this is bbc news. i'm jane hill. the headlines at three. heavy snow and freezing temperatures are causing travel disruption across much of the uk. motorists are warned of treacherous conditions in the worst—affected areas. glasgow airport reopens after snow caused it to suspend all flights. it's advising passengers to check with their airlines. at least 12 people have died including a baby after a fire at an apartment block in the bronx district of new york. scientists hail a medical breakthrough as bone tissue is re—grown in a lab saving this dog's leg. trials will now see if the technique will work on humans. also, easing the impact of excessive drinking on busy accident and emergency units. the nhs considers making mobile "drunk tanks" a permanent feature across england.

current and former presenters look back at hardtalk over the last 20 years. that's in half an hour here on bbc news. weather warnings are in place for parts of northern england and scotland today after heavy snow and blizzard conditions affected large parts of the uk. glasgow airport was closed for a few hours with flights suspended, but has now reopened. the temperature plunged to —12c at loch glascarnoch in the scottish highlands overnight and forecasters say driving conditions will remain difficult for the rest of the day. judith moritz reports.

grounded at glasgow, flights at the city's airport were suspended after snow settled overnight. the airport reopened by mid—morning, but managers have apologised for the knock—on disruption that was caused. temperatures plummeted in scotland. heavy snow fell in glasgow city centre, and in the highlands the mercury fell to —12 celsius on what the met office described as the coldest night of the year. gritters have been covering the major routes, with everybody keeping an eye on the forecast. conditions are constantly changing at this time of the year. even with the detailed forecasts we get, we can't always get it 100% right. in daylight, the gritting continued. motorways remained free—flowing. the snow has been falling steadily all morning across swathes of northern england. as predicted, it has been settling most in areas like this just outside huddersfield on the higher ground.

in cumbria, hazardous conditions left some vehicles stranded on the a590. there were also delays on other main roads. but with schools closed and many off work anyway for the holidays, disruption has not been too bad. and there has been plenty of opportunity for snow—themed entertainment. let us find out what conditions are like in edinburgh now. lisa summers is there. it doesn't look like it's stopping the sale shoppers there behind you, lisa? the worst of the weather came through at 11 this morning but it didn't last long, it left a festive dusting in the capital. the worst of the problems have been in the south and west of scotla nd have been in the south and west of scotland where we had ten centimetres of snow in glasgow this morning. that led to a ltd of travel

disruption this morning but largely we got away with any major problems because it's the middle of the festive season. there's been a knock—on effect for travellers at glasgow airport. there have been merry festive scenes in towns and villages across the tri, particularly in fife, dumfriesshire and glasgow. largely, things have been improving and forecasters are saying as temperatures drop, there could be difficult driving conditions later on this evening if you are out and about. we are expecting things to improve. it's a case of largely enjoying the wintry and festive conditions while you can. so hoping and expecting it to improve because we are building up toa improve because we are building up to a very important weekend, of course? well, that is right. particularly here in edinburgh. the organisers of edinburgh's hogmanay are going to have an eye on the forecast and they are saying strong

winds will come in over the weekend and that can cause a lot of problems for the organisers of an event. they are expecting 150,000 people over the next three days here, the festical kicks off tomorrow with a torch light procession, then we have a street party and then a fireworks display. i've been reliably informed that the strong winds should die away on hogmanay so people can enjoy bringing in the new year in good spirits. let's hope so! excellent. thank you very much for now. clash 12 people have been killed in a fire at an apartment building in the bronx district of new york. the city's mayor, bill de blasio, called it the worst fire of its kind in the city in 25 years. the victims, including three children, died on various floors of the five—storey building, as jon ironmonger reports. this report contains flash photography. it is new york's deadliest blaze for decades. fire broke out on the first floor of a five—storey apartment

building and spread rapidly, sparking panic among residents in a busy corner of the bronx district. fire crews arrived at the scene within three minutes, but it was too late for many of the residents. those who managed to escape described the chaos as people rushed to flee the smoke. the fire truck wasn't even here yet when all the smoke and stuff was coming out at first. they weren't even here yet. they started to get everybody out, but people were on the fire escape already trying to get down on their own. that's how fast it was moving. at least 12 people were rescued from the building, as firefighters plucked residents from this fire escape. outside in the bitter cold, locals huddled under blankets. speaking after the fire had been brought under control, new york's mayor bill de blasio called it an unspeakable tragedy. in the middle of the holiday season is a time when families are together. tonight, here in the bronx, there are families that have been torn apart. this is the worst fire tragedy

we have seen in this city in at least a quarter of the century, based on the information we have now. the fire department said it was too early to comment on the cause of the blaze, and the search of the building is continuing. the mayor has warned the death toll could rise further. john ironmonger, bbc news. the new york fire department is due to give an update to journalists at the scene in the next few minutes in theory but we'll keep an eye on that because there may well be more details about the investigation there, we'll keep you up—to—date. police say a woman found murdered in north london had been stabbed and beaten. the body of iuliana tudos who was 22 and from moscow was discovered on wednesday in finsbury park, near her home. it's thought she might have been attacked on christmas eve.

a further 29 people in urgent need of medical assistance have now been transferred to damascus, from a rebel—held area near the syrian capital, in a deal with the government. the un says nearly 500 people are in urgent need of medical care in ghouta. 18 children and six women were among those taken out over the past few days. two men have appeared in court via video link charged with terrorism offences, relating to an alleged plot for an attack over christmas. 0ur correspondent dominic cascani was at westminster magistrates' court. this morning's brief hearing here was the first appearance by these two men charged with the very serious offence of preparation of an act of terrorism. the two men charged are andy sami star, the owner

of the mermaid fish bar on sheffield road in chesterfield, and fahad salah who lives at brunswick road in sheffield. they are jointly charged with preparation of an act of terrorism. in essence this case allegedly comes down to preparations to make a home made bomb. prosecutors told the districtjudge today that the pair jointly researched the chemicals for a bomb, looked into how to construct it, the components involved and also recorded a test explosion of a home—made improvised explosive device which was allegedly recovered from a device during this investigation. now during the case this morning, we heard both men were kurdish iraqis, mr star is a settled refugee who has been in the country for a number of years and has been recently considering becoming a british national. his lawyer told the courts today that his client vehemently denied any involvement in terrorism.

the prosecutors say the heart of this case is a low explosive black powder which was recovered during the operation, but mr star's lawyer said his client had nothing to do with islamic state or terrorism and had in fact been researching making his own fireworks and would plead not guilty at the earliest opportunity once the case goes to crown court. may think his client's efforts were, they were innocent in nature and he will be clear about that when the case comes to court. the districtjudge here at westminster remanded the pair in custody to next appear before the old bailey on the 19th january. the case then could remain in london but it may also be transferred for trial to leeds crown court. the ipcc says a former surrey police officer who investigated jimmy savile would have faced questions of

professional misconduct had he still been a serving officer. the report into surrey police's investigation of allegations of sexual offences byjimmy savile at duncroft school in the ‘70s found the officer failed to pass on details of an alleged indecent assault by savile at stoke mandeville hospital. researchers in scotland have saved the leg of a dog using a new technique to grow bones in the laboratory. the dog, named, eva, would have had her entire leg amputated, were it not for a novel method of creating bone. the treatment on eva is a world first. the team from glasgow university are planning to try it on human patients. pallab ghosh has this exclusive report. there's no holding her back, but last year eva's front right leg

was broken in a road accident. her vet tried everything, but nothing worked. her entire leg was going to be amputated. she had not been able to get out for ten months, other than to the toilet. but to fiona kirkland's delight, her dog was saved by an experimental bone growing technique. it is absolutely fantastic, we're so pleased to have our dog back and fit and healthy. the vet showed me the problem. the blood supply to the edge of the bones had failed, so it was not able to heal the break. the scientists coated the dead areas with artificial bone and afterjust six weeks, it was completely mended. the artificial bone mix was made at glasgow university. it consists of sterilised chips that are coated with bone cells and the chemicals that make them grow, like a fertiliser.

we want to look at treating more dogs and cats who have had broken bones and other areas we can help these veterinary patients, things likejoint fusion where they've had a tendon injury sojoints can be held together to walk properly. researchers are so amazed at the success they have had in treating eva that they want to try out the technique on people. they plan to be the first researchers in the world to grow bone in the lab and put it into a patient in three years' time. these are the people that could be most helped. it is 20 years since princess diana brought the issue of landmine victims to the world's attention. their limbs usually have to be amputated. landmine campaigners are funding the new research so it can be used to grow some bone back and attach an artificial leg. if they are able to have a prosthetic limb, it would make

all the difference to their life, being able to provide for the family instead of having to be a burden on the family. it has been a happy outcome for eva and her owners. thousands of people could soon benefit from a technology that has put a spring back in her step. let's speak now to the vet who performed the surgery on eva. william marshall is in our glasgow studio. very good afternoon. good afternoon. just to clarify, was this absolutely the first time you had ever carried out a procedure like this on an animal? it was, absolutely, the first time we'd ever used this technology. the thing that was really novel about it is the way that we delivered some growth

factors to eva's fractured bone in order to allow that bone to heal. yes. we spoke to one of the scientists who developed this from the university in the last hour. in terms of the techniques for you, as a vet, did it mean you had to do a lot of things differently. i'm talking very much in lay language here, you will appreciate, but what was different about this operation for you, was it daunting? well, the surgery for you, was it daunting? well, the surgery itself as far as stabilising the fracture was fairly routine. there was a lot of metal work involved because it was a fracture that really needed a lot of help to heal. but it wasn't particularly daunting. wejust heal. but it wasn't particularly daunting. we just had to heal. but it wasn't particularly daunting. wejust had to do something a bit different. we had to collaborate closely with the guys in the lab and get the timing right, that was the main thing. they essentially brought the technology directly from their lab in a taxi to

the operating theatre. so it was a timing thing really in getting it to the right place at the right time. absolutely. so what does it mean in terms of, does it alter the dog's recovery time and how do you monitor her progress, do you see her periodically to see how this new technology is working? yes. eva still comes to the hospital for physiotherapy and we see her for that on a regular basis and i see her occasionally when she's in. what was remarkable was how quickly the bone healed. we took x—rays a few weeks after surgery and the bone was healed. we have had ongoing follow—up from there. she's done very well. she's not perfect. the bone has healed, no doubt about that, but we are very pleased that she's been able to keep her leg. she's done extremely well. and you

could have carried out that technique on any animal presumably? any species — i think that's possible, yes. we may well look to other species but eva just happened to be the first patient who came along that needed that kind of help. yes. she would have lost her leg had you not had this option, is that correct? that's correct. we'd already operated her fracture correct? that's correct. we'd already operated herfracture in conventional ways a couple of times and really had run out of options. that's why we went to this new technique so yes, that is what she was looking at and i'm very pleased she managed to avoid that. of course. i appreciate you're a vet, your focus is on the animal kingdom, of course, but broadly, how excited are you about the possibilities for this sort of technique, whether we are talking about animals or humans? yes, i'm excited about it. the

problem that eva had is a bad problem. it's an uncommon problem in dogs but when it's happened it's a difficult thing to turn around. if we have something new in our armoury that can help us turn this problem around, it can be beneficial in dogs and in people, you know, i've seen the kind of injuries that people face and could really use help with using this technology. well, william, it's really good of you to give up part of your afternoon during the festive season. thank you very much for talking to us, lovely to talk to you, thank you very much indeed. thank you. eva's vet. let me remind you that eva's vet. let me remind you that eva and her owner will be on bbc news after 4 so we'll assess for ourselves how she is doing and hear about her recovery. wonderful story. the headlines on bbc news: there are warnings of delays to road, rail and air travel and possible power cuts because of snow and ice.

glasgow airport has now reopened after snow caused it to suspend all flights. at least 12 people are dead including a baby after a fire at an apartment block in new york's bronx district. scientists at glasgow university are to begin trials to see if a newly—discovered technique for regrowing bone tissue in this dog will work on humans. right now it's time for the sport. england's cricketers still have a chance of winning the fourth ashes in melbourne but they are going to have to hope that the weather is kinder than it was today because rain stopped play on day four with australia 103—2 in their second innings. they trail england by 61 runs. at last for england some hope,

a chance to cheer without lurking fear. to read and not weep. why isn't alastair cook on the front cover. . . that isn't alastair cook on the front cover... that score remained correct. cook's third day of batting lasted one ball. he watched it. jimmy andersen hit it, bancroft caught it. england needed to bowl in a similarfashion. waiting worked initially, they removed bancroft then produced enough movement to tempt the opponent. england were ahead and making the best of a wearing ball. they were warned about scuffing the ball on the pitch but some on australian television made more serious accusations to england's obvious irritation. as $0011 england's obvious irritation. as 50011 as england's obvious irritation. as soon as i saw the headlines, i raced into the umpires and that was their words actually, nothing to worry about, absolutely fine. england's next obstacle was australia's rock. smith reached the boundary occasionally. england shut off the ta ps occasionally. england shut off the taps but couldn't dry everything up.

showers turned to storms, play finished at three. england denied by very english conditions at the mcg. they are the only side with a realistic chance of winning this test and the weather on the final day looks clearer. the continuing presence of steve smith at the crease is a dark cloud looming over them. andy murray is making his long—awaited comeback from a hip injury ina long—awaited comeback from a hip injury in a match in abu dhabi this afternoon. it was jockville due injury in a match in abu dhabi this afternoon. it wasjockville due to play but on the advice of his medical team, he's withdrawn —— djokovic. djokovic hasn't played since pulling out of the quarter—final with an elbow injury at wimbledon. murray is taking on his opponent which is getting under way and murray's lost the first four games in fact. sam allardyce's admitted his club are in need of a new striker. the comments come as

the club are linked with a number of names. sam alla rdyce the club are linked with a number of names. sam allardyce refuse toad be drawn on names before tomorrow's match with bournemouth but he says the side aren't as sharp as they need to be upfront. we would be actively looking for a front man in this window. i need more goals in this window. i need more goals in this side than we have at the moment if we are to just this side than we have at the moment if we are tojust maintain our position. we have started to create chances and score goals in recent matches, so it's still one of the major problems that. with another sensational performance from jamie lewis in the darts championships at ally pally. he's through to the semi—final afters whitewashing darren webster 5—0. he'd beaten peter wright to get to the quarter—finals. he'll face phil taylor or gary anderson in the last four. that is all the sport. more in

an hour. a huge fire at an office and restaurant complex in india's financial capital mumbai has killed at least 1a people and injured several others. most of the victims are thought to be young women who were attending a birthday party. sanjoy majumder reports. the fire broke out on a rooftop restaurant in a popular commercial district in the heart of mumbai. within minutes, it spread, first to a bar next door and then through the entire building. most of the victims were women attending a party at the bar. those who escaped described the terrifying moments as they desperately tried to get out. there was a stampede and someone pushed me, one of the survivors tweeted. people were running over me even as the ceiling above me was collapsing in flames. still don't know how

i got out alive. the bbc‘s gujerati service editor was at the restaurant and has this eyewitness account. suddenly, we heard somebody screaming that there is a fire, everybody please run that way. he was pointing towards the fire exit. within seconds, before we could gather what went wrong, there was a stampede. in less than three minutes after the fire started, all of the area was engulfed in fire. before anyone, including us, could reach the staircase, the first place to catch fire completely was the fire exit. the blaze was eventually put out early in the morning. the structure completely gutted. it was located in a congested neighbourhood that once housed the city's colonial era textile

mills, and is now filled with bars, restaurants and offices. some are still located in the old factories, others in high—rise glass and steel towers. but many of them lack proper safety systems and emergency exits. an investigation has now been ordered to determine what caused the fire. two shop owners have been killed south of cairo. ten people were killed in a separate gun attack on a church in the same district. 0ver the last year, more than 100 christians have been killed in bombings and shootings in egypt. the ftse100 has ended the year at a record high. the main index of shares listed in london ended 2017 at 7,687,

up 7.6% on last year. the mining sector saw the biggest gains this year while utilities such as water and electricity were the weakest. the head of the nhs in england, simon stevens, says he's considering the routine deployment of mobile alcohol recovery units, nicknamed drunk tanks, to reduce hospital admissions. up to 70 per cent of visits to a&e departments on friday and saturday nights are linked to excessive drinking. adina campbell reports. binge drinking at its worst — a big headache for police and a burden for the nhs. it's estimated up to 15% of attendances at emergency departments in the uk are alcohol—related. at this time of year that number is significantly more, with as many as 70% of attendances at a&e because of drinking. the uk's first mobile drunk tank

was introduced in bristol three years ago, and there are have been others in manchester, cardiff and newcastle. a supervised area in a city centre, it offers those who have had too much to drink a chance to be checked over by medical staff and sleep off the alcohol, keeping them away from a&e or a police cell — and now nhs england says it is considering routine use of the facility. we think that these facilities do have the potential to take the pressure off a&e departments. that's why they have been opened in some areas of the country. but we are interested in looking at them further and seeing the results over this winter before making a decision about rolling them out more widely. it's obviously important to reduce pressure in a&e. if there are patients that we can manage elsewhere, that we find alternative services for those individuals, and this is one potential possibility.

nhs england says it is monitoring new year celebrations to see whether the scheme should be extended to other areas, and it will make a decision early next year. adina campbell, bbc news. apple has apologised to its customers, after it admitted slowing down older iphones it says, in order to protect their batteries. the company said it would never intentionally shorten the life of any apple product, and that it will now offer replacement batteries at a discounted price. the technology specialist charlie brown says the company has given in because of the reaction from its customers. archive files have revealed that margaret thatcher once refused to share a flight with london zoo's giant panda. lord zuckerman suggested that the panda could share the prime minister's concorde flight in1981. the prime minister's concorde flight in 1981. washington's smithsonian institution asked to borrow the panda to mate it with a us—based panda to mate it with a us—based panda of its own, but mrs thatcher

said pandas weren't happy omens for politicians. let us have a look at the weather. an improving picture for many of us this afternoon. plenty of sunshine around and a few showers too. the next batch of rain pushes up to the south—west and turns to snow. it will be transient snow tending to turn back to rain at the end of the night. it will be cold across scotland. the risk of ice and temperatures around freezing. further south, much milder. that mild airwill be further south, much milder. that mild air will be across england and wales, in particular, throughout saturday and sunday, whereas you can see the blues across much of scotla nd see the blues across much of scotland and northern ireland. for saturday, a windy day for all, particularly across the south and west. 0utbreaks particularly across the south and west. 0utbrea ks of particularly across the south and west. outbreaks of rain across scotland. this falling as snow over the higher ground, further rain

across southern and south—western england. in—between, a good slice of sunshine. it will feel very pleasant in fact, ten to 13 across england and wales. cooler than that though elsewhere. this is bbc news, our latest headlines: heavy snow and icy conditions are causing disruption to travel across parts of northern england and scotland. glasgow airport has reopened after suspending flights for a time — but is still advising passengers to check with their airline. 12 people, including three children, have been killed after fire swept through a new york apartment building. 15 people were injured, four of them critically. the mayor, bill de blasio, said the fire was the deadliest in the city for at least 25 years.