bbc--2020-02-14--Coronavirus: Fake flyers in Los Angeles target Panda Express

Fake flyers telling diners to avoid Asian-American restaurants because of the coronavirus are among a spate of recent racist incidents linked to the outbreak , say California authorities .
Coronavirus fears have spread even though the US has seen just 15 cases , over half in California .
This week in Los Angeles bullies accused an Asian-American student of having the virus and badly beat him .
The coronavirus has now reached 24 countries outside China .
Anxiety and misinformation related to the virus have fuelled anti-Asian prejudice , Los Angeles authorities said at a press conference .
`` Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because someone is Asian or from China that somehow they are more likely to be carriers of the virus , '' said Robin Toma , executive director of the LA County Human Relations Commission .
A Los Angeles Asian-American schoolboy accused by bullies of having the virus was taken to the hospital after being beaten .
`` He went to the hospital originally and went to the emergency room , '' Mr Toma said .
`` They were taking MRIs to ensure he did n't have a concussion or other harm . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus reported in Los Angeles County , which has a population of 10.1 million .
• 'No change ' in virus outbreak despite China spike • Coronavirus : What you need to know But in the Los Angeles area , flyers with counterfeit seals for the World Health Organization ( WHO ) have been posted .
They advised residents to avoid Asian-American businesses like Panda Express because of the coronavirus .
In the nearby Alhambra area , 14,000 people have signed a petition urging school closures over the virus .
And in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fears and anxiety '' , the University of California , Berkeley health services department listed xenophobia as a `` normal '' reaction amid a virus outbreak .
The prejudicial attacks could worsen given the possibility that the virus will spread in US communities in the coming weeks , said Mr Toma .
Similar incidents have been reported worldwide , including Canada , the UK and France .
But coronavirus cases are not rising dramatically outside China , the WHO has said .
There was also no major shift in the coronavirus ' pattern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the WHO .

"Many may be quick to assume that just because someone is Asian or from China that somehow they are more likely to be carriers of the virus," said Robin Toma, executive director of the LA County Human Relations Commission.


bbc--2020-02-14--Woman born in Cambridgeshire pub returns for first pint

A teenager has travelled 7,500 miles to have her first legal drink in the British pub where she was unexpectedly born 18 years ago .
Isobel Casey 's mother Nicola went into labour at the Hartford Mill pub in Wyton , Cambridgeshire , on 14 February , 2002 .
The family moved to Vancouver , Canada , in 2006 , but always vowed to return to mark the coming-of-age moment .
Her dad Neil said : `` She 'll have a pint of Greene King IPA .
It 's our heritage . ''
Mrs Casey , then a nurse at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with friends in the pub when she experienced a `` really strong contraction '' , Mr Casey said .
When he arrived there was `` panicking in the car park '' as her waters broke , but they managed to carefully get his wife indoors .
Isobel , the couple 's second child , was born next to the toddler ball pit .
Mr Casey , a clinical perfusion scientist who also worked at Papworth at the time , said his daughter will pull her first pint in an English pub .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and European way of introducing young people to alcohol safely , '' he said .
`` Plus it 's well away from the cold fizzy beer in Canada '' .
Miss Casey , who hopes to study medicine next year in Britain , said she was `` super excited '' to return to the spot where she was born .
`` I 've always known the story , '' she said , `` it 's become a bit of a party trick , my cool English childhood .
`` I 'm really looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends most . ''

When he arrived there was "panicking in the car park" as her waters broke, but they managed to carefully get his wife indoors.


bbc--2020-02-14--Military tanks form heart shape for Russian soldier's proposal

A Russian soldier has enlisted the help of the military for an unusual marriage proposal .
In footage published by @ @ @ @ @ tanks surround the couple in a heart formation as the lieutenant pops the question .

A Russian soldier has enlisted the help of the military for an unusual marriage proposal.
In footage published by the Defence Ministry, 16 tanks surround the couple in a heart formation as the lieutenant pops the question.


bbc--2020-02-14--Trump says he has right to act on criminal cases

US President Donald Trump has tweeted he has `` the legal right '' to intervene in criminal cases after his attorney general complained White House tweets were making his job `` impossible '' .
In his post , Mr Trump also denied he had ever meddled in any cases .
America 's top law officer William Barr on Thursday asked Mr Trump to stop his tweets , saying he would not be bullied .
Mr Barr spoke out after Mr Trump renewed his attack on the criminal trial of his ex-adviser , Roger Stone .
Prosecutors had recommended Stone serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted that was unfair .
On Friday morning , Mr Trump ignored the attorney general 's plea to stop tweeting .
It is legally ambiguous whether the US president has the authority to order the attorney general to open or shut a case .
The Department of Justice has been meant to operate without political interference since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s .
Mr Trump has previously called for investigations into perceived enemies , such as former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe .
On Friday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department had closed its criminal inquiry into whether their client had lied to investigators about leaks to the media .
The New York Times meanwhile reported Mr Barr had appointed outside prosecutors to review the case against another Trump ally , Michael Flynn .
Flynn , who was Mr Trump 's first national security adviser , previously pleaded guilty to lying to investigators in a federal inquiry , but later withdrew co-operation and is in the midst of trying to recant his plea .
Mr Barr said on Thursday that Mr Trump `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it `` impossible for me to do my job '' .
`` I think it 's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases , '' Mr Barr told ABC News .
`` I can not do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me , '' he added .
The rare show of dissent from a cabinet member widely seen as a Trump loyalist has provoked a degree of scepticism in the US media .
Critics suggested the statement could have been co-ordinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Justice 's credibility as an independent agency .
The attorney general has been an outspoken defender of the president to the extent that Democrats and former justice department officials have accused him of politicising the rule of law .
After the interview on Thursday evening , the White House said Mr Trump `` was n't bothered by the comments at all and he has the right , just like any American citizen , to publicly offer his opinions '' .
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , who rarely speaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president should listen to Mr Barr 's advice .
There was widespread anger this week when the Department of Justice said it planned to reduce the length of the prison sentence it would seek for Stone , a long-time friend of the president .
Stone was convicted in November of obstructing an investigation by the House Intelligence Committee into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election .
Federal prosecutors had initially recommended Stone face seven to nine years in jail for trying to thwart the investigation .
The president swiftly voiced his opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horrible and very unfair situation . ''
The justice department then overruled the recommendation by its own prosecution team , prompting questions over whether Mr Barr had intervened on behalf of Mr Trump 's ally .
The four prosecutors subsequently quit .
President Trump praised Mr Barr for `` taking charge '' of the Roger Stone case .
He also dropped his nomination of former US Attorney Jessie Liu , who oversaw the Stone case , for another government post in the Treasury Department .
On Thursday , Mr Trump said the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had `` significant bias '' .
The forewoman of the jurors reportedly identified herself in a Facebook post .
Her social media posts revealed hostility to Mr Trump , it was also reported .
Stone is scheduled to be sentenced next week .

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bbc--2020-02-14--Stormy Daniels' ex-lawyer Michael Avenatti guilty over extortion

Michael Avenatti , who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against President Trump , has been found guilty of attempted extortion .
The lawyer was accused of seeking to extort up to $ 25m ( £18.9m ) from Nike .
He had threatened to release information that might be harmful to the popular sports brand .
Avenatti emerged as a vocal critic of Mr Trump two years ago when he began representing Ms Daniels , and even suggested he might run for president .
He was found guilty by a jury after a three-week trial and could face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentenced in June .
What was Avenatti accused of ?
Federal prosecutors in New York said Avenatti , 48 , met a lawyer for Nike in March 2019 .
During their meeting , he threatened to release damaging information about Nike unless it paid him between $ 15m and $ 25m .
At the time he approached Nike , Avenatti had been representing his then-client Gary Franklin , who ran a youth basketball league in Los Angeles .
Court papers said Avenatti threatened to hold a press conference alleging Nike had made illicit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles .
Revealing this would wipe billions from Nike 's stock value , he had suggested .
Nike immediately reported the matter to federal prosecutors .
Avenatti was arrested shortly after announcing he would hold a news conference about a scandal surrounding the company .
`` This was an old-fashioned shakedown , '' prosecutor Geoffrey Berman said at the time .
The jury heard that Avenatti had been at least $ 11m in debt .
Last month , Avenatti 's lawyers said he was suffering while being held in solitary confinement and under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cell that housed Mexican drug lord Joaquin `` El Chapo '' Guzman .
Avenatti formerly represented Stormy Daniels , who tried to sue the president to get out of a non-disclosure agreement she had signed before the 2016 presidential election .
The non-disclosure agreement related to an affair she said he had with Mr Trump in 2006 , but the case was eventually dismissed .
In May last year , Avenatti was charged with defrauding her of book proceeds , and faces trial in New York in April .
He denies all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Los Angeles in May on accusations he defrauded clients and others of millions of dollars .

Federal prosecutors in New York said Avenatti, 48, met a lawyer for Nike in March 2019. During their meeting, he threatened to release damaging information about Nike unless it paid him between $15m and $25m.


bbc--2020-02-14--Griveaux Paris race: Sex video prompts Macron ally to step down

A sex video has ended French ruling party candidate Benjamin Griveaux 's hopes of becoming mayor of Paris .
The ex-spokesman for President Emmanuel Macron 's government , who was already trailing in the race , was apparently targeted by a Russian protest artist accusing him of hypocrisy .
`` No-one should be subjected to such abuse , '' said Mr Griveaux , 42 .
The video , showing a man in a compromising position , quickly spread on social media late on Thursday .
Petr Pavlensky , who sought asylum from Russia in 2017 , said he had posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the political spectrum voiced their outrage .
Incumbent Mayor Anne Hidalgo appealed for respect for people 's private lives , while far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon condemned the attack as `` odious '' .
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen suggested that for the sake of democracy Mr Griveaux should perhaps not have resigned .
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe expressed his support for his former colleague and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner went further , warning that publishing videos without the author 's consent was an offence punishable by a significant fine and up to two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a little known website that featured a profile of Mr Griveaux 's political ambitions and his `` fanatical faith in family values '' .
It then alleged that Mr Griveaux had exchanged intimate mobile phone messages with a young woman and sent her a personal video .
A link to the site was shared by an MP who was forced to resign from Mr Macron 's LREM ( Republic on the Move ) party in late 2018 .
Mr Griveaux told the BFMTV news channel that for the past year he and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defamatory remarks , lies , rumours , anonymous attacks ... and even death threats '' .
`` This torrent of mud has affected me and above all hurt the people I love . ''
Mr Griveaux 's lawyer said he would press charges over the publication of the video , which he said violated the right to a private life .
Mr Pavlensky , who says he posted the video online , first gained notoriety by nailing his scrotum to Moscow 's Red Square in 2013 .
He fled Russia and sought asylum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the authorities of a sexual assault that he denied .
He served seven months in jail for setting the front door of the FSB intelligence agency on fire in Moscow .
He later caused minor damage to a Banque de France branch by setting that alight .
He told French news channel LCI that Mr Griveaux was only the first politician that he would target : he had only just begun , he claimed .
Politicians had to be honest and he said he would carry on fighting the `` propaganda and puritanism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traditionally avoided prying into the private lives of people in public life and a number of figures referred distastefully to the `` Americanisation '' of politics .
`` I do n't like people mixing up political life with people 's privacy , '' said MP Alexis Corbière .
Lawyer Marie-Anne Soubré told a French talk show she was sick to her stomach that France had got to this point .
`` To what new low have we fallen in public life that anyone is prepared to publish this kind of thing to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news for Macron ?
Mr Griveaux was not favourite to win the mayoral race in March , but he has been a very close ally of the president and his political demise is inevitably an embarrassment for the president , the BBC 's Hugh Schofield reports from Paris .
He was trailing in third place , his campaign hampered by a dissident Macronite candidate called Cédric Villani .
Mr Villani described the `` outrageous attack '' on Mr Griveaux and his family as a serious threat to French democracy .
• Macron appeals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hidalgo , the current Socialist mayor , is leading in the polls , ahead of Republicans candidate Rachida Dati .
Mr Macron came to power in 2017 and his new LREM party secured a majority in the National Assembly .
However , the party has seen a spate of defections in recent months and now has only 299 MPs in the National Assembly , down from 314 three years ago .
LREM is expected to have poor local election results next month , but its majority in parliament is safe because of its @ @ @ @ @ @

He told French news channel LCI that Mr Griveaux was only the first politician that he would target: he had only just begun, he claimed. Politicians had to be honest and he said he would carry on fighting the "propaganda and puritanism of politicians".


bbc--2020-02-14--Haiti: 15 children killed in fire at unlicensed orphanage

Fifteen children have died in Haiti after a fire swept through an orphanage on the outskirts of the capital .
The cause of the fire was being investigated , but reports citing staff and children said candles were being used instead of electricity .
The orphanage , run by a US-based Christian group , was one of hundreds in Haiti operating without official authorisation .
Authorities are now working to support and re-house the surviving children .
Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin , director of the Institute for Social Welfare , said that , at the time of the fire , about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orphanage , operated by the Pennsylvania-based Church of Bible Understanding .
`` We are going to place them [ the survivors ] in a transit centre while we do research on their family and see if we can reunite them with their parents , '' she told Reuters news agency .
• Haiti : What you need to know The fire at the orphanage , located south of the capital Port-au-Prince , began on Thursday evening .
Officials said two children were killed in the blaze and 13 others died at hospital as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been lit on the night of the fire because the building 's generator was broken , according to reports .
Local judge Raymonde Jean Antoine told AFP news agency the orphanage had not been authorised to operate since 2013 .
She said it did not meet basic standards , describing the living conditions there as `` truly , truly neglected '' .
`` All we see are children living like animals , '' she said , adding that there were no fire extinguishers .
On its website , the Church of Bible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Haiti 40 years ago .
The organisation said its `` primary goal '' was to `` spread the Gospel to any and all who will receive it '' .
It has not yet commented on the fire .
Some 30,000 children live in more than 760 orphanages in Haiti , of which 15 % are officially registered , according to the charity Lumos , which was founded by author JK Rowling and seeks to end the institutionalisation of children .
An estimated 80 % of the children living in Haiti 's orphanages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orphanages proliferated in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake .
Poverty and a lack of access to healthcare and education are among the reasons that children with living parents end up being housed in them .
You may be interested in watching :

On its website, the Church of Bible Understanding says it opened its first orphanage in Haiti 40 years ago. The organisation said its "primary goal" was to "spread the Gospel to any and all who will receive it".


bbc--2020-02-14--Wildfire smoke may cause life-long harm

Wildfire smoke may cause life-long harm

Smoke from wildfires may have long-term health effects , according to US research on juvenile monkeys .
An analysis shows that their immune systems were lower than normal , 12 years after they were naturally exposed to wildfire smoke .
There are also indications that the animals passed on the defect to their offspring .
The findings have prompted an investigation into the impact of wildfires on the health of children .
The results were presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Seattle by Prof Lisa Miller from the University of California , Davis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spate of wildfires in Australia , California and Brazil .
Such fires are likely to become more common as a result of the drier conditions in many parts of the world , predicted by climate change models .
Prof Miller told BBC News that she now has enough evidence from her analysis of monkeys to look into how recent wildfires may have affected the health of children in Northern California .
`` I believe very strongly that we now have enough evidence to move to the clinic .
My plan is to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence of increased asthma , increased respiratory , viral and bacterial infections , increased use of antibiotics and longer recovery times from illness . ''
Prof Miller 's analysis is based on a study of rhesus monkeys kept at UC Davis 's outdoor National Primate Centre .
In 2008 the 4,000 or so animals located there were exposed to smoke from a wildfire in Trinity and Humbolt Counties , 200 miles north of Davis - as was the city 's human population .
Prof Miller saw this as a unique opportunity to assess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monkeys , especially the young animals .
She took blood samples and tested their lung function over the next 12 years .
She discovered that the juvenile monkeys had stiffer lungs and weaker immune systems to those not exposed to smoke .
Prof Miller also found that not only did these symptoms persist for the duration of her study - but were passed down to the next generation , and transferred to the offspring of female monkeys .
Prof Miller told BBC News that the exposure of the human population at the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the animals , which were outside all the time during the fires .
`` I do n't want parents to panic .
But it is certainly something to watch as the kids grow up .
`` If we do find significant results in our clinical study we want to use it to advise regulators when the next wildfire takes place - and it is a question of when , rather than if .
This advice would perhaps entail prioritising children , getting them inside and keeping them there . ''

"If we do find significant results in our clinical study we want to use it to advise regulators when the next wildfire takes place - and it is a question of when, rather than if. This advice would perhaps entail prioritising children, getting them inside and keeping them there."


bbc--2020-02-14--Yemen's Houthis step back on threats to tax aid

Yemen 's Houthi rebels have dropped a threat to tax international assistance sent to the war-torn country .
The rebel group , which has controlled the capital Sanaa and much of Yemen since 2014 , had said they would impose a 2 % levy on humanitarian aid .
However , in a letter seen by AFP and confirmed by the Houthis on Friday , the group agreed to drop the demand .
Yemen is the world 's largest humanitarian crisis , with 80 % of the country 's population dependent on aid .
The letter , sent by the head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addressed to UN official Mark Lowcock , said the decision had been taken to suspend the tax `` and not apply it for this year 2020 '' .
A UN official in Sanaa also confirmed the decision .
The news came a day after a meeting of aid agencies and major donors in Brussels on Thursday said the situation in Yemen had `` reached a breaking point '' .
They warned that aid distribution could be scaled down or interrupted in areas where `` principled delivery '' , or neutral operations , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that while both sides were responsible for issues faced by humanitarian and UN agencies operating in Yemen , the Houthi 's proposed tax had triggered the latest crisis , according to AFP .
A strongly word summary of the talks in Brussels , obtained by the BBC , did not name the Houthi movement , but said that the operating environment had rapidly deteriorated across the country and in the north - which is under rebel control - in particular .
The statement said the work of humanitarian agencies had been impeded by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to staff .
The BBC 's chief international correspondent , Lyse Doucet , says the Houthi authorities have made it clear they want greater control over what is the largest aid operation in the world , with one aid official who attended Thursday 's meeting commenting that the statement was in effect an ultimatum to the Houthi authorities .
Yemen has been gripped by civil war since 2014 , when the Houthi movement seized large areas of territory across the country , forcing President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee abroad .
• Yemen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates and seven other Arab states - who were alarmed by the rise of a group they believed to be backed militarily by Iran - launched a military campaign in March 2015 , aiming to restore Mr Hadi 's government .
The Houthi rebels have been accused of obstructing aid deliveries and distribution in Yemen , which was already the Arab world 's poorest country before the conflict broke out , while the Saudi-led coalition maintains a partial blockade on the country .
The UN had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilians by September 2019 , with most caused by coalition air strikes .
A monitor group has estimated the fighting has killed 100,000 people , including 12,000 civilians .

A strongly word summary of the talks in Brussels, obtained by the BBC, did not name the Houthi movement, but said that the operating environment had rapidly deteriorated across the country and in the north - which is under rebel control - in particular.


bbc--2020-02-14--Everest: Top Sherpas slam Nepal's plan to clean rubbish from mountain

A plan to clear 35,000kg of rubbish from Everest and five other Himalayan peaks has been slammed by some of Nepal 's leading mountaineers .
The government says the army will be used for the task , which will cost 860 million Nepali rupees ( $ 7.5m ; £5.7m ) .
Last year , they managed to clear about 10,000kg of waste from the region .
But Kami Rita Sherpa - who has scaled the world 's highest mountain a record 24 times - says they do not have the skills to reach the highest points .
`` They collected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told BBC Nepali , adding : `` They should mobilise Sherpas to clean up garbage from higher elevations .
`` Only Sherpa guides and porters can do that .
They should be given proper compensation to clean up the mountains . ''
• Everest through the eyes of a Sherpa The six peaks - Everest , Lhotse , Pumori , Amadablam , Makalu and Dhaulagiri - attract climbers from around the world each year , who often abandon oxygen and cooking gas cylinders , climbing gear and other rubbish like food wrappers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach the summits .
But the climbs are not without danger , and numerous people die each year - Everest saw 11 deaths in 2019 .
Many of the bodies are left on the mountains , so need to be brought down as part of the clean up .
But it is particularly difficult to bring items down from the higher reaches .
In some cases , bodies and rubbish have lain for decades in the snow and ice .
`` Climbing Sherpas are the right people to clean up the peaks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scaled Everest 21 times , said .
`` The government should keep that in mind . ''
Nepali Army spokesman Bigyan Dev Pandey said he was confident his team would be able to reach the upper areas during this year 's clean up , which ends on 5 June .
`` We are learning from our mistakes and working hard to clean up the mountains , including the higher elevations . ''
he told BBC Nepali .
Nepal 's government has also brought in measures to encourage people not to litter , asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is returned if they bring their waste back down with them .
But it is not easy , the Sherpas acknowledge .
Even with their skills , they can struggle .
Ang Tshering Sherpa , the former president of Nepal Mountaineering Association , told BBC Nepali : `` It 's really hard to bring back heavy cylinders or dead bodies from the higher camps .
`` Sherpa often risk their lives to do so .
Most of the iced bodies weigh as much as 150kg , and that looks impossible for Sherpas to @ @ @ @

But the climbs are not without danger, and numerous people die each year - Everest saw 11 deaths in 2019. Many of the bodies are left on the mountains, so need to be brought down as part of the clean up.


bbc--2020-02-15--Sex robots may cause psychological damage

US researchers have warned that the availability of sex robots with artificial intelligence ( AI ) poses a growing psychological and moral threat to individuals and society .
They say the technology is escaping oversight because agencies are too embarrassed to investigate it .
The scientists want action to prevent the unregulated use of such robots .
Dr Christine Hendren of Duke University told BBC News that `` the stakes were high '' .
`` Some robots are programmed to protest , to create a rape scenario , '' she said .
`` Some are designed to look like children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a self-confessed paedophile , who says that this device is a prophylactic against him ever hurting a real child .
`` But does that normalise and give people a chance to practise these behaviours that should be treated by just stamping them out ? ''
Dr Hendren was speaking here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science .
• New law of robotics : Humans must flourish A number of sex robots are advertised online .
A US-based firm , Realrobitix , has posted a video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8,000 and $ 10,000 .
It is a life-sized doll which can blink and move its eyes and neck , and also its lips as it talks .
Speaking with a Scottish accent , the mannequin says , `` if you play your cards right you will have some pleasure and fun coming your way '' .
And the firm 's founder and CEO , Matt McMullen explains that Harmony has AI that enables `` her '' to develop a relationship with the owner .
`` She is going to remember things about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and your experiences , '' says Mr McMullen .
Kathleen Richardson , who is a professor of the Ethics and Culture of Robots and AI at De Montfort University in Leicester , wants this kind of marketing outlawed .
`` These companies are saying , 'you do n't have a friendship ?
You do n't have a life partner ?
Do n't worry we can create a robot girlfriend for you ' .
`` A relationship with a girlfriend is based on intimacy , attachment and reciprocity .
These are things that ca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Prof Richardson advises a pressure group that has been set up to monitor the emergence of these products .
The campaign against sex robots is working with policy experts to draw up legislation aimed at banning claims that companion robots can be a substitute for human relationships .
`` Are we going to move into a future where we keep normalising the idea of women as sex objects ? ''
she told BBC News .
`` If someone has a problem with a relationship in their actual lives you deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by normalising the idea that you can have a robot in your life and it can be as good as a person . ''
Benjamin Trump , an engineer at the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Centre in Concord , Massachusetts , which works with consumer product regulators , told BBC News that regulators were too embarrassed by the subject matter to investigate the issue .
`` Risk experts think that shame and taboo affects the consumer of the product .
But it equally affects scientists and regulators .
They have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ''

"If someone has a problem with a relationship in their actual lives you deal with that with other people, not by normalising the idea that you can have a robot in your life and it can be as good as a person."


bbc--2020-02-13--Sanctuary counties: Inside Virginia's gun rights resistance

Democrats swept to victory in Virginia last year after campaigning on stricter gun control laws .
Weeks later , the backlash began .
The Culpeper County 2A Facebook group had five rules .
Rule one was `` Get Busy - Follow the Action Plan and take the necessary steps to protect our rights .
Sharing memes is n't enough .
We need coordinated action . ''
Rule two was `` Do Not Give Up - We 're in the fight of our lives .
Act accordingly .
Never surrender . ''
At some point in late January the rules changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism '' .
But the basic purpose remained : Culpeper County 2A ( the 2A stands for Second Amendment ) was founded with the aim of resisting gun control bills working their way through the Virginia state legislature .
Similar groups are springing up across the state .
Dozens of towns and counties are passing resolutions declaring themselves `` second amendment sanctuaries '' - a term borrowed from the `` sanctuary cities '' immigration movement of several years ago .
The resolutions vary from county to county , but they broadly declare support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposed state gun control laws as invalid .
Democrats won control of the Virginia House and Senate in November for the first time in 24 years , and they immediately proposed a raft of gun control measures from universal background checks to restrictions on high capacity magazines .
The bills came as no surprise - the Democrats had campaigned heavily on gun control , backed by funding from activist groups which comprehensively outspent the National Rifle Association in its home state .
Democratic candidates were responding to a growing clamour for gun control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 32 people at Virginia Tech in 2007 and was amplified last year when a municipal worker slaughtered 12 people in Virginia Beach .
When they won , the Democrats turned their proposals into bills and promised a wave of progressive legislation .
Weeks later , the backlash began .
Nearly 200 Virginia municipalities have now passed second amendment sanctuary resolutions , turning the old Confederate capital into a kind of frontline once again .
The driving force behind the resolution in Culpeper County was Patrick Heelen , a local attorney who founded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a barrel-chested man , a little over six feet , who wears cowboy boots and has a long beard befitting his role as a captain in local Civil War battle re-enactments .
He prefers the term `` constitutional county '' to second amendment sanctuary , because he believes the founding fathers intended to grant absolute gun rights to the population , in perpetuity .
`` All eyes are on Virginia , '' he told me .
`` America is watching what we do , how we conduct ourselves .
America is watching to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
America is watching to see if we are going to take a stand . ''
I asked Heelen how far he and his fellow Culpeper County 2A members would go to defend their guns .
`` We are committed , '' he said .
At the first Board of Supervisors meeting in Culpeper , on a cold Tuesday morning in December , so many people came that the 180-capacity room overflowed into the hallway and clear into the parking lot .
This was an unusual state of affairs for the Culpeper County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been on the board for 38 years and this was the biggest crowd I ever saw , '' Bill Chase , the vice chairman , said afterwards .
`` It is the most fired up issue I 've seen in all my years . ''
Many at the meeting wore bright orange stickers reading `` Guns save lives '' , which are becoming familiar in parts of Virginia .
Chase introduced the resolution , to a round of applause , and invited Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins to speak .
Jenkins - the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quoted the constitution and the founding father of Virginia , Richard Henry Lee , and called the idea of restricting ownership of high-capacity 15-round magazines `` insane '' .
He told the crowd that it was n't in fact the second amendment that gave gun rights to citizens , but God .
Jenkins also made an unexpected announcement that put Culpeper on the map in the sanctuaries movement : he said he would deputise anyone in the county who wanted , affording them the same broad gun rights as a sheriff 's deputy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws .
I met Jenkins later at the Culpeper County Sheriff 's office .
`` My statement was simply that I would choose to swear in hundreds or even thousands of our citizens as deputy sheriffs if need be , to allow them to possess weapons and push back on that overreach by our government , '' he said .
He pointed out that Virginia already has lots of laws on the books that are not enforced .
`` We have laws against spitting on a public surface or sidewalk , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an officer enforcing that in the time I 've been working . ''
Some would argue that the gun control bills passing through the state legislature deal with more serious issues , like reducing access to the kinds of high-powered rifles that have been used to devastating effect in mass shootings , or making it easier to temporarily remove guns from those experiencing a mental health crisis .
But Sheriff Jenkins indicated that , were the bills to pass into law in the coming weeks , they would sit somewhere around spitting on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priorities .
`` I guess if there are no other more important issues to focus on , maybe officers will focus on them , '' he said .
After Sheriff Jenkins had finished speaking at the Board of Supervisors meeting and a handful of residents had spoken in support of the resolution , the board adjourned ahead of a second meeting that night .
At the evening meeting , which was similarly packed with supporters , one person stood to speak against the resolution .
As a young , sharply-dressed black man , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He told the crowd the context of the Second Amendment was `` clear in that it allowed for the keeping and bearing of arms in order to maintain a militia in times of emergency '' .
`` It never stated or specified as to how many or what type of firearm and it never said anything about lack of restriction regardless of mental or emotional capacity , '' he said .
`` There currently is n't a national emergency , nor does the military need supplements . ''
Harris , a middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cite cigarettes , alcohol , cannabis , cars and the internet as items generally and acceptably regulated .
`` So what is wrong with regulation of firearms ? ''
he said .
At the end of the meeting , the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the resolution .
Harris has a detailed knowledge of parts of the constitution and can recite the second amendment , parsing its meaning as he goes .
Like others in Culpeper opposed to this movement , he supports the second amendment .
`` Wholeheartedly , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are limits that can be placed and should be placed on gun ownership .
We should have background checks , we should make sure that people have the mental capacity to own guns .
Hunting is one thing , protection of your families is another - but this influx of military weaponry , unlimited cartridges and rounds , how useful is that for hunting ?
How necessary is that for protection of your families ? ''
The proponents of the sanctuary movement are quick to dismiss hunting and family protection as reasons for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are abundantly clear : the right to bear arms is about defence against a `` tyrannical government '' - a notion that dates back to the founding fathers .
`` The thing is , '' Harris said , `` it does n't matter what you have in your stockpile , what chance do you have against the US military now ?
What chance do you have against drones ? ''
The Saturday after the Board of Supervisors meeting , Culpeper County 2A and the local Republican Committee staged a rally at Culpeper 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had mustered in 1770 to fight the British .
About 500 Second Amendment supporters stood under grey skies and drizzle to hear Sheriff Jenkins and others speak about the sanctuary movement .
The gathering drew an impressive crowd for such a miserable day , but it was really only a warm up for a much bigger event .
Jenkins , Heelen , and the other sanctuary supporters were all looking a week ahead to the annual Lobby Day rally in the state capital of Richmond , where as many as 50,000 people were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many heavily armed - to protest against the Democratic gun control bills .
The rally was set for Monday 20 January .
Over the weekend , people flooded into Virginia from nearby states and from as far away as Texas and California .
President Trump weighed in on Twitter on Saturday , telling the nation : `` Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia .
That 's what happens when you vote for Democrats , they will take your guns away . ''
On the Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ militia groups gathered for dinner at a community hall in a rural suburb about 30 miles outside of Richmond .
Christian Yingling , the commander of the Pennsylvania Lightfoot Militia , helped organise the dinner .
`` We reached out to get a bunch of good reputable militias together to come stand with the people of Virginia , '' he said .
Inside the community hall the crowd was mostly male and nearly entirely white .
There were small arms holstered to people 's hips and tucked in the waistbands of jeans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There was a cross section of right and left-wing groups there - the Pennsylvania and South Carolina Lightfoot Militias sat alongside members of the John Brown Gun Club and a representative from the local Antifa chapter , which had announced days before that it would march on Monday alongside the pro-gun people .
Unlike the deadly rally in nearby Charlottesville two years earlier , the politics of the Lobby Day rally were not right versus left .
The Virginia Citizens Defence League - a right-wing , pro-gun lobby group that organised the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ membership of the VCDL tripled in the wake of the Democratic midterm win , according to its president Philip Van Cleave - swelling from 8,000 to 24,000 members , and the group is now the driving force behind the Virginia sanctuaries movement .
It had printed hundreds of large placards displaying a map of places that had passed resolutions - `` 91 counties / 12 cities / 22 towns '' .
Greg Trojan , one of the founders of the VCDL , gave a speech singling out Michael Bloomberg , the former mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate , for funding gun control campaigns and candidates in the state .
Bloomberg and George Soros - the Jewish financier who has become a fixture of right-wing conspiracy theories - came up several times .
There is a perception that big-money Democrat donors bought the election and are forcing gun control on a state that does n't want it - allowing a dense urban population to dictate the law to the state 's rural conservative heartlands .
VCDL promotional videos warn that Democrat-driven immigration is changing Virginia 's culture .
The sanctuary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure campaign directed at Richmond and backed by a lot of guns .
`` We 've got people that were winning their seats by one and two percentage points , and now they 're looking at this , '' Trojan said at the militia meetup , pointing to the sanctuaries map .
But unlike the sanctuary cities movement - which saw states oppose a federal immigration crackdown by the Trump administration - the sanctuary counties resolutions have no real legal force .
`` They are symbolic , '' said Richard Schragger , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school .
`` Counties do not have any independent authority to create sanctuaries from state law , '' he said .
`` State law applies equally to people in a sanctuary county and outside a sanctuary county . ''
In Pennsylvania , the local Gun Owners of America ( GOA ) chapter is attempting to pass ordinances instead of resolutions , because they have some legal force .
`` It 's the difference between dating and marriage , '' said Mary Luna , a GOA member from Pittsburgh .
The first such ordinance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Township , Union County .
It states that no official of the township shall `` participate in any way in the enforcement of any unlawful act , as defined herein , regarding firearms . ''
An unlawful act is defined as `` any federal or state law that restricts an individual 's constitutional right to keep and bear arms '' .
In other words , In Buffalo Township , it could soon be against the law to enforce the law .
Early on Monday 20 January , about 22,000 second amendment supporters spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to enter a fenced off pen around the Capitol building .
Guns were banned inside the pen but the streets around the Capitol were awash with them .
There were small .38 revolvers tucked discreetly into waistbands and AR-15 assault rifles worn proudly across chests .
There were old-fashioned hunting rifles .
There were militiamen wearing body armour , helmets , ear defenders , rifles , sidearms and spare magazines ; and there was a man in a dirty hoodie , cowboy hat and jeans who walked along the street with a shotgun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were at least two five-foot long , 50-calibre sniper rifles .
In among the arsenal of weaponry , there was a distinct sense of calm - possibly stemming from something like mutually assured destruction .
`` When people are around this many guns , they tend to act respectful , '' Yingling said .
He and his fellow militia leaders ran drills in the street , running up and down the lines and barking orders to their underlings , but most of the crowd just milled about chatting , sometimes chanting `` USA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia House delegate , wandered through the crowd .
`` Evil does exist , '' he said .
`` And when someone kicks down your door , if you have a gun you 're going to be glad you had a gun .
If you do n't have a gun you 're going to wish you had a gun . ''
At the end of the day , the organisers proclaimed the day 's peacefulness .
Newspaper headlines said it was peaceful .
None of the guns on display in downtown Richmond went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ignore the bristling potential for violence .
The rally was intended - and successful - as a massive show of force .
One large white flag with a picture of a rifle said , `` COME AND TAKE IT '' .
All through the large crowd people carried the VCDL second amendment sanctuary placard , and some said that if defending their guns from new laws meant firing them at someone , they would .
One inevitable outcome of a massive show of force is intimidation .
The Coalition to Stop Gun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which had been due to take place directly after the rally , citing safety concerns and pointing out that many of its volunteers and staff were survivors of gun violence .
And it is possible that terrible violence was only averted because the FBI arrested three members of a neo-Nazi group who were , allegedly , planning to travel to the rally and open fire into the crowd , in the hope of kickstarting a race war .
The VCDL has capitalised on the high profile of the Richmond rally to promote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put out a slick video with footage of the rally and a voiceover warning that mass immigration was threatening Virginia 's gun culture .
`` As Virginians watch their Second Amendment rights erode , many are considering once-unthinkable alternatives , '' the voiceover said .
`` Virginia will have to ask ourselves our most important question - what next ? ''
A month after the second amendment resolution passed in Culpeper County , Culpeper Town held its own meeting .
Once again , there was only one dissenting speech , this time delivered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a local couple who spent 50 years in the stained-glass business .
The Kaisers live in a large , wisteria-covered corner house in Culpeper Town .
They are not bullish or sanctimonious .
They did not set out to be political , they said .
`` We just wanted our voices to be on the record , '' Rich said .
`` We did not want to let the moment pass . ''
Rich is partially deaf - a product of standing too close to heavy artillery guns in Vietnam .
Unlike many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Richmond , he has seen up-close what high-powered rifle bullets do to bodies .
`` Being in Vietnam gave me an understanding of what these guns really do , '' he said .
`` And I knew when I came back to the United States that there was no need for guns here .
We do n't need the same mentality at home that we had in a war . ''
Jacki had her own reasons for supporting stricter gun control laws .
She is spending her retirement years volunteering for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It 's about the threat that they may be killed with a gun , and it 's an issue that mostly affects women , '' she said .
`` So anything that saves someone 's life or makes a better life for their children strikes me to my heart .
Because I know , but for the love of God , I could be them .
I could be there . ''
At the Culpeper Town meeting , Rich and Jacki sat alongside people with guns holstered on their waistbands .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but they did feel intimidated .
There is an undercurrent of violence that runs through the sanctuaries movement .
Sometimes it is subtle , but sometimes it is overt - a guest at the militia dinner in Richmond , who did not want to be named , said that the authorities were welcome to take his guns but they would `` get them bullets first '' .
Apparently this is a common refrain .
Most people I spoke to seemed to recognise that the resolutions were essentially symbolic .
Few said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they passed .
Some said straightforwardly that if they lost the legal argument , the final arbiter would be their firearms .
`` I think what you 're going to see next is a massive level of non-compliance , '' said Yingling , the Pennsylvania militia leader .
`` And if they want to take that one step further to actual confiscation , there 's a very good possibility you will see armed rebellion in this country . ''
I asked him if he saw himself on the frontline .
`` Yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' .

In among the arsenal of weaponry, there was a distinct sense of calm - possibly stemming from something like mutually assured destruction. "When people are around this many guns, they tend to act respectful," Yingling said. He and his fellow militia leaders ran drills in the street, running up and down the lines and barking orders to their underlings, but most of the crowd just milled about chatting, sometimes chanting "USA". John McGuire, a Republican Virginia House delegate, wandered through the crowd. "Evil does exist," he said. "And when someone kicks down your door, if you have a gun you're going to be glad you had a gun. If you don't have a gun you're going to wish you had a gun."


bbc--2020-02-14--Srinivas Gowda: The Indian buffalo racer compared to Usain Bolt

A construction worker in south India is being compared to the Olympic gold medallist sprinter Usain Bolt after a record-breaking win in a buffalo race .
Srinivas Gowda , 28 , was competing in Kambala , a sport from the southern state of Karnataka where people sprint 142m through paddy fields with buffalo .
Mr Gowda is said to have finished in 13.42 seconds .
Bolt holds the world 100m record of 9.58 seconds .
But the governing body for Kambala has warned against comparing him to Bolt .
`` We would not like to indulge in any comparison with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , president of the Kambala Academy , told BBC Hindi .
`` They [ Olympic event monitors ] have more scientific methods and better electronic equipment to measure speed . ''
Prof Kadamba 's response came after several local newspapers and journalists made the comparison between Mr Gowda 's performance and the Jamaican sprinter 's world record time .
But Mr Gowda , from Moodabidri in Karnataka 's coastal district of Dakshina Kannada , was excited about his record-breaking win and praised his teammates - the two buffalo he ran alongside - for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hindi he had taken part in Kambala for seven years , adding : `` I got interested in it because I used to watch Kambala during my school days . ''
Kambala , which roughly translates to `` paddy-growing mud field '' in the local language Tulu , is a traditional sport originating from part of Karnataka 's coast .
Participants sprint through a field , which is normally either 132m or 142m , with two buffalo that are tethered together .
It is controversial , and in the past the sport has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups .
In 2014 , India 's Supreme Court issued a ban on races with bulls , prompted primarily by campaigns against the practice of Jallikattu , a form of bull-fighting from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu .
Two years later , Karnataka 's state court issued an interim order stopping all Kambala events .
• The woman who chose a bull over marriage • Five gored to death in Tamil Nadu bull-taming event • Jallikattu : The state that loves bullfighting but is n't Spain Prof Kadamba said that the organising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sport in order to make it more humane .
He said their current and former students - including Mr Gowda - are now taught how to deal with buffalo `` in a humane manner without unnecessarily hurting the animal '' .
In 2018 , the state started allowing Kambala races to take part again , but issued several conditions - including a ban on the use of whips .
But the practice is still under threat .
International animal rights group Peta has a petition pending in the Supreme Court , arguing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illegal .
`` This Kambala is quite different from the traditional Kambala that used to be practised some decades ago , '' Prof Kadamba added .


bbc--2020-02-14--Coastal erosion: The homes lost to the sea

As sea level rise , a senior figure in the Environment Agency says he wants the country to start `` @ @ @ @ @ areas should be protected and which should not .
Science editor David Shukman has been @ @ @ @ @ to save and where to retreat .

As sea level rise, a senior figure in the Environment Agency says he wants the country to start "difficult conversations" about which areas should be protected and which should not.
Science editor David Shukman has been investigating the dilemma of where to save and where to retreat.


bbc--2020-02-14--'Ghost' human ancestor discovered in West Africa

A mysterious `` ghost population '' of now-extinct ancient human-like creatures may have interbred with early humans living in West Africa , scientists say .
Researchers suggest DNA from this group makes up between 2 % and 19 % of modern West Africans ' genetic ancestry .
They believe the interbreeding occurred about 43,000 years ago .
Scientists found links to the Mende people of Sierra Leone , Yoruba as well as Esan people in Nigeria , plus other groups in western areas of The Gambia .
The new study was published in Science Advances this week .
It suggests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a yet-undiscovered species of archaic human , similar to how ancient Europeans mated with Neanderthals , and Oceanic populations with Denisovans .
• Neanderthals 'dived in the ocean ' for shellfish • Viewpoint : Why we still underestimate the Neanderthals The research sheds more light on how archaic hominins added to the genetic variation of present-day Africans , which has been poorly understood even though it is the most genetically diverse continent .
Hundreds of thousands of years ago there were several different groups of humans including modern humans , Neanderthals and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' of ancient human species seems likely to have diverged from these groups .
Sriram Sankararaman - the computational biologist who led the research at the University of California in Los Angeles - told BBC Newsday he believed more such groups would be found in the future .
His team looked at the genetic make-up of West Africans and found that some of their DNA came from an ancient unexplained source .
`` As we get more data from diverse populations - and better quality data - our ability to sift through that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to get better , '' Mr Sankararaman said .

"As we get more data from diverse populations - and better quality data - our ability to sift through that data and excavate these ghost populations is going to get better," Mr Sankararaman said.


bbc--2020-02-14--Banksy confirms Bristol Valentine's Day artwork is his

An artwork that appeared on the side of a house in Bristol has been confirmed as the work of street artist Banksy .
The piece features a stencil of a girl firing red flowers made with spray-painted ivy from a catapult .
Banksy published a picture of the work on his Instagram page at midnight on Valentine 's Day .
Kelly Woodruff , whose father owns the property in Barton Hill , said they now wanted to protect the `` special '' work from the approaching Storm Dennis .
`` As it 's Valentine 's Day , it 's really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the flowers is incredible , '' said 37-year-old Ms Woodruff .
`` There 's so many people coming and enjoying it , taking pictures , it 's fantastic .
`` There 's been a lot of debate if it is a Banksy or not .
Most people I 've spoken to think it 100 % is , and they 're naming it the Valentine 's Banksy .
Flowers placed on the road sign as part of the artwork had already been stolen , said Ms Woodruff , and the protective plastic screen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been vandalised .
Ms Woodruff said her family had contacted Bristol City Council 's street maintenance department .
The council said it has recommended the family get in touch with the International Fine Art Conservation Studios ( IFACS ) in Bristol for advice .
The Bristol Somali Community Association , based in Barton Hill , tweeted about the artwork after it was spotted .
`` Come and have a look yourself .
Whoever painted , it 's worth admiring their creativity . ''


bbc--2020-02-13--Customer knocks shoplifting suspect off his feet

A man in Georgia has helped police stop a suspected shoplifter who had fled into a supermarket car park .
@ @ @ @ @ by the Peachtree City Police Department , the alleged thief can be seen running outside @ @ @ @ @ abrupt halt .
Marcus Smith of Forsyth , Georgia , 41 , is facing charges @ @ @ @ @ an officer .

A man in Georgia has helped police stop a suspected shoplifter who had fled into a supermarket car park.
In a surveillance video released by the Peachtree City Police Department, the alleged thief can be seen running outside Walmart before coming to an abrupt halt.
Marcus Smith of Forsyth, Georgia, 41, is facing charges of shoplifting and obstruction of an officer.


bbc--2020-02-14--One man's fictional journey across Britain

Photographer Lottie Davies 's latest work documents a fictional journey across Britain , from the south-west of England to the far north of Scotland .
The work comprises photographs , short videos and a diary , which combine to portray a journey taken soon after World War Two .
Davies initially created the character of William Henry Quinn for a short performance piece she wrote for actor Samuel J Weir in 2014 .
`` He did n't have a first name at that point and it was n't clear where he was going or why but he was walking and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she says .
`` The name Quinn is somewhat in homage to the character of Daniel Quinn in Paul Auster 's novel City of Glass , a man wandering through the streets of New York City , looking to erase his past and find his identity .
`` My Quinn , William Henry , is a hybrid of my friends , strangers , pure fiction - and of course elements of myself . ''
The work sets out to explore the way both landscape and memory changes over time and how trauma creates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ untethered in the world . ''
The final story only came together once the photographs had been created .
`` Quinn 's journey itself was loosely plotted from the beginning , '' Davies says .
`` I knew he was travelling from Cornwall to the far north of Scotland but the 'why ' definitely evolved , and occasionally shifted as the photographs and films were made .
`` The feeling of dislocation and untetheredness which Quinn experiences , and which I wanted to make solid in some way , seems to be one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the past few years thanks to the political situation we find ourselves in currently .
`` The shocking images of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean , which the news has been full of , the columns of people fleeing the conflict in Syria on foot , carrying their children and all their belongings , the increase in homelessness in our own country and elsewhere , political divisions across the country and the globe , environmental collapse - upheaval in every sphere of human society - all these things coalesced as I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me at least , to end at the rather flimsy question : what is happening to the world ?
`` I have intended Quinn to be an 'everyman ' despite his particular and specific story - prosaically , we are all on a journey and often alone with it .
`` On an emotional level , I wanted to see Quinn in remote and sometimes lonely locations , ones which allow for contemplation but at the same time provide a challenge be that through weather or distance or geography .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course , and locations which are remarkable in some way , such as the abandoned slate-mine village of Cwmorthin , in [ Gwynedd , ] north Wales , and the remote beaches of the Scottish Highlands .
`` Quinn finds solace in walking over the land as I 'm sure many of us do . ''
Quinn by Lottie Davies can be seen at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry , 14 February to 31 May 2020 .

"The shocking images of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean, which the news has been full of, the columns of people fleeing the conflict in Syria on foot, carrying their children and all their belongings, the increase in homelessness in our own country and elsewhere, political divisions across the country and the globe, environmental collapse - upheaval in every sphere of human society - all these things coalesced as I was making Quinn and seem now, to me at least, to end at the rather flimsy question: what is happening to the world?


bbc--2020-02-14--US election 2020: Could it be Bernie Sanders v Donald Trump?

Bernie Sanders is firmly the front-runner in the race to become the Democratic challenger to Republican President Donald Trump , fresh from a victory this week in the second state-by-state contest .
His support is fervent but is his party , let alone the country , ready to embrace such an unusual candidate ?
Bernie Sanders likes to call his presidential campaign a revolution , but these days it feels more like a touring rock concert .
The Vermont senator may seem like an unlikely front-man for bands like Vampire Weekend and The Strokes , but both have served as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign rallies .
But the thousands of fans in packed arenas reserve their loudest cheers for the scruffy-haired 78-year-old candidate with a clipped Brooklyn accent .
After nearly a year marathon of rallies , meetings , debates and ground-laying , the Sanders campaign is now entering a sprint of near-nonstop activity that will carry it through dozens of states across the country - an impressive test of endurance for man who just months ago was hospitalised for a heart attack .
`` Bernie Sanders is the only candidate that has given me the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only demand bold , radical change , but that it 's actually very attainable , '' said Aletha Shapiro , who travelled to New Hampshire from Long Island , New York , to help the Sanders campaign .
`` If the people stick together , we can actually put power back in the hands of the people . ''
The end result of all this effort was a split decision in Iowa , as former South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg claimed the most delegates to the Democratic National Convention even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes .
In New Hampshire , Sanders finished narrowly ahead of Buttigieg again , with the two tied in the state 's delegate count .
That did n't stop Sanders from claiming victory both in Iowa and New Hampshire on Tuesday night , however , and looking ahead to a showdown with Trump in November .
• A simple guide to US primaries and caucuses • How Bernie Sanders always beats the odds '' The reason we won tonight in New Hampshire , we won last week in Iowa , is because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said .
`` Let me say tonight that this victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump . ''
The crowd , packed into a college gymnasium , responded with deafening applause , as though the volume of their cheers could will their beloved candidate to more victories in the days ahead .
`` It was electric , '' said Scott Sandvik , a music teacher from Boston .
`` I really think it was a release of tension after a nail-biter of an election . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ take hold - an outsider campaign pitted as much against the Democratic Party 's establishment as it is the incumbent president - New Hampshire could very well be seen as where it all began .
But the campaign still has a long road ahead .
Another shot at the prize Four years ago , Sanders also followed a tight result in Iowa with a victory in New Hampshire .
That contest was actually more decisive - a 20-point win over Hillary Clinton , who was considered the prohibitive favourite entering the race .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , was a springboard into an empty pool .
He followed his win in the overwhelmingly white New England state with a narrow loss in Nevada and a drubbing in South Carolina , where the Democratic voting population is majority black .
Although there were a few bright spots after that - victories in Michigan and Wisconsin - Clinton spent the next few months pulling away from Sanders in the nomination race .
Now Sanders is back , hoping history does n't repeat itself .
Facing a more crowded field , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position , as the nomination fight becomes a state-by-state slog on a battleground that stretches the breadth of the nation .
There is no Clinton machine waiting to do battle against the Sanders insurgency this time around .
Instead , the Vermont senator heads out of New Hampshire along with a ragtag mix of candidates all scrambling for a foothold .
Joe Biden , the apparent front-runner through much of 2019 , is grievously wounded by poor showings in in the first two contests .
Elizabeth Warren , the other candidate appealing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has finished behind Sanders twice now and shows no signs gaining any ground .
Meanwhile , the continued presence of Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar among the moderates of the party ensures middle-of-the road and establishment Democrats will remain divided .
Buttigieg has money , but a thin resume and doubts about his appeal to the more diverse rank-and-file of the Democratic Party .
Klobuchar is counting on media coverage of her late surge in New Hampshire to make up for depleted campaign coffers and a virtually non-existent national organisation .
• Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Vermont , where he toppled the reigning six-term Democrat in 1981 for the mayoral seat by a margin of just 10 votes • Despite efforts by establishment Democrats to thwart his early career , Sanders served four terms as mayor before being elected to the US House of Representatives in 1990 - the first independent politician in four decades to do so • He won his current senate seat in 2007 and is currently in his third term • Sanders has an older brother , Larry , who lives in the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care spokesman for the Green Party The Sanders brothers : A tale of two underdogs How Bernie Sanders always beat the odds Meanwhile , Sanders has risen in national polls as Biden falters .
He boasts a veteran campaign structure that has basically been up and running since 2015 , and a donor and volunteer network that spans the nation .
His $ 25m ( £19m ) fundraising haul in January alone will ensure he has more than enough resources to compete in every state on the crowded March primary calendar .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures from Labour MP Diane Abbott to YouTube star Joe Rogan .
On Friday , he picked up another endorsement , from New York mayor and erstwhile 2020 candidate Bill de Blasio .
If Bernie Sanders is n't the Democratic front-runner at this point , the word has little meaning .
He 's far from a lock for the nomination , but his path ahead appears to be the clearest of any of his competitors .
On Tuesday night , Sanders essentially said as much .
`` The reason I believe we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an unprecedented grass-roots movement from coast to coast of millions of people , '' he said .
`` The reason that we are going to win is that we are putting together an unprecedented multi-generational , multi-racial movement . ''
History is certainly on Sanders ' side .
Putting the Iowa popular-vote result in his column means the Vermont senator joins Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 , both eventual nominees , as the only non-incumbents to win there and New Hampshire .
In fact , no candidate has finished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gone on to the nomination .
`` I think the people of the United States will unite around his message supporting the true hard working people of this country , '' said Tomas Amadeo of Hooksett , New Hampshire , echoing the optimism of many at the New Hampshire Sanders rally .
`` He can resonate with people of all ages . ''
The current disposition of the Sanders campaign has his supporters hoping for the best , however , a big chunk of the Democratic establishment and moderates in the party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the spin room before the Democratic candidate debate in Manchester , senior Sanders campaign adviser Jeff Weaver was clear-eyed about what 's in store for his candidate , as a Democratic establishment that views Sanders as a meddlesome and disruptive outsider prepares to fight back .
`` There 's always a target on his back , '' he said of Sanders .
`` They wo n't stop until they 're beaten .
Well , we 're ready for it . ''
In Iowa , Sanders was the subject of negative television @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right .
The conservative Club for Growth aired a spot that painted the Vermont senator as an extremist - and said that his health was suspect after his heart attack last fall .
`` It is no secret that our campaign is taking on the political establishment and the big-money interests who are now running negative ads against us in Iowa , '' Sanders said in response .
`` The billionaire class is getting nervous , and they should . ''
There 's reason to believe Sanders ' political-jujitsu strategy could be effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establishment finally acknowledged the threat that Donald Trump 's candidacy posed , its scions - including 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney - began to speak out .
Their attacks only made Trump stronger , however , as he painted them as the `` swamp 's '' last-gasp efforts to stop him .
`` The establishment has never taken Sanders seriously , and now that they 're having to they 're going to attack him , '' said Caleb Gates , a Sanders supporter from Cedar Rapids , Iowa , who joined Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the Iowa Caucuses .
`` But I think that will only increase his appeal to a lot of people , especially those who are not politically active . ''
In New Hampshire , Biden and Buttigieg hit at Sanders directly , both warning he was too extreme to be the party 's nominee and that his ideological views were too rigid .
Buttigieg accused Sanders of `` dividing people with the politics that says , 'If you do n't go all the way to the edge , it does n't count ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's my way of the highway ' . ''
What are his key campaign promises ?
Time and again , it 's the `` electability '' criticism that is used as a cudgel against Sanders , a self-described Democratic Socialist .
One recent poll indicated that more than half of Americans would not vote for a `` socialist '' president .
Trump , at his rallies , regularly promises to his cheering support that `` American will never be a socialist nation '' .
The `` conventional '' view of a Sanders candidacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweet by Sean Trende , an elections analyst with the website RealClear Politics .
`` Bernie Sanders is a complete wildcard , '' he wrote .
`` He could win by 10 points or lose by 20 . ''
A blunter take by a Sanders critic was offered by the New York Magazine 's Jonathan Chait in a column that particularly irked the Sanders faithful .
`` No party nomination , with the possible exception of Barry Goldwater in 1964 , has put forth a presidential nominee with the level of downside risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he wrote .
`` To nominate Sanders would be insane . ''
When the stakes are so high - defeating Trump has been a central focus of Democrats since the day he was elected in 2016 - why , they ask , would the party choose a candidate so far away from the comfortable middle of American politics ?
Moderate members of Congress , in particular , have expressed apprehension about sharing a ticket with the independent-minded Vermont senator who only joined the Democratic Party to run for president .
Dean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minnesota who has endorsed Klobuchar , told CNN that Sanders could have a `` disastrous '' effect on congressional races in November , jeopardising the majority Democrats won in the 435-seat chamber in 2018.. '' There are probably are probably 25 to 30 seats that absolutely would be impacted directly by having a self-avowed socialist at the top of the ticket , '' he said .
`` He 's not a Democrat , you know , and that 's something that I wish was better understood . ''
The Sanders campaign clearly realises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is essential to securing the party 's 2020 nomination .
It 's why they hand out `` Sanders beats Trump '' stickers at their campaign events and chanted the refrain at his New Hampshire victory celebration .
They 're quick to cite head-to-head polling that shows little significant difference between a Sanders-Trump matchup and one between Trump and Biden , the candidate frequently offered as the safe and electable option .
A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll had Biden on top 50-44 , while Sanders led Trump 49-45 - a statistically insignificant difference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate about electability is framed incorrectly .
American politics , they say , is n't a battle for the middle , it 's a battle of ideas and a battle for authenticity .
`` What we did last time was nominate someone who was down the middle and another Washington person who was n't going to change anything , '' said Pat Miguel Tomaino of Boston .
`` There are people hurting in this country who bought a lot of fake change from Donald Trump , and now we 're all suffering for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Sanders in New Hampshire , added that the economic collapse of 2008 destroyed the trust many Americans have in the current economic and political order , and unless the Democratic Party acknowledges this and adjust to the new reality , it 's going to lose to Trump again .
`` We have no illusion about elites coming to save us or tinkering around a little bit for a better technocratic way of ordering an elitist system where just 1 % benefit , '' he said .
`` We know that Bernie Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We know he has our back , and we have his . ''
To pull this off , however , the Sanders campaign has to successfully identify and turn out voters who have sat out past elections .
They 're counting on the younger voters who polls show overwhelmingly back Sanders for the nomination , as well other disaffected Americans who have been marginalised by the system .
In Iowa , at least , the results were not encouraging .
Although young voters made up a larger share of caucus participants , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Barack Obama 's first campaign was electrifying many Democrats .
New Hampshire 's numbers were better , but early indications are the higher turnout was in part due to moderate and independent voters showing up to support Klobuchar and Buttigieg .
`` I 've always believed strongly that our case for winning this nomination and also beating Trump is that we can expand the base , '' said Faiz Shakir , the Sanders campaign manager .
`` We have the most ambitious and difficult path to winning this nomination because it requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people will be brought into this process . ''
He added that he thought the campaign had laid the groundwork for increased turnout in the states ahead , but there is reason the whole party should be concerned .
`` We 've got much more work to do , '' he said .
Take a closer look at the other candidates • Find out who is still in the running and what they stand for • Choose your candidate and filter by category • All you need to know about the presidential race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which holds its caucus a week from Saturday , Sanders is facing criticism from a different direction .
The state 's powerful culinary union is circulating literature suggesting Sanders 's plan for replacing private health insurance with a government-run programme will abolish their union-negotiated plans .
The union then released a statement saying that Sanders supporters , upon learning of the union 's criticism , had `` viciously '' attacked the organisation .
Already Sanders ' Democratic opponents , sensing a vulnerability in Nevada , are positioning themselves as defenders of union healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : attacks on the union are unacceptable , '' Klobuchar wrote in a tweet .
`` I come from a family of proud union members and I know when unions are strong , America is strong '' Four years ago Nevada was the staging ground for Clinton 's counterattack , as she won over union support in Las Vegas hotels and restaurants - even without an outright endorsement .
If Sanders stumbles in Nevada again , the momentum he gained over the past two weeks could be lost , opening the door for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Hampshire - or for another , unexpected candidate who looms on the horizon in the weeks ahead .
After Iowa and New Hampshire , the outcome of the race may uncertain , but it has at least followed a somewhat predictable course .
The field is narrowing as candidates struggle at the ballot box or run out of money .
The hardiest campaigns have moved on to the later battlegrounds .
That may all head out the window soon .
There has n't been a presidential candidate quite like Michael Bloomberg .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first four Democratic nomination contests , and instead using his vast resources to campaign in later states , which award the lion 's share of delegates to the Democratic national convention , where the party 's standard-bearer will ultimately be decided .
• The Democratic 2020 race - in five charts • How Bloomberg could shake up 2020 race The Bloomberg challenge presents one additional , unprecedented hurdle Sanders must clear if he wants to be the party 's nominee - a circumstance not lost on the senator 's team .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday to try to block us if some if these other people ca n't , '' said Weaver of the Sanders campaign .
`` So , this race has got a long way to go and the ruling class in this country will do whatever it takes to stop Bernie Sanders . ''
Sanders 's supporters have been even more blunt .
`` It 's not subtle at all what Michael Bloomberg is doing , '' says Tomas Armadeo of Hookset , New Hampshire .
`` It 's very egregious how he 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this election .
And I think people are going to see that . ''
Not everyone considers Bloomberg 's presence as a threat , however .
`` Bloomberg 's a perfect foil for Bernie because Bernie has been railing against the billionaire class for decades , '' said Gates of Cedar Rapids .
`` And the chances of running against an actual billionaire , I think that plays right into his strengths . ''
That may be easy to say at this point , but if Bloomberg does become a serious obstacle for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Vermont senator a majority of the delegates at the convention or becomes the nominee himself - there could be hell to pay from the Sanders faithful .
Outside a Sanders canvassing rally in Newton , a tiny town in central Iowa , campaign volunteer Krissy Haglund hands out leaflets and says Bloomberg is a `` test for the American people '' .
`` I think it 's a test to see if they 're willing to believe that money should be out of politics . ''
Four years ago Haglund , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American people missed the `` gift '' that Sanders was offering them .
And when presented with the choice between Clinton and Trump , she opted to vote for the Green Party 's Jill Stein .
This time around , she 's not sure she 'd be able to support anyone but Sanders .
`` I feel as though Bernie is in a class by himself and none of the other candidates are even close , '' she said .
`` And I think if he does n't get it , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he has n't earned it in the numbers or from the American people . ''
And if it 's Bloomberg , she 's definitely looking elsewhere .

"I feel as though Bernie is in a class by himself and none of the other candidates are even close," she said. "And I think if he doesn't get it, it will be because of politics and not that he hasn't earned it in the numbers or from the American people."


bbc--2020-02-14--England beat South Africa by two runs in T20 thriller

England held their nerve to level the series against South Africa with a thrilling two-run victory in the second Twenty20 international in Durban .
The hosts needed three off the last two balls to reach their target of 205 , but Tom Curran dismissed Dwaine Pretorius and Bjorn Fortuin to secure the win .
Chris Jordan had seemingly put the total beyond South Africa 's reach with two wickets in consecutive balls before Rassie van der Dussen ( 43 not out ) and Pretorius ( 25 ) fought back to leave their side needing 15 from the final over .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put the Proteas on the brink , but Curran responded with a superb yorker to remove him lbw .
And then the England bowler bravely sent down a slower ball that Fortuin ramped to Adil Rashid at short fine leg , leaving the hosts agonisingly short on 202-7 .
Moeen Ali 's sublime 39 off 11 balls and Ben Stokes ' fine unbeaten 47 off 30 balls had earlier propelled the tourists to 204-7 off their 20 overs .
Proteas captain Quinton de Kock hit a stunning 22-ball 65 to get his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start before England pegged them back .
Having fluffed their lines to lose the first T20 by one run on Wednesday , England did not capitulate when South Africa roared back this time .
The series , level at 1-1 , concludes with the third T20 at Centurion on Sunday at 12:30 GMT .
In the first T20 , England lost a match they should have won but here they found a way to win from what appeared to be a losing position late on .
Curran was loose in conceding 33 runs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Morgan backed his experience of bowling at the death in giving him the final over .
After a dot ball to start , Pretorius seemed to be striking South Africa to a series win , so for Curran to come back and produce two excellent final deliveries was especially impressive .
England 's seamers had to step up with spinners Moeen and Rashid uncharacteristically expensive and Stokes , Jordan and Mark Wood all made telling contributions .
De Kock had ruthlessly punished Moeen - hitting three sixes in an over , including one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his half-century off just 17 balls .
But he smacked a full toss from Wood straight to Stokes , with the third umpire ruling it was below waist height , before Wood had opener Temba Bavuma caught down the leg side by Jos Buttler for 31 .
David Miller smacked a delivery from Rashid out of the stadium , before he picked out Jordan at long on off Stokes to fall for 21 .
Jordan sent down two fine yorkers to bowl JJ Smuts and Andile Phehlukwayo in consecutive balls , only for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blows before Jordan conceded 11 off the 19th over .
Yet this time South Africa could not find a way , with England 's victory confirmed once the umpires ruled Rashid had not left the inner ring too early on the final ball , ensuring an absorbing series will have a fitting decider .
England were wobbling at 125-5 in 16th over following the tame dismissals of Morgan and Joe Denly , before Moeen and then Stokes launched them to an imposing total .
Moeen hit three fours and four sixes in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive over point into the stands , before he finally picked out Bavuma , who also took a stunning diving catch to remove Jordan .
That gave Stokes the impetus to kick on , the all-rounder peppering the boundaries down the ground and over mid-wicket as well as running well to ensure the tourists added a vital 79 runs off the last five overs .
Before Moeen and Stokes , England 's innings posed more questions about whether they are using their batsmen in the right order .
Buttler , who nicked behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest T20 scores for England opening the batting and performed brilliantly there in the IPL , but does him opening cost England too much by losing their best finisher ?
England are not short of top-order talent - one-day openers Jason Roy ( 40 ) and Jonny Bairstow ( 35 ) again starred in a second-wicket stand of 52 , while Dawid Malan , Tom Banton and Alex Hales are other strong options .
Denly struggled in an unfamiliar position at six as he was bowled off his arm miscuing a pull shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hitting spin in the middle overs but again faced only seam bowling after coming in at seven .
England have so many innovative , destructive batsmen they could well win games whatever order they play in but it feels like this line-up needs fine-tuning before the T20 World Cup starts in Australia in October .
England captain Eoin Morgan on the Test Match Special podcast : `` Moeen Ali 's innings was unbelievably valuable and I 'm extremely proud of the bowling unit , they were used in different roles , which gave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ variety and got us home .
`` It was South Africa 's game to lose so getting the wicket on the second last ball was priceless - having a new man coming in to face the last ball needing three to win was the difference .
`` We 've come back extremely strong to just level the series so we 're not getting carried away and we 'll be giving it everything again . ''
England seamer Tom Curran : `` You want to be in the action and in the thick of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game .
`` I am by no means the finished article but that is where you learn the most . ''
England all-rounder Moeen Ali : `` It was very entertaining .
They are just the kind of games you want because going forward we have n't got that many games before the World Cup .
`` The closer they are the better they are for us so we can learn all of the time . ''

England levelled the series at 1-1 after another dramatic match
Second Twenty20 international, Durban England 204-7 (20.0 overs): Stokes 47*, Roy 40, Moeen 39; Ngidi 3-48 South Africa 202-7 (20.0 overs): De Kock 65, Van der Dussen 43* England win by two runs Scorecard
England held their nerve to level the series against South Africa with a thrilling two-run victory in the second Twenty20 international in Durban.
The hosts needed three off the last two balls to reach their target of 205, but Tom Curran dismissed Dwaine Pretorius and Bjorn Fortuin to secure the win.
Chris Jordan had seemingly put the total beyond South Africa's reach with two wickets in consecutive balls before Rassie van der Dussen (43 not out) and Pretorius (25) fought back to leave their side needing 15 from the final over.
Pretorius hit a six and a four to put the Proteas on the brink, but Curran responded with a superb yorker to remove him lbw.
And then the England bowler bravely sent down a slower ball that Fortuin ramped to Adil Rashid at short fine leg, leaving the hosts agonisingly short on 202-7.
Moeen Ali's sublime 39 off 11 balls and Ben Stokes' fine unbeaten 47 off 30 balls had earlier propelled the tourists to 204-7 off their 20 overs.
Proteas captain Quinton de Kock hit a stunning 22-ball 65 to get his side's chase off to a fantastic start before England pegged them back.
Having fluffed their lines to lose the first T20 by one run on Wednesday, England did not capitulate when South Africa roared back this time.
The series, level at 1-1, concludes with the third T20 at Centurion on Sunday at 12:30 GMT.
England hold their nerve... just
Chris Jordan took 2-31 off his four overs
In the first T20, England lost a match they should have won but here they found a way to win from what appeared to be a losing position late on.
Curran was loose in conceding 33 runs off his first three overs but Eoin Morgan backed his experience of bowling at the death in giving him the final over.
After a dot ball to start, Pretorius seemed to be striking South Africa to a series win, so for Curran to come back and produce two excellent final deliveries was especially impressive.
England's seamers had to step up with spinners Moeen and Rashid uncharacteristically expensive and Stokes, Jordan and Mark Wood all made telling contributions.
De Kock had ruthlessly punished Moeen - hitting three sixes in an over, including one onto the roof - before bringing up his half-century off just 17 balls.
But he smacked a full toss from Wood straight to Stokes, with the third umpire ruling it was below waist height, before Wood had opener Temba Bavuma caught down the leg side by Jos Buttler for 31.
David Miller smacked a delivery from Rashid out of the stadium, before he picked out Jordan at long on off Stokes to fall for 21.
Jordan sent down two fine yorkers to bowl JJ Smuts and Andile Phehlukwayo in consecutive balls, only for Van der Dussen to produce some mighty blows before Jordan conceded 11 off the 19th over.
Yet this time South Africa could not find a way, with England's victory confirmed once the umpires ruled Rashid had not left the inner ring too early on the final ball, ensuring an absorbing series will have a fitting decider.
Moeen and Stokes save stuttering innings
Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali put on 51 in 17 balls together
England were wobbling at 125-5 in 16th over following the tame dismissals of Morgan and Joe Denly, before Moeen and then Stokes launched them to an imposing total.
Moeen hit three fours and four sixes in a stunning knock, including an astonishing square drive over point into the stands, before he finally picked out Bavuma, who also took a stunning diving catch to remove Jordan.
That gave Stokes the impetus to kick on, the all-rounder peppering the boundaries down the ground and over mid-wicket as well as running well to ensure the tourists added a vital 79 runs off the last five overs.
Before Moeen and Stokes, England's innings posed more questions about whether they are using their batsmen in the right order.
Buttler, who nicked behind for two, has hit his two highest T20 scores for England opening the batting and performed brilliantly there in the IPL, but does him opening cost England too much by losing their best finisher?
England are not short of top-order talent - one-day openers Jason Roy (40) and Jonny Bairstow (35) again starred in a second-wicket stand of 52, while Dawid Malan, Tom Banton and Alex Hales are other strong options.
Denly struggled in an unfamiliar position at six as he was bowled off his arm miscuing a pull shot, while Moeen has an excellent record hitting spin in the middle overs but again faced only seam bowling after coming in at seven.
England have so many innovative, destructive batsmen they could well win games whatever order they play in but it feels like this line-up needs fine-tuning before the T20 World Cup starts in Australia in October.
'We came back strongly' - reaction
England captain Eoin Morgan on the Test Match Special podcast: "Moeen Ali's innings was unbelievably valuable and I'm extremely proud of the bowling unit, they were used in different roles, which gave us a huge amount of flexibility and variety and got us home.
"It was South Africa's game to lose so getting the wicket on the second last ball was priceless - having a new man coming in to face the last ball needing three to win was the difference.
"We've come back extremely strong to just level the series so we're not getting carried away and we'll be giving it everything again."
England seamer Tom Curran: "You want to be in the action and in the thick of things, that's why you play game.
"I am by no means the finished article but that is where you learn the most."
England all-rounder Moeen Ali: "It was very entertaining. They are just the kind of games you want because going forward we haven't got that many games before the World Cup.
"The closer they are the better they are for us so we can learn all of the time."