bbc--2020-06-16--India-China clash: 20 Indian troops killed in Ladakh fighting

At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese forces in a disputed Himalayan border area , Indian officials say .
The incident follows rising tensions , and is the first deadly clash in the border area in at least 45 years .
The Indian army initially said three of its soldiers had been killed , adding that both sides suffered casualties .
But later on Tuesday , officials said a number of critically injured soldiers had died of their wounds .
India 's external affairs ministry accused China of breaking an agreement struck the previous week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( LAC ) in the Galwan Valley .
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says violence between two armies high up in the Himalayas is very serious , and pressure will grow on the two nuclear powers not to allow a slide into full-scale conflict .
What have both sides said about the incident ?
Early on Tuesday the Indian army said three of its soldiers , including an officer , had died in a clash in Ladakh , in the disputed Kashmir region .
Later in the day , it released a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It added that `` 17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty '' and died from their injuries , taking the `` total that were killed in action to 20 '' .
China did not confirm any casualties , but accused India in turn of crossing the border onto the Chinese side .
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said India had crossed the border twice on Monday , `` provoking and attacking Chinese personnel , resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides insist no bullet has been fired in four decades , and the Indian army said on Tuesday that `` no shots were fired '' in this latest skirmish .
How a clash that did not involve an exchange of fire could prove so lethal is unclear .
There are reports that it was fought with rocks and clubs Local media outlets reported that the Indian soldiers had been `` beaten to death '' .
How tense is the area ?
The LAC is poorly demarcated .
The presence of rivers , lakes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The soldiers either side - representing two of the world 's largest armies - come face to face at many points .
• Why tensions are rising between the neighbours • How a new map stirred old rivalries But there have been tense confrontations along the border in recent weeks .
India has accused China of sending thousands of troops into Ladakh 's Galwan valley and says China occupies 38,000sq km ( 14,700sq miles ) of its territory .
Several rounds of talks in the last three decades have failed to resolve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have fought only one war so far , in 1962 , when India suffered a humiliating defeat .
In May , dozens of Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged physical blows on the border in the north-eastern state of Sikkim .
And in 2017 , the two countries clashed in the region after China tried to extend a border road through a disputed plateau .
There are several reasons why tensions are rising now - but competing strategic goals lie at the root , and both sides blame each other .
India has built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the most remote and vulnerable area along the LAC in Ladakh .
And India 's decision to ramp up infrastructure seems to have infuriated Beijing .
The road could boost Delhi 's capability to move men and materiel rapidly in case of a conflict .
India also disputes part of Kashmir - an ethnically diverse Himalayan region covering about 140,000sq km - with Pakistan .
• Kashmir : Why India and Pakistan fight over it The two nuclear armed neighbours have a chequered history of face-offs and overlapping territorial claims along the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , poorly drawn Line of Actual Control separating the two sides .
Border patrols have often bumped into each other , resulting in occasional scuffles .
But no bullets have been fired in four decades .
That is why Sunday 's night 's clash following months of roiling tension has taken many by surprise .
Whatever the result , the latest incident is likely to trigger a fresh wave of anti-China sentiments in India .
It will also present daunting foreign policy and security challenges to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a surge of Covid-19 infections and revive an economy which looks headed for recession .

India-China clash: 20 Indian troops killed in Ladakh fighting Published 16 June 2020
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, India and China have been locked in a border dispute for decades
At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese forces in a disputed Himalayan border area, Indian officials say.
The incident follows rising tensions, and is the first deadly clash in the border area in at least 45 years.
The Indian army initially said three of its soldiers had been killed, adding that both sides suffered casualties.
But later on Tuesday, officials said a number of critically injured soldiers had died of their wounds.
India's external affairs ministry accused China of breaking an agreement struck the previous week to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley.
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says violence between two armies high up in the Himalayas is very serious, and pressure will grow on the two nuclear powers not to allow a slide into full-scale conflict.
What have both sides said about the incident?
Early on Tuesday the Indian army said three of its soldiers, including an officer, had died in a clash in Ladakh, in the disputed Kashmir region.
Later in the day, it released a statement saying the two sides had disengaged.
It added that "17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty" and died from their injuries, taking the "total that were killed in action to 20".
China did not confirm any casualties, but accused India in turn of crossing the border onto the Chinese side.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said India had crossed the border twice on Monday, "provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides", AFP news agency reported.
Both sides insist no bullet has been fired in four decades, and the Indian army said on Tuesday that "no shots were fired" in this latest skirmish.
How a clash that did not involve an exchange of fire could prove so lethal is unclear. There are reports that it was fought with rocks and clubs
Local media outlets reported that the Indian soldiers had been "beaten to death".
How tense is the area?
The LAC is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes and snowcaps means the line can shift. The soldiers either side - representing two of the world's largest armies - come face to face at many points.
But there have been tense confrontations along the border in recent weeks.
India has accused China of sending thousands of troops into Ladakh's Galwan valley and says China occupies 38,000sq km (14,700sq miles) of its territory. Several rounds of talks in the last three decades have failed to resolve the boundary disputes.
The two countries have fought only one war so far, in 1962, when India suffered a humiliating defeat.
In May, dozens of Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged physical blows on the border in the north-eastern state of Sikkim. And in 2017, the two countries clashed in the region after China tried to extend a border road through a disputed plateau.
Image source, Press Information Bureau Image caption, Tensions have risen over a road built by India in Ladakh
There are several reasons why tensions are rising now - but competing strategic goals lie at the root, and both sides blame each other.
India has built a new road in what experts say is the most remote and vulnerable area along the LAC in Ladakh. And India's decision to ramp up infrastructure seems to have infuriated Beijing.
The road could boost Delhi's capability to move men and materiel rapidly in case of a conflict.
India also disputes part of Kashmir - an ethnically diverse Himalayan region covering about 140,000sq km - with Pakistan.
The two nuclear armed neighbours have a chequered history of face-offs and overlapping territorial claims along the more than 3,440km (2,100 mile), poorly drawn Line of Actual Control separating the two sides.
Border patrols have often bumped into each other, resulting in occasional scuffles. But no bullets have been fired in four decades.
That is why Sunday's night's clash following months of roiling tension has taken many by surprise.
Whatever the result, the latest incident is likely to trigger a fresh wave of anti-China sentiments in India.


bbc--2020-06-16--How our brain is processing the pandemic

Self-isolation , job loss and fear of getting Covid-19 are just some of the factors affecting our mental health during @ @ @ @ @ how our brain is responding .

Self-isolation, job loss and fear of getting Covid-19 are just some of the factors affecting our mental health during the pandemic. This is how our brains are responding.
Video by Angélica M Casas


bbc--2020-06-16--John Bolton: Trump administration sues to block book

The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit to prevent former National Security Adviser John Bolton from publishing a new book about his time at the White House .
According to the complaint , the book contains `` classified information '' .
The move comes a day after President Donald Trump said Mr Bolton could face `` criminal problems '' over the release .
The book , entitled The Room Where It Happened , is due to be released on 23 June .
`` I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified , '' Mr Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would mean that if he wrote a book and if the book gets out , he 's broken the law and I would think he would have criminal problems . ''
However , the non-profit American Civil Liberties Union said that `` any Trump administration efforts to stop John Bolton 's book from being published are doomed to fail '' .
In January , the White House said the book contained `` top secret '' details that must be removed , although Mr Bolton rejected this .
However , claims reportedly contained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump withheld military aid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to start a corruption investigation into Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his son Hunter - formed a central part of the president 's impeachment trial earlier this year .
The president denied the reports and Mr Trump was acquitted after a two-week trial in the Republican-controlled Senate , which did not include any witnesses .
Mr Bolton joined the White House in April 2018 and left in September the following year , saying he had decided to quit as national security adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had fired Mr Bolton because he disagreed `` strongly '' with him .

"I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified," Mr Trump told reporters on Monday. "So that would mean that if he wrote a book and if the book gets out, he's broken the law and I would think he would have criminal problems."


bbc--2020-06-16--Elton John 'blown away' by Telford students' music video

A school cover of I 'm Still Standing by Elton John found its way to the singer , who sent @ @ @ @ @ say it had `` really cheered me up '' .
The video of the students @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of times on Facebook .
In the video message , Sir Elton said : @ @ @ @ @ times in a row because I could n't believe how good you sang and played @ @ @ @ @ something brilliant and made a brilliant version of I 'm Still Standing . ''
He @ @ @ @ @ Telford Priory School , in Shropshire , will be guests at a future show in @ @ @

A school cover of I'm Still Standing by Elton John found its way to the singer, who sent pupils a personal message to say it had "really cheered me up".
The video of the students' performance has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook.
In the video message, Sir Elton said: "I watched it three times in a row because I couldn't believe how good you sang and played it.
"You did something brilliant and made a brilliant version of I'm Still Standing."
He also promises the students from Telford Priory School, in Shropshire, will be guests at a future show in the UK.


bbc--2020-06-16--California utility PG&E pleads guilty to 84 wildfire deaths

A California utility has pleaded guilty to the deaths of 84 people in a wildfire , the deadliest US corporate crime ever successfully prosecuted .
Pacific Gas & Electric ( PG & E ) admitted the 2018 Camp Fire , the state 's deadliest and most destructive , was caused by its faulty equipment .
In the court hearing , a judge read the name of each victim aloud to the company chief executive .
The company will be fined millions of dollars , but no-one will go to jail .
Many of the Camp Fire 's victims were elderly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were found in burnt-out cars , killed as they attempted to flee the blaze with their family and neighbours .
• How do you fight extreme wildfires ?
Others were discovered in and around their homes , as some elderly residents decided against leaving early , not understanding the gravity of the threat .
In Butte County Superior Court on Tuesday , an image of each victim was displayed on a screen as PG & E 's chief executive Bill Johnson pleaded to every single count of involuntary manslaughter , responding 84 times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' In a highly unusual US corporate acknowledgment of criminal wrongdoing , Mr Johnson apologised to the families , saying : `` I 've heard the pain and anguish .
`` No words from me can ever reduce the magnitude of that devastation .
`` We know we can not replace all that the fire destroyed . ''
But some survivors have condemned the plea deal as a slap on the wrist for PG & E , which has been linked to several dangerous blazes since 2015 .
They accuse state officials of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of its political clout .
The largest publicly held utility in the US , it has to pay a maximum fine of $ 3.5m ( £2.7m ) and cover the $ 500,000 costs of the investigation .
PG & E also admitted one count of unlawfully starting a fire because it did not properly maintain the power line , which ignited in a forested area known for strong winds .
Eighty-five people lost their lives due to the Camp Fire , though one death was ruled a suicide .
The blaze devastated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of San Francisco , which some say will take up to a decade to fully rebuild .
Over 10,000 homes were burned down and more than 153,000 acres razed .
PG & E will be sentenced later this week .
The utility has already committed to settle claims from insurers and local government agencies for more than $ 25bn .
The agreements are expected to pave the firm 's exit from its 2019 bankruptcy filing .
In 2016 , PG & E was convicted of safety violations and obstruction of an investigation into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eight people in 2010 in a town south of San Francisco .
In 1996 , the firm had to pay one of the largest sums ever awarded in a US class action lawsuit after activist Erin Brockovich sued over the chromium poisoning of residents in Hinckley , California .
The Camp Fire began in November after a suspension hook on a nearly century-old tower broke and caused a power line to fall and release sparks on to dry grass in the Sierra foothills .
PG & E says it has since made changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including replacing old poles and clearing flammable vegetation .
But it will also continue the unpopular power cuts during dangerous weather conditions that it began last year .

In 1996, the firm had to pay one of the largest sums ever awarded in a US class action lawsuit after activist Erin Brockovich sued over the chromium poisoning of residents in Hinckley, California.


bbc--2020-06-16--DR Congo judge died by being 'stabbed in the head'

A judge who was said to have died of a heart attack while overseeing a corruption trial involving the president 's chief of staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo actually died of stab wounds to the head , the justice minister has revealed .
Celestin Tunda Ya Kasende said a murder investigation had now been launched .
In May , police said Judge Raphael Yanyi had died of a heart attack .
He had been presiding over the trial for corruption of Vital Kamerhe .
But an autopsy has since shown `` he died a violent death , due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knife-like objects , which were thrust into his head '' , Justice Minister Celestin Tunda Ya Kasende told Reuters news agency on Tuesday .
Yanyi 's body also showed signs of `` toxic substances in non-lethal doses '' , the justice ministry said .
Mr Kamerhe , once a key member of President Felix Tshisekedi 's government , is accused of embezzling more than $ 50m ( £39m ) of public funds .
He denies all accusations of wrongdoing .
His supporters believe the trial is politically motivated - aimed at stopping him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mr Kamerhe is the most high-profile politician to have faced such charges in the country .
The trial continued with a replacement judge after Yanyi 's death .

A judge who was said to have died of a heart attack while overseeing a corruption trial involving the president's chief of staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo actually died of stab wounds to the head, the justice minister has revealed.


bbc--2020-06-16--US Army offering $25,000 reward for missing soldier information

US Army investigators are offering a cash reward for information about the disappearance of a soldier from her base at Fort Hood , Texas .
Private First Class Vanessa Guillen , 20 , was last seen around noon on 22 April in a car park where she worked .
Her car and barracks keys , ID card and wallet were found in the armoury room where she had been earlier that day .
Rallies have taken place outside her base and in her native Houston , with more planned until she is found .
On Monday , the Army Criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reward to $ 25,000 ( £20,000 ) .
`` We are completely committed to finding Vanessa and aggressively going after every single piece of credible information and every lead in this investigation , '' said Army CID spokesman Chris Grey in a statement .
`` We will not stop until we find Vanessa . ''
The statement added that she was last seen wearing `` purple fitness-type pants '' and a black T-shirt , and is an `` avid runner '' .
More than 150 people have been interviewed , the statement continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FBI , have also been asked to assist in the nationwide search .
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also joining the search .
Officials say they have no information to indicate that she has been sexually assaulted , despite allegations from her family that she had been abused by someone within her unit .
The statement also dismissed claims that her disappearance is connected to the case of Private Gregory Wedel-Morales , who went missing in April 2019 while driving his car in nearby Killeen , Texas .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 3rd Cavalry Regiment , is originally from Houston , Texas - about 200 miles ( 320km ) from Fort Hood .
Her family and the League of United Latin American Citizens have held rallies to remind people that she is still missing .
Actress Salma Hayek has also used her Instagram account to highlight the case to her 15m followers .
`` Her mother , Gloria , claims that she had complained to her about a sergeant sexually harassing her , '' she wrote .
`` When her mother advised her to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had reported him and they were not believed . ''
`` Vanessa and Gloria , I believe you and I pledge to put Vanessa 's photo on my stories everyday until she is found , '' she continued .
Ms Guillen 's sister , Mayra , told NBC that she had been texting with her sister the day before her disappearance .
`` She was talking about a car she wanted for her birthday , which is in September , '' she said .
`` Everything was fine and normal .
And now @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also joining the search. Officials say they have no information to indicate that she has been sexually assaulted, despite allegations from her family that she had been abused by someone within her unit.


bbc--2020-06-17--Photo 'vital lead' in hunt for Belgium's supermarket killers

Authorities have released a new picture of a man which could be key to solving one of Belgium 's most notorious crimes .
The unidentified man is a `` vital lead '' in the investigation into the so-called Crazy Brabant Killers gang , police have said .
The group murdered 28 people , including children , during robberies and raids between 1982 and 1985 .
Police are appealing for information to identify the man , who is seen posing with a shot gun in a wooded area .
The gang was named after the province in Belgium where they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hostels and supermarkets , the BBC 's Gavin Lee reports .
The group is said to have comprised of three men who covered themselves in face paint during the raids and became known for their violent and merciless attacks , shooting dead staff , customers and children during the robberies .
Some of the victims were tortured before being killed .
The men , who were never identified , became known by nicknames as the Giant , the Killer and the Old Man .
The Belgium Federal Prosecutor 's Office started to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and officials say there have been a number of significant leads and developments since then , due to the advances in DNA identification techniques and forensic technology .
In the past two years , police have gone through thousands of documents linked to the original case , carried out more than 1,200 DNA tests , and have identified around 3,000 `` persons of interest '' that they are looking to speak to .
The unidentified man in the photograph - taken in 1982 - is said to be a `` vital lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been multiple conspiracy theories and rumours in this case over the years and police say there have been a small number of people in the past , who have come forward , falsely claiming to have been involved in the crimes .

The group is said to have been comprised of three men who covered themselves in face paint during the raids and became known for their violent and merciless attacks, shooting dead staff, customers and children during the robberies. Some of the victims were tortured before being killed.


bbc--2020-06-16--Coronavirus: Violence mars Paris protest for health workers

Nationwide demonstrations in France demanding better pay and resources for health workers have been marred by violence in the capital , Paris .
Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of masked protesters who threw stones and other projectiles and overturned a car .
Officials said 19 officers were injured and more than 30 arrests were made .
Across France , hospital staff have been demanding government action on pay , recruitment and more beds in hospitals .
President Emmanuel Macron 's government has announced bonuses for healthcare staff who have worked through the coronavirus crisis .
But unions say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the French system and want a major boost in investment .
• France lifts curbs for 'summer unlike any other' About 18,000 people attended demonstrations in Paris on Tuesday , police said .
The protest was largely peaceful throughout the day , but was later marred by the actions of a group of up to 300 people , they added .
Police said that much of the violence appeared to be carried out by the far-left anarchist group known as Black Blocs .
Video footage shared on social media showed masked and hooded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle of a cobbled avenue as others threw objects at riot police .
Earlier , large crowds gathered in parks across the country , before moving through the streets , many waving the French flag .
In France , the number of people confirmed to have died from coronavirus infection reached 29,439 on Tuesday , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
• SYMPTOMS : What are they and how to guard against them ?
• EUROPE LOCKDOWN : How is it being lifted ?
• THE R NUMBER : What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ STRESS : How to look after your mental health

The protest was largely peaceful throughout the day, but was later marred by the actions of a group of up to 300 people, they added.


bbc--2020-06-16--UK food voucher U-turn after footballer's campaign

About 1.3m children in England will be able to claim free school meal vouchers in the summer holidays , after a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford .
The Manchester United forward , 22 , welcomed the six-week voucher for eligible children , saying : `` Look at what we can do when we come together . ''
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the move was a `` welcome U-turn '' .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Mr Rashford 's `` contribution to the debate around poverty '' .
During the coronavirus lockdown the government is providing vouchers to families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it had insisted this would not continue outside of term time .
This prompted the England squad footballer to pen an open letter to MPs .
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Tuesday evening , Mr Rashford said he was `` grateful that the prime minister did change his decision '' .
• NI only part of UK not to extend free school meals The footballer said he spoke with Mr Johnson on the phone earlier and that the PM thanked him `` for using what I 've built in a positive manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that someone had an opinion and shared it with people , '' Mr Rashford added .
`` Being that voice for people who did n't really have the platform to speak out as much as they would like to . ''
At the daily coronavirus briefing in Downing Street , Mr Johnson said : `` I talked to Marcus Rashford today and congratulated him on his campaign which to be honest I only became aware of very recently , today - and I thank him for what he 's done . ''
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in term time ... but we have to understand the pressure that families are under right now , '' he said .
`` It will help the kids from the families that really need it . ''
All children eligible for free school meals in term time in England will benefit from the `` Covid summer food fund '' , Downing Street said .
Scotland and Wales will also continue with the voucher programme , while Northern Ireland 's First Minister Arlene Foster has said she will be proposing that the scheme be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary finances can be secured '' .
The support in England works out at about £15 a week per recipient , and will cost around £120m .
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said he was told this was `` additional funding agreed by the Treasury '' .
In a statement `` to all MPs '' posted on Twitter , Mr Rashford said he was `` thankful '' that they had given families `` one less thing to worry about '' .
For weeks , campaigners have been calling for free school meals to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'We go hungry so we can feed our children' Many families whose children qualify for free meals have since the lockdown began been issued with either an electronic voucher or gift card worth £15 each week per pupil , to spend at supermarkets including Sainsbury 's , Asda , Tesco , Morrisons , Waitrose and M & S .
Almost 1.3 million school children in England - accounting for 15.4 % of state-educated pupils - were eligible for and claiming free school meals in January 2019 , according to the latest available data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need was greatest in parts of London , the north and Midlands where between a quarter and a third of all pupils were getting the free meals .
The prime minister 's official spokesman said the food vouchers to cover the six-week holiday period were a response to the `` unique circumstances of the pandemic '' and would not continue beyond the summer .
Referring to Mr Rashford , he added : `` The PM welcomes his contribution to the debate around poverty and respects the fact that he has been using his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important issues . ''
As a striker with a killer instinct in front of goal , Marcus Rashford is used to beating defences .
And he 's cut straight through a nervous defensive wall of Conservative ministers - leaving them wrong-footed and facing an embarrassing own goal .
A number of Tory MPs had already voiced their disquiet - and how many of them really wanted to find themselves up against an England football hero , and the risk of children going hungry ?
The U-turn means the government will pay the extra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the six weeks of the holidays , available to 1.3 million children .
It 's a one-off deal for the unprecedented pressure caused by the coronavirus - with food banks warning of growing demands .
But Mr Rashford , and his 2.7 million Twitter followers , proved a tough target for the government - and he 's beaten them with a fast-footed appeal directly to public opinion .
Earlier , Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey was widely criticised for a comment she made in response to Mr Rashford 's campaign .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ about struggling parents who have had their `` water turned off '' , and whose children have gone hungry .
Ms Coffey replied to his Twitter thread on free school meals , saying `` water can not be disconnected '' - prompting the footballer to say he was `` concerned '' she had only acknowledged part of his message .
Among Tory MPs praising the U-turn was Tim Loughton , who said he was `` delighted '' the government had `` listened to Conservative backbenchers '' .
Opposition parties also welcomed the move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a `` hero '' .
The children 's commissioner for England , Anne Longfield , who wrote to the chancellor about the issue last week , said she was pleased ministers had `` seen sense and changed their minds '' .
'So much less stressful' Sonja from near Basingstoke , who has three teenage children , said the government 's change of heart was `` wonderful '' .
She told BBC Radio 5 Live Drive she found herself out of work and relying on benefits because of the pandemic .
The free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far , Sonja says , adding that she was grateful to Mr Rashford for his campaign .
`` [ The U-turn ] takes away that worry of the six-week summer holiday and makes it so much less stressful . ''
she said .
But she added : `` I feel sad that it had to be a campaign .
They have been throwing money to keep everyone afloat but left behind people on universal credit and free school meals . ''
Dev Sharma , Youth MP for Leicestershire , said the vouchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family and expressed his delight the government has decided to fund them over the summer after all .
The 15-year-old said the move `` means the world '' to him and his brother `` to know that my mum and dad have now sufficient funds to feed [ us ] over six weeks '' .
`` I can now have access to a decent meal and be on the same level as my peers from more affluent backgrounds , '' he said .
• DIET AND IMMUNITY : How important is diet for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praised Mr Rashford 's campaign .
Andrew Forsey , chief executive of Feeding Britain , said the footballer has `` done incredibly well for himself , but has n't forgotten his roots '' .
But Helen Barnard , acting director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation , said the government 's scheme `` only covers a minority of children in poverty and the pressures are much wider than just school meals '' .
She said `` soaring numbers of families '' were having to rely on foodbanks to get through the pandemic , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Does you child qualify for free school meals ?
Will the vouchers help your family ?
Email haveyoursay @ bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist .
You can also contact us in the following ways : • Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

"He was just grateful that someone had an opinion and shared it with people," Mr Rashford added. "Being that voice for people who didn't really have the platform to speak out as much as they would like to."


bbc--2020-06-16--Prince Charles's sense of smell not back after virus

Prince Charles has still not fully regained his sense of smell and taste after having coronavirus in March , he revealed on a visit to NHS staff .
The prince discussed his personal experience with the virus as he met workers at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital - at a 2m distance .
He was accompanied by his wife , the Duchess of Cornwall , who said the staff had showed `` Britain at its best '' .
It was the couple 's first face-to-face public engagement since lockdown began .
They met frontline staff and key workers from several NHS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleaners , at the hospital near Prince Charles 's Highgrove estate .
Social distancing rules were observed , with those waiting to meet them standing on yellow dots to ensure they were 2m apart .
• Job cuts warning as 600,000 roles go in lockdown • Is it safe to relax the 2m rule ?
Prince Charles greeted some of those he met with a `` namaste '' - clasping his hands together - instead of a handshake .
Jeff Mills , 47 , a healthcare assistant from Cheltenham General Hospital , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal experience , so first-hand experience for him .
`` He also spoke about his loss of smell and taste and , sort of , still felt he 's still got it now . ''
They 're never the most natural of meetings .
Even at the best of times , royal visits can be a touch artificial .
It 's all that protocol : what do you call them ; must one bow/curtsey ; what does one talk about ?
And now it 's become ever so slightly more complicated thanks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Charles and Camilla turned up at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital they were greeted by staff who looked as though they were taking part in a military parade… they were formed up in impeccably well-presented ranks , each person 2m from each other .
Everyone understood and the royal guests joked about taking a salute or telling everyone to `` fall out '' .
But the important thing was that it did n't interfere with the essential message of the occasion .
Prince William too had resumed face to face royal visits , meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Norfolk .
Conversations may not be at their most relaxed when the speakers are standing apart but no amount of protocol or `` distancing '' can dilute the underlying message of gratitude to all those who 've been in the coronavirus front line .
The 71-year-old prince was diagnosed with Covid-19 near the start of the outbreak , after suffering mild symptoms .
A loss of smell is thought to be one of the key symptoms .
He later said he had `` got away with it quite lightly '' .
Asked if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had changed for good , the duchess said : `` I think it has , you can tell by all the people coming out every week to clap - they 've done the most remarkable things .
`` The way they 've looked after people , the way they 've sort of kept control of the whole thing ... it 's a question of not panicking and getting on with it and I think they are Britain at its best . ''
She also revealed the couple had their first socially-distanced reunion with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been a `` great treat '' , even though they were not able to hug them .
• SYMPTOMS : What are they and how to guard against them ?
• EUROPE LOCKDOWN : How is it being lifted ?
• THE R NUMBER : What it means and why it matters • STRESS : How to look after your mental health With lockdown restrictions being eased , the Royal Family have chosen to take a step towards a return to normality - with a series of face-to-face public engagements .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Station in Norfolk - the first time he had met members of the public in person since coronavirus restrictions were imposed .
Prince William joked about how he was looking forward to having a pint in the pub , as he praised staff for `` all your hard work '' .
He said : `` Everyone appreciates the NHS , we have an amazing system , it 's a great health service and many countries around the world envy what we have .
`` It 's not until you have a big crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have to really make sure we value and we show our appreciation . ''
He also joked : `` I 'm worried about the waistline of the nation as well , with all the chocolate and cakes .
I 've done a lot of baking at home . ''
The prince recently revealed he had been volunteering for crisis helpline Shout 85258 during the lockdown .
• DIET AND IMMUNITY : How important is diet for the immune system ?

"The way they've looked after people, the way they've sort of kept control of the whole thing... it's a question of not panicking and getting on with it and I think they are Britain at its best."


bbc--2020-06-16--Australia police investigate video of officers arresting Aboriginal man

Police in South Australia have launched an investigation after an officer was filmed appearing to strike an Aboriginal man during an arrest .
The 28-year-old man was arrested by police in Kilburn , a suburb of Adelaide , on Monday night .
Footage of the arrest shows three officers attempting to hold down and handcuff the man on the ground .
In a video posted to social media , one officer appears to hit the man several times as two others restrain him .
In another video , an officer appears to pin the man against a concrete ledge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let his head up '' and `` get off his head '' .
Grant Stevens , commissioner for South Australia Police , said two of the officers involved in the arrest had been put on administrative leave while an investigation takes place .
The video had `` caused concerns '' and would be `` thoroughly scrutinised '' , he said .
Aboriginal rights groups have accused the police officers involved of using excessive force .
South Australia 's Premier Steven Marshall said he was `` concerned '' by what he saw in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this footage distressing Recent protests stemming from the Black Lives Matter movement have highlighted the treatment of indigenous people by police in Australia .
Some recent Aboriginal deaths in custody have provoked protests , including that of David Dungay , who was fatally pinned down by five police officers in Sydney in 2015 .
• Why Australians are seizing on US protests No police officer has ever been held criminally responsible for an Aboriginal death in custody in the country .
Why was the man arrested ?
South Australia Police said officers were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` an alleged high-risk domestic violence matter '' on Monday night .
`` As police approached the address they saw a man leaving the area of the house on a bicycle , '' the force said in a statement .
The officers searched the man , suspecting he was in possession of illicit drugs .
`` The man originally was compliant and after a short time he began to refuse , '' the statement added .
`` Police attempted to arrest the man who resisted and a struggle ensued .
Police and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempted to restrain and handcuff him . ''
No drugs were found on the man .
He was initially charged with hindering police , resisting arrest and property damage , but released pending further investigation .
What response has there been ?
At a news conference on Tuesday , Premier Marshall said he was `` concerned with the vision that I saw from an incident overnight in Kilburn '' .
`` Authorities are conducting a thorough investigation , I 'll wait to hear what comes of that , '' he said .
Aboriginal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ABC News she was sent the video by a witness to the incident .
She described the police 's behaviour as `` aggressive '' and `` unnecessary '' , saying it risked worsening the already poor relationship Aboriginal people had with police .
More on the treatment of Aboriginal people in Australia :

Allow Facebook content?
This article contains content provided by Facebook. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Facebook cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.


bbc--2020-06-16--Vienna police fine man €500 for 'massive intestinal wind'

Breaking wind in public may be a social taboo , but it 's not often that people face financial consequences for it .
But that was the case for one man in Austria , who was fined €500 ( £448 , $ 564 ) after doing so at police in Vienna earlier this month .
The city 's police have defended the fine , saying it was for more than that .
`` Of course no-one will be reported for accidentally 'letting one go ' once , '' Vienna 's police department said on Twitter .
Responding after a photo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` violating public decency '' - was shared on social media , the police department said the suspect `` had already behaved in a provocative and unco-operative manner '' when he was approached by police in the early hours of 5 June .
He then rose from a park bench , `` looked at the officers and apparently intentionally released a massive intestinal wind in the immediate vicinity of the officers '' .
And , as the suspect found to his own cost , members of the city 's police force `` prefer @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Responding after a photo of the charge sheet - issued for "violating public decency" - was shared on social media, the police department said the suspect "had already behaved in a provocative and unco-operative manner" when he was approached by police in the early hours of 5 June.


bbc--2020-06-16--Coronavirus lockdown: 'We all have to do our part in changing things'

Coronavirus lockdown has given one young man plenty of time to think about how he wants to change the world .
My name is Miguel Carrion , I am 21 years old , I am living with my parents in the San Francisco Bay area .
26 March : I have n't been getting much sleep lately , been sleeping really late .
I 've just been tired but I 'm still grateful that I have my health and that you know I have a shelter , food and access to stuff that can distract me while everything is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stuff I can do , and I 'm grateful for that .
27 March : Before coronavirus , we would go to church once a week on Sundays and my mom would try to go every morning .
But now with the coronavirus , we just stream church everyday .
My parents woke me up to watch the Pope deliver his Urbi et Orbi message which is a plenary indulgence for the pandemic , those affected by Covid-19 , and everyone else .
An event that would normally draw hundreds of people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three young Americans to chronicle their very different experiences of the pandemic .
Read about Maddie below , a 22-year-old student living in Ohio , and Ana who 's just graduated high school in New York City .
• Maddie 's story : The new house rules of my life under lockdown 30 March : Not even a 15 hour time difference , shelter-in-place order , and community lockdown can hold back a family function .
My relatives in the Philippines usually have regular get-togethers just to update each other and talk about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , but due to the Covid-19 outbreak , we have all resorted to using Zoom in order to communicate with each other .
Though it was past midnight for my parents and I , the fun and laughter did n't stop for hours .
29 March : My family 's lived in this apartment for almost 10 years .
My mom came to America first from the Philippines in 2004 , then my dad and I followed her in 2010 .
Ever since then I 've been sleeping on the couch - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it 's not too bad .
6 April : Here is my mom , retrieving last week 's mail .
What was once a daily occurrence has become something only to be done once a week .
My parents decided that it was best to only grab the mail once a week to reduce having to touch something that other people may have come into contact with .
9 April : San Francisco in the time of Covid-19 .
What was once a bustling city full of tourists and locals is now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , shops of all kinds are boarded up with sheets of plywood , the usual city traffic has halted , and sidewalks are no longer crowded .
Though closed , most of these high-end designer stores will be able to financially recover .
But I worry about the fate of hole-in-the wall and mom-and-pop shops .
Driving through , I 've seen a lot of tents lining the sidewalks .
Despite the rich residents and lavish tech companies that inhabit the city , it seems that the most vulnerable citizens are left out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people were saying , instead of forcing the people experiencing homelessness to stay in the streets , why does n't the city put them up in the hotel rooms since they 're empty anyway ?
The suggestion went all the way to the mayor .
I think it 's a good idea .
15 April : Self portrait in a newly organised bathroom .
Since the beginning of the shelter-in-place order , my mom had put up two signs ordering all of us to only use our own towels when drying our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand towel .
My mom also took the liberty of giving each of us our own tubes of toothpaste and bottles of mouthwash while labelling each item .
16 April : It 's been more than a month since this project started , and I wish I could say that things are going back to normal , but obviously that 's not what 's happening .
The only thing we can do is do our part and try to flatten the curve .
It 's frustrating that a lot of people do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 're going out there and protesting in huge groups of people in public and trying to end the quarantine when obviously that 's not going to work .
It 's frustrating to see because it will probably just make everything last longer .
It 's also incredibly selfish .
10 May : On Mother 's Day , my parents and I dropped off trays of chicken adobo and rice in Daly City .
The donation was for a free community feed hosted and organised by Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center and the Filipino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Volunteers cooked and dropped off trays upon trays of the adobo and rice .
Families and individuals were invited to drive up to the curb and receive pre-packaged plates of the classic Filipino dish to feed themselves and their families .
3 June : My family 's been in quarantine for three months now .
So I attended a protest in San Mateo county .
It was a protest in solidarity with the other Black Lives Matter protests that are going on around the country and around the world .
I 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ size , and it was just amazing to see all these people coming together for a common cause , fighting for what 's right .
Not everyone can go out all the time and always be out protesting , which is understandable because there 's still coronavirus happening .
And there are some people who are older , or some people who are probably immuno-compromised , or maybe it 's just harder for them to self-isolate after going to a protest .
But even now , a lot of people are still showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's incredibly important for us to all keep doing that .
I hope that with everything that comes out of this , other than that people come out healthy and safe and okay , is that we just see that the system we live in does n't work .
The country we live in is not really as great as some people might think it is , if it was ever great , and that everything needs to change .
And we all have to do our part in changing things .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all in it together .

15 April: Self portrait in a newly organised bathroom. Since the beginning of the shelter-in-place order, my mom had put up two signs ordering all of us to only use our own towels when drying our hands and took away the old communal hand towel. My mom also took the liberty of giving each of us our own tubes of toothpaste and bottles of mouthwash while labelling each item.


bbc--2020-06-16--Australian architecture: Two Brisbane skyscrapers repurposed into one

In what is believed to be an Australian architectural first , two 1970 ’ s office towers in Brisbane ’ @ @ @ @ @ a new lease of life .
In an environmentally driven project , the buildings are @ @ @ @ @ demolished , using innovative techniques , to create a singular modern address .

In what is believed to be an Australian architectural first, two 1970’s office towers in Brisbane’s city centre are getting a new lease of life.
In an environmentally driven project, the buildings are being stitched together instead of demolished, using innovative techniques, to create a singular modern address.
Video by Isabelle Rodd


bbc--2020-06-16--Coronavirus: Blackpool Pleasure Beach prepares to reopen

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is preparing to reopen after being closed during lockdown , but how can visitors stay safe ?
@ @ @ @ @ 's Media and Arts Correspondent , visited the park and experienced a socially-distanced ride on @ @ @ @ @

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is preparing to reopen after being closed during lockdown, but how can visitors stay safe?
David Sillito, the BBC's Media and Arts Correspondent, visited the park and experienced a socially-distanced ride on one of its rollercoasters.


bbc--2020-06-16--George Floyd: Eyewitnesses recount harrowing death

The killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis has sparked the biggest protest about racism in @ @ @ @ @ .
With the help of people in the neighbourhood , Panorama has pieced together the @ @ @ @ @ Floyd 's death .
You can watch B Panorama - George Floyd- A Killing That @ @ @ @ @ on BBC iplayer in the UK .

The killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis has sparked the biggest protest about racism in the US for a generation.
With the help of people in the neighbourhood, Panorama has pieced together the moments leading up to George Floyd's death.
Video journalist: Yasmine Djadoudi
You can watch B Panorama - George Floyd- A Killing That Shook the World in full on BBC iplayer in the UK.


bbc--2020-06-15--Coronavirus: Twelve weeks on I can't kick Covid exhaustion

Twelve weeks after his first Covid-19 symptoms , 28-year-old Callum O'Dwyer is still not better .
A fit and healthy young man , he had no underlying health conditions before he caught the virus .
But after five weeks fighting off the main symptoms , he could no longer look after himself and had to move in with his parents .
Recovery has taken much longer than he imagined and his ongoing symptoms mean he still ca n't live on his own or work .
Doctors have told Callum he has post-viral fatigue , a hangover from coronavirus which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just hours away from announcing lockdown in Scotland on 23 March when Callum first felt ill .
He told BBC Scotland 's Drivetime with Fiona Stalker : `` I had actually just picked up stuff for my home office to start working from home .
`` I felt really fatigued and then nausea and then hour-by-hour it was like an advent calendar of new symptoms - a fever started to develop and then more things kicked off . ''
He added : `` For 10 days I was off my feet with what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I had never been as sick as that and it was very full-on .
Early on , I suspected it was likely to be Covid . ''
Another thing Callum developed was a persistent shortness of breath and on two occasions he had to call 111 because he was struggling to breathe .
After two weeks most of his symptoms went away and he was left with shortness of breath , fatigue and muscle weakness .
They were severe and his doctor said he had hit a post-viral phase in his recovery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resting in my bed for six to eight hours a day and I was struggling to pick things up .
I am a 28-year-old guy and not long ago I was running races .
`` I had a one litre water bottle and I was struggling to pick that up at arms ' length , I was that weak . ''
He was rationing his energy to do the things he had to - washing dishes , washing clothes .
He was struggling to have phone conversations without feeling pain in his abdomen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to speak to anyone left him in `` a bad place '' .
He said : `` I was unwell in my flat by myself .
It constantly felt like I was seeing false summits , thinking I was getting better , I could get over this , but then it got worse again , then it got better and then worse again .
`` I made a decision after five weeks that I physically could n't look after myself anymore . ''
Free from the virus , he moved into his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He said : `` I was deeply depressed .
I moved back into my parents ' to effectively get care .
`` The first day I got here I was struggling and in pain to get up the stairs . ''
Callum has improved but now , 12 weeks later he still feels shortness of breath , triggered by any exertion .
He said : `` It 's so frustrating .
I am at 12 weeks and there has been so much false hope .
I currently ca n't live independently and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very difficult circumstance .
`` When we talk about Covid we talk about life and death and there is no conversation about people being affected months later .
I think we should put support measures in place for people . ''
Scottish surgeon Geraldine McGroarty has had a similar experience .
She caught Covid-19 at the same time as Boris Johnson at the end of March .
She too was looked after in intensive care in London .
But like Callum O'Dwyer , she is still struggling daily .
She said : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was hit quite badly with post-viral symptoms which was surprising considering how well I felt when I came out of hospital .
`` The last couple of weeks have been a real struggle .
Particularly with fatigue .
Having very low energy and difficulty forming thoughts and having conversations .
It has been very unexpected . ''
The newness of the Covid-19 virus means that no one has yet been able to study how long it might take to recover from it , and what the long-term implications could be .
Dr McGroarty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who have had a more severe Covid , especially those who have been hospitalised in critical care , tend to be more susceptible to having the post-viral condition , the most common symptom being fatigue .
`` And looking at the studies in countries affected before ours , we can expect it to last up to about six months in some cases with a very slow recovery . ''
• YOUR QUESTIONS : Our experts have answers • LOOK-UP TOOL : How many cases in your area ?
• EUROPE LOCKDOWN : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ THE R NUMBER : What it means and why it matters

He said: "I was unwell in my flat by myself. It constantly felt like I was seeing false summits, thinking I was getting better, I could get over this, but then it got worse again, then it got better and then worse again.


bbc--2020-06-16--Portugal finally recognises consul who saved thousands from Holocaust

Eighty years ago , a middle-aged , mid-ranking diplomat sank into deep depression and watched his hair turn grey in days , as he saw the streets of Bordeaux filling with Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis .
As Portugal 's consul in Bordeaux , Aristides de Sousa Mendes faced a moral dilemma .
Should he obey government orders or listen to his own conscience and supply Jews with the visas that would allow them to escape from advancing German forces ?
Sousa Mendes ' remarkable response means he is remembered as a hero by survivors and descendants of the thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initiative also spelt the end of a diplomatic career under Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar , and the rest of his life was spent in penury .
Portugal finally granted official recognition to its disobedient diplomat on 9 June , and parliament decided a monument in the National Pantheon should bear his name .
It was mid-June 1940 and Hitler 's forces were days from completing victory over France .
Paris fell on 14 June and an armistice was signed just over a week later .
Portugal 's diplomatic corps was under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that visas should be issued to refugee Jews and stateless people only with express permission from Lisbon .
For those thronging Bordeaux 's streets hoping to cross into Spain and escape Nazi persecution there was no time to wait .
`` We heard the French had surrendered and the Germans were on the move , '' says Henri Dyner .
He was three , but retains vivid memories of his Jewish family 's flight from their home in Antwerp , as Nazi Germany attacked Belgium and invaded France and the Netherlands .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bombing , which must have woken me , and my mother telling me it was thunder .
`` My parents turned on the radio and heard King Leopold telling Belgians we had been betrayed and attacked by the Germans .
My father had been suspecting there could be a war since 1938 .
He had a plan , and a car , '' Mr Dyner , now a retired engineer living in New York , told the BBC .
Eliezar Dyner , his wife Sprince and five other relatives , including a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bombing and into France .
`` My father avoided big roads , gave Paris a wide berth and stuck to the coast .
He wanted to be only 10 miles ahead of the front all the time , because he thought it could be a quick war and why go too far when you might have to go back ? ''
After seeing German warplanes strafing French trenches and hearing the news of successive German victories , Henri 's father realised by the time they reached Bordeaux there would be no return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the consul had struck up a friendship with a rabbi .
Chaim Kruger had also fled the Nazi advance from his home in Belgium .
Consul Sousa Mendes offered the rabbi and his immediate family safe passage across the Spanish border , but then suffered a `` moral crisis '' , according to historian Mordecai Paldiel .
Kruger refused the offer , as he could not abandon the thousands of other Jewish refugees in Bordeaux .
In a letter dated 13 June 1940 Sousa Mendes wrote : `` Here the situation is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of a strong nervous breakdown . ''
`` No-one really knows what went through his mind in those two or three days , '' says Dr Paldiel , who ran the Righteous Among the Nations department at Israel 's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre for 25 years .
`` Some say the duty of a diplomat is to obey orders from above , even if those instructions are not moral .
`` Later on , in Lisbon , Sousa Mendes told a rabbi this : 'If so many Jews can suffer because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right for one Catholic to suffer for many Jews . '
He was talking about Hitler , of course . ''
Whatever did go through the diplomat 's mind , Sousa Mendes emerged on Monday 17 June with a new determination .
According to his son , Pedro Nuno de Sousa Mendes , `` he strode out of his bedroom , flung open the door to the chancellery , and announced in a loud voice : 'From now on I 'm giving everyone visas .
There will be no more nationalities , races @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dyner and his family , this was a lifesaver .
By chance Henri 's mother knew the consul from his time in Antwerp , where she was a secretary at the British consulate .
The Dyner family had already tried and failed to obtain visas from US , British and Canadian authorities to leave France .
Before his breakdown , Sousa Mendes had put them on a list in a request sent to the Salazar government .
`` My mother recalls that he disappeared for a couple of days , and when he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grey , '' says Henri Dyner , who remembers queues of refugees outside the consulate in Bordeaux and camping in squares .
`` My mother actually began to work for Sousa Mendes those days , helping with this kind of production line of visas all down a long table .
Sousa Mendes saved our lives . ''
• Last witness to France 's cheerleaders for the Nazis • France 's last Resistance hero from World War Two No-one knows for sure how many transit visas were issued , allowing refugees to pass from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Portugal .
But estimates range between 10,000 and 30,000 , and most sought to cross the Atlantic to a variety of American destinations .
The US-based Sousa Mendes Foundation has identified some 3,800 recipients of these visas .
As if possessed with a sense of mission , the consul even signed visas on the road as crowds in Bordeaux began to form a human column southward towards the border town of Hendaye .
He stopped at the consulate in Bayonne to issue more papers .
The foreign ministry in Lisbon began sending cablegrams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , amid reports from colleagues that he had `` lost his senses '' .
Spanish authorities declared his visas invalid , but thousands had already made it across the Bidasoa river into Spain 's Basque region .
Who got out ?
Eventually , Sousa Mendes reported to his bosses in Lisbon on 8 July .
Among those who escaped occupied France thanks to his visas were surrealist artist Salvador Dalí , filmmaker King Vidor , members of the Rothschild banking family and the majority of Belgium 's future government-in-exile .
Salazar 's Portugal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in allowing refugees to escape from Nazi occupation and repression , but Sousa Mendes was expelled from the diplomatic corps and left without a pension .
You may also be interested in : • How a Jewish girl hid from the Nazis in an Alpine ski resort • The tip-off from a Nazi that saved my grandparents His family home in Cabanas de Viriato fell into ruin , and remains so today .
`` Sousa Mendes was mistreated by Salazar .
He died in misery as a pauper , and his children emigrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else , '' says Henri Dyner .
Henri 's family ended up in Brazil , before he moved to the US for professional reasons .
But he remembers a man who had courage in his convictions .
`` The way things are in the world today , we need more people prepared to stand up for what is right and take a stand . ''
• 1885 : Born into a well-to-do Portuguese family .
He was an `` outgoing bon vivant '' and had 15 children , says grandson Gerald Mendes • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his job and pension `` condemned ( him ) to live the rest of his life in the most absolute misery '' , he says • Sousa Mendes survives thanks to a soup kitchen run by Lisbon 's Jewish community • 1954 : He dies in obscurity , still disgraced in the eyes of Portugal 's government • 1966 : Yad Vashem recognises him as Righteous Among Nations

"My father avoided big roads, gave Paris a wide berth and stuck to the coast. He wanted to be only 10 miles ahead of the front all the time, because he thought it could be a quick war and why go too far when you might have to go back?"


bbc--2020-06-16--Coronavirus: 'India's healthcare system failed my family'

India is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 infections which has brought its health system to the brink of collapse .
BBC Gujarati 's Roxy Gadgekar describes how his own family was devastated by coronavirus .
When my sister Shefali called me on 11 May and told me her husband Umesh had been rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties , it was a shock .
My first thought - as unreal as it seemed - was coronavirus .
His death , five days later , showed us just how much India 's healthcare system is being ravaged by the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was embarrassed I had to use my professional contacts - built up over 20 years as a journalist in this city - so many times to ask for simple things that should have been routine .
And despite our repeatedly asking , the hospital where his life ended has still not explained exactly how he died or responded to the BBC 's questions about why the family was not told .
'Doctors said Umesh needed to be admitted' Anand Surgical hospital , where Shefali had taken Umesh when he fell ill , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the capital of the western state of Gujarat .
It had been designated a specialised Covid hospital by the municipal corporation just a few days earlier .
However , when I called them , they told me that they did not have an isolation room as yet .
There were also no ventilators or even doctors who could treat suspected Covid patients .
I told my sister to try taking him to a different hospital .
But several private hospitals turned them away , saying they had no room .
Shefali finally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Umesh at a nearby private hospital .
The radiologist told the couple that he suspected Covid .
Umesh Tamaichi was 44 and a senior lawyer who practised at the Ahmedabad Metro court .
My sister is the general manager of a reputed IT company .
The couple lived in Chharanagar - a slum-like area of the city filled with small lanes , no civic facilities and haphazard construction .
Umesh and Shefali had dreams and worked hard to achieve them .
They saved enough money to build their own house and send their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rarity in a locality where spending money to educate girls is not the norm .
One of them is about to sit pre-medical exams , while the other wants to be a lawyer like her father .
A few days before Umesh started exhibiting symptoms , I had written a story on whether Gujarat was prepared for Covid-19 .
Several officials , including the state health commissioner , had talked about the state-run Ahmedabad Civil Hospital .
They said it had several high quality ventilators , as well as trained staff .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking Umesh there .
I also called ahead to make sure they would see him .
Doctors there looked at the x-ray and said Umesh needed to be admitted .
• The 36-day fight to get one man to breathe State-run hospitals have a terrible reputation in India for being overcrowded and understaffed .
Many who use them complain of having to wait hours for treatment , as well as of a lack of space and basic hygiene , among other issues .
'Not a single bed in the city' Afraid that Umesh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approached the state health minister Nitinbhai Patel , who told doctors to ensure he got the best care .
The next afternoon , though , Umesh 's condition deteriorated and he was shifted to critical care .
I decided to try and move him to a private hospital .
But as I called hospital after hospital , I was told there was no room .
Not a single bed in the entire city .
I tried everything .
I called other journalists and even approached the mayor .
But there was nothing anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his treatment at the civil hospital - but his condition kept worsening .
Then I received a call from his doctor who said Umesh would have to be moved to a ventilator .
During a video call , I was able to see him struggling for oxygen .
He was unable to speak .
All he could try to convey with his hands was that he was unable to breath .
A strong man , who exercised daily and had no health issues , Umesh could never have thought that a virus would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of struggling to earn a bright future for his children , he would be struggling for a bit of air .
He looked fragile and weak .
Meanwhile , Shefali , usually so strong , was breaking apart .
With no-one able to visit , she was all alone with her two daughters , trying to comprehend the reality of what was happening to them .
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : How do I protect myself ?
• IMPACT : What the virus does to the body • RECOVERY : How long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How can we lift restrictions ?
• ENDGAME : How do we get out of this mess ?
She also knew she needed to be tested .
She had both diabetes and high blood pressure - both dangerous co-morbidities for the virus .
But this proved to be as difficult as getting a hospital bed for Umesh .
Repeatedly calling a government helpline got nowhere and while I also tried calling many officials , nothing worked .
We even tried going to a private lab , but they wanted a doctor 's prescription @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When we finally managed to get one , the lab technician said that the government had ordered them to stop testing samples .
Eventually , with the help of a colleague , we managed to get Shefali tested on 15 May .
The results , which came the next day , showed both Shefali and her younger daughter were positive .
We decided to send her to a private hospital for treatment - again managed through a colleague .
The next evening , I put her into an ambulance and followed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a relative called me and asked if I could check on Umesh 's condition .
I told him I had been trying to get information since morning , but no-one in the hospital had responded .
He said he had received information that Umesh had died .
I was in shock - I did not know what to do .
Given that I was following the ambulance , I could n't even stop my car .
I gathered up strength and called his doctor , who to my shock said he had no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I made a few other calls until one doctor finally confirmed that Umesh had indeed died - many hours earlier .
But no-one had bothered to inform us .
The hospital did not respond to the BBC 's questions about why the family was not informed .
Meanwhile , Shefali 's ambulance reached the private hospital she was to be cared at , but I could not admit her as I knew she might want to go back and see her husband one last time - even if from a distance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ admission process and managed to get her back home .
Then came the most difficult task - breaking the news .
Telling her the man who had loved her throughout his life , had breathed his last alone in a critical care unit while his body was left unattended for hours .
`` You promised me Umesh would return home .
Where is my Umesh now ? ''
She had trusted me to bring her husband back to her .
I had failed .
The entire experience was eye-opening and humiliating .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his death - what happened , did they try to save him at the end ?
How did his mobile phone , SIM card and watch disappear after his death ?
The hospital has not responded to these questions , when asked again by the BBC .
Ahmedabad is one of India 's worst affected cities and as the cases surge , the number of hospital beds are decreasing .
And as the epidemic rages on , more people will find themselves stranded - denied access to basic healthcare .
So many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from every hospital .
This might soon be the norm across the state .
If this was my experience , what is happening to the millions of others who do not have the levels of access I did ?

Umesh and Shefali had dreams and worked hard to achieve them. They saved enough money to build their own house and send their two daughters to a good school - a rarity in a locality where spending money to educate girls is not the norm. One of them is about to sit pre-medical exams, while the other wants to be a lawyer like her father.


bbc--2020-06-16--The blogger who hit back against a hammer-wielding Russian ‘assassin’

Sergei Skripal was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok , Alexander Litvinenko was killed with radioactive polonium… by contrast the man who attacked Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov was armed with nothing more than a hammer .
But he is still convinced that Russian security services were involved , reports Nick Sturdee .
It 's 26 February 2020 .
A half-naked man is catching his breath , filming himself in the half light .
He 's just grabbed the phone and is streaming live on Instagram .
He switches from selfie mode and we see a second man , fully dressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bed .
From his head , a half-metre trail of thick blood , pasted along a linoleum floor across which he has apparently been dragged .
`` Who sent you ? ''
demands the man who is filming .
`` Who sent you ?
! ''
he repeats , raising his voice .
His name is Tumso Abdurakhmanov , and he 's a Chechen blogger living in hiding in the town of Gavle , in eastern Sweden .
He 's holding a hammer , and anxiously looks over his shoulder - clearly concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flat .
`` Who sent you , I asked ! ''
The man groans .
He says weakly that he was sent by a man from Grozny - the Chechen capital .
And that he 's from Moscow .
`` How did you get my address ? ''
asks Tumso .
`` And what 's your name ? ''
Tumso Abdurakhmanov is an asylum seeker , and he has just managed to beat off a man who assaulted him with a hammer as he slept .
He has been expecting something like this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months two other Chechen asylum seekers have been attacked - one gunned down in a Berlin park , the other stabbed to death in a hotel in northern France .
He 's been tipped off there 's money on his head too .
Three months later , speaking to the BBC from a new , secret location in Sweden , 34-year-old Tumso describes being woken by a series of blows to the head , the struggle to get out from under his duvet , and an exhausting wrestling match that ensued , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't a big man , but at a certain point he succeeded , stunned , in getting on top of his assailant , to see his own blood drip on to the other man 's face and into his mouth .
The bigger man then overpowered him , but eventually , as they struggled , the hammer fell from his slippery woollen gloves .
Tumso then seized it and dealt a series of blows to his attacker 's head .
`` To start with he fought back fiercely , he tried to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the hammer he started to talk to me .
Up till then we had n't spoken at all .
I did n't know if he spoke Russian , or who he was .
He gave his name .
He said , 'Please do n't hit me .
I 'll tell you everything . '
'' Police arrived to find the gruesome spectacle of two Russian citizens , their heads bloodied from a vicious fight with a hammer .
The larger , fully dressed man had already slipped into unconsciousness .
The less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was arrested .
But after three days of police questioning he was reclassified as a crime victim , and the second man , 29-year-old Ruslan Mamaev , was detained on suspicion of attempted murder , which he denies .
In an extremely rare development , the investigation was handed to the country 's Security Services .
For Tumso 's lawyer , Jens Sjolund , the reason is clear - suspicions that another nation state is behind the attack .
Russia .
Tumso Abdurakhmanov is one of up to 130,000 Chechen refugees in European @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the violent and tyrannical rule of the semi-autonomous republic 's Kremlin-backed leader , Ramzan Kadyrov .
He left three years ago after a run-in with the then mayor of Grozny , Kadyrov 's cousin , led to threats that he would be disappeared - abducted , tortured and possibly killed - like so many other critics of the regime .
Since then he has become the single most influential and prominent opponent of Kadyrov in a busy émigré blogosphere .
With more than 350,000 subscribers to his YouTube channels - despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only 1.2 million - he relentlessly hits out at Ramzan Kadyrov 's apparently limitless power in Chechnya , the regime 's human rights abuses and its corruption .
New clouds began to gather for the blogger following a long phone conversation with Ramzan Kadyrov 's right-hand man , the chair of the Chechen parliament , Magomed Daudov .
In Chechnya this universally feared man , believed to be personally responsible for the well-documented campaign of persecution of the republic 's gay community , is known simply by his nickname `` Lord '' .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ found himself lambasted by the blogger , who then posted the whole thing on YouTube , in a series of posts lasting more than two hours .
Later , when Tumso publicly called Kadyrov 's father Akhmat a traitor for siding with the Russians in their 1999 invasion of the republic , Lord evidently decided it was time to teach him a lesson .
In March last year Lord posted online an extraordinary announcement for a serving Russian state official .
`` Tumso , '' he said , looking at his phone as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officially telling you from me , and from my brothers .
You know who my brothers are .
You talked about Akhmat [ Kadyrov ] , and this is now a blood feud .
For as long as I have blood in my veins , you are my enemy , and the enemy of my brothers .
And we 're going to find you . ''
The tradition of the blood feud , the revenge killing of a murderer or their relative , is still alive and well in Chechnya .
That Tumso @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem for Lord .
He went on to say that Tumso would not actually be killed , he 'd just be given an `` amazingly fun time '' .
But for Chechens , the word for blood feud that Lord used - chir - leaves no room for doubt .
Things looked even more ominous for Tumso when pro-government social media broadcast the spectacle of his remaining family in Chechnya - an elderly uncle and two other relatives - pronouncing that they were disowning the blogger .
More than that , they explicitly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Let them do whatever they like , '' said Tumso 's uncle and cousins .
`` He is no long longer part of our family .
From this moment on , if anyone kills him , we allow that person to take his blood . ''
A blood feud was being publicly condoned - evidently under duress - by the planned victim 's family .
When the attack came , it was on Lord 's birthday - a fact eerily reminiscent of the 2007 murder of the journalist Anna Politkovskaya , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most prominent critics , who was shot dead on Putin 's birthday , 7 October .
In a defiant Instagram post after his release from police questioning , Tumso filmed himself smiling and winking mockingly at the camera , with the written message : `` Happy birthday , Daudov !
Sorry I 'm a bit late . ''
Tumso - and many Chechens - were in no doubt who was behind the attack .
The Chechen authorities deny involvement .
Chechens in Europe 's diasporas say they live under the constant threat of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves or on their relatives back at home .
Critics have been beaten and pressured , and Kadyrov 's opponents murdered widely over the years , in Qatar , Austria , Turkey and Dubai , as well as in Moscow and in Chechnya itself .
Some were influential militants - sometimes accused of terrorist attacks in Russia - but others were political rivals , or merely critics .
Russian security forces appear to have been involved in more than one of the killings .
Last August Zelimkhan Khangoshvili , a senior commander in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was approached by a man on a bike and in motorbike leathers in the Kleiner Tiergarten Park in Berlin .
Khangoshvili had been on his way to his local mosque for Friday prayers , and had for some reason taken a diversion into the park .
His family believe he had been lured there .
The cyclist shot Khangoshvili several times , killing him with a shot to the head .
He then jumped on a waiting hire scooter , and escaped to a secluded location by the nearby River Spree , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shorts , and threw a bag into the water .
Two teenage boys witnessed the scene and called the police .
The man was arrested minutes later , just before he could disappear into the crowd of tourists in central Berlin .
He presented a valid Russian passport under a false name .
A bag was recovered from the Spree containing the leather clothes , a wig , and a Glock pistol .
The assassination had been intricately and expertly planned and , if it had n't been for the two boys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undetected .
He had arrived in Berlin hours before the murder , after travelling to Poland where it is thought he picked up the pistol .
He knew exactly where and when to find Khangoshvili , he had a means of getaway planted precisely where he needed it , and was evidently acting on a pre-determined exit plan .
He must have been operating with accomplices and detailed intelligence - raising suspicions of a sophisticated hit by Russian intelligence .
• Listen to Nick Sturdee 's documentary for Assignment on the BBC World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Run These suspicions grew after the journalist Christo Grozev , at the investigative website Bellingcat , established the true identity and biography of the killer - a former Russian special forces soldier called Vadim Krasikov .
This man had already committed at least three contract killings in Russia - of businessmen and a regional politician - and had been shielded from prosecution by the intervention of the Russian security services , the FSB .
Having identified Krasikov 's phone number - through documents online relating to the purchase of a car by his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone data to trace his movements over the weeks running up to his trip to Berlin .
Other than his home , the locations where Krasikov had spent most time were the FSB anti-terrorism office in Moscow - for a few hours at a time - and a high-security and heavily restricted FSB special forces training camp just outside Moscow , where he had spent three days before travelling .
The Russian security services , it appears , had trained and dispatched someone from the criminal world to eliminate a perceived enemy on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't surprised .
`` The FSB have their own contingent of former officers , '' he says .
`` Or just criminals they can trust or they can hold forever indebted because of , for example , compromising material on them .
The FSB is a very corrupt , sprawling organisation . ''
In January , a second Chechen was murdered by a travelling assassin , this time , in France .
Unlike Khangoshvili , the victim was not a former military commander - he was n't a potential security threat - but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had insulted Ramzan Kadyrov online .
Although Tumso Abdurakhmanov was in Sweden at the time , he was tipped off about the appearance of a suspicious Chechen , Usman Mamadiev , among the diaspora in Berlin .
Immediately he feared for the safety of his wife , children , mother and brother , who were living in the German capital .
He provided Mamadiev 's details to German police , he says .
But instead the visitor travelled on to Belgium .
There he visited the blogger , Imran Aliev , whom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a cancer patient travelling to Europe for treatment .
On 29 January the two of them travelled to Lille , in northern France , checking in to the Coq Hardi Hotel .
The next morning Aliev 's body was found in their room , with a reported 135 stab wounds .
By then Mamadiev had left for Berlin and was soon on a flight back to Moscow .
Following Aliev 's murder , Tumso carried out an investigation and posted the results online .
He said he had established Mamadiev 's connection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of the Russian parliament for the ruling United Russia party , Adam Delimkhanov .
He also reported that Mamadiev had suspiciously bought a car soon after his return home .
The Chechen authorities have denied involvement in Imran Aliev 's killing .
It has not been possible to reach Mamadiev for comment .
Less than a month later , Tumso himself was the target .
His head and body are marked by scars and wounds from the hammer blows , and he is clearly extremely lucky to be alive .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I realised that as I sat at the police station and thought through what had somehow passed me by .
The first emotions you get are impossible to convey .
You feel at that moment as though you 've been born again , when you think of how you were on the very edge when someone was hitting you with a hammer . ''
It was fortunate , perhaps , that his family remained in Germany .
Unlike Khangoshvili 's killer , Tumso 's attacker , Ruslan Mamaev , had not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even easy to find his Facebook page , where the last comment is from his father , Marat , wishing him a happy birthday last August .
Photos reveal a tall man with Asiatic features and dark , modishly cut hair , sitting in what looks like a fashionable café , with Central Asian carpets behind him .
Mamaev is originally from Kazakhstan , but moved to Omsk in Siberia as a boy .
There he started college but dropped out , before travelling to Moscow and apparently working in construction .
Judging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems to have had money problems .
He was ordered to pay back half a million roubles - about £5,500 - that he had borrowed from a bank .
I 've reached out to some of Mamaev 's friends and his family .
His girlfriend told me on social media that he would n't harm another person , that the whole family is in shock and that she does n't understand how or why he went to Sweden .
Apart from that , no-one seems to want to talk .
Nothing in Mamaev @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - nor any prior connection with Chechnya .
But flight data records in Russia , leaked to Bellingcat , do demonstrate that he travelled to Grozny on two occasions shortly before he travelled to Sweden .
He returned to Moscow from his second trip on 15 February .
Five days later , he booked his flight to Copenhagen for 24 February .
Two days after that he was in Tumso 's flat in Sweden , with a hammer .
It has also emerged that immediately after his December trip to Grozny , Mamaev @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like a short recce .
According to Bellingcat , it was the first time he had ever travelled outside the former Soviet Union , and he speaks no foreign languages .
Like Krasikov in Berlin , he would certainly have been receiving help from accomplices .
A second individual , a Chechen woman , has been detained by Swedish police as a suspect .
She travelled to Sweden from France shortly before the attack .
And last weekend the Swedish authorities announced they were arresting - in absentia - a third Russian citizen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Khaskhanov , a Chechen from Mamaev 's hometown of Omsk , and he 's also believed to have travelled to Sweden at the time of the attack .
Mamaev 's motive for apparently trying to kill a man he had never met is unclear , but Tumso has a theory .
Much as Vadim Krasikov may have been drawn into the FSB 's orbit as a result of his prosecution for murder , Tumso believes that Mamaev 's debts may have laid him open to recruitment and exploitation by those who wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be denied .
Tumso is confident that the organisation of the attack was beyond the abilities of Kadyrov 's circle .
Mamaev had managed to establish Tumso 's address in hiding , to get through a door requiring a pincode , and to find and enter his apartment unnoticed as he slept .
The blogger believes this points to FSB involvement .
But Tumso is not a defector from Russian military intelligence , like Sergei Skripal , or a former officer of the FSB working as a consultant for British intelligence , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organise an assassination attempt on a Chechen blogger living in Sweden ?
Tumso , again , has an explanation - money .
`` I have information - which I ca n't prove or confirm - that the FSB may have sold that information to Kadyrov .
And if that 's true , there 's nothing remotely strange about that , '' he says .
`` This is Russia - and it 's totally normal for different state structures merely to sell things to each other .
In Chechnya we 've seen that for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Russia and Chechnya , one of the Russian Federation 's 22 republics , is itself partly a financial one .
Moscow props up Chechnya by pouring in millions of dollars .
In return Kadyrov 's brutal rule ensures there is no dissent .
`` It 's a marriage of convenience , '' says Katya Sokirianskaia of the Moscow based Conflict Analysis and Prevention Centre .
`` Very clearly Putin thinks that Ramzan is solving his problems in Chechnya .
On the other hand , on the Ramzan side , it is very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survival - the survival of Ramzan himself and his family , his children and his close friends , his circle . ''
Because Kadyrov and his circle , as they well know , can not only declare blood feuds - they can be the subject of them .
`` Ramzan Kadyrov has blood enemies , and many of his associates as well .
They have blood .
People who blame them for death and humiliation .
And they 're waiting for the moment to take their revenge , to execute this blood feud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very long time . ''
It 's not known who ordered Ruslan Mamaev to travel to Sweden and attack Tumso with a hammer as he slept .
It 's not known whether the FSB was involved , and it can not be proved it was the execution of a blood feud But the second most powerful public official in Chechnya expressly warned of such an action , and pro-government social media effectively condoned it by carrying the statement made by Tumso 's relatives , in which they gave their consent for him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would appear , neither Kadyrov nor the Chechen government have received any criticism from the Russian government - or President Vladimir Putin .
You may also be interested in : A series of assassinations has taken place in Turkey of men from the countries of the former USSR .
There 's evidence that some were carried out by killers from Russia - including , in one case , names , photographs and a memory stick carelessly left behind for Turkish police to study .
Have Russian hitmen been killing with impunity in @ @ @ @ @

Less than a month later, Tumso himself was the target. His head and body are marked by scars and wounds from the hammer blows, and he is clearly extremely lucky to be alive. "It was a miracle," he says. "I realised that as I sat at the police station and thought through what had somehow passed me by. The first emotions you get are impossible to convey. You feel at that moment as though you've been born again, when you think of how you were on the very edge when someone was hitting you with a hammer."


bbc--2020-06-16--How Elon Musk aims to revolutionise battery technology

Elon Musk has perhaps the most exciting portfolio of businesses on the planet .
There 's SpaceX with its mission to Mars , and Tesla with its super-fast hi-tech electric cars .
He claims his Hyperloop concept could revolutionise public transport .
And even his Boring Company is kind of interesting - it aims to find new ways to dig tunnels .
So which one will end up changing the world most ?
It is my contention that it will be his battery business .
Does n't sound that scintillating does it ?
But the compact , lightweight lithium batteries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on wafer-thin phones will soon be powering much more of your life .
• Business Daily : Justin Rowlatt looks at how batteries are powering ahead You 're probably already interested in the potential of electric cars .
But maybe you also have the usual concerns about actually buying one : the price , the range , and worries about where you are going to charge the thing and how long you 'll be stuck there .
Yet the market certainly seems to reckon they are the future .
Just look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefly nudged ahead of Toyota to become the world 's most valuable car firm , even though the Japanese giant sold 30 times as many vehicles last year .
One reason is that Elon Musk has been teasing investors and rivals with the promise of `` battery day '' some time soon , at which he will announce a series of advancements in battery tech .
And cars are not the only vast new battery market .
You might have seen a story I wrote about how the world is slowly weaning itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connected to our electricity grids are going to be central to the great renewable energy revolution too .
`` We are entering into a nearly exponential growth phase '' , says Prof Paul Shearing .
He 's an expert on emerging battery technologies at University College London .
He expects electric vehicles alone to drive European battery demand up by a factor of 10 this decade .
But this explosion in demand will only be possible if we can make batteries cheaper , more durable and more efficient .
That is a big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mr Musk 's proposed `` battery day '' comes thanks to a whole cascade of breakthroughs .
The first of these was announced just last week when the Chinese battery-maker that supplies most of the major car makers , including Tesla , revealed it had produced the first `` million mile battery '' .
Contemporary Amperex Technology ( CATL ) says its new battery is capable of powering a vehicle for more than a million miles ( 1.2 million , to be precise - or 1.9 million km ) over a 16-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 60,000-150,000 miles over a three to eight-year period .
This is a huge improvement in battery life , but will cost just 10 % more than existing products , says CATL chair , Zeng Yuqun .
Having a battery you never need to change is obviously good news for the electric car industry .
But longer-lasting batteries are also essential for what 's known as `` stationary '' storage too .
These are the batteries we can attach to wind turbines or solar panels so renewable energy is available when the sun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't blowing .
Fairly soon you might even want a stationary battery in your home to store cheap off-peak electricity , or to collect the power your own solar panels generate .
The next barrier that is likely to be broken is price .
The landmark challenge in the electric vehicle industry is to get a battery costing under $ 100 ( £78 ) per kilowatt hour .
`` At that point you start to get electric vehicles that are cheaper than the equivalent internal combustion vehicles , '' says Seth Weintraub , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that happens the internal combustion engine will be effectively dead.
, he says , comparing it to how digital killed off film cameras a decade ago .
`` In car dealerships we 're going to go from one electric vehicle in the back lot somewhere , to one gas vehicle in the back lot somewhere . ''
So when will this crucial price-point be passed ?
He believes it already has .
Mr Weintraub says his sources tell him these batteries are going into Teslas right now , and thinks this will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day '' revelations .
Cheaper batteries will address some of the other key concerns potential customers have .
That is because it will make it economical to put bigger batteries into cars .
That has two major advantages .
First , it means they can go much further on a single charge , so you 'll soon be able to buy cars with ranges of 400-500 miles ( 640-800km ) or more .
Second , big batteries charge faster for the bulk of their capacity , so you might be able to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just 10 minutes of charging .
That 's comparable to the time it takes to fill a car with petrol or diesel .
So expect Elon Musk to announce upgrades for the Model S and X which will combine 400-500 mile range with supercar performance , says Mr Weintraub .
So , where are we going to make all these wonderful new batteries ?
Again , we are expecting some major announcements from Mr Musk .
Earlier this month his private jet reportedly landed at Luton airport .
The man who is allegedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ character , Tony Stark , is believed to have been flown by helicopter to a 650-acre site just outside Bristol .
The location is reckoned to be the prime UK candidate for one of Tesla 's `` Gigafactories '' , the huge battery plants it 's pioneering .
And he is planning an even bigger factory in the US , probably in Austin , Texas .
According to Seth Weintraub this one will be a `` Terafactory '' .
That 's quite an upgrade .
Gigafactories were so called because they would produce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of power .
By that reasoning a terafactory should be able to make batteries with a total capacity in the trillions of watt-hours .
And the logic of Mr Musk 's ever-expanding factories remains the same .
The bigger the scale , the easier it will be to deliver cost-slashing innovations , he believes .
So where are all the battery chemicals going to come from ?
Tesla 's Chinese partner CATL has found a way to make batteries free of cobalt , at least for shorter-range vehicles .
Cobalt is expensive and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where it has been associated with child labour .
There are no plans to get rid of the key ingredient in lightweight batteries , lithium .
There are large supplies in salt deposits around the world .
including the biggest single reserve - as yet unexploited - in the hauntingly beautiful Salar de Uyuni salt plain in the remote Bolivian Andes .
The problem is current method of separating out the lithium in these deposits is slow and inefficient .
The biggest salt lake currently being mined is the Salar de Atacama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lower altitude , the Chileans can use natural evaporation to crystallise the salts , driven by the intense sunshine of the Atacama Desert .
Despite these advantages , the process still takes months , and only recovers about 30 % of the available lithium .
Which is where a wannabe Elon Musk-style tycoon with a similarly exotic name comes in .
Teague Egan is working with scientists on what he says is a `` nanoparticle '' filter that can separate lithium from other salts in solution , and will recover more like 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months , he reckons it could eventually take just a few days .
Mr Egan says his firm EnergyX is already talking to key players about applying the technology on a commercial scale .
If effective it could dramatically cut the cost of lithium - removing one of the biggest bottlenecks to the ramping up of battery production.. What this is really about Which brings us back to my original premise - that batteries will be the most transformative part of Elon Musk 's empire .
Mr Musk 's ambition is to create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ product that revolutionises our driving experience , while also delivering him a big fat profit .
That 's what will make us ditch our old diesel and petrol cars .
But there is also something much bigger at stake : climate change .
If cheaper , better batteries enable a rapid switch to electric vehicles , and give us renewable energy whatever the weather , then clearly they are going to be central to efforts to decarbonise our economy .
Astronauts blasting off into space are a lot more exciting than a grey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But if that grey box helps us jettison fossil fuels , then the grey box wins in terms of its power to change our world .
Of course , you may disagree .
And if you do , then please tell me why .

But maybe you also have the usual concerns about actually buying one: the price, the range, and worries about where you are going to charge the thing and how long you'll be stuck there.