided it is not worth it any more. you mentioned the previous meeting and government assurances. there was secrecy the previous meeting and government assurances. there was secrecy at the time and people wondering if money changed hands. is the government going to be going, hang on, i thought we had a deal?” going to be going, hang on, i thought we had a deal? i think there is little they can do and those assurances, we do not know what was in the letter, it was secret at the time, but the assurances meant little, given that over two years later, who would have thought we would be in a situation where less than eight weeks away from the uk scheduled to leave the eu, we do not know what is coming next? it is an unprecedented situation for the car industry to operate under such uncertainty. the big factor is the

decline in diesel sales in europe, down a fifth last year and 30% in the uk. this was an suv that uses diesel engines. they decided the market is no longer there but brexit uncertainty has not helped. they will be able to source the cars from japan, especially in the context of a free trade deal between the eu and japan rather than making them here. local mps in sunderland, we heard this is a blow, but this is plans cancelled, rather than jobs that exist being taken away. this is investment that was coming, new jobs that were going to be created but not any more. we do not know the net effect on the plant but it does show the car industry in the uk, there are dark clouds over it. diesel, brexit uncertainty. this is another indication of the pressure it is under. will this make offer

manufacturers wobble, are we likely to see changes to company strategies? we have seen it. over the past three years investment in the past three years investment in the car industry in the uk is down by over 80%. multinational firms are waiting to see what will happen as regards brexit and the longer that goes on, the more the damage becomes. thank you. the tensions between russia and the united states have escalated further, with moscow saying it will follow washington in suspending one of the key nuclear arms control treaties. president putin said russia would stop observing the cold war treaty — agreed in 1987 to hold nuclear ambitions in check— and now start developing new weapons. steve rosenberg reports. at the kremlin, vladimir putin and his ministers sent a clear message to washington over the inf treaty — you intend to pull out, do you? well, two can play at that game. translation: our response will be symmetrical.

our us partners announced that they are suspending their participation in the inf treaty. so we are suspending it, too. and there was more. moscow, president putin said, would develop new weapons, including a land—based version of this cruise missile, and missiles more than five times the speed of sound. it's a far cry from us—russian cooperation three decades ago, when presidents reagan and gorbachev signed the inf treaty. it eliminated a whole class of short and medium—range missiles and became a cornerstone of european security. but the chill in relations is palpable. it's beginning to feel like the cold war is back. president putin said that one thing he didn't want was russia being dragged into a costly new arms race. but with both america

and russia now having suspended the inf treaty, that is a huge blow to east—west arms control. the inf treaty is breaking apart, and america blames russia. russia has jeopardised the united states' security interests, and we can no longer be restricted by the treaty while russia shamelessly violates it. america says these russian missiles violated the inf treaty. moscow denies it, and claims washington broke the agreement. a high—stakes blame game for the two biggest nuclear powers. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. tens of thousands of people in venezuela have been taking part in protests aimed at forcing fresh elections, or the resignation of their president, nicolas maduro. elections, or the resignation he's been facing international pressure to step down following allegations

of electoral fraud. in the past hour, at a counter rally, mr maduro proposed bringing forward parliamentary elections scheduled for 2020 to this year. and a high—ranking air force general in the venezualan military has switched his allegiance to the opposition leader juan guaido and called for others to do the same. james reynolds reports from the venezuelan capital caracas. venezuela's opposition called for the biggest march in the history of south america. tens of thousands of protesters came out — a clear sign of the movement's ambition. for the first time in years, venezuela's opposition feels optimistic. and protesters here want to keep up their momentum to bring down the fall of a government they detest. translation: i'm 17 and i have only seen this government. i don't want to live under it any more. i'm tired of this. many have lived for years with shortages. this woman told me she lost her mother because the family couldn't get her the right medicine.

we want a change. we are tired of death. all kinds of bad things that occurred in my country, since at least 15 years ago. the opposition leader, juan guaido, who has declared himself the interim president, is after further support. this morning, he won an important ally — an air force general defected to his side. translation: 9096 of the armed forces are against president maduro. they are with the people of venezuela. the transition to democracy is imminent. but the government of president nicolas maduro, this afternoon holding its own rallies, still controls this country. his most senior military commanders remain loyal, allowing him to stay in power. james reynolds, bbc news, caracas. thames valley police say they rescued an 8—week—old baby

from a car that came off the road last night as snowy weather made driving conditions treacherous. in kent, emergency services answered hundreds of emergency calls as vehicles were stranded. the met office has issued weather warnings for ice in southern and eastern england and warned that temperatures in some parts could reach as low as —12 degrees overnight. robert hall reports. it was a miserable night for so many. police and highways teams working to clear the aftermath of heavy snowfalls. this is the m3 in hampshire — scenes mirrored on the a96 south of keith. lorries just unable to cope with compacted snow and ice. in berkshire, two police officers rescued two children, one of them an eight—week—old baby, from a vehicle which had slid off the road near bracknell. fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident. we then managed to extract the two children from the rear of the vehicle and got them safely in our police vehicle to warm up.

thankfully, the child was absolutely fine and completely unaware of what was going on around them. in areas where snowfall has been heaviest, daylight brought far better conditions. many roads here in aberdeenshire have been cleared, though minor routes over higher ground remain closed. in kent, teams have been clearing roads at walderslade, where the weight of snow brought down a series of large trees. across england's southern counties, travel on major routes has been far easier — a relief for those who can't delay their journeys. you can't get on with yourjob sometimes. you know, butjust deal with it and get on with it. but in this winter landscape, even the briefest detoir can take even the briefest detour can take the unwary onto untreated surfaces. today has seen a partial thaw, but things are about to change again. forecasters say that tonight, temperatures will dive to as low as —12 in scotland and in some areas of england.

so roads which had been slushy but passable will become dangerous once again. robert hall, bbc news, in berkshire. police searching for a 21—year—old student in hull who went missing after leaving a club say they have "significant concerns" about her safety. more than 70 officers are continuing to look for libby squire — a student at the university of hull. she was reported missing after getting into a taxi outside the welly nightclub. jake zuckerman reports. nearly two days after she was last seen, emergency services continue to search for university of hull student 21—year—old libby squire. over 70 officers have been searching overnight, speaking to her friends, visiting pubs and clubs in the area and making enquiries with those who saw her during thursday evening. despite these efforts, we have still not located libby and we are extremely concerned for her welfare.

libby got into a taxi outside the welly nightclub. police think she got out of the taxi a short while later near her home in hull. libby squire was last seen on cctv at the corner of beverley road and heyworth street at 11:45pm. police say a motorist pulled over to help her and they have since spoken to the man. but from here they say she could have walked in any direction. the search this morning involved police dogs, and people living nearby have also been asked to help. officers are out again today searching and we hope we find libby safe and well. i urge anyone who knows anything about her whereabouts to come forward and speak to us. people have asked what they can do to help. we have continued to ask those living in the area to check gardens

and outbuildings in case libby has taken shelter. if anyone was driving around the area from 11pm on thursday and 3am on friday morning and has dashcam footage, we urge them to come forward by contacting us on 101. today police continue to carry out door—to—door enquiries near to where she was last seen. they are supporting libby's family, who described her as a thoughtful and caring young woman. her mother lisa said on facebook... but with no further sightings of libby for more than 36 hours, and following two nights of freezing conditions, concern for her safety is growing. elsewhere, search teams are trying to find a missing university student in reading. daniel williams, who's 19, was last seen in a student union bar at the university's whiteknights campus in the early

hours of thursday. he was reported missing after he failed to return to his student accommodation. daniel was last seen wearing jeans, black shoes and a black hooded top. the headlines on bbc news. nissan is expected to announce next week that it's cancelling plans to build its new model suv at its plant in sunderland. russia has suspended its participation in a key nuclear arms control agreement, after the united states announced yesterday that it would do the same. thousands take to the streets across venezuela to demand that president maduro steps down. pupils should be banned from taking smartphones into classrooms, according england's schools minister. the government is due to publish new guidance shortly on issues such as internet safety and social media. but some teachers say mobile phones can be ‘fantastically useful‘ for learning. 0ur political correspondent, jessica parker, has more. smartphones are everywhere.

but should they be in schools? well, it's the responsibility of head teachers to decide. but the ministerfor school standards, nick gibb, says it's his own view that schools should ban their pupils from bringing smartphones into school. they should not be allowed to have them on when at school. perhaps to and from school, yes, but certainly not in school time. we put them in a box and take it to the office and leave it there for the day. do you wish you could have your phone on you all day? yes. would it be distracting? yes. what about using your phone at school? i think it is good, because it is good for the future because everything to do with our future is probably going to involve our phones. the government's due to publish new guidance for schools shortly and it's expected to say children should be taught to limit the amount

of time they spend on the internet. mr gibb says while there is nothing intrinsically damaging about spending time online, excessive use can leave children tired and unable to concentrate. managing our smartphone use is a challenge facing adults as well as children. but there are those who argue restricting access in this way isn't the answer, because young people need to be able to fully engage with this kind of technology. if you push phone use away from school and ban it, you are just pushing it underground and you are losing an opportunity to help young people learn how to use tech for good and to use their mobile as part of their working and living life. and the trade union the naht, which represents school leaders, has also expressed scepticism, saying there isn't one policy that will work for all schools. jessica parker, bbc news. dramatic footage has emerged of the moment a dam burst in brazil releasing millions of tonnes

of mining waste that engulfed nearby buildings. at least 110 people are now known to have died in the disaster. hundreds are missing. 0ur science editor, david shukman, reports from the site of the dam in the state of minas gerais. this is pretty well as close as we are allowed to get to the disaster site. you've got some local people here just trying to come to terms with what on earth happened, so let me try to explain to you how this disaster unfolded. up in the hills beyond, that's where the dam itself was, holding back a great lake of sludge. it broke, as we know, and a torrent of heavy cement—like mud tore its way down one of these valleys just in the distance there, overwhelmed the cafeteria, where miners were having lunch, overwhelmed the offices of the mining company itself. then it swept into this area where we are now. right in the middle of this little area was a posada,

a kind of small hotel with holiday chalets. that was all swamped by the mud. just close by here — this was basically a farming area — a little farmhouse, just absolutely wrecked by the power of the deluge of mud. what happened next is that the mud didn't just stay here, it was moving incredibly rapidly. by the way, you can still hear the search and rescue helicopters buzzing around and occasionally we see rescue teams still at work. i say rescue — they are now in the business ofjust searching for bodies. 0ne team we sawjust now had a dog with them. they were trying to respond to wherever the dog was sniffing. as i was saying, the wall of mud destroyed this whole area and then carried on over the ridge you can see in the distance, and into a valley beyond, where it then tore through a village down below, causing yet more destruction.

the question that everybody is just bewildered by, stunned by here, is how brazil, which is a rapidly industrialising, modern economy, how here this kind of disaster, whatever failings there were in safeguarding the dam were allowed to happen, caused so many deaths and so much destruction. norway is on a drive to cut down on the amount of food that is left uneaten on plates in hotels and restaurants. and, as our environment analyst roger harrabin reports from tromso, they are also hitting on some cunning ruses to persuade us to take less, and eat less. in a restaurant, there's always food thrown away. this hotel in tromso is trying to halve its food waste, but how? let's start with these smoothie shots. these are made from yesterday's leftover fruit.

then crafty tricks to nudge people into taking less, like skinny tweezers to stop you piling up the salmon, or little spoons to serve the herring. and look at this — a micro muesli. how cute is that? another idea — instead of guests taking a big melon slice and leaving some, the staff dice it so you take precisely what you want. and in case you missed the message... many people load onto their plates, so they don't have to go multiple times. we were able to make people think about how they put food on their plate and how much they bring to the table to make sure they eat it all. another trick is to keep food looking fresh. as a serving dish empties, guests assume the remains are stale, so why not switch the food into a smaller dish? then, again, so it still looks

fresh and all gets eaten. ideas like this have cut food waste almost 10% in a yearfor this chain. the target is 20% by 2020 and then 50% by 2030 — the same as the un target. the chef weighs the daily waste. so far, the policy has saved the hotel chain 26 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. and there's a bonus. we're also making money out of it, which is a really positive side—effect by reducing food waste. so how do guests respond to this culinary nanny state? if i have tools given to me that i take less, then it helps me. i don't put on as much weight when i travel. i think it's a good thing. i feel it helps the environment, but it also helps myself to not gain, what do you call it, weight that i don't need. there is no ban on loading up your plate here. take as much as you want.

but you'd better not leave it. roger harrabin, bbc news, norway. floods in the northeast australian state of queensland have reached what officials are calling ‘catastrophic levels'. the tropical monsoon rains have already destroyed buildings, forced evacuations, and swept away cars and livestock. phil mercer reports. for four days, parts of northern queensland have been battered by the heaviest monsoon rains in memory. the main reservoir in townsville is so full that vast amounts of water have had to be released, causing majorflooding. the city has been declared a disaster zone. many homes are submerged and streets turned into rivers. dozens of people have been rescued and thousands more moved to higher ground. when we use the words unprecedented and uncharted, we use this for a reason. we have not been in

this scenario before. there has been a lot of rain that has been falling, especially over the townsville catchment, and some of these levels are unprecedented. there is a warning that the worst may yet be to come. the heavy rain is expected to continue until at least monday. there is, though, some good news — the tropical monsoonal conditions are likely to bring much—needed relief to drought—affected parts of queensland to the west of townsville. phil mercer, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. eight hours of blue sky in belfast

for example today. the bridges are dropping quickly now. temperatures overnight will be way you have snow cover. minus double figures. —11 in highland scotland. there are wintry showers in north—west scotland. the chance of seeing i swear you have had showers and snow has melted. where you have the deepest snow in england, —10 could be the temperature. a widespread hard frost under way with clear skies. tomorrow, sunshine. we have established it will be cold and we have weather fronts coming in. cloud increasing in the north—west and the south—east holding on blue sky is the longest. rain preceded by sleet and snow especially in hills across northern ireland, scotland, northern england and you might see rain in north wales and late in the day in the midlands and east anglia. cloud

increases south of this but stays mainly dry in southern england. in scotland. in northern ireland more rainfor scotland. in northern ireland more rain for the evening. the breeze strengthens as we go through sunday into monday. a milder direction, but plenty of wet weather with that flow going into monday morning with rain pushing across the uk but snow again in the pennines and into scotland. most will fall on the hills and will be on the southern options, high ground north of the central belt could get 5—10 centimetres, maybe more. this is how it hangs around on monday before slipping eastwards. sunny spells coming through. a windy day, particularly the further south you are an temperatures for many getting higher. they will drop under clear skies on monday night, and looking deeper into the week, low pressure is poised to move back in.

it is looking unsettled. there will be sunnier days but wet days and after monday, most will see rain rather than snow. and look at these temperatures, bouncing right back up and into double figures, even above average for the time of year. hello this is bbc news... the headlines.... nissan is expected to announce next week that it's cancelling plans to build its new model suv at its plant in sunderland. russia has suspended its participation in a key nuclear arms control agreement, after the united states announced yesterday that it would do the same. thousands of opposition supporters have taken to the streets across venezuela in a bid to force president nicolas maduro to stand down and agree to new elections. here, the met office issues weather warnings for ice in many parts of england as wintry conditions continue to disrupt the uk. now on bbc news, it's time for sportsday...