| | | | | | | Hello. Those who thought Donald Trump might plead the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer questions while taking the stand at his civil fraud trial today, were much mistaken. The former president and 2024 presidential hopeful put on a fiery display, defending his properties’ value and condemning the trial as politically motivated. Kayla Epstein described the atmosphere in court. Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell spoke to Palestinian Christians in Gaza and in the West Bank about their fears for their communities’ survival. Scroll further down to look to the skies for sightings of a specific type of aurora borealis known as Steve, and a creepy discovery at a charity shop. |
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| | | | | AT THE SCENE |  New York, USA | | Trump takes the stand |  | | Mr Trump railed against Democrats in one of his answers. Credit: Getty Images | | Donald Trump took the stand at the civil fraud trial in which he is accused of inflating the value of his properties to secure favourable loans. In a statement before entering the court, the former president criticised the trial as “a very unfair situation”. In court, Mr Trump gave combative answers. | | | Mr Trump used his time on the stand to ardently defend himself from prosecutors with the same language he has used in social media statements and stump speeches to rile up his base. One technical question about the control of a trust which held his assets while he served in the White House saw Mr Trump come out swinging. "You and about every other Democrat district attorneys, [attorney general], US attorneys, etc, were coming after me from 15 sides," he railed. "All Democrats, all Trump haters, all cases that are not good, inappropriate and not good. Weaponisation, they call it."
And when avoiding questions about a wind farm built near his golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland, Mr Trump referred to his political opposition to such projects. "I'm not a windmill person. I think I'm proven to be right." Evasive and partisan answers continued on like this all morning. "Can you control your client?" Judge Arthur Engoron asked Mr Trump's attorneys at one point. "This is not a political rally, this is a courtroom." It was one of several reprimands issued from the bench throughout the morning. |
| | | | • | Eyes on 2024: A year ahead of the next US presidential elections, all the signs point to a 2020 re-run between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. But there are at least four scenarios that could upend that expectation. | | • | The Trump sequel: Few expected Mr Trump to win in 2016. For 2024, his team is taking no chances. North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher explains what a Trump administration 2.0 would look like. |
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| | Questions Answered | | Gaza’s Christians fear for survival |  | | Relatives of the Palestinian Christians killed on 20 October lit candles for their loved ones. Credit: BBC |
| | On 20 October, an Israeli air strike hit an outbuilding of the Greek Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius in Gaza City, one of the oldest churches in the world, killing 18 Christian women, men and children. For Palestinian Christians who live in the territory, that was the moment all sense of safety was lost. They now fear for their communities’ future. |  | Yolande Knell, Middle East correspondent
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| | How long have Christians lived in Gaza? | | It is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. "In the first council of Churches, there were representatives of the Church in Gaza," says Reverend Dr Munther Isaac, a Lutheran pastor in Bethlehem, adding: "One of our biggest concerns is that this long, long tradition of Christian presence in Gaza might come to an end." | | What did the Christian community do when Israel started bombing Gaza? | | Many from the small Christian community, which numbers about 1,000, took their families to stay in their churches, thinking they would be safe there, as they have been in previous rounds of fighting between Israel and Palestinian armed factions. | | What have Christian leaders said about the conflict? | | While Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire, Palestinian Christians express disappointment in the public comments of other church leaders concerning the war, particularly the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Anglicans in the West Bank accused him of prioritising "domestic British ecumenical and political considerations" over recognition of Palestinian rights. | | | | • | Hamas hostages: Adva Adar says she needs to believe Israel’s ground offensive of Gaza will help bring back the hostages, which include her 85-year-old grandmother Yafa: "If I don't believe it, I can't have hope. And if I can't have hope, I have no reason to wake up in the morning.” | | • | Get the latest: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described Gaza as a “graveyard for children” in his latest statement about the conflict. Follow our live page for up-to-date news and analysis. |
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| | The big picture | | An aurora called Steve |  | | The aurora event was captured in Argyll by Weather Watcher 'RWesterman’. Credit: BBC Weather |
| | Steves are shy, unpredictable and only last for a short time. But one Steve has returned to the UK sky on Sunday night. I’m of course referring to "Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancements", aurora events appearing as a thin ribbons in the night sky. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | The last straw | | Paper, metal, glass and plant? Why picking the right straw is trickier than it seems. | | |
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| | And finally... in Florida | | A trip to a charity shop took an eerie turn when an eagle-eyed anthropologist spotted a skull that looked a little too realistic. In fact, once police arrived at the store, they confirmed it indeed had human origins. The officers are not treating the case as suspicious — and although rare, it’s not an unprecedented discovery. |
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| | | | | | | | Future Earth Newsletter | | Essential climate news and hopeful developments, in your inbox every Tuesday. | | |
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| | | | Send me your thoughts on northern lights, drinking straws and any 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.
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