this is bbc news. i'm carole walker. the headlines at 11: flights resume again at gatwick despite stopping briefly earlier this evening after the sighting of another drone. for some, christmas and holiday plans are ruined. they threw us to the wolves, basically. i can't go and see my grandma, ican‘t basically. i can't go and see my grandma, i can't go to the wedding. it is just not acceptable. it is deplorable. us financial markets, suffer their worse week in a decade with traders nervous over the likelihood of a partial government shutdown. and roll over ariana grande — the race for this year's christmas noi has been won by ladbaby, with a song about sausage rolls. at 11:30 we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers michael booker, deputy editor of the daily express and the daily mirror columnist, susie boniface — stay with us for that. 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. takeoff and landings then resumed again this evening at around 6:30. our correspondent duncan kennedy

reports from gatwick. this was the reaction when passengers heard that deny‘s suspension of flights was over. the airport was closed forjust over one hour this time, and reports came through of another drone sighting. they told us that the flight was cancelled and that we had to collect oui’ cancelled and that we had to collect our luggage. but by mid- evening ta keoffs and landings our luggage. but by mid- evening takeoffs 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 to the day for many. flights swapped for flaws. the ginia from cornwall is seriously ill and

had to spend a night in an airport chair. it goes against your human rights, doesn't it? forgot‘s sayak! around 600 planes came in today and thousands of people did get away —— for gods sake. this woman won't fly until sunday. how would you summarise this experience? until sunday. how would you summarise this experience ?m until sunday. how would you summarise this experience? it is horrendous. it is a nightmare. it is just... or how about these men from london whose flights to garner was cancelled today, meaning they will now miss a family wedding. they have thrown us to the wolves, basically. we are left ear. i can't go and see my grandma. i can't go to the wedding. it isjust my grandma. i can't go to the wedding. it is just not acceptable. it is deplorable. it is not good enough at all. this bag of chocolates with their airline's gesture of apology. but what about

compensation? 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 majority of people should be able to makea claim 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 of troubled companies. it is only the cheapest insurance policies that are available on the market that are unable —— unlikely to cover this. the squeeze in gatwick said the crush at st pancras. these were the queues for eurostar trains today. but others did had to gatwick, hoping that their flight would emerge from the chaos. so they said that just go there emerge from the chaos. so they said thatjust go there and see what happens. but i don't know. flights from foreign airports into gatwick

have also been trying to catch up. this family were caught in rome. the fa ct this family were caught in rome. the fact is that two children, wanting to get practice in my family, that is busily be sad part about it. but we will get there. a voice of optimism after days of uncertainty after an airport stopped not by folk. —— snow, four, awestruck, but bya folk. —— snow, four, awestruck, but by a drone. 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 is just 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. police elsewhere have shotguns. we've been told systems capable of bringing down drones with nets have been offered to gatwick airport. and tonight, this van could be seen stationed there.

it's thought additional radar detectors are being used, along with equipment to jam drone radio frequencies. but the police admit it took some time to bring in the specialist technology. there are always some measures in place. the additions to those took some time to request and to arrive here at gatwick airport. what sort of time? you know, we're talking hours, rather than days, but co—ordinating that, deploying that, getting that set up at gatwick has taken some time and we have learnt from that. the pilots' union also has concerns about the current rules, which banned 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. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy spoke to us a little earlier from gatwick. he told us how much longer the disruption for passengers is likely to continue. well, it really does depend on whether there are any more drones. if there aren't any they are hoping to get things back to normal late tomorrow night or early on sunday. but if there are more drones and the airport says they won't hesitate to bring in more suspensions. although one senses that they have a lot more confident than they had three or four days ago with these new military measures than they had on wednesday. that said, they also have this huge backlog of passengers to get through. 100,000 passengers trying to travel freely yesterday,

$125,000 are trying to get through today and more over the weekend. and although something like 600 flights did get away today, that is still way down on the normal numbers. what they are hoping is to either use other airports to spread the load, if you like, but also to carry on many more flights out of it into the nights. they got rid of the night cu rfew nights. they got rid of the night curfew so they could carry on with more flights. even that they don't think we'll get rid of the full backlog well into the weekend. the advice, as always, for passengers hoping to travel three gatwick is to talk to your travel agent or your airline first before heading out, because those delays are not over yet —— hoping to travel through. duncan kennedy. 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. meanwhile, there's been a sharp drop

on the us financial markets, with investors increasingly anxious about the likelihood of a shutdown of many government operations. 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 co—ordination, 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. 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. let's bring you some breaking news on the us government shutdown in washington — senate leaders have indicated a deal has not yet been reached to avoid a pending shutdown — which is due at midnight. donald trump had been trying to push through funding in the senate for his us—mexico border wall. he threatened a "very long" government shutdown if democrats did not vote through the funding.

essex police say they are dealing with a complex incident in the thames estuary after a group of stowaways were found on a container ship. the italian vessel was seen circling in the estuary off the coast of essex and kent — it had left nigeria ten days ago the owners of the vessel said four stowaways had threatened the ship's staff. but police say they're not treating the incident as either a hostage, piracy or terror—related situation, and there are no reports of anyone being harmed. 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. 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 are 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.

the headlines on bbc news: flights in and out of gatwick airport have resumed after they were briefly suspended this evening — when a drone was spotted over the airfield. there have been heavy losses in the us financial markets, with traders nervous over the likelihood of a partial government shutdown. a remembrance service has taken place in lockerbie to remember the 270 people who were killed when pan am flight 103 was destroyed by a bomb over the town in 1988. 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 a year of not knowing when it's going to turn up. people are worried about theirjobs. when you are always late and it's not your fault. i know people who had written warnings. in one week last month not a single train ran. frost passengers we feel 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 while not going to be able to make it that day, because i get paid hourly, i lose those powers. the line, run by northern rail, links 0rmskirk to preston, two large towns in the north—west of england

with in between. this is the me a way out of the village. a lifeline. 0ur figures way out of the village. a lifeline. 0urfigures show a way out of the village. a lifeline. 0ur figures show a third of all services on this line simply didn't run in the last six months, symptomatic of how rail passengers in the north of england have been badly let down. in the service we offered in parts of 2018 has not been acceptable. myself and the team are committed to getting the right and we are seeing incremental improvement. it's not come in the last few months. it is coming now and we are seeing stabilisation. are you fixing it? northern rail are committed to the franchise and the commitments we have next year, we are starting to see more capacity, new trains being introduced on the system. are of greater manchester isn't so sure. but they should be given clear notice. things have to be soon, at the very latest by the may timetable change next year and if they don't, they should be stripped of the franchise. back in

0rmskirk, a familiar story. stripped of the franchise. back in ormskirk, a familiar story. 15 minutes late. the sum, this is a devout trains. if you don't have a good public transport and rail system, people won't come and invest in the area and expand, they will move somewhere else. northern rail says trains were damaged by autumn leaves us as services were moved off this line elsewhere. the government says it is reviewing performances of rail companies in the north of england. but there has been any breach of franchise agreement, measures will be taken. it's six months since 12 boys from the wild boars football team and their coach got trapped in a flooded cave in thailand. after 10 days, they were found by british divers, and there then followed a race against time to get them out, with more monsoon rains forecast. 0ur south east asia correspondent jonathan head has been back to the cave, and the community around it. the boys are back. along with the

new statue. this tribute to the thai diver, the salford talladega in an otherwise miraculous rescue is also a reunion between the boys and their saviours. three of the foreign volu nteers saviours. three of the foreign volunteers who helped to get them out of the caves are also here. this is such a contrast with what we saw here five months ago but the boys are paying their respects to the statue of a man who lost his life trying to save them. five months ago, this was a sea of mud, there we re rescu e ago, this was a sea of mud, there were rescue is everywhere and no—one had any idea whether they would come out alive. that extraordinary 3— week operation has put this previously little—known site onto thailand's tourist map. from just a handful of visitors a day, it now gets thousands. draw notjust by the boy's story but also by their good

fortune. it's become a lucky place, somewhere you buy a lottery ticket. all these lottery tickets, which one is the lucky number? 13, she says. that is the number of the boys and their coach who went into the caves. this man, whose pineapple field was flooded during the rescue by all the water pump from the caves. these days, though, is actually making more money by selling the oranges his or. 0ur pineapple crop did, he explained. we couldn't get into harvest it because of all the vehicles back then. so he stopped farming and volunteered to help the rescu e rs farming and volunteered to help the rescuers instead. the mini tourist boom is proving something of a bonanza for this community. and rescu e rs bonanza for this community. and rescuers like then unsworth have become local celebrities. to perfect ——to be perfectly honest, i prefer a

quiet life. you are not going to get it. i'm not one to going out and seeking people treating me as a hero and i'm not a seeking people treating me as a hero and i'm nota hero. iwas seeking people treating me as a hero and i'm not a hero. iwasjust on the right place at the right time, really. the lives of the boys have now returned to ordinary but not quite as before. use your body as a shield, can you show me that. this isa shield, can you show me that. this is a coaching session offered by manchester city. the most famous young footballers in the world are still getting plenty of international attention. jonathan head, bbc news, northern thailand. a non—profit organisation is providing animal—assisted therapy to those living in special care facilities, nursing homes and hospices in johannesburg. the visits by volunteers and their pets provide comfort to patients who interact with them. nomsa maseko reports. sushi, jack and murphy

preparing for their big day. the furry friends take their jobs very seriously, administering cuteness and cuddles. they come bearing christmas presents. the therapy dogs are visiting patients at a frail care centre here in johannesburg. say hi. yes, good boy. and a paw. where's your paw? yes. paws for people is an organisation which offers animal assisted therapy and operates in several parts of south africa. crystal gillies woman has been staying here at at the anne harding cheshire home for several decades. i have been here for 15 years and i'm just the happiest. you look forward to every visit? for sure, they are just the best.

i can't wait for them to get here. for some of the patients here, this might be the only visit they get during this christmas period, so the therapy dogs are brought here to bring about that christmas cheer. as christmas nears, this is the last visit of the year to this home and residents here have formed a special bond with the dogs and many look forward to more cuddles in the new year. the young academy players of norwich city have set their sights on scoring on the pitch and in the kitchen this christmas. the boys wanted to thank their parents, and host families for all their support this year so they decided to cook and serve christmas dinner for them with a little expert help from the club's owner, delia smith. tom williams has more. turkey, route vegetables, cranberry sauce. your department. tonight,

delia smith's head chef becomes a head coaches players from norwich city academy takeover. what is it like working in delia's kitchen? it's different to normal because we are usually out their training, so it's like being in a different environment, loads of people out there we need to impress so even it means in the kitchen, it's all good. what is on the menu tonight?|j means in the kitchen, it's all good. what is on the menu tonight? i don't actually know. well, he didn't know but the boss will. well, well, well. three courses, celery soup to start followed by turkey and the desert, black forest roulade. so is this one of your exact recipes? yes, it is, absolutely except the way the pastry chefs make it here is much more elegant than i would. mine is a sort of big rail and elegant than i would. mine is a sort of big railand it elegant than i would. mine is a sort of big rail and it cracks, because its home cooking. how are your sous chef skidding on? they are doing

great and for a lot of these guys is the first time they are in the kitchen and they are not break co mforta ble kitchen and they are not break comfortable but they are now relaxed and hopefully they will have a bit of fun. the under 18 is invited all house parents, local parents and the odd special guest to christmas dinner to say thank you to their support. the canaries keen to educate them as footballers and rounded people. they've got to be used to performing under pressure. it's all part of their development in an industry which is necessary to perform every day make progress every day. i offered to carry the drinks. a bit nerve—wracking but i feel like i can do it. it's about giving back to our parents and the people in the club, the bigger people in the club, the bigger people who put money into us because at the end of the day, they are the ones by making our dreams come true. proud of the boys? absolutely. with the atmosphere, it is fabulous.

really nice. you should get a free dinner because they got to look after the head coach.|j dinner because they got to look after the head coach. i am not sure, we will see. i didn't cook today. you didn't cook? i'm just posting. i ama you didn't cook? i'm just posting. i am a good cook. norwich's head coach paying the food tastes as good as it looks. of course it will, it's delia's at christmas. 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, we built this city on sausage rolls. 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.

and here's the moment mark hoyle found out his song had reached number one. which means this year's official christmas number one on radio1 yea rs lad ba by christmas number one on radio1 years ladba by with christmas number one on radio1 years ladbaby with we built this city. hello. hello, mate. how's it going? you must be having the strangest day. i'm having the strangest day. i'm having the strangest year, i don't know what is going on but it is unbelievable, isn't it? you've done it. i honestly can't thank people enough. honestly, thank you to everybody is downloaded, streamed, who is even bootlegged it. no matter where you have listened, they give are sharing it and spreading the word and raising so much money for the amazing charity. white christmas gift for one dad, one charity and perhaps the nation's nations —— the

nation's sausage roll makers. —— quite a christmas gift. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers, michael booker, who's the deputy editor at the daily express, and the daily mirror columnist, susie boniface. that's coming up just after the headlines at 11:30. now it's time for the weather with chris fawkes. it's been another day with widespread shower activity. in between showers, we did see some showers, this was captured by days of the gardener in herefordshire. tending to become confined. we never get cold. not a bad start to the