02/08/2017 BBC News at Ten

A breakthrough for scientists as they get a step closer

They have used gene editing techniques to correct faulty DNA

in human embryos to stop them developing heart disease.

A method of being able to avoid infecting children and passing

on the defective gene could be really very important

But critics have raised ethical concerns, warning about the creation

They called themselves the Three Musketeers, a terrorist

cell from the West Midlands is convicted of plotting to attack

Prince Philip's last official engagement at Buckingham Palace

as he bows out of public life at the age of 96.

A group of army cadets - some as young as 12 -

are rescued after being caught in bad weather in mountains

Is he about to become the most expensive footballer in history?

Barcelona's Neymar looks set to be sold for ?200 million.

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News...

It was huge night for Celtic as they needed a win

against Rosenborg to stay in the Champions League.

Find out how their third round qualifier went in Norway.

There's new hope tonight for thousands of families who live

with the prospect of passing on inherited diseases

For the first time, scientists have successfully repaired a faulty

They used a process known as gene editing to correct DNA that causes

But critics are warning that the technique could,

ultimately, be used to create so-called designer babies.

Our Medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh reports.

The goal could not be more ambitious.

These scientists have taken an impressive first

step on a long road, editing DNA in human embryos.

Inside the nucleus of each of our cells is our genome,

It is the instruction manual for life.

The scientists were targeting a faulty gene that causes

They fertilised a healthy egg with sperm from a man

They then injected the gene editing system known as Crispr.

This scanned the DNA like a spell-check or a sat nav.

It then cuts both strands of the DNA and removes the faulty gene.

A healthy copy of the gene from the egg was then

Now here are some of the embryos from the study in the journal

They were allowed to develop for five days.

The research has been welcomed by a team in London.

Who have a license to edit human embryos.

They say the technology could eventually help many families.

There are some nasty genetic diseases such as Huntington's or,

as in this case, a disease that affects heart function later

in life, which can basically blight families for many generations.

So a method of being able to avoid having infected children and passing

on the defective gene could be really very

Nicole Mowbray has the same heart condition which was

She now has a defibrillator implanted in her chest

She has a 50% risk of passing on the condition but is unsure

whether she would ever consider gene editing.

I would not want to pass on something that caused my child

to have a limited life or a painful life or a life of risk.

I mean that does obviously come to the front of my mind when I think

I would not want to create the "perfect" child.

I feel like my condition makes me me.

And some are worried gene editing technology could lead

We will get into a society in which some people's children

are genetically enhanced and given advantages over other

People start to be judged on the basis of their genes

As well as ethical issues there are safety concerns.

Previous attempts at gene editing human embryos in China lead

to serious errors in the DNA so a lot more research is needed

before this could be used to treat patients.

Fergus, a lot of hope for some people - but will raise a lot

It will and firstly the hope. There are around 10,000 diseases that are

caused by a single error in the gene, most of them rare. The heart

condition we heard about in the report effects one in 500 people but

it is the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in otherwise

healthy people so it has a big impact. Couples who know they are at

risk of passing on a genetic disorder is already at options. They

can have IVF embryo screening to pick the embryos which do not have

the disorder but this technique will give them more options. The ethical

debate is very important. It raises the issue, how far should we go and

tinker with nature to have a healthy child? The aims are laudable, trying

to edit out diseases, but what if we could edit in traits? What about

genes for intelligence or athletic ability? The genetics are much more

complex than single genes but this is a debate we need to have but we

are many years away from this technique being used to cure

diseases let alone enhanced humans. But Jean Eddington -- gene editing

is a technology to watch. Four men from the West Midlands have

been convicted of plotting to attack The terrorist cell was arrested last

August after the security services found a pipe bomb,

imitation gun and a meat cleaver in one of their cars

during a sting operation. Three of the men had met in jail

and had previous convictions for terror offences,

as our correspondent A major alert near the centre of

Birmingham last August, homes and businesses were evacuated, the bomb

disposal unit had to be called. It was the culmination of an elaborate

operation resulted in several arrests including these men who

called themselves the three Musketeers. Undercover officers had

found a cache of weapons in the back of one of their cars, there was a

partially constructed pipe bomb, an imitation firearm and a meat cleaver

with the word unbeliever scratched into the blade. They found them

behind that door which is a small delivery business which was a front,

the boss was an undercover police officer and it had been set up by

MI5 as part of an elaborate deception to catch the terror cell

which it felt was plotting to attack either the military or the police

and they recruited two of its members to be delivery drivers.

Naweed Ali and Khobaib Hussain had previously been jailed for

travelling to eight training camp in Pakistan and in prison they met

Mohibur Rahman and they left prison with the same extremist ideology. A

friend of theirs, Takeya Azeez, was also recruited, but when they held

meetings in Birmingham and Stoke they were being watched -- Takeya

Azeez. They believed violence was the answer and they were prepared to

use it somewhere in the UK in the furtherance of the ideology so four

very dangerous individuals who, if they had not been stopped, would

have gone on to cause a loss of life somewhere. During the trial they

claimed the police had planted the evidence but their behaviour told

another story. They shared extremist material and made contact with the

radical hate preacher Anjem Choudary. The authority were forced

to carry out increasingly complex -- complex investigation by the

terrorists have become adept at countersurveillance. The group met

in remote locations and did not carry phones to avoid being tracked.

As more people with terror convictions are released from prison

this could create further problems. The fact that people are being

released and you know they are terrorists, they have been convicted

of the offences, they released back into society and there is no reason

to think they have been de-radicalised. I think society has

asked the question, are you happy with that? In a statement the

Ministry of Justice said it had acted to house the most is observed

this -- subversive prisoners in specialist units to stop the

influence. It is likely the four men will be jailed, three of them for a

second time. Prince Philip has bowed out

of public life after almost 70 years The 96-year-old made his

final solo appearance at a parade of Royal Marines

at Buckingham Palace this afternoon. He announced his retirement in May

after completing more Our Royal Correspondent

Nicholas Witchell reports. It was the kind of afternoon

weather-wise which might have made anyone glad to be retiring,

quite apart from the fact that in the Duke's case he's been doing

this sort of thing for 70 years. But there he was, on the forecourt

of Buckingham Palace, a man of 96 standing to attention

in the pouring rain for the salutes There were many things to remind him

of the past decades. The parade had been mounted

by the Royal Marines, the fighting force which is part

of his beloved Royal Navy, And in the background

was the palace, the headquarters of the monarchy, the building

where his wedding to the then Princess Elizabeth was celebrated

in 1947 when his life as a royal began, and where he has

attended so many events, the garden parties and formal

dinners alongside the Queen The world's most experienced

plaque unveiler! Throughout it all the Duke has

retained his own style, This afternoon he strode

across the Palace forecourt, no stick for him and woe betide

anyone who might As he went, the crowd

outside applauded. The Royal Marines

gave him three cheers. The Duke waved his hat

and turned to go. And as he did so, the band

of Her Majesty's Royal Marines played 'For He's A Jolly Good

Fellow'. After 70 years service

and with his own separate programme of royal engagements now concluded

who, today, would have Nicolas Witchel, BBC

News, Buckingham Palace. President Trump has tonight signed

into law a bill imposing sanctions on Russia,

over its policy in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in last

year's US presidential election. But afterwards he released

a statement calling the measures Let's get more from our

North America Editor, Jon Sopel. You almost said he signed this piece

of legislation with a heavy heart and one of the tell-tale signs of

that was there were no cameras present to record him signing it. He

says it encroaches on executive authority, it is the president who

makes foreign policy, he said it will damage American companies and

it is against European impress as well. He also said he recognised it

was the will of the people that it should be signed and soak for the

sake of unity he had gone along with this legislation. At the end of this

statement he said, "I built a truly great company with many billions of

dollars. This is a big part of the reason I was elected, as president I

can make far better deals than Congress." He clearly is unhappy

with it but it has not stopped a Russian counterblast. The Prime

Minister Medvedev has said this will do deep damage to attempt to put US

Russian relations on an even keel. It is tantamount to starting a trade

war and it will be deeply damaging and the Trump administration has

absolutely no power in reining in Congress. What is ironic about what

Donald Trump has said is that he seems to be far more critical of the

legislation that he is for the reasons the sanctions are being

introduced, namely Russian interference in the US election. Jon

Sopel, and cute. More than a million women

in their early 60s have become poorer as a result

of the Government's state pension The Institute for Fiscal Studies say

the women are losing - on average - more than ?30 a week

while the Government is saving more But ministers say the changes ensure

pensions are fair and sustainable Emma Simpson has been looking

at the plight of some She can't work because of ill

health, and she can't get her state pension either

for another five years. But my son said to me, he said,

"mum, you brought me up. For decades, the pension age

has stayed the same - women retired at 60,

men at 65. But by 2020, both men

and women will have to wait until they are 66 before they can

draw their state pension. The changes for women began

in 2010, and it all depends So, for instance, if I was born

before the 6th of April 1950, I would still get my state

pension at 60. But if I was born two years later,

I would get that benefit at 62. And if I was born a couple

of years after that, then I will be 66 before

I draw my state pension. This former pensions minister

told me the government was right to take action

on the spiralling pensions bill. Given the savings of many billions

of pounds that the government is making, a small amount of that

could be allocated to helping those women that have been

pushed into poverty, bridge the gap between

when they would have got their state pension,

and when they will now receive it. Women have been

campaigning for that. Ministers insist the changes

are fair, we are living longer, and women retiring now will get

a state pension longer Almost ?200 million -

that's what's expected to be paid for the Brazilian footballer Neymar

in a world record The 25-year-old says he wants

to leave his current club, Barcelona and move to Paris Saint

Germain. If the deal goes ahead it

will make him the most Our sports news correspondent

Richard Conway reports from Paris. A hasty arrival for Neymar

at Barcelona's training But this slow-burning transfer

saga appears to now be After saying goodbye

to his team-mates, his strike partner Lionel Messi took to social

media to wish him And this is what

Barcelona will miss. Neymar, a star for both

club and country. Today's destination was unknown

but according to one of his representatives the poster

boy of Brazilian football is likely TRANSLATION: Yes,

Paris made a proposal, The planned deal for Neymar

would set a clear world record. Back in 2009 Cristiano Ronaldo

joined Real Madrid for ?80 million. In 2013, Gareth Bale made a move

also to Real for 85 million. Then last summer Manchester United

signed Paul Pogba for But at ?198 million Neymar's fee

would eclipse them all. The Gulf State has a World Cup

in 2022 to prepare for. But this mega-deal is a sign that

despite being subjected to an economic blockade by four

other Arab countries it will not be cowed or diminished

in its international dealings. What we are seeing here is Qatar

saying we want to be considered to be a serious power

in the business of football. We can bring lots and lots of

commercial endorsements to the game. We can have a bigger

influence on a global scale, There is no finer example

of doing that in signing one Back on the streets

of Paris there's a sense of disbelief this deal appears

to be finally happening. I like Paris and I think he can make

a good thing in this team. It is too expensive

but it is Neymar. Paris St Germain will likely welcome

Neymar as their new leading light This is a most political

and financial of transfers but ultimately he will be judged

by what he does on the pitch. A brief look at some

of the day's other news stories. Deaths caused by drug poisoning

climbed to over 3,700 in England and Wales last year -

the highest number since The figures cover legal

and illegal drugs but there was a particular spike in the number

of deaths involving cocaine. A light aircraft making an emergency

landing on a Portuguese beach near Lisbon has come down among

sunbathers, killing two people. Local authorities said the victims

were a 50-year-old man Rashan Charles, who died

after a police chase, did not swallow a controlled

substance before his death. That's according to forensic

analysis provided to the police It is investigating

what happened as police tried His death sparked a number

of protests, including one An inquest has been told that

a British man who died fighting so-called Islamic State in Syria,

killed himself to avoid Ryan Lock, a 20-year-old former chef

from Chichester had been fighting alongside Kurdish forces

when he was wounded 50 army cadets aged between 12

and 17 have had to be rescued in Northern Ireland

after getting into difficulties. The group, who had travelled

from England to the Mourne Mountains 16 of them were understood to be

suffering from hypothermia. The Ministry of Defence has

confirmed that all are now In the wind and the rain,

rescue teams battled to get cadets off the Mourne,

Mountains and into ambulances. The teenagers from the Cleveland

Army Cadet Force had come here to camp and to learn skills

in the great outdoors. But this became

a lesson in survival. At lunchtime today,

in what were described as treacherous conditions,

the Northern Ireland Ambulance And called in extra help to get

the cadets to safety. The reports from the scene were much

worse, the weather visibility was down to about 20 yards

at that stage. The factors working against us

here have been the weather, which is much better now

than it was when this Also the terrain and this happened

in an area that's difficult The weather can change quickly

at the Mournes and camping high up the mountain the cadets weren't

prepared for the arrival of high The Ministry of Defence has

described this as a remarkable rescue operation and they thanked

all the teams involved for getting Some of those brought down

on stretchers were treated And they all return home

with an experience rather more than they expected

when they went to camp. Chris Buckler, BBC News at

the Mourne Mountains in County Down. After months of unrest,

the President of Venezuela is due to swear in members

of a controversial new assembly But the opposition says it

will give him unlimited powers. It comes as the British-based

company that provided the technology for Venezuela's voting system

says their machines were tampered with and the turnout in Sunday's

controversial election was inflated It has all added to the growing

tensions in the country - as our correspondent Katy Watson

reports, from the capital, Caracas. Shouting for help, this

was the moment former Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma

was dragged away in his pyjamas There's panic while someone screams,

"the country is now a dictatorship." Mr Ledezma had criticised Sunday's

vote in a video posted online. Under house arrest for allegedly

planning a coup, the Government said he had broken the rules by speaking

out and so sent him back to prison. But Mr Ledezma's daughter

told me he had no choice. He thought I can't stay

quiet and in silence when I saw this murder,

more than 120 murder You and your step-father

are the only members of the family who now live in Caracas,

your mother's in Madrid. Tonight, more criticism of the vote,

this time from the company that They said the Government had

inflated the numbers of people who had turned out

by over a million. Based on the robustness

of our system, we know, without any doubt, that the turnout

of the recent election for a national constituent

assembly was manipulated. Opposition politicians have

called for a criminal They've criticised the new assembly

from the start, arguing that a body designed to rewrite the country's

constitution was The head of Venezuela's

electoral authorities says the voting company's comments

are irresponsible and baseless. The Maduro administration

isn't bowing to pressure, either here or abroad,

saying the country is now Clemente drives a taxi in a shanty

town outside the city. I asked him what happened

to his windscreen? TRANSLATION: Opposition protesters

broke it when I went through a road block because this taxi was given

to me by the Government. Politics is like a marriage, both

sides need to sit down and talk. The opposition just

thinks about themselves. Venezuela would be

better off without them. The concern among opposition

politicians and the international community is that that could be

the country's new reality. There are warnings that

the overnight care system for people with serious learning disabilities

is on the brink of disaster. A leading charity says a change

in government policy has led to demands from the taxman

for backdated payments for workers. Mencap says the total bill

could top ?400 million. The Game of Thrones star,

Kit Harrington, has been raising awareness about the issue and he's

been speaking to our Do they go together in groups

to do their activities? With time out from his filming

commitments, Kit Harington is campaigning for a cause close

to his heart. He's concerned about a financial

threat to charities which run supported homes like this

for residents with He is worried about the future

care of his cousin, who has Downs Syndrome

and learning disabilities. He needs to live the life

that he loves living. When my aunt cannot care for him

in the way that she has, we need to find that for him,

my worry is that we Care workers who stay overnight used

to get a flat rate of around ?30, including when they were asleep

but after a court ruling, employers now have to pay

the minimum wage for every hour, They have been told to fund

six years of back pay, Ahmed is a care worker with Mencap,

he does several sleep He says getting what he is owed

from previous years is important. He knows that charities

will struggle to find the money. It is a sense of reward,

an incentive which would boost my morale, and my motivation,

to do what we do Unions say it is only

what the care workers deserve. They need to be paid,

they have done this work already. Because of the important work

that care workers do, Kit believes the government

has to find the money. Charities cannot pay this bill,

if they cannot pay this bill, then people like the guys that

are here, who we are here with today, will be left

without the care they need, It needs to be footed

by the government. He is echoing the fears

of charity care providers that being forced to find

the money will lead to closures The World Athletics Championships

get under way in London this Friday. For years, these familiar faces have

dominated British athletics. But as stars like Mo Farah prepare

to run their last track races, Natalie Pirks has been

considering who will pick up So successful have British athletes

been over the last few years that But guaranteed medals

are a thing of the past. World champion long jumper

Greg Rutherford is out injured and Sir Mo Farah is bidding farewell

to the track after London. I have achieved what

I wanted to achieve. And it would be nice to be able

to finish on a high and I guess why not do it where it all started

in London, that track. Wanting to become Olympic champion,

that's what changed me as an athlete and then you come back years later

as a world champ and, you know what, Well, this really is aggressive

running from Laura Muir. So who are those moving

into the spotlight? Laura Muir is aiming to do

the double in the 1500 metres and the 5,000 metres,

despite fracturing her foot in June. Currently studying to become

a vet, the 24-year-old juggles her love of animals

with a tough training programme. She's set five British records

in the last 12 months It's great breaking those

British records, yeah, I am very happy I have done

that but they're meant to be broken and I am sure down the line

there will be somebody coming up But love to get those medals

because they stay with you forever. UK Sport has targeted six to eight

of those medals, a big ask But the bigger picture focuses

on the next generation. Born just a few miles

from the London Olympics site Nethaneel Mitchell Blake

is Britain's second fastest 200 The 23-year-old believes it's time

now for new athletes to write their own chapter

in Britain's sporting history. People have seen the kind

of changing of the guard in our sport, what Miss Ennis

and Mo Farah have done is remarkable and their fates can't be

reaccomplished because they're They've made their legacy

and I believe people coming through want to build

their own legacy. It's always hard to say

goodbye but fond farewells Podium places might not be

as plentyful in these championships but the potential for future

Olympics will shine through. Is violence getting so bad

in the jails of England and Wales, One former prison governor

suggests that this evening, we'll ask how on earth we let

it get so out of hand?