welcome to newsday, i'm steve lai. presidentjoe biden has pardoned his son hunter ahead of his sentencing for firearms and tax offences. the president said his son had been selectively and unfairly prosecuted and argued that raw politics had led to a miscarriage ofjustice. in a statement, president biden said he had committed not to interfere with thejustice department's decision—making, saying: president biden continues...

and ends by saying. there's also been a statement in response from hunter biden, let me bring you some of that: he says: and adds. i'm joined now by sarah krissof, former us federal prosecutor. biden says that hunter wouldn't have been prosecuted if he was not his son? what do you make of that claim? there is a lot of truth in that, these were cases types of crimes that really are not

usually charged. it is very unusual to charge someone for that gun offence essentially lying and buying as they call it in the atf and federal agencies lying on a form about your drug use status in order to buy a weapon. that is a very unusual case to charge and prosecute. similarly with the tax crimes and unusual case to pursue, these are types of cases usually resolved with some kind of civil settlement with the irs not a criminal prosecution. iii with the irs not a criminal prosecution.— with the irs not a criminal prosecution. if you are saying it is an unusual— prosecution. if you are saying it is an unusual thing - prosecution. if you are saying it is an unusual thing to - it is an unusual thing to prosecute the fact the pardon has been made does this set a dangerous precedent? it is not unusual to _ dangerous precedent? it is not unusual to see _ dangerous precedent? it is not unusual to see at _ dangerous precedent? it is not unusual to see at the - dangerous precedent? it is not unusual to see at the end - dangerous precedent? it is not unusual to see at the end of i dangerous precedent? it is not unusual to see at the end of a | unusual to see at the end of a president �*s term, pardons to those close to them. this is not an uncommon thing, it

happens. we know president biden had said over and over again he would not do this but i had surmised a few months ago this was likely going to happen. he put his family first and i am not surprised by that, from the statements —— despite the statements he made publicly he was not going to do this. kash patel, who donald trump plans to nominate as his fbi director, has promised to find and prosecute what he calls deep—state conspirators in the government and media. there's obviously concern over the prospect of legal retribution against trump's opponents — do you think joe biden might issue more pardons, protectively, to try and prevent that? it is very difficult to predict whether —— aware the doj will go to that even under whoever takes the helm eventually, i don't really see the preventative pardons unless

there are certain particular people who joe there are certain particular people whojoe biden thinks will be in the crosshairs, it's hard to imagine he will issue these all—encompassing pardons at this point in his presidency. but there is a concern i think, on both sides here, of the political aisle, about the politicisation of the doj about the politicisation of the do] and the use of it to go after folks for political reasons not proportionate reasons. reasons not proportionate reasons-— reasons. are those fears justified _ reasons. are those fears justified given _ reasons. are those fears justified given what - reasons. are those fears justified given what we l reasons. are those fears - justified given what we have seen play out?— seen play out? what i am concerned _ seen play out? what i am concerned about - seen play out? what i am concerned about really i seen play out? what i am concerned about really asj seen play out? what i am - concerned about really as the destabilisation of the us as people do not have faith that these institutions, these law—enforcement institutions that are long story will protect them, bring cases fairly and justly and without fear or favour.

fairly and justly and without fear orfavour. that fairly and justly and without fear or favour. that leads to really a broader destabilisation of the us. i think it is important for donald trump, important for him, i don't know he will do that, but important for him to try to restore some sort of faith in these institutions and believe that while imperfect they are the best that we have, and they are still lots of people who are trying to do the right thing. people who are trying to do the right thing-— right thing. let's take you down the _ right thing. let's take you down the road _ right thing. let's take you down the road then - right thing. let's take you down the road then aboutj right thing. let's take you - down the road then about what the trunk presidency could look like. we know from the past how he likes to do things, is there a concern or realistic concern that the rule of law in america would be challenged somewhat? yes, i do think, he has put forth the names of a lot of folk x to run law—enforcement agencies, that ijust do not have that background to do it. they are local folks who are

going to be taking on the federal agencies that are run very differently to local organisations. i think, very differently to local organisations. ithink, there are to be sure a few of donald trump �*s nominees that i think are qualified and will do a very good job the supervisor at the us attorney �*s office todd blanche is an excellent attorney and i think very highly of him, but there are others that do give me pause, about their ability to really run these organisations. we will leave — run these organisations. we will leave it _ run these organisations. we will leave it there thank you very much for your thoughts today. i'm joined now by our reporter nickjohnson. nick, give us some of the background to this case. the case involving hunter biden and the pardon we have just seen? and the pardon we have 'ust seen? , ., , ., seen? this involves two separate _

seen? this involves two separate criminal- seen? this involves two l separate criminal criminal cases going back to the background, let's go back to june of this year when hunter biden was in court facing two charges related to buying a gun. one of the charges alleged he lied about a drug use when he lied about a drug use when he bought that gun in 2018. and another was possessing a gun while addicted to drugs. now at the time mr biden pleaded not guilty to both those charges he said he was in recovery from drug addiction at the time, and was therefore truthful on his application form when he applied to by that gun 2018, but nevertheless the jury in that trial in june found but nevertheless the jury in that trial injune found him guilty and he became the first child of a sitting president, to receive a criminal conviction. before that verdict it's important to note, president biden said he would

not pardon his son if convicted, he said will accept the outcome of this case and continue to respect the judicial process as hunter considers an appeal. that was injune fast forward considers an appeal. that was in june fast forward to september, only three months ago in a separate case hunter biden was due to stand trial accused of failing to pay $1.11 million income tax. would accept charges while maintaining his innocence but thatis maintaining his innocence but that is something the prosecutors were not going to accept, so hunter biden pleaded guilty. thejudge in the accept, so hunter biden pleaded guilty. the judge in the trial said pleading guilty to a charge like that, lyne and mr biden a seven—year maximum 17 year sentence as well as a fine

up year sentence as well as a fine up to $1 million. he was due to be sentenced for both of those convictions in the coming days, thatis convictions in the coming days, that is when we heard only a few hours ago that president biden issued that official pardon. biden issued that official ardon. �* , biden issued that official ardon. h ., , biden issued that official ardon. �*, ., , , ., pardon. it's only been a few hours since _ pardon. it's only been a few hours since the _ pardon. it's only been a few hours since the pardon - pardon. it's only been a few hours since the pardon has| pardon. it's only been a few- hours since the pardon has been announced, have you seen any reactions from the president—elect donald trump and his team? president-elect donald trump and his team?— president-elect donald trump and his team? , . and his team? yes, we have. the president-elect _ and his team? yes, we have. the president-elect trump _ and his team? yes, we have. the president-elect trump and - president—elect trump and hunter biden it has been a long heated war of words between the biden family and mr trump over these convictions. and donald trump has spoken out making comparisons to rioters who stormed the us capitol on january six, 2021. he said on his truth social account does the pardon given byjoe to hunter include the january six

hostages who have now been imprisoned for years. he says such an abuse and miscarriage ofjustice. that is from the president—elect but important to note have been divisions among democratic politicians, as to the decision of the president to pardon his son. including the government —— governor of colorado who wrote on x while as a father i certainly understand joe biden �*s natural desire to help a son by punching him and that was one of his justifications for doing so he says i'm disappointed he put his family ahead of the country. this is a bad precedent that could be abused by later presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation. while president biden made it very clear on numerous occasions earlier this year that pardoning his son is something he would not consider, rathera something he would not consider, rather a dramatic u—turn in the past few hours.

thank you very much for that mixjohnson reporting and a live page on the story is up and running more reaction as they come into that story. let's move on to georgia. thousands of protesters are on the streets for a fourth night in response to the government suspending talks tojoin the european union. earlier we showed you live pictures from the capital tblisi where demonstrators are outside parliament. many of them have been chanting and holding georgian flags. throughout the night we have seen some protesters throwing fireworks towards police officers crouching behind shields. the latest protests come after georgia's prime minister seemed to contradict the very comments that sparked the demonstrations. he denied that his government is suspending moves to join the european union. our russia editor, steve rosenberg is in tbilisi and spoke to the prime minister. he sent this report. fireworks explode. in tbilisi, now, every night is fireworks night.

a fourth night of protests outside parliament, while inside, police try to keep protesters at bay. a brolly helps at moments like these. so the police right now are firing streams of water from inside the parliament, and going the other way, fireworks hurled by the protesters. it is the most surreal stand—off. the crowds are huge. so is the disappointment that the government here has frozen accession talks with the eu. but people are still hoping. every single day, there is more and more people coming. and it gives me hope that this government will finally go away. no sign of that. earlier, the head of the government praised the police and condemned the protests. many of the protesters have said to me that by suspending until the end of 2028 georgia's bid tojoin the european union, you have stolen, your government has stolen

their european dream, their european future. people feel betrayed. can you understand that? the response is very clear. so, we have not suspended anything related to the european integration. it'sjust a lie. and there are the opposition leaders, there are the media outlets linked with the opposition, who are just lying to these people. you suspended this until 2028. no, it's not true, it's not true. really? here's what he said three days ago. translation: today, we have decided - not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the european union on the agenda until the end of 2028. we also refuse any budgetary grants from the european union until the end of 2028. it was that announcement that sparked the protests and violence. here, a makeshift firework

gun fires at police, while police officers have been accused of assaulting protesters. you must have seen videos of the brutal way in which the police have treated some of the protesters in the last few days. what is your reaction to that? an investigation will happen against this kind of incidents, but also, in this case, it's important to have a clear position with regard to the violence from both sides. the protesters accuse the government of selling out to russia, which the authorities deny. neither side shows any sign of backing down. steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. this is kind of a point of no return.

that was a researcher from the harvard university. we will get that route reaction later. i will bring you live images and show you what we can see the us presidentjoe biden on the tarmac at thejoint presidentjoe biden on the tarmac at the joint base andrews in maryland. all set to board air force one, making a trip to africa the first stop will be coast via d, you can see the beast the name for the carrier that carries the us president. he is at the joint base andrews in maryland and we are following a story today including involving the us presidentjoe biden, he has pardoned his son hunter biden issuing a formal unconditional pardon for his son. he said hunter had been selectively and unfairly prosecuted adding no reasonable person who looks at the facts of this case could

reach any other conclusion than hunter was singled out only because he is my son and that is wrong. hunter biden pleaded guilty to tax charges earlier in september and was found guilty of being on —— and illegal drug use are in possession of a gun injune becoming the first child of a sitting president to be convicted of a crime. or on that story as it develops. you can find out more on our live page. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. more allegations have been made about inappropriate behaviour by the masterchef presenter gregg wallace. it comes after he hit out in a statement on social media, saying claims about him have been made by "a handful of middle—class women of a certain age". his lawyers previously said the allegations are false. 13 women have complained about him to a bbc news investigation.

figures show more than 20,000 migrants have arrived in the uk by crossing the channel in small boats since sir keir starmer became prime minister. he said ministers had inherited an utter mess in the home office. it comes after the pm announced a major overhaul of the immigration system and accused the conservatives of running "a one—nation experiment in open borders". former world snooker champion terry griffiths has died at age of 77 after a long battle with dementia. from south wales, he came through the qualifying rounds to win the 1979 crucible title as a qualifier, and also won the masters and the uk championship to complete the sport's illustrious triple crown. you're live with bbc news. syria's president, bashar al—assad, is turning to his allies, iran and russia, for aid after opposition fighters took control of large parts of the country. on sunday, mr assad welcomed iran's foreign minister to the syrian capital, damascus.

in his first public appearance since the rebels' offensive began, the president welcomed iran's support. russia, mr assad's other major ally, is carrying out intensive airstrikes on opposition forces: this is the aftermath of a strike on the rebel—held city of idlib. the syrian defence ministry said dozens of rival fighters had been killed. monitors say civilian casualties have also been reported, including in aleppo, which has fallen to the rebels. the syrian army says it's preparing a counteroffensive. barbara plett usher has more. and a warning, her report contains images of children in distress. they are alive. rescued from the wreckage moments after the bombs struck. footage posted by the syrian civil defence group, the white helmets, shows the aftermath of an attack on the rebel stronghold of idlib, southwest of aleppo. the regime is fighting back. thousands of people had been displaced, fleeing aleppo and

areas around idlib. their lives certainly upended by this escalation in syria's civil war. translation: we are following the battle news and god - willing, the regime will fall. we count night and day to return as the kids are tired and shocked. we left and came here in our clothes and nothing else. the speedy capture of aleppo took everyone by surprise, a devastating blow to the regime. the rebels continued theiradvance, but here the city is coming to terms with a new normal. early signs that daily life goes on as before. and for those driven out by previous battles, chance to return. translation: i returned to aleppo after it was liberated, after we were driven out, i came back to experience thisjoy, to witness its greatness, its old neighbourhoods cleaned up after being desecrated by the assad regime and the collaborators. it isn't clear

if the insurgents can hold on to the territory captured, but they have exposed the weakness of bashar al—assad's rule and his dependence on foreign powers to prop it up. russia and iran are trying to bring the situation back under control, but consumed by their own conflicts. the front lines of syria's civil war have been redrawn and nobody knows what comes next. matthew sussex from the strategic and defence studies centre at the australia national university in canberra gave me his assessment of the current situation. it has taken us by a significant amount of surprise. this conflict had been more or less frozen for three orfour years, and the swiftness with which the rebel alliance has managed to capture aleppo is something that would certainly give bashar al—assad

pause as well as his military. and given he has had to rely on iranian support, and russian airpower, in the past, and both those countries now have their own problems they have to deal with. it might be quite difficult for assad to be able to roll back and dislodge this new incursion outside of idlib province. the un agency for palestinian refugees says it's halting aid deliveries through kerem shalom, the main crossing between israel and gaza. the head of unrwa, philippe lazzarini, said the decision had been taken because two convoys had recently been held up by armed gangs. he added that obstacles by israeli authorities and israel's ongoing siege are also making humanitarian operations impossible. israel says only a small amount of aid into gaza last month was coordinated by unrwa. under a law passed by the israeli parliament in october, israel's civil servants must cut contact with the organisation in less than a month's time.

after two years of discussions, attempts to secure the world's first—ever global treaty to limit plastic production, in an effort to stop it polluting the planet, have collapsed in south korea. the world currently makes far more plastic than it can recycle, with much of it ending up in the oceans. at a week of talks, delegates from nearly 200 nations around the world could not agree on a unanimous declaration, with mostly oil—producing nations wanting to focus on waste, rather than production. it comes two years after countries agreed that a global treaty was needed to tackle the issue of plastic pollution, particularly the impacts on the marine environment — and this should be completed within two years given the urgency of the issue. the chair of the talks says: "unresolved issues remain challenging "and additional time will be needed to address them effectively". our environment correspondent jonah fisher has more. this was supposed to be the moment the world came together to tackle its addiction to plastic. but after two years

of talks, the last week of it in south korea, there was no sign of a global plastics treaty. a few critical issues still prevent us from reaching a comprehensive agreement. the key one, whether we need to reduce the amount of plastic we make. this year, the world made 430 million tonnes of plastic and that figure could triple by 2060. just 9% of it ends up being recycled, with the rest going to landfill, being burnt or dumped at sea. plastic is mostly made from fossil fuels and at the talks it was oil—producing countries who blocked any attempt to put cutting production in the treaty. there should be no problem with producing plastics, because the problem is the pollution, not the plastics. attempting to phase out plastic and material rather

than addressing the issue of plastic pollution risks undermining the global progress and exacerbating economic inequality. those who wanted action were left wondering if there was time to move ahead without the oil producers. high—ambition countries need to step up and prevent a minority of groups from holding the rest of the world hostage from achieving the type of agreement that we all know we need to. the only way to end plastic pollution is to reduce plastic production. this could have been a turning point for plastic pollution. it is nowjust another missed opportunity. jonah fisher, bbc news. and before we go. the publisher oxford university press has announced that its word or phrase of the year is "brain rot". the phrase describes the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state due to the over—consumption of trivial material, such as scrolling endlessly on social media.

"brain rot" won a public vote. although its first recorded use was in 1854, its use has increased significantly over the last twelve months, particularly on tiktok. other words that made the shortlist year, dynamic pricing and slot. stay with bbc news. hello. meteorologically speaking, sunday was the first day of winter. now, there were a number of showers around, but it was a pretty mild day. indeed, across wales, we had temperatures of 15.4 celsius recorded at both hawarden, in flintshire, and also in cardiff — those temperatures way above the december average. and those mild weather conditions were brought to us by these southwesterly winds, which are still across a good part of the country. however, look at this band of rain sinking south across scotland. behind that, we start to see the winds turn more to a northerly direction, and it's those northerly winds

that, through monday, are going to push this zone of colder air southwards. so, it will feel much colder as we go through the day, across northern areas in particular. so, the rain starts today — southern scotland, pushes southwards across northern england, reaches north wales and the midlands through the afternoon. brighter conditions follow, but it will be gusty around irish sea and north sea coasts, gusts of around 40 or 50mph. temperatures in england and wales about 8—11 degrees celsius, so still relatively mild. through the afternoon, it turns colder for scotland and northern ireland — temperatures here around 4—6 celsius. and then, that cold air surges southwards — monday night, a much colder night than we've been used to, with a widespread frost. so, a frosty and cold start to your day on tuesday, but with plenty of sunshine for most areas. however, band of rain is going to move in off the atlantic, so it turns wet in northern ireland, and eventually, the rain reaches western scotland as well. temperatures really struggle — 4—7 celsius — it will be a chilly day on tuesday for most. then tuesday night, the rain starts to turn to snow. that's especially

the case in scotland, and especially for eastern areas. we could have some accumulations of snow, potentially bringing some localised disruption. but, ultimately, the snow will turn back to rain as milder air works its way in. and, as we head through wednesday, that milder weather pushes in from the west, we'll have a lot of low cloud, some mist and fog. quite a murky—looking day, perhaps turning a bit brighter as we head into the afternoon for some. but it's another day with struggling temperatures, particularly for central and eastern areas. starts to turn a bit milder in the west. and then thursday and friday, areas of low pressure on the way could bring some very strong gusts of wind, but certainly will be bringing some pretty wet weather our way.

the chief executive of global auto giant stellantis steps down with immediate effect. and the challenging time for australia's live music industry. more on what has been going wrong. hello and a warm welcome to business today. we begin with the auto sector and the shock resignation of carlos tavares, the ceo of stellantis. the car giant has been facing declining sales, causing its shares to lose around 40% of their value this year.

stella ntis yea r. stellantis year. is the parent company stellantis is the parent company of some of the world's most recognised brands. now, for more on this, let's cross to our asia business reporter. great to speak to you about this story. stellantis has different views emerging between the order mr tavares. what do you went wrong? thanks for havin: what do you went wrong? thanks for having me- — what do you went wrong? thanks for having me. what _ what do you went wrong? thanks for having me. what didn't - what do you went wrong? thanks for having me. what didn't go - for having me. what didn't go wrong i guess is another way of putting it. carlos uprated has been saddled with a little difficult complexities at his sprawling business. it is a global business struggling to make huge markets in the united states and europe, and in the us in particular, things kind of had gone off the rails. sales are way down, the inventories are away bloated, product has been late, brand values have been damaged a little bit and incentives are soaring. i have a little bit of

fixing to do in the united states, and i think the board