this is bbc news. the headlines at 11. two people are arrested in connection with the drone sightings which brought gatwick airport to a standstill. passengers are still suffering delays and cancellations — but the airport aims to run a "full schedule" of flights today. a row over the money for donald trump's border wall results in a partial shutdown of the us government. a british warship arrives in the black sea in response to russia's seizure last month of three ukrainian navy vessels and their crew. also coming up this hour, transforming the lives of hundreds of babies while still in the womb. surgery for unborn babies with spinal defects is to be made routinely available on the nhs in england. and in half an hour, we look at leadership — and the lack of it — that's in dateline‘s review of the year, at half past eleven. police have arrested two people in connection

with the illegal use of drones, which has caused huge disruption to flights into and out of gatwick airport. sussex police say a man and a woman are in custody, but that investigations are continuing. flights were suspended for a third day yesterday because of a new drone sighting, before operators were assured the military measures put in place made it safe for the runway to re—open. gatwick airport says it aims to run: "a full schedule" today operating 757 flights carrying over 124,000 passengers. the airport say passengers should expect some delays and cancellations as they continue to recover operations following the three days of disruption. munaza rafiq has more. after hundreds of cancelled flights, this was the reaction when passengers heard that they were up and running again. it came after the airport was closed forjust over an hour after the sighting of another drone.

they told us that the flight was cancelled and that we had to collect our luggage. after unprecedented disruption, flights had resumed just after six on friday morning. many woke up after a night on the airport's floor. virginia goncalves from cornwell is seriously ill and spent the night in an airport chair. it's horrible. it goes against your human rights, isn't it? i have stage four cancer, widespread to the bones. for god sake! last night, sussex police said they had arrested two people suspected of involvement in the illegal use of drones. meanwhile, flights have continued throughout the night at the country's second busiest airport as it attempts to deal with a severe backlog of passengers.

munaza rafiq, bbc news. 0ur correspondentjenny kumah is at gatwick airport this morning with the latest. inside the terminals it is looking busy. there is some confusion amongst the passengers. there is a flight amongst the passengers. there is a flight from... there are cancellations and some delays. since the disruption, flights medley, there have been three days of disruptions. 190,000 passengers have been disruption, 1000 flights affected. there was prospect of further disruption yesterday at five o'clock when there was a further siting of a drone. this led to the suspension of flights of around 90 minutes. 11 inbound flights were

diverted to other airports and there we re diverted to other airports and there were dalits to some flights. the message from the airport run from the police as they have measures in place to make the airfield safe and the airport says that it is is hoping to run a few scheduled today, that they are hoping to run around 750 flights and transport around 120,000 passengers. so how might an incident like this be avoided in the future? professor david dunn is an expert in international security at the university of birmingham. good morning. thank you for being with us on bbc news. the thing that will have struck people most in the last day or so, is the contrast that what happened that way on wednesday evening and into thursday and what happened yesterday. 0ne evening and into thursday and what happened yesterday. one a complete shutdown, on the second occasion 45 minutes. what changed? what changed is the establishment of equipment, military equipment technology that

can either use thermal imaging or thermal imaging to find a drone. the detection of the drone and the arrest of these two people are connected. the technology was there to vector on where these operatives were. in terms of the drugs themselves and where they appear on themselves and where they appear on the edges of airfields and in the vicinity of airports, will the technology allow you to not just track them and hack back who has been operating well, but to kind of deal with them as a threat in the immediate area space? there are two different things. it is easy to detect them and in the united states they have brought in legislation that requires every drone to have its own signature. you can identify ona its own signature. you can identify on a list to the operator is. that is what we should be reflecting on

and having here. the technology take drugs out is more complicated. there isa drugs out is more complicated. there is a technology to disable the drawn by firing electrical beams at the drone. —— drone. it may well require you to actually ground aircraft if you to actually ground aircraft if you use that technology. there is a technology cold sky wall which is like a rocket propelled grenade on your shoulder that you fire, it fires a net on the shaun ley and that brings light to the ground. —— drone. there are technologies being developed in recognition of this threat. what about the regulatory framework the government has put in place in recent years, there is civilian use of drones is recent.

have we thought of enough ways of knowing who has them and ensuring if they are not operating them safely they are not operating them safely they can be identified quickly? there is a disconnect. my team at the university have been interviewing government officials, security experts who are in charge of critical infrastructure, airports, power stations and credit lasers, and they have all said that they are concerned that the government is not working quick enough and individual airports are not working quick enough to address this. i think we can learn from the americans, they have been ahead of us as americans, they have been ahead of us as have this less than french and other nationalities, a whole variety of people are ahead of ours and requiring regulation registration, insurance and some physical means on the drone to identify the drone either when it is being brought down 01’ either when it is being brought down oran image it either when it is being brought down or an image it is giving off well it

is flying. all of those are necessary as we move towards the greater commercial use of drones. and the potential for nefarious use, criminal or terrorist use of drones. if you have drones hiding in plain sight, it requires us to have a means to detect who they are and to ta ke means to detect who they are and to take them out this guy if need be. briefly, if you can, do you think however frustrating these days have been for those who were hoping to travel from gatwick and into gatwick, that this may turn out to have been a necessary wake—up call? 0ne have been a necessary wake—up call? one of the concerns that i and other people who are having concerned about this technology have been worried about is that and given the slowness of government to respond, we thought maybe it would take a tragedy of a plane striking a shaun

ley to order terrorist use of a drone before the regulation comes in. —— drone. hopefully this will be enough now for people to take this threat seriously. thank you very much. a man has been arrested on suspicion of drink—driving offences after two 19—year—olds were killed in a car crash in lincoln in the early hours of this morning. polcie were called to the lincoln bypass — in the north of the city — where they found two cars that had collided. both passengers in one of the cars were pronounced dead at the scene. theirfamilies have been informed and the road has now been reopened. a partial shutdown of the us government has come into effect after congress adjourned without reaching an agreement on a revised spending bill. president trump had demanded the legislation include 5.7 billion dollars for the mexican border wall — but with a threshold of 60 % needed in the upper house — it failed to gain support in the senate. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis, explained what's likely to happen next. both houses of congress are set

to reconvene in the morning at noon and they will presumably start all over again to try to find an agreement. white house representatives, including the incoming chief of staff, mick mulvaney, and the president's son—in—law, jared kushner, have been on capitol hill. they spent about five hours at congress throughout the day, basically shuttling backwards and forwards between senate, republicans and democrats, trying to get beyond this impasse, but with both sides fairly entrenched it's looking increasingly unlikely there will be some sort of solution to this any time now. president trump, though, did put out a video on his twitter feed this evening and he said in that that he thought — or hoped — that the shutdown would not last long, in his words. david willetts reporting. a british warship has arrived

in the black sea in response to russia's seizure of three ukrainian navy vessels and their crew last month. the defence secretary, gavin williamson, says the presence of the royal navy will send a strong message to moscow. 0ur defence correspondent, jonathan beale has more. these are the increasingly volatile and contested waters of the black sea. and navigating his way through them, britain's defence secretary steering a ukrainian gunboat. just a month ago, russia seized three sister boats nearby off the coast of crimea, land now also occupied by russia. but he's here to visit a royal navy warship docked in ukraine's port of odessa — hms echo, a lightly armed service vessel, or what moscow calls a spy ship. it's meant to send a clear message. what we are saying to russia, what we are saying to president putin, they cannot continue to act with no regard

or care for international laws or international norms. this is why he's intervened. in november, a ukrainian tug boat was rammed by a russian vessel. shots were fired at the accompanying flotilla, blocked from entering the narrow kerch straight. to do what we can do, working with you to ensure your loved ones are back home with you. 2a ukrainian sailors are still being held, these their anxious relatives waiting for news. the uk's defence secretary listened to their pleas for help — they even sent a letter to the queen. viktor has not seen his wounded son, vassil, since he was captured. he says, "i feel pain, i feel helpless. we are looking for the support of britain to get them released." the presence of this royal navy warship here in odessa is to provide ukraine with reassurance in the face

of what they see as russian aggression but britain is not looking for a confrontation with russia, and this warship is not expected to sail through the kerch strait. does anyone else want one? the defence secretary says this is not a provocation, but a show of solidarity. the crew of hms echo will be here for christmas. it's quite a long stint, isn't it? and other british warships will be returning next year. jonathan beale, bbc news, 0dessa. four stowaways found on a cargo ship in the thames estuary have been detained under the immigration act, after the vessel's crew was threatened. the grande tema left nigeria 11 days ago. the group are thought to have armed themselves with iron bars, forcing crew members to retreat to the bridge of the ship. no one was injured. home ownership among 25 to sa—year—olds has risen for the first time in three decades, according to new research by the resolution foundation.

the think tank, which focuses on people with lower incomes, warned that first—time buyers still face barriers to getting on the housing ladder. our business correspondent joe miller has more. back in the 1980s, around half of young brits owned a home. but in the decade since, the number of first—time buyers under 35 has dropped dramatically to just 25%. but there's some good news at last. a small rise of almost 3% in those able to get on the property ladder. the resolution foundation which crunched the numbers says tweaks to stamp duty and longer mortgages helped but it's the banks which made the difference biggest difference. after the financial crisis, lenders to the decision to rein in credit and take less risk. now they're taking a bit more and being a bit more generous with first—time buyers in terms of the loans that they give them. also, house price growth has slowed really significantly

over the past few years. the foundation says the recent rise equates to 190,000 more young families who have their own home this christmas. but the good tidings are not evenly spread. while yorkshire and the humber, scotland and the north west of england saw strong growth, the number of under 35s owning property declined in the northeast and east midlands. and there's no popping of champagne corks just yet. the think tank says renting is still the norm for the overwhelming majority of young people. joe miller, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... (00v) two people are arrested in connection with the drone sightings which brought gatwick to a standstill — the airport aims to run a ‘full schedule' of flights today. a row over the money for donald trump's border wall results in a partial shutdown of the us government. a british warship arrives in the black sea in response to russia's seizure last month of three ukrainian navy vessels and their crew. the nhs‘s clinical director

for dementia and older people's mental health says that we should look out for signs of depression and dementia among olderfamily members and friends over the christmas period. professor alistair burns says problems that may have previously been hidden can come to the surface or be easier to spot as friends and families get together over the festive season. with me is caroline abrahams, the charity director at age uk. this is a time when people are worrying about a lot of things. have they managed to put the turkey on a last—minute presents. and in in that fog of activity, it can be a moment of clarity realising what is happening to friends and family. can you explore and why it is an important time to spot that? maybe eve ryo ne important time to spot that? maybe

everyone makes a big deal of christmas and everyone comes home. you may not have seen your mum and dad for six months or longer. and then you might spot something. they do not look quite as well as well as the last time. there are all sorts of tell—tale signs that have been pointed out for the nhs. maybe mum has spent a obsessed with cooking the turkey and this time not may be on top of it all and it is a bit too much. maybe dad was insisted before christmas lunch, but maybe not so steady on his feet now. it is a good opportunity. if you have not seen anyone for a bit, you can spot things. it is often the time of year with all the activity and noise and attention that the person who has that problem is doing the dampness to conceal that from everyone. they have got their coping mechanism but they do not want to acknowledge it.

if you do see something that you think, something slightly amiss but ido think, something slightly amiss but i do not watch. the trick is not to get too upset about it yourself and jump get too upset about it yourself and jump to conclusions that the worst has happened, that your mum or dad has happened, that your mum or dad has suddenly got dementia are a serious health problem. it may be they need help but gently see if they need help but gently see if they could find help in the new year. the last thing we want to do is make all people feel miserable or self—conscious are disinclined to accept help at all. there will be lots of people spending the christmas and new year period on their own. the difficulty for them is not only the hot loneliness but also in terms of the impact on the health, what advice do you offer older people who are on their own christmas about dealing with this as best they can? the advice is what everybody else, be a good relative and friend and just pick up the

phone if you cannot go on. casual bits of social contact make a big difference. all the things we can do if we are sitting on the bus and being friendly to people around us. that may be the only conversation and older person has all deep role week for some. but this period around christmas can be difficult for older people if they are on their own. all the other places are shot and their own. all the other places are shotand bump their own. all the other places are shot and bump into people in the supermarket because they are closed. television is very important because we are fighting to retain the over 75s licensed concession. it is an essential in terms of notjust entertainment but also knowing what is happening around you.|j entertainment but also knowing what is happening around you. i think for a lot of older people, the tv is a window on the world and a way of knowing what is going on, keeping in touch with younger life and all sorts of things. thank you very much. i hope you have a great christmas. surgery to repair the spinal

cord of unborn babies is to become routinely available on the nhs from next spring. nhs england says the procedure, carried out during pregnancy, will help to correct spina bifida — when the bones of the spine don't form properly and the spinal cord is left exposed. here's our medical correspondent, fergus walsh. i might not go too much deeper, because we might need membranes in a second. this hospital in belgium has trained british doctors to carry out surgery to repair spinal defects during pregnancy. now families won't need to go abroad for treatment. thank you very much. hands crossed. spina bifida develops during pregnancy when the bones of the spine don't form properly. this can cause a bulge from which spinal fluid leaks out. the condition can cause a range of lifelong health issues such as paralysis, bladder and bowel problems, and affect brain development. the delicate surgery happens at around 26 weeks pregnancy. the womb is opened and the baby's nerve tissues are pushed back into the spinal cord, which is then closed.

the pregnancy continues for another three months. this must be my baby! hello! this is baby ayesha from belgium meeting the british surgeon who corrected her spina bifida when she was in the womb. doctors expect she will walk normally. two pregnant women in the uk have had the surgery this year. now it will be routinely available in england. a combined team at london's university college and great 0rmond street hospitals hope to treat 10—20 babies each year. fergus walsh, bbc news. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's lizzie greenwood hughes. good morning. liverpool have guaranteed the number one spot in the premier league for christmas after they beat wolves 2—0 at molineux. they're four points clear of manchester city, who play today. nick parrott reports.

liverpool haven't had a happy christmas for five years. nowjurgen klopp and his men have delivered an early present to their fans. this wasn't as comfortable a victory as the scoreline suggests, though — playing at molineux isn't easy. manchester city could only draw here. chelsea lost. and liverpool rode their luck at times. they could easily have slipped up with the rain lashing down. but the difference between the good and the great comes down to making the most of your chances. that is just what mo saleh did. the egyptian's goal took him to the top of the league scoring charts and he was on song with an assist, too, taken brilliantly by virgil van dijk. with more prolific strikers, wolves might have got something. but liverpool could have scored more, too. the team that's top of the table at christmas usually ends up as champions. the pressure is now on manchester city. nick parrott, bbc news. so the attention now turns to manchester city. a win today against crystal palace will reduce that gap tojust a point. manchester united take on cardiff this evening as 0le gunnar solskjaer

starts his era as interim manager. midfielder ashley young has been speaking to former united strike dion dublin. why do you think it is not clipped? there is much talent. it is about the confidence. the talent in the squad is unbelievable. you need to have that discipline and character and heart and desire and willing mentality. when you work at a club like theirs, that comes in abundance. for me, even being at my age, iam abundance. for me, even being at my age, i am a winner. a lot of people will tell you when i come out of the training pitch, ifi will tell you when i come out of the training pitch, if i have lost, it hurts. it is like i am not a nice person to be around when i lose. there's a big night of uk boxing tonight with the english heavyweights dillian whyte and dereck chisora clashing at the 02, and at the same time, also on pay—per—view but in manchester,

josh warrington will fight carl frampton for the ibf featherweight title. both fights are expected to be very close and the clash of timings has irritated many boxing fans and in particular the warrington—frampton promoter frank warren. it is disrespectful to the sport and disrespectful to the fans. it is the time of year when people maybe can't afford to pay for two events. it is ridiculous. there is no sense to it. i have no problem with competition, but it is stupid competition. you will not put on man city and man united, playing 3pm, saturday, on the same day. it does not happen, in the same town. they split the teams up to make it work to make sure you have a maximum audience. you need a maximum audience for your sport because he want to grow your sport. every christmas, the world's top show—jumpers travel to the centre of london for the 0lympia international horse show. it's a week long event and this afternoon is the one they all want to win — the world cup qualifier. britain's ben maher is one of the big names competing,

not only for the huge prize money but also for the points which count towards a place in the world cup final next year. the olympic gold medallist in 2012 has had a great year and a win at olympia would be a nice christmas present. it is 0lympia, it is one of the best horse road shows in the world. for many reasons — riders like riding here. london is a great city. i jumped many shows this year and you still don't get the atmosphere like you do in this building. the final show of the year for everybody, and it is the big one of the week. that's all the sport for now. now for the weather forecast. hello. whether it is your last—minute dash to the shops are travelling to catch up with friends and family, at least today's weather is on your side. there's a lot of fine weather around and some sunshine for the afternoon. tomorrow, the forecast is a bit more iffy. it shouldn't cause too many problems

but we do have some weather fronts that are going to come in from the atlantic and that will mean a greyer and wetter story for the southern half of the uk. for the rest of today though, high—pressure and a little ridge of high pressure will keep things pretty calm. still some showers to come across western scotland, a few strays elsewhere but generally a lot of dry weather, some sunny spells and mild in the south, highs of 11 or 12. a frosty start for the north of scotland, it will hold temperatures back come the afternoon. highs of 5 or 6. heading out this evening, you have got a fine evening to look forward to. aside from some showers continue across western scotland. if you do stay out after the witching hour, midnight, there will be some rain arriving into northern ireland, wales and south—west of england. ahead of that rain, quite chilly for first thing on sunday, particularly across scotland, we will have a frost. elsewhere milder under the cloud and rain. but that will make for a pretty greay day across the southern half

of the uk one way or another. scotland will definitely do best throughout there with the best of the sunshine and a dry day if anything the land today because we won't have the showers in the west. some uncertainty about the northern extent of the rain across northern ireland and england. hopefully it will brighten a little as the day goes on. but rain at times and cloud elsewhere. however, very mild, 12 or 13 as the highs. chillier picture in the north with the sunshine, highs of six or 7 degrees. 0n into the new week, christmas week and it is all about high—pressure building and that will kill off any weather fronts and also stole any fresh ones coming in from the atlantic. so some rain around on monday, christmas eve, i think across southern england and south wales. but fizzling out as the day goes by. a lot of cloud sticking around here on christmas eve. elsewhere, hopefully some brighter spells. again, though, in one or two areas we could see some stubborn patches of mist and fog and that could just be a little bit hazardous

taking to the roads. so keep up—to—date with that. and again for a christmas day, high—pressure, it will bring a lot of fine weather. could be a frosty start. if anything, though it will be a grey one with some stubborn fog and cloud. hello, welcome to dateline. for the last two programmes of the year, we're in a seasonally reflective mood. next weekend, we'll look forward to what 2019 may bring. today, though, a reminder of the things we've loved and loathed about 2018. if there's a theme, its leadership and why it's been lacking. with me to discuss the year almost gone, the usjournalist stephanie baker, from bloomberg news suzanne lynch, washington correspondent for the irish times marc roche, belgian—born british resident writing for france's le point and the uk political commentator steve richards thank you for breaking off from your christmas shopping. now, if we look

at the prospects for the year, the year just at the prospects for the year, the yearjust gone, i suppose it is no great surprise to end with the united states as the year ends with the united states almost in shutdown. at least part of the federal government. is this leadership? i think 2018 will go down as the year the trump presidency went off the rails, culminating in this shutdown. but looking back, he has had an unprecedented turnover in his administration. he has lost two national security advisers, two