Plus: Tasting coffee made without beans, and the village football tournament that has gone viral. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
|
| Hello. The presence of a conspiracy theorist on the campaign trail with Donald Trump has been raising eyebrows in the US. Bernd Debusmann Jr and Merlyn Thomas run through Laura Loomer's background. I'm also serving up a taste of coffee made without beans, a spooky-sounding wedding and a wonderful tale of amateur footballers becoming celebrities, in what is my last selection of features as I move on from the News Briefing team. Thanks for reading over the past year or so, and for all the insightful comments and warm feedback that's landed in our inbox. It has been a pleasure. Have a great weekend! | |
|
|
|
|
GET UP TO SPEED | | UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to meet US President Joe Biden at the White House, where they're expected to discuss allowing Ukraine to fire long-range weapons into Russia. Get the latest. | | Thirty-seven people - including three Americans, a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian national - have been sentenced to death over an attempt to overthrow the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. | | Justin Timberlake has been ordered to do community service and make a public safety announcement after pleading guilty to driving while impaired. | |
|
|
|
QUESTIONS ANSWERED | The Trump supporter in the spotlight |
|
| | Ms Loomer has twice run for Congress - with Trump's support. Credit: Getty Images | The presence of hard-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer with Donald Trump on the US presidential campaign trail has raised questions about her influence. Some Republicans blame her for Trump's repetition of baseless claims that illegal immigrants have been eating pets in an Ohio city. |
|
| | Bernd Debusmann Jr & Merlyn Thomas |
|
| Who is Laura Loomer? | Born in Arizona in 1993, the self-styled investigative journalist has worked as an activist and commentator for organisations including Project Veritas and Alex Jones's Infowars. Now, she is known for her vocal support of Trump and for promoting a long string of conspiracy theories including claims that Vice-President Kamala Harris is not black, and that the son of billionaire George Soros was sending cryptic messages calling for Trump's assassination. | Why is she in the spotlight? | Ms Loomer is well-known for spreading a conspiracy theory that the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job" carried out by the US government. She joined Trump at an event on Wednesday commemorating the attacks, raising eyebrows and prompting outrage in some US media outlets. And on Tuesday, the 31-year-old travelled to Philadelphia on board Trump's plane for the presidential debate in the city. | How close is she to the former president? | The level of access Ms Loomer has to Trump is unclear. Ms Loomer did not respond to several requests for comment from the BBC. But on X, formerly Twitter, she said that she operates "independently" to help Trump. She told the Associated Press she did not work for the campaign and was "invited as a guest" to the 9/11 commemoration. | | | 'I don't control Laura': Asked about Ms Loomer's influence during a news conference on Friday, Trump said only that she was "a supporter" and that he was unaware of her comments about 9/11. Meanwhile, his rival: Kamala Harris has been highlighting a little-known aspect of her biography - the fact that she is a gun owner. From Washington, Sam Cabral explains why. Latest polls: How did this week's debate affect opinions? Check our poll tracker to find out. | |
|
|
|
|
|
| The law putting South Africa's coalition at odds | A lingering racial divide in some schools has threatened the uneasy alliance, write Nomsa Maseko and Damian Zane. | Read why > |
|
| An espresso made without coffee | Beanless brews could become cheaper and environmentally kinder than coffee, say proponents. But do they taste any good? | The verdict > |
|
| The unluckiest day of the year? | We asked a couple who got married - wearing black, in a cemetery, on Friday 13th - whether they had been lucky in love. | Find out > |
|
| Your weekend listening: Brazil's war with Musk | The Global Story podcast explores why Brazil's Supreme Court has banned social media platform X - formerly Twitter. | Listen now > |
|
| |
|
|
THE BIG PICTURE | The village football watched by millions |
|
| | | The league's popularity has boosted Guizhou province's economy. Credit: Katherina Tse/BBC | Thousands of fans pack the stadium, the players are social media sensations and millions have travelled to soak up the matchday atmosphere. But the stars aren't professional. They are farmers, students and shopkeepers, and they play for prizes such as pigs, in China's Guizhou Village Super League. Stephen McDonell explains what the fuss is about. |
|
| |
|
|
FOR YOUR DOWNTIME | Ice-cold wings | This 60-year-old plane is perfect for extreme flights over the Antarctic. | |
|
| |
|
|
And finally... in London | Two men have been charged after a Banksy artwork was stolen from a central London art gallery, authorities have said. Grove Gallery was holding an exhibition fittingly called Breakout: Banksy's London Rebellion. Here's footage of the - ultimately failed - heist. | |
|
|
|
|
|
World of Business | Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday from New York. | |
|
| |
|
|
|
MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | Football Extra: Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays to your inbox. Subscribe. | | The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe. | | In History: The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. Subscribe. | |
|
|
|
Thanks, as ever, for reading. Send us what you think of this newsletter. We read everything, even when we don’t have the time to reply. And feel free to send it to your friends and family, who can subscribe by clicking this link.
Also, you can add newsbriefing@email.bbc.com to your contacts list and, if you're on Gmail, pop the email into your “Primary” tab for uninterrupted service. Thanks again, and I'll leave you in the capable hands of my excellent colleagues Jules and Sofia.
– Andy | | | | |
|
| | You've received this email because you've signed up to the BBC News Briefing newsletter.
Click here to unsubscribe
To find out how we use your data, see the BBC Privacy Policy.
BBC Studios Distribution Limited.
Registered Number: 01420028 England
Registered office: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, W12 7FA, United Kingdom | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
