bbc--2020-02-24--Mahathir Mohamad: Malaysian prime minister in shock resignation

Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad has resigned in a surprise move that could unravel the ruling coalition .
The resignation of Mr Mahathir , 94 , comes amid rumours that he may form a new coalition without his designated successor , Anwar Ibrahim .
The world 's oldest elected leader returned to power in 2018 .
In a surprise victory , he ousted then-prime minister Najib Razak , who is on trial charged with taking millions of dollars from a government wealth fund .
The Prime Minister 's Office said the letter of resignation to the king was submitted at 13:00 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No other details were included in the statement .
It is not clear who will be the next prime minister .
No group of parties has sufficient MPs to form a government - so Malaysia 's constitutional monarch will play an important role now , either inviting a political leader to form a new administration , or if that fails , calling a fresh general election .
Mr Mahathir has also resigned from Bersatu , the political party of which he was chairman .
Bersatu had been part of the governing Pakatan Harapan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together with Mr Anwar , and which won the 2018 vote , ending more than six decades of rule by the Barisan Nasional ( BN ) coalition .
On Sunday , Mr Anwar accused Mr Mahathir and his party of being `` traitors '' , saying they had plans to form a new government , presumably without him .
Mahathir Mohammad has played the role of reluctant leader , dragged out of comfortable retirement by the needs of his country , unconvincingly .
No-one is fooled .
Until now he has remained the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarkable age of 94 .
So was he ever sincere about handing over power to Mr Anwar , as agreed , after two years ?
He certainly doubted his one-time protégé 's abilities to lead a heterogeneous coalition , and he was not alone in that view .
The country 's ethnic Malay voters , whose support helped Mr Mahathir win the historic 2018 election , have been drifting back to Umno , the dominant party in the previous ruling coalition .
The idea of forming a new coalition and bringing Umno back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extent to which Mr Mahathir is still pulling the strings is not clear .
If that now happens , the hopes reformers had of reshaping Malaysia 's notoriously corrupt and patronage-driven politics will be shattered .
The on-again off-again feud between Mr Anwar and Mr Mahathir is one that has dominated Malaysian politics for decades .
Mr Mahathir was prime minister from 1981 to 2003 , and was part of the long-ruling Barisan Nasional ( BN ) .
• Najib Razak : The fall of Malaysia 's former PM Mr Anwar was his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anwar was sacked in 1998 after a leadership dispute .
He was later jailed on corruption and sodomy charges , which were widely regarded as politically motivated .
But in 2018 , Mr Mahathir shocked the country when he announced that he was teaming up with Mr Anwar and joining Pakatan Harapan .
He said he was doing so to oust the government of Mr Najib , who had become embroiled in the 1MDB corruption scandal .
Mr Mahathir and Mr Anwar 's alliance won - and Mr Mahathir agreed to eventually hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mahathir repeatedly refused to say when he would transfer power - stoking tensions within the opposition alliance .

The idea of forming a new coalition and bringing Umno back in has gained momentum, although the extent to which Mr Mahathir is still pulling the strings is not clear. If that now happens, the hopes reformers had of reshaping Malaysia's notoriously corrupt and patronage-driven politics will be shattered.


bbc--2020-02-24--Israel strikes Islamic Jihad sites in Gaza and Syria after rocket attacks

The Israeli military has carried out air strikes against the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad ( PIJ ) in Gaza and Syria in response to rocket fire .
On Sunday , more than 20 rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel , causing some damage .
Overnight , the Israeli military struck what it called PIJ `` terror targets '' , including weapons development and training facilities near Damascus .
PIJ said two fighters were killed in Syria and vowed to avenge their deaths .
Gaza 's health ministry reported that four Palestinians were wounded in the territory .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fired at southern Israel , 12 of which were intercepted , according to the Israeli military .
There were no reports of any injuries .
• What is it like to live in the Gaza Strip ?
The hostilities escalated on Sunday morning , when the Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) said it had killed a PIJ militant near Israel 's border fence with the Gaza Strip .
The IDF said troops identified two men attempting to plant an explosive device on the fence and opened fire at them .
A video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli bulldozer scooping up the body of the man , provoking anger among Palestinians .
The IDF said it removed the body in a way that prevented further danger to its troops .
But some Palestinians called for retaliation and hours later , several barrages of rockets were fired from Gaza towards southern Israel .
The IDF said 16 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system and that 10 others fell in open terrain .
Israeli media reported that one home and one car were damaged , and that two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ashkelon - one woman who tripped and hit her head while running to a shelter , and another woman who suffered from shock .
PIJ claimed responsibility for the rocket fire , calling it a response to the killing of its fighter at the border fence .
On Sunday night , Israeli fighter jets carried out retaliatory strikes on PIJ targets .
The IDF said the targets in Gaza included the group 's headquarters in the southern city of Khan Younis and storage sites in neighbouring Rafah .
In Syria , a base @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and produce tens of kilograms of rocket fuel each month was struck , according to the IDF .
The IDF also said it hit a PIJ squad preparing to fire rockets from northern Gaza .
Syrian state media cited a military source as saying Syrian air defences intercepted the majority of the Israeli missiles fired towards the surroundings of Damascus shortly before midnight on Sunday .
The source did not mention any casualties .
But PIJ later confirmed in a statement that the air strikes in Syria killed two of its members , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mansour .
The group said their `` deaths will be avenged '' and that the attack was `` proof of the Israeli failure to deal with Islamic Jihad fighters in the battlefield '' .
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , a UK-based monitoring group , said four members of Iran-backed militias were also killed in the Israeli strikes in Syria .
On Monday morning , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that a `` large-scale military operation '' in Gaza might be unavoidable .
`` War is a last resort , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We 've prepared a radically different campaign , '' he told Radio Jerusalem .
PIJ , which is backed by Iran , is one of the strongest militant groups in Gaza .
In November , an Israeli air strike killed a senior PIJ commander in Gaza who the IDF said had undermined efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas , the militant group that controls Gaza .

Israeli media reported that one home and one car were damaged, and that two civilians were treated for mild injuries in Ashkelon - one woman who tripped and hit her head while running to a shelter, and another woman who suffered from shock.


bbc--2020-02-24--Chile anti-government protests mar music festival's opening night

Violent clashes between police and anti-government protesters have overshadowed the opening night of Latin America 's biggest festival in the Chilean resort of Viña del Mar .
Masked demonstrators attacked shops and the O'Higgins Hotel , where many of the artists are staying .
The local governor denounced their actions as `` vandalism '' .
The clashes are the latest show of discontent after four months of protests against economic inequality .
At the height of the protests in October , Chile pulled out of hosting two major international summits , the COP25 climate summit and the Apec trade forum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group of about 150 masked protesters set alight at least seven cars in front of the O'Higgins hotel on Sunday .
Police deployed water cannons and at around 20:00 local time ( 23:00 GMT ) , guests were temporarily evacuated from the hotel .
• Is inequality in Chile becoming worse ?
Witnesses said hotel staff wielding fire extinguishers had earlier prevented protesters from entering the hotel by force .
There were also clashes near the entrance to the Quinta Vergara park , where the annual Viña del Mar music festival is held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the municipal offices , where they smashed windows and broke down doors .
More than a dozen shops were also looted or damaged .
Among the shops which came under attack were two car dealerships , where more cars were set alight .
Fifteen people were arrested and 23 police officers were injured , officials said .
The governor of Valparaíso region , where Viña del Mar is located , blamed this latest violence on `` radical groups which are very much in the minority '' .
`` They want anarchy , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jorge Martínez added .
The mayor of Viña del Mar , Virginia Reginato , also denounced the incidents .
`` You can have demonstrations but this is criminal and will be treated as such , '' she said .
The clashes come four months into a series of anti-government protests .
They were originally triggered by a rise in the metro fare in the capital , Santiago , but soon became a much wider movement denouncing inequality in Chile , the high costs of healthcare and poor funding of education .
Excessive use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of protesters blinded by rubber bullets , further stoked Chileans ' anger .
Protesters also took issue with Chile 's constitution , which dates back to the years of military rule under Gen Augusto Pinochet .
With pressure mounting , President Sebastián Piñera agreed to schedule a referendum on whether to change the constitution for April .
But many Chileans say they want to see more than just the constitution changed and frustration is again on the rise with politicians accused of not listening to the people .
How was the festival affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music festival featuring Chilean hip hop band Tiro de Gracia and singer Jordan did not take place after some of the musicians were caught up in the evacuation of the O'Higgins hotel .
The opening has in the previous years been of the most watched televised events in Chile .
The event finally started with a short delay and with presenter Martín Cárcomo saying that `` we all have a dream '' .
`` We dream of a better future , of a just , diverse and inclusive Chile with more and better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ricky Martin opened the show and told Chileans he was `` with you Chile , never silent , always with love and peace '' .
He had earlier said that it was `` important to let the leaders of our countries know what we need , provided we do so in an orderly manner '' .
The singer joined protests in Puerto Rico last year which led to the resignation of the island 's governor .

The planned opening act of the music festival featuring Chilean hip hop band Tiro de Gracia and singer Jordan did not take place after some of the musicians were caught up in the evacuation of the O'Higgins hotel. The opening has in the previous years been of the most watched televised events in Chile.


bbc--2020-02-24--Hunters: Jewish groups criticise Holocaust portrayal in Amazon show

Several Jewish groups have criticised Amazon for fictitious depictions of the Holocaust in its new series Hunters .
The online retail giant has also been denounced for allowing the sale of anti-Semitic propaganda books .
David Weil , the producer of Hunters , has defended the series and Amazon said it was `` listening to feedback '' about controversial book sales .
Hunters , a 10-part drama series , follows a team of Nazi hunters in 1970s America .
The show , starring Al Pacino , has been accused of bad taste and `` Jewsploitation '' for its depiction of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six million Jews were killed across Nazi-occupied Europe during the period from 1941-45 .
In one scene , inmates of Auschwitz concentration camp are forced to kill each other while being used in a game of human chess .
Mr Weil , whose grandmother was a Holocaust survivor , said while Hunters was `` inspired by true events '' , it was not a documentary series and never purported to be .
He said he decided to fictionalise events in the series because he did not want to misrepresent the suffering of real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is true that Nazis perpetrated widespread and extreme acts of sadism and torture - and even incidents of cruel 'games ' - against their victims .
I simply did not want to depict those specific , real acts of trauma , '' Mr Weil said .
`` If the larger philosophical question is , can we ever tell stories about the Holocaust that are not documentary ?
I believe we can and should . ''
Auschwitz Memorial , a charity that maintains the former camp as a historical site , accused the programme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of human chess '' in an act of `` dangerous foolishness '' .
Karen Pollack , chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust , told the BBC such portrayals risked fuelling Holocaust denial , and lent a tone of `` flippant entertainment '' to the programme .
`` We have a real responsibility to protect the truth of the Holocaust , '' said Mrs Pollack , `` particularly as we 're moving away from living history , the survivors are few and frailer . ''
`` We ca n't do this alone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rely on other people in society who want to do good . ''
About 1.1 million people , most of them Jews , were murdered at Auschwitz .
Read more about the Holocaust : • How Auschwitz became centre of Nazi Holocaust Survivors and international leaders gathered at the former camp last month to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its liberation by Soviet forces .
Amazon has recently come under fire for selling anti-Semitic books , including The Jewish Question in the Classroom by Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher .
On Friday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Holocaust Educational Trust , asking Amazon to remove books by Streicher from sale .
`` When you decide to make a profit on selling vicious antisemitic Nazi propaganda published without any critical comment or context , you need to remember that those words led not only to the # Holocaust but also many other hate crimes , '' it said .
`` As a bookseller , we are mindful of book censorship throughout history , and we do not take this lightly , '' Amazon said in response .
It added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and resources '' in ensuring products on sale met its guidelines .
In December , after complaints by Auschwitz Memorial , Amazon withdrew several items from its website , including Christmas decorations depicting Auschwitz .

"When you decide to make a profit on selling vicious antisemitic Nazi propaganda published without any critical comment or context, you need to remember that those words led not only to the #Holocaust but also many other hate crimes," it said.


bbc--2020-02-24--Coronavirus: Iran denies cover-up as death toll rises to 12

Iran 's deputy health minister has denied a claim of a cover-up over the new coronavirus disease , as the number of confirmed deaths there rose to 12 .
A parliamentarian for Qom , the city at the centre of Iran 's Covid-19 outbreak , accused the authorities of lying about the full extent of the problem .
Ahmad Amirabadi-Farahani said there had been 50 deaths in Qom alone .
That was rejected by the minister , who vowed to resign if it could be proven that even half that number had died .
`` This is not the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a national problem , '' he added .
More on the coronavirus outbreak • Could it become a pandemic ?
• What you need to know • Tell us how you 've been affected by emailing .
Government spokesman Ali Rabiei also insisted that officials would be transparent about reporting deaths associated with Covid-19 , the infectious respiratory disease caused by the virus .
However , Mr Amirabadi-Farahani refused to retract his claim .
`` I have given the names of 40 dead people to the deputy minister .
Now , we await @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as saying by the Ilna news agency .
At least 61 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Iran since last week .
Qom province is the worst hit , with 34 cases , according to the health ministry .
Also on Monday , Kuwait , Bahrain and Iraq became the latest Middle Eastern countries to report their first cases .
They are being linked by local officials to Iran .

Asked about the apparent high mortality rate in Iran, Dr Michael Ryan of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme said: "We need to be very careful with the first wave of infections in any newly affected country. We may only be detecting severe cases and the deaths will be over-represented."


bbc--2020-02-24--Komla Dumor Award 2020: Seeking a rising star of African journalism

The BBC is seeking a rising star of African journalism for the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award , now in its sixth year .
Journalists from across Africa are invited to apply for the award , which aims to uncover and promote fresh talent from the continent .
The winner will spend three months at the BBC headquarters in London , gaining skills and experience .
The award was established to honour Komla Dumor , an exceptional Ghanaian broadcaster and presenter for BBC World News , who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014 .
This year 's award is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Johannesburg .
• Find out more about the award and if you are eligible to enter It will be made to an outstanding individual living and working in Africa , who combines strong journalism skills , on-air flair , and an exceptional talent in telling African stories with the ambition and potential to become a star of the future .
As well as spending time with the BBC in London , the winner will also get to travel to Africa to report a story - and have that story shared across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's winner , Solomon Serwanjja , reported from the Kenyan capital , Nairobi , about the people battling to improve air quality in the city .
`` Winning this award has meant so much to me , both professionally and personally , '' he said .
`` To be able to work amongst Komla 's peers , to be able to change the narrative about Africa on a global platform by telling the continent 's stories from a different angle , is a huge honour . ''
Serwanjja will take part in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johannesburg and will host a panel debate programme for Focus on Africa radio on BBC World Service .
The debate will look at the future of African power and whether it can fuel its growing economies without accelerating climate change .
As part of the launch , BBC News will also visit major South African universities , including North West University in Mafikeng , the University of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province , and both the University of Pretoria and the University of Johannesburg in Gauteng .
These visits aim to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Komla Dumor and inspire them to strive to one day put themselves forward for this significant award .
The Director of the BBC World Service Group , Jamie Angus , said : `` I 'm incredibly proud of all the journalists that have come through the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award , as each one continues Komla 's legacy in contextualising African stories for global audiences .
`` Every year , I look forward to welcoming the next winner , to hear their insights from the continent and to share with them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are synonymous with the BBC - principles which are vital to global democracy .
• To see if you are eligible for the role and to apply , click here • You can also spread the word on social media using the hashtag # BBCKomlaAward .

As part of the launch, BBC News will also visit major South African universities, including North West University in Mafikeng, the University of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province, and both the University of Pretoria and the University of Johannesburg in Gauteng. These visits aim to introduce budding journalists to the work of Komla Dumor and inspire them to strive to one day put themselves forward for this significant award.


bbc--2020-02-24--Alberto Salazar's spectacular fall from grace

Alberto Salazar wanted to win almost at any cost .
Once the most revered distance running coach in the world , his fall from grace has been spectacular .
Salazar helped Sir Mo Farah become Britain 's most successful track athlete ever .
Now he 's appealing against a four-year ban from athletics and his beloved Nike Oregon Project has been closed down .
It all started to unravel for Salazar in 2015 when BBC Panorama and ProPublica exposed evidence of Salazar violating anti-doping rules , which eventually led to his ban from the sport .
But as I 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end there .
'That was the culture' Kara and Adam Goucher joined the Oregon project in 2004 .
Kara , in particular , found success under Salazar , winning a silver medal in the 10,000m at the World Championships in 2007 .
But that success came at a price .
Both Kara and Adam spoke to me for Panorama in 2015 , then became witnesses for the US Anti-Doping Agency ( Usada ) against the coach they once revered .
`` It 's taken a huge toll on me , '' said Kara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the good news that he 's found guilty , then there 's still backlash and there 's stuff - it 's just never ending .
`` I do n't regret it , because the longer I stayed silent I was protecting their secrets and I was allowing it to continue . ''
Adam says he feels duped by Salazar : `` I bought into his lies and I 'm disappointed in myself for that .
You know , I can look back and go , 'What the hell ?
Why did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' As a marathon runner , Salazar was one of the most famous sportsmen in the US .
His lifelong association with Nike was rewarded in 2001 , when he was funded to create the world 's most elite distance running programme , the Nike Oregon Project ( NOP ) .
But some of his athletes now say he exercised complete control over them .
Kara told Panorama : `` He had total control of my life .
Even to the point it was causing conflict between myself and my husband - whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going to do it . ''
Kara says her coach used sexually inappropriate language around her .
`` Stuff that no coach should ever be saying .
It 's degrading .
Specifically , for myself , after my son he was obsessed with the size of my breasts .
And he would be talking about it openly in front of other people and making comments that were sexual in nature .
It 's just inappropriate . ''
Asked if anyone ever spoke up against him , she said : `` No , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not stand up to Alberto .
If you do , you 're a negative person , you 're out . ''
Salazar is now facing allegations of misconduct from a second organisation , the US Centre for SafeSport , which investigates claims of emotional , physical and sexual misconduct in sport .
He denies all allegations in relation to this .
There was another NOP athlete that I 'd always wanted to speak to .
Ari Lambie had been a promising college runner who joined NOP in 2008 .
Tipped as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months at NOP , disappeared from running and had never spoken publicly about it .
Until now .
She told Panorama that as soon as she arrived at NOP , alarms started ringing .
`` I was regularly expressing concern that we were putting my body at risk .
He would repeatedly tell me , 'You need to commit , you need to believe in this programme or I 'm not going to coach you . '
'' Elite athletes have their health closely scrutinised and women often use birth control pills to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Dr Jeffrey Brown , who treated Salazar 's athletes , went too far .
She says Salazar and Dr Brown changed her contraceptive pill to try to increase her blood volume and boost performance , with little regard for her health .
`` I was using one that would give me one period a month and they wanted me to try one that was one period every three months , '' she said .
Lambie said Salazar was overtraining her and , despite her warnings , she suffered from injury and fatigue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr Brown - to his office in Houston , Texas - where he put her on thyroid medication even though there was no medical need .
Thyroid medication is n't on the banned list although many anti-doping agencies , including the UK 's , would like it to be , because some athletes and coaches have abused it believing it can help burn fat quicker and boost performance .
Sports endocrinologist Dr Nicky Keay told Panorama it was `` conjecture '' that thyroid drugs were a performance enhancer .
She said : `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - to someone whose thyroid gland is working perfectly normally - [ is ] going to put it out if its optimal functioning range and put the person at risk of other health issues . ''
Lambie 's thyroid levels were in the normal range , but she says she was `` prescribed the full dose of thyroid [ medication ] '' .
`` Within a few weeks I could feel jittery , I could feel my heart beating louder and faster , I was just uneasy - as tired or more tired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It just felt horrible .
`` We were just throwing things at me and for a long time .
Maybe I still do wonder if it was all those interventions that prevented me , my body , from actually recovering . ''
Adam Goucher also says he was prescribed thyroid drugs by Dr Brown , although this was before he joined the Oregon Project .
He says he was on medication he did n't need for a decade and now worries about the impact on his health .
His career at NOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never felt like myself again .
It just never happened , '' he said .
`` My career ended a lot earlier than it should have , and I wish I could have that back . ''
Lambie also never fully recovered , but before Nike terminated her contract she says Salazar asked her to trial a supplement , to see if she would fail a drugs test .
`` I was given a supplement to take , then gave Alberto urine that he could test to find out if it would , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But I do n't know what the substance was .
`` It confirms in my mind that Alberto was not acting in the spirit of the rules .
He was always trying to get as close to breaking them as he could , for his advantage to his athletes , without getting caught . ''
In a statement , Salazar said : `` The panel made clear that I simply had made 'unintentional mistakes that violated the rules , apparently motivated by my desire to provide the very best results and training @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` At no time did I give any supplement to any Oregon Project athlete for the purpose of determining whether that supplement would result in a positive test for a banned substance . ''
Travis Tygart runs Usada .
He led the investigation into the since disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong .
After the Panorama/ProPublica investigation in 2015 he turned his attention to NOP , which he said is a prime example of the increasing `` medicalisation of sport '' .
He said : `` Whether it 's birth control or thyroxine , sport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a real way because athletes are being put in a situation where they really do n't have much of a choice what medical care they have , because it 's being directed by those who just want to win . ''
While giving an athlete prescription drugs they do n't need in a bid to enhance performance might be unethical , it 's not always against the rules .
In pursuit of doping violations , Tygart says Nike tried to block him at every turn .
`` Every time we turned around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Nike attorney and refused to cooperate with us , '' he said .
`` The Nike castle brought up the drawbridge , they put alligators in the moat around it , sharpshooters on the tower , and they were going to do pretty much everything they legally felt they could do to avoid us getting to the truth .
`` In this case in particular the BBC and Panorama , exposing parts of the truth , were really helpful . ''
A spokesman for Nike denied it had obstructed Usada 's investigations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is true .
Nike has voluntarily cooperated with information requests from Usada , including turning over thousands of pages of documents to Usada .
We welcome and respect the genuine efforts that are made to ensure that sport remains clean . ''
One of those to help in exposing Salazar was Danny Mackey .
Now a coach for Seattle-based Brooks Beasts running team , he used to work in the Nike laboratory within Nike 's sprawling Beaverton campus in Oregon .
He would do lab work for Salazar and his athletes .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worried about the repercussions of speaking out .
`` I thought it 'd be safer for me , safer for people that I work with . ''
Mackey says he was right to be scared .
A few weeks after the programme aired , he says he was at a US track meet when senior Nike executive John Capriotti aggressively confronted him .
`` Up from behind me , I got grabbed by Capriotti . ''
Danny says Capriotti told him he knew he had been the anonymous whistleblower on the programme .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling me I was the blacked out face guy and that he 'd kill me - I needed to keep my mouth shut . ''
Danny made a police complaint but decided not to take it further .
Capriotti told the BBC he `` denied these allegations that were well publicised almost five years ago , and no charges were ever brought '' .
In his apartment in Houston , Steve Magness reflects on a November afternoon in 2011 , when he sat in his doctor 's office with a needle in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the guinea pig , '' he said .
Magness , then an assistant coach at NOP , was being infused intravenously by Dr Brown with the legal supplement L-carnitine to see whether new research suggesting it could aid performance significantly was valid .
Magness said : `` My understanding was that L-carnitine was n't a banned substance .
And I asked Dr Brown and Alberto , 'This is all legal ? '
`` They both said , 'Yeah .
We 're good . '
'' He had reason to trust them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ endocrinologist for many years .
And Salazar was his mentor , one of the world 's most respected coaches .
But some weeks later , Magness began to doubt if what he 'd done had been within anti-doping rules .
`` There were a couple of emails .
We were being told to not call it an infusion , so to just call it an injection if any athlete declared it . ''
Infusions or injections of legal substances were within the rules , so long as they did n't exceed 50ml every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 times that amount .
Inadvertently , he 'd broken anti-doping rules .
Magness was never charged by Usada for this breach because he became the key witness for Usada in their investigation of Salazar and Dr Brown over their use of a prohibited infusion .
Two years later , in 2014 , Farah would receive a series of injections of L-carnitine before the London Marathon , which Panorama has been investigating .
UK Athletics and a lawyer for Farah have said the injections totalled 13.5ml , well within the legal limit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Panorama but gave an interview to The Times newspaper , in which he criticised whistle-blowers Magness ( for breaking the infusion rules ) and Kara Goucher ( for using medication for her thyroid condition ) .
He appeared to make no criticism of the coach who is now banned from the sport in disgrace .
Kara believes Farah 's legacy is tainted as a result of his association with Salazar , as is her own .
She said : `` I think he should have left as soon as he found out [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Magness says the experience of being a whistle-blower was `` traumatic '' and hours of interviews , interrogations and court appearances have taken their toll .
But he insists he does n't regret it .
Magness and the Gouchers will have to go through it all over again in August , when Salazar and Dr Brown 's appeal hearings begin at the Court of Arbitration for Sport ( Cas ) .
Panorama contacted Dr Brown for comment but he did not respond .
Salazar is fighting for his sporting life and says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violations and his four-year ban .
But it 's a gamble .
Cas not only has the power to quash his convictions - it can also find new ones .
Usada is seeking to prove additional charges and wants Salazar 's ban from sport to be increased .
`` We 're seeking a lifetime ban .
We think that 's appropriate for the culture that was created as well as the specific anti-doping rule violations , '' said Tygart .
Farah has never failed a drugs test .
There are no allegations he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Salazar is once more under the spotlight .
By the time he returns to the track at this summer 's Olympics in Tokyo , he will hope the long shadow cast by his former mentor has faded .

Alberto Salazar (centre) celebrates with Galen Rupp (left) and Mo Farah (right) at the London 2012 Olympics
Alberto Salazar wanted to win almost at any cost.
Once the most revered distance running coach in the world, his fall from grace has been spectacular.
Salazar helped Sir Mo Farah become Britain's most successful track athlete ever. Now he's appealing against a four-year ban from athletics and his beloved Nike Oregon Project has been closed down.
It all started to unravel for Salazar in 2015 when BBC Panorama and ProPublica exposed evidence of Salazar violating anti-doping rules, which eventually led to his ban from the sport.
But as I've been discovering, the story doesn't end there.
'That was the culture'
Alberto Salazar (left) used to coach Kara Goucher (centre) and Adam Goucher (right)
Kara and Adam Goucher joined the Oregon project in 2004. Kara, in particular, found success under Salazar, winning a silver medal in the 10,000m at the World Championships in 2007. But that success came at a price.
Both Kara and Adam spoke to me for Panorama in 2015, then became witnesses for the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) against the coach they once revered.
"It's taken a huge toll on me," said Kara. "Having to testify. We get the good news that he's found guilty, then there's still backlash and there's stuff - it's just never ending.
"I don't regret it, because the longer I stayed silent I was protecting their secrets and I was allowing it to continue."
Adam says he feels duped by Salazar: "I bought into his lies and I'm disappointed in myself for that. You know, I can look back and go, 'What the hell? Why didn't I just see through it?'"
As a marathon runner, Salazar was one of the most famous sportsmen in the US. His lifelong association with Nike was rewarded in 2001, when he was funded to create the world's most elite distance running programme, the Nike Oregon Project (NOP).
But some of his athletes now say he exercised complete control over them. Kara told Panorama: "He had total control of my life. Even to the point it was causing conflict between myself and my husband - whatever he asked me to do, I was going to do it."
Kara says her coach used sexually inappropriate language around her.
"Stuff that no coach should ever be saying. It's degrading. Specifically, for myself, after my son he was obsessed with the size of my breasts. And he would be talking about it openly in front of other people and making comments that were sexual in nature. It's just inappropriate."
Asked if anyone ever spoke up against him, she said: "No, because that was the culture. You do not stand up to Alberto. If you do, you're a negative person, you're out."
Salazar is now facing allegations of misconduct from a second organisation, the US Centre for SafeSport, which investigates claims of emotional, physical and sexual misconduct in sport.
He denies all allegations in relation to this.
Alarm bells
Ari Lambie left Nike Oregon Project after only 18 months
There was another NOP athlete that I'd always wanted to speak to. Ari Lambie had been a promising college runner who joined NOP in 2008. Tipped as a future Olympian, she lasted only 18 months at NOP, disappeared from running and had never spoken publicly about it. Until now.
She told Panorama that as soon as she arrived at NOP, alarms started ringing.
"I was regularly expressing concern that we were putting my body at risk. He would repeatedly tell me, 'You need to commit, you need to believe in this programme or I'm not going to coach you.'"
Elite athletes have their health closely scrutinised and women often use birth control pills to regulate periods - but Lambie says Salazar and Dr Jeffrey Brown, who treated Salazar's athletes, went too far.
She says Salazar and Dr Brown changed her contraceptive pill to try to increase her blood volume and boost performance, with little regard for her health.
"I was using one that would give me one period a month and they wanted me to try one that was one period every three months," she said.
Lambie said Salazar was overtraining her and, despite her warnings, she suffered from injury and fatigue. She said Salazar sent her to Dr Brown - to his office in Houston, Texas - where he put her on thyroid medication even though there was no medical need.
Thyroid medication isn't on the banned list although many anti-doping agencies, including the UK's, would like it to be, because some athletes and coaches have abused it believing it can help burn fat quicker and boost performance.
Sports endocrinologist Dr Nicky Keay told Panorama it was "conjecture" that thyroid drugs were a performance enhancer.
She said: "The consequences of giving extra thyroid hormone - to someone whose thyroid gland is working perfectly normally - [is] going to put it out if its optimal functioning range and put the person at risk of other health issues."
Lambie's thyroid levels were in the normal range, but she says she was "prescribed the full dose of thyroid [medication]".
"Within a few weeks I could feel jittery, I could feel my heart beating louder and faster, I was just uneasy - as tired or more tired than before. Mentally I was distraught. It just felt horrible.
"We were just throwing things at me and for a long time. Maybe I still do wonder if it was all those interventions that prevented me, my body, from actually recovering."
Adam Goucher also says he was prescribed thyroid drugs by Dr Brown, although this was before he joined the Oregon Project. He says he was on medication he didn't need for a decade and now worries about the impact on his health.
His career at NOP never really took off. "I never felt like myself again. It just never happened," he said. "My career ended a lot earlier than it should have, and I wish I could have that back."
Lambie also never fully recovered, but before Nike terminated her contract she says Salazar asked her to trial a supplement, to see if she would fail a drugs test.
"I was given a supplement to take, then gave Alberto urine that he could test to find out if it would, presumably, test positive on some result. But I don't know what the substance was.
"It confirms in my mind that Alberto was not acting in the spirit of the rules. He was always trying to get as close to breaking them as he could, for his advantage to his athletes, without getting caught."
In a statement, Salazar said: "The panel made clear that I simply had made 'unintentional mistakes that violated the rules, apparently motivated by my desire to provide the very best results and training for athletes under my care'.
"At no time did I give any supplement to any Oregon Project athlete for the purpose of determining whether that supplement would result in a positive test for a banned substance."
'Medicalisation of sport'
Travis Tygart runs Usada. He led the investigation into the since disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong.
After the Panorama/ProPublica investigation in 2015 he turned his attention to NOP, which he said is a prime example of the increasing "medicalisation of sport".
He said: "Whether it's birth control or thyroxine, sport has to deal with this medicalisation issue in a real way because athletes are being put in a situation where they really don't have much of a choice what medical care they have, because it's being directed by those who just want to win."
While giving an athlete prescription drugs they don't need in a bid to enhance performance might be unethical, it's not always against the rules. In pursuit of doping violations, Tygart says Nike tried to block him at every turn.
"Every time we turned around, another athlete was being represented by a Nike attorney and refused to cooperate with us," he said.
"The Nike castle brought up the drawbridge, they put alligators in the moat around it, sharpshooters on the tower, and they were going to do pretty much everything they legally felt they could do to avoid us getting to the truth.
"In this case in particular the BBC and Panorama, exposing parts of the truth, were really helpful."
A spokesman for Nike denied it had obstructed Usada's investigations.
They said: "The opposite is true. Nike has voluntarily cooperated with information requests from Usada, including turning over thousands of pages of documents to Usada. We welcome and respect the genuine efforts that are made to ensure that sport remains clean."
Danny Mackey used to work in the Nike laboratory in Oregon
One of those to help in exposing Salazar was Danny Mackey. Now a coach for Seattle-based Brooks Beasts running team, he used to work in the Nike laboratory within Nike's sprawling Beaverton campus in Oregon. He would do lab work for Salazar and his athletes.
He spoke to me anonymously in 2015, worried about the repercussions of speaking out. "I thought it'd be safer for me, safer for people that I work with."
Mackey says he was right to be scared.
A few weeks after the programme aired, he says he was at a US track meet when senior Nike executive John Capriotti aggressively confronted him.
"Up from behind me, I got grabbed by Capriotti."
Danny says Capriotti told him he knew he had been the anonymous whistleblower on the programme.
"He was swearing at me and telling me I was the blacked out face guy and that he'd kill me - I needed to keep my mouth shut."
Danny made a police complaint but decided not to take it further.
Capriotti told the BBC he "denied these allegations that were well publicised almost five years ago, and no charges were ever brought".
The first page of a complaint made by Danny Mackey to police against senior Nike executive John Capriotti
'I was the guinea pig'
Steve Magness used to be an assistant coach at Nike Oregon Project
In his apartment in Houston, Steve Magness reflects on a November afternoon in 2011, when he sat in his doctor's office with a needle in his arm for two hours. "I was the guinea pig," he said.
Magness, then an assistant coach at NOP, was being infused intravenously by Dr Brown with the legal supplement L-carnitine to see whether new research suggesting it could aid performance significantly was valid.
Magness said: "My understanding was that L-carnitine wasn't a banned substance. And I asked Dr Brown and Alberto, 'This is all legal?'
"They both said, 'Yeah. We're good.'"
He had reason to trust them. Dr Brown had been the Magness family endocrinologist for many years. And Salazar was his mentor, one of the world's most respected coaches.
"Alberto was super excited."
But some weeks later, Magness began to doubt if what he'd done had been within anti-doping rules. "There were a couple of emails. We were being told to not call it an infusion, so to just call it an injection if any athlete declared it."
Infusions or injections of legal substances were within the rules, so long as they didn't exceed 50ml every six hours. Steve had been given 10 times that amount. Inadvertently, he'd broken anti-doping rules.
Magness was never charged by Usada for this breach because he became the key witness for Usada in their investigation of Salazar and Dr Brown over their use of a prohibited infusion.
Two years later, in 2014, Farah would receive a series of injections of L-carnitine before the London Marathon, which Panorama has been investigating. UK Athletics and a lawyer for Farah have said the injections totalled 13.5ml, well within the legal limit.
Farah, declined to be interviewed by Panorama but gave an interview to The Times newspaper, in which he criticised whistle-blowers Magness (for breaking the infusion rules) and Kara Goucher (for using medication for her thyroid condition). He appeared to make no criticism of the coach who is now banned from the sport in disgrace.
Kara believes Farah's legacy is tainted as a result of his association with Salazar, as is her own. She said: "I think he should have left as soon as he found out [about the allegations against Salazar]."
Magness says the experience of being a whistle-blower was "traumatic" and hours of interviews, interrogations and court appearances have taken their toll. But he insists he doesn't regret it.
Magness and the Gouchers will have to go through it all over again in August, when Salazar and Dr Brown's appeal hearings begin at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
Panorama contacted Dr Brown for comment but he did not respond.
The gamble
Salazar is fighting for his sporting life and says he looks forward to overturning the doping violations and his four-year ban. But it's a gamble.
Cas not only has the power to quash his convictions - it can also find new ones. Usada is seeking to prove additional charges and wants Salazar's ban from sport to be increased.
"We're seeking a lifetime ban. We think that's appropriate for the culture that was created as well as the specific anti-doping rule violations," said Tygart.
Farah has never failed a drugs test. There are no allegations he has cheated, yet his association with Salazar is once more under the spotlight.
By the time he returns to the track at this summer's Olympics in Tokyo, he will hope the long shadow cast by his former mentor has faded.
Additional reporting by Calum McKay and Kate McDonald.


bbc--2020-02-24--Earth Harp: The man behind the unique instruments 'epic' sound

William Close is the inventor behind the Earth Harp - the world 's longest string instrument which uses architecture and @ @ @ @ @ sound .
Mr Close , who has performed the giant harp all over the world @ @ @ @ @ often left feeling like they are `` inside the instrument '' during his performances .

William Close is the inventor behind the Earth Harp - the world's longest string instrument which uses architecture and landscapes to create a unique sound.
Mr Close, who has performed the giant harp all over the world, says the audiences are often left feeling like they are "inside the instrument" during his performances.


bbc--2020-02-24--'My journey to accept being a childless woman' in Niger

It is estimated that around 50 million couples worldwide experience infertility issues .
In many cultures women are held responsible @ @ @ @ @ to conceive .
This social pressure can often lead to women being shunned , their @ @ @ @ @ even result in divorce .
Childless women , often seen as a burden , are @ @ @ @ @ .
In Niger , filmmaker Aicha Macky , who herself is struggling to conceive , @ @ @ @ @ to explore the subject of infertility within her community .
She interviews members of her @ @ @ @ @ midwives trying to determine her role in the society as a childless woman .

It is estimated that around 50 million couples worldwide experience infertility issues.
In many cultures women are held responsible when a couple experiences difficulties to conceive. This social pressure can often lead to women being shunned, their husbands taking additional wives or even result in divorce.
Childless women, often seen as a burden, are stigmatised and often face discrimination.
In this film for Africa Eye, Niger filmmaker Aicha Macky, who herself is struggling to conceive, embarks on an emotional journey to explore the subject of infertility within her community.
She interviews members of her family, friends and several midwives trying to determine her role in the society as a childless woman.


bbc--2020-02-24--YouTuber Kian Lawley 'became a better human’ after 2018 race controversy

YouTuber Kian Lawley says he `` became a better human '' after a video of him using a racist term resurfaced in 2018 .
It resulted in him being fired as an actor from a film inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement .
The 24-year-old admits he `` messed up '' but insists `` nobody 's perfect '' .
Speaking exclusively to Radio 1 Newsbeat he explains the online criticism he received was `` scary '' and he did n't know what impact it would have on his career .
`` It was a really big part of my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VidCon London , a convention for vloggers and fans that features some of the world 's biggest social-media stars .
`` I 've never claimed to be perfect and I never want to claim to be perfect . ''
Kian used the n-word while rapping with friends .
The controversy led to Kian also being dropped from his talent agency - with the film makers of The Hate U Give explaining he had been removed due to `` his past comments and behaviour '' .
Set predominantly in a black community , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place in society and the private school where she is one of a few non-white students .
Kian originally played Chris - Starr 's boyfriend - one of the only major white characters in the film .
After the racism controversy the role had to be recast and scenes were reshot with Riverdale actor , KJ Apa , replacing him as the character of Chris .
The fallout meant Kian , who has 17m followers across social media , experienced `` cancel culture '' - when someone is boycotted online for something problematic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time he said he `` understood '' that `` words have power and can do a lot of damage '' .
He took a break from posting videos on his YouTube channel and says he knows he was `` in the wrong '' .
Kian says he used the break `` to re-establish and re-find '' himself but accepts `` not everyone 's going to be on my side '' .
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here .

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bbc--2020-02-24--What Donald Trump gets out of his trip to India

India is gearing up to impress the visiting US President Donald Trump on his first official trip to the world 's most populous democracy .
Tens of thousands are expected to line the streets to greet him in Ahmedabad city , in Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's home state Gujarat .
Mr Trump will inaugurate the world 's largest cricket stadium there in the presence of over 100,000 people , a spectacle expected to cost more than $ 13m ( £10m ) .
The visit comes as India 's economy is under strain and unemployment is high .
Mr Modi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Kashmir and a controversial law that fast-tracks citizenship to non-Muslim religious minorities from three neighbouring countries .
`` It will be a political boost and a good news story for him , '' says Tanvi Madan , director of the India Project at the Brookings Institution think-tank in Washington .
`` He will be seen in visuals standing with the most powerful leader of the world , so to speak . ''
But the Indian subcontinent has not figured much in Mr Trump 's `` America First '' agenda .
So what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is known to hate long trips , and what does he hope to accomplish in India , when there is no dearth of domestic and international issues at home ?
The visit is being seen by many as a pleasant trip to a country where Mr Trump is not expected to face tough questions , but win some easy political points for his domestic politics .
Part of the aim is to give American voters a good image to point to when thinking of Mr Trump as he seeks re-election .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump campaign to make the case the President is welcomed around the world , '' says Ms Madan .
`` That he has made America great and respected , especially when some polls have said the respect for the US has gone down on the international stage . ''
• The good , the bad and the ugly : US presidents ' India trips Indian American voters might pay particular attention .
About 4.5 million people of Indian origin live in the US today , but despite their relatively small numbers , Indian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country .
Those who can vote typically vote Democrat .
In 2016 , only 16 % Indian Americans voted for Mr Trump , according to the National Asian American Survey .
`` Indian Americans do not believe in cutting taxes and making government smaller .
They favour social welfare spending , '' says Karthick Ramakrishnan , a professor of public policy at the University of California , Riverside , who ran the survey .
Mr Trump has sought to court the Indian-American vote in the run-up to the 2020 election .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Modi at a massive event in Houston , Texas named `` Howdy Modi '' , and declared : `` You have never had a better friend as president than President Donald Trump '' .
According to Mr Ramakrishnan , Mr Trump 's efforts in reaching out to India could help boost his numbers at the margins .
`` I think there would be some short-term dividends but probably not to the extent that many Republicans might hope , '' he says .
A trade agreement with India following months of negotiations was expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - a big political win for Mr Trump if he could seal the deal .
The US-India bilateral trade stands at $ 160bn .
But hopes of an agreement have been fading for weeks as the US expressed concerns over issues like rising tariffs , price controls and India 's positions in e-commerce .
Immigration of skilled workers and the visa regime are other areas of concern .
India wants restoration of trade concessions under a tariff system called the Generalised System of Preferences ( GSP ) , which provides additional benefits for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump terminated the GSP benefits for India in 2019 .
`` Even a limited deal would be an important signal to industry in both countries that US and India are serious about growing trade , and they can resolve issues , '' says US India Business President Nisha Biswal .
However , she adds : `` I am not optimistic because of what I have been hearing from both governments . ''
President Trump has made being tough on China a central piece of his political brand , and many US concerns on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , access to South China Sea , and the untrustworthiness of its vendors are shared by India .
`` I do n't think this visit would be happening without the strategic convergence between India and the US on China , particularly their concern about the Chinese actions and intentions in that region , '' says Ms Madan .
A China-US crisis would adversely impact the Indian economy , but too much closeness between the two giants could leave India out of the equation .
The American side , in turn , questions whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a hindrance to a truly strategic partnership with the US .
Questions also swirl around whether India can rise as a counterweight to China in Asia or would it be sucked deeper into domestic and sub-regional politics .
With hostilities rising between the US and China , Mr Trump may well find a friend in Mr Modi 's India , which has been seen as willing to criticise the Chinese .
Media reports suggest key multi-billion dollar defence deals are in the offing on Mr Trump 's India visit .
This may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ navy .
Before the trip , the US State department approved a possible sale of an integrated Air Defence Weapon System for $ 1.8bn .
As India tries to diversify its list of buyers , India recognises it has not made large defence purchases from the US recently , while it has done so from the Russians and French , said an analyst '' India and the US have become very close for strategic reasons .
Even during the Trump years , you have seen defence and diplomatic dialogues , '' said Ms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance to sell US hardware is a chance to tout to his supporters that he is boosting jobs and 'Made in America ' manufacturing .
Mr Trump is seen by many as 'transactional '' leader who places a premium on personal relationships over geopolitics , and he believes that his ability to get on with foreign leaders earns him the ability to get things done .
This would be President Trump and Prime Minister Modi 's fifth meeting in eight months .
They call each other a 'friend ' .
There are pictures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are not treated very well by India but I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot , '' Mr Trump told reporters days before his trip .
For Mr Trump - and Mr Modi - exhibiting a level of bonhomie can help smooth over differences when tough talks come up .
In the end , it is not a trip made with a very clear set of objectives , says Joshua White of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies .
For Mr White , it is more likely that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trip , shake hands and pose for pictures , `` and the bureaucracy figures out what can be gained on the policy front '' .

Questions also swirl around whether India can rise as a counterweight to China in Asia or would it be sucked deeper into domestic and sub-regional politics. With hostilities rising between the US and China, Mr Trump may well find a friend in Mr Modi's India, which has been seen as willing to criticise the Chinese.


bbc--2020-02-24--How Africa hopes to gain from the 'new scramble'

Major world powers are jostling for political and economic influence in Africa , but what is behind the renewed interest on the continent and what are African countries doing about it ?
The BBC 's Dickens Olewe reports .
In recent years Africans have become used to seeing their leaders accumulate air miles while honouring invitations to attend a series of Africa-themed summits held around the world , often advertised as win-win partnerships .
Last year , Japan , Russia and China hosted African presidents and heads of government ; last month 15 African leaders attended the UK-Africa Investment Summit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already been sent for similar events reportedly planned in France , Saudi Arabia and Turkey this year .
A mixture of the continent 's rich mineral resources , unexploited agricultural land , its influential 54 votes at the UN , stemming a growing threat of Islamist militancy , economic immigration , and anxiety , some say racist , about its burgeoning population , are among the issues behind this renewed interest .
`` The world needs to engage and help solve Africa 's problems , which , sooner rather than later , will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr Dambisa Moyo argued in her 2018 article titled : Africa Threat .
`` There has never been a greater need for constructive international engagement on the continent .
Besides , the global economy could reap significant rewards from positive engagement , '' Dr Moyo wrote .
Kenya 's President Uhuru Kenyatta agrees , saying during a recent visit to the US that Africa is `` more than just a continent producing security threats or unregulated migration that must be contained , '' but that it offers investment opportunities to the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ contest between China , US , Russia , and other countries : '' I have noticed conversations in Western countries and their counterparts in Asia and the Middle East have returned to competition over Africa , in some cases… behaving like Africa is for the taking ... Well I want to tell you it is not , '' Mr Kenyatta added .
But does Africa have a plan ?
In 2013 , African leaders , under the African Union ( AU ) , agreed on a blueprint to tackle the myriad challenges the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agenda 2063 .
It sets out a vision , among others , to end wars on the continent , develop infrastructure , and allow freedom of movement on the continent .
Another flagship project , the African Continental Free Trade Area ( AfCTA ) , the world 's largest free trade pact in terms of countries involved , is projected to improve and boost trade amongst African nations .
Critics , however , say that AfCTA , which comes into effect in July , is not a panacea and faces big hurdles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in member states .
• Connect all African capitals and commercial centres through high speed train network • Accelerate intra-African trade and boost Africa 's trading position in the global market place • The development of the Inga Dam in DR Congo to generate 43,200 MW of power • Remove restrictions on Africans ability to travel , work and live within their own continent • Develop an encyclopaedia Africana to provide an authoritative resource on the authentic history of Africa and African life However , the AU is struggling to implement Agenda 2063 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to corral member countries to focus on the agreed plans , W Gyude Moore , a former minister of public works in Liberia , says .
He argues that with many African countries increasingly saddled with debt and using their resources to pay off foreign loans , they have been distracted from the grand continental plan .
He says that they should take advantage of the intensified interest in the continent to find affordable ways of improving the transport infrastructure , especially roads , to help boost their economies .
While the Agenda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rail , roads are the predominant mode of transport in Africa carrying at least 80 % of goods and 90 % of passengers , according to the African Development Bank ( ADB ) .
The poor state of the road infrastructure in 49 countries in sub-Saharan African countries has led to isolation of people from basic education , health services , trade hubs , and economic opportunities , the ADB says .
`` Only 43 % of roads in Africa are paved and 30 % of these are in one country : South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is currently a Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development in the US , says .
`` It 's almost impossible to build a modern society and a modern economy without roads , '' Mr Moore says .
He gives an example of the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa , which happened during the rainy season .
`` What began as a health crisis was actually an infrastructure crisis , '' he says .
`` Taking the blood specimen from the patient to the lab became invalid because of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mr Moore says that research and investment in building paved roads that can withstand heavy rainy seasons would transform the continent .
You may be interested in : • Is Africa going backwards on democracy ?
• Can 'colonial cities ' in Africa end migration to Europe ?
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• Should Africa be wary of Chinese debt ?
• What are Putin 's intentions in Africa ?
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance ( IIAG ) is also ambivalent about the Agenda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IIAG founder , said while reviewing the 2019 index report , that there was a `` poverty of data '' in measuring progress on the continent .
`` There is no good to set up wonderful targets if you can not measure them ... the African Union agenda has 255 targets , almost half are not quantifiable , '' he adds .
Another handicap several African countries face is the lack of an effective bureaucracy working in government , Dr Ken Opalo from the Georgetown University told the BBC .
Something , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from China .
`` What makes China succeed is n't autocracy , it 's bureaucratic effectiveness ... the capacity for making and implementing government policy do n't fall in order when you have free elections .
It is therefore ridiculous at the moment to expect things to change in countries like South Sudan , CAR or even Malawi , '' Mr Opalo adds .
The AU admits there have been challenges and it is planning to roll out a platform to enable it to best monitor implementation of the Agenda 2063 targets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said recently .
`` We also welcome criticism , '' he added .
Curiously , Africa 's most urgent problem , youth unemployment , is not listed as a flagship Agenda 2063 project but according to AU officials , all projects are aimed at creating a conducive environment for job creation .
Africa 's population is set to double by 2050 to 2.2 billion , according to projections from the UN population division , putting pressure on governments to create meaningful employment .
Another worrying statistic is that while global poverty levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Africa , according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation .
The organisation projects that Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo together will be home to 44 % of the world 's poorest people in 30 years ' time if current trends continue .
The agriculture sector which in most countries in Africa offers the best opportunity to lift millions out of poverty is largely untapped and slowed down by lack of investments , Mr Opalo says .
Trapped in desperation and hopelessness , many young people have moved to the cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs , and instead of investing in manufacturing we are seeing a lot consumption cities being built .
They provide jobs but rely on importation , '' Mr Opalo says .
It is another multifaceted challenge the continent has to grapple with .
Dr Moyo asked provocatively in her 2018 article : If the world never had to hear about Africa again , would anyone care ?
The renewed scramble for Africa suggest the answer is yes .
`` How Africa 's population evolves , and how the continent 's economies develop , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far assume about their lives today , '' Africa commentator Howard French wrote recently .
The challenge is for African leaders to match their rhetoric with achievable and measurable plans , Dr Opalo and Mr Moore say .
They add that the leaders should negotiate policy concessions that match their priorities instead of accepting short-term deals and transactions that are often offered in the now popular Africa-themed summits .


bbc--2020-02-24--The boss putting an end to empty homes

The boss putting an end to empty homes

The BBC 's weekly The Boss series profiles different business leaders from around the world .
This week we speak to Katharine Hibbert , founder of UK property guardianship company Dot Dot Dot .
Journalists might feel passionately about the industry they 're reporting on , but you would n't expect many to start a business in that sector .
But so entrenched was former Sunday Times reporter Katharine Hibbert in the world of empty buildings and squatters , that she moved from penning features and a book on the topic , to setting up a property guardianship firm to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came across in her research .
Such a business enables people to legally , and usually cheaply , move into properties that would otherwise sit empty .
`` The main thing I realised was that no one wants to see buildings sitting empty , '' says the 38-year-old .
`` There 's quite a lot of talk about evil property owners , but it 's not like that .
`` Empty buildings are a massive problem for people who own them , as well as those around them .
No one wants a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be vandalised , people could come in and take drugs , the pipes could freeze , or pigeons might move in .
`` People are n't deliberately keeping buildings empty , they do n't know what to do with them while waiting for a long-term plan . ''
The concept of property guardianship had started in the Netherlands in the mid 1990s , when a security company introduced it as a way to prevent squatters .
But Katharine did n't just see Dot Dot Dot as a way to protect properties .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a security solution , but if you give someone a place to live below market rent , you can completely transform what they do with their life , '' she says .
Katharine created a business plan whilst working as a producer on the Channel Four series The Great British Property Scandal , and launched Dot Dot Dot in 2010 .
`` There was n't any upfront investment needed , '' she says .
`` I kept myself [ financially ] going with the producer role , and making my money last longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurdle she faced was securing the first contracts from property owners .
`` Persuading people to trust you with their valuable assets when you do n't have a long track record was my biggest challenge , '' she admits .
How did she win them over ?
`` I think they were excited about the model , and the positive difference [ it could make ] . ''
This positive difference is Dot Dot Dot 's unique selling point - the company asks all its property guardians to commit to 16 hours volunteering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Katharine 's heart .
`` I personally think a pretty good ambition is to get though life in the most decent way possible .
And to try to be kind to people , and give time to causes to help others , and volunteering , '' says Katharine , who is a trustee for Headway , a London-based brain injury charity .
Her book - Free : Adventures On The Margins Of A Wasteful Society - also gave Katharine a helpful level of exposure .
`` I had quite good connections , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and talking to enough people about my vision of how a property guardian could work . ''
The first property that Dot Dot Dot offered was a four-bedroom house in north-west London that was set to be empty for six weeks .
`` It was very vulnerable to crime and squatting , '' she says .
`` I agreed to do it , and luckily it was the beginning of summer .
A couple of people from university did n't mind staying somewhere for six weeks , and we made it work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to always think carefully about who could be accepted to take up the role of a property guardian .
`` You ca n't house the most vulnerable as they have acute problems , and there 's a duty to take care of the building , and that is n't straightforward if you 're having a difficult time , '' she says .
`` But at the same time you ca n't give it to the person who can pay the most.
`` Today Dot Dot Dot , which employs about 30 people and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , says it has looked after hundreds of buildings for housing associations , charities , local authorities and private property developers in areas including London , High Wycombe and Cambridge .
The properties are more often unfurnished , and therefore unsuitable for the likes of Airbnb .
The guardians sign a contract with Dot Dot Dot .
How Dot Dot Dot makes money varies from building to building , but it usually charges both the property guardian and the owner of the building .
If the guardian is required to vacate , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notice .
Air traffic controller Tim Callaway , 59 , has been living in a one-bedroom flat in High Wycombe that he found through Dot Dot Dot five years ago .
He pays £280 a month to Dot Dot Dot , and his voluntary work includes helping out at Veterans Aid , a UK charity that offers support to ex-servicemen and women .
`` It was the ideal solution , '' he says .
`` It was close to my work and affordable . ''
While Tim admits there were issues with litter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he first moved , he says this has improved in recent years .
Katharine herself was a property guardian herself for six years in Tower Hamlets in London .
`` I think one of the nice things about being a property guardian is that when you 're a tenant you have to worry about Blu Tack on walls , damaging the carpet when a bike is in the hallway etc , '' she says .
`` By contrast , if you are a property guardian , and want to paint the walls and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You can make the place feel like yours , which is different to being a tenant . ''
• ' I reinvented the hair tie from my uni halls' • ' I remember the roaches walking across the floor' • The medieval knight who went into space Manjot Dhillon , property dispute resolution solicitor at law firm B P Collins , says property guardianship companies like Dot Dot Dot face a few challenges .
She says these include whether guardians could legally argue that they are entitled to longer notice rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guardians causing `` substantial '' damage to the properties .
Kathrine says that `` we vet our guardians very diligently '' .
As for the future , Katharine says her number one priority is to make sure that Dot Dot Dot makes as much difference as possible .
`` We 're already housing hundreds of people , and supporting them to give tens of thousands of hours of voluntary effort to good causes , '' she says .
`` But there 's potential to do so much more .
`` I 'd like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as many people and supporting twice as much volunteering in the next five years . ''

Katharine says it is important to always think carefully about who could be accepted to take up the role of a property guardian. "You can't house the most vulnerable as they have acute problems, and there's a duty to take care of the building, and that isn't straightforward if you're having a difficult time," she says. "But at the same time you can't give it to the person who can pay the most. "


bbc--2020-02-24--Climate change: Schools failing us, say pupils

`` It 's educated people who are causing the most damage to the planet , '' says sixth-former Joe Brindle .
Joe , 17 , says schools need to put the environment at the heart of education .
Ministers agree `` it is vital that pupils are taught about climate change '' but Joe says schools are failing to prepare them for a climate emergency .
He is a founder member of Teach the Future which next week takes its call for an environmental overhaul of education to Parliament .
`` It 's people with degrees from Oxford and Cambridge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are the ones who are causing the most destruction to our world , '' says Joe .
`` And therefore that kind of shows that education is not succeeding and that our education is broken because education should be creating better people not worse . ''
On Wednesday , Joe , a pupil at Devizes School , and more than a dozen other under-18s who make up the core of Teach the Future , will take over Parliament 's Terrace Pavilion to host a crowdfunded reception for MPs .
The group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Network , best known for the school climate strikes , and the National Union of Students ' climate charity offshoot , SOS-UK , is launching a draft English emergency education bill which embodies their key demands and which Joe believes `` is going to be really big '' .
• What school strikers can learn from protest veterans Teach the Future is hoping the draft could at some stage form the basis of a private member 's bill but for now , the aim is `` to get MPs on our side '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1958 US National Defense Education Act which aimed to kickstart engineering , maths and science education and give America the edge in the space and arms races .
It paid off - by July 1969 , the average age in Apollo mission control was just 28 .
`` I think it really shows that education can be used to solve a difficult problem , if the focus is down from the government , '' says Joe , who will sit A-levels in history , biology and chemistry this summer .
But rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineering and maths - the range of the climate emergency education act needs to be far wider , he believes .
`` The space race was just one thing but the climate crisis affects every single part of everything and it requires solutions from every single part of society , whether it be arts , whether it be maths , whether it be sciences . ''
He wants everyone to understand the impact of their behaviour on the environment and `` try to do things in a way that has as little negative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while engineers have an important role , fundamentally , education needs to become more sustainable , he says .
People need to understand how the climate crisis happened , he argues : `` It 's a symptom of a general unsustainable system . ''
Joe believes most people his age `` want to understand more about climate change and what 's behind it , the issues of justice ... and the politics behind it '' .
But he says that while schools are largely sympathetic , they are constrained by limited budgets and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - and often teachers themselves lack detailed knowledge about climate change .
`` It 's not good enough that sustainability is restricted to a few subjects and most of our teachers and lecturers do n't know enough about it , '' say the campaigners .
They also point out that including climate change in the national curriculum will only affect local authority schools - not academies , free schools or the private sector .
The group has invited dozens of MPs to the reception and are `` particularly hoping government ministers and people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' .
Teach the Future 's wish-list also includes having climate science and sustainability included in teacher training and all education buildings to have a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030 .
The group was founded in autumn 2019 but already has support from leading education unions and environmental organisations .
It is hoping that several dozen MPs will attend the reception .
In a statement , the government said : `` It is vital that pupils are taught about climate change , which is why topics are included across the national curriculum for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the freedom to expand on these areas if they wish .
`` This government is a world leader in tackling climate change and we are the first major economy to legislate for net-zero emissions by 2050 .
The Department for Education provides funding to support schools to become more sustainable institutions . ''
A spokesperson said topics related to climate change and sustainability were included in the national curriculum for science and geography , a new environmental science A-level was introduced in 2017 and sustainability will be included in some new T-level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students will learn about renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies .
The Department for Education also supports energy efficiency through its capital funding programmes , including interest-free loans , the spokesperson added .

In a statement, the government said: "It is vital that pupils are taught about climate change, which is why topics are included across the national curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. Teachers have the freedom to expand on these areas if they wish.


bbc--2020-02-24--Australia survive scare to beat Sri Lanka at Women's T20 World Cup

Australia survived a scare to beat Sri Lanka by five wickets and claim their first win of the Women 's T20 World Cup .
Chasing 123 , Australia were reduced to 10-3 , with Alyssa Healy falling to the second ball of the innings in Perth .
A stand of 95 between Rachael Haynes ( 60 ) and captain Meg Lanning ( 41 not out ) helped spare the defending champions ' blushes as they won with three balls remaining .
After being stunned in their opening game by India , Australia were expected to breeze past Sri Lanka , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bat .
While Lanning and Haynes produced a fine recovery job - helped by negative field settings from Sri Lanka - they will know their batting is not where it needs to be .
They will likely need to win their next two games against Bangladesh and New Zealand to be sure of a place in the semi-finals .
Lanning told BBC Sport she was `` relieved '' to get the victory against Sri Lanka after being `` nervous '' at 10-3 .
`` Rachael Haynes was excellent today .
She really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure off me . ''
Australia have dominated women 's cricket in recent years but they have not looked at all comfortable in this tournament .
It could be home pressure , and the expectation that they would ease to their fifth title in front of a full Melbourne Cricket Ground in the final on 8 March .
Whatever it is , things have yet to click into place for the hosts .
Three wickets fell in 18 balls .
Healy was bowled by a fine inswinger from Udeshika Prabodhani , before Ashleigh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near-identical delivery .
The Waca fell silent as Beth Mooney was stumped but Lanning and Haynes , captain and vice-captain , masterminded a calm recovery .
Sri Lanka spread the field , burned their sole review on a tenuous caught behind appeal against Lanning , and dropped Haynes and Lanning on 26 and 33 respectively to hand the initiative back to the world number one side .
Haynes reached her half-century with a six as Australia took control of the run-rate and , although she fell with 18 runs still needed , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Atapattu has long been the bedrock of Sri Lanka 's batting and , for a time , she had some solid company out in the middle .
The 18-year-old Umasha Thimeshani made an entertaining run-a-ball 20 , targeting all-rounder Ellyse Perry in particular , while Anushka Sanjeewani mixed some haphazard running with aggressive shots .
However , Atapattu was the key .
Two enormous sixes - one over the leg side , one over long-off - rattled Australia , and every shot the Sri Lankan captain played seemed to have such power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with clenched fists and a swing of the arm , before shouting at Sanjeewani when the two collided mid-pitch and were almost run out .
Atapattu was furious to be dismissed , smashing her bat against her pad after she slapped Nicola Carey to the waiting fielder at extra cover , and without her , Sri Lanka stumbled .
From 91-2 , they were only able to muster another 31 runs for the loss of four wickets , and it always felt as though they were just short of a winning total .

Last updated on .From the section Women's Cricket
ICC Women's T20 World Cup, Group A, Perth (Waca): Sri Lanka 122-6 (20 overs): Atapattu 50, Carey 2-18 Australia 123-5 (19.3 overs): Haynes 60, Lanning 41*, Prabodhani 2-17 Australia won by five wickets Scorecard and tables
Australia survived a scare to beat Sri Lanka by five wickets and claim their first win of the Women's T20 World Cup.
Chasing 123, Australia were reduced to 10-3, with Alyssa Healy falling to the second ball of the innings in Perth.
A stand of 95 between Rachael Haynes (60) and captain Meg Lanning (41 not out) helped spare the defending champions' blushes as they won with three balls remaining.
Sri Lanka made 122-6 with captain Chamari Atapattu getting 50.
After being stunned in their opening game by India, Australia were expected to breeze past Sri Lanka, but it was far from easy with the bat.
While Lanning and Haynes produced a fine recovery job - helped by negative field settings from Sri Lanka - they will know their batting is not where it needs to be.
They will likely need to win their next two games against Bangladesh and New Zealand to be sure of a place in the semi-finals.
Lanning told BBC Sport she was "relieved" to get the victory against Sri Lanka after being "nervous" at 10-3.
"Rachael Haynes was excellent today. She really took the game on and took the pressure off me."
Hosts wobble again before prevailing
Australia have dominated women's cricket in recent years but they have not looked at all comfortable in this tournament.
It could be home pressure, and the expectation that they would ease to their fifth title in front of a full Melbourne Cricket Ground in the final on 8 March. Whatever it is, things have yet to click into place for the hosts.
Three wickets fell in 18 balls. Healy was bowled by a fine inswinger from Udeshika Prabodhani, before Ashleigh Gardner had her stumps rattled by a near-identical delivery.
The Waca fell silent as Beth Mooney was stumped but Lanning and Haynes, captain and vice-captain, masterminded a calm recovery.
Sri Lanka spread the field, burned their sole review on a tenuous caught behind appeal against Lanning, and dropped Haynes and Lanning on 26 and 33 respectively to hand the initiative back to the world number one side.
Haynes reached her half-century with a six as Australia took control of the run-rate and, although she fell with 18 runs still needed, the hosts were in a comfortable position.
Atapattu shines for Sri Lanka
Chamari Atapattu hit seven fours and two sixes in her 50 from 38 balls
Atapattu has long been the bedrock of Sri Lanka's batting and, for a time, she had some solid company out in the middle.
The 18-year-old Umasha Thimeshani made an entertaining run-a-ball 20, targeting all-rounder Ellyse Perry in particular, while Anushka Sanjeewani mixed some haphazard running with aggressive shots.
However, Atapattu was the key. Two enormous sixes - one over the leg side, one over long-off - rattled Australia, and every shot the Sri Lanka captain played seemed to have such power behind it.
She celebrated her half-century with clenched fists and a swing of the arm, before shouting at Sanjeewani when the two collided mid-pitch and were almost run out.
Atapattu was furious to be dismissed, smashing her bat against her pad after she slapped Nicola Carey to the waiting fielder at extra cover, and without her, Sri Lanka stumbled.
From 91-2, they were only able to muster another 31 runs for the loss of four wickets, and it always felt as if they were just short of a winning total.


bbc--2020-02-24--Man City's penalty woe & Aubameyang's Sunday best - stats of the week

Manchester City edged closer to equalling an unfortunate record from 12 yards as Kasper Schmeichel denied Sergio Aguero to claim family bragging rights .
Plus , Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang delivered his Sunday best , Dwight McNeil continues to show plenty of promise and why Diogo Jota puts the consistent in inconsistent .
BBC Sport takes a look at the weekend 's key Premier League statistics .
• Who makes Garth Crooks ' team of the week ?
• Man Utd fans have a new hero in Fernandes - Crouch In a thrilling finale to the weekend 's Premier League action , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a match that could prove a significant result in the race for a European place .
Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was key for the Gunners , scoring twice to make it six goals in his last seven league games and take his Premier League tally to 49 goals in 74 appearances since joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 .
That gives him the joint-highest return during that period , along with Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah , and an overall record of 60 goals in 95 Arsenal games .
The Gabon forward already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just five fewer than the 22 which saw him share the golden boot with Salah and team-mate Sadio Mane last season .
Aubameyang continues to make a mockery of his expected goals ( xG ) total as highlighted above - scoring six more than his chances would suggest he should - and he will be hoping Arsenal 's Europa League involvement means the Gunners to play their league games on Sundays .
Following his latest haul , Aubameyang has been directly involved in 38 goals in 38 English top-flight appearances on Sundays , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared to 17 goals in 36 games that have fallen during the rest of the week .
The vast majority of his total Premier League goals have come from inside the box - with only four of his 49 being fired in from distance .
A clear warning for West Ham then , who must keep him at least 18 yards from goal at to boost their hopes of preventing Aubameyang bringing up his half-century next time out .
At least the match is on a Saturday ... Kasper Schmeichel could not prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rivals for second place , Manchester City , on Saturday despite his very best efforts .
But , in denying Sergio Aguero from the penalty spot , he did earn family bragging rights by eclipsing his father Peter Schmeichel 's tally for Premier League penalty saves .
Kasper 's save from Aguero was his fourth in the English top-flight - one more than his dad made in his entire Premier League career .
That makes the Foxes keeper tied fourth for Premier League penalty saves since Leicester 's promotion in 2014 , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lukasz Fabianski ( six ) and Adrian ( five ) making more in that time .
He remains some way behind the all-time leading number of penalty saves in the competition , which remains safe in the hands of former Manchester City and Portsmouth stopper David James , who made an impressive 13 .
The 20 penalties that have evaded Schmeichel in that time mean his save percentage does lag behind others .
A special mention for former Hull City goalkeeper Allan McGregor for his perfect record from two penalties faced , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spot-kicks that came his way .
Meanwhile , reigning champions Manchester City are in the midst of a full-blown 12-yard ( 10.97 metre ) crisis .
Pep Guardiola 's side have failed to score their last four top-flight spot-kicks and are now closing in on Arsenal 's record run of penalty misfortune .
The Gunners missed the first five penalties they ever took in the Premier League , leaving City desperately searching for a hero after Aguero joined Ilkay Gundogan , Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling in contributing to City 's profligacy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ goalkeeper Ederson get his shot ?
`` Believe me , he 's the best taker we have in penalties , '' Guardiola said on Ederson 's chances in January .
I think that 's something we 'd all like to see .
Alternatively , Guardiola 's side may want to start taking notes from Manchester United 's Bruno Fernandes .
With a hop , skip and an ice-cool finish , January signing Fernandes made it 13 successful penalties in a row , extending a run that stretches back to his Udinese days in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a perfect 12/12 record and , with his opener on Sunday , he became the first United player to open their Premier League account from the penalty spot .
There has been much to admire for several seasons about manager Sean Dyche 's efforts with Burnley .
Youngster Dwight McNeil is the latest of them .
The 20-year-old has been in fine form this campaign for a Clarets side that , with a thumping win over Bournemouth , has recorded the club 's highest-ever points tally after 27 Premier League fixtures .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ five games and sit just four points adrift of fifth place - which currently offers a Champions League spot following Manchester City 's European ban .
And , among the Clarets ' three-goal show on Saturday , McNeil managed to both score and assist in a Premier League game for the first time in his fledgling career .
But it is perhaps the latest assist that best highlights his ability - as well as future promise .
At 20 years and 92 days , McNeil became the youngest player to reach 10 Premier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sterling did so aged 19 years and 335 days for Liverpool in November 2014 .
McNeil comes in as the 11th youngest player to achieve the feat , fewer than three months behind Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs ( 20 years and eight days ) , who holds the record for most Premier League assists - and slightly under two years older than record-holder Michael Owen .
Keen to catch up , at 18 years and 171 days , Arsenal 's Bukayo Saka later became the youngest player to record consecutive Premier League @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April 1999 .
You know the saying about London buses ?
Wolves forward Diogo Jota was so close to following his Europa league hat-trick against Espanyol on Thursday with another against Norwich .
He got a further two goals against the Canaries and was inches away from a third as his shot rebounded off the post to allow Raul Jimenez to seal the points for Wolves .
Linked with a £50m bid from Manchester United on Sunday , 23-year-old Jota has eight goals in his last seven home games in all competitions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ last 12 appearances for Wolves - yet , while those figures reek of consistency , the opposite is more accurate .
Jota has actually scored in just four of those 12 games , bagging two doubles and two hat-tricks in a true all-or-nothing style .
Indeed , he had gone eight games without a goal prior to Thursday 's treble - since scoring five times in two games against Brighton and Besiktas in December .
Sunday 's double means he has scored in just three league games so far this season , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those matches .

Last updated on .From the section Premier League
Manchester City edged closer to equalling an unfortunate record from 12 yards as Kasper Schmeichel denied Sergio Aguero to claim family bragging rights.
Plus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang delivered his Sunday best, Dwight McNeil continues to show plenty of promise and why Diogo Jota puts the consistent in inconsistent.
BBC Sport takes a look at the weekend's key Premier League statistics.
Aubameyang's Sunday best
In a thrilling finale to the weekend's Premier League action, Arsenal ran out 3-2 winners against Everton in a match that could prove a significant result in the race for a European place.
Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was key for the Gunners, scoring twice to make it six goals in his last seven league games and take his Premier League tally to 49 goals in 74 appearances since joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.
That gives him the joint-highest return during that period, along with Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, and an overall record of 60 goals in 95 Arsenal games.
The Gabon forward already has 17 league goals this season, just five fewer than the 22 which saw him share the golden boot with Salah and team-mate Sadio Mane last season.
Aubameyang continues to make a mockery of his expected goals (xG) total as highlighted above - scoring six more than his chances would suggest he should - and he will be hoping Arsenal's Europa League involvement means the Gunners to play their league games on Sundays.
Following his latest haul, Aubameyang has been directly involved in 38 goals in 38 English top-flight appearances on Sundays, scoring 32 times himself.
That's compared to 17 goals in 36 games that have fallen during the rest of the week.
The vast majority of his total Premier League goals have come from inside the box - with only four of his 49 being fired in from distance.
A clear warning for West Ham then, who must keep him at least 18 yards from goal to boost their hopes of preventing Aubameyang bringing up his half-century next time out. At least the match is on a Saturday...
Mixed penalty fortunes
Kasper Schmeichel could not prevent Leicester City falling to defeat against their rivals for second place, Manchester City, on Saturday despite his very best efforts.
But, in denying Sergio Aguero from the penalty spot, he did earn family bragging rights by eclipsing his father Peter Schmeichel's tally for Premier League penalty saves.
Kasper's save from Aguero was his fourth in the English top-flight - one more than his dad made in his entire Premier League career.
That makes the Foxes keeper tied fourth for Premier League penalty saves since Leicester's promotion in 2014, with only Simon Mignolet (six), Lukasz Fabianski (six) and Adrian (five) making more in that time.
He remains some way behind the all-time leading number of penalty saves in the competition, which remains safe in the hands of former Manchester City and Portsmouth stopper David James, who made an impressive 13.
The 20 penalties that have evaded Schmeichel in that time mean his save percentage does lag behind others. A special mention for former Hull City goalkeeper Allan McGregor for his perfect record from two penalties faced, and Mignolet for saving almost half the 13 spot-kicks that came his way.
Meanwhile, reigning champions Manchester City are in the midst of a full-blown 12-yard (10.97 metre) crisis.
Pep Guardiola's side have failed to score their last four top-flight spot-kicks and are now closing in on Arsenal's record run of penalty misfortune.
The Gunners missed the first five penalties they ever took in the Premier League, leaving City desperately searching for a hero after Aguero joined Ilkay Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling in contributing to City's profligacy.
quote Eddy has no blood in his veins, he's so calm so he could do it. Pep Guardiola on goalkeeper Ederson's chances of taking a penalty for Manchester City
It begs the question, when will goalkeeper Ederson get his shot? "Believe me, he's the best taker we have in penalties," Guardiola said on Ederson's chances in January.
I think that's something we'd all like to see. Alternatively, Guardiola's side may want to start taking notes from Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes.
With a hop, skip and an ice-cool finish, January signing Fernandes made it 13 successful penalties in a row, extending a run that stretches back to his Udinese days in April 2016.
Fernandes left Sporting Lisbon with a perfect 12/12 record and, with his opener on Sunday, he became the first United player to open their Premier League account from the penalty spot.
McNeil's promise as Burnley chase Europe
There has been much to admire for several seasons about manager Sean Dyche's efforts with Burnley. Youngster Dwight McNeil is the latest of them.
The 20-year-old has been in fine form this campaign for a Clarets side that, with a thumping win over Bournemouth, has recorded the club's highest-ever points tally after 27 Premier League fixtures.
Burnley are now unbeaten in their last five games and sit just four points adrift of fifth place - which currently offers a Champions League spot following Manchester City's European ban.
And, among the Clarets' three-goal show on Saturday, McNeil managed to both score and assist in a Premier League game for the first time in his fledgling career.
But it is perhaps the latest assist that best highlights his ability - as well as future promise.
At 20 years and 92 days, McNeil became the youngest player to reach 10 Premier League assists since Manchester City's Raheem Sterling did so aged 19 years and 335 days for Liverpool in November 2014.
McNeil comes in as the 11th youngest player to achieve the feat, fewer than three months behind Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs (20 years and eight days), who holds the record for most Premier League assists - and slightly under two years older than record-holder Michael Owen.
Keen to catch up, at 18 years and 171 days, Arsenal's Bukayo Saka later became the youngest player to record consecutive Premier League assists since Everton's Francis Jeffers in April 1999.
A wonderful week for Jota
You know the saying about London buses?
Wolves forward Diogo Jota was so close to following his Europa league hat-trick against Espanyol on Thursday with another against Norwich.
He got a further two goals against the Canaries and was inches away from a third as his shot rebounded off the post to allow Raul Jimenez to seal the points for Wolves.
Linked with a £50m bid from Manchester United external-link on Sunday, 23-year-old Jota has eight goals in his last seven home games in all competitions.
He has scored 10 goals in his last 12 appearances for Wolves - yet, while those figures reek of consistency, the opposite is more accurate.
Jota has actually scored in just four of those 12 games, bagging two doubles and two hat-tricks in a true all-or-nothing style.
Indeed, he had gone eight games without a goal prior to Thursday's treble - since scoring five times in two games against Brighton and Besiktas in December.
Sunday's double means he has scored in just three league games so far this season, with a total of five goals arriving in those matches.
Buses, meet Jota.