president soon suk yeol, has since reversed his shock decision — confirming the army had been withdrawn from the streets. he'd ordered their deployment a few hours earlier, accusing the opposition of being criminals. protestors who'd gathered on the streets of seoul to demonstrate against the sudden introduction of military rule are celebrating the equally sudden reversal. this is the scene live now in the capital, where it's just after 9am. earlier, thousands of protestors clashed with police as they tried to get in to the national assembly building. some broke through barricades or climbed fences to get inside the building. yoon suk yeol said he imposed martial law to protect south korea from what he described as �*north korean communist forces�*. less than two hours later — parliament defied the president and voted to block the move. but the army had said it needed to be revoked by the president himself. our correspondent laura bicker reports now from seoul soldiers and police block the entrance to the south korean parliament following the orders

of a desperate president. locked in a bitterfight with his political rivals, and deeply unpopular, yoon suk yeol took drastic action. translation: through this martial law, i will rebuild i and protect the free republic of korea, which is falling into the depths of national ruin. within hours, thousands of protesters made it clear they would not comply with what they viewed as an attempted coup. "withdraw the martial law, arrest yoon," they chanted. translation: i believe i should step forward and take action. - things like this should never happen. translation: after watching the news, i felt anxious, - and i also thought that this is such a national shame. clashes broke out as police tried to hold them back, while helicopters thumped overhead. meanwhile, members of the country's national assembly battled their own military

to take back their elected seats, getting there in whatever way they could. the vote was unanimous — martial law was overruled — while the country's parliament bore the scars of the evening's chaos. many protesters stayed in place and had to wait hours to hear that, finally, president yoon accepted his brief attempt at military rule was over. translation: the declaration of martial law lacks _ the necessary procedural requirements and was void from the outset. south korea is a stable democracy, but it's also a noisy one, and today its parliament and its people roared at the most serious challenge to the country's democracy since the 1980s. laura joined me a little earlier to discuss what might happen next. the protesters a re the protesters are still here and they've been here all night

and they've been here all night and where waking up here in seoul to a new day a teacher behind me that there determined to oust president yoon after he declared martial law. within the last few hours, president yoon has accepted that his bid for military rule has been overturned and as that news was greeted with cheers from protesters here, they say they will remain for now and we have heard that more gatherings can be planned across seoul. the next thing we are hearing is that there may be proceedings under way to try to impeach president yoon if he does not stand down. this is a south korean leader whose political career is now on the brink and it is difficult to see how he survives this. and the other big question that many people here are asking is why did he here are asking is why did he do this? because this is an do this? because this is an already deeply unpopular already deeply unpopular

president and someone who president and someone who couldn't get anything through couldn't get anything through parliament and you could see parliament and you could see the frustration but this would the frustration but this would be a very drastic move thousand be a very drastic move thousand never likely to work and as we never likely to work and as we have seen, it was have seen, it was democratically overthrown and democratically overthrown and he did not have the votes in he did not have the votes in parliament and when it comes to parliament and when it comes to this kind of a drastic move, it this kind of a drastic move, it is difficult to see the logic is difficult to see the logic behind it and one key question behind it and one key question in the next key question is in the next key question is what happens next. will he what happens next. will he stand down or will he be stand down or will he be impeached and that is with impeached and that is with these people here are waiting these people here are waiting to see. to see. several countries several countries expressed concern about president yoon�*s actions — expressed concern about president yoon�*s actions — including the us which including the us which is a critical ally. is a critical ally. state department correspondent state department correspondent tom bateman has more tom bateman has more on the us response. on the us response. they're relieved they're relieved they�* re relieved about they're relieved about this democracy is the foundation of they�* re relieved about they're relieved about this democracy is the foundation of the us south korea alliance and the us south korea alliance and they'll continue monitor this. they'll continue monitor this. going into the state department going into the state department building here in washington building here in washington this morning, the since i this morning, the since i picked up from officials was picked up from officials was that there was just a complete that there was just a complete

sense of surprise and shock sense of surprise and shock about this. they were

the us between north korea in the us and so, the american see seoul as their key bedrock of support against that and that is why they promised to defend south korea against the north and help with that. but it also goes much broader than that in terms of the region and will be seenin terms of the region and will be seen in the biden administration is that to really continue to try and build what they see as an alliance of regional allies stretching from seoul to tokyo and other key partners of the us in the region to try to, in their view, stop what they see as an increasingly assertive china and so, seoul is a crucial part of that and they're very concerned about what is happening today. lawyers for president— elect donald trump asked a new yorkjudge to completely dismiss the criminal case in which he was convicted of falsifying business records — to cover up payments to a porn star. our north america editor sarah smith has more. donald trump is asking for the case to be entirely thrown out and the verdict

vacated, citing atjoe biden�*s recent pardon of his son, hunter. president biden said he believed that politics had infected the case against hunter and as a result he had been selectively and unfairly prosecuted. donald trump says that is exactly what happened to him in the new york hush money case where he was found guilty earlier this year. he sastoe biden has effectively admitted that politics does get involved in a system ofjustice in america and that the district attorney in manhattan, donald trump says, engaged in precisely the same kind of political theatre joe biden condemned. it's unlikely the judge will throw the case out and totally overturn the verdict, but i think it shows you just how politically inflammatory the justification thatjoe biden gave for pardoning his son hunter was and how it will continue to be used by republicans, who have argued all along that the criminal cases against trump were part of a political witchhunt. and they will say now, effectively, that president biden is admitting that politics does get

involved in the system ofjustice in america. the taliban have reportedly banned female students in afghanistan from enrolling for medical training — which was the only form of higher education still available for women. they had already been barred from secondary and university education. it's the latest denial of rights to afghan women. caroline hawley has more. tears of disappointment as women turn up to their medical studies as usual, only to be turned away. there's not much consolation when you have been told your last chance of any formal education has been snatched from you. empty chairs where once a new generation of nurses and midwives were learning. only two months ago, the bbc was allowed to film a training course run by the taliban government where women were taught how to deliver babies. as of now, this is no longer allowed. some women, whose classes were cancelled, spoke to the bbc anonymously of their anger and despair. translation: deep down

in our hearts, we know - there is no hope, there is no hope for us. please, let us at least breathe. they don't even let us breathe. let us breathe, let us live, let us study. until last year, some women risked arrest, going out openly onto the streets, demanding their freedoms be returned. it's now become too dangerous to do this. but women still want their voices heard. they sing. this was a protest of medical students today, singing aloud in defiance of taliban rules, when they found out their class is cancelled. and another protest. theirfaces are hidden but their message is clear. their hearts, they say, are broken. since the taliban took power again two years ago, there has been blow after blow for women's rights. first, girls are barred from secondary school, then they are banned from travelling without a male relative. and made to cover themselves from head to toe,

showing only their eyes. in a further blow to education, they are banned from attending universities, and just a few months ago, a new edict banning their voices from being heard in public. now, news that one of the last remaining avenues open to women who want an education is being closed. and that could have devastating consequences in a country where the un says one afghan woman dies every hour of complications from pregnancy and childbirth. without new midwives, more lives will be in danger. anti—government forces in syria are continuing their advance towards the city of hama. they say they've captured several villages and one of the largest military bases on the edge of the city — which is just over 200 kilometres north of the capital, damascus. the syrian defence ministry said reinforcements had been sent to hama and that syrian and russian warplanes were bombarding the rebels.

last week, the rebels seized the city of aleppo week in a lightening offensive that undermined president bashar al—assad's grip on power. meanwhile, israel's military campaign in gaza continues — with medics reporting that idf strikes killed at least 23 palestinians across the strip on tuesday. most of the strikes hit gaza's north — in the town of beit lahiya and gaza city, where at least six were killed when a school being used as a shelter was struck. israeli forces also on tuesday issued fresh evacuation orders to residents in the southern city of khan younis. the un says nearly all of gaza's two point three million people are now displaced. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the british partner of former abercrombie & fitch ceo mikejeffries has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution in a new york federal court. matthew smith, along with mrjeffries, and their alleged middlemanjames jacobson were arrested in october and charged with running

an international sex trafficking and prostitution business. mrjeffries and mrjacobson have also pleaded not guilty. the 61—year old was released under house arrest on condition of a $10 million bond. one of the uk's biggest commuter services, south western railway, is set to be the first train operator nationalised under the labour government. the company operates train services across large parts of southern and southwest england, with an announcement expected tomorrow. rail nationalisation was a key part of labour's election manifesto. the government says public ownership will make the railways cheaper. the conservative leader in the welsh parliament, andrew rt davies, has resigned — despite narrowly surviving a vote of confidence of his party colleagues. he said a substantial minority of his party opposed his continued leadership, which made it untenable. you're live with bbc news. georgia's constitutional court rejected an opposition lawsuit, seeking to overturn the result of parliamentary elections in october.

the vote saw the georgian dream party return to power. let's take you live now to tbilisi, a warning there may be some flashing images coming up. thousands of people are back on the streets of the georgian capital for a sixth night of protests. demonstrators say the government is making georgia more authoritarian and returning it to russia's orbit. they are also angered by the prime minister saying he would delay talks on joining the eu until 2028. police again used water canon to clear the streets outside parliament. nearly 300 people have been arrested over the past few days. our correspondent reyhan demytrie sent this report from tbilisi. chanting on this side, there are riot police that are hiding — we can just see their helmets — and these protesters are saying, "come out, come out!" day six of mass protests in georgia, in the capital tbilisi, but a completely different feel to it today because there are... ..the lights are switched off at the parliament building,

the lights in the streets are dimmed and there are no fireworks. fireworks have really become one of the features of this protest movement. but today the authorities have restricted — severely restricted — the sale of any fireworks or pyrotechnics across the city. some of the protesters are trying to confront the police and asking them, "why have they used so much violence over the past few days?" there are more than 250 people that have been detained throughout these protests here in tbilisi, and there's a lot of evidence of police brutality, of beatings and humiliation of those who have been detained. how long can it last for? how much energy do you have to...? until we get our country back, because every single one

of the citizens of georgia here standing don't want to be russian, don't want a pro—russian government, and we're going to fight till the end. oligarch who is governing this party, russian dream... i cannot call them georgian dream. it's not georgian dream. it's a russian dream. this is it. their days are counted. georgian dream'sj days are counted. this has to end. these protests were sparked by the government's decision to turn its back on europe. and for many of the people who are here, this is unacceptable. they believe that they're standing here now for their country's democracy, and they're demanding new elections, and they want to see this country return on its european path. cheering the bbc says it won't broadcast

two masterchef celebrity christmas specials, in light of the controversy surrounding one of the presenters, gregg wallace. but the corporation says the current series of �*masterchef: the professionals,�* will be aired as planned. more claims surrounding gregg wallace's alledged inappropriate behaviour and language, have emerged. he denies engaging in behaviour of a sexually harrassing nature. noor nanji has the latest. mate, how special was that? gregg wallace was back on our screens tonight, but from the bbc today, a change of tune. as they announced they would no longer broadcast the masterchef christmas specials. it comes as bbc news put new allegations of inappropriate behaviour to them. anna — not her real name — worked on masterchef in 2015. one day he asked me to come to his dressing room to fix his bow tie for an after—work event. as i started to fasten his bow tie, i noticed his trousers were partially lowered. his pubic hair was on show, where you could see

the top part of his penis, and he was wearing no boxers underneath. when i noticed, he stared at me. no apology was offered. it felt like a powerplay. she says she didn't see how the trousers had become lowered. banijay, which makes the show, say producers spoke at length with anna about what happened and she told them she didn't feel threatened at any point. they say it was also raised with the bbc at the time. lisa — not her real name — worked on a show with wallace in 2015. we were in the supermarket, filming. he brushed past me at the checkout and touched my bum with his waist and penis and laughed and said, "oh, you liked that, didn't you?" it was the way he reacted. other people would have said, "i'm sorry, can i squeeze by?" which would have been 0k. it was awful but i was so busy and felt like ijust had to get on. but i wasn't 0k about it. when i finished the shoot, i

felt it was slimy, disgusting. sarah — not her real name — says she had an encounter with wallace in 2022. i was working at an event and gregg wallace - was in attendance. at the end, he asked me i to take him to the car park. he put his hand on my. bottom and groped me. it made me feel gross. it was horrible. i didn't say anything| as i was so shocked. the presenter stepped away from filming masterchef last week after bbc news previously revealed a string of allegations of inappropriate comments against him. his lawyers have strongly denied he engages in sexually harassing behaviour. as the bbc has taken the masterchef christmas specials off—air, it will be hoping this eases the pressure on them, but our new revelations highlight that the production company — and, by extension the bbc — knew there were allegations about gregg wallace's behaviour as far back as 2015. we put the latest allegations to banijay. it says it takes this matter incredibly seriously but while the external investigation is ongoing, it won't be commenting on individual allegations.

the bbc says it takes any issues raised with them seriously and have robust processes in place to deal with them. we also put the latest allegations to wallace's representatives and offered him an interview, but he has not responded. noor nanji, bbc news. king charles has hosted a state banquet at buckingham palace, as part of a two day visit by the emir of qatar. having recovered from pneumonia, the queen attended too. the visit is controversial, because of qatar's record on human rights. here's daniela relph. the spectacle of a state banquet — the centrepiece of any official visit. amongst the guests, politicians and celebrities, including david and victoria beckham, who joined the royal party for what the king said would be the renewal of an enduring friendship. in the grandeur of the buckingham palace ballroom, the emir of qatar was welcomed back to the uk, where

he had lived and studied for many years. your highnesses. assalamu alaikum. and in his banquet speech, the king praised qatar for its role in negotiations in the gaza conflict. if i may, i would particularly like to express the united kingdom's deepest gratitude for your tireless mediation efforts over the past year in pursuit of peace in the face of unbearable heartache and suffering. politics, diplomacy and trade mark any state visit, but this came with some personal news too. earlier, the queen revealed she had been suffering from pneumonia. palace sources stressed she was now recovering, but still struggling with post—viral fatigue.

the prince and princess of wales, alongside the king, led the ceremonial welcome to the emir. the presence of the princess, a sign of her careful return to public duty after cancer treatment. a state visit is a very public show of friendship, and a chance to enhance economic ties. but, like all relationships, there are difficulties. and qatar's human rights record is a tricky area. there was a small anti-qatari protest, but it didn't disrupt events, during a visit that is about strengthening ties to qatar, a huge investor in the uk economy. daniela relph, bbc news. the uk says it's entirely up to the british museum to make decisions on the parthenon sculptures, which are also known as the elgin marbles. the british prime minister, sir keir starmer, met his greek counterpart, kyriakos mitsotakis, in london today. greece says the marbles were

stolen, but the british museum — where the sculptures have been displayed since the early 1800s — rejects that and says they were legally obtained. the bbc has announced its 100 women for 202a. the list shines a spotlight on 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world every year. among this year's list are the french rape survivor gisele pelicot, sunita williams, the astronaut who remains stranded in space — and hollywood star sharon stone, who's been speaking to chi chi izundu. sharon stone — actor, activist and 1990s sex symbol — has seen hollywood change slowly for women. when i started making films, women were only allowed to cross their feet at the ankles. you weren't allowed to cross your legs like this. i'd have to be pretty stupid to write a book about killing and then kill somebody the way i described it in my book. she shot to fame after playing catherine tramell in basic instinct in 1992, where the sexiness of

the character saw sharon being branded a femme fatale. but for sharon, there was more to that role. when we made basic instinct, you also weren't allowed to go like this in a dress that didn't have sleeves, because you weren't allowed to show your armpits. so there were all kinds of boundaries that were expanded for women in film. but the character that i played took ownership of her sexuality, and that really was so unusual. i would say more than anything, if you had asked me about basic instinct, that's what i learned from that movie — because i got made into an idea of something, and i took the idea of that thing, and i sold it for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars to raise money for aids research and used it to fight a disease where people were getting punished for their sexuality because i was getting punished for mine. but life hasn't been easy for the 66—year—old.

she suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2001, where she was given a 1% chance of survival. she's also fought for the custody of her children and found out at one point lots of her money had disappeared. if you could write a letter to yourself, you pick the age, giving you a piece of advice, what would you say? 0h... ..i would just say, "you're going to make it." i don't think i ever... ..i don't think until that moment i ever really recognised that i was on the other side fully. i don't think i ever took the minute to think, "you really did.

"you made it. "look where you are." chi chi izundu, bbc news. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. wednesday promises to be another fairly settled day with some sunshine around, albeit on the cool side, but we'll start to see some changes later on wednesday. and as we push towards the end of the week, it will turn milder, but that's because we'll start to see wet and windy weather spreading off the atlantic from the south—west. colder weather, though, will return by the end of the weekend, and that colder theme will last into the new week. now, we've had this weather front spreading across northern areas, clearer skies behind it. that will allow temperatures to dip, so there is a nice

risk across some central and northern parts of the uk to start wednesday. plenty of sunshine around, a bit of cloud and fog for the midlands, into wales. that should tend to break up. later in the day, though, could start to turn milder, wetter and windier out west, with gales developing for the hebrides, so the best of the sunshine will tend to be through central and eastern areas through the afternoon. it's here where we'll see the lowest temperatures. it will be turning milder with the wet and windy weather — out west, you can see there, into double figures. that wet and windy weather spreads across all areas as we move through wednesday night, with gales, even severe gales, developing in north—west scotland — up to 70 mile an hour winds here. but it will be ushering in some milderair, certainly for england and wales, into double figures by the end of the night. further north, though, something a little bit cooler. so that cluster of weatherfronts, strong winds, pushes through. we see a window of fine weather to start thursday before

the next weather system moves in during the day. so we will start with some sunshine across the country, but it won't last. as we head into the afternoon, we'll start to see the next batch of wet and windy weather pushing into northern and western areas. some heavy bursts of rain, as you can see there, across scotland, northern ireland, maybe northern england, and again it'll be windy. but a mild day to come, with temperatures in double figures for most for thursday afternoon. so that moves through during thursday night, wet and windy weather. then we're in a run of north—westerly winds. it'll be quite cool, i think, feeding in some showers, mainly into northern and western parts of scotland. there will be a wintry element to them over the higher ground. it will turn cloudier further south and east and we look to the south—west, this deepening area of low pressure, which is likely to bring a spell of very windy and wet weather to england and wales later on friday and into the start of saturday. so that wet, very windy weather eventually clears away on saturday from southern areas, and then it'll be colder on sunday and beyond with strong northerly winds. take care.

hey, i'm aisling with the catch up. tonight, georgia harrison's consent campaign, tiktok awards and a tasty christmas village.

plans to give victims of online stalking more protection have been put forward by the government. they want to hand out tougher punishments to those doing it too. victims will also be told the identity of the person stalking them sooner, instead of having to wait until it goes to court. and there will be more stalking protection orders to keep suspected offenders away from their victims. the new plans are for people in england and wales. love island's georgia harrison has launched a campaign designed to start conversations about consent. the influencer says her inbox was flooded with young people's stories after her former partner was convicted of sharing a private sexual video without her consent. she hopes her involvement will make this subject easier to talk about. tiktok is hosting its first uk and ireland awards. 72 creators, with a combined follower count of over

101 million, have been nominated for awards across 12 categories. they're in london tonight for the awards, hosted by none other than michelle visage. have any of your faves been nominated? time now for 10 seconds of gingerbread. now it's december, christmas festivities are under way. villagers in hungary have made their own community out of gingerbread. it features 100 houses, some local businesses and churches. there's even a working train. you're all caught up now. have a great night. this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme.

welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.