Plus: French PM facing confidence vote after defying MPs ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. President Joe Biden is facing growing criticism for pardoning his son, Hunter, with President-elect Donald Trump among those to speak out against the decision. We take a look at the latest reaction and how Biden compares to other presidents in the number of pardons given. Lyse Doucet travels to Darfur to document the aftermath of fighting between rival Sudanese forces. In Europe, France faces fresh political turmoil after Michel Barnier, the prime minister, pushed through a bill without the approval of MPs. Meanwhile, Indians get ready to morph into gods - at least temporarily - in a centuries-old tradition. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Trump weighs in as Biden faces backlash for pardoning son |
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|  | Trump asked why his supporters had not been pardoned. Credit: Getty | Donald Trump, the US president-elect, has joined growing criticism of Joe Biden for pardoning his son, Hunter, on tax and gun charges. Trump called the decision an “abuse and miscarriage of justice”. He is one of a number of Republican politicians and Democrats who have condemned Biden's decision. In the past, Biden has repeatedly insisted that he would not pardon Hunter. My colleagues at BBC Verify take a look at what Biden has previously said on the subject, and why his decision is controversial. As things currently stand, Biden has pardoned fewer people than most US presidents in recent history. |
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| Barnier facing confidence vote over French budget | Michel Barnier, the French PM, has pushed through a budget bill, in a move expected to trigger a vote of no confidence. | The latest > |
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| Syria: how a civil war suddenly reignited | Rebels have launched the largest offensive against Syria's government in years. The BBC looks at who is fighting, and why. | Read more > |
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| Dozens killed in Guinea football stadium crush | At least 56 people have died in a crush at a football match in Nzérékoré, reportedly after a controversial refereeing decision. | Read more > |
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| BBC hears of horror and hunger in rare visit to Darfur massacre town |  | Two survivors recount the horror of the attack on el-Geneina. Credit: BBC | The town of el-Geneina in Darfur was ransacked last year as militia forces targeted non-Arab residents, in a what UN experts described as ethnic cleansing. The BBC gained access to the aftermath along with the first UN officials to reach the area in 19 months. |
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| | Lyse Doucet, Chief international correspondent |
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| | No-one lives in the outskirts of el-Geneina any more, but its buildings still stand to tell their shocking stories, loudly and clearly. Charred homes and shops are peppered with bullet holes. Doors are wrecked. Metal shutters are smashed. Rusting Sudanese army tanks dot the streets. We could still smell the fires that blazed here last year.
We had already heard the stories of refugees in neighbouring Chad. "When we fled, our young brothers were killed," said a 14-year-old Sudanese girl in a rose pink headscarf. An elderly woman whose dark eyes blazed with anger added: "They indiscriminately killed everyone – women, boys, babies, everyone." |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Green Christmas | The pros and cons of Christmas trees go beyond the impact of "real or plastic". | |
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And finally... in India | Each year, nearly a thousand theyyam performances take place in family estates and venues near temples across the southern state of Kerala, traditionally performed by men from marginalised castes and tribal communities. Rooted in ancient tribal traditions, each performance is both a theatrical spectacle and an act of devotion, transforming the performer into a living incarnation of the divine. Take a look. | |
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Six Steps to Calm | Discover a calmer future with this course of six science-backed techniques, weekly to your inbox. | |
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