targeted attack. more than 70 people are arrested in the uk after a huge russian money—laundering operation — this woman one of those at the centre of the network. and the veteran editor of vogue on her new london fashion exhibition — and why she wears sunglasses inside. seen and not be seen, so they're a prop. and stay with us here on bbc news for continuing coverage and analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and around the world. good evening. france's government has collapsed

after a vote of no—confidence in the prime minister, michel barnier. the move plunges the country into a political and financial crisis. it's the first time the french government has been brought down in such a vote since 1962. the leftwing bloc in the country's national assembly and marine le pen�*s hard—right national rally combined to oust mr barnier after he pushed through a budget without a vote. that budget is now null and void — and a weakened president macron will have to try to find someone else to appoint. in a moment, we'll speak to our europe editor katya adler about what this turmoil in europe's second largest country means for the eu, but first, let's go live to paris and to our correspondent there andrew harding. good evening. the voting took place in the parliament building behind me just a few hours ago this evening in paris, but essentially it all began, became inevitable earlier this

summer when the french people voted a parliament that was completely deadlocked, unable to agree on anything. no interest in coalition or consensus, a coalition government of sorts, a fragile one was scraped together but it looked vulnerable from the start and tonight was the moment that it fell. what happens next is unclear but it looks like france is entering a period perhaps four months of deep political and perhaps financial instability. moments before the voting began here in paris tonight, michel barnier made a final rather forlorn mp to french mps. the prime minister urged them to back him and his government and his budget, or create chaos. translation: | can't believe | a majority of mps here will vote to destabilise our institutions at a moment where our country is going through a deep moral, economic, financial

and silly crisis. but the answer came back fast and conclusive. the speaker of parliament revealing that 57% of mps had voted no confidence in the government. politicians from the hard right and hard left of french politics briefly uniting on this one issue. translation: i don't feel my head spinning and i don't _ consider this a victory. we had a choice to make and the choice we made was to protect french people. having tasted blood, many french mps now want more, specifically they want president emmanuel macron ousted. heading home from a trip to saudi arabia tonight, a badly weakened president has made it clear he is staying put. it is 62 years since france last found itself in a situation like this.

on that occasion, president de gaulle stood his ground and eventually regained control of parliament. today feels rather different. france is in debt, public frustration growing, a nation wrestling like so many now with the forces of polarisation and populism. "i think it's tragic," says this woman of today's vote. "nobody is considering the consequences." "there is a lot of anxiety," this man adds. "i'm upset both with the forces on the left and the far right." tonight, a government has fallen but france's political deadlock remains firmly in place. andrew harding, bbc news, paris. our europe editor katya adler is here. so turmoil in france — what might

the implications be for europe? your right to ask, reeta, because it is notjust french citizens worrying about the cost of living and the future of their country. france alongside germany is traditionally seen as the motor of the european union but it's notjust france. in germany we have seen the coalition government collapse, they are heading to a snap general election in february. this is not a good look for the so—called moto. these are in stable political times, what about that strong united front europe wants to have in the face of aggressive russia? what about the strong united front the eu wants to portray in the face of donald trump's return to the white house? we know he is no fan of the eu, he is threatening tariffs, wants bigger defence spending and that brings us to the economic impact of what is happening in france. the second largest economy in the eurozone and what is the largest economy in the eurozone? germany. both of those

economies looking wobbly and the other countries in the currency then worrying they will get dragged down into the economic doldrums as well. emmanuel macron is saying he will give a speech to the nation tomorrow evening. you will want to seem like an island of calm, he insists his country is stable but that is not how it is looking from the outside. because for his own resignation and you have brussels, moscow and washington watching extremely closely. washington watching extremely closel . . ~ washington watching extremely closel. ., ~ washington watching extremely closel. . ~' , washington watching extremely closel . ., ~ , . washington watching extremely closel. ., ~ , . ., closely. thank you very much. katya adler there. — closely. thank you very much. katya adler there, our _ closely. thank you very much. katya adler there, our europe _ closely. thank you very much. katya adler there, our europe editor. - a manhunt is underway in new york after a senior executive of an american health insurance company was shot dead on the street. brian thompson led the insurance arm of unitedhealth — a firm with one of the highest revenues in the world. a warning, john sudworth�*s report contains distressing details from the start. as brian thompson arrived early for his meeting, behind him a figure can be seen stepping out of the shadows. the gunman fires at least three rounds before running away —

all caught on cctv video. the police have released this image showing the suspect moving further away from the scene by bike, and this one revealing part of his face. taken, officers say, minutes before the shooting. mr thompson was ceo of unitedhealthcare, this country's biggest health insurer, providing cover for some 30 million americans. as the investigation began, with numbers marking where the shell casings had been recovered, the police said they had little doubt the killing was premeditated. in midtown manhattan 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. after the shooting, the street here was quickly closed off and the police investigation has been continuing all day. and while they say they do not

yet have a motive, significantly, perhaps, mr thompson's wife has given a phone interview to nbc news in which she said her husband had been receiving threats of some kind. and although she didn't go into any detail, that will clearly feed into the investigation. gun crime in new york is lower than the national average and extremely rare in central manhattan. those close by when it happened spoke of their shock. i mean, it's new york. it's kind of, it's not normal here at 8:00 and 7:00 in the morning, but it's pretty scary, huh? i feel so sorry for his family. and no matter whatjob he has, no matter where he worked or what he done, nobody deserves to be murdered. for now, the priority is finding the suspect. police drones, helicopters and dogs, and thousands of cctv cameras are combing the city, street by street, and a reward of $10,000 is being offered for information

that helps to track him down. some experts suggest the images of the weapon showed the gunman was using a silencer, another indication that this was calculated and deliberate. a number of members of the public passing that same spot before mr thomson appeared to be singled out. why would such a successful chief executive of such a well—known company be targeted in this way on the streets of new york? it remains a deep mystery at the moment as well as a personal moment as well as a personal tragedy. his wife issuing a tragedy. his wife issuing a statement on behalf of her and her statement on behalf of her and her two son is saying they are shuttered tragedy. his wife issuing a statement saying alf of her and her tragedy. his wife issuing a to learn of the senseless killing. statement saying theyf her and her tragedy. his wife issuing a statement saying they are ' and her tragedy. his wife issuing a statement saying they are shuttered two son is saying they are shuttered to learn of the senseless killing. thank you. jon sudworth reporting thank you. jon sudworth reporting there. there. the northern ireland secretary has the northern ireland secretary has tonight made a major tonight made a major announcement relating to how announcement relating to how investigations are carried out investigations are carried out into killings in northern ireland into killings in northern ireland during the 30—year period known during the 30—year period known as the troubles, a period as the troubles, a period of political and sectarian violence. of political and sectarian violence. let's go straight to our let's go straight to our correspondent chris page — correspondent chris page —

what's hilary benn announced. what's hilary benn announced. reeta, this is one of the most reeta, this is one of the most complex and contentious issues that complex and contentious i55ues reeta, this is one of the most complex and contentious issues that any westminster government will have any westminster government will have to deal with in relation to northern to deal with in relation to northern ireland. how should the hundreds of ireland. how should the hundreds of unsolved killings from the conflict unsolved killings from the conflict known as the troubles we known as the troubles we investigated? the last government investigated? the last government set up a new commission to focus on 5et investigated? the last government set up a new investigated? the last government setup a new commission to focus on gathering information about the gathering information about the death during the years of violence death during the years �*violence from the late 19605 to the late 19905. and one of the most controversial aspects of that legislation passed by the conservatives wa5 legislation passed by the conservatives was a provision to give a conditional amne5ty to suspects who cooperated with the commission. tonight in the commons, northern ireland secretary hilary benn 5aid northern ireland secretary hilary benn said he would be removing that measure and he is also going to allow inquests and civil court cases linked to the conflict to continue,

the previous comment had planned to scrap them. as a personal

gathering information about the death during the yeai againstence gathering information about the death during the yeai against the: its decision to appeal against the judgment about the disclosure of sensitive information by the commission to bereaved relative5. thank you. chris page reporting there. 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 collap5e5 at two hospitals where she worked. letby, from hereford, is currently serving a whole life sentence after being convicted at manchester crown court for murdering seven babies and trying to kill seven others at the countess of chester ho5pital. her lawyer says she "continues to maintain her innocence". a multi—billion dollar international money—laundering operation has been exposed by the national crime agency. 84 people have been arrested so far, 71 of them in the uk. the criminal operation stretches across 30 countries, but is run primarily from moscow and has been fuelling the street drugs market here. it's been described as the biggest

success against organised crime money—laundering in a decade. dominic ca5ciani reports. this was the moment during the pandemic that set off a worldwide investigation. arrested in london, fawad saeidi was carrying £250,000 in cash. he was one of many couriers moving dirty money for drugs gangs and the police soon found they were linked back to russia. another day, another exchange, watched by a surveillance team. the two men walk off with the money. the gang in the car who handed it over, receive an online transfer of cryptocurrency. many of the couriers were under the direction of this russian woman, yekaterina zhdanova. as the lockdowns bit and criminals found it harder to move cash, her network and another made them a multi—billion dollar offer they couldn't refuse. 71 couriers have been arrested in the past three years across the uk. investigators saw them receiving bags of cash from gangs and providing the equivalent

in cryptocurrency. one gang picked up cash from 22 different groups in 55 places nationwide. now the cryptocurrency was provided by exchange networks overseen by yekaterina budanova and this man george rossi and his associate elena chirkinyan. they've been sanctioned today by the us government. they and others had access to billions of dollars of funds from ransomware attacks orchestrated from russia. so for every £1 million the couriers received, the controllers in moscow sent the gangs $1 million in crypto. the gangs used that to buy drugs from south american cartels. the russian gangs took a commission as their network, laundered the cash through bogus companies and moved it around the world, and eventually it could be banked with its criminal origins obscured. we see violence, extortion and coercion in communities in the uk caused by the drug trade. there is a straight line between those harms and the money

generated from drug sales, and the extortion from ransomware. that's what we're attacking and that's why it matters. the nca says the network, based in moscow's business district, helped 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 and george rossi. i'm really sorry. i don't think i know anyone, um, in this building. if investigators know where the leaders of the network are, they're not saying, for now. independent experts say the nca has struck a blow in the global cat and mouse game, but it's far from over. i think this russian network has been smashed and it was clearly hugely significant. and i think it sends out a real warning shot to other networks operating in the uk that law enforcement actually do have the resources and the skills to be able to track down these networks and break them.

but there's 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. dominic ca5ciani, bbc news. in georgia, at least two opposition politicians have been forcibly detained outside a hotel in central tbilisi, shortly after their leaders, who had gathered inside, called for a national strike. there was a tense confrontation between them and a large number of police. tbilisi has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling georgian dream party claimed victory in parliamentary elections in october, denounced by opposition groups as rigged. thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest outside parliament, demanding fresh elections.

and, after a day of political turbulence in south korea, opposition mp5 there have introduced a motion to impeach president yoon for attempting to impose martial law — they accuse him of violating the constitution. the country's largest trade union has launched what it's calling an indefinite general strike, saying that more than a million members will only return to work when the president resigns. our asia correspondent laura bicker reports from the capital, seoul. cheering this candle lit cam 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. 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. 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. in the 19705 and �*805, groups of students in seoul took on dictators, often clashing with riot police and risking their lives. their defiance and resilience helped south korea become a democratic country. 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.

masterchef presenter john torode has said he's found the recent allegations against his co—host gregg wallace "truly upsetting". he added that the "thought of anyone who has "appeared on our show not having a brilliant "experience is awful to hear". his comments came after gregg wallace stepped back, amid an investigation into ongoing allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour, which he denies. the ghostwriter of greg wallace 5 2012 autobiography has claimed he sexually harassed her. shannon kyle spoke to victoria derbyshire for tonight's newsnight. yes, she was 35 at the time, and she was writing gregg wallace's memoir, and she told bbc newsnight that the masterchef presenter answered the door wearing only a tower which she later dropped, touched inappropriately, and made revolting and sickening sexualised suggestions to her. fiend

and sickening sexualised suggestions to her. �* ., , , to her. and then he dropped the towel. in front _ to her. and then he dropped the towel. in front of _ to her. and then he dropped the towel. in front of you? - to her. and then he dropped the towel. in front of you? yes, - to her. and then he dropped the towel. in front of you? yes, so l to her. and then he dropped the towel. in front of you? yes, so i | towel. in front of you? yes, so i had a notebook _ towel. in front of you? yes, so i had a notebook and _ towel. in front of you? yes, so i had a notebook and i _ towel. in front of you? yes, so i had a notebook and i said, - towel. in front of you? yes, so i had a notebook and i said, just l towel. in front of you? yes, so i l had a notebook and i said, just go and get _ had a notebook and i said, just go and get dressed, and then he did, he went off— and get dressed, and then he did, he went offand— and get dressed, and then he did, he went off and get dressed. what and get dressed, and then he did, he went off and get dressed.— went off and get dressed. what did ou think went off and get dressed. what did you think was _ went off and get dressed. what did you think was going _ went off and get dressed. what did you think was going on? _ went off and get dressed. what did you think was going on? at - went off and get dressed. what did you think was going on? at that. you think was going on? at that oint i you think was going on? at that point i thought. _ you think was going on? at that point i thought, this _ you think was going on? at that point i thought, this is - you think was going on? at that point i thought, this isjust - you think was going on? at that point i thought, this isjust a . you think was going on? at that point i thought, this isjust a bit of a nightmare job, essentially. lawyers— of a nightmare job, essentially. lawyers representing gregg wallace said our client has denied he has engage in any such behaviour and he specifically denies any sexual misconduct with m5 kyle. you can watch the full interview tonight on newsnight in about eight minutes. thank you. scotland 5 finance secretary has used her budget to announce her intention to scrap the two child benefit cap, which currently means families can claim some benefits only for their first two children. shona robison urged the westminster government to work with her

to implement the change. she also pledged that health and social care funding would rise sharply to £21 billion. she unveiled tax relief for most hospitality businesses, and promised no income tax rises before the next holyrood elections in 2026. our scotland editor james cook reports. 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. miss 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. thank you. labour didn't say they would vote against the budget, but they didn't sound impressed. 1 in 6 scots on an nhs waiting list. schools are 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, 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. she's the queen of fashion —

anna wintour — the editor—in—chief of vogue for nearly a0 years. and she's the driving force 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 the lightroom in kings cross in london and our 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 the... you see right at the beginning... at the start it is very elitist, you had to be invited, and now everyone can come to the party, which is 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, wintour�*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 short—sightedness? 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. 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? or has the world changed? well, i think ozempic has changed a lot, but i think... would you tell them to take ozempic? 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. wanting to know what to wear with the weather over the next few days, layers and something waterproof is probably the best thing because we are going to see the weather pendulum swinging from wet and windy to bright and breezy from time to time, and this is the first batch of heavy rain moving its way steadily east, it will clear away over the midlands and the south—east and some of it quite heavy, quite a clearance behind it but the wind strengthening over the far north and west of scotland. gale force gusts likely to greet you tomorrow morning, but not as cold start as the morning just passed but tomorrow we have the breezy and wet weather easing away,

not a bad day for many, actually, but the next area of low pressure starting to push in from the west and the winds continue to strengthen as well. in terms of the feel of the weather, 8—14, relatively mild, even the temperatures are set to swing the temperatures are set to swing the other way over the next couple of days. on thursday and into friday, heavy 1442 00:29