' york city york city in shot dead in new york city in what police say is a target attack. a major manhunt is under way and we will bring you all the latest. mps in south korea start impeachment proceedings against the president after overturning his declaration of martial law. and the inscrutable face of fashion — anna wintour gives a rare interview from behind her famous sunglasses. well, they help me see, and they help me not see. and they help me be seen and not be seen, so they're a prop. welcome to bbc news. let's start in france, where for the last hour, the french parliament has been holding a no confidence debate which is expected to oust the prime minister, michel barnier, afterjust three months in office. the government has been teetering on the brink of collapse since monday, when mr barnier forced through an "austerity budget"

without allowing mps to vote. let me show you the live pictures because this has been going on for a couple of hours. we are about 60 minutes or so away from that vote. the no confidence motion is supported by the majority of mps from across the political divide. mark lowen is in paris for us. in terms of what we are likely to see in the coming hours, it is unlikely, very unlikely he will get through this no—confidence vote. so what happens then? no-confidence vote. 50 what happens then?— happens then? well, then, basically — happens then? well, then, basically the _ happens then? well, then, basically the parliament. happens then? well, then, i basically the parliament would say we do not have confidence in the government, and michel barnier would be forced to resign, matthew, becoming the first prime minister ousted by parliament here in france since 1962. he would be also the shortest serving prime minister of france's for the public,

which began in 1958. so this is a historic moment in this country, and france potentially on the brink of uncharted territory. because then president macron would be forced to try to find a new premonition with the urgent mission to pass a budget next year. it is likely that michel barnier would stay on and a caretaker capacity to rollover ca reta ker ca pacity to rollover this caretaker capacity to rollover this year's budget into next year but the really big questions of a public sector salaries and spending. also all of this coming at a really crucial moment for europe because of course there are wars raging on the continent in ukraine and in the middle east. we are seven weeks away from donald trump beginning his second term in the white house, and that is likely to be a period of one for stability and instability when europe should be called up to step to the plate and provide a counterbalance to the united states. and yet france stands in the brink of being thrown into a period of intense

political instability and also economic instability, too. well, the debate has been raging into the parliament building behind me for the last couple of hours. 0ne building behind me for the last couple of hours. one of those who is in proposing the vote of no—confidence is marine le pen from the far—right party he was been vehement in her criticism of a michel barnier and here is part of her statement. translation: we wanted - to believe and we were wrong. that system they rejected at the last elections but we... ..we weren't able to look at the new balances in politics and give the word back to those millions of french people who have been ignored. but these three small months that you are at the head of the government that had no democratic basis, and you had a common basis which was undermined by the personal ambitions of people.

the national assembly, we will censure in a few moments this optical illusion. you were surprised by this. what is surprising in this is the surprise of the prime minister who knows better than us, that intransigence of his dogmatism have forbidden him the least concession which would have avoided this outcome. that is marine le pen of the national front party who is rubbing her hands in glee. as the establishment crumbles, people look more towards the extremes both on the left and the right and the far right is on the rise and marine le pen very much paying herself as a way for france to chart a new course away from this disastrous political stasis and division in which it finds

itself. but there is still a centre ground. they support michel barnier. it is small and a centre right ground. he comes from a centre right party, which is going to vote to back him, but they will not have the numbers and parliament probably to save him. he is likely to fall in this no—confidence motion that's been brought by it marine le pen's party and also by the left. a little earlier in the debate, the leader of the centre—right party spoke to express his support for it michel barnier. translation: j support for it michel barnier. translation:— support for it michel barnier. translation: , ., translation: i remember what was said on _ translation: i remember what was said on the _ translation: i remember what was said on the left _ translation: i remember what was said on the left banks, - translation: i remember what was said on the left banks, the l was said on the left banks, the left benches. _ was said on the left banks, the left benches. so— was said on the left banks, the left benches. so a _ was said on the left banks, the left benches. so a few - was said on the left banks, the left benches. so a few months| left benches. so a few months ago. _ left benches. so a few months ago. you — left benches. so a few months ago. you said _ left benches. so a few months ago, you said no, _ left benches. so a few months ago, you said no, never- left benches. so a few months ago, you said no, never with. ago, you said no, neverwith the — ago, you said no, neverwith the national— ago, you said no, neverwith the national front. - ago, you said no, neverwith the national front. and - ago, you said no, neverwith the national front. and i- the national front. and i remember_ the national front. and i rememberwhat- the national front. and i rememberwhat marine i the national front. and i. remember what marine le the national front. and i- rememberwhat marine le pen said on— rememberwhat marine le pen said onyour— rememberwhat marine le pen said on your benches. - rememberwhat marine le pen said on your benches. you - rememberwhat marine le penj said on your benches. you said never— said on your benches. you said never with_ said on your benches. you said never with france _ said on your benches. you said never with france unbowed. i said on your benches. you said i never with france unbowed. and now we — never with france unbowed. and now we are _ never with france unbowed. and now we are here _ never with france unbowed. and now we are here in— never with france unbowed. and now we are here in that - never with france unbowed. and now we are here in that or- never with france unbowed. and now we are here in that or we i now we are here in that or we are today _

now we are here in that or we are today we _ now we are here in that or we are today. we are _ now we are here in that or we are today. we are here - now we are here in that or we . are today. we are here they are today — are today. we are here they are today you _ are today. we are here they are today. you pretend _ are today. we are here they are today. you pretend you - are today. we are here they are today. you pretend you are - are today. we are here they are today. you pretend you are justj today. you pretend you are just insulting — today. you pretend you are just insulting each— today. you pretend you are just insulting each other, _ today. you pretend you are just insulting each other, and - today. you pretend you are just insulting each other, and you i insulting each other, and you are now— insulting each other, and you are now going _ insulting each other, and you are now going to _ insulting each other, and you are now going to vote - insulting each other, and you are now going to vote not. are now going to vote not met you insulted — are now going to vote not met you insulted and _ are now going to vote not met you insulted and now - are now going to vote not met you insulted and now you - you insulted and now you are going — you insulted and now you are going to _ you insulted and now you are going to vote _ you insulted and now you are going to vote together - you insulted and now you are going to vote together to - you insulted and now you are i going to vote together to bring this government _ going to vote together to bring this government down. - that is from the centre—right party and you have a sense of just how fragmented and divided france is at the moment. a lot of people are laying the blame for that at the door of president emmanuel macron. he was the one who called snap parliamentary elections in the summer that he did not need to call, but he hoped to catch the far right on the back foot essay the french people you have toyed with the far right in various regional elections in various regional elections in the past but you are not really going to vote the men. but actually at the far right really did increase in power, and macron now is presiding over an extremely divided political landscape. the big question tonight is if michel barnier is overthrown, who could actually come into bring

france a's political parties together? is france simply becoming ungovernable, and that has major implications for this country. this is the eu's second most powerful member, second most powerful member, second largest economy, and france is facing a real period of political stasis. increasing calls for president macron himself to resign. people say thatis himself to resign. people say that is the only way out of this division. he has ruled that out, saying he is in power, in post until 2027 and has no intention at all of residing in saying those calling for his early exit are living in an era of political fiction. but really this country now facing political division and real economic instability as well with a booming deficit, a booming debt and real worries across the european continent over what is happening in france.— happening in france. mark, thanks so — happening in france. mark, thanks so much. _ happening in france. mark, thanks so much. so - happening in france. mark, thanks so much. so many l thanks so much. so many questions still to be answered. and just a pointer because we will be back with him in 20

minutes about time for the build up to that vote. we think thatis build up to that vote. we think that is happening around 1800 gmt so we will be back to get the build up to the vote and the build up to the vote and the vote itself and all the reaction afterwards and perhaps some of those questions mark posing we will have answers to. do stay with us on abc news, full coverage coming up on that crucial vote in france. let's return to the breaking news in new york as a chief executive of one of the us department largest health insurance companies unitedhealthcare, insurance companies unitedhealthca re, was insurance companies unitedhealthcare, was shot and killed in new york this morning. brian thompson was shot twice, once in the leg and once in the back, and police have said in the last of the minutes it was a target shooting other they did not have any idea about motive. the new york police department commissioner gave a press conference a short while ago appealing for the public�*s help. in appealing for the public's hel. ., ., .,

help. in midtown manhattan early this — help. in midtown manhattan early this morning, - help. in midtown manhattan - early this morning, 50-year-old early this morning, 50—year—old brian thompson, the ceo of unitedhealthcare, was shot and killed in what appears at this early stage of our investigation to be a brazen targeted attack. this does not appear to be a random act of violence. the victim was in new york city to speak at an investor conference. it appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes, and asked the victim was walking to the conference hotel, the suspect approached from behind and fired several rounds, striking the victim at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf. many people past the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target. the suspect fled first on foot, then on an e bike and was last seenin then on an e bike and was last seen in central park on centre drive early this morning. just some of the details we have heard in the last half an hour or so as police to

continue with that major manhunt that now is in place. when we get more detail on that, we will have more here on the programme. let's turn to south korea. a motion has been formally introduced in south korea's parliament to impeach the country's president after his shock move to try to impose martial law for the first time in more than a0 years. president yoon is facing pressure to stand down after mps voted against his sudden decision, which was rescinded hours later as thousands of protesters took to the streets. within the past hour, members of the ruling people power party have said they will oppose moves to impeach him. 0ur correspondent laura bicker has this report from seoul. this candlelit calm followed a night of chaos. they gathered on the steps of the parliament with one aim, to call for the impeachment of their president, who declared martial law. translation: because we have a history of defending _ democracy a few times, the people will strongly defend democracy once more.

translation: i'm out - here as a citizen who could not sit by and watch the democracy breaking down. "resign," the group chanted, before their mexican wave. such a different scene from last night's turmoil. just hours after president yoon plunged his country into martial law, soldiers broke through the windows of parliament to prevent elected members from overturning the decree. they were unsuccessful, and after six hours, seoul's parliament, notjust its president, were back in control. today, the building bore the scars of that struggle. repairs have already begun. protests sprung up in other parts of the city as south koreans took a moment to reflect. the prospect of martial law brought back chilling memories of authoritarian rule.

south koreans value their democracy. they fought for it. some died for it. and although they may be questioning just how robust it may be, they've turned out in their thousands to protect it. but for now, president yoon remains in power, and while he does, these demonstrations, however peaceful, will only grow. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

you are watching bbc news. russian money—laundering networks are using britain as a key hub to provide services to organised criminals around the world. the uk's national crime agency has been carrying out a major investigation into two groups it's identified, smart and tgr,

and says today it's arrested 84 people and seized £20 million in cash and cryptocurrency, digital currencies like bitcoin. our home and legal correspondent dominic casciani explains the significance of these revelations. this is quite an extraordinary revelation from the national crime agency, based on a three—year investigation. now, back in the pandemic, drugs gangs in the uk were really struggling to move their cash from their street sales of drugs quite simply because of the lockdown. they didn't know where to move it to. and what appears to have happened is two large russian cryptocurrency networks operating out of moscow stepped in to help them, and they have set up basically a nationwide courier scheme. so a drugs gang could basically hand over its cash to the russian—controlled couriers. and at the same time, the russian couriers would basically authorise the delivery of cryptocurrency to the drugs gangs. now, why does that matter? quite simply, it meant the drugs gangs could get the dirty money off their hands. they could then take the cryptocurrency to buy more drugs to flood the uk with more product. the russians, in turn, would get that cash out of the uk and put it back into theirfunds, which were already built up

from ransomware, and then use that for other purposes. now, the national crime agency says it's got evidence that this was used to fund espionage from the russian state to evade sanctions by some super wealthy russian individuals who have been hit by restrictions since the ukraine war. in effect, a global scheme worth billions, which has caused, according to the nca, huge harm on the streets of the uk. but until they actually came across this almost by chance initially, they didn't know the scale of russian involvement here and here in london. and they've made, what, 84 arrests, seized around £20 million in cash and cryptocurrencies. but it's interesting because it's all been supporting various criminal networks here in the uk, middle east, russia, south america, but all the tentacles leading back to moscow. well, that's right. so if you take that £20 million

which has been seized in terms of physical cash in the uk, i mean that is obviously an awful lot to an individual, but in the whole scheme of the drugs trade, it's not a great deal. but that equates to £700 million worth of sales in the uk. so you're touching almost £1 billion worth of drugs. the point about the tentacles stretching back to russia is that this was only possible because of, effectively, cryptocurrency illegal marketplaces operating in plain sight in moscow out of the reach of western authorities. today, the us treasury has sanctioned the individuals who've been running those operations, some of whom actually claim to actually be based here in london. we've been to see one of the properties, and there's nobody there. and that's a big, big move because hopefully it pushes them out of the banking system and it makes it harder for them to operate, but also harderfor drugs gangs on the streets of britain to to move their profit. here in the uk, police have confirmed that the former nurse lucy letby has been interviewed under caution in prison about the deaths and collapses of more babies at hospitals where she worked. she is currently serving 15 whole life orders for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others at the countess of chester's neo—natal unit in 2015 and 2016.

her lawyer says the former nurse continues to maintain her innocence. our special correspondent judith moritz has more. lucy letby stands convicted as britain's most prolific child—killer, found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder another seven. the infants were all patients in the neonatal unit at the countess of chester hospital between june 2015—june 2016. following her trial, the police said they were continuing to investigate lucy letby�*s full career. that includes time she spent training at a hospital in liverpool as far back as 2012. now detectives have confirmed they've questioned letby again. in a statement, they said...

it's understood lucy letby�*s not previously been questioned about her time at the hospital in liverpool, where she worked 30 shifts on two placements in 2012 and 2015. the bbc�*s panorama programme recently found that potentially life—threatening incidents occurred on almost a third of her shifts there. meanwhile, the thirlwall inquiry�*s continuing to examine how the hospital in chester handled doctors' suspicions about the nurse. her trial only covered a year starting from june 2015, but lead consultant dr steve brearey recently told the inquiry he didn't think that's when she started killing. is it your view that she had murdered or assaulted children in your hospital prior to that date? i think that's likely, yes. 0n reflection now, do you look back and see a number of unexpected collapses and deaths which, with

information now available to you, appear suspicious? yes. lucy letby has instructed a new legal team, who say she continues to maintain her innocence and they plan to take plan to take her case to the criminal cases review commission to push for it to be sent back to the court of appeal. judith moritz, bbc news. with her dark glasses and razor—sharp bob, anna wintour been a constant front—row presence at fashion shows around the world for decades, and the editor—in—chief of vogue magazine has delved into the archives for a new immersive experience in london that explores the history of the catwalk. our culture editor katie razzall reports. this is spectacle beyond spectacle. you were there. i was there. it was extraordinary... anna wintour, flanked by british vogue's boss and the company's creative chief, relives the moment back

in 2017 when fashion designer karl lagerfeld created a space station—inspired catwalk set for chanel. it was just a pleasure and amazing to be there, and you couldn't wait to see what he was going to come up with next. now we have a front—row seat on the history of the catwalk, with an immersive exhibition at london's lightroom dreamt up by vogue's reigning queen. it was quite nostalgic, in a way, to sit in this space and look at the incredible changes that have happened in fashions. i think for someone who goes to so many shows, you get a little...notjaded, but you get used to the experience. but it isn't one that many people do have that opportunity to see. and what we were very, very keen with this show is to make sure that you felt like you were actually there. at the helm of vogue since 1988, anna wintour�*s backing makes careers. her met gala fundraiser in new york melds celebrity and fashion and goes

viral every year. but what most people want to know is — is she like this? the tyrannical magazine boss played by meryl streep in the devil wears prada. tales of your incompetence do not interest me. wintour has leant in to the portrayal, and earlier this week was at the gala performance of the new musical in london. and true to type, for our interview, the sunglasses stayed on. does the public persona sometimes feel like a role that you have to perform? well, to be honest, i really don't think about it. you know, what i'm interested in is the creative aspect of myjob. my outside life is really something, in a way, i feel has been talked about more by people who don't really know me. and what i care about most passionately is the work and the people that i'm so lucky to work with. karl, thank you so much. people are obsessed with the glasses. you're probably like, "i'm so bored of talking about these glasses."

that would be true. is it a shield? is it about shortsightedness? i just wonder what the glasses are. well, they help me see, and they help me not see. and they help me be seen and not be seen, so they're a prop. what people always say about you is nobody says no to anna wintour, that people are frightened. well, unfortunately, that is absolutely untrue. they often say no, but that's a good thing. no is a wonderful word, i think, cos you can, you know, then that helps you think about things differently and you look at a problem in a new way, and you just think about how do you solve it? but do you think people are frightened of you? i hope not. and as we see from this show, you know, you've turned vogue into a global brand. how much longer do you plan to stay in the job? well, i have no plans to leave myjob currently. so does that mean you'd go on till 80? 85? 90? i'm worried about today, not tomorrow. and the respectedl fans to participate. today, fashion sees the likes

of musician pharrell williams stage a catwalk show watched by1 billion people online. it's a new era, a world away from the early couture experiences that were only for the elite. you had to be invited, and you weren't even allowed to sketch or take a picture at the couture shows in the beginning because they were so frightened that they would leak. and now everyone can come to the party, which is as it should be. katie razzall, bbc news. a really interesting interview there. less in this half an hour taking you back like to new york and show you the scene there. i wasjust new york and show you the scene there. i was just watching these live pictures only a few moments ago. detectives on their knees looking at the various shell casings that still exist, lying on the payment. the police giving a news conference only a short while ago confirming brian thompson, the ceo of unitedhealthcare, shot and unitedhealthca re, shot and killed unitedhealthcare, shot and killed in a targeted attack this morning. 6:46am with the

first 911 call. they gave details about how he was heading to an investors conference when he was shot outside of the hotel will so they talked about a shooter standing there for about five minutes before approaching from behind and then firing shots. the gun thenjammed. the un—jammed and then fired again, eventually escaping initially on foot and then on a city bike into central park. a massive police manhunt is now under way. the motive, they say, is unknown, but they are confirming that they view this is a specifically targeted attack. they said they simply do not know why, and they don't know if it was a professional hit. but those investigations really at an early stage after this morning's shooting. so we are keeping an eye on that story and also back in the next few minutes in paris, that debate, the no—confidence motion, continues in parliament. we get a vote in about 35 minutes. mark takes us

through the next half—hour building up to that vote, that crucial vote as michel barnier�*s government is on the brink of collapse. so all of that coming up for you here on bbc news in the next few moments. don't go away. hello. we've got three separate areas of low pressure affecting the uk over the next few days. you can imagine the weather's often going to be wet and windy. the first low pressure comes through overnight affecting northern scotland with very strong winds, another one late on thursday and a third low pressure crosses the uk friday and into saturday. now, overnight tonight, we'll all see a band of heavy rain pushing eastwards. strong winds follow that across the north and west of scotland, where into the scottish islands, gusts could reach 60—70—odd mph, bringing the threat of some localised disruption here. here are your overnight lows, ranging from around 5—9 degrees. now, tomorrow morning, any rain left over from that

system will clear away from eastern england quite quickly. a slice of sunshine for a time ahead of the next system, that will quickly arrive across western areas bringing another zone of wet and windy weather. this time, the strongest winds will be working through the north channel, where we could get gusts of around 60—70 mph, potentially bringing some disruption to the ferries, for example. and inland gusts of 40—50 mph across england and wales. they could bring down some tree branches, bringing localised disruption. so that's on the cards thursday and thursday night. friday and into saturday, the next area of low pressure is set to work its way through, with one or two issues to watch out for. now, friday morning itself probably starts off on a quiet note. some sunshine, a bit of frost around first thing in the morning, but out west, the next low pressure comes in bringing rain to northern ireland, wales, south—west england. strengthening winds here reaching gale—force. some wintry showers across northern scotland, where it is going to remain on the cold side. it's friday night that as that low pressure continues to swing in, we could see a spell of snow

developing along the northern edge of this weather system. now, that could bring blizzard conditions to northern england, 10—20 centimetres are possible, but it depends on the track of this area of low pressure. if it goes north or south, different areas could be affected. if the low�*s a different shape, might not even get any snow, but it's just one to watch for the time being. by saturday, that low will be working into that near continent, bringing some very strong winds into europe, strong enough to disrupt the ferries here. we get cold northerly winds bringing a mixture of sunshine and showers. some of those showers will be wintry. but as you can imagine, with three areas of low pressure in quick succession, large amounts of rain are forecast, and that could bring some flooding issues into wales by the weekend.

this is bbc news, the headlines... 0n the brink — france's prime minister faces a �*no confidence vote' after his attempts to push through an unpopular austerity budget. these are the live pictures from the national assembly in paris — where michel barnier�*s political future hangs in the balance. the chief executive of a major health insurance from his shot dead in new york city, and what police say is a targeted attack, a major manhunt is now under way. mps in south korea start impeachment proceedings against the president, after overturning his declaration of martial law. a major hub for dirty cash —

the national crime agency finds that britain is used by russian money laundering networks to help organised criminals around the world. no sport today because we are returning straightaway to our top story because we are getting ever closer to that crucial vote in france, for the last couple of hours the french parliament has been holding a no confidence debate which is expected to oust the prime minister michel barnier afterjust three months in office. the government has been teetering on the brink of collapse since monday when he forced through an austerity budget without allowing mps to actually vote. supported by the majority of mps from across the political divide.