masterchef presenter masterchef presenter gregg wallace faces a backlash gregg wallace faces a backlash after calling his accusers after calling his accusers middle class women of a certain age. middle class women of a certain age. and as the counting continues and as the counting continues after ireland's election early after ireland's election early results suggest fianna fail could be poised results suggest fianna fail could be poised to lead a coalition. to lead a coalition. hello, thank you forjoining hello, thank you forjoining us. i'm catherine byaruhanga. us. i'm catherine byaruhanga. we start in the us we start in the us where president biden where president biden has pardoned his son, has pardoned his son, hunter, despite previously hunter, despite previously saying he would not saying he would not interfere with the justice interfere with the justice department's decisions. department's decisions. hunter biden was convicted took hunter biden was convicted earlier this year of illegally earlier this year of illegally buying a gun and lying buying a gun and lying about his about his drug use, as well as drug use, as well as tax evasion. tax evasion. the president described the the president described the prosecution as unfair, and a prosecution as unfair, and a result of pressure from his result of pressure from his political opponents. political opponents. hunter biden said hunter biden said mistakes he made in his mistakes he made in his darkest days of addiction darkest days of addiction had been exploited to had been exploited to humiliate his family. humiliate his family. donald trump call the pardon donald trump call the pardon and abuse and miscarriage of and abuse and miscarriage of justice. justice.

daniel lippman is politico's daniel lippman is politico's white house reporter he white house reporter he explained why president biden explained why president biden took this decision to pardon his son now the white house and biden himself had been insistent for years that he would never intervene. but his kind of duties as a father have out ridden that and he did not want his son to go to jail. in these two cases, one a gun charge and won a tax evasion charge, so i think that it will be interesting to see the reaction from republicans and democrats. he is a lame duck president and so he was going to have to do this one way or another in the eyes of family members. but this is shocking news in washington at the end of his term. they have previously said they would respect the jury's verdict. this is not a kangaroo court. that the prosecutors, including david david wiese,

appointed by former president trump, they had to prove evidence. and so you can say to selective prosecution but no one is saying that hunter biden did not commit these crimes. and so it basically is saying is he is echoing arguments that president trump has made that the charges against trump and trump associates are politically motivated. so both sides are kind of resorting to what they consider political lawfare against their political opponents. biden didn't want to face the next few years having his son languish in prison when he had the ultimate power to make those charges go away. in his statement he said that he was wiping away any charges and any crimes his son had done two december the 1st. any crimes his son had done two decemberthe ist. he any crimes his son had done two december the 1st. he could have committed a crime last week and it still would have been washed

away. it still would have been washed awa . . it still would have been washed awa , ., ., , it still would have been washed awa. ., ,, ., away. that was daniel lippman from politico. _ away. that was daniel lippman from politico. president - away. that was daniel lippman from politico. president bidenl from politico. president biden is now on his way to angola for a state visit there. we will have much more analysis on that as well as on this story, his pardon of his son later on in the programme.

pardon of his son later on in the p killed 1me. pardon of his son later on in the p killed inie. strikes. been killed in air strikes. residents inside aleppo we have spoken to said they have faced no harm or threat from the rebels that are worried about the air strikes because the government are conducting air against wearables are available. but it is basically mainly civilians who are there. this is coming at a time where there is diplomacy going behind there is diplomacy going behind the scene. president assad is leaning on the support from russia and iran and vowing to defeat what he describes as terrorists. and the iranian foreign minister arrives in turkey and is probably meeting with his turkish counterpart as we are speaking at the moment. just tell us more about those diplomatic efforts. of course there are still those ongoing syria talks as well. tell us about the scope for negotiations at the moment. well, basically, this whole

move is seen as backed by turkey who has been inviting bashar al—assad for years to talk to find solutions for the refugees, to secure the borders, to arrest the turkish presence on the border. but bashar al—assad has been ignoring all these calls. it seems the table has changed and bashar al—assad is trying to find a way to talk to the turks while actually pounding civilians with air strikes, trying to deter the rebels. but apparently also this kind of operation is to force assad into talks and bring assad back into talks and bring assad back into peace, a roadie ignored for years, into peace, a roadie ignored foryears, but into peace, a roadie ignored for years, but also to limit iran's presence and influence inside syria.— inside syria. thank you very much, inside syria. thank you very much. lina _ inside syria. thank you very much, lina sinjab, - inside syria. thank you very much, lina sinjab, in - inside syria. thank you very | much, lina sinjab, in beirut. let's speak to ismail alabdullah, a volunteer with the white helmets, a syrian led

humanitarian group supporting communities affected by war. thank you forjoining us. tell us where you have been over the past few days and what you have witnessed. i past few days and what you have witnessed. . past few days and what you have witnessed-— witnessed. i have been in ale - -o witnessed. i have been in aleppo city _ witnessed. i have been in aleppo city for _ witnessed. i have been in aleppo city for 24 - witnessed. i have been in aleppo city for 24 hours l witnessed. i have been in i aleppo city for 24 hours and now i am in the north countryside of idlib. just as we are talking now, assad's regime and russia committed a horrible massacre in one of the idp camps in north idlib killing seven civilians and injuring eight others including children. otherairstrikes injuring eight others including children. other air strikes hit idlib city and there is a massacre also of more than five people who were killed including children and many people injured and destruction. they destroyed many civilian buildings. in aleppo city the same strategy, the same thing,

they targeted yesterday the university hospital in aleppo and now they have targeted and neighbourhood. we are hearing from the early warning system that they will attack aleppo right now and attack idlib and they are attacking the residential areas. yesterday there were 24 or 25 civilians killed including ten children and injuring more than 125. the same strategy, the same thing, civilians paying the price. people are fleeing to survive from this horrible circumstance. the air strikes only targeted the civilians in idlib city and aleppo city. many casualties killed yesterday in aleppo. and the day before yesterday in one of

the area is crowded with people in aleppo, more than 15 people in aleppo, more than 15 people in one strike were killed. our teams are now in aleppo city, operating in aleppo city, trying to open the roads, trying to open the roads, trying to open the roads, trying to help people with food and evacuate aleppo city. on the other hand, in the countryside, our teams are there to remove ordinances and open the road. there to remove ordinances and open the road-— open the road. sorry to interrupt _ open the road. sorry to interrupt you. - open the road. sorry to interrupt you. we - open the road. sorry to interrupt you. we have | open the road. sorry to - interrupt you. we have limited time with you. we are seeing images of bombed out buildings. tell us how easy it is to rescue people from these buildings and do you have the resources you need at the moment?— resources you need at the moment? ., , ., , ., , moment? to be honest, what is happening _ moment? to be honest, what is happening is — moment? to be honest, what is happening is beyond _ moment? to be honest, what is happening is beyond our - happening is beyond our capacity because now with new areas that we have access to and the assad regime and russia bombing everywhere, bombing everywhere, notjust in one

place, idlib city is under attack. every second there is a warning that a neighbourhood in aleppo or idlib will be targeted and the countryside around aleppo and idlib. the horrible images coming from everywhere. even the people who are trying to leave, we don't have the accurate numbers because they go to unsafe places, they want to return to their homes, and we heard about... their homes, and we heard about - -— their homes, and we heard about- - -— about... as you say, it is incredibly _ about... as you say, it is incredibly difficult - about... as you say, it is incredibly difficult to - about... as you say, it is incredibly difficult to get | incredibly difficult to get independent information about what is happening on the ground there in aleppo in idlib. thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us on bbc news.

the government in georgia says 21 police officers have been injured as protesters clashed with riot police in tbilisi on the fourth consecutive night of anti government unrest. demonstrators threw fireworks at the parliament building and erected barricades which they set ablaze. police responded with water cannon and tear gas. georgian media reported demonstrations in a number of other cities. the unrest was triggered by the prime minister's announcement on thursday that he would suspend georgia's bid tojoin the eu. on sunday, he rowed back on those comments. the protesters are also challenging the official result of october's disputed parliamentary election. we'll have the latest from our correspondent in tbilisi later in the programme. the german chancellor olaf scholz is making an unexpected visit to the ukrainian capital kyiv. mr scholz said he wanted to use this opportunity to express solidarity with ukraine and promise extra military aid worth more than 630 million euros. germany is currently the biggest european supplier of defence equipment to kyiv.

let's speak to our correspondent paul adams who joins us from kyiv. first of all, what is included in this military package? does it include the long—range weapons that ukraine says it needs? we don't know _ that ukraine says it needs? - don't know what the package includes and we won't know probably until later on in the day. i think it is unlikely that it includes any reference to the tourists long—range missile. ukraine has been asking germany for that missile for a long time —— torres. it may be hope after the uk, britain and us, britain and france gave the go—ahead to use the atacms and storm shadow missiles that olaf scholz would follow suit but the chancellor

regards that as an escalation and so far we have seen no indication that he's willing to budge on it. indication that he's willing to budge on it— indication that he's willing to budge on it. chancellor scholz had a phone — budge on it. chancellor scholz had a phone conversation - budge on it. chancellor scholzj had a phone conversation with russiapresident vladimir putin last month, and ukraine has spoken out against that conversation. do you think that will come up in these discussions? but also crucially the possibility of talks between russia and ukraine going forward? i between russia and ukraine going forward?— going forward? i think it is fair to say _ going forward? i think it is fair to say that _ going forward? i think it is fair to say that chancellor| fair to say that chancellor scholz has a mixed reputation here in ukraine. as you mentioned in the introduction, germany is by far the largest european provider of military assistance to ukraine. outstripping all of its european partners by very amount. something in the region of 17 billion euros so far, this additional package that he's bringing him today. but, for a number of reasons, the ukrainian is regarded

chancellor scholz as a slightly problematic figure. we have mentioned the taurus missiles are ready. he is also among those who are vocally opposed to the idea of ukrainejoining nato, his argument being that thatis nato, his argument being that that is not possible while the country is at war. he is not alone in that view. president biden has essentially the same view. but it is another sticking point. and then the phone call that you mentioned between chancellor scholz and vladimir putin last month. president zelensky made it pretty clear he was unhappy with that. he said that chancellor scholz had opened a pandora's box and this was precisely what mr putin wanted, to be able to knock off one western leader after another in private phone conversations and that somehow this week and the sense of european solidarity in opposition to 1538 00:13:52,097 -