Plus: Kashmir to hold its first elections in a decade, and the Iranian women facing online surveillance. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today I have more updates on the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, as suspect Ryan Routh is charged with federal gun crimes. We're also reporting from Indian-administered Kashmir, which is holding its first elections in a decade. Other stories are coming from central Europe, Iran and New Zealand. | |
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QUESTIONS ANSWERED | Who is the suspect in apparent Trump shooting attempt? |
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|  | Authorities released this photograph of Ryan Wesley Routh after his arrest. Credit: Martin County Sheriff's Office | Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with federal gun crimes a day after his arrest near the Trump International Golf Course in Florida. Courts documents show Routh was hiding for nearly 12 hours on the edge of the course where former president Donald Trump was playing golf. |
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| | Ann Butler, Mike Wendling and Madeline Halpert, BBC News |
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| What's the latest? | We learned the first charges against Ryan Routh during a 10-minute hearing: Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obstructed serial number. Those charges did not include any references to trying to harm Donald Trump, though the FBI have said they are investigating Sunday's incident as an assassination attempt. | There has been speculation around his time in Ukraine. What happened? | Routh repeatedly touted his work in encouraging foreign fighters to go to Ukraine to battle against Russia. However, most of his organising appears to have happened while he was in the US, not in Ukraine, where in 2022 he was rejected by the country's International Legion due to his lack of combat experience. A member described him to the BBC as a chaotic presence who was "doing more harm than good". | What else can we learn from his social media presence? | There are also pro-Palestinian, pro-Taiwan and anti-China messages on his profile on X/Twitter, including allegations about Chinese "biological warfare" and references to the Covid-19 virus as an "attack". On an X post from 2020, Routh suggested he voted for Trump in 2016 but became disillusioned, writing: "I will be glad when you [are] gone." In the past Routh also backed candidates such as Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat who has since left the party and swung behind Trump, and also declared his support for former Republican presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley. | | - Analysis: After Routh's arrest, Donald Trump blamed the "communist left rhetoric" and his rival Kamala Harris for the incident, marking a stark contrast with his reaction to the attempt on his life two months ago. Anthony Zurcher explores why.
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| | | Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir |
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| Kashmir readies for first vote in a decade |  | Thousands of Indian army troops are deployed in Kashmir. Credit: Getty Images | For the first time in a decade, elections are being held in 47 assembly seats of Kashmir, long marked by violence and unrest. The region, claimed by both India and Pakistan, has been the cause of three wars between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Since the 1990s, an armed insurgency against Indian rule has claimed thousands of lives, including civilians and security forces. |
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| | Auqib Javeed and Zoya Mateen, BBC News |
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| | On a bright September afternoon, a caravan of colourful cars, festooned with flags, arrives at a village in Indian-administered Kashmir for an election rally. Iltija Mufti, a politician from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), slowly rises from the sunroof of one of the cars. “Yeli ye Mufti (When Mufti will be in power)," she shouts at a crowd that has gathered to hear the third-generation leader of one of the most influential political dynasties of the region. “Teli Tch’le Sakhti (Then the repression will end)," they respond in unison. From a distance, army personnel in bulletproof jackets, armed with automatic rifles, stand watch, tracking every movement.
Elections in Kashmir have long been contentious, with residents and separatist leaders often boycotting them, viewing the process as Delhi's attempt to legitimise its control. Since 1947, Kashmir has held 12 assembly elections, but voter turnout has often been low and marked by violence. Since the 1990s, hundreds of political workers have been kidnapped or killed by militant groups. |
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| | - Article 370: This is the first election since Narendra Modi's government abrogated Article 370, the 70-year-old constitutional provision that gave Kashmir its autonomy. Here's what happened at the time.
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THE BIG PICTURE | Iranian women under surveillance |
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| |  | Kosar Eftekhari represents Iranians who have allegedly been shot in the eye by security forces. Credit: Getty Images | Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody two years ago, Iranian authorities have stepped up surveillance on women protesting against the state and its mandatory hijab rule. Women tell the BBC how their online activity has been spied on, leading to arrests, threats and beatings. |
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FOR YOUR DOWNTIME | Defying critics | William Golding recalled how his novel was initially rejected as "rubbish and dull." | |
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And finally... in New Zealand | Those of you who have been reading us for a year might remember how the 2023 edition of New Zealand's Bird of the Year was the latest marred by controversy. This year's winner, the hoiho penguin, also has a murky past. It previously won in 2019 - the same year where allegations arose that the shy yellow-eyes bird had only won after Russian interference. | |
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World of Business | Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday from New York. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | - Football Extra: Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays to your inbox. Subscribe.
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