bbc--2020-02-07--Are African countries ready for the virus?

Africa is one of only two continents with no confirmed cases of coronavirus however experts have warned that it may not be long before the first case is confirmed , given its increasingly close ties to China .
At least 565 people have died with more than 28,000 confirmed cases around the world , most of them in China .
Last week the World Health Organization ( WHO ) declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency - largely because of fears that poorer countries might not be able to cope with an outbreak .
`` The main reason for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in China but what is happening in other countries .
Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems , '' said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , who is from Ethiopia .
The health systems in many African countries are already struggling with the existing workload , so can they deal with another outbreak of a highly infectious disease ?
Michael Yao , WHO 's head of emergency operations in Africa , notes that some countries on the continent `` have the minimum to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from scratch '' .
`` We know how fragile the health system is on the African continent and these systems are already overwhelmed by many ongoing disease outbreaks , so for us it is critical to detect earlier so that we can prevent the spread . ''
What facilities are there at the moment to treat it ?
Until early this week , there were only two laboratories in Africa - one in Senegal and the other in South Africa - which had the reagents needed to test samples .
They have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region .
One of the laboratories , Institut Pasteur de Dakar , in Senegal has long been on the front line in medical innovation in Africa , including in yellow fever research .
However this week Ghana , Madagascar , Nigeria and Sierra Leone have announced they can also conduct tests .
The WHO is also sending kits to 29 laboratories on the continent to ensure they have the capacity to deal with the virus and also help test samples from other countries if needed .
However it 's hoped that by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries will be equipped to carry out tests specific to the coronavirus .
The ability of African nations to properly diagnose cases `` depends on the new reagents being made available from China and Europe , '' says Dr Yao .
The Nigerian Red Cross Society says it has placed one million volunteers on alert .
Its Secretary General Abubakar Ahmed Kende said the measure was to prevent the possible spread of the virus into the country and also contain the spiralling outbreak of Lassa fever across the country .
In Tanzania , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centres in the north , east and west of the country had been identified .
Thermometers have been stockpiled and more than 2,000 health workers have been trained .
Several countries including Kenya , Ethiopia , Ivory Coast , Ghana and Botswana have dealt with suspected cases , placing them in quarantine while tests were carried out .
So far , all have tested negative for the virus .
Uganda 's health ministry confirmed it had quarantined more than 100 people who have arrived at Entebbe International Airport .
Some of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Entebbe and Kampala , while others have been asked to stay in their homes .
Have any lessons been learned from Ebola ?
Dr Yao was involved in dealing with the outbreaks of Ebola in West Africa in 2014-2016 and more recently in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo .
He said he was concerned that there was not enough capacity to treat critical cases of coronavirus .
`` We 're advising countries to at least detect cases early to avoid spreading the new virus within the community - that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
On a positive note , many African countries were already screening passengers arriving at their ports of entry for Ebola .
Countries that dealt with the Ebola outbreak still have the isolation facilities and expertise in controlling infectious diseases .
But when it comes to detection , Ebola is different to the coronavirus .
Ebola only became infectious when symptoms showed however there have been reports that in some cases , the coronavirus may have been transmitted before patients were showing symptoms .
Learn more about the new virus • How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city now in lockdown • Can wearing masks stop the spread of viruses ?
What about travel between the continent and China ?
Increasingly close trade links between China and African countries have heightened concerns that the virus could spread .
China is Africa 's biggest trade partner and around 10,000 Chinese firms are currently operating throughout the continent .
According to Chinese state media , more than one million Chinese nationals live in African countries .
There are also more than 80,000 African students in China , often attracted by government scholarships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student from Cameroon was reported to have contracted the virus after a trip to Wuhan and is being treated in hospital .
Chinese students are also travelling to the continent , attracted again by government scholarships .
Students like Zambian Tisiliyani Salima have been in self-imposed quarantine for more than two weeks .
Every morning she wakes up to news of scores of more deaths and thousands of new cases of infections in Wuhan .
Despite the draconian measures taken across the city , there is little sign that the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China is better equipped to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus than African student 's home nations does little to calm the anxieties of many of the African students living in the surrounding province , Hubei .
There are thought to be thousands of Africans living across the province where the virus originated .
Students from Nigeria , Zambia , Tanzania , Cameroon and Ivory Coast are starting to lose hope that their governments will listen to their calls to be evacuated .
As trade links continue to increase , so does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and China .
The number of passengers is now a concern .
Dr John Nkengasong , director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention , wrote in the journal Nature that the rapid spread of the coronavirus in Asia as a result of air traffic and vast population movements , should be of significance in Africa .
The 2002 outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( Sars ) largely spared the continent with only one imported case reported in South Africa `` but air traffic between China and Africa has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past decade as a result of the rapid expansion of Chinese investment in Africa '' , he writes .
Many airlines across the world have suspended flights to and from China .
In response , airlines in Africa have been under intense public pressure to halt flights .
The airlines of Egypt , Kenya , Morocco and Rwanda have halted flights but the continent 's biggest airline - Ethiopian Airlines - has carried on with operations .
The WHO has advised against travel restrictions and instead identified 13 top priority countries in Africa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or high volume of travel to China need to be particularly vigilant .
It plans to have support staff in all 13 countries by the end of the week .
`` A new and unknown virus is often scary and many people are worried , '' says Dr Matshidiso Moeti , WHO 's regional head for Africa .
`` But all efforts to combat the novel coronavirus must be based on sound science . ''

"That may be for several reasons - for instance the droplets that carry the virus may not stay suspended in humid air for as long - and warmer temperatures can lead to the virus degrading when it's outside the body more quickly," she told the BBC's Newsday programme.


bbc--2020-02-09--Irish general election: Sinn Féin tops first preference poll

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has described the Irish general election as `` something of a revolution in the ballot box '' .
Counting is continuing and the first results have come in , with Sinn Féin winning the most first preference votes .
With all first preferences counted , it has 24.5 % compared to 22.2 % for Fianna Fáil and 20.9 % for Fine Gael .
No one party will win enough seats for an outright majority .
Polling in the election closed at 22:00 local time on Saturday .
Ballot boxes from across the 39 constituencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many counts have finished for the night and will resume at 10:00 on Monday , but some are continuing .
Sinn Féin ran 42 candidates across the 39 multi-seat constituencies , about half that of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil , which will have a knock-on effect on the number of seats it can secure in the 160-seat Dáil ( Irish parliament ) where 80 seats are needed for a majority .
What kind of government could be formed ?
Once the final number of seats for each party is known , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government in order to avoid another general election .
Before the election both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil said they would not enter coalition with Sinn Féin .
Arriving at the RDS count centre in Dublin on Sunday afternoon , Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was exploring options to see if it would be possible to form a government without either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil .
On Sunday evening taoiseach ( Irish PM ) and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar said it would be `` challenging '' to form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has consistently ruled out forming a coalition with Sinn Féin `` in large part because of their policies in relation to crime , tax and the way the economy and society should be run and also our deep concerns about their democratic structures .
`` We do n't believe a coalition between Sinn Féin and Fine Gael is a viable option , '' he said .
He said a `` forced marriage would not result in a good government . ''
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin did not rule out working with Sinn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' still existed .
He said reports suggested that his party `` would be the largest '' .
He added that he was a `` democrat '' and respected the vote of the people .
What could Sinn Féin 's surge mean for the overall result ?
Following the last election in 2016 Sinn Féin had 23 seats in the Dáil ( Irish parliament ) .
There are 160 seats up for election this time around , and Sinn Féin is set to dramatically increase how many it holds after it won the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said this election was about `` change '' .
She topped the poll in her four-seat Dublin Central constituency .
`` The frustration people have felt for a long time with the two-party system , whereby Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil handed the baton of power between each other - that 's now over , '' she said .
`` We now have a very substantial mandate . ''
She said she was exploring options to see to see if it was possible to form a government without Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Sinn Féin 's surge' Sunday evening is seeing a cascade of results from across the country .
Many early victories have gone to Sinn Féin - with no part of the country looking untouched by the party 's surge .
While the general picture is becoming clear - the final numbers will be determined by the process of numerical preferences trickling down through the various stages of the counts .
Sinn Féin surpluses will be very much in play here - as the party was only running one candidate in many constituencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the successful runners is set to have an impact on what other parties take the seats .
The latest seat projection by University College Dublin , for RTÉ , puts Fianna Fail as the largest party on 45 seats - with Sinn Féin on 37 and Fine Gael on 36 .
Plenty of counting is still to come .
Fine Gael has been in government since 2011 , firstly with the Labour Party and then with independents and with a confidence and supply deal with Fianna Fáil .
It looks set to lose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ row , but that does not necessarily rule it out of forming another government .
Its share of first precence votes dropped from 25.5 % at the last election to 20.9 % .
Party leader Leo Varadkar reiterated that he did not want to enter into government with Sinn Féin and said Ms McDonald had not been in contact with him .
The taoiseach said he was `` not really '' disappointed that he did not top the poll in his own constituency .
He did get an increase in his votes compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was now clear there was now a `` three-party system '' .
Fianna Fáil has been in government for more years than anyone else since Ireland became independent , but it has not been the ruling party since 2011 .
Earlier on Sunday Micheál Martin said reports suggested his party `` would be the largest '' but that it was early days .
He said there was a lot of `` volatility '' , adding people who could not get elected in the local elections had been successful in this one .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forming a government was `` compatibility in the programme for government '' and that formation of a government was going to be very difficult .
Mr Martin added he was a `` democrat '' and respected the will of the people .
Despite previously saying he would not govern with Sinn Féin he has now not ruled that out .
What about the smaller parties ?
The Green Party is also set to increase the number of seats it holds .
Green leader Eamon Ryan , who was elected on the first count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party would play its part in talks to form a government .
Ruth Coppinger from the left wing alliance Solidarity-People Before Profit lost her seat .
Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin said it had not been a good day for his party as it had been squeezed by Sinn Féin .
The party 's former leader Joan Burton lost her seat in Dublin West .
She was first elected to the Dáil in 1992 .
The Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said it was `` historic , '' saying there had been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she knew there was a wind in the Sinn Féin sail .
The Green Party secured 7.1 % of first preference votes , followed by Labour ( 4.4 % ) , Social Democrats ( 2.9 % ) , Solidarity-People Before Profit ( 2.6 % ) .
Aontú ( 1.9 % ) independents ( 12.2 % ) and others ( 1.3 % ) accounted for the rest .
An exit poll - commissioned jointly by Irish national broadcasters RTÉ and TG4 , as well as The Irish Times and University College Dublin suggested a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with the party receiving the largest number of first preference votes among 18-24 years olds ( 31.8 % ) .
The majority of voters over the age of 65 appear to have given their first preference to Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil .
What voting system does the Republic of Ireland use ?
Ireland 's elections are carried out under the proportional representation ( PR ) voting system , using the single transferable vote ( STV ) .
Voters wrote `` 1 '' opposite their first choice candidate , `` 2 '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' opposite their third choice and so on .
This means that the picture presented when the first preference votes are counted does not completely reflect the final outcome .
What happens next ?
The ceann comhairle , or speaker , is automatically re-elected .
In most situations , the speaker does not vote , so a government will need 80 TDs to hold a majority .

Irish general election: Sinn Féin tops first preference poll Published 10 February 2020
Image source, PA Media Image caption, Ballot boxes are opened at the RDS in Dublin at the start of the Irish general election count on Sunday
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has described the Irish general election as "something of a revolution in the ballot box".
Counting is continuing and the first results have come in, with Sinn Féin winning the most first preference votes.
With all first preferences counted, it has 24.5% compared to 22.2% for Fianna Fáil and 20.9% for Fine Gael.
No one party will win enough seats for an outright majority.
Before the election, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil ruled out forming a government with Sinn Féin, citing its tax policies and IRA past as deterrents.
On Sunday evening taoiseach (Irish PM) and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar said it would be "challenging" to form a government.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin did not rule out working with Sinn Féin, but said "significant incompatibilities" still existed.
Polling in the election closed at 22:00 local time on Saturday.
Ballot boxes from across the 39 constituencies were opened at 09:00 on Sunday.
Many counts have finished for the night and will resume at 10:00 on Monday, but some are continuing.
Sinn Féin ran 42 candidates across the 39 multi-seat constituencies, about half that of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, which will have a knock-on effect on the number of seats it can secure in the 160-seat Dáil (Irish parliament) where 80 seats are needed for a majority.
Image caption, From left: Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil), Leo Varadkar (Fine Gael) and Mary Lou McDonald (Sinn Féin)
What kind of government could be formed?
Once the final number of seats for each party is known, leaders will try to form a coalition government in order to avoid another general election.
Before the election both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil said they would not enter coalition with Sinn Féin.
Arriving at the RDS count centre in Dublin on Sunday afternoon, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was exploring options to see if it would be possible to form a government without either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil.
Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar said his party has consistently ruled out forming a coalition with Sinn Féin "in large part because of their policies in relation to crime, tax and the way the economy and society should be run and also our deep concerns about their democratic structures.
Image source, UCD/ RTÉ
"We don't believe a coalition between Sinn Féin and Fine Gael is a viable option," he said.
He said a "forced marriage would not result in a good government."
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin did not rule out working with Sinn Féin, but said "significant incompatibilities" still existed.
He said reports suggested that his party "would be the largest". He added that he was a "democrat" and respected the vote of the people.
What could Sinn Féin's surge mean for the overall result?
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Sinn Féin's Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire celebrates being the first TD elected
Following the last election in 2016 Sinn Féin had 23 seats in the Dáil (Irish parliament).
There are 160 seats up for election this time around, and Sinn Féin is set to dramatically increase how many it holds after it won the most first preference votes.
Ms McDonald said this election was about "change".
She topped the poll in her four-seat Dublin Central constituency.
"The frustration people have felt for a long time with the two-party system, whereby Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil handed the baton of power between each other - that's now over," she said.
"We now have a very substantial mandate."
She said she was exploring options to see to see if it was possible to form a government without Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Media caption, 'Excluding Sinn Féin would be wrong'
'No part of the country untouched by Sinn Féin's surge'
By Chris Page, BBC News Ireland Correspondent
Sunday evening is seeing a cascade of results from across the country.
Many early victories have gone to Sinn Féin - with no part of the country looking untouched by the party's surge.
While the general picture is becoming clear - the final numbers will be determined by the process of numerical preferences trickling down through the various stages of the counts.
Sinn Féin surpluses will be very much in play here - as the party was only running one candidate in many constituencies, the destination of the transfers from the successful runners is set to have an impact on what other parties take the seats.
The latest seat projection by University College Dublin, for RTÉ, puts Fianna Fail as the largest party on 45 seats - with Sinn Féin on 37 and Fine Gael on 36.
Plenty of counting is still to come.
How is Fine Gael performing?
Fine Gael has been in government since 2011, firstly with the Labour Party and then with independents and with a confidence and supply deal with Fianna Fáil.
It looks set to lose seats for the second election in a row, but that does not necessarily rule it out of forming another government.
Its share of first precence votes dropped from 25.5% at the last election to 20.9%.
Party leader Leo Varadkar reiterated that he did not want to enter into government with Sinn Féin and said Ms McDonald had not been in contact with him.
The taoiseach said he was "not really" disappointed that he did not top the poll in his own constituency. He did get an increase in his votes compared to the last election.
He added it was now clear there was now a "three-party system".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Media caption, Leo Varadkar: 'My position on Sinn Féin hasn't changed'
Will Fianna Fáil return to government?
Fianna Fáil has been in government for more years than anyone else since Ireland became independent, but it has not been the ruling party since 2011.
Earlier on Sunday Micheál Martin said reports suggested his party "would be the largest" but that it was early days.
He said there was a lot of "volatility", adding people who could not get elected in the local elections had been successful in this one.
He said the most important thing when forming a government was "compatibility in the programme for government" and that formation of a government was going to be very difficult.
Mr Martin added he was a "democrat" and respected the will of the people.
Despite previously saying he would not govern with Sinn Féin he has now not ruled that out.
Image source, AFP Image caption, Fianna Fáil leader Michéal Martin and family at the St Anthony's boys' school polling station in Ballinlough, County Cork
What about the smaller parties?
The Green Party is also set to increase the number of seats it holds.
Green leader Eamon Ryan, who was elected on the first count for Dublin Bay South, said his party would play its part in talks to form a government.
Ruth Coppinger from the left wing alliance Solidarity-People Before Profit lost her seat.
Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin said it had not been a good day for his party as it had been squeezed by Sinn Féin.
The party's former leader Joan Burton lost her seat in Dublin West. She was first elected to the Dáil in 1992.
The Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said it was "historic," saying there had been a "seismic shift".
She said she knew there was a wind in the Sinn Féin sail.
Image source, PA Media Image caption, Eamon Ryan was in an upbeat mood about his party's prospects
The Green Party secured 7.1% of first preference votes, followed by Labour (4.4%), Social Democrats (2.9%), Solidarity-People Before Profit (2.6%).
Aontú (1.9%) independents (12.2%) and others (1.3%) accounted for the rest.
An exit poll - commissioned jointly by Irish national broadcasters RTÉ and TG4, as well as The Irish Times and University College Dublin suggested a move toward Sinn Féin among younger voters, with the party receiving the largest number of first preference votes among 18-24 years olds (31.8%).
The majority of voters over the age of 65 appear to have given their first preference to Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil.
What voting system does the Republic of Ireland use?
Image source, PA Media Image caption, Voting papers are organised at the counting centre at the RDS in Dublin on Sunday
Ireland's elections are carried out under the proportional representation (PR) voting system, using the single transferable vote (STV). Voters wrote "1" opposite their first choice candidate, "2" opposite their second choice, "3" opposite their third choice and so on.
This means that the picture presented when the first preference votes are counted does not completely reflect the final outcome.
What happens next?
Newly elected TDs will gather on 20 February .
The ceann comhairle, or speaker, is automatically re-elected.


bbc--2020-02-10--Africa Eye: Torture ‘rampant’ among Nigeria’s security forces

WARNING : This film contains disturbing scenes including images of torture BBC Africa Eye has uncovered shocking video evidence that @ @ @ @ @ multiple branches of the Nigerian police and armed forces .
Torture is illegal in Nigeria @ @ @ @ @ media show that a particular form of torture - a technique known as ‘ tabay @ @ @ @ @ in the interrogation and punishment of detainees , including children .
This investigation looks at @ @ @ @ @ , identifies the worst offenders , and asks why they are not being held to @ @ @ @ @ that in 2014 a senior police officer was involved in the torture of a young @ @ @ @ @ his injuries .

WARNING: This film contains disturbing scenes including images of torture
BBC Africa Eye has uncovered shocking video evidence that torture is being used by several branches of the Nigerian police and armed forces.
Torture is illegal in Nigeria. But images from social media show that a particular form of torture - a technique known as ‘tabay' - is widely used in the interrogation and punishment of detainees, including children.
This investigation looks at the origins of this technique, identifies the worst offenders, and asks why they are not being held to account. It also reveals that in 2014 a senior police officer was involved in the torture of a young man who later died from his injuries.


bbc--2020-02-09--Marielle Franco murder: Suspect shot dead by police

Police say they have shot dead a former policeman suspected of murdering a prominent left-wing politician and campaigner in 2018 .
They say Adriano da Nóbrega was killed after he fired on police officers trying to arrest him in north-eastern Bahia state .
Mr Nóbrega is said to have led a paramilitary group suspected of ordering the murder of Marielle Franco .
Ms Franco , 38 , and her driver were shot dead in Rio de Janeiro in March 2018 .
Ms Franco , an outspoken councillor , had been critical of the police 's often deadly raids in densely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denounced paramilitary groups run by retired and off-duty police known as milícias .
Last year , two former police officers were arrested in connection with the murders .
What do the authorities say ?
Bahia 's state security agency issued a statement , saying Mr Nóbrega was shot dead by police during a confrontation in the city of Esplanada on Sunday .
`` At the moment of his arrest , he fired on officials and was wounded in the shootout .
`` He was taken to a hospital but died as a result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Has there been any reaction ?
Mr Nóbrega 's lawyer said he feared his client would be killed by police because he knew too much .
Meanwhile , Ms Franco 's Socialism and Liberty Party ( PSOL ) said they would be pressing for the circumstances of Mr Nóbrega 's death to be clarified .
`` The militia he belonged to was suspected of being implicated in the assassination [ of Ms Franco and her driver ] , and he was a key figure for shedding light on a series of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ms Franco , who grew up in a poor neighbourhood of Rio , was returning from an event encouraging black women 's empowerment in central Rio on 14 March 2018 when a car drew up alongside hers and nine shots were fired .
The two suspects arrested a year later were Ronnie Lessa , accused of being the gunman , and Élcio Vieira de Queiroz , the alleged driver .
They both deny any involvement .
Ms Franco was shot four times in the head , and three bullets hit her driver , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer , who was sitting in the back seat of the car , was injured .
Investigators say her killing was meticulously planned and carried out with unusual precision , which led them to believe her killers were highly trained .

"The militia he belonged to was suspected of being implicated in the assassination [of Ms Franco and her driver], and he was a key figure for shedding light on a series of crimes," the party said.


bbc--2020-02-09--Coronavirus: Amazon pulls out of Barcelona tech show

Amazon is the latest major company to pull out of one of the world 's largest tech shows because of risks posed by coronavirus .
Amazon said `` due to the outbreak and continued concerns about novel coronavirus '' it would no longer take part in Mobile World Congress in Barcelona .
The organiser said the event , which attracts 100,000 people , will go ahead .
But it admitted other companies are considering whether to attend .
South Korea 's LG Electronics , Ericsson , the Swedish telecoms equipment-maker , and US chip company NVIDIA have already withdrawn from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• Coronavirus : The economic cost is rising in China and beyond The GSMA , which organises the show in the Spanish city , said that while it could `` confirm some large exhibitors have decided not to come to the show this year with others still contemplating next steps , we remain more than 2,800 exhibitors strong '' .
However , it revealed that it had put in place additional measures to `` reassure attendees and exhibitors that their health and safety are our paramount concern '' .
These include a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hubei province , the epicentre of the outbreak , while people who have been in China must provide proof they have been outside the country for 14 days .
The GSMA estimates that between 5,000 and 6,000 people visit Mobile World Congress .
The GSMA also said it will suggest participants should not shake hands with each other and microphones used by speakers will be disinfected and changed .
Coronavirus has now killed more than 800 people - the vast majority in mainland China - and infected 34,800 others .
The Singapore Airshow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday , has also seen major firms pull out of the event including US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin .
Bombardier and Gulfstream Aerospace have also said they will not attend .

The GSMA, which organises the show in the Spanish city, said that while it could "confirm some large exhibitors have decided not to come to the show this year with others still contemplating next steps, we remain more than 2,800 exhibitors strong".


bbc--2020-02-09--Inter top of Serie A after stunning comeback win in Milan derby

Inter Milan launched a superb second-half comeback from 2-0 down to stun rivals AC Milan and go top of Serie A. Inter started in third but leapfrogged Lazio and head the table on goal difference from champions Juventus .
Ante Rebic tapped home from Zlatan Ibrahimovic 's knockdown and the Swede headed in the second before the break .
But Marcelo Brozovic volleyed in and Matias Vecino stroked home Alexis Sanchez 's cutback before Stefan de Vrij and Romelu Lukaku both scored headers .
Antonio Conte 's side looked beaten at half-time after a lethargic opening 45 minutes , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period with four unanswered goals .
Both sides hit the woodwork in a thrilling derby , Hakan Calhanoglu smashing the post with a low drive and Ibrahimovic heading against the post late on , while Inter 's January signing Christian Eriksen rattled the crossbar with a long-range free-kick .
Milan had been in good form under coach Stefano Pioli , losing just one of their previous 11 league games under the former Inter boss , but their second-half capitulation keeps them in 10th place .
Inter are now unbeaten in 16 league games @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a crucial clash against fellow title challengers Lazio next Sunday .
`` It 's still very early to talk about something we can only dream of for now , '' Conte told Sky Italia .
`` We can have a dream .
It 's a very intense period for us coming up and after that we 'll have a better idea of our potential and our real capabilities .
`` We ca n't achieve everything from one day to the next , but we are building .
These guys proved they have great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sunday , Simone Inzaghi 's Napoli side showed their credentials by extending their unbeaten run to 18 games with a narrow 1-0 win at Parma - former Manchester City striker Felipe Caicedo scoring the winner .

Last updated on .From the section European Football
Lukaku celebrated his late goal by raising his shirt on top of the corner flag
Inter Milan launched a superb second-half comeback from 2-0 down to stun rivals AC Milan and go top of Serie A.
Inter started in third but leapfrogged Lazio and head the table on goal difference from champions Juventus.
Ante Rebic tapped home from Zlatan Ibrahimovic's knockdown and the Swede headed in the second before the break.
But Marcelo Brozovic volleyed in and Matias Vecino stroked home Alexis Sanchez's cutback before Stefan de Vrij and Romelu Lukaku both scored headers.
Antonio Conte's side looked beaten at half-time after a lethargic opening 45 minutes, but responded in sensational fashion in the second period with four unanswered goals.
Both sides hit the woodwork in a thrilling derby, Hakan Calhanoglu smashing the post with a low drive and Ibrahimovic heading against the post late on, while Inter's January signing Christian Eriksen rattled the crossbar with a long-range free-kick.
Milan had been in good form under coach Stefano Pioli, losing just one of their previous 11 league games under the former Inter boss, but their second-half capitulation keeps them in 10th place.
Inter are now unbeaten in 16 league games and host Napoli on Wednesday, before a crucial clash against fellow title challengers Lazio next Sunday.
"It's still very early to talk about something we can only dream of for now," Conte told Sky Italia.
"We can have a dream. It's a very intense period for us coming up and after that we'll have a better idea of our potential and our real capabilities.
"We can't achieve everything from one day to the next, but we are building. These guys proved they have great strength and guts today."
Earlier on Sunday, Simone Inzaghi's Lazio side showed their credentials by extending their unbeaten run to 18 games with a narrow 1-0 win at Parma - former Manchester City striker Felipe Caicedo scoring the winner.
Ibrahimovic scored his third goal in six games since returning to AC Milan in December


bbc--2020-02-09--Naseem Shah, 16, becomes youngest bowler to take Test hat-trick

Pakistan 's 16-year-old paceman Naseem Shah becomes the youngest bowler to take a Test hat-trick as the hosts closed on @ @ @ @ @ .
READ MORE : Naseem Shah , 16 , becomes youngest bowler to take Test @

Pakistan's 16-year-old paceman Naseem Shah becomes the youngest bowler to take a Test hat-trick as the hosts closed on victory over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.
READ MORE: Naseem Shah, 16, becomes youngest bowler to take Test hat-trick
SCORECARD: Pakistan v Bangladesh


bbc--2020-02-10--Oscars 2020: South Korea's Parasite makes history by winning best picture

South Korean film Parasite has been named best picture at this year 's Oscars , becoming the first non-English language film to take the top prize .
Renee Zellweger won best actress for playing Judy Garland in Judy .
Joaquin Phoenix was named best actor for Joker .
Brad Pitt and Laura Dern scooped the supporting acting awards for their roles in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and Marriage Story respectively .
Parasite won four awards in total , while Sir Sam Mendes 's 1917 took three .
The World War One epic had been the favourite to win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came in the technical categories .
Parasite 's Bong Joon-ho beat Sir Sam to the prize for best director , and also took the best original screenplay award .
The film is a vicious social satire about two families from different classes in Seoul - one who live in poverty in a semi-basement , and another rich family residing in a large home .
It has now managed what no other subtitled film has done in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards and won best picture .
`` I feel like I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all a dream .
It all feels very surreal , '' Bong said .
Producer Kwak Sin-ae , who collected the trophy , said : `` I 'm speechless .
We never imagined this to happen .
I feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now . ''
There were boos when organisers tried to cut short the best picture acceptance speech by turning the stage lights off - leading the lights to be turned back on , allowing the celebrations to continue .
Pitt won the first acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the best supporting actor trophy for his role in Quentin Tarantino 's film .
He was the first winner of the night , and immediately used his speech to attack the way the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump were handled .
He referred to the fact that Republican senators voted against allowing witnesses including former National Security Adviser John Bolton to give evidence .
`` They told me I only have 45 seconds up here , which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maybe Quentin does a movie about it and in the end the adults do the right thing . ''
The 56-year-old moved from the political to the personal , paying tribute to co-star Leonardo DiCaprio and reflecting on his journey to Hollywood superstardom .
`` I 'm a bit gobsmacked , '' he said , getting emotional .
`` I 'm not one to look back , but this has made me do so . ''
Phoenix , who won best actor for his remarkable performance in the origin story about Batman 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send a heartfelt message about the state of the world , saying actors have the power to give a `` voice for the voiceless '' .
After telling the audience to stop clapping him as he took to the stage - `` Do n't do that '' - he managed to cover topics from animal rights and the environment to racism and sexism .
The vegan activist told the audience that `` we feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow , and when she gives birth , we steal her baby even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He also pointed out his own flaws : `` I 've been a scoundrel in my life .
I 've been cruel at times and hard to work with , but so many people in this room have given me a second chance . ''
He ended his speech by quoting a lyric written by his late brother River : `` Run to the rescue and love and peace will follow . ''
• Once Upon A Time in Hollywood - 2 • The winners and nominees in full • Reaction to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before her 53rd birthday , Laura Dern won best supporting actress for playing a divorce lawyer in Marriage Story .
She comes from an illustrious acting family , but in winning managed something her parents have not .
Mother Diane Ladd has been nominated for three Academy Awards , and dad Bruce Dern has two unsuccessful nominations .
`` Some say never meet your heroes , '' their daughter told the audience .
`` But I say if you 're really blessed , you get them as your parents . ''
Meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Garland , who was nominated for two Oscars in the 1950s and 60s .
`` Judy Garland did not receive this honour in her time , '' the actress said .
`` I am certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy . ''
• 13 outfits that caused a stir at the Oscars • The best photos from the ceremony • Sir Elton John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin won best original song for ( I 'm Gon na ) Love Me Again from Rocketman .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 25 years after winning for The Lion King .
• After receiving 13 unsuccessful nominations , Roger Deakins has now won his second Oscar in three years , picking up the trophy for best cinematography for 1917 .
• Dominic Tuohy was up against himself in the visual effects category - nominated for Star Wars : The Rise of Skywalker and 1917 .
He won for 1917 ( alongside Guillaume Rocheron and Greg Butler ) .
• British pair Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson picked up the sound mixing award for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Durran won the second Oscar of her career for her work on Little Women .
• British-made Learning To Skateboard In A Warzone ( If You 're A Girl ) scooped best short documentary .
• Joker composer Hildur Gudnadottir became the first female winner of best original score since 1998 .
• American Factory , the first film from Barack and Michelle Obama 's production company , was named best documentary feature .
( The former first couple were n't there , however . )
• Toy Story 4 won best animated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 won the same award .
• Former American football player Matthew A Cherry won best animated short film for Hair Love and dedicated the award to late basketball star and past Oscar winner Kobe Bryant , saying : `` May we all have a second act as great as his was . ''
• Cherry and collaborator Karen Rupert Toliver were the only black winners .
And , with all four acting nominees being white , the only other ethnic diversity among the winners came from the Parasite team and best make-up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main nominated films won at least one award - except Martin Scorsese 's The Irishman , which had 10 nominations but went away empty-handed .
Scorsese did get a standing ovation , however , when Bong Joon-ho mentioned him on stage .
No host ( but two hosts ) For the second year , the ceremony had no host .
It all started with an incendiary performance by singer and Moonlight actress Janelle Monae .
`` We are celebrating all the women who directed phenomenal films , '' she said .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black queer woman . ''
Then Steve Martin and Chris Rock appeared to deliver the traditional opening monologue as a double act .
`` We both have hosted the Oscars before .
And this is such an incredible demotion , '' Martin quipped .
He remarked : `` Think how much the Oscars have changed in the past 92 years .
Back in 1929 there were no black acting nominees . ''
Rock added : `` And now in 2020 we 've got one . ''
They then gave way to a string @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
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"They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week," he said. "I'm thinking maybe Quentin does a movie about it and in the end the adults do the right thing."


bbc--2020-02-10--US 2020: Buttigieg responds to Biden advert

The battle between US Democratic presidential hopefuls Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden has heated up this weekend following the chaos of last week 's Iowa caucus .
Appearing on ABC 's This Week , the two candidates continued to attack each other 's record .
Their interviews came after Mr Biden shared a video mocking Pete Buttigieg 's record as mayor of South Bend , Indiana .
The first primary of the election begins in New Hampshire on Tuesday .
• Why a young former mayor is surging in US election • Biden vows to press on despite Iowa 'gut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primaries and caucuses Final results from last Monday 's Iowa caucus , which was beset by technical problems , give Mr Buttigieg victory over Bernie Sanders , with Mr Biden trailing in fourth place .
Pete Buttigieg is projected to get 14 delegates , Bernie Sanders 12 , Elizabeth Warren eight , Joe Biden six and Amy Klobuchar one .
Mr Biden 's new campaign video , which has been viewed four million times since it was posted on Twitter on Saturday , launched a scathing attack on Mr Buttigieg , comparing his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's record as mayor of the city of South Bend .
The video claimed that Mr Buttigieg had fired a black police chief and forced out a black fire chief during his time as mayor .
`` The vice president 's decision to run this ad speaks more to where he currently stands in this race than it does about Pete 's perspective as a mayor and veteran , '' Buttigieg 's national press secretary responded .
Asked in an interview with ABC News on Sunday if he thought Mr Buttigieg had `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replied : `` No , I 'm saying he has n't been able to unify the black community , that 's what I 'm saying . ''
`` Let 's get something straight here , '' Mr Biden said .
`` I did n't attack Pete .
Pete 's been attacking me .
He 's been saying the reason we 're in the problem we 're in now is because of the recent past .
That 's 8 years of Obama and me .
I do n't get that . ''
• The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • The race to take on Trump enters crucial phase Buttigieg , however , responded defiantly in a separate interview with ABC .
When told that former Vice-President Biden 's position appeared to essentially be that Buttigieg `` is no Barack Obama '' , the former mayor responded : `` Well he 's right , I 'm not Barack Obama , and neither is he .
Neither is anyone running for president right now .
And this is n't 2008 , it 's 2020 , and this election is about where our country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Biden 's argument about the importance of winning the support of black voters by saying : `` I 'm going to have to work to earn that vote , just as I did in South Bend . ''
`` We need to have a systemic vision for dismantling systemic racism , '' he went on to say .
There are now fewer than a dozen candidates left in the race to become the Democratic nominee for the 3 November presidential election .
The party 's official nominee is announced in July during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear frontrunner usually emerges before this .

When told that former Vice-President Biden's position appeared to essentially be that Mr Buttigieg "is no Barack Obama", the former mayor responded: "Well he's right, I'm not Barack Obama, and neither is he. Neither is anyone running for president right now. And this isn't 2008, it's 2020, and this election is about where our country is headed next."


bbc--2020-02-10--Oscars ceremony: A clumsy attempt to address a lack of diversity

`` Remember when a movie was a fella in a hat running away from a fella with no hair ? ''
When Hank Hooper , CEO of media conglomerate Kabletown , made that observation in Tina Fey 's sitcom 30 Rock , it was a parody of the outmoded opinions held by the men who run Hollywood .
Yet there was an unmistakable air of Hank Hooper-ism hanging over this year 's Oscars , where a war movie ( 1917 ) and a love letter to Spaghetti westerns ( Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ) were among the front-runners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director , and only one person of colour was nominated in any of the acting categories ( British star Cynthia Erivo ) .
And as you watched this year 's ceremony , there was an ever-so-slightly awkward feeling that the Academy was trying to make up for that pre-event controversy .
• 13 looks that caused a stir at the Oscars To be fair , it all began superbly .
Janelle Monae started the evening with a performance of It 's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood , from the Tom Hanks movie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an old-time musical special .
As Monae interspersed her lyrics with cries of `` be loud , be lit '' , perfectly choreographed dancers spun around her dressed in costumes from Little Women , Jojo Rabbit and Joker .
But there were also characters from Us , Queen and Slim and Dolemite Is My Name - all movies with a strong African-American voice that missed out on nominations .
`` Those voices long deprived , '' observed Monae , before rhyming the title of Bong Joon-ho 's Parasite with `` the Oscars , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she announced `` Tonight we celebrate the women who directed phenomenal films , '' a statement that was patently untrue .
She signed off by telling the audience : `` We celebrate the women .
I 'm so proud to stand here as a black , queer woman . ''
Monae got a rousing standing ovation - and her performance was certainly much better than Queen opening last year 's show .
But it was strange to see the Oscars raising the curtain with a song-and-dance number dedicated to self-flagellation .
On to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second year in a row , the show went without a host .
In 2019 , Tiny Fey , Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph handled the first presenting segment brilliantly .
This year 's awards were kicked off by Steve Martin and Chris Rock , who were fine but no more than that .
Rock sarcastically pointed to the Academy 's progress in 91 years : `` Back in 1929 there were no black acting nominees .
And now in 2020 there is one black acting nominee . ''
The pair also referenced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ category : `` Something missing from the list here .
Vaginas ?
Yes . ''
But any screenwriter will tell you that the best films show , not tell .
All the scripted words and host selections could not change the stark fact that the likes of Greta Gerwig ( Little Women ) , Lulu Wang ( The Farewell ) and Alma Har'el ( Honey Boy ) were n't in the running .
And so the night continued in this slightly laboured vein .
At a later point , Gal Gadot , Brie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for playing Wonder Woman , Captain Marvel and Ripley in the Alien movies - co-presented the award for best original score , making the point that `` all women are superheroes '' .
It 's unlikely that the scheduling of their appearance for that award was a coincidence , given that the prize went to Hilda Guðnadóttir for Joker .
The Icelandic composer was the first woman in history to receive this award ( although two women had previously won best musical or comedy score , before that category was scrapped in 1999 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretended to be auditioning for film roles when they took to the stage to present the awards for production design and costume .
`` That was an act .
We were acting .
We just know that there are a lot of directors here tonight , '' they joked .
It was very funny and led into a massively impressive a capella mash-up that took in Vogue , The Lady in Red and Sisqo 's Thong Song .
But if the Academy has to spend most of its scriptwriting energy winking at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , perhaps it should stop messing up the nominations so badly ?
Then , right at the end - just when it was about to go down as one of the least interesting ( and most awkward ) awards of recent times - the 2020 Oscars suddenly became historic .
Parasite 's surprise success in becoming the first film not in the English language to win best picture made it the thing that the 92nd Academy Awards will be forever associated with .
( `` # OscarsSoRight '' tweeted film critic Xan Brooks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well-deserved and , for the producers , extremely fortunate - because until then the most memorable thing about the ceremony had been a baffling performance of Lose Yourself by Eminem .
The rapper had not even turned up when the song , from his semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile , won an Oscar back in 2003 .
So why here ?
Why now ?
The feed captured the expressions of Billie Eilish and Martin Scorsese - not knowing and not caring respectively - which will surely be new Oscar gifs .
Perhaps it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centre stage for no good reason at all on a night when so many were asking about the absence of minority and women performers .
But with Kelly Marie Tran , Mahershala Ali , Anthony Ramos , Zazie Beetz , Taika Waititi and Spike Lee all given time in the broadcast , the Oscars producers had at least been able to offer a token of diversity amongst the presenters .
If only , they must have been thinking , it had been as easy to do the same with the nominees .
Follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BBCNewsEnts .
If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news @ bbc.co.uk .

But any screenwriter will tell you that the best films show, not tell. All the scripted words and host selections could not change the stark fact that the likes of Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Lulu Wang (The Farewell) and Alma Har'el (Honey Boy) weren't in the running.


bbc--2020-02-10--Coronavirus claims 97 lives in one day - but number of infections stabilises

The number of people killed by the new coronavirus rose by 97 on Sunday , the highest number of casualties in a day .
The total number of deaths in China is now 908 - but the number of newly-infected people per day has stabilised .
Across China , 40,171 people are infected while 187,518 are under medical observation .
Meanwhile , 60 more people have tested positive on a cruise ship quarantined in Japan - meaning 130 out of 3,700 passengers have caught the virus .
The Diamond Princess ship is on a two-week quarantine off Yokohama , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong - tested positive .
The infected passengers are taken off board and treated in nearby hospitals .
The new cases mean around a third of all coronavirus patients outside of China were on the Diamond Princess .
According to Chinese data , 3,281 patients have been cured and discharged from hospital .
On Monday , millions of people returned to work after the Lunar New Year break , which was extended from 31 January to curb the spread of the virus .
But precautionary measures remain in place , including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selective reopening of workplaces .
• Why much of 'the world 's factory ' remains closed Over the weekend , the number of coronavirus deaths overtook that of the Sars epidemic in 2003 which also originated in China and killed 774 people worldwide .
The WHO on Saturday said the number of new cases in China was `` stabilising '' - but warned it was too early to say if the virus had peaked .
On Sunday evening , the organisation sent an international mission to help coordinate a response to the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Wuhan , the capital of Hubei province .
The city of 11 million has been in lockdown for weeks .
The outbreak was declared a global emergency by the WHO on 30 January .
It has spread to at least 27 other countries and territories , but so far there have only been two deaths outside of mainland China , in the Philippines and Hong Kong .
The director-general of the WHO on Sunday warned that the virus being transmitted by people who have not been to China could be the `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There 've been some concerning instances of onward 2019nCoV spread from people with no travel history to China , '' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on Twitter '' The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries ; in short , we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg . ''
Meanwhile in Hong Kong , passengers on a quarantined cruise ship have been allowed to disembark after tests showed no infection among them or its crew .
The World Dream had been held in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cruise had caught the virus .
South Korea has issued a temporary ban on cruise ships entering its ports due to fears of spreading the virus .
Have you been affected by any of the issues raised here ?
Please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay @ bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist .
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The Department of Health has described the coronavirus as a "serious and imminent threat" to public health. The government has issued new powers in England to keep people in quarantine to stop the virus spreading. Under these measures, people who have contracted the virus will be forcibly quarantined and not allowed to leave.


bbc--2020-02-10--Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: Favourite to replace Merkel stands down

The leader of Germany 's main governing party , Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer , is standing down and will not put herself forward to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor , reports say .
Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer took over as head of the Christian Democratic Union ( CDU ) party in December 2018 .
She was seen as the favourite to take over as German chancellor in 2021 .
The CDU was recently criticised over a contested regional election result in the eastern state of Thuringia .
Last week , some of the CDU 's local politicians in Thuringia voted with the far-right Alternative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ install liberal candidate Thomas Kemmerich as regional premier .
Mr Kemmerich later said he would resign and seek new elections in the state , `` to remove the stain of the AfD 's support for the office of the premiership '' .
For mainstream parties to collaborate with the AfD is considered a taboo , and no state premier has ever taken office before with the aid of the AfD .
The AfD has grown in popularity in recent years but has been condemned for its extreme views on immigration , freedom of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - also known as AKK - made the surprise announcement that she no longer wanted to lead her CDU party following a meeting with members .
At that meeting , she said that parts of the CDU held an ambiguous position towards the far right and left .
In November , AKK urged critics to support her vision for Germany and threatened to stand down if the party failed to back her at the CDU 's annual congress in Leipzig .
She is now expected to remain in position until a leadership contest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mrs Merkel has also reportedly supported a request by AKK to stay on as German defence minister .
The 57-year-old joined the CDU in 1981 as a 19-year-old student and , after completing a masters in political science , worked her way up in state-level politics .
She became the first woman to serve as a state minister for internal affairs in 2000 and the first woman to serve as prime minister of Saarland , a position she held from 2011 to 2018 .
After being nominated by Chancellor Merkel , AKK was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record 98.9 % of the vote .
In her first address as CDU leader in 2018 , after ending Mrs Merkel 's 18-year reign , AKK - seen as a moderate choice for the leadership - called for party unity .
During her farewell speech as party leader , Ms Merkel praised AKK for her 2017 electoral success in Saarland , in a clear hint that the chancellor saw her as her successor .
More on the far-right in Germany : • How far right caused earthquake in German politics

The episode has dashed Chancellor Merkel's hopes of a smooth transition of power when she steps down next year. Attention is turning to the handful of men jostling to succeed her - at least three of whom would likely steer the CDU to the right-of-centre.


bbc--2020-02-10--Sydney weather: Record rainfall and flooding causes chaos

Emergency services have rescued hundreds of people from flood waters in Sydney , after the city had its wettest few @ @ @ @ @ People in the city have been sharing their footage of dams overflowing , fallen trees @ @ @ @ @ than 100,000 homes remain without power across New South Wales and evacuation orders are in @ @ @ @ @ Rain is forecast to continue throughout the week .

Emergency services have rescued hundreds of people from flood waters in Sydney, after the city had its wettest few days in 30 years.
People in the city have been sharing their footage of dams overflowing, fallen trees and howling winds.
More than 100,000 homes remain without power across New South Wales and evacuation orders are in place in some areas.
Rain is forecast to continue throughout the week.


bbc--2020-02-10--Sinn Féin surges as Irish await poll result

The second day of counting in the Irish general election is under way following what has been a historic result for Sinn Féin .
The result was described as `` something of a revolution in the ballot box '' by the party 's leader Mary Lou McDonald .
With all first preferences counted , the left-wing republican party has taken 24.5 % of the vote , compared to 22 % for Fianna Fáil and 21 % for Fine Gael .
No one party will win enough seats for an outright majority .
More than half of the 160 seats have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establish a government could be prolonged .
Before the election , both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had ruled out forging a coalition with left-wing republican party Sinn Féin , citing its tax policies and IRA past as deterrents .
On Sunday evening , taoiseach ( Irish PM ) and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar conceded it would be `` challenging '' to form a government .
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin did not rule out working with Sinn Féin , but said `` significant incompatibilities '' still existed .
Sinn Féin President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ options to see if it would be possible to form a government without either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil .
Ms McDonald , who topped the poll in her four-seat Dublin Central constituency , said : `` The frustration people have felt for a long time with the two-party system , whereby Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil handed the baton of power between each other - that 's now over , '' she said .
`` This vote for Sinn Féin is for Sinn Féin to be in government… for Sinn Féin to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Morning Ireland programme on Monday , '' My first job of work , and I commenced this yesterday , is to establish with other parties whether or not there are the numbers to deliver a government without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael . ''
Outgoing Irish finance minister and Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohoe said his party was likely to have `` some form of engagement '' with Sinn Féin , but said the two parties would not be going into government together .
`` Seismic '' , `` historic '' , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of words which are being used to describe the results in the Irish general election .
Of course , those superlatives are being spoken by Sinn Féin politicians and activists to describe their party 's surge .
But they are also coming from the lips and pens of political analysts , as they assess how Mary Lou McDonald 's party has loosened the decades-long grip of the two parties which have dominated Irish governments .
What some commentators are terming `` coalitionology '' will be a popular pastime as the count continues over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proportional representation system of voting means finalising the seat tally is complex .
Given so many Sinn Féin candidates were elected on the first count - and did not have running mates - their surpluses will be very much in play to decide where the other seats in their constituencies go .
Read more analysis from Chris here .
Left-leaning Sinn Féin managed to successfully tap into the public anger felt in the Republic of Ireland over issues that have dogged centre-right Fine Gael for a number of years - a shortage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analysts suggest .
That is despite the fact the country is forecast to have one of the fastest growing economies in the EU in 2020 .
They were dubbed `` the problems of success '' by former Finance Minister Michael Noonan as far back as 2015 .
Brexit - a considerable focus of Leo Varadkar and his deputy Simon Coveney while in power - barely registered as an issue in the campaign .
Democratic Unionist Party ( DUP ) leader Arlene Foster , whose party is in a power-sharing government with Sinn Féin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had backed Sinn Féin as a `` protest vote '' .
`` From a Northern Ireland perspective we will have to work with whoever the government is in the Republic of Ireland , '' Mrs Foster told BBC Radio Ulster 's Good Morning Ulster programme .
She also questioned whether Sinn Féin would have their focus on Northern Ireland questioned , in the way there had been a `` wailing and gnashing of teeth '' over her party 's confidence-and-supply agreement with the previous Conservative government in the UK .
There are 160 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Féin is set to dramatically increase how many it holds after it won the most first preference votes , topping the poll in 30 of the 39 constituencies .
Following the last election in 2016 Sinn Féin had 23 seats in the Dáil ( Irish parliament ) .
Fine Gael has been in government since 2011 , firstly with the Labour Party and then with independents and since 2016 , a confidence-and-supply deal with Fianna Fáil .
It looks set to lose seats for the second election in a row , but that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forming another government .
Its share of first preference votes dropped from 25.5 % at the last election to 20.9 % .
The taoiseach said he was `` not really '' disappointed that he did not top the poll in his own constituency .
He did get an increase in his votes compared to the last election .
He added it was now clear there was now a `` three-party system '' .
On Sunday Micheál Martin said reports suggested his party `` would be the largest '' but that it was early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing when forming a government was `` compatibility in the programme for government '' and that formation of a government was going to be very difficult .
Mr Martin added he was a `` democrat '' and respected the will of the people .
What about the smaller parties ?
The Green Party is also set to increase the number of seats it holds .
Green leader Eamon Ryan , who was elected on the first count for Dublin Bay South , said his party would play its part in talks to form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7.1 % of first preference votes , followed by Labour ( 4.4 % ) , Social Democrats ( 2.9 % ) , Solidarity-People Before Profit ( 2.6 % ) .
Aontú ( 1.9 % ) independents ( 12.2 % ) and others ( 1.3 % ) accounted for the rest .

The taoiseach said he was "not really" disappointed that he did not top the poll in his own constituency. He did get an increase in his votes compared to the last election.


bbc--2020-02-10--Solar Orbiter: Sun mission blasts off

Solar Orbiter: Sun mission blasts off

Europe 's audacious Solar Orbiter probe has lifted off on its quest to study the Sun from close quarters .
The €1.5bn ( £1.3bn ) mission is packed with cameras and sensors that should reveal remarkable new insights on the workings of our star .
Scientists want to better understand what drives its dynamic behaviour .
The spacecraft launched aboard an Atlas rocket , which lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 04:03 GMT ( 23:03 local time Sunday ) .
The Sun will occasionally eject billions of tonnes of matter and entangled magnetic fields that can disrupt activity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ storms will trip the electronics on satellites , interfere with radio communications and even knock over power grids .
Researchers hope the knowledge gained from Solar Orbiter ( SolO ) will improve the models used to forecast the worst of the outbursts .
• Sun 's surface seen in remarkable new detail • Solar Orbiter ready to take on audacious mission The probe is a flagship venture of the European Space Agency ( Esa ) , but with the participation of its US counterpart , Nasa .
And it 's the Americans who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SolO .
SolO will be put on a path that takes it periodically to within 42 million km ( 26 million miles ) of the Sun 's surface .
That 's closer in than the planet Mercury where the temperatures are searing .
To survive , the probe will have to work from behind a large titanium shield .
Pictures will be snapped through peepholes that must be closed after a data-gathering session to prevent internal components from melting .
`` We 've had to develop lots of new technologies in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperatures of up to 600C , '' said Dr Michelle Sprake , a systems engineer with European aerospace manufacturer Airbus .
`` One of the coatings that makes sure the spacecraft does n't get too hot is actually made out of baked animal bones , '' she told BBC News .
SolO has six imagers and four in-situ instruments .
The latter will sample the excited gas ( plasma ) and magnetic fields as they race away from our star and flow over the spacecraft .
`` Solar Orbiter is all about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what happens in space , '' explained Prof Tim Horbury from Imperial College London .
`` We need to go close to the Sun to look at a source region , then measure the particles and fields that come out from it .
It 's this combination , plus the unique orbit , that makes Solar Orbiter so powerful in studying how the Sun works and affects the Solar System . ''
That unique orbit will lift SolO out of the plane of the planets to look down on the Sun 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a detailed understanding of why the Sun has an 11-year cycle over which activity rises and falls , '' said Prof Lucie Green from University College London .
`` There are missing observations that prevent us from knowing which of our theories are correct , and those missing observations are the ones we 've never made of the poles . ''
What the researchers will see , they can not say for sure .
But the expectation is that SolO will detect signals of when the Sun 's activity is about to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see indications of the next cycle early on in the polar regions , '' speculated Esa project scientist Dr Daniel Müller .
`` These are small concentrations of magnetic field . ''
This decade is expected to be a golden one for advances in solar physics .
SolO 's launch follows hot on the heels of the Americans ' Parker probe , which shares many of the same scientific goals and even some of the same kinds of instruments .
And here on Earth , an astounding new 4m telescope has just opened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Inouye Solar Telescope ( DKIST ) , this facility can resolve details on the Sun 's surface that are a mere 30km across .
Its `` first light '' images released last month showed boiling cells of plasma in spectacular detail .
`` SolO sits in this family of missions studying the inner Solar System .
I regard it as a kind of orchestra .
Every instrument plays a different tune but together they play the symphony of the Sun , '' said Prof Günther Hasinger , Esa 's director of science .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter : @ BBCAmos

"We need to go close to the Sun to look at a source region, then measure the particles and fields that come out from it. It's this combination, plus the unique orbit, that makes Solar Orbiter so powerful in studying how the Sun works and affects the Solar System."


bbc--2020-02-10--Heavily-armed police and soldiers enter El Salvador parliament

Heavily-armed police and soldiers in El Salvador have forced their way into parliament , demanding the approval of a $ 109m ( £85m ) loan to better equip them .
They entered the building as President Nayib Bukele was about to address lawmakers .
Earlier , he gave them seven days to back his loan plan .
Opposition politicians called the appearance of armed men in parliament an unprecedented act of intimidation .
El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world .
Most of the violence is carried out by criminal gangs that operate across Central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 2019 , pledging to tackle the legacy of gang violence and corruption in the impoverished Central American nation .
The 38-year-old leader wants to use the loan to improve the equipment of police and the armed forces in the fight against crime .
In particular , the funds would be used to buy police vehicles , uniforms , surveillance equipment and a helicopter .
But over the weekend , most MPs opted not to sit for a debate over the proposed bill .
With no quorum in parliament , the president called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parliament building , the BBC 's Central America correspondent Will Grant reports .
President Bukele told them to be back in the streets within a week if MPs did not debate the bill .
His political opponents accused him of threatening them and turning increasingly authoritarian .

Update 14th February 2020: This article has been updated to clarify that the figure of 50,000 pro-government demonstrators came from the government and is disputed, with other sources suggesting the attendance was 5,000.


bbc--2020-02-10--Russia jails members of 'non-existent' terror group Set

Seven Russian anarchists and anti-fascist activists have been handed lengthy jail terms on terror charges .
A court in the city of Penza sentenced the men - said to be part of a group known as Set , meaning Network - to between six and 18 years in penal colonies .
Russian authorities say they were plotting to overthrow the government .
But rights groups and lawyers say the charges were fabricated , and the men were tortured into confessing .
Prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny described the sentences as `` horrific '' in a tweet , and called the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' .
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly said he was aware of the case and had ordered authorities `` to make sure everything is in line with the law '' , but would not intervene .
The military court in Penza , a city 630 km ( 390 miles ) southeast of Moscow , handed down the sentences on Monday .
All seven men - Dmitry Pchelintsev , Ilya Shakursky , Andrei Chernov , Maksim Ivankin , Mikhail Kulkov , Vasily Kuksov and Arman Sagynbaev - will be sent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentence after being convicted of creating the Network .
The 27-year-old was handed an 18-year term , while the other six will serve between six and 16 years and were convicted of a variety of other offences , including illegal possession of weapons .
People yelled `` Shame !
and `` Freedom ! ''
after the verdict was given , independent news site MediaZone says .
Others reportedly gathered outside singing and banging drums , next to masked security officers .
Who are the men ?
The seven are part of a group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St Petersburg arrested and charged with membership of the so-called Set group .
Human rights groups and lawyers say the group does not exist .
The first arrests took place in October 2017 .
The men were reportedly brutally tortured , with one receiving burn marks on his leg `` left by repeated strikes from an electric stun gun '' , the New Yorker magazine reported .
Though the men describe themselves as anarchists and anti-fascists , they deny being part of any organisation .
The men share some left-wing views and some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - a team shooting sport using small plastic pellets .
Russian authorities said the airsoft games were training for attacks .
Before the sentences , a spokeswoman for Amnesty International called the terror charges `` a figment of the Russian security services ' imagination that was fabricated in an attempt to silence these activists '' .
All seven men convicted in Penza can appeal against their convictions , the judge reportedly said .
You may also be interested in :

All of the defendants insist that the Set organisation is pure fantasy, created by state security agency the FSB through falsifying evidence. They admit that they belong to the same social circles and share music tastes, anti-Nazi, left-wing political views and have been on weekends away playing airsoft. Yet several of them have not even met before the arrest.


bbc--2020-02-10--In pictures: Storm Ciara batters north-western Europe

A powerful storm is battering parts of north-west Europe with heavy rainfall and strong winds of up to 150km/h ( @ @ @ @ @ - known as Sabine in Germany and Switzerland and Elsa in Norway - has caused @ @ @ @ @ grounded and rail services cancelled in Germany , France , Belgium , the Netherlands and @ @ @ @ @ exposed areas such as parks and coastlines has been restricted and motorists have been warned @ @ @ @ @ weather continues to cause severe travel disruption .
On Monday , large parts of northern @ @ @ @ @ orange weather alert - the second highest warning - with thousands of homes in Brittany @ @ @ @ @ may also be interested in : • How do storms get named ?

Storm Ciara - known as Sabine in Germany and Switzerland and Elsa in Norway - has caused hundreds of flights to be grounded and rail services cancelled in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK.


bbc--2020-02-10--Oscars 2020 pictures: The best of the ceremony

This year 's Oscars made history with South Korean film Parasite being named best picture , making it the first @ @ @ @ @ the top prize .
Other highlights included Renee Zellweger winning best actress for playing Judy @ @ @ @ @ Joaquin Phoenix winning best actor for Joker .
Here are the best pictures from some @ @ @ @ @ the ceremony in Los Angeles .
Singer-songwriter Janelle Monae kicked off the ceremony with a @ @ @ @ @ In The Neighborhood , the title song from the film of the same name .
@ @ @ @ @ , who was nominated for best supporting actor .
James Corden ( left ) and @ @ @ @ @ in the poorly-received film adaptation of Cats .
`` As cast members of the motion @ @ @ @ @ than us understands the importance of good visual effects , '' they joked as they @ @ @ @ @ Live : All the reaction to the ceremony • Oscars 2020 : The winners and @ @ @

Image caption,
Singer-songwriter Janelle Monae kicked off the ceremony with a performance of A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, the title song from the film of the same name. The film stars Tom Hanks, who was nominated for best supporting actor.


bbc--2020-02-10--World's largest firework lights up the sky

The Guinness World Records entry for largest aerial firework has been broken in Colorado United States .
The previous record @ @ @ @ @ United Arab Emirates in 2018 with a firework of 1,087.26 kg ( 2,397 lb ) @

The Guinness World Records entry for largest aerial firework has been broken in Colorado United States.
The successful attempt weighed 2,800lbs (1,270kg) and measured 62in (1.57m).
The previous record was set off in the United Arab Emirates in 2018 with a firework of 1,087.26 kg (2,397 lb).


bbc--2020-02-10--Lata Kare: The 68-year-old who ran to save her husband

Lata Kare , 68 , did not know that running was a sport - nor that it could earn her @ @ @ @ @ her husband fell ill and needed an MRI scan that the couple could n't afford @ @ @ @ @ lives in India 's western Maharashtra state , found a way they could pay for @ @ @ @ @ completely change her life - and inspire a feature film .
This video is part @ @ @ @ @ Sportswoman of the Year campaign .
VOTE : View the five nominees and vote for @ @ @ @ @ Year here .

Lata Kare, 68, did not know that running was a sport - nor that it could earn her any money.
But when her husband fell ill and needed an MRI scan that the couple couldn't afford, Ms Kare, who lives in India's western Maharashtra state, found a way they could pay for it. The decision would completely change her life - and inspire a feature film.
This video is part of the BBC's Indian Sportswoman of the Year campaign.
VOTE: View the five nominees and vote for your Indian Sportswoman of the Year here.
Video by BBC Marathi's Nitin Nagarakar and Halima Qureshi


bbc--2020-02-10--Breathtaking images from the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition

A set of four images by Russian photographer Oleg Ershov has been awarded first place in the International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2019 competition .
Mr Ershov beat 3,400 rival entries by 840 photographers from around the world .
His images , above and below , show landscapes in England and Iceland .
`` My passion for landscape photography is based on a love of nature , especially in places where human intervention is not yet visible , '' he said .
`` Just being in location at dawn and watching the start of a new day gives me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an amateur photographer and funds his passion by working for a food distribution company .
He says his favourite destinations for shooting landscapes are Iceland , Scotland and the south-west of the US .
`` My interest in photography began in 2007 when I bought my first DSLR camera and signed up for a photo tour to the south-west USA .
`` I was struck by the tremendous variety of landscapes , colours and textures found in nature . ''
French photographer Magali Chesnel won the competition for a single image , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Salt .
Her image , below , shows the Salin de l'ile Saint Martin ; a saltworks in Gruissan , France .
Here are other award winners : The competition created special award categories , unique to this year 's awards .
The competition also produced a selection of the best 101 photo entries , including the images below .
More winning photos can be found on the competition website .

"My passion for landscape photography is based on a love of nature, especially in places where human intervention is not yet visible," he said.


bbc--2020-02-10--Remarkable journey from Afghan refugee to Oxford scholar

Growing up as an Afghan refugee in Pakistan , bloodshed was never far from Summia Tora 's life .
From her home - a single bedroom in a house shared by four families - she could hear the sound of drones landing not far from Peshawar , in northwest Pakistan , where her family had fled in the 1990s to escape the Taliban 's rise .
`` I was just living in this violence , but it was a given , so I could n't do anything about it , '' Summia says .
Sometimes there were bombings once or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point , people stopped talking about it .
It would happen , and everyone would move on . ''
But life there was a privilege compared to Afghanistan , she tells the BBC .
At least she got to go to school .
On a visit to Kabul in 2002 , just after the US invasion , a girl not much older described only being able to attend school by pretending to be a boy .
Summia was six , but she remembers it clearly .
She vowed then that she would to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to dispute that she has .
In October , Summia , now 22 , will become the first Rhodes Scholar to hail from Afghanistan , one of 102 students to earn a place in the 2020 class of the world 's oldest postgraduate scholarship .
Now finishing her last term at Earlham College , a liberal arts university in the US state of Indiana , her outlook is bright and she laughs with ease , the fluent torrent of her words belying the traumas of the journey that has taken her from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen at any time' To be called an educated Afghan woman is in itself a rarity .
Female literacy in Afghanistan today stands at 17 % , according to Unesco .
Though figures in neighbouring Pakistan are still poor - around 45 % of women can read - access to schooling is possible .
In contrast , in her home country `` even the people who could afford to go to school were not able to go… because there were n't any '' , Summia says .
So it was her unlikely fortune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says - an irony given the region 's privations and dangers .
Thousands of US drone operations have flown over Northwest Pakistan since 2004 , as part of the so-called war on terror .
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , the province containing Peshawar , has been a major theatre for the decades-long Pakistani fight against insurgency .
• From a broken neck to a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford The year Summia left Peshawar , 2014 , a militant bombing killed 139 pupils in one of the world 's worst ever school massacres .
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a pressure , '' she says .
`` There 's always this feeling of being unsafe , because anything can happen at any time . ''
Learning was an escape .
But as refugees , her family had limited rights .
Her father could not get a driving licence and her access to schooling was tenuous , so she had to look elsewhere .
A fortuitous online search led her to find a high school , the United World Colleges ( UWC ) , which places international students in its network of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience of winning a place to the school , in New Mexico , was mired in violence .
A day after taking her entrance exam in Kabul in March 2014 , the hotel where it had been held was shot up by Taliban militants .
The Persian New Year terror attack on the Serena Hotel left nine dead , including the head of UWC 's selection committee , Roshan Thomas .
The Canadian doctor had been in the city to help give the exam .
Summia recalls how Dr Thomas had urged the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one day `` come back to Afghanistan and do something to change the situation , because that 's the real purpose '' .
`` She was the main reason I applied .
Because she risked her life .
Because she believed that students like me , from countries like Afghanistan , or refugees from Pakistan , should have the opportunity to get an education . ''
It is a view that contradicts a legacy of imperialism linked to the Rhodes , one of the world 's best-known and most competitive scholarships .
Endowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1902 , it was initially intended to encourage closer ties between the US and Britain through funding postgraduate study at Oxford .
For most of its history , it was only open to men from the US , Germany and the Commonwealth .
Rhodes supported a vision that saw `` the bringing of the whole world under British rule '' .
• Why is Cecil Rhodes such a controversial figure ?
`` He was an imperialist who believed in white supremacy and did not want people of colour or women to be part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
Initially , she did not want to apply .
She had a change of heart when it struck her that it would be easy to say no , she says , `` but it 's harder to accept it , take the burden of the legacy of it , and actually do something to change it - that 's a real responsibility . ''
`` I realised I should n't run away from admitting the colonial history , '' she adds .
`` It 's people like us who need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Summia plans a post-graduate course on refugee and migrant movement , and after that , she says she will return to the country her family once fled .
• My battle to open a school in Afghanistan The only Afghanistan she has known has been one of empty streets and bombed out buildings , but there is another in her mind - one she grew up hearing about from her father , before the wars that rent its streets to dust .
`` I always imagined it to be a valley , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ houses - big , beautiful houses , with beautiful architecture , '' she says .
`` Dried fruits and nuts , fresh fruits on the streets… a very modern Afghanistan . ''
It is there for those like her to build .

She had a change of heart when it struck her that it would be easy to say no, she says, "but it's harder to accept it, take the burden of the legacy of it, and actually do something to change it - that's a real responsibility."


bbc--2020-02-09--Tom and Jerry: 80 years of cat v mouse

Tom and Jerry: 80 years of cat v mouse

A cartoon cat , sick of the annoying mouse living in his home , devises a plot to take him out with a trap loaded with cheese .
The mouse , wise to his plan , safely removes the snack and saunters away with a full belly .
You can probably guess what happens next .
The story ends as it almost always does : with the cat yelling out in pain as yet another plan backfires .
The plot may be familiar , but the story behind it may not be .
From Academy Award wins to secret production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - this is how Tom and Jerry , who turn 80 this week , became one of the world 's best known double-acts .
The duo was dreamt up from a place of desperation .
MGM 's animation department , where creators Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera worked , had struggled to emulate the success of other studios who had hit characters like Porky Pig and Mickey Mouse .
Out of boredom , the animators , both aged under 30 , began thinking up their own ideas .
Barbera said he loved the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cartoon , with conflict and chase , even though it had been done countless times before .
Puss gets the Boot was the first they released , in 1940 .
The debut was a hit and won the studio an Oscar nomination for best animated short .
Despite their work , the animators were not credited .
Managers initially told them not to put all their eggs in one basket .
A change of heart came only when a letter arrived from an influential industry figure in Texas asking when she would see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mouse cartoons '' .
Jasper and Jinx , as they were first known , became Tom and Jerry .
According to Barbera there was no real discussion about the characters not speaking , but having grown up with silent films starring Charlie Chaplin , the creators knew they could be funny without dialogue .
Music composed by Scott Bradley underscored the action and Tom 's trademark human-like scream was voiced by Hanna himself .
For the best part of the next two decades , Hanna and Barbera oversaw the production of more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took weeks to make and cost up to $ 50,000 to produce , so only a handful could be made every year .
These Tom and Jerrys are almost universally considered the best , with rich hand-drawn animation and detailed backdrops helping win them seven Academy Awards and cameos in Hollywood feature films .
• The cow shed where classic cartoons were made '' I 'll bet when you watched them as a child , or even if you look at them right now , you would be hard-pressed to know when they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a cartoon historian who has worked in roles across the industry .
`` There 's something about animation .
It 's evergreen , it does n't fade , '' he says .
`` A drawing is a drawing , it 's like when you go see paintings .
Yes , we know they 're from the 1800s or 1700s - it does n't matter and it still speaks to you today . ''
`` That 's the thing with these cartoons .
What we 've learned in time is that they really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disposable throwaway entertainment . ''
When producer Fred Quimby retired in the mid-1950s , Hanna and Barbera took over MGM 's cartoon department just as budget cuts closed in .
Studio bosses , threatened by the growing popularity of television , realised they could make almost as much money by re-issuing the old shorts as they could by making new ones .
When their department was closed down in 1957 , Hanna and Barbera set up their own production company .
But only a few years later , MGM decided to revive Tom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 1961 they outsourced to a studio in Prague to save on costs .
Chicago-born animator Gene Deitch was tasked with heading the remake , but struggled with a tight budget and staff with no knowledge of the original .
His studio also secretly made episodes of other cartoons , including Popeye .
Czech names were Americanised on the credits to stop viewers associating the shows with Communism .
`` Because of the Iron Curtain , the animators in the studio here in Prague had never ever even seen a Tom and Jerry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He knew , being the first to follow up the classics , that he would be `` in the line of fire '' from fans , and his 13 cartoons are regularly labelled the worst .
In interviews Deitch was honest about their bad reputation and revealed he even received a death threat over them .
After him the task fell to Chuck Jones , best known for his work on Looney Tunes at Warner Brothers .
Under him , Tom 's eyebrows grew thicker and his face more twisted , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Grinch that Jones also animated .
Mark Kausler , 72 , is one of many people who have warm memories of Tom and Jerry growing up .
He dragged his father to see reels of the shorts , over and over , at his local cinema in St Louis .
He began making his own cartoons , partly inspired by the characters , and went onto an extensive animation career of his own .
`` So much of it is based on the way they look and the timing and the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he says .
`` It was such a wonderful formula , the way everything interconnected . ''
`` And when they tried to disassemble and reassemble it with another crew and with another type of designer and other comedy - it just rings inauthentic to me , if you know what I mean . ''
He came a little too late into the industry to work on Tom and Jerry itself , but remembers the excitement of the `` monumental '' moment Hanna and Barbera showed up to his animation school .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` bad word '' , but after going it alone Hanna and Barbera pivoted into the platform .
With longer episodes and smaller budgets , they adapted their animation style and used tricks to save time and money .
Their cartoons dominated children 's television for decades .
They first found success in the early 1960s with characters like Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear and soon , more hits like The Flintstones , Top Cat and Scooby Doo followed .
In the 1970s the pair returned to Tom and Jerry .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were considered `` too violent '' under fresh guidelines issued to networks .
New episodes , with the duo as friends , never lived up to the success of the originals .
Like other cartoons of the time , the show 's legacy has also been complicated by long-standing criticism of its depictions of race .
In particular , the character of `` Mammy Two Shoes '' - a black housemaid with an exaggerated southern accent usually seen from the waist down - has been labelled an offensive racial caricature .
Parts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and derogatory depictions of Asians and native Americans .
When the originals were broadcast on US television in the 1960s , some scenes were edited out with `` Mammy '' replaced with new characters added by Jones 's team .
Today the worst-offending episodes are usually cut from re-release collections and streaming platforms .
Attention was drawn to this in 2014 when Amazon Prime Instant Video added a `` racial prejudice '' warning to the series .
Tom and Jerry , with its slapstick violence and dark comedy , remains extremely popular around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found on children 's television everywhere from Japan to Pakistan and a new mobile phone game has more than 100m users in China .
The show has also , surprisingly , found itself in news headlines .
In 2016 , a top Egyptian official tried to blame the cartoon for rising violence in the Middle East and Iran 's Supreme Leader has compared their US relations to Tom and Jerry at least twice .
As a regular on the BBC schedule for decades , it became particularly well liked in the UK and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the most popular cartoon in Britain among adults .
In the 80 years since their creation , the cat and mouse have appeared in everything from a `` kids '' version to a 1992 musical movie where they sang and spoke .
Bill Hanna died in 2001 and Joe Barbera passed away in 2006 .
A year before his death , Barbera was credited for the last time on a Tom and Jerry short - which was also his first without his former partner .
`` We understood each other perfectly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the other 's work , '' he said of their working relationship .
Warner Brothers , who now own the rights to Tom and Jerry , will release a new live-action film just before Christmas this year .
Not much is known about the project , except that actors including Chloë Grace Moretz and Ken Jeong have signed on .
For Jerry Beck , Tom and Jerry 's enduring appeal comes in part from the character 's universal relatability .
`` I think most people can identify with little Jerry because there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he says .
`` We always have someone , our boss , our landlord , politics - whatever it is .
And we 're just trying to live our lives and somebody wants to disturb it . ''

Like other cartoons of the time, the show's legacy has also been complicated by long-standing criticism of its depictions of race. In particular, the character of "Mammy Two Shoes" - a black housemaid with an exaggerated southern accent usually seen from the waist down - has been labelled an offensive racial caricature. Parts of the series also contain jokes using blackface and derogatory depictions of Asians and native Americans.