Plus: European leaders open EU membership talks with Ukraine, and the love story between Sweden and cardamom.
| | | | | | | Hello. Our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg spent some time today holding up a placard with the BBC logo on it, hoping to ask a question to Vladimir Putin during a marathon press conference. He was not given the microphone, but has sent us a fascinating piece from the Russian president’s very own TV studio. For you today, I also have a look at the upcoming impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, as well as stories from India and Sweden. |
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| | | | | | AT THE SCENE | Moscow, Russia | | Vladimir Putin’s phone-in show | | | | Vladimir Putin (out of focus) is pointing toward the audience as journalists hold placards identifying their media outlet. | | On Thursday, Vladimir Putin took part in his first marathon news conference since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. The event combined carefully vetted questions from ordinary Russians as well as journalists in the studio. | | | | Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor |
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| For the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I'm invited to a Kremlin event. I'm in a room with Vladimir Putin. And 600 other people. At an exhibition hall opposite the Kremlin, in a specially built TV studio packed with video screens and electronic tickers, Russian journalists - and some foreign correspondents - are watching the Kremlin leader host an end-of-year news conference combined with a TV phone-in. It's called "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin." In effect, it is the world according to Vladimir Putin. A world in which the Kremlin leader is right about absolutely everything.
The phone-in part of the show is designed to portray President Putin as Russia's Mr Fix-it and to boost his popularity ahead of next March's presidential election. In a video message, one Russian pensioner complains about the rising price of eggs. "My favourite president," she declares, "please influence the situation." The four-hour marathon is carefully choreographed. I may have been invited, but the president won't take any of my questions. |
| | | | • | What Putin said: Peace with Ukraine will only take place "when we achieve our objectives", the Russian leader said. He added there was a dialog between Moscow and the US regarding the detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan. | | • | Double vision: Vladimir Putin fielded a question to a body double of himself to make the point that Russia should become a world leader in artificial intelligence. Here’s the clip. |
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| Questions Answered | | Impeachment inquiry will cause headache for Biden | | | | Months of investigation have yet to uncover evidence of misconduct by Joe Biden. Credit: Reuters |
| | The US House of Representatives has voted to formalise its impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. This makes it more likely that the House will eventually seek to impeach Mr Biden, meaning to bring charges in Congress that form the basis for a political (rather than criminal) trial. | | | | Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent |
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| | What are Republicans claiming at this point? | | Republicans allege the president benefited from his family's foreign business dealings, although they have not yet produced any solid evidence that he did. | | What is the effect of the vote? | | In the short-term, the House's action gives the investigating committees more power to subpoena documents and testimony and for judges to enforce those requests. The Biden White House, which has cited the lack of a formal vote as grounds for refusing to provide some information, may now be compelled to comply. | | What are the risks of a formal investigation for Joe Biden? | | It could become a major headache in the midst of an election campaign. And that remains true even if Republicans continue to lack any conclusive evidence tying the president to Hunter Biden's misdeeds and misbehaviour. Sweeping powers can sometimes yield surprising results. Bill Clinton's impeachment for lying about an affair with an intern began with an inquiry into a failed real estate deal. Hillary Clinton's email server saga came from a probe into a US ambassador's death in Libya. Sometimes fishing expeditions catch a fish. | | | | • | The recap: Here’s what happened on Wednesday, when the US House of Representatives voted to formalise its impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. | | • | Back to basics: Do you need a refresher on next year’s presidential election, before getting into all its twists and turns? Here’s a really simple guide. |
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| | The big picture | | A garland and a life in exile | | | | Budhini Manjhiyain was just 15 when she was shunned by her tribe for garlanding Nehru. Credit: The Prime Ministers Museum and Library Society |
| | In 1959, Budhini Manjhiyain was chosen to welcome then-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to the inauguration of a dam where she was a worker. The 15-year-old garlanded the statesman, who garlanded her back. But among her Santhal tribe, the gesture was akin to marrying the prime minister - an outsider. She became an outcast. Now, in the wake of her death, there are calls for a memorial to the woman often dubbed "Nehru's first tribal wife", as Zoya Mateen explains. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | Cardamom lovers | | Cinnamon buns aren’t the only sweet treats the Swedes like to spice up. | | |
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| | And finally... in the UK | | Puzzle lovers across Britain are currently tackling GCHQ’s annual Christmas code-breaking challenge. The intelligence agency released its third series of maths and analysis-based riddles for pupils aged 11 to 18. Adults who don’t mind having their ego bruised and their mind discombobulated can take the test here. |
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| | | | | | | | Future Earth Newsletter | | Essential climate news and hopeful developments, in your inbox every Tuesday. | | |
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– Jules |
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