Plus: France and Iran vote, and a huge sinkhole appears in Illinois ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. The first debate of the 2024 US presidential election took, at times, a personal tone. Our correspondents examine Joe Biden and Donald Trump's performances. It's snap election time in France, from where Andrew Harding reports on the rise of the far-right National Rally, and in Iran, where a reformist presidential candidate is growing in popularity, as Caroline Hawley reports. Finally, a sinkhole in the US is hungry for sports grounds. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Biden falters as Trump repeats falsehoods | | A second debate between the two candidates is scheduled for September, Credit: Reuters | Republicans were feeling buoyant after the CNN debate between their presumptive presidential candidate Donald Trump and incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden. Despite Trump's occasional false claims and evasions, including on a question about accepting the election result, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, praised him as "calm, concise, direct". Democrats were less impressed with President Biden who, while landing a few punches, also stumbled over some answers, which caused panic among some party members. The issue of mental and physical fitness that has been plaguing Mr Biden - and that was a question asked in the debate, too - was not put to rest. If anything, the 90-minute face-off made it worse, writes North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher, describing the 81-year-old as being on the ropes more often than not.
In the spin room: The Biden campaign’s top surrogates were surrounded by a mob of reporters asking whether the party should back a different candidate for president, writes Kayla Epstein from Atlanta.
Watch: US voters have their say on the debate. Here's a summary of its key moments.
Get the latest: Our live page brings you more reaction and analysis. | |
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| An acutely polarising campaign | | Towns like Auray in Brittany used to be seen as moderate - but now they're looking to National Rally. Credit: BBC | The far-right National Rally won 31% of the votes in France at the European election earlier this month. The party's popularity is on the rise even in regions like Brittany, long regarded as one of the most moderate corners of France. |
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| | Andrew Harding, foreign correspondent |
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| | As two teenagers handed out leaflets for their party, the far-right National Rally, you could hear angry mutterings. “Fascists. It’s horrible. We just hate them,” said Solène Jambou, 50, watching the two young men pass in front of her clothes stall. But many other people in the market came over to collect leaflets from the young campaigners. “The people calling us fascists are stuck in the past,” 19-year-old student activist Mathys Auger declared confidently. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Iran presidential election tests regime |
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| | | Growing crowds have attended reformist Massoud Pezeshkian's rallies. Credit: Rex/Shutterstock | Iran's snap election following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash was meant to be a predictable affair. But wild-card candidate Massoud Pezeshkian is shaking things up. The former heart surgeon and health minister is a reformist who has declared “immoral” the actions of Iran’s morality police, who enforce strict dress codes on women. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Who wears short shorts? | Truly tiny shorts are the menswear go-to for this summer. | |
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And finally... | A huge sinkhole opened up on a football field in the US state of Illinois. Which kind of football, you might ask? Well, the sinkhole is so massive that it took a bite out of both an American football pitch and a good old "soccer" ground. Take a look. | |
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Medal Moments | Your daily newsletter guide to the Paris Olympics, from global highlights to heroic stories, throughout the Games. | |
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