this is the briefing, i'm sally bundock. our top story: a massive manhunt in the french city of strasbourg, after a gun attack leaves at least three people dead and a dozen wounded. the gunman‘s known to the authorities, who've begun a terror investigation. france's government says its taking immediate steps to strengthen security across the country. britain's prime minister tours europe, trying to rescue her brexit deal. but at home, a leadership challenge looks increasingly likely. a special report on the migrants rescued from the english channel, as they desperately try to reach the british coast. out on bail. a court in vancouver has granted bail to the chinese technology executive, meng wa nzhou. and now donald trump says he may intervene in the case if it would help get a china trade deal. a warm welcome to the programme,

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. also in the programme, a small chain of pubs in the uk have decided to go cashless, so we're asking could cash soon become a thing of the past? how much do you use cash? is a cashless society the way forward? send us your comments just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. hundreds of french security forces are searching for a gunman who went on a shooting spree near a popular christmas market in strasbourg, killing three people. the french interior minister said the suspect, a local 29—year—old, escaped after twice exchanging fire with soldiers and police close to the christmas market cathedral.

he's believed to be injured. the government has raised the national security level and has strengthened border security. eliza philippidis reports. a city on lockdown. these are the scenes just moments after the shooting — confusion, panic. the 29—year—old gunman opened fire, targeting people in his sights. he attacked using an automatic weapon. the shooting started at around 7:00pm last night, local time. people ran from the scene, shutting themselves inside bars and restaurants. some people had no clue what they were walking into. when i saw the army, it was a group of 10—12 soldiers

walking towards me, with their guns pointed to the street, to the people, and around them, everyone was running from all directions. so, as i was walking past a building with a courtyard, i entered the courtyard, and as other people next to me did, we threw ourselves to the ground, because we didn't know what is happening. some people tried to help those who were shot. and i saw a person with apparently two shots into the head, lying on the bridge here. we tried to engage him in resuscitation activities. we took him into a restaurant and we tried for 45 minutes to resuscitation him. there were no ambulance services apparently able to enter the area,

and after 45 minutes, we stopped resuscitation efforts because a doctor told us over the phone that it's senseless. witnesses describe seeing several people lying on the ground, struck down by the shooter. as soon as it became safe, ambulance crews were sent in to collect the injured and take them to hospital. police said the suspected gunman was known to authorities, and was on france's "s" watchlist of suspected extremists. earlier yesterday, authorities went to his strasbourg home to arrest him, but he was not there. they found grenades in the property. president emmanuel macron has been briefed at the emergency command centre back in paris, and questions will be raised about how to best protect the french people from attacks like these. the french interior minister put plans into action. translation: the government decided to switch to a state of emergency. with the set up

of reinforced controls on border crossings and also in all of the christmas markets around france, to avoid similar events taking place. today, people will be wondering whether it is safe to go to work or send their children to school. questions will be raised about how to best protect the french people from attacks like these. eliza philippidis, bbc news. i'm joined now by tesa arcilla from euronews who was at a restaurant near to where the shooting happened and shejoins me now from strasbourg. thank you for being on bbc world news. tell us the very latest what you are hearing about what is going on. i am outside on the street here, very close to the city centre, a ten minute walk, the city is waking up after that terrible evening last night. some people werejust after that terrible evening last night. some people were just allowed to walk out of the city centre after midnight, so it has only been a few

hours since then. we know the threat level has been increased and more police and military are on the streets, already since last night i have seen more of the monash reeks andi have seen more of the monash reeks and i was speaking to some police officers, many are not from this area and have a come from different regions to help with the ongoing manhunt. the questions people here are asking, has he been arrested, is it safe to be out on the streets? the interior minister said high schools here will be open but it is up schools here will be open but it is up to the parents if they would like to let their children go to school today. that is the main question, whether it is all right to be out on the streets. strasbourg is such a small city and that is the reason why it was us were locked down last night. i myself was entering a restau ra nt last night. i myself was entering a restaurant last night, coming from the european parliament, also the parliamentary planning session of parliament, and as soon as we got inside we got word from some of our

sources that something was happening. there was an event in strasbourg and slowly we saw the shutters of the restaurant closing, i saw about a couple of weeks officers in front of that restau ra nt. officers in front of that restaurant. the owners did not want to cause panic, it was a jampacked restau ra nt, to cause panic, it was a jampacked restaurant, all hotels here are packed and a lot of people at this time of the year coming to strasbourg specifically for the christmas market. we were locked in there for a few hours, a police officer came in and told us please stay, we don't know how long, but the situation is being dealt with and they are looking for that suspect. so, the mood inside throughout that evening was calm as that information started trickling, but we were told not to stay in. i had a call outside tried to get inside the restaurant and she was ushered into another restaurant and the owner was more stressed and turned off the lights and didn't wa nt turned off the lights and didn't want any reporting. not turning around my camera so as to identify

where i was. helicopters overhead all night and as soon as we got out we saw the police cordoned and security. i want to point out that even before the attack the security is already high because of the christmas markets, because this is such a big deal in strasbourg, an old christmas market. our bags were checked before entering that main area in the city right next to the markets and the restaurant. just briefly, what are people saying to you that you talk to about the possible motive behind this? he has not been named, the 29—year—old, but is known to the police and is a suspect. what do people think the motive was? initially i hope people saying it had to do with the european meeting at parliament since thenit european meeting at parliament since then it has said that it is not to do with that. absolutely. i spoke to some of the locals here last night, obviously we could not verify that

but they said because strasbourg is such a small city and wherever he may be hiding, that he might have been getting help from people. it could possibly because he has been radicalised or possibly 50 has a mental illness, this is all speculation at what locals tell me is that it is possible he is evading ca ptu re is that it is possible he is evading capture because he is being held, helped. the city is so small and still they have not found him, one of the biggest questions we are trying to find out and we asked the authorities, why is it taking so long to find this i—person? authorities, why is it taking so long to find this 1-person? thank you forjoining us. just to say, when we get any more news or information, we will make sure we bring you right up—to—date. britain's prime minister theresa may is fighting to save her brexit deal and potentially her premiership, amid renewed claims conservative mps are close to forcing a vote of no confidence in her leadership. there are growing rumours that

rebels were on the brink of, or had actually reached, the threshold of 48 letters needed to trigger a vote. our political correspondent ben wright reports. the prime minister writing back in downing street last night, in the dark about whether or not she faces an imminent vote of no confidence in her leadership. she had been in european capitals, try to something to soften opposition to her brexit deal in westminster. but tory opposition seems to be hardening. the chief whip is also in number ten late, the man who had forced his discipline among tory mps, knows the number of rebels will be critical. according to the rules, if 48 conservative mps submit letters to this man, sirgraham conservative mps submit letters to this man, sir graham brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee, a confidence vote must he triggered.

several sources, including a cabinet minister, had told the bbc they believe the 48 letters required for a vote has been submitted. will she please, at this late stage, put the backstop and all these horrors behind her? alan harrison --: patterson has contributed to the letters at. another senior tory at the confidence vote would be a huge mistake. this is not what should be happening. is really important matter for the country. not just happening. is really important matter for the country. notjust the conservative party, at the country. to undermine a promise that this stage it seems to be wholly wrong. she faces another day with primus is questions and a visit to ireland to meet leo franco thomas as she searches for stopping to shore up her standing searches for stopping to shore up herstanding in searches for stopping to shore up her standing in the tory party and parliament. —— leo varadkar.

ben wright, bbc news. rebecca harding ceo and founder of coriolis tech joins me now. risk is your area of expertise and we talk serious risk when it comes to brexit and the process we are in right now. all of attention —— the attention is on theresa may yet again. feels like we have been here before but this time any are saying, including our political editor, that perhaps we are in a different place becomes to challenging her leadership. the reason we might be ina leadership. the reason we might be in a different place is simply because the anger in westminster, the fact that a vote was not held yesterday, was palpable. she has gone around trying to convince everybody and mps feel as though they should have had a vote. this has led to the vote of no confidence respectively, and we will wait to see what pans out today. there is this palpable anger in westminster. beekeeping is the uncertainty it creates, sterling had a grim day

yesterday and there is the sense that we really need to bring this to a head in order to be able to make it clear, understanding what happens next. all of this was going on while she was not in the country, touring around europe talking to various key leaders in brussels and germany, et cetera. parliamentary questions this afternoon and then a meeting with sirgraham afternoon and then a meeting with sir graham brady, who chairs the 1922 committee. we all will be watching with bated breath this afternoon to see what has happened, but she is then going to head to ireland, from her perspective she is basically single—minded in getting this brexit deal through. she sees this brexit deal through. she sees this as the only option on the table. she knows, she had yesterday that european ministers and countries are not necessarily going to amend anything at all. if they can't amend something, they might be

added to make some can still treat noises. she has no choice but to look as if she is carrying on and do try to get this deal through. the problem is, varadkar try to get this deal through. the problem is, va radkar yesterday try to get this deal through. the problem is, varadkar yesterday were saying there are still ways out the. the process can be halted, john major said the same yesterday. she has huge pressure from all of these tides and in a sense, the only way to cope with it is to plough on through. thank you for now. looking at our story on bbc online while we we re at our story on bbc online while we were discussing that, the analysis from our political editor is there. just to clarify, that sir graham brady has asked for a meeting. he has asked to see the prime minister today, later today. whether they have a meeting or not is not confirmed, just to clarify the detail on that. can have a look at our story online and all the analysis is there. rebecca is at

later, more on the news briefing. still to come: from mission impossible to a mo salah masterclass. both tottenham and liverpool qualify for the knock out rounds of the champions league. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building, in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil, and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven

charges of tax evasion. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: a gunman has opened fire near a christmas market in the french city of strasbourg. at least three people are dead — and a dozen more injured. the gunman is known to the authorities, who've begun a terror investigation. officials say he'd been previously identified as a national security risk. six people, claiming to be migrants from iran, have been rescued from a small boat off the south coast of england. more than 100 migrants have crossed the english channel

from france in november. the dover—calais route is the world's busiest shipping lane — and the british authorities are warning of the dangers of trying to cross it in small vessels. our correspondent, colin campbell, has this exclusive report. emerging from the darkness, an inflatable dinghy. it's 2:00am. we're the middle of the english channel. the dinghy is motoring at full speed from france towards the kent coast. are you ok? 0k? ok, thank you. we get a thumbs—up. however, the boat is dangerously overcrowded, taking on water, the six migrants cold, scared, desperate, but determined to get to the uk. this dinghy in a precarious position. it's vulnerable because it's now entering a shipping lane, and there are a number of ships coming towards it. so we're shepherding it, almost, i think, at the moment, so it remains in a safe position. we're on board a doverfishing boat.

this is the third migrant rescue for skipper matthew coker in three months. there was five ships coming down in one lump. and it cut across in front of them, and i don't know — if we hadn't have been with him, them ships wouldn't have gone round him. because i'm onlyjust picking him up, so i don't think they would have seen him. as you can see, there's no lights on the boat at all. the migrants, who are wrapped in blankets and scarves, speak little english. where are you from? you're iranian? iran, iran, irani. the water at the moment appears to be going into the back of the dinghy, but they're continuing. they're not stopping, they don't want our help. it's a desperate race to try to get to the uk for these people. although they decline our offers of help, they do stop to ask for water, which i lower down to them in a net. thank you. 0k. in the last three months, more than 100 migrants have made this treacherous crossing. a fortnight ago, we exposed how some of the smuggling operations are being planned from a makeshift

migrant camp in dunkirk. we secretly filmed using an undercover researcher. translation: a boat, it will cost you £3,000—4,000. i'm taking three people with me. they're paying cash. we get a boat, and off we go. last night, the weather and sea conditions in the channel were good, but in a small boat in the dark, it's still incredibly dangerous. the message is going back to the camps, or to the people on the other side, to the gangs, that it's working. so more are going to come, and i'm certain they will keep coming until there's an absolute tragedy. these migrants were safely rescued by the rnli and the border force, but it is a potentially deadly route that more and more are trying. despite winter, despite the risks, the migrants keep coming. colin campbell, bbc news, dover. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre.

hello, i'm tulsen tulloch. coming up in your wednesday sport briefing — philadelphia chase down toronto in the nba's eastern conference, river plate get ready for the club world cup and manchester city bid to finish top of their champions league group in the nba, philadelphia have the chance to keep up the pressure on eastern conference leaders toronto later. the 76ers — aiming for their 3rd straight win — host the brooklyn nets. joel embiid was philadelphia's top scorer in their last game as they beat detroit 116—points to 102. the win leaves them two games behind toronto — who have a tough game later on wednesday — they head to california to play golden state. river plate fans have been clocking up some air miles this week — and there are more to come. after victory over boca juniors in madrid, the copa libertadores champions now head to the united arab emirates for the club world cup. the competition features the champion clubs from each of the six continental confederations. it all kicks off on wednesday. river plate and real madrid

join the competition at the semi—final stage. there's just one qualification spot up for grabs in the champions league later. in group f, shakhtar donetsk and lyon will battle it out to see who reaches the knockout stages. manchester city are already through to the last 16 but they still have something to play for. they need just a point from their home tie against hoffenheim to secure top spot. city will be out to restore some pride after losing to chelsea at the weekend — their first league defeat of the season. we are in the next stage, that is important. and every game we need to try to win and to finish first, just for the fact of finishing first. it gives us an advantage for the second leg to play at home but in general,

next monday it will be a success and we will be there. and we will be there. in case you missed it tottenham are into the champions league last 16 after a late lucas moura goal handed them a 1—1 draw in barcelona. that's because also in group b inter milan could only draw with psv eindhoven taking the north london side through. while last year's beaten finalists liverpool progressed from group c after mohammad salah's first half goal proved enough against napoli at anfield. paris saint germain finished top but the premier league leaders are in the pot for next monday's draw. iam i am still full of adrenaline. i could fill bottles. this was an amazing game. it was outstanding and unbelievable. the boys played with their whole heart on the pitch. with each part of their body they were in

that game. it may be the tennis off—season, but that doesn't mean the world's best are having a holiday. quite the opposite in fact — to stay at the top you've got to keep training. that's exactly what dominic thiem's been doing. we know the top players are pretty accurate with their serves — you can see that in this clip thiem posted on instagram. two out of three successful hits isn't bad. keep watching this. that is some work indeed. you can get all the latest sports news at our website but for me and the rest of the team, thatis but for me and the rest of the team, that is your sport briefing. let's ta ke that is your sport briefing. let's take a look now at some other events have been today around the world. starting in me and my where there will be a protest to mark one year since the arrest of two journalists in the city. later in new york there will be the sentencing of the ex—

chill air soccer chiefs over his role in a scandal. and this evening in london it's the european premiere of mary poppins returns starring emily blunt, ben whishaw, meryl streep and colin firth. we have business briefing in a moment and i will be with you so that the let's have a look at the story we are highlighting today and asking all your comments. a bar where your cash is worthless. this is not far from london, where your cash is worthless. this is not farfrom london, a small chain of pubs to have decided to become cashless establishment. they feel it is safer and more convenient but is it more popular with the public at large? that is the question we are asking you? and you have been in touch. we have safety and who says we gradually get rid of

cash, starting with a small coin each bout would be a good idea. we also heard from another viewer from india who wonders what happens when the card is locked by the bank and it is not useful. for a few days, cash transactions can go on and need to go on in some circumstances. one viewer from zimbabwe says they only use cash the bus fares because i don't know how long that can go for. however in zimbabwe the currency has been under pressure and so for many they have not used cash for quite a long time. hello.

there will be a definite chill in the effort many over the next few days particularly as wind picks up, which it will. western areas will see an outbreak of rain and if we look at the satellite picture from earlier on you can see this stripe of cloud pushing in from the atlantic. a frontal system that you may expect a sweet fruit bringing rain across the country. instead the front is running up against a block of high—pressure. this is stubborn and will not move in a hurry. for many it will stay dry. a few early fog patches and a fair amount of cloud but for the vast majority, a dry day in prospect on wednesday. through the south—west of england, wales and parts of northern ireland, southern and western scotland we will see outbreaks of rain at times. still relatively mild in the west, 10 degrees and office in plymouth but turning colder from the east and perhaps brighter as we head towards the end of the day. into the evening

there will be more in the way of clear spells across the country so overnight it will get quite cold, particularly as the sky stay clear. you could see a touch of frost. and then as we get into thursday the frontal systems are still trained to push on from the atlantic this area of across scandinavia stubbornly remaining in place. that squeeze between the two will bring us a brisk eastaugh south—easterly wind. thursday will be a rather cold day. rain across the far south—west of england and for most others it will be dry with some spells of sunshine, a few showers creeping into the north sea coast but it will be windy. even if your temperature on the floor monitor may breed four and seven degrees, add on the strength of the wind and this is what it will feel like. you spend your day in the channel islands, it will feel subzero, more like freezing in norwich and in birmingham. by friday

the wind will be lighter so despite low—temperature it the wind will be lighter so despite low—temperatu re it may the wind will be lighter so despite low—temperature it may not look quite asjulie. and as you can see, there is a change on saturday because those ones that have been struggling to break through will make a little more progress at this stage. it will turn windy and very wet for many and as the front runs into some cold air there is the potential for snow, particularly over high ground in the north. this is your business briefing. out on bail. the chinese technology executive stopping our president trump said he may intervene if it would help get the china trade deal. and another possible easing of those trade tensions, china proposes to cut tariffs on us made cars from 40 to 15%. and financial markets therefore are looking on the bright side, you can see strong games on the main markets across asia as

there seems to be progress on those trade. —— trade talks.