bbc--2020-02-13--French farmers march to free man who shot teenager

Hundreds of farmers have marched in the north-eastern city of Reims , calling for the release of a fellow farmer , who shot and seriously wounded a teenager .
The 19-year-old is in a coma in hospital but is now out of danger .
Jean-Louis Leroux , who is being investigated for attempted murder , admits firing a shotgun at people he believed were trying to steal fuel from his farm .
He was later released on bail from pre-trial detention .
Mr Leroux , 46 , says he has been the victim of dozens of robberies , and felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police failed to stop the issue .
His lawyer said the farmer was not intending to harm anyone .
• Man who shot burglars knows he still divides opinion Farmers protesting outside the Court of Appeal on Thursday carried signs calling for the farmer to be freed .
Many of them described being victims of robberies and complained that they were not being protected .
`` We know that the use of weapons is not a solution , we are not asking to protect ourselves in this way , but sometimes dramatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president of the local chapter of French farmers ' union FDSEA , told the France 3 TV network .
`` We will continue our work with the authorities ... so that things like this do n't happen again and farmers do n't have to take justice into their own hands . ''
The court on Thursday released Mr Leroux under judicial supervision ahead of his trial .
The 19-year-old victim is still in a coma , according to his lawyers .
They have described the shooting as an `` ambush '' and argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acceptable .
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"We know that the use of weapons is not a solution, we are not asking to protect ourselves in this way, but sometimes dramatic things happen," Hervé Lapie, president of the local chapter of French farmers' union FDSEA, told the France 3 TV network.


bbc--2020-02-13--Australia: NSW police scheme 'targeted' Aboriginal children

Australia 's New South Wales police have disproportionately targeted Aboriginal children under a repeat offender monitoring scheme , a report has said .
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission ( LECC ) looked into the cases of 429 children in 2016-18 under the Suspect Target Management Plan ( STMP ) .
It found that 72 % of the children , aged nine to 17 , were `` possibly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander '' .
The NSW police challenged the report , saying 47 % were Aboriginal .
The STMP has been designed as preventative policing in Australia .
Aboriginal Australians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 % of the population , and are among the country 's most disadvantaged .
What did the report find ?
The LECC , the state 's police watchdog , released its report on Thursday .
It said many of the children were placed on the STMP scheme despite being never charged with any crimes .
In one case , a nine-year-old Aboriginal child from a rural area with no previous charges was subsequently charged 94 times , the LECC report says .
The LECC report said the monitoring scheme `` showed patterns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to unreasonable , unjust and oppressive interactions for young STMP targets '' .
The police in Australia 's most populous state is yet to publicly comment on the report 's findings .
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller had previously stated any correlation was not due to racial bias .
What is the status of Aboriginal people in Australia ?
Aboriginal Australians lived in the country for at least 47,000 years before the arrival of European settlers , and subsequently suffered centuries of violence and oppression .
• Why does n't Australia have an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that indigenous people are disadvantaged across the board , from child mortality rates and life expectancy , to literacy , academic success and employment rates .
Australia has never reached a treaty with its indigenous peoples , which many argue this would bring important recognition .
Work has begun on a treaty in the state of Victoria .
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are also not recognised in the constitution , though there is ongoing debate about doing so .
More BBC stories on Aboriginal people and culture • Why Aboriginal planners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The sacred stories behind the Uluru tourism ban

It said many of the children were placed on the STMP scheme despite being never charged with any crimes.


bbc--2020-02-13--Syria war: Displaced forced to camp in freezing temperatures

More than 800,000 people - 60 % of them children - have fled their homes in north-western Syria since December @ @ @ @ @ assault by Syrian pro-government forces on the opposition ’ s last stronghold .
At a @ @ @ @ @ of Azaz , in northern Aleppo province , displaced families are being forced to crowd @ @ @ @ @ winter conditions because they do not have enough money to secure proper accommodation .
Several @ @ @ @ @ died in the region due to the freezing temperatures .

More than 800,000 people - 60% of them children - have fled their homes in north-western Syria since December as a result of an assault by Syrian pro-government forces on the opposition’s last stronghold.
At a makeshift camp near the city of Azaz, in northern Aleppo province, displaced families are being forced to crowd together in tents in harsh winter conditions because they do not have enough money to secure proper accommodation.
Several children are reported to have died in the region due to the freezing temperatures.


bbc--2020-02-13--Quick-thinking customer knocks shoplifter off his feet

In a surveillance video released by the Peachtree City Police Department , the thief can be seen running through the @ @ @ @ @ coming to an abrupt halt .
Marcus Smith of Forsyth , Georgia , 41 , @ @ @ @ @ and obstruction of an officer .

A man in Georgia has helped police stop a suspected shoplifter who had fled into a supermarket car park.
In a surveillance video released by the Peachtree City Police Department, the alleged thief can be seen running outside Walmart before coming to an abrupt halt.
Marcus Smith of Forsyth, Georgia, 41, is facing charges of shoplifting and obstruction of an officer.


bbc--2020-02-13--Officer in school chokehold video fired

Officer in school chokehold video fired

Dekyrion Ellis , who is in ninth grade , said he was lifted off the floor by an officer at @ @ @ @ @ had been involved in an altercation with a classmate .
Jake Perry , the officer @ @ @ @ @ Arkansas , was placed under investigation for use of excessive force and put on leave @ @ @ @ @ fired .
Police chief Boyd Woody said : `` I will not tolerate misconduct from @ @ @ @ @ will be dealt with accordingly and I will be transparent in doing so '' .
@ @ @ @ @ been banned by many US police forces .
Last summer , the New York Police @ @ @ @ @ in a high-profile 2014 death involving a chokehold .
Eric Garner 's dying words - @ @ @ @ @ '' - became a rallying cry at protests against excessive use of force .

Dekyrion Ellis, who is in ninth grade, said he was lifted off the floor by an officer at his high school after he had been involved in an altercation with a classmate.
Jake Perry, the officer at Camden High School in Arkansas, was placed under investigation for use of excessive force and put on leave. He has now been fired.
Police chief Boyd Woody said: "I will not tolerate misconduct from my officers and this matter will be dealt with accordingly and I will be transparent in doing so".
The use of chokeholds has been banned by many US police forces. Last summer, the New York Police Department fired the officer involved in a high-profile 2014 death involving a chokehold. Eric Garner's dying words - "I can't breathe" - became a rallying cry at protests against excessive use of force.


bbc--2020-02-13--Nasa 're-masters' classic 'Pale Blue Dot' image of Earth

It is unquestionably one of the greatest space images ever .
The `` Pale Blue Dot '' picture of Planet Earth was acquired by the Voyager 1 probe exactly 30 years ago on Friday - from a distance of about 6 billion km ( 4 billion miles ) miles .
To mark the anniversary , the US space agency has now reprocessed this iconic view using modern techniques and software .
Nasa says the re-working has been respectful of the original .
It still shows Earth as that single , bright blue pixel in the vastness of space .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ray of sunlight .
But the image now looks `` cleaner '' ; the Earth is easier to pick out .
The Pale Blue Dot was part of a final sequence of frames taken by Voyager before its camera system was shut down to conserve power .
It had completed its tour of the planets and had no further use for the equipment as it headed towards interstellar space .
But Carl Sagan and Carolyn Porco , two imaging scientists on the mission , persuaded the Nasa hierarchy to make a `` family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the power-down command was sent .
The 60 frames that Voyager returned incorporated the Sun and six of the major planets - Venus , Earth , Jupiter , Saturn , Uranus and Neptune .
Mercury and Mars ( and Pluto ) missed out for variety of reasons .
The Red Planet , for example , could n't be distinguished in the streams of sunlight bouncing around inside the camera optics .
One of the reasons the photo has become so famous is because of the popularity of Sagan 's writings .
In his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : A Vision of the Human Future in Space , he said : `` Look again at that dot .
That 's here .
That 's home .
That 's us . ''
And he went on to describe Earth as `` a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam '' .
It summed up perfectly the profound `` perspective '' gained from the exploration of space .
Carolyn Porco , recalling the picture for the BBC in 2013 , said that it gave a `` crystalline , uncorrupted view of our cosmic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us with a powerful recognition of ourselves - a recognition that never fails to move us '' .
Garry Hunt , the only Briton on the Voyager imaging team , says the picture is more relevant today than it 's ever been .
He started his career in the Earth sciences , including climate studies , and continues to display the image in lectures .
`` Every time I give a climate talk and I talk about what you 're doing now to make a change - I show this picture because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This tiny blue dot is the only place we can possible live , and we 're making a jolly good mess of it , '' he told BBC Radio 4 's Today programme this week .
Carolyn Porco reimagined the Pale Blue Dot with the Cassini probe in 2013 , turning that spacecraft 's camera system back towards Earth and capturing the blue pixel under the rings of Saturn .
Getting a view of home is now seen as something of a must-do for all far-flung missions .
The New Horizons spacecraft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2015 and is now a little over 7 billion km from Earth is expected at some point to try to repeat Voyager 's photographic feat .
Looking back at the centre of the Solar System - and directly at the Sun - poses some risk to the sensitive detectors in the probe 's long-range camera , however .
So , no imaging effort will occur until New Horizon 's main mission objectives are achieved .
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET @ bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter @ BBCAmos

"Every time I give a climate talk and I talk about what you're doing now to make a change - I show this picture because it shows the Earth is an isolated speck. This tiny blue dot is the only place we can possible live, and we're making a jolly good mess of it," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this week.


bbc--2020-02-13--Ingrid Escamilla: Outraged Mexicans post 'beautiful images' for murdered woman

Outraged Mexicans are flooding social media with nature and animal photos to drown out gruesome photos of a murdered woman .
Ingrid Escamilla , 25 , was killed by the man she lived with , and forensic workers leaked pictures of her body .
By posting `` beautiful '' pictures and quotes with her name activists aim to `` honour her memory and her life '' .
Femicide , gender-based killings of women , is on the rise in Mexico .
More than 700 cases are currently being investigated , and activists say the number of women killed because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Escamilla was stabbed to death in Mexico City by her partner , who then mutilated her body to try to hide the evidence .
Mexicans were outraged by the brutality of the crime , and by the publication of the leaked photograph of her body in a newspaper .
`` Now when anyone searches Ingrid Escamilla 's name they will find beautiful images that honour her memory and the life of her family , '' one woman tweeted .
Thousands of videos and pictures of butterflies , sunsets , llamas , flowers flooded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name , including by Mexican author Valeria Luiselli .
Mexico City-based artist Sofia Tello Moscarella posted on Twitter a drawing she made of Ms Escamilla , which was widely shared .
`` With our anger , we will grow flowers .
Rest , Ingrid , because we wo n't let them rest , '' she tweeted .
Ms Moscarella told the BBC : `` What happened to Ingrid made me so unbelievably sad , so I tried to do something nice like many other people were .
Nobody should never ever be remembered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] . ''
User @ CamilaMay tweeted : `` I 'd rather remember you with this chonky [ fat ] cat than remember you with gruesome pictures . ''
Some tweeted Ni Una Menos ( Not One Less ) , a phrase used to protest violence against women across Latin America .
`` They did n't realise that we are thousands , not only in Mexico , but also in Colombia , Peru , Ecuador , Chile , Argentina .
We are here today and we are not scared , '' tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ López Obrador said that the issue of femicides have been `` manipulated '' by those critical of his administration .
The mayor of Mexico City said a suspect had been arrested for the murder of Ms Escamilla .
• The women killed on one day around the world • 'Day of the dead women ' protest in Mexico City

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bbc--2020-02-13--Sanctuary counties: Inside America's gun rights resistance

Democrats swept to victory in Virginia last year after campaigning on stricter gun control laws .
Weeks later , the backlash began .
The Culpeper County 2A Facebook group had five rules .
Rule one was `` Get Busy - Follow the Action Plan and take the necessary steps to protect our rights .
Sharing memes is n't enough .
We need coordinated action . ''
Rule two was `` Do Not Give Up - We 're in the fight of our lives .
Act accordingly .
Never surrender . ''
At some point in late January the rules changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism '' .
But the basic purpose remained : Culpeper County 2A ( the 2A stands for Second Amendment ) was founded with the aim of resisting gun control bills working their way through the Virginia state legislature .
Similar groups are springing up across the state .
Dozens of towns and counties are passing resolutions declaring themselves `` second amendment sanctuaries '' - a term borrowed from the `` sanctuary cities '' immigration movement of several years ago .
The resolutions vary from county to county , but they broadly declare support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state gun control laws as invalid .
Democrats won control of the Virginia House and Senate in August for the first time in 24 years , and they immediately proposed a raft of gun control measures from universal background checks to restrictions on high capacity magazines .
The bills came as no surprise - the Democrats had campaigned heavily on gun control , backed by funding from activist groups which comprehensively outspent the National Rifle Association in its home state .
Democratic candidates were responding to a growing clamour for gun control that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people at Virginia Tech in 2007 and was amplified last year when a municipal worker slaughtered 12 people in Virginia Beach .
When they won , the Democrats turned their proposals into bills and promised a wave of progressive legislation .
Weeks later , the backlash began .
Nearly 200 Virginia municipalities have now passed second amendment sanctuary resolutions , turning the old Confederate capital - whose motto is `` Do n't Tread on Me '' - into a kind of frontline once again .
The driving force behind the resolution in Culpeper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney who founded the Culpeper County 2A group and petitioned the county Board of Supervisors to hold a vote .
Heelen is a barrel-chested man , a little over six feet , who wears cowboy boots and has a long beard befitting his role as a captain in local Civil War battle re-enactments .
He prefers the term `` constitutional county '' to second amendment sanctuary , because he believes the founding fathers intended to grant absolute gun rights to the population , in perpetuity .
`` All eyes are on Virginia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is watching what we do , how we conduct ourselves .
America is watching to what extent we will be pushed around .
America is watching to see if we are going to take a stand . ''
I asked Heelen how far he and his fellow Culpeper County 2A members would go to defend their guns .
`` We are committed , '' he said .
At the first Board of Supervisors meeting in Culpeper , on a cold Tuesday morning in December , so many people came that the 180-capacity room @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the parking lot .
This was an unusual state of affairs for the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors .
`` I 've been on the board for 38 years and this was the biggest crowd I ever saw , '' Bill Chase , the vice chairman , said afterwards .
`` It is the most fired up issue I 've seen in all my years . ''
Many at the meeting wore bright orange stickers reading `` Guns save lives '' , which are becoming familiar in parts of Virginia .
Chase introduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applause , and invited Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins to speak .
Jenkins - the most senior officer in the county - quoted the constitution and the founding father of Virginia , Richard Henry Lee , and called the idea of restricting ownership of high-capacity 15-round magazines `` insane '' .
He told the crowd that it was n't in fact the second amendment that gave gun rights to citizens , but God .
Jenkins also made an unexpected announcement that put Culpeper on the map in the sanctuaries movement : he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who wanted , affording them the same broad gun rights as a sheriff 's deputy and allowing them to ignore new gun laws .
I met Jenkins later at the Culpeper County Sheriff 's office .
`` My statement was simply that I would choose to swear in hundreds or even thousands of our citizens as deputy sheriffs if need be , to allow them to possess weapons and push back on that overreach by our government , '' he said .
He pointed out that Virginia already has lots of laws on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We have laws against spitting on a public surface or sidewalk , '' he said .
`` I can not recall an officer enforcing that in the time I 've been working . ''
Some would argue that the gun control bills passing through the state legislature deal with more serious issues , like reducing access to the kinds of high-powered rifles that have been used to devastating effect in mass shootings , or making it easier to temporarily remove guns from those experiencing a mental health crisis .
But Sheriff Jenkins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass into law in the coming weeks , they would sit somewhere around spitting on a public surface in his list of priorities .
`` I guess if there are no other more important issues to focus on , maybe officers will focus on them , '' he said .
After Sheriff Jenkins had finished speaking at the Board of Supervisors meeting and a handful of residents had spoken in support of the resolution , the board adjourned ahead of a second meeting that night .
At the evening meeting , which was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stood to speak against the resolution .
As a young , sharply-dressed black man , Uzziah Harris stood out in several ways .
He told the crowd the context of the Second Amendment was `` clear in that it allowed for the keeping and bearing of arms in order to maintain a militia in times of emergency '' .
`` It never stated or specified as to how many or what type of firearm and it never said anything about lack of restriction regardless of mental or emotional capacity , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national emergency , nor does the military need supplements . ''
Harris , a middle school English teacher , went on to cite cigarettes , alcohol , cannabis , cars and the internet as items generally and acceptably regulated .
`` So what is wrong with regulation of firearms ? ''
he said .
At the end of the meeting , the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the resolution .
Harris has a detailed knowledge of parts of the constitution and can recite the second amendment , parsing its meaning as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposed to this movement , he supports the second amendment .
`` Wholeheartedly , '' he said .
`` But there are limits that can be placed and should be placed on gun ownership .
We should have background checks , we should make sure that people are have the mental capacity to own guns .
Hunting is one thing , protection of your families is another - but this influx of military weaponry , unlimited cartridges and rounds , how useful is that for hunting ?
How necessary is that for protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the sanctuary movement are quick to dismiss hunting and family protection as reasons for defending gun rights , though .
They are abundantly clear : the right to bear arms is about defence against a `` tyrannical government '' - an notion that dates back to the founding fathers .
`` The thing is , '' Harris said , `` it does n't matter what you have in your stockpile , what chance do you have against the US military now ?
What chance do you have against drones ? ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Culpeper County 2A and the local Republican Committee staged a rally at Culpeper 's Yowell Meadow Park , where local militia had mustered in 1770 to fight the British .
About 500 Second Amendment supporters stood under grey skies and drizzle to hear Sheriff Jenkins and others speak about the sanctuary movement .
The gathering drew an impressive crowd for such a miserable day , but it was really only a warm up for a much bigger event .
Jenkins , Heelen , and the other sanctuary supporters were all looking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally in the state capital of Richmond , where as many as 50,000 people were expected to gather in the streets - many heavily armed - to protest against the Democratic gun control bills .
The rally was set for Monday 20 January .
Over the weekend , people flooded into Virginia from nearby states and from as far away as Texas and California .
President Trump weighed in on Twitter on Saturday , telling the nation : `` Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote for Democrats , they will take your guns away . ''
On the Sunday night before the rally , several state militia groups gathered for dinner at a community hall in a rural suburb about 30 miles outside of Richmond .
Christian Yingling , the commander of the Pennsylvania Lightfoot Militia , helped organise the dinner .
`` We reached out to get a bunch of good reputable militias together to come stand with the people of Virginia , '' he said .
Inside the community hall the crowd was mostly male @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small arms holstered to people 's hips and tucked in the waistbands of jeans , and glasses of bullets as table decorations .
There was a cross section of right and left-wing groups there - the Pennsylvania and South Carolina Lightfoot Militias sat alongside members of the John Brown Gun Club and a representative from the local Antifa chapter , which had announced days before that it would march on Monday alongside the pro-gun people .
Unlike the deadly rally in nearby Charlottesville two years earlier , the politics of the Lobby Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Virginia Citizens Defence League - a right-wing , pro-gun lobby group that organised the rally - led the meeting .
The membership of the VCDL tripled in the wake of the Democratic midterm win , according to its president Philip Van Cleave - swelling from 8,000 to 24,000 members , and the group is now the driving force behind the Virginia sanctuaries movement .
It had printed hundreds of large placards displaying a map of places that had passed resolutions - `` 91 counties / 12 cities / 22 towns '' .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the VCDL , gave a speech singling out Michael Bloomberg , the former mayor of New York and current Democratic presidential candidate , for funding gun control campaigns and candidates in the state .
Bloomberg and George Soros - the Jewish financier who has become a fixture of right-wing conspiracy theories - came up several times .
There is a perception that big-money Democrat donors bought the election and are forcing gun control on a state that does n't want it - allowing a dense urban population to dictate the law to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VCDL promotional videos warn that Democrat-driven immigration is changing Virginia 's culture .
The sanctuary movement is the conservative response - a pressure campaign directed at Richmond and backed by a lot of guns .
`` We 've got people that were winning their seats by one and two percentage points , and now they 're looking at this , '' Trojan said at the militia meetup , pointing to the sanctuaries map .
But unlike the sanctuary cities movement - which saw states oppose a federal immigration crackdown by the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real legal force .
`` They are symbolic , '' said Richard Schragger , a professor at the University of Virginia law school .
`` Counties do not have any independent authority to create sanctuaries from state law , '' he said .
`` State law applies equally to people in a sanctuary county and outside a sanctuary county .
Citizens should not be misled into thinking they can In Pennsylvania , the local Gun Owners of America ( GOA ) chapter is attempting to pass ordinances Instead of resolutions , because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's the difference between dating and marriage , '' said Mary Luna , a GOA member from Pittsburgh .
The first such ordinance passed just last week , in Buffalo Township , Union County .
It states that no official of the township shall `` participate in any way in the enforcement of any unlawful act , as defined herein , regarding firearms . ''
An unlawful act is defined as `` any federal or state law that restricts and individual 's constitutional right to keep and bear arms '' .
In other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could soon be against the law to enforce the law .
Early on Monday 20 January , about 22,000 second amendment supporters spread into downtown Richmond .
About 6,000 queued to enter a fenced off pen around the Capitol building .
Guns were banned inside the pen but the streets around the Capitol were awash with them .
There were small .38 revolvers tucked discreetly into waistbands and AR-15 assault rifles worn proudly across chests .
There were old-fashioned hunting rifles .
There were militiamen wearing body armour , helmets , ear defenders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; and there was a man in a dirty hoodie , cowboy hat and jeans who walked along the street with a shotgun swinging casually from his hand .
There were at least two five-foot long , 50-calibre sniper rifles .
In among the arsenal of weaponry , there was a distinct sense of calm - possibly stemming from something like mutually assured destruction .
`` When people are around this many guns , they tend to act respectful , '' Yingling said .
He and his fellow militia leaders ran drills in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lines and barking orders to their underlings , but most of the crowd just milled about chatting , sometimes chanting `` USA '' .
John McGuire , a Republican Virginia House delegate , wandered through the crowd .
`` Evil does exist , '' he said .
`` And when someone kicks down your door , if you have a gun you 're going to be glad you had a gun .
If you do n't have a gun you 're going to wish you had a gun . ''
At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proclaimed the day 's peacefulness .
Newspaper headlines said it was peaceful .
None of the guns on display in downtown Richmond went off .
But it was also hard to ignore the bristling potential for violence .
The rally was intended - and successful - as a massive show of force .
One large white flag with picture of a rifle said , `` COME AND TAKE IT '' .
All through the large crowd people carried the VCDL second amendment sanctuary placard , and some said that if defending their guns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone , they would .
One inevitable outcome of a massive show of force is intimidation .
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence cancelled its own annual Richmond vigil , which had been due to take place directly after the rally , citing safety concerns and pointing out that many of its volunteers and staff were survivors of gun violence .
And it is possible that terrible violence was only averted because the FBI arrested three members of a neo-Nazi group who were , allegedly , planning to travel to the rally and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hope of kickstarting a race war .
The VCDL has capitalised on the high profile of the Richmond rally to promote the sanctuaries movement .
On Monday it put out a slick video with footage of the rally and a voiceover warning that mass immigration was threatening Virginia 's gun culture .
`` As Virginians watch their Second Amendment rights erode , many are considering once-unthinkable alternatives , '' the voiceover said .
`` Virginia will have to ask ourselves our most important question - what next ? ''
A month after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County , Culpeper Town held its own meeting .
Once again , there was only one dissenting speech , this time delivered jointly by Rich and Jacki Kaiser , a local couple who spent 50 years in the stained-glass business .
The Kaisers live in a large , wisteria-covered corner house in Culpeper Town .
They are not bullish or sanctimonious .
They did not set out to be political , they said .
`` We just wanted our voices to be on the record , '' Rich said .
`` We did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Rich is partially deaf - a product of standing too close to heavy artillery guns in Vietnam .
Unlike many of those brandishing AR-15s at the rally in Richmond , he has seen up-close what high-powered rifle bullets do to bodies .
`` Being in Vietnam gave me an understanding of what these guns really do , '' he said .
`` And I knew when I came back to the United States that there was no need for guns here .
We do n't need the same mentality at home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Jacki had her own reasons for supporting stricter gun control laws .
She is spending her retirement years volunteering for a group that assists victims of domestic violence .
`` It 's about the threat that they may be killed with a gun , and it 's an issue that mostly affects women , '' she said .
`` So anything that saves someone 's life or makes a better life for their children strikes me to my heart .
Because I know , but for the love of God , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there . ''
At the Culpeper Town meeting , Rich and Jacki sat alongside people with guns holstered on their waistbands .
They were n't scared , they said , but they did feel intimidated .
There is an undercurrent of violence that runs through the sanctuaries movement .
Sometimes it is subtle , but sometimes it is overt - a guest at the militia dinner in Richmond , who did not want to be named , said that the authorities were welcome to take his guns but they would `` get them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a common refrain .
Most people I spoke to seemed to recognise that the resolutions were essentially symbolic .
Few said they would abide by new gun control laws if they passed .
Some said straightforwardly that if they lost the legal argument , the final arbiter would be their firearms .
`` I think what you 're going to see next is a massive level of non-compliance , '' said Yingling , the Pennsylvania militia leader .
`` And if they want to take that one step further to actual confiscation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will see armed rebellion in this country . ''
I asked him if he saw himself on the frontline .
`` Yes , '' he said , `` absolutely '' .

In among the arsenal of weaponry, there was a distinct sense of calm - possibly stemming from something like mutually assured destruction. "When people are around this many guns, they tend to act respectful," Yingling said. He and his fellow militia leaders ran drills in the street, running up and down the lines and barking orders to their underlings, but most of the crowd just milled about chatting, sometimes chanting "USA". John McGuire, a Republican Virginia House delegate, wandered through the crowd. "Evil does exist," he said. "And when someone kicks down your door, if you have a gun you're going to be glad you had a gun. If you don't have a gun you're going to wish you had a gun."


bbc--2020-02-13--Hafiz Saeed: Will Pakistan's 'terror cleric' stay in jail?

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has sentenced hardline Islamist cleric Hafiz Mohammad Saeed to 11 years in jail for financing terrorist operations .
The man accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 161 people is to serve two five-and-a-half prison terms concurrently .
Saeed has been wanted by India for years , and is designated as a global terrorist by both the UN and the US , which has a $ 10m bounty on his head .
He 's the founder of one of Pakistan 's largest militant groups , Lashkar-e-Taiba ( LeT ) .
So why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him behind bars - and will he stay there ?
The answer is complicated , not least by the fact that Saeed is widely known to have close links with the Pakistani military .
Why punish him now ?
The answer may lie in Pakistan 's growing international isolation since the mid-2000s , its worsening economic woes and more recently a threat of being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ) , the international terror financing and money laundering watchdog .
Significantly , Saeed 's conviction comes a week before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in curbing terror financing .
Pakistan , which has long denied supporting militants to further its foreign policy goals , is already in financial dire straits .
• Viewpoint : Will Pakistan mend its ways on terror ?
Mostly ruled by its military , whether directly or indirectly , since its independence in 1947 , the country has heavily depended on American and Middle Eastern aid to sustain itself as a viable state .
Experts believe that if Pakistan continues to fail to satisfy the FATF and is downgraded to its blacklist , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implications , including an impact on a bailout it 's getting from the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) .
India is watching events closely .
The US State Department called the conviction of Saeed a `` step forward '' .
What has Pakistan been doing to curb militants ?
In June 2018 , FATF moved Pakistan to its `` grey '' list of countries - those that are found to be non-compliant on money laundering and terror financing standards .
Over the subsequent months , in order to avoid international sanctions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspects and sealed or took over hundreds of properties linked to banned groups .
But many saw these actions as just meant for optics , with no serious action visible against major militant groups such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa ( JuD ) and Jaish-e-Mohammad ( JeM ) .
The pressure kept rising , and in April 2019 , the government proscribed half a dozen organisations linked to the JuD and another group , the Markaz Dawa-wal-Irshad ( MDwI ) .
Hafiz Saeed 's conviction was for owning properties linked to banned organisations such as JuD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July , three months before FATF 's scheduled review of whether Pakistan was complying with its action plan .
In that review , held in October , Pakistan was found lacking on several counts , but a decision on whether to downgrade it was put off until the next review , which is expected next week .
Saeed was indicted in December , and the trial concluded in less than two months , which must be a record of sorts for Pakistan .
But given his close links with the Pakistani security establishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really abandoned by the Pakistani establishment , made to serve a full sentence and condemned to the life of a convicted criminal .
Is this the first time he has been arrested ?
Pakistan has arrested him several times since the 9/11 attacks in the US , but it never charged him with specific offences and always set him free in the end .
He was put under house arrest on a number of occasions , first when the Indian government blamed him for masterminding the December 2001 attack on its parliament , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 2006 .
He was also put under house arrest several times between 2008 and 2009 following accusations that the LeT had carried out the 2008 Mumbai attacks .
On each of these occasions , the Pakistani government did not frame charges against him .
Instead , it continued to file for extensions of his house arrest which the courts would ultimately refuse , setting him free .
Whether this time will be different , or if it is enough to satisfy the FATF remains to be seen .
He set up MDwI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abdullah Uzzam in 1987 , when the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan was nearing its end .
The group spawned Lashkar-e-Taiba ( LeT ) , allegedly with help from Pakistan 's Inter-Services Intelligence ( ISI ) spy agency , to move a major portion of Islamist jihadis from Afghanistan to fight against Indian rule in disputed Kashmir .
It is widely believed the LeT was instrumental in neutralising the secular , pro-independence rhetoric of the Kashmiri leadership which had shaped the region 's first popular uprising against Indian rule in 1988 , and turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At the same time , analysts believe , it continued to provide tactical and ideological support to Islamist factions that prevented post-Soviet Afghanistan from stabilising .

So why has it taken so long to put him behind bars - and will he stay there? The answer is complicated, not least by the fact that Saeed is widely known to have close links with the Pakistani military.


bbc--2020-02-13--I need to knock out Wilder to be certain of win, says Fury

Tyson Fury says he will have to knock out Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas to avoid a repeat of the judging controversy of their first fight .
The British heavyweight , despite hitting the canvas twice , believed he had won their enthralling December 2018 WBC contest , declared a draw .
`` I believe I out-boxed him , '' said Fury , who fights Wilder again on 22 February .
`` To guarantee a win , I need a knockout .
I do n't want another controversial decision - I want a defining win . ''
Fury , nicknamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the ninth and 12th rounds but nevertheless impressed as he went the distance in what was his first world title fight since returning to boxing the previous June , after a three-year absence .
The spectacle in Los Angeles was scored 115-111 for Wilder , 114-112 for Fury and 113-113 .
• Fury will be worried by first-fight knockdowns , says Wilder • Paris Fury admits she would n't want her kids to box like their dad The 31-year-old , speaking during a conference call , added : `` I 'm not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they see , but my own destiny lies with my own two fists . ''
Fury , who has been training in Las Vegas for the past eight weeks , believes he is in better condition than he was for their first meeting and says the public have already seen the best of his American opponent .
`` I learned in that first fight that he can be hit and hurt , '' added the Briton who - like Wilder - has won every professional fight bar that one draw in 2018 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand and that 's it .
He 's a one-dimensional fighter .
`` He had me down twice and had two minutes in each of those rounds to finish me .
Like in Mortal Kombat when they say , 'Finish him ' ... but he could n't finish .
He landed two of the best punches any heavyweight in the world could land , but the 'Gypsy King ' rose like a phoenix from the ashes .
`` The biggest mistake I made was not making him pay when he was hurt .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was left in my tank because I had n't been 12 rounds for a long time .
This time I 'll throw everything bar the kitchen sink .
He wo n't know what hit him . ''
'Pound-for-pound is like fantasy baseball , is n't it ?
If Fury does dethrone Wilder to become the WBC champion , then he will have won every major heavyweight title during a career that began in 2008 .
The Manchester-born boxer reiterated that he was not interested in leaving a legacy and was also unmoved by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current pound-for-pound fighter with victory over his opponent .
`` I 'm not sure how pound-for-pound works , it 's like fantasy baseball is n't it ?
Everybody has an opinion on what 's the best or whatever , '' he said .
`` I 've never been able to follow pound-for-pound .
It 's like if an eagle had feet , it would be able to run faster than an ostrich .
Or if a cow could fly then could it fly faster than an aeroplane ?
It 's people 's opinion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What I do I know is when I beat Deontay Wilder I 'll be the best heavyweight of my era - standing alone . ''

Tyson Fury is unbeaten in 30 fights - stretching back to 2008
Tyson Fury says he will have to knock out Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas to avoid a repeat of the judging controversy of their first fight.
The British heavyweight, despite hitting the canvas twice, believed he had won their enthralling December 2018 WBC contest, declared a draw.
"I believe I out-boxed him," said Fury, who fights Wilder again on 22 February.
"To guarantee a win, I need a knockout. I don't want another controversial decision - I want a defining win."
Fury, nicknamed the Gypsy King, was knocked down in the ninth and 12th rounds but nevertheless impressed as he went the distance in what was his first world title fight since returning to boxing the previous June, after a three-year absence.
The spectacle in Los Angeles was scored 115-111 for Wilder, 114-112 for Fury and 113-113.
Inspired to try boxing? Find out how to get into boxing with our special guide.
The 31-year-old, speaking during a conference call, added: "I'm not a judge and these guys see what they see, but my own destiny lies with my own two fists."
Fury, who has been training in Las Vegas for the past eight weeks, believes he is in better condition than he was for their first meeting and says the public have already seen the best of his American opponent.
"I learned in that first fight that he can be hit and hurt," added the Briton who - like Wilder - has won every professional fight bar that one draw in 2018. "He's got a big right hand and that's it. He's a one-dimensional fighter.
"He had me down twice and had two minutes in each of those rounds to finish me. Like in Mortal Kombat when they say, 'Finish him'... but he couldn't finish. He landed two of the best punches any heavyweight in the world could land, but the 'Gypsy King' rose like a phoenix from the ashes.
"The biggest mistake I made was not making him pay when he was hurt. However, I didn't know what was left in my tank because I hadn't been 12 rounds for a long time. This time I'll throw everything bar the kitchen sink. He won't know what hit him."
'Pound-for-pound is like fantasy baseball, isn't it?
If Fury does dethrone Wilder to become the WBC champion, then he will have won every major heavyweight title during a career that began in 2008.
The Manchester-born boxer reiterated that he was not interested in leaving a legacy and was also unmoved by the possibility of being regarded the best current pound-for-pound fighter with victory over his opponent.
"I'm not sure how pound-for-pound works, it's like fantasy baseball isn't it? Everybody has an opinion on what's the best or whatever," he said.
"I've never been able to follow pound-for-pound. It's like if an eagle had feet, it would be able to run faster than an ostrich. Or if a cow could fly then could it fly faster than an aeroplane? It's people's opinion, randomly making up stuff.
"What I do I know is when I beat Deontay Wilder I'll be the best heavyweight of my era - standing alone."


bbc--2020-02-13--Hakim Ziyech: The street footballer set to become Chelsea's next big-money signing

From captaining a club in crisis in his early twenties through to shining on Europe 's biggest stage , Hakim Ziyech has experienced much on his journey from street footballer to becoming Chelsea 's latest signing .
The Dutch-born Morocco midfielder is poised to head to London this summer after Chelsea agreed a fee with Ajax that could rise to more than £36m .
While any big-money transfer to the Premier League comes laden with expectation , 26-year-old Ziyech has already shown he is no stranger to adversity or pressure .
The youngest of eight children , his father died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother to raise a large family on a modest income .
Football became a particular focus for the family , with two of Hakim 's siblings holding aspirations of making it in the game .
But as their hopes faded , it instead fell to the youngest Ziyech to keep the dream alive .
He had honed his talents on the streets of the Dutch town of Dronten , eventually graduating to the academies of local clubs Reaal and ASV , before his big chance came when he joined Heerenveen as a 14-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impression at the Abe Lenstra Stadium - his first-team bow coming at 19 - and before long the club was providing Ziyech with a springboard to success .
However , joining FC Twente in 2014 in the midst of the club 's financial crisis brought unique challenges , as did his 2016 transfer to Dutch giants Ajax , where he would find himself caught up in fan unrest as the club endured a five-year title drought .
`` In my eyes he is unbreakable , '' says Dutch football writer Marcel van der @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot in his life and he then had a difficult start at Ajax , with the fans on his back and confronting him .
`` Marco van Basten [ his former coach at Heerenveen ] did n't see a great future for him and he let none of that affect him .
`` Twente were on the edge of bankruptcy and as the captain at a young age , he had to appear in front of the press every week and answer questions that should not have been addressed to him but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let his feet do the talking and handled it all in his stride and I think that has made him . ''
Ziyech 's difficult relationship with Ajax 's fans peaked after a 3-0 defeat at PSV Eindhoven in April 2018 , a result that confirmed their great rivals as Dutch champions .
The midfielder was reportedly singled out for criticism when some Ajax fans brought the club 's team bus to a standstill on its return to the Amsterdam Arena after the match , but he has since transformed his relationship with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scoring 21 goals and providing 24 assists as Ajax won a domestic double , and came close to reaching the Champions League final only to be denied by Tottenham 's extraordinary late second-leg fightback .
Ziyech also contributed to three Ajax goals in a 4-4 draw against Chelsea during their Champions League group game in November of this season .
`` His performances in the Champions League for Ajax have been astonishing , '' Van der Kraan continued .
`` The same crowd booing him have been screaming his name positively , now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for because they think he is worth £100m . ''
So what exactly are Chelsea getting for their money ?
His Eredivisie stats suggest Ziyech will add a creative spark to Frank Lampard 's team .
The attacking midfielder has provided 421 goalscoring opportunities for his Ajax team-mates since joining them in 2016 - 134 more than any other player in the Dutch top flight .
Since 2018 , he has also provided more assists than Lionel Messi in the Champions League , with only Kylian Mbappe and Riyad Mahrez ahead of him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a left foot and the ability to beguile opponents in tight situations are also key attributes .
`` In the Netherlands , there are small cages or squares called 'pleintjes ' and Ziyech is a 'pleintjes ' footballer , '' Van der Kraan continued .
`` He is someone who can trick himself out of any situation and when there is only 10 inches of space , still take on a player and beat him .
`` What will encourage Chelsea are his performances in Europe against the top clubs .
He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone and that 's the sign he 's ready .
`` Chelsea 's interest in him grew after the sides met in the Champions League .
They saw what he was really capable of and Lampard was able to study him closely from five yards away . ''
While Ziyech 's talent led to caps at Under-19 , Under-20 and Under-21 levels for the Netherlands , he switched allegiance to Morocco in 2015 and helped them reach the World Cup finals in Russia in 2018 .
However , fans in Morocco are yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as some of the country 's legendary players .
`` He is not seen as the ultimate star yet , '' says Moroccan journalist Jalal Bounouar .
`` Supporters are looking forward to seeing him lead the team to titles .
People here look back to the side that won our one and only Africa Cup of Nations in 1976 and we 've also had the likes of Mustapha Hadji and Noureddine Naybet .
`` Ziyech , though , is someone Moroccan fans are proud of because he chose to play for Morocco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
`` He 's also someone that is a sociable , humble guy .
When he turns up at the national team training camps you can see him laughing and mixing with the group .
`` And he does n't treat people who are playing in the Moroccan or Egyptian leagues differently to the players who are based in Europe and is also someone who offers the young players advice and helps them . ''
Ziyech 's altruistic nature was also highlighted when he offered financial support to Leon de Kogel in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was ended in a car crash while on holiday .
`` Ziyech is not only the best player in the Eredivisie , but also someone with a very big heart , '' De Kogel would say later .
`` I will carry this with me all my life . ''

Since 2018, Ziyech has provided more assists than Lionel Messi in the Champions League
From captaining a club in crisis in his early twenties through to shining on Europe's biggest stage, Hakim Ziyech has experienced much on his journey from street footballer to becoming Chelsea's latest signing.
The Dutch-born Morocco midfielder is poised to head to London this summer after Chelsea agreed a fee with Ajax that could rise to more than £36m.
While any big-money transfer to the Premier League comes laden with expectation, 26-year-old Ziyech has already shown he is no stranger to adversity or pressure.
The youngest of nine children, his father died when he was 10, leaving his mother to raise a large family on a modest income.
Football became a particular focus for the family, with two of Hakim's siblings holding aspirations of making it in the game.
But as their hopes faded, it instead fell to the youngest Ziyech to keep the dream alive.
He had honed his talents on the streets of the Dutch town of Dronten, eventually graduating to the academies of local clubs Reaal and ASV, before his big chance came when he joined Heerenveen as a 14-year-old in 2007.
He soon made an impression at the Abe Lenstra Stadium - his first-team bow coming at 19 - and before long the club was providing Ziyech with a springboard to success.
However, joining FC Twente in 2014 in the midst of the club's financial crisis brought unique challenges, as did his 2016 transfer to Dutch giants Ajax, where he would find himself caught up in fan unrest as the club endured a five-year title drought.
"In my eyes he is unbreakable," says Dutch football writer Marcel van der Kraan. "He's been through a lot in his life and he then had a difficult start at Ajax, with the fans on his back and confronting him.
"Marco van Basten [his former coach at Heerenveen] didn't see a great future for him and he let none of that affect him.
"Twente were on the edge of bankruptcy and as the captain at a young age, he had to appear in front of the press every week and answer questions that should not have been addressed to him but the club's board.
"He let his feet do the talking and handled it all in his stride and I think that has made him."
'Ajax fans think he's worth £100m'
Ziyech's difficult relationship with Ajax's fans peaked after a 3-0 defeat at PSV Eindhoven in April 2018, a result that confirmed their great rivals as Dutch champions.
The midfielder was reportedly singled out for criticism external-link when some Ajax fans brought the club's team bus to a standstill on its return to the Amsterdam Arena after the match, but he has since transformed his relationship with supporters.
He shone last season, scoring 21 goals and providing 24 assists as Ajax won a domestic double, and came close to reaching the Champions League final only to be denied by Tottenham's extraordinary late second-leg fightback.
Ziyech also contributed to three Ajax goals in a 4-4 draw against Chelsea during their Champions League group game in November of this season.
"His performances in the Champions League for Ajax have been astonishing," Van der Kraan continued.
"The same crowd booing him have been screaming his name positively, now they regret the amount he is leaving for because they think he is worth £100m."
So what exactly are Chelsea getting for their money?
Ziyech has been directly involved in 166 goals since his Eredivisie debut in 2012
His Eredivisie stats suggest Ziyech will add a creative spark to Frank Lampard's team.
The attacking midfielder has provided 421 goalscoring opportunities for his Ajax team-mates since joining them in 2016 - 134 more than any other player in the Dutch top flight.
Since 2018, he has also provided more assists than Lionel Messi in the Champions League, with only Kylian Mbappe and Riyad Mahrez ahead of him in that department.
A sledgehammer of a left foot and the ability to beguile opponents in tight situations are also key attributes.
"In the Netherlands, there are small cages or squares called 'pleintjes' and Ziyech is a 'pleintjes' footballer," Van der Kraan continued.
"He is someone who can trick himself out of any situation and when there is only 10 inches of space, still take on a player and beat him.
"What will encourage Chelsea are his performances in Europe against the top clubs. He has not produced a 'no show' against anyone and that's the sign he's ready.
"Chelsea's interest in him grew after the sides met in the Champions League. They saw what he was really capable of and Lampard was able to study him closely from five yards away."
A sociable, humble guy with 'a very big heart'
While Ziyech's talent led to caps at Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels for the Netherlands, he switched allegiance to Morocco in 2015 and helped them reach the World Cup finals in Russia in 2018.
However, fans in Morocco are yet to place him on the same pedestal as some of the country's legendary players.
"He is not seen as the ultimate star yet," says Moroccan journalist Jalal Bounouar.
"Supporters are looking forward to seeing him lead the team to titles. People here look back to the side that won our one and only Africa Cup of Nations in 1976 and we've also had the likes of Mustapha Hadji and Noureddine Naybet.
"Ziyech, though, is someone Moroccan fans are proud of because he chose to play for Morocco and has always spoken well about the country.
"He's also someone that is a sociable, humble guy. When he turns up at the national team training camps you can see him laughing and mixing with the group.
"And he doesn't treat people who are playing in the Moroccan or Egyptian leagues differently to the players who are based in Europe and is also someone who offers the young players advice and helps them."
Ziyech's altruistic nature was also highlighted when he offered financial support to Leon de Kogel in 2019 after the Dutch footballer's career was ended in a car crash while on holiday.


bbc--2020-02-13--Former Premier League official Madley to return to refereeing

Ex-Premier League referee Bobby Madley says he has accepted an opportunity to officiate in England again .
Madley was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited ( PGMOL ) in 2018 after sending a video mocking a disabled person to a friend .
Following discussions with PGMOL , Madley will return as an official at League One and League Two level from the start of next season .
Madley , 34 , says he has also agreed to attend an FA discrimination workshop .
He will also work at grassroots level for the remainder of this season before becoming a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post , Madley wrote : `` Eighteen months ago I lost my dream job as a professional football referee due my own regrettable , naive and stupid actions .
`` I am delighted , however , that I have been given the opportunity to return to referee in the professional game in England . ''
He added : `` I am not proud of my actions in 2018 and I have learned from this and feel I am a better and stronger person for it .
`` PGMOL dealt with what they considered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There can be no criticism for that and I have never sought to do anything other than respect the decision and to learn from it as a person .
`` I can only thank them for having the ability to forgive , recognise that one naive moment does not define a person and offer me a second chance to do what I love to do . ''
Madley took charge of 91 top-flight matches between 2013 and 2018 until he was sacked .
Following his dismissal he moved to Norway where he @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Last updated on .From the section Football
Madley oversaw 19 Premier League games in 2017-18, his most recent season as a top-flight referee
Ex-Premier League referee Bobby Madley says he has accepted an opportunity to officiate in England again.
Madley was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in 2018 after sending a video mocking a disabled person to a friend.
Following discussions with PGMOL, Madley will return as an official at League One and League Two level from the start of next season.
Madley, 34, says he has also agreed to attend an FA discrimination workshop.
He will also work at grassroots level for the remainder of this season before becoming a National List referee.
In January, Bobby Madley told Football Focus why he was sacked by PGMOL
In a blog post, external-link Madley wrote: "Eighteen months ago I lost my dream job as a professional football referee due my own regrettable, naive and stupid actions.
"I am delighted, however, that I have been given the opportunity to return to referee in the professional game in England."
He added: "I am not proud of my actions in 2018 and I have learned from this and feel I am a better and stronger person for it.
"PGMOL dealt with what they considered a discriminatory act in the strongest way. There can be no criticism for that and I have never sought to do anything other than respect the decision and to learn from it as a person.
"I can only thank them for having the ability to forgive, recognise that one naive moment does not define a person and offer me a second chance to do what I love to do."
Madley took charge of 91 top-flight matches between 2013 and 2018 until he was sacked.
Following his dismissal he moved to Norway where he has refereed in the lower leagues.


bbc--2020-02-13--'If anyone can come back from an injury like that, he can'

One of the leading coaches in tennis , Jose Higueras , is tipping Andy Murray to make a successful return .
The former world number one is currently off the tour with pelvic bone bruising , having had hip replacement surgery at the beginning of 2019 .
The 32-year-old Scot has not played since the Davis Cup finals in November .
`` If there 's a chance anyone can come back from an injury like that , I think Andy will , '' said Higueras , who has worked with Roger Federer .
Pete Sampras , Jim Courier and Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have worked with the 66-year-old Spaniard , who is is guest coach for a week at the new LTA tennis academy in Stirling .
`` Andy is a great player and someone who I enjoy watching because he plays an all-court game , which is the way I like to watch tennis , '' he said .
`` One of the toughest things for me with athletes is when their careers are hindered by injury .
I think it was a very unfortunate thing for him because he was at the top of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If there is no chance because of the nature of the injury then it 's out of his control , but I 'm hoping that he can recover fully and if there is a chance then yes , I think he 's going to come back . ''
Murray 's return to singles started in Cincinnati last August , culminating in victory at the European Open in Antwerp in October .
Following his latest setback , the three-time Grand Slam winner is now contemplating whether he will be fit enough for the upcoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 128 , he would rely on wildcard invitations to play at the Masters events at Indian Wells at the beginning of March or in Miami towards the end of the month .
'Hard work ' is the message from Murray Meanwhile , Murray has been helping the only Scot in either of the LTA academies ; Matthew Rankin from Edinburgh .
The 15-year-old last spoke to the double Wimbledon champion just before Christmas and was urged to work hard and take advantage of the opportunity he has been given .
`` I 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' said the teenager .
`` To speak to him is just amazing , I can learn so many things from him .
`` I 've watched him on TV , I 've watched his interviews .
To see him continue his career throughout my life , it 's a big motivation for me to be like him .
`` I was doing a training session and he was training at my club .
He was just asking me how things were .
I asked him what tips he 'd give and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working hard ' . ''
The Stirling academy has a first intake of eight students , who receive coaching and sports science back-up at Stirling University on top of an education at Dollar Academy .

Andy Murray has not played since the Davis Cup event in Madrid in November
One of the leading coaches in tennis, Jose Higueras, is tipping Andy Murray to make a successful return.
The former world number one is currently off the tour with pelvic bone bruising, having had hip replacement surgery at the beginning of 2019.
The 32-year-old Scot has not played since the Davis Cup finals in November.
"If there's a chance anyone can come back from an injury like that, I think Andy will," said Higueras, who has worked with Roger Federer.
Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang are other Grand Slam winners to have worked with the 66-year-old Spaniard, who is is guest coach for a week at the new LTA tennis academy in Stirling.
"Andy is a great player and someone who I enjoy watching because he plays an all-court game, which is the way I like to watch tennis," he said.
"One of the toughest things for me with athletes is when their careers are hindered by injury. I think it was a very unfortunate thing for him because he was at the top of his game when it happened.
"If there is no chance because of the nature of the injury then it's out of his control, but I'm hoping that he can recover fully and if there is a chance then yes, I think he's going to come back."
Murray's return to singles started in Cincinnati last August, culminating in victory at the European Open in Antwerp in October.
Following his latest setback, the three-time Grand Slam winner is now contemplating whether he will be fit enough for the upcoming US hard-court campaign.
Currently ranked at 128, he would rely on wildcard invitations to play at the Masters events at Indian Wells at the beginning of March or in Miami towards the end of the month.
'Hard work' is the message from Murray
Jose Higueras(centre) with the first intake of students at the LTA tennis academy in Stirling
Meanwhile, Murray has been helping the only Scot in either of the LTA academies; Matthew Rankin from Edinburgh.
The 15-year-old last spoke to the double Wimbledon champion just before Christmas and was urged to work hard and take advantage of the opportunity he has been given.
"I've met him a couple of times," said the teenager. "To speak to him is just amazing, I can learn so many things from him.
"I've watched him on TV, I've watched his interviews. To see him continue his career throughout my life, it's a big motivation for me to be like him.
"I was doing a training session and he was training at my club. He was just asking me how things were. I asked him what tips he'd give and he said 'stick at it, just keep working hard'."
The Stirling academy has a first intake of eight students, who receive coaching and sports science back-up at Stirling University on top of an education at Dollar Academy.


bbc--2020-02-13--Premier League Darts: Fallon Sherrock draws with Glen Durrant on Premier League debut

Fallon Sherrock narrowly missed out on another stunning victory , drawing 6-6 with Glen Durrant on her Premier League debut appearance in Nottingham .
Two months after becoming the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship , she was on course to beat the three-time BDO world champion .
She broke in the seventh leg of the match and had the advantage of throw in the final leg , leading 6-5 .
But Durrant took out a 70 checkout in the final leg to claim a point .
• Sherrock 'still in disbelief ' at Premier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ granted the opportunity to appear as a Premier League `` challenger '' after reaching the last 32 at the Alexandra Palace in December .
None of the previous 10 `` challengers '' had won their games and Sherrock fell just short of more darting history .
She told Sky Sports : `` I 've loved every minute .
I 'm so happy to have played again on the big stage .
I 'm speechless and I 'd like to thank everyone here supporting me .
`` Opportunities are opening up for me all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see what the rest of 2020 holds for me . ''
Durrant added : `` The crowd were fantastic , it was a really big challenge and all credit to Fallon .
`` She 's had the most amazing couple of months .
That 's the most difficult match I 've ever had . ''
A group of nine `` challengers '' play one match each against a player in the main field in the first phase of the Premier League and , while they do not collect league points , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result .
The format was introduced in 2019 after Gary Anderson pulled out of the event at short notice with a back injury , and has been continued into the 2020 tournament .
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen is the only player with a 100 % winning record after two rounds of fixtures , following a crushing 7-1 win over Daryl Gurney .
Former PDC world champion Rob Cross was the only other winner on Thursday , defeating in-form Nathan Aspinall 7-5 .

Last updated on .From the section Darts
Fallon Sherrock just missed out on becoming the first "challenger" in 11 attempts to win a Premier League match
Fallon Sherrock narrowly missed out on another stunning victory, drawing 6-6 with Glen Durrant on her Premier League debut appearance in Nottingham.
Two months after becoming the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship, she was on course to beat the three-time BDO world champion.
She broke in the seventh leg of the match and had the advantage of throw in the final leg, leading 6-5.
But Durrant took out a 70 checkout in the final leg to claim a point.
Sherrock, 25, was granted the opportunity to appear as a Premier League "challenger" after reaching the last 32 at the Alexandra Palace in December.
None of the previous 10 "challengers" had won their games and Sherrock fell just short of more darting history.
She told Sky Sports: "I've loved every minute. I'm so happy to have played again on the big stage. I'm speechless and I'd like to thank everyone here supporting me.
"Opportunities are opening up for me all the time and I can't wait to see what the rest of 2020 holds for me."
Durrant added: "The crowd were fantastic, it was a really big challenge and all credit to Fallon.
"She's had the most amazing couple of months. That's the most difficult match I've ever had."
Sherrock has qualified for the UK Open in March and will play in several World Series events later this year
A group of nine "challengers" play one match each against a player in the main field in the first phase of the Premier League and, while they do not collect league points, they can earn prize money depending on their result.
The format was introduced in 2019 after Gary Anderson pulled out of the event at short notice with a back injury, and has been continued into the 2020 tournament.
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen is the only player with a 100% winning record after two rounds of fixtures, following a crushing 7-1 win over Daryl Gurney.
Former PDC world champion Rob Cross was the only other winner on Thursday, defeating in-form Nathan Aspinall 7-5.
Results: Nottingham, 13 February
Rob Cross 7-5 Nathan Aspinall
Gerwyn Price 6-6 Michael Smith
Gary Anderson 6-6 Peter Wright
Glen Durrant 6-6 Fallon Sherrock (challenger)
Daryl Gurney 1-7 Michael van Gerwen
Fixtures: Cardiff, 20 February
Peter Wright v Rob Cross
Jonny Clayton (challenger) v Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen v Nathan Aspinall
Daryl Gurney v Gerwyn Price
Glen Durrant v Gary Anderson


bbc--2020-02-14--Coronavirus: New China figures highlight toll on medical staff

Chinese officials have given figures for health workers infected with coronavirus , amid concerns about shortages of protective equipment .
Six health workers have died and 1,716 have been infected since the outbreak , they said .
The death a week ago of Doctor Li Wenliang , who tried to warn authorities early on about the virus , provoked a burst of public anger and grief .
More than 1,300 people are now known to have died from the virus .
The latest figures show 122 new deaths in China , bringing the toll to 1,381 .
The total number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the National Health Commission .
The World Health Organization said there was no major shift in the virus 's pattern of mortality or severity , despite a spike in cases in Hubei , the epicentre of the disease , on Tuesday .
• The doctor who tried to warn others Most of this was down to Hubei using a broader definition to diagnose people , said Mike Ryan , head of WHO 's health emergencies programme .
There was also no significant rise in cases outside China , the WHO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ docked in Japan , the Diamond Princess , saw 44 new cases , bringing the total there to 218 .
What is the situation with medical workers ?
Zeng Yixin , vice minister of China 's National Health Commission , said 1,102 medical workers had been infected in Wuhan , where the outbreak began , and another 400 in other parts of Hubei province .
He said the number of infections among staff was increasing .
`` The duties of medical workers at the front are indeed extremely heavy ; their working and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressures are great , and the risk of infection is high , '' Mr Zeng said , quoted by Reuters .
Local authorities have struggled to provide protective equipment such as respiratory masks , goggles and protective suits in hospitals in the area .
One doctor told AFP news agency that he and 16 colleagues were showing possible symptoms of the virus .
Another medical worker said she and more than 100 other staff at her hospital had been quarantined .
A further 30 had been confirmed to have been infected there out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN .
On 7 February the plight of medical workers was highlighted by the death of Li Wenliang , a doctor at Wuhan Central Hospital who had tried to issue the first warning about the virus on 30 December .
He had sent out a warning to fellow medics but police told him to stop `` making false comments '' .
A wave of anger and grief flooded Chinese social media site Weibo when news of Dr Li 's death broke .
• What are the symptoms of coronavirus ?
• Global airline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( £3.1bn ) to $ 5bn this year • China 's car sales likely to fall more than 10 % in first half of year , the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers tells Reuters • Singapore 's economy could fall into recession as a result of the outbreak , Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says • Malaysian finance minister says a stimulus package will be announced for aviation , retail and tourism industries What is happening on the Diamond Princess ?
The vessel is in quarantine in Yokohama , in southern Japan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been tested yet .
People with the virus are taken to hospitals on land to be treated , while those on board are largely confined to their cabins .
However on Thursday Japan said it would allow those aged 80 or over who have tested negative for the coronavirus to disembark .
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said they could be allowed off the ship as early as Friday but would have to stay in accommodation provided by the government , the Japan Times reported .
• Cruise ship rejected by five ports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city is so vulnerable to virus spread Meanwhile another cruise ship - the MS Westerdam , carrying more than 2,000 people - docked in Cambodia after being turned away by ports in Japan , Taiwan , Guam , the Philippines and Thailand despite having no sick patients on board .
• Outside China there have now been two deaths and 456 cases in 24 countries • Singapore health ministry reports nine new cases , bringing the total number there to 67 • In the UK , officials are attempting to trace the contacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with coronavirus .
The woman , who flew into London Heathrow from China a few days ago , is the ninth case to be confirmed • Australia has extended its ban on people coming from mainland China for another week , to 22 February • China said it would stagger the return of children to school - several provinces have closed schools until the end of February • In Vietnam , which borders China , thousands of people in villages near the capital , Hanoi , have been put under quarantine after several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed at least 16 cases • The Red Cross has called for sanctions relief for North Korea , which would allow the aid agency to transfer funds to buy equipment .
Testing kits and protective clothing are urgently needed to prepare for a possible outbreak , it says • British rap star Stormzy has postponed the Asian leg of his tour - he had been due to play in locations including Shanghai , Hong Kong , Singapore and Malaysia in March • A Russian woman - who was put into a coronavirus quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials to bring her back to hospital by force .
Alla Ilyina , 32 , has been refusing to open the door of her St Petersburg apartment to police Read more about the coronavirus and its impact SHOULD WE WORRY ?
Our health correspondent explains YOUR QUESTIONS : Can you get it more than once ?
WHAT YOU CAN DO : Do masks really help ?
UNDERSTANDING THE SPREAD : A visual guide to the outbreak Are you in Hubei ?
Or do you have information to share ?
Get in touch by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist .
You can also contact us in the following ways : • Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

Another medical worker said she and more than 100 other staff at her hospital had been quarantined. A further 30 had been confirmed to have been infected there out of a staff of 500 she told CNN.


bbc--2020-02-13--Canada's CN rail system shut over blockade

A major Canadian rail company is shutting down trans-continental train services amid blockades protesting a pipeline in British Columbia .
CN Rail says it will be forced to shut down its eastern network , which will effectively stop all cross-country freight trains .
The stoppage will also affect passenger trains nationwide , which use CN tracks .
More than 150 routes had been cancelled previously amid protests against the Coastal GasLink pipeline .
Blockades against the proposed pipeline , which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 's government says invigorate natural gas exports in British Columbia , began last week .
JJ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called the train stoppage a `` regrettable '' situation , but said the cancellations were due to circumstances `` beyond our control '' .
`` Our shutdown will be progressive and methodical to ensure that we are well set up for recovery , which will come when the illegal blockades end completely , '' Mr Ruest said .
Some 5 million Canadian commuters use the intercity passenger services of Via Rail on tracks mostly owned by CN .
Thousands have already been forced to find alternative means of travel .
CN said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has written to the indigenous leaders at the heart of the rail blockade , and promised to send ministers to help reach an agreement .
`` As you know , our government has been clear that there is no more important relationship to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples , '' Mr Trudeau wrote .
What is the issue ?
The Coastal GasLink pipeline is a 670km ( 416 miles ) pipeline that would ship natural gas from north-eastern part of the province to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( $ 4.5bn , £4bn ) project in a remote part of the province about a day 's drive from Vancouver has been in the works since 2012 .
Some 28 % of the pipeline route passes through Wet'suwet'en lands .
Coastal GasLink said it has reached deals with 20 elected indigenous councils along the route to move ahead with construction , including some Wet'suwet'en councils .
But Wet'suwet'en chiefs oppose it and say they , not the community 's elected officials , hold authority over traditional lands .
They have warned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildlife .
For years , protesters have erected camps along the proposed pipeline route to prevent access to construction sites .
In February , police enforced a court injunction and cleared the camps , arresting people in the process .
Meanwhile , other blockades have been erected across the country in solidarity , disrupting rail lines and ports .

"As you know, our government has been clear that there is no more important relationship to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples," Mr Trudeau wrote.


bbc--2020-02-14--William Barr: Trump tweets make my job 'impossible'

US Attorney General William Barr has said that President Donald Trump `` undercuts '' him by tweeting , making it `` impossible for me to do my job '' .
His criticism of Mr Trump comes amid intense scrutiny of the Justice Department over the handling of a case involving Roger Stone - a convicted former advisor to the president .
The attorney general had been accused of bowing to presidential pressure .
Mr Barr 's comments are a rare sign of annoyance with Mr Trump .
`` I think it 's time to stop the tweeting about Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told ABC News .
`` I can not do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me , '' he added .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the president should listen to Mr Barr 's advice .
`` If the attorney general says it 's getting in the way of doing his job , the president should listen to the attorney general , '' the Republican senator told Fox News .
There was widespread anger this week when the Justice Department said it planned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would seek for Stone , a long-time friend of the president .
Stone was convicted in November of obstructing an investigation by the House Intelligence Committee into Russian interference in the 2016 election .
Federal prosecutors had initially recommended that Stone should face seven to nine years in jail for trying to thwart the investigation .
The president swiftly voiced his opposition , tweeting : `` This is a horrible and very unfair situation . ''
The Justice Department then overruled the recommendation by its own prosecution team , prompting questions over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Mr Trump 's ally .
The four prosecutors then quit .
President Trump praised Mr Barr for `` taking charge '' of the case .
Mr Barr insisted the president `` has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case '' , but said his tweets about active cases were making it `` impossible for me to do my job '' .
`` Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet ?
And that just sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said .
Mr Barr added : `` I 'm not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody ... whether it 's Congress , a newspaper editorial board , or the president . ''
The attorney general said that he hoped Mr Trump would respect his words .
`` I hope he will react , '' he said .
Mr Barr was appointed attorney general in February last year .
He has been seen since as a close ally of the president , in contrast to the strained relationship Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jeff Sessions .


bbc--2020-02-14--Antarctic island hits record temperature of 20.75C

Antarctica has exceeded 20C for the first time , after researchers logged a temperature of 20.75C on an island off the coast of the continent .
Brazilian scientist Carlos Schaefer told AFP they had `` never seen a temperature this high in Antarctica '' .
But he warned the temperature , logged on 9 February , was just one reading and not part of a long-term data set .
The continent also hit a record last week , with a temperature reading of 18.3C on the Antarctic Peninsula .
This latest reading was taken at a monitoring station on Seymour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ islands off the same peninsula , at the northernmost point of the continent .
Although the temperature is a record high , Mr Schaefer emphasized that the reading was not part of a wider study and so , in itself , could not be used to predict a trend .
`` We ca n't use this to anticipate climatic changes in the future .
It 's a data point , '' he said .
`` It 's simply a signal that something different is happening in that area . ''
According to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , temperatures on the Antarctic continent have risen by almost 3C over the past 50 years , and that about 87 % of the glaciers along its west coast have `` retreated '' in that time .
Over the past 12 years the glaciers have shown an `` accelerated retreat '' due to global warming , it adds .
Last month was also Antarctica 's warmest January on record .
Scientists have warned that global warming is causing so much melting at the South Pole , it will eventually disintegrate - causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least three metres ( 10ft ) over the coming centuries .
The previous record for the entire Antarctic region - which includes the continent , islands and ocean that are in the Antarctic climatic zone - was 19.8C , logged in January 1982 .
Last July , the Arctic region hit its own record temperature of 21C , logged by a base at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic .

According to the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO), temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula have risen by almost 3C over the past 50 years, and that about 87% of the glaciers along its west coast have "retreated" in that time.


bbc--2020-02-14--The Palestinian family with their own checkpoint

How is President Trump 's plan to solve the Israeli Palestinian conflict being received on the ground ?
The BBC @ @ @ @ @ Bateman went to visit two homes in the occupied West Bank ; starting with a @ @ @ @ @ in a fenced off enclave within an Israeli settlement .
Israel has said it intends @ @ @ @ @ in the West Bank based on President Trump 's plan .
But the US proposals @ @ @ @ @ , who say its vision of a state for them is unacceptable .
About 600,000 @ @ @ @ @ settlements built since Israel 's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 @ @ @ @ @ illegal under international law , though Israel disputes this .

How is President Trump's plan to solve the Israeli Palestinian conflict being received on the ground?
The BBC's Middle East correspondent Tom Bateman went to visit two homes in the occupied West Bank; starting with a Palestinian family whose house is in a fenced off enclave within an Israeli settlement.
Israel has said it intends to formally annex all settlements in the West Bank based on President Trump's plan.
But the US proposals are rejected by the Palestinians, who say its vision of a state for them is unacceptable.
About 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967.
The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.


bbc--2020-02-14--No Time To Die: The verdict on Billie Eilish's James Bond theme

Billie Eilish 's theme for the new James Bond film is a dramatic , unsettling ballad that hints the plot will centre around the secret agent 's betrayal .
The lyrics to No Time To Die reference lies and deceit , as Eilish sings : `` You were never on my side . ''
The song was released at 00:00 GMT , at the same time as a new trailer for the film , starring Daniel Craig .
Eilish , who turned 18 in December , is the youngest singer ever to record a theme for the franchise .
Its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a week that saw her performing to a worldwide TV audience at the Oscars .
No Time To Die opens with a haunting piano motif , with the star 's voice weary as she sings , `` I should have known I 'd leave alone '' .
A familiar tremolo guitar ushers in the chorus , where the singer develops her theme : `` I 've fallen for a lie ... Are you death or paradise ? ''
`` Now you 'll never see me cry , '' she concludes .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The words seem to confirm a fan theory that Daniel Craig 's final outing as Bond will see him double-crossed by Madeleine Swann ( Lea Seydoux ) , his love interest from the previous film , Spectre .
Eilish wrote and produced the title song with her elder brother Finneas O'Connell late last year .
Speaking at the Grammys in January , she said working on the franchise had always been one of their goals .
`` Subconsciously and consciously , we 've been trying to write a Bond theme for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ E !
News .
• Billie Eilish is the big winner at the Grammys • What we learned from the first James Bond trailer Shrewdly , the duo retain their dark , off-kilter style throughout the song , while incorporating several of the film series ' musical touchstones - swelling strings , discordant brass , and , best of all , it finishes with the distinctive minor 9th chord that closes out Monty Norman 's original Bond theme .
Lyrically , they touch upon the psychological toll of 007 's licence to kill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood you bleed is just the blood you owe '' .
But the song is very much about a romantic betrayal .
`` Was I stupid to love you ?
/ Was I reckless to help ? ''
asks Eilish in the bridge .
The musician is known for her intimate , designed-for-headphone vocal style , but she rises to the challenge of the song 's soaring climax , with her early vulnerability transforming into strength and resolve .
It 's easily the most audacious and atmospheric take on the Bond theme in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first live performance of the song at next week 's Brit Awards , accompanied by composer Hans Zimmer and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr .
The singer is up for best international female at the ceremony ; just two weeks after sweeping all four of the main categories at the Grammys .
No Time To Die could also earn her another trophy : The last two Bond themes , Adele 's Skyfall and Sam Smith 's Writing 's On The Wall , both won an Oscar .
No Time To Die , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in April .
Alongside Craig and Seydoux , it stars Lashana Lynch , as a 00 agent who entered the service after Bond 's retirement ; and Rami Malek as the villain Safin .
It has been written by the regular Bond team of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade , with additional material from director Cary Joji Fukunaga and Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge .
What did other people make of it ?
The Independent labelled the Grammy winner 's Bond theme as `` one of the best we 've had in some time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , electronic guitar and faint brass all pay tribute to classic Bond theme tropes , but Eilish 's subtle synth motif makes this song her own , '' wrote Roisin O'Connor .
The Guardian described the track `` a Bond theme befitting of the Craig era '' .
`` The pop sensation sidelines her trademarks for a tasteful track that matches the haunted solitude of its leading man , '' said Alexis Petridis .
Eilish 's `` downbeat noir is spine-tingling '' , according to The Telegraph 's Neil McCormick .
Finally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought the track was the `` first serious Oscar contender for next year '' .
Fans of Sir Elton John , who won the best song Oscar last weekend , should look away now , though ... because Paterson added the track was `` better than any song nominated this year '' .
The song 's release was marked with a one-hour special on BBC Radio 1 .
You can hear the full show on BBC Sounds .
Follow us on Facebook , or on Twitter @ BBCNewsEnts .
If you have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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bbc--2020-02-14--France's César Academy board quits en masse amid Polanski row

The entire board of the César Academy , which distributes France 's equivalent of the Oscars , has resigned amid a wave of criticism of its nomination for 12 awards for a film by Roman Polanski .
The decision to honour Polanski 's An Officer and a Spy has angered feminist groups and led to calls for a boycott .
The Polish-French director has been wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl since the 1970s .
Hundreds of actors , producers and directors have also called for reform .
In an open letter this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the César Academy and opacity in its management .
The César Academy 's decision to step down en masse came as a shock ahead of the glittering 45th awards ceremony in Paris , which is to be held on 28 February .
In a statement on Thursday night , the academy said the board had `` unanimously decided to resign '' to `` honour those men and women who made cinema happen in 2019 , to find calm and ensure that the festival of film remains just that , a festival '' .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ renewal of the board , '' it added .
A general meeting is set to be held after this month 's ceremony to elect a new board , which will look at implementing reforms and modernising the institution .
Culture Minister Franck Riester said the César Academy must operate democratically , in the spirit of `` openness , transparency , parity and diversity '' .
The César Academy has faced controversy in recent months .
Many called for a boycott when Polanski 's film An Officer and a Spy , or J'accuse in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Polish-French director fled the US after his rape conviction in the 1970s , and has since faced other accusations of sexual assault .
`` We 're in shock that Roman Polanski , who 's accused by several women of paedophile rape crimes , is yet again hailed by French cinema , '' said Céline Piques , spokeswoman for French feminist organisation Osez le Féminisme ( Dare to be Feminist ) .
France 's equality minister , Marlène Schiappa , also condemned the decision to nominate Polanski 's film .
While praising the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MeToo movement , Ms Schiappa said she found it `` impossible that a hall gets up and applauds the film of a man accused of rape several times '' .
But the Césars defended the nominations , arguing that the body `` should not take moral positions '' in giving awards .
Polanski himself told Paris Match in December that he had tried to distance himself from the calls for a boycott of his film .
`` For years people have tried to make me out as a monster .
I 'm used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a thick skin , which is as hard as a shell , '' he said .
How the Césars are nominated The academy , which numbers 4,680 cinema professionals , has also been criticised for being out of touch and dominated by older men .
Only 35 % of the members are women and to be part of it you have to have had two sponsors and taken part in three films in five years .
All members who have paid their subscriptions ( 4,313 this year ) hold a secret online vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then ultimately which should win the awards .
They are divided into categories including actors , directors and technicians .
Alain Terzian , the academy 's president since 2003 , was fêted for his films in the 1980s and 90s but he has come in for criticism in recent months .
In an open letter this week , hundreds of film professionals , including actors and directors , called for `` profound reform '' at the academy .
The signatories , who included major figures in French cinema such as Bertrand Tavernier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michel Hazanavicius , complained of a lack of democracy in the institution and said the founding statutes of the Césars had not changed `` for a very long time '' .
In response , the academy 's board said it would ask for a mediator to be appointed by a culture ministry agency to oversee reforms of its statutes and governance .
It is not the first time the Césars have faced controversy .
In 2017 , Polanski was picked to head the award 's jury , but stepped down after the move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the film , J'accuse was a box office hit in France at the end of 2019 and has done well in several other European countries .
Polanski has French and Polish citizenship , and has evaded various extradition attempts by US authorities .
France - where he lives - does not extradite its own citizens .
A Polish court also rejected a US request when he was filming in Krakow in 2015 .

The academy, which numbers 4,680 cinema professionals, has also been criticised for being out of touch and dominated by older men. Only 35% of the members are women and to be part of it you have to have had two sponsors and taken part in three films in five years.


bbc--2020-02-14--Facebook boss 'happy to pay more tax in Europe'

The boss of Facebook says he accepts tech giants may have to pay more tax in Europe in future and recognises people 's `` frustration '' over the issue .
Mark Zuckerberg also said he backed plans by think tank the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to find a global solution .
Facebook and others have been accused of not paying their fair share of tax in countries where they operate .
But some say the OECD is moving too slowly towards its goal of a 2020 deal .
In the UK , Facebook paid just £28.5m in corporation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ £1.65bn in British sales .
At the time tax campaigner and MP Margaret Hodge said such a low bill was `` outrageous '' , but Facebook said it pays what it owes .
In a conference in Munich this Saturday , Mr Zuckerberg will say : `` I understand that there 's frustration about how tech companies are taxed in Europe .
`` We also want tax reform and I 'm glad the OECD is looking at this .
We want the OECD process to succeed so that we have a stable and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we accept that may mean we have to pay more tax and pay it in different places under a new framework . ''
The UK has said it plans to introduce its own digital services tax in April , despite US objections , in a move that could generate up to £500m a year .
However , it is unclear how the resignation of Sajid Javid as chancellor - a major supporter of the tax - will affect the move .
France has agreed to postpone its own digital sales tax , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , pending a global agreement .
Washington had threatened to impose tariffs on French champagne and cheese in retaliation .
Many governments are concerned that US technology giants are avoiding taxes in the European Union .
They argue taxes should be based on where the digital activity - browsing the page - takes place , not where firms have their headquarters .
In response the UK , along with several other European countries , have proposed new tax rules .
Britain , for example , would tax the revenues of search engines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 % .
France 's goal has been 3 % .
But trade officials in Washington say US firms are being unfairly targeted .
In January US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin threatened new tariffs on UK carmakers , arguing the digital tax would be `` discriminatory in nature '' .

"We also want tax reform and I'm glad the OECD is looking at this. We want the OECD process to succeed so that we have a stable and reliable system going forward.