tonight at 10.00pm: 13 people dead and more than 100 injured after a van ploughs into crowds at one of barcelona's most famous tourist areas. the white van drove for more than half a mile, hitting shoppers and holiday—makers in the busy market area, las ramblas. panic on the streets as people flee from the streets, running into nearby shops to take shelter. i saw a white van, with the side door open. we heard a gunshot. whether it was the police or from the van, i don't know. i didn't hang around for that. i saw people falling on the pavement. i think some six people. and then i was doubting what to do, to run towards, but it was very unclear. armed police combed the streets for a man seen running from the van. tonight they've arrested two suspects. this is the man police say is suspected of renting the van used

to kill and wound so many. this evening, so—called islamic state said it was behind the attack. we'll have the latest from barcelona. also tonight: the first rise in top a—level grades for six years, as boys finally overtake the girls. president trump says america's history is being "ripped apart", as statues with links to slavery are pulled down. and why a pink ball is being used for the first time in a test match in england. we'll get get the latest updates on barcelona. good evening.

13 people have been killed in barcelona and more than 100 have been injured, after a van was driven into the crowds at one of the city's most popular tourist sites. so—called islamic state has claimed responsibility for the attack. thousands of people — holiday—makers, shoppers and locals — were on the packed street in barcelona when the attack happened, late this afternoon. the white van was driven at speed along the famous pedestrianised market area called las ramblas. the driver turned into the crowds at this point here and drove the rented van for around half a mile through them — killing and wounding dozens of people as he went. 0ur correspondent, gavin lee, is in las ramblas for us now. tonight the police have completely cordoned off and put on lock down

las ramblas. the most popular promenade in spain. they are saying 13 people have been killed, more than 100 injured and 50 in critical condition. tonight people have been told to hide. they are hiding in a museum nearby because the search is on for more men who are said to be behind this terrorist attack. here is how the events unfolded tonight. tonight. terror on the streets of europe, again. again. and again a vehicle used as a weapon. come on, come on, just go. las ramblas in barcelona, a packed sunny evening on spain yes, sir most famous boulevard, in panic. 0n spain's most famous boulevard, in panic. this white van mounted the

pavement and ploughed into pedestrians. bodies were left lying on the street. those who were nearby, rushed to help the injured. emergency services arrived quickly. and the hunt for those responsible began. the city's metro and train stations were closed down. the nearby streets quickly deserted, as people were told to stay inside.|j saw a white van with the side door open. we heard gunshots. whether it was the police or from the van, i don't know. i didn't hang around for that. we ran into the burger king to get shelter. reporter: what was going through your mind when it was going through your mind when it was going on? are we going to survive? we we re going on? are we going to survive?

we were just scared they were going to get in there. they pulled all the shutters down. just kept us safe and that was it. it. isaw shutters down. just kept us safe and that was it. it. i saw people falling to the ground and that struck my eyes, rather than the car. i immediately sensed it was a nice—like event. and people around it ran away, fled away in panic. authorities say the vehicle was driven half a kilometre down las ramblas boulevard, reportedly at up to 80 kilometres an hour. police have released a photo of this man, driss 0ubakir, said to have rented the van. he is understood to have been known to police, a former prisoner, released five years ago. police say two people have been arrested tonight but investigators are still working to get to the bottom of how this happened and who was behind it. right now, people are being told to stay well away from the city. but this attack has happened in the middle of summer. there are locals, tourists,

thousands of people here, unsure of where to go and whether it is safe and whether there are more people out there, planning another attack. you cannot be sure to go anywhere else, anything can happen. wherever we go, we will still be exposed to something. tonight, as people start to comprehend the brutality of what's happened, they are being told to stay awane indoors, as police try —— away and indoors i as police try to co—ordinate who carried out the attack and if any threat remains. well, today's attack using a vehicle to mow down pedestrians is one of at least seven to have been carried out in europe injust over a year. and, as ever, the problem for the authorities is that such attacks are extremely difficult to prevent. 0ur security correspondent, gordon corera, has been looking at what more — if anything — can be done. barcelona is just the late nest a series of vehicle attacks, leaving a terrible but almost familiar scene on the streets of europe. the first major ince detective dent was in

nice when a lorry ploughed into a crowd just over a year ago. it was a target and moment to maximise the casualties and impact. then a alreadiy attack on auto christmas market in berlin —— then a lorry attack and a van driven into the city centre in stockholm. britain has not immune. in march, a man ploughed into a westminster bridge. three men drove down london bridge injune three men drove down london bridge in june before three men drove down london bridge injune before attacking people with knives and feignsbury park mosque, people were struck by a car. stopping these attacks is hard. here at westminster bridge they have stopped the barriers to stop vehicles ramming into pedestrians on the bridge but an attacker could just pick a different crowded place. the authorities are also looking at more checks on people making

short—notice rentals of vans but the problem is, these attacks require just every day items, just a car, no guns or explosives and with so little planning required, it can be ha rd to little planning required, it can be hard to spot them, and stop them. new shock absorbing barriers, like this one, shown in a test, may offer some protection but counter—terrorism experts caution they cannot stop all attacks happening. it's an almost impossible thing to prevent completely but you can try to make it a little bit more difficult for terrorists and that, to some extent is all we can do. the way we stop this from happening is by preventing people from becoming radicalised or by people willing to come forward to say — i know someone who might do this. this is how we stop it. this is one of the men police believe it is responsible and tonight islamic state, so—called said it was responsible. but this

does not always mean there was a direct link with the group and one major concern for security forces around the world, is that these kind of attacks can be carried out with little or no training, direction or coordination. back to gavin lee in barcelona now. two arrests made and huge parts of the city cordoned off. what is the latest on the police operation there? some people still being moved back now. we are talking about thousands of people who cannot get back to either their holiday hotels 01’ back to either their holiday hotels or local lives here. the police are saying this developed after the car that drove half a kilometre, just further down on las ramblas. the chase took to the streets, there we re chase took to the streets, there were two men hiding in bars. this is why at the same time police very quickly at the scene managed to hide, we are thinking, we are told hundreds of people inside the museum and other bars. both those men were arrested. another man, a third man

was shot dead. 500m from here there was shot dead. 500m from here there was a car chase a man went through three small checkpoints as they tried to stop him. we are also being told that this is an investigation that involves more people. so tonight, five hours into the investigation, this isjust starting to start as to how big the plot was and how it was co—ordinated. to start as to how big the plot was and how it was co-ordinated. thank you for now. back to you later in the programme. the number of teenagers achieving top a—level grades has increased for the first time in six years in england, wales and northern ireland. hundreds of thousands of students received their grades today. for the first time in 17 years, boys were ahead of the girls in achieving the top marks. here's our education editor, branwen jeffreys. i'm on the way to get my a—level results now. i'm feeling pretty nervous. yeah, i'm starting to feel a bit nervous. i'm not going to lie. i don't know, i guess it's a good thing. it's all going to be over in literally, like, ten minutes, so super—excited. for sarah, alex and georgia, a day of reckoning. two years of hard work, results riding on one set of exams.

oh my god, no way. so, how do they feel about the new a—levels, where as exams no longer count in some subjects? i personally found it really stressful. the idea that everything all of a sudden is at the end of two years, is very intimidating, i think, for many of us. it really is, like you have got to remember things from two years ago and you sit there in the exam and you are like — wait, is this right? you doubt yourself a bit. but, like, it was ok. we got there in the end. with the old system, if you did badly in your as results you would have to resit that but at least it gives you a chance to redeem yourself if you have done bad. well done. despite the stress, exam results have held up. just a tiny dip in the new a—levels and for boys, the best top grades for decades, getting more a and a* than the girls. it's a day of such high emotions. all their hopes and fears

compressed into a few hours and a piece of paper. and in england this year, the stakes have felt particularly high, with students road testing a new system of exams. with more new—style a—levels next year, headteachers say the journey has to be better. we know where we want to get our students but we haven't had a map, we haven't had directions and when we have had these, they've been wrong or incorrect. so we've had to muddle through that and use our experience to get students to their destination now. that's an incredibly stressful situation. for those who missed out on grades, places still on offer at hull and other universities. hello, this is the university of hull clearing centre. thousands will still get to uni through clearing. tuition fees now more than £9,000 a year. no sign yet it's putting young people off. but at the top of universities, they know the debate has shifted.

it has opened up and i think the key issue for universities is that the funding that we have for higher education must have the confidence and trust of young people. it's important that young people are not deterred from higher education. going to university still pays. graduates earn more in their lifetime. what's changed this year is the politics, a big youth vote for scrapping fees in the election. the debate on who pays reopens. one of the most famous students who got her results today was the nobel peace prize winner, malala yousafzai. pictured here getting her grades this morning, the 20—year—old has gained a place at oxford university to study philosophy, politics and economics. malala was campaigning on girls‘ rights to education in her native

pakistan in 2012, when she was almost killed by the taliban. president trump says american history and culture are being ripped apart by the removal of statues, some of which commemorate those who fought to retain slavery. the violence in virginia last weekend was sparked when far right nationalists protested against proposals to remove symbols celebrating those who fought to defend slavery in the american civil war. the clashes left one woman dead and many more injured. 0ur north america editor, jon sopel, reports from leesburg in virginia. bell tolls. does this statute represent heritage or hate? dignity or division? last night, this monument to a confederate soldier — the army from the south in the us civil war that fought to maintain slavery — was vandalised. today, as we filmed in leesburg, virginia, the local authorities decided it was time to install closed—circuit tv to keep a watchful eye on the monument. and this famous landmark of this pretty town was dividing opinion, just as it is across the country.

do you believe the statue should come down? no, i don't. why not? like i say, it's history. it's not good history, but it's a reminder of what not to repeat in the past. it's a shame. it's a darn shame. you know, that they have to nit—pick stuff like this. should these statues stay or go? i think they should go. i believe the statues should go. it's a representation of past actions that have shackled and chained people both mentally and physically. but it's not only this vietnam vet saluting these monuments. today, donald trump entered the fray, tweeting. .. "sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments. you can't change history, but you can learn from it. robert e lee, stonewalljackson. who's next? washington? jefferson? so foolish". it was plans to dismantle the statue of general lee that sparked these hate—drenched scenes in charlottesville at the weekend

which left one person dead. no doubt these people will be cheering the president to the rafters for his comments today. but in durham, north carolina, those people who believe these statues are symbols of america's dark past are taking matters into their own hands. cheering. there are statues like this all across the southern states of america. yes, they represent history and heritage. but that's only part of the story. they are also about the toxic state of race relations in america today, and the continuing search of african—americans to find equality and respect. an old soldier who now seems to represent an america uncomfortable about its past, divided about its present, uncertain about the future. jon sopel, bbc news, leesburg, virginia. a jury at the old bailey has heard that a cyclist who's accused of killing a mother of two

when he crashed into her, was riding a bike with no front brakes. charlie alliston hit 44—year—old kim briggs in east london in february last year. he denies manslaughter and another charge. tom burridge reports. kim briggs was killed when crossing the road in her lunch break. she was knocked down by a man on his bicycle. in what's thought to be a legalfirst, the cyclist, charlie alliston, is charged with manslaughter. moments before the crash, he was travelling at around 18 miles an hour. in the final metres, he slowed to between ten and 1a miles an hour. charlie alliston told the court he shouted out to kim briggs to warn her before he reached this yellow crisscross area on the road. a few metres later, he shouted again. he then said he swerved to the left to try and pass her on the inside. kim briggs was already out in the road. he told the court that at the last moment, she stepped back and into his path.

this was his bike. it's a fix geared track bike. crucially, without a front brake. illegal on the road, and according to the prosecution, why the accident happened. but in court today, mr alliston claimed he couldn't have avoided mrs briggs, even with a front brake. comments written by charlie alliston online in the hours and days following the crash have been read out in court. 0n the evening of the crash he wrote... today, in court, charlie alliston said all of the comments which he wrote online in the hours and days after the crash were stupid and not thought through. the charge of manslaughter is unusual in the case of a cyclist. mr alliston denies that charge and a separate charge brought under a very old law of intent to cause bodily harm by wonton orfurious driving. tom burridge, bbc news at the old bailey. today's terror attack

in barcelona has been claimed by so—called islamic state — the latest they have carried out in europe this year. but on the battlefields in iraq and syria, the islamic state group has been collapsing as it's driven out of its strongholds. but as they go, they're leaving behind a deadly legacy — children schooled in hate and trained for combat. more than 2000 boys are thought to have graduated from is military training. 0ur middle east correspondent quentin somerville has the second part of his report on what is calls its lion cubs of the caliphate. turning a child into a suicide bomber takes time. and it might start here. in raqqa, they crowd round to watch a man, caged like an animal. the so—called islamic state charge sheet reads that he harassed a woman. his punishment is children's entertainment. war brutalises.

growing up in conflict, destruction and violence become routine. mosul and elsewhere became fertile recruitment ground for the islamic state group. is didn'tjust concentrate its attentions here on the battlefield. it also moved into homes and into classrooms and there they filled young minds full of tales ofjihad, of suicide bombers and of conquering the west. so even though the fighting has stopped, they've left behind a toxic legacy, a new generation of hate and that will be difficult to erase. and the songs from their propaganda videos soon made their way into playgrounds and children's mouths. boy sings this boy can't forget the songs, and he can't forget is. he says their education was aboutjihad and how to blow

yourself up, and teaching them how to use weapons and how to take a gun apart. he says, "yes, they were scary, they cut off heads. we'd get 15 lashes for a haircut like this." recruitment started here in the classroom. bashir is a tutor in mosul. translation: children are fertile ground. schools and curriculums are the way to train the students and brainwash them, until they're ready tojoin military training and take part in battle. when is arrived, they destroyed the existing curriculum and created another. in words and pictures they make war and destruction commonplace. kids learn to read the clock by looking at timebombs. in arabic, the differences between big and small, long and short, are shown

with bazookas, bullets and rockets and gym class ends with lessons, a guide to stripping and cleaning a kalashnikov. 0ther armed groups have used children to fight before. it's a war crime but is turned it into an efficient process. in turkey, i met maqmood. he faught with rebels in syria and then is. it's been a shattering experience for him and his family. translation: when i came back someone said to me, "you are a loser and if i were you i wouldn't have done what you have done, no human being should. this is called failure." ijust keep thinking of that word "loser." the islamic state was formed in a torment and it has destroyed more than just cities. it has ruined lives, warped and stalled the future

of an entire generation. repairing that damage will be an even greater task than rebuilding these ruined streets. quinton sommerville bbc news. the education watchdog 0fsted has published a damning report into one of the uk's largest adult training and apprenticeship providers — learndirect limited. 0fsted rated the company — which has received hundreds of millions of pounds of public money — as inadequate. that's the worst rating the watchdog can give. the department for education has said it will withdraw all funding by nextjuly. cricket now — and there were centuries for both alastair cook and joe root as england began the first day—night test with the west indies at edgbaston. and all eyes were on the pink ball, which is being used for the first time in a test match in this country. england finished the day on 348—3. 0ur sports correspondent joe wilson reports. if you came to birmingham this week, you knew about the cricket. a big sell. preparations took many forms.

a new ball, for a new adventure. arrive in the sun, to leave after dark. you're in lovely green shorts, you've got short sleeves and a rucksack. is there another couple of layers in there? some waterproofs and layers along with the provisions, yeah. mark stoneman, on debut, lasted six balls. shocking pink. well, well bowled, actually. tom westley also fell quickly, lbw, given after review. but alastair cook was seeing this ball as clearly as ever. there it goes. and with him... that was joe root. remember, entertainment is the point of this whole exercise. well, the ball could be red, pink, or polka dot. that had four written all over it and root, the captain, had another century. waiting for the nightlife? well, the lights were coming on. the 100 for alastair cook came shortly before 7:30pm and it all seemed a bit easy, butjoe root fell for 136, and did the day have a twilight twist?

remember, the whole point about the new pink ball is that it can be used after dark, and finally, at about 8:30pm, the floodlight was coming into its own. a shiny pink ball under lights is what batsmen had feared. no need. west indies delivered very little. cook went past 150, england 348—3. see you in the morning — or rather, the afternoon. joe wilson, bbc news, edgbaston. pupils at a school in west london, which sits in the shadow of grenfell tower, were among those who received their a—level results today. many of them lived in or around the tower block. four students and one former pupil died in the fire. 0thers lost their homes as they were preparing to sit their exams. the head teacher of the kensington aldridge academy has been telling our education correspondent, gillian hargreaves, how proud he is of the students. their school lies at the foot of the burned out tower. they haven't been able to use it for three months.

50 pupils had to flee their homes. five children died. this is the first time the headteacher has spoken about what happened. it was very, very difficult and very, very challenging. there was the emotion of the situation and the deep concern that we had for the members of our school community, but there was also a whole load of practical challenges in place. you know, children have one chance in life at an education. these were important examinations. we had to keep going. today, at least, there were results to celebrate at their temporary school a mile away from the tower. i think that the fact that we can walk in here and get our results and have smiles on our faces, i think it's part of remembering, and it's part of celebrating the people who lived in grenfell. and it's... it's... our strength brings strength to the community, and strength in the community i think is everything we can hope for. we're sticking together,

rather than getting angry. we just want to be a school now. we just want to stay together. we're still trying to, like, obviously move on, but we will never move on from what happened. and although we don't want to mention it, we'll still always think about it. although barely touched by the fire, the school remains shut until next easter, as it's within the police cordon. to lose five pupils, four all at once, two in one year group, that is immense for a school to endure. yes. yes, and it was... well, it is very sad. i'm incredibly proud of my staff and what they've done. what do you think of your pupils? what i saw after grenfell was incredible, because, you know, they had the bravery and the courage to come back in, feeling very confused and uneasy about what had happened. and they had the maturity to listen to us about what we were saying

was important, and then they supported each other through it. so, you know, you should assume the best about children and in a challenge like this we saw that they could rise to it. after all of that, today's a good day for you. mm, today is a really good day for us. the head teacher of the kensington aldridge academy, david benson, speaking to our education correspondent, gillian hargreaves. let's go back to our main story tonight, and the terror attack in barcelona. 13 people have been killed and at least 100 have been injured, after a van was driven into crowds at one of the city's most popular tourist sites and there are warnings that the death toll may rise. gavin lee is there with the latest. the police press conference has just finished in the past few minutes. the latest details we know, more

than 100 people injured, 13 people dead, 15 people in a critical condition in hospital. behind me this is the stretch of last rambus, the most famous promenade in spain, where police are going from house to house right now —— the stretch of last rambus. they are investigating exactly who is in because they believe there's a bigger plot, more men involved. they say two men have been arrested. they were hiding in bars about 500 metres down the street. there were about 200 people inside a museum, inside some of the shops, hiding out. they are being told to stay, take cover. there's been two men a third has an shot about 500 metres from here, shot dead. two men fled on foot, a third man appears to have tried to escape 500 metres away. i can bring in an eyewitness here, aamer anwar, from scotland. you were amongst the people who were told to stay away

and all the tourists around us cannot go back into the city. tell me what you saw this evening?” literally had come onto las ramblas, i was about to stop there, it was too busy, there were families, young people, it was too busy so i decided to walk on. just as i walked on, literally ten seconds, i heard the sound of a crash, screams at the same time and thousands of people started to run. i turned around, looked, and started to run. i didn't know why i was running, i could hear the screaming. after ten seconds i stopped. the man behind me was in tea rs, stopped. the man behind me was in tears, a bengali man who was crying, i could hear him speaking and he said he had seen a car mounted the pavement, go into a crowd of people and he thought five or six people we re and he thought five or six people were dead. insta ntaneously and he thought five or six people were dead. instantaneously the police arrived, the emergency