this is bbc news. the headlines at four. 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. on. and on and on and on human 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 — in what's been described as unprecedented levels of discounting 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 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 four. 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 and carrying over 124,000 passengers. our correspondent jenny kumah reports.

the nightmare before christmas appears to be coming to an end at gatwick airport. after three days of disruption, flights are getting back to normal. but there is still a backlog to clear. we are off to france today, skiing in the alps. the kids, we are taking them away properly for a first white christmas. and it has been really anxious times for us. frustrating, really frustrating. especially this time of year when people are just trying to get back to see family. it is not ideal. we are not at all happy with that. we do not get a very long holiday so it is frustrating to miss out on some of it. it seems rather stupid that this incident has to happen at all. sussex police say two people have been arrested in connection with the criminal drone activity. investigations are still ongoing. the disruption caused widespread travel chaos, affecting 1,000 flights, and 150,000 passengers. six flights have been

cancelled today but the airport hopes to run 750. some airlines are considering putting on additionalflights in an attempt to get the schedules back on track and passengers to their destinations for christmas day. jenny kumah is still at gatwick and a short while ago i asked her how the airport was coping. at the moment only six flights have been cancelled. there have been some delays stop more detail has emerged about those two people who have been arrested, a 47—year—old man and the 54—year—old woman who are said to be from crawley have been arrested in connection with the illegal drone activity. police say investigations

are ongoing and are asking for information. gatwick airport say they are taking measures to make sure the airport remains safe and flights can keep on running. there has been good news for around 900 stranded transatlantic travellers. a plane has been charted that can carry a50 people and it will be leaving gatwick this evening for new york and returning in the early hours of the morning. is it still obvious that there is a visible police presence at the airport? within the terminal itself there is no visible police presence but it is very busy, lots of travellers are coming here to day. some of them are anxious as to whether their flights will go ahead. the advice from the airport is to check the status of your flight before travelling because there can still be, because

of the backlog, delay and cancellation. retailers hoping for a last—minute rush of christmas shoppers — on what is dubbed "super saturday" may be disappointed, amid indications that trading may have peaked before 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. i've been getting the thoughts of consumer and retail expert, kate hardcastle. last saturday was challenging for the high street. the black friday discounting period has affected the christmas calendar. previously retailers would enjoy the christmas period but since black friday and the challenge of online retailers have moved into a discount

period from november and they are keeping that discount period, it is a challenge to get people back into stores. the reason for increased footfall is, people spending last—minute, people might onlyjust have been paid and be able to buy presents and food. all the same, it is not going to be the same as christmas ever was on the high street. footfall will reduce because we are spending 20% of our money online. how do retailers balance the fact that many shoppers nowjust buy a token present and save their hard earned cash for the post—boxing day sales ? that is right. not only have we got sales averaging a0%, 50%, expected to rise to 60% on christmas eve, sensible adults are buying a token gift, the amount of vouchers

for the experience economy, that has risen over the last few years and people are going out for a meal and buying a small gift. a lot of adults are talking about gifting after the big day so that they can get more for their cash. this has led to big challenges for retailers not just off—line but also with an online fashion chain, online challenges as well, we are not buying as much as we used to. a partial shutdown of the us government has come into effect — after congress and president trump failed to resolve their differences over the budget. mr trump, who has to sign off any deal — refused to approve a short—term funding deal which has cross—party

support in congress because it doesn't allocate the $5 billion needed to build a wall along the us border with mexico. our washington correspondent, chris bucklerjoins us now. the christmas holidays are about to begin but with 800,000 federal workers not knowing when they will be paid, half being told not to come to work, the other half not knowing when the pay cheque will come through, ultimately christmas holidays are having to be suspended. resident trump had intended to go to florida tomorrow but he is still in the white house. the senate is about to meet to continue these discussions to try to find a compromise over this issue of the border wall. that is something of a

battle. it is something that president trump has said time and time again he will campaign for but inside congress there is something ofa inside congress there is something of a resistance to all this, not least from democrats. democrats and republicans have been talking about potentially $1.6 billion for border security, that falls short of the $5 billion that's donald trump is asking for. that is stalemate, and at this stage is shut down, 800,000 workers will be affected at this period, at a time when this should be expecting to take a break. what does this mean for everyday life for americans? there is no doubt that for a lot of people it is simply about those federal employees who now do not know whether what they will get a pay cheque, that is the important thing for them. in practical terms, non—essential services being affected, national parks would

normally be open, the potential of some of them being close. even iconic buildings like the empire state building, new york state is moving in to make sure that remains open. in practical terms, moving in to make sure that remains open. in practicalterms, it moving in to make sure that remains open. in practical terms, it is going to be about the money for those federal employees, that is the biggest concern for them, they do not know they are getting a pay cheque there are political risks for both democrats and president trump. they are blooming each other for the shutdown. ultimately, who carries that blame, that will have an effect at the ballot box. this was a campaign promise from president trump. is it likely that he will have two abandoned his wall? asi he will have two abandoned his wall? as i mentioned, it is a three week ago she issue. —— a three week.

three. he is staying at the white house. you get the impression that president trump wants to say that he will in some respects as far as the public is concerned win this, that means trying to move this figure from $1.6 billion, close of two $5 billion. exactly where every side will compromise, we are not sure. republicans suggested this morning if there is no deal to date this could stretch into january, that

would be days of a shutdown and an effect on people. this case of funding for that war is going to get more complicated because in january the going to get more complicated because injanuary the democrats controlled the house. yes, and that there is a major issue for president trump, and might be one of the things that leads him to push this at this stage. whenever he has a house of representatives that has a house of representatives that has a house of representatives that has a republican majority the senate will be more complicated. they need 60% out of 100 senators, while republicans have a majority, they still need some democrats support, the senate will be the blocking point some of these issues but with the house of representatives led by the house of representatives led by the democrats and the democrats having a larger voice there you can imagine these battles over the border wall are not over and will not be over for border wall are not over and will not be overfor some border wall are not over and will not be over for some time. 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. 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. 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 ormond street hospitals hope to treat ten to 20 babies each year. fergus walsh, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news. two people are arrested in connection with the drone sightings which brought gatwick airport to a standstill. the airport has so far 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. manchester city are losing 3—1 at home to crystal palace in the

premier league. in the early kick—off its finished 3—1. rugby union premiership leaders saracens are playing at second—placed exeter and at the moment exeter are 10—6 in front. if they win, it would bring an end to sarries‘ 22—match unbeaten run. and there's a big night for british boxing ahead. josh warrington defends his ibf world feartherweighht titles against former two weight champion carl frampton. i'll be back with more on those stories later. 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. our 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. 2a ukrainian sailors are still being held, these their anxious relatives waiting for news. the uk defence secretary listened to their pleas for help — they've 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, odessa. 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 the 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. rail workers at two companies have been staging fresh strikes today in the long—running dispute over guards on trains. members of the rail, maritime and transport union

on south western railway and arriva rail north have walked out for 2a hours. northern said very few of its services would run after five o'clock this afternoon and south western said a reduced service would operate. 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 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. nhs england has invested £300,000 to fund dozens

of so—called "drunk tanks" with the sole aim of taking the pressure off hospitals and emergency services during the festive season. our correspondent, chi chi izundu, spent the night with westminster council in london to see what measures they've put in place. a little too much christmas spirit, a hangover for the nhs. on a friday and saturday night, up to 70% of visits to a&e are alcohol—related. we find that a lot of people will go out drinking and they have have not made arrangements on how to get home. and they are stuck at a o'clock in the morning, in temperatures of minus 5, wearing jeans and t—shirts, sobbing down the phone, saying, i'm getting hypothermia, i can't get home, please help me. and a solution could be drunk tanks — or alcohol recovery services — on the streets, helping those in need. nhs england has invested £300,000 in drunk tanks in a bid to ease the pressure on hospitals and emergency services

over the festive period. this one in central london's soho is bolstered by angels — volunteers who make sure those who have had a little too much get the help they need. kitted out with water, flip—flops and sick bags, they've even set up a triage area to treat the more serious cases, like matthew's partner. unfortunately, especially at this time of year, people do have too much christmas spirit and end up needing some help, whether it be alcohol or other substances, orjust getting too carried away and maybe having a fight and getting hurt. so having someone that's there to look after people, making sure they are having a good time and they can get home safely, i think it is actually invaluable. supervised areas for revellers who've overindulged, have already been used in places like manchester, newcastle, exeter and blackpool. a report into whether they are genuinely easing pressure on front—line staff is not expected until next year. and, whilst emergency staff want

partygoers to have a good time, they want the festive cheer to be less of a stumble home. church attendance in the uk has been in steady decline in recent years but not in cathedrals. they're actually bucking that trend with a 13% rise in attendance in the last decade. ten million of us visited a cathedral last year. our 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, £a 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. 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 be keeping an eye on her for the next six months to ensure she remains safe and healthy.

now it's time for a look at the weather. it was a cold and a frosty start. we are infor it was a cold and a frosty start. we are in for another chilly night tonight. this afternoon and into this evening there are showers in northern england and western scotland, more rain overnight from the south—west, a soggy start to sunday for northern ireland, wales, south—west of england. further east, please skies. during sunday the bulk of this framework sits with eastwood. it should be dry in northern england that will be soggy in england and wales. christmas eve,

still some rain across southern parts of the country, most of us looking dry for christmas day. 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 has so far 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, after 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 time for dateline london, where our panel take a look back

at the big global stories of the past 12 months. hello and welcome to dateline. for the last two programmes of the year, we're in a seasonally reflective mood. next weekend, we'll be looking forward to what 2019 may bring. today, though, a reminder of the things we've loved and loathed about 2018.