these are life pictures in tel aviv because we are expecting at any moment now that antony blinken, the us secretary of state, to come and speak to the world media there as and when we see him approach the microphones we would be crossing straight back to tel aviv there. back to the middle east and the war between israel and hamas. the mother of two of the final child hostages still held hostage in gaza has spoken of her ordeal. 16 —year—old aisha and 18—year—old bilal, both muslims from southern israel's bedouin community, remain in captivity after being taken by hamas with their father and older brother on october seventh. our correspondent anna foster reports from rahat, in the negev desert aisha still hasn't come home yet. each day, as more hostage children are released, her name has been missing from the list. so too her brother, bilal. it's been 55 days of waiting. this is the last picture naeema saw of her sons from hamas�*s media channels, held prisoner. in this bedouin community, women can't appear on camera but this is naeema's voice. translation: i am asking hamas to bring back my children. - enough is enough. every night i feel bad. i can't take this any more. i'm losing my mind. naeema often had tears in her eyes when we were talking and you can hear in her voice the emotions, the fear and the anger, and right now, most of all, the desperation as she waits for her children to be released the way the others have been. translation: why does | hamas not set them free? why does israel not call for their release, like it did with others? aisha is 16, bilal is 18, and hamza is 22. their father is diabetic and suffers from hypertension. he takes injections. why were they not released? i can't live it, i am so tired of this tragedy. the children's uncle, ali, has a clear message for those negotiating the releases. translation: the government always gives us of the same answer, - that it's all in the hands of hamas, but no, you are the state, insist, you should insist. we are not jealous of anyone, we are happy that they've been returned, may they all come back, but it can't be right that there are adults in the groups who have been returned while a girl is left behind in captivity. another day of ceasefire has brought fresh hope to this family as they pray aisha and bilal, among the last child hostages, in gaza will soon be free. anna foster, bbc news, rahat. an update on the family we mentioned shortly, here they are. just as a warning, some discretion details, but we have a fear here ten months and realfour months old, my but we have a fear here ten months and real four months old, my michael claiming they were killed. the father has been seen in the hostage video, it may short while ago and is really military spokes person was asked about the claims. and he said he claims about the family are still not verified the documentation to publish tonight is sock psychological —— a psychological terrorism. so, a brief update there and we will see if we can add more context and background to that later. the former chancellor, alistair darling has died at the age of 70. he was a labour mp for almost 30 years and spent 13 years in government first under tony blair and then gordon brown — who today called him "a statesman of unimpeachable integrity". alistair darling had been suffering from cancer. our political correspondent iain watson reports. alistair darling faced two huge political challenges in his long career — saving the economy in a financial crisis, and seeing off a strong campaign for scottish independence. politicians can always control the events, but how they react to them can define their reputation. alistair darling was a chancellor who kept a cool head in the face of the biggest global financial meltdown in decades, as some banks were on the brink of running out of cash. he'd helped to save a financial system he had once decried. as student at aberdeen university, he was the far left of british politics. at 23, hejoined labour, here he is calling for unilateral nuclear disarmament. he became a lawyer, before becoming a politician, and was elected as an edinburgh mp in 1987. as his appearance changed, so too did his politics. ahead of the 1997 election, it was his task to keep his party's spending commitments to a minimum — a strategy familiar to today's labour party. he was a mainstay of the new labour government, a constant member of the cabinet for 13 years and was seen as a safe pair of hands. in 2014, his task was to keep the uk together, as leader of the cross—party campaign. born in london, and growing up in edinburgh, better together wasn't just a slogan. nothing has ever mattered as much as this. let's be confident in saying, yes, we are better together. after winning the referendum, he joined the house of lords, but stood down in 2020. people will remember a life of huge achievement that was based on a profound and strong sense of what was right and wrong, and a compassion for people in difficulty. keir starmer said he'd often welcomed his advice. perhaps one lesson from his life is that competence and commitment in politics can bejust as important as charisma. alistair darling, who's died at the age of 70. live now to former political secretary to the prime minister of the united kingdom john mcternan. thank you for coming on the programme. this want to start by axing your reflections of the men. he was a good man and a great man in the way he dealt with to huge x essential political issues, the collapse of the royal bank of scotland threatened our entire banking system and you come and the break—up of the unit, he wasn't flashy but the personal style devoted victory of great substance, some which will be written about in the history books. and reflecting on that thoughtfulness, intelligence and ethical status of alistair darling, people have been cities all over the incident. a good man and kind man and funnyman. in over the incident. a good man and kind man and funnyman.— over the incident. a good man and kind man and funnyman. in the world of olitics, kind man and funnyman. in the world of politics. i — kind man and funnyman. in the world of politics, i spoke _ kind man and funnyman. in the world of politics, i spoke to _ kind man and funnyman. in the world of politics, i spoke to alastair- of politics, i spoke to alastair campbell a few hours ago, no one has a bad work to say about him, and the rise of the top of uk politics, that's an impressive feat. yes, and to be so universally _ that's an impressive feat. yes, and to be so universally on _ that's an impressive feat. yes, and to be so universally on all- that's an impressive feat. yes, and to be so universally on all sides - that's an impressive feat. yes, and to be so universally on all sides of| to be so universally on all sides of politics praised, that's a measure of the man as well. obviously as a package showed, in a duplicate political person on his career, and once he got the seated edinburgh, he became a great labour party moderate, is centrist, as the labour party came back to power thinking is weight through his challenges, so when the trust of the public. he never actually showed any nastiness towards people. he didn't make cheap political points, he midpoints of substance. he had an intellectual argument about what he did and i think that's a measure of him. the way people it respected his arguments and was into him. and that's what people are mourning, they are lesser without them. take us throu . h they are lesser without them. take us through the _ they are lesser without them. take us through the financial crisis again, he was praised for his handling but you kind of forget as time goes on things were precarious, and he played a huge role in the direction of the country. he wrote about a phone — direction of the country. he wrote about a phone quote _ direction of the country. he wrote about a phone quote from - direction of the country. he wrote about a phone quote from the - direction of the country. he wrote i about a phone quote from the chair of the royal bank of scotland, saying they were haemorrhaging money and alistair darling said what do you mean and how much do you have? and they said they would run out in two hours, and as he put it in subsequent discussions, that for me it would be no money coming out of cash machines which would panic and spread to the banks and a run on banks which nobody wants, we need the bank and infrastructure to work for us to work for the whole economy. and his actions in bailing out the royal bank of scotland, he basically restored confidence in the confidence and market that was required. and then he took other actions disseminate the economy, avoid us going into a deep recession, a deep depression almost, and what was at stake at that time, it shows how fast he had to move, his advisers around him, to call the shots and make some really because and they had to be right, and thankfully for us they were right. thank you for paying your tributes, thank you. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. bbc news bringing you different stories from across the uk. the open road on two wheels. it comes with a great deal of freedom, but it also comes with a risk. and the charity doc bikes is now working to help motorcyclists should they become involved in an accident. we aim to put paramedics on motorcycles and work in conjunction with the air ambulance so that we can get to serious accidents, which are normally motorcycle accidents much more quickly than a standard ambulance. the team at doc bikes is also working with local councils to run training courses, helping bikers to avoid an accident in the first place. for one group of women bikers, these courses have a special significance. bristol biking girls has been around for seven years, empowering women on their bikes. the biker down course is extremely important so that we know what to do in the event of an accident, so that we can help each other and help other bikers. for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. you're live with bbc news. the pogues frontman shane macgowan has died at the age of 65. macgowan fronted the band from 1982 until their break—up in 2014. they're best known for the christmas hit song, �*fairytale of new york'. david sillito looks back on his life. # it was christmas eve, babe. # in the drunk tank. # an old man said to me... "happy christmas, your ours, i pray god it's our last." fairytale of new york, a bleak, drink—sodden duet about lives gone wrong, isn't your normal christmas classic. but it was trademark shane macgowan. # i turned my face away # and dreamed about you... | his band the pogues brought a rambunctious punk fury to irish folk, but behind the noise, the drinking and the terrible teeth was a writer of rare talent. his roots were in ireland, tipperary, but he was actually born in tunbridge wells. he was a london punk, who had also won a literary scholarship to public school. but it was when he and his friends began to inject a bit of that attitude into the music of their childhood that he began to enjoy success. # as i go on my way, - they all have a story to tell...# he crafted beauty and poetry out of hard lives. ..and even harder drinking. ..something shane mcgowan knew all about. that he survived as long as he did is something of a miracle. it's true, i'm out of it. most of the time, right? but i can write songs when i'm out of it. . i find it's easier to write. songs when i'm out of it. the stories of his excesses rather overshadowed what made him special. thankfully... # the bells were ringing out for christmas day.#. ..we'll always have this to remind us. every christmas. shane macgowan who stayed at the age of 65. let's speak to dave fanning, irish presenter and musicjournalist. thank you for having me. how do you sum up the man's contribution? i heard the work bleak and drink sodden, which is true, and one of the things people didn't know about shane macgowan, he was born into an irish family in a big part of london, was good in school, went to a party school, obviously thrown out because he was disruptive, but he was known for someone who would read the great novels. dostoevsky, james joyce, his teachers well known, if you look at his biography, saying they wanted time he kept someone's homework was james magull and shane macgowan. the point about shane is, what was done in the 1970s and 19805, it what was done in the 1970s and 1980s, it took a traditional irish music and wrapped it up or glam rock to the, and what polls did was took traditional irish music and pumped it up, he could write fantastic songs. has about ten of the best songs. has about ten of the best songs ever written. if you think about the 1980s the smiths were around in 19 80s, whether other bands bigger and 84 through 89, and due to produce by either costello are just the best, due to produce by either costello arejust the best, the due to produce by either costello are just the best, the songs on those ovens are just fantastic. because you went through that so passionately, do you have mixed feelings of fairytale of new york question mark and be known by this one song? do you want people to remember more than that. it's quite a legacy itself. remember more than that. it's quite a legacy itself-_ a legacy itself. there is a lot of the band a legacy itself. there is a lot of the hand they _ a legacy itself. there is a lot of the band they narrate - a legacy itself. there is a lot of - the band they narrate the exteriors of the immigrant of ireland into london, is true in many ways but not true of all the songs. if you listen to some other songs, streams of whisky, where he dreams about... some really powerful songs, really good publisher and well written. when you consider christmas on,, the minutes i hear it every december i say, it's one of the greatest songs ever written, and thinking about it as said in your report, to down under look, people think that streets of new york are paved with gold him up drink away and lose their money and when it comes up to their money and when it comes up to the whole idea of the boys in the nypd choir, isjust the whole idea of the boys in the nypd choir, is just the resentments of christmas for many of us the last 30 or 40 years, it's a brilliant story. yes it's not santa claus but the brilliant story.— the brilliant story. thank you, befinda the brilliant story. thank you, belinda out. _ the brilliant story. thank you, belinda put, thank _ the brilliant story. thank you, belinda put, thank you - the brilliant story. thank you, belinda put, thank you for - the brilliant story. thank you, - belinda put, thank you for coming on the show. the author of a controversial new book on the royal family, omid scobie, has denied naming two members of the royal family who allegedly talked about the skin colour of the duke and duchess of sussex�*s first child. the dutch edition of the book has been withdrawn by the publishers after apparently containing the names. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. it's a mystery. how did the dutch version of the latest book of supposed royal revelations come to name two members of the british royalfamily who are alleged by the sussexes to have made comments about the skin colour of their then unborn first baby? on the itv daytime programme this morning the book's author, omid scobie, said he had no idea how it had happened. i had never submitted a book that had their names in it. so i can only talk about my version. i'm obviously frustrated, i wouldn't say i'm upset about it... in the netherlands, the book has been withdrawn to be reprinted without the names. tonight, on piers morgan uncensored, the royal race row is reignited as a translation... here in britain, viewers of talktv heard piers morgan's take on the whole matter. harry and meghan have never provided any evidence for that highly incendiary claim. nevertheless, mr morgan then disclose the names, even though he said he didn't believe the sussexes�* story. far away from the riddle of mr scobie's, the king of mr scobie's book, the king is in dubai, where tomorrow he will give the opening address to the cop 28 climate conference. a moment, the palace believes, of some significance. nicholas witchell, bbc news. just to remind you of what we are keeping across, we are expecting here in tel aviv in israel, we expect the us secretary of state antony blinken to speak at this crucial moment as we come towards the end of the temporary pause in the end of the temporary pause in the fighting. we expect an update from him and will cross to it as soon as we see him. after more than a year of strike action — rail workers belonging to the rmt union have voted to end their series of national walk—outs. they've accepted an offer from these 14 train companies which includes a backdated pay rise of 5%. it means they won't be involved in any more industrial action until at least spring of next year. but it doesn't mean strikes are completely over — train drivers represented by aslef — are still pressing ahead with a new round of walk—outs starting tomorrow. our transport correspondent katy austin reports strikes have started to feel as inevitable as the changing of the seasons. it's nearly a year and a half since walk—outs by rail workers in the rmt began. commuters like these in west sussex have had to get used to it. you want to go to work, instead of being stuck at home. yeah, it disrupts normal, everyday life. i understand why the unions have been striking, and i've supported them throughout. it is quite wearing, _ often you have to take the day off. because, from here, l there is no other train. now, union members a 14 train companies have accepted proposals involving a backdated pay rise of 5% for last year — more for the lowest paid — and a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies for the next 12 months. discussions over a pay increase for the current financial year will be pushed into 2024. but, for now, there will be no more rmt strikes. that second wage increase will still depend on changes to working practices, which the industry and government say are needed, arguing the railway is financially unsustainable. there talks will now move to individual operators. we will renegotiate in the new year, in the springtime, and we will see what the copies want to pursue. what the companies want to pursue. so it's a pause, a respite, but we are not celebrating this issue. it's another step forward in the progress. the government controls what's on the table. it's a fair deal for the taxpayer, and for railway workers who will get their pay rise in time for christmas. it just shows that if these pay are put to members, then they do tend to get accepted. changes including scrapping plans to close ticket offices are thought to have paved the way for the deal. there hasn't been the same progress in the train drivers dispute, they are mainly in a different union, aslef, and they begin a new wave of industrial action tomorrow. that's a worry for hospitality businesses, as christmas party season gets under way. the result of the rmt vote today has been welcomed, but it's not the end of the journey yet. katy austin, bbc news. these two giant pandas — yang guang and tian tian — have been in edinburgh zoo for 12 years now. today the public had their last chance to say goodbye — because they're returning home to china. it was hoped they'd mate while they were here — but that didn't happen. but they have drawn visitors from all over the world who came to see them, as lorna gordon reports. going straight to antony blinken in israel, the system. fin going straight to antony blinken in israel, the system.— going straight to antony blinken in israel, the system. on my last visit here i discuss _ israel