history. clemency in modern history. south korea's president strikes a defiant tone in a televised address head of the second attempt to impeach him over his decision to impose martial law. an american man has been found in syria after being held in prison for seven months. trevis was reportedly missing since may having less been seen in the hungarian capital budapest, speaking to us officials, he had cross mountains between lebanon and syria before being detained. he was broken at the cell by rebels a day after syria's government collapsed. is one of thousands of prisoners has been released since the fall of president assad's regime. they are working to bring him home but cannot provide further details. our middle eastern correspondence sent report.

prisoner of the old syria, proof of the new one. travis timmerman, an american from missouri, released by rebel forces on monday as they swept president assad from power. in the middle of the night or early morning they came with a hammer and knocked my door in, and there was two men with guns and then there was another man named eli. and they helped me get out of prison and helped me get into damascus. the men who found him put this video on social media, saying he was in safe hands and had been checked by a doctor after seven months in the custody of assad's military intelligence. it wasn't too bad. it wasn't bad. i was never beaten. the only really bad part was that i couldn't go to the bathroom when i wanted to.

timmerman was found wandering through this damascus suburb today by syrians celebrating freedom themselves. locals here in this neighbourhood are telling us that they found a foreigner wandering in the streets outside. they said he was in fairly good condition, but they brought him here and gave him some food and some water. they said he was very hungry and talking in english, but they couldn't understand what he was saying, and they didn't know exactly who he was. they showed us the selfies they'd taken with him as the militia now in charge here looked on. translation: they found him barefoot on the road. - he kept repeating that he was held by military intelligence in damascus. we helped him, offered him food, treated him well as a human being without any consideration of his american citizenship. travis timmerman's story

is one among tens of thousands from assad's notorious prison system. many more brutal will never be told, silenced by the man many syrians see as the biggest criminal of them all. lucy williamson, bbc news, damascus. syria's capital saw hundreds of people march on the streets for the funeral procession of the activist who had been an outspoken critic of assad and brutally tortured by officials. among dozens of people found deadin among dozens of people found dead in the notorious prison. our correspondent was at the march and sent this report along and be warned, this contains upsetting images. "oh, my boy, my baby. "you were only 19," cries a mother who's just found the disfigured body of her

teenage son, who until today was one of tens of thousands who disappeared under bashar assad's regime. now his family knows what happened. ahmad was tortured and killed in prison. those still searching would give anything to have closure. "i wish i could see my son, even if it's his dead body, "so i can bury him and i will know which grave "my son is in," this woman says. her son, al—adeeb al—awad, missing since 2011, when syria's uprising began. she's come to hospital to search through the bodies brought from sednaya prison. this is how she reacted when she saw them. battered, burnt, emaciated, some not even whole. the stench here overwhelming.

what we've seen in the past one hour is a steady stream of people coming in here, mothers having to sift through badly disfigured corpses to just find some information about their sons. in one corner, there's literally a bag of human bones. that's what people are searching through. and when you look at the bodies, there are clear signs of torture. there's one body which doesn't have a head. this is but a glimpse of the scale of the atrocities committed by the assad regime. rage can now be expressed by syria's people, and it is easily found. "every mother who's lost her son should get revenge from assad". untiljust a until just a week untiljust a week ago, they feared to even ask for their

loved ones are. now, everywhere we look, there are people holding up photos, searching for theirfamilies. holding up photos, searching fortheirfamilies. most will for their families. most will not fortheirfamilies. most will not get answers. if the world had any understanding before this about the brutality of assad's regime, it was in part because of mazen al hamada. his body, found in sednaya prison, returned to his family today. mazen took part in protests in 2011, was arrested and tortured. exiled in 2013, he chose to speak openly about what he endured. he goes on to describe how he was raped and abused. his sister, lamiya, told us why he returned to syria in 2020, when he was arrested immediately on arrival.

translation: the government. told him there was an agreement and he would be safe. they also told him that his family would be arrested and killed if he didn't come to syria. we are happy the regime fell but we wish he was alive to see it. he paid the price for our freedom. i want his killers to be brought to court for justice. "we sacrificed our blood and our soul for the revolution," crowds chanted as they took mazen's body along the streets of damascus. this is the freedom he did not live to see. less than a week ago, you couldn't talk openly about activists like mazen hamada. people whose loved ones were disappeared, they couldn't go and ask about where they were. there is no image that reflects this incredible turn of events in syria more than this one, where hundreds of people

are able to openly march on the streets for his funeral, calling him a martyr, calling him a hero. and as we've been walking along the streets, more and more people arejoining in. hundreds, thousands now. everywhere we go, more people joining this march. yogita limaye, bbc news, damascus. thousands of prisoners in syria have been freed since the weekend, some— have been freed since the weekend, some families are still heping _ weekend, some families are still hoping to _ weekend, some families are still hoping to find _ weekend, some families are still hoping to find missing l still hoping to find missing loved ones. the civil defence organisation known as the white hellmann's is been on the four friends of the rescue operations and says it believes there are more people being hidden and secret prisons. mustafa was a syrian journalist and activist was been looking for her father since he was kidnapped by the government backin kidnapped by the government back in 2013. she is one of more than 110,000 people who

disappeared under assad's regime. she told me of the search was going. i regime. she told me of the search was going.— regime. she told me of the search was going. i 'ust want to start with h search was going. i 'ust want to start with the _ search was going. i just want to start with the question, i search was going. i just want l to start with the question, how have the last few weeks been for you? have the last few weeks been foryou? i have the last few weeks been for you? i don't really know, to be very honest. i am still living day by day and moment by moment and i cannot really even keep count of the nights that i haven't slept and left my apartment. it is a very, very difficult time for me but also for millions of syrians, especially those outside syria who also have family members detained are missing and assad's prisons. there is, it is a time that we all waited forfor so long and is a time that we all waited for for so long and we all worked forfor so long for for so long and we all worked for for so long and it is also another moment of truth

for many of us who have been for many of us who have been for years, waiting on the fate of our loved ones.— of our loved ones. have you heard anything _ of our loved ones. have you heard anything about - of our loved ones. have you heard anything about your. heard anything about your father? ., . , heard anything about your father? ., ., , ., heard anything about your father? ., ., , father? unfortunately, not yet. but not only — father? unfortunately, not yet. but not only am _ father? unfortunately, not yet. but not only am i _ father? unfortunately, not yet. but not only am i hoping, - father? unfortunately, not yet. but not only am i hoping, i - father? unfortunately, not yet. but not only am i hoping, i am| but not only am i hoping, i am actively searching for my dad and many other people inside syria are helping me with the search and i am hoping that soon, i will find a way to go back to syria and search for him and hopefully, find him soon. ., �* ., ., , ., . soon. you're going to search for him in — soon. you're going to search for him in person? _ soon. you're going to search for him in person? i- soon. you're going to search for him in person? i mean, l soon. you're going to search i for him in person? i mean, that is the hepe _ for him in person? i mean, that is the hope and _ for him in person? i mean, that is the hope and it _ for him in person? i mean, that is the hope and it is _ for him in person? i mean, that is the hope and it is not as - is the hope and it is not as easy as one might think. i have a document and political asylum in germany and going back to syria under normal circumstances will mean that i will lose my asylum status but

i am trying to see if there is another way to do things but to be very honest, this is a very crucial time in a very sensitive time for me and for many others who are refugees in different countries and every day counts, every day that we do not have the capacity and the access to search for our loved ones, it makes the danger bigger and makes the efforts less likely to find the result that we hope to be found but, i think the main thing that i am trying to do now and i believe that many, many other syrians are trying to find their way back to syria.— are trying to find their way back to syria. you said losing my father _ back to syria. you said losing my father was _ back to syria. you said losing my father was like _ back to syria. you said losing my father was like losing - back to syria. you said losing my father was like losing a i my father was like losing a part of my soul, what role has your dad played in your life? i mean, everything. isaid

your dad played in your life? i mean, everything. i said it mean, everything. isaid it many, many times. i lived in the past 11 years of my life only for this man. he happened to be my father but he was also a very dedicated, honest, brave syrian man who believed in freedom, not only for him and for us and for the community, but for all syrians and beyond. and, yeah, ithink but for all syrians and beyond. and, yeah, i think i owe him, i owe him whatever i am doing and what i have been doing in my life and iom did not give up on him and to keep searching for him and to keep searching for him and to find the truth and hopefully, to find him and free him but also to find the truth of what is happened to him. for so many families like yours, what would justice look like now? it what would 'ustice look like now? , m what would 'ustice look like now? , '. .,

now? it is difficult to say. i can only — now? it is difficult to say. i can only speak— now? it is difficult to say. i can only speak for - now? it is difficult to say. i can only speak for myself. now? it is difficult to say. i i can only speak for myself but for me, justice is a very long process and it starts by, allowing me to go back to syria and find and search for my father and hopefully find him and, i am clearly saying that it's very unjust that millions of us now cannot even go back to syria to search for our loved ones because of these systems and border regimes and justice for me starts here and of course, whenever i have the information in the truth about what is happened to my father, i would definitely not accept his perpetrators, whoever they are, wherever they are, to be tolerated or to be forgiven or tolerated or to be forgiven or to be allowed to just get away with what they have done and i hope, i've looked for years and

i've said for years that for me, justice, justice should start inside syria in now, we have the chance to do this and so, i think going back to syria it makes total sense and is the one thing that i can do in the moment that i want to do and hopefully, justice for the crimes inside the regime has committed will take years but hopefully it will start and it will end inside syria. the agency says a series of israeli air strikes on thursday killed at least 50 people across the territory. this includes does make air strikes they killed 12 palestinians, to medics and people protecting humanitarian aid trucks in gaza. the military says it was at targeting hamas militants were trying to hijack trucks. the security adviser was also in the region and met with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to discuss syria

along with renewed cease—fire negotiations in gaza. 0ur middle east correspondent has more. dozens of palestinians killed today in the air strikes in gaza, at least 12 of those were people apparently guarding aid trucks in southern gaza and there were two israeli air strikes killing 12 people and israel says that they were hamas members who were about to hijack those aid trucks. now, elsewhere, we know a number of children have been killed according to palestinian medics there and as regards to the aid situation, a desperate need for aid to get into gaza and the united nations and refugee agents saying that the humanitarian situation is apocalyptic. in terms of diplomacy, we've got america's national security adviserjake sullivan in israel today and he has been speaking about the possibility of a long—awaited, long pushed for cease—fire deal between

israel and hamas in today, he said that he felt that israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu wanted a deal. in the past, i'm not really sure that the americans would have gone as that they think there is an expectation here that a cease—fire deal is as likely as it's ever been before president trump gets inaugurated onjanuary 20 and the date soon after that and the incoming president has said he wants this war over in gaza after more than 1a months and i think now that president trump is on his way, i think israel and hamas may be willing to listen. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's take a look at some of the headlines now. the contaminated

blood scandal receive final compensation payments in the coming days. ten people have been offered compensation totalling more than £13 million, nearly £12 billion of been set aside to compensate the 30,000 people who contracted hiv and hepatitis from contaminated blood products in the 19705 and 805. around 3000 people died after being given tho5e around 3000 people died after being given those products. england's and a a5 being given those products. england's and a as hospitals being hit by a tidal wave of flu and other winter viru5e5. numbers from nhs england 5how numbers from nhs england show that an average of nearly 1900 hospital beds were taken up by flu patients every day last week and up 70% from the week before and that is more than three times the figure at this point la5t three times the figure at this point last year. in the body is been found of the rugby player who went missing in the flood. the 43—year—old died after trying to cross a road in the vehicle which was swept away. idea5 not taken place yet but his next of kin have been notified. you're watching bbc

news. commuting nearly 1500 people as he enters his final week in office. the white house 5ay5 he enters his final week in office. the white house says it is the largest presidential elect clemency in a single day in modern history. offering pardon5 to people convicted of nonviolent crime5 pardon5 to people convicted of nonviolent crimes and our correspondent explained the difference between communications and pardon5. it communications and pardons. it means effectively that the mean5 effectively that the conviction 5till mean5 effectively that the conviction still stands in the sentence that they serve as been reduced and that is by far the largest group year, around 1500 people and joe biden, as you say said those people de5erved you say said those people deserved a second chance. then there was a smaller group of 39 people who had been granted and pardons and in that case, your slate is effectively wiped clean in your conviction no longer stands. all of those people were convicted of nonviolent offences and if you look at them, they've all given

back to the community in one way or another. for more on the clemency and pardons, i spoke to a correspondent. tell us why you think you're seeing this long scale active clemency. we have a limited amount _ scale active clemency. we have a limited amount of— scale active clemency. we have a limited amount of time - scale active clemency. we have a limited amount of time left i a limited amount of time left forjoe biden and the pardon power is when the presence of used and sometimes co ntroversially used and sometimes controversially but often in a fairly limited way anything joe biden is trying to clear the decks right now for a lot of deck5 right now for a lot of people who were convicted of these nonviolent offences and get people off the books and i think it is something that will happen even more and perhaps with a couple of controversial figures, controversial only in the sense that there have been requests to pardon them for many years, including native american rights individual and there is pressure onjoe biden

to pardon the 40—5omething people convicted of federal offences who were on death row to make sure that we can do something a blow against the death penalty which is used pretty widely in the united states. i think it's going to do significantly more pardons but the pardon power in public consciousness because of hunter con5ciou5ne55 because of hunter biden and donald trump pardoned a lot of his cronies, including paul mena ford, his campaign manager who had ties to russia, he pardoned people have been convicted of war crimes and we know that donald trump is pledged on his first day, he's gonna pardon a substantial number of the people who were involved in the violent insurrection on january 5ix, 2021 and trying to strum the capital and overturn the election results. so, i think biden is trying to set the stage for a different kind of pardon and these are not people commit violent offences or tried to overthrow the

government.- tried to overthrow the government. tried to overthrow the covernment. , ., ~ government. do you think we could also — government. do you think we could also see _ government. do you think we could also see president - government. do you think we | could also see president biden i55ued these preemptive pardons for people like senator elect adam schiff who was a part of the january six committee? aha, the january six committee? lot of people are calling for preemptive pardons and people who have not been charged with these offences, we know there is a precedent for this. richard nixon pardon after he left office by his successor gerald ford. buti left office by his successor gerald ford. but i would be even more controversial and we know that adam schiff, among others is said he doesn't want to see it happen. liz cheney, who has been targeted by donald trump for retribution. it is a tough call when you know you have an incoming president who said that his will be in the administration of retribution but the controversy over pardoning people who've never been charged with anything, that's pretty tough stuff. [30 that's pretty tough stuff. do ou that's pretty tough stuff. do you think — that's pretty tough stuff. do you think a presidential pardon power should be reformed? it is

in the power should be reformed? it 3 in the constitution flatly as an unlimited power. but obviously, there has to be some limits. what do you do if a president takes a bribe to pardon an individual? what do you do if for president self pardons. now, none the supreme court in the united states is said that presidents are immune from prosecution for official acts taken, they can use the power of immunity to also tell their subordinates, power of immunity to also tell theirsubordinates, go power of immunity to also tell their subordinates, go ahead and murder this guy, don't worry, i'll pardon you, and murder this guy, don�*t worry, i'll pardon you, it and murder this guy, don't worry, i'll pardon you, it is time for a reconsideration. that could happen with some action by the supreme court, mo5t action by the supreme court, most likely it will take a constitutional amendment and probably since we have seen abuses of this power going back especially to what donald trump did at the end of his first term, it may be time for a reconsideration of this unlimited power given to a

president by our founding fathers. �* ., fathers. and south korea's president _ fathers. and south korea's president will _ fathers. and south korea's president will fight - fathers. and south korea's president will fight to - fathers. and south korea's president will fight to the i fathers. and south korea's i president will fight to the end to a second vote to impeach him over imposing martial law. to finally defending his actions despite a growing number of legislators calling for him to step down from his own party. i spoke to the co—director of the institute of korean studies of the university of central lancashire and she gave me her assessment on his thinking. he realise this is inevitable to face — realise this is inevitable to face the _ realise this is inevitable to face the incoming impeachment or the _ face the incoming impeachment or the resignation but what he is aiming _ or the resignation but what he is aiming to do is delay is much _ is aiming to do is delay is much as_ is aiming to do is delay is much as possible of this process— much as possible of this process because he does not want — process because he does not want to— process because he does not want to see the opposing party leader— want to see the opposing party leader become the next president and in the meantime because — president and in the meantime because there was a party leader_ because there was a party leader he is facing a court case _ leader he is facing a court case and _ leader he is facing a court case and so, he strained to see that— case and so, he strained to see that the — case and so, he strained to see that the court case can make

sure — that the court case can make sure the _ that the court case can make sure the opposing party leader cannot— sure the opposing party leader cannot rule the party and become _ cannot rule the party and become the president candidate that is— become the president candidate that is what he is aiming to do — that is what he is aiming to do but— that is what he is aiming to do. but that it's pretty much the political calculation and what — the political calculation and what they're thinking about in the current situation let's look at some other headlines _ situation let's look at some other headlines was - situation let's look at some other headlines was will. situation let's look at some other headlines was will be j situation let's look at some - other headlines was will be the other headlines wa5 will be the hottest year on record in the announcement by the us national atmospheric administration comes as global sea ice cover fell to a near historic low this year. the organisation is that november wa5 this year. the organisation is that november was the second warmest on record worldwide with asia reaching its warmest november ever. this gives data is not complete but the data is more than 99% chance of exceeding last years record. us lawmakers are expressing concerns over a large number of mysterious drones flying over parts of newjersey. dozens of night—time flights of cost concerns with sightings

recorded near military bases and airports the department of homeland security and the fbi are among several agencies investigating national securities and john kirby says there's currently no evidence that they have imposed a national security risk. the nature become the youngest world chess champion it is 18 years old, he is four years younger than the former record holder and defending champion and a 1k game world championship contest in singapore. he has long been a prodigy of the checks were becoming a grand master at 12 years old. thank you for watching bbc news. we'll be back at the top of the hour. hello. thursday was a very grey, gloomy day, really — a lot of low cloud5, some mist, some hill fog and some drizzle. in fact, during thursday, we actually had a weak warm front that moved across england, introducing some more humid air —

and that's what resulted in the drizzle. at the moment, the computer's are underdoing the amount of drizzle out there as well. it's pretty extensive, really, acro55 much of england, into parts of eastern wales. and we've got mist and fog patches around, as well. frost is relatively rare, but there are a few patches in scotland — that's where the lowest temperatures are, heading into friday. now, the next 36 hours sees this cold front dive southwards — that'll introduce some patches of rain, and again, some slightly colder air following that feature through for a time. here's the weather picture, then, into friday — we start off grey and gloomy with some low cloud, some hill fog patches — and remember that extensive drizzle, england, eastern areas of wales, there'll be a few patches elsewhere, too. now through the day,

we get this weather front move into the northwest of scotland — that will bring some heavier rain and the winds will tend to pick up here. for most, memperatures will range between 6—8 celsius, but there will be some colder spots in scotland. heading into the weekend, we get this cold front move southwards. it'll be very weak, bringing some patches of rain, some colder air following that through during saturday. but, as the front pushes southwards, taking the patchy rain with it — actually, behind that feature, it'll be a much brighter kind of day, with a slice of sunshine for a time before we see the next system start to move into western scotland and northern ireland, with cloudier weather returning back into the afternoon. so, grab the sunshine when it does appear in the sky. now, heading into sunday, we'll see a big change in the weather patterns as these milder south—westerly winds start to move in off the atlantic — and these are here to stay for quite some time. now, sunday itself will probably have quite a lot of cloud, still with some bits and pieces of rain left over across western areas of the country. there'll be a few breaks here and there, so you might see some glimpses of sunshine, but overall, it looks like it'll be turning cloudier, and we've got some heavy rain

that will end up across the northwest of scotland. temperatures, though, much, much higher — 11—13 celsius, turning a great deal milder — and that milder weather is here to stay next week, as well, but often, as we see it this time of year with these kind of mild weather spells, we often have a lot of cloud and bits and pieces of rain — and that's certainly in the forecast next week.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. migration is a hot and contentious issue right across the world. amid the cacophony of voices demanding tighter immigration controls, more secure borders and the mass deportation of unauthorised incomers, it's worth considering how current migration trends fit into the broader sweep of human history. south african—born economist ian goldin has done just that in an effort to reframe this migration debate in terms of the past and the future. is migration a drag or a driver of progress?