bbc--2020-05-12--India coronavirus: How police won hearts with cakes, songs and sacrifice

Inspector Munish Pratap Singh was about to finish his shift around 22:00 when a helpless father called him with an unusual request .
`` Could you please get a birthday cake for my son ?
It 's his birthday and he is really sad , '' the father said .
Insp Singh is not used to dealing with such requests , but these are no ordinary times .
All shops were shut in his area , but he called a baker he knew and - luckily - a cake was available .
`` The happiness on the boy 's face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I forgot how tired we were , '' he says .
Insp Singh is not alone among his colleagues with such a simple act of kindness .
Many other officers in India have delivered birthday cakes to children and the elderly , given food to the homeless and provided essential medicines to those in need .
They have also been seen singing popular Bollywood songs on loudspeakers to motivate and entertain people .
Videos of such gestures have gone viral on social media and in many places , people have showered flower petals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different from a few months ago , when allegations of excessive force , corruption and human rights abuses dogged India 's police force .
But these heart-warming tales of kindness during the coronavirus pandemic are only half the story : behind them are more hidden stories of determination , duty and sacrifice , making the policemen `` frontline warriors '' of India 's battle against coronavirus .
They are doing a range of jobs : enforcing the lockdown , contact tracing , manning check-points , providing security at high-risk zones like hospitals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - importantly - calming people 's fears about coronavirus .
But they were never trained for this , says Vikram Singh , former police chief of India 's most populous state , Uttar Pradesh .
`` They were trained for maintaining law and order , '' he says , but never for managing a pandemic and understanding medical safety protocols .
`` So in that sense , they are doing a great job , often against great challenges , '' he adds .
And the main challenge is their exposure to the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers who are out in the field .
More than 1,000 policemen have tested positive in Maharashtra state and at least four have died .
In Delhi , there are more than 100 cases of infection among policemen , and a 31-year-old constable has died .
He has left behind a wife and a young son , who have also tested positive .
Similar reports have come from other Indian states as well .
The fear of infection is real , says Insp Singh , but sometimes the methods used to stop the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ containment zones , set up in areas where more than one case is reported .
Insp Singh has several in his area in Noida - a suburb of Delhi - and it falls to his officers to make sure no one enters or leaves .
`` People become jaded because of living in a containment zone and some of them end up arguing with the police - but we have to stay calm .
`` My men also fear the infection , but nobody thinks of not doing the job - it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backs on , '' he adds .
`` But I would be lying if I say that we are not scared . ''
Many policemen are also staying away from family to ensure they do n't pass on the infection in case they are infected and asymptomatic .
Constables Vikrant Rana and Pankaj Chaudhary , who have not seen their families for more than two months , try to hold back tears while showing the photos of their family members on their mobile phones .
`` I know policemen are supposed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we also long to meet our families .
I pray we win this war soon , '' Constable Rana says .
I meet constable Dhruv Tomar at another check-point in Noida .
He has not seen his one-year-old twins since February .
`` I ca n't stop thinking about them , but I wo n't meet them anytime soon .
We stop hundreds of cars and bikes every day to check , and we have no idea who is carrying the infection , '' he says .
`` At least medical teams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We are mostly dealing with the unknown . ''
They wear masks and gloves , but standing for eight hours on the streets in scorching heat wears them out .
That is why they need to be given shorter shifts , says Gopal Hosur , former inspector-general of police in Karnataka state .
He says the psychological impact of the pandemic on policemen ca n't be ignored and senior police officers have to ensure the constabulary is being looked after .
`` One way of doing this is for senior officers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field teams regularly , which gives the message that they are not alone in this fight . ''
Mr Hosur also believes that anonymous consular help should also be provided to officers .
Neeraj Jadaun , superintendent of police in rural Ghaziabad district , agrees with the suggestion .
`` I meet most members of my team every day and listen to their problems .
We are in this for the long haul and it 's important that the entire force works as a team , '' he adds .
Another unintended consequence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growing trust between the police and the public .
Allegations of using excessive force , corruption and human rights abuse against the police are not uncommon in India .
India has had one of the strictest lockdowns in the world , and policemen were given sweeping powers to enforce it .
In some cases , they abused these powers and beat up people .
There have also been allegations of policemen harassing small shopkeepers and vendors .
But Mr Singh says those are stray incidents .
`` Overall , people have really begun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he adds .
So what has changed the equation ?
Mr Hosur acknowledges that there has always been a trust deficit between the police and the public .
But the pandemic , he says , has helped the police to show their human side .
`` Policemen have become the first point of contact for anybody in distress .
They are working long hours and there is an amazing sense of service and solidarity , '' he says .
He says no ambiguity in orders from politicians has also helped .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fine line because of constant political pressure .
But this time , their mission is clear and there is no interference , '' he adds .
But will this growing trust last ?
Jacob Punnose , the former top cop of Kerala state , says he is `` cautiously optimistic '' .
He says the pandemic is not getting over anytime soon .
`` So it will be interesting to see for how long this new idea of community policing lasts , '' he says .
Police in India deal with high crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to frequently deal with law and order situations and also provide security to VIPs .
They are also chronically under-staffed .
One report says there are 144 police officers for every 100,000 citizens .
So that leaves little scope for community policing .
But Mr Punnose says the pandemic has shown that police and public can work together to overcome any challenge .
`` You can see in the body language of policemen - most of them are polite these days , and the public is also reciprocating , '' he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he says , depends on senior officers .
`` They have to learn important lessons from the pandemic and prepare a police force for the future . ''
He argues that managing pandemics should now be included as a study subject for senior officers .
`` We were caught unaware this time and we have done well so far .
But we may not get this luxury the next time , so we need to be prepared . ''
And if we do n't do it , he adds , things will go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And all the handwork and sacrifices will mean nothing .
We have earned this trust with great difficulty and we should not let that go easily . ''


bbc--2020-05-12--Nurse: 'I was shunned over coronavirus fears'

A Kenyan nurse found herself being shunned and harassed after she prepared a patient for a Covid-19 test while she was on a nightshift .
Eunice Mwabili says the case was handled professionally - she wore personal protective equipment while dealing with the man , who was placed in an isolation room at the hospital .
By the next morning , her friends and neighbours in the capital , Nairobi , had begun to avoid her , fearing she had become infected with coronavirus .
It is unclear who leaked the information that she had organised to have the patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number were leaked on social media .
The patient ended up being negative , but that news never filtered out - the damage was done .
She began to receive phone calls from strangers - some wanting to know where she worked - and anxious friends wanting to find out her status .
`` Out there it was like I was already a Covid suspect .
It really affected me .
The story was even on the media .
It was on TV , '' Ms Mwabili told the BBC .
One neighbour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are the one catching coronavirus patients . ''
An acquaintance told her husband that she really pitied him `` because of what has happened to your wife '' .
`` Do you imagine , up to today that lady friend has never bothered to call me to find out how I 'm doing after that incident , '' she said .
She is not the only Kenyan who has faced coronavirus-linked stigma .
Even some of those who have recovered have found it hard to be accepted back into their communities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone who had fully recovered but was not allowed to re-join their local choir .
The ministry says others have found that after leaving hospital even their families have been stigmatised .
And the fear is pervasive .
One man I contacted to find out about life in a quarantine centre refused to answer my questions as he feared the stigma he would be subjected to afterwards .
He had been sent to the facility as a precautionary measure for 14 days after some people in the apartment block in which he lived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never contracted the virus .
You may also be interested in : • Weddings , births and deaths in the age of Covid-19 Even before the country registered its first coronavirus infection , an MP 's xenophobic Facebook message went viral in February as he called for his constituents to avoid nationals from China , where the virus originated .
In April , Brenda Cherotich , among the first of coronavirus patients to recover , was interviewed on television about her experiences .
Officials wanted her to be the beacon of hope , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness - instead she was subjected to cyberbullying .
Not long after that , a 27-year-old man in the coastal city of Mombasa was `` condemned to death by medics '' who abandoned him in his hour of need fearing he had Covid-19 , his father told The People Daily newspaper . '
I was scared to go out' For the nurse , Ms Mwabili , it all started when Davis Muturi walked into private Catholic Church-run hospital where she worked at the end of March .
The 40-year-old chef had returned from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had gone into self-isolation on his return , asking his family to move in with relatives as a precaution .
`` I had a one-month-old baby who I had never seen , and my wife was shocked and worried that I was sending the family away and did not want to see them .
But after explaining , she understood that it was for the good of the family , '' he told the BBC .
After seven days , he went to the hospital for a test because he was scared by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - and he wanted to be sure he did n't have it .
`` The way they put it is like everyone who came into the country was already affected , '' he said .
But after he did the test his name and phone number were also leaked - with people alleging online that he had coronavirus .
Even though he had tested negative , he was afraid of leaving his house - scared he would be accused of deliberately trying to infect other people .
He contacted Ms Mwabili to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been shared : `` She told me that her colleagues were even asking her why she was not isolating herself .
But I was not even positive . ''
Ms Mwabili can only point to a visit by the police on the evening of Mr Muturi 's check-up .
The officers had wanted information about suspected Covid-19 patients as part of an ongoing investigation into an escape from a coronavirus quarantine centre .
It seems a police memo about their visit was leaked .
`` I do n't know exactly how it leaked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as that of my client , '' she said .
The hospital has complained about the leak , and police say the matter is under investigation .
Ms Mwabili says what made it more challenging was after the leak , she went down with tonsillitis for a week .
`` When I resumed at work , some of my colleagues were asking , 'Did you go on quarantine ? '
... You can just suspect what was going through their minds . ''
• RECOVERY : How long does it take to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : What are the symptoms ?
More than a month later , Ms Mwabili says she is a stronger person after going through the experience .
It has made her more determined to do her job well as `` each person , whether positive or negative , needs our services '' .
For Mr Muturi , the moment he learnt that he was Covid-19-free , he could not wait to meet his new baby .
`` That very day , they came back immediately , I could n't let my family stay for @ @ @ @ @ @ @

"I had a one-month-old baby who I had never seen, and my wife was shocked and worried that I was sending the family away and did not want to see them. But after explaining, she understood that it was for the good of the family," he told the BBC.


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus may never go away, World Health Organization warns

The coronavirus `` may never go away '' , the World Health Organization ( WHO ) has warned .
Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday , WHO emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan warned against trying to predict when the virus would disappear .
He added that even if a vaccine is found , controlling the virus will require a `` massive effort '' .
Almost 300,000 people worldwide are reported to have died of coronavirus , and more than 4.3m cases recorded .
`` It is important to put this on the table : this virus may become just another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this virus may never go away , '' Dr Ryan told the virtual press conference from Geneva .
`` HIV has not gone away - but we have come to terms with the virus . ''
Dr Ryan then said he does n't believe `` anyone can predict when this disease will disappear '' .
There are currently more than 100 potential vaccines in development - but Dr Ryan noted there are other illnesses , such as measles , that still have n't been eliminated despite there being vaccines for them .
WHO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still possible to control the virus , with effort .
`` The trajectory is in our hands , and it 's everybody 's business , and we should all contribute to stop this pandemic , '' he said .
WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove also told the briefing : `` We need to get into the mindset that it is going to take some time to come out of this pandemic . ''
• THE R NUMBER : What it means and why it matters • RECOVERY : How long does it take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GUIDE : What are the symptoms ?
Their stark remarks come as several countries began to gradually ease lockdown measures , and leaders consider the issue of how and when to reopen their economies .
Dr Tedros warned that there was no guaranteed way of easing restrictions without triggering a second wave of infections .
`` Many countries would like to get out of the different measures , '' the WHO boss said .
`` But our recommendation is still the alert at any country should be at the highest level possible .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is some magical thinking going on that lockdowns work perfectly and that unlocking lockdowns will go great .
Both are fraught with dangers . ''

"Many countries would like to get out of the different measures," the WHO boss said. "But our recommendation is still the alert at any country should be at the highest level possible."


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus: US accuses China of hacking coronavirus research

China-linked hackers are targeting organisations researching the Covid-19 pandemic , US officials say .
The FBI said it had seen hacking attempts on US groups researching vaccines , treatments and testing .
The US has long accused the Chinese government of cyber-espionage , something Beijing denies .
The pandemic has worsened tensions between the two countries , which have both accused each other of failing to contain the outbreak .
More than 4.3m people around the world have been infected by Covid-19 , with over 83,000 US deaths and 4,600 deaths in China , according to Johns Hopkins University .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Infrastructure Security Agency ( Cisa ) , a division of the homeland security department , issued a rare joint warning on Wednesday .
In what was billed as a public service announcement , they said `` healthcare , pharmaceutical and research sectors working on Covid-19 response should all be aware they are prime targets '' of hackers .
• US-China contagion : The battle behind the scenes The cyber-thieves had `` been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property and public health data '' on treating the coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denied US accusations of cyber-espionage .
Earlier this week , foreign affairs ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said : `` We are leading the world in Covid-19 treatment and vaccine research .
It is immoral to target China with rumours and slanders in the absence of any evidence . ''
At a press briefing on Monday , President Donald Trump referred to China 's alleged cyber-activities .
`` What else is new with China ?
I 'm not happy with China , could have stopped it at the source , should have , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling me they 're hacking .
What else is new ?
We 're watching very closely . ''
US officials have long accused China of hacking and intellectual property theft .
In 2009 , the US alleged that China-linked hackers managed to infiltrate the sensitive data from the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet .
Shortly afterwards , China announced it was developing a similar jet , the Shenyang J-31 .
Intelligence officials have also in the past accused China of using `` non-traditional collectors '' , who steal technology from US firms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Counterintelligence and Security Centre , has said China 's theft of US intellectual property amounts to about $ 400bn a year .
The UK and US had already issued a detailed joint warning about other countries targeting research back on 5 May .
On that occasion , they did not officially name names but sources indicated China , Russia and Iran were among those responsible .
Now , in a widely trailed move , the US has decided to single out China specifically with this new advisory .
So far they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new alert does not contain any new details of what has taken place .
That means this may well be interpreted as a means of both playing to a domestic audience and of raising the pressure on China as part of the growing tension between Washington and Beijing .

So far they have not been joined by the UK and the new alert does not contain any new details of what has taken place.


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus: A day in lockdown life around the world

As lockdowns continue around the world , what does a day in the life of a teenager look like now @ @ @ @ @ in 14 different countries to record their day - from when they woke up to @ @ @ @ @ bed - to find out how they are coping with coronavirus .

As lockdowns continue around the world, what does a day in the life of a teenager look like now?
We asked young people in 14 different countries to record their day - from when they woke up to the moment they went to bed - to find out how they are coping with coronavirus.
Read more - A day of lockdown for young people in the UK


bbc--2020-05-13--Republicans snatch rare prize of California seat

A Republican candidate has won a congressional seat from the Democrats in liberal California for the first time in more than two decades .
Democrat Christy Smith has conceded the special election to Republican Mike Garcia , a former Navy fighter pilot .
Republicans lost the House of Representatives seat by nearly double digits in the 2018 midterm elections .
The election was held to fill Democrat Katie Hill 's seat after she resigned last year in a sex scandal .
There are still ballots left to be counted , but as of Wednesday afternoon local time , Mr Garcia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Ms Smith 's 44 % .
It is the first time the Republican party has won a Democratic-held seat in the state since 1998 .
In a statement , Ms Smith , a state assemblywoman , offered congratulations to Mr Garcia , saying the current tally showed him as the likely victor in the 25th congressional district .
They will face off again during this November 's general election , to compete for a full two-year term in the seat , as Ms Smith noted in her concession .
`` This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I look forward to having a vigorous debate about the issues in the upcoming November 2020 election , '' she said .
`` There is no doubt in my mind that together , we will prevail in the fall general election . ''
Republicans currently control just six of California 's 53 congressional districts , according to ABC News .
The party was driven out of its former political fortress of Orange County in the so-called blue wave election of two years ago .
The 25th district , which includes northern Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in southern California , went to Katie Hill over an incumbent Republican by around a nine point margin in 2018 .
Ms Hill vacated the seat last October - days after she was placed under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over an alleged affair with a Capitol Hill aide , which she has denied .
Democrat Hillary Clinton won the suburban district in the 2016 presidential race by a nearly seven-point margin .
She , along with former President Barack Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren , had endorsed Ms Smith .
Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump , who last month tweeted his `` Complete and Total Endorsement '' .
Sometimes congressional special elections are harbingers of things to come .
Other times , they 're just blips .
We wo n't know which category the Republican victory in the Los Angeles area falls into until later this year , but for the moment it 's cause for Democratic concern .
The party has lost one of the `` blue wave '' seats it pried from the Republicans in 2018 .
Back then , Democrats nearly swept all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state the backbone of their new majority in the House of Representatives .
If Republicans can win races like this in November - in districts that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016 - they have a realistic shot of taking back control of the House .
That this victory happened in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic , when the economy is crumbling and unease about the future is growing , should be another reason for liberal heartburn .
Democrats can comfort themselves with the thought this race had unique circumstances because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But if they thought they had the wind at their back in the current political environment , this result suggests they may be mistaken .
Mr Garcia said he was `` ready to go to work right away '' .
His term from this special election will last until January 2021 .
The former aerospace firm executive was also backed by top House Republican Kevin McCarthy and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley .
The runoff election has also served as an initial test of the voting system amid the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were also a select number of in-person stations set up in the district , with social distancing measures in place .

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bbc--2020-05-13--They're 8,000 miles away and share the same passion

Erin Rae , in Nashville , and Mali , in Mumbai , share their experiences as musicians in lockdown .
@ @ @ @ @ impact of the pandemic on their work and what they think the future of music @ @ @ @ @ ’ s what they had to say…and sing .

Erin Rae, in Nashville, and Mali, in Mumbai, share their experiences as musicians in lockdown.
Both singer-songwriters talk about the impact of the pandemic on their work and what they think the future of music will look like.
Here’s what they had to say…and sing.
Video by Hannah Long-Higgins and Aakriti Thapar.


bbc--2020-05-13--Fed warns of slow recovery without more virus relief

Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has warned that America faces a slow and painful economic recovery without additional government relief .
The dark forecast from the head of the US central bank is a turnaround from early April , when he said he expected a robust rebound .
It comes as lawmakers debate additional spending to shield the US economy from coronavirus shutdowns .
Mr Powell said further measures would be `` costly but worth it '' .
Employers in the US cut more than 20 million jobs last month , sending the unemployment rate to 14.7 % , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poor and minority households .
Analysts expect the jobless rate to climb further in May , before starting to subside .
Mr Powell said on Wednesday that unemployment levels are likely to to remain elevated - particularly compared to the 50-year lows the US labour market enjoyed as recently as February .
• Coronavirus : US to borrow record $ 3tn as spending soars • The Fed 's four radical moves to save the economy • Rate cuts : US goes to almost zero and launches huge stimulus programme '' There is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come more slowly than we would like , but it will come and that may mean that it is necessary for us to do more , '' he said in a video conference hosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics .
Financial markets sank following the comments , with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending more than 2 % lower .
The US has already approved nearly $ 3tn ( £2.5tn ) in new spending - packages worth an estimated 14 % of the country 's economy .
The Fed has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy , pumping trillions of dollars into the financial system .
While Democrats this week proposed an additional $ 3tn package , Mitch McConnell , who leads the Republicans in the Senate , responded that there was `` no urgency '' to act .
Some in Washington are leery of further spending , pointing to America 's skyrocketing national debt .
'We are facing the biggest shock' But Mr Powell said now was not the time for those worries .
`` We know that long periods of unemployment leave a shadow ... we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weigh on economic activity for years , '' he stressed .
`` Now , when we are facing the biggest shock that the economy has had in modern times , is for me , not the time to prioritise considerations like that .
`` I do think that we can come back to them fairly quickly , which is to say a few years down the road when the economy is well and truly recovered , or at least recovering . ''
While the Fed casts itself as politically neutral , Mr Powell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chair of the bank facing political battles .
Prior to the pandemic , he was a repeated target of criticism by President Donald Trump , who wanted the Fed to do more to help the economy .
At a press conference on Wednesday , however , Mr Trump described Mr Powell as an `` MIP '' .
`` You know what an MIP is ?
Most improved player , '' he said .

"There is a growing sense...that the recovery will come more slowly than we would like, but it will come and that may mean that it is necessary for us to do more," he said in a video conference hosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics.


bbc--2020-05-13--Russia Khachaturyan sisters: Investigators refuse to drop murder case

Russian investigators have refused to drop a murder charge against three sisters who killed their abusive father as he slept , leaving a controversial case in legal limbo .
The general prosecutor 's office concluded earlier this year that the Khachaturyan sisters had been subjected to prolonged physical and sexual abuse .
The killing should therefore be seen as `` necessary self-defence '' , it said .
That ruling had been expected to close the case .
But a lawyer for one of the women has told the BBC that Russia 's investigative committee has now rejected the prosecutor 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Teenagers Maria , Angelina and Krestina Khachaturyan were arrested in July 2018 for attacking their father , Mikhail , using a knife , hammer and pepper spray .
They later testified that their father had subjected them to prolonged abuse effectively holding them hostage in their home .
The two older sisters could face up to 20 years in prison if the murder charge is eventually brought to court .
Their mother , who had been forced to flee the family home for her own safety , has previously told the BBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple times over the years about the violence but were ignored .
What does the investigators ' decision mean ?
`` Formally , the investigative committee conducted an additional investigation but reached the same conclusion [ as before ] , '' lawyer Alexei Lipser explained , meaning that the original charge of premeditated murder still stands .
`` It seems the order from above remains the same , '' he said .
However , as there is no new evidence , the lawyer believes the prosecutor 's position will also remain unchanged .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to agree with the prosecutor and change the charge [ to self-defence ] or it goes on ping-ponging back and forth , '' the lawyer said .
The case prompted protests and a mass petition in support of the women and increased calls for a new law against domestic violence .
In January , the prosecutor 's office found that the Khachaturyan sisters suffered `` beating , constant humiliation , threats and abuse , physical and sexual violence '' and so developed a `` defensive reaction '' .
It concluded that experience made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' , an argument the investigative committee has now dismissed .
The case can not go to court unless those two parties agree on the charge .
The three sisters are living separately in Moscow while awaiting trial , and are not allowed to communicate with each other .
More from Sarah in Moscow

Their mother, who had been forced to flee the family home for her own safety, has previously told the BBC that she and others complained to police multiple times over the years about the violence but were ignored.


bbc--2020-05-13--Afghan attack: Kabul clinic cares for babies after attack

A children 's hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul has taken in 19 babies who survived a horrific attack by @ @ @ @ @ at another clinic .
It was not immediately known how many of the infants ' @ @ @ @ @ killed in Tuesday 's gun and bomb assault .
No group has said it carried @ @ @

A children's hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul has taken in 19 babies who survived a horrific attack by militants on a maternity ward at another clinic.
It was not immediately known how many of the infants' mothers were among the dozens killed in Tuesday's gun and bomb assault. No group has said it carried it out.


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus: US 'won't use Russian ventilators' linked to fires

The US says it will not use a batch of Russian ventilators , pending inquiries into two deadly hospital fires .
The ventilators have been linked to blazes that killed five people in a coronavirus intensive care unit in St Petersburg on Tuesday , and one at a hospital in Moscow last week .
Russian regulators have suspended use of the Aventa-M ventilators nationwide , after they were linked to the fires .
The manufacturers say they have been in use since 2012 without safety concerns .
Radio-Electronic Technologies Concern , which controls the company that makes the Aventa-M , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until investigations had reported back .
What did US officials say ?
In the US , the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( Fema ) made clear the Russian ventilators , procured during a race to stockpile medical equipment to deal with the coronavirus pandemic , had not been used .
The Aventa-M has `` not been deployed to hospitals '' , Fema spokeswoman Janet Montesi said in a statement .
`` Out of an abundance of caution , the states are returning the ventilators to Fema . ''
The agency told CNBC : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the investigation being conducted by the Russian authorities into the fire in St Petersburg will help inform our decision regarding any future use of the ventilators . ''
What happened in the fires ?
The blaze at St George 's Hospital in St Petersburg was apparently started by a short-circuit in a ventilator , Russian news agencies reported .
The fire was quickly put out and 150 people were evacuated from the hospital , the country 's emergency ministry said .
All the patients who died had been on ventilators .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Preliminary indications are that it was overloaded and caught fire , and that was the cause , '' a source at St Petersburg emergencies department told the Interfax news agency .
Russia 's NTV news website quoted doctors as saying a short-circuit caused a ventilator `` literally to explode '' , and the ward filled with smoke , which suffocated the patients .
The fire did not spread beyond one small Covid-19 ward on the sixth floor .
A statement by Russia 's healthcare watchdog Roszdravnadzor suggests ventilators are also suspected of causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on 9 May .
The Emergencies Ministry 's Moscow branch reported that one person had died , and about 200 were evacuated .
Reports said the blaze was in an intensive care ward , and had been started by ventilators .
Part of the hospital was repurposed for treating Covid-19 patients in April .
What is known about the Aventa-M ?
Production of ventilators has increased rapidly to cope with a shortage in Russia , but research by the Reuters news agency found that outside Moscow many ventilators are old - made in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question , however , is reported to have been built this year in Sverdlovsk .
A police source quoted by Tass news agency said the ventilator which caught fire was new - it had been installed just this month - and was made by Russia 's Ural machine-building plant .
It 's not clear how many machines are affected by the order from Russia 's healthcare regulator , or how many were sent from Russia to the US .
State investigators have opened a case to determine whether there was criminal negligence - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or in the hospital 's fire precautions .
The All-Russia Institute for Medical Technology Research points out that there are many different types of medical ventilator , so a fault in one may not be common to others .
Alexei Kurinny , a member of the Russian parliament 's health committee , said it was unlikely that a ventilator could have short-circuited or overloaded , and that fire safety was built into their design .
What is the coronavirus situation in both countries ?
News of Tuesday 's fire came as Russia is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , farming and factory workers are resuming their duties .
Russia now has the second-highest number of confirmed infections worldwide after the United States .
On Tuesday the top US infectious diseases doctor warned senators that the coronavirus would spread further if the country opens up too soon .
Dr Anthony Fauci said if federal guidelines to reopen were not followed , `` little spikes '' would become outbreaks .
He also said the real US death toll is probably higher than the official figure of 80,000 .
St Petersburg 's hospitals have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are working at full capacity .
The city has recorded just over 8,000 cases of Covid-19 so far - far fewer than Moscow , where the infection rate is continuing to climb at over 10,000 new cases daily .
• EUROPE 'S EASING : How lockdown is being lifted • THE R NUMBER : What it means and why it matters • RECOVERY : How long does it take to get better ?
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : What are the symptoms ?

The Emergencies Ministry's Moscow branch reported that one person had died, and about 200 were evacuated. Reports said the blaze was in an intensive care ward, and had been started by ventilators. Part of the hospital was repurposed for treating Covid-19 patients in April.


bbc--2020-05-13--Breonna Taylor: Lawsuit after US health worker shot dead by police

A woman in the US state of Kentucky was shot and killed by police after they raided the wrong address , according to a lawsuit .
Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old emergency medical technician ( EMT ) , was shot eight times when officers entered her apartment in Louisville on 13 March .
They were executing a search warrant as part of a drugs investigation , but no drugs were found in the property .
The lawsuit accuses the officers of wrongful death and excessive force .
It was filed by Ms Taylor 's family last month and says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her partner - but for an unrelated suspect who was already in custody and did not live in the apartment complex .
Louisville police said they returned fire after one officer was shot and wounded in the incident .
• Arbery mum 'believes there will be justice' At a press conference on 13 March , the department said its officers knocked on the door several times and announced themselves as police .
But a lawyer for Ms Taylor 's partner , Kenneth Walker , said he fired in self-defence because the officers did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were breaking in .
The lawsuit alleges that the police then fired more than 20 rounds of ammunition into the home .
The department has declined to answer questions on the case citing an ongoing investigation .
`` Breonna had posed no threat to the officers and did nothing to deserve to die at their hands , '' the lawsuit reads .
`` Shots were blindly fired by the officers all throughout Breonna 's home , '' it added .
The family , which is seeking compensation and damages , has hired a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ben Crump has represented the families of other high-profile black shooting victims , such as Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery .
Mr Arbery was jogging in February when he was confronted by two men and fatally shot .
The men have been arrested and the justice department is considering bringing federal hate crime charges against them .
`` We stand with the family of this young woman in demanding answers from the Louisville Police Department , '' Mr Crump said in a statement .
`` Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding her death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answers regarding the facts and circumstances of how this tragedy occurred , nor have they taken responsibility for her senseless killing . ''

It was filed by Ms Taylor's family last month and says the officers were not looking for her or her partner - but for an unrelated suspect who was already in custody and did not live in the apartment complex.


bbc--2020-05-13--Inside a reopened primary school in the time of coronavirus

Primary children in Denmark have been back at school for a month now .
It was the first country in @ @ @ @ @ schools , after containing the virus early on .
There have been fewer than 550 @ @ @ @ @ Europe correspondent Jean Mackenzie has spent the day at the Lynghøj primary school .
From @ @ @ @ @ , this is how they ’ re making it work .

Primary children in Denmark have been back at school for a month now.
It was the first country in Europe to reopen its primary schools, after containing the virus early on. There have been fewer than 550 deaths so far.
Our Europe correspondent Jean Mackenzie has spent the day at the Lynghøj primary school.
From hourly handwashing to small playgroups, this is how they’re making it work.
Produced by Sara Monetta; Camera/editing by Andy Smythe


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus: Up to 100 children affected by rare inflammatory reaction

Up to 100 children in the UK have been affected by a rare inflammatory disease linked to coronavirus , medics say .
Some needed intensive care while others recovered quickly - but cases are extremely rare .
In April , NHS doctors were told to look out for a rare but dangerous reaction in children .
This was prompted by eight children becoming ill in London , including a 14-year-old who died .
Doctors said all eight children had similar symptoms when they were admitted to Evelina London Children 's Hospital , including a high fever , rash , red @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most of the children had no major lung or breathing problems , although seven were put on a ventilator to help improve heart and circulation issues .
Doctors are describing it as a `` new phenomenon '' similar to Kawasaki disease shock syndrome - a rare condition that mainly affects children under the age of five .
Symptoms include a rash , swollen glands in the neck and dry and cracked lips .
But this new syndrome is also affecting older children up to the age of 16 , with a minority experiencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ son had symptoms of rare syndrome' Dr Liz Whittaker , clinical lecturer in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology , at Imperial College London , said the fact that the syndrome was occurring in the middle of a pandemic , suggests the two are linked .
`` You 've got the Covid-19 peak , and then three or four weeks later we 're seeing a peak in this new phenomenon which makes us think that it 's a post-infectious phenomenon , '' she said .
This means it is likely to be something related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection .
Prof Russell Viner , president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health , said the majority of children who have had the condition have responded to treatment and are getting better and starting to go home .
The syndrome is `` exceptionally rare '' , he said .
He said understanding more about the inflammatory disease `` might explain why some children become very ill with Covid-19 , while the majority are unaffected or asymptomatic '' .
Children are thought to make up just 1-2 % of all cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 500 admissions to hospital .
• SCHOOLS : When will children be returning ?
• LOOK-UP TOOL : How many cases in your area ?
• RECOVERY : How long does it take to get better ?
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : What are the symptoms ?
Michael Levin , professor of paediatrics and international child health at Imperial , explained that most of the children tested negative for coronavirus , but tested positive for detection of antibodies .
`` So we really think that the biology of the disease , somehow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , '' he said .
However Prof Levin said there was `` a vast amount to learn '' about the reaction , which had only been known about for two to three weeks .
Children appear to be affected up to six weeks after they have been infected with the virus , which could explain the appearance of the new syndrome several weeks after the peak of UK cases .
There have been similar cases in the US , Spain , Italy , France and the Netherlands .
Child health experts in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something which just affects children .
They are now working with researchers in the US and across Europe to find out more about what they have called paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome or ( PIMS-TS ) .
At least 15 US states are also looking into the rare condition , according to New York governor Andrew Cuomo .
Out of 82 diagnosed cases of the inflammatory syndrome in New York , 53 children tested positive or had antibodies for Covid-19 .
California , New Jersey , Connecticut and Massachusetts are among the other states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) in the US is set to issue an alert and updated definition of the syndrome to healthcare providers this week .

In antibody tests on the children, eight appeared to have already had the coronavirus while the other two had not. But the researchers said the tests were not 100% accurate. Swab tests to detect the virus are not thought to be useful because the reaction tends to occur many weeks after infection.


bbc--2020-05-13--Ex-Trump aide Paul Manafort to serve sentence at home amid virus fears

Ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been released from prison to serve the remainder of his sentence at home due to Covid-19 fears .
He had served a little over a year of a seven-and-a-half year sentence in jail .
Manafort , 71 , was convicted of conspiracy and fraud charges that stemmed from a justice department inquiry into Russian election meddling .
There are over 2,800 confirmed Covid-19 cases among US federal prisoners and 50 deaths .
According to the latest data from the federal Bureau of Prisons ( BOP ) , there are 139,584 federal inmates in federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facilities , plus around 36,000 staff .
According to the BOP , 2,818 inmates and 262 staff have tested positive for coronavirus .
There have not been any confirmed cases of the disease at Manafort 's prison , FCI Loretto in Pennsylvania .
Last month , Manafort 's lawyers sought for his release to home confinement in Northern Virginia , arguing that his `` age and pre-existing health conditions '' put him at high risk for infection in prison .
At the end of March , Attorney General William Barr told the BOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low-risk inmates .
His memo noted `` some offenses , such as sex offenses , will render an inmate ineligible for home detention '' .
In April , Mr Barr directed the BOP to transfer inmates at risk for Covid-19 out of three federal facilities grappling with outbreaks , and told officials to review inmates at other similar facilities where the virus was affecting operations .
The BOP reports 2,471 inmates have been moved to home confinement due to the pandemic since 26 March .
In Pennsylvania , the governor ordered its corrections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be momentarily released .
Though the administration said as many as 1,800 people would be eligible , just 150 have been released as of 12 May , according to state corrections data .
US jails and prisons , both federal and state , have been criticised for their handling of virus outbreaks and advocates continue to call for non-violent inmates to be released .
Critics say prisoners are uniquely at-risk for the disease given overcrowding and unhygienic conditions .
Inmates often lack soap and hand sanitiser is banned due to its alcohol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predicts 100,000 more Covid-19 deaths than current projections `` if jail populations are not dramatically and immediately reduced '' , noting conditions in American facilities are `` substantially inferior '' to other Western nations .
Another ex-Trump aide , the president 's former lawyer Michael Cohen , 53 , is said to be expecting home release from prison in New York later this month .
A number of other high-profile convicts , including financial fraudster Bernie Madoff , 82 , and comedian Bill Cosby , 82 , have also appealed for release due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump 's campaign chairman from June to August 2016 , when he was forced to resign over his previous work in Ukraine .
He was convicted on a range of banking fraud , tax evasion , conspiracy and witness tampering charges from two separate cases relating to his work as a political consultant .
Manafort also agreed to co-operate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller 's investigation in a deal for a possible lighter sentence .
However , just two months later that plea deal collapsed as investigators said Manafort had repeatedly lied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in March 2019 and his prison term was to have ended in 2024 .

According to the latest data from the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), there are 139,584 federal inmates in federal custody, and another 11,235 in community facilities, plus around 36,000 staff. According to the BOP, 2,818 inmates and 262 staff have tested positive for coronavirus.


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus: Tesla stand-off eases as officials reach deal

Officials in California said they may allow Tesla to restart full operations at its US car assembly plant on Monday .
They also said the electric car company had been approved to resume some activities ahead of the re-opening .
The announcement comes after chief executive Elon Musk called staff back to work in defiance of shutdown orders .
Alameda County health officials said the approvals were subject to the firm instituting safety measures for staff and improving virus data .
`` We ... held productive discussions today with Tesla 's representatives about their safety and prevention plans , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department said in a Twitter post overnight on Wednesday .
`` If Tesla 's Prevention and Control Plan includes these updates , and the public health indicators remain stable or improve , we have agreed that Tesla can begin to augment their Minimum Business Operations this week in preparation for possible reopening as soon as next week . ''
The state of California has already eased restrictions to allow manufacturing , but Alameda County , where Tesla 's factory is located , has not .
On Saturday , Mr Musk said the firm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the plant , located in Fremont about an hour south of San Francisco , should stay closed .
Mr Musk , who had earlier described shutdown orders as fascist , also vowed to move the firm 's headquarters out of California if the plant was not allowed to reopen .
• Tesla warning as Musk calls for end to lockdown Tesla did not immediately comment on Wednesday , but around the same time the county issued its update , Musk tweeted : `` Life should be lived . ''
Tesla opened a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is building another outside Berlin , but Fremont is home to Tesla 's headquarters and its primary manufacturing facility .
Pictures of the firm 's car park this week have shown it as being mostly full .
The plant had been closed to all but limited essential operations since 26 March .
The dispute over the Tesla plant is part of the bigger debate in the US about how to re-open the economy .
The discussion has split partly on political lines , with Republicans urging a faster relaxing of restrictions .
US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration had called on authorities in California to allow the firm to re-open .
On Tuesday , Mr Trump tweeted : `` California should let Tesla & Elon Musk open the plant , NOW .
It can be done Fast & Safely ! ''


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus: German contact-tracing app takes different path to NHS

Germany 's forthcoming coronavirus contact-tracing app will trigger alerts only if users test positive for Covid-19 .
That puts it at odds with the NHS app , which instead relies on users self-diagnosing via an on-screen questionnaire .
UK health chiefs have said the questionnaire is a key reason they are pursuing a `` centralised '' design despite privacy campaigners ' protests .
And on Wednesday Chancellor Angela Merkel said there would be a `` much higher level of acceptance '' for a decentralised approach , which is designed to offer a higher degree of anonymity .
Automated contact tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are in close proximity for significant amounts of time .
If someone is later found to have the virus , a warning can be sent to others they may have infected , telling them to get tested themselves and possibly go into quarantine .
In the centralised model , the contact-matching happens on a remote computer server .
And the UK 's National Cyber Security Centre has said this will enable it to catch attackers trying to abuse the self-diagnosis system .
By contrast , the decentralised version carries out the process on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no central database that could be used to re-identify individuals and reveal with whom they had had spent time .
BBC News technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said : `` The NHS is taking a big gamble in choosing to alert app users when they have been in contact with someone who has merely reported symptoms .
`` It could make the app fast and effective - or it could mean users become exasperated by a blizzard of false alarms . ''
Ms Merkel said SAP and Deutsche Telekom - which are co-developing Germany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Apple to release a software interface before they could complete their work .
And BBC News has learned the two US technology companies plan to release the finished version of their API ( application programming interface ) as soon as Thursday .
Details of Germany 's Corona-Warn-App published on the code-sharing site Github say it depends solely on medical test results to `` avoid misuse '' .
Those who test positive will be given a verification code that must be entered into the app before it anonymously flags them as being a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way in testing in Europe and currently has capacity to analyse about 838,000 samples per week .
The UK is catching up - but scientists advising the NHS say they can save more lives by also drawing on self-diagnosis data .
`` Speed is of the essence , '' Prof Christophe Fraser , of the Oxford Big Data Institute , said last week .
It can take several days to obtain Covid-19 test results .
And self-reported symptoms can be acted on instantly .
But an ethics advisory board advising Health Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too many resulting `` false positive alerts could undermine trust in the app and cause undue stress to users '' .
• SCHOOLS : When will children be returning ?
• EXERCISE : What are the guidelines on getting out ?
• THE R NUMBER : What it means and why it matters • LOOK-UP TOOL : How many cases in your area ?
• RECOVERY : How long does it take to get better ?
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : What are the symptoms ?
The NHS is currently trialling its app @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been reports of some suspected false alerts .
But a Department of Health spokeswoman said this had been expected .
`` In a matter of days , more than 50,000 people have downloaded the app with overwhelmingly positive feedback , '' she told BBC News .
`` But as with all new technologies , there will be issues that need to be resolved in how it works , which is why it is being trialled before a national rollout . ''
The NHS is also exploring use of the Apple-Google API , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decentralised model .
But it intends to offer users the centralised version first , unless plans to complete the rollout within a fortnight go awry .
One sticking point could be calls for limits on how the data is used - possibly requiring a new law .
That would avoid the risk of a repeat of the situation in Norway , where the local data protection watchdog has accused the country 's health authority of failing to carry out a proper risk assessment of a centralised contact-tracing app .

If someone is later found to have the virus, a warning can be sent to others they may have infected, telling them to get tested themselves and possibly go into quarantine.


bbc--2020-05-13--Tottenham star held at knifepoint during robbery

Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli was held at knifepoint during a burglary in the early hours of Wednesday morning .
Two men broke into the 24-year-old 's house in north London , where he is spending lockdown with his brother and their respective partners .
Alli was threatened and punched during the incident and suffered minor facial injuries in a scuffle .
Alli has handed CCTV footage to the police .
`` Thank you for all the messages .
Horrible experience but we 're all okay now .
Appreciate the support , '' Alli tweeted on Wednesday night .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police were called at approximately 00:35 BST on Wednesday 13 May to reports of a robbery at a residential address .
`` Two males gained entry to the property and stole items of jewellery , including watches , before fleeing .
`` Two male occupants at the property suffered minor facial injuries after being assaulted .
They did not require hospital treatment .
`` There have been no arrests .
Enquiries into the circumstances continue . ''
In March , the family of Alli 's Spurs team-mate Jan Vertonghen was robbed at knifepoint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duty .

Last updated on .From the section Tottenham
Alli has 37 England caps and was part of his country's squad at the 2018 World Cup in Russia
Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli was held at knifepoint during a burglary in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Two men broke into the 24-year-old's house in north London, where he is spending lockdown with his brother and their respective partners.
Alli was threatened and punched during the incident and suffered minor facial injuries in a scuffle.
The intruders stole items of jewellery including watches.
Alli has handed CCTV footage to the police.
"Thank you for all the messages. Horrible experience but we're all okay now. Appreciate the support," Alli posted on Twitter on Wednesday night. external-link
Spurs added: "We have been offering our support to Dele and those isolating with him. We encourage anyone with any information to help the police with their investigation to come forward."
A Metropolitan Police statement said: "Police were called at approximately 00:35 BST on Wednesday, 13 May to reports of a robbery at a residential address.
"Two males gained entry to the property and stole items of jewellery, including watches, before fleeing.
"Two male occupants at the property suffered minor facial injuries after being assaulted. They did not require hospital treatment.
"There have been no arrests. Enquiries into the circumstances continue."
In March, the family of Alli's Spurs team-mate Jan Vertonghen was robbed at knifepoint while he was away on Champions League duty.


bbc--2020-05-13--Wild horse rescued from bog in Alberta

Wild horse rescued from bog in Alberta

A group of volunteers has helped rescue a horse that was stuck in a deep mud hole with ice around @ @ @ @ @ of Alberta , Canada .
The group had been out looking for new foals when @ @ @ @ @ horse .

A group of volunteers has helped rescue a horse that was stuck in a deep mud hole with ice around the edges in the foothills of Alberta, Canada.
They spent 45 minutes freeing the feral filly.
The group had been out looking for new foals when they discovered the struggling young horse.


bbc--2020-05-13--Stay-at-home protesters clash with city council president in California

A group of protesters went to the home of Fresno 's city council president Miguel Arias .
Video footage shows @ @ @ @ @ .
Mr Arias has been charged with misdemeanor battery .

A group of protesters went to the home of Fresno's city council president Miguel Arias. Video footage shows the scuffle outside his house. Mr Arias has been charged with misdemeanour battery.


bbc--2020-05-13--Why this ICU nurse treating Covid patients could be deported

The US Supreme Court is considering a case that could put hundreds and thousands of people who were brought into the country illegally as children at risk of deportation .
Some of those are healthcare workers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic .
At the beginning of April a long line of police cars snaked slowly around a hospital in Winston-Salem , North Carolina with their blue lights flashing in the bright sun .
It was a tribute , they said , to the healthcare workers risking their lives to treat patients with Covid-19 .
But for Jonathan Vargas Andres , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hospital , these grand gestures feel somewhat empty .
He 's worked in intensive care for four years in the same unit as his wife and brother - who are nurses too - and the past week has seen a spike in cases on the ward .
Jonathan is also undocumented and in the next few weeks he 'll find out whether the country that he 's risking his life to protect will decide to deport him .
`` I try not to think about it because if I think about it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Jonathan says .
`` I 've basically had to zone it out for my own health . ''
He speaks deliberately in a soft , southern drawl .
`` It 's fear more than anything . ''
Jonathan is a recipient of Daca - or the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals .
It 's an Obama-era ruling from 2012 that shielded young people who were brought to the US illegally as children from deportation .
It provided them with work and study permits .
Jonathan came from Mexico when he was 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to end the Daca programme .
The Supreme Court is now considering a series of cases that challenge Trump 's decision and is expected to release its rulings before the end of June on whether stopping the programme was unlawful .
While these cases are pending , Daca recipients are still able to live , work and study in the US .
Any day now Jonathan could be told he no longer has to right to work or live in the United States .
Who are the `` Dreamers '' ?
• In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applicants had to be under 30 and have been in the US since 2007 • They must be in school , have recently graduated or been honourably discharged from the military • Applicants must have a clean criminal record and undergo an FBI background check There are approximately 700,000 Daca recipients in the US .
The Centre for American Progress , a left-wing think tank , estimates that 29,000 of them are frontline healthcare workers - doctors , nurses , paramedics - and a further 12,900 work in other aspects of the healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a calling .
He loves being a nurse despite facing a pandemic just four years into his career .
`` It 's obviously scary when you 're in there , '' he says .
`` You get very , very , very paranoid about what you touch . ''
`` But you kind of have to put that in the back of your mind because you 're in there to try to help these people .
It 's not about you . ''
His hospital has just enough personal protective equipment ( PPE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which does make him nervous .
But what 's even harder , he says , is having to watch people die alone .
• What is this Dreamer debate all about ?
`` It 's very sad , very depressing to see families having to say their last goodbyes through an iPad , '' he says .
`` It 's not just stressful but emotionally draining . ''
At least on the ward there is solidarity though he sometimes feels like he 's living a double life .
`` When I go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-workers , they do n't know about my status , '' he says .
`` But then I go back home and realise that , you know , I 'm living under the radar . ''
`` You do n't even know if anything that you 're doing to help your country is going to be appreciated .
And in a couple months , you might be deported . ''
Jonathan was born in Mexico , in a small town near Puebla in 1990 .
His father drove a bus for a living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He remembers the house they lived in , it had no windows , a dirt floor , no running water .
His father left for the US first in 2000 and sent for his family two years later .
Together with his brother and his mother , he crossed the river separating Mexico and the US and walked across the desert , entering the US without permission .
Until 2012 , the whole family lived under the radar .
As undocumented children they could attend public school but not public university , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When he finished high school he worked odd jobs .
He was fixing tyres in a tyre shop when the Daca programme was announced .
`` It was life changing , '' he says .
`` I do n't know how else to describe it .
Knowing that I was going to be able to have a chance to work legally and have the possibility to go to school [ university ] . ''
He had been in the US for ten years by that point and , though he says he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the paperwork to prove it .
When Daca happened he and his brother immediately tried to sign up for the military but they were rejected because of their citizenship status .
They took their desire to serve and went into nursing instead .
'Go back across the river' Though he loves the work , the past four years have been an anxious time .
Jonathan has started clenching his jaw in his sleep .
Sometimes he does it so much that the joint swells and it hurts to eat or talk .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I 've been dealing with this stress since 2015 when Donald Trump announced that he was running for president and the first thing he did was attack Mexicans . ''
`` It became a very , very real when he took office . ''
Since then he says he 's felt more animosity directed towards him and has experienced overt racism .
He believes some people now feel an entitlement to display bigotry .
He describes an incident outside his gym before the lockdown , in which a man shouted racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back across the river '' because he parked incorrectly .
Jonathan got married two years ago and his wife is an American citizen .
He 's applying for a green card but it 's not a given .
His illegal entry as a child could count against him .
If an undocumented child does n't leave the US within a year of turning 18 they take legal responsibility for their entry .
And if the Supreme Court decision halts the Daca programme he could lose his right to work .
Jonathan is trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the decision goes against him .
He says he wo n't go to Mexico - he does n't believe the nursing profession is valued there - but he and his brother have been researching moving to Canada .
He would have to leave his parents and his life of the past 18 years behind .
He 's currently studying part-time for a further qualification in nursing , he may have to quit that too .
Though the fear of Covid-19 and the Supreme Court decision hang over him every day , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dark blue hospital clothes .
`` Sometimes I feel as if my scrubs or uniform that I wear for work is some type of camouflage , '' he says .
`` People see me wearing scrubs and they assume I 'm one of the 'good ones ' or that I am here legally . ''
`` But as soon as I change into regular [ clothes ] there 's no way for them to know I 'm a nurse so I happen to become a wetback like they assume about everyone else who @ @ @ @

His father left for the US first in 2000 and sent for his family two years later. They tried to get visas but were denied. Then with his brother and his mother, he crossed the river separating Mexico and the US and walked across the desert, entering the US without permission.


bbc--2020-05-13--Ahmaud Arbery: What do we know about the case?

Ahmaud Arbery was jogging in February when he was confronted by Gregory and Travis McMichael .
Mr Arbery was fatally shot during the encounter .
Now , over two months later , the pair have been arrested .
Here 's what we know about the case .
What 's the status of the investigation ?
Gregory , 64 , and Travis McMichael , 34 , are in the custody of the Glynn County Sheriff 's Department .
They were detained by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ( GBI ) on 7 May .
The GBI has said the investigation is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A neighbour who filmed a video of the confrontation , William Bryan , is also under investigation .
On May 11 Georgia appointed a new lead prosecutor in the case - district attorney Joyette Holmes - the fourth since Mr Arbery was killed .
Her predecessor had called for a grand jury , but they can not convene until Covid-19 restrictions ease in June .
In the afternoon on 23 February , Mr Arbery was out for a jog in the coastal city of Brunswick .
At one point , he entered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resident , Gregory McMichael , told police he believed Mr Arbery resembled the suspect in a series of local break-ins .
Police have said no reports were filed regarding these alleged break-ins .
Gregory McMichael and his son , Travis , armed themselves with a pistol and a shotgun and pursued Mr Arbery in a pickup truck through the neighbourhood .
According to the elder Mr McMichael , he and his son had said `` stop , stop , we want to talk to you '' .
He said Mr Arbery then attacked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's family have said the 25-year-old was unarmed .
Three shots were fired and Mr Arbery fell down on the street .
An autopsy report showed Mr Arbery had two gunshot wounds in his chest , and a gunshot graze wound on the inside of one of his wrists .
He did not have drugs or alcohol in his system .
Why did the arrest take so long ?
The delay is in part tied to prosecutor turnover : the case is currently on its third , Tom Durden .
Two local district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the elder Mr McMichael .
Officials have also publicly disagreed over whether there were orders to not arrest the pair .
Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson - whose office initially handled the case - has been accused by two county commissioners of not allowing police to arrest the McMichaels immediately after the shooting .
Mr McMichael had been previously employed by her office .
But Ms Johnson has denied the claim , and said no prosecutors in her office told law enforcement not to arrest them .
She blamed local police for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second district attorney involved , Waycross Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill , had told police he believed the father and son had used citizen 's arrest rights in confronting the jogger , and that as a result there were no grounds for arrest .
Mr Barnhill recused himself , citing concerns raised by the victim 's mother over his ties to Mr McMichael .
Mr Arbery 's family have criticised prosecutors ' handling of the case as a `` cover-up '' .
Atlanta Attorney General Chris Carr has now formally requested the GBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district attorneys who first handled the case before charges were filed .
A former star high school football player , his father said he often exercised in the area .
His family has described him as a good , generous young man with a big heart .
He would have turned 26 this month .
When Mr Arbery was in high school , he received five years probation for a first-time weapons charge and in 2018 , was convicted of probation violation for shop lifting according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper .
Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case .
What are McMichael 's ties to local law enforcement ?
He also worked as an investigator for the local district attorney for years and had retired in 2019 .
What are the two videos in the case ?
The first video surfaced publicly on 5 May .
The 36-second clip was filmed from a vehicle following Mr Arbery .
It shows Mr Arbery jogging , and approaching a stationary pickup truck which is ahead of him on the road .
He tries to bypass the truck and then is seen struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There is muffled shouting and three gunshots are heard .
A second man is standing in the bed of the pickup .
The second man is then shown with a pistol standing alongside the other armed man with the jogger no longer in view .
On 10 May another video emerged , showing a man believed to Mr Arbery at a home construction site shortly before the shooting .
In the footage from a surveillance camera , a black man in a white T-shirt walks onto the site and is seen looking around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jogging down the street .
Lee Merritt , an attorney for Mr Arbery 's family , said in a statement that it was Mr Arbery in the clip , and that it confirms the young man was out for a jog and did nothing illegal .
Police are investigating William Bryan , who filmed the first video .
Mr Bryan , along with the two McMichael 's , appeared to have been following Mr Arbery `` in hot pursuit '' , according to a memo by Mr Barnhill .
However , Mr Bryan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` had nothing to do with it '' and was in `` complete shock '' .
He did not answer questions on why he was there or why he started recording , but his lawyer said : `` My client was responding to what he saw , which was someone in the community he did n't know being followed by a vehicle he recognised . ''
What do we know about the burglary claims ?
Around the time of the incident , a number of emergency calls were made , CBS News has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said a black man was seen at a home under construction .
When asked if the man was breaking in , the caller replied `` No , it 's all open , it 's under construction . ''
The caller then said that the man was `` running down the street '' .
The dispatcher says `` I just need to know what he was doing wrong .
Was he just on the premises and not supposed to be ? ''
and the caller replies : `` He 's been caught on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It 's kind of an ongoing thing out here . ''
The owner of the home that was under construction told CNN that , while his CCTV captured four short clips of a man that appeared to be Mr Arbery `` trespassing '' on his properly on 23 February , he had not reported any crime to the police .
`` I do n't want it to be put out and misused and misinterpreted for people to think that I had accused Mr Arbery of stealing or robbery , because I never did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show only one burglary report in the neighbourhood between 1 January and 23 February , US media report .
That incident involved a gun being reported stolen from a pickup truck outside the home of Travis McMichael on 1 January .
What do the McMichaels say ?
The McMichaels have not issued a statement to US media .
It remains unclear if they are represented by an attorney at this time .
But in their account to police , Mr McMichael alleges the jogger attacked his son in the road after they tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acted out of self-defence .
What does Arbery 's family say ?
His parents said the arrest of the McMichaels was a relief , but they have expressed a distrust of local law enforcement .
His mother , Wanda Cooper Jones , told PBS News : `` I honestly think that if we did n't get national attention to it , my son 's death would have actually been a cover-up . ''
Benjamin Crump , a lawyer for the family , has asked for the same justice for Mr Arbery if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had attacked an unarmed white man .
`` We know beyond a shadow of a doubt they would 've been arrested on day one , '' Mr Crump said .
Under the citizen 's arrest law , an individual can detain someone they have seen committing a serious crime and if the suspect is trying to escape .
Local media note that the law does not always allow deadly force in carrying out an arrest - that 's limited to self-defense or times where it is absolutely necessary to prevent certain serious crimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
While Georgia is one of four states that has no hate crime statutes , the federal government can file those charges .
The Department of Justice ( DOJ ) on Monday said its civil rights division , the FBI , and the US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia have been supporting the state investigation .
`` We are assessing all of the evidence to determine whether federal hate crime charges are appropriate , '' spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said .
Georgia 's Attorney General Chris Carr has also asked the department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The DOJ said on Monday it has requested Mr Carr send any information he has to federal authorities .
The case has also prompted members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus to renew calls for a state hate crime law .

Police bodycam footage showed the encounter with officers, who said he was in a car in an area known for drug use. He said he was on his day off from work. The taser malfunctioned and he was allowed to leave on foot.


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus: France's boom city Toulouse shaken by pandemic

As you head up the motorway from the Mediterranean to Toulouse , there is a big sign outside the city that shows an aircraft and orbiting satellites and the words in bold letters : `` Toulouse , capital of the aerospace industry . ''
Until Covid-19 struck , most of the sector was booming .
Now it 's reeling as airlines have no idea when they can resume flights or when they will require new planes .
France 's fourth city has seen relatively few cases of coronavirus and yet suddenly it is looking vulnerable to the fallout of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no exaggeration : • Plane-maker Airbus , which makes around half of the world 's big commercial aircraft , has its headquarters here with around 26,000 employees • Europe 's two key satellite-makers Thales Alenia and Airbus Space are here too • Nearly 3,000 people work for the state-run French Space Agency • Hundreds manufacture the fuel that launch the Ariane rockets that carry satellites into space .
Include all the supply chain manufacturers and around 90,000 people are employed in the region 's aerospace sector .
Such is the concern for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Toulouse 's fate may resemble that of Detroit , the US city once synonymous with the car industry .
Alain Brault , an aerospace engineer here since 1991 , now works from home and is unsure about his long-term future .
The industry has faced crises in the past but nothing like this , he says .
Hundreds of British expats are based in Toulouse working for Airbus .
Roger , an engineer in his mid-50s , says he will probably scrape through to retirement , but he is relieved his son has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prof Marc Ivaldi from the highly regarded Toulouse School of Economics rejects the comparison with Detroit .
US car manufacturers uprooted factories to build more cheaply and efficiently elsewhere , he says , whereas in Toulouse a virus , not economics , has brought the aviation industry to a temporary halt .
• Air France 'must cut domestic flights to get aid' However , he accepts the industry will have to adapt as fewer people fly for business in the future .
Is this the end of the Toulouse boom years ?
Toulouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the colour of the local brick used to build the historic city centre .
On summer evenings the view is achingly beautiful when the sun bounces off the buildings creating a rose glow .
For the past decade it has also been France 's fastest-growing city .
Its population of around 900,000 , including the suburbs , has been expanding by between 1 % and 2 % a year - with newcomers attracted by the quality of life and job opportunities .
According to government statistics , skilled people from Paris aged 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of new arrivals .
It 's too early to say whether that trend has come to a sudden halt .
Toulouse has also long been synonymous with rugby and rich food , from foie gras to cassoulet and sausage .
In the famous Victor Hugo food market during normal times you would find evidence of both .
Toulouse are current reigning French rugby champions but did n't get a chance to defend their title as the season was cancelled just over half-way through .
Before games , supporters would huddle at the various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trombone bands known as bandas whipping everyone into a frenzy .
Since March those bars have been closed .
One of the best-known meat stalls in the market belongs to the Garcias .
Three generations of the same family have been raising their own black pigs fed on acorns .
The youngest , Loïc , told me they had lost 60 % of their business .
Restaurants have closed and the virus has made business owners and shoppers jumpy .
Nevertheless , he says , his customers in the city centre and well-to-do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eat good , locally produced quality food and have the income to do so .
Not so confident is Marc Péré , mayor of L'Union , one of the prosperous suburban towns that ring Toulouse .
Around 500 of his 11,000 constituents work in the aerospace sector - just like him .
Most are well-paid and 80 % own their own home .
His fear is whether or not they can hold on to their jobs .
Then there is the possible ripple effect on local shops and restaurants , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locally .
A city of both rich and poor While Toulouse has lived well from the aerospace industry , a few kilometres from the centre are some of the poorest housing estates in southern France .
Tens of thousands of people from mainly North African immigrant backgrounds live in tower blocks with high double-digit youth unemployment .
Until now , the aerospace sector has provided a ticket out of poverty for many residents here , including youths who dropped out of school too early .
• Aerospace industry 'will take years ' to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of jobs with long-term training and placement programmes on the aircraft factory lines .
Its president , Jean-Marc Thomas , a former head of Airbus France , says there is no doubt that second chances for young people will become much harder .
Looking to the future Before the current crisis Toulouse was going through a facelift to attract new business and tourism .
A key arterial route in the city was turned into an avenue inspired by La Rambla in Barcelona .
A vast , business and residential neighbourhood around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including a transformed new skyline .
The mayor chose an American architect , involved in the new World Trade Center design , to build a sleek futuristic tower as a symbol of the city 's new look .
Not everyone is convinced it will ever be built or even should be .
Meanwhile , a public-private incubator called Aerospace Valley is bringing together 850 aviation and high-tech businesses in an attempt to branch out .
Its president , Yann Barbaux , accepts Toulouse has become too dependent on one industry and says they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artificial intelligence and new energy sources .
The irony is that Toulouse and the south-west of France in general was one of the regions least impacted by coronavirus .
Patients were flown down from eastern France as its hospitals had hundreds of beds free .
And yet the repercussions of the pandemic could hit the city hard .
Chris Bockman is the author of Are you the foie gras correspondent ?
Another slow news day in south-west France .

Until Covid-19 struck, most of the sector was booming. Now it's reeling as airlines have no idea when they can resume flights or when they will require new planes. France's fourth city has seen relatively few cases of coronavirus and yet suddenly it is looking vulnerable to the fallout of the pandemic.


bbc--2020-05-13--Coronavirus and Antarctica: 'Isolated within isolation'

It 's cut off from the rest of the world for months at a time - and there 's not been a single case of coronavirus .
So why are the research teams at Antarctica following isolation rules to combat the virus when it 's probably not even on the continent ?
`` A case of Covid-19 here could be disastrous .
So we are taking lockdown measures , too .
It feels like we are isolated within the isolation .
Prevention is much better than the cure , '' That 's Pradeep Tomar - a medical doctor on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in Antarctica .
He is five months into a year-long deployment to the station .
And if Covid-19 reached an Antarctic research base , it could be devastating .
There 's nowhere else to go , medical facilities are limited - and the likelihood of spreading it to others would be high .
And so despite being on the only continent without any cases of coronavirus , the 23-strong team at the facility has been on lockdown since February .
Anyone coming to Antarctica is now quarantined for 14 days .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Antarctica , they must be isolated immediately , alongside anyone they 've had contact with .
There are 29 countries with bases in Antarctica .
And before lockdown started , there would be regular visits to Bharati from neighbouring expeditions .
The visitors ' national flag would be raised for their arrival .
The different teams would celebrate important national days together .
And if one of the bases needed equipment they did not have to hand , they would borrow it from their neighbours .
`` This level of harmony among nations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Dr Tomar says .
But he has not seen anyone from another facility since the beginning of March , when joint activities were paused .
When Dr Tomar arrived at Bharati , on 15 November 2019 , to study the psychological effects of a polar expedition on the researchers , the world was much the same as it had always been .
Now , he says , there is a constant anxiety on the site , fuelled by the lack of information about coronavirus - and constant worrying about their families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues have only a vague idea of what the global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns entail .
He is relying on friends and family for updates .
And some consequences of the social distancing he is struggling to imagine at all .
`` Friends have been telling me that they are surviving in a situation like ours , isolated and glued at home , '' he says .
`` It is beyond my imagination to realise the entire world going out with their masks on . ''
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With quarantine measures in place around the world , travelling to and from the base and others may become difficult .
And it could mean scientists will have to stay for many more months longer than they expected in the cold and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hills , overlooking the Southern Ocean , the Bharati base , which started operations in 2012 , is one of the remotest research outposts on the planet .
The nearest mainland is South Africa , more than 5,000km ( 3,000 miles ) away .
The only transport is by boat - and then only in the Antarctic summer , between November and the end of March .
Those in such an inhospitable place are uniquely aware of how people cope with lockdown .
You may also be interested in : • 'Nobody told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 've done the blame game , isolation is my life for a year' • ' I 've gone from being a photographer to being a farmer' Everyone works from `` home '' for the duration of their stay at the facility .
There are no shops .
There is no option for a casual stroll .
Outside , the threat is the temperature dropping as low as -40C .
All the team at Bharati received comprehensive training before they arrived , to learn how to mentally and physically survive Antarctic winters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sunlight puts them at risk of developing depression .
And on a continent that spends many winter months with no sunlight at all , maintaining a regular sleep pattern can be difficult .
`` We encourage people to practise good sleep hygiene here , '' Dr Tomar says .
When Dr Tomar arrived , he was wary of the dangers of the Antarctic landscape .
`` There is a constant threat to life when you are here , '' he says .
`` Vast sheets of ice are packed with hidden crevices to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is more fearful for the people at home .
The world as Dr Tomar knows it could change beyond recognition during his year on the frozen continent .
While he had been trained for the social isolation , compatriots at home have not .
`` I truly wish I could serve my country in this time of need , '' he says .
`` Nobody has ever witnessed something like the ongoing crisis .
I hope to see the same world again when we go home . ''

When Dr Tomar arrived at Bharati, on 15 November 2019, to study the psychological effects of a polar expedition on the researchers, the world was much the same as it had always been. Now, he says, there is a constant anxiety on the site, fuelled by the lack of information about coronavirus - and constant worrying about their families back home.


bbc--2020-05-13--Somalia's coronavirus khat bans leaves chewers in a stew

Flights carrying the mild stimulant khat have been banned from entering Somalia , leaving chewers of the leaves in a stew , write the BBC 's Mary Harper and Bella Hassan .
In normal times , around midday , when the bunches of fresh leaves arrive in Somalia 's capital , Mogadishu , by plane from Kenya , men disappear from view , lounging in khat kiosks or chewing at home .
The leaf , also known as miraa , acts as a stimulant , sending users into a frenzy of excited chatter .
Business deals are made and broken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In March , the government of Somalia banned international flights , including khat planes , as part of its efforts to contain coronavirus .
When it imposed a lockdown , it forbade people from gathering together to chew their beloved leaves as this would break social distancing rules .
Officials warned that because khat is picked by hand it could help spread Covid-19 .
But the stimulant is still finding its way into the country .
Some comes in by road from Ethiopia .
Some is transported by boat from Kenya , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have lost their livelihoods .
The situation is especially grave in central Meru county , the heartland of khat farming in Kenya .
The chairman of the Nyambene Miraa Traders ' Association , Kimathi Munjuri , said members of his organisation exported about $ 250,000 ( £200,000 ) worth of khat a day to the Somali capital , Mogadishu .
About half-a-million farmers cultivate the stimulant in the Horn of Africa ; many will be hit hard by the ban .
Although most khat sellers in Somalia have nothing to trade , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Before Covid-19 , we got fresh leaves from Kenya , '' says a woman who sells khat in Mogadishu .
`` Now we get it illegally from the port city of Kismayo , and because it is so limited , we can push up the price .
I used to sell one kilo of leaves for about $ 20 to $ 25 .
Now I sell it for $ 120 .
This ban has been very good for us . ''
`` A man without khat is like a fish out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a committed chewer in Mogadishu .
`` I have to have my fix , no matter what .
But I can not afford the exorbitant prices , so I am going quietly mad . ''
`` I have stopped consuming khat because of the crazy prices , '' says another chewer , Hassan Abdiwali .
`` Some of my friends have started using other substances like illegal drugs or homemade alcohol .
Others have started to rob so they can afford to buy khat .
For us khat lovers , this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in . ''
The leaf is very popular among the security forces , whose pay is far too low for them to afford the current prices .
There have been reports that some police and soldiers are stealing phones and money to pay for khat .
The stimulant is especially popular in the self-declared republic of Somaliland , where it has also been temporarily banned because of coronavirus .
The authorities say it makes social distancing impossible and that they will reassess the situation after the Islamic holy month Ramadan .
Most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Ethiopia .
Trucks piled high with bunches of leaves race in , horns blaring , to make sure the delivery is fresh on arrival .
Vehicles caught under the current ban are confiscated .
Any khat that is found is burned .
Many of Somaliland 's major dealers have agreed to the ban , saying people 's health is more important than anything .
But some sneaks into the territory , also fetching sky-high prices .
`` I expected some people to try to smuggle khat into the territory during the suspension @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Muse Bihi .
`` But I did not expect more than 30 % of the population to be so addicted to it that they would do anything they could to get their hands on it . ''
You may also be interested in : • The Somali 'king of oud ' who was felled by coronavirus Some people are delighted with the ban , especially anti-khat campaigners like Abukar Awale .
`` The ban is a blessing from the skies .
There is less domestic violence , less divorce and wives are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money on their families , not the drug , '' he says .
`` Productivity is increasing because men can no longer spend six hours a day wasting their time chewing khat .
If Somalia wants to rise again , it should use the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on that awful drug for the development of the country , '' he adds .
Mr Awale says khat also damages people 's health .
It can damage teeth and there are concerns of a possible link to mouth cancer .
Some doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and psychosis , although a Home Affairs Select Committee in the UK , where the stimulant was banned in 2014 and labelled a class C drug , said there was no evidence of a direct link between khat and psychosis .
Mr Awale hopes the ban will last forever .
But this is unlikely .
Previous bans on khat flights from Kenya have not lasted .
There is a strong pro-khat lobby in Somalia .
It is unlikely politicians will outlaw the drug as it is such a central part of the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of those in powerful positions are not averse to a lively chewing session themselves .

"Before Covid-19, we got fresh leaves from Kenya," says a woman who sells khat in Mogadishu. "Now we get it illegally from the port city of Kismayo, and because it is so limited, we can push up the price. I used to sell one kilo of leaves for about $20 to $25. Now I sell it for $120. This ban has been very good for us."