Plus: Armenians helping refugees, Barbie goes to Russia
| | | | | | | Hello. Today we're catching up with last night's rowdy Republican debate. But in the spirit of diversity, we also unlock mysteries about the universe. And I encourage you to read the incredible story, at the end of this newsletter, of a colleague of mine who helped free six women trapped in a refrigerated van. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | An unruly debate | | | | Seven candidates hoping to defeat Trump shared the stage yesterday in Los Angeles. Source: Reuters |
| | BBC's North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher sensed "a whiff of desperation" as seven Republican candidates for the presidency battled during a chaotic two-hour debate yesterday evening. Snubbing the event once again was Donald Trump, who is still the clear favourite for the party's nomination. Candidates like Florida governor Ron DeSantis dialled up their aggression towards the former president, but polls suggest Mr Trump's empty chair strategy is working for now. The contestants also turned their attacks to Vivek Ramaswamy, the outsider businessman who has enjoyed a surge in polls over the past months. "Honestly every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say," said rival Nikki Haley. | | | | |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | US Congress: House Republicans are holding their first hearing for the impeachment inquiry into the business dealings of President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. They will be focusing today on the legal and constitutional framework for the impeachment inquiry. | | • | Body-cameras: Police officers in the UK are switching off their body-worn cameras when force is used, a BBC investigation has found. More than 150 camera misuse reports were uncovered. "Those incidents go to the heart of what undermines confidence in policing," an official said. Read the full investigation. | | • | A sub of one's own: Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically made submarine as it bolsters its defences against a possible Chinese attack. The $1.54bn (£1.27bn) diesel-electric powered submarine will be delivered to the navy by the end of 2024, military officials said. | | • | Evergrande: Chinese real estate giant Evergrande halted trading of its stock in Hong Kong, amid reports its chairman has been placed under police surveillance. BBC business reporter Mariko Oi explains why the struggles of the heavily indebted firm matter for the Chinese financial system. | | • | Barbie world: Officially, the Barbie movie is not showing in Russia. But multiplexes in Moscow are not-so-secretly showing unauthorised copies of the movie dubbed into Russian. All visitors have to do is buy a ticket for an obscure 15-minute Russian film, Steve Rosenberg reports. |
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| | AT THE SCENE | Goris, Armenia | | The Armenians helping refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh | | At least half of the population in Nagorno-Karabakh has now fled the region, according to Armenian officials. The BBC met refugees at the border and those who are helping their "brothers and sisters" pouring into the country. | | | | Sarah Rainsford, BBC Eastern Europe correspondent |
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| | I tried to talk to ethnic Armenians, now refugees, who fought to defend Nagorno-Karabakh - this month or in wars past. No-one wanted to comment in public. One man told me that's because he is ashamed at this defeat, after so many years fighting for the right to live on that land. Everyone I've met thinks they've abandoned the enclave for good. "It feels like everyone is leaving Karabakh now," says Sveta, a woman in her late 60s who has left with two generations of her family. A child's bike is perched on their roof rack, next to big blankets they were given in an aid pack |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | The matter with antimatter | | | | Shortly after the Big Bang, matter and antimatter existed in equal amounts. Source: Sakkmesterke/Science Photo Library |
| | Scientists have made a key discovery about antimatter, which is, well, the opposite of matter. Both were created in equal amounts in the Big Bang, but antimatter is much more elusive. A recent study found that the two respond to gravity in the same way, our science correspondent Pallab Ghosh tells us. I didn't expect to understand much of this story, but trust me, it's incredibly well explained. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | The world's quickest electric vehicle | | This tiny car accelerates so quickly it needs vacuum suction to stay on the ground. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | Yesterday, my colleague Khue B. Luu, from BBC News' Vietnamese language service in London, took a distressing call. Six women were trapped in a refrigerated van in Europe, she was told by someone she didn't know. Khue was able to text with one woman, who helped her locate the truck on a French highway. BBC colleagues in France reached out to the police and the women were freed after more than 10 harrowing hours. French police have arrested the driver and now opened an investigation into a suspected illegal immigration ring. The Vietnamese women said they had been promised to be taken to England. Read Khue's full account of the story. |
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| | | | | | Football Extra Newsletter | | Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League. | | |
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| | | Do you have suggestions for what we cover in BBC News Briefing? You can email me to let me know what you think. And why not forward it to friends? They can sign up here.
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– Jules |
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