of the former president protest after he's impeached and detained over corruption allegations. the corruption scandal involving alleged bribes of 1.5 million euros that's stunned the european parliament. on friday a belgian police stopped the father of the member of european parliament trying to leave this brussels hotel with a suitcase crammed full of cash. and ellen degeneres leads tributes to stephen �*twitch�* boss, the dancer and dj on her show. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe.

and let's kick off in qatar, where france has shattered morocco�*s hopes of becoming the first african and arab nation to reach the world cup finals. they put up quite a fight, dominated possession, but a clinical france won 2—0. the defending champions will now meet argentina in the final this sunday. it's quite simply a salivating prospect for fans of football. both teams are hoping for their third world cup trophy. let's start our coverage with olly foster in doha. what a final it should be on sunday between the reigning champions france, and lionel messi's argentina. the french winning 2—0 here in the second of semi—finals at the al bayt stadium against morocco. the moroccans have been the story of the world cup but it's the end of the road for them. the french took the lead very early on. theo hernandez with a scissor kick from a very tight angle

after a kylian mbappe shot had deflected and fell to him kindly, but morocco were never really out of this match. an overhead kick hit the base of the post. france were always in the game here. they knew they couldn't be complacent. they had seen morocco�*s progress throughout this tournament, finishing top of their group ahead of croatia and belgium, beating spain, beating the portuguese, leaving cristiano ronaldo in tears. so france were on their guard against morocco. it wasn't until late on that they scored their second goal inside the last ten minutes. the substitute with pretty much his first touch of the game. he benefited from another mazey bit of work from kylian mbappe and it was his deflected shot that fell to him at the far post. randal kolo muani with his first international goal.

france winning 2—0, even in injury time, morocco pushed for a goal they deserved at this historic march to the semi—finals, the first african nation here, the first arab—speaking nation to get this far, that is at an end, although they will have to lift with themselves because they have another match to play, the one no nation wants to play at the world cup, the third, fourth play—off. they've got croatia on saturday and ijust hope for all the tens of thousands of moroccan fans who made their way to qatar, after this incredible run that morocco have had, that they hang around and pack out the khalifa international stadium to give morocco a truly great send—off. but our attention focuses on sunday as we look to the reigning champions, france, to see if they can make it back—to—back titles. no team has done that since brazil back in �*58 and �*62. or will it be a third title for argentina? france against argentina, it should be a brilliant final or, as we are going to call it, over the next three days or so, it will be messi against mbappe. sigh of relief for the

reigning big sigh of relief for the reigning champions. over in paris, cheering france fans gathered in the champs—elysees. here's what they said about the win. translation: it is huge, and twice in a row, that's| rare. didier deschamps becomes a legend, even more than he is now. that would be crazy, just crazy! translation: i was scared until the first goal and then | the first half was a bit tense with free kicks. the second half was slightly better but the rest of the match was complicated until we scored the second one. that was a relief, but otherwise it was tense. translation: i was for morocco so i'm a bit disappointed. - i think they played better than the french but. -

translation: the french deserve a third star. - but the moroccans were strong, really strong. translation: we are still happy, and there you go, l long live france. earlier i was joined by football expert, tim vickery to look ahead to sunday's world cup final. i asked him how both france and argentina have progressed since they met at the russia world cup in 2018. argentina, after that world cup, appointed a rookie coach, lionel scaloni, he'd never taken charge of a senior team his life, i remember diego maradona saying, "have we gone mad, he is a nice "lad but is not even fit to direct traffic let alone "a football team," and here we are four years later, argentina last year, this has been crucial, the whole room i'll expect the whole morale at the moment, they won the copa america, they beat brazil.

that's brought an element of peace that has brought an element piece for messi's last dance, it is veering between sometimes a wonderful party at other times it looks as if everyone on the stadium the pitch is on the verge of a collective nervous breakdown. argentina have loved this ride, it's been a real rollercoaster, they had a shock to saudi arabia the first game, so one side you've got argentina, with all this emotion, and on the other, you've got a french side conscious of their own status of world champions, not fazed by the extraordinary noise that the moroccan fans made a few hours ago. and a french side looking to make history because two world cups in a row have been won by italy in the �*30s, brazil, �*58 and �*62, but the second one has never been one outside the team's continent, so france will make history if they win their third world cup on sunday. argentina will also win their third if they win and lionel messi rises

in the pantheon because then no—one can say he doesn't have a world cup winners' medal for argentina. i was going to ask you about that because a friend messaged me after the match saying, "messi, it's time "for him to cement his legacy, put to bed the ridiculousness "that are rinaldo fans," but france only had 39% of possession in this match, how do you prepare to fight a team like that that have such little possession and yet are so clinical in finishing? france, they quite like this. they played a little bit this way against england, they were uncomfortable at times in the game. don't remind us. i'm sorry, it's my right as well. where you go, i go. but they've got such attacking talent. it's not just mbappe. griezmann has been in some ways the most valuable player,

giroud, the centre—forward is having a good tournament, and then there is mbappe. we are talking from a south american angle, mbappe is probably the closest thing we've seen to the great pele in all these years since he hung up his boots, he is really an extraordinary player and he tore argentina to pieces four years ago. he's older, wiser, stronger, faster now. that's a huge question. the argentine defence hasn't been tested. he's certainly hasn't come up against anyone at this level of talent in the tournament so far. a huge question for you, tim, what is the score going to be on sunday? i'd love to see argentina do it but i'm only going to bet on that with your money. i favour france for this one. france will have too much, mbappe and co will be celebrating. i'd love to be wrong. the government of peru has declared a 30—day nationwide state of emergency, as supporters of the ousted president, pedro castillo, continue to block some of the country's main roads

and airports. mr castillo was impeached last wednesday for alleged corruption and detained after attempting to dissolve congress. naomi choy smith reports. tanks and troops take over the streets in peru's second largest city, as a 30—day state of emergency comes into force. peru's defence minister claims he had no choice after scenes like this. protesters have blocked airport runways, roads and other critical infrastructure in the past few days as anger boils over at the country's turbulent politics. at least seven protesters have died in clashes with police. the unrest erupted after former president pedro castillo was ousted from office last week. he tried to dissolve congress and was swiftly impeached. his successor, dina boluarte, has tried to calm tensions by offering to bring elections forward. translation: we must

remain calm. _ peru cannot be overflowing with blood. we've already lived through this experience in the 1980s and �*90s and i believe that we don't want to return to this painful history. but words aren't enough for castillo's supporters, who want him released, and fresh re—elections straight away. translation: dina boluarte is not our president! - let the people elect her and then i'll recognise her, but the people did not elect her. the people elected pedro castillo and he is our president! castillo is still in custody and in legal limbo after a judge denied his appeal. he could face charges of conspiracy and rebellion. as the deadly violence spreads to the capital, lima, peru's political crisis deepens. naomi choy smith, bbc news.

tensions continuing to rise in peru, as you see there. for more on this, i spoke to denisse rodriguez—olivari — a lecturer in politics at the pontifical catholic university of peru. she explained how she believes the state of emergency will affect the country. i think there is going to be mixed results. to agree i think it is going to probably control some of the process, mostly those focused on the highways, but overall it will create a lot of discontent for many of the protesters. let's have in mind a lot of the people that are protesting are based in other regions, so they feel like they have their polls being shut down and demands aren't being heard. it’s aren't being heard. it's draconian _ aren't being heard. it's draconian to _ aren't being heard. it's draconian to limit - aren't being heard. it's draconian to limit movement and their talk of curfews. how people reacting where you to this? , , .,

people reacting where you to this? , , . ., this? terribly. i am in lima where most _ this? terribly. i am in lima where most of _ this? terribly. i am in lima where most of the - this? terribly. i am in lima where most of the violence this? terribly. i am in lima - where most of the violence has not taken place. i'm talking about spending another christmas, another new year's eve without the possibility of going to our relatives peoples homes or without being able to move freely. but remember that peru has one of the most strictest lockdowns during covid so it brings a lot of bad memories. covid so it brings a lot of bad memories-— covid so it brings a lot of bad memories. . , ., ~ ., memories. there was talk of the roadblocks _ memories. there was talk of the roadblocks were _ memories. there was talk of the roadblocks were blocking - memories. there was talk of the roadblocks were blocking food i roadblocks were blocking food and water supplies, the export of copper. is that something you recognise and what people feel? , , feel? yes, definitely. according _ feel? yes, definitely. according to - feel? yes, definitely. according to the - feel? yes, definitely. i according to the current ministry of finance and economics, peru is losing up to the equivalent of a £20 million a day because of this protest so it is quite a big deal over here. ., ., ., here. the root of the protesters _ here. the root of the protesters demands | here. the root of the l protesters demands as here. the root of the - protesters demands as a here. the root of the _ protesters demands as a change in congress, there is a lack of faith there, allegations of corruption. how has the issue come to a boil close macular mud it's going to be extremely hard for them to achieve that

because in order to be done constitutionally, president dina boluarte would need to mark consecutive denials of confidence, a confidential mechanism that will happen because i don't think she will have enough time to even go and demand even one vote of confidence and get that denied. i will say more than half of the demands are not feasible. one of the things people looking for is early elections. how likely do you think that elections could be brought forward to maybe next year? well, she has declared that she is aiming foran well, she has declared that she is aiming for an early 2024 election and they're even about late 2023, but we have to do be mindful of how the electoral calendar works. we need at least more than 100 days to plan because it is different

from other countries, the electoral parties here, they kind of grow and participate in elections, and then they dissolved. a lot of people need to get organised to have little organisations to be able to run for the election.— for the election. politics professor— for the election. politics professor denisse - professor denisse rodriguez—olivari. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: ellen degeneres leads tributes to the dancer and dj on her show, stephen "twitch" boss. cheering and singing. saddam hussein is finished, because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict — conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents

of bosnia, serbia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house, to a trial for his political life, the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteeing bill clinton his place in history as only the second president ever to be impeached. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: france will face argentina in sunday's show piece world cup final after a 2—0 victory over the tournament

sensations, morocco. three men have appeared in a belgian court accused of being involved in an alleged corruption scandal which has rocked the european parliament. european prosecutors say they've found more than 1.5 million euros in cash stashed in various properties, which had been given as bribes — allegedly by qatar. they deny any wrongdoing. a member of the parliament has also been charged, but has had her hearing postponed. our europe editor katya adler reports. cases full of cash seized by belgian police linked to key figures in or close to the european parliament. prompting hair—raising questions about trust and whether eu influence can be bought. translation: the investigation concerns the suspected - corruption of european parliamentarians by a gulf nation. the purpose of the bribery was to favour this country in the financial and political decisions

of the european parliament. the scope of the investigation is spreading, so what do we know so far? this vice president of the european parliament, formerly a glamorous tv presenter in greece, here with qatar's minister of labour, is making the most headlines. this is her last month, praising qatar's record on migrant workers' rights... qatar is a frontrunner in labour rights, abolishing kafala and introducing minimum wage. ..just as her fellow meps passed a resolution deploring them. she is accused of taking bribes to try to influence votes here in qatar's favour. qatar denies involvement but this scandal shines an uncomfortable spotlight on the world cup host. ..2022 fifa world cup is qatar! a reminder of the multiple allegations of corruption surrounding its successful bid, though no concrete evidence came to light. back in brussels, how

were the suspects there caught, according to police? it sounds like something out of a scandal—filled crime novel. on friday, belgian police stopped the father of the vice president of the european parliament trying to leave this brussels hotel with a suitcase crammed full of cash. his daughter protests herinnocence but whatever happens in this case, it is going to have far—reaching implications on how decisions are made at the parliament, just down there, and on the tens of thousands of lobbyists who work here in brussels trying to influence those decisions. there are too many loopholes and we think there are several countries that engage in these kind of practices, of basically buying the support of meps and it looks like qatar, if it is qatar, may have got a bit overconfident in their approach to this. the sums involved are so huge that this was inevitably going to leak out. the vote is closed. a shocked and shamed

european parliament voted overwhelmingly yesterday to strip its vice president of her title. the eu's reputation is at stake here, said the bloc�*s leaders, in brussels today for a planned summit. in the current energy crisis, they look to gas—rich qatar to help them. katya adler, bbc news, brussels. following russia's latest barrage of air strikes on ukraine targeting the capital kyiv, in which ukrainian officials say their air defences shot down 13 drones, us media is reporting that president biden is planning to send expensive patriot air defence missiles to ukraine. ukraine has been requesting further air defence support for some time. earlier, i spoke to melinda haring, the deputy director of the atlantic council's eurasia center. i asked her why the us are proposing the use of patriot missiles now. so yesterday, we had a big donor conference in paris,

and ukraine's needs to survive the winter are very long and russia has taken the fight from the battlefield to the skies since october, and the decisions to send the patriot missile system by washington is a very good one. it is an overdue one but it is a recognition that ukraine needs this system in orderfor ukraine to survive the winter. so i think it is driven by a fear that the ukrainians , iranians, may resupply with more long—range weapons and that ukraine will not be able to survive the winter if we don't step up its air defence systems now. you say it is overdue to help with the problems over the winter, but won't it take a long time to set up? how does it work to get the system in place? that is one of the big objections. the ukrainians have been begging for the system for a long time. we don't have lot of them and you're right to say it is a long training period. quite an investment.

the big objection that washington made over and over again was the ukrainians have not worked with something this sophisticated and the ukrainians have made this request more than once. ukrainians have shown they can learn how to use the systems s very quickly. can they defend themselves very effectively? the claim came from dmitri medvedev is irresponsible and a loser, i don't take anything he says seriously and i don't think anyone does. he is a former president, and he is a hot head. i don't think he speaks for anyone but himself. so i don't take it seriously, and you have to remember germany is part of nato and russia is not looking for a fight with nato, it knows it would lose very quickly. is this everyone's worst nightmare that we are having iranian kamikaze drones and if the us system is brought in and set up, could this not be one of those

never—ending conflicts of a proxy war on someone else's land ? i don't think so. at some point, the russians are going to run out of missiles and that point will come pretty soon. we have seen at least eight barrages of missiles, and this is 80 to 90 missiles, and we are expecting another three to five before the russians run out. the question is will ukraine's electricity grid hold? we don't know the answer to that question. i have asked a lot of technical specialists in kyiv and it is sort of a cat and mouse game. so putin cannot win on the battlefield. he is spent, his forces are spent, he has major problems with morale, with training, there will be a hard winterfor his side, so they are hitting civilian infrastructure and they are trying to convince ukrainians to quit and leave and move to a safer place, and so far the ukrainians aren't moving.

belinda haring. stephen "twitch" boss, best known as the dancing dj and sidekick on the ellen show, has died by suicide at 40. tom brada reports. his wife said he was the back bone of ourfamily, his wife said he was the back bone of our family, the his wife said he was the back bone of ourfamily, the best husband and family and an inspiration to his fans. —— and father. as a mainstay on the wildly successful the ellen show, stephen boss met with countless celebrities and extraordinary figures. after hearing of his death, now they choose to remember his extraordinary qualities. ellen degeneres tweeted that she was heartbroken, describing him as pure light and love. her grief was echoed by michelle obama who posted this photo and a message calling stephen an incredible force, someone who radiated life and positivity. after appearing as a dancer in movies like blades of glory and hairspray, boss found fame as a runner—up on so you think you can dance in 2008.

he went on to become an integral part of ellen degeneres's us talk show from 2014 until it finished earlier this year. before the show came to an end, degeneres surprised him with a special tribute which moved him to tears. i love you, i got you something. i love you and... i love the the family that we have. and it is something that i will always remember that you gave me a place where i could just be myself. since his death was confirmed, social media has been flooded with tributes paying respects to stephen boss and his family and urging people to always check in with their loved ones. he is survived by three children and his wife who released a statement which read "we love you, we miss you and i will always save the last dance for you."

stephen boss, who has died at the age of 40. that's all from the age of 40. that's all from the sour, thanks for watching. —— the sour. hello. this long spell of cold weather is not ending just yet. for the time being, we are still stuck in the deep freeze, this cold air that has been brought down from the north. but there are signs of a change in the outlook, through the weekend, and particularly into the start of next week. a south—westerly wind starts to develop and that will bring something significantly milder. in fact, by monday, the southwest of england could see highs of 16 degrees. but with that, there will be some wind and rain at times. but in the short term, we stick with the cold and frosty feel to the weather. some icy stretches to start thursday morning, and a day of sunshine and wintry showers awaits. the icy stretches are where we've had the showers

over recent houi’s. parts of northern ireland, the east coast of england, but most especially the north of scotland, and here we will see frequent, wintry showers of sleet and snow continuing through the day. some further accumulation of snow. some showers for northern ireland, briefly for west wales, and also for the east coast of england. again, those will have a wintry flavour. some of those showers will fall as snow. but for many other places, it is going to be a dry day, with plenty of sunshine, not helping the temperatures much, though — one to five degrees at best. through thursday night, once against those temperatures will drop like a stone. there'll be further wintry showers, some further icy stretches, and, widely, we are looking at lows of —4 or —5 degrees. some places will get colder than that, and some fog is likely to affect some southeastern parts of england through the first part of friday. the other feature of friday's weather is this weather system, which is likely to bring a mixture of rain, sleet and snow across some central parts of scotland. that could cause

some disruption. it could certainly give rise to some ice. it's another cold day, but maybe not quite as cold, and that is a sign of things to come, because, by saturday, we start to shift the wind direction. we start to pick up these south—westerly winds. still some showers around, especially in the west and the northwest. some of those will still be wintry, but those temperatures beginning to creep upwards. but it's as we get into sunday that we see this big change. this frontal system driving its way in from the southwest. that will bring heavy rain, strong winds, perhaps some snow for a time, but, behind that, things will turn much milder.

this is bbc news. this is bbc news. the headlines — the headlines — france have reached the final france have reached the final of the football world cup, of the football world cup, ending morocco's dream ending morocco's dream of becoming the first african of becoming the first african country to win the trophy. country to win the trophy. the french team secured a 2—0 semi—final victory, the french team secured a 2—0 semi—final victory, through goals from theo through goals from theo hernandez and kolo muani. hernandez and kolo muani. the defending champions the defending champions will now face argentina of state in washington, will now face argentina in sunday's final. in sunday's final. a nationwide state of emergency a nationwide state of emergency has been declared in peru, has been declared in peru, where supporters of the former where supporters of the former president, pedro castillo, president, pedro castillo, continue to stage protests. continue to stage protests. mr castillo was impeached, mr castillo was impeached, and detained for alleged and detained for alleged corruption, following his corruption, following his attempt to dissolve peru's congress. attempt to dissolve peru's congress.

speaking at the summit of heads speaking at the summit of heads of state in washington, the us president, joe biden, has announced billions