it happened here two decades ago. it is happening again and getting worse. joe biden gives his son hunter — a presidential pardon — weeks before sentencing on gun and drug convictions — sparking a major backlash. millions of us use wearable technology to track exercise routines — but doctors say they are cautious about how useful this kind of data is. welcome to bbc news. the bbc has confirmed tonight's episode of masterchef will still be shown despite pressure to pull the programme from its schedules following multiple allegations against presenter gregg wallace.

a bbc source said: "masterchef is life changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual." earlier, mr wallace apologised for suggesting allegations against him came from "a handful of middle—class women of a certain age". he posted a video on instagram saying he was not in a good head space when he spoke out yesterday. this was the apology for that. i want to apologise for any offence i caused with my post yesterday and any upset i may have caused to people. i wasn't in a good headspace when i posted it. i have been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, i felt very alone and under siege when i posted it. it is obvious to me that i need to take some time out now while this investigation is under way. i hope you understand, and i do hope that you will accept this apology.

let's speak to dorothy byrne, the former head of news and current affairs at channel 4. dorothy is now the president of a women—only college at cambridge university. let's ta ke let's take this in stages because multiple issues to discuss but what do you make of the decision from the bbc in the decision from the bbc in the last hour to go ahead and screen to nights episode? i’m screen to nights episode? i'm not sure that _ screen to nights episode? i“n not sure that they are right to do that because we know how so many complaints about gregg wallace, and i think that showing this episode when they are aware of so many complaints is probably brand damage and, both for masterchef as a brand, and for the bbc. masterchef is and for the bbc. masterchef is a quality brand, and what we

now have heard from many women, and some men, about the tawdry and some men, about the tawdry and smudgy behaviour in the making of the programme by gregg wallace really brings it into disrepute, so i am not sure that that is a wise decision.— sure that that is a wise decision. ., , ., ~ ., , decision. the labour mp was seen a bit — decision. the labour mp was seen a bit earlier— decision. the labour mp was seen a bit earlier that - decision. the labour mp was seen a bit earlier that if - decision. the labour mp was seen a bit earlier that if it. seen a bit earlier that if it was on television tonight, it would look as if he had got away with it. in terms of the brand damage you are talking about, is there danger by broadcasting, it looks like the bbc is backing gregg wallace even though there is an investigation? figs even though there is an investigation?— even though there is an investigation? as far as i understand _ investigation? as far as i understand it, _ investigation? as far as i understand it, the - understand it, the investigation is by the production company, i'm not sure what major investigation by the bbc we have heard about. i think the problem here is that we now know that for more than a decade, there were complaints about this man, and

yet he was allowed to carry on working, and the problem is, if you put the programme out, it looks like yet more of the bbc knowing about complaints about somebody butjust carrying on as normal. i somebody but 'ust carrying on as normal.— as normal. i come back to the important _ as normal. i come back to the important point _ as normal. i come back to the important point in _ as normal. i come back to the important point in a _ as normal. i come back to the important point in a momentl as normal. i come back to the i important point in a moment or two, but i would just like to get your reflection because we heard the apology there, but when you heard over the weekend him talk about the complaints coming from middle—class women of a certain age, what did you make of that? it of a certain age, what did you make of that?— make of that? it was utterly misogynistic, _ make of that? it was utterly misogynistic, particularly i make of that? it was utterly| misogynistic, particularly the complaint being an attack on older women, misogynists don't like older women because we are stronger and more powerful, and what we see here is that when

he tried his misogyny in the public domain, immediately, people came out and attacked them, men and women came out and attacked him for that statement, which was the statements of a man of a certain age, the age of the dinosaurs, in my view. what he is used to is making misogynistic comments to individual women, misogynistic comments to individualwomen, or on misogynistic comments to individual women, or on the close sets of a television production and get to know if that because he appears to have got away with it for many years, but when he said it out loud for everybody to hear, he proved what to misogynist he was, and he needs to apologise for his general behaviour, not just for being caught, frankly. two final questions, you talked

about the investigation in your earlier answer, and i know you said to media outlets earlier in the day that you think that it should be an outside body thatis it should be an outside body that is investigating this, so tell me why you have come to that conclusion.— that conclusion. the bbc has -ut out that conclusion. the bbc has put out a _ that conclusion. the bbc has put out a statement - that conclusion. the bbc has put out a statement that - that conclusion. the bbc has put out a statement that it i that conclusion. the bbc has l put out a statement that it has robust processes and does not tolerate unacceptable tolerate u na cce pta ble behaviour, but tolerate unacceptable behaviour, but what we have learned is that they have known about complaints about gregg wallace for more than ten years, and they have allowed them to continue, so they do accept the unacceptable and they do not have robust processes, and i believe that what the no need to do is to get in an outside organisation to notjust do an investigation into this, but to look at the culture of an organisation that puts up with unacceptable behaviour from

puts up with unacceptable behaviourfrom men. this puts up with unacceptable behaviour from men. this a brief final _ behaviour from men. this a brief final points, _ behaviour from men. this a brief final points, do - behaviour from men. this a brief final points, do you i brief final points, do you think it has echoes with how the bbc has dealt with other stars in the corporation and how they have dealt with complaints? that waiter or broader issue?— broader issue? yes, the complaints _ broader issue? yes, the complaints against - broader issue? yes, the l complaints against jimmy broader issue? yes, the - complaints against jimmy savile complaints againstjimmy savile or huw edwards were of a completely or different nature, and a very different level of seriousness, so they were different sorts of complaints, but the similarity is that in each case, we have learned that the bbc and bbc management, knew of complaints about these persons for a long period of time, and yet these women were allowed to remain —— men were allowed to remain —— men were allowed to remain on air as if they were untouchable kings of they were untouchable kings of

the airwaves.— they were untouchable kings of the airwaves. dorothy byrne, we have to leave — the airwaves. dorothy byrne, we have to leave it _ the airwaves. dorothy byrne, we have to leave it there, _ the airwaves. dorothy byrne, we have to leave it there, thank - have to leave it there, thank you forjen us live on bbc news, worthjust seen you forjen us live on bbc news, worth just seen at the end to conclude that gregg wallace's lawyers insist he's behaviour was not sexually harassing in nature, but that is the latest from today's developments on that moving story. the israeli military says hezbollah has fired two projectiles across the border from southern lebanon. it's thought to be the first such attack since a ceasefire was agreed between israeli and iranian back militia last week. let's speak to our correspondentjon donnison who's injerusalem. when you see what both sides are same, it looks like the cease—fire is under real pressure. it cease-fire is under real pressure-— cease-fire is under real pressure. cease-fire is under real aressure. , ., , pressure. it is, and it is only been in _ pressure. it is, and it is only been in place _ pressure. it is, and it is only been in place for _ pressure. it is, and it is only been in place for a - pressure. it is, and it is only been in place for a matter. pressure. it is, and it is onlyj been in place for a matter of days, and i think the fire todayis days, and i think the fire today is an indication of how fragile it is. the israeli military is seen to projectiles were fired across the border by hezbollah into an area close to the occupied golan heights,

towards a military post there, and is really military post. hezbollah confirmed it fired as rockets and they landed in open areas and hezbollah says it was in response to its —— israeli air strikes that killed two people in lebanon earlier today. people in lebanon earlier toda . ., people in lebanon earlier toda . . people in lebanon earlier toda. . ., today. hamas released a statement _ today. hamas released a statement in _ today. hamas released a statement in the - today. hamas released a statement in the last - today. hamas released a l statement in the last hour around hostages, tell us what they are saying.— they are saying. well, what they are saying. well, what they have _ they are saying. well, what they have said _ they are saying. well, what they have said is _ they are saying. well, what they have said is that - they are saying. well, what they have said is that over. they are saying. well, what i they have said is that over the past ia months since october seven 2023, 33 of the hostages who were taken, just over 250 hostages taken, 33 of those, hamas says, have been killed over the past ia months. they have not gone into indie detail about the nationalities or who those people are, but we know from the israeli military that some of the hostages have been

killed, some bodies have been recovered over the past 13 months, and others are feared dead, but certainly it would be of enormous concern for the families of the remaining hostages being held in gaza. it is thought there are around about 60 who are still alive. jon donnison life for us there injerusalem, thank you. the un's new relief chief — tom fletcher, has said the sudanese region of darfur was confronting the spectre of famine as well as a crisis of protection, for people he said "were being used as pawns in this terrible conflict. human rights groups have described recent ethnic based massacres as one of the worst atrocities of this conflict, and possible genocide. fewjournalists have been able to visit darfur, which is mainly controlled by the paramilitary rapid support forces since this war began.

our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is travelling with the un team. her report begins in a refugee camp in chad on the border. a people dispossessed and displaced — the people of darfur. this is an informal refugee camp in chad, just across the borderfrom sudan. the women wait to register to receive food for theirfamilies, praying someone will help. translation: we used to get food from our farms. - when the war began, we couldn't farm and the animals ate our crops, so we were left with nothing. people who escaped the spectre of famine, the horrors of war. translation: when we were fleeing, our young brothers were killed.

some were too young to walk. our elders escaping with us were killed. yes, within our family, they killed my uncles, my aunties. all the men in our family. translation: they kill people. they rob people. they take their food. they take your belongings. they take everything. they don't know if their husbands and fathers are alive or dead. in all my years of reporting, i've never seen a crowd as big as this. everyone we meet here says they come from el geneina, just across the border, and everyone has a story of the horrors of this war. a story of a massacre, of a frenzy of killing, of days so dark it's regarded as the worst atrocity in sudan's brutal civil war. then there's a rush. word spreads. un food is being delivered.

there's also not enough of it crossing this border into sudan. not enough attention to this crisis. this is darfur, the place which has seen all the worst of the worst. ethnic cleansing, starvation, rape. it happened here two decades ago. it's happening again and getting worse. we're travelling to el geneina with the first high level un team to enter darfur across this land controlled by the paramilitary rsf, locked in battle with sudan's government. this is what the women fled. blackened houses, blasted shops. you can still taste the smoke. the rsf accused of terrorising non—arab communities. they deny it was their deed.

i know that this situation is very, very hard, very tough. i know that sometimes you must feel that the world has forgotten you. more people pushed from place to place. they need everything but this war. translation: we've suffered so much. - when this war started, some people supported the army, some supported the rsf. but we, the displaced, are neutral. what can you do to protect people? we've got to do much better. ultimately, it's about getting a peace process going, putting the international pressure on the parties, now that's not easy, but we've got to be here. it's also about food and delivering much more to prevent famine from spreading, to prevent people from dying. lyse doucet, bbc news, darfur. ijust want i just want to show the pictures from angola because air force one has just touched on in the last little while and

we are waiting to seejoe biden, and he's bound to be asked by reporters while c is on the trip about why he has granted a presidential pardon to his son, hunter, 20 weeks away from being sentenced for gun violations and drug violations, so that story with a followed joe biden to angola, and we have the latest from washington in that story in a moment or two. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

you are watching bbc news. there's a political storm in the united states over president biden's controversial decision to pardon his son, hunter, who had been facing a prison sentence over firearms offences and tax violations. president biden claimed his son had been convicted of charges that were politically motivated. but the president—elect donald trump said the pardon was an abuse and a miscarriage of justice.

let's speak to jess parker. there is a real backlash, obviously from republicans, that for many democrats as well. . that for many democrats as well. ., , , well. . there has been criticism _ well. . there has been criticism from - well. . there has been i criticism from democrats well. . there has been - criticism from democrats who feel that this sets a double standard, a bad precedent as well, joe biden will be the first person to pardon his son, i mean, former presidents have issued pardons, and donald trump pardon allies of his under his administration but this particular pardon, just coming up soon so when hunter biden was due to be sentenced, it dropped last night at the end of thanks giving holiday and has caused a political storm. i wasjust and has caused a political storm. i was just listening to a press briefing held by the president press secretary and reporters aboard air force one as they headed on that trip, and it was a long time of exchanges. the press secretary regurgitating elements ofjoe biden plus michael press

statement last night. she would not say whether president biden had discussed this directly with his son over the weekend. i think the white house working to emphasise a moral dilemma —— might dilemma there, suggesting thatjoe biden wrestled with this decision over the weekend, so i think trying to show or suggest thatjoe biden really thought about the moral implications here, but having said that he wrestled hard with the decision and is now wrestling with the implication, which includes a list of criticism and allocations of hypocrisy and double standards being levelled at the president, who is making this decisionjust a few president, who is making this decision just a few months away from leaving office. jess parker. _ from leaving office. jess parker, thank _ from leaving office. jess parker, thank you. - syria's president assad has blamed the us and other western countries for a rebel offensive that has reignited the civil war. the rebels seized aleppo — the country's second largest city — in a surprise attack last week. government troops now say they're preparing a counter—offensive and have welcomed support from iran

and russia in the fight against the rebels. syria's military says air strikes by russian and syrian warplanes have killed hundreds