tonight at 6pm — chinese authorities impose a "shutdown" on several cities as they try to stop the spread of a new virus. there's a ban on public transport in wuhan — the epicentre of the potentially deadly outbreak — and several other cities. it isa it is a very surreal feeling knowing that if you go outside there is potential to catch such a deadly virus. ministers say there's an increased likelihood of the virus reaching the uk — four people are being tested in scotland. also tonight: a bbc news investigation uncovers several preventable baby deaths at an nhs trust in kent — anguish for the parents. no one spotted what was going on and they could have saved him.

the number of crimes that result in a charge or caution by police hits a new low — just one in every 1a cases. 75 years since the liberation of the nazi death camp at auschwitz — prince charles joins world leaders in israel. and doing what she does best — the australian striker sam kerr scores for her country — now she's doing it for the blues. and on sportsday just after 6:30, we'll have news of the final two british players in the australian open singles with defeats for heather watson and harriet dart.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the chinese authorities are taking drastic action to try to stop the spread of the new and potentially deadly coronavirus. they've imposed a travel shutdown on several cities, notably wuhan, where the virus was first discovered, and huanggang. the unprecedented measures come just as tens of millions of people in china prepare to travel to their family homes to celebrate the chinese new year. here, the government says there's an increased likelihood of the virus reaching the uk. three people are currently being tested in edinburgh and glasgow. here's our beijing correspondentjohn sudworth. this is the moment a city of 11 million people was effectively shut off. pa ramilita ry police guarding the station, as all departing trains are canceled. in the hospitals, medical staff

in full body suits are treating hundreds of infected patients. while images on social media appear to show a system struggling to cope. empty shelves in the shops. and scuffles over food. we spoke to one british man now stuck inside wuhan. it is a very surreal feeling, you know, knowing, especially that if you go outside, there is potential to capture —— to catch such a deadly virus. and when you look outside the window, what is the atmosphere like? does it feel like a city under a blanket of fear? oh, yeah. 100%, 100%. behind me here, if you saw the street here at night time where i normally live, it's a very vibrant street, lots of restaurants, and it's open until two o'clock in the morning. you know, and chinese families come and they are celebrating. but if i show you out there now, it's dead. on china's main evening news,

the lead item: a new year banquet for senior officials. president xijinping makes no mention of the crisis. but the facemasks on display at this beijing station are proof that the public is well aware of the risks. yeah, a little worried, because, you know... you're wearing your mask. yeah, a mask, i use one. goggles as well. are you worried about the virus? no, because i believe in my country. and the government, yes. you believe in your government? yes. this is an epidemiologist‘s nightmare. how do you control the spread of a dangerous virus during the biggest movement of people on the planet? tens of millions, travelling every day for at least a fortnight, and the real question is whether the closure of the city of wuhan comes far too late

to make a difference. alongside the public health announcements, there are signs of censorship and control. and questions are being asked whether more might have been done sooner. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. and our medical correspondent, fergus walsh, is with me now. fergus, fergus walsh, is with me now. has any governmen taken fergus, has any government anywhere taken measures fergus, has any government anywhere ta ken measures like fergus, has any government anywhere taken measures like this? no, this is completely unprecedented. in the history of public health it is extraordinary. wuhan and two neighbouring cities to be put in effective quarantine, more than 18 million people, imagine for example the motorways and transport systems around birmingham or london young shutdown two days before christmas. that is what is happening here. china covered up the sars outbreak

and now they are going beyond what any public health body would ask them to do. it will slow the spread of the virus but it cannot stop it. the government saying there is an increased likelihood of the virus reaching the uk. there is, but the threat remains low. there are some travellers in scotland, four people who have come back from wuhan who are undergoing tests, but they can be isolated, and this virus is not as serious as sars which killed nearly 800 people. most people will get over it and have a reasonably mild infection. obviously it is the new pathogen so globally it has to be taken very seriously, locally don't panic. fergus, thank you very much. a bbc news investigation has uncovered significant concerns about maternity services at one of england's largest hospital trusts. at least seven babies have died at east kent nhs foundation trust since 2016,

including three last year alone. officials have admitted all of the deaths were preventable. a 2015 review found major failings, including consultants refusing to go into work when on call. our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. say daddy! if we didn't have evelyn, we'd be in a very dark, dark place. but it's always in the back of your mind, "what would he be like?" archie powell was born last february, a twin brother to evelyn. he fell ill within hours unfortunately, but the medics failed to realise that he was suffering from group b strep, a potentially serious infection. poor temperature control, low blood sugar, the grunting noise, irritability, not feeding, blotchy skin — these are all symptoms of group b strep and they were all aware of these symptoms, but no one put it together. archie wasn't properly

treated for 13 hours and died after four days, leaving a family of girls without their only brother. i get really angry at thinking about that group of professionals that were in that room with us, and no one spotted what was going on, and they could have saved him. archie was born here at the queen elizabeth the queen mother hospital in margate. it's run by the east kent hospitals nhs trust and it's struggled for years to provide good maternity care. in 2015, an independent review found significant concerns about the failure of consultants to conduct ward rounds, review women and attend out of hours. but the mistakes continued. why? the medical director has told an inquest that what they were trying to overcome

was a cultural problem and that can take years to sort out. national data indicates mortality rates in east kent for stillbirth and newborns are higher than at other similar units. the trust have apologised, saying they recognise that they have not always provided the right standard of care for every woman and baby. you are convinced that your daughter's death was preventable? yes. 100%. this 3d scan shows a thriving baby but shelley became anxious at 36 weeks after noticing her daughter's movements had slowed, and went to her local hospital in dover to be monitored. the main midwife came in and said to me everything looks 0k. "are you happy? " she said to me, and i said to her, "if you're happy, i'm happy." but it wasn't ok. contrast her earlier healthy heart monitoring — a continuous reading — with the second — full of gaps — that assured a midwife

the baby was fine. two days after this reading she was found to have died. she would be coming up for one next week. yeah, her birthday. 28th. how are you? trying to get through each day. get on with life, trying to. some days do i want to go outside and face the big wide world? no, i don't. michael buchanan, bbc news, kent. and if you are a past or current patient of east kent nhs foundation trust's maternity services and have concerns, the trust has set up a helpline. details are on screen now. morrisons is to cut around 3,000 managerialjobs across its stores as part of a restructuring plan. while managers will go, the supermarket says it wants to add 4,000 shop floor staff — mainly working on its fresh food counters. the husband of nazanin

zaghari—ratcliffe — who's been held on spying charges in iran since 2016 — has urged borisjohnson to be tougher with iran in its efforts to secure the release of his wife. richard ratcliffe was accompanied by his five—year—old daughter as he met the prime minister at downing street, where they discussed efforts to release his wife. we didn't talk about the past. he was very clear that he was personally committed to doing what he could. talked about a variety of different things they had considered doing and that if there was anything they could do within reason they would be ready to do it. richard ratcliffe speaking earlier today. to the latest crime figures now — and what happens after a crime is reported in england and wales. only about 7% of reported crimes lead to a suspect being charged or cautioned — that's a record low. according to the home office, robberies increased by 12% last year.

and knife offences were at a new high, rising by 7%. tom symonds has this report. we're in nottingham with detectives on the robbery squad. if we can see them in the area, it establishes the time accurately and stuff. they are looking for cctv of some suspected muggers, who have struck twice in a park alongside the river trent. basically, i guess he's got two possible routes. this team has been set up specifically to tackle this problem. result? well, muggings here have gone up a little, but by far less than the rise in the rest of england and wales. we are focusing on those individuals that are causing us the most pain with the robbery team and a knife crime team, and that's been painful creating those resources, but you've got to be able to invest in that proactivity. from right here to where that road is... routine police work for these detectives. but in north london, concerned parents are also going on the beat. here in enfield, they've started anti—mugging patrols. one school's hiring in private security.

why? well, because so often, the victims are children. james, we've agreed not to use his real name, is 15, but he's been mugged twice. itjust made me feel very vulnerable and kind of unsafe, especially on my own road. i can't even leave my house and go 50 meters without someone trying to mug me, you know? it's not a nice feeling to know that, even on my own road, i'm not safe. one of the reasons for the rise in robbery is obvious, our smartphones are often on show for all to see. but there's another factor. in 2015, the number of suspects charged or summonsed to court by the police was about 1a%, which doesn't sound like very many, but that figure fell to 7.2% for last year. that's what today's stats show, and that picture is replicated across the country for all crime. this has been the period, the second half of austerity, when

police cuts have really begun to have an impact. the government's committed to restoring officer numbers. crime performance at the moment is unacceptably high. with a big new investment that we are putting into police officers, alongside some of the smarter more technology enabled approach that we are going to be taking towards crime, we are going to be throwing everything at this problem over the next few years, and try and get crime down to the historic lows that they were ten years ago. some good news today we've already revealed, murders and manslaughter are finally falling, but for the government, crime and the causes of crime remain a huge challenge. tom symonds, bbc news, nottingham. the time is... our top story this evening: china shuts down public transport in several major cities in an attempt to contain the coronavirus. the routine police stop that ended in a machete attack. coming up on sportsday in15 minutes... scotland will be without finn russell for their six nations

opener against ireland — not through injury but a breach of team protocol. world leaders and holocaust survivors have marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz in nazi—occupied poland, the largest of the second world war death camps where more than one million people were murdered. the israeli authorities have described the event at yad vashem, the hillside memorial injerusalem, as the biggest international gathering in the country's history. our correspondent, orla guerin, reports. survivors of the holocaust make their way on stage to light a memorial torch. in honour of the 6 millionjews annihilated by the nazis.

among those gathered onjerusalem's mount of remembrance, about 50 heads of state, princes and prime ministers. one absentee, the president of poland, angered that he was not invited to speak. this was the horror remembered today, the auschwitz death camp. the nazis killed more than a million here, mostlyjews. it was liberated by the red army 75 years ago. they opened the gates of hell, israel's prime minister said. for many, auschwitz is the ultimate symbol of evil. benjamin neta nyahu used this platform to call

for global action against iran, which he said wanted to develop a nuclear weapon to destroy the jewish state. they threaten the peace and security of everyone in the middle east and everyone beyond. i call on all governments tojoin the vital efforts of confronting iran. the haunting music of a composer sent to auschwitz, who died in the gas chambers. prince charles said the lessons of the holocaust were still searingly relevant, and must not be forgotten. on this day, in this place, and in memory of the millions who perished, let us recommit ourselves to tolerance and respect. as this anniversary is marked here at yad vashem, jewish officials want to send an urgent warning. they say that violent acts of anti—semitism are on the rise, and thejewish life is

once again under threat in europe. they insist the world's duty to remember is more crucial now than ever. finally, the mourners' prayer, the kadish. recited by a survivor. the message from yad vashem today, never again. orla guerin, bbc news, jerusalem. the international court ofjustice has ordered myanmar to put emergency measures in place to protect rohingya muslims. the court is worried that the minority group is still at serious risk of genocide. the ruling is being seen as a further blow to the reputation of aung san suu kyi, who chose to defend her country's record personally. we all need to reduce our meat and dairy consumption by a fifth to help cut carbon emissions and free up agricultural land for tree planting. that's the recommendation in the latest report from the government's committee on climate change. the changes are needed to meet the uk target to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

it was supposed to be a routine traffic stop in east london. instead pc stuart outten found himself fighting off a man armed with a rusty machete. today mohammed rodwan was found guilty of wounding with intent. our correspondent katharine carpenter reports from the old bailey. a warning her report contains graphic images. it should have been a routine traffic stop. when van driver mohammed rodwan refuses to cooperate, there is a struggle. then pc suart outten is hit with a rusty machete. i start to drag him out of the van, and he starts hitting me

in the head with something. because i'm concentrating on grabbing him, i don't really focus on what it is until i realised that my head is getting wet, quickly. as rodwan raises his machete again, pc outten fires his taser, but the first shot fails. so my thought process then is, "well, i've got one more shot, "and if this one doesn't work, he's going to end up killing me." i need an ambulance now, i've been stabbed! call at 999! hurry up! he was in a very, very serious state. incredibly lucky. without a doubt, his training and his taser saved his life. what the jury here wasn't told was that mohammed rodwan had carried out a machete attack before. back in 1996, he stabbed two acquaintances at a house in east london. they needed surgery, and rodwan, who was using a different name at the time, was sentenced to nine years in prison. i don't believe he was attacking me personally, i believe he was attacking a police officer in uniform. i can't wait to go back out on patrol. mohammed rodwan will be sentenced for wounding with intent

tomorrow. katharine carpenter, bbc news. accident and emergency departments in wales have recorded their worst ever waiting times. only 72% of patients were seen within four hours in december. the target is 95%, but it's never been met. the figures are worse than the latest in england and scotland, but better than in northern ireland. more from our wales correspondent, hywel griffith. the front line for a service that's struggling. every winter brings pressure on these wards, but december saw a record number of patients arrive here at newport‘s royal gwent. only half were seen in a&e within four hours. some in beds, many on chairs or wherever the staff could find space. you have nowhere to go and you cannot do yourjob to the best of your ability. it is extremely difficult but it feels... how can i explain? i suppose it feels like you're in a place where you have no control but you're trying to just deal with what's right in front of you right at that time.

this was the fourth month in a row where a&e waiting times in wales had been the worst ever, but it's the whole system that's suffering. if the a&e is full, then the paramedics can't hand over their patients, and that creates another problem — ambulances stacked up outside hospitals that can't react to 999 calls. ambulance response times have worsened and that, too, can have life—changing consequences. last year, valerie rodrick‘s family waited with her for an ambulance to arrive. she had a chest infection. it didn't start as an emergency but after five hours of waiting, she had a heart attack. they couldn't save her. it was absolutely horrendous. she deserved better than that. the waiting, the stress, the phone calls. i mean, i was doing cpr and trying to be on the phone at the same time, and itjust didn't work. had it come sooner, then i do believe that things might have been different. the nhs in wales is run by labour.

public spending per head here is higher than in england, lower than in scotland, but the waiting times are worse than either. so why? wales does have a significantly older population than the other home countries. it also has had a bit of a culture of perhaps not such rigorous performance management of these targets. they're really a big focus of attention in the english nhs, and that's not really been the case in wales. the welsh labour government says it will inject more cash into hospitals to get through winter. it stands accused of allowing staff and patients to suffer. hywel griffith, bbc news, the royal gwent hospital. she's widely considered one of the best and most prolific strikers in the world now sam kerr is proving it on the european club stage. the australian captain signed on with chelsea over the new year and grabbed herfirst goal for the blues on sunday. jo currie has been speaking to her.

the globalstar bringing an australian brand of football to england. kerr opens up her account... widely regarded as one of the best female players on the planet, sam kerr is quickly making herself at home. i was nervous about coming because it is a big move. cold weather first and foremost! just being further away from home, longer season, all those types of things. i felt like it was not right for me at the time but now i feel like i have been welcomed in by the clu b like i have been welcomed in by the club and! like i have been welcomed in by the club and i feel comfortable here. during her time club and i feel comfortable here. during hertime in club and i feel comfortable here. during her time in australia she scored a record 70 goals and followed that up in the united states with 69 goals, another record. with 38 in 83 appearances for australia there have been few better. her manager chased herfor

two years better. her manager chased herfor two yea rs before better. her manager chased herfor two years before convincing her to sign on at chelsea. the fact she could have earned more money elsewhere shows the continued growth of the league. i did a lot of research on chelsea, on the league, andl research on chelsea, on the league, and i honestly thought the team best for me. i felt they were on the brink of something special and just needed some extra pieces, and i thought i could be part of that and help take them back to where they had been in previous years. born and raised in perth, kerr is auctioning off memorabilia to raise money for victims of the australian bushfires. i honestly think something has got to change. with the amount of people that have died, the amount of animals, and habitats that have been lost it's either now or never for us. we have to change something before it is too late. chelsea are fighting for the wsl title and it

touches like this from kerr... that could make all the difference. jo currie, bbc news, kingston. a woman, believed to be britain's oldest surviving female veteran who served in the second world war, has died at the age of 108. anne robson was born in duns in berwickshire in 1911. in 2018 these soldiers helped her celebrate christmas. she joined the auxiliary territorial service “11942 and rose to the rank of major. she was an assistant inspector of physical training. anne was living in a care home in edinburgh when she died. time for a look at the weather. here's louse lear. ijust i just wanted to show that it can ijust wanted to show that it can be gloomy but also quite glorious. absolutely glorious today in penzance, i know it was cloudy with spots of drizzle but most areas of the country were cloudy. favoured spots in eastern scotland and north—east england was glorious, and

in wales so there were some places that looks like this but you were very lucky indeed. with those clear skies, we might just very lucky indeed. with those clear skies, we mightjust see the holes continuing through the night and here we could have a touch of light frost but generally speaking overnight it stays quiet and cloudy, mild and murky with mist and fog around as well. more persistent rain drifting south across west coast of scotla nd drifting south across west coast of scotland and northern ireland. this weather front will sit here through the morning and then retreat up to northern scotland as well. favoured spots again eastern areas but we stay quiet and relatively dry, but again pretty grey and gloomy. top temperatures on friday of around 9 degrees. it's almost a repeat performance for the start of the weekend so a good deal of usable weather but not much in the way of sunshine. hopefully with more breeze we will see some glimpses from time to time, but the real change arrives for the second half of the weekend. this frontal system will bring wet

and windy weather in, sweeping south—east and will pretty much ground to a halt through sunday afternoon in the south—east corner. a blustery star to sunday, some of the rain quite heavy, and even when it clears it leaves a trail of showers, and noticeably cooler in the north. showers could turn wintry even at lower levels by the end of the day. this opens the floodgates for a wet and windy start of the week next week, i'm afraid. so enjoy the gloomy weather while you can. louise, thank you very much. a reminder of our top story... china shuts down public transport in several major cities in an attempt to contain the coronavirus. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

hello, this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines: several people are being tested for coronavirus in the united kingdom. all the victims are thought to have travelled there from china, where the virus originated. a bbc news investigation finds seven babies may have died unnecessarily at an nhs trust in kent. the number of crimes that result in a charge or caution by police hits a new low — just one in every 1a cases. a man has been found guilty of wounding with intent after he attacked a police officer with a machete in east london. world leaders gather injerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the auschwitz death camp in occupied poland. in a moment, it will be time for sportsday.