First Thing: Biden issues ‘full and unconditional’ pardon to son Hunter

The president reverses his pledge not to use his executive authority in this way, claiming that his son’s prosecution was politically motivated. Plus: scientists ask whether humans are hardwired to commit bad deeds

Good morning.

Joe Biden has granted “a full and unconditional” pardon to his son Hunter Biden, days before he was due to be sentenced for convictions on federal gun and tax charges, the US president said in a statement released by the White House on Sunday.

Biden had repeatedly said that he would not use his executive power to pardon his son or commute his sentence – but reversed his position at the weekend, claiming that his son’s prosecution was politically motivated.

In his statement, Biden argued that “it is clear that Hunter was treated differently”, adding that the charges in the case “came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election”.

How did Republicans respond? Donald Trump called the decision “such an abuse and miscarriage of justice”. Trump, too, has used executive authority to help a relative – he pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner in 2020.

Justin Trudeau promises Trump that Canada will step up border surveillance

Justin Trudeau has promised Trump that Canada will step up its surveillance of its joint border, a senior Canadian official has said.

The Canadian prime minister on Friday had dinner with the US president-elect, who has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian imports unless it stops undocumented people and drugs from reaching the US. The move would severely hurt Canada’s economy, as it sends more than 75% of all of its goods and services exports to the US.

Public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was also at the dinner, said the Canadian government would continue to try to dissuade Trump from imposing tariffs, arguing that the policy would damage both countries’ economies.

How will Canada secure its border? LeBlanc said Canada would procure more drones and police helicopters and redeploy personnel.

Iranian-backed militias reportedly enter Syria to back Assad’s army

Iranian-backed militias have reportedly entered Syria overnight and are moving on northern Syria to bolster Bashar al-Assad’s forces after Syrian and Russian airstrikes battered the region where insurgents have mounted their strongest challenge in years.

The surprise offensive has allowed Islamist rebels to wrest control of Aleppo, with insurgents using Russia and Iran’s distraction to their advantage as the wars in Ukraine, Lebanon and Gaza took priority.

“These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the frontlines in the north,” aSyrian army source told Reuters, referring to the Iranian-backed fighters. The forces entered Syria after the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met Assad for talks in Damascus on Sunday evening in a gesture of support for his regime.

Who are the rebels? Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group that previously declared allegiance to al-Qaida before breaking ties in 2016.

How fast did they take Aleppo? In three days. The attack began on Wednesday, and by Saturday they had forced out government forces.

Why was Assad’s army so vulnerable? In part because its backer, Russia, has shifted its focus and resources to Ukraine.

In other news …

Protesters rallied in Tbilisi for a fourth consecutive night on Sunday against the government’s decision to pause talks on joining the European Union.

A bear that attacked a supermarket worker in northern Japan has been killed after hiding in the store for three days.

Marshall Brickman, Woody Allen’s Oscar-winning co-writer, has died at the age of 85. No cause of death was given.

Stat of the day: flights to Greenland to double next year

Greenland’s first international airport has opened, and more hubs are in the making. The development is sure to drive tourism, with the number of flights to Greenland expected to almost double in the space of a year, from 55,000 seats between April and August this year to an expected 105,000 seats in that period next year, including a four-hour direct flight from New Jersey. Not everyone is happy, with concerns about its natural landscape being spoiled.

Don’t miss this: are we hardwired to commit ‘deadly sins’?

From gluttony to lust, scientists are increasingly discovering that behaviors long seen as sinful often have a biological cause, writes neurologist Guy Leschziner. With many of the factors that determine who we are present from conception, Leschziner asks whether free will is illusory. “Who should be the arbiter of the lines between the normal and the pathological, the biological and the moral?” Also featuring: how to learn how much testosterone you were exposed to in the womb just by looking at your hands.

Climate check: Top UN court to begin hearings on landmark climate crisis case

The International Court of Justice on Monday will begin considering evidence regarding what action countries are legally required to take against the climate crisis and in aid of vulnerable nations. While the findings by the ICJ in the landmark case will be non-binding, the court’s conclusions will be legally and politically significant.

Last Thing: Deadly tiger snake caught after slithering up a driver’s leg on a Melbourne freeway

Police in the Australian state of Victoria have carried out one of their more bizarre welfare checks after a woman reported that she had been driving on the freeway when she felt something on her foot and saw a snake “slithering up her leg”. The unbelievably cool-headed motorist then managed to ward the snake off and weave through the lanes before jumping out of her vehicle in the slip lane.

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