Plus: The Ukrainian soldiers hoping to turn the tide of war, and the Alps' forgotten people. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today is the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. My colleagues there tell us what to expect inside the convention centre - as well as outside, where pro-Palestinian protesters are gathering. We also have the latest on the yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, as details emerge on the identity of some of the missing people. I'm sharing news from Ukraine, India and Columbia. | |
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GET UP TO SPEED | | British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his daughter and a yacht's chef are among those missing after the boat sank of the coast of Sicily. Read more on our live page. | | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described his three-hour meeting with US top diplomat Antony Blinken as "positive", with pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza growing. | | A 25-year prison sentence handed to a man in Ethiopia for the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl has sparked outrage in the country, with some advocacy groups calling the punishment "very light". | |
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QUESTIONS ANSWERED | What to expect from Democrats in Chicago |
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| | The tradition of a convention dates back to the 1830s, when Democratic delegates nominated Andrew Jackson for a second term. Credit: AFP | With three months to go until election day, US Democrats are gathering in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention. Supporters and party leaders spend four days celebrating their presidential ticket - Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz. |
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| | Madeline Halpert, BBC News |
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| What's different this time? | This year will look slightly different from others, as the Democratic Party has already officially nominated Vice-President Kamala Harris in a virtual roll call after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. The convention will focus on speeches from prominent Democrats and the adoption of the party’s platform. | What should we expect? | Dozens of prominent Democrats and celebrities will be taking the stage in Chicago. President Biden will headline the convention on Monday night, with former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. The most important night of the convention is Thursday, when Vice-President Harris will take the stage to formally accept the presidential nomination from her party. | Will there be protests? | They have already started, with pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathering in Chicago on Sunday. Organisers have said as many as 10,000 people may come to march. There will also be events organised by pro-Israel groups, including a "hostage square" to draw attention to the plight of those who remain in Hamas captivity. | | | Follow live: My colleagues in Chicago are covering the event inside and outside the convention center. Our live page has all the updates, alongside a live-stream of the rallies. The long read: Many in the audience this week once doubted Kamala Harris' capacity to generate enthusiasm. The convention could determine whether she's able to convert her momentum into a winning campaign. Subscribe: Anthony Zurcher will write his US Election Unspun newsletter from Chicago. Get the next one by following this link. | |
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| The soldiers hoping to turn the tide | | Arni says Ukraine's military objectives have shifted from survival to peace. Credit: BBC | Ukraine's counter-offensive into Russia's Kursk region surprise everyone apart from the Ukrainian soldiers who carried it out. Kyiv is hoping to change the narrative of a grinding conflict, during which Russia has been eroding Ukrainian territory. |
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| | James Waterhouse, Ukraine correspondent |
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| | "All wars end with negotiations. It’s not the soldiers in the trenches who decide when." Arni joined the Ukrainian army in 2022 to fight for his country’s survival. When we bump into him 30 months later, he describes a new motivation: "Peace." "No-one likes war, we want to finish it," he says while leaning against his camouflaged pick-up truck. For the troops we encounter close to Russia’s border, there’s a desire to end Russia’s invasion on acceptable terms. That is not to say survival isn’t a core driver - it is - but they seem to be striving for a finish line. “For Ukraine, our people, we’ll stand until the end,” adds Arni.
Despite parallels with Russia’s initial invasion, Kyiv claims its goal is not to occupy. So what is the aim? Well, there’s more than one. |
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THE BIG PICTURE | Bikes bring India's young girls to school |
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| | | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. | Twenty years ago, several Indian states started to hand bikes to school-going children, focusing on young girls. Since then, the number of schoolgirls commuting by bike has boomed, driving a "silent revolution" in the country's rural areas. |
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FOR YOUR DOWNTIME | The Alps' forgotten people | A hiking route unravels some of the region's most intriguing human history. | |
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And finally... in Colombia | Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has delighted the audience of a panel discussion she attended during her trip in Colombia by greeting attendees in Spanish. In her remarks, she thanked the country for its warm embrace of her and her husband. | |
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Football Extra | Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays to your inbox. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. 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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