Plus: A soldier swaps one front line for another, and secrets of Le Tour's kitchens ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. While political rivals in France make tactical moves in a bid to stop the far-right National Rally gaining a majority, in the Netherlands a coalition government has finally been sworn in - seven months after the election. Anna Holligan explains how centrists will make things work with the anti-immigration PVV. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, one marine gives his personal account of life on two different front lines. Scroll down for the Tour de France, a priest who predicted black holes and football fun. | |
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GET UP TO SPEED | | At least 116 people have been killed in a crush at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, according to police. | | A New York judge has delayed Donald Trump’s sentencing in the hush-money case until September, as his legal team seeks to challenge his conviction in the wake of the US Supreme Court immunity ruling. | | A stingray that found fame after miraculously becoming pregnant, despite not sharing her tank with a male, died at the weekend, according to aquarium managers. | |
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QUESTIONS ANSWERED | How the new Dutch coalition will work |
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| | Dick Schoof (left) took over from Mark Rutte at a ceremony on Tuesday. Credit: Getty Images | More than seven months after Geert Wilders' anti-immigration, far-right PVV won the Dutch elections, the Netherlands finally has a new government. After months of political wrangling, an agreement was reached for the new Dutch government to be led by a surprise pick, Dick Schoof. |
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| | Who is Dick Schoof? | The former head of the Dutch intelligence service, he was the fifth person approached to preside over the eclectic coalition, and among the few palatable candidates for all four parties. He pushed back a planned retirement to take over from Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' longest serving prime minister. | Who else is in government? | The coalition Mr Schoof will govern includes Mr Wilders' PVV as the largest party. The other members of the coalition will be the conservative-liberal VVD, the Farmers' Citizen Movement and the new-to-government centrist New Social Contract which promised to restore public trust in politics. | How will that work? | The VVD and New Social Contract parties have pledged to ensure Mr Wilders’ populist right is kept in check - and Mr Wilders has been forced to water down his party's most extreme policies. Pledges to ban the Quran, close Dutch borders and hold a referendum on the Netherlands future within the EU have been put on ice, along with Mr Wilders' own prime ministerial ambitions. Yet, as leader of the largest party within the coalition, he is still expected to be one of the most influential politicians in parliament. | | | Go deeper: Europe digital editor Paul Kirby has written previously about Mr Schoof, who has pledged to be a "prime minister for all Dutch people", and about Mr Wilders' background and policies. Meanwhile, in France: Scores of third-placed candidates have stepped aside in a bid to help their rivals defeat the far-right National Rally, after its success in the first round of the parliamentary elections. | |
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| One marine's account of two fronts | | Ukraine's military says the area is vital to defend Kherson and, eventually, to liberate territory. Credit: Getty Images | Ukrainian marine Oleksiy spent eight months defending a narrow strip of land on Dnipro River's occupied eastern bank, surrounded by Russian forces. Now he’s been rushed to defend Moscow’s onslaught in the Kharkiv region, in a redeployment symptomatic of this war’s new focus. |
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| | James Waterhouse, Ukraine correspondent |
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| | Six months ago, Oleksiy described conditions on the swampy riverside as "hell". Things haven’t improved. "We’d managed to maintain the bridgehead, but no equipment has crossed it, and we haven’t once broken through Russian defences," he says. The marine tells us the area had been reduced to a "moonscape", with entire villages being razed to their foundations. "We destroyed a lot of Russian equipment, and they destroyed a lot of our personnel,” he says. "We've left our best guys on the riverside."
Ahead of the arrival of more Western military aid, Ukrainian generals believe Russia is trying to expand the battlefield and further stretch their defending units. Invading troops are more than a month into a north-eastern ground offensive, and while Ukraine has slowed their advances, there’s been no letting up. It’s why Oleksiy now finds himself hundreds of kilometres away from the Kherson region. "Everyone is here: marines, air assault forces, the State Border Guard Service, regular infantry, territorial defence and national police," Oleksiy says.
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| | | A soldier's tale: Moroccan student Brahim Saadoun was fighting for Ukraine when captured by pro-Russian forces and sentenced to death, before being freed under a Saudi-mediated agreement. Here's his story, with content some may find distressing. | | Arms plea: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his appeal for more long-range weapons and air defences after a weekend missile attack killed seven people. |
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THE BIG PICTURE | Fuelling Le Tour: Secrets of team kitchens |
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| | | Chefs like EF Education-EasyPost's OWen Blandy must prepare food in an ever-changing environment. Credit: BBC | Not long ago, Tour de France cyclists were fed a monotonous menu of pasta or rice from hotel kitchens. These days, they receive their 6,000 daily calories via individual nutrition plans. But making it all come together isn't so easy for the chefs, as BBC Sport's Ben Bloom reports. |
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FOR YOUR DOWNTIME | Black hole prophet | In 1783, a British clergyman published some surprisingly prescient cosmic ideas. | |
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And finally... in Germany | German cities hosting the UEFA Euro 2024 games have seen scores of fans representing their countries in loud and colourful ways. But Dutch supporters, helped by their striking orange jerseys, have caused a sensation both on the streets and on social media, where videos of their marches to the stadiums ahead of the games have gone viral. Take a look. After their 3-0 win over Romania on Tuesday, the Oranje's next stop is Berlin for the quarter-finals. | |
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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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