Plus: North Korean diplomat defects to the south, and the Syrians becoming mercenaries in Africa ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today we're covering Donald Trump's first public outing since his assassination attempt. He was welcomed with cheers as he appeared next to his pick for vice-president, JD Vance. Marco Oriunto reports from overcrowded classrooms in Zambia, where schools struggle to keep up with the government's promise of free education. Swans and the Moon are among the more poetic topics in your newsletter. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | From 'Never Trumper' to VP pick | | Donald Trump appeared with a bandage on his right ear, which was grazed by a bullet during his assassination attempt. Credit: EPA | Just two days after an attempt on his life, Donald Trump has returned to the public eye, receiving a rapturous reception from thousands at the Republican National Convention. There, he joined his newly announced running mate for his re-election bid, JD Vance. The selection of the 39-year-old Ohio senator "suggests Trump knows this election will be won and lost in a handful of industrial Midwest battleground states", writes Anthony Zurcher, from the convention in Milwaukee. Mr Vance rose to fame thanks to his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which links his blue-collar upbringing to his working-class conservatism. At the time, he was calling his Trump "an idiot" and "reprehensible" - remarks for which he apologised, managing to earn Trump's endorsement for his successful 2022 Senate candidacy. Now, he aligns closely with the former president’s ideology, notably in lambasting continued US support for Ukraine. “He’s a clone of Trump on the issues,” President Joe Biden said.
'On his left shoulder': Read our profile of JD Vance's wife Usha - the child of Indian immigrants who works for a law firm touting its "radically progressive" reputation.
Watch: Tearful supporters of Donald Trump received the former president with roaring cheers, as he entered the arena wearing a bandage on his ear.
Biden interview: The president has said it was a mistake for him to say "time to put Trump in a bullseye", days before Saturday's assassination attempt on his election rival. Here's more from his NBC interview. | |
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WORLD HEADLINES | A rare defection: A high-profile North Korean diplomat stationed in Cuba has escaped to the South, Seoul's spy agency has confirmed to the BBC. | | In the UK: Judges have ruled that the MI5 intelligence agency can continue to neither confirm nor deny whether a man who attacked his girlfriend with a machete was one of its agents - something established through multiple sources by a 2022 BBC investigation. | | Cyber-security: Russian antivirus giant Kaspersky Labs has told BBC News that it is leaving the US after the Biden administration banned sales and distribution of the firm's software. | | Not made of cheese: Scientists say a 100m (328ft) deep cave identified for the first time on the Moon could be an ideal place for humans to build a permanent base. | Football: England men's team manager Gareth Southgate has resigned after a second consecutive European Championship final defeat. | |
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| Classrooms bursting with pupils | Since 2021, when Zambia's government made public schools free, two million more children have been able to attend class. But teachers say there has not been the necessary investment to provide extra books, spend enough time with pupils or even mark their work. |
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| | | It’s 07:00 on a chilly winter morning and a group of students has just arrived at Chanyanya Primary and Secondary school. “You need to come early to school because there is a shortage of desks,” says 16-year-old pupil Richard Banda. “Two days ago I came late and I ended up sitting on the floor - it was so cold.” His discomfort encapsulates the problem of a lack of resources and overcrowding that has come as a result of offering free primary and secondary school education here. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Syrians becoming mercenaries in Africa |
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| | | Abu Mohammad is a member of Turkish-backed opposition forces that have been fighting President Bashar al-Assad. Credit: BBC | Almost seven million people are internally displaced by the civil war in Syria - 33-year-old Abu Mohammad is one of them. Unable to support his family after a decade in camps, he decided like hundreds of his peers to work as a mercenary in Niger. Recruited by Turkish groups, they sometimes find themselves under Russian orders. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Sexual healing | TV sex therapist Dr Ruth Westheimer's no-nonsense openness ushered in a new era. | |
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And finally... | In England, the annual medieval tradition of counting swans on the River Thames has begun. A rather colourful and eccentric spectacle, it involves men with feathers in their cap, gliding serenely from west London to Oxfordshire, in search of swans. Take a look. | |
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Medal Moments | Your daily newsletter guide to the Paris Olympics, from global highlights to heroic stories, throughout the Games. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | The Essential List: The week's best stories, handpicked by BBC editors, in your inbox twice a week. Subscribe. | | In History: The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. Subscribe. | | US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday. Subscribe. | |
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Thank you, as ever, for reading. Send us suggestions for topics or areas of the world to cover in this newsletter. Tell your friends and family about it! They can sign up here. You can take a look at all our newsletters here.
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– Jules | | | | |
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