0:00:05 > 0:00:12A red alert in Scotland, as heavy snow hits large parts of the UK.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14It's the highest level of weather warning, meaning
0:00:14 > 0:00:16lives could be at risk.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19People are told not to travel in the affected parts of Scotland.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22We wouldn't be advocating people going out in this kind of weather.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Stay warm, stay safe, and let us come to you.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Sub-zero temperatures have blanketed the whole of the UK today.
0:00:29 > 0:00:35Thousands of schools have been closed.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37There've been major problems and long tailbacks on the roads.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39In Nottinghamshire, the A1 was closed in both directions,
0:00:39 > 0:00:40after an accident involving 16 cars.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42We'll have the latest from our correspondents
0:00:42 > 0:00:45in Glasgow and Durham, as well as the situation
0:00:45 > 0:00:51across the rest of the UK.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53And there is a lot of more snow to come.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54Also on the programme tonight:
0:00:54 > 0:01:02Former Prime Minister Sir John Major urges Theresa May to put country
0:01:02 > 0:01:04country before party - and possibly a second referendum -
0:01:04 > 0:01:06on a Brexit deal.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Nobody can truly know what the will of the people may then be.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14So let Parliament decide, or put the issue back to the people.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17More than 5,000 jobs at risk, as two big High Street names -
0:01:17 > 0:01:25Toys R Us and Maplin - collapse.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26The Royal Four's first official engagement,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29as Prince Harry jokes that they're stuck together for the
0:01:29 > 0:01:30rest of their lives.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32And coming up on Sportsday, on BBC News:
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Heading up Wembley way for the first time in a decade -
0:01:35 > 0:01:43League One Rochdale play Spurs again in their FA Cup fifth-round replay.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02The Met Office has issued a red alert -
0:02:02 > 0:02:06its highest weather warning - across large parts of Scotland,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09as heavy snow falls and the cold weather intensifies.
0:02:09 > 0:02:17It's the first red warning issued for snow in five years,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and people in this area - which stretches from Glasgow
0:02:19 > 0:02:23to Edinburgh and up to Perth - are being told to avoid all travel.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25This is what temperatures looked like first thing this morning
0:02:25 > 0:02:28across the whole of the UK.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Everywhere was below zero, with Farnborough, in Hampshire,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35the coldest, at minus 11.7.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Snow has fallen across large parts too, with more than 22 centimetres
0:02:38 > 0:02:40in Boulmer, in Northumberland.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42And many more schools were closed today -
0:02:42 > 0:02:43thousands across England, Wales, Scotland
0:02:43 > 0:02:45and Northern Ireland.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47In a moment, we'll hear from Danny Savage.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52But first, to Lorna Gordon.
0:02:52 > 0:02:59In Glasgow. Yes, when that red warning came into
0:02:59 > 0:03:04force, the areas affected in central and Southern Scotland to all intents
0:03:04 > 0:03:11and purposes have been grinding to a halt. The trains here on out off in
0:03:11 > 0:03:16Scotland's big city Glasgow, there is now no public transport services.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And most roads, including the busy motorways, they are almost empty of
0:03:20 > 0:03:26traffic. Where they are not empty on roads like the 80, drivers have been
0:03:26 > 0:03:27stuck for hours.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32At the tail end of winter, the highest alert for snow.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35The driving treacherous, the disruption widespread.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Heading out in these conditions not advised.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41This, the first time Scotland has had a red weather
0:03:41 > 0:03:45warning of this kind.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48In force for a large swathe of the country's most
0:03:48 > 0:03:56heavily populated areas, frequent showers, drifting snow
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and the extremely low temperatures means some rural
0:03:59 > 0:04:05communities could become cut off.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Is it OK to come in?
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Hello, Marjorie.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11In the village of Bishopton, on the outskirts of Glasgow,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15the local Minister has been looking in on the elderly and formidable.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17In this kind of weather, it's good for everyone to look out
0:04:17 > 0:04:18for their neighbours?
0:04:18 > 0:04:21It is indeed, that is right, and even the smallest
0:04:21 > 0:04:22gesture can be a help.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Checking in on everyone and just checking to see
0:04:24 > 0:04:25they are safe is important.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28We wouldn't be advocating people going out in this kind of weather.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Stay warm, stay safe, and let us come to you.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33The weather today is brutal.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36There's freezing temperatures across pretty much the whole of Scotland.
0:04:36 > 0:04:44And when the wind blows, it feels much colder than that.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47The school here in Bishopton shut for the day.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Across Scotland, more than 450,000 children have been missing lessons.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I was meant to be working, but Alistair is off school,
0:04:54 > 0:05:02so he came with me.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Take Your Child To Work Day, but for weather reasons?
0:05:05 > 0:05:06Yeah.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I wouldn't normally be off but the schools got closed,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I couldn't get to work, so my boss told me to stay at home
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and work from home if I could, but we ended up sledging.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17In Perthshire, these deer coming down from the hills
0:05:17 > 0:05:19in search of shelter or food.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22One measure, perhaps, of just how extreme this weather has been.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27It is pretty unusual in Scotland, we do have some severe weather but snow
0:05:27 > 0:05:29on the scale whilst not unprecedented is unusual. We would
0:05:29 > 0:05:33have to go back a number of years to see an event like this.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37At least one skier took to the streets, not the slopes, to get
0:05:37 > 0:05:40about. And with conditions so difficult, there are warnings
0:05:40 > 0:05:44tonight drivers could be stuck on some roads for several hours with
0:05:44 > 0:05:47even the gritters struggling to get through.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49The snow and ice has caused serious problems
0:05:49 > 0:05:51across most of the UK today.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54In Lincolnshire, the emergency services called on the Army to help,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57after dozens of road incidents.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Many police forces are urging people not to drive tonight with problems
0:06:01 > 0:06:04on a number of major roads - some of which have been
0:06:04 > 0:06:05completely closed.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The worst affected areas in England have been Kent,
0:06:07 > 0:06:08East Anglia and North-East England.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14Danny Savage is in Durham.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Day three of this Siberian blast and things just got worse.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21This was Cumbria early this morning, but it could have been virtually
0:06:21 > 0:06:24anywhere in Northern and Eastern Britain.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Hundreds of vehicles - on many different routes -
0:06:26 > 0:06:30ended up getting stuck.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34The A46 Lincoln bypass was blocked by stranded lorries.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Further south, in Norwich, it was gridlock in rush hour,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38as the journey to work took hours.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40The poor night girls are still on shift.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42They've been there since half past seven last night
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and no-one can get in.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47We should have just stayed at home really, but someone's
0:06:47 > 0:06:51got to keep the world running, haven't they?
0:06:51 > 0:06:54On the East Coast main line, linking London and Scotland,
0:06:54 > 0:06:55there were numerous cancellations and delays.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59The snow, the travel, it's been a nightmare.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03It's been, yeah, it's been a journey.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07It is the 2:38 train and it has been delayed by,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10like, a couple of hours. So 17:15 is the current time.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Thousands of schools were closed for the day.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Of course, that meant fun in the snow, but you needed
0:07:15 > 0:07:18endurance in the biting wind chill.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22If you took a spin down a country road in Yorkshire,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26this is what it looked like. Beautiful, but treacherous.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31Come on! Come on!
0:07:31 > 0:07:36In rural areas, much has to be done, regardless of the weather.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39All these ewes are pregnant.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41They'll begin lambing in less than three weeks.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46Farmers want this freeze to be over by then.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Sometimes, the weaker lambs would just freeze to death in it.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52That's where most of the problem would lie.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54And the farmer himself getting round the sheep to find
0:07:54 > 0:07:58which ones are in a corner.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00They don't always lamb where you want them to.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04And so you'd have to be out looking, finding them in the snow?
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Yes, yeah.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Up the road, Sunderland was one area badly hit this morning.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10All the buses stopped running at one point,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12as blizzards swept through.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15On the way in, we found Steve trying to free his car,
0:08:15 > 0:08:16which ended up off the road.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19There was a lorry stuck there, so we were sort
0:08:19 > 0:08:20of like stuck behind a vehicle.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23And it was just like a sheet of, well, you can see virtually
0:08:23 > 0:08:24in front of you really.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27A white-out? It really was.
0:08:27 > 0:08:35Even Cornwall got a covering.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42An opportunity for a different kind of boarding in the South-West.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44South-East England ended up on the receiving end as well,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46adding to the accumulations in Kent and neighbouring counties.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49The capital received its heaviest snow
0:08:49 > 0:08:51for several years, with canals freezing over.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53The reality again is that the severity of snowfall varied widely.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59There is no sign of things getting better yet.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Much of the attention over the next 24 hours is going to be on Scotland
0:09:03 > 0:09:07with that red weather warning in place. But there is still a very
0:09:07 > 0:09:11serious situation in other parts of England and Wales. The critical
0:09:11 > 0:09:14incident declared by the Chief Constable of Lincolnshire police,
0:09:14 > 0:09:19calling in the Army to help with medical work and getting people to
0:09:19 > 0:09:28and from hospital. There has been a major accident in Nottinghamshire,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32on the A1, 16 vehicles involved. Schools in South Wales, many will
0:09:32 > 0:09:36not open until next week because of the severe weather. Transport
0:09:36 > 0:09:40networks not quite paralysed, but it is really in places and the rock
0:09:40 > 0:09:46last train to London from the room was three hours late. It shows how
0:09:46 > 0:09:49difficult the situation is for people getting around in the UK at
0:09:49 > 0:09:54the moment. From Durham, thank you. And there
0:09:54 > 0:09:58are warnings that the West is not over yet. More to come in the next
0:09:58 > 0:10:01two days and we will have a full weather forecast late in the
0:10:01 > 0:10:06programme.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12The Prime Minister has come under pressure over Brexit at home and in
0:10:12 > 0:10:17Brussels. Sir John Major criticised the handling of the proceedings and
0:10:17 > 0:10:22a document was revealed proposing keeping Northern Ireland in a
0:10:22 > 0:10:25customs union and like the rest of the UK if no deal can be reached.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30Theresa May said the idea could not be agreed to. We will hear from so
0:10:30 > 0:10:35John Major in a moment, but first, our Europe editor in Brussels and
0:10:35 > 0:10:38her report does contain flash photography.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41In the historic process in which the UK leaves the EU,
0:10:41 > 0:10:48this is a big moment - the first legal draft
0:10:48 > 0:10:49of the UK's exit treaty.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52So how is it possible, you might ask, to have a draft
0:10:52 > 0:10:53withdrawal agreement already when Brexit negotiations
0:10:53 > 0:11:01are still ongoing?
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Well, this 120-page document is the European Commission's
0:11:03 > 0:11:06understanding of what has been agreed to date with the UK and of
0:11:06 > 0:11:09what it still wants to be agreed.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11So in here, we see that divorce issues which were discussed,
0:11:11 > 0:11:12but not finalised, before Christmas.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15The rights of EU citizens within the UK and UK citizens
0:11:15 > 0:11:16in the EU after Brexit.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Also, the financial settlement, the so-called Brexit Bill.
0:11:18 > 0:11:25And to the Irish border.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Also in here, the transition agreement, but no details
0:11:28 > 0:11:31of a future EU-UK trade deal, because those talks
0:11:31 > 0:11:33haven't even started yet.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36The document's paragraphs on Northern Ireland
0:11:36 > 0:11:39are particularly controversial.
0:11:39 > 0:11:47The EU's chief Brexit negotiator came out today to defend them.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50We have applied imagination and creativity, to find a specific
0:11:50 > 0:11:53solution to the unique challenge that Brexit poses for the protection
0:11:53 > 0:12:01of the Good Friday Agreement.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Mr Barnier said three options had been agreed with the UK to avoid
0:12:05 > 0:12:07the reintroduction of a hard border between Northern Ireland
0:12:07 > 0:12:10and the Irish Republic, but he said the UK hadn't yet come
0:12:10 > 0:12:14forward with details.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17So his backstop solution involves Northern Ireland remaining
0:12:17 > 0:12:21in a customs agreement with the EU and in parts of the single market.
0:12:21 > 0:12:27You must also be aware of the potentially explosive
0:12:27 > 0:12:29effect in the UK of this Northern Ireland protocol.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Is this perhaps intentional, on your part?
0:12:32 > 0:12:38TRANSLATION:I'm not trying to provoke or create shock waves.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40I want these negotiations to be a success.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43But let me remind you that it was the UK's decision to leave and,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45as I've said from the beginning, nobody should underestimate
0:12:45 > 0:12:47the consequences of this action.
0:12:47 > 0:12:54But the Prime Minister was having none of it.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57The draft legal text the Commission have published
0:12:57 > 0:12:58would, if implemented,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00undermine the UK Common Market and threaten the constitutional
0:13:00 > 0:13:03integrity of the UK by creating a customs and regulatory border down
0:13:03 > 0:13:08the Irish Sea, and no UK Prime Minister could ever agree to it.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11The Prime Minister and the EU do agree a hard border
0:13:11 > 0:13:14between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic must be
0:13:14 > 0:13:17avoided, but the Prime Minister's negotiating position is complicated
0:13:17 > 0:13:18by the Government's reliance for Parliamentary support
0:13:18 > 0:13:25on Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28If we didn't leave the EU to oversee the break-up of the United Kingdom,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30it would be catastrophic economically, never mind
0:13:30 > 0:13:34politically, for Northern Ireland to cut off from its biggest market.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38But this is not where the story ends.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41This document is a first draft, to be amended by EU member states,
0:13:41 > 0:13:46then negotiated with the Government - which has plenty to say about it.
0:13:46 > 0:13:53Katya Adler, BBC News, Brussels.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55The former Prime Minister Sir John Major has called
0:13:55 > 0:13:58on Theresa May to offer MPs a free vote on the final Brexit
0:13:58 > 0:14:00deal, with the option of putting it to the public
0:14:00 > 0:14:01in a second referendum.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Sir John, who campaigned to remain in the EU,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06criticised the UK's approach to Brexit and said many of its red
0:14:06 > 0:14:12lines are unrealistic.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14But a leading Brexit-supporting Conservative MP has described his
0:14:14 > 0:14:15speech as "riddled with errors".
0:14:15 > 0:14:23Our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, reports.
0:14:24 > 0:14:30Stop Brexit! Stop Brexit. The freezing protesters who have taken
0:14:30 > 0:14:35up a permanent place in Westminster might have a new ally. The former
0:14:35 > 0:14:40Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major, who says MPs should be allowed to
0:14:40 > 0:14:44approve or to block the final Brexit deal will give you second
0:14:44 > 0:14:50referendum. Nobody can truly know what the will
0:14:50 > 0:14:54of the people may then be. What the will of the people may then be. What
0:14:54 > 0:14:58the will of the people may then be. Or put the issue back to the people.
0:14:58 > 0:15:05I don't enjoy being out of step with so many of my party. And I take no
0:15:05 > 0:15:13pleasure at all in speaking out as I have today. But it is as necessary
0:15:13 > 0:15:17to speak truth to the people as it is to speak truth to power. This
0:15:17 > 0:15:23decision is far more than a party issue. It is about the future of our
0:15:23 > 0:15:29United Kingdom and everyone who lives in it.His case, Theresa May
0:15:29 > 0:15:35is trapped by her Brexiteers, the current plot has a bad ending.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39She is boxed in by people setting up hurdles that it is very difficult
0:15:39 > 0:15:43for her to jump and very difficult for the European Union to jump. And
0:15:43 > 0:15:47the end product of this no doubt in the minds of those setting those
0:15:47 > 0:15:51hurdles is that the European Union will say no and it will be said, we
0:15:51 > 0:15:55have no agreement because these wicked Europeans and therefore we
0:15:55 > 0:16:00leave with no agreement and a very hard Brexit. That is not in the
0:16:00 > 0:16:03interests of this country.There is a risk from what you have said
0:16:03 > 0:16:06today, it sounds like someone who was on the losing side of the
0:16:06 > 0:16:10document and you don't want to accept it.That is a cheap response
0:16:10 > 0:16:16to anything that is said. The 60 million people who were deeply upset
0:16:16 > 0:16:21that we voted to leave the European Union expected to be absolutely
0:16:21 > 0:16:24silent and accept everything that is said by other people even when they
0:16:24 > 0:16:29believe it to be damaging? That is not real. That is absolutely not
0:16:29 > 0:16:34real. Of course they must speak up. We are a democracy. But is democracy
0:16:34 > 0:16:39not also respecting the result of the referendum.Nobody knew in any
0:16:39 > 0:16:43detail what the outcome of the referendum really meant.The Prime
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Minister relies on the support of a vocal group of Brexit backers. But
0:16:48 > 0:16:52she, like they, has no truck with another vote.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56The Government has given Parliament the right to say whether they agree
0:16:56 > 0:16:59with what we negotiated or not and that will be it. And I think that is
0:16:59 > 0:17:03the right thing to do. We have the lead because the British people have
0:17:03 > 0:17:06said we should leave. Ministers may gnash their teeth at
0:17:06 > 0:17:11this intervention. But it has cheered the other Tory rest of
0:17:11 > 0:17:13troops. John Major is right, we should have
0:17:13 > 0:17:16a free vote. And it is absolutely the will of the people, then this
0:17:16 > 0:17:20process that was begun by the people of this country must be finished by
0:17:20 > 0:17:25the people of this country. But is he really helping? Did he not
0:17:25 > 0:17:28complain his predecessor was a back-seat driver?
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Why should Theresa May tolerate what you're doing this afternoon?
0:17:32 > 0:17:35This is the first occasion I have spoken on this many months. Unless
0:17:35 > 0:17:41my memory serves me ill, Margaret spoke on a weekly basis, not once in
0:17:41 > 0:17:48many months.Hard to believe now the referendum was meant to end Tory
0:17:48 > 0:17:52fights, with the year to go, the future shape of the country at
0:17:52 > 0:17:56stake, there are plenty of scores to settle.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01There was frustration at surge on major's intervention at the moment
0:18:01 > 0:18:05when Theresa May gets striving to hold together an uneasy truce in the
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Tory party, but on his point of view, he chooses his interventions
0:18:10 > 0:18:15and words carefully, and rarely. Clearly, for those inside the Tory
0:18:15 > 0:18:19party, and around the country that don't think this whole battle is
0:18:19 > 0:18:23over, they may well give some comfort. But we will see how to read
0:18:23 > 0:18:28and make answers this amount and the rest of the very, very long list of
0:18:28 > 0:18:39them being put to her door in her own big Brexit speech on Friday.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42The time is just after 6:15. Our top story this evening:
0:18:42 > 0:18:45A red alert in Scotland as heavy snow hits large parts of the UK.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47It's the highest level of weather warning,meaning
0:18:47 > 0:18:48lives could be at risk.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49And still to come:
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Worried about plastic pollution?
0:18:50 > 0:18:55This is the first supermarket in Europe to open a plastic-free aisle.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Coming up on Sportsday on BBC News:
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Ben Stokes is back making the difference for England.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02His man of the match display helps them to a big win over New Zealand
0:19:02 > 0:19:05in the second one day international.
0:19:11 > 0:19:19They've been big high street names for more than 30 years,
0:19:20 > 0:19:28but now Toys'R'Us and the electrical chain, Maplin have both collapsed,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35putting more than 5000 jobs at risk. Toys R Us has 3000 staff.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Maplin employs two and a half thousand people.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Both firms have been struggling with poor sales and increasing
0:19:39 > 0:19:40competition from online retailers.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41Here's our Business Correspondent Emma Simpson.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43# With toys in their millions
0:19:43 > 0:19:44# All under one roof
0:19:44 > 0:19:45# It's Called Toys'R'Us!...#
0:19:45 > 0:19:50It was a force to be reckoned with, pulling in shoppers
0:19:50 > 0:19:53with its American-style megastores. Today, the magic's long gone.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Some stores were already closing to cut costs.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56But it wasn't enough.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58It's a shame, but it's not probably a great surprise.
0:19:58 > 0:20:04It's been on the cards for a while.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And people tend to buy online these days, I think,
0:20:07 > 0:20:08because it's cheaper.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Because I've four children, grown up now, but we always used
0:20:10 > 0:20:14to come here for their toys, so it's a shame.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19So what went wrong for Toys'R'Us?
0:20:19 > 0:20:24They are too reliant on these large out-of-town stores.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26But a lot of their problems are actually self-inflicted.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28They overlooked the importance of online, where about 40%
0:20:28 > 0:20:30of toy sales take place.
0:20:30 > 0:20:38And perhaps more importantly, they've neglected their stores.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Toys'R'Us has been struggling for years, a business weighed down
0:20:42 > 0:20:43by huge amounts of debt.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Its American owners filed for bankruptcy protection
0:20:45 > 0:20:48in the States last autumn.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50And today, this toy story ended with the UK chain effectively
0:20:50 > 0:20:55running out of cash.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58And tonight, the man tasked with rescuing it told me
0:20:58 > 0:20:59that wouldn't be easy.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Whilst we're going to make every effort to sell the business,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04I think realistically there is a small chance that
0:21:04 > 0:21:06someone will come through.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09And if they do, it will be for parts of the business,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and certainly not for the business as a whole, and certainly not
0:21:12 > 0:21:15in its existing format.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20Maplin also collapsed today with more than 200 stores.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22It blamed a slowdown in consumer spending and higher costs.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26It's been a bleak winter for many retailers.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Today, two big casualties, and thousands of jobs on the line.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32The shops are still trading, but for how much longer?
0:21:32 > 0:21:38Emma Simpson, BBC News.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Russia has been readmitted to the International Olympic Committee
0:21:41 > 0:21:43following its suspension from the recent Winter Olympics.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Russia was banned from the Pyeongchang Games over
0:21:47 > 0:21:49state-sponsored doping, and its athletes had to compete
0:21:49 > 0:21:52under a neutral flag.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Two tested positive for drugs but the IOC chose to lift the ban
0:21:55 > 0:21:59after the remaining tests came back negative.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Pupils have made an emotional return to the school in Florida where 17
0:22:03 > 0:22:08pupils and teachers died in a shooting a fortnight ago.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Students were embraced by police officers as they entered the Marjory
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Stoneman Douglas High School to resume classes.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16A 19 year old former pupil Nikolas Cruz has been charged
0:22:16 > 0:22:19with 17 counts of murder.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Huge crowds have attended the funeral of the Bollywood
0:22:24 > 0:22:28superstar, Sridevi Kapoor, who died at the weekend in Dubai.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Thousands of fans lined the streets of Mumbai where she was cremated
0:22:30 > 0:22:34with full state honours.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Police in Dubai say the 54 year old drowned in a bath,
0:22:37 > 0:22:38after losing consciousness.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40She was one of India's best known film stars,
0:22:40 > 0:22:48and had appeared in about 300 films.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51There is more pressure on retailers and consumers to cut down on the
0:22:51 > 0:22:56amount of plastic we use. One supermarket in Amsterdam has become
0:22:56 > 0:22:59the first in Europe to open a plastic free I'll. And Johnson went
0:22:59 > 0:23:05along to find out more.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10On these shelves, all is not what it seems. At first they claim, and I'll
0:23:10 > 0:23:15wear all the packaging is plastic free. This looks like plastic and
0:23:15 > 0:23:20feels like plastic.But it isn't. It's just biomaterials and it will
0:23:20 > 0:23:24compost completely. And quickly? Within 12 weeks.This is the
0:23:24 > 0:23:30supermarket boss opening plastic free aisles across the Netherlands.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35It is what the consumer wants. What you want as a citizen and for your
0:23:35 > 0:23:40children for the next generation. It should be just as simple as that.
0:23:40 > 0:23:46This is the future...Back in Britain, Iceland has taken a lead,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49promising to cut out plastic within five years, starting with paperboard
0:23:49 > 0:23:54ready meal trays. At that is still not entirely plastic free.Not
0:23:54 > 0:23:58entirely plastic free because we have a lining on this material to
0:23:58 > 0:24:03protect it, and also for sealing it. We are determined to remove that
0:24:03 > 0:24:09quickly.But the packaging industry, there is the plastic free I'll, but
0:24:09 > 0:24:13it is a chance to catch up with supermarkets.There are huge changes
0:24:13 > 0:24:20in all sorts of things. I'm not sure.Plastic free implies stripping
0:24:20 > 0:24:26it all away. And as we found with the Dutch situation today, plastic
0:24:26 > 0:24:30is still there, it's just comes in a different name.They are talking
0:24:30 > 0:24:34about reducing plastic, there are plenty of targets, but there is a
0:24:34 > 0:24:38big debate about the best way to kick our habit.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Meghan Markle has joined Prince Harry and the Duke
0:24:40 > 0:24:42and Duchess of Cambridge for their first official
0:24:42 > 0:24:43engagement together.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45They were setting out their charitable vision
0:24:45 > 0:24:47for the future through the work of their personal
0:24:47 > 0:24:52charitable organisation - the Royal Foundation -
0:24:52 > 0:24:54amd Ms Markle will officially join after her wedding
0:24:54 > 0:24:55to Prince Harry in May.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Our Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell reports.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01They are the foursome who will take the Royal family forward
0:25:01 > 0:25:03for decades to come.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05And on stage together for the first time,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08they talked about their mission.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10William said it was to build on what his parents
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and grandparents had achieved.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Hold on to the values that have always guided our family,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20but seek to engage in public life in a way that was updated
0:25:20 > 0:25:21and relevant for our generation.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Attention inevitably focused on the newcomer,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Meghan Markle underlined the relevance of her agenda
0:25:26 > 0:25:30talking about female empowerment.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31You'll often hear people say,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33"You're helping women find their voices."
0:25:33 > 0:25:35And I fundamentally disagree with that, because women don't
0:25:35 > 0:25:36need to find a voice.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39They have a voice, they need to feel empowered to use it,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and people need to be encouraged to listen.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47And I think, right now, in the climate that we're seeing
0:25:47 > 0:25:51with so many campaigns, I mean, Me Too and Time's Up,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55there's no better time than to really continue to shine
0:25:55 > 0:25:58a light on women feeling empowered, and people really helping to
0:25:58 > 0:25:59support them, men included in that.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Meghan said she was looking forward to hitting the ground running
0:26:02 > 0:26:03after her wedding.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Sitting next to her, her future sister-in-law.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09So how is it working as a foursome?
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Working as family does have its challenges, of course it does.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14The fact that everyone's laughing means that everybody knows
0:26:14 > 0:26:19exactly what it's like. LAUGHTER
0:26:19 > 0:26:21But, look, you know, we're stuck together
0:26:21 > 0:26:23for the rest of our lives, so... LAUGHTER
0:26:23 > 0:26:25This is true. Togetherness at its finest.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Togetherness, yeah, yeah.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Together and seeking to make a difference.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Nicholas Witchell, BBC News.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38Time for a look at the weather. Here's Louise Lear.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Subzero temperatures across the whole of the UK first thing this
0:26:41 > 0:26:45morning but it feels colder.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48It has been really miserable, temperatures on your thermometer
0:26:48 > 0:26:52felt like this, 1 degrees, but factor in the wind chill, the beast
0:26:52 > 0:26:57from the East we have been talking about, and it probably felt like
0:26:57 > 0:27:03more -6, wind gusts 30-40 mph, so it is miserable and will spay cold for
0:27:03 > 0:27:12the next few days. You can find these on the BBC weather Web page,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14issued by the Met office, the weather warnings which we don't talk
0:27:14 > 0:27:21about national, that means to be aware four issues. The Amber weather
0:27:21 > 0:27:26warnings, be prepared, some disruption and the red warning, we
0:27:26 > 0:27:30only get one or two of these issued a year. The last time we had a
0:27:30 > 0:27:37weather warning, red warning, full slow was in 2013, this means take
0:27:37 > 0:27:40action. Take note that the weather forecast is going to be really
0:27:40 > 0:27:47hideous. We are likely to see more snow as well in these areas, 10-20
0:27:47 > 0:27:51centimetres, perhaps, as we go through the night. Don't travel in
0:27:51 > 0:27:56these areas unless you have to. It will be a bitterly cold start to the
0:27:56 > 0:28:00day with temperatures well below freezing, any lying snow will freeze
0:28:00 > 0:28:05over. Through the day, we run the risk of showers across parts, and
0:28:05 > 0:28:09down into the south-west, cloudy with outbreaks of snow developing as
0:28:09 > 0:28:14well across the Channel coast into Wales and may be behind it and we
0:28:14 > 0:28:21have freezing rain. It will develop into Friday, with significant snow
0:28:21 > 0:28:24across the south-west into Wales and Northern Ireland. You need to keep
0:28:24 > 0:28:29abreast of the forecast for the end of the working week if you have
0:28:29 > 0:28:32significant travel plans. The emphasis could still change
0:28:32 > 0:28:36slightly. Amber weather warnings, be prepared for some disruption across
0:28:36 > 0:28:41the south-west, the snow will continue to track north and east as
0:28:41 > 0:28:45we go through the day. That said, it should be a slightly quieter story
0:28:45 > 0:28:49across much of eastern Scotland, still a few showers but not be
0:28:49 > 0:28:53significant showers we see in comparison, and a better day across
0:28:53 > 0:28:56the north-east of England. Still wintry grip across the country in
0:28:56 > 0:29:00the next few days, keep watching the weather forecast. We will update
0:29:00 > 0:29:05you.
0:29:05 > 0:29:12That's all from the BBC News at Six -- so it's goodbye from me -