bbc--2020-01-24--Coronavirus: How worried should we be?

Coronavirus: How worried should we be?

A virus - previously unknown to science - is causing severe lung disease in China and has also been detected in other countries .
At least 26 people are known to have died from the virus , which appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December .
There are already hundreds of confirmed cases , and experts expect the number will keep rising .
A new virus arriving on the scene , leaving patients with pneumonia , is always a worry and health officials around the world are on high alert .
But is this a brief here-today-gone-tomorrow outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far more dangerous ?
• Wuhan : The London-sized city where the virus began • China coronavirus : What we know so far What is this virus ?
Officials in China have confirmed the cases are caused by a coronavirus .
These are a broad family of viruses , but only six ( the new one would make it seven ) are known to infect people .
Severe acute respiratory syndrome ( Sars ) , which is caused by a coronavirus , killed 774 of the 8,098 people infected in an outbreak that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There is a strong memory of Sars , that 's where a lot of fear comes from , but we 're a lot more prepared to deal with those types of diseases , '' says Dr Josie Golding , from the Wellcome Trust .
How severe are the symptoms ?
It seems to start with a fever , followed by a dry cough and then , after a week , leads to shortness of breath and some patients needing hospital treatment .
Around one-in-four cases are thought to be severe .
The coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mild cold all the way through to death .
`` When we see a new coronavirus , we want to know how severe are the symptoms .
This is more than cold-like symptoms and that is a concern but it is not as severe as Sars , '' says Prof Mark Woolhouse , from the University of Edinburgh .
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) is considering declaring an international public health emergency - as it did with swine flu and Ebola .
How deadly is it ?
Twenty-six people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - 3-4 % of the known cases , but this figure is unreliable .
But the infection seems to take a while to kill , so more of those patients may yet die .
And it is unclear how many unreported cases there are .
Where has it come from ?
New viruses are detected all the time .
They jump from one species , where they went unnoticed , into humans .
`` If we think about outbreaks in the past , if it is a new coronavirus , it will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Prof Jonathan Ball , a virologist at the University of Nottingham .
Sars started off in bats and then infected the civet cat , which in turn passed it on to humans .
And Middle East respiratory syndrome ( Mers ) , which has killed 858 out of the 2,494 recorded cases since it emerged in 2012 , regularly makes the jump from the dromedary camel .
Once the animal reservoir ( where the virus normally camps out ) is detected , then the problem becomes much easier to deal with .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the South China Seafood Wholesale Market , in Wuhan .
But while some sea-going mammals can carry coronaviruses ( such as the Beluga whale ) , the market also has live wild animals , including chickens , bats , rabbits , snakes , which are more likely to be the source .
Researchers say the new virus is closely related to one found in Chinese horseshoe bats .
Prof Woolhouse says it is because of the size and density of the population and close contact with animals harbouring viruses .
`` No-one is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or that part of the world , '' he says .
How easily does it spread between people ?
At the beginning of the outbreak , the Chinese authorities said the virus was not spreading between people - but now , such cases have been identified .
Scientists have now revealed each infected person is passing the virus on to between 1.4 and 2.5 people .
This figure is called the virus ' basic reproduction number - anything higher than 1 means it 's self-sustaining .
We now know this is not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own and disappear .
Only the decisions being made in China - including shutting down cities - can stop it spreading .
While those figures are early estimates , they put coronavirus in roughly the same league as Sars .
There are also concerns that people with no symptoms could be spreading the virus .
Prof Kwok-Yung Yuen from the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital said `` asymptomatic infection appears possible '' .
How often or easily this happens is far from clear , but it could make the virus far harder to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
It might appear as though cases have soared , from 40 to more than 800 in around a week .
But this is misleading .
Most of the `` new '' cases were already out there but have only just been detected as China steps up its surveillance .
There is actually very little information on the `` growth rate '' of the outbreak .
But experts say the number of people becoming sick is likely to be far higher than the reported figures .
A report by the MRC Centre for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ London said : `` It is likely that the Wuhan outbreak of a novel coronavirus has caused substantially more cases of moderate or severe respiratory illness than currently reported . ''
While the outbreak is centred on Wuhan , there have been cases in Thailand , Japan , South Korea , Vietnam , France , Singapore , Taiwan , Nepal and the US .
Yes , you would expect viruses to mutate and evolve all the time .
But what this means is harder to tell .
The novel coronavirus has jumped from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mutate to become easier to spread from one person to another or to have more severe symptoms .
This is something scientists will be watching closely .
How can the virus be stopped ?
We now know the virus will not stop on its own ; only the actions of the Chinese authorities can bring this epidemic to an end .
There is also no vaccine to give people immunity to the virus .
The only option is to prevent people who have become infected from spreading the virus to others .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be needed to identify people whom patients have come into contact with to see if they have the virus .
China has done something unprecedented anywhere in the world - by effectively putting Wuhan into quarantine .
Travel restrictions have also been imposed on a dozen other cities with 36 million people affected .
Some mass gatherings have been banned and tourists sites , including part of the Great Wall , have been closed .
Wuhan - the centre of the outbreak - is building a new hospital with a beds for 1,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Most Asian countries have stepped up screenings of travellers from Wuhan and the WHO has warned hospitals worldwide a wider outbreak is possible .
Singapore and Hong Kong have been screening air passengers from Wuhan and authorities in the US and the UK have announced similar measures .
However , questions remain about the effectiveness of such measures .
If it takes five days for symptoms to appear , then someone could easily be halfway round the world and have passed through any screening checks before starting to feel ill. How worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : `` At the moment , until we have more information , it 's really hard to know how worried we should be .
`` Until we have confirmation of the source , that 's always going to make us uneasy . ''
Prof Ball says : `` We should be worried about any virus that explores humans for the first time , because it 's overcome the first major barrier .
`` Once inside a [ human ] cell and replicating , it can start to generate mutations that could allow it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous .
`` You do n't want to give the virus the opportunity . ''
Are there any vaccines or treatments ?
However , the work to develop them is already under way .
It is hoped that research into developing a vaccine for Mers , which is also a coronavirus , will make this an easier job .

Older people, and those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure), are more likely to become severely ill. Men are at slightly higher risk of dying from the virus than women.


bbc--2020-01-24--'We've got enough food to last 10 days'

'We've got enough food to last 10 days'

What is life like for those from the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak ?
BBC Chinese has been talking to the locals still living in Wuhan , the central city where the virus emerged last month .
They are unable to leave after officials imposed limitations on movement within certain areas of the country in order to halt the spread of the illness .
So , as families across the country gather to celebrate Chinese New Year , three residents share their experience of life under lockdown with the BBC .
Wuhan-native Ms Feng , 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Chinese New Year on Wednesday .
On the high-speed rail , the atmosphere felt eerie .
The Spring Festival is the world 's biggest annual human migration , and the station should have been full of people .
But , instead , it was empty .
`` When we arrived at Wuhan , 90 % of the passengers wore face masks .
Nobody talked and it was quite horrifying , '' she said .
• How do you quarantine a city - and does it work ?
In the early hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were putting Wuhan under lockdown - and it was at this moment that Ms Feng realised the severity of the situation .
`` I thought it was under control , but the reality was the otherwise . ''
Now , she is wracked with anxiety , regretting having made the trip home : how is she going to get back to work in Beijing after the holiday ends ?
What if she is infected with the virus ?
And will she be quarantined even if she somehow manages to get back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan to visit a family member in hospital - but is now trapped in the city .
`` I was a bit hesitant when I came , '' he acknowledged .
`` There seems to be something that has not come to light . ''
• How worried should we be about coronavirus ?
He says worrying will achieve nothing : `` We could only take things as they come . ''
Life , in a limited way , is continuing in the city .
After transport was suspended , the streets felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open for business .
However , many people are wearing cotton face masks instead of surgical face masks , which Mr Si suspects may indicate a shortage of regular face masks .
A Chinese student from Wuhan , who wishes to remain anonymous , is staying off the streets , hidden away with his family .
`` All of my family are staying indoors .
My mother went to the supermarket yesterday and the shelves were empty .
`` We 've got enough food and water to last us 10 days but after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen . ''
• Taobao warns firms not to profit from outbreak He adds he knew about the virus a month before official announcements .
`` I told my family to buy food and masks , so we 've been well prepared . ''
A friend of his , however , has not had the masks he ordered arrive because of roads being blocked .
`` A week ago I went to a hospital in Wuhan to pick up my prescription .
There were not many people were wearing masks then .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 've been checking our temperatures daily but can we really celebrate Chinese New Year with all of this going on ? ''

Now, she is wracked with anxiety, regretting having made the trip home: how is she going to get back to work in Beijing after the holiday ends? What if she is infected with the virus? And will she be quarantined even if she somehow manages to get back to Beijing?


bbc--2020-01-24--How China is coping with coronavirus outbreak

There have been widely-shared reports on social media and some state-run services that healthcare services in Wuhan - one of China 's largest cities - are under strain following the outbreak of coronavirus .
Hu Xijin , the editor of state-run newspaper Global Times , said there had been a `` failure '' to contain the virus , and videos of patients queuing to get seen in hospitals .
However , other Communist-party outlets have praised the response to the outbreak .
Wuhan is a major transit hub with a population of about 11 million people , and has effectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other major cities in the region , in an unprecedented move to stop the spread of the virus .
The city serves as the main economic hub for the wider province , Hubei , and has the most advanced healthcare facilities in the region .
The metropolitan area has seven major hospitals - considered some of the best in China , with Tong Ji Hospital ranked third nationally - treating patients .
It has seven more hospitals supporting the efforts , and 61 clinics around the city which are testing patients for symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report from 2014 included Wuhan among the top six cities for medical treatment in the country - although it ranks behind Beijing and Shanghai .
In terms of capacity , the report said Wuhan had 6.51 hospital beds and 3.08 doctors per 1,000 people - this is n't a straightforward indication of healthcare capacity ( more doctors does n't always mean better healthcare ) , but it does rank Wuhan among the more developed places in the world .
The UK and US have 2.8 and 2.6 doctors per 1,000 heads , respectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a such a large city undergoing a mass shutdown ?
The lockdown in Wuhan has caused panic in the city - the World Health Organization ( WHO ) has said that containing a large city like this is `` new to science '' .
Hubei as a province has a lower number of doctors per 1,000 people , at 2.55 according to the latest government statistics .
`` It 's yet to be seen whether the costs associated with this kind of mass quarantine measure ( not just financially , but with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ translate into effective infection control , '' said Dr. Maia Majumder , an expert at Harvard Medical School in the US , who is tracking the virus .
Hubei has declared a `` Grade 1 public health emergency '' , the most severe level - that means the response is led centrally from Beijing by the State Council , the government 's cabinet .
Beijing has tried to allay concerns by sending more healthcare professionals , and constructing a hospital .
Reports from state-run media say there are 405 medical staff from Shanghai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region , and officials are building one new healthcare centre with 1,000 beds from scratch over the weekend .
They 're also expanding existing capacity in other facilities .
The government has also assigned 21 centres in Hubei province to help co-ordinate treatment , and train local health officials .
Professor Shenglan Tang , an expert in global health at Duke University in the US , says there are concerns that rural areas will struggle to cope .
`` I 'm confident that the health centres in Wuhan will be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bit worried about Hubei province - rural workers have gone back home from Wuhan to celebrate Chinese New Year , and in these areas the hospital capacity is weak , '' said Professor Tang .
Despite resilient rhetoric from the government , people are expressing concern about the city 's ability to cope with the outbreak .
The BBC spoke to a number of people in the region who said that getting test results was taking longer than officials are claiming .
We were told that in some cases medical staff lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are also claims that local government , which was apparently made aware of the outbreak in mid-December , ignored initial warning signs .
We have n't been able to independently verify these claims .
The government has called for people to report poor medical responses to an online `` inspection '' platform .
The regional government has issued a statement appealing for donations to help with the response , including asking for facemasks .

In terms of capacity, the report said Wuhan had 6.51 hospital beds and 3.08 doctors per 1,000 people - this isn't a straightforward indication of healthcare capacity (more doctors doesn't always mean better healthcare), but it does rank Wuhan among the more developed places in the world. The UK and US have 2.8 and 2.6 doctors per 1,000 heads, respectively.


bbc--2020-01-25--China coronavirus: Death toll rises as disease spreads

The death toll from a newly-discovered coronavirus in China has risen to 41 on the day of the Lunar New Year .
Another 15 deaths in Hubei province , where the outbreak began , were announced on Saturday .
Health officials are struggling to contain the outbreak as millions of people travel for the Chinese new year , one of the most important events .
Many festivities have been cancelled .
There are now more than 1,200 confirmed cases in China .
The virus has also spread to Europe , with three cases confirmed in France .
The UK is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with officials trying to trace around 2,000 people who have recently flown to the UK from Hubei province .
Australia has also confirmed several cases in Melbourne and Sydney , joining a handful of countries treating patients .
What does the virus do ?
The coronavirus , previously unknown to science , causes severe acute respiratory infection with symptoms including a fever and cough .
There is no specific cure or vaccine .
Based on an earlier report of the fatalities , when just 17 were dead , most of the victims appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pre-existing medical conditions .
But one of the dead in the most recent update was a doctor at a hospital in Hubei , China Global Television Network reported .
• Coronavirus : How worried should we be ?
• How can China build a hospital so quickly ?
Symptoms seem to start with a fever , followed by a dry cough and then , after a week , lead to shortness of breath and some patients needing hospital treatment .
About a quarter of cases are thought to be severe .
What restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where the outbreak began , is effectively on lockdown : all bus , underground and ferry services have been suspended , and all outbound planes and trains cancelled .
The People 's Daily newspaper reports that from Sunday , only special vehicles will be allowed on roads in Wuhan 's downtown area .
A new hospital is being built in the city , for patients .
Chinese media outlets said the new 1,000-bed hospital could be ready within six days .
Pharmacies in the city have begun to run out of supplies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the public .
• How is China coping with the coronavirus outbreak ?
Residents have been advised not to leave , and roadblocks have been reported .
Ezhou , a smaller city in Hubei , shut its railway station .
The city of Enshi has suspended all bus services .
And the rest of China ?
Hong Kong 's leader , Carrie Lam , raised the alert level to the highest level of emergency on Saturday , and extended the school holiday period to keep schools closed for two more weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beijing , and Shanghai have asked residents who return from affected areas to stay at home for 14 days to prevent the spread of the virus , local media report .
• Have you been affected ?
Get in touch : haveyoursay @ bbc.co.uk Authorities have also shut major tourist sites including the Forbidden City in Beijing and a section of the Great Wall , and cancelled major public events in other parts of the country , including : • All public Lunar New Year celebrations in Macau Shanghai 's Disney Resort is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurants in five cities .
• How do you quarantine a city - and does it work ?
On Thursday , a coronavirus patient died in northern Hebei province - making it the first death outside Hubei .
Another death was later confirmed in north-east Heilongjiang province , more than 2,000km ( 1,200 miles ) from Wuhan .
Earlier , when the death toll was 17 , information from China 's National Health Commission said the youngest person who died from the virus was 48 and the oldest was 89 .
But 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more than half suffered from other chronic diseases including Parkinson 's and diabetes .
Just four were women .
French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn said one of the French cases , a 48-year-old man of Chinese origin who had been visiting Wuhan , had been taken to hospital in Bordeaux .
Little was known about the second case , in hospital in Paris , except that the patient had been in China .
It was likely other cases would occur in Europe , Ms Buzyn added .
She confirmed a third case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evening .
On Saturday , Australia reported its first case , a patient who is in hospital in Melbourne , after arriving from China last weekend .
That was quickly followed by the announcement of three cases in Sydney , in the neighbouring state of New South Wales .
Earlier on Friday a case was confirmed in Chicago , the second in the US .
Singapore confirmed its third case , known to be the son of another patient , also on Friday .
Nepal recorded its first case on the same day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan three ; Vietnam and South Korea two each ; and one in Taiwan .
• Wuhan : The London-sized city where the virus began • Fourteen people in UK tested for new strain Other nations are investigating suspected cases , including the UK , US , and Canada .
The World Health Organization has not classed the virus as an `` international emergency '' , partly because of the low number of overseas cases .
`` It may yet become one , '' said the WHO 's director-general , Dr Tedros Adhanom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus • Your questions : You asked , we answered • The story explained : How worried should we be ?
• Wuhan profiled : The city now in lockdown • In detail : Follow all our coverage here Are you in China ?
Have you been affected by the lockdown in various cities ?
Email haveyoursay @ bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist .
You can also contact us in the following ways : • Please read our terms & conditions @ @ @

French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn said one of the French cases, a 48-year-old man of Chinese origin who had been visiting Wuhan, had been taken to hospital in Bordeaux. Little was known about the second case, in hospital in Paris, except that the patient had been in China.


bbc--2020-01-25--Turkey earthquake: At least 22 dead as buildings collapse

At least 22 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in a powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey .
The magnitude-6.8 quake , centred on the town of Sivrice in Elazig province , caused buildings to collapse and sent residents rushing into the street .
Thirty-nine people have been pulled from the wreckage , with more than 20 feared to remain trapped , rescuers say .
Earthquakes are common in Turkey - about 17,000 people died in a quake in the western city of Izmit in 1999 .
Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Syria , Lebanon and Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the immediate aftermath .
Turkey 's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority ( Afad ) said more than 400 rescue teams were heading towards the region , along with beds and tents for those displaced .
It warned people not to return to damaged buildings in case of aftershocks .
Afad said that 18 people had died in Elazig province , while the official count in Malatya is four .
The governor or Malatya , however , earlier said that six people had died there .
One woman was pulled from under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , officials say .
She was saved after calling her relatives from her mobile phone and telling them where she was trapped .
But a 12-year-old boy rescued from the wreckage later died in hospital .
`` It was very scary - furniture fell on top of us .
We rushed outside , '' AFP news agency quoted 47-year-old Melahat Can , who lives in the city of Elazig , as saying .
The region struck by the quake , some 550km ( 340 miles ) east of the capital Ankara , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of damage and fatalities could be slow to emerge .
Officials have sent beds , tents and blankets to the area , where overnight temperatures regularly fall below zero .
In its advisory on Saturday morning , the emergency authority said the temperature had fallen to -8C .
The Turkish Red Crescent has also dispatched hundreds of personnel with emergency supplies , it said .
Sivrice , a town of about 4,000 people , is a popular tourist spot on the shore of Hazar lake , the source of the river Tigris .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ your experiences by emailing haveyoursay @ bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist .
You can also contact us in the following ways : • Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

Rescue teams worked through the night, using their hands, drills and diggers to try to find people in the rubble of fallen buildings. They also brought beds and tents for those displaced, and warned residents against returning to damaged buildings because of the danger of aftershocks.


bbc--2020-01-25--Facebook and YouTube moderators sign PTSD disclosure

Content moderators are being asked to sign forms stating they understand the job could cause post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) , according to reports .
The Financial Times and The Verge reported moderators for Facebook and YouTube , hired by the contractor Accenture , were sent the documents .
Moderators monitor objectionable materials and often view hundreds of disturbing images in a day 's work .
Accenture said the wellbeing of workers was a `` top priority '' .
In a statement the company added only new joiners were being asked to sign the forms , whereas existing employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ update .
`` We regularly update the information we give our people to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the work they do , '' Accenture said in a statement .
Accenture is a professional services company hired by firms including Google , Facebook and Twitter .
Its contractors work as outside monitors for social media sites to remove any inappropriate content .
The job often requires watching and listening to disturbing posts that can be violent or sexual in nature .
Both The Verge and Financial Times report that moderators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to acknowledge the mental health risks of the role .
`` I understand the content I will be reviewing may be disturbing .
It is possible that reviewing such content may impact my mental health , and it could even lead to post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) , '' the statement read .
The notices were sent to Accenture employees in the United States and Europe .
The reports come as Facebook faces lawsuits from former content moderators over a range of mental health issues in California and Ireland .
Facebook said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form , but the social media firm does require its partners to offer psychological support for content moderators .
Google - YouTube 's parent company- also said it did not review the documents but required its partners to offer mental health support .
The forms sent to the moderators outline support services on offer , including a hotline and a wellness coach .
But it concedes in the forms that neither one is staffed by medical professionals and `` can not diagnose or treat mental disorders '' .
Cases of PTSD and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise among content moderators .
In 2019 The Verge published a behind the senses report of the of Facebook Moderators .
One moderator quoted in that report said he `` sleeps with a gun by his side '' after doing the job .
Mental health experts say understanding the psychological strains of this job does not mitigate its risks .

Cases of PTSD and other mental health issues have been on the rise among content moderators. In 2019 The Verge published a behind the scenes report of the of Facebook Moderators. One moderator quoted in that report said he "sleeps with a gun by his side" after doing the job.


bbc--2020-01-25--Instagram rejected model's rosacea images

When Lex Gillies uploaded a picture to Instagram highlighting her rosacea skin condition , the site removed the image .
@ @ @ @ @ photographer Sophie Harris-Taylor , was part of a series celebrating natural beauty .
But Instagram @ @ @ @ @ allow ads that focus on aspects of a person 's body to highlight an undesirable @ @ @ @ @ .
After sharing her story with her followers , the hashtag # undesirablesofinstagram quickly went @ @ @ @ @ the social network to stop censoring skin conditions .
The appeal worked , with Instagram @ @ @ @ @ guidelines on adverts had been permanently changed .

When Lex Gillies uploaded a picture to Instagram highlighting her rosacea skin condition, the site removed the image.
The photo, captured by photographer Sophie Harris-Taylor, was part of a series celebrating natural beauty.
But Instagram said it "doesn't allow ads that focus on aspects of a person's body to highlight an undesirable or idealised body state".
After sharing her story with her followers, the hashtag #undesirablesofinstagram quickly went viral as people called on the social network to stop censoring skin conditions.
The appeal worked, with Instagram contacting Lex to inform her guidelines on adverts had been permanently changed.


bbc--2020-01-23--'I design shoes for Cristiano Ronaldo, the Beckhams and Justin Timberlake'

`` Kickasso '' has designed footwear for David Beckham 's son , Ashley Cole , Justin Timberlake and Odell Beckham @ @ @ @ @ a one-of-a-kind shoe for Portugal and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo .
WATCH MORE : The @ @ @ @ @ , Hamilton and Henry WATCH MORE : Beckham , LeBron & Bieber - Meet 'the @ @ @ @ @

"Kickasso" has designed footwear for more than 50 NBA and NFL stars, including Odell Beckham Jr. Now he's making a one-of-a-kind shoe for Portugal and Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Player Makers USA is a six-part series of amazing stories from people who work in the background for some of the biggest names in American and global sport.
WATCH MORE: The artist tattooing LeBron, Rihanna, Hamilton and Henry
WATCH MORE: Styling Messi, Kaepernick & Jay Z: Meet the fashion fairy godmother


bbc--2020-01-25--Avalanche survivors in Pakistan-administered Kashmir tell of horror

More than 75 people died when avalanches struck a remote part of Pakistan-administered Kashmir .
The disaster prompted journalist Sajid @ @ @ @ @ hours to reach some of the worst hit villages , and see what help he @ @ @ @ @ his dangerous journey and the people he met .
Filmed and edited by Noman Khan @ @ @ @ @

More than 75 people died when avalanches struck a remote part of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The disaster prompted journalist Sajid Mir to trek for 17 hours to reach some of the worst hit villages, and see what help he could offer.
He describes his dangerous journey and the people he met.
Filmed and edited by Noman Khan. Reporting by Farhat Javed


bbc--2020-01-25--Nigeria: Discovering Lagos nightlife by danfo

Lagos bursts to life at night and Explore Lagos has created a different way for partygoers to reach the city @ @ @ @ @ affordable way .
The ‘ Get on the Bus ’ tour uses a local transportation @ @ @ @ @ runs on the first Friday of every month .
In this video from In Business @ @ @ @ @ says that this is their way of saving the danfo , while also showing everyone @ @ @ @ @ .

Lagos bursts to life at night and Explore Lagos has created a different way for partygoers to reach the city’s hotspots in an affordable way.
The ‘Get on the Bus’ tour uses a local transportation called the danfo bus and runs on the first Friday of every month.
In this video from In Business Africa, co-founder Emeka Okocha says that this is their way of saving the danfo, while also showing everyone what Lagos has to offer.


bbc--2020-01-25--Sky Brown: Skating towards Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Eleven-year-old Sky Brown is smashing the skateboarding world and beating adults much older than her .
She 's set her @ @ @ @ @ Tokyo Olympics in 2020 , where she 'd be Britain 's youngest ever summer Olympian @ @ @ @ @ first time skateboarding will be an official sport at the Olympics .
This video was @ @ @ @ @ , a brand new programme for teenagers who want to know about the issues shaping @ @ @

Eleven-year-old Sky Brown is smashing the skateboarding world and beating adults much older than her.
She's set her sights on competing in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, where she'd be Britain's youngest ever summer Olympian. It'll be the first time skateboarding will be an official sport at the Olympics.
BBC My World is a brand new programme for teenagers who want to know about the issues shaping our world.


bbc--2020-01-25--Week in Pictures: 18-24 January

Week in Pictures: 18-24 January

The peloton rides through a bushfire-damaged area in the Adelaide Hills during stage two of the Tour Down Under , @ @ @ @ @ South Australia .
Though less affected by fire than other regions in eastern Australia , @ @ @ @ @ in December and are thought to have destroyed up to a third of the vines @ @ @ @ @ Adelaide Hills wine industry .

Image caption,
The peloton rides through a bushfire-damaged area in the Adelaide Hills during stage two of the Tour Down Under, from Woodside to Stirling in South Australia. Though less affected by fire than other regions in eastern Australia, major bushfires hit the area in December and are thought to have destroyed up to a third of the vines that provide grapes for the Adelaide Hills wine industry.


bbc--2020-01-25--Hannah: the body positive quadruple amputee

Hannah had all four limbs amputated at two years old to save her life after contracting meningitis .
As she @ @ @ @ @ n't see media images of quad amputees like her and was keen to fill the @ @ @ @ @ documenting her life experiences on social media and uses her platform to boost self-esteem in @ @ @ @ @ difference between me and you is that I have less limbs '' , Hannah explains @

Hannah had all four limbs amputated at two years old to save her life after contracting meningitis.
As she grew up, she didn't see media images of quad amputees like her and was keen to fill the gap.
She has been documenting her life experiences on social media and uses her platform to boost self-esteem in others.
"The only difference between me and you is that I have less limbs", Hannah explains.
Filmed, produced and edited by: Arlene Dihoulou
Additional editing: Dave O'Neill
Commissioning Editor: Kimberley Rowell


bbc--2020-01-25--Auschwitz: Searching for traces of my grandfather

The Nazi death camp site at Auschwitz-Birkenau is especially bleak in January .
My grandfather was murdered there and it took my mother decades before she was ready to visit .
Meijer Nieweg was one of some 1.1 million people murdered in the shadow of its notorious main tower .
Nearly a million were Jews .
My mother was a toddler at the time and too young to remember him .
It is 75 years since Auschwitz was liberated .
We went there together on the 50th anniversary , to find out what we could about the last days of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you sense the arrival of crowded cattle trucks on the railway line that runs through it .
To your right , alongside the track , some of the primitive wooden huts that housed prisoners still exist , rather like stables .
Elsewhere , others are marked by their brickwork remains .
Weeks before it was liberated , Nazi Germany had begun tearing down the machinery of murder : the gas chambers and crematoria were dismantled and blown up and all but a few thousand records destroyed .
My grandfather 's transport was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vast site in occupied southern Poland .
Meijer Nieweg , 38 , had been ordered to take a train from his home close to the German border on 10 July 1942 to the main Dutch transit camp at Westerbork .
Five days later , two trains carrying 2,000 children , women and men in cattle wagons left Westerbork and another transit camp at Amersfoort .
The trains arrived at Auschwitz on 17 July .
The track did not yet extend as far as the Birkenau death camp , so they would have walked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 449 Dutch Jews were sent to their deaths , by Zyklon B hydrogen cyanide gas .
The others lasted little longer and Meijer Nieweg was one of them .
He had the number 47483 burned into his arm , as records obtained by the Dutch Red Cross revealed .
We would find out later he had written `` Landarbeiter '' ( farm labourer in German ) on the Nazi form .
Those deemed fit for work were often deployed as slave labour so it was a white lie that bought him another month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was an insurance broker from a family of cattle dealers .
He spent his last days in Block 12 in the Birkenau men 's camp , according to the Red Cross .
That was all we had to go on .
In the mud beside the ruins of one of the crematoria , we joined a group and listened to writer and Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel , who lost his mother and sister there .
`` It is true that not all the victims were Jews .
But all the Jews were victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Kaddish , the Jewish mourners ' prayer , was read out .
Nobody before had ever said Kaddish for my grandfather in the place he died .
That alone was worth the journey .
• 102,000 Dutch Jews died in Holocaust out of population of 140,000 • 220 Dutch Roma and Sinti were murdered by the Nazis • 449 were immediately murdered , mainly women and girls • 1,251 men and boys were assigned numbers 47088 to 47687 • 300 of the original 697 women and girls were assigned numbers 8801-8999 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Max , bearded and hunched , clearly overcome by the place and the occasion .
His father had been on the same Dutch transport as my grandfather .
His father had died six days after arrival , on 23 July 1942 .
Determined to find Block 12 , we sought out survivors .
One man in his sixties had survived the awful experiments on twins conducted by Josef Mengele , the SS `` Angel of Death '' .
Fifty years on he could not remember how the blocks were numbered .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and by now the light was failing .
Walking back through the entrance gate , we found Block 12 on a map .
It lay towards the back of the death camp site , at the end of the railway line .
Worried we might be locked in , we decided to leave , our mission only half complete .
• How Auschwitz became centre of Nazi Holocaust • Saved from a Nazi camp by The Lost Train • Mengele and the twins of Auschwitz It would be another three years before my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bricks that remained of Block 12 and light a candle for her father ; she placed photos beside it of her children and grandchildren .
His family was wiped out in the death camps of Auschwitz and Sobibor , but he was not forgotten .
The Auschwitz museum found a copy of his death certificate , filled out eight days after he was sent to the gas chamber .
It was signed on behalf of SS war criminal Walter Quakernack , the notorious head of Birkenau crematoria .
Meijer Nieweg was one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certificate and one of only 29,000 Jews , according to Auschwitz Museum .
The overwhelming majority were murdered on arrival and not even registered .
The Nazis used a list of some 50 causes of death to cover up the mass murder they committed in the gas chambers .
Right at the bottom of the certificate , Meijer Nieweg 's fictitious cause of death was `` Herzschwäche bei Darmkatarrh '' - heart failure with enteritis .
This first transport from the Netherlands to Birkenau was also the first case of industrial mass murder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came at a significant moment in the Holocaust .
Weeks earlier , on 22 June 1942 , Adolf Eichmann , the man in Hitler 's elite SS given the task of organising the murder of Europe 's Jews , had announced plans for special trains , each carrying 1,000 Jews to Auschwitz , from France , the Netherlands and Belgium .
Most Jews would be transported to Auschwitz by trains organised by the Reich Main Security Office ( RHSA ) .
Thousands of Jews had already arrived at Birkenau from Slovakia and France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transport pulled into Auschwitz , another of Hitler 's top henchmen was visiting the complex , Heinrich Himmler , the head of the SS .
We know this because Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss details in his diary how Himmler inspected Birkenau , visiting the kitchen and sick bay .
Himmler watched the entire process of mass murder on 17 July 1942 : from arrival by train and selection of those who would die to killing in the gas chamber and the removal of bodies .
Himmler 's own diary makes no mention of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jews , but it was during this visit on 17-18 July 1942 that he decided to expand the capacity of Birkenau to 200,000 prisoners .
The extermination of Jews there was to continue until November 1944 .
It has long been known that no birds sing at the sites of Nazi death camps , and that was certainly true at Auschwitz .
Taking a final look in the fading light at the decaying blocks where my grandfather had been murdered , I saw a fox scurrying along a trench dug by camp prisoners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rare sign of life in such a desolate place .
The names of all 102,000 Jews , Sinti and Roma from the Netherlands who were murdered by the Nazis are being read out alphabetically , in a ceremony at Westerbork lasting six days and five nights that culminates on 27 January at 14:30 GMT .
Find out more about Auschwitz and the Holocaust :

We would find out later he had written "Landarbeiter" (farm labourer in German) on the Nazi form. Those deemed fit for work were often deployed as slave labour so it was a white lie that bought him another month and a day of life. He was an insurance broker from a family of cattle dealers.


bbc--2020-01-25--Still seeking answers a year after Brazil dam collapse

The friendship between Josiana Resende and Natalia de Oliveira is one born out of loss - they got to know each other after the dam collapsed at the Corrego de Feijao mine exactly a year ago , killing both their sisters .
Natalia 's sister Lecilda and Josiana 's sister Juju were great friends .
Lecilda introduced Juju to her husband and she was bridesmaid at the wedding .
Now the bond has extended to the surviving sisters .
Natalia and Josiana 's friendship is also born out of a shared cause - finding their sisters ' bodies .
Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and nine others are still missing .
`` We re-live what happened on the 25th every day , '' says Josiana .
`` The fact that we ca n't say goodbye does n't give us any closure - we ca n't move on .
Time has stood still for us . ''
This past year has been hard on Juju 's dad Geraldo too .
He 's wearing a T-shirt with a picture of his daughter and her twin boys Geraldo Augusto and Antonio Augusto .
The photo was taken at one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember if they were eight or nine months at the time but she loved celebrating each and every month .
She died shortly afterwards .
The boys are the reason the family keeps going .
`` When a father cries , it 's such a deep pain , '' Geraldo says between tears .
`` Those people at Vale ended our lives , we lost the will to live .
I have thoughts that I should n't talk about .
I just want my daughter to come back - but I know it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When the mud and mining waste barrelled through a valley near the town of Brumadinho on 25 January 2019 , it wiped out everything in its wake .
Now , there 's a void in the hillside where the dam used to be .
And below it , for nearly 10km ( six miles ) , a lunar landscape of dark mud , with water collecting in the crevasses .
It 's rainy season in Brumadinho .
The showers last for days at this time of year .
But despite the rain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zone .
`` It 's a massive area , we 're talking 10km from where the dam broke to the final part where it met the Rio Paraopeba .
And it 's a perimeter of 32km , '' says firefighter Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Constantino .
`` Now it 's rainy season , access is difficult for our people and for our machines but our job is to find those missing 11 victims . ''
The dam collapse in Brumadinho was one of Brazil 's worst environmental disasters .
Forests were destroyed and rivers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job to relocate the mud to a safer place and return this area to its previous state .
`` We 've got 2,500 people working here and we 're hoping to get rid of all the waste from the dam within five years , '' says Rogerio Galvao who is in charge of the clean-up operation for Vale , who owned the dam .
`` But that depends on the progress of firefighters , with their search and recovery efforts . ''
Vale can not move any mud without seeking the permission of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missing .
There is a great deal of anger towards Vale .
The murder and environmental charges handed out to 16 employees , the mining company and its auditor Tuv Sud this week have come as welcome news to many here .
`` They knew that this could happen , I 'd been saying it for years , '' says João Vitor Xavier , a politician in the state assembly of Minas Gerais , where Brumadinho is located .
`` They knew people could die but they prioritised profits . ''
João Vitor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minas Gerais which tried to pass a bill improving mine safety before the disaster .
Finally , in the wake of Brumadinho , the bill was passed .
• How do you clear tonnes of toxic sludge ?
• Vale : The pride of Brazil becomes its most hated company '' The legislation that we got through insists on much stricter regulations from now on , companies have to dismantle mines like Brumadinho but that 's like messing with a ticking time bomb , '' he says .
`` The very act of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the murder charges were announced by state prosecutors , Vale responded , saying it was `` perplexed '' by the accusations they intended to kill those who died but insists it is cooperating with the investigation .
`` We understand people need to be punished , '' says Marcelo Klein , the Director of Recovery and Development at Vale .
Of the murder charges though , he was more hesitant .
`` We ca n't accept that the justices believed we deliberately took actions , or did n't take actions , to intentionally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gone right to the very top .
The former boss of Vale , Fabio Schvartsman , who stepped down in the wake of the dam collapse , is one of the accused .
`` Prosecutors together with the police looked at the evidence for a year and that evidence pointed to the president 's involvement in the crimes that happened that day , '' says state prosecutor Andressa de Oliveira Lanchotti .
`` It 's not a strategic choice .
They are facts and according to Brazilian law , he has to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A year on from that terrible day , many people are very open about who they blame for what happened - but it does little in helping a community so broken and so hurt , to pick up the pieces .

When the mud and mining waste barrelled through a valley near the town of Brumadinho on 25 January 2019, it wiped out everything in its wake. Now, there's a void in the hillside where the dam used to be. And below it, for nearly 10km (six miles), a lunar landscape of dark mud, with water collecting in the crevasses.


bbc--2020-01-25--Why China’s LGBT hide their identities at Lunar New Year

China is marking the annual Lunar New Year holiday , which for most people means getting together with family and loved ones .
This year , the celebrations have been overshadowed by the new virus sweeping the country , which has meant many people wo n't or ca n't travel home .
But some members of China 's LGBT community have always dreaded the holiday period , because going home means being confronted with unwelcome questions .
`` For some parents , it 's the end of the world when their children are queer , '' said Fan Popo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shandong , earlier this week .
`` I am already seeing people complaining when they get home , '' he told the BBC earlier this week .
`` They are being asked by family members about when they are getting married . ''
Homosexuality has been legal in China for more than two decades and the Chinese Society of Psychiatry stopped classifying it as a mental disorder in 2001 .
But same-sex marriage is not recognised , and some LGBT people still struggle for acceptance , especially when it comes to close family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are some places gay-friendly and not others ?
• Bohemian Rhapsody opens in China , minus all the gay bits A report by the United Nations Development Programme in 2016 found no more than 15 % of LGBT people in China come out to their close family members .
`` Some people who have already come out successfully are proud , '' Xie Xiao , a member of CINEMQ , a queer cinema collective based in Shanghai , told the BBC .
`` Meanwhile some people are scared to death of whether their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
In recent years a number of big companies have shown their support for the LGBT community in China - and for the potential market the community offers .
In 2015 , e-commerce giant Alibaba staged a promotional event to send seven same-sex couples to the US so that they could marry .
And Nike has been known to sponsor T-shirts at the Shanghai Pride run .
Tim Hildebrandt , associate professor at London School of Economics ' Department of Social Policy , said Chinese companies were waking up to the LGBT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has .
`` Chasing the pink yuan is behind the positive attention that has been paid to LGBT people .
Whether you believe that making money off gay people is inherently a good thing , it certainly has led to greater recognition , '' he told the BBC .
Earlier this month Tmall , another shopping website run by Alibaba , released a Lunar New Year advert alluding to a same-sex couple .
In the video , a man is seen bringing another man to visit his family home for a new year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bowl of soup by the other man 's father , he replies `` Thanks Dad '' in a way that married people address their in-laws .
In the same way that Christmas and the Super Bowl are huge marketing platforms in the West , Lunar New Year ads spots are hugely influential , so the Tmall ad had a significant public reaction .
The ad went viral , and the responses on social media were overwhelmingly positive .
• Why is China blurring these actors ' ears ?
But Mr Fan said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trap '' than genuine progress .
`` It 's not about LGBT issues .
They know we have money and they want to take our money .
We have no rights but our money is taken away by these companies , '' he said .
`` I 'm more interested in seeing poor LGBT people getting their rights and homeless transgender people finding a way to survive . ''
However Mr Xie is more optimistic about the ad .
`` I think it 's important for people to see that it 's showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one , we have to cherish that . ''
He added that the advert shows even the older generations that `` there are other options '' .
And the public is quick to let companies know when they 've got it wrong .
When a copycat version of popular Netflix show makeover Queer Eye was released in China recently , it was revealed that one major element had changed - there was not a single LGBT host .
`` If you want to copy Queer Eye , at least be more inclusive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Chinese show is not queer enough .
On Douban [ a review website ] , people were talking about it and thinking what a shame . ''
Even Queer Eye host Bobby Berk waded in , calling it `` disappointing '' .
As China becomes more open about homosexuality , there have been growing calls for same-sex marriage to be legally recognised .
Last December a spokesperson from National People 's Congress ' legislative affairs commission said introducing same-sex marriage was one of the most frequent requests from Chinese people .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changes in the law could be coming and also inspired a wave of social media debate .
One woman said in a post on Chinese microblogging site Weibo : `` There are too many people who can not understand and tolerate this group and only when the country recognises it , will more people accept it . ''
`` Since the legalisation of same-sex marriages in China will not hurt anyone , but [ the current situation ] will hurt same-sex couples who truly love each other , then the legalisation of same-sex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' another female user said .
Mr Hildebrandt , however , remains cautious .
He warned against paying too much attention to social media comments , which might not accurately portray public sentiment .
`` It reflects the very effective efforts of the LGBT activist community in China to mobilise their supporters to participate , '' he said .
But despite increasing support , the Lunar New Year remains a stressful time for some LGBT people on their visits home .
`` I came out about ten years ago during Chinese new year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was not the best time but when you have so much pressure , it 's hard to hide . ''

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bbc--2020-01-25--Martin Scorsese's editor on his hatred of eyebrows

Martin Scorsese 's long-time collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker has said it would have been impossible to make The Irishman without Netflix .
`` Nobody would fund this movie , '' the esteemed film editor tells BBC News .
`` Scorsese and Robert De Niro struggled for seven years to get funding . ''
`` The studios are a little afraid of this kind of thing , but it 's been such a big success - maybe they 're learning a little bit from this , '' she says .
Schoonmaker , who got her eighth Oscar nomination for the film , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology on the actors was `` one of the problems '' because it was prohibitively expensive .
`` Finally Scorsese 's general manager said 'Netflix will give you the money and they will leave you alone ' - and they did , '' she says .
`` I ca n't tell you what a blessing that was .
We 're sorry about the [ short ] theatrical release but nobody else would make this movie .
The film would n't have been made without Netflix . ''
As well as providing the money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Forbes cost about $ 160m ( £122m ) , Netflix also stepped back from interfering with the film itself , according to Schoonmaker .
There were no objections to the long running time of three hours 29 minutes `` because when they saw it they were riveted '' , she adds .
Variety 's Owen Gleiberman said of The Irishman 's length : `` One might even ask : Why , in the age of skittery attention spans , did Scorsese choose to make a three-and-a-half-hour magnum opus for Netflix ?
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is rather up-to-the-minute .
That running time is a mere blip in the world of binge-watching ; if The Irishman were n't a movie at all but , in fact , a show ( a limited series , say ) , we 'd be talking all of three episodes . ''
Schoonmaker , 80 , has edited 23 of Scorsese 's films over her 50-year career .
She 's won Oscars for Raging Bull ( 1980 ) , The Aviator ( 2004 ) and The Departed ( 2006 ) and is up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The nominations feel `` absolutely wonderful '' , but she admits : `` I wish Marty was getting those nominations instead of me .
`` We do n't make movies for awards , '' she continues .
`` We have the most wonderful reward , which is the reaction of our friends and the audience , that 's what means the most to us . ''
She says it 's `` a little embarrassing that I 've had so many '' awards and nominations but adds modestly : `` It 's because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and he taught me everything I know , I never knew anything when I first met him . ''
They met in 1963 on a six-week film course in New York , not long after she had finished studying at Cornell University .
`` And what luck that was , you know ?
I maybe never even would have become a filmmaker if I had n't met him , '' she says .
She goes on to recount how Scorsese introduced her `` to my husband , the British director , Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red Shoes and Black Narcissus .
`` So I work for a genius and I was married to one , and I work with a lot of geniuses like Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci and Al Pacino .
I mean , how much more could you want out of life ? ''
She clearly adores her work , but says the role of film editor is a `` mysterious one '' , and not many people outside the industry know what she actually does .
`` You would have to sit in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I make 100 decisions a day with Marty - basically what we do is we get raw footage from the set [ and ] our job is to figure out how all the shots will work best .
Is the scene flowing , is it too long , too short , are we building up one character too much instead of another ?
It 's hard to explain beyond that .
`` It 's just the most wonderfully creative job .
It 's as if you 're sculpting a raw clump of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a shape . ''
One of the secrets of their long-standing partnership is that they get on so well .
`` It 's never an argument with us , I 'll just present him with options , '' she says .
`` A lot of editors and directors do fight over movies .
It 's an ego battle , and that 's terrible for the movie .
But fortunately - he trained me after all - I know what he likes and he does n't . ''
It turns out that Scorsese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eyebrows to emphasise something .
He does not allow eyebrow movement '' , so Schoonmaker steers clear of them .
Asked if she 's ever tried to overrule him , she laughs .
`` I just wait until he 's ready .
I think an editor 's job is to give the director the film the way they 've designed it .
And then if you feel you have some alternate ways to go , show that to them , but I never show Scorsese anything other than what he originally planned .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman helps in the sense of sensing some vulnerabilities and things that maybe he did n't see on the set , you know , because he 's got a small monitor - I can pull out maybe a piece of acting he did n't notice '' .
She wonders if women have been more successful at breaking into editing than , say , directing , `` because women are better maybe at collaborating with directors '' .
The film editing Oscar has been won 15 times by a woman for films including 1975 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1977 's Star Wars ( Marcia Lucas ) .
The directing Oscar has been won just once , by Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2009 .
Schoonmaker thinks this year 's film nominations have been `` disappointing '' for female directors , noting that Scorsese has championed British director Joanna Hogg by executive producing her films , and that he `` feels strongly '' about supporting female directors .
On the lack of diversity in the acting nominations , she says : `` I have n't seen enough films to really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I rarely see them .
I do n't know what the options were this year , so I do n't know if I can really comment on that . ''
As for working with the de-ageing process making The Irishman 's stars look 20-30 years younger , it had been done before , but Scorsese wanted to try something new .
Schoonmaker admits she was initially unsure about it .
`` Well , I was worried .
I had no idea if this was going to work because it 's a new process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's been using up to this point where the actors have to wear a helmet and have dots all over their face , two small cameras at their chin .
`` Scorsese just said 'my actors are not going to be able to work like that ' . ''
So they used Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman from Industrial Light and Magic , who created a system using two infrared 3D cameras on either side of the camera lens to capture the movement of the actors .
She and Scorsese then fully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off to be `` youthified '' .
After that , they requested a few tweaks .
`` When we got the first de-ageing shots we had to collaborate with ILM a lot to say ' I think you went a little too far there , maybe we 've lost a little of De Niro 's subtlety here , maybe you have to put in that little wrinkle that was to the right of his nose ' .
Where is the acting , you know ?
It 's not just the eyes .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was n't a problem . ''
With the awards season concluding next month , Schoonmaker is sanguine about whether they will win .
`` So many of our films were never acknowledged by the Oscars - Raging Bull never got a best director or best film , Goodfellas did not , and so on .
`` In time , what 's so great about Scorsese 's movies , is they may not win the awards , but they become classic .
People love them .
They look at them over and over .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ important .
Does the film last ?
These do , and I 'm so proud to have worked on films people still love and watch all the time .
Whereas some of the things that won instead of us , nobody 's watching them .
So that 's much better , to be lasting . ''

"You would have to sit in the room with me to find out. I make 100 decisions a day with Marty - basically what we do is we get raw footage from the set [and] our job is to figure out how all the shots will work best. Is the scene flowing, is it too long, too short, are we building up one character too much instead of another? It's hard to explain beyond that.


bbc--2020-01-25--Nadal cruises past Carreno Busta to make fourth round

Top seed Rafael Nadal cruised past Spanish compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets to reach the Australian Open fourth round .
Nadal , 33 , was sharp on serve as he raced into a two-set lead , allowing Carreno Busta just five return points .
Carreno Busta , seeded 27th , fared little better in the third as Nadal wrapped up a 6-1 6-2 6-4 win .
The 19-time Grand Slam champion could face Australian Nick Kyrgios in the last 16 .
• Where does Melbourne exit leave Williams ' chase for another Grand Slam ?
Kyrgios , 24 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16th seed Karen Khachanov later on Saturday at Melbourne Park .
With Nadal and 23rd-seed Kyrgios not seeing eye-to-eye in recent years , the prospect of another meeting between the pair is a tantalising one .
Kyrgios cheekily mocked Nadal 's superstitious service routine , as did opponent Gilles Simon , in his second-round win over the Frenchman .
`` It was my best match of the tournament without a doubt , '' said Nadal , who hit 42 winners and made just seven unforced errors .
`` When the conditions are warmer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the air .
That helps my game .
`` I did very well with my serves and started to hit some forehands down the line .
That is key for me . ''
Nadal , who has only won the Australian Open once , in 2009 , set up the potential blockbuster against Kyrgios with a clinical win over his friend Carreno Busta , with whom he helped Spain win the Davis Cup in November .
Nadal set the tone by breaking in the second game of the match , pinching Carreno Busta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sun-soaked Rod Laver Arena .
Victory also continued Nadal 's dominance over his compatriots .
The Majorcan left-hander has now won his past 18 matches against Spanish opposition , stretching back to a 2016 Australian Open first-round defeat by Fernando Verdasco .
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
2020 Australian Open Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 20 January to 2 February Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and online; Live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app.
Top seed Rafael Nadal cruised past Spanish compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets to reach the Australian Open fourth round.
Nadal, 33, was sharp on serve as he raced into a two-set lead, allowing Carreno Busta just five return points.
Carreno Busta, seeded 27th, fared little better in the third as Nadal wrapped up a 6-1 6-2 6-4 win.
The 19-time Grand Slam champion will face Australian Nick Kyrgios in the last 16.
"It was my best match of the tournament without a doubt," said Nadal, who hit 42 winners and made just seven unforced errors.
"When the conditions are warmer the ball bounces higher and flies through the air. That helps my game.
"I did very well with my serves and started to hit some forehands down the line. That is key for me."
Nadal, who has only won the Australian Open once, in 2009, set up the blockbuster against Kyrgios with a clinical win over his friend Carreno Busta, with whom he helped Spain win the Davis Cup in November.
The Spaniard set the tone by breaking in the second game of the match, pinching Carreno Busta's serve another four times on a sun-soaked Rod Laver Arena.
Victory also continued Nadal's dominance over his compatriots. The Majorcan left-hander has now won his past 18 matches against Spanish opposition, stretching back to a 2016 Australian Open first-round defeat by Fernando Verdasco.


bbc--2020-01-20--Should schools be allowed to ban slang words like 'peng'?

Fam , imagine if man said you could n't use words like `` peng '' , basically and `` dem tings dere '' in your classroom .
Did n't understand any of that ?
This might be because you were born in a different generation .
Just imagine if you were not allowed to use slang words that meant `` beautiful '' or `` lots '' when you were in school .
That is the case for some students , who are being urged to ditch slang words in lessons in order to teach them how to use formal English @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even introduced anti-slang posters and stickers , grammar police badges and word jails , where slang is written on posters with jail images .
Does that mean that pupils studying there have to tell their classmates they look `` jolly well splendid '' rather than a `` peng ting '' ?
However , a linguistics expert is warning that slang bans may actually cause more harm than good .
`` There 's no incorrect or correct way of using language , '' says Ian Cushing , a lecturer in education at Brunel University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by visiting schools and speaking to teachers in England over a year and found examples of slang being banned and policed in lessons .
These included words such as `` peng '' , `` bare '' or abbreviations such as `` emosh '' for emotional .
There were slang bans at about 20 of the schools he visited , which were mostly located in urban areas .
• Steph McGovern : Charity appeals for help in Middlesbrough slang '' Language is just one part of your identity - just the same way you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Dr Cushing .
`` Young people will police their own language - they do n't need other people to police it for them , they understand the context of their situation , and know when to shift it accordingly .
`` Shakespeare is full of slang and we do n't see teachers banning that - there 's a hypocrisy here , which is rooted in cultural and linguistic snobbery . ''
Do you know these slang terms ?
• Peng = someone who is good-looking • Bare = lots of or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something is blatantly obvious The linguistics academic says slang is a natural way of speaking , and banning it may be a threat to a person 's identity .
It may also make students feel discriminated against and less motivated to take part in lessons .
`` Young people are typically the innovators of language change , so actually we should be celebrating that rather than banning it in the classroom , '' said Dr Cushing .
Francesca , a student at South Thames College , a further education college in Wandsworth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use slang in her lessons .
But the idea of a slang ban on students does not appeal to her .
`` It 's like taking away their voice in a way , '' says the business student , warning that young people might feel they were unable to `` express themselves '' .
`` I think it will end up driving more students to not want to communicate .
`` I would probably end up getting in trouble for things that would slip out , not by purpose , '' she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could stop students wanting to `` interact '' in the classroom .
Fellow student Tomas migrated to England five years ago and could not speak English .
He started learning slang in secondary school and now uses it with his friends .
`` I think if slang was banned in primary or secondary , it would be understandable , because that 's when children are growing and start listening to slang , '' he says .
`` On one hand I think it should be banned , because it will help children and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the working world .
But banning it can also mean that the freedom of speech for some people can be affected . ''
Another student , Imran , says : `` If my teacher told me that I can not use slang words , I will feel a bit uncomfortable , mainly because it 's not harming anybody .
`` Slang is something that I 've grown up with and it 's just something that I would n't be able to finish the sentence with , without using it .
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ language , and if it 's being stopped , they would n't be able to communicate with people the way they previously did when slang was involved . ''
Maybe using slang in school ai n't that bad after all , innit ?
However , other people argue that a slang ban is indeed necessary .
Chris McGovern , chairman of Campaign for Real Education , says allowing slang is not doing any favours for underprivileged children .
He says they are left in an `` employment gutter '' because of their `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slang is fine for linguistic acrobats such as Cambridge graduate Sacha Baron Cohen 's alter ego , Ali G , '' he says .
`` It is much more difficult for that 20 % of school leavers who , according to employers ' organisations , are largely unemployable because of poor literacy .
`` In the UK today , around nine million adults are functionally illiterate , and many of them suffer under-employment , unemployment or destitution as a consequence . ''

"On one hand I think it should be banned, because it will help children and young adults to learn and be prepared for the working world. But banning it can also mean that the freedom of speech for some people can be affected."


bbc--2020-01-25--Impeachment: Democrats undoing 2016 election, say Trump lawyers

President Trump 's lawyers have begun defending him at his impeachment trial , accusing Democrats of seeking to overturn the result of the 2016 election .
`` The president did absolutely nothing wrong , '' White House Counsel Pat Cipollone said .
Mr Trump 's defence will last three days and follows the Democrats ' prosecution case which ended on Friday .
The president faces two charges linked to his dealings with Ukraine .
The charges , or articles of impeachment , accuse him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
• How Trump 's lawyers set out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All you need to know • Who 's who in the Trump-Ukraine story ?
He is alleged to have withheld military aid to pressure the Ukrainian President , Volodymyr Zelensky , into starting a corruption investigation into Mr Trump 's political rival , Democrat Joe Biden , and his son Hunter .
Democrats also accuse Mr Trump of making a visit by Mr Zelensky to the White House contingent on an investigation .
Mr Trump is charged with obstructing Congress by failing to co-operate with the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What else did the defence say ?
The trial in the Senate will decide if Mr Trump should be removed from office .
This is unlikely as the Republicans control the Senate and any such move would need a two-thirds majority .
Echoing a line heard from many Republicans , Mr Cipollone said Democrats were `` asking you not only to overturn the results of the last election ... they 're asking you to remove President Trump from the ballot in the election that 's occurring in approximately nine months . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ something very , very consequential and , I would submit to you ... very , very dangerous , '' he said .
Much of the abuse of power charge centres on a phone call in July between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenksy .
Trump defence lawyer Mike Purpura insisted there was no quid pro quo - as asserted by the Democrats .
`` Zelenksy felt no pressure .
President Zelensky says he felt no pressure .
The House managers tell you they know better , '' he said .
• 'No crime , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
In a news conference after Saturday 's hearing , Adam Schiff , the Democrats ' lead prosecutor , raised the disputed issue of calling witnesses .
`` The one question they did not address at all is why they do n't want to give the American people a fair trial , why they want this to be the first impeachment case in history without a single witness and without a single document being handed over .
`` That ought to tell you everything you need to know about the strength and weaknesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Democrats in the Senate , Chuck Schumer , told reporters that Mr Trump 's defence team had inadvertently `` made a really compelling case for why the Senate should call witnesses and documents '' .
Rather than focus just on detail the president 's lawyers did their best to paint the whole impeachment process as an attempt to undermine the vote that put Donald Trump into office ... not anything to do with his conduct while serving in it .
A couple of miles away in the White House the commander-in-chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ratings .
He 's said to be upset that his attorneys were given a Saturday to start setting out their defence - a day which he says is a `` death valley '' for TV ratings .
In a post on Twitter he encouraged his supporters to tune in and said a number of things his lawyers could n't in a fierce attack on his political opponents .
The Democrats are just as aware of the television cameras .
At the start of the hearing they rolled in a 28,000 page record of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence already presented to the Senate .
The Republican party leadership has made no secret that they want this trial over as quickly as possible , so they may have been pleased to hear that Mr Trump 's lawyers do n't intend to use all of the 24 hours allotted to them to make their case .
However this short opening session gave only a taste of what 's to come .
Many are expecting the arguments on Monday and Tuesday to be rather more pointed .
If that proves to be true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone in this deeply political trial is speaking to voters as much as the senators inside the chamber .
Where does the trial go from here ?
Saturday 's session was unexpectedly short - two hours .
The second day of defence arguments resumes on Monday at 13:00 local time ( 18:00 GMT ) allowing for a short weekend break .
Once the third day of defence arguments is over , senators will have the chance to submit written questions to the House prosecutors and White House lawyers through Chief Justice John Roberts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Senators are also expected to debate whether to allow new witnesses to be called and fresh evidence submitted .

"The one question they did not address at all is why they don't want to give the American people a fair trial, why they want this to be the first impeachment case in history without a single witness and without a single document being handed over.


bbc--2020-01-25--China coronavirus spread is accelerating, Xi Jinping warns

The spread of a deadly new virus is accelerating , Chinese President Xi Jinping warned , after holding a special government meeting on the Lunar New Year public holiday .
The coronavirus has killed at least 42 people and infected some 1,400 since its discovery in the city of Wuhan .
Meanwhile , UK-based researchers have warned of a real possibility that China will not be able to contain the virus .
Travel restrictions have come in place in several affected cities .
From Sunday , private vehicles will be banned from central districts of Wuhan , the source of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to be built there within weeks to handle 1,300 new patients , and will be finished in half a month , state newspaper the People 's Daily said .
It is the second such rapid construction project : work on another 1,000-bed hospital has already begun .
Specialist military medical teams have also been flown into Hubei province , where Wuhan is located .
The urgency reflects concern both within China and elsewhere about the virus which first appeared in December .
• How can China build a hospital so quickly ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the rat , which began on Saturday , have been cancelled in many Chinese cities .
Across mainland China , travellers are having their temperatures checked for signs of fever , and train stations have been shut in several cities .
In Hong Kong , the highest level of emergency has been declared and school holidays extended .
Several other nations are each dealing with a handful of cases , with patients being treated in isolation .
What is the coronavirus , and what does it do ?
A coronavirus is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cold .
But this virus has never been seen before , so it 's been called 2019-nCov , for `` novel coronavirus '' .
New viruses can become common in humans after jumping across the species barrier from animals .
The Sars [ Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ] outbreak of 2003 started in bats and transferred to the civet cat which passed it on to humans .
This new virus also causes severe acute respiratory infection .
Symptoms seem to start with a fever , followed by a dry cough and then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of breath and some patients needing hospital treatment .
There is no specific cure or vaccine .
Coronavirus : How worried should we be ?
Based on early information , it is believed that only a quarter of infected cases are `` severe '' , and the dead are mostly - though not exclusively - older people , some of whom have pre-existing conditions .
The Chinese authorities suspect a seafood market that `` conducted illegal transactions of wild animals '' was the source of the outbreak .
Why is there concern about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respected MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis in the UK have warned that it may not be possible to contain the virus to China .
They say self-sustaining human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus is the `` only plausible explanation '' for the scale of the epidemic .
Their calculations estimate each infected person is passing it onto , on average , 2.5 other people .
The centre praised the efforts of the Chinese authorities , but said transmission of the virus needed to be cut by 60 % in order to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a massive challenge , the scientists suggest , which will require finding and isolating even patients with only mild symptoms that could easily be confused with other diseases .
Elsewhere , a team at Lancaster University have published their estimates of the number of cases suggesting 11,000 have been infected this year .
If true , that would be more than Sars .
Where has it spread ?
There are now 1,372 confirmed cases across China , though most are concentrated in those provinces closest to Hubei .
But it has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small numbers of patients .
On Saturday , Australia confirmed its first four cases - first in Melbourne , and then three more in Sydney .
It has also spread to Europe , with three cases confirmed in France .
Tests in the UK on 31 people have come back negative , the government has said .
Officials are trying to trace around 2,000 people who have recently flown to the UK from Hubei province .
• Fourteen people in UK tested for new strain The cases largely involve people who had recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
China 's neighbours in the Asia region are on high alert , however , with cases reported in Thailand , Singapore , Japan , Taiwan , Malaysia , Vietnam , South Korea and Nepal .
There are also two cases in the United States , including a woman in her 60s who had returned home to Chicago from Wuhan on 13 January .
Canada has a `` presumptive case '' of the virus , but the condition of the person suffering from it is deemed stable , according to a government statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on lockdown , with heavy restrictions on travel in and out , and public transport options from buses to planes cancelled .
It is a major population centre with up to 11 million inhabitants - comparable in size to London .
Pharmacies in the city have begun to run out of supplies and hospitals have been filled with nervous members of the public .
Officials have urged people to avoid crowds and gatherings .
`` The whole transport system has been shut down , '' Kathleen Bell , who is is originally from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the BBC .
`` From midnight tonight private cars are not allowed on the road .
And taxis are n't running . ''
• Wuhan : The London-sized city where the virus began • How do you quarantine a city - and does it work ?
Major Western brands such as McDonald 's and Starbucks have closed in the city and in others nearby .
The US , France and Russia are among several countries trying to evacuate their nationals from Wuhan , reports say .
China is also suspending from Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups , state media reported .
The outbreak has severely restricted Lunar New Year celebrations in China , when millions of people normally travel home .
Major public events have been cancelled and tourist sites shut .
• How is China coping with the coronavirus outbreak ?
Learn more about the new virus • Your questions : You asked , we answered • The story explained : How worried should we be ?
• Wuhan profiled : The city now in lockdown • In detail : Follow all our coverage here Are you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the lockdown in various cities ?
Email haveyoursay @ bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist .
You can also contact us in the following ways : • Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

China coronavirus spread is accelerating, Xi Jinping warns Published 26 January 2020
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Media caption, What's life like in quarantined Wuhan?
The spread of a deadly new virus is accelerating, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned, after holding a special government meeting on the Lunar New Year public holiday.
The country is facing a "grave situation" Mr Xi told senior officials.
The coronavirus has killed at least 56 people and infected almost 2,000 since its discovery in the city of Wuhan.
The US has announced that staff at the Wuhan consulate will be evacuated on a special flight on Tuesday.
The State Department said that private Americans most at risk will also be able to board the flight to San Francisco.
Meanwhile, UK-based researchers have warned of a real possibility that China will not be able to contain the virus.
Travel restrictions have come in place in several affected cities. From Sunday, private vehicles will be banned from central districts of Wuhan, the source of the outbreak.
A second emergency hospital is to be built there within weeks to handle 1,300 new patients, and will be finished in half a month, state newspaper the People's Daily said. It is the second such rapid construction project: work on another 1,000-bed hospital has already begun.
Specialist military medical teams have also been flown into Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.
The urgency reflects concern both within China and elsewhere about the virus which first appeared in December.
Lunar New Year celebrations for the year of the rat, which began on Saturday, have been cancelled in many Chinese cities.
Across mainland China, travellers are having their temperatures checked for signs of fever, and train stations have been shut in several cities.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stephen McDonell Allow Twitter content? This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. Accept and continue The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Stephen McDonell
In Hong Kong, the highest level of emergency has been declared and school holidays extended.
Several other nations are each dealing with a handful of cases, with patients being treated in isolation.
What is the coronavirus, and what does it do?
A coronavirus is a family of viruses which include the common cold.
But this virus has never been seen before, so it's been called 2019-nCov, for "novel coronavirus".
New viruses can become common in humans after jumping across the species barrier from animals.
The Sars [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome] outbreak of 2003 started in bats and transferred to the civet cat which passed it on to humans.
Image source, AFP Image caption, Queues have been growing at hospitals in Wuhan
This new virus also causes severe acute respiratory infection.
Symptoms seem to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough and then, after a week, lead to shortness of breath and some patients needing hospital treatment.
There is no specific cure or vaccine.
Based on early information, it is believed that only a quarter of infected cases are "severe", and the dead are mostly - though not exclusively - older people, some of whom have pre-existing conditions.
The Chinese authorities suspect a seafood market that "conducted illegal transactions of wild animals" was the source of the outbreak.
Why is there concern about containing the virus?
Scientists at the respected MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis in the UK have warned that it may not be possible to contain the virus to China.
They say self-sustaining human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus is the "only plausible explanation" for the scale of the epidemic.
Their calculations estimate each infected person is passing it onto, on average, 2.5 other people.
The centre praised the efforts of the Chinese authorities, but said transmission of the virus needed to be cut by 60% in order to get on top of the outbreak.
Image source, AFP Image caption, The coronavirus has killed at least 56 people
This is a massive challenge, the scientists suggest, which will require finding and isolating even patients with only mild symptoms that could easily be confused with other diseases.
Elsewhere, a team at Lancaster University have published their estimates of the number of cases suggesting 11,000 have been infected this year. If true, that would be more than Sars.
Where has it spread?
There are now 1,372 confirmed cases across China, though most are concentrated in those provinces closest to Hubei.
But it has also spread abroad - in isolated cases affecting small numbers of patients.
On Saturday, Australia confirmed its first four cases - first in Melbourne, and then three more in Sydney.
It has also spread to Europe, with three cases confirmed in France. Tests in the UK on 31 people have come back negative, the government has said. Officials are trying to trace around 2,000 people who have recently flown to the UK from Hubei province.
The cases largely involve people who had recently travelled from the affected region in China.
China's neighbours in the Asia region are on high alert, however, with cases reported in Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea and Nepal.
There are also two cases in the United States, including a woman in her 60s who had returned home to Chicago from Wuhan on 13 January.
Canada has a "presumptive case" of the virus, but the condition of the person suffering from it is deemed stable, according to a government statement.
What's happening at the source?
The city of Wuhan is effectively on lockdown, with heavy restrictions on travel in and out, and public transport options from buses to planes cancelled.
It is a major population centre with up to 11 million inhabitants - comparable in size to London.
Pharmacies in the city have begun to run out of supplies and hospitals have been filled with nervous members of the public.
Officials have urged people to avoid crowds and gatherings.
"The whole transport system has been shut down," Kathleen Bell, who is is originally from the UK and works in Wuhan, told the BBC. "From midnight tonight private cars are not allowed on the road. And taxis aren't running."
Major Western brands such as McDonald's and Starbucks have closed in the city and in others nearby.
The US, France and Russia are among several countries trying to evacuate their nationals from Wuhan, reports say.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Media caption, The WHO's regional director gives some measured advice on the outbreak
China is also suspending from Monday all foreign trips by Chinese holiday tour groups, state media reported.
The outbreak has severely restricted Lunar New Year celebrations in China, when millions of people normally travel home. Major public events have been cancelled and tourist sites shut.
Learn more about the new virus
Image source, Getty
Are you in China? Have you been affected by the lockdown in various cities? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.


bbc--2020-01-25--Iraqi security forces raid Baghdad protest site

Iraqi security forces have moved against the main anti-government protest site in central Baghdad .
They fired live ammunition and tear gas as they began removing tents and concrete barriers near Tahrir Square and a bridge across the Tigris river , eyewitnesses say .
Several people are reported to have been injured in Saturday 's clashes .
Protesters have for months held anti-government demonstrations and camped in the capital .
Saturday 's violence comes a day after a separate massive rally in Baghdad against the presence of US forces in the country .
Many protesters in that rally were supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who had called a million of people to join Friday 's march .
The US killing of the top Iranian military commander , Gen Qasem Soleimani , on 3 January at Baghdad airport has fuelled tensions .
• What is the future of US troops in Iraq ?
• Moqtada al-Sadr : The firebrand cleric who could calm Iraq • Soleimani attack : What does international law say ?
Also assassinated in the US drone strike was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis , an Iraqi who had commanded the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gen Soleimani 's assassination by carrying out a ballistic missile attack on two airbases housing US forces in Iraq .
A Pentagon spokesman has said that 34 US service members had suffered traumatic brain injuries .
Hours after the strike , Iran 's armed forces fired two missiles at a Ukrainian passenger plane over Iran 's capital , Tehran , by mistake , killing all 176 people on board .

They fired live ammunition and tear gas as they began removing tents and concrete barriers near Tahrir Square and a bridge across the Tigris river, eyewitnesses say.


bbc--2020-01-25--Turkey earthquake: At least 29 dead as buildings collapse

At least 29 people have been killed and more than 1,400 injured in a powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey .
The magnitude-6.8 quake centred on the town of Sivrice in Elazig province caused buildings to collapse and sent residents rushing into the street .
Forty-three people have been rescued so far , with more than 20 feared to remain trapped , officials say .
Earthquakes are common in Turkey - about 17,000 people died in a quake in the western city of Izmit in 1999 .
Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Syria , Lebanon and Iran .
More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disaster and Emergency Management Authority ( Afad ) said .
Rescue teams worked through the night , using their hands , drills and diggers to try to find people in the rubble of fallen buildings .
They also brought beds and tents for those displaced , and warned residents against returning to damaged buildings because of the danger of aftershocks .
Afad said that 25 people had died in Elazig province , and four in the neighbouring province of Malatya .
Some 1,466 people were injured by the earthquake , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier said 34 of those injured were in intensive care , but not in critical condition .
Reports said an elderly woman was pulled alive from the rubble about 19 hours after the earthquake .
Another woman left buried was saved after calling her relatives from her mobile phone and telling them where she was trapped .
But a 12-year-old boy rescued from the wreckage later died in hospital .
`` It was very scary - furniture fell on top of us .
We rushed outside , '' AFP news agency quoted 47-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Elazig , as saying .
`` Our houses collapsed ... we can not go inside them , '' a 32-year-old man from Sivrice told Reuters .
The region struck by the quake , some 550km ( 340 miles ) east of the capital Ankara , is remote and sparsely populated , so details of damage and fatalities could be slow to emerge .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cancelled plans in Istanbul on Saturday to instead visit the affected area and attend the funeral of two of the victims .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state and nation , and we will continue to do so .
Our efforts at all rescue sites will continue , '' he said .
In its advisory on Saturday morning , the emergency authority said the overnight temperature had fallen to -8C ( 17.6F ) , with similar cold expected the following night .
The Turkish Red Crescent has also dispatched hundreds of personnel with emergency supplies , it said .
Sivrice , a town of about 4,000 people , is a popular tourist spot on the shore of Hazar lake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Are you in the area ?
Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay @ bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist .
You can also contact us in the following ways : • Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

Rescue teams worked through the night, using their hands, drills and diggers to try to find people in the rubble of fallen buildings. They also brought beds and tents for those displaced, and warned residents against returning to damaged buildings because of the danger of aftershocks.


bbc--2020-01-25--Oxford professor given protection following threats from trans activists

An Oxford professor given protection after alleged threats from transgender rights activists says she did not want to `` wait and see if I 'd get hit in the face '' before taking action .
Selina Todd , modern history professor at St Hilda 's College , said members of staff accompanied her to lectures after learning of threats on social media .
Prof Todd has now warned against shutting down debates .
The University of Oxford said it did not comment on individual arrangements .
The academic told BBC Radio 4 's Today programme she felt `` vulnerable '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and students .
Prof Todd said the threats come from some campaigners who believe her views on the need to protect women 's spaces , such as single-sex refuges , from people who self-identify as women but are anatomically male are unacceptable .
The academic said that she has witnessed `` quite antagonistic '' and `` quite confrontational '' protests outside women 's rights meetings she has spoken at in the past .
But she insisted that discussions about women 's rights should not be silenced .
`` It 's always the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflict with those of other equally legitimate groups , '' she said .
• Is free speech under threat in universities ?
But she added that in a democratic state an open debate on how to accommodate the needs of all legitimate groups within a society was needed .
`` In the world today democracy is under threat and therefore we all have to defend the right of people to have freedom of speech and freedom of debate , '' she said .
She later tweeted to say that `` on the basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could get , we decided not to wait and see if I 'd get hit in the face '' before introducing security measures .
The story was first reported this week in the Daily Telegraph .
Prof Todd told the paper that two students had warned her they had seen threats made against her on email networks they were a part of .
The university , she said , carried out its own investigation and found there was enough evidence to provide her with protection .
The two male staff members providing protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to `` diffuse '' any potential action that might take place , she said .
Prof Todd said universities were not a place for bigotry , but somewhere to have a `` respectful , democratic debate '' that was `` evidence-based '' .
She continued : `` This might sound like a storm in a teacup and something that 's just about student activists but students become graduates and Oxford students tend to become graduates who go into things like politics , the media or the civil service .
`` So if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to run a society we should all be worried . ''
The University of Oxford said it did not comment on individual cases , but added in a statement : `` When staff raise concerns with us , the university will always review the circumstances and offer appropriate support to ensure their safety and their freedom of expression . ''

She later tweeted to say that "on the basis of limited info me and my employer could get, we decided not to wait and see if I'd get hit in the face" before introducing security measures.


bbc--2020-01-25--Thai officials accidentally auction off car loaded with amphetamine

Thailand 's anti-drugs authority has apologised after it accidentally auctioned off a car hiding tens of thousands of amphetamine tablets .
A buyer paid 586,000 baht ( $ 19,000 ; £14,500 ) for the Honda CR-V car , which was put up for auction this month after being seized in a drugs case last year .
But when it was sent to a garage for alterations , a mechanic discovered 94,000 pills stashed in its bumper .
Officials said they would conduct more thorough searches in future .
`` According to protocols , we search every vehicle we have received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , we could n't find anything at the time , perhaps because the pills had been well hidden , '' said Niyom Termsrisuk , secretary general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board ( ONCB ) , according to the Bangkok Post .
• Thailand : What you need to know Mr Termsrisuk said the yaba pills - a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine - were discovered in boxes hidden in a secret compartment behind the vehicle 's bumper .
When the car was seized in the northern province of Chiang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were found on its back seat .
Mr Termsrisuk said the additional pills would be added to the case , and that the mechanic and new owner would be rewarded for their cooperation .
Yaba , which means `` crazy medicine '' in Thai , is typically smuggled into Thailand from Myanmar and sold as cheap red or pink pills .
You might also be interested in :

"According to protocols, we search every vehicle we have received and this case was no exception. However, we couldn't find anything at the time, perhaps because the pills had been well hidden," said Niyom Termsrisuk, secretary general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), according to the Bangkok Post.