tonight — the four children pulled from a lake in the west midlands in freezing conditions after suffering cardiac arrests. police said they had been playing on ice at a nature reserve in solihull and fell through — all were in critical condition as they were rushed to hospital in birmingham. all four children who were rescued were taken on blue lights to hospital, each with an enhanced care team travelling in the back of the ambulance, providing enhanced life support. a search is continuing tonight, with the possibility there may have been others in the group — we'll be live at the scene. also on the programme... a man suspected of being the lockerbie bombmaker has been taken into us custody — 3a years after the explosion that killed 270 people. england's footballers are back from the world cup —

not in the circumstances they hoped for but with thanks to fans and hopes for future tournaments. the 13—year—old whose leukemia is in remission after a ground breaking new gene therapy. and... splashdown! mission accomplished for the unmanned capsule, paving the way for astronauts to return to the moon. good evening. four children were taken to hospital in a critical condition this afternoon, after being rescued from a freezing lake in the west midlands. emergency services were called to babbs mill park, as witnesses reported seeing six people on the ice prior to the incident. our midlands correspondent, phil mackie, is at the scene now where a search has been ongoing. phil, what can you tell us?

you can possibly just you can possiblyjust about make out the lake in the distance there. that is where the lights are shining. there is still a lot of activity, as it has been all afternoon from leigh and evening. ambulance and fire crews have been here. the police as well. it has been freezing here all day but particular over the last few nights which has allowed the surface of the lake to freeze over and it has become tempting for children to play on it. sadly today that has endedin play on it. sadly today that has ended in potentially tragedy. this operation is still going now, and began more than seven hours ago. as light faded this afternoon, the emergency services were using every piece of equipment available to try to find anyone still missing. the lake had frozen and a group of children had been playing on the ice when first one and then others fell through and into the water. police, paramedics and firefighters were all called just after 2.30 and did all they could when they arrived to save

them. they pulled four children out of the water. firefighters and police officers went into the freezing water to pull the children out. they managed to get the four of them to hospital, where they are suffering from cardiac arrest. there is no update on their condition other than to say it is critical. locals gathered to offered their support, including a local church which provided hot drinks for the rescuers. we which provided hot drinks for the rescuers. ~ , , ., , rescuers. we were quite upset to see so many men — rescuers. we were quite upset to see so many men working _ rescuers. we were quite upset to see so many men working relentlessly i rescuers. we were quite upset to seel so many men working relentlessly and itjust, you know, we could come back and offer some hot drinks to them. feel really upset about what has happened. the them. feel really upset about what has happened-— has happened. the initial 999 calls su . . ested has happened. the initial 999 calls suggested more — has happened. the initial 999 calls suggested more children _ has happened. the initial 999 calls suggested more children may - has happened. the initial 999 calls suggested more children may have fallen in. we suggested more children may have fallen in. ~ ., suggested more children may have fallen in. ~ . ., ., ., fallen in. we were made aware that there were — fallen in. we were made aware that there were up _ fallen in. we were made aware that there were up to _ fallen in. we were made aware that there were up to six _ fallen in. we were made aware that there were up to six people - there were up to six people potentially within the water. so after _ potentially within the water. so after rescuing the four children, we have continued search and rescue operations— have continued search and rescue operations within the whole of the lake in_ operations within the whole of the lake in orderto operations within the whole of the lake in order to confirm whether there _ lake in order to confirm whether there are — lake in order to confirm whether there are any more within the water.

the specialist medical advice that we have _ the specialist medical advice that we have been given on scene is that given— we have been given on scene is that given the _ we have been given on scene is that given the temperature of the water, given— given the temperature of the water, given the _ given the temperature of the water, given the age of those believed to have entered the water and also the amount— have entered the water and also the amount of— have entered the water and also the amount of time they have been in there. _ amount of time they have been in there. that — amount of time they have been in there, that this would no longer be a seareh— there, that this would no longer be a search and rescue operation. the temperature has fallen back below zero but the recovery operation will continue, despite the appalling conditions. a very disturbing day certainly for everyone who was there and everyone listening and watching to this. what sense do you have of how busy it was there today? i sense do you have of how busy it was there today?— there today? i am not really seen and operation _ there today? i am not really seen and operation of _ there today? i am not really seen and operation of this _ there today? i am not really seen and operation of this scale - there today? i am not really seen | and operation of this scale before. there were so many, i lost count of the number of police vehicles, fire and rescue teams and ambulances as well, which were also here on standby because there are potentially still two missing children. they don't know because they were unable to speak to the others they pulled out whether there are any more still in the lake. but as you had in the news conference there, they are running out of hope

if there is anybody in there. we have just seen the drone up again. we know they had to bring specialist equipment up so that they can carry on this recovery operation throughout the night. 0ne on this recovery operation throughout the night. one of the police officers who bravely went into the water suffered a mild case of hypothermia themselves. so everyone has been praised for that was that they have also been issuing warnings, steer clear of open water at this time of year in these freezing conditions, especially when there is ice. it can be tempting to try and go on it but it is just too risky. the operation will go on through the night was that we are not expecting any updates now until tomorrow morning.— tomorrow morning. thank you very much. tomorrow morning. thank you very much- phil— tomorrow morning. thank you very much. phil mackie _ tomorrow morning. thank you very much. phil mackie at _ tomorrow morning. thank you very much. phil mackie at the _ tomorrow morning. thank you very much. phil mackie at the scene - tomorrow morning. thank you very much. phil mackie at the scene ofl much. phil mackie at the scene of that terrible incident in the west midlands. as he said, people were warned by the police and the news conference today to take extra care in the freezing weather, which is set to bring worse, bringing disruption. there are details now on the bbc news website and we'll have a full live weather forecast at the end of this programme. days before the 34th anniversary

of the lockerbie bombing, a libyan man accused by the united states of being the bomb maker has been taken into us custody. 270 people died when a pan am flight exploded over the scottish borders just before christmas 1988. as our north america editor sarah smith reports, the suspect is expected to appear in a us federal court tomorrow. just a few days before christmas in 1988, the town of lockerbie was suddenly engulfed in flame. pan am flight 103 was flying from heathrow to new york, when over south—west scotland a massive explosion in the cargo hold brought it down in seconds. all 259 passengers and crew died, most of them american, as did 11 others when wreckage fell on their homes. it remains the most deadly terrorist attack in british history. this is the man the us authorities accuse of making the bomb, abu agila mas'ud, seen here in libya

where he had beenjailed for unrelated crimes. two years ago the us attorney general formally charged masud with making the device which brought down flight 103. the american and the scottish authorities have always stressed that they would never stop trying to bring other people to justice. it was five years ago that the fbi learned that abu agila masud had confessed to a libyan official that he had built the lockerbie bomb. now he has finally been arrested and is being extradited to the united states. this man died on the plane. his sister welcomes the prospect of a court case in the us. to know now that one of those who's 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 for our loved ones. the only man to have been convicted of the lockerbie bombing, abdelbaset al—megrahi,

was jailed in 2001, but released eight years later and allowed to return home to libya because he was dying of cancer. some of the victims' families still have doubts about his conviction and about the arrest of masud. it fills my mind with questions, really. first of all, why has it taken so long? secondly, what is he doing in america? this was a crime committed on scottish, well, above scottish soil, but which came to land on scottish soil, therefore it's the responsibility of the scottish legal system. with the prospect of a new trial looming, the 34th anniversary of the bombing will be commemorated quietly in lockerbie in a few days' time. sarah smith, bbc news, washington. 0ur scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie is in lockerbie this evening... it is poignant timing with the anniversaryjust it is poignant timing with the anniversary just days away, anniversaryjust days away, alexandra?

anniversary 'ust days away, alexandra?— anniversary 'ust days away, alexandra? ~ , , , alexandra? absolutely. many people here in lockerbie _ alexandra? absolutely. many people here in lockerbie still— alexandra? absolutely. many people here in lockerbie still vividly - here in lockerbie still vividly remember that night. it was just days before christmas, almost 3a years ago. many people would have been flying home for christmas. now some of their relatives come back here to lockerbie to visit that memorial. some of the victims were from the uk and 11 people died here on the ground in lockerbie. some of the uk families don't believe that libya was involved. they don't believe that al—megrahi was guilty and they do not want to see a trial on american soil. so for some of those uk families, yes, this is a development today but not one that they believe is going to bring the closure that they have been seeking for many years. closure that they have been seeking for many years-— for many years. alexandra, thank ou. four days before a nurses' strike — due to affect much of england as well as wales and northern ireland — their union has offered to pause the action if ministers negotiate with them directly.

0ur political correspondent ione wells reports. it's just days until nurses plan to walk out for the first time. 0nly care for life—threatening cases has to be provided by law. unions say those strikes could be paused, like they have been in scotland, if the government agrees to talk to them about pay. nurses had wanted a 19% pay rise — 5% more than the rate that goods, services and mortgages are rising by. nurses aren't greedy people, they definitely are not. but a nurse on £27,000 a year living in central london needs to be able to feed her children, be able to send them to school, look after them in creches so they can go to their work and pay their travel to go to work and also pay their utility bills. the hint this morning is unions could budge a bit on their requests — if ministers negotiate pay with them. the government has said it's had talks with them on making the nhs a better place to work, but not on pay. the independent review body has made a recommendation.

the government has accepted it fully and that, of course, means that there will be a significant increase in pay, particularly for those nurses at the start of their careers on lower salaries. we recognise how tough it is for everybody. labour also wouldn't commit to the pay rises unions want, but say they would join talks. we'd be willing to talk but what i'm not going to do, laura, at this stage, is create a hostage to fortune for a labour government that — let's assume the election's in two years' time... you know, the worst thing i could possibly do this morning is make promises we can't keep. the foreign secretary, speaking on behalf of the government earlier, said the unions should negotiate with employers — in this case, the nhs — rather than let politics be brought into it. but the problem is the nhs simply cannot negotiate staff pay, that is for the government to set, based on independent recommendations. government sources say the door is still open for further talks. while these different views are thrashed out publicly,

if the government doesn't agree to join the negotiating table, nurses will be on the picket lines on thursday — joining rail workers, postal workers, border force staff and others in weeks of walk—outs up and down the country. ione wells, bbc news. as we've heard, there's been a series of other professions — and sectors — either already have strike action underway or about to commence. our business editor simonjack is here to talk us through the economic implications of current pay demands. simon... thank you very much. not much good cheer when it comes to industrial relations this winter. this winter is seeing the highest level of walkouts for over 30 years as millions of workers across both the public and private sector demanding higher pay rises to match inflation. the next three weeks to the new year resemble an advent calendar of chaos. you can see there is, if you find this helpful, it's quite a good guide and you can find it on the bbc

business website. baggage handlers and others had scheduled strikes over this period. the collision course between workers and employers is not hard to understand. rates of pay growth in both the public and private sector have been easily outstripped by the rising cost of living meaning most workers are getting poorer every day. public sector workers have been hardest hit with an average annual basic pay rise of 2.2%, languishing miles behind prices, which are over 10%. but when the employer is the government and the staff are in critical public services delivery — as with nurses and ambulance workers — the social and political stakes are high. the government has two arguments as to why it can't award inflation matching pay rises. the first is that it would be unaffordable. government debt as a percentage of national income at 97% is already near its highest level since the 1960s. the uk owes as much as it earns in a year and big public sector pay rises woud push that higher still.

the government thinks that £30 million. remember, it would get some of that money back in tax and national insurance. and the uk has one of the lowest debt burdens among leading global economies. just under 100%, as we were saying. so arguably has room to spend a bit more. the government's second argument is that putting more money into people's pockets could keep inflation higher for longer, which makes everyone worse off over time and increases the pressure on the bank of england to use its powers to reduce inflation by raising interest rates, which affects borrowing costs for consumers, homeowners and businesses. all of these disputes are different and short of offering everyone an inflation matching pay rise there is no simple solution. 0ne worker's frustration at their falling standard of living is another person's frustration at the disruption that looks set to dominate the christmas headlines. simon, thank you very much. 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 those who are missing, and for an explanation of what happened, and whether it could have been prevented. dan johnson, bbc news, jersey. england's footballers arrived home from qatar tonight after being knocked out of the world cup — their match against france was watched by more than 20 million people around the uk. captain harry kane says the team will be "mentally and physically

stronger for the next challenge", manager gareth southgate says he'll be reflecting on what happened before making any decision on his future. 0ur 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've announced themselves on the global stage, and a spirit amongst the team that, you know, 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. so we've got some really talented players that are going to be around for a long time. i mean, look at the way bellingham played in this tournament, 19 years of age. someone who's so young but he played as if he'd been around for years. so he's only going to get better. this experience will serve them welland, 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. england returned home tonight a growing footballing force, but their long wait for a major trophy goes on. this was not the timid exit that england have suffered in the past, and even though they got further at the last world cup, many fans will feel that this is the finest side they've had in a long time. gareth southgate may conclude he's taken this team as far as he can. if he does, he'll be remembered as the manager who revitalised england but who couldn't quite get them over the final hurdle. they may have departed qatar but they've left a mark here and, in performance terms, they'll feel they're getting closer. dan roan, bbc news, doha. a 13—year—old 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 modified cells from a donor — which then attacked the cancer —

and the teenage patient is 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, # gonna 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. woo! 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. an unmanned capsule that's part of nasa's plan to return astronauts to the moon has successfully splashed down into the pacific after a three—week test mission. it captured images like this — looking back towards earth. 0ur science editor rebecca morelle reports on the end of a key stage of an ambitious programme.

after a million mile journey through space, it's time for the orion spacecraft to come home. with images taken from the capsule, it enters the earth's atmosphere. the spacecraft about to go subsonic. a series of parachutes open... and there it is, high over the pacific, america's new ticket to ride to the moon and beyond now in view. ..then splashdown — the artemis mission is complete. the latest chapter of nasa's journey to the moon comes to a close. we are adventurers. we are explorers. we always have a frontier, and that frontier is now to continue exploring the heavens. and lift off of artemis i! the mission blasted off in november and over the course of 26 days, it captured stunning images of the lunar surface and flew far beyond the moon — further than any spacecraft built for humans.

no people were inside the test flight. instead, mannequins recorded data from the voyage. the next step is to get astronauts on board and the new crew vehicles are being built. the artemis team is already planning for future missions and this is the orion capsule — that will eventually carry the astronauts who are going to be landing on the surface of the moon. the spacecraft is being recovered and the data from the mission poured over. there's still some way to go but the moon is within humanity's sights once again. rebecca morelle, bbc news. time now for a look at the weather. already very cold and with tricky conditions developing for some areas in the last few hours. sarah keith lucas is here with the detail: heavy snow in the south—east and it has been a cold day out there. many of us have struggled to get above freezing all day in many areas have seen some snow showers but they have

been particular heavy for the likes of kent, east sussex. they are also affecting eastern parts of london towards essex as well. 0ver affecting eastern parts of london towards essex as well. over the next few days, we will keep this cold speu few days, we will keep this cold spell of weather, so i think a bit of disruption possible. we have really icy stretches, further snow showers and some dense lingering freezing fog patches as well as hard frosts. certainly the combination for some very difficult travel conditions. there is the area of snow working its way north, sitting towards norfolk or even lincolnshire by first thing tomorrow. we have about 2—10 centimetres of snow already in the freezing fog patches we are likely to see develop as well. under clearskies, well. under clear skies, exceptionally cold. well. under clearskies, exceptionally cold. look at these temperatures, —15 possible for the sheltered glens of scotland. so it is the coldest night of the year so far by quite some way. a very hard frost, really icy conditions first thing. leave extra care if you are travelling towards the south—east of england with the lying snow.

freezing fog low mauresmo to clear. more sunshine in the northern half of the uk but it will feel bitterly cold. temperatures a degree or two either side of freezing. still a few snow flurries lasting through monday, monday evening, in the midlands up to northern england. more snow piling in across northern and eastern scotland as well. tuesday morning again cold. temperatures around minus eight degrees. so not quite as cold as this current night. tuesday night, northern ealing mecca wins while driving heavy showers across parts of scotland and northern england. more snow accumulating whereas further south you are likely to stay dry but again some freezing fog, low cloud. it will be quite grey and it will feel cold under the cloud. just a view degrees above freezing. through the middle of the week, you can trace the wind arrows all the way back to the north pole, right up into the arctic. so cold arctic air spreading in. cold conditions lasting throughout the course of the week but we should see the snow

showers easing and freezing fog just removing itself later in the week. bracing, thank you, sarah. that's all from us at bbc news at ten, but the news continues here on bbc one with our colleagues across the nations and regions for the news where you are. goodnight. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me this evening, the writer and editor shyama perrera, and tim montgomerie, political commentator and founder of the website conservative home.

the daily telegraph leads on news that four children have been rushed to hospital after falling through ice into a freezing lake in solihull. the daily mail's front also goes with the same story as each child fights for their life with fears of two other children missing. the guardian leads on walk—outs, and plans for military staff to cover for strikers being discussed at cabinet cobra meetings. the i also reports on strikes, and renewed hope after a last—ditch attempt at talks to stop nurses walking out.

the financial times leads the holding of two meps as part of an international investigation into claims that qatar sought to buy influence in the european parliament. and "fans plea for gareth southgate to stay and lead young lions so let's begin. the financial times leads the holding of two meps as part of an international investigation into claims that qatar sought to buy influence in the european parliament. and "fans plea for gareth southgate to stay and lead young lions to glory in germany" — that's in the sun.

recently back in the uk after being knocked out by france. lovely to have you with us and desperate story to be starting with, the telegraph is focusing on this but this is a situation that we are all watching in the coming hours were talking a lot and we probably will about the really grim weather for so many people in some reports of the country but this a horror. children that were out just country but this a horror. children that were outjust kind of fun and then falling into icy waters. grim weather for _ then falling into icy waters. grim weather for most _ then falling into icy waters. grim weather for most adults - then falling into icy waters.

others, trying to save him.