‘to seea ‘to see a return to to see a return to sunny but likely to see a return to sunny but chilly conditions across the northern half of the country tomorrow. his victims have expressed outrage that he will now be freed after eight years. the justice secretary admits he too is concerned. i know this will disappoint the victims in this case, and members of this house. given the crimes for which he has been convicted, on a personal level, candidly, i share those concerns. worboys is believed to have attacked over 100 women. some of his victims are challenging the decision to release him. in an exceptional case like this, we think that there should be some explanation for the decision, which seems to be at odds with every known fact about the case. and the mayor of london, where worboys‘ crimes took place, is also trying to stop him getting out of prison. also tonight: scientists say they're a step closer to one of the biggest goals in medicine — a single blood test for all types of cancer.

the parents accused of the prolonged abuse, torture and captivity of 12 of their children plead not guilty. is this the future of travel? the train in a tube that could reach 700 miles an hour. and it's already an oscar contender — the british short film about the importance of sign language, starring a deaf six—year—old girl. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news: kyle edmund is into the fourth round at the australian open. he's now one win away from producing his best ever run at a grand slam. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six.

there will no government challenge to the decision to release the serial sex attackerjohn worboys. the former black cab driver was jailed in 2009 for attacking 12 women, but it's suspected he assaulted and raped many more. thejustice secretary david gauke admitted he shares the concerns of worboys‘ victims but that it would not be appropriate" to seekjudicial review of the parole board's ruling to free him. two of his victims are mounting their own challenge to try to keep worboys behind bars. june kelly has more. he is one of the country's most notorious serial sex offenders. in his black cab, john worboys cruised for victims, not fares. he was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women, one of them he raped. but it's feared he may have attacked more than 100 in total. the decision to release him after less than a decade in prison provoked astonishment, including at the top of government. at the start of this week,

it emerged that the justice secretary was looking to challenge the decision in the courts. as the week draws to a close, he announced that, after taking legal advice, he won't be going down that route. but he tried to offer reassurance to worboys‘s victims. let me be absolutely clear, worboys will not be released until their representations have been properly considered and his licence conditions are in place. last week, i asked for assurances that the views of victims were taken into account, and that robust licensing conditions would be put in place to manage his risk. but, as one politician withdraws from the court arena, another, sadiq khan, labour mayor of london, says he is now investigating whether can bring a legal challenge. worboys is currently being held at wakefield prison in west yorkshire.

a lawyer for some of his victims is questioning why he is being freed from what is a top securityjail and, in a letter to the parole board, which approved his release, there is detail on why they are pressing ahead with the victims‘ legal challenge to try keep worboys behind bars. we presently don't know the reasons why he has been granted a release. but we do know is the nature and scope and extent of his offending. we know that, up until very recently, he was denying responsibility for the offence. he may still be. we know that the parole board, only the previous year, refused to move him to an open prison because they considered he was still a risk. what has changed over that time? the women whojohn worboys picked up and then drugged and assaulted have spoken of how they fear for their safety if he is freed. they say he knows their addresses, and they are calling for him to be banned from the entire greater london area. his victims are set to launch their legal challenge next week. while that is going on,

the black cab rapist, as he is known, will remain in prison. june kelly, bbc news. our legal correspondent clive coleman is here with me. now the government has accepted that it cannot stop worboys being released, is there any realistic challenge that his victims can stop him getting out? two of the victims are going to attempt a judicial review. that is not an appeal of whether the decision is right or wrong, simply a review of whether the process of making the decision was lawful or not. if a court finds the process was not lawful, they can send the decision back to the parole board to go through it again. it is unprecedented for victims to try to judicially review the parole board. they will have to lodge an application seeking permission. worboys does not have to appear at that. ajudge will worboys does not have to appear at that. a judge will consider the grounds, and if permission is

granted, there will be an injunction to stopjohn worboys' release at that stage. there will then be a full hearing, some weeks away, and it is at that point that we will get the disclosure of what this decision amounted to, the detail of it. if there is medical evidence they could beissues there is medical evidence they could be issues of confidentiality, meaning a final hearing might not be fully public. but if the court finds the process was not lawful and they send it back to the parole board, they will have to go through it all over again, so this is not over yet. scientists say they've taken a step towards one of the biggest goals in medicine, a single blood test for all types of cancer. a team in america has trialled a method that detects eight common forms of the disease without the need for invasive biopsies or operations. their vision is an annual test designed to catch cancer early and save lives. here's fergus walsh. it is ten years since ali was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. it is rare for anyone

with the disease to survive that long. there is no screening programme, so tumours are usually found too late. a blood test would make a big difference. if we are able to get more people diagnosed sooner, like me, then it's going to make me feel a lot happier. there are only 1% of us who are surviving, like me, to ten years, and it's a bit of a lonely place. there aren't many of us around. and i'd really like pancreatic cancer to become more of a chronic disease, rather than such an acute, deadly disease, as it is now. scientists atjohns hopkins university in baltimore have made significant progress towards a blood test for cancer. the team examined blood samples from around 1000 cancer patients. they had one of eight different common cancers. lung, liver, pancreas, colon, oesophagus, breast, stomach or ovary. cancer cells shed bits of dna,

which circulate in the blood, so the test looked for 16 gene mutations and eight protein bio markers. overall, the blood test found 70% of the cancers, but that success rate fell to just 40% with small, early—stage cancers, and this is when you'd want tumours detected, when there is the best chance of a cure through surgery. so a reliable blood test for cancer is some way off. but the francis crick institute in london, which is pioneering research in this area, believes it will come. i am almost certain that, in the next five to ten years, we will see tests like this becoming much more routine in clinical practice, to help us diagnose tumours earlier and help us increase the cure rates for patients suffering from cancers. the american cancer blood test costs around £350 per patient, and each positive result would need

further investigation, so the burden on the nhs would need to be weighed against the benefits of early treatment and lives saved. fergus walsh, bbc news. a teenager has pleaded not guilty to trying to kill passengers in a bomb attack on the london underground. ahmed hassan, who's 18, denied attempted murder and causing an explosion at parsons green tube station in west london last september. 30 passengers were taken to hospital. his trial has been set for the 5th of march. ajudge has demanded the police and crown prosecution service explain to him what went wrong in a rape case against an oxford university student, after it collapsed just days before the trial. 0liver mears had spent two years on bail when the cps dropped the case on the basis of fresh evidence. surrey police admit there were flaws in the investigation, including not looking at the complainant's social media history. a couple who are accused of imprisoning, abusing

and torturing 12 of their children at their home in california, have appeared in court. david and louise turpin were arrested on sunday after one of their children escaped and raised the alarm. police say the children were fed very little, allowed to showerjust once a year and chained for weeks or months at a time. the couple deny the charges against them. james cook reports from california. give up that right... david turpin, appearing in court to deny betraying his own children with a bewildering catalogue of cruelty. his wife, louise, also pleaded not guilty to inflicting physical pain and mental suffering. it's also alleged that one of the couple's daughters was sexually abused by the father. prosecutors say the siblings endured the abuse for years, as their parents plumbed the depths of human depravity. one of the children, aged 12, is the weight of an average seven—year—old.

several of the victims have cognitive impairment and neuropathy, nerve damage, as a result of this extreme and prolonged physical abuse. the children were supposedly schooled here in their home, but the district attorney said they lacked basic knowledge. some did not even know what a police officer was. they were reportedly allowed to showerjust once a year and were beaten, chained up and tormented. they would buy food, including pies, apple pies, pumpkin pies, leave it on the counter, let the children look at it but not eat the food. about the only thing the children were allowed to do in their rooms, or chained up, was to write in journals. we now have recovered thosejournals, hundreds of them, and we are combing through them for evidence. the 17—year—old who raised the alarm after climbing out of the home through a window had been plotting the escape for two years. one of her sisters made it out with her but turned back out of fear. this case has sent waves of revulsion across the united states and beyond.

the authorities say the siblings are doing well but some of them at least have almost certainly suffered irreparable physical and mental damage. the parents are due in court again next month. if convicted, they face life in prison. james cook, bbc news, riverside in california. employees of the failed construction giant carillion, who're working on projects for network rail, have been told this afternoon that their wages will be guaranteed to at least mid—april. the firm, which has hundreds of public and private contracts, collapsed on monday with debts of more than a £1 billion. our business editor, simonjack, joins me now. simon, some reassurance for one group of employees, but there's still great uncertainty for others. in the last few moments, kier group, one of the joint—venture partners with carillion on the hs2 and other projects, have said they will take

on around 200 carillion employees, move them across. that is good news. also, network rail say they will guarantee the wages from monday, and thatis guarantee the wages from monday, and that is important. there has been a flurry of activity. we have had a task force assembled, banks have put together a rescue funds. but this is not the cavalry, these are ambulances, because this is a very serious situation. the real casualties are the subcontractors with outstanding invoices to carillion for work they have done up until the liquidation. 0ne carillion board member told me she would be surprised if they got anything at all. companies directly affected will get nothing for the money they are owed. even if you are not directly affected, you might be exposed to a company who are exposed, so it makes its way down the chain. the hands—on approach this week is in contrast to what happened before the liquidation. back after the massive profit warning injuly, back after the massive profit warning in july, i back after the massive profit warning injuly, i am told back after the massive profit warning injuly, iam told not back after the massive profit warning injuly, i am told not a single senior cabinet minister met with the company in the weeks and

months that followed. so there is lots going on, but as one business group put it today, this is all very good but it is a sticking plaster. at the moment, we are waiting after this car crash of a corporate bust for the casualty list and perhaps the fatality list. some people have told me this will send them to the wall. our top story this evening: the government has decided not to challenge the decision to release the serial sex attackerjohn worboys. and still to come, retail figures show a disappointing december on the high street. coming up on sportsday on bbc news: england beat australia in brisbane to take a 2—0 lead in their one day series, as they look to salvage something from their winter tour down under. at first glance, it looks like a length of pipe but it's actually a prototype of a new mode

of transport that could transform the way we travel. it's called hyperloop, a system which sends shuttle pods through low pressure tubes, cutting down friction and wind resistance. engineers say they could reach speeds of 700 miles per hour. the project is being tested in the nevada desert and our technology correspondent, rory cellanjones has been to see it in action. his report contains flashing images. we are heading through the nevada desert, north of las vegas, for a glimpse of what its backers claim is the future of transport. this is hyperloop, an attempt to send passengers hurtling at 700 mph through a vacuum tube. many think that's far—fetched, but this project got the backing last year of virgin, with sir richard branson becoming chairman. in this 500—metre test track, they say they have shown that the technology works, though they've not yet put any human beings on board.

i think my background in spacecraft engineering has given me the skill set to be able... the head of engineering, a space scientist recruited from nasa, sees no reason why people might be scared. the hyperloop is a maglev train in a vacuum system or in a vacuum tube. so you can also think of it as an aircraft flying at 200,000 feet, so people don't have any issue flying in aeroplanes and people don't have any issues going in maglev trains. this is simply combining the two, and it allows you to be more energy efficient. this isn't the only project. the electric car tycoon elon musk, who originally floated the whole idea, has proposed a tunnel under los angeles that could carry cars or be transformed into a hyperloop. the virgin hyperloop team has said they could take passengers from london to edinburgh in 50 minutes, or cut the journey between new york and boston to under half an hour. but making this work in the real world will mean running several of these pipes alongside each other over long distances,

perhaps underground, and convincing governments that that is realistic is going to prove, well, pretty challenging. at the giant ces tech show in las vegas, hyperloop‘s chief executive was pushing the message that this technology was coming soon, and he had one startling idea for the uk. you could build a hyperloop between gatwick and heathrow and move between those two airports as if they were terminals, and move in four minutes. we wouldn't have to build that third runway. we could save billions of pounds. it's an intriguing idea. now all the virgin hyperloop team has to do is convince local residents they'd like to see a couple of these along the route between heathrow and gatwick. rory cellanjones, bbc news, nevada. there was more gloom for the high street today with figures showing that the growth in retail sales slowed last year. it wasn't a great christmas either

with sales down 1.5% in december compared with the previous month — which was boosted by people taking advantage of black friday offers. emma simpson reports. in the carpetright sale, it's half price on selected carpets and beds... it should be the busiest time of the year for britain's biggest floor coverings retailer. trouble is, it's been anything but. carpetright‘s prices may have been cut by half. unfortunately, its share price almost did the same today after it warned its profits were going to tumble. carpetright says falling consumer confidence is behind what it describes as a sharp deterioration in trading. in other words, shoppers are holding back from buying these big—ticket items. there wasn't much to cheer about for bonmarche either. sales in its clothing shops were down by nearly 10%, compared with the previous year, causing its share price to plummet, too. we are still spending on the high street,

and increasingly online, butjudging by these shoppers in skipton, we are also being careful. we're looking out for the bargains and the offers rather than the full—priced clothes overwinter. if i need something, i get it. if i don't, i don't buy it, no matter how cheap it is, because if i don't need it, what's the point? so what's been going on? december is an absolutely critical month for retailers. in truth, christmas has been pretty disappointing, but probably not that surprising. inflation hit a five—year high in the run—up to christmas, and this really put people's personal finances under a lot of strain. the other really significant impact is black friday. when online orders and parcels are on the move, this shopping extravaganza has changed the pattern of christmas spending. we are doing more of it in november. but, over the whole christmas quarter, growth slowed. question is, will this year be as challenging as the last? emma simpson, bbc news. the prime minister of new zealand jacinda ardern has

announced that she is pregnant. ms ardern said she and her partner, clarke gayford, were expecting their child in june, after which she planned to take a six—week break. ms ardern is now set to be the second elected world leader to give birth while in office — and the first to do so in almost 30 years. i'm not the first woman to work and have a baby. i know these are special circumstances but there'll be many women who will have done this well before i have. i acknowledge those women. i'm about to sympathise with them a lot as i sympathise with all women who've suffered morning sickness. two former us olympic gymnasts have testified today in the case involving former team usa doctor larry nassar. the pair, who won gold at london 2012, are among more than 100 women to have accused nassar of sexual abuse. he's already facing 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. 0ur correspondent rajini vaidynathan has sent this report from michigan, where she's speaking

to one of his victims. described as a monster in court. for two decades, larry nassar was a widely—respected doctor to young gymnasts. but, behind closed doors, he was abusing them. his victims ranged from 0lympians to family friends and state—level gymnasts. he's going to stay in jail for the rest of his life. we, on the other hand, are going to move forward. we are going to live our best lives, because we are fighters and we are strong, and we overcome impossible odds, because that's what we were trained to do. gwen anderson was a champion athlete who competed for her home state of michigan. seen here at the age of 1a, it was during this time that she sought treatment from larry nassar. instead, he molested her, time and time again. to have your name and your face and your story out for everybody to see is a scary thing.

how did it feel to look him in the eyes and tell him what you felt? it was really hard. i didn't know he was going to be that close. it doesn't seem like he's that close, and then you stand there and he's five feet away from you. as a teacher, i have my kids, their strength and encouragement, their rock, their safe place, their go—to, their protector, and that's how i felt with him — that he was my safe place. he was going to protect me. he was going to make sure i didn't hurt, and he took that and used that against all of us. for so many, this was a man they trusted implicitly. for the record, go to hell. tom brennan was gwen's coach and once a close friend of nassar‘s. when i graduated from grad school, he was an adviser of mine. he's been a mentor of mine. i've done clinics with him for years in the past. and i've probably sent well over 100 kids to him over the years.

so the guilt i feel for that is hard to fathom. did you have any idea of what he was doing? none. i had zero idea. we had the utmost trust for that man, and that's where we all went wrong. all this week, young women have packed this small courtroom, as they get to do what few survivors of sexual abuse ever have the chance to, directly confront their attacker. there's been a real sense of collective empowerment here. already, more than 80 women have shared their testimonies in this case, and every day more are coming forward, saying they want to share their stories, too. this hearing won't end until every one of those voices is heard. rajini vaidynathan, bbc news, lansing, michigan. from hollyoaks to hollywood. that could become a reality for two former stars of the channel 4 soap opera.

next week rachel shenton and chris 0verton find out if their 20—minute drama, the silent child, has been nominated at the oscars. actress rachel shenton wrote the film to highlight how sign language can change lives and cast maisie sly, a profoundly deaf six—year—old girl, in the lead role. our entertainment correspondent colin paterson has been to meet them. yeah, i mean this story is incredibly close to my heart. i want her to speak... the silent child tells the story of a deaf girl struggling to communicate. i think she'll be able to have a career in whatever she likes. rachel shenton, who used to be in hollyoaks, wrote and stars in the short film inspired by her own family's experience. she is a qualified sign language interpreter. my dad lost his hearing when i was younger, and he actually lived the last two years of his life profoundly deaf. and i saw then just how hard that was on a family, and i started to learn sign language.

she made the film to draw attention to the fact that more than three quarters of deaf children in the uk attend mainstream school without any specialist help. deafness isn't a learning difficulty. with the right support a deaf child can do exactly the same as a hearing child. that was the big message. all: mouse wanted to find out! the star of the film, maisie sly, is six and profoundly deaf. her family moved from plymouth to swindon especially so she could attend a mainstream school, which does offer support. she'd never acted before. interpreter: i wanted to show hearing people that deaf children can do anything. how was it making the film? interpreter: it was hard work

because i have to sometimes film things again and again and again. i used the sign to start but i would say, "action." but things were made a lot easier by the director chris 0verton, who also used to be in hollyoaks. he learned sign language especially so he could communicate with his star. i learned all of the lines and as much basic sign language as i could. because we wouldn't have a film if i couldn't tell her what to do. now it's the wait for the nominations. i get the feeling maisie is less nervous about next tuesday than you and chris. i think that's fairly accurate. is that true? interpreter: she says that i think we're going to go to the oscars. laughter colin paterson, bbc news, swindon. time for a look at the weather — here's sarah keith lucas. she is taking it all in her stride.

we have had more snow showers today. this is the view in glasgow after just half an hour of heavy snow. we have a lot of lying snow around at the moment and its continuing to cause some disruption. the met office have issued a member whether one today for the heavy snow and ice, particularly affecting the south west of scotland but we have also some heavy snow in the north—west of england. the snow showers across western scotland, northern ireland, north—west england, will continue but they will ease away overnight so eventually the skies become clear and rain works in from the south—western night. as it bops the colder air wiggo season snow over the hills of wales, perhaps the chilterns, and the cotswolds too. further north there will be ice and it will be a problem through saturday morning. on saturday morning, imogen improved a across scotland, northern england and northern ireland with a return to sunshine and the snow showers easing away eventually. further

south, a cloudy day, the hill snow will ease from southern england and south wales but it will feel chilly where you are stuck under the cloud. as we move through saturday night we have clear skies, quite a cold night, in fact it could be one of the coldest nights in the winter so far. then into the early hours of sunday, what you will notice is the next band of rain working in from the west. during sunday the cold air is going to be met by this area of rain which will quickly turn to snow, particularly across scotland and northern england. further south it will probably fall as rain as we have milder air sweeping in, temperatures back into double figures towards the south—west, still quite chilly in the north and east. if you have plans to travel during sunday, particularly across scotla nd during sunday, particularly across scotland and northern england, watch out for potential disruption with some snow and ice. things will turn milder as we move into next week. thank you. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me — and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

this is bbc news— our latest headlines: ministers say they won't challenge the decision to release serial sex offenderjohn worboys from prison. the former black cab driver was jailed 9 years ago for a series of attacks on women in london. the government says it was advised against a judicial review. we have an independent parole board system. powers are in the hands of the parole board. and there are very limited circumstances in which that can be overturned. american researchers say they have taken a step towards a universal blood test for cancer. a team atjohns hopkins university has tested a method that detects eight common forms of the disease, in a single procedure. the parent accused of holding their 13 children captive in california plead not guilty to torture, abuse and false imprisonment. the white house has accused us

democrats of trying to force a government shutdown as the deadline approaches for the senate to pass a funding bill. in a moment it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. we'll be finding out more about the blood test that identifies eight common forms of cancer.