this is bbc news. the headlines at two two people are arrested in connection with the drone sightings which brought gatwick airport to a standstill. the airport aims to run a full service today — but passengers continue to suffer delays and cancellations. it is horrible. it goes against your human rates. —— rights. a row over the money for donald trump's border wall results in a partial shutdown of the us government. retailers pin their hopes on super saturday to boost christmas shopping sales — after a disappointing year for the high street. 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 an half an hour i will be

looking back at a terminal and —— turbulent in politics, dominic did bite brexit, but there has been other —— dominated by brexit, but there have been other issues also. two people — a man and a woman — have been arrested by police investigating the illegal use of drones at gatwick airport. repeated sightings led to the runway being shut for long periods — with around 1,000 flights being cancelled or diverted — and more than 100,000 passengers left stranded. the airport is open but delays are still expected because of the backlog in cancelled services.

gatwick airport says it aims to run a full schedule today — operating 757 flights — carrying over 124,000 passengers. the nightmare before christmas appears to be coming to an end at gatwick airport. after three days of destruction flights are getting back to normal but there is still a backlog to clear, leaving some passengers travelling to date concerned. we are supposed to be going to france, skiing in the alps. we are are anxious. it is frustrating, especially this time of year when people are trying to get back to see family. it is not ideal. we do not have a long holiday so it is frustrating to miss out on some

of it. it seems stupid that this incident had to happen at all. sussex police see two people have been arrested in connection with the drawn activity and investigations are still ongoing. the disruption caused widespread travel chaos affecting 1000 flights and 150,000 passengers. six flights have been cancelled today but the airport hopes to run 750. some airlines are considering putting on additional flights in an attempt to get this schedule is back on track, and passengers to their destinations for christmas day. more details have emerged about those arrests. a 47—year—old man and a 54—year—old woman had been arrested in connection with that illegal drawn activity. both are said to be from crawley. investigations are ongoing. police would like anyone with relevant information to get in touch with them. in the meantime the airport

says that measures are in place to keep the airfield safe and to keep flights running. it's being reported that plans for new laws regulating drone use were dropped earlier this year. 0ur political correspondent jessica parker is with me now. tell us more about this. this is a d raft tell us more about this. this is a draft drawn is built, it was set to be published in spring of this year originally but did not appear and we now understand that is likely to appearas now understand that is likely to appear as part of a wider response to rules around drones early in the new year. one of the accusations from the labour party today is the fuel one of the reasons is draft bill has not appeared as because the government is too distracted by things like brexit. i spoke to the department for transport, they say thatis department for transport, they say that is not the case. they do not

think the delay in publishing the strap bill affects the eventual legislative timetable and they pointed out that this is a fast changing environment. in orderfor laws to keep up with fast—moving technology is a big challenge. labour has been talking about the issue of a state of readiness of our airports. why is there this relu cta nce airports. why is there this reluctance by the government? do we have any idea? it is not necessarily a reluctance and something that ministers may be quick to point out in terms of what has happened at gatwick, laws are in place against that, the law has been broken. earlier this year the government brought in legislation that restricts drones flying above 400 feet and within month—long tour of airport boundaries, that is already in place. the new bill was potentially looking at regulatory power switch some say might have been helpful. i do not necessarily

think there has been a reluctance but it is not that unusual for draft legislation to sometimes be delayed, that appears to have happened in this case. and because of what has happened at gatwick and the huge disruption, people are asking questions, why has thus will not come forward sooner? a partial shutdown of the us government has come into effect — after congress and president trump failed to resolve their differences over the budget. mrtrump, who has to sign off any deal, refused to approve a short—term funding deal which has cross—party support in congress — but it doesn't allocate the $5 billion needed to build a wall along the us border with mexico. 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. two teenagers have been killed in a road crash involving a suspected drink—driver. two cars collided on the lincoln bypass just before 1 am this morning. the occupants of a white citroen, were pronounced dead at the scene following the collision with a blue

ford mondeo. police are questioning a man suspected of drink driving. 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. retailers hoping for a last—minute rush of christmas shoppers on what is dubbed "super saturday" may be disappointed as trading is expected to have peaked ahead of this weekend. footfall reportedly rose by over 10% this thursday and friday — according to retail data analyst springboard. friday is typically the busiest day as people tend to use saturday to travel. we can speak to consumer and retail expert, kate hardcastle,

who joins us from leeds. take as through the indications as you know so far. i was out last week on saturday to see the state of their high street and last saturday was really challenging for the high street. this is for a lot of different reasons. this has affected the christmas calendar. in the run—up to christmas retailers would normally be doing so well, making good profits, enjoying the christmas period, but since black friday, the challenge of online, a lot of retailers have moved to a discount period from november and keeping that discount period. it is a challenge to get people encouraged back into the stores. the reason we see could fall increase this weekend, it is people who wait until last—minute. reasons could be, they might have only just

last—minute. reasons could be, they might have onlyjust been paid. all the same, it is not going to be the same as christmas ever was on the high street, there will be a reduction in footfall, as we spent 20% on line. how do retailers balance the fact that many shoppers now just buy a balance the fact that many shoppers nowjust buy a token present and see their hard earned cash for the post—boxing day sales? their hard earned cash for the post-boxing day sales? that is right. not only have we got seals, averaging 40, 50%, expected to rise to 60% on christmas eve. people are buying a token gifts, or even an experience, the amount of vouchers, that has risen over the past few yea rs, that has risen over the past few years, and people are giving small

gifts because it is difficult to buy something that you know is going to be discounted. a lot of people are having conversations about gifting after the big day so they can get more for their cash. this presents big challenges for retailers, not just off—line, but also with the likes of an online fashion chain, there is a challenge. there has been reports of huge reductions in prices, up to 90% at sports direct i believe it is, but we are very much in the age now where consumers expect a bargain whether it is at a pdf such as christmas, and looking ahead to 2019, what is your forecast for the sector which has been described as stricken? this is going to be a christmas which is so challenging, a

big day is 10th ofjanuary, brands like marks & spencer ‘s and debenhams will be telling us how they have done over this period and iam afraid... they have done over this period and i am afraid... this is notjust online, we are not buying as much stuff, also, we just online, we are not buying as much stuff, also, wejust do not commit to the plans that were used to, there is not that loyalty, these brands are finding traditional high street stores expensive to run. we have a retail economy that is not healthy. we are going to see less retailers out there, a smaller town and city centre, but more social offerings, and the rise of online shopping. january 20191 offerings, and the rise of online shopping. january 2019i am afraid there is probably going to be a dull month in terms of the challenges that be have heard from retailers. but there are green shoots, plans doing well and i've had a good

christmas. they tend to be at the discount side. it is the middle that has been eroded. surgery to repair the spinal cord in unborn babies is to become routinely available on the nhs from next spring. nhs england says carrying out the procedure during pregnancy will help correct spina bifida — a condition where bones don't form properly, leaving the spinal cord exposed. our medical correspondent fergus walsh has more. i might not go too much deeper, frank, 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. 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 ten to 20 babies each year.

a sixth consecutive saturday of protests by the yellow vest movement is beginning in france. in paris, which has seen violence in recent weekends, some demonstrators are gathering along champs—elysees and other locations in the city. the number of people turning out has fallen recently, in part because of concessions made by president emmanuel macron. a tenth person has died after a driver crashed into the back of a lorry at a yellow vest roadblock yesterday near the southern city of perpignan. the headlines on bbc news. 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. retailers then there are hopes on

super saturday to boost sales. 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 survey 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 strait. to do what we can do, working with you to ensure your loved ones are back home with you. 24 ukrainian sailors are still being held, these their anxious relatives waiting for news. the uk defence secretary listened to their pleas for help — they even sent a letter to the queen. viktor has not heard from 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. home ownership among 25 to 34 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 decades 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 biggest difference. after the financial crisis, lenders took 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. church attendance in the uk has been in steady decline in recent years — but not in cathedrals. they're bucking that trend with a 13% rise in attendance in the last decade. ten million of us visited a cathedral last year. 0ur religious affairs editor martin bashir has been to lichfield in staffordshire to find out why 20,000 people have made the trip in the run up to christmas. choral singing if wise men followed a star, then what would they make of this? a laser light show

at lichfield cathedral in the run—up to christmas. £6 for adults, £4 for children, and it's a sell—out. inside this medieval cathedral, 22,000 doves float above the nave. modern technology telling the ancient story of peace on earth. you could see as we walked in and it draws you in. absolutely brilliant. i think it's really good to come and see something like this locally. the spectacular light show is also having an impact here. that's £8.80 altogether. a recent study found that cathedrals give a £200 million boost to their local high streets. with all the light shows and all their events, basically it's bringing in a lot more people into lichfield which is great for the bars, the restaurants and shops. attendance at lichfield is up 25%

and while they are reluctant to attribute this to any single cause, the dean says that cathedrals have worked hard at improving their product, combining the tranquillity of a sacred space with the stimulus of modern media. what has any of this to do with the message of a saviour who is christ the lord, born at christmas? well, the message of the angels wasjoy. "i bring you news of great joy." when you look in the face of a newborn child, you experience joy, and it's that spirit of non—anxiety, of joyful freedom, that we want to put people in touch with. the light of the world has certainly come to the midlands. martin bashir, bbc news at lichfield cathedral. being a parent of a child with allergies can be a scary prospect —

and over the christmas period it can present extra challenges. this autumn an inquest into the death of teenager natasha ednan—laperouse, who suffered a reaction after eating a baguette from pret a manger, thrust the issue into the spotlight. 0ur weather presenter matt taylor, who has two daughters with severe allergies, went to meet natasha's parents. you like this, do you? yeah, ido. like all families, we are looking forward to christmas, the kids especially excited as well. they've got santa coming, there's the presents, also the food, to a certain extent, but with us as a family that comes with huge, huge challenges. i have loads of allergies. i'm allergic to dairy, egg, legumes, lentils, and peas. i also have some allergies, i'm allergic to peanuts. # it's beginning to look a lot like christmas... brilliant. look at all that!

daddy, what are those? you are constantly thinking about what you are feeding them, what they are eating and up comes even more of a challenge at christmas time, especially when there's parties involved, they go out to other places, to other friends. gosh, that's got everything in it, nope. it is just one mistake that could be the difference between life and basically death. hello, lovely to see you. thank you for meeting me. i am meeting the parents of natasha ednan—laperouse. natasha was just 15 when she died in 2016, after having an allergic reaction after eating a baguette from pret a manger. christmas for us isn'tjust christmas, it's also her birthday, and we will be celebrating that without her and then christmas day... it'lljust never be the same, really, because we find it too difficult to be here on christmas day because she's missing. it is just so palpable that she's not here. natasha's parents are trying

to change the labelling of food in restaurants and take—aways. it'll be called natasha's law. do you think natasha's law would help to change things out there and to make us more confident to eat out as a family in future? most definitely. it has to, that's the whole point. companies who have not had to take allergies seriously or allergens in food seriously, will now be required to and if they don't, then they will be in trouble. we will not stop until it is done, basically, because i think that is the legacy we would like for natasha. now, more importantly for those that are living, to protect those that are living so they do not come into that terrible situation that we had as a family. i was incredibly humbled to meet natasha's parents, they have been through a huge, a huge amount of distress and heartache but yet are turning that to try and help other families in the future, to stop them

going through the same heartache and loss that they have. # sure it's christmas...# right, here we go. what do you reckon to them? it has been quite a challenge so far, bringing two daughters up with allergies but i hope that things will change to a certain extent, that they can go out, enjoy christmas, just like any other family. they are allergen—free, let's see, are they tasty? all: merry christmas, everyone! a rare albino orangutan has been released into the wild in indonesia, nearly two years after it was rescued from captivity. alba, the world's only albino orangutan, was rescued in borneo in april last year when she was five years old — suffering from stress, dehydration and a parasite infection. a conservation team will keep an eye on herfor the next six months to ensure she remains safe and healthy. now it's time for a look at the weather.

here's sarah keith lucas. it isa it is a bright and breezy day. this is the scene in derbyshire from one of our weather watchers. most of the showers will be a cross northern and western scotland, parts of northern ireland, and temperatures will raise between six and 7 degrees in the north and 11 and 12 in the site. for a time the showers will ease, overnight more rain moves in a cross in england, wales and northern ireland. colder conditions where we have weirder skies in scotland and north—east england. a touch of frost. tomorrow rain pushes eastwards a cross frost. tomorrow rain pushes eastwards across england and wales, it should clear up across northern

ireland, sunny spells in northern ireland. temperatures should stay mild further south. burnham hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: two people are arrested in connection with the drone sightings which brought gatwick airport to a standstill. the airport aims to run a full service today but passengers continue to suffer delays and cancellations. a row over the money for donald trump's border wall results in a partial shutdown of the us government. retailers pin their hopes on super saturday to boost christmas shopping sales in what's been described as unprecedented levels of discounting, atfer a disappointing year for the high street. surgery for unborn babies with spinal defects is to be made routinely available on the nhs in england. now on bbc news — it's been one of the most turbulent years for british politics in decades.

with brexit dominating parliament, and no clear way forward, the bbc'sjo coburn looks back at a troubled 12 months in review 2018: the year in politics. and a warning — this film contains some flash photography. it has been another incredibly easy yearin it has been another incredibly easy year in politics with one issue dominating the agenda over all others. brexit. that doesn't mean there haven't been other important

issues to grapple with. the windrush scandal, the row over anti—semitism and many other scandals. and we bought —— launched a new political show. first, theresa may shuffled her government in a bid to change the face of the party. more diverse and younger chairs taken from the inta ke and younger chairs taken from the intake of mps in 2017. it didn't go all according to plan. theresa may had wanted to move justin greening from education to the work and pensions brief. but instead, she quit the cabinet, saying she wanted to continue her work on social mobility. 0thers tipped to be moved like the health secretaryjeremy tipped to be moved like the health secretary jeremy hunt tipped to be moved like the health secretaryjeremy hunt didn't arch,