this is bbc news. the headlines at 11:00: the death toll in china rises to at least 200, as the world health organization declares the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. over the past few weeks, we have witnessed the emergence of a previously unknown pathogen which has escalated into an unprecedented outbreak and which has been met by an unprecedented response. britons trapped in the chinese city at the centre of the outbreak are given permission to fly home. the flight is due to leave around now. a massive relief. i cannot wait to get back. to get away from everything and de—stress, i think.

they'll be taken here, to an nhs centre on the wirral, where they'll be held in quarantine for a fortnight. the risk here in the uk has been raised from low to moderate. the number of rape prosecutions in england and wales has fallen sharply again. i think it is really important that people do report but, at the same time, my gut instinct is to just say, don't bother. the future of the high speed rail network hs2 — crucial talks tonight, as the government looks set to give the go—ahead. nike's controversial trainers that helped kipchoge run a sub two hour marathon — now world athletics bosses are expected to announce tighter regulations. judy dench, joe pesci, the irishman... and she's won the same number of oscars as meryl streep — we speak to the award winnng costume designer, sandy powell.

and at 11:30 we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers, with our reviewers — political writer and academic, maya goodfellow, and the deputy political editor of the daily mail, john stevens. the world health organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak in china a global health emergency. at least 200 people have now died and almost 8000 have been infected. tonight, a chartered flight will evacuate 150 britons from wuhan — the city at the centre of the outbreak. they'll land back in the uk tomorrow morning and will be taken straight to an nhs site in north—west england and kept there in isolation for 1h days. china has now effectively quarantined more than

50 million people in wuhan and its surrounding province, but the virus has now spread to every region in china. cases of the virus have now been confirmed in 19 other countries, including australia, america, japan, india as well as germany and france. tonight italy has confirmed its first cases. so far there have been no confirmed cases in the uk. from beijing, john sudworth reports. wuhan‘s medics are locked in a daily battle against this epidemic, with infections still rising steeply. but for trapped british residents, at last a way out. yeah, it's a massive relief. can't wait to get back now and just sort of get away from everything and de—stress, i think. from the rendezvous point at a motorway toll booth, those travelling face multiple health screenings, a bus ride to the airport, then a wait for the flight. but for some there's been serious confusion, especially mixed nationality

families like adam bridgeman, his chinese wife sue, and their newborn son austin, with the uk authorities unable to say if they can get on the flight. they couldn't tell me whether or not my wife or my son would be allowed on the plane. they said that's a matter for the chinese authorities, and the chinese authorities would decide on a case—by—case basis. so that leaves you still stranded in wuhan. what does it mean for the baby? the main worry is medical care. if he gets sick, then we're in trouble. we've heard from at least one other family in a similar predicament, unable to board the plane. but the confusion seems odd. after we sent our own questions to the chinese foreign ministry, we received this fax saying that chinese nationals would be able to accompany their british family members on the flight. we've passed the information on to the uk authorities.

in wuhan, two large brand—new hospitals are being built in little more than a week. but existing hospitals are publishing desperate appeals for medical supplies. and fear is spreading. this unverified video shows a family from wuhan, living elsewhere in china, having their door sealed shut. remarkably, some criticism of the authorities is being allowed to go uncensored. this doctor lambasts what he calls communists who love to shout out slogans. i'm natalie, this is jamie. natalie francis is british but her son has a chinese passport. shortly after we received our fax, they got a call from uk officials. they called us about 20 minutes ago

and said that there's a good guarantee that they will allow jamie on the plane. in a chaotic race to get out, relief for those who make it, further anguish and uncertainty for those who don't. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. here the risk level has been raised from low to moderate by the uk's chief medical officers after the world health organisation decaled the corona virus outbreak a global public health emergency. decaled the coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency. here's our medical correspondent fergus walsh. it takes just one international flight it takes just one international flight to carry the coronavirus around the world that's why airports are attempting to screen passengers. it is the fear of what the virus could do in poorer countries that has prompted the world health organization to act. the main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in china but

because of what is happening in other countries. our greatest concern is the potential for the virus is spread to countries with wea ker virus is spread to countries with weaker health systems. the world health organization defines a public health emergency of international concern as an extraordinary event which requires a co—ordinated international response. the past 20 yea rs, international response. the past 20 years, it has been declared five times for the swine flu pandemic, polio, to ebola outbreaks and the zika virus. travel and screening at apple, boosting resources for containing the virus and spending on research into treatments and vaccines among the processes. we we re vaccines among the processes. we were given access to these laboratories in santiago were

scientists are racing to develop a vaccine to protect people from infection. usually that process ta kes yea rs infection. usually that process takes years but it could be reduced two months according to a british scientist, after china shared the genetic code of the virus. we received the sequence from the chinese government. we worked overnight and the next day we designed a vaccine. we immediately put the vaccine into manufacture and we hope that it will be entering into human clinical trials by early summer. into human clinical trials by early summer. that timeline is absolutely unprecedented and vaccine development. in the uk, the repatriation flight will land in oxfordshire tomorrow morning. then the british nationals will be driven 170 miles by coach to harrow park hospital in wirral, then quarantine

for 1h days house in former staff accommodation blocks. our health correspondent dominic hughes has been outside arrowe park hospital this evening. why are they coming here? the truth of it is, this has been arranged very much at the last minute. this is somewhere that had enough accommodation to houses that 150 people for 1h days and should they need it, they will be cared for and monitored by doctors and nurses who work here at arrowe park hospital. will they be kept isolated in individual rooms? will they be treated as one big group? will they socialise and eat together? what happens if one falls sick during that period? happens if one falls sick during that period ? the happens if one falls sick during that period? the raising of that threat from low to moderate by the chief medical officers of the uk, they say it is not so much of the individual, the threat to

individuals has changed but that the government needs to be prepared for all eventualities. the number of people being prosecuted for rape in england and wales has fallen, again. from march 2018—2019 there were just over 3,000 rape cases taken to court. but that dropped to just under 2,500 in the 12 months to september last year. the crown prosecution service — the body responsible for criminal prosecutions in england and wales — says it's now publishing figures more often, because of concerns over the plummeting prosecution rate. our home affairs correspondent june kelly has been speaking to one woman about her experience. zoe says she became a rape victim in her first term at university. she went back to a male student's flat after an evening out. she says she was being polite, and didn't want to hurt his feelings. he immediately locked the door. and then he said that he had a gun. and he pointed it at me, and asked me if i was scared.

i went completely numb. i know that, at some point, he started to sexually assault me. and then have sex with me. but ijust zoned out completely. ifelt so kind of... i mean, isuppose the word is violated. just so... the whole kind of thing, like i can wash and wash, but i can never be clean. she describes how, as a result, she dropped out of university. her life unravelled as she became suicidal, and she started taking drugs. it was only years later, when she began volunteering with a women's charity, that she says she realised what had happened to her was rape. i suppose back then, in my head, i didn't necessarily go, "that was rape". because, in my head, rape was something that... kind of like the whole rape myth thing of it's a stranger in a dark alley. she went to the police.

they investigated and passed the case to the crown prosecution service. but they gave her various reasons for not charging. they said she hadn't appeared threatened by the gun, and that her alleged attacker said she consented to sex. when they talk about the legal definition of consent, you have to have the freedom to choose. i don't see how taking someone into a room and locking the door, and then saying they have a weapon, in any way gives you the freedom to choose. what is happening with rape complaints? while rape allegations in england and wales are at a record high, prosecutions are continuing to fall. the lawyer who heads the crown prosecution service stresses there's been a drop in cases being passed to them by the police. and he has this message for complainants. if you're a victim of the devastating offence of rape, come forward. do not delay. come to the police. tell your story. do so in the knowledge that it will be taken seriously. and zoe's response? i think it's really important

that people do report. but at the same time, my gut instinct is to say don't bother. the cps denies claims from women's groups that more difficult cases are not being taken to court. but now the victims' commissioner has joined these campaigners in calling for an independent inquiry into the way the criminal justice system deals with rape allegations. june kelly, bbc news. if you've been affected by this story, details of organisations offering information and support with sexual violence are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free, atany time, to hear recorded information on 0800 077 077. the prime minister has been holding talks on the future of the controversial hs2 railway tonight, as the government appears poised to give the scheme the go ahead. the chancellor sajid javid has

signalled his support, the chancellor sajid javid has signalled his support, despite the project's mounting costs. the high speed line would link london with birmingham and then on to northern england. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. over here is a line of trees and hedgerows that run along the edge of calvert jubilee nature reserve. these will all be taken out by hs2. big projects will always affect someone's backyard. there is going to be a swath of the nature reserve that is taken away. lindsey batham is one of many who fear the project will spoil her part of the buckinghamshire countryside. but the diggers have long been at work. billions have already been poured into high—speed rail, designed to provide extra capacity on the lines and fasterjourneys from london to the midlands, then eventually onto manchester, leeds and beyond.

reporter: is it a green light? ministers are nervous about the enormous cost, but have to make a decision soon. the chancellor is ready to say yes and is meeting with the prime minister and the transport secretary tonight. it is the case that this is the biggest infrastructure decision this country has ever made, the biggest in europe. and it's quite right that it's properly and carefully considered, notjust with that network rail evidence, but with everything else. the good news is he won't have to wait too long. there are plenty of backers on the green benches, but simmering hostility, too. if the government were to scrap hsz, which everybody knows is a catastrophic waste of money, he will have a huge amount available for more rail infrastructure in west yorkshire and across the north. i understand you've got some very tough questions for me. making the decision is a big call for borisjohnson, sceptical about the cost of a project whose full benefits might not be felt until these downing street visitors have grown up. but under pressure to say yes, with helpful advice from former

rivals in his ears. it would be nuts to cancel hsz. this is going to connect the north of england and the midlands to the south and help level up the economic geography of the uk. and frankly you can't be a government that says you are committed to the north and committed to infrastructure, as this government does — and i really welcome that — then cancel the biggest transport insfratructure project ever conceived for the north of england. there are the practicalities, the price tag, but of course the politics. hs2 is wildly overbudget and it will take years to complete. but remember the government won the election in part by making big promises to connect the country. to correct the lopsidedness, to things fairer north, south, east and west. some figures in government believe there would be a huge credibility problem if they were to call the whole thing off. downing tools completely seems far—fetched. signs in westminster point to a go—ahead soon. but it's a big choice and not clear yet when and how this project will roll on.

laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the headlines on bbc news: the world health organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. here in the uk, the risk has been raised from low to moderate. the number of rape prosecutions in england and wales has fallen again as the number of suspects charged rises slightly. the prime minister has been holding talks on the future of the controversial hs2 railway tonight, as the government appears poised to give the scheme the go—ahead. the public inquiry into the grenfell tower disaster has been told that companies involved in the refurbishment of the flats were as much to blame for the deaths of the 72 victims as they would be if they had taken aim with a gun and pulled the trigger. the companies deny responsibility and want a guarantee that the evidence they give will not be used in prosecutions. tom symonds reports.

the companies responsible killed those 72 people as sure as if they had taken careful aim with a gun and pulled the trigger. today was the day the bereaved, the people who escaped this, the people who lived in sight of the tower, were given their voice at the grenfell inquiry. in their barristers' largely technical opening statements, sometimes the anger came through. they killed when they promoted their unsuitable, dangerous products in the pursuit of money and a place within the market. and they killed when they entirely ignored their ultimate clients, the people of the grenfell tower. whether it was manslaughter is for the police and the courts, but this was their evidence. the kensington and chelsea management organisation was the client for the refurbishment of the tower. another victim's barrister said it had obsessed with cutting costs.

the tmo seems to have given no thought and asked no questions as to whether performance, including safety, was in any way compromised by this cost reduction. celotex made the rs5000 insulation. no argument it burns, but e—mails today showed celotex included a 2a—storey tower as one of its sales targets. celotex saw grenfell as being a flagship for the rs5000 product. cladding manufacturer arconic had test results suggesting its product might contribute to a fire, but it has always said it can't be held responsible for how it's used. this internal e—mail in 2014 shows the company hoped to sell to a series of high—rise housing developments, including, spelt wrong, g re nfell tower. this gives the lie to arconic‘s previous narrative that all it does is sell the product, and that it is not involved in the process of persuasion

to get its product onto buildings. and finally, there were the fire safety consultants exova, who produced a series of reports which ignored the fact that cladding would be added. all these companies say they were just part of the project, that the blame lies elsewhere.