bbc--2020-04-29--AI in Africa: Training bots to talk to my mum

Bonaventure Dossou has been thinking a lot about how to improve phone conversations with his mother .
She often sends him voice messages in Fon , a Beninese language , as he is away studying in Russia .
He , however , does not understand some of the phrases she uses .
`` My mum can not write Fon and I do n't speak the language very well but I 'm fluent in French , '' Mr Dossou told the BBC .
`` I frequently ask my sister to help me understand some of the phrases mum uses , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study is out of the question because like hundreds of other African languages , it is mostly spoken and rarely documented , so there are few , if any , books to teach the grammar and syntax .
Driven by curiosity and powered by data scraped from a Fon to French Jehovah Witness Bible , Mr Dossou and Chris Emezue , a Nigerian friend , developed an Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) language translation model , similar to Google Translate , which they have named FFR .
It is still a work in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several AI researchers using African languages in Natural Language Processing ( NLP ) , a branch of AI used to teach and help computers understand human languages .
Had the world not ground to a halt following the Covid-19 pandemic , Mr Dossou and Mr Emezue would have presented their creation to hundreds of participants at one of the world 's biggest AI conferences , ICLR , in Ethiopia 's capital , Addis Ababa , this week .
It would have been the first time the event was held in Africa .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hold it virtually .
You may also be interested in : • How decoding African DNA could help fight disease • ' I make my money from Bitcoin and tasty roast meat' AI innovations have been singled out as the driver of the so-called fourth industrial revolution which will bring radical changes to almost every aspect of our lives including how we work .
Some analysts have called big data , which power AI systems , the new oil .
At the moment , Africa is seen as losing out in playing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because the majority of the continent 's estimated 2,000 languages are categorised as `` low-resourced '' meaning there 's a dearth of data about them and/or what is available has not been indexed and stored in formats that can be useful .
African languages are not considered when building NLP applications like voice assistants , image recognition software , traffic alerts systems and others .
But African researchers are working to eliminate this handicap .
`` We are focused on placing Africa on the NLP and AI research map , '' Dr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lancaster , told the BBC .
`` Unless you have your language resources publicly available , free and open , researchers will not have the data for creative solutions on the fly .
We will always have to depend on , say , Google to determine the direction of research , '' Dr Ezeani said .
The conference in Ethiopia was set to be a big deal for African researchers who , among the other challenges they face , have been denied visas to attend past ICLR conferences held in the US and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AI conversations .
`` Not having the conference in Addis was a huge blow , it would have provided a massive shift in the diversity of the conference , '' Jade Abbott , founder of Masakhane , a research movement for machine translation for African languages , told the BBC .
Masakhane , which means `` We Build Together '' in isiZulu , has 150 members in 20 African countries .
Its membership is open to anyone who is interested in language translation .
`` We are building a community of people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to build translation models , 30 % of the world 's languages are African , so why do n't we have 30 % of NLP publications ? ''
Ms Abbott asked .
The network focusses on promoting language translation for Africans by Africans and is encouraging open sharing of resources and collaboration to help researchers build upon each other 's work .
However , most of the time it means starting from scratch .
A Masakhane affiliated researcher , for example , is currently collecting data from speakers of the Damara , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sound - in Namibia , Ms Abbott said .
So far Masakhane members have done 35 translations of 25 African languages , she added .
Apart from Masakhane there are other initiatives building and strengthening the networks of AI researchers on the continent : • Deep Learning Indaba , which promotes AI in Africa and holds an annual conference • BlackinAI , an initiative that promotes inclusion of black people in the field of Artificial Intelligence Dr Ezeani calls them `` silent struggles '' of Africans working in the AI field .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the continent 's capacity both in terms of building AI infrastructure and the skills of researchers and developers .
`` This is essential not just for recognition but for actually addressing our local challenges for example in health , agriculture , education and governance with home-grown and targeted solutions , '' he said .
`` Maybe we can also take ownership and control the narrative at some point , '' he added .
Dr Ezeani is currently working on a machine translation of Nigeria 's Igbo language to English .
`` In five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll be able to interact with Alexa in Igbo or indeed any minority language which will be a huge and fulfilling achievement , '' Dr Ezeani said .
Currently , none of Amazon 's Alexa , Apple 's Siri and Google Home , the main players in the global voice assistants market , support a single native African language .
Google Translate is enabled for 13 African languages , including Igbo , however it is far from perfect .
Dr Ezeani said that the work that he and others are doing might tempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their devices .
He however cautions that African researchers working in the AI field should be driven by original ideas `` that are actually useful to the people '' and not pursue vanity projects .
`` We can check whether , for example to see if , Igbo-to-Yoruba and vice-versa translation is actually more useful than Igbo-to-English ; or whether speech or visual-to-text systems are more required than text-to-text , '' he said .
As for Mr Dossou and his co-creator , Mr Emezue , they have big ambitions for FFR if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Bantu language spoken by more than two million people in Benin , and also parts of Nigeria and Togo , as helping them expand their work in other markets .
Fon is part of the Niger-Congo family of languages , meaning it shares a common ancestral lineage , with languages spoken in parts of West , Central , East and Southern Africa .
But for now their focus is to continue to train FFR to get better at translating daily conversation .
`` Maybe in the next one year or so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Fon would be translated into text in French , '' Mr Dossou said .

At the moment, Africa is seen as losing out in playing a role in shaping the AI future, because the majority of the continent's estimated 2,000 languages are categorised as "low-resourced" meaning there's a dearth of data about them and/or what is available has not been indexed and stored in formats that can be useful.


bbc--2020-04-30--Antarctic meteorites yield global bombardment rate

A team of UK scientists has provided a new estimate for the amount of space rock falling to Earth each year .
It 's in excess of 16,000kg .
This is for meteorite material above 50g in mass .
It does n't take account of the dust that 's continuously settling on the planet , and of course just occasionally we 'll be hit by a real whopper of an asteroid that will skew the numbers .
But the estimate is said to give a good sense of the general quantity of rocky debris raining down from space .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hit the Earth are really small , '' explained Dr Geoff Evatt .
`` We 're talking about objects for which , when they strike the ground , the fragments sum together to over 50g .
So , typically , 50g-10kg in total .
Objects bigger than this are very , very infrequent , '' the University of Manchester mathematician told BBC News .
One of the other outcomes of the study - produced in conjunction with colleagues from Cambridge University , Imperial College London , and the British Antarctic Survey - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be made for the entire planet .
This reveals that the number of falls at the poles is about 60 % of what you would expect at the equator .
It explains why you would absolutely want to put any long-term contingency facilities at higher latitudes .
The Global Seed Vault , for example , which aims to retain copies of Earth 's plants in case of crisis , is sited at 78 degrees North on the Svalbard archipelago .
The new estimate , published in the journal Geology , grew out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK-dedicated meteorite hunt in the Antarctic .
Researchers involved in that effort wanted to be sure they would visit the most productive areas to perform such a quest .
The White Continent is the place on Earth where most meteorites have been recovered - with good reason : the `` black on white '' contrast of fallen space rocks on snow and ice makes searching a lot easier .
And hunters will typically go to places where the movement of the ice sheet concentrates the meteoritic material - so called stranding zones .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ many objects ought to be in their chosen area - a place called the Outer Recovery Ice Fields , close to the Shackleton range of mountains in East Antarctica .
And they were virtually bang on with their expectation , finding close to 120 meteorites in two systematic searches over 2019 and 2020 .
But having worked out a reliable flux for the number of falls at their chosen terrain , the scientists realised they could then use this knowledge to anchor a global assessment .
This incorporated orbital mechanics - how Earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ material - to work out how rates might vary by latitude .
The model outputs a grand total of about 17,000 falls a year .
And this can be tested by looking at the data from fireball events .
Satellites in orbit tracking the lightning in storms will also catch the blazing trail of a space rock plunging into the atmosphere .
`` Satellites monitor these explosions in the sky , working out the energy of the events and also the longitude and latitude of where they happen .
And from this you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ globe with latitude , and very nicely the curve you get from these fireballs fits with what we independently modelled using purely an applied mathematical approach , '' said Dr Evatt .
Prof Sara Russell leads the planetary materials group at the Natural History Museum in London .
She was n't involved in the research , but commented : `` I think this is an amazing study , and this estimate sounds like it is in the right sort of ballpark .
`` We think a total of about 40,000 tonnes ( so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Earth each year , but the vast majority of this is in the form of tiny dust grains .
`` This is a very difficult measurement to make with any accuracy and only about half a dozen meteorites are actually seen to fall each year , but of course almost all meteorite falls are not observed because they fall in the sea , in unpopulated areas or just no-one is looking ! ''
she told BBC News .
Fireballs reported by US Government sensors ( Apr 1988 to Mar 2020 ) Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : @ BBCAmos

"Satellites monitor these explosions in the sky, working out the energy of the events and also the longitude and latitude of where they happen. And from this you can see how they vary across the globe with latitude, and very nicely the curve you get from these fireballs fits with what we independently modelled using purely an applied mathematical approach," said Dr Evatt.


bbc--2020-04-30--How Mourinho changed Chelsea and the Premier League - 15 years on

When a fresh-faced Jose Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto in May 2004 , he barely stopped to collect his medal before striding off with purpose down the Gelsenkirchen tunnel .
His destination was preordained , off to replace the `` dead man walking '' at Chelsea , the likeable Claudio Ranieri , who was sacked within days of leading the Blues to a second-placed finish and a semi-final place in the Champions League .
Mourinho had grabbed the Premier League 's attention when sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline in the last 16 , and interest was piqued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The Special One '' during his first news conference as Chelsea boss .
Loved and loathed in almost equal measures , Mourinho was a gust of fresh air who swept through the English top flight , delivering Chelsea 's first title win in 50 years on this day 15 years ago .
Here 's how he did it .
Chelsea had been ensconced in the top six of the Premier League for nigh on a decade by the time Mourinho arrived .
With Roman Abramovich in the corridors of power Chelsea had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier , with Ranieri making some key signings in Joe Cole , Damien Duff and Claude Makelele .
What was lacking , it was felt , was a coach with the swagger and the genius to turn a good side into champions .
A `` special '' coach .
Arsenal had won the previous season while going unbeaten and Mourinho made some big signings of his own to take them on .
Petr Cech , Didier Drogba , Ricardo Carvalho and Arjen Robben - to name half of his summer additions - would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crushing title win .
And it was a procession in the end .
Chelsea won 29 of their 38 Premier League games - losing just once - and incredibly conceding just 15 goals .
You may feel that you know exactly what to expect from a Mourinho team nowadays .
Methodical ?
Well drilled ?
Sure .
But exciting ?
Mourinho quickly adapted his tactics during his first season at Stamford Bridge .
Initially he wanted to play a 4-4-2 diamond , with Frank Lampard playing in behind two strikers , as Deco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , Mourinho soon found that his side were struggling to create enough chances so made use of the best holding player in the world in Claude Makelele - so good the position was named after him - and moved to what was called 'the open diamond.. That switch gave more licence to Eidur Gudjohnsen or Didier Drogba and allowed the wingers to come in , Damien Duff on one side , Arjen Robben on the other .
It 's safe to say it worked .
After their sole defeat at Manchester City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 points before sealing the championship at Bolton on 30 April 2005 .
Not everyone was a fan though .
`` You could say that our football was more attractive to watch but they are very efficient , '' said Arsene Wenger at the turn of 2005 .
`` They are a bit like a matador - they wait until the bull gets weak to kill him .
They have the patience to wait as they have an experienced squad .
When the bull has lost enough blood and becomes a bit dizzy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chelsea 's players soon saw both carrot and stick from Mourinho .
The manager tore into his players at half-time of the 2-2 draw with champions Arsenal in December 2004 .
Thierry Henry had scored twice , superbly , to leave the Blues trailing .
The Portuguese threw Lucozade bottles and kicked tubs of Vaseline around in a fury , angry that his side had been on top but trailed .
Eidur Gudjohnsen equalised in the first minute of the second half .
Message received .
Soon Mourinho would tell his players that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they would win the league at Bolton with three games remaining .
Again , he was spot on as a Frank Lampard double sealed the win , but only after another half-time dressing down which saw Mourinho tell two of his players to give their shirts to him and assistant Steve Clarke .
`` For five minutes we will do more than you managed , '' he said .
`` And then after five more minutes , we will need oxygen and an ambulance . ''
Mourinho was n't needed on the pitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home , with Joe Cole later leading the singing while standing on top of the mobbed team bus .
Parking the bus and upsetting the apple cart '' Please do not call me arrogant because what I say is true .
I 'm European champion , I 'm not one out of the bottle , I think I 'm a special one . ''
From the moment Mourinho said that during his unveiling , the British media knew they were in for a ride .
For years the top end of the Premier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wenger 's Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson 's Manchester United .
Now a new , brash , bold character made it a trio .
`` Parking the bus '' has become universal to describe a team who come and defend , but it was Mourinho who first said it about Tottenham just a month into his Premier League career .
`` As we say in Portugal , they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal . ''
As the season wore on and Chelsea remained top of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind games by questioning whether they would stay the course .
`` It is a difficult psychological challenge to deal with when you 're leading , '' he said .
`` When you are in front and everyone says you have already won the title you have to face up to the prospect that you can only lose it from there . ''
Ferguson weighed in , suggesting that Chelsea 's trips to Blackburn , Liverpool and Everton in January and February could be key .
`` It is when Chelsea come north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ferguson .
`` They have to go to Liverpool and Everton , as we do , but our record is n't bad there .
It is different after the new year - there are different pressures . ''
The trip to Ewood Park did look tricky but Robben 's goal secured another win and another excellent quote .
`` Look at the blond boy in midfield , Robbie Savage , who commits 20 fouls during the game and never gets a booking , '' Mourinho said .
`` We came here to play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game , it was a fight and we fought and I think we fought fantastically . ''
This Chelsea team could do it all .
Mourinho 's champions set records for most wins , most away wins , most points , most clean sheets and fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season .
But are they undervalued ?
`` These are records that do n't show a defensive team , they show a complete team , '' says Rick Glanvill , Chelsea author and official historian .
`` That 's what made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up shop and protect a lead if we needed to , squeeze the life out of a game like a boa constrictor .
`` But that season there were a number of occasions where Jose would take off one of the full-backs and bring on an attacking player .
His substitutions were incredible .
`` It was such a devastating attacking team with Drogba , Gudjohnsen , Robben , Duff , Cole and Lampard .
The 2005 team is definitely one of the best sides the Premier League has seen . ''
Chelsea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , before Mourinho 's shock departure in September 2007 .
He later returned and won the title again in 2014-15 .
And now the question remains - can he deliver one for Tottenham ?

Jose Mourinho led Chelsea to a first Premier League title in 2005
When a fresh-faced Jose Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto in May 2004, he barely stopped to collect his medal before striding off with purpose down the Gelsenkirchen tunnel.
His destination was preordained, off to replace the "dead man walking" at Chelsea, the likeable Claudio Ranieri, who was sacked within days of leading the Blues to a second-placed finish and a semi-final place in the Champions League.
Mourinho had grabbed the Premier League's attention when sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline in the last 16, and interest was piqued even more when he famously pronounced himself "The Special One" during his first news conference as Chelsea boss.
Loved and loathed in almost equal measures, Mourinho was a gust of fresh air who swept through the English top flight, delivering Chelsea's first title win in 50 years on this day 15 years ago.
Here's how he did it.
Building on firm foundations
Chelsea had been ensconced in the top six of the Premier League for nigh on a decade by the time Mourinho arrived. With Roman Abramovich in the corridors of power Chelsea had thrown money at the team 12 months earlier, with Ranieri making some key signings in Joe Cole, Damien Duff and Claude Makelele.
What was lacking, it was felt, was a coach with the swagger and the genius to turn a good side into champions. A "special" coach.
Arsenal had won the previous season while going unbeaten and Mourinho made some big signings of his own to take them on.
Petr Cech, Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho and Arjen Robben - to name half of his summer additions - would all play a huge part in the crushing title win.
And it was a procession in the end. Chelsea won 29 of their 38 Premier League games - losing just once - and incredibly conceding just 15 goals.
A change of shape
You may feel that you know exactly what to expect from a Mourinho team nowadays. Methodical? Well drilled? Sure. But exciting?
Mourinho quickly adapted his tactics during his first season at Stamford Bridge. Initially he wanted to play a 4-4-2 diamond, with Frank Lampard playing in behind two strikers, as Deco had so artfully done at Porto.
The Chelsea team which beat Manchester United on the first day of the season on 15 August 2004. Gudjohnsen scored the only goal
However, Mourinho soon found that his side were struggling to create enough chances so made use of the best holding player in the world in Claude Makelele - so good the position was named after him - and moved to what was called 'the open diamond..
The Chelsea team which beat Newcastle 4-0 on 4 December 2004
That switch gave more licence to Eidur Gudjohnsen or Didier Drogba and allowed the wingers to come in, Damien Duff on one side, Arjen Robben on the other. It's safe to say it worked.
After their sole defeat at Manchester City in October, Chelsea would drop just 10 points before sealing the championship at Bolton on 30 April 2005.
Not everyone was a fan though.
"You could say that our football was more attractive to watch but they are very efficient," said Arsene Wenger at the turn of 2005.
"They are a bit like a matador - they wait until the bull gets weak to kill him. They have the patience to wait as they have an experienced squad. When the bull has lost enough blood and becomes a bit dizzy, they kill it off."
Mourinho the motivator
The world according to Jose Mourinho
Chelsea's players soon saw both carrot and stick from Mourinho. The manager tore into his players at half-time of the 2-2 draw with champions Arsenal in December 2004. Thierry Henry had scored twice, superbly, to leave the Blues trailing.
The Portuguese threw Lucozade bottles and kicked tubs of Vaseline around in a fury, angry that his side had been on top but trailed.
Eidur Gudjohnsen equalised in the first minute of the second half. Message received.
Soon Mourinho would tell his players that not only would they be champions, they would win the league at Bolton with three games remaining.
Again, he was spot on as a Frank Lampard double sealed the win, but only after another half-time dressing down which saw Mourinho tell two of his players to give their shirts to him and assistant Steve Clarke.
"For five minutes we will do more than you managed," he said. "And then after five more minutes, we will need oxygen and an ambulance."
Mourinho wasn't needed on the pitch as Lampard's goals brought the title home, with Joe Cole later leading the singing while standing on top of the mobbed team bus.
Parking the bus and upsetting the apple cart
"Please do not call me arrogant because what I say is true. I'm European champion, I'm not one out of the bottle, I think I'm a special one."
From the moment Mourinho said that during his unveiling, the British media knew they were in for a ride. For years the top end of the Premier League had been about the clash between Wenger's Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. Now a new, brash, bold character made it a trio.
"Parking the bus" has become universal to describe a team who come and defend, but it was Mourinho who first said it about Tottenham just a month into his Premier League career.
Mourinho's signings 2004-05 Paulo Ferreira (RB) - from Porto, £13.2m. 141 PL appearances for club, 3 PL wins, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, Champions League, Europa League Petr Cech (GK) - from Rennes, £7.1m. 333 PL appearances for club, 4 PL wins, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, Champions League, Europa League Arjen Robben (FW) - from PSV, £12m. 67 PL appearances for club, 15 goals. 2 PL wins, FA Cup, 2 League Cups Mateja Kezman (FW) - from PSV, £5.3m. 25 PL appearances for club, 4 goals. 1 PL win, 1 League Cup Didier Drogba (FW) - from Marseille, £24m. 254 PL appearances for club, 104 goals. 4 PL wins, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, Champions League Tiago (MF) - from Benfica, £10m. 34 PL appearances, 4 goals. 1 PL win, 1 League Cup Ricardo Carvalho (DF) - from Porto, £19.85m. 135 PL appearances, 11 goals. 3 PL wins, 2 League Cups
"As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal."
As the season wore on and Chelsea remained top of the tree, Wenger attempted some classic mind games by questioning whether they would stay the course.
"It is a difficult psychological challenge to deal with when you're leading," he said.
"When you are in front and everyone says you have already won the title you have to face up to the prospect that you can only lose it from there."
Ferguson weighed in, suggesting that Chelsea's trips to Blackburn, Liverpool and Everton in January and February could be key.
"It is when Chelsea come north that you will see," said Ferguson.
"They have to go to Liverpool and Everton, as we do, but our record isn't bad there. It is different after the new year - there are different pressures."
The trip to Ewood Park did look tricky but Robben's goal secured another win and another excellent quote.
"Look at the blond boy in midfield, Robbie Savage, who commits 20 fouls during the game and never gets a booking," Mourinho said.
"We came here to play football and it was not a football game, it was a fight and we fought and I think we fought fantastically."
This Chelsea team could do it all.
'Not a defensive team, a complete team'
Mourinho's champions set records for most wins, most away wins, most points, most clean sheets and fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season. But are they undervalued?
"These are records that don't show a defensive team, they show a complete team," says Rick Glanvill, Chelsea author and official historian.
"That's what made that team different. We could shut up shop and protect a lead if we needed to, squeeze the life out of a game like a boa constrictor.
"But that season there were a number of occasions where Jose would take off one of the full-backs and bring on an attacking player. His substitutions were incredible.
"It was such a devastating attacking team with Drogba, Gudjohnsen, Robben, Duff, Cole and Lampard. The 2005 team is definitely one of the best sides the Premier League has seen."
Chelsea would win the league again in 2005-06, before Mourinho's shock departure in September 2007.
He later returned and won the title again in 2014-15. And now the question remains - can he deliver one for Tottenham?


bbc--2020-04-30--Kane recovered from hamstring injury, says Mourinho

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has recovered from his hamstring injury , says Spurs manager Jose Mourinho .
Kane had surgery to resolve the problem on 1 January and is fit again , along with team-mates Moussa Sissoko and Steven Bergwijn .
`` It is one thing not to be injured , it 's another thing to be ready to play football , '' Mourinho told Sky Sports .
`` For them it is many , many , many weeks of injury and when the injuries were almost at an end , we stopped training . ''
The Premier League has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic but it is hoped there will be a return to action on 8 June , which would require full training to begin by 18 May .
Tottenham have made a limited number of pitches available for the first-team squad to use for individual training sessions , but Mourinho is unsure whether Kane , midfielder Sissoko and winger Bergwijn will be ready for any resumption .
`` I do n't know , they do n't know , we have to wait for the official and right permission for the players to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can come back to a normal competition level , '' said the Portuguese .
`` So if we play this season , the remaining nine matches , it would be good for every one of us , it would be good for football , it would be good for the Premier League if players of that quality can play the remaining matches . ''
Top-flight clubs will meet on Friday to discuss options for the restart , with any restart planned to be spectator free .
`` If we play football behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that football is never behind closed doors , '' added Mourinho .
`` With cameras , it means that millions and millions are watching .
So if one day we walk into this empty stadium , it will not be empty , not at all . ''

Kane had scored 17 goals for Tottenham this season before being injured during a 1-0 loss at Southampton
Tottenham striker Harry Kane has recovered from his hamstring injury, says Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.
Kane had surgery to resolve the problem on 1 January and is fit again, along with team-mates Moussa Sissoko and Steven Bergwijn.
"It is one thing not to be injured, it's another thing to be ready to play football," Mourinho told Sky Sports.
"For them it is many, many, many weeks of injury and when the injuries were almost at an end, we stopped training."
The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March because of the coronavirus pandemic but it is hoped there will be a return to action on 8 June, which would require full training to begin by 18 May.
Tottenham have made a limited number of pitches available for the first-team squad to use for individual training sessions, but Mourinho is unsure whether Kane, midfielder Sissoko and winger Bergwijn will be ready for any resumption.
"I don't know, they don't know, we have to wait for the official and right permission for the players to train again in groups to see if they can come back to a normal competition level," said the Portuguese.
"So if we play this season, the remaining nine matches, it would be good for every one of us, it would be good for football, it would be good for the Premier League if players of that quality can play the remaining matches."
Top-flight clubs will meet on Friday to discuss options for the restart, with any restart planned to be spectator free.
"If we play football behind closed doors I'd like to think that football is never behind closed doors," added Mourinho.
"With cameras, it means that millions and millions are watching. So if one day we walk into this empty stadium, it will not be empty, not at all."


bbc--2020-04-29--An unlikely hotspot in 'forgotten corner of America'

As the coronavirus sweeps across the US , it has been infecting and killing black Americans at a disproportionate rate @ @ @ @ @ , decades of poverty and economic inequality are threatening an entire generation of African Americans @ @ @ @

As the coronavirus sweeps across the US, it has been infecting and killing black Americans at a disproportionate rate. In Albany, Georgia, decades of poverty and economic inequality are threatening an entire generation of African Americans in the pandemic.
Produced by Xinyan Yu, Chelsea Bailey and Roderick Macleod


bbc--2020-04-30--Coronavirus and South Korea: How lives changed to beat the virus

South Korea has recorded its first day with no locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 since the middle of February .
It did record four new cases , but all were people coming from abroad , who were diagnosed and isolated on arrival .
They brought the country 's total number of confirmed cases to 10,765 .
It 's a major milestone for a country that was once among the world 's biggest virus hotspots , but it comes after significant efforts - and remarkably , without a total lockdown .
`` This is the strength of South Korea and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday .
How did it do it ?
South Korea saw a huge spike in the number of infections in February , after a religious group in the city of Daegu was identified as a virus cluster .
One member of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus was found to have infected dozens of others and thousands of cases were later linked back to the church .
The government reacted by launching a massive testing campaign .
As part of making tests freely available , drive-through clinics were set up throughout the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing from their cars in the capital , Seoul .
The huge number of tests meant South Korea 's infection numbers grew quickly , but also that authorities were able early on to effectively find those who were infected , isolate and treat them .
South Korea also started aggressively contact tracing , finding people who had interacted with a confirmed case , isolating and testing them too .
• 'At a love motel ' : Are S Korea virus alerts too revealing ?
When someone tested positive , authorities would send out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearby .
People soon got used to receiving a flurry of these messages from authorities .
Cases linked to the Shincheonji cluster had at one point accounted for about half of South Korea 's total .
All churches in South Korea were ordered shut as officials fought to rein in public gatherings .
Today , churches have reopened , but worshippers are still required to keep a distance and keep their masks on .
And those rules also applied to these students , seen here sitting for their exams last week - making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( and even less of a chance of cheating ) .
Lunch is no longer a time for socialising and catching up with friends at one company cafeteria in South Korea .
Protective screens have been put up and staggered lunch breaks introduced to keep people apart .
However , it 's not clear if all restaurants and cafes are adhering to such strict rules - though South Koreans have still been told to practice social distancing .
• Is S Korea 's rapid testing the key to coronavirus ?
But for many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a new normal .
People are out and about on the streets , but having to get their temperature taken before being let into events or buildings .
This woman is one of the many that attended a ceremony in South Korea last week , marking the birth of Buddha .
But it was an election earlier this month that really tested South Korea 's capacity to contain the virus .
Thousands lined up in front of polling stations on 15 April to vote in the National Assembly elections .
They were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart , and temperatures were checked before voters entered polling stations .
• South Koreans vote in masks and at virus clinics There were fears that the vote could cause a spike in the number of cases , but two weeks on , it 's clear this has n't happened .
And the ruling party won a resounding victory , indicating public support for their handing of the crisis .
The country 's also managed to keep its public transportation relatively virus free .
Subway stations have been meticulously cleaned and wiped down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy .
Baseball - which is extremely popular in South Korea - is still going on , though there are no spectators in sight .
Fans are not allowed , umpires have been told to wear gloves and even high-fives have been banned .
School pupils have now gone back to school , but only virtually .
Classrooms remain empty even and lessons are now conducted online .
`` We are in fact opening a new road , '' Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said when classes resumed in mid-April .
• The difficulties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We will aim to make sure remote learning goes well but ultimately we 'll do our best to stabilise the Covid-19 pandemic so our children can go to school . ''
The strict measures South Korea has taken across different aspects of daily life have allowed it to bring the outbreak under control .
Anyone arriving in the country now has to undergo 14 days of quarantine , so its unlikely new cases will be brought in .
But officials are cautious .
The Korean Centre for Disease Control has said that until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this pandemic will return .

But for many, life appears to be going back to a new normal. People are out and about on the streets, but having to get their temperature taken before being let into events or buildings.


bbc--2020-04-30--Coronavirus: Japan's low testing rate raises questions

Why is Japan not in lockdown ?
It 's a question I 've been asked numerous times by friends all over the world .
That 's not surprising given what 's going on in Europe and America .
But it is perhaps the wrong question .
Taiwan , Hong Kong , South Korea and most of mainland China , have also never had full lockdowns .
For those trying to understand what 's going on in Japan , the much more puzzling question is why there is so little testing for Covid-19 .
When you look at Germany or South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like they 're missing a zero .
Take Tokyo , population 9.3 million , and centre of Japan 's epidemic .
Since February , just 10,981 people have been tested for Covid-19 .
Of those , just over 4,000 were positive .
But those figures are striking both because the number tested is so small and because the percentage testing positive is so high .
What it shows is Japan is only testing people who are already quite sick .
In fact , the official guidelines for doctors say they should only recommend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is the reason why the level of testing actually done in Japan is about half of the capacity according to a health ministry official , even weeks after the government has started to ramp up its testing .
This is leading to some rather extraordinary stories from those trying to get tested .
• Is S Korea 's rapid testing the key to coronavirus ?
Jordain Haley is an American working in Japan as a business analyst and volunteer translator .
Via Skype she told me what happened when she helped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fluent Japanese , to get a test .
On 10 April , her friend had developed a fever and cough , but waited four days , as per the guidelines .
`` By then she was having trouble breathing and was dizzy from lack of oxygen , '' Jordain tells me .
`` I called the Covid hotline .
They refused to help .
They said if she 's sick she should call an ambulance . ''
The following day ( Wednesday 15 April ) her friend found a clinic where they gave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she probably had Covid-19 , but not bad enough to be hospitalised .
He sent her home and told her to isolate .
Late on Thursday night Jordain 's friend called .
She was in distress .
`` I could hear the EMT ( ambulance crew ) in the background .
She was coughing and wheezing so much I could n't make out what she was saying .
It took them two hours to find a hospital that would accept her .
The whole time her breathing was getting worse and worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ X-ray and told her friend to get tested for Covid-19 at her local health centre .
But the doctor would n't write a recommendation .
Instead she was sent home in a taxi .
`` They said she should roll down the windows in the cab , and that it would be ok , '' Jordain says , rolling her eyes .
On Friday 17 April Jordain called the local health centre .
For two hours she was passed from one desk to another .
She answered scores of questions .
Finally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it came with a warning .
`` She must use the side entrance . ''
Jordain was told .
`` She must not tell anyone where this testing is taking place .
It could cause a commotion . ''
Apart from the distress caused to someone who thinks their life is in danger , why does this matter ?
After all , Japan has very few deaths from Covid-19 , still below 400 .
On social media I am often told : `` Japan is identifying those who really need help and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that 's why so few are dying . ''
This is not untrue according to Professor Kenji Shibuya of Kings College London .
`` From the physician 's point of view , it makes sense , '' he says .
`` Forget about mild cases , focus on cases with major symptoms and save lives .
Focus testing on those who have symptoms . ''
But , says Professor Shibuya , from a public health point of view , Japan 's refusal to test more widely is incredibly risky .
He points to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tokyo .
Last week , the University hospital published a study of Covid tests done on patients admitted for non-Covid related illnesses and procedures .
It found that around 6 % of them tested positive for Covid-19 .
It is a small sample and not `` generalisable '' .
But Professor Shibuya still describes it as `` very shocking '' .
`` We are definitely missing a lot of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases , '' he says .
`` There is clearly widespread community transmission .
I am very worried by this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not sure .
But based on the Keio results he thinks it could be from 20 to 50 times the official figure .
That would mean between 280 and 700 thousand people might be infected in Japan .
Without more testing it is impossible to know .
But anecdotal evidence supports the idea that infections are far wider than reported .
What do I need to know about the coronavirus ?
• EASY STEPS : What can I do ?
• CONTAINMENT : What it means to self-isolate • UK LATEST : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what could happen next ?
• MAPS AND CHARTS : Visual guide to the outbreak Among the small number of deaths are famous comedian Ken Shimura and actress Kumiko Okae .
High profile infected people include seven sumo wrestlers , a TV presenter , two former professional baseball players , and a famous screen writer .
`` Currently 70 % -80 % of new infections recorded in Tokyo do not come from any previously known cluster , '' says Dr Yoshitake Yokokura , the head of the Japan Medical Association .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the results more quickly . ''
According to official figures , the number of new infections in Tokyo has now been falling for over a week .
Good news ?
Not necessarily .
`` I would like to believe the numbers are really decreasing , '' says Dr Yokokura , `` but the number of tests is insufficient to tell that . ''
This has direct implications for Japan 's ability to lift its state of emergency , which is currently supposed to end on 6 May .
`` It is not possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this stage , '' says Dr Yokokura .
`` We need a sustained decrease in new cases , and we need the reproduction rate ( the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus onto , on average ) to be well below one to do that . ''
This week Japan begins its 'Golden Week ' holiday .
According to the governor of Okinawa , 60,000 people have booked flights to the island during the holiday .
Governor Denny Tamaki is pleading with them to stay away .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Okinawa is under a state of emergency , '' he wrote on social media .
`` Please cancel your trip to Okinawa now . ''
The weather for the next week is looking hot and sunny .
People will be tempted to head to the beaches and mountains and , without knowing it , some percentage will inevitably be taking the virus with them .
Professor Shibuya says it is imperative that Japan now abandon its current strategy and increase testing .
`` Without much wider testing , '' he says , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this pandemic . ''

"It is not possible to lift the state of emergency at this stage," says Dr Yokokura. "We need a sustained decrease in new cases, and we need the reproduction rate (the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus onto, on average) to be well below one to do that."


bbc--2020-04-29--Coronavirus: How will airlines get flying again?

Aviation is the most global of global industries .
It employs millions of people , underpins the livelihoods of tens of millions more , and acts as part of the central nervous system of international business and leisure .
Yet now vast parts of the network have been shut down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic .
The number of daily flights has fallen by 80 % since the start of the year , and in some regions nearly all passenger traffic has been suspended .
The industry is in survival mode , with airlines , airports and ground-handling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reserves , while their normal revenue streams have dried up .
Widespread job losses are now expected , with British Airways ' parent company IAG announcing on Tuesday that it is set to cut up to 12,000 positions from the airline 's 42,000-strong workforce .
IAG said it did not expect BA to see passenger demand return to 2019 levels for `` several years '' .
Elsewhere , Easyjet has laid off its 4,000 UK-based cabin crew for two months , Qantas has put 20,000 staff on leave , and 700 pilots at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retirement .
Even so , attention is now gradually turning to the future , and how airlines around the world can hope to slowly return to something approaching normality .
There are obvious logistical challenges .
Aircraft need to be prepared for flight , and airports made ready to receive them .
Schedules need to be drawn up , and staff made available .
But there are also less predictable issues to contend with .
No-one can be quite sure yet where aircraft will be allowed to fly to , or what conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by national authorities .
There are currently around 17,000 aircraft parked up at airports around the world , according to consultants Ascend by Cirium .
That represents about two-thirds of the global fleet .
BA , for example , has aeroplanes stored at London Heathrow , at its maintenance base in Cardiff , on taxiways at regional airports such as Bournemouth , and at Chateauroux airport in France .
Even while parked , these aircraft require regular maintenance .
Some will have been kept ready for immediate use .
Many airlines have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or ad-hoc cargo services .
But others will take a week or longer to prepare for flight , according to people within the industry .
If all those aircraft were needed at once , getting them ready would be a formidable challenge .
However , analysts say in practice this is unlikely to be the case - because most airlines will start off by operating relatively limited schedules , and many aircraft will not actually be needed for months to come .
A further significant issue is the raft of human qualifications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pilots , for example , need time in the air , or in the simulator , to maintain their `` ratings '' , or permits to fly specific aircraft .
They also need regular medical checks .
Other critical staff , such as air traffic control personnel and engineers , have time-limited qualifications as well .
Although many airlines and airports are trying to ensure they still have a core of staff available with up-to-date certificates - those who are involved in dealing with repatriation and cargo flights , for example - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the UK , the Civil Aviation Authority ( CAA ) has already taken steps to prevent a backlog of expired credentials from undermining attempts to get planes back in the air as quickly as possible .
`` Due to the extraordinary current circumstances , an exemption has been put in place , '' a spokesperson said .
`` Where possible , we expect pilots to remain current through normal methods .
If the exemption is being deployed , an airline must illustrate to us how this is being done safely .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ place for other key staff .
But while there are clear logistical problems involved with getting thousands of aircraft back into service , and ensuring there are enough pilots and technicians to go around , these are not the main issues keeping aviation executives awake at night .
The real problem , executives say , is the number of different countries that have introduced travel restrictions , and the lack of certainty over when those restrictions will be removed .
`` What we are trying to do is have a global restart plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director general of the International Air Transport Association .
`` The main challenge is how and when the different states will lift restrictions to travel . ''
He believes curbs on travel will clearly last beyond the middle of the year , and some may remain at least partially in force until the end of 2020 .
He thinks domestic routes within individual countries will open up first , followed by short-haul international services .
Intercontinental travel would probably follow after that , although he admits `` that is a point we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ causing a great deal of uncertainty is the extent to which social distancing will be required when regular flying resumes .
How will people be separated in airport lounges , in security queues , or in the airports themselves ?
What tests will be required , and how will they be carried out ?
This is a commercial issue for both airports and airlines .
For example , retail outlets and restaurants provide a lucrative source of revenues for airport operators .
`` Non-aeronautical revenues are really important to airports , '' says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Airport Operators Association .
`` They enable us to keep down the charges we make to airlines , and ultimately that affects the ticket prices they can offer their customers .
`` We do n't want to reconfigure everything in our airports , only to find out in six months ' time there 's a vaccine and the new measures are n't needed any more . ''
IATA 's argument is that whatever measures are introduced need to be the same and implemented in a co-ordinated fashion .
`` We need to avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' says Mr de Juniac .
`` Back then we saw a piling up of different kinds of security measures , and it took a very long time to put it together again in a more consistent way .
And we still have different measures . ''
Airlines too could be squeezed .
Lufthansa is already operating services where middle seats are left unoccupied in order to allow a certain degree of social distancing on board .
EasyJet - which has grounded its entire fleet - says it will do the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short-term measure , this might help passengers fly with a little more confidence .
But it comes at a serious cost .
In order to make money , airlines need as many seats as possible to be filled on every flight .
`` Load factors '' are particularly important for budget carriers , which typically fly with more than 90 % of seats occupied .
But if middle seats are left unoccupied , aircraft will have to fly just 65 % full .
This might be acceptable for a short period , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it went on for long , `` it would certainly change the way in which the industry operates '' .
Ryanair 's CEO Michael O '' Leary has put it more succinctly , describing the idea as `` idiotic '' .
In the UK the government is considering forcing all passengers arriving in the country to spend two weeks in quarantine .
The industry association Airlines UK says such a plan would `` effectively kill international travel to and from the UK , and cause immeasurable damage to the aviation industry and wider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BBC 's series taking an international perspective on trade : • Will we ever take cruise holidays again ?
• How are food supply networks coping with coronavirus ?
Getting aircraft back in the air may prove to be the easy part .
Finding people to fly in them could prove more difficult - and some long-term changes to the aviation market are highly likely .
`` It may not be too bad for firms which specialise in holiday travel , '' explains one tourism industry executive .
`` People still want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ definitely still interest in going to short-haul destinations later in the year . ''
But analysts say business travel could be a different matter .
High-paying business and first class travellers usually account for a little under a third of the revenues for the industry as a whole .
For long-haul carriers , it can be as much as 70 % .
But there are now serious threats to that traffic .
The predicted global recession , the cancellation of major trade fairs and other set-piece events - and even the new willingness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a substitute for face-to-face meetings - could all delay the recovery .
`` I think we 'll see a fusing of business models , and airlines trying different things , '' says analyst John Strickland of JLS Consulting .
`` So you could see a sort of business class-lite , where people get a business class seat and meals , but no access to lounges .
So at least the seat is occupied .
There 's room for a lot of creative pricing . ''
But the biggest problem for the entire industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the air , is that no-one - at any level - can really be sure what its future looks like .

If all those aircraft were needed at once, getting them ready would be a formidable challenge. However, analysts say in practice this is unlikely to be the case - because most airlines will start off by operating relatively limited schedules, and many aircraft will not actually be needed for months to come.


bbc--2020-04-30--Coronavirus: US intelligence debunks theory it was 'manmade'

The US intelligence community has determined Covid-19 `` was not manmade or genetically modified '' , though it is still investigating the virus ' origins .
The National Intelligence chief 's office said agencies are looking into whether the outbreak began from animal contact or a laboratory accident .
President Donald Trump later suggested he had seen evidence the virus came out of a Chinese laboratory .
China has rejected the theory and criticised the US response to Covid-19 .
What did the intelligence chief say ?
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence , which oversees US spy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the `` wide scientific consensus '' regarding Covid-19 's natural origins .
`` The [ intelligence community ] will continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan . ''
The virus was first detected in Wuhan , China .
There are now over 3.2 million cases worldwide and more than 231,000 deaths .
Thursday 's statement is the first clear response from US agencies debunking conspiracy theories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - about the virus as a purported bioweapon .
The idea that the coronavirus could have inadvertently leaked from a laboratory has not yet been disproven .
• Is there any evidence for coronavirus lab release idea ?
• China and the US trade coronavirus conspiracy theories What did President Trump say ?
At the White House on Thursday , Mr Trump was asked by a reporter : `` Have you seen anything at this point that gives you a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the origin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replied : `` Yes , I have .
Yes , I have .
And I think the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves because they 're like the public relations agency for China . ''
He added : `` Whether they [ China ] made a mistake , or whether it started off as a mistake and then they made another one , or did somebody do something on purpose ?
`` I do n't understand how traffic , how people were n't allowed into the rest of China , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world .
That 's a bad , that 's a hard question for them to answer . ''
The New York Times reported on Thursday that senior White House officials have asked the US intelligence community to investigate whether the virus came from a Wuhan research laboratory .
Intelligence agencies have also been tasked with determining if China and the WHO withheld information about the virus early on , unnamed officials told NBC News on Wednesday .
Mr Trump has recently been escalating his war of words with China over the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's administration had described as a truce with Beijing .
On Wednesday , he suggested China wanted him to lose his re-election bid in November .
Mr Trump has often blamed China at briefings , accusing its officials of covering up the virus early on and saying they could have stopped the disease from spreading .
He has similarly criticised the WHO and withdrawn US funding for the global body .
China 's Foreign Ministry , meanwhile , has accused the Trump administration of trying to distract from its own problems tackling the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly promoted the idea - without evidence - that Covid-19 might have originated in the US .
According to the Washington Post , the Trump administration is looking into ways to punish China financially .
Discussions reportedly include allowing the US government to sue China for damages or cancelling debt obligations .
This is the first definitive statement on the matter from US intelligence agencies .
It rejects the most extreme of the conspiracy theories about the pandemic 's origins - that the Chinese developed and un-leashed the coronavirus as a bioweapon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibility that the virus was accidentally leaked from a Wuhan laboratory studying infectious diseases .
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in particular has talked up that scenario , urging China to let outside experts into the facility , and raising questions about lab safety in other parts of the country .
The Chinese government says any such allegations are unfounded and fabricated out of nothing .
Claims and counterclaims about the origins of the virus are part of a propaganda war over China 's handling of the coronavirus crisis .
But they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for not sharing more data about how the pandemic developed .

China's rise has not gone as many in the West hoped. In its own region it is a military superpower - a match for the mighty United States. Its technological capabilities in strategic areas like 5G and artificial intelligence are impressive. And its wider influence - fostered through a single-minded effort to develop trade ties; financial relationships and so on - means that China is a force to be reckoned with, increasingly able to influence the international rules of the game.


bbc--2020-05-01--Coronavirus: Armed protesters enter Michigan statehouse

Gun-toting protesters against Michigan 's coronavirus lockdown have rallied in the state capitol building .
Hundreds of demonstrators , a few of them armed , gathered in Lansing and many did not wear masks or socially distance .
Police checked their temperatures before some were allowed into the capitol , where lawmakers were debating .
Governor Gretchen Whitmer , a Democrat , extended her stay-at-home mandate earlier this month until 15 May .
Michigan is one of the US states hardest hit by the coronavirus , with 3,788 Covid-19 deaths .
More than 41,000 infections have been recorded across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Detroit metro area .
Thursday 's protest , dubbed the `` American Patriot Rally '' , was organised by Michigan United for Liberty .
It called for state businesses to reopen on 1 May in violation of state orders .
It is legal to bear firearms inside the statehouse , and several demonstrators were openly carrying guns in the Senate gallery .
But some armed protesters reportedly tried to enter the floor of the chamber , and were blocked by state police and sergeants-at-arms .
One state senator said several of her colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside the building showed them chanting `` Let us in !
`` , `` Let us work '' and `` This is the people 's house , you can not lock us out '' .
`` Governor Whitmer , and our state legislature , it 's over with .
Open this state , '' said Republican congressional candidate Mike Detmer .
`` Let 's get businesses back open again .
Let 's make sure there are jobs to go back to . ''
`` The virus is here , '' one demonstrator , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It 's going to be here ...
It 's time to let people go back to work .
That 's all there is to it . ''
The rally is believed to have been the largest of its type since one on 15 April when Michigan protesters sat in their cars in order to create traffic around the statehouse .
President Donald Trump threw his support behind demonstrators at the time , tweeting `` LIBERATE MICHIGAN '' .
Some critics said his tweets were an attempt to foment insurrection .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whitmer 's request to extend her emergency orders .
They also cleared the way for her to be sued over her handling of the pandemic .
She hit back that she does not need legislative authorisation for the extension .
On Wednesday , the governor accused Republicans of treating the virus like a `` political problem '' , rather than `` a public health crisis '' .
Many US states - including Georgia , Oklahoma and South Carolina - have taken steps to loosen virus mitigation restrictions .
On Wednesday , a Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders were not unconstitutional , as five state residents had claimed in a lawsuit against the governor .
`` Although the Court is painfully aware of the difficulties of living under the restrictions of these executive orders , those difficulties are temporary , while to those who contract the virus and can not recover ( and to their family members and friends ) , it is all too permanent , '' Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher M Murray wrote in a ruling .
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : What are the symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California kept ahead of the curve • ON FRONTLINE : The young doctors being asked to play god • REASON TO HOPE : The good that may come out of this crisis

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bbc--2020-04-30--Coronavirus: Russian PM Mishustin tests positive for virus

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has gone to hospital after he was diagnosed with coronavirus .
His positive test came on the same day that Russia recorded a record 7,099 cases , taking the total number of infections above 100,000 .
Mr Mishustin was given the role of prime minister in January and has been actively involved in Russia 's handling of the epidemic .
Russian TV showed him telling President Vladimir Putin of his diagnosis .
`` I have just learned that the test on the coronavirus I took was positive , '' the prime minister said during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov should take his place and Mr Putin agreed .
Mr Mishustin will now go into self-isolation .
`` What 's happening to you can happen to anyone , and I 've always been saying this , '' Mr Putin told him .
`` You are a very active person .
I would like to thank you for the work that has been done so far . ''
Mikhail Mishustin is the first senior politician here to fall sick with coronavirus .
He looked exhausted as he informed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that he had tested positive and was handing over his responsibilities and heading into self-isolation .
Mr Putin said it only showed how the virus did not discriminate .
He told the prime minister to give him a call when he got to hospital .
Mr Mishustin himself used the chance to urge all Russians to take coronavirus seriously , and to stay at home as an 11-day , extended May holiday begins .
Officials fear warmer weather will send families rushing to the countryside as usual .
So Moscow is increasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming days , to ensure people stick to the strict lockdown .
Despite the sharp rise in cases , the Moscow-based coronavirus headquarters says 1,073 people in Russia have now died of coronavirus , a relatively low number for Russia 's size .
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia 's reaction to the pandemic has enabled it to avoid an `` Italian scenario '' .
But President Putin warned this week that Russia did not have enough protective equipment for health workers and medics have complained in several regions of having insufficient protective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sobyanin , has meanwhile said he believes many of those living in the Russian capital do not realise how serious the situation is .
He said he had seen more people violating the restrictions , estimating his city was only a quarter of the way through the crisis .
`` If we see things are getting better , then of course we will reduce the restrictions .
But until that happens , you need to be courageous and patient .
It 's very important for you and your health , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the symptoms ?
• ON FRONTLINE : The young doctors being asked to play god • REASON TO HOPE : The good that may come out of this crisis

"If we see things are getting better, then of course we will reduce the restrictions. But until that happens, you need to be courageous and patient. It's very important for you and your health," he said.


bbc--2020-04-30--Coronavirus: President Trump’s testing claims fact-checked

In a video clip posted by the White House on Twitter , President Trump has made several claims about testing policy in the United States , an issue over which his administration has faced significant criticism .
We 've been checking these claims out .
`` We have tested more than all countries put together… the testing has been incredible now , and to a level that nobody 's seen . ''
President Trump says the US has carried out more tests than every other country in the world combined .
The latest data shows that a total of 6,026,170 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US .
This is more than any other single country .
However , it 's nowhere near as many as the rest of the world combined .
Just adding together the totals of Spain , Italy , Germany and the UK gives you more than the US .
The US also still lags behind several other nations in terms of testing per capita .
Exact testing comparisons can be difficult as countries count testing in different ways .
But looking at the latest data available , the US has carried out about one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has performed around one in every 30 people , Spain around one in every 45 , and Australia around one in every 45 .
`` We had old-fashioned tests that did n't work - they were really obsolete - they did n't work , they were broken . ''
President Trump says his administration had a `` broken '' test that did n't work when first testing for the coronavirus .
He has previously said : `` We inherited a broken test - the whole thing was broken . ''
The US did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House conceded the first batch sent out by the government 's central health body produced inconclusive results .
However , these tests were introduced in February under the Trump administration so they were n't inherited or old .
In early March , the White House conceded the US did not have enough testing kits , but since then it has significantly ramped up testing , with the total number increasing six fold since the start of April .
`` Millions of tests - and the highest quality . ''
When President Trump talks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it 's not exactly clear what he 's referring to .
He has previously said the US tests are `` better '' than those used in other countries .
However , when it comes to antigen tests - tests that tell you if someone currently has coronavirus - the accuracy tends to be similar across the globe .
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics , an independent evaluator of tests , based in Switzerland , says its results `` see equally good performance from companies in multiple countries '' .
Antibody tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously had Covid-19 - have so far proved unreliable and have not been widely rolled out .
So , the `` millions of tests '' must be the antigen ones .
There is no clear evidence that these tests in the US are any better or worse than in any other country .
• EASY STEPS : How to keep safe • A SIMPLE GUIDE : What are the symptoms ?
• CONTAINMENT : What it means to self-isolate • MAPS AND CHARTS : Visual guide to the outbreak

Coronavirus: President Trump’s testing claims fact-checked Published 15 May 2020
Image source, Getty Images
President Trump has been praising the testing programme in the United States, an issue over which his administration has faced significant criticism.
We've been checking out some of the claims he's made about it.
Claim one
"We're testing more people per capita than South Korea, the UK, France, Japan, Sweden, Finland and many other countries."
President Trump said this on 11 May.
The US has ramped up its testing significantly, and has carried out more tests in total than any other single country.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Producing test kits in South Korea
But it still lags behind some in terms of testing per capita - that is, as a proportion of its population.
Exact testing comparisons can be difficult as countries count testing in different ways.
But looking at the data as of 11 May, the US carried out about one test for every 35 people, and was roughly on a level with Italy.
But it was behind Spain (which had tested about one in every 29 people) as well as Russia and Australia.
There are also a number of smaller countries around the world which have very high testing rates per capita.
However, President Trump chose his list of countries carefully and was correct to say that the US was ahead of South Korea, France, Japan, Sweden, the UK and Finland (as of 11 May).
Claim two
"We have tested more than all countries put together."
President Trump has repeatedly said the US has carried out more tests than every other country in the world combined.
He tweeted the claim again on 12 May, when a total of 9,974,831 tests had been carried out in the US.
It's true that this is more tests than any other single country.
However, it's nowhere near as many as the rest of the world combined.
Just adding together the testing totals on 12 May for Germany, Russia and the UK gives you more than the those carried out in the US.
Claim three
"We had old-fashioned tests that didn't work - they were really obsolete - they didn't work, they were broken."
President Trump says his administration had a "broken" test that didn't work when first testing for the coronavirus.
He has previously said: "We inherited a broken test - the whole thing was broken."
The US did have faulty tests initially after the White House conceded the first batch sent out by the government's central health body produced inconclusive results.
Image source, Getty Images
However, these tests were introduced in February under the Trump administration so they weren't inherited or old.
In early March, the White House conceded the US did not have enough testing kits, but since then it has significantly ramped up testing, with the total number increasing six fold since the start of April.
Claim four
"Millions of tests - and the highest quality test."
When President Trump talks about the "highest quality" test, it's not exactly clear what he's referring to. He has previously said the US tests are "better" than those used in other countries.
However, when it comes to antigen tests - tests that tell you if someone currently has coronavirus - the accuracy tends to be similar across the globe.
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, an independent evaluator of tests, based in Switzerland, says its results "see equally good performance from companies in multiple countries".
Antibody tests - which tell you if someone has previously had Covid-19 - have so far proved unreliable and have not been widely rolled out. So, the "millions of tests" must be the antigen ones.


bbc--2020-04-30--'Angry' alligator visits US family's home

The large reptile , known locally as Big George , ambled onto a property on Hilton Head Island , South @ @ @ @ @ whose house the alligator visited , said he sees them everyday but `` never in @ @ @ @ @ '' , adding that this one seemed `` angry '' .
No one was hurt @ @ @ @ @ .

The large reptile, known locally as Big George, ambled onto a property on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Fernando Lossado, whose house the alligator visited, said he sees them everyday but "never in the backyard knocking everything down", adding that this one seemed "angry".
No one was hurt during the reptile's stroll.


bbc--2020-04-30--TikTok's darkened skin trend accused of 'promoting colourism'

A viral TikTok trend in India has been accused of promoting colourism .
It involves users digitally darkening their skin colour and looking sad - before revealing their natural , lighter skin tone at the end and smiling .
Colourism is prejudice against people who have a darker skin tone or the preferential treatment of those who are of the same race but lighter-skinned .
A huge backlash has prompted deletions and calls for TikTok to take the videos down .
The trend , which began earlier this week , has reignited a huge debate on colourism in India and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a song from a Tamil film called 3 , with lyrics about a `` white skin girl '' with a `` black heart '' , and gesture to their artificial skin tone .
The music has been used more than 21,000 times , with the videos receiving millions of views .
Radhika Parameswaran , a professor at Indiana University and commentator on colourism , says this trend is disconnected from the original context .
In the film , a beautiful light-skinned woman who has a `` black heart '' is impervious to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not explicitly refer to dark skin , but nevertheless Kolaveri Di 's catchy tunes and lyrics become creative fodder for these youths to stage their playful and dramatic performances of skin colour mutating from dark to light , '' she said .
One user commented : `` This should n't be a trend .
Every skin tone is beautiful no matter where you live or where you 're from .
We are all equal in this world . ''
Kavipriya Vimalraj , who has 350,000 followers , reacted to the video in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viewed more than 215,000 times .
She told the BBC : `` Making this kind of video indirectly saying that lighter tone people are happier and likeable in society is not acceptable or true . ''
But another user argued that `` if you know Tamil this is a love song '' .
User @ nikhilsoni123 , who created a video based on the trend , said : `` Guys this video is not to hurt anyone .
I truly agree colour should n't matter !
Colourism should n't be celebrated !
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Since the first video in this trend went up earlier in April , some of the films have been deleted .
But many more remain on the platform .
Now duet or reaction videos labelling the videos racist or colourist are flooding the site , with some overtaking the views of the original videos .
User @ .ashakira commented on one reaction video that `` most of them have turned off their comments because they are well aware of the backlash they 're getting '' .
Some say they have reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying the videos did not violate their guidelines .
Kavitha Emmanuel , founder and director of the Dark Is Beautiful campaign , is confused by the message of these videos but hopes it will turn into a positive conversation about colourism in India .
The trend `` intentionally or unintentionally ... is surfacing the underlying toxic belief that measures a person 's worth based on their skin colour . ''
`` Remarks are often seen as funny and we do n't realise how it hurts people . ''
• Does being 'TikTok famous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The grandad who became a TikTok star without realising it TikTok 's community guidelines say users should not post `` content that dehumanises or incites violence or hatred against individuals or groups '' .
TikTok users around the world have been reacting to the trend .
Javier Felipe is Colombian and lives in Kenya .
He 's a verified TikTok creator known as @ afrobeatswithkamau and made a reaction video calling the trend racist .
`` My first thought was I was very shocked to see how this can be taking off as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BBC .
`` No matter where we are , how niche we think our audience is , we have to know that our content is global .
A simple video that we make has global implications .
People are failing to see that you 're putting down your own people where there 's a history of colourism in India but then imagine , you 're in a global community .
I live in Kenya and all my peers are shocked .
`` I think one of the first steps is having TikTok take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a learning moment to show everyone that your local trend can go global and be mindful of what you 're propagating in your content . ''
TikTok has removed some videos about the trend .
`` TikTok is a platform for positive , creative expression , '' a spokeswoman said .
`` Keeping our community safe is a top priority : our community guidelines make it clear what is not acceptable on our platform , and any content or account that violates these guidelines will be removed . ''

"No matter where we are, how niche we think our audience is, we have to know that our content is global. A simple video that we make has global implications. People are failing to see that you're putting down your own people where there's a history of colourism in India but then imagine, you're in a global community. I live in Kenya and all my peers are shocked.


bbc--2020-04-30--Four Amish children killed in horse-drawn buggy accident

Officials in Kentucky say four children were killed and one is missing after their horse-drawn buggy was washed away while @ @ @ @ @ .
The Amish family of six were crossing a low water bridge when their horse @ @ @ @ @ current , police say .
The incident occurred in the Salt Lick Community of Bath @ @ @ @ @ ( 22:00BST ) on Wednesday .
As of Thursday , the National Guard and state @ @ @ @ @ the missing child .
The ages of the four children , who were siblings , @ @ @ @ @ .
Emergency workers staged themselves beside a flooded creek and searched through the night , @ @ @ @ @ reports that they were hampered by muddy conditions .
Missi Mosley and her boyfriend rushed @ @ @ @ @ a call for rescue on a police scanner , she said .
`` The waters @ @ @ @ @ the rain was pouring down .
It was just a sombre feeling . ''

Officials in Kentucky say four children were killed and one is missing after their horse-drawn buggy was washed away while trying to cross a stream.


bbc--2020-04-30--Nasa names companies to develop Moon landers for human missions

Nasa has chosen the companies that will develop landers to send astronauts to the Moon 's surface in the 2020s .
The White House wants to send the next man and the first woman to the Moon in 2024 , to be followed by other missions .
Jeff Bezos ' Blue Origin , Elon Musk 's SpaceX and Alabama-based Dynetics were selected to work on landers under the space agency 's Artemis programme .
The 2024 mission will see astronauts walk on the Moon 's surface for the first time since 1972 .
Combined , the contracts are worth $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will run for a `` base period '' of 10 months .
`` With these contract awards , America is moving forward with the final step needed to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024 , including the incredible moment when we will see the first woman set foot on the lunar surface , '' said Nasa 's administrator Jim Bridenstine .
`` This is the first time since the Apollo era that Nasa has direct funding for a human landing system , and now we have companies on contract to do the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • To the Moon and Beyond The winning lander concepts take different approaches to the challenge of setting humans down on the lunar surface .
Blue Origin , founded by Amazon president and CEO Jeff Bezos , is partnering with Lockheed Martin , Northrop Grumman and Draper to build its lander .
Bezos ' firm is the prime contractor in the partnership which has been dubbed the `` National Team '' .
The design is split into three parts : a transfer element that will carry astronauts from a higher lunar orbit to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will take them from low lunar orbit to the surface , and an ascent stage that will blast the crew back off the surface at the end of their mission .
The concept is designed to be launched on Blue Origin 's New Glenn and ULA 's Vulcan rocket systems .
Dynetics ' concept is a single module that will launch on the Vulcan rocket .
According to Lisa Watson-Morgan , the human landing system program manager at Nasa 's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville , Alabama , this design features @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , putting the crew very close to the lunar surface for transfer and access '' .
SpaceX 's design is the Starship , which will use the company 's Super Heavy rocket for launch .
A prototype of the craft has been undergoing testing at the company 's Boca Chica test site in southern Texas .
• Nasa unveils new spacesuit for next Moon landing The other key elements in Nasa 's Moon plan are further along in their development .
Astronauts bound for the Moon will launch from Earth in a capsule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the Space Launch System ( SLS ) .
Nasa also plans to build a small space station in lunar orbit , known as Gateway , where Orion could dock and different lander stages could be assembled before the journey to the lunar surface .
However , it was reported last month that Gateway had been removed from the `` critical path '' for 2024 's mission .
But during a news conference on Thursday , Mr Bridenstine re-stated the agency 's support for Gateway .
It 's not likely to be used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but will be important for later stages in the programme : `` We absolutely need a Gateway , '' he said .
Doug Loverro , associate administrator for Nasa 's Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate , commented : `` With these awards we begin an exciting partnership with the best of industry to accomplish the nation 's goals .
We have much work ahead , especially over these next critical 10 months . ''
However , support within Congress will determine the fate of the programme , which is projected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
In the 1960s and 70s , Nasa launched seven missions intended to land on the Moon under the Apollo programme .
Apollo 13 did not touch down after an oxygen tank exploded .
The last crewed mission was Apollo 17 , which explored the Moon 's Taurus-Littrow valley in December 1972 .
This time , Nasa wants to establish a long-term presence .
`` We 're not going back to the Moon to leave flags and footprints and then not go back for another 50 years , '' Jim Bridenstine said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go sustainably - to stay - with landers and robots and rovers and humans . ''
The agency is acting on a space policy directive signed by President Donald Trump in 2017 .
It instructs Nasa to return American astronauts to the Moon , and on to `` other destinations '' .
The Moon could be used as a potential testing ground for capabilities that would help humans perform a landing on Mars .
SpaceX included plans for an uncrewed test landing on the Moon in its proposal to Nasa .
Dynetics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to test key capabilities for its lander system prior to a mission to the lunar surface .

However, it was reported last month that Gateway had been removed from the "critical path" for 2024's mission. But during a news conference on Thursday, Mr Bridenstine re-stated the agency's support for Gateway. It's not likely to be used by the Artemis-3 mission in four years, but will be important for later stages in the programme: "We absolutely need a Gateway," he said.


bbc--2020-04-30--Coronavirus: Los Angeles offers free virus testing to all residents

Los Angeles is offering free coronavirus tests to all residents , regardless of whether they are displaying any symptoms .
Mayor Eric Garcetti made the announcement just hours after Los Angeles County reported its largest daily increase in new Covid-19 cases .
Until now , only essential workers and those displaying symptoms could receive tests due to a scarcity of kits .
Meanwhile , California ordered all beaches in Orange County to close .
California is the most populous state in the US , and while some of its beaches have been closed for weeks , others have remained open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Over the weekend , photos of crowded beaches in the county , which is south of Los Angeles , led state governor Gavin Newsom to warn that the behaviour of some sun-seekers threatened to undo weeks of work to restrict the spread of Covid-19 .
What 's going on in Los Angeles ?
Los Angeles County currently accounts for almost half of California 's confirmed coronavirus cases .
The state has so far reported over 48,000 cases and more than 1,900 deaths .
• Why so many US nurses are out of work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the city 's residents to get swabbed after earlier tweeting that `` LA is now the first major city in America to offer free Covid-19 testing '' .
Meanwhile , US media had expected Governor Newsom to sign an executive order to close all beaches and parks in the state after a memo circulated to the state 's police chiefs indicated as much .
However , he restricted his order on Thursday to beaches in Orange County , saying `` we are going to do a hard close in that part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be closed until further notice , although he added that he hoped he would not have to maintain the order for too long .
California was among the first US states to bring in blanket restrictions , issuing a `` stay at home '' order to residents last month in an effort to stem the march of the coronavirus .
Mr Newsom recently said that he was still weeks away from lifting some restrictions .
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : What are the symptoms ?
• LEADING THE WAY : How California kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The young doctors being asked to play god • REASON TO HOPE : The good that may come out of this crisis Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti 's announcement of free testing for all came hours after a grim milestone - LA County saw it 's largest increase in new Coronavirus cases reported in a single day since the pandemic began , though the rate of hospitalisations and percentage of people testing positive have remained stable .
Eric Garcetti urged all Angelenos to get swabbed .
`` You ca n't put a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowing you ca n't infect someone around you '' he said .
California 's leaders have long characterised expanding Covid-19 testing as one of a number of critical milestones that need to be met before stay at home orders can be modified .
While Los Angeles County , which is home to nearly 10 million people , continues to be the coronavirus hotbed of California , accounting for nearly half of the States ' nearly 50,000 confirmed cases , that milestone could now be in sight .
In other US developments : • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
US President Donald Trump has said he will not renew them because governors can make decisions for individual states • New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the state would start a `` massive '' contact tracing effort , hiring between 6,400 and 17,000 tracers • Subways in the New York City area will shutdown for cleaning every night between 01:00 and 05:00 - one of the few times the 24-hour service has been halted .
Essential workers who need to travel during those hours will be given free Uber and Lyft rides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million more people filed for unemployment benefits in the US , meaning at least 30 million Americans have lost their jobs since mid-March • The state of Georgia is temporarily allowing 16-year-olds to get drivers ' licences without a road test during the pandemic • Mr Trump stepped up his criticism of China over the outbreak , saying the country `` will do anything they can '' to make him lose in his re-election bid

Eric Garcetti urged all Angelenos to get swabbed. "You can't put a price on the peace of mind of knowing you can't infect someone around you" he said. California's leaders have long characterised expanding Covid-19 testing as one of a number of critical milestones that need to be met before stay at home orders can be modified.


bbc--2020-04-30--Coronavirus: Boris Johnson says UK is past the peak of outbreak

PM Boris Johnson said he will set out a `` comprehensive plan '' next week on how to restart the economy , reopen schools and help people travel to work following the coronavirus lockdown .
He said the UK was `` past the peak '' of the virus outbreak , but stressed the country must not `` risk a second spike '' .
Mr Johnson said face masks will be `` useful '' as part of the strategy for coming out of lockdown .
Some 26,771 people have now died with the virus in the UK , a rise of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number ?
The prime minister said that `` we can now see the sunlight '' , but he insisted that to avoid the `` disaster '' of a second peak the UK must keep the R rate - the number of people to which one infected person will pass the virus - below one .
More than 81,000 coronavirus tests were carried out on Wednesday , still short of the Downing Street 's target of 100,000 by the end of April .
Mr Johnson insisted : `` We 're massively ramping up testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told BBC One 's Question Time that the government was `` quite likely to get very close to or meet '' the target when the figures for the final day of April are announced on Friday .
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the prime minister 's commitment to outline a plan next week as `` a step in the right direction '' .
The BBC 's political editor Laura Kuenssberg asked at what level the reproduction rate should be before the government would be `` comfortable easing restrictions '' .
The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whitty , replied : `` We are absolutely confident that the wrong answer is anything over one . ''
He explained that as soon as the R rises above one you `` restart exponential growth '' and `` sooner or later '' the NHS would be at the risk of being overwhelmed .
The current rate is thought to be between 0.6 and 0.9 across the country .
Mr Johnson said that keeping the reproduction rate down `` is going to be absolutely vital to our recovery '' .
The government has set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before lockdown restrictions can be eased , including : • making sure the NHS can cope • a `` sustained and consistent '' fall in the daily death rate • ensuring supply of tests and PPE can meet future demand • and being confident any adjustments would not risk a second peak `` that overwhelms the NHS '' The prime minister 's claim that the UK is past the peak of the virus may surprise some given the big jump in deaths this week .
At the weekend it was announced 20,000 had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed 26,000 .
Those figures had been inflated by the retrospective inclusion of deaths in the community , mainly care homes , dating back to March .
And there is strong evidence from tracking hospital deaths - a sign of transmission in the general population - that the peak was actually seen on 8 April .
Since then , fatalities - when recorded by date of death - have been coming down .
In England the numbers being seen are half what they were then .
But it is , of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the numbers are going up .
It is , effectively , two epidemics .
One in the wider population that is coming under control and one in care homes that is raging .
Our correspondent Laura Kuenssberg also asked whether the economy `` just has to wait '' as the government continues with the lockdown in the UK .
The prime minister said it was `` vital '' to avoid a second peak `` because that would really do economic damage '' , adding that the UK must `` unlock the economy gradually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to suppress the disease .
Mr Johnson said he would set out details next week to explain how to get the economy moving , get children back into school and childcare , how people can travel to work and how to make life in the workplace safer .
He said dates and times of each individual measure would be driven `` by where we are in the epidemic '' , and said the government was `` being guided by the science '' .
`` What you 're going to get next week is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of options , '' Mr Johnson said .
• AVOIDING CONTACT : The rules on self-isolation and exercise • TESTING : Can I get tested for coronavirus ?
The prime minister highlighted a coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford , which it is hoped could be available for limited use by the end of the year .
But Mr Johnson said `` until this day comes [ when a vaccine is ready ] , we are are going to have to beat this disease by our growing resolve and ingenuity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be reviewed next week , on 7 May .
Mr Johnson also said face coverings will be `` useful '' as part of the strategy for coming out of lockdown `` both for epidemiological reasons but also giving people confidence they can go back to work '' .
The Scottish government already recommends people use face coverings when in shops and on public transport .
Meanwhile , Mr Shapps told Question Time there was a `` live discussion '' within government about introducing new quarantine measures at airports for people coming into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefing for the first time since recovering from the virus , the prime minister said : `` I 'm not going to minimise the logistical problems we 've faced in getting the right protective gear to the right people in the right place , both in the NHS and care homes .
`` But what I can tell you is that everyone responsible for tackling these problems - whether in government , the NHS , Public Health England or local authorities - we are throwing everything at it , heart and soul , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and we will get it right . ''
He added : `` We have come through the peak , or rather we have come under what could have been a vast peak .
`` As though we have been going through some huge Alpine tunnel , and we can now see the sunlight and the pasture ahead of us . ''
Asked about the UK 's response to the pandemic , Mr Johnson said he thought it was `` right to make our period of lockdown coincide ... with the peak of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the government was `` learning lessons every day '' .
The prime minister said he wanted to `` wait until the end [ of the pandemic ] before making international comparisons '' between the UK 's coronavirus death total and other nations .
`` At the moment , I just think the data is not clear , '' he said .
On testing , he said : `` I think I 'm right in saying ... we are now doing about as much testing as any other country in Europe .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these international comparisons but we have massively ramped up our testing operation , we are going to ramp it up further . ''
Speaking on Question Time , former chancellor George Osborne said the country did not have testing `` as quick as we 'd like '' and went into lockdown too late , but he said : `` The hospitals have n't fallen over and the capacity has been built . ''
Meanwhile , on Thursday evening , people across the country took part in the sixth nationwide Clap for Carers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pictured clapping outside No 10 , while fiancee Carrie Symonds - who gave birth to the couple 's son on Wednesday - tweeted she was joining in the clap and had `` another wonderful reason to thank the NHS this week too '' .
During the briefing , Mr Johnson also thanked the NHS and referenced his `` very much happier hospital visit yesterday '' .
• More than 9,000 fines have been issued in England and Wales for breaching coronavirus lockdown restrictions • British Airways has told staff its Gatwick Airport operation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Captain Tom Moore , who raised more than £30m for the NHS by walking laps of his garden , has been made an honorary colonel on his 100th birthday • London 's transport system may be unable to cope with a surge in demand when lockdown measures are lifted , a briefing to emergency planners says • Sainsbury 's says customers are likely to see disruption to their shopping , including socially-distanced queues , until September • Firms that fail to refund people for holiday and weddings cancelled because of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watchdog The total number of deaths of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in UK hospitals and the wider community is now 26,771 , according to data published by the Department of Health and Social Care .
This is different to the total of 26,711 initially announced by Mr Johnson at the briefing .

"But what I can tell you is that everyone responsible for tackling these problems - whether in government, the NHS, Public Health England or local authorities - we are throwing everything at it, heart and soul, night and day to get it right, and we will get it right."


bbc--2020-05-01--Nigerian drummer Tony Allen dies aged 79

Nigerian pioneering drummer Tony Allen , a co-founder of the Afrobeat musical genre , died in Paris on Thursday aged @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We do n't know the exact cause of death , '' Eric Trosset @ @ @ @ @ was not linked to the coronavirus .
Allen was the drummer and musical director of @ @ @ @ @ band Africa '70 in the 1960-70s .
Fela , who died in 1997 , once @ @ @ @ @ Allen , there would be no Afrobeat '' .
This breaking news story is being @ @ @ @ @ be published shortly .
Please refresh the page for the fullest version .
You can @ @ @ @ @ smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App .
You can also follow @ BBCBreaking @ @ @ @ @ latest alerts .

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bbc--2020-04-30--100th birthday celebration for UK fundraising hero

The war veteran who has raised millions for the NHS has celebrated his 100th birthday in style , with tributes @ @ @ @ @ the country .
With celebrations under way , the total Captain Tom Moore has raised @ @ @ @ @ garden for NHS Charities Together topped £30m .
Capt Tom was also made an honorary @ @ @ @ @ honorary member of the England cricket team .
The occasion was also marked with an @ @ @ @ @ from the Queen and prime minister .
Watch more of the celebrations on BBC Breakfast @

The war veteran who has raised millions for the NHS has celebrated his 100th birthday in style, with tributes have pouring in from around the country.
With celebrations under way, the total Captain Tom Moore has raised by completing laps of his garden for NHS Charities Together topped £30m.
Capt Tom was also made an honorary colonel, and became an honorary member of the England cricket team.
The occasion was also marked with an RAF flypast and birthday greetings from the Queen and prime minister.
Watch more of the celebrations on BBC Breakfast.