this is bbc news. the headlines: the death toll from the coronavirus in china rises to 56. officials warn the spread of the virus is accelerating and the country faces a grave situation. today, a grave situation. the chinese government has said today, the chinese government has said there is evidence that it is actually getting stronger and its transmission. and because of that, many specialists are seeing it is already too late. the foreign office is urging britons to leave the province where the outbreak began and is advising against further travel there. a member of the grenfell tower inquiry panel resigns over links with the firm that supplied the tower block's deadly cladding. a child is pulled from the rubble, as emergency teams search for survivors in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that struck turkey on friday.

the dangers of smart motorways which operate without a hard shoulder. ministers are set to act after dozens of deaths in five years. another chance! he has done it ain! liverpool stunned as league one minnows shrewsbury fight back to earn a replay in the fa cup fourth round. that and rest of the day's sport in half an hour. the government has said it is looking at all options to help britons leave areas of china, where the coronavirus has killed 56 people and infected at least 2,000 more. the united states is flying its consular staff out of wuhan, where the virus first emerged. china has stepped up travel

restrictions and banned the sale of wildlife, as it attempts to control the spread of the disease. 0ur correspondent rupert wingfield hayes has sent this report. 0n the outskirts of wuhan, the race is on to beat the coronavirus. every bulldozer and excavator that can be found is being used to clear land for a 1,000—bed isolation hospital. it must be finished in two weeks. the trouble is, it's needed now. chinese officials today admitted the virus is spreading faster and that it can be passed on by people who show no symptoms. there are now growing calls for the british government to evacuate its own citizens from the city as the us is already doing. i think the uk government is aware now that all the transport links are closed so i find it a little bit surprising that we're being told to leave if we can

when there is no possible route. chinese state tv is showing scenes like this, of people treated in modern intensive care units. but videos like this one uploaded to the internet claim to show a different picture of hospitals overwhelmed and staff unable to cope. in beijing reporters mobbed the head of china's cdc as he tried to calm the growing sense of panic. this virus is not as strong or as dangerous as the sars virus was, he says, but it's a new virus so we need time to develop treatment. while the chinese government is now taking decisive measures to contain the spread of this virus, many experts think it is already too late. 0nce study suggests that in wuhan city alone by the end of next week there will be nearly 200,000 infections and that is why senior doctors in hong kong are calling on the government to close the border with mainland china. many places in mainland china are not waiting. these pictures on the internet appear to show villages and towns putting up their own improvised borders, shutting themselves off, making sure travellers

from wuhan cannot come in. wuhan itself is now a ghost town. today this was the centre of a city of 11 million people during the biggest holiday of the year. and rupert also explained how wary we should be about the spread of the virus. certainly people should be watching the development of this virus closely, but panicked, no. there are always two things with novel viruses like this that jumped from animals to human. two questions to be asked. one is how easily do they spread from human to human? and the other is how fatal, or how deadly, are they? in the case of this coronavirus, it seems to spread very easily

from human to human. that's why we are seeing it spreading so fast in china. but the good news is the mortality rate seems to be very low. around 2—3% of people who catch it. so it is possible we will see it spread across china and it is possible it will spread around the world. but the good news, as i said, the mortality rate seems to be low and there are doctors now working on a vaccine. we do have good viral treatments now, much better than in previous pandemics, if you think back to the 1918 flu virus that killed upwards of 20 million people. it's not going to be like that. so, people should be concerned and should watch out for the developments, but no need to panic. meanwhile here, the department of health says that it has carried out 52 tests for coronavirus. all have come back negative. the government says it is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to work with the world health organization and international community. earlier, we spoke to professor peter

piot who is the director of the london school of hygiene andtropical medicine. he explained more about the virus and how it spreads. there are so many unknowns still about this new virus. it is a completely new virus, and it is remarkable that less than two weeks after the first cases occurred on december 29th, that on the 9th of january already the virus was isolated. one of the big questions is, how infectious is it? can you contaminate someone when you are still in the incubation period? if that is the case, we would go for a major epidemic, if not a pandemic. we are at the early stages, let's not forget that this virus was isolated only a few weeks ago and it is very new, but we can't take any risks. what is clear is that the virus is spreading much faster than we anticipated at the beginning. it is all over china, we have cases in a number of countries, although no secondary cases have been documented in countries like

thailand or france or singapore. that is a big unknown as well, but we can't take any risks and we need to make some really serious contingency planning in case there is a major spread of this new coronavirus. and we'll find out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are martin bentham, the home affairs editor at the evening standard, and rachel cunliffe, who's the comment and features editor for city am. families of people who died in the grenfell tower fire have

welcomed a decision by a member of the inquiry panel to resign. benita mehra stepped down yesterday, after it emerged she had links to a company that supplied the cladding on the tower block. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw reports. every year since the grenfell fire, people come to remember those who lost their lives. they hope the public inquiry that's been set up will provide answers as to how the fire took hold, but now there are fresh concerns about the process from survivors and the bereaved after an inquiry panel member resigned with hearings about to resume. benita mehra, who is an engineer, was going to provide expert advice to the inquiry. but it emerged she had a past link to arconic, the company which supplied the external cladding for the tower block. the inquiry has found the cladding did not comply with building regulations and was the principal reason for the rapid spread of the fire. ms mehra said herformer role as president of the women's engineering society, which had accepted a donation from arconic‘s charity, had caused a serious concern to the families.

it's highly unfortunate that this has now happened. the bereaved and survivors should not have been put in this situation. we should be starting the inquiry for phase two with two panel members and now we only have one. the grenfell united group welcomed ms mehra's resignation but accused the government of failing to carry out basic checks before appointing her. it said a new panellist with expertise in community relations must be found urgently. earlier, our home affairs correpsondent danny shaw sent us this update from the site of the tower in west london. the cabinet office has responded by saying that due process was followed in this appointment and that all procedures and checks which should have taken place did take place. officials have also made it clear that the do not believe that benita mehra's links with arconic

would have affected her impartiality in any way. the second phase will go ahead tomorrow without her. joining me now to comment on that is a man who lost six members of his family in the grenfell tower fire. thank you very much forjoining us. what is your response to what the cabinet office has said? all checks were carried out? it was very upsetting and disrespectful in the way that we found out. that they hadn't done their check. it is a big embarrassment. they should have done thorough checks well before. it is totally disrespectful, you know. how has it affected your confidence in the process? well, it just shows. by them not doing theirjob in the inquiry, what they're supposed be doing, everyone has the position what they're supposed to be doing, if they're not doing it, it doesn't give you much confidence.

would you like to see her replaced with someone else or would you like to see a pause before the second phase of the enquiry, before someone else is fine too as engineering expertise? there definitely needs to be a pause. the prime minister promised this extra panel. this is what the families have been fighting for. i hope they keep to their word. this shows another failure in what they see and do, two different things. would you like to see someone who has engineering expertise or community relations expertise? you definitely need someone with community, but then again you have to look at the terms of reference. if the terms of reference are going to be changed, they have to suit the terms of reference. and that is what we and everybody must be looking at. it's very important. do you believe this can go ahead tomorrow as planned ? it shouldn't do.

the government made a promise for the extra panel and it's not there. so it shouldn't do. that will be totally disrespectful and unacceptable for a lot of everybody, as core participants. tell us about your situation now. it's two and a half years on. have you been rehoused? are you beginning to get your life back on track? it's very hard because there are always recurring problems and new problems that come up. so we are never having time to ourselves. the housing is another big problem. i am waiting to be housed. it's not acceptable what they're doing and how they are treating people. you certainly have our sympathies and thoughts. thank you very much for your contribution. so, as you can see here, one person is saying that inquiry should not go ahead tomorrow, despite the government's claims it will go ahead on time.

the second phase of the inquiry which is looking at the refurbishment of grenfell tower and issues regarding building regulations. the government has given its clearest indication yet that the hs2 high speed rail project will go ahead. a formal review of the new line from london to birmingham and the north of engand is taking place, following concerns over rising costs. but today the brexit secretary stephen barclay said the rail link will be a vital part of the uk's transport network. we have a strong commitment to levelling up all parts of the united kingdom. hs2 is a key part of that. notjust from speed, but more from a capacity point of view in the line. and that is a very clear commitment we've given in the north. gut feeling, yes or no? yes. gut feeling yes. let's speak to henri murison

who is the director of the research group, the northern powerhouse partnership. he joins us from ilkey, in west yorkshire. do you show that good feeling that stephen barclay has expressed? do you show that good feeling that stephen barclay has expressed ?|j think stephen barclay has expressed?” think it reflects what borisjohnson said to many of the regional boards —— and much of the regional media in the last few months. business leaders in the north feel strongly. we wrote to the prime minister last friday. northern mps feel strongly. the number keeps increasing. there is significant support for this project. it is unpopular with a number of constituency mps along the route in bucks, that is not the reason to cancel the uk's most

significant infrastructure project. it is critical if we are to create the necessary capacity to enable cities across the north and there we re cities across the north and there were tones from crewe to darlington to be able to thrive and continue to succeed. these are constituencies that voted in conservative mps. it would be unusual for an that voted in conservative mps. it would be unusualfor an incoming government dependent on the north to be so short—sighted. government dependent on the north to be so short-sighted. to what extent is it too late to pull the plug? it was a cup “— is it too late to pull the plug? it was a cup —— supposed to cost 56 billion, then 88. the national audit office says it will cost over 100 billion. there is almost no point in pulling out because it will have cost so much already. the project has huge economic benefits. it is better value for money than a jubilee extension or thameslink. i'm sure many who use that system in

london would say it has benefits. if you take into account the rebalancing of the uk economy, it will bring a large economic value to the uk. this is an expensive project. we need to do more to keep the cost under control. that's why we recommended looking again at the integration between the northern powerhouse east and west lane and hs2. when hs2 was first started ten yea rs hs2. when hs2 was first started ten years ago, george osborne had not committed to a new east west railway and there was no such project. things have changed in the last ten yea rs things have changed in the last ten years and i think this review could highlight how the government could get significant value. it is very expensive. but it's also the only way to get that additional capacity we need that stephen barclay

mentioned, otherwise we will need to put prices up on the west coast main line through the roof for peak time travel. and that doesn't seem an effective way to enable the north in london to grow together. it sounds like a recipe for favouring only the very wealthy and sing to anyone else in the north of england that going to london or birmingham is a luxury thatis to london or birmingham is a luxury that is only preserved for the rich. i don't think that is a sensible economic strategy and certainly not how any other major developed economy is approaching its transport needs. at some times, it's billed as shaving a few minutes off of travelling to birmingham or manchester. you have mentioned capacity. talk to us about the wider benefits the north and the midlands would see. at the moment, manchester and leeds are creaking because they

are having to compete with freight and high sport trains. in stockport, the number of trains you can get into manchester and the number of seats is constrained that there are a lot of people going to london who are on the line. the same is true for going from leeds to wheatfield and doncaster. by building a new your unlock capacity to support the most deprived parts of the country that would benefit from improved connectivity to their major city. and also for freight. people talk about this has been an environmentally negative project. there are benefits for regional economies. you also find that you are able to reduce carbon emissions from freight transport. at the moment, we have to rely on hgvs to transport the vast majority of our freight, largely because that isn't enough capacity on the rail network. if you leave the west coast main line with less and less intercity

services, then you can have more freight. the comparative is building a new six lane motorway across the country. i think the more sustainable and an environmental choice is to build hs2, but to amend the project, taking into account the lessons that can be learned. in particular, north of birmingham, to integrate the railway better with northern powerhouse reel because that will ensure that with a structure like the midlands real hub, you make sure you get your local and regional benefits of this project. because actually the economic success of this is notjust having a new railway, but the capacity benefit as well as the economy and the environment. we have

been doing a lot of work on this and have commissioned a lot of research. there is no alternative to hs2 that brings the same economic benefits. with a cheaper project, just putting more trains on the west coast main line and shutting the real wheat weekend after weekend for years on end, if it was to deliver the same outcomes, i would grudgingly say we need to consider that. of those things don't add up. sceptics, people like lord berkeley who was the dissenting voice who has not decided to side with the rest of the panel on the major recommendations of the panel, he has been an opponent of this for the last decade. the reality is there will a lwa ys decade. the reality is there will always be a number of people who have never like this project and they've taken the most recent challenges as an excuse to cancel it. i would say we need to face those challenges head—on. get costs under control. that means we do for

the panel recommends and take the steps we need to know to keep the cost at something around the £88 billion, 2018 price. when you look at that from a cost benefit perspective, it makes it one of the best value projects with built in the uk. we know that all these projects based on treasury appraisal a lwa ys projects based on treasury appraisal always look like they're quite challenging to make them stack up. but when you add on the multiplier effect, the economic impact as i was greater than the treasury told it would have. even based on the treasury's own rules, this is a good project. it looks even more positive. thank you for your time this evening. emergency teams in turkey are continuing to search for survivors of friday's earthquake in which more than 35 people are known to have been killed. with the latest, here's richard galpin. she is just five years old,

and covered in blood, but this girl is now safe. the rescue team pulling her out from under the smashed blocks of concrete and other debris brought down by the earthquake. for the rescue teams, speed is now essential to save lives in freezing temperatures. this emergency worker using a mobile phone to speak to a family trapped underneath the debris, telling them they must keep awake. in the light of morning, the extent of damage was revealed. this, just one of 30 buildings to have been brought down. and hundreds of aftershocks over the past 2a hours have added to the fear in this earthquake—prone region.

this, just one of 30 buildings to have been brought down. and hundreds of aftershocks over the past 2a hours have added to the fear in this earthquake—prone region. some of the homeless have now found shelter, as the temperature at night drops to —10 degrees. others, though, are out on the streets. richard galpin, bbc news. out of the tragedy there is one lucky survivor — who was rescued from rubble. a mother was giving birth to this baby and the midwife was cleaning the newborn as the quake struck. the hospital say that both the mother and baby are healthy. the government is set to overhaul the smart motorway network after revealing 38 people have been killed on them in the last five years. smart motorways don't have a hard shoulder and drivers who break down can be trapped in the speeding traffic. bbc panorama has found that on one section of the m25, near misses have increased 20—fold since the hard shoulder was taken away. richard bilton reports. smart motorways were meant to ease congestion, open up the hard shoulder for traffic, monitor with technology, close a lane when there's a problem.

we've got huge problems on the m1 at the moment near sheffield... but lives are being lost. jason mercer stopped on the m1 after a bump with another driver. the cameras didn't see them. the lane wasn't closed. they were both killed. they should have been picked up as stationary on the motorway by detectors, camera operators and they weren't, and that lane wasn't closed until after they were dead. without a hard shoulder, the vehicle in trouble has nowhere to go. this van on the inside lane doesn't spot a car in trouble. jesus! and this one onlyjust misses a broken—down vehicle. this is a police officer trying to divert cars out of lane one... and nearly being hit.

there are emergency lay—bys but they can be miles apart. we put in a freedom of information request for one stretch of the m25. one warning sign was out of action for nearly a year, 336 days. there was also a 20—fold rise in near misses — 72 in the five years with the hard shoulder, 11185 in the five years without. the government has told panorama that 38 people have been killed on smart motorways in the last five years. a review into the smart network is under way. if we are going to have smart motorways, we have to have smart motorways that are safe and in my view they need to be safer than the conventional motorway. the results of the review will be announced shortly but panorama understands radar technology will be introduced across the network, along with more emergency lay—bys, to try to improve safety

on the motorways where a breakdown can kill you. richard bilton, bbc news. tributes have been paid to matlock town footballer, jordan sinnott, who died after being attacked during a night out. nottinghamshire police have begun a murder inquiry after the 25—year—old was found in retford with a fractured skull, following two disturbances in the town on friday night. three men have been arrested. victoria hicks reports. jordan sinnott was on a night out with friends in retford butjust before 2am yesterday morning the 25—year—old was found unconscious with head injuries in the marketplace. he died in hospital yesterday evening surrounded by his family. the police say it is unclear whether this incident was linked to an earlier disturbance in a car park involving up to eight men and women at around 11:25pm on friday night. detectives say cctv footage

is a major part of this investigation and they are also keen to hear from any witnesses. we know there are people out there who have seen this incident. we know that there are people out there who may have information about what happened and i want to ask them to come forward. please come and speak to us and tell us what you know, not just for us but forjordan's family. jordan sinnottjoined matlock town on loan. he scored his first career hat—trick in his last game for the club. in tribute, matlock town football club said you weren'tjust a footballer, you were our friend and brother. you gave us incredible memories. rest easy, jordan. we love, miss and will never forget you. matlock town and his former club both postponed their games yesterday as a mark of respect.

matlock‘s game on tuesday has also been postponed. meanwhile, tributes have been paid across the football community. jordan was a great team player, a great professional on the field and a great guy off the field. the professional footballers association has also said it was deeply saddened by the tragic news of his death. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. sunday brought as a day of change after fairly sunday brought as a day of change afterfairly quiet sunday brought as a day of change after fairly quiet and dry conditions last week. this weather front has moved west to east, bringing some rain. a scattering of showers as well. this evening, cloud and rain clear from the east coast, but then we see a rash of showers moving in across the northern half of the uk. some of the service will follow sleet and snow over the higher ground. some ice and snow down to lower levels, particularly parts of northern and western scotland. further south as we had through sunday, sunny spells and showers, especially for the south

coast and towards the south coast of england and wales. for northern ireland and scotland, some wintry showers. feeling a little colder. through the week ahead, after that chilly start with some snow and ice in the north, it turns drier through the middle of the week. once again, mild and unsettled later in the week. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines — the death toll from the coronavirus in china rises to 56. officials warn the spread of the virus is accelerating and the country faces a "grave situation." the foreign office is urging brits to leave the province where the outbreak began, and is advising against further travel there. a member of the grenfell tower inquiry panel resigns over links with the firm that supplied the tower block's deadly cladding. the government hints that the hs2 high speed rail project will go ahead, even though a formal review of the new line is taking place over

concerns about rising costs. a child is pulled from the rubble as emergency teams search for survivors in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that struck turkey on friday. the dangers of smart motorways which operate without a hard shoulder — ministers are set to act after dozens of deaths in five years. now on bbc news, it's time for sportsday. hello, and welcome to sportsday. i'm gavin ramjaun. shrewsbury come back from the brink to salvage a draw against premier league giants liverpool. england set south africa a record test run chase, as they look to clinch an emphatic series win.