welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. in the last hour, the south korean president, yoon suk yeol, has made a defiant speech, saying he will not resign and keep fighting to stay in control of the country until the very last minute. in a long and sometimes rambling speech on thursday morning, president yoon lashed out at his political opponents, referring to the opposition as a "monster that destroys the constitutional order

"of liberal democracy". i appeal to you all, you know in the path of protecting the republic of korea and our liberal democracy that we have guided with blood and sweat. i will fight with the people until the very last minute. his latest comments come after an estimated 50,000 people turned out in seoul to call for his removal or resignation on wednesday night over his botched attempt to impose martial law last week. police tried and failed to enter the president's office to seize documents as part of their investigation into president yoon. they were held up by his guards for hours, who refused to let the police in to conduct a raid. local media reported that, eventually, a limited number of documents were handed

over to the police. police have also been questioning members of his government over the events of last week. i'm spoke to henry haggard, senior associate and member of the korea chair at the centre for security, diplomacy and strategy of the brussels school of governance. i think what stood out here is just how out of touch what he said is with what's actually going on. steve, what's going on is he declared martial law, he tried to turn the country back 45 years — a country that a bastion of liberal democracy, a country that has had peaceful transfers of power from liberal to conservative to liberal to conservative in the past 30 years. he's out of touch with that reality, and the pitch he made — that there was some vital danger to the country — that's a pitch that he, as president, could is and should have made directly to the people. south korea has a vibrant press

that he could have made that appeal directly to the people without declaring martial law. 0nce he's declared martial law, this whole argument now no longer holds water. he did say it was needed to investigate the election commission into north korean interference. are all these statements sort of seen as moves to cling onto power? listen, the most important thing is the korean people are — they have turned the page on any nostalgia for the authoritarian past by firmly and clearly saying that they don't want martial law, by going out on the streets and saying they don't want martial law. any rational observer of the situation sees that yoon will — in some way or another, according to the korean politic — will, in some way or another, step aside because of what he has done. so his claims, what he's

appealing to the people, the pitch he's making that the opposition is "dangerous" — itjust doesn'tjibe with what outside observers sees, with what the united states sees. the united states sees there's an opposition party, a ruling party, and they switch, and each time there has been a switch, the president and comes in. and what does each president do? they aim to be a good partner for the united states. they aim to have a solid alliance with the united states. just as president yoon has done. he's been a champion of the alliance. butjust as his predecessor was, and just as i'm confident his successor will be. if there are issues with north korea, if there are issues with an election system, korea is well—equipped to handle this. korea is a vibrant society that engages in political debate on a day—to—day basis. it's very vigorous. and to say that the only way to deal with it is to declare martial law — itjust doesn't make sense to anyone who's been

watching south korea for the past decades. president yoon has survived one attempt of impeachment. do you think that support internally from his party, the ppp, is waning? i mean, his party — the party leader has said that he wouldn't support the president in the next vote. there already have been — i don't know if they're up to the required amount but, if not, they're close. most experts assume that the impeachment motion will pass on saturday. but again, that's up to the korean people to make their decision of how to manage the situation. i'm confident that they will. i'm confident that this willjust be a blip — fortunately or unfortunately, south korea has experience in this kind of tumultuous, you know, rough—and—tumble political environment. and thanks to that, korea was able to leave

its authoritarian past behind. thanks to that, it's been able to have peaceful transfers of power. thanks to that, there is a vigorous debate about all of the issues of today — from north korea to china to technology to the united states. that's what i expect from south korea. that's what south korea delivers time and time again. so president yoon�*s pitchjust rings hollow, and you have to think that perhaps he's just making a plea not to the korean people — which, again, he could have and should have done before the martial law movement — but perhaps he's making a pitch to his most fervent supporters to try and keep in power. i think he knows that the dye has cast and that, likely, the next vote will not be in his favour. and joining us now is our correspondentjim mckenzie. we heard from henry talking about

the next impeachment mode, the winner when that is scheduled to take place? the winner when that is scheduled to take place?— to take place? the opposition wanted to _ to take place? the opposition wanted to hold _ to take place? the opposition wanted to hold the _ to take place? the opposition . wanted to hold the impeachment vote on five o'clock saturday, they are tabling it today. 0pposition members have been talking since we heard of the speech about potentially bringing it forward by the moment we don't have the second attempt to impeach the president. 0n boat last saturday at 5pm when the president �*s own mps boycotted the vote. the party has come out and said it is now time for his mps to vote to remove him from office because it is clear he is not going to stand down on his own and we don't yet know how many will follow these orders or how many will stay loyal to the president. they only need eight boats to

impeach him. it does seem likely they will get them. we believe that they are, having a few problems of the audio. == few problems of the audio. -- will leave _ few problems of the audio. —— will leave it there. we turn now to the middle east. shops are reopening and people returning to work in the syrian capital damascus, three days after the fall of the assad regime. but many people across the country want to see revenge for the atrocities that happened under bashar al—assad's rule. rebel fighters have broken into the tomb of the former president, hafez al—assad, bashar�*s father — in the family's hometown in northwestern syria. images show a coffin and parts of the mausoleum on fire. and large crowds formed in a suburb of the capital damascus, for what they believed would be a public execution of one of the former president's henchmen. there are some disturbing images injeremy bowen's report.

but the assad family was in power in syria long before these children's parents were even born. 0ver more than half a century, a lot of anger built up, and it is being released. sometimes politely by quiet families at the former president's home. it was looted after the assads fled — the end of what must have been an elegant lifestyle. now the house is secured by victorious fighters from hayat tahrir al—sham, hts. they borrowed the fighters' guns for photos. until a few days ago, they wouldn't have dared to look through the gate. the visitors were still getting used to living without fear of the regime. translation: people were living in hell- and he was in his palace. he didn't care about what they were going through. he made them live in fear, hunger and humiliation. even after we entered damascus, people would only whisper to us

because they were still afraid. anger at the assads is a family affair. much stronger revenge was on the minds of the crowd in tadamon, a quarter of damascus that suffered grievously. their fury against bashar al—assad deepened in 2013, when military intelligence operatives forced at least 41 local men into a mass grave and shot them dead. there's a video. that's one of the killers. another, abu muntajab, is being held near here, and the people had come to watch him being hanged. imagine if someone knocked on your door and brought you by force, and didn't tell you anything, the reason of why you are getting killed. throughout the afternoon, more and more people arrived until thousands blocked the streets.

when rumours flew around that the execution was starting, the crowd surged back and forth, jostling for the best position, not wanting to miss a thing. the man they wanted hanged had been the local boss, a thief as well as a killer. "he stole my house and money," said muna. translation: of course i want him dead. - i would have done it myself with my own hands, but i couldn't find a way. i wanted to kill him! somehow, they decided the execution was happening down the street, and stampeded. if syria's new rulers do not want change to be measured in blood, they will need to control the desire for revenge. there's a real strong sense of excitement, expectation, anger, as well. they want to see this man dead. they don't just want justice to be done, they want to see it

being done — notjust because of his crimes, but because of the boundless cruelty of the assad regime. the revolution won! after 14 years... we just want justice! in the end, there was no execution — at least not yet. it was probably a rumour, but thousands wanted it to be true. when the weight of dictatorship is lifted, powerful forces are unleashed. how they're dealt with shapes what comes next. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. aleppo was the first major city to be captured by the rebels including islamic state that used to control vast swathes of the country. our syria correspondent frank gardner has been looking at the threats as

group imposes. they both like to exploit the current situation if they could. it is easier to forget this now but nine years ago the self—proclaimed isis caliphate was at the height of its power and controlled around a third of syria governing and repressing millions of people. it was defeated after five years by u.s.—led multinational coalition and today the map of syria looks a bit like this. a patchwork of different spheres of control. hds in red, the kurds in purple and so one. the white area in the centre is what is known as the empty desert. where the surviving remnants of isis are mostly hiding out. getting

periodically bombed by us forces that are still keeping an outpost down on the border. up an outpost down on the border. up in the northeast corner in the kurdish area is where isis prisoners are being held. the fear is what would happen if they broke out. there are number include britons that went off tojoin number include britons that went off to join isis. these prison camps are a tinderbox, they are angry, overcrowded and isis has long made it top priority to break its captives out of there. that is a possibility if the syrian kurds guiding them have to abandon those camps to flee from attacks from their enemy turkiye. there is another potential threat from isis. that is if it manages to infiltrate the new government. don't forget the victorious rebels hds are is limits, previously linked to al-qaeda but experts doubt they would

make this mistake. hds has evolved from a group that was very much on the same side as isis to a group that has been fighting isis over the years. and the pragmatism of hds means it is not in its interest to see syria turn into another iteration of the islamic state. while finally there is always the underlying risk that isis or al-qaeda could exploit the general confusion in syria by carrying out attacks. the new government in syria will have to be extra vigilant. the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, says the events in syria showed signs of hope for palestinians and their right to self—determination. israel says it thinks there is a chance for a deal to release all the hostages held by hamas in gaza — and reports from cairo say there's been growing optimism for an agreement. but idf strikes on gaza are continuing. gaza's civil defence agency said wednesday that an overnight israeli air strike in the northern part of the territory

killed at least 22 people, including women and children. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. the father and stepmother of ten—year—old sara sharif have been found guilty of her murder after subjecting her to "horrific suffering" for more than two years. sara was hooded, burned and beaten during a campaign of abuse before her body was found with dozens of injuries at the family's home in woking, surrey, last year. police investigating possible crimes linked to the post office horizon it scandal are looking at dozens of potential suspects. hundreds of postmasters were wrongly prosecuted after the faulty horizon software showed money missing from their branch accounts. police are looking into the role of post office and fujitsu employees.

farming leaders drove tractors through westminster on wednesday, urging ministers to consult with them before making changes to agricultural inheritance tax. some farms had previously been exempt, but the new budget imposes a 20% inheritance tax on some assets, half the normal rate. sir keir starmer insists the vast majority of farmers won't be affected. you're live with bbc news. rather than a formal vote, applause was used to measure support. to be the joint hosts of the men's 2030 world cup. human rights agencies warn that the decision risks the exploitation of migrant workers who will build the infrastructure for the tournament. they also warn that some fans

could be discriminated against. spain, portugal and morocco were also confirmed by fifa to be the joint hosts of the men's 2030 world cup. 0ur sports editor has more. saudi arabia has been tightening its grip on world sport, spending billions to become a destination for major events. but today, fifa delivered the prize it craved most. i confirm that the host of the fifa world cup world cup 2034 will be... ..saudi arabia! applause. with the inevitable victory confirmed, these the scenes in riyadh. with fifa cosying up to the saudis in recent years and a fast—tracked process appearing to pave the way for them, this had been a formality since last year, when it emerged that their bid would be unopposed. earlier, in a highly controlled virtual meeting, at its zurich headquarters, members of fifa's congress encouraged to vote with applause. saudi arabia's ambitious plans involve i! new stadia, including one 350 metres above

the ground in the futuristic and still to be built desert city of neom. but with the world cup, like neighbouring qatar's, two years ago, set to be staged in winter to avoid the extreme summer heat, there are concerns over its impact on a congested football calendar, on the environment and on human rights. workers will be exploited. many will die. activists may be put in prison for criticising what is happening. fans risk discrimination. the saudis deny they're sportswashing the country's human rights record. any country around the world has room for improvement. no—one's perfect and we acknowledge that, and we are reforming, and these events help us reform. norway's football federation abstained from today's acclamation, but the fa were among many others to support the saudis, saying it had assurances that gay fans would be welcome at the world cup. despite the controversy, saudi's sporting revolution gathers pace. dan roan, bbc news.

human trafficking is a global primer on the rise. in 2022 nearly 75,000 victims of human trafficking were detected around the world. its latest global report published today it says there has been a 25% rise in the detection of victims compared to the period before the pandemic. most women and children. we have gained a present access to entertainment hopping women rebuild their lives. this detective and her unit have spent months preparing for this moment. but tonight it is likely to happen quickly.

translation: it likely to happen quickly. translation:— likely to happen quickly. translation: , , translation: it is minutes, seconds even _ translation: it is minutes, seconds even before - translation: it is minutes, | seconds even before entering the property but feels like an eternity. they say that increasingly more victims are lauded to travel to spain from overseas and are being caught in to exploitation. tonight �*s rate has success but this is only the visible part of a vast criminal world. christina worked for anna leat for us and spend a fight organised crime and rescue traffic victims. their investigations show sex trafficking has gone further on the round after the pandemic.

while many victims are still exploited in borris and on the street, they say most women are now capped in private apartments provided by criminals.— apartments provided by criminals. ~ ., , criminals. when you go inside these places _ criminals. when you go inside these places and _ criminals. when you go inside these places and see - criminals. when you go inside these places and see the - these places and see the conditions in which victims had to work and live for so long, it is horrifying. it to work and live for so long, it is horrifying.— it is horrifying. it is so distressing _ it is horrifying. it is so distressing and - it is horrifying. it is so distressing and oftenl it is horrifying. it is so i distressing and often did it is horrifying. it is so - distressing and often did job makes — distressing and often did job makes you sick. distressing and often did 'ob makes you sicki distressing and often did 'ob makes you sick. victoria from columbia _ makes you sick. victoria from columbia was _ makes you sick. victoria from columbia was rescued - makes you sick. victoria from columbia was rescued from . makes you sick. victoria from i columbia was rescued from the teams of one of these flats after a gang forced into prostitution for three years. i had to sleep with my make—up on and also always be in your underwear ready for any customer that will arrive. the olice customer that will arrive. the police investigation is now over but the officers that rescued victoria continued to support her. translation: we believe support her. translation: - believe in social and humanitarian process that can restore help in victims lives of so they can truly recover

and live passionately again. victoria asked the bbc to be referred to under that name because it means victory in spanish. i because it means victory in sanish. ., because it means victory in spanish-— because it means victory in sanish. ., ., ., , spanish. i go out on the street and breathe — spanish. i go out on the street and breathe and _ spanish. i go out on the street and breathe and say _ spanish. i go out on the street and breathe and say god, - spanish. i go out on the streetl and breathe and say god, thank you, i am alive. ifeel free and that is the best feeling. let's look at some other stories. president—elect donald trump has invited chinese president xijinping to attend his inauguration injanuary. the bbc�*s us media partner cbs news is reporting mr trump invited xi in early november, shortly after the election. it is not clear whether he has accepted the invitation. firefighters in southern california are writing to contain a 4000 acre wildfire. residents evacuated homes after more than a dozen buildings were damaged or burnt down and

more than 2 million other residents also under a fire warning. doctors treating the brazilian president say he will undergo further surgery. president say he will undergo furthersurgery. he president say he will undergo further surgery. he had an emergency operation earlier this week to drain blood from his brain after suffering a haemorrhage. scientists say a humpback whale made one of the longest and most unusual migrations ever recorded. an astonishing journey from colombia to zanzibar, distance of more than 8000 miles. 0ur environment correspondent has the story. the wandering whale was first seen in the pacific ocean off colombia, popping up several years later in the indian ocean near zanzibar, an astonishing journey that's left scientists baffled. what normally happens is humpbacks learn their migration route from their mother by following her in the early years of their life, and then stick to that migration route for their whole life.

and so we don't know whether this is an animal that's somehow been motivated to go on a longerjourney, or has simply made a mistake or failed to learn the migration route adequately to be able to do it itself. humpback whales are known for their long migrations, feeding near the poles and breeding in warmer waters, but this male's journey was even more spectacular — involving two distant breeding grounds. one theory is that climate change is altering the abundance of the tiny shrimp—like krill humpback whales feed on, forcing him to go further in search of food. or he could have been crossing oceans in search of a mate. helen briggs, bbc news. hello. well, most of us are in for another cold and grey day. there will be some sunshine around, mostly across scotland, but as far as the rest

of the week's concerned, broadly speaking, it's more or less the same. now, let's have a look at the big picture across the uk. this is what we had earlier on — extensive cloud within an area of high pressure, very light winds to move things around, but in the centre of that high, a frost has developed, mostly across scotland, the very far north of england, and in one or two other areas pockets of frost possible, too. but as far as england's concerned, with a breeze coming off the north sea, it's actually going to be, relatively speaking, quite mild, six in london, compared to —4 in glasgow, early in the morning on thursday. so here's that sunshine, early sunshine across scotland, the highlands, the lowlands, the southern uplands, too. there'll be a few glimmers of brightness developing through the course of the afternoon across northern ireland, wales and the south—west, but as far as much of england's concerned, it's grey, gloomy, drizzly mist and hill fog, not very pleasant, and temperatures typically around eight celsius, so actually close to the average, but it will feel cold, because there's just so little sunshine, and still that nagging breeze.

now, into friday, not much changes, but the high pressure does tend to slip away a little bit further to the east. that will allow this weather front to make some progress, so it does mean some spots of rain across western and north—western scotland, but for the vast majority of us, i'm afraid friday's going to be another grey day, with just limited sunshine, and the temperatures once again hovering around, say, six to eight celsius, so hats, gloves, and, of course, thick coats. as we go through the course of the weekend, we are anticipating slightly milder weather to reach us, but it won't establish itself across the uk until next week. so as far as saturday's concerned, still pretty chilly, but at least we've got some sunshine to look forward to. in fact, much of the uk on saturday is going to be a much brighter and more cheerful day. sunday, the breeze will pick up, and it'll push in thick cloud across the country, and, yes, some sunshine around, but mostly cloudy, but look at the temperatures starting to rise. we're into double figures by the time we get to sunday, and here's our outlook into the week ahead. you'll notice these values rising through monday, temperatures up to about i!

celsius, particularly noticeable in the north. bye— bye.

big tech stocks rally on hopes of an interest rate cut — as inflation rises in line with expectations. president biden moves

to hike tariffs on china. we'll look at how us—china trade tensions could impact asia in 2025. hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. shares of big us tech companies rallied on wednesday after the latest inflation report boosted hopes of an interest rate cut next week. the latest data showed that prices rose 27% in november compared to the year before in line with what analysts were predicting. the market reacted positively to the news with the nasdaq topping 20,000 points for the first time. inflation generally has cooled throughout 2024—bit concerns around the cost of living have been a hot button issue. economist paul grunwald gives his reading on the latest data. we are going sideways right now. maybe the one piece of good news was the shelter