the 13—year—old whose leukaemia is in remission after a ground breaking new gene therapy. and england head home from the world cup, thanking fans and looking to the future. good evening. days before the 34th anniversary of the lockerbie bombing — its been revealed that a libyan man suspected of making the bomb is in us custody. 270 people died when a pan am flight exploded over lockerbie just before christmas 1988 — as our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports — it has been a long search for justice for the

victims�* families. it was just after seven in the evening on the 21 december 1988 when the town of lockerbie was engulfed in flame. pan am flight had left heathrow for new york but in the skies above scotland a massive explosion ripped through its fuselage and down it came. most of the 259 passengers and crew were american. they all died. as did 11 others whose homes were struck by falling debris. it remains the worst act of terrorism in british history. this is the man the us authorities accuse of making the bomb. abu agila masud, here in libya, where he had been tried and held for separate crimes. two years ago the us attorney general formally charged masud with making the device which brought down flight 103, but he

remained in libya, and only now have the us authorities been able to get access to him and take him into their custody in circumstances which remain unclear. this woman whose brother died at lockerbie hopes justice could now be done. to know now that one _ justice could now be done. to know now that one of _ justice could now be done. to know now that one of those _ justice could now be done. to know now that one of those who - justice could now be done. to know now that one of those who was - now that one of those who was involved in the bombing is coming to the us to stand trial and face justice through our legal system, i think that it is something that we have been fighting for for over three decades. so i think there is a sense of finallyjustice three decades. so i think there is a sense of finally justice for our loved ones. sense of finally 'ustice for our loved ones.— sense of finally 'ustice for our loved ones. , , ., , ., ., loved ones. this is the only man to have been — loved ones. this is the only man to have been convicted _ loved ones. this is the only man to have been convicted of— loved ones. this is the only man to have been convicted of the - loved ones. this is the only man to i have been convicted of the lockerbie bombing, abdel baset al—megrahi, jailed in 2001, but later released and allowed to return home to libya because he was dying of cancer. his conviction was subject to several appeals, doubts that were echoed by some victims' families, including john moseley whose daughter died.

it fills my mind with questions, really. first of all, why has it taken so long? secondly, what's he doing in america? this was a crime committed on, or above, scottish soil but which came to land on scottish soil. therefore, it's the responsibility of the scottish legal system, not the americans. so with the anniversary of the bombing only days away, the search for justice bombing only days away, the search forjustice for bombing only days away, the search for justice for those who bombing only days away, the search forjustice for those who died continues 3a years on. james landale, bbc news. 0ur correspondent alexandra mckenzie is in lockerbie this evening — sarah smith our north america editor joins us from washington. sarah, what happens now? well, we know that abu agila masud is in us custody and is being extradited to america to stand trial. we don't know exactly where he is now but he is expected to appear in a federal court here in washington, dc soon.

the us authorities have been seeking him ever since 2017 when the fbi learned he had confessed in libya to his involvement in the bombing, the authorities here have always also wanted to stress that the one trial in 2001 was not the end of this matter, that they have never given up matter, that they have never given up seeking to bring more people to justice for the lockerbie bombing, so to be able to put on trial here in america a man accused of being central to that plot will be considered a major success for law enforcement. and of course, most of the victims of the lockerbie bombing where us citizens and their families have always wanted to see a trial happening here in america. alexandra, you are in lockerbie where the disaster unfolded on the ground. this news comes not long before the actual anniversary. that's right. i'm here at the garden of remembrance that many people in lockerbie will be remembering that flight 3a years on. we come up to

the 34th anniversary just flight 3a years on. we come up to the 34th anniversaryjust days before christmas. many of the families who lost loved ones come to lockerbie, particularly at this time of year to remember and reflect on what happened. some of the uk families have never believed, they don't believe that libya was involved in the bombing. so today's development, for them, is unlikely to bring any closure. and unlikely to bring any closure. and unlikely to bring any closure. and unlikely to bring answers to those questions that they have been asking now for almost 3a years. that they have been asking now for almost 34 veere— that they have been asking now for almost 34 years. alexandra mackenzie in lockerbie. — almost 34 years. alexandra mackenzie in lockerbie, sara _ almost 34 years. alexandra mackenzie in lockerbie, sara smith _ almost 34 years. alexandra mackenzie in lockerbie, sara smith in _ in lockerbie, sara smith in washington, thank you, both. in the last hour news has been coming in of a major incident at a lake in the west midlands that's part of a nature reserve just north of solihull. babbs mill park has walking trails and fishing facilities, and a river as well as a lake. 0ur correspondent jon donnison reports. with night now fallen and

temperatures around zero all day, emergency services remain at the scene. west midlands police have given few details, but say a number of people have been pulled from the partially frozen lake and have been taken to hospital. they are believed to be in a critical condition. local reports suggest people had been playing on the ice and had fallen through, although there has not been confirmed by police. west midlands fire service say a search and rescue operation is ongoing. jon donnison there, who is here in the studio as well because these reports are very much coming in, all of this is still unfolding at the scene. those pictures came through in the last 20 minutes and as i said at the end of that report the fire service say there is a search and rescue operation still under way so presumably they are not certain that they have got everyone out of the water. you could just about make out in those pictures that the lake was at least partially frozen. 0bviously at least partially frozen. obviously very, very cold today, and you could tell by the number of emergency

services there, the police, ambulance and fire service, regarded this as a very serious incident. those people have been taken to hospital, we don't know if they are adults or children, or both, and they are in a critical condition. jon donnison, thank you. bbc news will keep you updated as more emerges on that particular story. the royal college of nursing has said it would suspend a strike by its members this week, if the government agreed to take part in pay negotiations. nurses in england, wales and northern ireland are due to hold the first of two walk—outs this thursday — with further action planned on 20th december. ministers have insisted they will not engage in talks over pay and will stick to the current 4.75% pay rise offer recommended by an independent review. a minute's silence will be observed in jersey tomorrow after a suspected gas explosion destroyed a block of flats, killing at least five people. it's feared that number will rise as more bodies are discovered. danjohnson reports from st helier.

late last night they accepted the reality that this rescue effort was over. the impact of this explosion was simply too devastating for anyone to survive. on friday night the fire service had responded to concerns about a gas leak here. eight hours later this happened. how much faith can people here have in the emergency services when they've had a suspicion about gas, they've made that call, they've had somebody out, but still lives have been lost? it's awful. but islanders can have confidence in the emergency services. do you accept something must have gone wrong? not at this stage. well, something clearly has gone wrong because a building has exploded and collapsed, and horribly wrong as well, but we will co—operate fully and openly and transparently with every phase that happens. people are struggling to take in what happened here. it's just heartbreaking, honestly.

i just... there's nothing there, you know, and seeing all the other houses with their windows blown out and doors and things makes it real, you know? if you call out the services, - you just hope perhaps they should have been evacuated then. the difficult work goes on here. not in hope now but in search of answers for news of answers, for news of those who are missing, and for an explanation of what happened, and whether it could have been prevented. dan johnson, bbc news, jersey. a 13—year—old girl from leicester has become the first person to be successfully treated for leukaemia with a new type of cell therapy. doctors at great 0rmond street hospital in london used modified cells from a donor — which then attacked the cancer — and the teenage patient is now in remission. 0ur medical editor, fergus walsh, reports on a remarkable world first. this one's hard.

the whole experience has brought me so much closer to my family. alyssa is back at home in leicester thanks to a pioneering new cancer therapy. all other treatment options for her leukaemia had failed. breathe in and breathe out. . thank you, that's a good one. so in may she received a world—first therapy. i know that i've helped other children as well, that other children might be able to get cured because of the research that i've been part in. it is extremely exciting, - so obviously this is a new field i in medicine and it's fascinating i that we can redirect the immune system to fight cancer. alyssa's immune system couldn't clear her cancer, so she was given donor cells which had been tweaked using a new technique called base editing. in the lab three precise changes were made to the cells' dna, and they were then armed

to fight her cancer. base editing is part of a genetic revolution which is transforming our understanding of human biology. it is an incredibly precise tool with huge potential to treat, and possibly cure, a range of diseases, especially disorders of the blood. ten children with t—cell leukaemia will have the treatment as part of a clinical trial. there is enormous amounts of innovation going on in terms of how we can use these new tools to manipulate and change bits of dna, and our application is to cure diseases and i think there is enormous potential to do that across the board. # home—grown alligator, see you later, # gotta hit the road. # alyssa is still receiving drugs to help herfight infection, and she'll have regular hospital checks. for now, cancer is undetectable in her blood.

whoo! to have had this extra year, to have even had these last three months where she has been well and she's been at home and she's been doing what she's wanted, that's like a gift in itself. when you see what she's gone through and with the vitality . for life that she has brought - to every situation, it's astounding. look at all these beads. every one of these beads represents a procedure alyssa has undergone. a collection she's hoping to put away for good. fergus walsh, bbc news. within the last few minutes, the us space agency nasa, the us space agency nasa has announced its uncrewed 0rion capsule has successfully returned to earth. it splashed down in the pacific ocean, ending its three—week test mission around the moon. if everything has gone to plan, engineers could decide that the vessel is ready to take astronauts back to the moon

later this decade. england's footballers are on their way home after being knocked out of the world cup in a match against france watched on tv by more than 20 million people in the uk. members of the team have been saying it will take time to come to terms with the end of this world cup dream — and thanked fans for their support. our sports editor dan roan reports from doha. out of the tournament they believed they could win, england's dejected players left their al wakrah hotel earlier than they'd hoped this morning. the journey home accompanied by all—too—familiar thoughts of what might have been. commentator: he's missed it! the moment that will haunt harry kane. this penalty could have seen him become england's record goal—scorer and almost certainly take last night's showdown against france into extra time. but instead the cruellest of twists. today the captain tweeted that he was absolutely gutted, but that now it's about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge. england were left stunned at another missed opportunity. but having gone toe to toe with the world champions, the manager believes his side can take heart. the team has progressed

through this tournament, performances have been at a very good level. some young players who have announced themselves on the global stage, and a spirit amongst the team that we hoped could take us further. england appeared genuine contenders in qatar, the most positive the side been under southgate. and while the manager is now considering his future, many believe this campaign can leave a positive legacy. it's only 18 months away the euros. we've got some really talented players that are going to be around for a long time. look at the way bellingham played in this tournament, 19 years of age. so young and he played as if he's been _ so young and he played as if he's been around for years. he's only going to get better. and yeah, i would hope that gareth takes a huge part in that. and that's a sentiment shared by many of england's fans. we love gareth, yeah, i hope he stays on. . he'sjust so cool and calm and i

ithink he's a brilliant manager. | small margins, and we go again in two years' time at the euros. the sense is that england are a growing footballing force but they bid farewell today knowing that their long wait for a major trophy will now continue. well, after the semifinal at the last world cup and then the final of the euros last year, on paper at least it looks like england have gone slightly backwards, but i think in truth that is deceptive because many fans i think would argue that this team is the best england have possessed for a long time. the fa will be desperate for gareth southgate to stay such as the culture and the youth of the team he has developed, and the likes of bellingham, saka, foden and rice are not yet at their prime so there will be a huge confidence for the next euros and world cup beyond that. maybe the manager will feel after this latest disappointment that his take on the side as far as he can, if he does go he will be remembered

as the man who revitalised england, but couldn't get them over that final hurdle. the side have gone from qatar, but they have left their mark here, and the sense is that in performance terms at least they are getting closer. dan roan, thanks very much, dan roan in doha. the new channel will continue to govern bring you more on the incident at a lake in the west midlands. later on i will have the news at ten but now the news where you are. goodbye.

good evening. police say a number of people are in a critical condition after being pulled from a lake in freezing temperatures in solihull. emergency crews from west midlands fire service and ambulance service

are in attendance, and police say several people have been taken to hospital. the fire service says the incident is still a search—and—rescue operation and that reports from the scene and videos on social media indicate people had been playing on the ice on the pond and had fallen through. 0ur reporter sophie madden is at the lake and sent us this update. here at the lake, where, as you can see, this is a major operation, there is a huge amount of emergency service vehicles here, fire engines, ambulance, police. and the other side of the camera is the cordon, and behind that is the lake, where i can see even more blue lights. there is actually a drone flying over the lake, shining a light onto it as we speak. the emergency services were called here a little earlier today to reports of people entering the water, and within the last hour, they have confirmed that a number of people have been rescued from the water. all of those are now in a critical condition and are currently being taken to hospital, but it's likely that this emergency service presence will be staying here for a number of hours. the us department ofjustice says

a man accused of making the bomb which destroyed pan am flight 103 over lockerbie will soon make his first appearance at a federal court in washington dc. the bombing attack in december 1988 killed 270 people. bbc scotland's home affairs correspondent david cowan told us more. 0n the 32nd anniversary of the lockerbie bombing in 2020, the outgoing us general attorney, william barr, announced the charges against abu agila masud. the americans said that masud had confessed to making the bomb, which was smuggled onto a plane in malta, then transferred onto another plane in frankfurt and then ultimately transferred onto pan am 103 at heathrow. it took off and then exploded in the skies over lockerbie in scotland, killing everybody on board, all 259 passengers, passengers and crew, and another 11 people on the ground in lockerbie when the wreckage fell into their homes.

the americans allege that masud had made the bomb, only one person has ever been convicted of actually carrying out this operation. that was abdelbaset al—megrahi, who was convicted after standing trial at a scottish court in the netherlands. he was jailed for life but released on compassionate grounds by the scottish government in 2009 and died in libya in 2012. but the americans and the scots always said others were involved. they're saying that masud was one of the people involved in that operation and they've been pursuing him now for a number of years. he was serving a prison sentence, a ten—year prison sentence, for bombing activities against people who were rising up against colonel gaddafi. last month, the american ambassador to libya, richard norland, met senior officials from the government of national unity in tripoli. that was on november 8th. then on the 21st of november, masud's family reported that he'd been kidnapped in tripoli by armed men. they suggested that the government of national unity might be planning to extradite him to the united states.

there was something of a backlash to that possibility in libya. there were people from the gnu's justice ministry and also from human rights officials who were saying that the case shouldn't be over and shouldn't be reopened. libya had accepted responsibility and paid a huge amount of compensation back in 2003. they were saying effectively it had been dealt with. but the americans and scots, of course, have always felt that it hadn't been finished. and today we've had a statement from the crown 0ffice, the prosecution service in scotland, saying that the families of those killed in the lockerbie bombing have been told that abu agila masud is in us custody. scottish prosecutors and police working with uk governments and us colleagues will continue to pursue this investigation, they say, with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with abdelbaset al—megrahi to justice. i'm joined now by professor emeritus

ofjournalism at city university, lis howell, who was the first journalist on the scene at lockerbie when head of news at border television and won the royal television society award for her coverage of the lockerbie bombing. ijust want i just want to get your reaction to the news that we have heard that abu agila masud is being held in us custody. agila masud is being held in us custod . , ., ., agila masud is being held in us custod. , ., ., �* ., custody. first of all, i wasn't on the scene. _ custody. first of all, i wasn't on the scene. i _ custody. first of all, i wasn't on the scene, i was _ custody. first of all, i wasn't on the scene, i was the _ custody. first of all, i wasn't on the scene, i was the news - custody. first of all, i wasn't on | the scene, i was the news editor coordinating the coverage at the time, a very dramatic evening, and at the time i tended not to want to know about the terrorist implications, it was so horrendously shocking on a personal level that a small town that we covered for border television had been affected in this way, with 11 peopled on the ground. but at the time it has been very interesting to see what has happened, and it is a bit of a dog's breakfast, because we seem to have someone who has been extradited or even abducted from libya, standing

trial in america, and i'm not sure how much the scots will be involved, and this reflects on the al—megrahi case where someone was convicted and let go on compassionate grounds, and that saw a lot of criticism. is your correspondence said earlier, some people in scotland think, was libya ever really involved? the americans are convinced that libya was involved and have gone for these three particular people that they feel were involved, but it is a really complicated and difficult case, and at the same time you have got enormous emotions running, because it was such a terrible and weird and difficult tragedy to contend with at the time. so weird and difficult tragedy to contend with at the time. so tell us about the lasting _ contend with at the time. so tell us about the lasting impact _ contend with at the time. so tell us about the lasting impact it - contend with at the time. so tell us about the lasting impact it has - contend with at the time. so tell us j about the lasting impact it has had, in your experience, among those you know. it in your experience, among those you know. ., , ., in your experience, among those you know. . , . ., . in your experience, among those you know. . , ., ., ., in your experience, among those you know. ., ., ., ., , know. it has had an impact on lots of levels. know. it has had an impact on lots of levels- if _ know. it has had an impact on lots of levels. if you _ know. it has had an impact on lots of levels. if you lived _ know. it has had an impact on lots of levels. if you lived in _ know. it has had an impact on lots of levels. if you lived in the - of levels. if you lived in the carlisle, lockerbie, borders area,

you will never forget the moment, because one of the dramatic moments was that we had lots of reporters going out to cover this, it was a christmas party night, and ross kelly went up to the hospital in dumfries expecting horrendous carnage, and the person in charge of the hospital, a doctor, came out in his grabs and said, there is nothing for us to do because everyone is dead. and the idea of 270 bodies in this area, it was just beyond belief, and i think even now, ifeel quite churned up about it, it was a horrible thing. so, yes, if you can be brought tojustice, that horrible thing. so, yes, if you can be brought to justice, that is absolutely right, but the international complications, the toing and froing between different

powers, it makes it a difficult thing to follow on two levels, you know. ., ., ., , , . ., know. you want to see 'ustice, of course, know. you want to see 'ustice, of ccurse but * know. you want to see 'ustice, of curs butycu_ know. you want to see 'ustice, of course, but you feel _ know. you want to see 'ustice, of course, but you feel it h know. you want to see justice, of course, but you feel it is - know. you want to see justice, of course, but you feel it is getting l course, but you feel it is getting beyond the tragedy that struck us at the time. you described it in a really raw, visceral way there, is it painful for you to talk about, or uncomfortable? i it painful for you to talk about, or uncomfortable?— it painful for you to talk about, or uncomfortable? . ., ., ., , uncomfortable? i feel uncomfortable, because i was — uncomfortable? i feel uncomfortable, because i was sending _ uncomfortable? i feel uncomfortable, because i was sending people - uncomfortable? i feel uncomfortable, because i was sending people out - because i was sending people out there, and they were coming back traumatised, and in those days there wasn't a back—up support for people in the same way that there is now, and my partner at the time worked for the bbc, and he went there, and he was terrifically affected by it. there were body parts... we had to watch loads of footage that came in, and we were sitting in the newsroom watching the footage before it went down to itn, editing it out as it went along, because there were some very grisly bids. and because it was a small town, lockerbie is a lovely little town, and before that it was most famous for the ice rink, and then this terrible thing happened, so trying to save it on a human level as well as a global level. it is going to be a tricky one for scotland, you have this man in the states has possibly been abducted,

you have this mess about al—megrahi, was the innocent or not? there was the compassionate freeing which led to triumphant scenes which didn't do anybody any good. we are going to go through all that again, and what is it about? in the end, i suppose the scots adjudicators and lawyers will go to america and to be involved, but it is a tricky one for them, i am sure. but it is a tricky one for them, i am sure-— but it is a tricky one for them, i am sure. . ~ i. . ., am sure. thank you so much for talkinr am sure. thank you so much for talking about — am sure. thank you so much for talking about it, _ am sure. thank you so much for talking about it, especially - am sure. thank you so much for| talking about it, especially given how painful it must be. thank you for your time this evening. pleasure. the government has said it can't agree to a call by the nursing unions to negotiate with them directly over their 19% pay claim. the royal college of nursing has offered to pause its planned strikes in england, which are due to begin with a walk—out on thursday, in return for direct negotiations with ministers. the foreign secretary, james cleverly, said the government wanted to resolve the issue, but it was for the nhs employers to negotiate with the unions.

ben zaranko, senior research economist at the institute for fiscal studies, says the pay claim lodged by the nurses comes at a time when the nhs budget is incredibly stretched. the first thing is that if you were going to give nurses a 19% pay rise, you would have to provide additional funding to the nhs to pay for that. that would mean, probably, higher taxes at some point, that is the thing the government is wrestling with, it seems to have been bumped up against the limits it is willing to raise the taxes, and that is why it is resisting calls for additional spending. it would also add demand to the economy, nurses being able to spend more, and it could act as a benchmark to which private sector employers, their workers, might start demanding something similar to the nurses. it might add somewhat to inflationary pressures towards the economy. of course, a lot would depend on the specifics.

the main thing is what it would mean for the nhs budget. ajapanese company has launched a spacecraft destined for the moon. the ispace m1 has taken off from cape canaveral in florida aboard a spacex rocket. the japanese start—up are hoping to become the first private company to land on the moon. if the mission is successful, then the spacecraft will deploy two robotic rovers on the lunar surface, as well as a nasa satellite into lunar orbit. now it's time to turn to our 100 women series and meet the oscar—winning actress rita moreno. perhaps best—known for the role of anita in the 1961 film west side story, but now, at the age of 90, she's speaking out about racial stereotyping and representation in films and on tv. 0ur correspondent nomia iqbal went to meet her. when i could understand what movies were, i wanted to be a movie star. that was the word — not an actress but a movie star.

and i still hear that among very young people, and i said to them, oh, let me tell you a few things. you went to hollywood during the golden age of cinema. and you were bigger than life. when i got my contract at mgm studios, which was the studio of my dreams, because that was the studio that made all the great musicals and when i met mr louis b mayer, can you imagine what that meant to this 15, 16—year—old girl? the man who produced all of those great mgm musicals and they wanted me to sign a contract with them? it was just unbelievable. unbelievable.

they did not know what to do with me because my name was rosita dolores alvario. they changed it to rita moreno. what was that like? because these people have your career in their hands. i felt, in their hands, a prisoner in their hands, and it really worried me, because i was one of those kids that was just afraid to say no to anything. i'm sure you've lost count of some of the racist encounters that you had in the industry, notjust being stereotyped, being puerto rican. tell me what that was like. i was always an island girl. and it seemed just fine at first, and then it began to occur to me that that would limit me quite a bit, because normally, those kinds of people have accents and almost always the makeup was dark, and that went all the way up to west side story. any actress that plays anita is compared to you.

how do you feel about that? i can't tell you how i feel about that. i suppose it is inevitable. i did win some wonderful awards. i won the oscar, of course. you are an egot. yes. you were called the pioneer in the community. la pionera. i think of other people who have come after you who are as famous and notable as you, and there's not a lot. it's better, but we are seriously underrepresented in the hispanic community, which is shocking to me, i'm very upset about it. there should be more of you. there should be so many more of me and then some. it is still difficult. and it breaks my heart. i not only feel it,

but i see in how i am employed in what kind of films, the quality of the films that are offered to me, i am still in that bind. and it is not in any way that i mind playing a hispanic, it is the kind of hispanic. i would've gotten farther, which is my deepest regret, had it not been for the fact that i'm hispanic. i would've had a different career. i know it. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello there. it's been very cold today. some parts of the country staying below freezing all day. and we've got some icy conditions overnight and into tomorrow, where we've seen those showers. large parts of the country may well

become dry during this evening. but our focus shifts towards the south—east, where cloud is thickening, bringing some sleet and snow into the night in south—east england, east anglia — 2—5 centimetres, with some travel disruption likely tomorrow morning. there may well be some areas of freezing fog through southern england, the midlands, up into lincolnshire, and a few patches further north. widespread sharp frost. typically, minus five, could be as low as minus 13 in the north—east of scotland, the coldest it will have been all year. very cold, but sunny day, i think, across scotland. so too for northern ireland. a few patches of freezing fog, which will be slow to lift. some sunshine for england and wales. parts of the south, south—east and through the midlands, though, could stay cold, grey, perhaps foggy all day. still with a few flurries of light snow here and there. and where you don't see the sunshine, those temperatures will remain below freezing.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... a number of people are in critical condition