This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Jackie Leonard and in the early hours of Wednesday the 3rd of July, these are our main stories.

A Democratic Party Congressman has become the first to call publicly for Joe Biden to withdraw from November's election.

A large number of candidates have withdrawn from the second round of the French parliamentary election as the centre and left-wing blocks

try to prevent a far-right victory, and Indian police are investigating the cause of a

crush at a religious festival in which more than a hundred people were killed.

Also in this podcast,

in March a young man in Shanghai disguised himself by wearing a life-like mask that made him look decades older.

calls in China for greater restrictions on the sale of hyper-realistic silicon face masks

following a string of crimes committed by people wearing them.

And we begin in the United States. The first Democratic Party congressman has urged

President Biden to make way for another candidate in November's presidential election.

Lloyd Doggett said that because Mr. Biden had always put the country first, he was hopeful

he would take the painful decision to withdraw following his performance in last week's debate

with Donald Trump. The former Democrat speaker of the House

Nancy Pelosi said it was fair to question the mental acuity of candidates, but she

praised Mr Biden. So he has a vision, he has knowledge, he has judgment, he has a strategic thinking and the rest,

he has a bad night.

Now again, I think it's a legitimate question to say, is this an episode or is this a condition?

And so when people ask that question, it's legitimate of both candidates.

We heard more from our correspondent in Washington,

Helena Humphrey, first on the significance of Nancy Pelosi's remarks.

...