0:00:04 > 0:00:07This is BBC News, the headlines at midday.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10A review into Oxfam is ordered by the Department
0:00:10 > 0:00:14for International Development - the charity denies covering up a sex
0:00:14 > 0:00:18scandal involving aid workers in Haiti.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Israel says one of its fighter jets has crashed after coming under
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Syrian anti-aircraft fire.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24The pilots escaped.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Triple world champion short-track speed skater, Elise Christie,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28sets an olympic record in her opening heat
0:00:28 > 0:00:36in the 500 metre event.
0:00:58 > 0:01:06Good afternoon and welcome to BBC News.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15The government is reviewing all its work with the charity Oxfam
0:01:15 > 0:01:17over claims the charity covered up the use of prostitutes by some
0:01:18 > 0:01:19of its staff in Haiti.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Ministers have condemned what they call the "appalling abuse
0:01:21 > 0:01:22of vulnerable people" after the earthquake
0:01:22 > 0:01:24in the Caribbean country in 2010.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Oxfam insists it publicised the action it took against the aid
0:01:26 > 0:01:28workers involved, some of whom were fired.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30However, several went on to work for other
0:01:30 > 0:01:32charities, who were unaware of their past behaviour.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Oxfam denies it gave good references for any staff who were sacked.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Jessica Parker reports.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44An advert from the charity giant, Oxfam.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47It got nearly £32 million from the UK Department
0:01:47 > 0:01:49for International Development in the last financial year,
0:01:49 > 0:01:50but amid the sexual exploitation scandal, the Government
0:01:50 > 0:01:54said last night...
0:02:06 > 0:02:08The allegations surround the the behaviour of aid
0:02:08 > 0:02:10workers here in Haiti following the devastating
0:02:10 > 0:02:16earthquake in 2010.
0:02:16 > 0:02:17A Times newspaper investigation found inappropriate behaviour,
0:02:18 > 0:02:19including the use of prostitutes.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22The charity has denied a cover-up and said that it publicly announced
0:02:22 > 0:02:24an enquiry into the claims in 2011.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27It said the behaviour of some of its staff had been
0:02:27 > 0:02:28totally unacceptable, but that allegations that
0:02:28 > 0:02:32underage girls may have been involved were not proven.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Four staff members were dismissed and three were allowed
0:02:34 > 0:02:42to resign as part of the external investigation.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45-- internal investigation.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Was this the first time that you ever heard of exploitative
0:02:47 > 0:02:49sexual behaviour going on at Oxfam?
0:02:49 > 0:02:54No, no, no.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I can only think of one or two examples that come to mind,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00but we had already agreed that any sign that anybody was doing this,
0:03:00 > 0:03:01there would be an investigation.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03That investigation was noted and went to our trustee
0:03:03 > 0:03:05board once a quarter.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Today the Times reports fresh claims that Oxfam failed to warn other aid
0:03:08 > 0:03:10agencies about the staff, allowing them to take
0:03:10 > 0:03:11other jobs in the sector.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13While there is a wide acknowledgement that hundreds
0:03:13 > 0:03:16of Oxfam staff have done nothing wrong, the charity does now face
0:03:16 > 0:03:18serious questions about its past and what that could mean
0:03:18 > 0:03:26for its future.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33A little earlier I spoke to Oxfam's current chief
0:03:33 > 0:03:34executive, Mark Goldring.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37He wasn't at the charity then, and told me Oxfam had gone
0:03:37 > 0:03:44public with the incident when it was investigated.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Oxfam was actually proactive in going to the British
0:03:46 > 0:03:48public, the Department for International Development
0:03:48 > 0:03:50and the Charity commission to explain that there had
0:03:50 > 0:03:52been serious misconduct and that we had taken action.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55What Oxfam did not do is describe the detailed nature of the offences,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57which included the use of prostitution, but also included
0:03:57 > 0:04:02other activities such as bullying and misuse of Oxfam property.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05With hindsight, you could say that we should have said more,
0:04:05 > 0:04:11but at the time, Oxfam was very unusual, no media coverage at all,
0:04:11 > 0:04:16we went public and said that we were concerned that public
0:04:16 > 0:04:23money had been misused, public trust abused,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26we have investigated this, money was not misused
0:04:26 > 0:04:27but people have misbehaved
0:04:27 > 0:04:28and we have taken action.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31You say that people had misbehaved, and it was related to inappropriate
0:04:31 > 0:04:39sexual behaviour, did you not say...
0:04:43 > 0:04:50The understand that people would have thought,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53People had been hitting on staff members and they have
0:04:53 > 0:04:55given the push.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58They might see that as a different light from exposing the people
0:04:58 > 0:05:00that your aid workers had supposedly gone to help?
0:05:00 > 0:05:01Yes, I do see that.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05And in 2018, we are in a different place to be worked into that 11
0:05:05 > 0:05:07in terms of the sensitivity on those issues.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10That is why it would have been better to have said more.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12But, the team will try to balance delivering a large-scale life-saving
0:05:12 > 0:05:14operation in very difficult circumstances, with being
0:05:14 > 0:05:17transparent with the British public and they made a call at the time,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21which they thought balanced those interests.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Israel says one of its fighter jets has crashed after coming under
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Syrian anti-aircraft fire.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32The F16 came down in Israeli territory, and both pilots ejected
0:05:32 > 0:05:34and were taken to hospital.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Israel said it had been responding to the launch of an Iranian
0:05:37 > 0:05:38drone into its airspace.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Our Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem, Tom Bateman,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42has been giving us more details about the incident.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Well, Israel says that this was a drone carrying out
0:05:44 > 0:05:46a military mission sent by the Iranians inside Syria.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49What is notable is where the drone was, because we have heard
0:05:49 > 0:05:51in the past about so-called spill-over from the fighting
0:05:51 > 0:05:54in Syria across Israe's northern border, but according to the Israeli
0:05:54 > 0:06:02military, this drone was many miles from the border with Syria.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09from the border with Syria.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12It was south of the Sea of Galilee, which would put it closer
0:06:12 > 0:06:15to the Jordanian border shared with Israel, than the Syrian one.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17So, that would be significant, and in response to this,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Israel have set up a combat helicopter which shot down this
0:06:21 > 0:06:24drone, and then they went to attack the place from which they believed
0:06:24 > 0:06:30the drone was launched inside Syria, and as its fighter jets
0:06:30 > 0:06:32were returning, Israel says they came under massive
0:06:32 > 0:06:35in their words, anti-aircraft fire from Syria.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37One of their jets crashed.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41It is not clear if it was hit by the anti-aircraft fire or not,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43but Syrian state TV says that it was shot down.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46The Israelis do not use that form of words.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Two pilot were ejected, and one is seriously wounded.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52The background to this is is incredibly complicated
0:06:59 > 0:07:00The Defence Minister, Tobias Ellwood, has suggested two
0:07:00 > 0:07:02members of the so-called Islamic State group,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05who are from London, should be tried at the International Criminal Court
0:07:05 > 0:07:10in The Hague.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12The BBC understands Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh,
0:07:12 > 0:07:18whose cell is thought to have murdered more than 20 hostages have
0:07:18 > 0:07:26been stripped of their British citizenship.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29North Korea's leader Kim Tribune has invited the South Korean leader to
0:07:29 > 0:07:34visit him. This will be the first meeting in 12 years, and was made by
0:07:34 > 0:07:38the North Korean leader's sister while visiting the south for the
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Winter Olympics as part of the delegation from Pyongyang. It's been
0:07:42 > 0:07:47seen as a direct challenge to US administration, President Trump have
0:07:47 > 0:07:50urged caution rather than engagement with North Korea in the hope that
0:07:50 > 0:07:52sanctions will be more effective.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54The action has begun at the Winter Olympics
0:07:54 > 0:07:55in Pyeongchang in South Korea.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58The highlight so far, for Team GB, has been Elise Christie's
0:07:58 > 0:08:00performance in her opening heat in the 500 metres short
0:08:00 > 0:08:03track speed skating.