Hello. Today we're turning our focus to Washington DC, where special counsel Jack Smith has asked a judge to drop two federal cases against President-elect Donald Trump. I'm sharing a new dispatch from Laura Gozzi, from the south of France, where the mass rape trial that has sent shockwaves across the world has also shattered the family at the heart of it. We're also reporting from Israel, Antigua and India. 

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Prosecutor drops Trump federal cases

The request to dismiss the case marks an end to a lengthy legal saga for the president-elect. Credit: Getty Images

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked a judge to dismiss the federal election interference case against Donald Trump as he is set to become the next US president. Trump had pleaded not guilty to charges related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.

What happened today? 

In new documents filed on Monday, Jack Smith told the judge the case should be closed because of the Justice Department's policy that bans the prosecution of a sitting president. “This outcome is not based on the merits or strength of the case against the defendant,” Smith wrote in the six-page filing.

How have Trump and his allies reacted? 

In a statement, Trump’s team said the move to end the case was “a major victory for the rule of law”. Trump had pledged to get rid of Smith as soon as he takes office after his 20 January inauguration. Smith has reportedly said he plans to step down next year.

What does this mean for Trump's broader judicial issues? 

Since Trump has won the presidency, “his criminal problems go away”, said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani. His sentencing for his criminal conviction in the state of New York has been indefinitely delayed, while another federal case related to his handling of classified documents is also likely to be dismissed as he takes office. Trump also faces state charges in Georgia for his attempts to overturn election results there, but that case faces delays as well. 

• From last week: A New York judge delayed Trump's sentencing in his hush payment case for a third time.

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• The context: Here's how Trump's win is affecting his various cases at the federal and state level.

• US politics latest: Donald Trump's incoming "border tsar", Tom Homan, has vowed to slash federal funding to states that do not co-operate with mass deportations of undocumented migrants.

THE BIG PICTURE

The smelly seaweed that could fuel cars

Sargassum has covered some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, such as this on in Antigua. Credit: Rufus Gobat

When large swathes of invasive - and smelly - seaweed started carpeting Caribbean beaches in 2011, local residents struggled to figure out how to tackle it. Now a pioneering group of Caribbean scientists and environmentalists hope to turn the troublesome algae into biofuel that would power vehicles on the islands. 

And finally... in India

A video of a fashion shoot in India has gone viral and unexpectedly turned a group of underprivileged school children into local celebrities. Mehak Kannojia, one of the models in the video, told the BBC that she and her fellow students closely followed the sartorial choices of Bollywood actresses on Instagram and often duplicated some of their outfits for themselves. Take a look.