Blog

By Zachary B. Wolf, CNN US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden hug on stage at the conclusion of the first day of the Democratic National Convention 19 August. Photo: AFP / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI Analysis - President Joe Biden made history Sunday when he granted a pardon to his son Hunter Biden for criminal convictions on gun and tax charges. The power to grant pardons for federal crimes is uniquely bestowed by the Constitution on only the US president: "... he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." Presidents have doled out pardons to friends and donors, to political allies, and to make political points, but no president until Biden has pardoned his son. In a statement, Biden argued his son's crim...

People stand holding supplies, including buckets and toilet paper in an aid shelter in Lebanon. Photo: Supplied by Aya Moghrabi/World Vision Lebanon An aid worker on the ground in Lebanon says tens of thousands of civilians are going to be left in the cold this winter without proper access to basic services. World Vision Lebanon said the number of people at humanitarian shelters set up in public schools across the country had halved two days into the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Almost a week on, the truce appeared to be holding. "After the ceasefire, the need does not end," World Vision's Josephine Haddad said. She was based just outside of the country's capital Beirut and said more than 100,000 people had left aid shelters within 48 hours of the ceasefire being announced. ...

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Reuters Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles as they drive along a road in the eastern part of Aleppo province. Photo: AREF TAMMAWI/AFP Russian and Syrian jets struck the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria, military sources said, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush insurgents who had swept into the city of Aleppo. Residents said one attack on the second day of raids hit a crowded residential area in the centre of Idlib, the largest city in a rebel enclave near the Turkish border where around four million people live in makeshift tents and dwellings. At least seven people were killed and dozens injured, according to rescuers at the scene. The Syrian army and its ally Russia say they target the hideouts of insurgent groups and deny att...

Elon Musk, right, with Donald Trump on stage at a campaign rally ahead of the US presidential election in November. Photo: JIM WATSON / AFP X is out, Bluesky is in and Mastodon is for the birds - and the nerds. The fight for the top spot in an ever-evolving social media landscape is political. The social media landscape has shifted dramatically, with platforms like Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon growing quickly as alternatives to X (formerly Twitter), which has struggled since Elon Musk's acquisition two years ago. The Detail looks at the different platforms, who's in, who's out and who to follow, talking to two tech and social media experts - Dr Neil Curtis, an associate professor of media and communication at Auckland University, and independent tech specialist Allyn Robins. Curtis r...

US President Joe Biden Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB US President Joe Biden says he has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of making false statements on a gun background check and illegally possessing a firearm and plead guilty to federal tax charges. "Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," he said in a statement released by the White House. The White House had said repeatedly that Biden would not pardon or commute the sentences of his son, a recovering drug addict who became a target of Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump. Hunter Biden, son of US Preside...