ukraine breaks with russian heritage to celebrate christmas on the 25th of december. and what british traditions should we preserve? morris dancing, panto and cheese rolling — all in the running for un protected status. hello. a minute's silence has been held in the czech republic for the 1a people shot dead by a student at a university in prague. thursday's attack also left dozens injured. the czech prime minister has described the "pain and sorrow" of an entire societyjust before christmas. the gunman killed himself when surrounded by police. from prague, sarah rainsford

sent this report bells ring a nation paused today to remember the victims of an attack people here can't make sense of, that has brought pain and suffering. church bells rang out across the czech republic to mark the moment. to honour those killed when a student attacked his own university, shooting in the corridors and classrooms. so far, we know three of the dead, including lenka hlavkova, a teacher who was 49. here at the arts faculty that was attacked, some have personal connections to the victims. a friend of these women survived by locking herself into a classroom to hide. translation: she cowered under the table. _ i saw her yesterday and felt sorry for her. she was still shaking. shouting

images from a body camera show the police hunt for the gunman inside charles university. at this point the 24—year—old was prowling the corridors above. we're told most of his victims were female, but we have no idea of his motive. in the end, he turned his gun on himself. many people were seriously injured, carried out of the building by police. so i asked the interior minister, did he think mistakes had been made? when i see, really, the timeline of this crime, i really don't see any empty places where the police could work better than they did. this attack has not only brought horror here to prague, it is a national tragedy. there are still many questions to answer about how exactly it was possible and how to prevent anything like it in the future. the mass shooting is the worst this country has ever known,

and it targeted young students and teachers who should have been returning home to their families now for christmas. sarah rainsford, bbc news, prague. israel has continued its bombardment of the gaza strip overnight — with reports of air strikes and ground attacks. these pictures are from khan younis, in southern gaza. large plumes of smoke rise in different parts of the city following air attacks. it comes after the united nations passed a resolution on the war on friday. the president of the un security council, jose de la gasca, has said the move represents a crucial step towards averting a humanitarian catastrophe. it was agreed after days of negotiations and delays. the resolution aims to increase the supplies of aid to the territory — but didn't call for an immediate end to the fighting. after the vote the un secretary general, antonio guterres, reiterated his call for a ceasefire. a humanitarian ceasefire is the only

way to begin to meet the desperate needs of people in gaza and end their ongoing nightmare. i hope that today's security council resolution may help that finally to happen, but much more is needed immediately. looking at the longer term, i'm extremely disappointed by comments by senior israeli officials that put a two—state solution into question. as difficult as it might appear today, the two—state solution in line with un resolutions, international law and previous agreements is the only path to sustainable peace. live now to bushra khalidi, oxfam's policy lead in the occupied palestinian territory and israel. there is lots to unpick after the un security council resolution on

friday. first i would like to get an update on the humanitarian situation on the ground today as you know it. the humanitarian situation keeps unravelling, being worse by the hour. we are now not only seeing a looming epidemic threatening gaza strip because of an overcrowded situation where there is no hospitals, no proper health care, water, electricity, but now there is a estimating hunger crisis in gaza after over two months of conflict and siege imposed by israel, thus restricting enough aid coming in and meeting the needs of 2.2 million people. the analysis from the ipc that came out on thursday, i believe, indicates a significant and increasing risk of famine in gaza, escalating with each day of the continued hostilities and restricted

humanitarian access. the entire population of gaza, 2.2 million people, half of which are children, are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse. this level of acute food insecurity is unprecedented in the history of the ipc, the highest share of households facing such severe conditions in any area or country ever classified by this initiative. let me ask you about the resolution that was passed by the un security council, how will that make a difference? what do you be? there was no resolution passed. but that does now see humanitarian aid... �* , ., but that does now see humanitarian aid... �* , aid... but there is no ceasefire. what we have _ aid... but there is no ceasefire. what we have been _ aid... but there is no ceasefire. what we have been saying - aid... but there is no ceasefire. what we have been saying as i what we have been saying as humanitarian organisations is that we cannot deliver if there is no ceasefire. how can i send our teams to the fields when there is

relentless bombardment? it isjust impossible. it features our duty of care as humanitarian is to send teams in such conditions. my teams in such conditions. my question to you is, is it going to make any difference? ida. my question to you is, is it going to make any difference?- my question to you is, is it going to make any difference? no, if it is no permanent _ to make any difference? no, if it is no permanent ceasefire _ to make any difference? no, if it is no permanent ceasefire there - to make any difference? no, if it is| no permanent ceasefire there won't be any difference. of course, independent monitoring of aid is important, but it is not enough. it doesn't allow us to deliver it safely, it doesn't allow us, our teams are trying to survive the day. for me to ask them to go deliver aid in these circumstances, is just not feasible. without a permit ceasefire, which is what the un and humanitarian countries, and 800 organisations, we will not see much improvement. one of the things i wanted to ask you about, one of the things that came out of the un yesterday and the

security council's decision, was to create a un humanitarian coordinator in gaza. what more do you know about that? do you think appointing someone to such a position is going to make a difference as well? absolutely i do not think that israel should be checking, should be the responsible authority to be monitoring aid in and out of gaza, it should be an independent mechanism and should be invited by the united nations. this is a great effort. but again, how is this coordinator supposed to be able to manoeuvre an entire response, responding to 2.2 million people, while that is relentless bombardment over a tiny, tiny, tiny, you know, space. gaza is extremely small. we hope it does not a distraction to our main ask, and the main ask from the united nations, which is a permanent ceasefire.

0k, permanent ceasefire. ok, oxfam policy lead in the occupied territory, thank you for sharing your perspective on this ongoing humanitarian situation. now it's time for a look at today's sport. we start with the english premier league with six games on saturday, starting with manchester united in seventh who are playing at ninth placed west ham united. later bottom of the table burnley are away at fulham, another team fighting for survival —

luton town, play newcastle, nottingham forest begin life with new manager nuno espirito santo at home to bournmouth, whilst tottenham can move into the top four if they beat an everton side who've won four league games in a row. the late game is the big one. whoever wins will be top of the premier league at christmas. the leaders arsenal are at liverpool, who are just one point behind them in the table. the londoners haven't won at anfield since 2012, when manager mikel arteta was playing for arsenal. they were 2—0 up there last season, before liverpool fought back to get a 2—2 draw. it's arguably the result that led to arsenal falling off in the title race, with manchester city ultimately champions. but arteta believes things can turn out differently this season. yeah, we have done it, in old trafford, we have done it in stamford bridge and many other places that we haven't, that is the next challenge, go there and win, and, you want to be at the top, you are going to have to go to those places and be dominant and win the games and that is what we will try to do. massive game. great. great to have them, great to meet them, we met obviously quite frequently, and,

yeah. it's good. but we have to mike sure we make it a proper home game, —— make sure a proper anfield experience, that is all i want. it's a big night for britain's anthonyjoshua as he gets ready to face otto wallin in a must—win heavyweight contest. joshua cut a lean and muscularfigure, weighing in at 17 stone 13 pounds. a win over sweden's wallin at the kingdom arena in riyadh could set up a long—awaited contest against deontay wilder who'll be fighting joseph parker on a blockbuster night of boxing. i'm not here to party and get caught up in the glamour, i want to perform well, put that pressure on myself, of course i am tense because i want to perform and win, i have that urge to win and i want to hurt my opponent as well. pure focus on saturday, that is where every cell of my body

is fully focussed to doing what i know i can do. in the nba, the defending champions the denver nuggets, held off a late surge from the brooklyn nets to get a third straight win. as is so often the case when the nuggets play, centre nicola jokic, led the way. the serbian finished the game with 29 points and also added a further 11 rebounds. team—mate jamaal murray, however, outscored him on this occasion. this three—pointer, part of his game high 32. he also had nine assists. the win was denver's 20th of the season and they currently sit third in the western conference, behind the minnesota timberwolves and oklahoma city thunder. meanwhile in philadelphia, there was an early scare for 76ers starjoel embiid, who appeared to hurt his ankle in the first quarter. but despite showing visible signs of discomfort against the 2019 champions, the reigning mvp, turned in a performance, befitting one of the game's leading players. embiid finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists

as the 76ers took the win. i think he was ok. obviously he stayed in the game and didn't change any part of his rotation for the night. it is a turn, played through it, it will be sore tomorrow, we will have to monitor it closely for the next couple of days before we get on the plane. and that's all the sport for now. the father of kobi dooley—macharia, the four—year—old boy who died after he was found with knife wounds at a house in hackney in london on wednesday, has paid tribute to his son. in a statement released by the metropolitan police, kobi's father ben said that he broughtjoy and laughter to the world, and had been taken too soon. he said that he would think

of him day and night — and he would be dearly missed. kobi's mother keziah has been charged with murder, and is scheduled to appear at the old bailey next week. ukraine's military says it has shot down thre russian fighter—bombers in the south of the country. the ukrainian air force said the su—31ijets — like these — were brought down around noon on friday, in the region around kherson, after action taken by an anti—aircraft missile unit. the kremlin has not commented on the claims. meanwhile the uk's ministry of defence has outlined a new issue facing both sides in the conflict. it says there are exceptional levels of rat and mice infestation around the front lines. the warm autumn has led to large numbers of rodents — and as the weather becomes colder, they're likely to seek shelter in vehicles and defensive positions. the update notes that a similar thing happened in the same area during the second world war — and rodents pose a risk to military equipment by gnawing through cables. and the uk ministry of defence also says it has seen unverified reports that russian

units are starting to suffer from increased sickness cases, which the troops are attributing to the pest problem. for the first time in centuries, ukraine is going to celebrate christmas on the 25th of december. injuly, president zelensky signed into law a parliamentary bill that aimed to "abandon the russian heritage of imposing "christmas celebrations". it followed the decision of the orthodox church of ukraine to move to the gregorian calendar, which changed christmas day from 7january to 25 december. from kyiv — our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports. bauble painting on the outskirts of kyiv. in a war which takes so much, there's no stopping christmas. some, though, are more experienced at making decorations than others. she has done this since 1978. "i like it. it's interesting for me. "i enjoy it," she says.

this factory in the kyiv region was one of three to supply the whole of the soviet union. it still creates pieces of christmas cheer, but on a much smaller scale. this time there's an unmistakable military theme. translation: i think that everyone who will take a look at a bauble like this will hope for the victory of our nation sooner. despite the cold industrial exterior, there's still a warm magic inside. the meaning of christmas, despite everything has not changed for ukrainians. but the way they celebrate it has. in a cultural shift fuelled by russia's aggression. fewer places know that aggression better than the town of bucha. a memorial stands on what was once a mass grave for 500 civilians killed by russian troops. ukraine is moving christmas to 25th december to both distance itself from russia, which marks it on 7th

ofjanuary, and align itself with the west. for father andriy, it's more than just a diary change. translation: unfortunately for many people in the world, ukraine is always viewed in the context of being a neighbour of russia. but i think that we are more a neighbour of europe. could you ever forgive russia for what it's done to ukraine? god forgives the sinner, but only those who repent. we don't see yet that the russians want to. so i think it's too early to talk about forgiveness. for ukraine, that would require russia to stop its invasion. there are no signs of that happening. james waterhouse, bbc news, bucha. in russia, a former tv journalist has been barred from challenging president vladimir putin in the country s upcoming

presidential elections. our reporter is in the newsroom with more. she threw her hat in the ring just three days ago, one of 29 contenders for president so far. the candidates are expected to gather thousands of signatures from supporters before they qualify to have their name on they qualify to have their name on the ballot. the russian electoral commission banned duntsova from running saying she had mistakes in her application.

when asked about concerns for her own security, and fears for her safety and running for president, duntsova did admit she did have some fears and concerns, saying, any sane person taking this step would be afraid. but fear does not win. she also said that she believed russians were looking for an alternative to president putin at the ballot box. translation: many people write to me, you gave us hope, if you get registered we will vote for you. they do not see any alternative. also consider boycotting the elections. duntsova's disqualification leaves no notable opposition candidate to challenge president putin in the elections in march. president putin is seeking a sixth term in office. he has been in power either as president or prime minister since 1999 force of the upcoming elections i999 force of the upcoming elections will mark the first presidential ballot since russia launched its war

in ukraine nearly two years ago. today is expected to be one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year across the uk with many people making a last minute dash for christmas presents and food. the british retail consortium says stores are pinning their hopes on this flurry of christmas spending to tide them over the first few months of the new year. live now to our correspondent who is in manchester city centre. this is an important year for a this is an important yearfor a lot of retailers coming off the back of a couple of years of covid pandemic and cost of living crisis. how are things where you are, how does that fit into the bigger picture? i have noticed it has picked up here in the past few hours or so. shoppers arriving perhaps to get those last—minute gifts. that will be encouraging to retailers. that is

because, as the local authority said to be earlier, the city centre manager, shoppers have appeared to be almost superconscious about the rising cost they are facing, and have been choosing what to spend their money on, perhaps not going their money on, perhaps not going the extra mile to get those gifts, perhaps restricting them to a close family, and being careful what they buy for their loved ones. here, for example, what they have done to try and get people in, they have had those christmas markets, they have proved to be popular, wall—to—wall, i am told, people going out there to buy, just to sample the atmosphere. retailers are now hoping that this weekend brings shoppers back in. a lot of footfall where you are, add a bit of noise, i hear music in the background. how does this compare with people buying things online? that is a trend we have seen in recent years.

british retail consortium have made it quite clear that retailers have had a few rough months. rising mortgage costs, for example, and the cost of living. whether you are shopping online shopping here that is going to have a huge impact on retailers, but also on the ability of shoppers to buy what they want to buy. a lot depends on this weekend because what shoppers spent now will get to retailers through the new year. what they are hoping is that trading will pick up. i can see a lot of people here, that is encouraging for retailers. if the sales to pick up, and are clearly bargains to be had, you look in the windows and you can see 50% off signs and all that kind of stuff. if they can attract shoppers this weekend, that will get them through

their new year, and for shoppers with that competition there could be those bargains yet to be had. i think i willjust wait until the january sales to get my presence. british traditions, such as panto, hogmanay and cheese rolling could be in line for united nations protected status. the government is beginning a consultation on which activities should go on an official list of the uk s cultural highlights — when it signs up to a un convention. david sillito reports. pantomime is a uniquely british and enormously popular tradition. oh, hi. didn't see you there. but should it go on a list of british cultural activities worthy of preservation? the british government will next year sign up to unesco's convention for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage which means the un body will provide guidance, oversight and recommendations on how to preserve designated cultural traditions.

the government now wants to know what people think should actually go on the list. cheese rolling for instance is uniquely british but its popularity would suggest it is probably not in need of preservation. whereas many local crafts are in steep decline. the question is which ones would merit being added to the list? france, greece and spain all have dry stone walling on their list. should it be on ours? belgium has added beer making. argentina and uruguay have tango. should we include a dance? maybe morris dancing or the highland fling. are they cultural treasures? the government would like to know. david sillito, bbc news. speeding motorists in florida have had a holiday surprise after being pulled over for driving too fast.

this is officer grinch and any motorist breaking the speed limit by a few miles an hour was offered a challenge — either accept a speeding ticket or take a bite of onion. the initiative was inspired by the onion—loving fictional character created by dr seuss. those stopped are also offered lessons on safer driving. we give our violators a choice, because it is the holiday season, if they are going a few miles over, no more than five, we give them a choice. something tells me it is the christmas season. hello there. it's been quite a wintry scene across northern parts of scotland today. we had some snow falling this morning. that is continuing to turn back to rain. quite a bit of rain actually coming in over the hills of scotland and we're drawing in these milder

winds, as well. there's still quite a temperature contrast in scotland even this evening, where that colder air is still in the far north—east, but otherwise, as you can see, temperatures will be in double figures. we've got some heavy rain coming into scotland this evening. it does ease off overnight. the main rain band then sinks southwards down into england and wales. clearer skies following, but some blustery showers arriving in the north—west by the end of the night. for the most part, temperatures are going to be in double figures as we head into christmas eve morning. but christmas eve is going to be a windy day, particularly strong and gusty winds over and to the east of the pennines. high—sided vehicles could find it difficult travelling up the ai. gusty winds widely across scotland, but it's across the northern parts of the mainland and into orkney where the winds could be gusting 70mph. a lot of showers packing into scotland, some heavy, squally showers. sunshine and showers for northern ireland, northern england, eventually into north wales and the north midlands as our band of cloud and patchy rain continues towards the south and the south—west, in particular.

it could be one of the mildest christmas eves on record, although temperatures do drop away a little bit during the afternoon from the north. that weather front is bringing some rain across southern areas during the day and these weather fronts start to come back towards the uk for christmas day itself, so expect a lot of cloud around. we're going to find some outbreaks of rain developing, maybe some snow over the hills in the north of scotland, a few wintry showers, as well, where things are a bit chillier here. otherwise, a blustery day with temperatures i4, possibly even 15 degrees for a while in the south—east. those weather fronts and the rain then tend to clear away as we head from christmas day into boxing day. so a chillier start to boxing day, the winds will be lighter. we've got a few wintry showers in the north and west of scotland for a while. plenty of sunshine elsewhere. the rain that's in the channel comes back into the far south—west later on in the day. temperatures are going to be a bit lower, at around seven to ten celsius. this is the summary for the festive period. we've got that windy weather that could bring some

disruption on christmas eve, rain on christmas day, and then the sunshine for boxing day.

this is bbc news, the headlines. the czech republic holds a minute's silence for the 14 people who died in thursday's mass shooting at a university in prague. church bells also rang out across the country as a mark of respect, as they did in the rest of the european union and nato nations.

the president of the un security council has said yesterday's vote on gaza is a crucial step towards averting a humanitarian catastrophe. the resolution aims to increase the supplies of aid to the territory —— but does not call for a ceasefire. for the first time in centuries ukraine will celebrate christmas not on the 7th of january but on the 25th of december. earlier this year president zelensky signed into law a parliamentary bill that aimed to "abandon the russian heritage of imposing christmas celebrations". those are some of the stories we have been looking at. now on bbc news it is our year review.

# nothing compares # nothing compares to you #.