News Daily: Drones close runway and Trump troop pull-out

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46623812

Version 0 of 1.

If you want to get this briefing by email, sign up here

Travel trouble

Flights have been suspended at Gatwick airport following sightings of drones being flown close to the airfield. The problems began at about 21:00 GMT on Wednesday and the runway was closed all night, grounding outbound flights and forcing inbound planes to be diverted. Dozens of passengers tweeted their frustration at being stuck on the tarmac for up to six hours amid the chaos.

Thousands of people are thought to have been affected so far and that number is likely grow significantly as the day goes on. Gatwick apologised for the disruption but said safety was paramount. It's advising anyone due to fly or collect someone from the airport on Thursday to check before setting out.

It is illegal to fly a drone within 1km of an airport - and doing so can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.

Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning

IS defeated?

US troops have begun withdrawing from Syria after President Donald Trump declared that terror group Islamic State had been defeated. About 2,000 US personnel, working with Kurdish and Arab fighters in northern Syria, are credited with playing a major role in the virtual elimination of IS there. Virtual is the key word though, and IS has not gone altogether - a recent US report said 14,000 fighters remain in Syria, with even more in neighbouring Iraq.

Allies of President Trump have criticised the withdrawal. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called it a "huge Obama-like mistake". BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus said the British government had stopped just short - at least in public - of condemning it, but certainly pushed back, insisting IS remains a threat. Russia, though, has welcomed the move.

Read more from Jonathan Marcus on what might be going on, and why the battle for northern Syria matters so much.

Second vote

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd says a second Brexit referendum will become a "plausible" option if the deadlock in Parliament over Theresa May's deal cannot be broken. The senior minister - and Mrs May's ally - stressed that she personally didn't support another vote, but could see the argument for one. She said MPs must find a way to get a deal of some kind through and there could be a series of "indicative" votes on Plan B options to try to "find where the compromise and the consensus is".

Mrs May has repeatedly ruled out holding another referendum, but you can read more about how one could, in theory, be held. And find out how other European countries have had a second go at asking the public's opinion.

When is a sale actually a sale?

By Robert Plummer, BBC Business reporter

First it was the High Street, now it's online as well: retailers are desperate to attract consumers by offering huge discounts. There's talk of clothing firms slashing prices to jumble-sale levels in a bid to shift their stock. The perception is that some companies have entered permanent sale mode, with constant special offers instead of hawking their goods at full-price. But is there any truth in that? Well, the rules on what is and isn't allowed are arguably not as clear as they could be.

Read the full article

What the papers say

The debate about whether Jeremy Corbyn called the prime minister a "stupid woman" in the Commons continues on most of the front pages. The Daily Mail and Daily Express enlist the help of lip-readers who insist he did indeed say "woman", casting doubt on what the Mail calls his "brazen" denials. "Panto Politics" is the i's headline - it says the drama will have led to consternation among the public given the serious issues currently facing the country. The Daily Telegraph agrees, upset that it overshadowed the long-awaited publication of the government's Immigration White Paper - a key part of its post-Brexit planning. "To call this state of affairs depressing, would be putting it mildly," it concludes. On that immigration strategy, the Guardian reports that "rebellious ministers" believe the PM will be forced to back down on her planned curbs because of concerns from business.

Daily digest

'Volcano tourism' Thrill-seekers warned about the risks

Charity runners "Fraudulent" racers criticised

Fire checks "Vital" safety inspections drop significantly

Extinction Rebellion What's the movement all about?

If you see one thing today

Meet Britain's Skype families

If you listen to one thing today

What's the real impact of the ethnic pay gap?

If you read one thing today

What's the recipe for a Christmas number one?

Lookahead

09:30 The first official statistics on deaths of homeless people in England and Wales will be published

Today The final day of a Court of Appeal challenge against the government's two-child limit for some benefits

On this day

1973 Spanish Prime Minister Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco is killed in a car bomb attack in Madrid

From elsewhere

Why Europe is now top dog in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process (Spectator)

Once a global hero, what happened to Aung San Suu Kyi? (Reuters)

Better not pout, better not cry? (Slate)

Why a photo of Rachel McAdams has breastfeeding mothers pumped (The Pool)