BBC News Briefing Plus: Reporting from the heart of Tibetan resistance ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
|
| Hello. US President Donald Trump's centrepiece budget bill has finally passed - but not before a record was set in Congress. In the week the Dalai Lama announced a succession plan, we offer a rare peek inside a monastery at the heart of Tibetan resistance, courtesy of Laura Bicker. And did the Romans have massive feet? Scroll down to find out why some are wondering if it's true. | |
|
|
|
|
TOP OF THE AGENDA | Trump gets his 'big, beautiful' win after longest speech |
|
| | Hakeem Jeffries criticised the bill's impact on poor Americans during the longest speech in the chamber's history. Credit: BBC | After a marathon session, the US Congress has finally passed the sprawling bill that's critical to Donald Trump's agenda, whether on tax and spending, border security or energy production. The president calls it his "one big beautiful bill". But its passage was delayed by one big "magic minute" - the unlimited speech time enjoyed by Hakeem Jeffries as Democratic leader in the House, the US lower chamber. He spoke for a record eight hours and 45 minutes, before it was swiftly voted through. Even so, says our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher, the debate over its merits is only beginning. |
|
| | |
|
|
| Ábrego García alleges torture in El Salvador jail | The Maryland man was abused at the CECOT prison after mistakenly being deported from the US, court papers allege. | Read more > |
|
| Diogo Jota's death leaves football world in shock | The Liverpool star was in a car crash on his way to get a ferry, after doctors advised him not to fly, BBC Sport has been told. | Read the tributes > |
|
| Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen dies at 67 | The actor is reported to have been found unresponsive at his California home after an emergency call on Thursday morning. | What we know > |
|
| |
|
|
| In the heart of Tibetan resistance | | The monastery is in the town of Aba, outside what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region. Credit: Xiqing Wang/ BBC | Beijing views Tibet as an integral part of China, and its exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, as a separatist. So his announcement he would have a successor, named by the trust he founded, set up a showdown. China insists on approving any leader. But in the monastery at the heart of Tibetan resistance, it's unclear if monks have even heard the news. |
|
| | Laura Bicker, China correspondent |
|
| | Shrouded in crimson robes, prayer beads moving rhythmically past his fingers, the monk walks towards us. It is a risky decision. We are being followed by eight unidentified men. Even saying a few words to us in public could get him in trouble. But he appears willing to take the chance. "Things here are not good for us," he says quietly.
This monastery has been at the centre of Tibetan resistance for decades - the world learned the name in the late 2000s as Tibetans set themselves on fire there in defiance of Chinese rule. Nearly two decades later, the Kirti monastery still worries Beijing. A police station has been built inside the main entrance. Nests of surveillance cameras on thick steel poles surround the compound. |
|
| |
|
|
|
SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Staring into oblivion? | Locals are fighting to save Easter Island's moai statues in the face of climate change. | |
|
| |
|
|
And finally... in the UK | Archaeologists in the north of England have been left scratching their heads over a recent find of unusually large Roman shoes. Earlier this year, 32 shoes were dug up in Northumberland, eight of which were at least 30cm (11.8in) long - the equivalent of a US size 14 or 15. The team working on the former fort said it was still too early to explain the boat-like boots, but one of their theories is pretty straightforward. | |
|
|
|
US Politics Unspun newsletter | No noise. No agenda. Just expert analysis of the issues that matter most, from North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. | |
|
| |
|
|
|
MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Sign up. | | World of Business: Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday. Sign up. | | Tech Decoded: Get timely, trusted tech news direct to your inbox, every Monday and Friday. Sign up. | |
|
|
|
Thank you, as ever, for reading. Send us 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. You can take a look at all our newsletters here.
By the way, 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 for reading!
– Pippa Allen-Kinross (Assistant Editor, Newsletters) | | | | Follow us here |
|
| | | | You've received this email because you've signed up to the BBC's 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 | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
