Plus: The South Africans battling 'economic apartheid', and Pope Francis apologises following homophobic slur reports ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. It's a long day in the New York courtroom where jurors are listening to closing arguments in Donald Trump's hush-money trial. Madeline Halpert explains what happens next. Reporting from South Africa, which holds its general election tomorrow, Barbara Plett-Usher and Fergal Keane wrote two illuminating pieces looking at the country's inequalities. I'm wrapping up this newsletter with some French intrigue - but first, here's the latest. | |
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QUESTIONS ANSWERED | Jury to begin deliberations on Trump criminal case |
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| | Donald Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche called witness Michael Cohen "the MVP of liars" in his closing arguments. Credit: Reuters | Jurors are hearing the closing arguments from Donald Trump's defence team and the prosecution against him in the former president's New York criminal trial. They will start their deliberations soon - but how do they work? Here's a quick refresher on the US jury system. |
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| | Madeline Halpert, BBC News |
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| How can prosecutors secure a conviction? | All 12 members of the jury must agree Mr Trump is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This is the worst-case scenario for Mr Trump, who would become the first major party candidate running for US president as a felon. He would almost certainly appeal against this verdict. His lawyers already have argued for a mistrial on multiple occasions, each time unsuccessfully. If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of four years behind bars, but most experts say a smaller punishment would be likelier. | What happens if one juror disagrees? | If jurors report to the judge that they cannot reach a decision, Justice Merchan may instruct them once or twice more to try again to reach a verdict. But if they still cannot, he would declare a mistrial. Prosecutors would then have to decide on the spot whether they want to retry the case. | And if they all agree that he is not guilty? | The former president would be acquitted of the felony charges. That would be a major blow to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office that brought the case. | | | More questions, more answers: Holly Honderich details what will happen if the jury reaches a guilty verdict. Closing arguments: Here's what both parties had to say before jurors are sent away to deliberate. A look back on the trial: Former prosecutors and legal experts assess whether the prosecution made a strong enough case. | |
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| Battling ‘economic apartheid’ 30 years on | | Bevil Lucas fears that a failure to address the housing crisis could lead to social unrest. Credit: BBC | As South Africa holds its seventh democratic election on Wednesday, it is still divided by enduring inequality. But housing policy, which influences who gets to live where, has slipped down the list of political priorities. |
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| | Barbara Plett-Usher, Africa correspondent |
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| | Jameelah Davids’s room was once a morgue ; Bevil Lucas lives in the doctor’s office where he came to collect his diabetes medication. All of them are squatting in a derelict hospital in the South African city of Cape Town, protesting at what they see as the government’s failure to deliver affordable housing. Activists belonging to a movement called Reclaim the City occupied the Woodstock Hospital in the dead of night seven years ago.
The aim was to take over property close to the city centre because access to its jobs and services is key to righting the wrongs of segregation, says Mr Lucas, one of the movement's leaders. For Ms Davids, location was everything. “My moving in here was because of my son who's autistic,” she says. “He goes to school around the corner. It was so near for him. Everything is there. And he's flourished.” |
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| | | Disillusion after three decades: Fergal Keane reunited with Cynthia Mthebe, 30 years after he met her while reporting in a Johannesburg squatter camp. In Fergal's moving piece, she shares her frustration about the ruling African National Congress. | | ANC struggles: The governing party campaigns for a record seventh term in office, but it appears to be struggling in this election, writes Farouk Chothia in Soweto. | | Youth vote: Read how South Africa’s social media influencers have become political mobilisers ahead of Wednesday's election. |
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THE BIG PICTURE | The LGBTQ Indians cut off from politics |
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| | | There are millions of LGBTQ people in India, making them an influential voting bloc. Credit: Getty Images | Acceptance of sexual and gender diversity has been on the rise in India, where a majority of adults believe same-sex marriage should be made legal. But LGBTQ Indians tell Zoya Mateen they are still left out of politics. In this year's general election, no major political party has fielded a single openly LGBTQ candidate. |
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FOR YOUR DOWNTIME | Let it go | Parents shouldn't always be "in sync" with their children. | |
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And finally... in France | The town of Agde, on the Mediterranean coast, is usually in the news for its naturist village catering to the needs of Europe's biggest swinger community. But the sun-drenched resort is now rocked by a scandal involving its mayor and a fortune teller with a reputation for being able to communicate with the dead. Both are in jail while under judicial investigation. Chris Bockman has the lowdown on the intrigue from Agde. | |
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The Essential List newsletter | The week's best stories, handpicked by BBC editors, in your inbox twice a week. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | 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. | | Football Extra: Latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays. Subscribe. | |
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– Jules | | | | |
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