BBC News Briefing

9 December, 2025

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Alex Binley

Hello. US President Donald Trump has hit out at European leaders - we'll bring you more on what he said. In Honduras, the wife of the country's ex-president who was pardoned by Trump following a drug trafficking conviction, tells the BBC of her happiness and maintains that the charges were politically motivated. And finally, watch as an astronaut and two cosmonauts return to Earth after eight months in Space.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump criticises 'decaying' European countries and 'weak' leaders

Trump sits in a chair and appears to be leaning forwards slightly. He's wearing a navy blue suit, white shirt and dark red tie. He has white hair. The wall behind him is white with gold gilding on it and a US flag can be seen.

Trump also claimed European leaders want to be 'politically correct' and 'don't know what to do'. Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Most European nations are "decaying", with "weak" leaders who've failed to control migration, President Trump has said. In an interview with Politico, the US president also accused European leaders of not taking decisive action to end the war in Ukraine, argued that Russia held the "upper hand" in the conflict and urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "play ball" by ceding territory to Moscow. He also reiterated his calls for elections in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Zelensky said he was "ready for the elections" and would ask parliament to prepare legislation to allow them to take place under martial law, which he said could be held in the next 60 to 90 days if security is guaranteed.

What Trump said

GET UP TO SPEED

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From Wednesday, under-16s in Australia will lose access to their accounts on sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

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Feminists angered by Brigitte Macron comment

A term used by the French first lady to describe activists who interrupted a comedian's show has sparked outrage.

What she said >

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CCTV shows suspects with stolen artworks

Here's what we know about the heist which saw Matisse pieces stolen and what CCTV shows us about how it unfolded.

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AT THE SCENE

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Release of convicted ex-Honduran president 'a dream made reality' - wife

A woman with long brown hair wears a white shirt and is smiling at the camera. She wears red lipstick and has a wedding ring on a chain around her neck. She is sat in a room with lots ofornaments in it and a large blue and white Honduran flag is behind her.

Ana García Carías said her husband was just another conservative who faced 'baseless' charges against him.

From Our Own Correspondent: Last week, the former president of Honduras walked free from a US prison after being pardoned by Trump. The US president claimed Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted over his part in a drug trafficking scheme, was a victim of political persecution. Will Grant met Ana García Carías soon after she learnt of her husband's imminent release.

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Will Grant, Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondent

We wound our way up the same streets of the former president's humiliating perp walk and I was ushered into the Hernández home, half-wondering if the interior would resemble a narco-mansion, complete with leopard-skin rugs, gold taps and crystal chandeliers. The reality was surprisingly ordinary. Christmas decorations had started to go up. There were lots of Chinese vases... but overall, it was less Scarface, more Homebase.

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It soon became clear that García Carías's staunch defence of her husband’s actions wasn’t about to slip now he was in the clear. Her husband had been a victim of “lawfare” by a vindictive Biden administration, she insisted, and the “deep State” had brought him down.

Listen to more

Explained: What was Hernández convicted of and why has Trump pardoned him?

Honduras election: As the vote count enters its ninth day, the second-placed candidate has accused "corrupt people" of manipulation.

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