bbc--2020-03-02--Coronavirus: South Korea church leader apologises for virus spread

The head of the religious sect that has been at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea has apologised to the nation for the disease 's spread .
Lee Man-hee , the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus , got on his knees and bowed at a news conference .
About 60 % of the country 's more than 4,000 confirmed cases are sect members .
On Monday , South Korea - the biggest hotspot outside China - reported 476 new cases , bringing the total number to 4,212 .
It has recorded 26 deaths .
Prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on possible charges of gross negligence .
`` Although it was not intentional , many people have been infected , '' said the 88-year-old leader .
`` We put our utmost efforts , but were unable to prevent it all . ''
What do I need to know about the coronavirus ?
• WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS ?
A simple guide • WAYS TO PREVENT CATCHING IT : How to wash your hands • WHERE ARE WE WITH A VACCINE ?
Progress so far • A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE OUTBREAK : Virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 3,081 are from the southern city of Daegu and 73 % of these cases have been linked to the Shincheonji Church near there .
In the capital Seoul , the mayor urged the city 's 10 million residents to work from home and to avoid crowded places .
Why is the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the spotlight ?
Members of the fringe Christian group are believed to have infected one another and then travelled around the country , apparently undetected .
The group has been accused of keeping its members ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ track the outbreak .
But church spokesman Kim Shin-chang told the BBC they had provided a list of members , students , and buildings to authorities .
`` We were worried about releasing this information because of the safety of our members , '' Mr Kim said .
Mr Lee claims he is the second coming of Jesus Christ and identifies as `` the promised pastor '' mentioned in the Bible who will take 144,000 people to heaven with him .
The Shincheonji Church is labelled as a cult within South Korea and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results in the group often being discriminated against , persecuted or criticised , Mr Kim told the BBC .
• Why did virus infections skyrocket in South Korea ?
The number of people killed worldwide by the coronavirus has exceeded 3,000 , as China reported 42 more deaths .
More than 90 % of the total deaths are in Hubei , the Chinese province where the virus emerged late last year .
Iran reported another 12 deaths on Monday , taking the total there to 66 .
They include a high-ranking adviser to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Iranian media reported on Monday .
The European Union has raised its coronavirus risk level from `` moderate '' to `` high '' , EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday .
Several European countries have confirmed cases , with Italy the worst affected with more than 1,500 infected and 34 deaths .
Worldwide , there have been almost 90,000 confirmed cases , with the numbers outside China now growing faster than inside China .
• In the UK , where there are 36 confirmed cases , Prime Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the emergency Cobra committee on Monday • Indonesia - one of the world 's most populous countries - has announced its first confirmed cases of coronavirus , a 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter , currently being treated at a Jakarta hospital • Portugal , Iceland and Andorra also reported their first confirmed cases on Monday • Share prices in Asia and in Europe rose after central banks pledged to intervene to help protect markets from the impact of the coronavirus .
Concerns about the outbreak last week wiped more than $ 5tn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US sportswear giant Nike has closed its European headquarters in Hilversum in the Netherlands after an employee tested positive for the virus Countries including Qatar , Ecuador , Luxembourg and Ireland all confirmed their first cases over the weekend .
On Monday , Ecuador reported five new cases of the disease , bringing the total number of infected patients in the country to six .
The US state of New York has also confirmed its first case .
The patient is a woman in her 30s who contracted the virus during a recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died in the US , both in the state of Washington .
China on Monday reported 42 more deaths , all in Hubei .
There were also 202 confirmed new cases - only six of which were outside Hubei .
A total of 2,912 people have died inside China , with more than 80,000 confirmed cases of the virus .
• How deadly is the coronavirus ?
A spokesman from China 's National Health Commission said the next stop would be to `` focus on the risks brought by the resumption of work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hit - with factory activity falling at a record rate .
On Monday , a man was sentenced to death by a Chinese court for fatally stabbing two officials at a virus checkpoint , news agency AFP reported .
Ma Jianguo , 23 , refused to co-operate with officials - though it is not clear what he was told to do - and stabbed two checkpoint officials .
What has the WHO said ?
On Sunday , the World Health Organization ( WHO ) said the virus appears to particularly affect those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It urged countries to stock up on ventilators , saying `` oxygen therapy is a major treatment intervention for patients with severe Covid-19 '' .
In the first large analysis of more than 44,000 cases from China , the death rate was 10 times higher in the very elderly compared to the middle-aged .
But most patients have only mild symptoms and the death rate appears to be between 2 % and 5 % , the WHO said .
By comparison , the seasonal flu has an average mortality rate of about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - with up to 400,000 people dying from it each year .
Other strains of coronavirus , such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( Sars ) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ( Mers ) , have much higher death rates than Covid-19 .
How have you been affected by the spread of Covid-19 ?
Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay @ bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist .
You can also contact us in the following ways : • Please read our @ @ @ @ @ @

Coronavirus: South Korea church leader apologises for virus spread Published 2 March 2020
Image source, EPA Image caption, Lee Man-hee is the founder of the Shincheonji Church
The head of the religious sect that has been at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea has apologised to the nation for the disease's spread.
Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, got on his knees and bowed at a news conference.
About 60% of the country's more than 4,000 confirmed cases are sect members. Deaths nationwide now stand at 28.
Fatalities globally have now passed the 3,000 mark, although the vast majority are in China, where the outbreak began.
Worldwide, there have been almost 90,000 confirmed cases, with the numbers outside China now growing faster than inside China.
What do I need to know about the coronavirus?
Prosecutors in South Korea have been asked to investigate Mr Lee on possible charges of gross negligence.
"Although it was not intentional, many people have been infected," said the 88-year-old leader. "We put our utmost efforts, but were unable to prevent it all."
Of the confirmed cases, about 75% are from the southern city of Daegu and 73% of those have been linked to the Shincheonji Church.
In the capital, Seoul, the mayor urged the city's 10 million residents to work from home and to avoid crowded places.
In other developments:
The European Centre for Disease Control has confirmed the risk level in the EU has increased from "moderate" to "moderate to high". It was clarifying a comment from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had said the level had been changed to "high". Several European countries have confirmed cases, with Italy the worst affected with more than 1,500 infected and 34 deaths
In the UK, where there are 40 confirmed cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the virus was "likely to become more significant in the days and weeks ahead", after holding a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee
Indonesia - one of the world's most populous countries - announced its first confirmed cases of coronavirus, a 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter, currently being treated at a Jakarta hospital
Portugal, Iceland, Jordan, Tunisia, Armenia and Andorra also reported their first confirmed cases on Monday
The global economy could grow at its slowest rate since 2009 this year due to the outbreak, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warned. Markets had a rollercoaster ride in Europe and in initial trading in New York on Monday. Concerns about the outbreak last week wiped more than $5tn (£3.9tn) from global stocks
US sportswear giant Nike has closed its European headquarters in Hilversum in the Netherlands after an employee tested positive for the virus
Why is the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the spotlight?
Members of the fringe Christian group are believed to have infected one another and then travelled around the country, apparently undetected. The group has been accused of keeping its members' names secret, making it harder to track the outbreak.
But church spokesman Kim Shin-chang told the BBC they had provided a list of members, students, and buildings to authorities.
"We were worried about releasing this information because of the safety of our members," Mr Kim said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Media caption, "We're often persecuted": Spokesman for virus-hit S Korean church defends secrecy
Mr Lee claims he is the second coming of Jesus Christ and identifies as "the promised pastor" mentioned in the Bible who will take 144,000 people to heaven with him.
The Shincheonji Church is labelled as a cult within South Korea and also in the Christian community, which results in the group often being discriminated against, persecuted or criticised, Mr Kim told the BBC.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Media caption, Empty shelves as coronavirus "panic-buying" hits Australia
What's the global situation?
Iran reported another 12 deaths on Monday, taking the total there to 66. They include Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a high-ranking adviser to the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian media reported on Monday.
Qatar, Ecuador, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and Ireland were among countries that confirmed their first cases over the weekend.
Ecuador on Monday reported five new cases of the disease, bringing the total number of infected patients in the country to six.
The US state of New York also confirmed its first case. The patient is a woman in her 30s who contracted the virus during a recent trip to Iran. Two people have died in the US, both in the state of Washington.
What's the situation in China?
China on Monday reported 42 more deaths, all in Hubei. The Chinese province was where the virus emerged late last year and it has registered more than 90% of the global fatalities.
There were 202 confirmed new cases on Monday - only six of which were outside Hubei. A total of 2,912 people have died inside China, with more than 80,000 confirmed cases of the virus.
A spokesman from China's National Health Commission said the next stop would be to "focus on the risks brought by the resumption of work".
China's economy has taken a hit - with factory activity falling at a record rate.
On Monday, a man was sentenced to death by a Chinese court for fatally stabbing two officials at a virus checkpoint, news agency AFP reported.
Ma Jianguo, 23, refused to co-operate with officials - though it is not clear what he was told to do - and stabbed two checkpoint officials.
What has the WHO said?
On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the virus appeared to particularly affect those over 60, and people already ill.
It urged countries to stock up on ventilators, saying "oxygen therapy is a major treatment intervention for patients with severe Covid-19".
In the first large analysis of more than 44,000 cases from China, the death rate was 10 times higher in the very elderly compared to the middle-aged.
But most patients have only mild symptoms and the death rate appears to be between 2% and 5%, the WHO said.
By comparison, the seasonal flu has an average mortality rate of about 0.1%, but is highly infectious - with up to 400,000 people dying from it each year.
Other strains of coronavirus, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers), have much higher death rates than Covid-19.
How have you been affected by the spread of Covid-19? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.


bbc--2020-03-02--Pete Buttigieg drops out of Democratic race for White House

Pete Buttigieg , the former Indiana mayor who made an ambitious run for president , has announced he is ending his campaign for the White House .
The 38-year-old became the first openly gay presidential candidate from a major party when he announced he was running for the Democratic nomination .
But despite a successful start , his campaign lost momentum in recent weeks .
His decision to drop out comes ahead of a key day on Tuesday in the Democratic race to take on Trump .
Fourteen states will vote on Super Tuesday , by the end of which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unbeatable lead and be a step closer to the nomination .
His departure leaves six Democrats still in the running - Joe Biden , Mr Sanders , Michael Bloomberg , Elizabeth Warren , Amy Klobuchar and Tulsi Gabbard .
• What California voters want from this election • What are primaries and how do they work ?
Speaking to supporters in his hometown of South Bend , Indiana , Mr Buttigieg stressed the values he said his campaign had hoped to promote .
`` And so we must recognise that at this point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our nation together , '' he said .
`` So tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency . ''
He pledged he would do `` everything in my power '' to ensure a Democratic win in November 's election .
Mr Buttigieg surprisingly , and narrowly , won the first event of the primary season , the caucuses in Iowa on 3 February .
But he failed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed to make him the front- runner and later confirm his nomination .
He finished a distant fourth in South Carolina on Saturday .
Mr Buttigieg 's husband , Chasten , also addressed crowds of supporters in South Bend , saying : `` About a year and a half ago , my husband came home from work and told me - well he asked me : 'What do you think about running for president ? '
And I laughed !
Not at him , but at life .
`` Life gave me some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find Pete .
After falling in love with Pete , Pete got me to believe in myself ... and I told Pete to run [ for office ] because I knew there were other kids sitting out there in this country who needed to believe in themselves , too . ''
How Buttigieg set his sights on the White House It was one of the least likely runs for the presidency in years : Mr Buttigieg 's only political experience had been as the centrist mayor of the 306th largest city in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2012 and January this year .
Before then , he had served as a US Navy intelligence officer and in the Afghan war .
He was the first millennial to run for the White House , and would have been the youngest president to take office had he won .
The son of a Maltese immigrant , he had long been rumoured as a possible candidate in the 2020 election .
But after announcing his candidacy in April last year , he was able to break through a crowded group to become one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign .
In that time , he raised more than $ 82m ( £64m ) , according to the Federal Election Commission , one of the highest totals of all the candidates .
In recent weeks , his sexuality had been highlighted as an issue by critics - conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh asked if voters would pick a man `` kissing his husband on stage '' .
Mr Buttigieg - pronounced Boot-Edge-Edge - came out as gay aged 33 and married his husband Chasten in June 2018 .
He also struggled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point emphasised by his poor showing in South Carolina .
His record as mayor came under fire among minority voters - he had fired South Bend 's first African American police chief and was criticised over how he handled the case of a white police officer who shot dead a black man last year .
How this news will help Biden Just over a week ago , Pete Buttigieg had a lead in Democratic convention delegates .
Now the former South Bend mayor is out of the race .
That 's how quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the end , Buttigieg simply could n't turn his early success into a national wave of support .
While he thrived in the months of retail campaigning in the first two small - and exceedingly white - states , the Nevada and South Carolina results amply demonstrated that he was never going to catch on with the more diverse national Democratic electorate .
It 's still a bit of a shock that Buttigieg pulled the plug rather than compete on Super Tuesday .
By doing so , however , he avoids the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , who will certainly appreciate the mayor 's move to clear the field for him to better challenge Bernie Sanders one-on-one .
In the end , Buttigieg made an astounding effort , coming from nowhere to seriously challenge for the nomination , winning the Iowa caucuses and raising massive amounts of campaign cash .
It 's a remarkable accomplishment for the first openly gay presidential candidate with a difficult-to-pronounce name who was half the age of his closest presidential rivals .
His campaign will be one for the history books .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important date in the race to pick the nominee .
Democrats in 14 states will vote ( as well as American Samoa and Democrats Abroad ) .
A massive 1,357 delegates will be distributed - almost a third of all those available through the entire primary season .
The two most populous states , California and Texas , will be among those voting .
The entire picture could change in one day .
Or we could see Mr Sanders cement his lead as the front-runner - and even extend into a near-unbeatable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first time that New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg will be on the ballot .
The performance of moderates like Mr Biden on Super Tuesday will be determined to some degree by how Mr Bloomberg fares .

"And so we must recognise that at this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our nation together," he said. "So tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency."


bbc--2020-03-02--North Korea 'fires two missiles in first test of the year'

North Korea has launched two unidentified projectiles , South Korea 's military says , in its first apparent weapons test of the year .
The projectiles were launched from the North 's east coast towards the Sea of Japan , also known as the East Sea .
South Korea 's Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS ) said they were `` believed to be short-range ballistic missiles '' .
Last May saw the first missile tests after an 18-month freeze .
As the year progressed , many more followed .
North Korea , which has historically stepped up missile testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last test in November .
Monday 's test comes just days after South Korea and the US announced they were postponing the annual joint drills that anger the North , amid concern over the coronavirus .
Leif-Eric Easley , a professor at Ewha University in Seoul , said the tests seemed to be `` less provocative than North Korea is capable of '' .
But the country is still `` making it clear it will continue to improve military capabilities and make outsized demands '' .
Prof Easley added : `` The US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offering humanitarian assistance has earned no goodwill from a Kim regime that sees little benefit in restarting diplomacy . ''
At the start of the year , North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he was ending the suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests , as talks between the US and North Korea ground to a halt .
The North Korean leader threatened that the world would `` witness a new strategic weapon ... in the near future '' .
The last time North Korea conducted a missile test was in November 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` super-large multiple-rocket launcher '' .
But Japan 's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accused the North of launching ballistic missiles , earning him scorn from North Korean state media who called him an `` imbecile '' .
North Korea is banned from firing ballistic missiles under UN Security Council resolutions .
It has in the past fired missiles that it claims are capable of reaching the US mainland .
Talks between the US and North Korea about its nuclear programme remain stalled .
In 2018 , US President Donald Trump and Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at denuclearisation - though the definition of this is contested .
In February 2019 , Mr Kim met Mr Trump again in Vietnam but the talks broke down and ended early without agreement .
They met again in June at the demilitarised zone that separates North and South Korea .
But relations quickly deteriorated .
in the following months .
The North conducted several smaller weapons tests late in 2019 , in what was seen as an attempt to pressure the US into making concessions .
But Washington refused to lift sanctions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abandon its nuclear programme .

At the start of the year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he was ending the suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests, as talks between the US and North Korea ground to a halt.


bbc--2020-03-02--Criminals on CCTV: Scammers caught red-handed

Hundreds of thousands of people fall victim to scams in the UK every year .
Many are run from criminal @ @ @ @ @ teams of fraudsters operate around the clock .
One man in the UK , who @ @ @ @ @ Jim Browning '' , decided to do something about it .
He hacked into a @ @ @ @ @ where scammers target their victims .
Jim gained access to the recorded scam phone calls @ @ @ @ @ exposing the scammers at work .
What Jim did was illegal - but he says @ @ @ @ @ fraudsters , and he passed his footage on to BBC Panorama .
If you are @ @ @ @ @ can watch Panorama : Spying on the Scammers on Monday 2 March at 20:30 on @ @ @ @ @ on iPlayer .

Hundreds of thousands of people fall victim to scams in the UK every year.
Many are run from criminal call centres abroad, where teams of fraudsters operate around the clock.
One man in the UK, who goes by the name "Jim Browning", decided to do something about it. He hacked into a call centre in India from where scammers target their victims.
Jim gained access to the recorded scam phone calls as well as CCTV footage exposing the scammers at work.
What Jim did was illegal - but he says he wants to stop the fraudsters, and he passed his footage on to BBC Panorama.
Reporter: Rajini Vaidyanathan
If you are in the UK, you can watch Panorama: Spying on the Scammers on Monday 2 March at 20:30 on BBC One or catchup afterwards on iPlayer.


bbc--2020-03-02--Argentina abortion: President Alberto Fernández proposes legalisation

Argentina 's President Alberto Fernández has said he will send a bill to legalise abortion to Congress within the next 10 days .
Mr Fernández , who was sworn in as president in December , has previously described abortion as `` a matter of public health '' .
In Argentina , abortion is allowed only in cases of rape , or if the mother 's health is in danger .
It is largely prohibited across Latin America , except in restricted cases .
If the bill is passed , Argentina will become the largest country in the region to legalise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's a fact , '' the president said in his first annual address to Congress .
`` A state should protect citizens in general and women in particular .
And in the 21st Century , every society needs to respect the individual choice of its members to decide freely about their bodies . ''
Mr Fernández also promised to introduce a programme to improve sex education .
A previous attempt to change the law in Argentina , where the population is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic , failed .
• The women protesting in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The two sides in Argentina 's abortion debate In 2018 , a bill to legalise abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy was narrowly approved by Congress , but was later rejected by the country 's Senate .
Unlike last time , however , the country 's president is behind the bill .
The debate surrounding abortion in Argentina was reignited in February last year , when an 11-year-old rape victim gave birth by C-section .
The girl , who had been raped by her grandmother 's 65-year-old partner , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly delayed over questions about the identity of her guardian .
Cuba , Uruguay and Guyana are currently the only Latin American countries to permit abortion in the first weeks of pregnancy .
While some other countries allow abortion in the case of rape or risk to the mother 's life , it is completely banned in El Salvador , Honduras , Nicaragua and Haiti .
In El Salvador , dozens of women have been imprisoned for the deaths of their foetuses in cases where they say they suffered miscarriages or stillbirths .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Evelyn Hernandez , a Salvadorean teenager , was raped by a gang member and then jailed for 30 years for what her supporters say was a miscarriage .
Opponents say she killed her child .
Last year she was released pending a retrial .

"A state should protect citizens in general and women in particular. And in the 21st Century, every society needs to respect the individual choice of its members to decide freely about their bodies."


bbc--2020-03-02--Brexit: UK vows to seek 'hard bargain' in US trade talks

Boris Johnson has promised to `` drive a hard bargain '' as he set out the UK 's negotiating position for a post-Brexit free trade deal with the US .
The government said a deal would boost the UK economy by £3.4bn and particularly benefit Scotland , England 's north-east and the Midlands .
It pledged to maintain food standards and said the NHS would not be for sale .
Meanwhile , talks between the UK and EU aimed at reaching a trade agreement formally kick off in Brussels later .
• Katya Adler : UK-EU trade talks will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be insane ' to let in chlorinated chicken • Trade talks : What do the UK and EU want ?
The talks on a free trade agreement with the US are expected to begin later this month .
The discussions will take place in both the UK and US and be overseen by the government 's chief negotiation adviser Crawford Falconer - formerly New Zealand 's chief negotiator and ambassador to the World Trade Organization .
A government statement said manufacturers of ceramics , cars , food and drink would be `` the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with the professional services , including architects and lawyers .
`` We 're going to drive a hard bargain to boost British industry , '' said Mr Johnson .
`` Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats , we will deliver lower prices and more choice for our shoppers . ''
In what appears to be a bid to push back against accusations made by Labour during the election that the health service would be up for sale under the Conservatives , the government also said any future deal `` must protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Liz Truss told BBC Breakfast : `` We will not diminish our food safety standards and we will also not put the NHS on the table , or the price the NHS pays for drugs on the table . ''
`` Those are two very clear red lines in our trade deal . ''
Turning to the EU trade talks , Ms Truss attempted to address concerns over fishing rights - the EU is demanding continued access to British waters , while the UK wants quota deals like the EU has with Norway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Breakfast : `` We are not going to trade away our fishing in a deal with the EU or any other negotiating partner .
`` We are going to get a deal with the EU that does not involve selling out our fishing . ''
Confederation of British Industry director general Carolyn Fairbairn said it was `` encouraging to see the government 's ambitions to make it easier for skilled people to move between the UK and US '' and `` support small business exporters '' .
But Frances O'Grady , general secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : `` The government should be focused on getting a good trade deal with the EU - not cosying up to Donald Trump . ''
She said a bad trade deal with the US would `` put working people 's jobs and rights on the line ... and it will undermine our vital public services , environment and food standards '' .
Ms O'Grady referred to fears from farming leaders that an agreement could see the import of food that would be illegal to produce in the UK , such as chlorinated chicken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the EU will demand that the UK maintains a ban on washing chicken in chlorine and other disinfectants as the price for a trade agreement with the bloc .
But the US has expressed frustration at the ban , arguing that it is not based on scientific evidence .
Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner accused the government of making `` false promises '' over commitments to protect the NHS and consumer standards , adding `` there must be a full and proper scrutiny process for this and all trade agreements '' .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ trading partner after the EU , accounting for nearly 19 % of all exports in 2018 and 11 % of imports .
The EU accounted for 45 % of all exports and 53 % of imports .
On Monday , a hundred British negotiators will travel to Brussels to start talks on a trade deal with the EU .
The four days of discussions will be led by David Frost on the UK side and Michel Barnier for the EU , and there will be up to 11 different groups discussing different aspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include the UK 's wish to diverge from EU employment and environmental standards in future , its ruling out of any role for the European Court of Justice , and the level of EU access to UK fishing waters .
• How do you negotiate a trade agreement ?
• What does the UK sell to the rest of the world ?
The UK has signalled that it could walk away from trade talks in June unless there is a `` broad outline '' of a deal .
French Europe Minister Amelie De @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was prepared to abort a post-Brexit deal if European fishermen were denied access to British waters .
Details of what will be discussed and when have been published , with topics to be covered in the first round of negotiations including trade in goods and services , transport , energy , fisheries and `` fair and open competition '' in future dealings .
Further rounds of negotiations will take place every two to three weeks , alternating between London and Brussels .
Liberal Democrat acting leader Sir Ed Davey has called on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the EU and extend the Brexit transition period in order to focus on dealing with the coronavirus .
Even trade buffs admit their area of expertise can be pretty dry and detail-heavy .
And it would certainly suit the government if we all looked the other way during these negotiations because trade deals generally include trade-offs .
On both sides .
Neither Boris Johnson , nor his predecessor , Theresa May , have been wholly transparent about this with the UK public .
So surely it is of interest to those who voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eye on whether the benefits they 've been led to believe will be coming the UK 's way for farmers , fishermen and slashing immigration numbers , will now materialise in the way they 'd imagined .
And what do both sides - the EU and Boris Johnson 's government - want from a trade deal ?
Very different things .
Read more about what the EU and UK both want from a trade deal .

According to recent media reports, the EU will demand that the UK maintains a ban on washing chicken in chlorine and other disinfectants as the price for a trade agreement with the bloc. But the US has expressed frustration at the ban, arguing that it is not based on scientific evidence.


bbc--2020-03-02--Delhi endures tense night amid false rumours of violence

Rumours of mob attacks across Delhi have made for a tense night in the Indian capital , which is still reeling from the aftermath of deadly riots .
On Sunday , false reports of violence and homes being burned were being widely circulated on WhatsApp .
Police issued statements and legislators took to the streets to reassure people they were not true .
The death toll from the three days of violence in Delhi last week , largely targeting Muslims , has risen to 46 .
More than 200 others were injured in the violence , which first broke out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims .
• Why Delhi violence has echoes of the Gujarat riots However , the violence soon took on communal overtones with reports of many Muslim shops and homes being attacked .
Although the dead and injured comprise people from both the Hindu and Muslim communities , it is largely Muslims who have been affected , with thousands being displaced .
Even though the violence had largely abated by Wednesday , the city remains on edge .
On Sunday evening , reports of renewed mob violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and south-west Delhi began circulating on WhatsApp .
The rumours included everything from reports of gunshots , of armed groups marching in neighbourhoods while chanting slogans , and houses being set on fire .
One train station in the area was shut amid reports of mobs gathering .
People stayed inside their homes , and there were reports that taxis and three-wheeler drivers were refusing to pick up passengers .
As the messages spread , police were inundated with calls .
More than 500 distress calls were made from west Delhi alone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city .
The police then put out a statement , saying the reports were unsubstantiated and asking people not to spread rumours .
BBC Hindi 's Dilnawaz Pasha said reports of clashes were being reported from many parts of the city .
`` That was due to fear and panic - when street vendors hear these rumours , they flee as they are most vulnerable to violence , '' said '' People record videos of this and post it on WhatsApp .
These videos then go viral causing further panic . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to religious leaders , asking them to help maintain calm in their communities , our reporter added .
Earlier that day , police had detained a crowd of young Hindus who were shouting `` shoot the traitors '' in Rajeev Chowk , one of the busiest metro stations in Delhi .
There were also reports of similar slogans being shouted inside trains .

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bbc--2020-03-02--Israelis vote in unprecedented third general election in a year

Israelis are voting in an unprecedented third general election in less than a year , with the prime minister fighting for his political survival .
Neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger , Benny Gantz , were able to put together majority coalitions following the last two elections .
The final opinion polls suggested the latest round is too close to call .
Mr Netanyahu is seeking re-election two weeks before he is due to stand trial on corruption charges .
He has been ordered to appear in court in Jerusalem on 17 March to hear the indictment against him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unseat Netanyahu • What does Trump ’ s Middle East plan say on key issues ?
The prime minister was charged in November with bribery , fraud and breach of trust in connection with three separate cases .
He has strongly denied any wrongdoing , saying he is the victim of a politically motivated `` witch hunt '' .
Opponents have called on Mr Netanyahu to step down .
But even if convicted , he would not be required to do so until the appeals process was exhausted .
Mr Netanyahu , 70 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , having been in office from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 .
In December , he comfortably won a primary election for leadership of his right-wing Likud party .
His main opponent in the general election is Benny Gantz , 60 , a retired general who served as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) before entering politics to lead the centrist Blue and White party .
Why are Israelis heading to the polls again ?
Blue and White won one more seat than Likud in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Netanyahu or Mr Gantz were able to secure enough support from other parties to enable them to control a majority in the 120-seat parliament .
Weeks of campaigning have failed to budge the sense of grinding political stalemate in Israel .
Voters seem entrenched .
The polls suggest neither Mr Netanyahu nor Mr Gantz are sure of a clear path to victory .
Again .
Political lightning struck twice on the same day during the campaign , as Trump 's peace plan was announced and a corruption trial was set for Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the thunder .
They did n't need to vote three times to make up their minds about Mr Netanyahu and many see the Trump plan as more electoral politics than a serious attempt at resolving an intractable conflict .
Israel 's political system is based on a form of proportional representation , with parties winning seats based on the number of votes they receive rather than which party gets the most in a particular constituency .
This means governments have always been coalitions , sometimes fractious and short-lived .
Mr Netanyahu 's previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early election was held in April 2019 .
In those polls , Likud and Blue and White won the same number of seats .
But Mr Netanyahu dissolved parliament after his coalition talks failed , denying Mr Gantz a chance to try form a government himself .
It is unclear what might happen if there is no outright winner again .
Despite complaints among voters of election fatigue , Monday 's could be one of the most important for years .
If Blue and White wins , it will bring to an end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Likud , which advocates a right-wing nationalist agenda .
If Likud wins and can form a governing coalition , Mr Netanyahu has vowed to annex Jewish settlements and a large corridor of land known as the Jordan Valley , both in the occupied West Bank .
Such a move was made more possible after US President Donald Trump released his Middle East peace plan in January .
Mr Trump said the US would `` recognise Israeli sovereignty over the territory that my vision provides to be part of the State of Israel '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - a departure from previous US positions .
The Trump plan has also been endorsed by Mr Gantz , and while he too has pledged to annex the Jordan Valley and the main settlement blocs , it is less clear whether he would go as far as Mr Netanyahu .
More than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel 's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem .
The settlements are considered illegal under international law , though Israel disputes this .
The US has also declared it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Palestinians - who have rejected Mr Trump 's peace plan as one-sided - insist that all the settlements must be removed if there is to be final peace deal .
The US plan also proposes ceding a cluster of Israeli-Arab towns and villages into a future Palestinian state - effectively transferring Arab citizens out of Israel .
Israeli Arabs , who comprise about 20 % of Israel 's population and often complain of discrimination , have been angered by the suggestion .
A strong election result for the Joint List , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favour Benny Gantz 's chances of forming a government propped up by their support .


bbc--2020-03-02--China Uighurs 'moved into factory forced labour' for foreign brands

Thousands of Muslims from China 's Uighur minority group are working under coercive conditions at factories that supply some of the world 's biggest brands , a new report says .
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said this was the next phase in China 's re-education of Uighurs .
China has already detained about a million Uighurs at internment camps , punishing and indoctrinating them .
Officials say the camps are aimed at countering extremism .
The ASPI report comes after a senior Chinese official told reporters in December that members of the minority group being held in the camps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does the report say ?
Between 2017 and 2019 , the ASPI think tank estimates that more than 80,000 Uighurs were transferred out of the far western Xinjiang autonomous region to work in factories across China .
It said some were sent directly from detention camps .
ASPI said the Uighurs were moved through labour transfer schemes operating under a central government policy known as Xinjiang Aid .
According to the report , the factories claim to be part of the supply chain for 83 well-known global brands , including Nike , Apple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` extremely difficult '' for Uighurs to refuse or escape the work assignments , with the threat of `` arbitrary detention '' hanging over them .
It added that there was evidence of local governments and private brokers being `` paid a price per head '' by the Xinjiang government to organise the assignments , which ASPI describes as `` a new phase of the Chinese government 's ongoing repression '' of Uighurs .
• ' I spent seven days of hell in Chinese camps' '' Our report makes it really clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic minorities in Xinjiang also has a really strong character of economic exploitation , '' the report 's co-author Nathan Ruser told the BBC .
`` We have this unseen and previously hidden contamination of the global supply chain . ''
Reports of widespread detentions at internment camps in Xinjiang first emerged in 2018 .
Chinese authorities said the `` vocational training centres '' were being used to combat violent religious extremism .
But evidence showed many people were being detained for simply expressing their faith , by praying or wearing a veil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places like Turkey .
Beijing has faced growing international pressure over the issue .
Chinese state media says participation in labour transfer schemes is voluntary .
Officials have denied any commercial use of forced labour from Xinjiang , according to ASPI .
Where are they working ?
ASPI said it had identified 27 factories in nine Chinese provinces that had been using Uighur labour transferred from Xinjiang since 2017 .
At the factories , ASPI said the Uighurs were typically forced to live in segregated dormitories , have Mandarin lessons and `` ideological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were subjected to constant surveillance and banned from observing religious practices .
ASPI said foreign and Chinese companies were `` possibly unknowingly '' involved in human rights abuses .
It called on them to conduct `` immediate and thorough human rights due diligence '' on their factory labour in China .
The Washington Post visited a factory mentioned in the report , which produces trainers for sports giant Nike .
It said it resembled a prison , with barbed wire , watchtowers , cameras and a police station .
`` We can walk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back [ to Xinjiang ] on our own , '' one Uighur woman told the newspaper at the gates of the factory in the city of Laixi .
Nike told the Washington Post it was `` committed to upholding international labour standards globally '' and that its suppliers were `` strictly prohibited from using any type of prison , forced , bonded or indentured labor . ''
Apple also said it was `` dedicated to ensuring that everyone in our supply chain is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve '' , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the findings .

Reports of widespread detentions at internment camps in Xinjiang first emerged in 2018. Chinese authorities said the "vocational training centres" were being used to combat violent religious extremism. But evidence showed many people were being detained for simply expressing their faith, by praying or wearing a veil, or for having overseas connections to places like Turkey.


bbc--2020-03-02--Vatican to open archives of Holocaust-era Pope Pius XII

The Vatican is to open its archives on the wartime papacy of Pius XII , kept secret for decades amid accusations that he turned a blind eye to the Holocaust .
Critics say Pius XII , sometimes labelled `` Hitler 's Pope '' , knew Nazi Germany was murdering Jews but failed to act .
He reigned from 1939 to 1958 .
But the Vatican says Pius XII worked behind the scenes to save Jews .
Dozens of scholars are preparing to pore over the many documents .
Pope Francis took the decision a year ago to open up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Church 's most controversial figures .
`` The Church is not afraid of history , '' the Pope told Vatican researchers .
Pope Francis said the Pius XII papacy was marked by `` moments of grave difficulties , tormented decisions of human and Christian prudence , that to some could appear as reticence '' .
Bishop Sergio Pagano , prefect of the Vatican 's Apostolic Archives , said the World War Two documents ran into millions of pages , divided into 121 sections according to topic .
All the space in the consulting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the year , said Bishop Pagano , quoted by Reuters news agency .
The scholars include some from the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC and award-winning German historian Hubert Wolf , a specialist on the Pius XII pontificate .
• How Auschwitz became centre of Nazi Holocaust The BBC 's Mark Lowen in Rome reports that the controversy over this papacy is thought to have halted his elevation to sainthood .
`` There is no doubt that the pope was aware of the murder of Jews , '' said Hubert Wolf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the 1920s the then Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli had witnessed the rise of Nazism as Holy See ambassador in Germany , before returning to the Vatican and becoming pope .
There are Jesuit documents sent to the pope which informed him about Nazi concentration camps , but historians have not yet seen any of his replies .
Mr Wolf says he is also keen to see any letters the pope received from his ambassadors during the war .
In addition , historians still have many questions about the notorious `` ratline '' - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clergy who helped Nazi war criminals flee to South America after the war .

All the space in the consulting area has been booked for the rest of the year, said Bishop Pagano, quoted by Reuters news agency. The scholars include some from the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC and award-winning German historian Hubert Wolf, a specialist on the Pius XII pontificate.


bbc--2020-03-02--Guinea-Bissau's Cipriano Cassamá quits amid 'death threats'

One of the two men declared president of Guinea-Bissau has resigned from the post after just one full day in office , saying his life was in danger .
Cipriano Cassamá was chosen by lawmakers as president following disputed elections in December .
This was despite the fact that former army general Umaro Cissoko Embaló had already been sworn in as president at a hotel in the capital , Bissau .
Guinea-Bissau has had nine coups or attempted coups since 1980 .
A former Portuguese colony in West Africa , it has also become a key trafficking point for drugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe .
This has led to it being dubbed a `` narco-state '' .
• Guinea-Bissau : What you need to know • Are military takeovers on the rise in Africa ?
• How democracy is changing in Africa Why did Guinea-Bissau have two presidents ?
The poll was intended to draw a line under the past , but it has triggered a new political crisis in a nation where the military wields huge political influence .
The national electoral commission declared that Mr Embaló had beaten his main rival , Domingos Simoes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % in the 29 December run-off election .
Outgoing President José Mário Vaz handed power to Mr Embaló at a ceremony at a luxury hotel on Thursday .
But Mr Pereira 's PAIGC party , which led Guinea-Bissau to independence and was the only legal party until 1990 , rejected Mr Embaló 's inauguration , saying the election was marred by fraud .
It then used its parliamentary majority to swear in Mr Cassamá , the parliamentary speaker , as interim president , until the Supreme Court ruled on its bid to annul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Cassamá say ?
Mr Cassamá said he had no choice but to give up the post because he had received death threats .
`` I have no security ... My life is in danger , the life of my family is in danger , the life of this people [ nation ] is in danger .
I can not accept that , that is why I took this decision , '' he told reporters .
Mr Cassamá did not say who had threatened his life .
Guinea-Bissau still has two rival prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gomes , said military officers had invaded his private home in Bissau in a bid to force him to resign .
`` They threatened to kill the security officers in my service if they do not resign , and threatened to kill me if I do not resign from the office to which I was legally appointed , '' he said .
Mr Gomes has refused to recognise a decree by Mr Embaló , which replaced him with Nuno Gomes Nabiam , a former presidential candidate who threw his weight behind Mr Embaló @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African regional bloc , the Economic Community of West African States ( Ecowas ) , has called for an end to the turmoil , and has warned that a military force is on standby to `` re-establish order '' in the event of a coup .
Mr Embaló has said he wants to resolve tensions and modernise Guinea-Bissau - one of the world 's poorest nations , which is home to some 1.6 million people .

"I have no security... My life is in danger, the life of my family is in danger, the life of this people [nation] is in danger. I cannot accept that, that is why I took this decision," he told reporters.


bbc--2020-03-02--Migrants clash with Greek police at the Turkish border

The Greek government has suspended processing asylum applications saying they will immediately return anyone who enters the country illegally .
@ @ @ @ @ days of clashes at the Turkish-Greek land border where thousands of migrants are desperate to @ @ @ @ @ announced his country would no longer stop migrants who wanted to go to the European @ @ @ @ @ Fisher spoke to some migrants who had managed cross the border into Greece .

The Greek government has suspended processing asylum applications saying they will immediately return anyone who enters the country illegally.
The move comes after several days of clashes at the Turkish-Greek land border where thousands of migrants are desperate to cross after Turkey's president announced his country would no longer stop migrants who wanted to go to the European Union.
BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher spoke to some migrants who had managed cross the border into Greece.
Video produced and edited by Abdujalil Abdurasulov
Camera: Delimir Babic, Abdujalil Abdurasulov


bbc--2020-03-02--Syria war: Turkish drone strikes 'kill 19 Syrian soldiers'

Nineteen Syrian soldiers have been killed in Turkish drone strikes on Idlib , a UK-based monitor has said .
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights ( SOHR ) , the attacks targeted a military convoy and an army base amid increasing violence .
Turkey also shot down two Syrian fighter jets on Sunday .
Russia , a key backer of the Syrian government , has warned it can not guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft in Syrian airspace .
Tensions in Idlib escalated sharply last week when at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major escalation involving Turkey and Syria 's main military ally , Russia .
The pilots of the two Syrian jets brought down on Sunday parachuted to safety over Idlib province , where Turkish troops and rebels have been clashing with Syrian government forces .
Syria , meanwhile , announced that it had brought down three Turkish drones .
Syrian state news said the country was closing its airspace in the north west of the country and that any aircraft that violated this would `` be considered a hostile aircraft which must be downed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Idlib , said it had also targeted Syrian air defence systems and dozens of tanks .
• Why does the battle for Idlib matter ?
Turkey has stressed it does not want conflict with Russia during its latest operation in Idlib , dubbed `` Spring Shield '' .
Turkey claims 2,212 members of the Syrian forces have been `` neutralised '' , a term used to mean killed , wounded or captured .
But the SOHR said that just over 100 Syrian government troops and pro-Damascus fighters had been killed since 29 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week , despite strained relations .
Syrian government forces , supported by Russia , have been trying to retake Idlib from jihadist groups and Turkish-backed rebel factions .
Idlib is the last Syrian province where Syrian rebel groups still control significant territory .
The Syrian government advance has displaced nearly a million civilians who have fled to areas near the Turkish border .
Turkey says it is already hosting millions of refugees and does not have the resources to let more enter .
Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Idlib under a 2018 agreement with Russia .
President Erdogan had earlier threatened to confront Syrian government forces if they did not withdraw from positions near the Turkish observation posts .
The attack on Turkish troops last week came after Turkish-backed rebels retook the key town of Saraqeb , to the north east of Balyun .
Russia denies its own forces were involved in the fighting in the Balyun area .
But Russia and Turkey are backing opposing sides in the civil war .
Turkey is opposed to the government of Bashar al-Assad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has rejected calls in the UN Security Council for a humanitarian ceasefire in northern Syria , saying the only solution is to chase what it calls terrorists from the country .
The Syrian government , which has regularly been accused of committing atrocities against civilians , says it is liberating Idlib from `` terrorism '' .
The Turkish and Russian presidents spoke by phone on Friday .
They both expressed concern and agreed on the need for `` additional measures '' to normalise the situation .
Why is Turkey so deeply involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has brought it into close contact with the civil war and its strong opposition to the Assad government has made it a natural destination for refugees .
But President Erdogan has said it can not deal with the amount of people fleeing the civil war .
Turkey has vowed to open its doors for migrants to travel to the EU .
Turkey is also actively trying to prevent Syria 's Kurdish community establishing control over the border region , fearing that this would encourage Kurdish separatism within Turkey itself .
It has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the border in order to establish a safe area within Syria to rehouse two million of the refugees it is hosting .

The Syrian government advance has displaced nearly a million civilians who have fled to areas near the Turkish border. Turkey says it is already hosting millions of refugees and does not have the resources to let more enter.


bbc--2020-03-02--Public Enemy part ways with Flavor Flav - Chuck D says its about money

Public Enemy say they 've parted ways with their charismatic MC Flavor Flav , after more than 35 years .
The dismissal came two days after the rapper sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bernie Sanders ' campaign after his bandmates said they 'd appear at one of his rallies in Los Angeles .
`` Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav , '' said the group in a statement .
`` We thank him for his years of service and wish him well . ''
Frontman Chuck D later suggested the disagreement over Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , motivated .
`` If there was a $ bag , Flav would 've been there front & centre , '' he wrote on Twitter .
`` He will NOT do free benefit shows . ''
Their split comes just a month after the band was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys .
Flavor Flav co-founded Public Enemy in the 1980s after meeting Chuck D at Long Island 's Adelphi University .
Their early albums radically changed the sound of hip-hop , with a sound that was politically and musically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he loves The Clash But tensions have been rising since 2017 , when Flavor Flav - real name William Drayton - sued his bandmates and the group 's managers over unpaid profits .
The case had been dismissed before last week 's stand-off over Sanders ' rally .
Flavor Flav 's cease-and-desist letter accused the campaign of using his `` unauthorised likeness , image and trademarked clock in promotional materials '' for a Los Angeles rally , even though the rapper `` has not endorsed any political candidate '' .
`` While Chuck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ view as he sees fit - his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy , '' the letter continued .
`` The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy , it will not be a performance by Public Enemy .
Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time it is .
There is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav . ''
Chuck D mocked the star 's statement , saying his former bandmate did n't `` know the difference between Barry Sanders or Bernie Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play for free .
He said Flavor had previously refused to play a fundraiser for Harry Belafonte 's human rights charity Sankofa in 2016 , calling the star `` ungrateful '' - especially as Belafonte had inducted Public Enemy to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013 .
`` I would not have Public Enemy without Flavor , '' he concluded .
`` However , I will park it in the driveway , take off the plates [ and ] wait to re-register it when it 's running right . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement to Rolling Stone magazine : `` From a legal standpoint , Chuck could perform as Public Enemy if he ever wanted to ; he is the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark .
`` He originally drew the logo himself in the mid-80s , is also the creative visionary and the group 's primary songwriter , having written Flavor 's most memorable lines . ''
Shortly after announcing Flavor 's dismissal , Public Enemy Radio - an offshoot of the main group , featuring Chuck D , DJ Lord , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their performance at senator Sanders ' rally , performing classics like Fight the Power , Bring the Noise and Shut 'Em Down .
During the set , which was livestreamed online , Chuck D urged people to register to vote in the upcoming US Presidential election .
`` Voting is [ as ] important as washing your ass in the morning , '' he declared .
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If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news @ bbc.co.uk .


bbc--2020-03-02--US election 2020: Why is the Latino vote so important?

The 2020 election marks the first time that Latinos will be the largest racial or ethnic minority in the electorate @ @ @ @ @ voters .
The BBC went to Texas , a state with 5.6 million eligible Latino @ @ @ @ @ why their vote is important and what they 're looking for in a Democratic candidate @

The 2020 election marks the first time that Latinos will be the largest racial or ethnic minority in the electorate, with 32 million eligible voters.
The BBC went to Texas, a state with 5.6 million eligible Latino voters, to find out why their vote is important and what they're looking for in a Democratic candidate.
Video by Angélica M Casas


bbc--2020-03-01--Chile's protest street art: The writing is on the wall

The walls of the streets of downtown Santiago are covered with stickers , art , words and posters .
The messages are varied and range from `` Feminist power '' to `` All cops are bastards '' .
They have taken over the walls of Zona Cero ( Ground Zero ) , the name given to the area around Plaza de la Dignidad , where anti-government protests have been held - and at times brutally repressed by police - since 18 October .
The protests were originally triggered by a rise in the metro fare in the capital , Santiago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement denouncing inequality in Chile , the high costs of healthcare and poor funding of education .
The slogans daubed on the walls , such as `` Piñera must quit '' , reflect some of the anger at the government and the President , Sebastián Piñera , which many Chileans are expressing .
Óscar Núñez has been at the forefront of the protests since they first started .
A graphic designer , he decided to use his experience to make street art under the name of Mr Owl .
He says that street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dialogue between him and others .
`` I started using the image of a military officer in a peaceful yoga pose .
It 's ironic and fresh but my favourite part is that other graffiti artists have put their own touches to that image , '' he says .
He explains that people would paint the eyes red in a reference to the hundreds of protesters who have been blinded by projectiles shot by police .
Graffiti and street art has a long tradition in Santiago , where it was widely used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military rule of Gen Augusto Pinochet and to foment radical social change .
Ever since , all kinds of graffiti - urban , feminist , political and social - have flourished here .
But 39-year-old street artist Caiozzama says that before the current wave of protests , it was mainly confined to certain areas of Santiago .
`` To see so many right downtown was n't common , '' he explains .
Caiozzama has been a street artist for the past six years .
He says that while he tackled more global themes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wave of protests , his art now centres on Chile 's political crisis .
`` Nonviolence is a potent message that needs to be remembered right now , '' he says .
And it is not just graffiti which is flourishing - performance art and music are also integral parts of the protests , with Chilean feminist collective Las Tesis ' performance against sexual abuse going viral and being recreated as far away as Turkey and France .
But the graffiti poses a dilemma for the owners of buildings and businesses on which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a show of support or clean it off ?
The municipal authorities try to cover up the political messages whenever they get a chance .
Alejandro Conteras , 33 , is a protester and photographer whose large prints adorn the facade of the Gabriela Mistral cultural centre in Santiago .
He says that the walls of the city have become a canvas where subjects that are not covered by the country 's media can be tackled .
`` The press wo n't talk about the protests ?
Then we will do the task @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 41-year-old illustrator who started dealing with political issues in her illustrations in October , agrees .
`` The government wants to make us believe that everything is just fine in Chile .
But we wo n't stop spreading the message of what 's actually happening here , '' she says .
`` We do n't work as a collective , but we do try to show the diversity of voices behind the protests , '' fellow illustrator Alexandra Gross , 30 , says of their posters which include text in Mapudungun , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largest indigenous community in south-central Chile .
Earlier this month , the murals which covered the facade of the Gabriela Mistral centre were painted over by unidentified people overnight .
Hours later , dozens of artists turned up and again filled this now blank canvas with drawings , but the incident showed how easily street art can be erased .
The Museo de la Dignidad ( Museum of Dignity ) is an artists ' collective which tries to counter attempts to erase political street art by `` framing '' the best pieces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The golden frame has provided street art pieces , which are essentially ephemeral , a sense of protection to help them survive censorship or hatefulness '' explains Rulo , 39 , one of its members .
The discussion surrounding street art has also wound its way into Chile 's venerable National Museum of Fine Arts .
Right in the middle of its main hall , the museum has placed a pinboard asking visitors the question : `` In your opinion , what should the museum do about the graffiti on its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and range from `` It 's not art '' to `` It 's the true expression of the people '' while others propose for the graffiti to be photographed so it can be kept as evidence for future generations .
With the protests far from abating , Santiago 's street art and its merits are likely to divide Chileans for a while to come .
All photos by Gabriela Mesones Rojo and subject to copyright .

Caiozzama has been a street artist for the past six years. He says that while he tackled more global themes such as climate change before the current wave of protests, his art now centres on Chile's political crisis. "Nonviolence is a potent message that needs to be remembered right now," he says.


bbc--2020-03-02--Australian night sky on show in 'starlapse' video

He lives in the coastal town of Agnes Water , Queensland , six and a half hours ' drive north @ @ @ @ @ .
The remote location enables him to take night photos with incredible detail .

Photographer Stuart Mckay captures "starlapses" - time-lapse photography of the night sky.
He lives in the coastal town of Agnes Water, Queensland, six and a half hours' drive north of the nearest light pollution.
The remote location enables him to take night photos with incredible detail.


bbc--2020-03-02--Cameroonian filmmaker: 'Why I made a film for £5,000'

Olivier Assoua 's first feature film was shot on a shoestring budget in the small Cameroonian town where he was born .
As he tells the BBC , the low cost ensured the movie got made - and this is why his long-held dream is set to be realised when it is released in the coming months .
When Olivier Assoau was 10 , his civil-servant father bought a VHS player .
His was the only family in the neighbourhood to own one .
`` When we did well at school , my father allowed my friends and I to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It motivated me to do well in school because I really wanted to watch movies , '' Assoua says .
At the age of 15 , Assoua left Cameroon for France and in 2006 he moved to the UK .
Years later , he returned to his birth town to embark on a film-making journey .
He wrote , directed , shot and edited his first feature-length film , La Vallée des Aigles ( `` The Eagle 's Nest '' is its English title ) .
`` I made the film for £5,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had paid myself market rate for each role , I would never have been able to make it , '' Assoua says .
`` My film La Vallée des Aigles is about two female friends in a small town where many young people emigrate to bigger cities or Europe in search of a better life .
`` In this film , the two main characters stumble upon a large sum of money .
One of the friends decides to go to Europe with the money , whilst the other wants to stay in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The plight of the Africans Assoua regards migration , economic or forced , as a hugely important subject .
`` Many Africans are dying trying to get to Europe , '' he says .
`` There is a belief that going to Europe will make their lives better . ''
A 2019 UN migration study , seeking to understand the reasons for migration to Europe , interviewed close to 2,000 migrants from 39 African countries , and found that nearly all of them would make the same perilous journey again despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Africa can be traced back to the legacy of colonialism , which forced together different groups into the same country and skewed economic relationships , both internally and internationally .
`` It will take time to heal and get out of the mindset of the colonised subject and rebuild [ African countries ] , '' Assoua says .
• Price of Love director : African film industry 'must work together' The stories one tells are important , he says .
`` Part of that [ the rebuilding ] is also creating content @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colonialism and the aspiration to go to Europe are long-running themes in African cinema - for example in the acclaimed 1966 Senegalese film Black Girl , directed by Ousmane Sembène .
In the film , a Senegalese girl is hired as a nanny by a middle-class French couple .
When the couple move back to France , they take the girl with them .
At first , she is happy beyond belief - dreaming of Paris and of wearing stylish clothes and shoes .
Soon , however , the girl 's excitement turns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality in Paris is very different to what she had imaged - that she is mainly confined to the apartment , cooking and cleaning .
The film was a critical success .
Critics saw the girl as a symbol for the newly-independent Senegal : a country dreaming of freedom and prosperity but one weighted down by the aftermath of colonialism .
Like the migrants risking their lives to reach the shores of Europe , Assoua suggests black Africans are abandoning `` our own storytelling '' and instead flocking to Western films .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the continent , and says they should draw on each country 's rich history and culture instead .
`` Instead of asking for a seat at the table , we need to build our own table , '' he says .

Olivier Assoua's first feature film was shot on a shoestring budget in the small Cameroonian town where he was born. As he tells the BBC, the low cost ensured the movie got made - and this is why his long-held dream is set to be realised when it is released in the coming months.


bbc--2020-03-02--Training troops for the 'world's most dangerous' peacekeeping mission

With violent extremism on the rise in the Sahel region , the British Army is preparing to send 250 troops @ @ @ @ @ a UN peacekeeping mission .
Defence correspondent Jonathan Beale met UK troops helping to train @ @ @ @ @ , ahead of the deployment .

With violent extremism on the rise in the Sahel region, the British Army is preparing to send 250 troops into Mali, to join a UN peacekeeping mission.
Defence correspondent Jonathan Beale met UK troops helping to train African Special Forces in Senegal, ahead of the deployment.


bbc--2020-03-02--‘My toy walrus waited 25 years in the Arctic’

A remote Arctic island makes an unusual honeymoon destination .
But for one couple it was perfect , and led to a touching reunion with a long-lost childhood friend , writes Juliet Rix .
Walruses huddle in blubbery bonhomie , almost overflowing the little ice-islands on which they float .
They nudge and scratch , gnarled brown skin and elegant ivory tusks glistening in the Arctic sun .
I am watching from a chartered icebreaker , one of just a handful of ships a year to visit Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean , the northernmost Unesco World Heritage Site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildlife , especially polar bears , many of whom breed here .
We see them , from the deck of the ship or from a distance on land , roaming creamy-furred and curious across ice and tundra .
Herds of musk ox stare from beneath grey curved horns .
Whales meander the coastal waters , and giant puffins flap from craggy cliffs .
It 's a spectacular place - but harsh too .
There are no permanent human residents on this treeless Arctic island that lies off the coast of Siberia , deep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the freezing Russian Far East .
It is not the sort of place you expect to find a young urban couple… on honeymoon .
I first spot Julia and Daniel , just visible through thick fog , freezing rain and a sea of rusting metal - at the island 's appropriately-named former military base , Doubtful Bay .
But I do n't get to talk to them until they appear aboard our ship , hitching a lift back to the mainland , and revelling in the comfort of a cosy cabin and fresh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has insight and analysis from BBC journalists , correspondents and writers from around the world • Listen on iPlayer , get the podcast or listen on the BBC World Service , or on Radio 4 on Saturdays at 11:30 I must have looked a little incredulous when they said they were on honeymoon , because Daniel laughed .
`` I know , '' he said .
`` Our friends at home in Moscow did n't understand it either , so we made a joke of it and said we were coming to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Julia , it transpires , spent the first five years of her life on Wrangel , which then had a small civilian settlement .
Her father , a scientist , was studying snowgeese - of which I 've been fortunate to see a feeding flock , just a fraction of the million-strong population now present on the island .
When she was five , Julia was sent to visit her babushka - her grandmother - in Moscow .
She thought it was for a few days ' holiday and she would soon be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favourite toy , a little fluffy walrus her father had given her .
In fact , her parents were splitting up and Julia never returned to Wrangel .
For a quarter of a century , she says , `` I dreamed of my island , and my walrus . ''
Finally , as she contemplated starting her own family , she decided she had to return to Wrangel .
It was n't the simplest piece of travel planning .
But eventually Daniel , himself a scientist , secured a three-week stint volunteering on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honeymoon .
Daniel 's first job on Wrangel was to renovate an old wooden cabin .
It turned out that the last person to live in it had been Julia 's father .
They found the family home too - now derelict - and explored the island , drinking in its raw beauty , and coming too-close-for-comfort to a polar bear .
They stood , they tell me , on the silent tundra amidst a glorious meadow of tiny Arctic flowers musing on how wonderfully irrelevant humanity was in this remote land .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , just as I did - but not Julia 's toy .
Sitting one evening with one of the island 's handful of seasonal rangers , Julia and Daniel told him the story of how Julia departed the island , leaving her beloved toy behind .
`` Oh , '' said the ranger casually .
`` We found that . ''
Julia and Daniel did n't believe him , but , the next morning he appeared clutching in his gloved hand her little fluffy walrus .
`` I did n't cry then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now tears roll gently down her smiling cheeks as she holds up a brown toy with soft creamy tusks .
Wrangel is a nature reserve with the highest level of protection .
Nothing must be taken from the island .
But as we steam away from the prowling polar bears , the treeless tundra and ice-islands groaning with gargantuan brown bodies , one little walrus is on its way to Moscow to help Julia and Daniel explain to their friends about Wrangel Island - how it must be protected , how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Julia .
She sits cradling a little piece of her childhood , a piece of her island .
Their honeymoon was just the start , she says .
And Daniel nods .
They 'll definitely be back .
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The stranger and the ring

Nothing must be taken from the island. But as we steam away from the prowling polar bears, the treeless tundra and ice-islands groaning with gargantuan brown bodies, one little walrus is on its way to Moscow to help Julia and Daniel explain to their friends about Wrangel Island - how it must be protected, how much it matters to the wildlife. And to Julia.


bbc--2020-03-02--Letter from Africa: Ethiopia's lost Armenian community

In our series of letters from African journalists , Ismail Einashe takes a trip to Ethiopia to find out about a lost community .
My search for the last Armenians of Ethiopia began in Piassa , the bustling commercial centre of the old part of the capital , Addis Ababa .
On previous visits to the city , I had always been intrigued by the snippets I had heard about the community and its history .
There had long been a connection between Ethiopia and Armenia through the Orthodox Church .
But this developed beyond priests , to bring in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Century , a handful of Armenians played a vital role in the court of Emperor Menelik II .
And later , in the early 20th Century , a community settled that went on to have an economic and cultural impact in the country .
On a sticky afternoon , I stood outside the gates of the exquisite St George Armenian Apostolic Holy Church that was built in the 1930s .
It looked closed but I called out `` selam '' - `` hello '' in Amharic .
A confused-looking elderly security guard came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to look around , he went to fetch Simon , the Armenian-Ethiopian caretaker .
The quiet , dignified man came out and told me that they do not get many visitors .
The church is rarely open , as there is no priest these days , and the community , of no more than 100 , is mostly elderly .
Inside the church , the altar is ornately decorated and red Persian rugs cover the floor .
This was the heart of the community that began to grow in numbers during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ras Tafari , became prince regent of Ethiopia in 1916 and Emperor from 1930 to 1974 .
Under his leadership , Ethiopia began to rapidly modernise and Armenian courtiers , businessmen and traders played an important role in this transition .
In 1924 , Ras Tafari visited the Armenian monastery in Jerusalem , where he met a group of 40 children who had been orphaned by the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One .
Moved by their plight , he asked the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after them there .
The 40 orphans , or arba lijoch in Amharic , were all trained in music and went on to form the imperial brass band of Ethiopia .
They were led by an Armenian , Kevork Nalbandian , who composed the imperial anthem .
The community reached its zenith in the 1960s when it numbered 1,200 .
Despite their small numbers they had a crucial role in ushering Ethiopia into the modern world - from helping to develop the distinctive Ethiopian jazz style to working as tailors , doctors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court .
But as the Armenian community was tied to the imperial history of the country , once the emperor fell the community declined .
Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974 by the Marxist Derg junta , which went on to seize businesses and property , including that of the Armenians .
Their numbers tumbled as many fled to North America and Europe .
But a few stayed and some married within the local community , creating a unique blend of Armenian and Ethiopian cultures .
They can still be seen in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is also the Armenian social club , which has a restaurant that reminds people of the taste of home .
Simon , the church caretaker , told me that I should go .
It was a Tuesday night and , apart from my friend and myself , there was a group of three Armenian-Ethiopian women who were delighted to see strangers in the restaurant .
They admitted that the community was not what it used to be .
But the social club remained as a way to keep it alive .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sumptuous börek and lyulya kebabs , I felt I was tasting the history of the Armenians in Ethiopia .
• Mugabe and Moi : The legacy of a dying African generation • Where toilets have become a constitutional right • Brides under pressure to have genital mutilation - again • How talk of witches stirs emotions in Nigeria Follow us on Twitter @ BBCAfrica , on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

This was the heart of the community that began to grow in numbers during the rule of Haile Selassie who, as Ras Tafari, became prince regent of Ethiopia in 1916 and Emperor from 1930 to 1974.


bbc--2020-03-02--The friends helping people divorce without lawyers

The BBC 's weekly The Boss series profiles different business leaders from around the world .
This week we speak to Kate Daly and Pip Wilson , co-founders of lawyer-free divorce service Amicable .
When Kate Daly and her former husband split up , she says matters quickly became toxic and expensive when they both hired divorce lawyers .
`` It escalated very quickly , not only into a conflict , but into huge amounts of money being spent , on things that were irrelevant , and not important to the process , '' she says .
`` Because I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Kate was so unhappy with what she had to go through , that she decided that she would change career to help other divorcing couples try to get through the process more amicably .
So in 2012 she switched from being a corporate councillor working with business leaders , to a divorce coach helping husbands and wives best separate without rancour .
The idea is that the coach improves communication , both between the couple and both sets of lawyers , removing conflict .
Then brainstorming with her friend Pip Wilson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one stage further - allow couples to divorce without lawyers being involved at all .
And so their company Amicable was born in 2015 .
Estranged couples can use use the app and website to liaise with an artificial intelligence `` chatbot '' , or speak to human divorce coach by telephone .
The idea is that Amicable helps and guides couples on agreeing and drafting a divorce settlement that they ( the couple ) then take to a family law judge in England and Wales for the divorce to be granted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2,000 couples divorce .
It claims to be both much cheaper and faster than going down the traditional lawyer route .
It says that couples can pay as little as £300 , and that a simple divorce without a financial arrangement can be agreed in just four months .
`` Divorce ultimately is a sad thing , but it 's not a bad thing , '' says Pip .
`` People should n't be punished for coming to what no doubt is a really , really difficult decision . ''
Given the scope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market , it is unsurprising that family law lawyers have questioned its legality .
So too have some family court judges .
This uncertainty was put to bed in January when a High Court judge ruled in Amicable 's favour .
Mr Justice Mostyn said : `` There can be no doubt that the initiative of Amicable has greatly improved access to justice , for many people effectively disenfranchised from the legal process , by the near total withdrawal of legal aid from private family law proceedings . ''
He added that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of interest arises '' from the fact that Amicable works with both parties to the divorce .
Kate said , following the judgement , that it would `` change the legal landscape forever '' .
London-based Amicable has now secured about £1m of investment to fund its expansion .
Its current annual turnover is about £600,000 and it has 15 employees .
`` We 've proved the solution , and we 've proved the demand , '' says Pip .
`` We 've got enough customers through the system now to know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has grown over the past five years , Kate says they have encountered some stigma from potential investors because of what the company does .
`` There are some people who said 'no ' from the outset because they do n't want to be involved in a business that deals with divorce , '' she says .
But Kate insists that `` we 're not about making it easier for people to divorce '' .
Rather , she says : `` We 're about people getting through the process in a way that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a difficult situation . ''
Richard Moorhead , professor of law at the University of Exeter , says that Amicable is `` really interesting '' .
`` What I really like about what they 're doing , is they really think about the soft side of what the clients want in terms of service , and what might work for them , '' he says .
However , Prof Moorhead adds that Amicable might not be suitable for many divorcing couples `` because obviously there 's some mistrust between the parties quite often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyer at London-based family law firm Newton Kearns , says that specialist divorce solicitors will always be required in complex cases .
`` People 's lives and finances are complex , and it is not always a case of adding everything together and dividing by two , '' she says .
`` There can be issues of ownership , inheritance , pre- or post-marital assets , valuation , liquidity , international dimensions , tax consequences and the distribution of particular assets - the list is endless .
`` Family law solicitors can advise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that , I absolutely think there is market for Amicable - particularly in circumstances where a couple 's assets are straightforward . ''
• The boss putting an end to empty homes • ' I reinvented the hair tie from my uni halls' • ' I remember the roaches walking across the floor' • The medieval knight who went into space Kate and Pip first became friends 13 years ago when both pregnant , they met at a National Childbirth Trust class for mums-to-be in west London .
While Kate was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entrepreneur .
Now both their mid-40s , they say they try to recruit fellow parents .
This is so that their staff are around the same age as their customers , who are on average between 35 and 50 .
As they continue to expand the business , Kate says : `` We ca n't afford to be stuck in an old divorce system where it 's Paul McCartney and Heather Mills throwing things at each other in a courtroom .
People ca n't afford the expense , and they ca n't afford @ @ @ @ @

As the company has grown over the past five years, Kate says they have encountered some stigma from potential investors because of what the company does. "There are some people who said 'no' from the outset because they don't want to be involved in a business that deals with divorce," she says.


bbc--2020-03-02--Cheerleading in the UK - not on the sidelines anymore

The celebration is deafening as Meg Stovell and her team-mates leap from the sprung floor into each others ' arms .
`` It feels amazing , '' she shouts as Tina Turner 's Simply the Best blasts from the speakers .
Weeks of intensive sessions perfecting everything from somersaults to song lyrics have paid off : the Bournemouth University Falcons are the student cheerleading grand national champions .
Cheer , a Netflix documentary series about cheerleading in the US , has taken millions of viewers on a college team 's tumultuous journey to the national competition in Daytona Beach , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compare in the UK ?
London 's Olympic Park is 5,000 miles from Navarro College in Texas , but it seems even further in the February cold outside the Copper Box Arena , where hundreds of students have gathered for Legacy Cheer 's university competition .
Inside , though , the stakes feel just as high .
One by one , teams clad in sparkly uniforms run on to the stage , desperate to wow the panel of five judges with their two-and-a-half minute routines .
They try to mask their nerves with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , pyramids and everything in between - all while lip-syncing to carefully-curated backing tracks .
One judge 's sole job is deducting points for slip-ups .
When a stunt goes wrong , it can be difficult to bring the performance back .
At one point , an athlete is helped hobbling , in tears , from the mat by her teammates after a move left her with what looks like a twisted ankle .
The standard of UK university cheerleading has a way to go before it matches its cross-Atlantic counterpart .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seven .
Navarro College 's Cirque du Soleil-style stunts unsurprisingly make them a level seven , while the highest mixed level division at Legacy is three .
One of the reasons is that most student cheerleaders , like Lily Norris , 21 , who studies education and psychology at the University of Cambridge , are new to the sport when they enrol .
She says cheerleading had a bad reputation when she was growing up in Southend , Essex .
`` A lot of people just thought of it as pompoms - not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' she says .
`` It has got this stigma associated with it that I think really needs to be broken because it 's such a competitive sport . ''
Although it was born on the sidelines of American football fields - and was originally a men 's activity before women took over during the First World War - today cheerleading is a sport in its own right , geared towards competitions .
In the UK , around 89,000 athletes compete at regional and national level .
Legacy is just one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events for everything from children 's `` all star '' teams which train specifically for competition , to the student teams in February 's competition .
The sport is being taken ever more seriously , especially since England 's national team won gold in the World Championships .
SportCheer England , a new national governing body , hopes it will be officially recognised by Sport England within the next two years , and eventually be incorporated into the Olympics .
But it is still not nearly as well resourced as it is Stateside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheerleader for the University of Texas , who founded Legacy with her twin sister .
Breathing a sigh of relief backstage as she removes the earpiece she has been wearing all day , she says : `` It 's just a matter of time .
It has n't had time to evolve to that stage . ''
Andrea still lives in Houston but flies to the UK for competitions .
And her first experience here , 21 years ago , could n't have been further from Friday night shows in front of packed-out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consult on the sport for a competition in Norwich , where judo mats had been pushed together in a sports hall .
The judges asked her how long the routines were meant to be .
`` The competition ran two hours behind schedule and the DJ got up and left because he had another gig , '' she laughs .
`` I remember thinking : ' I want to help fix this ' . ''
She believes the standard of student cheerleading is now `` shifting '' because the sport has been growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who took part as children are now going to university .
In one episode of Cheer , Navarro College 's formidable coach , Monica Aldama , says she likes her female cheerleaders to have a certain `` look '' .
But Laurel Boxall , the 19-year-old secretary of the Oxford Sirens ( the Cambridge Cougars ' main rivals ) says they take on new members based on ability and personality .
`` I like that we 're not all just carbon copies of each other , '' she says .
That said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ myriad of hair bows and fake eyelashes in the Copper Box Arena .
Lauren Tyler , 21 , and the rest of the Southampton Vixens spent the evening before the competition applying fake tan .
She says they push themselves physically like any other type of athlete - having broken multiple ribs and wrists herself - but the makeup and hair `` play into '' their performance .
Joanna Cuthbert , chairwoman of SportCheer England , says the sport 's glamorous side can help attract girls who otherwise might not engage in sport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being out on a muddy pitch in the pouring rain , '' she says , adding that it has a more athletic look at an international level .
The aesthetic can make recruiting men a challenge , says Meg .
Her teammate , Harry Day , 20 , was adamant that he would join a gymnastics team at Bournemouth University 's freshers ' fair , but his friends convinced him to try cheerleading .
`` The first couple of sessions I was n't so sure , because it was really dancey , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got into it . ''
A striking similarity to the Navarro students is the students ' sense of commitment to their teams and the sport .
`` No one is in for themselves , '' says Lily .
`` When one person 's missing , it sounds really clichéd , but you ca n't put the pyramid up .
You need to have every single member of the team present . ''
And pre-competition rituals are not unique to the Navarro team .
The Southampton Vixens touch their toes in unison before performing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other motivational notes .
They even have `` mat talk '' , when team members motivate their fellow athletes during practices .
`` Everyone is telling each other to be a Jerry , '' laughs Laurel , referring to one of the Cheer stars .
The students stress that while the original role of cheerleading - as implied by the name - was to motivate other teams , they are now the main event .
`` If we were just on the sidelines we probably would n't do it , '' says Laurel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether to rename the sport altogether .
Katrina Rutina , the 21-year-old president of the Royal Holloway Bears , says that , even though cheer is an `` aggressive '' sport in its own right , it would be wrong to deny its origins .
`` We are still leading the cheery atmosphere , it 's just in its own athletic and professional lane , '' she says .
`` It 's not other teams that we 're cheering on , it 's ourselves that we 're trying to cheer on . ''

Inside, though, the stakes feel just as high. One by one, teams clad in sparkly uniforms run on to the stage, desperate to wow the panel of five judges with their two-and-a-half minute routines. They try to mask their nerves with rehearsed smiles as they execute hand springs, pyramids and everything in between - all while lip-syncing to carefully-curated backing tracks. One judge's sole job is deducting points for slip-ups. When a stunt goes wrong, it can be difficult to bring the performance back.


bbc--2020-03-02--Joshua to fight Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June

British world champion Anthony Joshua will fight Kubrat Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 20 June .
Bulgarian Pulev , 38 , is the mandatory IBF challenger to take on Joshua , who holds the WBA , IBF and WBO titles .
Joshua won back the belts with a unanimous points victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. in December .
`` I am happy to have the opportunity to show the world how strong I really am , '' said Pulev .
It will be Joshua 's first fight in the UK since beating Alexander Povetkin at Wembley in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fight Pulev at Cardiff 's Principality Stadium in October 2017 but the Bulgarian withdrew after suffering a shoulder injury in sparring , with Carlos Takam stepping in to replace him at 12 days ' notice .
Promoter Eddie Hearn said last week that talks were also underway for an all-British unification fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury .
Fury beat Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC title last month , meaning the British heavyweights now hold all of the division 's belts between them .
However , American Wilder has triggered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vs Wilder contest will take place before any potential bout between Fury and Joshua .
Pulev , a former European heavyweight champion , has suffered just one defeat in 29 bouts , a fifth-round knockout by Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 .
He beat Britain 's Hughie Fury on points in an IBF final eliminator in Bulgaria in October 2018 , his first fight since pulling out of his original meeting with Joshua .
His last bout was another unanimous points victory , against American Rydell Booker , in November .

Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Anthony Joshua regained the WBA, IBF and WBO titles with victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia in December
British world champion Anthony Joshua will fight Kubrat Pulev at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, 20 June.
Bulgarian Pulev, 38, is the mandatory IBF challenger to take on Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
Joshua won back the belts with a unanimous points victory over Andy Ruiz Jr in December.
"I am happy to have the opportunity to show the world how strong I really am," said Pulev.
It will be Joshua's first fight in the UK since beating Alexander Povetkin at Wembley in September 2018.
He was initially due to fight Pulev at Cardiff's Principality Stadium in October 2017 but the Bulgarian withdrew after suffering a shoulder injury in sparring, with Carlos Takam stepping in to replace him at 12 days' notice.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said last week that talks were also under way for an all-British unification fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury.
Fury beat Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC title last month, meaning the British heavyweights now hold all of the division's belts between them.
However, American Wilder has triggered a rematch clause, meaning a third Fury vs Wilder contest will take place before any potential bout between Fury and Joshua.
Pulev, a former European heavyweight champion, has suffered just one defeat in 29 bouts, a fifth-round knockout by Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.
He beat Britain's Hughie Fury on points in an IBF final eliminator in Bulgaria in October 2018, his first fight since pulling out of his original meeting with Joshua.
His last bout was another unanimous points victory, against American Rydell Booker, in November.
A Pulev win makes unification easier - Analysis
BBC Sport boxing reporter Luke Reddy
Two weeks ago the BBC Sport boxing team sat in Bob Arum's office and, unprompted, he started telling us how his fighter Kubrat Pulev "will knock out Joshua".
I guess he would say that, but there is no doubt Joshua's humbling at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr on 1 June has drastically changed how he is viewed.
There are questions to answer still. Joshua boxed beautifully in his rematch but looked a little uneasy whenever he was pressed. Will Pulev's team go in on the front foot in a bid to upset the odds?
Pulev could ultimately wreck the dreams of British boxing fans who have now been promised a Fury-Joshua bout for all the belts. There are so many agreements needed before that becomes a reality.
In many ways, a Pulev win would make a bout for all four belts far easier to arrange. Arum would control Fury and the Bulgarian, so he would only need to strike deals within his own Top Rank office to secure the historic contest.