a former prisoner who tackled the london bridge attacker tells the bbc he was prepared to die to protect others. john crilly used a fire extinguisher on usman kahn, even though he thought khan was wearing a live suicide vest. do you think of yourself as a hero? no. he says jack merritt, who died in the attack, was a hero, who helped him turn his life around. the other main stories here tonight: a dangerous operation is under way in new zealand to recover bodies from monday's volcano disaster — more eruptions are possible in the coming hours. this is as close as we can get. there's been quite a bit of volcanic activity in the area — toxic gases, ash,

tremors and of course the risk of another eruption. people are voting across the country, in the first december general election since 1923. the disgraced film producer harvey weinstein agrees a settlement of possibly $25 million with dozens of women who accuse him of sexual assault. and, boxing clever — the machine that can solve the problem of oversized packaging at the flick of a switch. and coming up on bbc news... freddie ljungberg will take charge of his first european match, with arsenal all but through to the knockout stage.

a former prisoner, who fought off the london bridge attacker, has told bbc news he was prepared to die to protect others. john crilly used a fire extinguisher to tackle usman khan, even though he thought khan was wearing a suicide vest. two people were killed in the attack two weeks ago, and three injured. john crilly has been speaking exclusively to our legal correspondent, clive coleman. john crilly, using a fire extinguisher to fight knife—wielding attacker usman khan, who is wearing what looked like a suicide belt. he's struggling with the spray. he can't see what he's doing with it, so i think, if i'm spraying him, somebody else is going to be able to take him from the side or behind or whatever. john was given a life sentence for murder in 2005, following a burglary in which his accomplish punched the elderly resident, who died. it was later reduced to manslaughter, and john was released on licence in 2018. nearly two weeks ago, he was at a prison education event

at fishmongers' hall, attended by cambridge graduate saskia jones and his friend jack merritt, when he heard something odd. was it a scream, or was it laughter, or girls laughing, screaming, sort of thing, i wasn't sure. a couple of seconds later, itjust got proper, a lot louder, and a lot more intense, and it was obvious something was kicking off. he came down the stairs, round the corner of the stairs, presumably. and a couple of stairs down, on that flat landing, saskia was lying there. she was just basically sprawled across the stairs, her arms out, just lying there. as soon as i encountered her, i can clearly see usman isjust at the bottom of the stairs, on the corridor. he's just stood there with his two knives. even though khan was wearing what looked like a suicide belt,

john attacked him, first with a wooden lectern, then a fire extinguisher, shouting at khan to blow his belt. i'm just basically screaming at him, saying, "blow it. "well, blow it, then, if you're going to blow it." telling him, asking him, telling him to blow the belt? yeah, like, calling his bluff, sort of thing, seeing if he's got the bottle to blow it. and he said, "i'm waiting for the police". he said he was waiting for the police? he said he was waiting for the police, yeah. i was prepared to probably lose my life, yeah. yeah, i was. within minutes, police arrived. john, shouting at them to shoot khan because of the belt. they did. john's thoughts then turned to his friend, jack merritt, who'd changed john's life, and who along with saskia jones had been murdered by khan. he was just easy to talk to, made you feel comfortable, made you feel, like, even important, sort of thing, like, listened, he actually listened, and you could tell he was really,

genuinely interested. can you tell me what he meant to you? jackjust basically meant hope. people think of you as a hero. do you think of yourself as a hero? a hero? no. jack gave up his life. he's... he would be my hero. john crilly talking there to our correspondent clive coleman. in the last couple of hours, military teams in new zealand have launched a dangerous operation to recover some of the bodies of those killed in monday's volcanic eruption. eight people are believed to be still on white island, all of them are presumed dead. police say the operation is extremely risky, with geologists putting the chance of a further eruption at up to 60% in the coming hours.

0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil sent this report from whakatane. eight bodies have been stuck on this island for four days, and now there is a chance that, finally, they could be recovered. members of new zealand's defence force will attempt to reach the volcano to get the job done. they will go on to the island, and they will make every effort to recover all of the bodies from the island. a lot has to go right for this to work. let there be no mistake, there is not a zero risk with regard to this plan. we are five nautical miles away from whakaari, or white island. there is a restriction zone around it, so this is as close as we can get. there's been quite a bit of volcanic activity in the area, toxic gases, ash, tremors, and of course the risk of another eruption. police have said they are quite confident they know where the bodies are.

they say they are within a 200 square metre area. the deputy police officer said technically they can go in, get the bodies and get out quickly. tour guide hayden inman is among those missing on the island. his brother says he is frustrated that it's taking so long to recover his body. red tape, bureaucracy, leadership has failed. we are trusting experts that sit behind a desk, making calls based on statistics. jason hill is one of the pilots who went in and helped rescue people after the eruption. he says the bodies should have been recovered more quickly. yeah, it's been a little bit frustrating, but hopefully we might get something happening soon, hopefully so they can get those loved ones back. would you go on the island to get the bodies? definitely, 100%. yep, without a doubt. there has been growing desperation among families who just want their loved ones back home. now, for the first time,

there is hope this may happen. the recovery operation is now under way. we understand some family member is have been taken out on a boat at a safe distance from the island. we also know that the military defence rescue operators willaim to military defence rescue operators will aim to get into the island, get the bodies, put them on the military vessel and then get out of there as soon as they can, given how dangerous and unpredictable the situation is on the island. we also know from police that that speed could risk compromising evidence that you could later use in identifying those bodies for the families. the police deputy commissioner told us though that this is the trade—off they are willing to make, if it meant bringing back the bodies to the families. there's only a few hours left to vote in the general election. party leaders were out early this morning to cast their votes. it's the third election in less than five years — and the first december poll for nearly a century.

initial results are expected before midnight. here's our political correspondent ben wright — and a warning, his report includes some flashing images. voting began at seven o'clock this morning. and the prime minister, borisjohnson, had some canine company as he cast his ballot at this polling station in westminster. have you all got your pictures? are you all right? the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, posed for the cameras, too, after voting in his north london constituency. it was dawn in scotland when the liberal democrat leader, jo swinson, arrived at a polling station in her constituency. while in glasgow, the snp leader, nicola sturgeon, cast her ballot at a community hall, one of tens of thousands of polling stations across the uk. many people have already voted by post, including the brexit party leader, nigel farage. in wales, plaid cymru's leader

adam price had a soggy walk to a polling station in carmarthenshire, as did the green party's co—leader, jonathan bartley, in london. morning! we're not used to wrapping up for polling day, nor passing nativity scenes on the way to vote. it certainly looked like christmas in the cairngorms, where casting a ballot required particular care. the last december election was almost a century ago, in 1923, and the most recent winter election was in 197a. the way we vote hasn't changed much since — putting a cross on a ballot paper. but taking snaps of dogs at polling stations to post on social media is a much newer election day tradition. this is the third general election in less than five years. there are 650 constituencies in total and the candidate who secures the most votes in each seat is elected to the house of commons. the polling stations are open until 10pm this evening, and we'll start to see results

soon after that. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. our results coverage begins just before the polls close this evening. on tv, huw edwards and the team will be on bbc one and the bbc news channel from 9.55pm; there's full coverage online at bbc.co.uk/news and on the bbc news app; and special programmes on bbc radio 4 and radio five live. there are also results programmes for listeners and viewers in scotland, wales and northern ireland the disgraced us film producer harvey weinstein has reached a tentative $25 million civil settlement with dozens of women who've accused him of sexual misconduct. the money will be split between more than 30 women, including actresses and former employees. harvey weinstein is due to stand trial injanuary on charges of rape and sexual assault. nick bryant reports from new york.

the harvey weinstein who arrived for a bail hearing yesterday was almost unrecognisable from the red carpet mogul of old. the man alleged to have physically overpowered his female victims, shuffling feebly into this manhattan courthouse, hunched over a walking frame. the disgraced hollywood producer will face a criminal trial injanuary but most of the civil lawsuits against him are on the verge of being settled. more than 30 women will share $25 million, but insurance companies, rather than weinstein, will foot the bill. and nor will he have to admit any guilt. i think the most startling thing in this deal for people is first of all, weinstein won't have to pay his accusers out of his own pocket. and he is not admitting any wrongdoing. exactly. the new york times journalist who first told the story of his victims also broke the news of the settlement. so, this was the venue for most of the women to bring their accusations forward in court. and weinstein is able to essentially sweep it away in a single stroke without paying anything to the victims out of his own pocket, or without

admitting wrongdoing. the accusers cannot be happy about this... the accusers were not happy at all. just listen to the anguish of zoe brock, a model who accused him of sexual harassment. the entire process, to me, has been a farce. i think the settlement is a joke and it signifies an absolutely broken system. i am devastated by it, i am appalled by it, i am sickened by it and i feel defeated, and really angry about it. some of his accusers, such as the hollywood actress ashleyjudd, are not part of this deal and are continuing on with their legal action. whatever the final settlements of these civil lawsuits, the criminal trial of harvey weinstein will start after christmas, and if found guilty, he could face life in prison. already he's known the world over as an alleged sexual predator. the voices of his

victims now define him. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. violent clashes in india have left two people dead and 11 injured, during protests about a controversial new citizenship law. prime minister narendra modi has appealed for calm, after a series of demonstrations in a number of states. people are angry about legislation which would fast—track citizenship for immigrants from neighbouring countries — unless they're muslim. 0pposition parties say the bill is another move by the hindu nationalist bjp party to marginalise the country's 200 million muslims. pratiksha ghildial reports from delhi. anger on the streets of north—east india. the people here are protesting against a new citizenship law that will enable immigrants from neighbouring countries to settle here.

they say it will threaten their cultural and ethnic identity. that is not the only reason india is divided. rights groups are furious because the new law will not allow muslim migrants to become citizens. campaigners like these say by excluding muslims, the government is undermining the values on which india was founded. secularism and religious tolerance. and that faith should not be a consideration for citizenship. many are suspicious and see it as a tool to marginalise the muslim community. this just seems to be the framework fora hindu nation, and in general, if you have seen the last five years, anti—muslim rhetoric has been huge. there is a large number of violent attacks going on against the community all over the world. this will put them in

a further vulnerable spot. the country's prime minister narendra modi and his government say they are simply trying to help the persecuted minorities in neighbouring islamic countries. but mr modi is seen as a hindu nationalist, interested only in protecting hindi interests. critics say that this sends out a negative signal to the country's 200 million—strong muslims. clearly you are catering to your hindu base, you know, by telling them this country is only for hindus. the world's largest democracy had a big heart when it could accommodate people. right now we are coming across to the world as a petty, vindictive civilisation. that is not what india stood for. there are concerns about what this means for india's secular democracy, as it grapples with the complex issues of religion, citizenship and identity. pratiksha ghildial, bbc news, delhi.

the time is 18.17. our top story this evening: a former prisoner who tackled the london bridge attacker tells the bbc he was prepared to die to save others. and still to come.. the university challenging perceptions of competitive computer gaming. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... a bbc investigation has found that half the clubs in the championship are over—spending in a gamble to get to the premier league. some say it's a bubble waiting to burst. how often have you received a product you've bought online delivered in an oversized box? excess packaging wastes space in delivery vehicles, which means more journeys are taken

and lots of unnecessary cardboard is used. well, our business correspondent emma simpson has been to look at one solution that might tick all the right boxes. it's the time of year when the online deliveries are coming thick and fast. how many of us have had this, an online purchase in an oversize box? it drives us mad, and it's bad for the environment. all this wasted space means more delivery vans in our towns and cities, and the bigger the parcel, the bigger the cost for retailers. so what can be done? we've come to france to see a new machine that can produce a box to fit the product. well, this machine can take a standard sheet of cardboard and can make 10 million different varieties of box, to make sure that we have no wasted space at all around the product that somebody‘s trying to send in the post to a customer. so let's put it to the test.

i've got my christmas decoration, and a few other items. stefan, press the button. cuddly toy. some toiletries. clothes. the item is scanned to take the exact dimensions. meanwhile, the box is being assembled, the cardboard creased and then folded around the product. it can make and pack up to 1,000 boxes every hour. hey! here it is. look at that. not much empty space. alex, how big a difference can this machine make? it's a game changer, because already the uk is the biggest e—commerce market in europe. 80% of what we buy goes online, so imagine if that doubles. 18% of what we buy goes online, so imagine if that doubles. there is a mountain of cardboard already. most is recycled, but campaigners say bigger changes are needed for all this internet shopping to be sustainable.

as well as looking at reducing the amount of packaging, we also need to look towards different systems, different systems of getting products to people, looking at reusable packaging options, and also looking at decarbonising the vehicles which are used to transport the products. this machine isn't in operationjust yet, but it is one way our everyday online purchases could eventually be made to fit the box. emma simpson, bbc news. eight people have been injured after a double decker bus crashed into a bridge in wales this morning while on its way to swansea university. two people have been seriously hurt and another has been airlifted to hospital with life—threatening injuries. police have arrested a 63—year—old man, and the bus company involved said a full investigation had begun. myanmar‘s controversial leader, aung san suu kyi, has asked the un's top court at the hague to drop the genocide case against her country's military regime. appearing in person, the nobel peace prize winner,

who is now accused of turning a blind eye to the mass murder, rape and deportation of rohingya muslims, told the court that claims of genocide are misleading. 0ur myanmar correspondent nick beake reports from the hague. will you ever stand up for the rohingya? she certainly hasn't so farand rohingya? she certainly hasn't so far and this week she has been standing upfor far and this week she has been standing up for the very army accused of trying to wipe out the rohingya people. she insisted there was no genocide in her myanmar. mr president, members of the court, i pray the decision you make with the wisdom of justice will pray the decision you make with the wisdom ofjustice will help create unity out of diversity to develop the potential of our people, and to meet the challenges of the nation in quest of sustainable peace and development. in the bleak refugee

camp of bangladesh, the largest in the world, this is the anger of rohingyas following on from the denials. from there, this woman travelled to the netherlands to watch in person, hoping forjust some recognition of what she has suffered. translation: ten members of my family were killed. ifound my husband... she says she is disgusted by what myanmar‘s civilian leader has told the world. we felt very sad to see aung san suu kyi denying everything. the world is speaking for us so we hope we will get justice this time. aung san suu kyi's words have been condemned by rohingya survivors and human rights groups. the evidence will be

considered and it will be decided whether the rohingya muslim still need protection from genocide. myanmar‘s generals are safe for now, happy to watch from afar aung san suu kyi defending the country from accusations of the worst possible crimes. games consoles are at the top of many christmas wish lists. parents may worry that playing video games is a waste of time but in the united states, e—sports can be a route to university. some colleges are now hosting championships, with the best players being offered full scholarships. here's our north america correspondent, chris buckler. in the us, college sports are big business.

however, you will find the newest university athletes not in helmets but headsets. at this pennsylvania college, coaches watch every furious move of the mouse. here, being good at gaming can when you a full university scholarship. my mum took a sigh of relief because she said, all of the time you wasted in your bedroom was for something. university e—sports teams are becoming more common. this collegiate tournament was even covered by espn. it costs the equivalent of £1 million, building this training facility and filling it out with some of the best equipment including some of the fastest computers. harrisburg university is spending another £1.5 million every year on coaching its teams and providing scholarships. competitive video gaming that we

have at harrisburg university is night and day different to casual gaming on your couch, eating doughnuts and drinking diet coke. harrisburg is not the only place to see gaming as a future sport for players and spectators. nearby in philadelphia stadium is being built, specifically to hold tournaments like the recent world for another game, fortnite. that contest offered millions of dollars of prize money. it is very cut—throat and you need to play like ten, 11, 12 hours a day andi to play like ten, 11, 12 hours a day and i don't know if i have that in me or and i don't know if i have that in meori and i don't know if i have that in me or i want to do that. one thing is striking about this university tea m is striking about this university team is it is all male, but that is likely to change if players are recognised and rewarded as 21st century stars.

almost lost for words! time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. it is probably the perfect day to day to have been sat in front of a gaming station. this is a fairly typical picture of the countryside across pretty much the whole of the uk at the moment. it is soggy and buggy and it's been fairly miserable. widespread rain moving across england and wales today, starting to ease away. some snow to the high grounds of pennines. even once the rain clears, a trail of showers following and through the night tonight so it stays windy and showery, particularly from the west. towards the end of the night, a curl of rain and cloud across the far north—east of scotland so here the temperatures in low single figures and there could be icy stretches. it isa and there could be icy stretches. it is a bit like a hand grabbing on to aberdeenshire first thing. a windy day for many, but acquire to start with sunshine around. it will be

bright and blustery first thing, then the showers arrive. some fairly frequent across northern ireland, north—west england and wales with rumbles of thunder mixed in as well. at the same time, that hand releasing its grip on the northern isles. not particularly warm, and this trend will stay into the weekend. yes, we keep some sunny spells and blustery showers and with any elevation we could see snow as well. we start off saturday quite promising with sunshine coming through, but showers developing out towards the west and we need to keep an eye on this rain by the end of the day. not particularly warm on saturday, five to 9 degrees. as it bumps into the cold air on saturday night, we could see snow across the higher ground of wales and northern england. it moves through add quite a pace, it might be theirfirst thing on sunday morning but bright

and breezy for many, not particularly one with it, and hopefully the showers and winds lighter and further between. so overall pretty unsettled for the next couple of days. not that much dry weather around. thank you for now. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

good evening to. this is bbc news. the headlines start mike the man who bought out the london bridge attacker with a buyer extinguisher says that he was prepared to die. voting is under way across the

country, in the general election. it is the first to be held in december in the area century. teams are new zealand prepare she would achieve the bodies of those killed by the white island volcano. there has been quite a bit about panic activity in the area, toxic gases, ash, tremor forces and of course the risk of another eruption. the disgraced film producer harvey weinstein agrees a settle m e nt producer harvey weinstein agrees a settlement of around $25 million with dozens of women who accuse him of sexual assault. ina in a moment it is going to be time for sports day, but first let us ta ke for sports day, but first let us take a look what is coming up this evening. coming up in beyond the hundred days, after seven, we have all the latest on the potential impeachment of president trump. after angry hearings on capitol hill earlier today. and then, after eight, will be live in la to