Plus: China holds Taiwan military drill, and Israeli hostage families release kidnap video. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. I wonder what our US readers think of the upcoming six-week-long campaign that will decide the political future of the UK. It certainly contrasts with the election cycle across the pond. Today we're taking a look at the first day of campaigning in Britain. We also have updates on China's military drill around Taiwan, US pressure on Ticketmaster, and a community's effort to preserve the night sky. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | UK leaders start their lightning campaign | | Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak have started trading barbs in the first 24 hours of a six-week campaign. Credit: BBC | British political leaders have hit the ground running in their sprint campaign ahead of the 4 July general election announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday. Mr Sunak is aiming to defy polls suggesting Conservatives have a mountain to climb to keep their majority after 14 years in power. His first media appearances indicate he will not run on his party's legacy over more than a decade, but rather "on Rishi Sunak's record over the last five years", writes our chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman. This is a sign of a "presidential-style campaign" where the personalities of Mr Sunak and the leader of the opposition, Labour's Sir Keir Starmer, could overshadow those of the candidates on the ballots of each constituency. The Labour leader was holding a football-pitch rally this morning, campaigning on a one-word slogan: "Change". Both leaders will have exactly six weeks to convince the electorate, as other parties will attempt to nibble away at their candidates' voter shares.
Standing out: Nigel Farage, one of the leading figures of the Brexit campaign eight years ago, has announced he will not stand in the general election for his Reform UK party
As it happens: Follow the first speeches on our live page as leaders traverse the country to reach voters in each UK nation.
Sunak's gamble: The prime minister has announced the start of the campaign on the back of encouraging inflation figures. Our economics editor Faisal Islam explains why it's a risky tactic. | |
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| China holds full-scale military drill | China has started two days of military exercises around Taiwan as "strong punishment" for the self-ruled island's "separatist acts". Beijing is simulating a full-scale attack for the first time, three days after the inauguration of President William Lai. |
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| | Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Asia correspondent |
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| | On the streets of Taipei, China’s latest military drills are going almost completely unnoticed. Once again there is a collective shrug. Many will tell you they are not worried. But that is not quite true. People are worried, but there is a sense of powerlessness – and worrying about it is of little help. The government and military are considerably more worried, not least because each year the drills are getting bigger and more dangerous. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Why an hostage kidnap video was released |
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| | | Naama, 19, was among seven young female conscripts taken hostage in the Nahal Oz military base. Credit: Hostages and Missing Families Forum | The family of several female Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hamas have released a new video of the moment they were kidnapped. The brother of 19-year-old Naama Levy tells our correspondent Lucy Manning why he hopes this harrowing footage will encourage negotiations to get the captives released. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Saving the stars | One Indigenous community is working to preserve their knowledge of the night sky. | |
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And finally... | An Austrian winemaker has made an extraordinary discovery while renovating his wine cellar. It wasn't a long-lost bottle of Riesling, but the remains of prehistoric mammoths. Apparently, they're a pretty good vintage. | |
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The Essential List newsletter | The week's best stories, handpicked by BBC editors, in your inbox twice a week. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | In History: The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. Subscribe. | | US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday. Subscribe. | | Football Extra: Latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays. Subscribe. | |
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– Jules | | | |
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