live from london. this is bbc news. mps in south korea vote to impeach president yoon in a successful second attempt to remove him from office, after he tried to impose martial law. tens of thousands of people — both for and against the president — have taken to the streets of the capital seoul as the results of the vote were announced. georgia's political crisis is set to deepen as governing party mps are to vote to replace the current pro—european president, who's refusing to leave office. prince andrew says he "ceased

all contact" with a businessman week that failed. here was the moment the results of the impeachmen vote was announced. 204 in favour, out of 300, against is 85. and i announce it has passed.

these were the jubilant scenes as tens of thousands of protestors — who had gathered outside the national assembly — received the news. people have been singing �*into the new world' by k—pop group �*girls generation' as fireworks broke out overhead. speaking in an address to the south korean people after the vote, mr yoon asked politicians to improve the political culture in the country away from confrontation — while also urging support for the acting president. laura bicker — who for many years was our seoul correspondent and is watching events in beijing — spoke to us a little earlier about this historic moment... huge moment. for the last 12 days, south korea has been in political turmoil. they watched in horror as on that tuesday night, late at night, president yoon declared martial law. now, that sent chills through a country that had for decades fought authoritarian rule. for many of the young people on the streets that you are seeing partying now, their parents, their grandparents fought for democracy. some of them died for democracy. and here they are once again

defending it on the streets. and that is how they see it. those parties will continue well into the night. now, when it came to this impeachment vote last week, they tried — the opposition party — tried to push towards impeachment. but president yoon's own party, the ruling party, boycotted the vote. there was huge disappointment, but over the last week the pressure has gone up, the mood has changed. and that is because more details about what happened that night have emerged. we've heard that president yoon had ordered that the leaders of the opposition and the chairman of his own party, along with many other members of the national assembly would be rounded up by the army and put in a detention centre. president yoon himself stayed quiet most of the week and then made an impassioned plea on thursday, saying he would fight until the end. it became increasingly clear to his own party that he would not step down, that he would not resign and that he would have

to be impeached. and that is what has led to this vote. and laura, people listening to what you've been saying may well wonder what on earth was yoon thinking? because surely this was a gamble that was set to fail. this was a huge political gamble. look, the question that we've been trying to answer for, for since he declared martial law is what on earth was he thinking? i think you have to look at where president yoon comes from. he was not a politician. he was a prosecutor. and he rose to prominence by prosecuting two former presidents. and then he won an election. but only just. it was by less than a 1%, about 0.7%, 0.8%. so he didn't really have the kind of power that he hoped for right from the start. he struggled with the opposition party,

and he struggled within his own party to get anything done. increasingly isolated, he has felt, and certainly seems to have been, listening to conspiracy theories about rigged elections. and also he feels that he's up against constant forces that he believes are pro—north korean voices. and he believes that the only way to get rid of those voices was to declare martial law. that was certainly his defence. so it gives you an insight into what he was thinking. it has to be said that there is absolutely no evidence for those claims whatsoever. even his own party do not agree with him when it comes to those claims about rigged elections and pro—communist forces. so that is what perhaps he was thinking. now he will no longer be president. he will be stripped of his powers. he will go to the prime minister. and the next steps are that this decision has to be ratified and reviewed by the constitutional court. if the court decides, and this could take many months, if the court decides that it is constitutional, then another presidential

election will be called. here's our seoul correspondent, jean mckenzie, who has been with the cheering crowds outside the national assembly. as soon as the result was announced, an enormous street party erupted. we have been talking to them and they are celebrating victory. that is what they were out here fighting for. that is what they were out here hiding today when president yoon imposed martial law here almost two weeks ago now. he served south korea, the biggest threat to its democracy that it has faced in its 35 year history. and for now, it's passed

because the politicians have listened to people on the street. they have listened to what people wanted. the vote only passed by four votes, so 12 ruling party mps voting with the opposition. this means that the president is immediately suspended from his duties and the prime minister will take over running the country. but it doesn't mean that mr yoon is gone for good. the decision on whether to impeach him now moves to the constitutional court, which has six months to decide. if the court rules in favour of his impeachment, then he is out and south korea will hold new elections, but if not, return to power. and mr yoon has made clear that he is going to fight this until the very end. he is a lawyer by trade. he knows the system inside out and he is not going to go quietly. but tonight, this is a huge victory for everybody who's come out to the streets day after day to protest for him to be removed. not everybody will be celebrating today. our reporter yuna ku has been hearing from president yoon's supporters who have been gathered outside seoul city hall. have a listen. here i stand in central seoul, a few kilometres away from the national assembly. here the anger and disappointment are

palpable after the assembly voted to pass the impeachment bill against the president. tens of thousands of ante impeachment protesters are together here to express their outrage over the recent proceedings. the cross chant of this assemble, this ruling the crowds chant of this assemble, this ruling party, many people immediately leaving the location, expressing their deep frustration. many of these demonstrator are staunch supporters of the president and the conservative party. largely although citizens with more direct experience of the korean war and north korean provocation. they believe that the declaration of martial law was necessary for national security, as the president himself explained. this is a stark contract to the scene unfolding outside the national assembly, where people have been urging lawmakers to pass the impeachment bill and the president's resignation. they seem to represent

the majority of the public who, according to various polls on the president has meant decisions to declare martial law and support the impeachment. but whether here or outside the national assembly, these demonstrations reflect a society wrestling with questions of justice and democracy. malene jensen, east asia analyst and journalist at the danish newspaper weekendavisen told me she believes this could damage the ruling party. ido i do believe the ruling party will suffer some kind of loss due to this. it is highly likely that the next election in south korea, the democratic party will get the post. however, it is worth noting that the people's power party had a with presidents who are put in front of... put in jailand

are put in front of... put in jail and put are put in front of... put in jailand put in are put in front of... put in jail and put in front of prosecutions. just in 2017, their past a leader was put in prison for 25 years for corruption. so it is not the new for this party.- corruption. so it is not the new for this party. and what ha--ens new for this party. and what happens now? _ new for this party. and what happens now? we _ new for this party. and what happens now? we have - new for this party. and what | happens now? we have been hearing from some protesters who say that while they are celebrating this moment that the fight isn't over and they are waiting to see what the court's adjustment will be before things are finalised. i think a lot of south koreans see this as some kind of victory for democracy. south korea is a country that has a history of a lot of military coups and a lot of presidents have been involved in corruption cases and have been assassins or committed suicide so it definitely has a very political and chaotic and violent history. so the fact that yoon tried to post martial law unveiled is seen as a huge

victory for the korean people. protesters had been united, haven't they, by the single goal of removing yoon wins how likely do you think they are to rally around whoever his might be? , . ., rally around whoever his might be? , ., ., be? sorry, can you ask that one more time? _ be? sorry, can you ask that one more time? protesters - be? sorry, can you ask that one more time? protesters have - more time? protesters have unified around _ more time? protesters have unified around this - more time? protesters have unified around this one - more time? protesters have unified around this one goal| more time? protesters have i unified around this one goal to remove yoon from the presidency. how likely are they to be united and rally around whoever replaces him? i think that is very — whoever replaces him? i think that is very difficult _ whoever replaces him? i think that is very difficult to - whoever replaces him? i think that is very difficult to say. . that is very difficult to say. the south korean population is not known to be that unified at all. if you look at south korea there was a lot of issues right now and it is very polarised in the debate about, for example, lgbt plus, gender equality and work. we have a lot of seniors who are very poor and have bad working conditions. so south

korea is not really known to be unified country at all. so i think it is unlikely that the population will now vote in the next president who may well be completely opposed. i think it will be very divided. to georgia now where the country's political crisis is set to deepen with a former manchester city footballer set be appointed president by georgia's disputed parliament to replace the current pro—european president who's refusing to leave office. friday saw the 16th successive day of mass pro—eu demonstrations sparked by georgian dream delaying accession talks. mikheil saakashvili, is a former georgian deam mp and the only candidate for thejob. this is the scene live outside the parliament parliament building. the four main opposition groups have rejected him and have boycotted parliament, insisting that the elections

held in october were rigged. earlier i caught up with political scientist and democracy practitioner — amy eaglestone. georgian citizens believe in their european identity. they've long identified as europeans, and polling suggests that over the past 20 years, over 85% of georgians have consistently supported eu integration. at the same time, the georgian dream government came to power in 2012 and they promised more eu integration. they promised more democracy and they really only paid lip service to it in the meantime. so there's also a lot of frustration with the current government. and what role has the eu played in all this? because we have heard response from them, haven't we? we've heard their comments on the way the ruling party, the government has reacted to protesters. um, yeah. so before the protests and the elections, the eu has been working with the georgian government for a long time on eu integration. the eu sets a number of requirements before integration can be moved forward.

and the georgian government's really failed to meet those requirements every time. um, so the eu has spoken out against these elections, um, against these elections, and has agreed with domestic and international monitors that they were not free and fair. but at the same time, the hungarian president 0rban visited the georgian dream government, in essence in support of them, while meps visited in support of the protesters, and macron has also spoken out in support of the protesters. so up until now they've played a reasonably, low level role in this crisis. and, amy, how tenable do you think the government, the ruling party's position is because these protests have been going on for a long time, haven't they? yes. so the thing is, with the georgian dream, uh,

it's been in office for over ten years. and during those ten years, it slowly progressed its hold on the state. so it's captured the state. so it's captured the state in essence, it controls the judiciary, the legislature, and many other, what should be independent, democratic, institutions. so they have a very strong position. and i think if they continue down this road of, of repression, they have a strong chance of being able to stay in power. prince andrew says he "ceased all contact" with a businessman accused of being a chinese spy after concerns were raised by the government. in a statement, the duke of york said the pair met through "official channels" and had never discussed anything of a "sensitive nature". the man in question lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the uk on national security grounds. graham satchell reports. once again, prince andrew is underfire. hisjudgment called into question after he was targeted

by a suspected spy working for the chinese communist party. a statement issued by the duke of york's office said the duke of york followed advice from his majesty's government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised. the duke met the individual through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. he is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security. prince andrew has a long history of promoting trade links with china. the revelations that he was in a close working relationship with a man who worked for chinese intelligence have been made public after the man, known only as h6, was barred from the uk on national security grounds. when m15 became suspicious of h6, they searched his phone. they found a letter from prince andrew's senior adviser, dominic hampshire. it said, "outside of the prince's closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on." and in a note he'd written to himself, the alleged spy

said, "manage expectations. "really important to not set too high expectations. "he is in a desperate situation and will grab at anything." in what may be a significant escalation in this story, the times is reporting that the suspected chinese spy attended events here at buckingham palace, at saintjames's palace, and at windsor castle. it raises the question — how much influence did he have at the very highest levels of the british establishment? m15 has become more worried in recent times about china's influence and intelligence gathering in the uk. we see the chinese authorities playing the long game in cultivating contacts to manipulate opinion in china's favour, seeking to co—opt and influence not just prominent parliamentarians from across the political landscape, but people much earlier in their careers and public life, gradually building a debt of obligation.

the chinese embassy has called the allegations of spying a baseless smear, but there are now growing calls from some politicians for h6 to be named in the interests of national security. it was his girlfriend that was the key element in this. prince andrew stopped being a working member of the royal family after details were revealed of his friendship with convicted sex offenderjeffrey epstein. ever since, questions have been asked about how the prince has been funding his 30—room mansion in windsor. and while there is uncertainty about the prince's finances, it is his judgment that has once again come under the closest scrutiny. graham satchell, bbc news. from buckginham palace — our reporter graham satchell has more on the growing number of questions around this case. there are a growing number of questions, i think particularly

about prince andrew whose connections, his contact, his judgment and his finances. we know that because he is no longer a working royal, that he is not getting paid on the way that he used to, but his outgoings are said to be absolutely enormous. he has a 30—room mansion in windsor, has been a concern that he will have been vulnerable to influence and interference from wealthy people or states who may not have his best interests or the nation's best interest at heart. and more broadly, that if the times is right and this alleged spy had access to buckingham palace, and i should say that the palace are not commenting on that the moment, then there is a concern about how far has chinese intelligence infiltrated the broader british establishment. this morning, the former security minister tom tugendhat is saying that he wants an urgent investigation into what he calls a tense act of subversion in buckingham palace. he says that understanding the level of influence and access the chinese have had is really important and vital to know, so that we can make sure this never happens again.

are reported speaking there from buckingham palace. syrians rejoiced late into the night on friday to celebrate their new found freedoms 5 days after a lightning rebel advance ended over 50 years of rule under the assad family. thousands of people packed into the main square in damascus setting off fireworks, sounding their car horns, and waving a new nationalflag — that of the rebel forces. in aleppo, residents danced in the streets and set fire to a huge billboard depicting the assads. diplomatic moves are gathering pace to stabilise the country. jordan is due to host a series of meetings later bringing together arab and international leaders. 0ur international editorjeremy bowen, has more from damascus. this ancient city has seen countless upheavals overfive millennia. for modern syria, though, with its old flag restored, nothing matches the fall of the assads. the end of the first week without an assad in charge since 1970 brought thousands of syrians into the umayyad mosque to thank god for their deliverance. the chant is, "the people want the execution of bashar." the regime's collapse and liberation from assad's

brutal security state are powering a sense of great optimism. for all the people here, this puts the seal on it. this is absolute proof that they have won and the regime has gone. just flying one of these black, white and green flags a couple of weeks ago could have got you arrested, jail time, or even a bullet. the fighters of hayat tahrir al—sham — hts — are still basking in their achievement. that white flag used by syrian islamist fighters was also behind the new prime minister in a broadcast. hts insists it has renounced its former extremist ideology. some syrians do not believe them.

samir, overwhelmed, back from britain after 44 years, is hoping for a tolerant future. it is our country, this is not al—assad country. he is gone now. i don't know how we are going to resolve it. he has been corrupting this country for 50 years, but these are the people who are going to build the country, so wish us luck. everyone in the world. and please, please, leave us alone. leave us alone, 0k? we appreciate your support, but we don't want anyone to interfere with our decisions, what we are going to do. this is their decision. syria's future is full of challenges. hts is an islamist group. what will that mean for girls and women? how do syrians getjustice for the regime's crimes? they meant it when they call for assad's execution before the prayer. their new rulers told them to celebrate the blessed revolution, so they did. syrians understand that it won't be easy to overcome 50

years of dictatorship and 1a years of war. but this was a day to seize and enjoy. thousands converged on umayyad square in the centre of damascus. it is as if an enormous weight has been lifted off a nation. i have never seen so many smiling people in syria. we are free! we are feeling the feelings of freedom! we never feel like this. i want all the world to see us! we are free now. south, north, we are free. the fighters are the heroes now, bringing their kids, posing for photos with other people's, but when the party is over, people need to eat, in an economy smashed by war and corruption. i asked this woman and her daughters what they need. just needed freedom, no taxes, no stolen money taken from us.

we just want to be independent. we want to be an independent people. syria is an independent country. nobody controls us. nobody can rule us, just the syrians themselves. it is too soon for firm answers to syria's problems, but the placards set an agenda — bring the assads to justice, civil rights for all, and syria is for every syrian, no matter who they are. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. america's top diplomat, antony blinken, says he'll work to prevent a resurgence of the islamic state group in syria, following the collapse of the assad regime. he's made an unannounced visit to iraq, where he met the prime minister, mohammed al—sudani, in baghdad. after their talks, mr blinken said iraq understood the dangers of a revitalised i—s, more than any other country. we are determined to make sore that that does not re—emerge. the united

states, and iraq together will have success in taking away what created years ago. and now we can't let it out and we need to make sure that doesn't happen. to make sure that doesn't ha en. ,, to make sure that doesn't happen-— to make sure that doesn't hauen. ,, ,, . . , ., happen. the us secretary of state speaking _ happen. the us secretary of state speaking there. - long distance runners have gathered in antartica to take part in one of the most challenging marathons in the world. held in the union glacier, the antarctic ice marathon is the southern—most athletics event on earth. with the ellsworth mountains as a backdrop, the competitors do laps of the camp, which is situated just 600 miles from the south pole — which has an average wind—chill temperature of minus 20 degrees celsius. rather than than me. you can find out more on our top story by going to the bbc and website where we have been covering the

impeachment vote that successfully ousted the south korean president. more on those stories soon. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. sunshine has made a bit of a reappearance for many today, but still a little on the cool side. that said, temperatures are where they should be this time of year. white colours indicate that on this chart. blues below average. reds above average. just noticed though, from sunday onwards, how the deeper colours start to appear across us and northwest europe. temperatures will be significantly above normal through much of this week, ahead sometimes by around 5 to 7 degrees. the milder air will be coming on the back of this cloud, which was earlier spilling into scotland. northern ireland continue to make it cloudier through the afternoon. grey skies. western scotland north and west and northern ireland, with outbreaks of rain developing away from that, though other than isolated showers, most stay dry. a lot more sunshine for england and wales, especially after that early morning cloud in the south. but as i said, temperatures 5 to 8 degrees around where we should be for this time in the year. but it won't take long before that milder air pushes

in through tonight behind this weatherfront. this is what will bring the rain initially in scotland and northern ireland. before it properly arrives, could be a chilly evening across east anglia and the south east, but there goes those outbreaks of rain. 0ur weather front pushing to all parts through the night into the morning, opening the door to atlantic winds, some rain or drizzle around plenty of cloud and by the end of the night, the start of sunday morning, temperatures higher than they have been by day for the past week or so. now, as you go into sunday, expect a lot more cloud around, grey skies, but there will be some thinning of that, some brighter breaks to the east of high ground across parts of east wales, eastern england, eastern scotland too. the cloud, though, in the north and west of scotland, will be bringing in outbreaks of rain becoming heavy and persistent in the highlands and the winds strengthening, widespread gales in the north of scotland by the end of the day.

but those winds coming in from the southwest mean that temperatures continue to climb 1a degrees in eastern scotland, maybe around torbay as well, significantly above the mid december average. stays mild into monday too, but the rain stays in place in northern scotland, continuing to mount up away from that though. a few more brighter breaks. better chance of some sunshine. temperatures down a little bit on sunday's values, but it still will feel mild. but that rainfall, as i said, continues to mount up in scotland as we go through from sunday through to tuesday. not much rain to the south and the east, but in the northwest of scotland, 150mm is possible in the highlands, especially the western highlands, and that could cause some flooding. so there will be further rain into the early part of next week, staying on the milder side. wednesday the mildest day. cooler but brighter later in the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines... mps in south korea vote to impeach president yoon — in a successful second attempt to remove him from office, after he tried to impose martial law. the prime minister will now serve as acting president. georgia's political crisis is set to deepen as governing party mps are to vote to replace the current pro—european president, who's refusing to leave office. syrians continue to celebrate — days after the ousting of president assad. meanwhile regional leaders are meeting injordan to discuss syria's future. and mystery grows in the us following repeated sightings of drones in several states. the governor of newjersey has urged the government to investigate.

those are your latest headlines here on bbc news. thanks for being with us here on bbc news. let's start with that final headline on the bizarre story in the us. a mystery that has been gripping large parts of country involving drones. the governor of the state of newjersey has written to president biden saying he has growing concerns about repeated drone sightings in recent weeks.