they help me see and help me not see, and they help me be seen and not be seen. 50 they are a prop. and coming up on bbc news, six premier league matches on a night when arsenal will both hope to reduce liverpool's lead and provide new manchester united manager ruben amorim with his toughest test so far. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. that's thought to have been at the heart of the uk's drugs market — has been taken down in a sophisticated and highly succesful sting the uk's drugs market — has been taken down in a sophisticated and highly succesful sting by the national crime agency. 71 people have been arrested in the uk alone, but the network stretches across 30 countries.

here's our home correspondent dominic casciani. this was a moment and a simple arrest in london during the 2021 pandemic set off a worldwide investigation. this man was carrying £250,000 cash in his car. and was investigated and found next as they dug stunned them. he, since jailed, it was part of a group of couriers moving cash for drugs gangs. across the country, the police were finding them linked into networks based in russia. this later meeting in the back of a car was just typical of what was happening. the two men walk off carrying a bag of dirty money. what you don't see is the gang in the car receive an online transfer of russian crypto currency in exchange for the cash. the sums moved by the couriers have been vast and much of it under the direction of this russian woman. as the pandemic lockdowns made it harder for drug gangs to move money, her network and another stepped in to help and offer the group into a multi—billion dollar global enterprise.

71 couriers been arrested in the past three years across the uk. investigators saw them receiving bags of cash from gangs in providing the equivalent in crypto currency. 0ne game picked up cash from 22 different groups in 55 places nationwide. now the crypto currency was provided by exchange networks overseen by this woman, and this man, george rossi and his associate. they have been sanctioned today by the us government. they and others have access to billions of dollars of funds from ransomware attacks orchestrated from russia. for every £1 million of the carriers received, the controllers in moscow sent the gangs1 million in crypto. the gangs used that to buy drugs from south american cartels. the russian gangs took a commission as their network laundered cash through bogus companies and moved it around the world and eventually it could be

banked with its criminal origins obscured. the nca says the network based in moscow's business district help to the russian state fund espionage and move cash for sanctioned members of its elite. back here, this building in london is the registered address for one of george rossi's companies, now subject to us sanctions. i'm looking for tgr... george rossi. i'm sorry, i don't know anyone in this building. if they know were the leaders of the network are, they are not saying for now. independent experts say the ncaa struck a blow in the global cat and mouse game, but it's far from over. this russian network has been smashed and it was fairly significant. this is a real warning shot to other networks operating in the uk that law enforcement actually do have the resources of the skills to be able to track down these networks and break them. but there is much more work to do, i think, to disable

the broader threat from russia. this complex operation has dealt a blow to organised crime but it is not the end. the cash will keep building up and someone else will always be willing to move it. a manhunt is underway in new york after the boss of america's biggest private health insurance company was shot dead by a masked gunman outside the hilton hotel near times square this morning. 50 year old brian thompson was on his way to a conference. it was the head of the biggest private health insurance company in the years, and brian thompson was on his way to an investor conference when he was shotjust before 7am in manhattan. he was pronounced dead less than half an hour later in hospital. less than half an hour later in hosital. x: , ., ., �* ., hospital. 53-year-old brian thompson. _ hospital. 53-year-old brian thompson, the _ hospital. 53-year-old brian thompson, the ceu - hospital. 53-year-old brian thompson, the ceu oh - hospital. 53-year-old brian - thompson, the ceu oh of united health care was shot and killed in what appears at this early stage of the investigation to be a brazen, targeted attack. this does not appear to be a random act of

violence. appear to be a random act of violence-— appear to be a random act of violence. ., . ., ., violence. police to say the gunman la in wait violence. police to say the gunman lay in wait for— violence. police to say the gunman lay in wait for his _ violence. police to say the gunman lay in wait for his victim. _ violence. police to say the gunman lay in wait for his victim. he - violence. police to say the gunman lay in wait for his victim. he steps| lay in wait for his victim. he steps onto the sidewalk from _ lay in wait for his victim. he steps| onto the sidewalk from beside the car, he ignores numerous other pedestrians, approaches the victim from behind as shoots him in the back. then walks towards the victim continued to shoot. it appears that the gun malfunctions and he begins to fire again. the the gun malfunctions and he begins to fire again-— to fire again. the gunman fled on an bike to fire again. the gunman fled on any bike and _ to fire again. the gunman fled on any bike and was _ to fire again. the gunman fled on any bike and was last _ to fire again. the gunman fled on any bike and was last seen - to fire again. the gunman fled on i any bike and was last seen heading north toward central park. he is still on the run. these have offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information and said that a massive police presence would remain in midtown manhattan. tonight unitedhealth group said it was saddened and shocked by the killing, and was working closely with the walk —— new york police department. the masterchef presenter, john torode, has broken his silence over the allegations about his co—presenter, gregg wallace, describing them as "truly upsetting". writing on instagram he said, "the thought of anyone who has appeared

"on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear". claims about inappropriate behaviour — which gregg wallace denies — were first revealed by bbc news last thursday. the french prime minister could be ousted this evening as the government faces collapse. a vote of no confidence is taking place after michel barnier forced through his controversial social security budget this week. 0ur paris correspondent andrew harding reports. a very real showdown tonight in the french parliament. at stake, the fate of the government, the prime minister and perhaps of french economic stability. ahead of the vote, prime minister michel barnier warns there could be shocks, turbulence if mps refused to back down and seek compromise. translation: we don't know where this can lead, _ but i think there's a lot of tension in our country and we have to be careful. there's tension, feelings of injustice and lots of anger.

but in parliament tonight, no sign of compromise. this is marine le pen, hard—right leader of what is now france's biggest party, the national really. "this is the moment of truth," she said. "it's the end of a short—lived, accidental government." and france's hard—left is sounding equally determined to get rid, notjust of the centrist government, but of president emmanuel macron. right now, mr macron is out of town, in saudi arabia. he's scoffed at the idea of quitting. instead he's accusing extremists on the right and left of seeking chaos. it is 62 years since france last found itself in a situation like this. on that occasion, president de gaulle played hardball and eventually got his way. today feels rather different.

"i think it's tragic," says this woman. "nobody is considering the consequences." "there's a lot of anxiety," this man adds. "i'm upset with the forces on the left and the far—right." in parliament now, mps are poised to vote. it's a moment that will have big implications for france and for europe. the mps are still debating this issue. the vote happening at any moment. it is of course a result of what happened back in the summer, when a parliamentary election created absolute deadlock, no single party with anything like a working majority. could this vote to break that deadlock, that logjam, probably not. what france seems to be looking

at is weeks, possibly months, of drift, with financial implications on the stock market, or interest rates, national debt and so on. it is going to be a pretty bumpy time now for french politics. andrew, thank you. thousands of protesters have marched on the south korean parliament in seoul, demanding the resignation of the country's president after his short—lived declaration of martial law yesterday. yoon suk yeol runs a minority administration, and accused the country s opposition of paralysing the government and sympathizing with north korea. mps quickly blocked the introduction of military rule, and have now started impeachment proceedings. 0ur asia correspondent, laura bicker, reports from seoul. whoa! this candle lit calm followed a night of chaos. they gathered on the steps of the parliament with one aim — to call for the impeachment

of a president who declared martial law. because we have a history of defending democracy, a few times the people will strongly defend democracy once more. 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. president yoon plunged his country into martial law. soldiers broke through the windows of parliament to prevent elected members from overturning his 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, as has a motion to impeach the president.

translation: if they're willing to violate human rights under martial law, it's obvious that they're also ready to sacrifice people's lives. stay alert and fight with us. 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 president yoon remains in power. some tried to march to his office, but they were blocked by police. it's unclear whether mr yoon hears their calls to resign, but until he does, these demonstrations,

however peaceful, will only grow. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. cheshire police have confirmed that the jailed nurse lucy letby has recently been interviewed under caution in prison regarding ongoing investigations into baby deaths and collapses at two hospitals where she worked. she is currently serving a whole life sentence for murdering seven babies, and trying to kill seven others at the countess of chester hospital. her lawyer says she "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 on the neonatal unit of the countess of chester hospital between june 2015 and june 2016. following her trial, the police said they were continuing

to investigate letby�*s full career. that includes time she spent training at a hospital in liverpool, as far back as 2012. now, detectives have confirmed that they've questioned letby again. in a statement, they said... it's understood lucy letby has 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. lucy letby�*s trial only covered crimes within a one—year period which started injune 2015, but the lead consultant on the countess of chester neonatal unit recently told the public inquiry, which is examining how

the hospital handled the situation, that he doesn't believe 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. werem _ 0n reflection now, do you look back and see a number of unexpected collapses or 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 that they 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.

the time is 6.15. our top story this evening — coming up on bbc news, an early christmas party, with perhaps the hangovers to match — these are the players who have delivered wales their first appearance at a major tournament after a euro 2025 playoff win over the republic of ireland. scotland's finance secretary shona robison has set out her intention to scrap the two child benefit cap that means families can only claim some benefits for their first two children. only claim some benefits it was among a wide range of measures in her budget, including a promise of spending a record £21 billion on the nhs. the conservatives at holyrood said the snp had failed to end the era of high tax and free spending in today's budget. 0ur scotland editor james cook has more. the sun may have been shining on edinburgh's christmas market today,

but scotland's first minister, john swinney, says the nation is in the grip of a long, dark winter beset by challenges global and domestic. so could his finance secretary, shona robison, serve up any festive cheer? this budget invests in public services, lifts children out of poverty, acts in the face of the climate emergency and supports jobs and economic growth. it is a budget filled with hope for scotland's future. ms robison announced nearly £800 million more for social security spending, extra money for hard—pressed local councils, and what she called a record £2 billion boost for the nhs. and she promised to scrap the two—child cap on some benefits if westminster worked with her on the details. be in no doubt — the cap will be scrapped. my challenge to labour is to work with us. join us in ending

the cap in scotland. give us the information that we need. but either way, let me be crystal clear — this government is ending the two—child cap, and in doing so, will lift over 15,000 scottish children out of poverty. applause. thank you. labour didn't say they would vote against the budget, but they didn't sound impressed. one in six scots on an nhs waiting list, schools - falling further behind, _ a national housing emergency, growth lagging behind the rest of the uk, | every scottish institution weaker. | the benefits bill, rising by a further £800 million, is out of control because the government can't get people back into work. nhs waiting lists are so long that sick people are staying sick. underlying the debate are decisions taken here in edinburgh since devolution to expand the size of the scottish state. for example, funding university tuition for students in scotland.

tuition for students in scotland, some personal care for the elderly, charge—free prescriptions, and more. the big question is whether scotland can continue to afford those universal benefits, plus more generous welfare payments, plus a bigger and better—paid public sector, while also funding high—quality health care and education. shona robison is promising reform, but her opponents say that question was largely unanswered by this budget. james cook, bbc news, edinburgh. a manhunt is under way in new york after the boss of america's biggest private health care company was shot dead by a masked gunmen outside the hilton hotel near times square. any idea about a motive yet? i am standin: idea about a motive yet? i am standing just _ idea about a motive yet? i am standing just by _ idea about a motive yet? i am standing just by the _ idea about a motive yet? i am standing just by the court. - idea about a motive yet? i —n standing just by the court. we can see the police investigation going on behind us, we can see some of the

numbered evidence markers where the she“ numbered evidence markers where the shell casings were found, and as you say, they suggested all indications show that this was pre—planned and premeditated. it was caught on video camera, they show the gunmen standing outside the hotel here with a hoodie, wearing a backpack. 0ther a hoodie, wearing a backpack. other members of the public passing by, and then him apparently targeting mr thompson deliberately, shouldn't any number of times on the back, before escaping by bicycle and heading to the north central park. the police say they have no idea of motive, but interestingly, in the last few minutes, mr thompson's wife has given an interview to nbc news, where she said that he was receiving death threats of some kind. she wasn't able to give any detail about that. that will obviously feed into the police investigation. at the moment, though, their priority was trying to catch the suspect, they have offered a $10,000 reward for any member of the public is able to

give them information that helps them do so. give them information that helps them do sm— give them information that helps them do se— give them information that helps them do so— give them information that helps them do so. g ., ,, ., them do so. john sudworth, with the latest there — them do so. john sudworth, with the latest there from _ them do so. john sudworth, with the latest there from new _ them do so. john sudworth, with the latest there from new york, - them do so. john sudworth, with the latest there from new york, thank i latest there from new york, thank you. hospice leaders are warning that around 300 of their beds in england aren't being used because of a lack of funding and staff. end of—life care is under renewed scrutiny after mps recently backed plans for assisted dying in england and wales. hospices get less than a third of their funding from the government and some are cutting jobs. 0ur health editor hugh pym explains. ethan has a rare degenerative condition, and it's got a lot worse over the last two years. he comes to a children's hospice in huddersfield for regular therapy and respite care. but the hospice had said it'll have to cut costs, and that's unsettling for his family. it's frightening, to be fair. ethan's care package is built around here, so when the time comes, here is where he's going to be.

he needs to be treated with respect, dignity, and love, and he wouldn't get that in a hospital. the hospice has announced up to 16 staff redundancies because of a £1 million funding gap, with some cuts in what can be offered to families. any decisions that we're having to take at the moment, we are not taking lightly. and of course, you know, when you're having to make decisions around which services do you potentially reduce and which services do you potentially look to not deliver in the worst—case scenario, that's the worst thing that you could ever be talking about as a children's hospice like us. the news comes as the organisation representing the sector has revealed 300 hospice beds in england, about 14% of the total, have been left empty because of financial pressures. that is beds that could be reopened now with a proper resourcing plan. and that means that beds in hospices could replace beds in hospitals, and that would be wonderful for individuals, but also very good for the hospitals

and the wider health systems. a government spokesperson covering england said the budget had boosted investment in the nhs, and there were moves to make hospices financially sustainable, but hospice leaders have called for an emergency funding allocation to cover cost increases and to prevent further cuts. hugh pym, bbc news. the government says £740 million set aside for schools will be used to create more places in mainstream schools in england for children with special eductional needs and disabilities. over the past decade, the number of children with additional needs has risen by 300,000. ministers say the money will mean classrooms being adapted and more specialist facilities. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley reports. this is brighouse high school in west yorkshire. the number of children here with special educational needs

and disabilities has grown significantly, with an increase in children being diagnosed with autism and adhd. resources and budgets are tight. we've seen those numbers more than double in recent years, so the money doesn't always come into school to fund the numbers that we're getting. making mainstream school buildings inclusive and accessible comes at a cost. the lift has been broken for months, and there isn't the money in the budget to fix it. the lift in itself would cost, i'm told, £250,000, because it's not simply the lift that needs replacing, it's the whole shaft. and we have absolutely no way that we can fund a quarter of a million pound project. so one of our more recent students to join us is actually a wheelchair—user, and he he does have trouble accessing the full site. freya and these students with additional needs like being at a mainstream school.

i've got loads of support teachers that i can trust, loads of good teachers i know. but coping with busy corridors and the bustle of school life can be exceptionally difficult for these children. if you guys have had a bit of a wobble that day, - you feel a bit anxious _ or overwhelmed with the crowds... i do extra science _ because sometimes lessons can be a bit too much. it canjust be a bit loud i and just too many people. sensory rooms like this one in a mainstream primary help. happy, logan is happy! the £740 million earmarked today is for buildings and facilities. the government says it will go to local authorities to distribute to mainstream schools to create areas like these. we've got local authorities with a £4] billion deficit. it's not enough, is it? well, we have inherited an enormous challenge from the last government, and i know that councils are under big pressure, but this is thousands of additional places that we'll be creating. and i do want to see more of a focus on specialist provision within mainstream.

the other challenge is finding more specialist teachers, support staff and educational psychologists to work in mainstream schools. teaching unions say this can only be the beginning. much more investment and reform is needed to fix a system broken for far too many children. elaine dunkley, bbc news. she's the queen of fashion. anna wintour, the editor in chief of vogue for nearly a0 years, and arguably the most famous journalist in the world. she is behind a new immersive exhibition celebrating the changing history of the catwalk. inventing the runway uses vogue's archive dating right back to its first publication in 1892. it's on at lightroom in london's kings cross. 0ur media editor katie razzall went to meet her. 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. 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. what struck me is just how it's democratised over... right, it started as a very elitist. you had to be invited, and now everyone can come to the party, which is as it as it should be.

anna wintour has been at the helm of vogue since 1988. she's behind the global fashion event new york's met gala, but what most people want to know — is she like this? the tyrannical magazine boss played by meryl streep in the devil wears prada. and for our interview, wintouer�*s sunglasses stayed on. 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 of you. well, unfortunately, that is absolutely untrue. they often say no, but that's a good thing. no is a wonderful word, i think. do you think people are frightened of you? i hope not. many years back, you said, and i know it was jokingly and very gently, you advised oprah winfrey to shed a few pounds to get on a cover, and she did

and she looked amazing. but would you still suggest that now? has the world changed? well, i think ozempic has changed a lot, but i think... would you tell them to take 0zempic? i think that's a personal choice. vogue stands very much for body diversity today, and we really talk a lot to the designers and to the casting agents about having more body diversity on the runways. so i do think that we've seen some change, certainly not enough. wintour�*s driven more dramatic change in her long career, ensuring fashion and pop culture are now firmly entwined. katie razzall, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. a band of rain is on its way, and we close out the rest of us working

week on an unsettled and increasingly windy note as well. so the rain moving steadily eastwards. it will continue to push east through the night, some heavy bursts on the back edge as it moves to the midlands and down to the south—east. behind it, gusty winds for the highlands and islands. gusts of wind close to 60 or 70 mph, could cause some disruption. not as cold a start tomorrow morning, and a brief window of fine weatherfor tomorrow morning, and a brief window of fine weather for most of us. the rain easing early on, not a bad start to the day, but once again, the next batch of wet weather pushing in from the west. could be issues with localised flooding before we see these fronts clear through, that will bring some heavy rain out to the west. temperatures into double digits for many of us, so in milder store it tomorrow, but unfortunately increasingly wet and windy conditions will move through on thursday, and then another lull in proceedings before another deepening area of low pressure starts to wind in from the south—west by the end of the day on friday. so not a bad day and

prospect on friday for many of us, but by the end of the afternoon, turning increasingly wet and windy. top temperatures, a little bit fresher, five to nine celsius. might be able to look further north, might be able to look further north, might be able to bit further south, but this area of high pressure will certainly bring further wet and further very windy weather as it moves in across the country. and it will certainly bring some issues, i suspect. so keep watching the forecast, lots of weather warnings waiting in the winds to continue to beissued, waiting in the winds to continue to be issued, and here's where that heavy rain will set through friday night. on the back edge, the wind is swinging round to the north, some of that rain could turn quite wintry. cold and wet on saturday, a little fresher and dry on sunday. thanks, louise. and that's bbc news at six. now its time to join our colleagues for the news where you are. goodbye.

hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm hugh ferris.