flights resume again at gatwick despite stopping briefly earlier this evening after the sighting of another drone. thousands of passengers get away but for others the chaos since yesterday has ruined christmas and holiday plans. they're throwing us to the wolves, basically. you know? we're left here, i can't go and see my grandma, i can't go to the wedding. it's just not acceptable. it's deplorable. police and military technology is providing what's being called mitigating measures to enable flights at gatwick to continue. also tonight... flights at gatwick to continue. donald trump's defence secretary quits after the president shocks nato by announcing he'll pull troops out of syria. bagpipes play 30 years on from the explosion of pan am flight 103, people gather in lockerbie to remember the 270 people who died. and manchester united's interim manager ole gunnar solskjaer says he wants the team to enjoy playing football again. and coming up on

sportsday on bbc news. a victory against wolves for liverpool will take them four points clear at the top of the premier league table. good evening. officials at gatwick have said it's safe for flights in and out of the airport to resume after another drone was spotted this evening. flights were suspended for about an hour while investigations took place. more than a quarter of a million passengers have been affected by the chaos at the uk's second biggest airport which first began on wednesday night and lasted for 36 hours. this morning at 6.30 flights were eventually resumed after the military provided what's been described as mitigating measures — believed to be anti—drone technology. just after 5pm this evening, flights were again halted and aircraft were left circling the area while another drone

sighting was investigated. take—off and landings then resumed again this evening at around 6.30. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy is at gatwick for us now. what is the situation there now duncan? well, it is the end of what can only be described are as another extraordinary day of developments here. on the one hand you are right. those flights did start again this morning in and out of the airport but this evening came that new suspension. and although it was only a short one this time, it shows how much on edge gatwick remains as it tries to cheering and applause this was the reaction when passengers heard that tonight's suspension of flights was over. the airport was closed forjust over an hour this time, when reports came through of another drone sighting. they told us that the flight was cancelled, and that we had to collect our luggage. by mid—evening, take—offs and landings began again. after the nervousness of the past three days, flights had resumed this morning,

when police gave the airport the all—clear. but it was a groggy start the day for many. flights, swapped for floors. virginia goncalves, from cornwall, is seriously ill and had to spend her night in an airport chair. it's horrible. it goes against your human rights, isn't it? i have stage—four cancer. it's spread to the bones, for god's sake. around 600 planes came in and out today, and thousands of people did get away. but this woman won't fly until sunday. how would you summarise this experience? it's horrendous. it's a nightmare. it's just... or how about these men from london, whose flight to ghana was cancelled today,

meaning they'll now miss a family wedding. they're throwing us to the wolves, basically. you know? we're left here, i can't go and see my grandma, i can't go to the wedding. you know, it's just not acceptable. it's deplorable. it's not good enough at all. this bag of chocolates was their airline's gesture of apology. but what about compensation? well, the insurance industry says people should first contact their airline. they say airlines are not obliged to pay compensation, but say any costs incurred and general disruption will be covered by most people's travel insurance. the vast majority of people should be able to make a claim, where they have not been able to get any refunds or compensation out of the airlines will travel companies. it's only the cheapest insurance policies that are available on the market that are unlikely to include travel disruption cover. the squeeze at gatwick again fed the crush at st pancras.

these were the queues for eurostar trains today. but others did head to gatwick, hoping that their flight would emerge from the chaos. so, they said just go there and see what happens. i wish... but i don't know. flights from foreign airport into gatwick have also been trying to catch up. this family were caught in rome. the fact is, with two children, wanting to get back to see my family, that is obviously the sad part about it. but we'll get there. a voice of optimism, after days of uncertainty, for an airport stopped not by snow, fog or strikes, but by a drone. duncan kennedy, bbc news, gatwick airport. the police search for those responsible for closing down the uk's second largest airport has taken on a fresh urgency after the latest drone sighting this evening. police believe more than one unmanned aircraft is responsible and are investigating the possibility of multiple culprits. tom symonds has more.

the latest glimpse of what might be the rogue drone. police haven't seen it up close. the last time it was spotted over gatwick was 10pm last night. the vulnerability of this major international airport is now stark. result — the government is under pressure. this is an entirely new kind of threat and we are going to have to move very quickly. one of the things i intend to do very quickly indeed is convene discussions across all of our airports. there are some systems now beginning to be introduced in some airports around the world that can have an impact on this, but there is no single, simple solution, off the shelf, deliverable very quickly. we have had to assemble a variety of different measures around that airport to make sure it's safe. the police won't say what systems they are using to protect gatwick airport, which isjust over there. some are high—tech. 0thers, well, less so.

this officer has been placed here as a spotter, looking for incoming drones. he's one of a number dotted all around the airport. we've been told systems capable of bringing down drones with nets have been offered to gatwick airport. another system is similar to this. it canjam radio another system is similar to this. it can jam radio frequencies used by drones within a defined area. but the police admit it took some time to respond. there are always some measures in place, the additions to those, took some time to requests and to arrive here at gatwick airport. what sort of time? we are talking hours, rather than days, but co—ordinating that, deploying that, getting it set up at gatwick has taken time. we have learned from that. the pilot's union has concerns about the current rules which ban drones within a kilometre of an airport. the pilots say that is not

enough. well a kilometre out, you'd be at 200 feet so that is only half the height you are allowed to fly a drone at, officially, under the current government numbers and regulations. so, if you are a drone flyer you actually think you're allowed to fly your drone very near an aeroplane and you are not. police say they have got a lot of information and what they described as persons of interest. they want to hear from people who might have seen drones taking off and landing, and they are continuing to watch the skies for incoming threats. duncan kennedy is still in gatwick for us. how much more likely is the disruption for passengers likely to continue? well, it really does all depend fiona on whether there are any more drones, if there aren't any and they are hoping to get things back to normal late tomorrow or late on sunday, but if there are more drones

and the airport says they won't hesitate to bring in more suspensions although one senses they have more confidence than they had days ago with the new meshes, they have a huge backlog of passengers to get there. 100,000 passengers trying to travel through yesterday, 125,000 trying to get through today and more over the weekend. and although something like 6700 flights did get away today oh —— 600. that is way down on the normal number, they are hoping to use other airports to spread the load if you like but also to carry on many more flights out of here, into the night again, tonight, they got right of the night curfew so they got right of the night curfew so they can carry on with more flights but they don't think that will get rid of the full—back log into the weekend. the advice for passengers hoping to travel through gatwick is to talk do your travel agent or your airline first before heading here, because those delays are not donald trump has lost another

key member of staff — the defence secretary james mattis has resigned following the president's sudden announcement that he will withdraw us troops from syria — a decision that has caused concern among nato allies and dismayed many republicans. there are also reports that the number of american troops in afghanistan is about to be halved. 0ur north america editor jon sopel has the latest. generaljames mattis is going, but not quietly. the president announced last night he was retiring. but make no mistake, this is a resignation. the defence secretary, making clear that he disagrees with donald trump's isolationism, his attacks on nato, his failure to criticise china and russia sufficiently. and his searing letter concludes, because you have the right to have a defence secretary whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, i believe it is right for me to step down from my position.

the last straw was the president unilaterally announcing the withdrawal of us troops from syria, with no consultation or coordination, against the advice of all of his national security staff. it's also emerged that america is to pull 7,000 troops out of afghanistan, to the horror of america's allies. and concern has been expressed across the board. secretary mattis was one of the few symbols, the few items of strength and stability in this administration. everything that indicates stability, everything that indicates strength, everything that indicates knowledge is leaving this administration. and even the ultra—loyal senate majority leader, the republican mitch mcconnell, broke ranks. "i am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of america's global leadership." but at the white house, they are playing down the impact of his departure.

they agree to disagree at times, but that doesn't mean you can't have a good relationship with somebody. he was laying out the reasons he was stepping down from his post, and beyond that, think it is absurd to try to question the fact that they worked together for two full years. for an administration well used to disruption, the year is ending with maximum turmoil. in the past couple of months, the chief of staff has gone, the attorney general, the interior secretary and the un ambassador. the stock market is plunging, and today, barring a miracle, the government will shut down in a row over border funding. today is the shortest day. in the white house, it probably feels like one of the longest. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. essex police are dealing with an incident involving stowaways on board a cargo ship in the thames estuary. the crew of the ship, the grande tema, are said to have discovered the intruders during a voyage from nigeria.

a spokesman for the shipping firm says the crew locked themselves in the ship's bridge after being threatened with iron bars. england's chief medical officer has accused the food industry of failing the public, by not doing enough to cut salt and sugar in their products. professor dame sally davies says companies should face taxes on unhealthy food if they fail to improve. but the food industry has hit back, saying taxes won't change consumer behaviour. pope francis has urged roman catholic priests who have sexually abused children to hand themselves in and face justice. in his annual christmas speech at the vatican, he promised that the church would never again cover up or dismiss such cases. the comments are his strongest yet on the global scandal that has shaken his papacy and caused a crisis of confidence in the catholic church. the government has issued further advice to businesses that trade with the eu on how to prepare for the possibility of a no—deal brexit. 80,000 companies have received the emails this afternoon. 0ur consumer affairs correspondent, colletta smith, has spent the day with a small business in wakefield

to see what preparations they're making. that finishes another order, and then that's it for christmas. mark is making a list and he's checking it twice. is this for the assemblyjob at the bottom of the shop? just a few final tasks before the 100 staff here in wakefield can clock off. right, i'm going, mate. i'll see you after christmas. have a good one, yeah? they're making parts for high—tech production lines that'll be sent all over the world. there are one or two critical components that we need to make sure we getjust in time, here in the uk... while the holidays begin for staff, there's a final assignment that the boss has to deal with. the key thing here is alljust about delay to imports. a last—minute e—mail has landed from the government. 119 pages of info about the new rules and costs of importing and exporting if there's no deal reached with the eu. are you feeling any more reassured? i mean, there's nothing here that we haven't actually discussed internally or discussed with our stakeholders,

whether they be key customers or our support services. we have to make sure we've got a clear vision. we need stability. and if we plan for the worst—case scenario and we can actually cope with that, the downside we can cope with, everything else is up. it's notjust bigger companies who are having to navigate this document. there are all sorts of extra costs, extra customs arrangements that they will have to overcome. many smaller businesses have never dealt with that, and they will have to be doing that for the first time. the advice that's been given so far from hmrc is only limited. the government say it's important businesses are taking action. we're now ramping up our preparations for no—deal, which means there are certain things that those businesses that expect to continue to export to or import from the european union after a potential no—deal, unlikely as that is, the kind of things they'll have to do. is going to spoil your turkey dinner? hopefully it won't spoil my turkey dinner.

but it may keep me awake at night, just wondering why orders haven't been placed. our customers need certainty, they won't place orders with us until they are certain about their market. off home for christmas, but when businesses gear up after the break, brexit planning remains the biggest issue on many to—do lists. meanwhile, the department of health and social care, for its part, has published more details of preparations which hospitals and other parts of the nhs in england are expected to make for the possibility of a no—deal brexit. a new control centre will respond to any health care problems caused or affected by leaving the eu, and officials say patients will have access to the latest medicines and health care services under any brexit scenario. there are also plans to ensure food shortages don't affect hospital patients. it's 30 years ago today that pan—am flight 103 was blown up in mid—air over the market town of lockerbie. wreaths have been laid and a silence

held at a memorial service in honour of the 270 people who lost their lives. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports. bagpipes play 0n the shortest day, lockerbie remembered its longest night, remembered the 270 people who lost their lives in the deadliest terror attack the uk has ever suffered. this, a day of dignified remembrance of those who died. among the passengers on the pan am flight, helga mosey. she was 19. every year since the bombing, her parents have travelled to lockerbie to remember a life cut short. we miss our daughter, and we wonder how she would have done, what her musical career would have been like. would we have been grandparents to her children? we don't know. we still remember her as she was, lively. and be thankful we had her for so long. 19 years isn't long, but they were happy years.

the transatlantic plane had been en route from london to new york when it exploded in the skies above the scottish town, killing all 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground. the only person to be convicted of the bombing, the libyan man, abdelbaset al—megrahi, died after being released from a scottish prison on compassionate grounds. his family's lodged a new attempt to appeal against his conviction. and there's a separate ongoing criminal investigation, with two other libyans identified a suspect. for some, like jim swire who lost his daughter flora in the attack, there are still unanswered questions. 0verwhelmingly, the awful thing about lockerbie was the death, the needless death, of 270 innocent people, who could have been protected had the government of the day taken appropriate steps. having said that, the refusal of our government, and the american government, of course, to come out with what they know about the truth, has been a terrible added burden to many.

30 years ago, lockerbie became tied to tragedy. in the decades since, with humanity, kindness and compassion. the people here have offered comfort to the victims' families, remembrance and respect. lorna gordon, bbc news, lockerbie. this year many train passengers have had to endure delays, cancellations and changing timetables. but spare a thought for the inhabitants of 0rmskirk and preston. figures?obtained?by bbc news show that northern rail has cancelled more?than 2,000 services since may on the one line between the two towns. the boss of northern has told us the situation for all?its passengers will improve in the new year. 0ur?transport correspondent, tom burridge, reports. is this the worst rail line in britain? it's been for a year now, a year ofjust not knowing when it's going to turn up. people are worried about theirjobs. when you're always late

and it's not yourfault. and there are people who had written warnings. in one week last month, not a single train ran. for us passengers, we feel kind of abandoned, forgotten, and generally treated as second—class passengers by this rail company. the fact that i've got to tell work that i'm going to be late for work, or i'm not going to be able to make it that day, and because i get paid hourly, i lose those hours. the line, run by northern, links 0rmskirk to preston, two large towns in the north west of england, with places in between. this is the main way out of the village, the lifeline of the village. 0ur figures show that a third of all services on this line simply didn't run in the last six months. it's symptomatic of how rail passengers in the north of england have been badly let down. i know that the service we offered in parts of 2018 has just not been acceptable. myself and the team are fully committed to getting that right, and we are seeing

that incremental improvement. the improvement hasn't come in the last few months, has it? it's coming now, and we're starting to see a stabilisation of the timetable. are you fit to run this franchise? northern are absolutely fit, and i'm absolutely committed to delivering the franchise and the commitments we've got. next year, we're starting to see more capacity, new trains being introduced on the system. the mayor of greater manchester isn't so sure. i think they should be given a clear notice. things have to improve, certainly by the very latest at the may timetable change next year. and if they don't, they should be stripped of the franchise. back in 0rmskirk, a familiar story. it's gotten even better — 15 minutes late. for some, this isn't just about trains. if you haven't got a good public transport system and a good rail system in the area, people will not bring money in to invest in the area, to expand. they'll move somewhere else. northern rail says trains were damaged by autumn leaves and so services were moved off this line elsewhere. the government says it's reviewing

the performance of rail companies in the north of england. if there has been a breach of any franchise agreement, measures will be taken. tom burridge, bbc news, in west lancashire. football, and liverpool have opened up a four—point lead at the top of the premier league after a 2—0 win at wolverhampton wanderers. mohamed salah opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half. wolves responded with a number of close chances, but virgil van djike secured the win with his first league goalfor the club. manchester united's new caretaker manager has promised to get his players to enjoy their football. 0le gunnar solskjaer, the club's former striker, is back at old trafford afterjose mourinho was sacked earlier this week. tomorrow the team face cardiff city, as our sports editor dan roan reports. solskjaer takes the... 0h, he's scored! super—sub has done it again. as a manchester united player,

0le gunnar solskjaer won everything there was to win, but having returned as caretaker manager, the former striker knows he only has a few months to stake his claim for the job on a permanent basis. morning. myjob is now isjust for the next six months to do as well as i can, and move the club forward as well as i can. and then i understand that there's so many managers that would love to be the manager of man united, so of course, i'm one of them, but it's not something that we've talked about. they are going to do a process now for it, for the next six months. jose mourinho was sacked this week with united 19 points behind the league leaders and having fallen out with some of his star players. solskjaer has been managing molde in his native norway for the last three years, and while his appointment may have surprised some, he's received backing from the man in the opposing dugout tomorrow. they're all looking at somebody that's been there. he's a hero there, really, a legend.

with the players they've got, the young lads they've got, i would think that he can't believe his luck, really. it's an amazing opportunity for him. solskjaer‘s only other premier league managerial experience was at cardiff city. he lasted less than nine months and was sacked after relegation. did you learn from that? are better now as a coach and manager? that period in cardiff was, of course, a huge step for me, and i've learned a lot. i've evaluated, reflected on it. i made a few mistakes. but if you don't make mistakes, you're not going to learn. for more than a decade at old trafford, solskjaer was a winner, a fans' favourite, but now he must prove himself again. dan roan, bbc news. after beating off competition from the likes of stars such as ariana grande, a dad who blogs about his experience of parenthood has made the christmas number one with a homage to the humble sausage roll. # we built this city on sausage rolls # we built this city

ladbaby — real name mark hoyle — together with his wife and two sons made the single for charity. they're donating all of the profits from their single to the trussel trust, which runs foodbanks across the country. here on bbc one, time for the news where you are. hello, and welcome to sportsday. christmas number one — liverpool will be top of the league on the 25th of december after beating wolves. 0le gunnar solskjaer meets the press for the first time as manchester united caretaker manager. and the chief exec of the ecb says ben stokes can still be a role model in cricket, despite a charge of bringing the game into disrepute.

thanks forjoining us. liverpool have guaranteed the number one spot in the premier league for christmas after they beat wolves 2—0 at molineux. mohammed salah and virgil van dyjk scored either side of half time to send the reds four points clear of manchester city, who play tomorrow. nick parrott has the report, and just a warning that there's flashing images at the start. if boys were rewarded for pre—match entertainment, wolves will be closer to the top than seven. they had put on good shows against big love, drawing with manchester city and

beating chelsea. liverpool knew if they were to extend the lead, they would have to avoid any slip ups. at first, that proved quite tricky with the rain lashing down. while wolves had to rely on mistakes to threaten, liverpool showed their attacking class. meeting pundits thought mo salah would be one season wonder by here he is atop the scoring charts again looking to be christmas number one. the egyptian parliament up with an assist, setting up virgil van dijk with his first league goal for liverpool. at times, juergen klopp's manor rode their luck but perhaps this is liverpool's season. top of the table for the first time in five yea rs. pressure the table for the first time in five years. pressure is now on manchester city. it is now a good moment. i think we now have 48 points, right equipment thatis now have 48 points, right equipment that is very cool. it is an outstanding number. the next will not be easy against newcastle and

then arsenal and manchester city are waiting so always such a tough time for the boys and i am so proud that they were ready tonight again. it was a really tough different game to the last last one. so you have to have different game plans and the boys showed that they are ready for that. that is good. manchester united's new interim manager, 0le gunnar solskjaer, says he would love to remain manager, but hasn't discussed taking the job on a permanent basis. he held his first press conference today since taking over following the sacking ofjose mourinho. he said he wouldn't set any targets for the season, but his focus was more on getting the players "to work as a team". solskjaer played at united for 11 years, and the norwegian says his former boss there, sir alex ferguson, has been a big influence on him. he's been my mentor. i didn't understand he would be my mentor, because i was sitting, since my injury in 2003 at least, i was making all the notes,

what he did in certain situations. of course, i have already been in touch with him, because there's no—one better to get some advice from. solskjaer‘s first game will be at cardiff city tomorrow, and he'll be looking to close the 22—point gap to liverpool. but what can he expect from his players? well, one man who's always very forthright with his opinions is the former united captain roy keane. and he didn't mince his words when talking about the current squad on radio 5live today. the way they hide behind the manager. whatever you say about the players, they threw him under the bus. people said mourinho was falling out with players. will you would win players to train

properly. then they put down tools. shame on some of them players. i am notjose mourinho's greatest fan, but some players hide behind their agent, the media. bit of a joke, really. there's been plenty of live rugby tonight, and in rugby union's premiership, northampton saints eased some relegation pressure as they comfortably beat worcester warriors 32—6. cobus ryenach added the extra gloss to the victory with this intercepted possession before running almost the length of the pitch to touch down with ease. the result means saints move up four places to sixth. cardiff blues had a last—minute penalty to win their derby match with newport gwent dragons in the pro 14.