bbc--2020-07-27--Naya Rivera: Glee star's ex-husband Ryan Dorsey posts emotional tribute

Naya Rivera 's ex-husband has posted an emotional tribute to her on social media , saying there is a `` hole left in everyone 's hearts '' after her death .
The Glee actress died of accidental drowning , officials in California said after a post-mortem examination earlier this month .
The 33-year-old was best known for playing cheerleader Santana Lopez in the US musical comedy-drama TV series .
She went missing during a boat trip with her four-year-old son Josey .
Rivera 's son was found asleep on board the boat at Lake Piru .
He later told police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returned .
Actor Ryan Dorsey , who was married to Rivera for four years from 2014 , has now spoken publicly about her death for the first time .
Writing on Instagram , he said : `` This is so unfair ... there 's not enough words to express the hole left in everyone 's hearts .
`` I ca n't believe this is life now .
I do n't know if I 'll ever believe it .
You were just here ... We were just in the back swimming with Josey the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fair .
`` I do n't know what to say…I 'm thankful for our times and our journey that brought us together and gave us the sweetest and kindest smart little boy we could ever hope for , '' he added .
`` Life is all about good times and bad times but with Josey it makes the bad a little less so because a part of you will always be with us .
He 'll never forget where he came from . ''
• Look back at the life of Glee star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Glee was important to LGBT women The star 's sister Nickayla Rivera has also publicly mourned their loss via Instgram , saying she will miss her `` every second of my life '' .
`` There are no words to describe my love for you , '' she wrote .
`` Side by side or miles apart , our connection is infinite .
Our bond is unbreakable .
We were complete opposites , yet simultaneously the same .
The yin to my yang .
I never knew that by losing you , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ myself .
``  She added : `` I 've never known a life without you in it & still ca n't imagine it .
My world is turned upside down .
But through it all , everything we were , we are still .
I 'll always look at you with the same eyes as I did when I was young .
`` My shmaya , I 'll love you for eternity and miss you every second of my life . ''
The actress 's death prompted an outpouring of love and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US musical comedy-drama series .
`` She was so independent and strong and the idea of her not being here is something I can not comprehend , '' wrote Kevin McHale , who played Artie Abrams on the show .
Jane Lynch , who portrayed cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester , added : `` Rest sweet , Naya .
What a force you were .
Love and peace to your family . ''
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She added: "I've never known a life without you in it & still can't imagine it. My world is turned upside down. But through it all, everything we were, we are still. I'll always look at you with the same eyes as I did when I was young.


bbc--2020-07-27--Harry Harris: US envoy to South Korea shaves off controversial moustache

The US ambassador to South Korea has shaved off his controversial moustache , months after his facial hair sparked a debate about the country 's colonial past .
Harry Harris , a retired navy admiral , had his facial hair removed at a barbershop in the capital Seoul .
He said he did so to keep cool during the summer while wearing a face mask in compliance with Covid-19 rules .
`` I feel so much cooler now , '' Mr Harris said in a video showing the shave .
Mr Harris 's moustache had drawn criticism for its associations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 1910 to 1945 .
Earlier this year South Korean commentators and politicians said Mr Harris 's facial hair evoked painful memories of the colonial era because it was reminiscent of the moustaches worn by Japan 's governor-generals .
Mr Harris has been ambassador to South Korea since 2018 , during a time of strained relations .
South Korea is a key military and economic partner .
The US stations 28,500 troops in South Korea as part of a security alliance to deter aggression from North Korea , which invaded the country in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tensions by urging South Korea to spend more on its military and take a different approach to its relations with neighbouring North Korea .
In the context of these disputes , Mr Harris 's moustache - and his Japanese heritage - became more controversial .
In December last year , the Korea Times newspaper said Mr Harris 's moustache `` has become associated with the latest US image of being disrespectful and even coercive toward Korea '' .
World War Two-era Japanese military leaders such as Hideki Tojo , Sadao Araki and Shunroku @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of moustache .
But scholars say the moustache was a common style worn by a number of regional leaders at the time , including Chiang Kai-shek , leader of China 's nationalist government between 1928 and 1949 .
Mr Harris , the son of a US Navy officer and a Japanese woman , suggested the criticism of his moustache stemmed from his heritage .
`` My moustache , for some reason , has become a point of some fascination here , '' Mr Harris said .
`` I have been criticised in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because of my ethnic background , because I am a Japanese-American . ''
Mr Harris , who was clean-shaven for most of his 40-year naval career , told the Korea Times he had decided to grow the moustache to mark his `` new life as a diplomat '' .
The moustache , he told the paper , would remain unless someone convinced him it was `` viewed in a way that hurts our relationship [ with South Korea ] '' .

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bbc--2020-07-26--Terry O'Neill: Capturing celebrity

Terry O'Neill: Capturing celebrity

For more than 60 years , British photographer Terry O'Neill , who died in November 2019 , photographed many of the biggest names from the worlds of film , fashion and music .
A new exhibition at the Maddox Gallery in Gstaad , Switzerland shows off some of his best work , alongside his recollections .
O'Neill was working for the Daily Sketch as their newest photographer when he was assigned to take photos of emerging bands .
`` The papers quickly discovered that a young bunch of musicians on the cover of one of their papers meant the papers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers , '' he recalled .
`` One day , the editor said to me 'there 's a new young band recording at Abbey Road and we want you to go over and take some pictures ' .
`` Well , that band turned out to be The Beatles .
`` I went over to the studio and these four lads - a few years younger than me - were recording Please , Please Me .
`` I did n't like the light at the studio so I said , 'come on then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I can get a better light ' .
I asked them to bring their guitars , so it looked like they were musicians .
Ringo just grabbed his cymbal .
`` These photos are some of the earliest portraits of the band ever to run in the national press .
Not much later , a young kid named Andrew Loog Oldham called me up and said : 'Can you do for my band what you just did for The Beatles ? '
`` That band turned out to be The Rolling Stones .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ busy .
But if his band wanted to meet me in Soho , around Tin Pan Alley , then maybe I could squeeze them in .
`` The first couple of times I hung out with them , I took them around London , making sure there was a recognisable city element in the background .
`` Other times , I 'd just trail them as they went to do television appearances .
Television was really important back then , probably more important than it is now .
`` If you had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was a chance to appear in front of thousands - hundreds of thousands - who would then not only go out and buy your record or new single , but show up to the gigs . ''
`` During breaks between scenes filming Two for the Road , someone set up a beach cricket game .
`` Audrey jumped right in and started to play .
`` These are great shots of not only a beautiful woman , but I hope these portray what she was like off-camera .
She was one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 've ever worked with .
`` She lit up a room and never took a bad picture .
My job was easy - I just had to be there and press the button . ''
Taken in black and white on the set of the 1968 film Lady in Cement , O'Neill 's first encounter with Frank Sinatra was the start of a working relationship that would last nearly 30 years .
In collaboration with digital artist Mariona Vilarós , O'Neill re-worked the image in colour .
`` After that day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He allowed me to become a better photographer by simply letting me do my job .
It was a real honour to work with the man , a privilege .
`` I remember how nervous I was to finally meet Sinatra .
And I remember the colours of the Miami sky and how blue the ocean was . ''
`` I 've known and worked with Michael Caine for practically my entire career - and I count him as one of my closest friends .
We 've had many adventures together - [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been sworn to secrecy .
`` Michael really embodies the characters he plays .
He 's also one of the only actors who can take on a serious role one minute , a thriller the next and then follow up with a comedy .
He 's just incredibly gifted . ''
`` Peter Sellers was a very complicated man .
I knew him really well throughout his life and was with him through the highs and lows of his career , as well as the highs and lows of various relationships .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his and he was certainly a good friend to me .
He just never fully believed in himself and his talent .
He was a gifted actor , comedian , writer and singer , as well as a very good photographer .
`` Our mutual love of photography was what bonded us in the first place .
He was always buying the very latest cameras available . ''
`` People ask me all the time what my favourite Elton John picture is .
And I can never really answer that because Elton graciously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a great picture .
`` But this one really stands out .
It 's his confidence that he developed over time when in front of the camera - my camera - and , of course , the outfit .
This is signature Elton . ''
`` It was the start of summer 1972 and Muhammad Ali was in Dublin , training for a fight against Alvin Lewis .
I flew over to take photographs and interview him for the Daily Express .
`` Ali was great to photograph .
He paid no attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raving about being the greatest .
Or he 'd just sit in a room and say nothing for hours , watching training films of himself .
`` He just created a stir - you knew when Ali was in the room .
When you talk about legends and what defines that term , he had it . ''
Faye Dunaway , the morning after her Oscar win , March 1977 '' I was asked by one of the magazines to take a photo of the winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win an Oscar for her performance in Network .
`` I did n't want to take the photo everyone else would take : you know , the one right after - where they look surprised , happy - holding up their shiny new Oscar .
`` I wanted to capture something different .
I wanted to capture the morning after .
`` I explained the idea to Faye and told her , 'listen , if you win , meet me by the pool at dawn .
And bring the Oscar ' .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hills Hotel and I knew the guy who worked the pool .
I asked him to let us in for a few minutes and then arranged the papers and the breakfast tray .
I had it all set when she suddenly appeared , in her dressing gown , Oscar in hand .
`` This photo was just us .
There was no stylists or PR , no lighting or assistants .
And it only took a few moments .
`` A few years later , I married her .
A few years after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She would have fit right in with us back in 1964 .
`` She 's another one where it 's impossible to take a bad photo and that 's why she 's been at the top of her game since she started .
I was lucky enough to be there at the start of her career , to take these portraits .
`` She was delightful to work with .
A real professional with a bit of fun . ''
Terry O'Neill : Every Picture Tells A Story , A Retrospective will run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 30 July - 29 August 2020 .

"She's another one where it's impossible to take a bad photo and that's why she's been at the top of her game since she started. I was lucky enough to be there at the start of her career, to take these portraits.


bbc--2020-07-28--Russell Crowe: Unhinged role reflects on 'rage in Western society'

There 's something highly unusual about Russell Crowe 's latest film : it 's actually being released in cinemas .
Unhinged is the first major new movie to be screened in theatres for several months , after the coronavirus pandemic forced most to close their doors .
As a result , there is now a backlog of films which were due to come out this spring , such as Mulan and Tenet , waiting to be released .
But Crowe 's road rage thriller is the first big new film out of the gate , or `` the canary in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film studio 's president put it recently .
Crowe is confident , however , that film fans are keen to return to theatres .
`` The idea of going to the cinema is something a lot of people are really yearning for , '' the actor tells BBC News .
`` In the movies , all the crazy [ stuff ] happens on the screen , not actually in your life , and that 's a more comfortable position for people to be back to .
`` I know personally , I 'd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , to sit and have that experience and feel that sort of rush when something cool happens on screen . ''
Cinemas have been allowed to open in the UK since 4 July but many have waited until this week , to give them time to train staff and put adequate cleaning measures in place .
Crowe says their re-opening is a major step forward in the return to normality .
`` We want to be able to take control of things and make decisions , about something even as normal as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
`` Right now , you 've just got to rely on the fact that exhibitors and local governments are making a series of rules and observations about how we can do things safely . ''
Unhinged tells the story of a man who massively overreacts when a woman rudely honks her horn at him .
The man , clearly unbalanced , becomes hell-bent on revenge , sparking a deadly game of cat-and-mouse .
At 90 minutes long , the film does n't outstay its welcome , and it 's the kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world of cinema .
It would be easy to think that , for an experienced actor like Crowe , a role like this would be a walk in the park , as his character only has one central emotion - pure anger .
But , he points out : `` The singular nature of that rage , is actually a complicated thing to achieve , because you 're used to coming into the room as an actor , you 've got to bring your bag of tricks , the experience , all these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread this gigantic tapestry up .
`` With this guy , you do n't get the opportunity to use any of those parts of you , that humanity , that sense of humour , charm .
To utilise those aspects would be to really undercut what the movie is trying to do .
There is no rationale behind this character 's actions . ''
Crowe 's reason for taking on the role was because it tapped into a certain anger or selfishness which , he feels , has become the default position in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realise this type of rage is happening continuously all over the place , that seems to be a place we 've arrived at in Western society , '' he says .
`` For our example it 's a guy using a car as a weapon , but it 's also people stepping into places of worship , schools , nightclubs , and opening fire .
It 's people going crazy in a supermarket over toilet rolls . ''
The coronavirus pandemic saw shoppers fighting over items such as loo rolls and pasta , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando have become tragically common in recent years .
`` What are we seeing ? ''
asks Crowe .
`` And why is it there ?
That 's why it became clear to me that the movie was saying something much more important . ''
Unhinged faced some major obstacles even before the coronavirus pandemic took hold .
The film was shot in New Orleans last year , during hurricane season .
`` All of the road scenes were so challenging , just because of the environmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explains director Derrick Borte .
`` It just made it unlike anything I 've ever done before . ''
The actors and crew experienced two different weather extremes - filming in cars without air conditioning during intense heat on some days , while facing torrential rain on others .
`` On a set , when you have a lightning strike within 10 miles , you have to shut the whole production down for half an hour , '' Borte explains .
`` And if another lightning strikes within that half hour , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you end up losing one to three hours a day , which you do n't get back . ''
He recalls when the first hurricane of the season was headed straight for New Orleans .
`` Even though by the time it struck land it was technically a tropical storm , it still shut down production for a week , '' he says .
`` The road out in front of my apartment had 4ft of water running down the street . ''
And yet , on the hot days , Borte says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` You could n't even consume enough fluid to stay hydrated , '' he says .
`` So at lunch I would get an IV from a physician that would show up , and I 'd get some hydration via a bag of saline , just to be able to go back out to the second half of the day .
`` So it was a really gruelling couple of months down there , and I do n't think it really shows on screen , which is good , but behind-the-scenes it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every single day for us . ''
Of course , Crowe points out , having to ignore external factors while shooting is all part of being an actor .
`` Well man , it 's same old same old when you 're talking to me , '' he laughs .
`` I started in this business when I was six , and I 've been doing feature films since 1989 , so I 'm quite used to , on a day it 's snowing , pretending I 'm having fun frolicking on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crazy [ stuff ] that goes on .
`` I just take my hat off to Derrick , this whole experience for him ...
In this situation you 've got a new studio , a much bigger budget than for his last movie , and you 've got a hurricane , you 've got floods , and you 've got a pandemic in post-production .
So it 's been a very challenging period of time . ''
For the last few months , the only cinema available to the public was drive-ins , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` My first ever movie experience was a drive-in , actually , '' notes Crowe 's co-star Caren Pistorius .
`` Because I grew up in a very small town in the middle of nowhere , and my friend 's mother actually snuck us in the back of this Ute .
And it was just the most magical experience . ''
Pistorius struggles to remember the name of the movie , `` but it was a Jean-Claude Van Damme film , so it was high action and intense ! ''
she laughs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much the film that stuck with me , it was more the experience .
If you 've ever been to a drive-in , it 's pretty incredible .
`` So I have really fond memories of cinema , '' she continues .
`` And yeah of course I 've missed it a lot , and I ca n't wait to go back and share that experience with family and friends , I just hope everybody stays safe in doing so . ''
Unhinged is released in cinemas on Friday 31 July .

And yet, on the hot days, Borte says, temperatures reached 40C (105F). "You couldn't even consume enough fluid to stay hydrated," he says. "So at lunch I would get an IV from a physician that would show up, and I'd get some hydration via a bag of saline, just to be able to go back out to the second half of the day.


bbc--2020-07-27--‘Don’t come back, they’ll kill you for being gay’

For years Mohamed 's family tried to make him more like other boys - tougher , more `` masculine '' .
They even sent him to have a female spirit driven out with hallucinogenic drugs .
Eventually , writes Layla Mahmood , they decided to kill him .
The heat enveloped 20-year-old Mohamed , as he zig-zagged through the alleyways of Hargeisa .
It was around noon , during the summer of 2019 .
The city was asleep for the daily siesta - shops , restaurants and offices were all closed - so it was a perfect time for anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radar .
Mohamed was secretly visiting his boyfriend , Ahmed , an act punishable by imprisonment and sometimes death in Somaliland .
Hargeisa is the capital of the self-declared state of Somaliland , which broke away from Somalia nearly 30 years ago .
The courts enforce Islamic law , Sharia , which deems homosexuality illegal , so LGBT+ Somalis must conceal their sexuality .
They live in fear of being exposed .
For Mohamed , who says he is quite feminine , it was harder to pass as straight than for some others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ romantic encounter behind closed doors , when , to their surprise , Ahmed 's sister unexpectedly entered the room .
She began yelling , waking up the whole house .
Within minutes Mohamed was out of the door and hiding at a friend 's home , where he received a chilling phone call from a well-wisher : `` Do n't come back home , they are preparing to kill you . ''
`` The first time I realised there was something confusing about my sexuality , the desire , the genders that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was four or five years old , '' Mohamed says .
When he was young he shared a room with his older brothers and male cousins .
They would discuss girls at night during pillow talk , and then pointedly ask him , `` So what 's your favourite part of a girl 's body ? ''
`` It was then that I knew I was different , '' he says .
Mohamed gravitated towards makeup and beauty , preferring to spend time with his sisters rather than his brothers .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and after being caught for the third time , his mother felt that she had to do something .
His oldest brother was instructed to teach him certain passages of the Koran and its companion scripture , made up of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad , the Hadith .
Every night Mohamed would be forced to recite : `` God punishes men who make themselves look like women .
And also women who make themselves look like men . ''
`` He told me that I am making God angry .
He 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to go to hell in the afterlife , '' Mohamed says .
`` I was 10 years old , I could n't take it .
I used to wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat screaming : 'Oh help me !
Help me from God , he 's burning me in hell ! '
'' For a while Mohamed attempted to satisfy his family 's wish to behave more like other boys .
`` But at the end of the day , I can not stop something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` And I was young .
When people are young they forget things quickly . ''
Finally , when Mohamed was 12 , his mother sent him to a `` rehabilitation centre '' .
Institutions designed to reform children , teenagers and young adults who are judged to have strayed from Somali values are scattered throughout Hargeisa , and the rest of Somaliland and Somalia .
People are often held in them against their will in harsh and abusive conditions .
According to Mohamed , in many cases they are run by scammers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gain .
Mohamed 's family believed that his effeminate behaviour was a result of being possessed by a female jinn , or evil spirit , so the staff claimed they would drive it out .
They called themselves `` life savers '' , arguing that they were saving their patients from hell .
`` I think it 's the worst place that ever existed , '' Mohamed says .
Mohamed was schooled every day on how to behave like a traditional man .
They taught him how to walk and talk , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other patients - something he would always avoid if he could .
This was accompanied by daily readings of Islamic texts .
On the fourth day , the `` life savers '' started sexually abusing Mohamed .
`` They used to rape me at midnight , and sometimes came in groups , '' Mohamed remembers .
Rape was common in the centre , and was committed both by patients and by staff , he says .
Everyone was crammed together in a large hall with sleeping bags , with ages ranging from 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The staff preached one thing during the day and did the complete opposite at night .
`` They are doing these things because they know that we will never tell anyone , '' he says .
To drive out the jinn , patients were sometimes given a herbal drug called harmala .
Similar to ayahuasca , it induces hallucinations and vomiting with the promise of spiritual enlightenment and cleansing .
But it has been reported that the quantities given in rehabilitation centres often far exceed safe doses , making them lethal - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing that I remember is that I was flying in some place that is full of stars… I do n't know what happened during those days .
I do n't know if I got raped .
I just do n't know anything , '' Mohamed says .
The last time he was given harmala , he came round in hospital .
He says he has had stomach pains ever since .
After being released from the centre , Mohamed learned to hide his sexual orientation for most of his teenage years .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a secret online chat group for gay Somalis .
They found solace with each other behind closed doors .
After Mohamed fled from Ahmed 's house and learned that his family was preparing to kill him , he made urgent plans to flee .
Most countries will not grant Somalis visas unless they fulfil a set of almost impossible standards , for example having tens of thousands of dollars in a bank account .
For those who live in Somaliland it is even more difficult , as only Ethiopia , Djibouti , Kenya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independent state .
There is little option but to spend thousands of dollars on the black market buying counterfeit passports , fake yellow fever vaccination certificates and often visas too .
This was how Mohamed escaped .
A helper obtained the necessary documents within a couple of days , giving him instructions to meet a fixer in front of Hargeisa airport .
He collected them on the day of departure - three days after Ahmed 's sister had burst in and raised the alarm - and then he was off .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It was surreal .
I could n't stop looking out the window , '' he remembers .
His destination was Malaysia , because tourist visas are free on arrival .
But life as a Somali asylum seeker in Malaysia is tough - and there too homosexuality is illegal .
While most asylum seekers live in limbo for years before being recognised as a refugee , Mohamed 's case was fast-tracked and he has been accepted for resettlement .
It could be another year before this happens , though .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insecure ; as Malaysia is not a signatory of the Geneva Convention he does not have the right to support himself by working .
There is also the worry that his family might find him , force him to return to Hargeisa , and murder him .
He can not fully trust other Somali refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia , in case they give him away .
`` There is a hope in me that someday I can go somewhere else - maybe Europe , maybe America , '' Mohamed says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep a low profile , and pray my family does not find me . ''
What happened to Ahmed , he does n't know .
All his attempts to make contact have failed .
All names have been changed You may also be interested in : Angel fled Zimbabwe in fear of her life after police found her in bed with another woman five years ago .
It 's taken most of the time since then for her to convince the Home Office that she is gay and will be persecuted if she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something you spent your life trying to hide ?
'How do I convince the Home Office I 'm a lesbian ? '

While most asylum seekers live in limbo for years before being recognised as a refugee, Mohamed's case was fast-tracked and he has been accepted for resettlement. It could be another year before this happens, though. In the meantime, Mohamed's financial situation is insecure; as Malaysia is not a signatory of the Geneva Convention he does not have the right to support himself by working.


bbc--2020-07-27--Could a headset train your brain to relax?

A trip on London 's underground is rarely a relaxing experience , but the Covid-19 pandemic has added an extra level of anxiety for many .
I 'm off to try out a new technology that promises to train my brain to relax .
Sitting far apart from other passengers in the carriage while wearing a hot surgical mask , I 'm hoping it works .
I 'm meeting Dr Jamil El-Imad who enjoyed a successful career in the computer industry before , in his words , `` getting sucked into neuroscience '' .
The Lebanese-born IT expert knew all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the similarities between data and the way the brain processes information .
Recognising the potential of virtual reality devices he worked on how to use cloud computing techniques to capture and analyse brain signals and create a machine to replicate the meditation experience .
Neuroplasticity , the adaptability of the brain , is the science here .
Neurons , the circuits of the brain , become stronger the more they are exercised .
They are changeable .
And they are individual .
Neurons gripped Dr El-Imad .
He sees our neurons as `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' .
This means that each person needs their own approach to gaining mental resilience .
His innovation was to integrate the technology of the electroencephalogram ( EEG ) , which monitors electrical activity in the brain , with a virtual reality headset .
The combination means that the response of the subject 's brain to images can be measured .
The biofeedback can be analysed instantly using the affordable computer power offered by cloud computing , industrial levels of data processing rented over the internet .
Murali Doraiswamy , professor of psychiatry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Medicine in North Carolina in the US and a former adviser to Dr El-Imad 's company NeuroPro , says that meditation and the whole realm of mindfulness are proven treatments for some conditions .
`` There are many types of mindfulness and it 's not a panacea .
But in the last 30 years mindfulness has gone from fringe science to the mainstream .
It can be as effective as medication in preventing a recurrence of depression .
It wo n't be for everyone , but it can change our outlook .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this system is when the EEG headset is slipped over my forehead .
It 's a semi-circular band containing sensors that transmit wireless signals revealing just what is going on in my brain .
The EEG headset takes feeds from my level of attention and will register when my mind veers off course .
Over multiple sessions this should help subjects to master their own mind and gain more control over their thoughts , which is a definition of mindfulness .
The VR headset is not a bulky helmet .
In fact there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a springy coil that holds it and takes the weight off your head .
Without that weight there 's no sense of enclosure either .
Hearing ethereal pipe music , I see an island floating in space .
Waves lap on a beach and beyond giant Easter Island statues are planted among the rocks and palm trees .
White feathers float on the breeze .
I am told they symbolise freedom and my breathing keeps them floating .
I move on to the beach and find myself on the sand looking towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But a white fog appears in front of me , which ebbs and flows as I try to focus on the faces of the statues .
That sea mist keeps returning to block my view because I 'm losing my focus on the moment , and hence am not sufficiently relaxed .
Focusing on the moment takes some effort .
I 'm hindered by a journalist 's instinct to note events .
Dr El-Imad tells me that our minds wander for 50 % of our waking hours so excluding other thoughts is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statues in sharp definition from time to time and emerge shocked that I was in the machine for five minutes .
It felt like two or three as I narrowed my thoughts on the scene in front of me .
Beside this set-up a laptop screen reflects the signals the EEG captured leaking out of my brain .
It shows areas of my consciousness lighting up .
This data is saved for analytic purposes .
Anonymised and encrypted it can be sent on to neuroscience researchers .
I 'm given a score @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provides a target for improvement .
Dr El-Imad thinks my neurons have behaved pretty well for a first outing , rating 30 % concentration .
The sense of escape that comes with sliding into a floating island vision did dilute the anxiety spurred by my tube journey .
And the hovering Easter Island stage set is just one virtual location option among promised relaxing spots .
Rolling out the Dream Machine to the public should not be expensive .
NeuroPro uses off-the-shelf technology , with VR and EEG hardware costing no more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this service include gyms and fitness centres .
Alternatively , it could be installed in chill-out rooms in corporate offices , relieving employees of anxiety and allowing the company to retain good talent .
This is where Alastair Campbell , former Labour Party communications chief and mental health campaigner , thinks the technology might have a real impact .
Mr Campbell has lectured businesses on the significance of mindfulness and says the corporate world 's view of mental health has changed a lot .
`` We 've underplayed the importance of how employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen a change .
In the City banks now realise that it 's not smart if they invest a lot in someone who then burns out . ''
• The stress of leading a start-up through the pandemic • How to run a conference without a venue • The perfume makers that ca n't smell a thing • Why Hollywood needs computer games more than ever In a service economy protecting employee brainpower through mental health initiatives makes sense , says Mr Campbell .
He 's reserving judgement on the Dream Machine itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything that gets people talking about mental health .
You ca n't spend your life walking around with a Dream Machine on your head but you can train your mind to work differently . ''
The Dream Machine emerged from the mind of a technologist .
But Dr El-Imad concedes that a smartphone society is bad for our brains .
`` We live in an attention-seeking economy , one that distracts us and puts pressure on us .
We are not a multi-tasking species ! ''
So it could be our neurons need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world technology has built .
Mr Campbell agrees .
`` I have to keep reminding myself of the pointlessness of Twitter , of going through your phone all the time . ''

"There are many types of mindfulness and it's not a panacea. But in the last 30 years mindfulness has gone from fringe science to the mainstream. It can be as effective as medication in preventing a recurrence of depression. It won't be for everyone, but it can change our outlook."


bbc--2020-07-28--Indian Matchmaking: The 'cringe-worthy' Netflix show that is a huge hit

A new Netflix show , Indian Matchmaking , has created a huge buzz in India , but many ca n't seem to agree if it is regressive and cringe-worthy or honest and realistic , writes the BBC 's Geeta Pandey in Delhi .
The eight-part docuseries features elite Indian matchmaker Sima Taparia as she goes about trying to find suitable matches for her wealthy clients in India and the US .
`` Matches are made in heaven and God has given me the job to make it successful on Earth , '' says Ms Taparia who claims to be `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the series , she 's seen jet-setting around Delhi , Mumbai and several American cities , meeting prospective brides and grooms to find out what they are looking for in a life partner .
Since its release nearly two weeks back , Indian Matchmaking has raced to the top of the charts for Netflix in India .
It has also become a massive social phenomenon .
Hundreds of memes and jokes have been shared on social media : some say they are loving it , some say they are hating it , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it seems almost everyone is watching it .
The in-your-face misogyny , casteism and coulourism on display have caused much outrage , but also inspired many to introspection .
Ms Taparia , who 's in her 50s and like a genial `` aunty '' to her clients , takes us through living rooms that resemble lobbies of posh hotels and custom-made closets filled with dozens of shoes and hundreds of items of clothing .
`` I speak to the girl or the boy and assess their nature , '' she says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unmarried women and men like most Indians .
`` I visit their homes to see their lifestyle , I ask them for their criteria and preferences . ''
That , though , is mostly with her Indian-American clients - where men and women in their 30s have tried Tinder , Bumble and other dating apps and want to give traditional matchmaking a chance to see if it helps them find love .
The conversations back home in most cases happen with the parents because , as Ms Taparia says , `` in India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the families have their reputations and millions of dollars at stake so parents guide their children '' .
As we progress through the episodes , it 's obvious it 's much more than just guidance .
It 's the parents , mostly mothers of young men , who are in charge , insisting on a `` tall and fair bride '' from a `` good family '' and their own caste .
Ms Taparia then leafs through her database to pull out a `` biodata '' that would make a good fit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and even though instances of couples marrying for love are growing , especially in urban areas , 90 % of all marriages in the country are still arranged .
Traditionally , matchmaking has been the job of family priests , relatives and neighbourhood aunties .
Parents also trawl through matrimonial columns in newspapers to find a suitable match for their children .
Over the years , thousands of professional matchmakers and hundreds of matrimonial websites have joined the hunt .
But what has come as a surprise to many here is that affluent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willing to try `` methods from the past '' and rely on the wisdom of someone like `` Sima aunty '' to find them a match .
Many of them also come with long shopping lists that include caste and religious preferences .
`` As an educated , liberal , middle-class Indian woman who does not view marriage as an essential part of life , I watched Indian Matchmaking like an outsider looking in on an alien world , '' journalist and film critic Anna MM Vetticad told the BBC .
Arranged marriages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practical Indian version of the dating game in the West and to that extent this show can be educational since it does not condescendingly suggest that one is a more modern practice than the other . ''
Ms Vetticad describes Indian Matchmaking as `` occasionally insightful '' and says `` parts of it are hilarious because Ms Taparia 's clients are such characters and she herself is so unaware of her own regressive mindset '' .
But an absence of caveats , she says , makes it `` problematic '' .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marriage as a familial obligation , insisting that `` parents know best and must guide their children '' .
She consults astrologers and even a face reader over whether a match would be auspicious or not , and calls her clients - mostly independent women - `` stubborn '' , telling them to `` compromise '' or `` be flexible '' or `` adjust '' if they are to find a mate .
She also regularly comments on their appearance , including one instance where she describes a woman as `` not photogenic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that critics have called her out on social media for promoting sexism , and memes and jokes have been shared about `` Sima aunty '' and her `` picky '' clients .
Some have also criticised the show for glossing over how the process of arranged marriages has scarred many women permanently .
One woman described on Twitter how she felt like chattel being paraded before prospective grooms and the show brought back painful memories .
`` The whole process of bride viewing is so demeaning for a woman because she 's being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sized up , '' Kiran Lamba Jha , assistant professor of sociology at Kanpur 's CSJM university , told the BBC .
`` And it 's really traumatic for her when she is rejected , sometimes for trivial reasons like skin colour or height , '' Prof Lamba Jha added .
On the show , one Indian mother tells Ms Taparia that she has been receiving lots of proposals for her son but had rejected them all because either the girl was `` not well educated '' or because of her `` height @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reveals he has rejected 150 women .
The show does not question these prejudices but , as some point out , what it does do is hold up a mirror - a disturbing reminder of patriarchy and misogyny , casteism and colourism .
And , as writer Devaiah Bopanna points out in an Instagram post , that is where its true merit lies .
`` Is the show problematic ?
Reality is problematic .
And this is a freaking reality show , '' he writes .
`` Reality is not 1.3 billion woke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech .
In fact , I would have been offended if Sima Aunty was woke and spoke about choice , body positivity and clean energy during matchmaking .
Because that is not true and it is not real . ''

But what has come as a surprise to many here is that affluent, successful, independent Indian-Americans are also willing to try "methods from the past" and rely on the wisdom of someone like "Sima aunty" to find them a match. Many of them also come with long shopping lists that include caste and religious preferences.


bbc--2020-07-28--Coronavirus: How it turned the tables on Ghana's diaspora

In our series of letters from African writers , journalist and former Ghana government minister Elizabeth Ohene writes about how the prospect of living abroad has lost its attraction in the time of coronavirus .
We used to say here in Ghana , half in jest , half in truth , that you can find a Ghanaian in every country in the world .
I 've heard of Ghanaians in Greenland , Iceland and Papua New Guinea .
I admit , I have n't heard about a Ghanaian in the Faroe Islands , which is my idea of the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would n't be surprised if one of us is there .
From the middle of the 1970s through to the end of the 1990s , circumstances had conspired to turn us into a travelling people .
Over the past 20 years we have continued to do it , not because the things that used to drive us away still exist , but simply because it has become a habit and our minds are tuned that way .
The middle classes now try to send their pregnant wives to deliver babies in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steal to send their children to universities in the US and UK and encourage the children to stay on after completing school .
Then there are the adventurers among us who have always taken off to go and try their luck and seek fortunes wherever is said to be the current land of gold .
No credible statistics exist on exactly how many Ghanaians there are in various countries around the world , never mind what they are doing there .
Some of them , of course , are thriving where they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are many of them who , it is widely understood , are living `` under the radar '' and trying to `` regularise '' their paperwork and so do not advertise the fact they are Ghanaians .
They might be trying to live unnoticed , but we know they are there .
Through holding down two or three jobs , they send the odd $ 100 to help with a mother 's food bills .
It is a badge of honour to say you have a relation abroad and we bend over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes to making arrangements for funerals and attendant ceremonies .
Those among them who can travel , that is those who have `` regularised '' their visa situations , usually plan and make the 10-day or two-week trip to Ghana to catch up with friends and family , typically over the Christmas period .
When they are here , they behave as one does on holidays and splash money around ; no-one hears about them having a hard life over there , and we see them as success stories .
They are an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and escape from Ghana and go abroad .
The places that young people had been willing to give an arm and a leg to go to were no longer attractive , as China , Europe and America were hit hard by the virus .
The talk turned to bringing Ghanaians home from abroad .
Suddenly Ghana became an attractive place .
The Ghanaians abroad were anxious and they showed it .
`` Please do n't let what is happening in Europe and America happen in our country '' was the constant refrain .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ perception of Ghanaians abroad being the lucky ones has slowly been changing .
It was not just the report back in May that 33 Ghanaians had died from Covid-19 in New York that shook everybody , it was the growing desperation from Ghanaians abroad who wanted to come back home .
You may also be interested in : • Where police may be more deadly than coronavirus • How fast is coronavirus spreading in Africa ?
If we discovered during the lockdown that in Ghana 's big cities it was difficult for many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then we got to realise that it was impossible to survive at all abroad as a hustler in the time of coronavirus .
People could no longer live `` under the radar '' and undocumented migrants who , up until then had been welcome for doing jobs for half the normal wages , became unwelcome and possible candidates for being blamed as the source of the disease .
Landlords who used to rent rooms and apartments to people living in the shadows now wanted to make sure they had a valid visa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanting to cut down on expenditure , many of our people discovered they had become surplus to requirements .
We have been looking on in dismay as the realities of the lives of many of those who are abroad have been exposed .
It turns out that many of the young women who went abroad to be nannies and maids in Lebanon and other Arab countries lead intolerable lives that no-one would accept in Ghana .
It turns out that in spite of the skyscrapers and 10-lane highways , the sleeping arrangements for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some European countries are no different from our local slums .
Coronavirus has made all of us look at things from a different perspective .
People want to come home but the borders are closed .
You may want to watch : The Ghanaians at home feel the virus was brought into the country by travellers from Europe and China , and are therefore not enthusiastic about letting in even more people .
There are some evacuation flights taking place , but with most airlines not flying , they are expensive .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghana , which demand that on arrival you go into a 14-day quarantine in a hotel monitored by the security services .
Abroad seems to have lost its lustre .
For the moment , it appears the place to be is right here in Ghana .
• Why some Kenyans still deny coronavirus exists • What Donald Trump gets wrong about Somalia • Online funerals and election face masks - the new normal • 'The racist questions I was asked at Eton' Follow us on Twitter @ BBCAfrica , on Facebook at BBC @ @ @ @ @ @

Some of them, of course, are thriving where they are, and making Ghana proud. But there are many of them who, it is widely understood, are living "under the radar" and trying to "regularise" their paperwork and so do not advertise the fact they are Ghanaians.


bbc--2020-07-26--The millions 'hanging by a thread' as coronavirus aid expires

When Brandon Humberston 's weekly unemployment benefits finally kicked in after months of waiting , the $ 750 ( £586 ) cheque was a `` godsend '' .
Suddenly the 19-year-old , who worked as a cook at Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle until the pandemic cost him his job , could pay rent and buy groceries - even save a little .
Now much of that income is set to disappear .
The $ 600 a week additional payment that the US approved to top up unemployment benefits during the pandemic will expire on 31 July .
In many states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheque .
`` It 's pretty dire , '' says Mr Humberston , whose benefits will be cut to $ 150 .
`` My generation is hanging on by a thread '' .
When the US approved more than $ 2.4tn in spending this spring to try to shield its economy from damage caused by coronavirus , economists warned more would be necessary .
Lawmakers in Washington have yet to act .
While Democrats have proposed another $ 3tn in spending , Republicans have rejected that plan and been divided about how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warranted .
The fate of the unemployment benefits that Mr Humberston - and an estimated 30 million other Americans rely on - is giving the debate a sense of urgency .
• Coronavirus could ‘ drag on US economy for a decade' When Congress boosted the payments by $ 600 a week in March , it nearly tripled the average benefits payment .
The move meant recipients could claim roughly the equivalent of the country 's median wage of about $ 975 .
Republicans are now pushing to reduce the temporary bonus set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month .
They say it is discouraging people from going back to work , pointing to research that shows more than two-thirds of current recipients - most of them in low-paid jobs - now earn more on unemployment than they did when they were working .
'There are no jobs' Mr Humberston says those fears are misplaced .
He says he has applied for dozens of jobs in his home state of Oregon with no luck and the real problem is that employers are afraid to hire because of the pandemic .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That 's the thing - there are no jobs around , no jobs anywhere . ''
US employers have cut nearly 15 million positions since February .
That 's despite strong hiring in May and June , when lockdowns eased and business received payroll support from the government .
That money is drying up and as virus cases surge , a second wave of layoffs is starting .
Companies announcing cuts last week included LinkedIn , Nike and Dow chemical company .
Many smaller businesses are also cutting back .
In an economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that now is not the time to remove the unemployment bonus .
Some economists have warned that the move could drag down growth by 2 % or more .
`` The recovery at this point is at significant risk , '' says economist Karen Dynan , who teaches at Harvard and is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics .
Other countries , including the UK , have announced additional stimulus measures this month .
Prof Dynan says that with the November presidential election approaching , US lawmakers will ultimately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment payments , which now reach almost one-fifth of the American workforce .
But she says that by itself wo n't be enough .
She says businesses and local governments , facing gaping budget holes due to the decline in activity , need support too .
`` They need to do more , '' she says .
`` That 's clear . ''
The number of people filing new claims for unemployment edged up last week for the first time since March .
Food banks have been overwhelmed and as temporary bans on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a wave of homelessness .
People are in `` absolute panic '' as the deadline for extending the benefit nears , according to Courtney Henley , one of the administrators of a Facebook group that helps people navigate the unemployment system .
Ms Henley , who runs an events business in New York , has relied on the payments herself since the pandemic hit .
Having spent much of the spring in quarantine after contracting coronavirus , Ms Henley says she is starting to think about how to reinvent her business for digital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are small businesses , who are also hurting .
`` Pretty much everything I do , I ca n't do now , '' she says .
`` If that goes away , I will be looking at not being able to pay bills at all . ''
She says Republicans are not being `` realistic '' about the state of the economy .
`` Things have not reopened yet .
People are still recovering , '' she says .
`` We 're just hoping that our government does n't just leave American workers @ @ @ @

They say it is discouraging people from going back to work, pointing to research that shows more than two-thirds of current recipients - most of them in low-paid jobs - now earn more on unemployment than they did when they were working.


bbc--2020-07-26--'I started a fashion business from two suitcases'

The BBC 's weekly The Boss series profiles different business leaders from around the world .
This week we speak to Rwandan fashion designer Joselyne Umutoniwase .
In 2010 , Joselyne Umutoniwase took a bold decision .
She had been working as a film editor for five years but decided to follow her dream of becoming a fashion designer .
She made her first fashion collection and when she travelled from her home in Rwanda to Germany for a film scholarship , she took two suitcases stuffed with tops , skirts and dresses .
`` The young Germans were fascinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wax prints , '' she says .
She sold the whole collection in three months .
`` I did n't know that I could earn serious money with selling my own creations , '' she says from her business in Kigali .
Her German experience gave her enough confidence and a bit of financial help to make a career change .
She stopped working as a film editor , bought three sewing machines , hired two tailors and founded her own fashion brand , Rwanda Clothing .
Now , eight years later , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tailors , selling off-the-peg items from $ 50- $ 120 ( £40-£95 ) .
Clothes captivated Joselyne , as she grew up in a middle-class family in Rwanda 's capital .
She bought cheap second-hand items nobody wanted , she says .
`` I separated all the parts to find out where the seams were and how these clothes were made . ''
But with many items coming into Rwanda from China and India , she did n't see it as a career , and instead studied film and , to keep her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father and her uncle own several businesses .
This inspired her to start a small hair-braiding outfit during high school .
But their experiences also showed her how things could go wrong .
`` I became very frustrated as a child , when my father had to close his butchery business because his business partner ran away with all the money . ''
Getting money together was also a challenge for her , as banks did n't want to provide Rwanda Clothing with a loan .
`` Fashion was an industry that nobody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she says , and from the banks ' point of view , `` me as a 24-year-old woman being the founder was n't very convincing either . ''
However , she had met lawyer and investor Roman Schulz during her 2010 visit to Germany .
He was excited by her creative work and natural talent as a designer , believed in her and later became her business partner and husband .
They put $ 10,000 of savings together and she hired her first staff .
She does admit to making a few errors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fashion shows .
`` This was good and important but I did n't necessarily need 25 models , a stage , free drinks and to invite a VIP .
I could have done this in a more clever and cheaper way , '' she says .
`` Joselyne always has an entrepreneurial aptitude and ambition above and beyond , '' says Alice Nkulikiyinka , country director of Business Professionals Network Rwanda .
`` Her company has grown steadily , offering secure jobs to more than 40 people .
Joselyne established an internationally recognised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of Joselyne 's biggest dreams came true when she was invited to the Milan Fashion Week .
`` It was a victory to be there , '' she says .
`` It felt like such a recognition for my work to present my collection on that catwalk . ''
She says she would love to start selling internationally through an online shop but logistics make this a challenge .
`` I would n't be able to afford customers sending items back , '' she says , which is hard to avoid in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an internet shop in Europe for homeware items and fashion accessories like scarves , pillows and bags .
But she 's mindful not to forget her early clients .
`` When you grow too quickly and disappoint existing customers , you can ruin your business . ''
But her plans have been put on hold due to the coronavirus crisis .
`` We were forced to shut down during a total lockdown of 45 days .
And although the government has eased the lockdown recently , customers are still shying away . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong end of a machine gun' • 'Someone needs to help parents control their kids ' spending' • The gaming boss who gets addicted to the games • 'My chronic acne inspired me to start my own skincare company' • ' I used to hate road cycling , now I design biking gear' Her tailors are working in shifts to maintain distance , she says .
`` In Rwanda , we are used to challenges .
It forces us to be extra creative , learn to find other solutions and come up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family had to flee by foot during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and she lost both her grandmothers , several uncles , aunts and cousins .
`` I only have some blurry memories as I was only six years old and I might also have filtered some experiences as it was such a traumatic event , '' she says .
`` In the following years , I remember being so obsessed about the story , [ thinking ] 'why has this had to happen to my country ? '
'' Early on , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` It was too painful to know that such a thing could happen in my country .
And I was afraid that it would happen again .
You do n't feel safe for a while and you do n't trust anybody .
`` But at some point , you decide to have peace with it .
Whatever you do , you can not really change this situation .
`` I also saw new roads being constructed , new houses being built .
I saw the country being repaired .
And the positive thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people really want to live . ''

"I also saw new roads being constructed, new houses being built. I saw the country being repaired. And the positive thing is, after such a tragedy, people really want to live."


bbc--2020-07-26--How a Chinese agent used LinkedIn to hunt for targets

Jun Wei Yeo , an ambitious and freshly enrolled Singaporean PhD student , was no doubt delighted when he was invited to give a presentation to Chinese academics in Beijing in 2015 .
His doctorate research was about Chinese foreign policy and he was about to discover firsthand how the rising superpower seeks to attain influence .
After his presentation , Jun Wei , also known as Dickson , was , according to US court documents , approached by several people who said they worked for Chinese think tanks .
They said they wanted to pay him to provide `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would later specify exactly what they wanted : `` scuttlebutt '' - rumours and insider knowledge .
He soon realised they were Chinese intelligence agents but remained in contact with them , a sworn statement says .
He was first asked to focus on countries in South East Asia but later , their interest turned to the US government .
That was how Dickson Yeo set off on a path to becoming a Chinese agent - one who would end up using the professional networking website LinkedIn , a fake consulting company and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in American targets .
Five years later , on Friday , amid deep tensions between the US and China and a determined crackdown from Washington on Beijing 's spies , Yeo pleaded guilty in a US court to being an `` illegal agent of a foreign power '' .
The 39-year-old faces up to 10 years in prison .
• China orders closure of US consulate in Chengdu Alumni at Singapore 's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy ( LKYSPP ) , which trains some of Asia 's top civil servants and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the news that their former peer had confessed to being a Chinese agent .
`` He was a very active student in class .
I always viewed him as a very intelligent person , '' said one former postgraduate student who did not wish to be named She said he often talked about social inequality - and that his family struggled financially when he was a child .
She said she found it difficult to reconcile the person she knew with his guilty plea .
A former member of staff at the institution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seemed to have `` an inflated sense of his own importance '' .
Yeo 's PhD supervisor had been Huang Jing , a high-profile Chinese-American professor who was expelled from Singapore in 2017 for being an `` agent of influence of a foreign country '' that was not identified .
Huang Jing always denied those allegations .
After leaving Singapore , he first worked in Washington DC , and now Beijing .
According to the court documents released with Yeo 's guilty plea , the student met his Chinese handlers on dozens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During one meeting he was asked to specifically obtain information about the US Department of Commerce , artificial intelligence and the Sino-US trade war .
Bilahari Kausikan , the former permanent secretary at Singapore 's foreign ministry , said he had `` no doubt that Dickson knew he was working for the Chinese intelligence services '' .
He was not , he said , `` an unwitting useful fool '' .
Yeo made his crucial contacts using LinkedIn , the job and careers networking site used by more than 700 million people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` professional networking website '' in the court documents , but its use was confirmed to the Washington Post .
Former government and military employees and contractors are not shy about publicly posting details of their work histories on the website in order to obtain lucrative jobs in the private sector .
This presents a potential goldmine to foreign intelligence agencies .
In 2018 , US counter-intelligence chief William Evanina warned of `` super aggressive '' action by Beijing on the Microsoft-owned platform , which is one of few Western social media sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a former CIA officer jailed for 20 years last May for disclosing military secrets to a Chinese agent , was first targeted on LinkedIn .
• The churchgoing patriot who spied for China • US-China contagion : The battle behind the scenes In 2017 , Germany 's intelligence agency said Chinese agents had used LinkedIn to target at least 10,000 Germans .
LinkedIn has not responded to a request for comment for this story but has previously said it takes a range of measures to stop nefarious activity .
Some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LinkedIn were commissioned to write reports for his `` consultancy '' , which had the same name as an already prominent firm .
These were then sent to his Chinese contacts .
One of the individuals he contacted worked on the US Air Force 's F-35 fighter jet programme and admitted he had money problems .
Another was a US army officer assigned to the Pentagon , who was paid at least $ 2,000 ( £1,500 ) to write a report on how the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan would impact China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who was based in Washington DC for part of 2019 , was aided by an invisible ally - the LinkedIn algorithm .
Each time Yeo looked at someone 's profile it would suggest a new slate of contacts with similar experience that he might be interested in .
Yeo described it as `` relentless '' .
According to the court documents , his handlers advised him to ask targets if they `` were dissatisfied with work '' or `` were having financial troubles '' .
William Nguyen , an American former student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was arrested at a protest in Vietnam in 2018 and later deported , said in a Facebook post on Saturday that Yeo had tried to contact him `` multiple times '' after he was released from prison and his case made headlines around the world .
In 2018 , Yeo also posted fake online job ads for his consulting company .
He told investigators he received more than 400 CVs with 90 % of them coming from `` US military and government personnel with security clearances '' .
Some were passed to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is brazen , but not surprising , said Matthew Brazil , the co-author of Chinese Communist Espionage : An Intelligence Primer .
`` I think lots of worldwide intelligence agencies probably use it to seek out sources of information , '' he said .
`` Because it 's in everybody 's interest who is on LinkedIn to put their whole career on there for everybody to see - it 's an unusually valuable tool in that regard . ''
He said that commissioning consultant reports is a way for agents to get `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ source who might later be convinced to supply classified information .
`` It 's a modern version of classic tradecraft , really . ''
US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said the case was an example of how China exploits `` the openness of American society '' and uses `` non-Chinese nationals to target Americans who never leave the United States '' .
Singapore , a multicultural society of 5.8 million where ethnic Chinese make up the majority of the population , has long enjoyed close links with the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ naval bases .
But it has also sought and maintained positive relations with China .
Mr Kausikan said that he did not believe the spying case - the first known to involve a Singaporean - would hurt the country 's reputation with the American government but he feared that Singaporeans could face greater suspicion in American society .
On Sunday , Singapore 's Ministry of Home Affairs said investigations had not revealed any direct threat to the country 's security stemming from the case .
LKYSPP 's dean , Danny Quah , wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quoted by the Straits Times newspaper that `` no faculty or other students at our school are known to be involved '' with the Yeo case .
A spokesperson at the school told the BBC that Yeo had been granted a leave of absence from his PhD in 2019 and his candidature had now been terminated .
Dickson Yeo does not appear to have got as far with his contacts as his handlers would have liked .
But in November 2019 , he travelled to the US with instructions to turn the army @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information '' , his signed statement says .
He was arrested before he could ask .

After his presentation, Jun Wei, also known as Dickson, was, according to US court documents, approached by several people who said they worked for Chinese think tanks. They said they wanted to pay him to provide "political reports and information". They would later specify exactly what they wanted: "scuttlebutt" - rumours and insider knowledge.


bbc--2020-07-27--Newcastle takeover delayed by lack of clarity over control of club

Newcastle United 's proposed takeover by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium has been delayed because of a lack of clarity over who would be in charge at the club , BBC Sport has learned .
Sixteen weeks after documents relating to a £300m takeover were registered with the Premier League , the deal is still being scrutinised under its owners ' and directors ' test .
But it is understood compliance requires greater certainty as to who would have ultimate responsibility at St James ' Park .
The bid has been led by British financier Amanda Staveley , but Saudi Arabia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PIF ) is set to take an 80 % stake .
PIF 's chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , and it appears the Premier League 's lawyers are struggling to establish the precise links between the consortium and the Saudi government .
This is crucial given the television rights piracy issues that have dogged the saga , with Saudi Arabia denying claims it facilitated the illegal streaming of sports events in the Middle East .
The Premier League , PIF and Magpies owner Mike Ashley have all declined to comment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new season starts , patience is starting to wear thin on all sides .
On Saturday , manager Steve Bruce spoke for Newcastle fans when he said : `` We need a decision and we need one quickly . ''
The potential takeover has been complicated by television piracy issues and alleged human right abuses .
Families of prisoners held in Saudi Arabia have told BBC Sport that they will `` not stay silent '' even if the deal goes through .
There is also keen interest in Newcastle from American businessman Henry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ £350m for the club , who finished 13th in the Premier League standings .
BBC Sport has been told by a source that an exclusivity clause held between Ashley and the Saudi-backed consortium has come to an end .
That could offer an opportunity for Mauriss ' camp to capitalise should the bid fall through .
So , in the meantime , it is all eyes back on Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and its board .
It will make the call on whether the prospective owners have broken any laws and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ league 's reputation and image .
Sources have said that although Bin Salman is the chair of PIF , he is not involved with its day-to-day running , so questions about Saudi Arabia 's human rights record are not relevant to the bid .
What are the outstanding issues ?
More than 97 % of Newcastle United Supporters ' Trust members are in favour of the takeover , and many fans have dismissed the manner in which the media has raised issues which could derail the Saudi bid .
Given their significance and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been hard to ignore .
TV piracy in Saudi Arabia is a huge problem for the Premier League to contend with , especially as it has previously complained about it .
The World Trade Organization said there had been an infringement of intellectual property rights via the illegal beoutQ service , but in an apparent response to that ruling , Saudi Arabia then barred beIN Sports from operating .
Its service is the only legal way of watching Premier League football in the country .
Saudi Arabia has always denied aiding the beoutQ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ link between its government and the alleged piracy .
There have also been appeals to the Premier League and fans about how Saudi Arabia disregards human rights , which Masters said would be `` fully considered '' .
Why are Saudi families concerned by takeover ?
Families of prisoners held in the kingdom have told BBC Sport that allowing a Saudi takeover would `` legitimise '' the regime that `` commits horrendous crimes '' .
The takeover goes to the core of the sports-washing idea that many human rights organisations have raised .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is associated with the globally positive image of the Premier League , it would gloss over the abuses that occur in the country .
Lina al-Hathloul says her sister Loujain , a human rights activist , is one such example .
Loujain campaigned for women 's rights to drive ; according to her sister , she has been in prison for two-and-a-half years and has been tortured , sexually harassed and held in solitary confinement for eight months .
The Saudi government says she and other activists were detained for conspiring with `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told CBS 's 60 Minutes in 2019 that releasing her was not his decision to make .
He added : `` If this [ torture ] is correct , it is very heinous .
The Saudi laws forbid torture . ''
But in an appeal to Newcastle fans , Lina said : `` I want to tell them that their everyday life is very different from ours .
My sister is in prison just because one of her demands was for women to drive .
`` Saudi Arabia will be embarrassed if at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision is at the end , fans have leverage , they can ask for the detainees to be released . ''
Areej al-Sadhan , whose brother Abdulrahman is a humanitarian worker for Red Crescent and has been in prison for more than two years , said hundreds of families like theirs were affected .
She added : `` We can not stay silent about it .
We are actually risking our own lives by speaking out about the situation .
`` There are things money can not buy and fans seriously need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the kingdom . ''
Bruce has previously said he would `` love to be part '' of the takeover , but his more immediate concerns will be related to the forthcoming season , which starts on 12 September .
He is set for a meeting on Wednesday with Ashley , where he can discuss if any funds are available for transfer targets .
Bruce has said he hopes to get a few deals done , and will also hope that midfielder Matty Longstaff signs a new contract .
But most of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to know if the takeover will happen or not .
`` It is a frustration , '' he said after losing to Liverpool on Sunday .
`` The club needs that clarity , all of us , so let 's hope we can get that in the next few days or week or whatever it may be .
`` If that 's not going to happen , we need to know quickly so it can be business as usual . ''
As has been the case for almost four months , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Newcastle finished 13th this season
Newcastle United's proposed takeover by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium has been delayed because of a lack of clarity over who would be in charge at the club, BBC Sport has learned.
Sixteen weeks after documents relating to a £300m takeover were registered with the Premier League, the deal is still being scrutinised under its owners' and directors' test.
But it is understood compliance requires greater certainty as to who would have ultimate responsibility at St James' Park.
The bid has been led by British financier Amanda Staveley, but Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund (PIF) is set to take an 80% stake.
PIF's chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and it appears the Premier League's lawyers are struggling to establish the precise links between the consortium and the Saudi government.
This is crucial given the television rights piracy issues that have dogged the saga, with Saudi Arabia denying claims it facilitated the illegal streaming of sports events in the Middle East.
The Premier League, PIF and Magpies owner Mike Ashley have all declined to comment, but with only seven weeks until the new season starts, patience is starting to wear thin on all sides.
On Saturday, manager Steve Bruce spoke for Newcastle fans when he said: "We need a decision and we need one quickly."
What's the latest situation?
The potential takeover has been complicated by television piracy issues and alleged human right abuses.
Families of prisoners held in Saudi Arabia have told BBC Sport that they will "not stay silent" even if the deal goes through.
There is also keen interest in Newcastle from American businessman Henry Mauriss, who is willing to offer £350m for the club, who finished 13th in the Premier League standings.
BBC Sport has been told by a source that an exclusivity clause held between Ashley and the Saudi-backed consortium has come to an end.
That could offer an opportunity for Mauriss' camp to capitalise should the bid fall through.
So, in the meantime, it is all eyes back on Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and its board. It will make the call on whether the prospective owners have broken any laws and meet the required standards to protect the league's reputation and image.
Sources have said that although Bin Salman is the chair of PIF, he is not involved with its day-to-day running, so questions about Saudi Arabia's human rights record are not relevant to the bid.
What are the outstanding issues?
More than 97% of Newcastle United Supporters' Trust members are in favour of the takeover, and many fans have dismissed the manner in which the media has raised issues which could derail the Saudi bid.
Given their significance and complexity, however, those issues have been hard to ignore.
TV piracy in Saudi Arabia is a huge problem for the Premier League to contend with, especially as it has previously complained about it.
The World Trade Organization said there had been an infringement of intellectual property rights via the illegal beoutQ service, but in an apparent response to that ruling, Saudi Arabia then barred beIN Sports from operating.
Its service is the only legal way of watching Premier League football in the country. Saudi Arabia has always denied aiding the beoutQ operation and has insisted there is no link between its government and the alleged piracy.
There have also been appeals to the Premier League and fans about how Saudi Arabia disregards human rights, which Masters said would be "fully considered".
Why are Saudi families concerned by takeover?
Families of prisoners held in the kingdom have told BBC Sport that allowing a Saudi takeover would "legitimise" the regime that "commits horrendous crimes".
The takeover goes to the core of the sports-washing idea that many human rights organisations have raised. They say that if the Arab state is associated with the globally positive image of the Premier League, it would gloss over the abuses that occur in the country.
Lina al-Hathloul says her sister Loujain, a human rights activist, is one such example. Loujain campaigned for women's rights to drive; according to her sister, she has been in prison for two-and-a-half years and has been tortured, sexually harassed and held in solitary confinement for eight months.
The Saudi government says she and other activists were detained for conspiring with "hostile entities", while Bin Salman told CBS's 60 Minutes in 2019 that releasing her was not his decision to make. He added: "If this [torture] is correct, it is very heinous. The Saudi laws forbid torture."
But in an appeal to Newcastle fans, Lina said: "I want to tell them that their everyday life is very different from ours. My sister is in prison just because one of her demands was for women to drive.
"Saudi Arabia will be embarrassed if at every game they have protests. Whatever the decision is at the end, fans have leverage, they can ask for the detainees to be released."
Areej al-Sadhan, whose brother Abdulrahman is a humanitarian worker for Red Crescent and has been in prison for more than two years, said hundreds of families like theirs were affected.
She added: "We cannot stay silent about it. We are actually risking our own lives by speaking out about the situation.
"There are things money cannot buy and fans seriously need to look deeper at the Saudi practices in the kingdom."
Where does proposed takeover leave Bruce?
Bruce has previously said he would "love to be part" of the takeover, but his more immediate concerns will be related to the forthcoming season, which starts on 12 September.
He is set for a meeting on Wednesday with Ashley, where he can discuss if any funds are available for transfer targets. Bruce has said he hopes to get a few deals done, and will also hope that midfielder Matty Longstaff signs a new contract.
But most of all, he, like many fans, wants to know if the takeover will happen or not.
"It is a frustration," he said after losing to Liverpool on Sunday. "The club needs that clarity, all of us, so let's hope we can get that in the next few days or week or whatever it may be.
"If that's not going to happen, we need to know quickly so it can be business as usual."
As has been the case for almost four months, the answer lies with the Premier League.


bbc--2020-07-27--LMA awards: Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp named manager of the year

Liverpool 's Jurgen Klopp has been named the League Managers ' Association manager of the year .
Klopp 's team won the Premier League - the Reds ' first English top-flight title for 30 years .
Emma Hayes recently won the FA Women 's Super League manager of the year award after leading Chelsea to the title .
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa won the Championship award after guiding his side to the title and promotion to the Premier League .
In announcing Klopp as the winner on Sky Sports , former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The performance level of your team was outstanding .
Your personality runs right through the whole club .
`` I 'll forgive you for ringing me at half past three in the morning to tell me you had won the league - thank you ! ''
Klopp 's side amassed 99 points as they won the Premier League title by 18 points from second-placed Manchester City .
`` I 'm absolutely delighted to be named the winner of the League Managers Association manager of the year award , for this wonderful Sir Alex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I admire so much , '' said Klopp .
`` I know it 's not 100 % appropriate as a Liverpool manager - but I admire him .
He was the first British manager I met and we had breakfast together .
It was long ago and I 'm not sure if he remembers it still , but I remember it forever because it was for me in this moment like meeting the Pope if you want !
`` It was absolutely great and from the first second we really clicked .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment that one day I would hold the trophy in my hands which is named after him . ''
He added : `` It feels extra special to win this award because it is voted for by my fellow managers .
`` It 's an honour to be in the company of so many managers who have been named as LMA manager of the year before , including of course Liverpool managers like Bill Shankly , Bob Paisley , Joe Fagan , Sir Kenny Dalglish and , in recent years , Brendan Rodgers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf of my coaches .
I 'm OK as a manager but they make us a real special bunch of football brains and I love to work with them together .
To work together with Pep Lijnders , Peter Krawietz , John Achterberg , Vitor Matos and Jack Robinson - it 's a pleasure . ''
The FA Women 's Championship manager of the year was Aston Villa 's Gemma Davies .
Coventry City boss Mark Robins was the League One winner , while Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell got the League Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
: Panorama is in Salford to investigate

Last updated on .From the section Football
Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp has been named the League Managers Association manager of the year.
Klopp's team won the Premier League - the Reds' first English top-flight title for 30 years.
Emma Hayes recently won the FA Women's Super League manager of the year award after leading Chelsea to the title.
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa won the Championship award after guiding his side to the title and promotion to the Premier League.
In announcing Klopp as the winner on Sky Sports, former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: "It was thoroughly deserved.
"The performance level of your team was outstanding. Your personality runs right through the whole club.
"I'll forgive you for ringing me at half past three in the morning to tell me you had won the league - thank you!"
Klopp's side amassed 99 points as they won the Premier League title by 18 points from second-placed Manchester City.
"I'm absolutely delighted to be named the winner of the League Managers Association manager of the year award, for this wonderful Sir Alex Ferguson trophy, named after a man that I admire so much," said Klopp.
"I know it's not 100% appropriate as a Liverpool manager - but I admire him. He was the first British manager I met and we had breakfast together. It was long ago and I'm not sure if he remembers it still, but I remember it forever because it was for me in this moment like meeting the Pope if you want!
"It was absolutely great and from the first second we really clicked. I wouldn't have thought in that moment that one day I would hold the trophy in my hands which is named after him."
He added: "It feels extra special to win this award because it is voted for by my fellow managers.
"It's an honour to be in the company of so many managers who have been named as LMA manager of the year before, including of course Liverpool managers like Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Sir Kenny Dalglish and, in recent years, Brendan Rodgers."
"I am here on behalf of my coaches. I'm OK as a manager but they make us a real special bunch of football brains and I love to work with them together. To work together with Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, John Achterberg, Vitor Matos and Jack Robinson - it's a pleasure."
The FA Women's Championship manager of the year was Aston Villa's Gemma Davies.
Coventry City boss Mark Robins was the League One winner, while Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell got the League Two award.


bbc--2020-07-27--Fulham take charge of play-off semi-final with Cardiff

Fulham thoroughly outplayed Cardiff City and scored two brilliant first-leg goals to take total control of their Championship play-off semi-final .
An evenly contested first half saw the hosts twice go close to taking the lead before Fulham captain Tom Cairney clipped the post with a curling long-range effort .
Josh Onomah then produced a moment of magic early in the second half , dancing his way past three statuesque Cardiff defenders before firing into the bottom corner .
Fulham were utterly dominant from that point , controlling possession to such an extent that Cardiff barely got a whiff of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a second in injury time with a beautiful free-kick .
That was the least Scott Parker 's side deserved , and a place at Wembley is now within touching distance ahead of Thursday 's second leg at Craven Cottage .
As for Cardiff , they will need to summon every bit of the spirit which has seen them fight back from several trying situations under Neil Harris this season if they are to have any hope of setting up an all-Welsh final against rivals Swansea City , who lead Brentford 1-0 in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite out of contention but there can be no doubt that Fulham have seized control in the battle between two sides aiming for an instant return to the Premier League .
Despite missing out on automatic promotion , Fulham had gathered momentum towards the end of the regular season with a seven-match unbeaten run .
Having finished fourth in the table , eight points ahead of Cardiff , Parker 's team were regarded by many - including Harris - as the favourites for this tie .
However , they were dealt a blow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic was ruled out with what Parker described as a `` slight problem '' which he hopes will not keep him out for the second leg .
Fulham had won each of their three games during Mitrovic 's recent suspension but , in his absence on this occasion , their attacks initially lacked a focal point .
For all the visitors ' early long spells of possession , they offered little in the way of cutting edge until the final few minutes of the first half .
Onomah had their first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forcing Alex Smithies into a fine sprawling save , before Cairney hit the outside of the post with an arcing strike from 25 yards .
Those were warning signs for Cardiff , which they did not heed .
Four minutes into the second half , Onomah picked up the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the penalty area , turned Marlon Pack and swivelled past Cardiff 's static centre-backs , Sean Morrison and Curtis Nelson , before applying an assured low finish .
Fulham 's players , substitutes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather knocked the stuffing out of their opponents .
Cardiff could barely lay a glove on Parker 's men as they passed the ball around at will , almost toying with the home side as they took a firm grip on the tie .
Former Cardiff forward Bobby Decordova-Reid was close to adding to their lead , his fierce half-volley fizzing narrowly over the bar .
A 1-0 win would not have done Fulham 's second-half dominance justice , and Kebano was on hand to ensure that would not be the case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall and into the net to double Fulham 's delight .
This was a chastening evening for Cardiff , who came into this fixture the third best record in the Championship since the season 's resumption last month , winning six and losing only two of their nine post-lockdown games to finish fifth in the table .
However , one of those defeats came at the hands of Fulham , who Harris was eager to describe as the favourites for this tie because of their more expensively assembled squad .
There might have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at mind games perhaps - on Harris ' behalf but to say the pressure was on Fulham was also a way of galvanising his own players , and of retaining the underdog tag they so often seem to relish .
When Harris took over in November , Cardiff were languishing in 14th place but , with a subtle evolution of their playing style , the former Millwall boss had made the Bluebirds promotion contenders once more .
Those tweaks to the Bluebirds ' approach were evident as they started positively against Fulham , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early chances .
Right-back Leandro Bacuna pushed forward to fashion the first , cutting inside and hitting a powerful left-footed shot which Marek Rodak could only parry into the path of Robert Glatzel , who looked destined to tap in before Michael Hector intervened with a superb sliding tackle .
The hosts threatened again three minutes later .
Lee Tomlin conjured the opportunity out of nothing , jinking past three Fulham defenders before finding Junior Hoilett , who set up Glatzel , but his shot was straight at Rodak .
Those were promising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead , Cardiff could not find a way back into the game .
They tired in the second half as they were forced to chase their opponents or , in reality , chase shadows as Fulham asserted their superiority .
`` It 's a real kick in the nuts .
In the first 25 minutes we were very good but we have to take our chances when we 're on top .
`` In the second half we never really got going .
We did n't build any sustained pressure and we made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but by then we were 1-0 down .
`` With the first goal you are thinking it 's goal of the season if you 're the Fulham lad , but I think it 's too easy .
I 'd like to see us lay a glove on him .
`` The second goal is a great free-kick but is it a foul ?
The referee has given me a response I ca n't believe .
In the first half Hector fouled Tomlin but he did n't give a free-kick .
He said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did Cairney run into Sean Morrison ?
He said 'two wrongs do n't make a right ' so he 's admitted he 's wrong both times . ''
`` Overall it was a good performance .
We weathered the storm early on and got a foothold in the game .
`` I think we 're well worthy of the two-goal lead at this stage .
`` We worked our socks off and our foundation was built on concrete , but it will be another huge battle on Thursday .
This is only halfway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the challenge . ''
On Aleksandar Mitrovic 's injury , Parker added : `` He 's picked up a little bit of a hamstring knock .
We went into this game knowing it is over two legs and we made a decision for the team .
`` Hopefully we can get him fit for Thursday . ''

Last updated on .From the section Championship
Josh Onomah's fourth goal of the season gave Fulham the lead at Cardiff City Stadium
Fulham thoroughly outplayed Cardiff City and scored two brilliant first-leg goals to take total control of their Championship play-off semi-final.
An evenly contested first half saw the hosts twice go close to taking the lead before Fulham captain Tom Cairney clipped the post with a curling long-range effort.
Josh Onomah then produced a moment of magic early in the second half, dancing his way past three statuesque Cardiff defenders before firing into the bottom corner.
Fulham were utterly dominant from that point, controlling possession to such an extent that Cardiff barely got a whiff of the ball, before Neeskens Kebano added a second in injury time with a beautiful free-kick.
That was the least Scott Parker's side deserved, and a place at Wembley is now within touching distance ahead of Thursday's second leg at Craven Cottage.
As for Cardiff, they will need to summon every bit of the spirit which has seen them fight back from several trying situations under Neil Harris this season if they are to have any hope of setting up an all-Welsh final against rivals Swansea City, who lead Brentford 1-0 in the other semi-final.
The Bluebirds are not quite out of contention but there can be no doubt that Fulham have seized control in the battle between two sides aiming for an instant return to the Premier League.
Fulham in the driving seat
Despite missing out on automatic promotion, Fulham had gathered momentum towards the end of the regular season with a seven-match unbeaten run.
Having finished fourth in the table, eight points ahead of Cardiff, Parker's team were regarded by many - including Harris - as the favourites for this tie.
However, they were dealt a blow before kick-off when the Championship's top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic was ruled out with what Parker described as a "slight problem" which he hopes will not keep him out for the second leg.
Fulham had won each of their three games during Mitrovic's recent suspension but, in his absence on this occasion, their attacks initially lacked a focal point.
For all the visitors' early long spells of possession, they offered little in the way of cutting edge until the final few minutes of the first half.
Fulham had beaten Cardiff 2-0 at Craven Cottage earlier in July
Onomah had their first effort on target, sliding in and forcing Alex Smithies into a fine sprawling save, before Cairney hit the outside of the post with an arcing strike from 25 yards.
Those were warning signs for Cardiff, which they did not heed.
Four minutes into the second half, Onomah picked up the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the penalty area, turned Marlon Pack and swivelled past Cardiff's static centre-backs, Sean Morrison and Curtis Nelson, before applying an assured low finish.
Fulham's players, substitutes and coaches celebrated exuberantly, and the goal rather knocked the stuffing out of their opponents.
Cardiff could barely lay a glove on Parker's men as they passed the ball around at will, almost toying with the home side as they took a firm grip on the tie.
Former Cardiff forward Bobby Decordova-Reid was close to adding to their lead, his fierce half-volley fizzing narrowly over the bar.
A 1-0 win would not have done Fulham's second-half dominance justice, and Kebano was on hand to ensure that would not be the case, curling his injury-time free-kick delicately over the wall and into the net to double Fulham's delight.
Cardiff's long road back
This was a chastening evening for Cardiff, who came into this fixture the third best record in the Championship since the season's resumption last month, winning six and losing only two of their nine post-lockdown games to finish fifth in the table.
However, one of those defeats came at the hands of Fulham, who Harris was eager to describe as the favourites for this tie because of their more expensively assembled squad.
Cardiff face an uphill battle says Harris
There might have been a little mischief - an attempt at mind games perhaps - on Harris' behalf but to say the pressure was on Fulham was also a way of galvanising his own players, and of retaining the underdog tag they so often seem to relish.
When Harris took over in November, Cardiff were languishing in 14th place but, with a subtle evolution of their playing style, the former Millwall boss had made the Bluebirds promotion contenders once more.
Those tweaks to the Bluebirds' approach were evident as they started positively against Fulham, moving the ball swiftly and creating two early chances.
Right-back Leandro Bacuna pushed forward to fashion the first, cutting inside and hitting a powerful left-footed shot which Marek Rodak could only parry into the path of Robert Glatzel, who looked destined to tap in before Michael Hector intervened with a superb sliding tackle.
The hosts threatened again three minutes later. Lee Tomlin conjured the opportunity out of nothing, jinking past three Fulham defenders before finding Junior Hoilett, who set up Glatzel, but his shot was straight at Rodak.
Those were promising signs but, once Fulham took the lead, Cardiff could not find a way back into the game.
They tired in the second half as they were forced to chase their opponents or, in reality, chase shadows as Fulham asserted their superiority.
Cardiff City manager Neil Harris:
"It's a real kick in the nuts. In the first 25 minutes we were very good but we have to take our chances when we're on top.
"In the second half we never really got going. We didn't build any sustained pressure and we made three changes to get some impetus, but by then we were 1-0 down.
"With the first goal you are thinking it's goal of the season if you're the Fulham lad, but I think it's too easy. I'd like to see us lay a glove on him.
"The second goal is a great free-kick but is it a foul? The referee has given me a response I can't believe. In the first half Hector fouled Tomlin but he didn't give a free-kick. He said he ran into him. I asked him did Cairney run into Sean Morrison? He said 'two wrongs don't make a right' so he's admitted he's wrong both times."
Fulham manager Scott Parker:
"Overall it was a good performance. We weathered the storm early on and got a foothold in the game.
"I think we're well worthy of the two-goal lead at this stage.
"We worked our socks off and our foundation was built on concrete, but it will be another huge battle on Thursday. This is only halfway through and we'll stand up to the challenge."
On Aleksandar Mitrovic's injury, Parker added: "He's picked up a little bit of a hamstring knock. We went into this game knowing it is over two legs and we made a decision for the team.
"Hopefully we can get him fit for Thursday."


bbc--2020-07-27--PSG's Mbappe to miss Champions League quarter-final with ankle injury

Injured Paris St-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe will miss the Champions League quarter-final with Atalanta in Lisbon on 12 August .
@ @ @ @ @ an ankle injury during the French Cup final against Saint-Etienne on Friday , ruling him @ @ @ @ @ He could return for the semi-final on 18 August , if PSG qualify .
Scans @ @ @ @ @ with damage to the external ligament '' , the club said .
PSG added : @ @ @ @ @ to be sidelined for approximately three weeks . ''
France international Mbappe left the pitch @ @ @ @ @ by Saint-Etienne defender Loic Perrin in the first half of PSG 's victory .
The @ @ @ @ @ Champions League , delayed by the coronavirus pandemic , will consist of an eight-team straight @ @ @ @ @ capital , with the final on 23 August .

Last updated on .From the section European Football
Kylian Mbappe collected his French Cup winners' medal on crutches
Injured Paris St-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe will miss the Champions League quarter-final with Atalanta in Lisbon on 12 August.
Mbappe, 21, sustained an ankle injury during the French Cup final against Saint-Etienne on Friday, ruling him out for three weeks.
He could return for the semi-final on 18 August, if PSG qualify.
Scans confirmed "an ankle sprain with damage to the external ligament", the club said.
PSG added: "The player is expected to be sidelined for approximately three weeks."
France international Mbappe left the pitch in tears after being fouled by Saint-Etienne defender Loic Perrin in the first half of PSG's victory.
The conclusion of this season's Champions League, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, will consist of an eight-team straight knockout tournament in the Portuguese capital, with the final on 23 August.