Plus: Religious Israelis rage at draft, and the couple who chose to die together ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. The US Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity has sparked strong responses, with President Joe Biden addressing the country in a televised statement. Peter Bowes and Jaroslav Lukiv report on the reactions. Israel too is grappling with a Supreme Court ruling, on military conscription. Yolande Knell surveys the ultra-Orthodox community on the loss of their exemption. We also have stories on duo-euthanasia, Mexico's sacred underwater world, and a silver lining resulting from a traffic jam. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Biden criticises 'dangerous precedent' | | A small group of protesters played on repeat Shame on You outside the Supreme Court. Credit: BBC | President Joe Biden has offered a very different take on the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity to his predecessor. Donald Trump, the first former president in US history to be convicted in a criminal trial, had hailed the judgement as a "big win" for democracy. President Biden described it as a "dangerous precedent" that undermined the rule of law and was "a terrible disservice" to Americans. The ruling gives gives total immunity from criminal prosecution to all former presidents when carrying out official duties, but not when performing "unofficial acts". Effectively, it puts the onus on lower federal courts to draw the line. But as Julie Novkov, the dean of Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, points out, those decisions would be subject to appeal. "The Supreme Court is clear they want to have the last say in how those lines get cut," she said.
Hush-money case: Donald Trump's lawyers have reportedly asked for the former president's conviction to be overturned and his sentencing this month delayed. Legal experts have expressed doubts over whether the immunity defence can be argued in this case.
Trump's legal troubles: How the Supreme Court ruling affects the four criminal cases awaiting trial.
Watch: Nomia Iqbal explains in 60 seconds the implications of the ruling on Trump as he continues his 2024 campaign. | |
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WORLD HEADLINES | | Jeffrey Epstein: A judge in Florida has ordered the surprise release of graphic transcripts from the state's 2006 prosecution of the financier, describing him as "the most infamous pedophile in American history". | | Karen Read: A judge has declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a verdict in the case of a US woman charged with running over her police officer boyfriend and leaving him for dead in a snowbank. | | Lese-majeste laws: Cambodia has jailed 10 environmental activists who sounded the alarm on river pollution for plotting against the government - three of them were also charged with insulting the king. | | Project Konstantin: The charity focused on providing support to frontline soldiers in Ukraine has announced its founder Peter Fouché died on 27 June while working as a combat medic in east Ukraine. | | When puberty hits: Cambridge University researchers have identified six genes which they say "profoundly" affect the age of the first menstrual period, which in turn is linked to health issues including weight gain. | |
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| Ultra-Orthodox fury at draft rule | | Clashes erupted between Israeli police and ultra-Orthodox Jews over the weekend. Credit: Anadolu via Getty Images | Draft exemption has been a long-standing cause of friction between secular Jewish Israelis and the ultra-Orthodox community, which currently makes up 12.9% of the Israeli population. The country's Supreme Court recently ruled that young Haredi men must be conscripted - just as Israel fights a war with no end in sight. |
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| | Yolande Knell, Middle East correspondent |
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| | Young men who are full-time students in Jewish seminaries, or yeshivas, tell me that their religious lifestyle is in jeopardy. “Going to the army will make a frum - religious Jew - not religious anymore,” says Joseph. Mor Shamgar, whose son is serving as a tank commander in southern Israel, has a different view. “I see it as an equality issue. You can't make laws that make half a population, second-grade citizens,” she says. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | The married couple who chose euthanasia |
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| | | Jan (70) and Els (71) photographed two days before they died. Credit: BBC | Jan Faber and Els van Leeningen met in kindergarten and married in 1975. They shared a life, a son and a love of sailing. But as physical and cognitive conditions began affecting their quality of life, the couple began to discuss duo-euthanasia – the two of them dying together. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Breath-taking depths | A look deep beneath the surface of a stunning underwater ecosystems. | |
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And finally... | You can imagine how nine-year-old double amputee Tony Hudgell felt when he missed out on a garden party at Buckingham Palace because he got stuck in traffic. But there was a happy ending for the youngster, who had become the youngest recipient of a New Year Honour when awarded the British Empire Medal for his services to the prevention of child abuse. He was invited to a private gathering with Queen Camilla. See the pictures. | |
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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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