Plus: Indian PM Modi opens grand temple on razed mosque site, and an amateur golfer wins world-class event
| | | | | | | Hello. I hope you had a better weekend than Ron DeSantis, who has announced on Sunday he was dropping out of the US Republican presidential race. My colleagues in Washington and New Hampshire help us understand what it means for the contest moving forward. We're also reporting from India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a temple built on the ruins of a 16th-Century mosque. More stories come from Ukraine and Australia - and at the end of the newsletter, you'll find a terrifying team-building exercise. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | DeSantis drops out of presidential race | | | | Ron DeSantis and his campaign promised a protracted battle for the nomination as recently as last week. Credit: EPA |
| | The ever-thinning field of candidates challenging Donald Trump for the Republican nomination has lost one more contestant after Ron DeSantis announced on Sunday he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Florida's governor said he would support the former president, who remains the arch-favourite for a rematch of the 2020 election against Democratic President Joe Biden. Political analysts tell my colleagues in the US that this election cycle was virtually impossible to win for DeSantis. He was a relative newcomer to the national stage, up against a leading candidate who has enjoyed unwavering support from his followers. Now Nikki Haley is the last remaining challenger to Mr Trump. The two Republicans will fight for their party's nomination in New Hampshire on Tuesday, their second stop after Iowa last week. Ms Haley is pitching her platform as a return to pre-Trump, drama-free conservatism, and is casting herself as the "only" candidate who can beat Mr Biden in the main race. Tuesday's vote will help us see how much momentum her long-shot bid still has. | | | | |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | Israel-Gaza: More than 25,000 people have now been killed in Gaza during Israel's offensive there, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel's air and ground operation is currently focusing on Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, where Israel Defense Forces say they have discovered another tunnel used by Hamas. | | • | War in Ukraine: At least 27 people have been killed in a shelling attack in the Russian-held city of Donetsk, the Moscow-installed leader of the region says. A Ukrainian army group operating in the region said it did not carry out the attack, while Russian-appointed authorities blamed Ukraine. | | • | Shutting the door: Australia has axed its so-called "golden visa", which granted wealthy overseas investors the right to live in the country. Here's why. | | • | Freezing temperatures: More than 90 weather-related deaths have been recorded across the US after the country was pummelled by ferocious winter storms in the past week. | | • | Putting for glory: 20-year-old Nick Dunlap became the first amateur golfer to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991. Because of his status, he will not receive a single dollar of the tournament's eye-watering prize. |
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| | AT THE SCENE | Delhi and Ayodhya, India | | India PM opens grand temple on razed mosque site | | India's PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated a grand temple to Hindu god Ram in the flashpoint city of Ayodhya. The temple replaces a 16th-Century mosque razed by Hindu mobs in 1992. The building fulfils a decades-long Hindu nationalist pledge that helped propell Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party into prominence in the 1990s. | | | | There was a festive atmosphere as tens of thousands of chanting Hindu devotees waved flags and beat drums - military helicopters showered flower petals on the temple. Saffron flags with pictures of Lord Ram line streets festooned with marigolds, as do banners with the faces of Mr Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. In Ayodhya, some Muslims told the BBC before the event that the day evoked fear and painful memories for them. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | Understanding strikes in the Middle East | | | | Iran and Pakistan have had a tit-for-tat exchange of strikes last week. Credit: EPA |
| | Lately, we've been covering many strikes and incidents across the Middle East. The military and diplomatic developments might have been tough to keep up with, for those of you who are less familiar with the region. This weekend, our online Middle East editor Raffi Berg has written the piece just for you - a brief guide to what has happened, and where it might lead. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Hanging by a thread | | The Alpine acrobatics that make ski lift journeys safer | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | I've done my fair share of corporate team-building activities throughout the years, from a French cooking class (a bit stressful) to a day at the bowling alley (maybe too laid back). But I've never done anything close to what FC Midtjylland, a Danish top-flight football team, has submitted its players to. The players spent three days camping and hunting in the Scottish Highlands. The team's "mentality coach" said the players knew nothing other than they were in Scotland and that "if they scream for help, no one will hear them". Here's more on their ordeal. |
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– Andy |
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