the government decides not to challenge the decision to release the serial sex attackerjohn worboys. 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 a hundred women. some of his victims are challenging the decision to release him. in an exceptional case like this, we think there should be some explanation of the decision, which seems to be at odds with every known fact about the case. we'll be looking at whether the attempts to keep worboys behind bars can succeed. 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. a new offensive opens up in the seven—year—long war

in syria — with the threat of a new ground offensive. the former doctor to the us gymnastics team — growing numbers of his victims testify that he sexually abused them, including one of their london 2012 gold medallists. you are so sick, i can't even comprehend how angry i feel when i think of you. 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, england's cricketers can wrap up the one—day series against australia on sunday with a win in sydney. good evening.

there will be no government challenge to the decision to release the serial sex attacker, john 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 admits 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. at the top of government, as elsewhere, there was astonishment at the decision to release him after less than a decade in prison. the week began with thejustice secretary looking to challenge

the decision in the courts. but today he announced that after taking legal advice, he wouldn't be going down that route. he tried to offer reassurance to worboys‘ 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. indeed, last week i asked for assurances that the views of victims were being 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, the labour mayor of london, says he's now investigating whether can bring a legal challenge. worboys is currently being held at wakefield prison in west yorkshire. lawyers for some of his victims are questioning why he's being freed from a top securityjail. and in a letter to the parole board outlining why they plan

to mount a legal challenge, they say "what is of particular significance is the degree of planning over many years that went into his offending. that is difficult behaviour to change". we presently don't know the reasons why he's been granted release. but we do know 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? prosecutors have been under pressure to explain why worboys didn't face more charges at his trial. tonight, the head of the crown prosecution service was pressed on whether he could face fresh charges. we have certainly said we will review any cases the police may want to refer to us and indeed, we are talking to the police about if there is any action that

can be taken or giving them advice if they're asking for it. the conditionsjohn worboys will have to abide by when he's released are still being finalised. his victims are set to formally launch their legal challenge, which is being crowdfunded, next week. and while that's going on, the black cab rapist, as he's known, will stay behind bars. given that the government has dropped its legal challenge, what is the likelihood thatjohn worboys could remain behind bars? it's difficult to say at this time. after this row blew up a fortnight ago, a number of people were metaphorically in the dog including prosecutors, who were being forced to explain why they didn't put him on trial for more charges at his trial a decade ago. the director of public prosecutions has reiterated tonight that they looked at complaints from more than 80 women and decided that in the majority of cases, the complaints simply were not strong enough to put before a jury and that

was why he was prosecuted on a limited number of charges. as we had in the report, alison saunders is now saying that if fresh evidence emerged, they would look at it. but of course, it is a long time since john worboys was roaming around london committing his offences. at the same time, we now have this legal challenge from two of his victims, and they want a review of whether the process under which he was deemed fit for release was lawful. but they are in the initial stages of this. and of course, the reasoning behind the decision to release him is not made public, as is the norm with parole board decisions. the parole board have said the decision was made by a very experienced team. they considered a wealth of evidence. but now this very controversial case moves to the courts. june, thank you. 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 our medical correspondent 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 i% 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 1,000 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'm 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. it's a race against time in washington to prevent a shutdown of the us government. with republicans and democrats bitterly divided over immigration, what's called the budget bill is unlikely to pass. if there's no agreement by tonight's midnight deadline, many government services will simply grind to a halt, government offices will shut and hundreds of thousands of employees are likely to be sent home — though essential services will still run. 0ur north american editor jon sopel reports. so help me god.

congratulations, mr president. a year ago today, donald trump stood on the steps of the capitol, promising to make america great again, promising to drain the swamp, promising to fix the nation's broken politics. this american carnage stops right here and stops right now. one year on, the government stands being paralysed by the prospect of shutdown that nobody wants, with democrats and republicans fighting bitterly over a funding deal for federal institutions. and at times like this, washington goes into its favourite pursuit, the blame game. at the white house this morning, the president's budget director was taking aim at the democrats. the president is actively working right now to try to prevent a shutdown. i will contend to you that it's dramatically different to what president 0bama was doing in 2013, so there is no way you can lay this at the feet of

the president of the united states. but in the senate, the democrat leadership is blaming the white house. i hope the president willjoin us. if he will, we can solve this problem. if he stands on the sidelines, we cannot. although a glimmer of hope came with news that the democrat leader in the senate, chuck schumer, had been to the white house to see donald trump. we discussed all of the major outstanding issues. we made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. the discussions will continue. this is what america looks like! at the core of this is a row over what should happen to the children of illegal immigrants who came into the country with their parents, the so—called dreamers. a deal that allowed them to come out

of the shadows and work legally expires in march. last week, the president chaired a round table immigration discussion with democrats and republicans, and he was in conciliatory mood. when this group comes back, hopefully with an agreement, this group and others, from the senate, from the house, comes back with an agreement, i'm signing it. i mean, i will be signing it. democrats left believing a deal had been agreed that would allow the dreamers to stay, but the president changed his mind. and that means the us government stands on the brink of a shutdown for the first time since 2013. it will lead to the closure of federal offices and services, and hundreds of thousands of staff being laid off until such times as a funding deal for the government can be agreed. the clock is ticking, with no sign of an imminent breakthrough. the only practical question should be who would be affected by a government shutdown and how long might it last? but in washington, it's all about who wins or loses,

democrats or republicans. a political game is being played out. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. there's been some comfort for some employees of the failed construction giant carillion, who've been told their projects, and crucially 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 £1 billion. our business editor, simonjack, joins me now. simon, what more can you tell us? some comfort, as you say. network rail has said carillion employees engaged on their projects will have wages guaranteed until mid april. we are also hearing that kier group, a joint—venture partner of carillion on those controversial projects, four example hs2, awarded after we knew the company was in trouble,

will be taken on. we are talking 200 workers out of 20,000. there has been a flurry of activity since the second biggest firm in construction went bust. we have had a task form assembled, the banks saying they will be sympathetic. it feels like the cavalry is arriving but i would describe them as ambulances rather than casualty. —— rather than the cavalry. the real casualties are subcontractors, some owed millions, some tens of thousands, some very small firms. they will be very lucky, one carillion board member told me, to get anything at all. and it is not it —— just if you are directly exposed. if you are exposed toa directly exposed. if you are exposed to a company which in turn is exposed, the shock waves can come down the supply chain. the rescue funds will not help with those debts. they will give a payment holiday might waive some overdraft fees, but the actual debts that you owe to the bank will not go away. we are now in a situation, one of the

biggest things to rock the construction industry and the wider business community for many years. we will have to see how the shock waves developed, and i am afraid the casualties and the possible fatality list from those companies will only grow from here. 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. a woman who survived an alleged attempted rape and murder has been describing what she thought were her last moments alive. the woman, who can't be named, told a court how mujahid arshid slashed her neck and wrists with a knife, telling her she only had ten minutes left to live. mr arshid is also on trial accused of raping and murdering 20—year—old celine dookhran lastjuly. he denies all the charges. retail sales fell more sharply than expected last month, contributing to the worst christmas performance on the high street for five years.

the news came as carpetright issued a profits warning that saw its shares plummet, with the company losing 40% of its value today. seven years into the syrian war and a new offensive is threatening to open up in what is an increasingly complex conflict. turkey, which has long fought kurdish separatists within its own country, is now shelling kurdish militia in the afrin region over the border in northern syria, and threatening an all—out ground offensive, possibly as soon as tomorrow. america is warning turkey to stay out. from inside syria, our chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports. warning shots across the border. the target isn't really syria, it's the kurdish militia now controlling the land all too close to turkey. tanks and troops are also moving into position, the de facto start of a ground invasion. that's what turkey's defence

minister calls this. its sights are set on afrin. syria's kurds have been in charge for the last five years. they are vowing to keep it. we will fight to the last drop of blood, they declare. we will stand with afrin. turkey calls them terrorists, linked to its main enemy at home, the turkish kurds in the pkk. all this is opening up another major crisis inside syria's already tangled war. just to the south, the syrian army is pushing ahead with its own offensive to retake ground held by hardline islamists. as fighting intensifies, so too the humanitarian crisis. 200,000 people are now

on the run, heading north, adding to pressure on turkey's border. these two are among them. translation: i got the kids and put them in the car and we were off. we came here with nothing. in some places, they can't run away. there were more air strikes today in east ghouta, a besieged area on the edge of damascus under rebel control. thousands are now living in basements. this baby's life begins underground. translation: this child is only 20 hours old, born in the bombardment and destruction. the siege here in ghouta. no one can see our suffering. all the children here have known nothing but war. they have to make the most of it. they have no inkling of the complexities of this conflict, but they live

with its cost every day. lyse doucet, bbc news, syria. all this week, the sentencing hearings have been taking place of a former doctor for the american gymnastics team who's been convicted of sexual abuse. what started out with 100 women telling larry nasser in harrowing terms how his abuse has affected them has now grown to 1110, and more women could yet come forward. today was the turn of the team's captain, aly raisman. she told how she had been sexually abused for a number of years, including at the london 2012 olympics. rajini vaidyanathan has been in court all week. they were nicknamed the fierce five, the gold winning american gymnastics team. but four of these women were hiding a dark secret. they say they we re hiding a dark secret. they say they were sexually abused by their team doctor, larry nasser, described as a monster in court. today, the team

captain was the latest to share her story. you are so sick, i can't contemplate how sick i feel when i think of you. you manipulated me. you were touching an innocent child to pleasure yourself. seen at the london 2012 games, she was just 18 when her team won gold. behind—the—scenes, larry nasser was abusing her. larry was the olympic doctor and he molested me at the london olympic games. abusers, your time is up. the survivors are here, standing tall and we are not going anywhere. her team-mate also shared her story in court. our bodies were hanging by a thread in london. who was the doctor sent to keep us healthy and help us get through? the

doctor that was our abuser. the doctor that was our abuser. the doctor that was our abuser. the doctor that is a child molester. for yea rs doctor that is a child molester. for years there have been concerns about him, but many survivors say they we re him, but many survivors say they were ignored, as victims were not just decorated olympian spot the children of family friends and state—level gymnasts like gwen anderson. the champion athlete who competed for the stage with michigan, gwen is seen here at 1a. she was just 12 when she first received treatment from him. 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. 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. 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. tonight, the list of women who say they want to speak out has grown to as many as 120. thejudge they want to speak out has grown to as many as 120. the judge says every woman who wants to face him in court will be given the chance to. rajini vaidynathan, bbc news, lansing, michigan. the prime minister is to have a bilateral meeting with president trump in switzerland next week. both leaders are attending the world economic forum in davos. last week, mr trump announced that he would not be coming to the uk next month to open the new american embassy

in south london. the prime minister of new zealand, jacinda ardern, has announced that she is pregnant. ms ardern said she and her partner were expecting their child injune, after which she planned to take a six—week break. she 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. 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 overton find out if their 20—minute drama, the silent child has been nominated at the oscars. ms 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.

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 overton, 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. that's it from us. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. have a very good night. welcome to bbc london news with me, victoria hollins.

a headteacher has backed down from a ban on hijabs in her east london primary school. st stephen's in upton park recently introduced restrictions on girls wearing the headscarf. the school said the move was to help muslim children integrate it's a0 celsius and wet outside playing tennis. one game at the start of the fourth set lasted 20 minutes. just one game. under the most extreme pressure in the most extreme conditions, he peaked. nothing much between the players in world rankings or court will stop from this moment he took the fourth set 6—0. both men stretched the armed previous limits. who wilts, ?

who wins? edmonds is the kind of guy who lets his tennis do the talking. it's a professional sport. it's not meant to bet. it is meant to hurt. if people do start to become ill it might be a concern but i am just concerned with getting through. he is through. edmonds's endurance impressed many. andy murray described it as the best win of his career. there will be 16 men left in the australian open. quick, while you can. find some shade. more

success down under. they now lead to -c success down under. they now lead to — c rowe heading into sunday's match. after a troubled winter for english cricket suddenly the scene seems a little more surreal. even when faced with batting like this from australia's aaron finch, england's one—day side refused to panic. finch made 100 again, but when he fell, australia stumbled. england taking advantage, taking wickets. chris wo ks advantage, taking wickets. chris woks here, like —— woakes here, calm and creative.