:00:00. > :00:08.Doctors treating Michael Schumacher say he's fighting for his life
:00:09. > :00:14.following his skiing accident in France. The most successful driver
:00:15. > :00:19.in Formula One history is in a medically induced coma after brain
:00:20. > :00:24.surgery. Doctors say they're taking an hour-by-hour approach.
:00:25. > :00:35.TRANSLATION: He is in a critical condition in terms of brain restores
:00:36. > :00:42.a date. For now, we cannot predict the future.
:00:43. > :00:46.Also in tonight's programme: A second suicide bombing in Russia in
:00:47. > :00:48.as many days - 31 people have now lost their lives.
:00:49. > :00:50.And talks on the political future of Northern Ireland go down to the wire
:00:51. > :01:11.- Good evening. Michael Schumacher,
:01:12. > :01:13.the most successful driver in Formula One history, remains
:01:14. > :01:16.critically ill tonight after suffering severe brain injuries
:01:17. > :01:22.after falling and hitting his head on rocks while skiing in the French
:01:23. > :01:25.Alps. Doctors said he's had an emergency operation to relieve
:01:26. > :01:30.pressure on the brain and is now in a medically induced coma. His family
:01:31. > :01:37.are at his hospital bedside. Our sports editor David Bond reports.
:01:38. > :01:43.During more than 20 years at the summit of Formula One, Michael
:01:44. > :01:49.Schumacher and a reputation as a fearless fighter. Tonight, following
:01:50. > :01:56.a skiing accident in France, he is battling for his life. This is close
:01:57. > :02:00.to where he was injured, the three valleys ski resort in the French
:02:01. > :02:06.Alps. He was skiing off piste with his son when he fell and hit the
:02:07. > :02:11.right side of his head on a rock. Medics treating the seven times
:02:12. > :02:14.world champion at Grenoble University hospitals said they were
:02:15. > :02:16.taking things out by hour, but initial reports have left many
:02:17. > :02:22.fearing the worst. TRANSLATION: He is in a critical
:02:23. > :02:28.condition, and we can say that he is fighting for his life. We can't tell
:02:29. > :02:32.you what the outcome will be. We are working continuously hour by hour,
:02:33. > :02:36.but it is too early to say what is going to happen.
:02:37. > :02:42.The accident happened in Meribel, just after 11am local time. He was
:02:43. > :02:48.taken by helicopter to a local hospital before being moved to the
:02:49. > :02:53.larger University of in Grenoble, where he underwent immediate surgery
:02:54. > :02:56.to relieve Russia on his brain. With fears growing, leading figures from
:02:57. > :02:57.Formula One United in sending Michael Schumacher messages of
:02:58. > :03:24.support. Jenson Button tweeted: For the best part of a decade,
:03:25. > :03:31.Michael Schumacher utterly dominated Formula One. He won more world title
:03:32. > :03:36.and races than any other Formula One driver. Today, the man who
:03:37. > :03:41.commentated on so many of his triumphs said his fans shouldn't
:03:42. > :03:47.give up hope. He is tremendously determined. He has fought his way to
:03:48. > :03:52.the top of his profession from very humble beginnings, and encouragingly
:03:53. > :03:57.from the situation he is in now, he is a fighter.
:03:58. > :04:00.Michael Schumacher's achievements in Formula One Marko Maric is one of
:04:01. > :04:07.modern sport's greatest figures. Tonight, all his family and friends
:04:08. > :04:08.can do is wait and hope that he can come through the biggest fight he
:04:09. > :04:16.has ever faced. Well, as Michael Schumacher remains
:04:17. > :04:20.in a coma tonight, his medical team say he would not be alive now if he
:04:21. > :04:23.had failed to wear a helmet. They added that the driver's relative
:04:24. > :04:26.youth and the fact that he was operated on without delay do count
:04:27. > :04:30.in his favour. But added all they can do now is wait. Our science
:04:31. > :04:37.editor David Shukman assesses the type of injury he sustained.
:04:38. > :04:43.Packed inside the skull, the brain is delicate and vulnerable, and
:04:44. > :04:47.injuries can be not just forgot to diagnose but hard to treat. It is a
:04:48. > :04:49.huge challenge just trying to understand which areas have been
:04:50. > :04:58.damaged and how badly. The surgeons in France admit there
:04:59. > :05:02.is a lot they don't know about Michael Schumacher's condition, so
:05:03. > :05:07.they are keeping him in a coma. The signs were not promising when he was
:05:08. > :05:11.first brought in. This is an important point. He was overwhelmed,
:05:12. > :05:15.agitated, not responding to questions. He showed spontaneous
:05:16. > :05:20.movements of his limbs, but he was not in a normal state. Injuries to
:05:21. > :05:23.the brain are among the most worrying, because they are so
:05:24. > :05:29.unpredictable. The brain itself is like a soft jelly, held inside the
:05:30. > :05:33.hard box of the skull, so any sudden movement can be dangerous. Michael
:05:34. > :05:37.Schumacher was hit on the right side of his head, and this caused
:05:38. > :05:46.internal bleeding within the brain, which is called haematoma. There is
:05:47. > :05:49.also bruising, called contusions. So the first step is an operation to
:05:50. > :05:55.relieve the pressure caused by the contusions. Beyond that, no one can
:05:56. > :06:01.know what will happen. Patients who have sustained severe head injuries
:06:02. > :06:05.can take weeks to months sometimes years of rehabilitation to try to
:06:06. > :06:09.regain function and to re-gain some normal life. It is almost impossible
:06:10. > :06:13.to say. Nearly five years ago at this ski
:06:14. > :06:18.resort in Canada, the actress Natasha Richardson hit her head and
:06:19. > :06:22.initially said she was fine. After an hour she felt unwell, and three
:06:23. > :06:28.days later she died. The damage to her brain was worse than thought.
:06:29. > :06:33.With the ski season now at its height, this latest accident will
:06:34. > :06:38.reinforce the campaign for skiers to wear safety helmets. Michael
:06:39. > :06:39.Schumacher was wearing a helmet, and surgeons say that without it, he
:06:40. > :06:45.would be dead already. Let's go live now to the hospital in
:06:46. > :06:48.France and our correspondent there, Imogen Foulkes. Imogen, when do you
:06:49. > :06:57.expect to get an update on Michael Schumacher's condition?
:06:58. > :07:02.Well, in fact the doctors here have told us they will not be commenting
:07:03. > :07:05.further on Michael Schumacher's condition unless and until that
:07:06. > :07:12.condition changes, so here is what we know at this moment. We know that
:07:13. > :07:17.Michael Schumacher remains in that induced coma intended to stabilise
:07:18. > :07:20.his condition. We also know that the head injury he sustained yesterday
:07:21. > :07:26.has turned out to be very serious indeed. Outside the hospital, the
:07:27. > :07:32.world's media have gathered, waiting for news. Also interestingly a
:07:33. > :07:36.number of fans and local people who want to pay tribute to a man who is
:07:37. > :07:40.regarded as a giant in his sport, but also held in a grey deal of
:07:41. > :07:44.affection in this part of the world, he is a regular visitor here. Inside
:07:45. > :07:50.the hospital, he is receiving round-the-clock treatment. Michael
:07:51. > :07:54.Schumacher is due to turn 45 next week, and the next few hours,
:07:55. > :08:02.possibly days, will be crucial to his recovery, and his family now,
:08:03. > :08:03.his wife and children, are said to be at his bedside.
:08:04. > :08:10.Imagine, thank you. 14 people have been killed after an
:08:11. > :08:13.explosion on a bus during this morning's rush hour in the southern
:08:14. > :08:16.Russian city of Volgograd. It's the second suicide bomb attack there in
:08:17. > :08:19.two days, and takes the number of dead to 31. A state of emergency's
:08:20. > :08:22.been declared in the city, and concern's been raised that attacks
:08:23. > :08:25.might be planned to disrupt the imminent Winter Olympic Games in
:08:26. > :08:27.Sochi. The United States has tonight offered Russia its full cooperation
:08:28. > :08:30.in security preparations for the Games. Our Moscow correspondent
:08:31. > :08:41.Daniel Sandford reports. The burned, twisted, bomb shattered
:08:42. > :08:47.remained of a rush-hour bus in Volgograd. Many passengers died
:08:48. > :08:54.instantly when a suicide bomber blew himself up as the people around him
:08:55. > :09:02.headed to work. A state of emergency has been declared in the city after
:09:03. > :09:09.the second bomb in two days. TRANSLATION: Today for all of us in
:09:10. > :09:14.Volgograd and all the oceans, it is a serious test, the second terrorism
:09:15. > :09:20.act in 24 hours. We have dead people and injured people, and if
:09:21. > :09:27.necessary, the seriously injured will be flown to hospital in Moscow.
:09:28. > :09:30.Yesterday, the city's main railway station was attacked by at least one
:09:31. > :09:40.other suicide bomber. The explosions are most likely linked to the Muslim
:09:41. > :09:46.is an -- insurgency against Russian rule in the nearby Caucasus. Two
:09:47. > :09:50.suicide bombs in two days mean that the Kremlin now have a problem.
:09:51. > :09:54.Vladimir Putin will have to move fast to reassure the Russian public
:09:55. > :09:59.that he can keep them safe and to reassure the international community
:10:00. > :10:04.that he can secure the Sochi Winter Olympics which begin in less than
:10:05. > :10:07.six weeks. President Putin has insisted that
:10:08. > :10:13.the Winter Olympics will be safe, and today the International Olympic
:10:14. > :10:16.Committee said they have no doubt that the Russian authorities will be
:10:17. > :10:27.up to the task. But doubt is creeping in. For the Islamists in
:10:28. > :10:30.nearby Chechnya and Dagestan, there were probably responsible for these
:10:31. > :10:31.bombs, the Olympics were perfect platform to use violence to
:10:32. > :10:41.undermine the Russian government. Homes have been evacuated and roads
:10:42. > :10:45.closed after heavy rain caused flooding across parts of Scotland.
:10:46. > :10:51.In Dumfries and Galloway, around 40 homes were evacuated in the village
:10:52. > :10:54.of Kirkconnel. Several people were rescued by helicopter. East Ayrshire
:10:55. > :10:57.was also badly affected, with 14 people rescued from properties in
:10:58. > :11:00.New Cumnock. The heavy rain also led to some disruption on the rail
:11:01. > :11:01.network. More than 30 flood warnings are currently in place across
:11:02. > :11:07.Scotland. Politicians in Northern Ireland are
:11:08. > :11:14.negotiating into the night to try to reach agreement on issues left
:11:15. > :11:17.outstanding from the peace process. A final deadline's been set by the
:11:18. > :11:23.former US diplomat, Richard Haass, who's chairing the talks and is due
:11:24. > :11:26.to return home tomorrow. He has been trying since July to broker a deal.
:11:27. > :11:30.The main issues of contention have been the flying of flags, agreeing a
:11:31. > :11:33.code of conduct for parades for communities on both sides, and
:11:34. > :11:43.deciding on a formal way to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.
:11:44. > :11:47.From Belfast, Andy Martin reports. Richard Haass is preparing to
:11:48. > :11:50.deliver good news, but after months of negotiation, the deal he had
:11:51. > :11:54.hoped to deliver by noon is still not sealed. As politicians arrived
:11:55. > :12:03.this morning, there were prayers for a breakthrough. Let's get the job
:12:04. > :12:10.finished, and let's get jobs here and tourism here, and let's lift
:12:11. > :12:12.Northern Ireland up to the world. October Richard Haass is adamant
:12:13. > :12:18.that he will return to America tomorrow, whether or not a deal is
:12:19. > :12:26.struck. His task has been tall, to develop mechanisms to prevent scenes
:12:27. > :12:28.like this. Riots often caused by disagreement between loyalist and
:12:29. > :12:37.republican is over what flags can fly where and when. What parades can
:12:38. > :12:44.take place in what areas. And how to deal with thousands of unsolved
:12:45. > :12:52.murders from 30 years of conflict. This will not go away, so now is the
:12:53. > :12:57.time to deal with it. Let's hope we can do it today. I am fairly
:12:58. > :13:02.confident that we should be able to do that. Unionists, too, are
:13:03. > :13:09.surprisingly upbeat. Are you optimistic? Yes. I don't see why
:13:10. > :13:13.not. Among the proposals that have been discussed is the creation of
:13:14. > :13:17.two new commissions, the first of which would re-examine murders from
:13:18. > :13:20.the Troubles, and the second to establish the truth of what
:13:21. > :13:25.happened, and crucially, anyone giving information to it would
:13:26. > :13:28.receive immunity from having the information data used against them.
:13:29. > :13:33.If the deal is struck tonight, it will be a tough job to sell it to
:13:34. > :13:37.those who take their grievances onto the streets. It is too early for the
:13:38. > :13:38.team to celebrate, but for the first time, the glass appears to be half
:13:39. > :13:44.full. Finally, the Duke of Cambridge is to
:13:45. > :13:47.become a student again, this time at Cambridge University. Prince William
:13:48. > :13:49.will start a ten-week course in agricultural management in January
:13:50. > :13:54.that's been tailor-made for him personally. He'll learn about the
:13:55. > :13:55.issues facing the UK's rural communities and the farming
:13:56. > :14:09.industry. That's it from us. The new years
:14:10. > :14:10.Honours will be announced at 10.30. You can see that on the BBC