How Biden's campaign unravelled

Hello. As US Democrats line up to endorse Vice-President Kamala Harris as their presidential nominee, we're taking a look at the last days of Joe Biden's campaign with our correspondent Tom Bateman. I'm also speaking with Charlie Northcott about his four-year-long investigation into Louis van Schoor, a South African security guard who fatally shot dozens of black men during the apartheid. But first, here's the latest.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Reporting on the 'Apartheid Killer'

Louis van Schoor admitted he found tracking intruders down thrilling. Credit: BBC

Louis van Schoor, a convicted South African murderer who shot dead dozens of black men during apartheid, has told the BBC the police sanctioned his violence. Working with investigative journalist Isa Jacobson, Charlie Northcott was able to speak to the killer - who says he doesn't "feel any guilt" - and the families of his victims.

How did you start looking into that story, and when?

We started four years ago. South Africa is very unusual in that after the horrors of apartheid, there was a Truth and Reconciliation Commission where murderers similar to Louis van Schoor were given amnesty – he was freed on parole later, in 2004. Many South Africans who were victims - or their relatives - are now living next to those torturers and murderers. It struck me as a uniquely complex situation, and Van Schoor's case is a particularly shocking example of this, with him having killed at least 39 people while he was only convicted of seven charges of murder.

What do you think Van Schoor’s motives were in opening up to you?

A lot of those apartheid killers famously don't talk, so it was challenging to get him to speak to us. No one had actually made the effort to track him down, and it took months of convincing. But he felt personally that he had been thrown under the bus and that many other people played a role in his crimes. He wanted to raise awareness of the other people who were involved. There was a very interesting journalistic dance that we had to perform with him in order to draw out the truth, when he had his own personal agenda.

How has this informed your understanding of how South Africa is reckoning with apartheid today?

A major part of our process was to follow families of some of the victims, like the Mvumbis who were in the process of finding their loved one murdered by Van Schoor and whose body was thrown in an unmarked grave. The majority of the people killed were men, the breadwinners of the families - the knock-on effect on poverty and access to education is massive. You really get a sense of how much is unresolved in South Africa today.

THE BIG PICTURE

The African cyclist sprinting through France

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Biniam Girmay was the only black rider in the Tour de France peloton this year - and in cycling-obsessed Eritrea, he's the "African king". The 24-year-old became the first black African to win a stage on French roads, repeating his feat two more times. Here's more on his rise to the top, and the fans cheering him on in the small East African country.

And finally... in England

For centuries, a statue has stood placidly welcoming visitors to a causeway whose construction she funded. But besides her name, Maud Heath, little was known about the woman. Researchers have now discovered more about her identity and generosity, solidifying her place in history.