to escape the gunfire. others barricaded themselves into classrooms. in prague tonight there is deep shock after this mass shooting right in the historic heart of this city that the prime minister has described as a sickening attack. also tonight — chaos as the christmas getaway begins. tens of thousands stranded as all trains between london euston and scotland were cancelled. and gridlock on a motorway in kent — as a strike in france halts all trains through the channel tunnel. the government rows back tonight on a proposed big increase in the income needed in order to bring family members to the uk on a visa. a rare interview with sir anthony hopkins, who stars in a new film about sir nicholas winton, who saved hundreds of mainlyjewish children from the nazis. last dart in hand... and the british 16—year—old stunning

at the world darts championship has won again tonight. and stay with the serum bbc news, for considering coverage and analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and the world. a student has carried out a mass shooting at the university where he was studying in prague, killing 14 people and wounding 25 others, ten of them seriously. police were already looking for him after his father was found dead this morning in a nearby village. the student, thought to be in his early 20s, began his shooting spree this afternoon, apparently picking off people at random. he was later found dead. our correspondent sarah rainsford is in prague.

well, this mass shooting took place just across the bridge from where i am tonight in the building that's lit up at the end, that's charles university, the arts faculty, and that's where the gunman shot so many people, wounding and killing many. there is deep shock of course tonight here in prague and across the czech republic, and there is also an emergency meeting taking place right now of the government, the cabinet, the president is also attending, the head of parliament is their too. the prime minister has talked about his deep sadness and his disgust at this attack. he said there can be nojustification his disgust at this attack. he said there can be no justification for it. police have begun to give details about the man at the heart of it and their own operation to try to apprehend him, but what we do know at this moment was that this was an attack carried out by a 24—year—old man against fellow students inside his own university. the centre of prague was suddenly transformed today, into a major

crime scene. armed police rushed towards a university building as a gunman stalked the corridors there. at this point he was still on the loose. and these were the scenes at charles university. desperate students clinging for their lives to a ledge, theirfear of falling over taken by the fear of the gunman metres away on the roof. as the shooting began, students had to barricade themselves into classrooms, told to hide with the lights off. classrooms, told to hide with the li . hts off. ,, , ., classrooms, told to hide with the liuhts off. ,, , ., ., ~' lights off. students had to lock themselves — lights off. students had to lock themselves in _ lights off. students had to lock themselves in their _ lights off. students had to lock themselves in their rooms, - lights off. students had to lock. themselves in their rooms, they lights off. students had to lock - themselves in their rooms, they put furniture in front of the doors, they were ready to fight with the suspect if the suspect will come inside their room where they have been locked. inside their room where they have been locked-— been locked. down below, crowds scattered in _ been locked. down below, crowds scattered in fear, _ been locked. down below, crowds scattered in fear, ordered - been locked. down below, crowds scattered in fear, ordered to -

been locked. down below, crowds scattered in fear, ordered to clearj scattered in fear, ordered to clear the area and take cover, although many had no idea what danger they were running from. prague is full of tourists this time of year, some described hearing shots fired and panic. multiple ambulances were sent to the scene, some of those injured are in a very serious condition. 50 are in a very serious condition. so the are in a very serious condition. sr the gunshots weren't obvious at first. i rememberthe the gunshots weren't obvious at first. i remember the first one, i looked atjoe and i said, is that? almost questioning myself. then you saw people running and heard a few screams and you thought, it can't be, you tell yourself almost, you see it on the news and you always think... i see it on the news and you always think... ., �* , think... i wouldn't believe it fuzzly you _ think... i wouldn't believe it fuzzly you always _ think... i wouldn't believe it fuzzly you always think - think... i wouldn't believe it l fuzzly you always think you're think... i wouldn't believe it - fuzzly you always think you're not going _ fuzzly you always think you're not going to _ fuzzly you always think you're not going to be in it, in that situation, then you hear another one and another— situation, then you hear another one and another one and then we heard police _ and another one and then we heard police sirens and then it became clear— police sirens and then it became clear we — police sirens and then it became clear we need to get out of here. the attack — clear we need to get out of here. the attack has been named by local media david k, they say he made

disturbing posts leading up to this tutoring honest social media accounts —— they made disturbing posts on social media accounts of. he was inspired by a heinous act elsewhere in the world. this evening the czech government _ elsewhere in the world. this evening the czech government announced i elsewhere in the world. this evening | the czech government announced the man behind the attack had been eliminated, as they put it. his father had been found dead at his home earlier in the day. the motive isn't clear yet but the government says there is no link to international terrorism. it is the worst shooting in this country in decades and a huge shock. sarah rainsford, bbc news, prague. there are clearly many questions to answer, the investigationjust answer, the investigation just getting answer, the investigationjust getting under way. we do know though that the gunman did have a license for his weapon, he had passed the test required in order to have a firearm. we also know police tonight are suggesting he may be linked to another killing, a man and a tiny baby who were killed earlier this

week, that is still an open investigation. we also know that police are saying that this gunman had a huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition when he was found and therefore the consequences of this deadly attack could have been even worse. sarah rainsford with the latest from prague, thank you. tens of thousands of people were left stranded today, as the christmas getaway began. an unexpected strike by eurotunnel workers in france meant that all eurostar and le shuttle services were cancelled from lunchtime. and network rail say 130 trains in and out of two of the busiest stations in the uk — london's kings cross and euston — were cancelled. hundreds more were delayed. our transport correspondent katy austin reports. the christmas getaway got off to a bumpy start. first, there was the weather. northern parts of the uk were buffeted by strong thanks to storm pia, travel was severely disrupted. they were wobbly landings

today on a small number of british airways flights were cancelled. for a time there were no trains in or out of london's euston station after a power supply problem affecting trains to the midlands, the north west of england and scotland. the? west of england and scotland. they shut the gates _ west of england and scotland. they shut the gates to _ west of england and scotland. they shut the gates to the _ west of england and scotland. tue: shut the gates to the station, west of england and scotland. tue shut the gates to the station, there is no signs up, no stuff around saying what's happening. i was excited to _ saying what's happening. i was excited to see _ saying what's happening. i was excited to see my _ saying what's happening. i was excited to see my mum, - saying what's happening. i was excited to see my mum, my i saying what's happening. i was excited to see my mum, my family, my brothers_ excited to see my mum, my family, my brothers and _ excited to see my mum, my family, my brothers and sisters and i came to euston— brothers and sisters and i came to euston station and the train is delayed — euston station and the train is delayed and i don't know how i'm going _ delayed and i don't know how i'm going to — delayed and i don't know how i'm going to get home. | delayed and i don't know how i'm going to get home.— delayed and i don't know how i'm going to get home. i feel worried, we miaht going to get home. i feel worried, we might be _ going to get home. i feel worried, we might be stuck— going to get home. i feel worried, we might be stuck in _ going to get home. i feel worried, we might be stuck in here - going to get home. i feel worried, we might be stuck in here for - going to get home. i feel worried, we might be stuck in here for a i going to get home. i feel worried, i we might be stuck in here for a long time _ we might be stuck in here for a long time. �* , ., , , we might be stuck in here for a long time. �* i. ,, ., time. and you might miss father christmas? _ time. and you might miss father christmas? yeah. _ time. and you might miss father christmas? yeah. there - time. and you might miss father christmas? yeah. there was - time. and you might miss father| christmas? yeah. there was also time. and you might miss father. christmas? yeah. there was also an unexnected — christmas? yeah. there was also an unexpected strike _ christmas? yeah. there was also an unexpected strike by _ christmas? yeah. there was also an unexpected strike by eurotunnel staff in france about bonus payments. eurotunnel�*s vehicle shuttle across the channel was suspended and eurostar cancelled 30 trains, the crowds of people at london st pancras were going nowhere. in paris, frustration. its m nowhere. in paris, frustration. tits my daughter's 16th birthday, we were my daughter's16th birthday, we were supposed to celebrate with our

family there, we have hotels booked, activities booked. i'm losing a whole lot of money on this entire thing. whole lot of money on this entire thin. �* , , ' whole lot of money on this entire thin. �* , , , ., whole lot of money on this entire thin. h , , ., ., , thing. it's the stuff of nightmares ou don't thing. it's the stuff of nightmares you don't want — thing. it's the stuff of nightmares you don't want to _ thing. it's the stuff of nightmares you don't want to happen - thing. it's the stuff of nightmares you don't want to happen but - thing. it's the stuff of nightmares you don't want to happen but we | thing. it's the stuff of nightmares i you don't want to happen but we are going _ you don't want to happen but we are going to _ you don't want to happen but we are going to have to deal with it. it�*s going to have to deal with it. it's a bit frustrating because i want to go home — a bit frustrating because i want to go home and _ a bit frustrating because i want to go home and relax, _ a bit frustrating because i want to go home and relax, but _ a bit frustrating because i want to go home and relax, but stay- a bit frustrating because i want to go home and relax, but stay here| a bit frustrating because i want to . go home and relax, but stay here in paris _ go home and relax, but stay here in paris. �* ., ., , ., , paris. after more than seven hours the eurotunnel— paris. after more than seven hours the eurotunnel strike _ paris. after more than seven hours the eurotunnel strike ended - paris. after more than seven hours the eurotunnel strike ended but i the eurotunnel strike ended but thousands of people were left seeking alternative plans. there were long waits for ferries at the port of dover. eurostar says it will run extra trains tomorrow. this evening domestic rail passengers were still dealing with the knock—on impact of the earlier problems. millions of people are expected to travel over the next few days to see friends and family of the traditional advice to check before you travel is as good as ever. katy austin, bbc news.

the government has tonight rowed back on its plan to raise the minimum salary british citizens and people settled here need to earn to bring foreign family members to live in the uk. currently, applicants need to earn at least £18,600 to apply for a family visa. a few weeks ago the government announced plans to raise this threshold to almost £39,000 from april next year. a document published today indicates that threshold would in fact be set at £29,000 as part of an initial implementation. with more on this, our political correspondent, leila nathoo, is in westminster. explain what's happening. a couple of weeks ago _ explain what's happening. a couple of weeks ago the _ explain what's happening. a couple of weeks ago the home _ explain what's happening. a couple of weeks ago the home secretary l of weeks ago the home secretary james cleverly set out a number of proposals designed to reduce the number of people to come to the uk, this was in the context of record net migration figures. among those proposals was this significant rise in the minimum salary needed for british citizens and those settled here to bring foreign dependents and spouses to the uk, more than double the threshold as you set out. there had been a lot of criticism of this at the time, people concerned that families would be split up, that

people's life plans would be rude but james cleverly was clear this new threshold of more than £38,000 was going to come on in the spring. tonight, the home office says the threshold is going to rise to £29,000 in the spring and then go up in stages from there. they say to give predictability. but there is no timescale now for in this originally proposed higher threshold is going to come in, so a substantial shift that will be welcomed by some. worth pointing out the government is also concerned tonight that people reapplying for family visits will not be affected by these new thresholds, there had been some anxiety surrounding that. ministers insist they are on course to deliver a huge reduction in net migration but worth also noting that according to the home office plus my own projections published tonight, the impact of the changes to family visas are described as uncertain. leila, thank you. the united nations security council

is hoping to finally hold a vote tonight on a draft resolution calling for a pause in fighting in gaza. the vote was supposed to take place on monday but has been delayed several times now. intense negotiations have been taking place all week on the wording of the resolution in the hope that the united states will now vote for it. let's speak tojohn sudworth, who's in washington for us tonight. is the vote expected to finally happen? is the vote expected to finally ha en? ~ is the vote expected to finally ha en? . ., ., is the vote expected to finally hauen? ~ ., ., is the vote expected to finally hauen? . . ., ., ., happen? well, another day, another dela , happen? well, another day, another delay. sophie- _ happen? well, another day, another delay. sophie. we — happen? well, another day, another delay, sophie. we are _ happen? well, another day, another delay, sophie. we are almost i delay, sophie. we are almost beginning to lose count of the number of times this vote has been postponed. i think it tells is a couple of things, firstlyjust how isolated the united states now is within the body of the united nations, in a week that began amid high hopes that some kind of compromise would be found over wording firstly to express concern about the humanitarian crisis in gaza, but also to find some kind of solution to it. the latest stumbling block is over the question of who should control and screen the aid going on across the gaza border. should it be israel as it is at

present, orshould should it be israel as it is at present, or should it be as the resolution suggests the united nations itself that does the job? what all this also tells us is about the gap that now exist between if you like the practical point, central to the us position, that israel makes it clear it has no intention of stopping the fighting, that it intention of stopping the fighting, thatitis intention of stopping the fighting, that it is unlikely to relish relinquishing control of the aid flows across that border on the one hand, and the points of principle on the other hand around which the majority of the security council is coalescing with the death toll at around 20000 and counting, theyjust need to make a stand. as you say, negotiations are continuing tonight, but when or if we get a vote on this remains as unclear as ever. john sudworth in _ remains as unclear as ever. john sudworth in washington, thank you. in gaza, the israeli army says it has killed more than 2,000 palestinian fighters since the one—week truce collapsed at the start of this month. tonight they released this video, showing the demolition of what they say was a vast network of tunnels in northern

gaza used by hamas — designated a terrorist organisation by the uk government. the health ministry in gaza says more than 20,000 people have been killed there since the israeli offensive began. and thousands have fled their homes. they include a cameraman who works for the bbc�*s arabic service — jehad el—mashhrawi. last month his family left their home in northern gaza and headed south along the salah al—din road, a route that israel's military said was a safe corridor. theirjourney took them to khan younis and then on to rafah in the south, by the egyptian border. this is his story, voiced by a bbc colleague. dada. i didn't want to leave my home. we were comfortable. we had power, food and water. all my bbc colleagues had already fled south. they told me how bad the situation was. no electricity, no water.

i didn't want to go. i wanted to delay the suffering my family would have to face for as long as possible. but the houses opposite our home were being bombed, one after another. explosion. i knew our time would come next. there were israeli soldiers staged in demolished buildings along the road. we didn't want to use our phones to film as we were worried about being targeted. we walked for hours and knew eventually we'd have to cross the israeli army's checkpoint. we were nervous. my children kept asking, what will the soldiers do to us? we came to a stop about a kilometre from the checkpoint itself, joining a long queue of people that stretched across the entire width of the road. we spent more than four hours waiting, sometimes only taking one step forward in half an hour.

a few metres beyond the checkpoint i saw four detainees in their underwear being blindfolded. beside a demolished building there was a wall of sand. the blindfolded men were taken to the sand hill by soldiers and then took steps down out of my vision. then we heard gunfire. i'm not sure whether they were shot or not. further along the road i saw corpses and rotting body parts.

i screamed at the top of my lungs, telling my children to look at the sky and continue walking. the next morning we set off early for khan younis. we got on a bus with a capacity for 20. there wasn't enough room for us, so some of us clung to the doors and windows. i knew that the ground operation would move towards khan younis. i knew there would be nowhere safe. in rafah we are renting a small outhouse. the roof is made of tin and plastic bags. if shrapnel falls there's nothing to protect us. we have hardly anything to eat and nowhere to go. all i want to do now is leave gaza and be safe with my children. the story of a bbc cameraman who

works for bbc arabic and his family as they travelled from the north to the south of gaza. donald trump's former lawyer rudy giuliani has filed for bankruptcy. it comes days after a jury ordered him to pay more than $148 million in damages to two election workers in georgia. he falsely accused them of helping to rig the 2020 presidential election. a judge has ruled that the two 16—year—olds who murdered the teenager brianna ghey can be named when they are sentenced early next year. they were both found guilty yesterday of stabbing brianna who was transgender in a park in cheshire. here's our north of england correspondentjudith moritz. the murder of brianna ghey has caused huge shock and public outrage. she was killed in a particularly brutal way by offenders who are themselves children. during their trial, the 16—year—olds were known as girl x and boy y, given anonymity because of their age. after they were found guilty, the media applied for the order

protecting their identities to be lifted, arguing that it's in the interests of open justice. thejudge had to weigh up significant public interest on one hand with concerns for the children's welfare on the other. describing it as an "exceptional case", she ruled that continuing with the anonymity would represent a substantial restriction on the freedom of the press. it's a very, very difficult decision for thejudge to make, but it is often happening now. we are seeing it, and i've had trials involving children convicted of murder where the judge has waived anonymity and has allowed the press to publicise their details. the children's families have received threats, but the anonymity order was not designed to protect them. last night, brianna's mother appealed for the parents of her daughter's murderers to be treated with kindness. please have some empathy and compassion for the families of the young people convicted

of this horrific crime. they too have lost a child, and they must live the rest of their lives knowing what their child has done. today, the trialjudge, mrsjustice yip, said that had shown remarkable fortitude and humanity. she said, "anyone who is tempted to direct vitriol or malice towards the defendants' families would do well to recognise that they'd be acting against the express wishes of brianna's bereaved mother." so there's time to prepare the children for being named and give them support, thejudge ordered that they must stay anonymous until they are sentenced. that is scheduled to happen at the start of february, when their names will be revealed. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. europe's highest court has ruled that football authorities were wrong to block controversial plans for a new european super league. the project would have included six top english clubs, but it was hastily withdrawn after a backlash from fans and politicians. but now the european court

ofjustice has said both fifa and uefa acted illegally in preventing the super league project, as andy swiss reports. # we want our arsenal back... they thought it was all over. it isn't now. two years ago, a proposed european super league prompted fury from the fans and it soon collapsed. but uefa and fifa's threats to ban clubs joining a breakaway was today ruled to be illegal, and within hours, a new european super league was being touted... this proposed format will guarantee openness. ..involving 64 men's teams and 32 women's teams. it is one competition for all clubs, all players and all fans. those behind the revamp said the ruling was a landmark moment. and it paves the way for the creation of a new, more exciting competition at european level, in which clubs can determine their own future. the strongest message today goes out to the fans. football is free.

uefa, though, which runs the champions league — won by manchester city last season — said they'd withstand any rival tournament. football is not for sale. we can show that many times, we did, all together, all the football stakeholders and all the european society, and nothing, absolutely nothing can change that. and how tempting would a revamped super league be? well, manchester united were one of the six english clubs that signed up to the original super league, but in a statement today, they insisted they remain fully committed to uefa competitions. while the government say their new football regulator will stop clubs from joining breakaway tournaments. if the clubs were silly enough to try to do that again, then it would have the same reaction from fans and the same result. it should be won on the football field, not by stitch—up deals in the boardrooms. but an idea which seemed

finished is now back. if fans thought they'd seen off the super league, they may have to think again. andy swiss, bbc news. british sign language is to become a subject children can study as a gcse. the government says the qualification will be open to all pupils, who will learn about a thousand signs, as well as an important life skill. our education correspondent elaine dunkley reports. it's the last day of term and there's a special announcement for the pupils at allestree woodlands school in derby. today, we've heard that the government have agreed that bsl is going to be a gcse from 2025. there are 26 deaf children here, but most of the school learn sign language. in 2025, all pupils in england will be able to work towards a gcse in british sign language. i think it'll change everything, i think it's fantastic news, because deaf people have communication barriers and it will make it so much easier being able to communicate with the wider public.

it will help deaf people socialise more and help hearing people understand the problems that we go through every day. for the gcse, pupils will be taught more than 1,000 signs as well as the history of british sign language in the uk, and someone who is making history is danieljillings. since the age of 12, he's been at the forefront of a campaign to get british sign language on the gcse exam timetable. i'm feeling so happy because i started that campaign ages ago, in 2018. i know covid happened and everything was delayed, but you finally feel things are happening and moving forward. # long time ago in bethlehem... at cheadle hulme primary school in stockport, signing is an important part of school life for all the children. sign language is used in assemblies and the school nativity. how long have you been practising for? since yeari. i believe it's good because it can help support people to sign to communicate.

i think it would make people that can't hear well very happy that you're talking to them. ithink, you know, we have children | in school who rely upon using signl to communicate with their peers and for their peers— to communicate with them. i would hate for that to end i at the point when they leave us at primary education. for these children, secondary school exams are a long way off, but the gcse in british sign language is a promising sign of things to come. # because of christmas day. elaine dunkley, bbc news. the oscar—winning actor sir anthony hopkins is starring in a new film about the life of sir nicholas winton, the man who helped save nearly 700 children from the nazis by bringing them from prague to london as part of the kindertransport. his story first came to light decades later in the bbc�*s that's life with dame esther rantzen. sir anthony hopkins has been talking exclusively to our culture editor, katie razzall. there was nothing heroic about it.

sir nicholas winton saved 669 children from the nazis. it's just a question of organisational work. now a new film, one life, charts the story of the modest london stockbroker who helped mainly jewish children flee czechoslovakia as hitler closed in. johnny flynn plays the young winton. do you ever think about the children and what happened to them? sir anthony hopkins is a tour de force as the older nicholas winton. it meant something to me in a different way because i'm old enough to have remembered the war and remember the holocaust. i was speaking to sir anthony from the wiener holocaust library, the uk's largest holocaust archive. winton had no sentimentality about it. he didn't want to be regarded as a hero. he just hoped that we would learn from it. nicholas winton kept what he did secret for 50 years. but in 1988, he appeared on the bbc�*s that's life! programme.

can i ask, is there anyone in our audience tonight. who owes their life to nicholas winton? — if so, could you stand up, please? it's believed 6,000 people are alive today because of winton's efforts. like nicholas winton says, the only way through is compromise. give thought and heed to the other person's point of view, instead of the culture we now live in — "no, you're wrong, i'm right." it's appalling. ordinary people wouldn't stand for this, if they knew what was actually happening. i think he wasn't somebody who ever crowed about his achievements. the last train with 250 kids was due to leave the day that germany invaded poland and all the borders shut. i think only two of them survived the war. so that was a deep shame that he had to overcome. and if you notice, they've got the swastika on the back. renate collins was on the last kindertransport train that did make it out. 64 of her family members, including her parents,

were murdered by the nazis. she showed me the last letter her mother sent her from a concentration camp. "many birthday wishes, we think continually of you." can you forgive what happened? i have to. i have to forg... i can't forget it, but i can't hold the present generation responsible for what happened. save one life, save the world, you know? well, it's nothing to brag about. i've been the most fortunate person in the world. the funny thing now, at 86 years of age and facing, you know, the inevitable, and i feel more at peace with that than i've ever done, but i can't really take credit for any of it. so when any young actor says, "how do you do it?", i say, "i don't know, learn your lines, show up and don't bump into the furniture!" but use compassion, compassion, compassion and understanding. thanks so much. katie razzall, bbc news.

and we end tonight with this 16—year—old from cheshire — a new star in the world of darts. luke "the nuke" littler, as he's called, has already made history in the pdc world darts championship and tonight he's made it through to the third round. how far will he go? joe wilson was watching. announcer: it's time to meet. . .! this was round two. they knew him now — they expected now. 2a hours of attention and he remains 16 years of age. well, back to the 180s. yeah, he's still luke littler, the crowd is just a bit louder. second maximum of the match. check out for the second set like that. he was soaring, he was perfect. crowd cheers. then littler�*s form dropped. there's a place for the over—50s. andrew gilding of suffolk took a set, competed. suddenly the youngster had something to consider. now, littler wasn't at his best but he found his winning double.

he's chosen double ten... ..and after victory said he would order another kebab. he knows that went down well last time. give the public what they want — the 16—year—old is learning fast. you know, some believe he could be world champion. joe wilson, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's matt taylor. hi, sophie. good news forsome hi, sophie. good news for some at least because tomorrow is the winter solstice, it is the turning to longer and lighter days, there may be barely five hours 50 minutes of daylight in lower work tomorrow, but by the 20th ofjune next year there will be as much as 19, just about. also tomorrow, not quite as windy as today, strong winds we had today from storm pia, that has now pushed off towards the baltic sea, it brought denmark its strongest winds in about eight years. looking at the bigger picture, clear skies down

here, high pressure, rolling around it, this cloud, outbrake serve rain developing widely, hitting cold air in north—east scotland, lower levels checked and quite and i see an snowy night in shetland. that is where the cold air is, mould of —— most of us mild into the morning. a fairly cloudy start. outbreaks of rain extensively snow in the scottish mountains further snow flurries in shetland. brightening up to wales and the south—west, but in between, from northern ireland, south—west scotland, through northern england towards east anglia, this is where the weather front will remain in place, rain on and off during the day. mild for large parts of the uk. 9-13, but day. mild for large parts of the uk. 9—13, but barely above freezing in shetland. high pressure down towards the south, the weather front starting to reinvigorate and it is a dividing line, between the mild air and the cold air, mould of a —— most

of