bbc--2020-06-24--New border plans leave Palestinians in despair

Israel 's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could annex parts of the occupied West Bank this summer .
He says the move , stemming from US President Donald Trump 's peace plan , will write another `` glorious chapter in the history of Zionism '' .
The Palestinians are defiant .
They say they are pulling out of previous agreements , risking their own fragile governing authority .
To them , the move means the loss of vital land for a future state and a death blow to dreams of self-determination .
Much of the global community looks on with growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear violation of international law , while warnings echo of a `` hot summer '' of boiling tensions .
How is the groundwork being laid ahead of what is potentially one of the most significant policy moves in the region in years ?
'Do it right ! '
My journey starts along the main highway heading south out of Jerusalem .
The road is named after Menachem Begin , the former Jewish militant leader who became Israel 's sixth prime minister .
He is an icon of right-wing nationalism , founding the movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the party now led by Benjamin Netanyahu .
The highway ramp dips past a 12-storey building covered in a giant poster of Mr Netanyahu and President Trump .
`` No to a Palestinian state ! ''
it proclaims in Hebrew .
`` Sovereignty - do it right ! ''
It 's a message for , not by , the current Israeli and US leaders .
It 's from a group of mayors of Jewish settlements in the West Bank - the territory they see as their Biblical heartland .
The mayors want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 % of the West Bank that is on the table from Mr Trump .
With Mr Netanyahu soon able to bring proposals to his cabinet or parliament to `` apply Israeli law '' to parts of the territory , the mayors are giving him a headache from his political right .
It 's a sign of how the argument has shifted in Israel over the years .
I drive on , leaving the Begin Highway behind , passing a military checkpoint and joining a smaller road that winds its way into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three million Palestinians , and to almost half a million Israelis living in settlements .
'My peach is not Trump 's to give' Among grapevines and olive trees , Mohammed Yehya Ayer shows me his land .
We 're on a ridge outside the Palestinian village of Irtas .
Some of the West Bank 's familiar colour codes are on display .
Orange rooftops curve across a hilltop to the south-west - the neat suburban layout of the Israeli settlement of Efrat .
Beyond its fenced-off edges the land sweeps down into an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burnt ochre and rocks , before the habitation picks up again - the grey concrete blocks of Dheisheh , a sprawling urban refugee camp on the edge of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem .
I ask Mohammed what he thinks of Mr Netanyahu 's recent statements .
`` It does n't mean anything , '' he tells me .
`` These areas are already [ as good as ] annexed ...
It 's all in their hands . ''
Mohammed goes on to explain his view .
His family farmed the land here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ established in the 1980s , things began to change .
He describes a frequent struggle over control .
`` If I put 10 bricks here [ to build a structure ] , the Israeli authorities come and demolish them , '' he says .
`` Israelis ... make suggestions and seize more lands on the pretext they are state land ... and the government helps the settlers . ''
Israel is planning a new settlement , called Givat Eitam , north-east of where I walk with Mohammed .
It would be considered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is within an area sandwiched between the two settlements .
`` If Efrat builds there by force , they might install gates and fences and not allow us to cross our lands , '' he says .
`` They would tell us to get special permits and approvals . ''
The Israeli authorities routinely point out that fence routes can be challenged in the planning process or the courts .
They declined to comment on the specific claim about access if Givat Eitam goes ahead .
Judges are due to rule on an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ settlement itself .
I put it to Mohammed that the Trump plan envisages the Palestinians having a state on 70 % of the West Bank and a freeze on settlement expansion for four years in places outside of Israeli-annexed areas .
`` Who is Trump to promise anything ?
Is this property owned by him ? ''
he asks holding up his fruit .
`` I can give this peach to you because I own it .
But if I do n't have it , how could I offer it to you ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ side and we can do what we want' It 's not far to Efrat .
But the journey shows the West Bank 's sharp contrasts .
Before a watchtower , concrete stumps alongside a dust road mark out a future line to extend Israel 's network of walls , fences and checkpoints - the separation barrier .
Its construction began during the second Palestinian intifada , or uprising , of 2000-2005 , when suicide bombings frequently killed Israelis and Israel launched sweeping incursions into West Bank cities .
Israel says the barrier saves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to grab land .
The settlements are seen as illegal under international law , stemming from the prohibition on countries transferring part of their populations to areas under military occupation .
Israel rejects this , arguing the territory is `` disputed '' rather than occupied .
An armed guard waves me past a checkpoint into Efrat 's quiet streets .
The Trump plan is a big break from previous peace proposals .
Some speculate that these could have led to Israel formally gaining the big settlement blocs - including the bloc containing Efrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a negotiated deal with the Palestinians , who want the West Bank as part of their future state .
Most of the big settlement blocs are just across the Green Line , the armistice line from before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war , when Israel captured the West Bank from Jordanian control .
But President Trump 's plan potentially awards American recognition to Israel for all the settlements and the strategically vital Jordan Valley - before any negotiations with the Palestinians .
Outside a waffle bar , I chat to Yedidia Mosawi and Sharon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yedidia tells me he works in security and comes from a settlement further south , near Hebron .
`` It 's an amazing place , very important for Israel , '' he says of the West Bank - or the Hebrew Biblical name of Judea and Samaria , as many Israelis refer to it .
I ask about Mr Netanyahu 's plans .
He suggests it 's not enough .
`` [ We should ] apply Israeli law to all of this land .
It 's ours in history .
For the Jewish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we do n't have another country to go to . ''
Sharon adds : `` You ca n't tell people to go from their land , their home . ''
I arrive at the mayor 's office .
Outside is a picture of a floor mosaic found in Jordan in the 1880s .
It is known as the Madaba map , a portrayal of the Holy Land in the 6th Century .
One of its Greek inscriptions , next to Bethlehem , references the Biblical location of Ephratah .
The Israeli settlement of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oded Revivi is well aware of the religious and ideological connections to the land , although he says it is not the main driving force for most settlers .
Many , as he did in the 1990s , come for potentially cheaper homes in a ready formed Jewish community .
Mr Revivi talks to Mr Netanyahu .
He knows members of the American-Israeli mapping team charged with working out the territorial boundaries of annexation , and he backed the Trump plan from the start .
`` I thought it was a genuine attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to solve the conflict , '' he says .
What of his fellow mayors attacking the prime minister from the right , claiming Israeli rights to even more of the West Bank ?
Mr Revivi jabs at some of his colleagues politely .
`` Such an attitude derives from not quite understanding the global village we live in , '' he says , referring to the strong counter-views of much of the outside world to any annexation .
`` That we can think we are strong and mighty , and that God is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do whatever we want . ''
You need to understand the Trump deal in stages , he says .
`` This is stage one . ''
Opponents see the Trump plan as nothing more than a way to formalise a de-facto reality developed on the ground for half a century in breach of international law .
I arrive in the shadow of a huge bridge being constructed - a doubling of the road running from the Begin Highway that forges its way into the West Bank , connecting Jerusalem to Efrat and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few metres from a section of the separation barrier - an 8m-high ( 26ft ) concrete wall here that conceals from our view Palestinian homes on the other side , as cars bearing Israeli number plates zoom across the bridge above us .
This is the `` whole story of the West Bank in the last 53 years '' , according to Dror Etkes , who runs the Israeli non-governmental organisation Kerem Navot ( Navot 's Vineyard - named after a Biblical figure murdered for his land ) , which monitors settlement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Palestinians and giving to the Israelis .
The way you do it is confiscating land and allocating only to Israelis .
That 's one .
And the other is sealing up and preventing the expansion of Palestinian communities , '' he says .
Mr Etkes says this is the biggest boom in infrastructure projects carried out by Israel in the West Bank in two decades .
More roads , water pipelines and sewage purification systems are being built , he says , to allow for significant future growth in settler numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warn that annexation could leave people like Mohammed Ayer in territorial enclaves .
A study by the US think tank the Washington Institute suggests `` full annexation '' by Israel of up to 30 % of the West Bank could affect almost 110,000 Palestinians .
Mr Netanyahu has said those in the Jordan Valley , for example , would remain `` Palestinian subjects '' .
Critics fear that means they would effectively live in islands of only Palestinian civil control , surrounded by land under full Israeli jurisdiction .
The Palestinian leadership , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United Nations Human Rights Council , say this would formalise a system of `` apartheid '' in the West Bank - two peoples ruled by one state in the same space with unequal rights .
Some Israeli opposition figures from Jewish majority parties view the plan as a nightmare , being carried out carelessly .
They see little gain from unilateral annexation , while leaving Israel 's global image tarnished .
But retired Israeli Brigadier-General Yossi Kuperwasser believes the numbers of Palestinians caught in any unilateral application of sovereignty would be `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive Israeli residency in the interim and suggests the Palestinian leadership should engage with the Trump administration .
`` This was the logic of the US peace plan , '' he says .
`` The Palestinians are going to be citizens of the future Palestinian state . ''
'We are not going to throw away the key and go home' The drive to the Palestinian city of Ramallah is often complicated .
The city has a small number of entry and exit points , and big traffic jams are a constant feature .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Palestinian Authority ( PA ) .
The governing body was born as a result of the Oslo Accords of the 1990s - the high-water mark of Israeli-Palestinian peace-making .
Now , in a bid to increase international pressure to avert annexation , Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the PA is no longer bound by agreements with Israel and the US , including on security .
Some fear suspending such co-ordination , if fully delivered , could precipitate a collapse of the PA and the potential for a slide into chaos in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Palestinian politics , the militant group Hamas - the main rival of President Abbas ' Fatah movement - could try to capitalise and is warning of a confrontation with Israel .
I arrive for a news conference by the Palestinian Prime Minister , Mohammad Shtayyeh .
Security is always tight .
Now there 's also an anti-coronavirus washdown before you enter the building - I step into a booth where I 'm showered with sanitiser fluid , mostly soaking my hair .
The pandemic is slowing entry to the building , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics .
Mr Shtayyeh believes Israel 's plans bring the conflict to a new junction in history .
`` This peace process has reached a serious impasse , '' he says .
`` We are facing a moment of truth for us as a Palestinian leadership . ''
I ask about the prospects for the future of the PA. '' Let 's not fool ourselves , '' he replies .
`` The PA is not a gift from anybody .
It came into being because of the Palestinian people ... We are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go home . ''
Mr Shtayyeh accuses the international community of failing to act .
Why does n't his leadership engage with the US and negotiate , he is asked .
He says annexation would amount to the `` destruction '' of a future Palestinian state , and suggests accepting it would leave the PA becoming `` a bunch of traitors - and we will not be '' .
What happens next ?
Mr Netanyahu continues to talk up his plans , despite speculation that they were a gimmick to rally the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These territories are where the Jewish nation was born and grew , '' the prime minister said of the settlements when his new coalition government was about to be sworn in in May .
`` [ Applying Israeli law to them ] wo n't distance us from peace .
It will bring us closer . ''
The coalition agreement allows him to bring proposals to the cabinet or the Israeli parliament from 1 July .
The US administration , having signalled in May that it did n't expect the process to be rushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the proposals Mr Netanyahu arrives at broadly on the conditions that he commits to the Trump plan as a package ( meaning keeping open the possibility of Palestinian negotiations in the next four years ) and that there is consensus among the principle players in the coalition .
This adds to the significance of the views of Benny Gantz , the defence minister and alternate prime minister due to take over from Mr Netanyahu late next year .
Mr Gantz is thought to be less willing to back sweeping unilateral annexation plans and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries that have ties with Israel .
The latter - in particular neighbouring Jordan - have voiced vehement opposition to any form of annexation , raising concerns about regional stability if the move goes ahead .
Mr Gantz 's Blue and White party , whose success in the elections was partly down to left-wing votes , is `` walking a tight-rope '' on the issue says Lahav Harkov , diplomatic correspondent at the Jerusalem Post .
While Mr Netanyahu `` wants to push for all of it '' , Mr Gantz and Foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White party colleague , are a lot more reticent , she tells me .
More meetings between these key players seem certain .
I make another return to Begin Highway , this time heading back into Jerusalem .
The Israeli prime minister 's office and the parliament are off a junction heading east .
More history-making could lie on the road ahead .

Israel annexation: New border plans leave Palestinians in despair Published 25 June 2020
Image source, AFP Image caption, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says settlements - on land claimed by Palestinians - will become part of Israel
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could annex parts of the occupied West Bank this summer. He says the move, stemming from US President Donald Trump's peace plan, will write another "glorious chapter in the history of Zionism".
The Palestinians are defiant. They say they are pulling out of previous agreements, risking their own fragile governing authority. To them, the move means the loss of vital land for a future state and a death blow to dreams of self-determination.
Much of the global community looks on with growing concern over what they see as a clear violation of international law, while warnings echo of a "hot summer" of boiling tensions.
How is the groundwork being laid ahead of what is potentially one of the most significant policy moves in the region in years?
'Do it right!'
My journey starts along the main highway heading south out of Jerusalem.
The road is named after Menachem Begin, the former Jewish militant leader who became Israel's sixth prime minister. He is an icon of right-wing nationalism, founding the movement that later merged to become Likud - the party now led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
The highway ramp dips past a 12-storey building covered in a giant poster of Mr Netanyahu and President Trump. "No to a Palestinian state!" it proclaims in Hebrew. "Sovereignty - do it right!"
It's a message for, not by, the current Israeli and US leaders. It's from a group of mayors of Jewish settlements in the West Bank - the territory they see as their Biblical heartland.
Image source, AFP Image caption, Settlers say a Palestinian state in the West Bank would pose a threat
The mayors want to claim Israeli sovereignty over more than the 30% of the West Bank that is on the table from Mr Trump. With Mr Netanyahu soon able to bring proposals to his cabinet or parliament to "apply Israeli law" to parts of the territory, the mayors are giving him a headache from his political right.
It's a sign of how the argument has shifted in Israel over the years.
I drive on, leaving the Begin Highway behind, passing a military checkpoint and joining a smaller road that winds its way into the West Bank, home to up to three million Palestinians, and to almost half a million Israelis living in settlements.
'My peach is not Trump's to give'
Among grapevines and olive trees, Mohammed Yehya Ayer shows me his land.
We're on a ridge outside the Palestinian village of Irtas. Some of the West Bank's familiar colour codes are on display. Orange rooftops curve across a hilltop to the south-west - the neat suburban layout of the Israeli settlement of Efrat.
Image caption, Mohammed Yehya Ayer says parts of the West Bank are "already [as good as] annexed"
Beyond its fenced-off edges the land sweeps down into an empty valley, a dusty gulf of burnt ochre and rocks, before the habitation picks up again - the grey concrete blocks of Dheisheh, a sprawling urban refugee camp on the edge of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
Two separated worlds, side by side.
I ask Mohammed what he thinks of Mr Netanyahu's recent statements.
"It doesn't mean anything," he tells me. "These areas are already [as good as] annexed... It's all in their hands."
Mohammed goes on to explain his view.
His family farmed the land here for generations. After Efrat settlement was established in the 1980s, things began to change. He describes a frequent struggle over control.
"If I put 10 bricks here [to build a structure], the Israeli authorities come and demolish them," he says.
"Israelis... make suggestions and seize more lands on the pretext they are state land... and the government helps the settlers."
Israel is planning a new settlement, called Givat Eitam, north-east of where I walk with Mohammed. It would be considered a neighbourhood of Efrat. Mohammed's land is within an area sandwiched between the two settlements.
"If Efrat builds there by force, they might install gates and fences and not allow us to cross our lands," he says. "They would tell us to get special permits and approvals."
The Israeli authorities routinely point out that fence routes can be challenged in the planning process or the courts. They declined to comment on the specific claim about access if Givat Eitam goes ahead.
Judges are due to rule on an appeal against the land allocation for the settlement itself.
I put it to Mohammed that the Trump plan envisages the Palestinians having a state on 70% of the West Bank and a freeze on settlement expansion for four years in places outside of Israeli-annexed areas.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Donald J. Trump Allow Twitter content? This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. Accept and continue The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Donald J. Trump
He handles a freshly picked peach.
"Who is Trump to promise anything? Is this property owned by him?" he asks holding up his fruit. "I can give this peach to you because I own it. But if I don't have it, how could I offer it to you?"
'They say God is on our side and we can do what we want'
It's not far to Efrat. But the journey shows the West Bank's sharp contrasts.
Image caption, Efrat is one of more than 130 Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank
Before a watchtower, concrete stumps alongside a dust road mark out a future line to extend Israel's network of walls, fences and checkpoints - the separation barrier.
Its construction began during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, of 2000-2005, when suicide bombings frequently killed Israelis and Israel launched sweeping incursions into West Bank cities.
Israel says the barrier saves lives. Critics call it a device to grab land.
The settlements are seen as illegal under international law, stemming from the prohibition on countries transferring part of their populations to areas under military occupation. Israel rejects this, arguing the territory is "disputed" rather than occupied.
An armed guard waves me past a checkpoint into Efrat's quiet streets.
The Trump plan is a big break from previous peace proposals. Some speculate that these could have led to Israel formally gaining the big settlement blocs - including the bloc containing Efrat, for example - as part of a negotiated deal with the Palestinians, who want the West Bank as part of their future state.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Media caption, Palestinian President Abbas says Mr Trump's "conspiracy deal won't pass"
Most of the big settlement blocs are just across the Green Line, the armistice line from before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when Israel captured the West Bank from Jordanian control.
But President Trump's plan potentially awards American recognition to Israel for all the settlements and the strategically vital Jordan Valley - before any negotiations with the Palestinians.
Outside a waffle bar, I chat to Yedidia Mosawi and Sharon Barazani, both in their 20s.
Yedidia tells me he works in security and comes from a settlement further south, near Hebron.
"It's an amazing place, very important for Israel," he says of the West Bank - or the Hebrew Biblical name of Judea and Samaria, as many Israelis refer to it.
Image caption, Sharon Barazani and Yedidia Mosawi
I ask about Mr Netanyahu's plans. He suggests it's not enough.
"[We should] apply Israeli law to all of this land. It's ours in history. For the Jewish people it's the most important - we don't have another country to go to."
Sharon adds: "You can't tell people to go from their land, their home."
I arrive at the mayor's office. Outside is a picture of a floor mosaic found in Jordan in the 1880s.
It is known as the Madaba map, a portrayal of the Holy Land in the 6th Century. One of its Greek inscriptions, next to Bethlehem, references the Biblical location of Ephratah.
The Israeli settlement of Efrat was established in 1983. Mayor Oded Revivi is well aware of the religious and ideological connections to the land, although he says it is not the main driving force for most settlers.
Many, as he did in the 1990s, come for potentially cheaper homes in a ready formed Jewish community.
Image caption, Mayor Oded Revivi says the Trump plan is a genuine attempt to solve the conflict
Mr Revivi talks to Mr Netanyahu. He knows members of the American-Israeli mapping team charged with working out the territorial boundaries of annexation, and he backed the Trump plan from the start.
"I thought it was a genuine attempt to try and think of another way to solve the conflict," he says.
What of his fellow mayors attacking the prime minister from the right, claiming Israeli rights to even more of the West Bank? Mr Revivi jabs at some of his colleagues politely.
"Such an attitude derives from not quite understanding the global village we live in," he says, referring to the strong counter-views of much of the outside world to any annexation.
"That we can think we are strong and mighty, and that God is on our side, and we can do whatever we want."
You need to understand the Trump deal in stages, he says. "This is stage one."
A building boom
Opponents see the Trump plan as nothing more than a way to formalise a de-facto reality developed on the ground for half a century in breach of international law.
I arrive in the shadow of a huge bridge being constructed - a doubling of the road running from the Begin Highway that forges its way into the West Bank, connecting Jerusalem to Efrat and the other settlements further south.
Image caption, A bridge under construction will make it easier to travel between Jerusalem and the settlements
We stand a few metres from a section of the separation barrier - an 8m-high (26ft) concrete wall here that conceals from our view Palestinian homes on the other side, as cars bearing Israeli number plates zoom across the bridge above us.
This is the "whole story of the West Bank in the last 53 years", according to Dror Etkes, who runs the Israeli non-governmental organisation Kerem Navot (Navot's Vineyard - named after a Biblical figure murdered for his land), which monitors settlement construction.
"It's about taking from the Palestinians and giving to the Israelis. The way you do it is confiscating land and allocating only to Israelis. That's one. And the other is sealing up and preventing the expansion of Palestinian communities," he says.
We watch Eastern European workers carry huge steel beams.
Image caption, Infrastructure projects anticipate a growth in population in areas eyed for annexation
Mr Etkes says this is the biggest boom in infrastructure projects carried out by Israel in the West Bank in two decades.
More roads, water pipelines and sewage purification systems are being built, he says, to allow for significant future growth in settler numbers.
'Palestinian citizens of a future Palestinian state'
Mr Etkes and other monitoring groups warn that annexation could leave people like Mohammed Ayer in territorial enclaves.
A study by the US think tank the Washington Institute suggests "full annexation" by Israel of up to 30% of the West Bank could affect almost 110,000 Palestinians.
Mr Netanyahu has said those in the Jordan Valley, for example, would remain "Palestinian subjects". Critics fear that means they would effectively live in islands of only Palestinian civil control, surrounded by land under full Israeli jurisdiction.
Image source, AFP Image caption, Palestinian villages and Jewish settlement sit side by side in some areas
The Palestinian leadership, along with almost 50 experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, say this would formalise a system of "apartheid" in the West Bank - two peoples ruled by one state in the same space with unequal rights.
Some Israeli opposition figures from Jewish majority parties view the plan as a nightmare, being carried out carelessly. They see little gain from unilateral annexation, while leaving Israel's global image tarnished.
But retired Israeli Brigadier-General Yossi Kuperwasser believes the numbers of Palestinians caught in any unilateral application of sovereignty would be "negligible".
He says many could receive Israeli residency in the interim and suggests the Palestinian leadership should engage with the Trump administration.
"This was the logic of the US peace plan," he says. "The Palestinians are going to be citizens of the future Palestinian state."
'We are not going to throw away the key and go home'
The drive to the Palestinian city of Ramallah is often complicated. The city has a small number of entry and exit points, and big traffic jams are a constant feature.
Ramallah is home to the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The governing body was born as a result of the Oslo Accords of the 1990s - the high-water mark of Israeli-Palestinian peace-making.
Now, in a bid to increase international pressure to avert annexation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the PA is no longer bound by agreements with Israel and the US, including on security.
Image source, AFP Image caption, Israel and the Palestinians signed a peace accord in 1993 but a final treaty is still to be reached
Some fear suspending such co-ordination, if fully delivered, could precipitate a collapse of the PA and the potential for a slide into chaos in the West Bank.
Amid the bitter divisions of Palestinian politics, the militant group Hamas - the main rival of President Abbas' Fatah movement - could try to capitalise and is warning of a confrontation with Israel.
I arrive for a news conference by the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh. Security is always tight. Now there's also an anti-coronavirus washdown before you enter the building - I step into a booth where I'm showered with sanitiser fluid, mostly soaking my hair.
The pandemic is slowing entry to the building, but it has not paused the region's politics.
Mr Shtayyeh believes Israel's plans bring the conflict to a new junction in history.
"This peace process has reached a serious impasse," he says. "We are facing a moment of truth for us as a Palestinian leadership."
I ask about the prospects for the future of the PA.
"Let's not fool ourselves," he replies. "The PA is not a gift from anybody. It came into being because of the Palestinian people... We are not going to throw away the key and go home."
Mr Shtayyeh accuses the international community of failing to act.
Why doesn't his leadership engage with the US and negotiate, he is asked.
He says annexation would amount to the "destruction" of a future Palestinian state, and suggests accepting it would leave the PA becoming "a bunch of traitors - and we will not be".
'Walking a tightrope'
What happens next? Mr Netanyahu continues to talk up his plans, despite speculation that they were a gimmick to rally the right wing in three deadlocked elections.
"These territories are where the Jewish nation was born and grew," the prime minister said of the settlements when his new coalition government was about to be sworn in in May.
"[Applying Israeli law to them] won't distance us from peace. It will bring us closer."
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Annexation will redraw Israel's eastern frontiers
The coalition agreement allows him to bring proposals to the cabinet or the Israeli parliament from 1 July.
The US administration, having signalled in May that it didn't expect the process to be rushed, may now be ready to back the proposals Mr Netanyahu arrives at broadly on the conditions that he commits to the Trump plan as a package (meaning keeping open the possibility of Palestinian negotiations in the next four years) and that there is consensus among the principle players in the coalition.
This adds to the significance of the views of Benny Gantz, the defence minister and alternate prime minister due to take over from Mr Netanyahu late next year.
Mr Gantz is thought to be less willing to back sweeping unilateral annexation plans and he wants co-ordination with Washington and Arab countries that have ties with Israel.
The latter - in particular neighbouring Jordan - have voiced vehement opposition to any form of annexation, raising concerns about regional stability if the move goes ahead.
Mr Gantz's Blue and White party, whose success in the elections was partly down to left-wing votes, is "walking a tight-rope" on the issue says Lahav Harkov, diplomatic correspondent at the Jerusalem Post.
While Mr Netanyahu "wants to push for all of it", Mr Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, his Blue and White party colleague, are a lot more reticent, she tells me.
More meetings between these key players seem certain.
I make another return to Begin Highway, this time heading back into Jerusalem. The Israeli prime minister's office and the parliament are off a junction heading east. More history-making could lie on the road ahead.


bbc--2020-06-25--Bayer to pay $10.9bn to settle weedkiller cancer claims

Chemical firm Bayer is to pay up to $ 10.9bn ( £8.8bn ) to settle cancer claims linked to its Roundup weedkiller .
The glyphosate-based product has been subject to about 125,000 lawsuits over its allegedly carcinogenic effects .
New York-based law firm Weitz & Luxenberg says it has reached a settlement on behalf of almost 100,000 people .
Bayer denies any wrongdoing but said the payout would end `` uncertainty '' .
Roundup was originally launched by US firm Monsanto , which was bought by Bayer in 2018 .
Since its introduction more than four decades ago , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most popular weedkiller , As part of the settlement , Bayer will pay as much as $ 9.6bn to resolve outstanding claims , and set aside a further $ 1.25bn to deal with any future action , the company said in a statement on its website .
• Weedkillers : What do we know about glyphosate ?
`` It has been a long journey , but we are very pleased that we 've achieved justice for the tens of thousands of people who , through no fault of their own , are suffering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monsanto assured them was safe , '' Robin Greenwald , Practice Group Chair , Environmental Pollution and Consumer Protection at Weitz & Luxenberg , said in a statement .
Up to $ 5bn of the agreed payout will be released this year , with a further $ 5bn paid in 2021 .
Bayer said an agreement had not yet been reached for about 25 % of the outstanding claims .
`` First and foremost , the Roundup settlement is the right action at the right time for Bayer to bring a long period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote Werner Baumann , chief executive of Bayer .
He repeated the company 's view that the science indicates `` Roundup does not cause cancer , and therefore , is not responsible for the illnesses alleged in this litigation '' .
The German chemical giant bought Monsanto for $ 63bn two years ago and immediately faced legal battles over the herbicide .
In August 2018 , a California court issued the first ruling linking Roundup to cancer , awarding claimants substantial compensation .
In their lawsuits , users blame Roundup and its active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other cancers .
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in many weedkillers , although the science about its safety is still far from conclusive .
Some countries have banned herbicides that contain glyphosate while others continue to use them .
Bayer denies glyphosate is a carcinogen , a position backed by the US Environmental Protection Agency .
In addition to the Roundup compensation , Bayer will also pay about $ 820m to settle cases related to water pollution from the use of the now-banned toxic chemical compound polychlorinated biphenyl ( PCB ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 400m will be paid by Bayer to settle allegations that its dicamba-based herbicide caused damage to crops .
Dicamba has also now been banned in America .

"It has been a long journey, but we are very pleased that we've achieved justice for the tens of thousands of people who, through no fault of their own, are suffering from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma after using a product Monsanto assured them was safe," Robin Greenwald, Practice Group Chair, Environmental Pollution and Consumer Protection at Weitz & Luxenberg, said in a statement.


bbc--2020-06-25--Coronavirus: US Secret Service staff self-isolating after Trump rally

Dozens of US Secret Service personnel have been told to self-isolate after two who attended President Donald Trump 's rally in Tulsa on Sunday tested positive for Covid-19 , US media report .
Mr Trump was criticised for holding the re-election campaign event in a city where the infection rate is rising .
Six members of the campaign 's advance team tested positive before the rally , while two others did so afterwards .
The Secret Service did not say how many employees were infected or isolating .
The Washington Post reported that the the six advance team members who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two Secret Service personnel .
They both attended a planning meeting on Friday along with dozens of other Secret Service agents and officers , who continued to carry out their duties after the test results were known , the newspaper cited people familiar with the situation as saying .
• Is the US testing more people than anywhere else ?
• Is the pandemic getting worse in the US ?
A law enforcement official told CNN that the number of agents in quarantine was in the `` low '' number of dozens .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency remained `` prepared and staffed to fulfil all of the various duties as required '' .
`` Any implication that the agency is in some way unprepared or incapable of executing our mission would be inaccurate , '' she added .
CNN also cited an internal email as saying that Secret Service agents involved in presidential trips must now be tested 24 to 48 hours before deployment .
People who attended the rally in Tulsa were not required to wear face masks or follow social-distancing guidelines , but they did have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sign a waiver protecting the Trump campaign from responsibility for any illness .
According to Tulsa 's fire department , about 6,200 people attended the event - a third of the capacity of the venue .
But that was denied by the Trump campaign , which said twice as many people were inside .
It is not yet known if the rally will have an impact on infection rates in Tulsa .
But on Wednesday officials reported a record 259 new confirmed cases in the city .
Meanwhile , New York , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travelling from states where cases are rising to go into self-isolation for 14 days .
The states affected are Alabama , Arkansas , Arizona , Florida , North Carolina , South Carolina , Texas and Utah , New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters .
The University of Washington predicts 180,000 US deaths by October - or 146,000 if 95 % of Americans wear masks .
So far , the US has recorded more than 2.3 million cases of the virus and more than 121,000 deaths .
Health officials say the coming weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

They both attended a planning meeting on Friday along with dozens of other Secret Service agents and officers, who continued to carry out their duties after the test results were known, the newspaper cited people familiar with the situation as saying.


bbc--2020-06-25--Coronavirus: Australia sends 1,000 army personnel to Victoria to fight outbreak

Australia is sending 1,000 army personnel to Victoria amid a surge in virus cases in the south-eastern state .
This comes after Victoria has seen a spike in Covid-19 cases in recent days , with 33 infections reported overnight .
Melbourne , the state capital , has been the only source of community transmissions in the country for weeks .
Australia has so far been hailed as a global success story in suppressing the spread of the virus due to quick shutdown measures .
The country has reported just over 7,400 cases and 104 deaths , far fewer than many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
In an unprecedented move , the army is being deployed to help the authorities in the country 's second most populous state contain the outbreak .
• Coronavirus : Are Australia 's numbers at risk of escalating ?
• Australia 's 'early mark ' lifting of restrictions in May More than 1,300 officials are now combing `` hotspot '' suburbs in Melbourne to carry out a massive testing `` blitz '' .
`` Rather than waiting for an unsustainable number of community transmission to become known , we are going to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health response to your doorstep , '' said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews .
He said the authorities were hoping to test as many as 100,000 people over 10 days .
The Victorian government earlier brought back tougher restrictions and extended a state of emergency until 12 July .
Health officials blamed much of the problem on family gatherings , allowed since April , where `` hugging and kissing '' had occurred against advice .
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : How do I protect myself ?
• IMPACT : What the virus does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do we get out of this mess ?
• 40,000 DEATHS : Could more deaths have been prevented ?
• WITHOUT SYMPTOMS : The mystery of 'silent spreaders '

"Rather than waiting for an unsustainable number of community transmission to become known, we are going to go literally door-to-door, we are bringing the public health response to your doorstep," said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews.


bbc--2020-06-24--Illegal lockdown parties hosted in online rentals

Lockdown parties hosted in properties booked via online sites , including Airbnb and Booking.com , are putting `` communities at risk '' , the Bed and Breakfast Association has said .
Hosts and residents have complained of groups of up to 30 breaking social-distancing rules and taking drugs .
BBC News has been told of several such parties in the past month .
Airbnb said it had gone further than its rivals to protect public health during the pandemic .
However , last week a man was stabbed at a party in a south London property police believe had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a previous BBC News investigation into `` coronavirus retreats '' , Airbnb had told users they could make bookings only if they were key workers or required “ essential stays ” .
But that restriction is to be lifted , in line with local rules on hotels and self-catering accommodation , in : Rival platform Booking.com does not currently flag such limits .
“ While B & Bs and guest houses have been closed since 23 March , it seems these giant platforms have allowed bookings to be made and enabled the so-called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guests , hosts , neighbours and communities at risk , ” Bed and Breakfast Association chairman David Weston said .
“ It is about time these global platforms took some responsibility for the safety of their guests , their accommodation and showed some respect for local communities.
” Although the BBC saw evidence that some of the bookings involved were made via Airbnb , the hosts involved asked that their details not be shared with the company .
As a result , the platform said it had seen no evidence to connect the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have zero tolerance for illegal activity and Airbnb is the only platform to limit all UK bookings to essential travel for key workers until restrictions are lifted , '' the company said .
`` We also explicitly ban party houses and our neighbourhood support tool enables anyone to contact us with concerns about a listing in their community , and we take action on issues brought to our attention . ''
Booking.com did not respond to a request for comment .
Darya Simanovich , who runs Chelsea Creperie but rents out a property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ income , said it had been “ trashed ” many times since lockdown began , at the end of March , by guests posing as key workers , who had turned out to be organising illegal parties .
“ I wasn ’ t able to meet the guest because of restrictions , '' she said of one instance .
“ But because I live above the property , I saw lots of people going in , with music playing .
`` So I had to ask them to leave .
“ Letting out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s hard to think people are breaking the rules , especially when hosts have lost income .
“ I don ’ t think the new guidelines will change anything .
`` People will still bend the rules.
” Danial Abbas , who also hosts a flat on both platforms , said a group of more than 10 people held a party there until 04:00 BST last week .
“ I ’ ve had no problems at all until lockdown , ” he said .
“ It ’ s disappointing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disruption at a time when people are already feeling unnerved .
Another host , who asked to remain anonymous , had a group of younger adults partying in her property .
“ They ’ re less at risk , '' she said .
`` They feel hard done by , as lockdown measures are largely for older people .
“ They feel like they ’ re missing out , so don ’ t care if they break the rules.
” Next month , people in England are allowed to meet indoors in groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is concern this will be difficult to enforce in short-term lets .
“ The guidance as it stands is unenforceable , ” Holiday Home Association chief executive Martin Sach said .
“ It ’ s too complicated and not law .
`` So self-catering owners aren ’ t able to police this .
`` You can ’ t verify the relationship of your guests.
” Merilee Karr , who chairs the UK Short Term Accommodation Association , which represents short-term rental businesses , including Airbnb , said people should have made bookings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do so , such as being a key worker or needing hospital treatment .
“ We have been vigilant and very strict about taking bookings during lockdown and have openly opposed anyone breaching the guidelines , '' she said .
`` We totally disapprove of anyone that has falsely booked accommodation to hold an activity that falls outside of the government guidelines and take action where this would be discovered.
” A neighbour to a rental property , who asked to remain anonymous , told BBC News : `` I live in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the lockdown , and in the last four weeks , there have been four parties in my street .
`` You can spot them right away .
`` They only stay for one night , arrive in groups of up to 20 people , coming in and out of the house .
`` I ’ ve been kept up all night by the loud music that has played until 05:00 .
`` And you can see and smell evidence of drug-taking .
`` When it happens , I ’ ve wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` But I have no idea who these people are , which can be scary and threatening , especially when we aren ’ t meant to be in crowds .
`` It ’ s happening because people don ’ t have anywhere else to go at the moment .
`` And they want to drink and socialise .
`` Action needs to be taken .
`` It ’ s not right to have a party house in the middle of a residential area , especially during a pandemic . ''

Darya Simanovich, who runs Chelsea Creperie but rents out a property on both Airbnb and Booking.com for extra income, said it had been “trashed” many times since lockdown began, at the end of March, by guests posing as key workers, who had turned out to be organising illegal parties.


bbc--2020-06-24--Preventing a plague: Fighting Kenya's locusts

There are increasing fears for food security in East Africa , with mounting evidence of a new wave of desert @ @ @ @ @ year , billions of the insects destroyed crops across the region – with the UN @ @ @ @ @ be even more destructive .
Now , despite international efforts , those fears appear to @ @ @ @ @ When the first wave hit , Albert Lemasulani gave up his life to fight the @ @ @ @ @ , his goats and his newborn son behind to try and prevent a plague .
@ @ @ @ @ Albert 's story on Our World : Kenya 's Locust Hunters

There are increasing fears for food security in East Africa, with mounting evidence of a new wave of desert locusts.
Earlier in the year, billions of the insects destroyed crops across the region – with the UN warning a second generation would be even more destructive.
Now, despite international efforts, those fears appear to be coming to pass.
When the first wave hit, Albert Lemasulani gave up his life to fight the swarms - leaving his family, his goats and his newborn son behind to try and prevent a plague.
Produced by: Charlottle Attwood, Anne Soy and Joe Inwood
Filmed and edited by: Joe Inwood
You can see more of Albert's story on Our World: Kenya's Locust Hunters


bbc--2020-06-24--Coronavirus pandemic: Tracking the global outbreak

Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world , with more than nine million confirmed cases in 188 countries .
Nearly 500,000 people have lost their lives .
This series of maps and charts tracks the global outbreak of the virus .
Where are coronavirus cases and deaths still rising ?
While some countries are starting to see confirmed cases and deaths fall following strict lockdown restrictions , others are still seeing figures rise .
A sharp increase in cases in Latin America in the second half of May led the World Health Organization ( WHO ) to say the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
But there have also been new spikes in Africa , Asia and the Middle East .
These charts show four countries - Brazil , Mexico , India and Pakistan - where cases ( in blue ) and deaths ( in red ) have been on an upward trajectory in recent weeks .
Brazil , Peru , Chile , Mexico and Ecuador are among the Latin America countries that have seen widespread outbreaks .
Brazil confirmed more than 39,000 new cases on Tuesday alone and is only the second country in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirm more than one million cases .
The death toll stands at more than 50,000 .
President Jair Bolsonaro has consistently downplayed the risks of the virus and prioritised the economy in his decision-making .
On Tuesday , a Brazilian judge ordered him to wear a mask in public .
Mexico is the second worst-affected country in the region , with cases continuing to surge .
The mayor of the capital , Mexico City , has cancelled plans to reopen businesses this week , with the alert level remaining at `` red '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 15,000 new coronavirus cases - the biggest daily increase since the start of its epidemic .
The official death toll there has passed 13,000 but the true number is thought to be higher , owing to insufficient testing and reporting issues .
Neighbouring Pakistan has also seen a surge in infections and deaths - although the number of new cases has fallen slightly in recent days .
The healthcare systems in both countries are under strain .
In Iran , there have been fears of a second wave of infections .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around 100 per day for the first time in two months .
China has also been dealing with a small spike in new cases believed to be connected to a Beijing wholesale market , but officials now believe the outbreak has been contained .
South Africa and Egypt have seen the largest outbreaks so far in Africa .
But testing rates are reported to be extremely low in some parts of the continent so this could be distorting understanding of how far the virus has spread .
How many cases and deaths have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ causes the respiratory infection Covid-19 , was first detected in the city of Wuhan , China , in late 2019 .
It then spread quickly across the globe in the first months of 2020 .
Note : The map , table and animated bar chart in this page use a different source for figures for France from that used by Johns Hopkins University , which results in a slightly lower overall total .
US figures do not include Puerto Rico , Guam or the US Virgin Islands .
The US has by far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 2.3 million and about 25 % of the global total - according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University .
It also has the world 's highest death toll , followed by Brazil and the UK .
In China , the official death toll is some 4,600 from about 85,000 confirmed cases , although critics have questioned whether the country 's official numbers can be trusted .
Globally , the true number of cases is thought to be much higher than the reported figures , as many of those with milder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the table below , countries can be reordered by deaths , death rate and total cases .
In the coloured bars on the right-hand side , countries in which cases have risen to more than 5,000 per day are those with black bars on the relevant date .
The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the WHO on 11 March .
This is when an infectious disease is passing easily from person to person in many parts of the world at the same time .
The WHO has warned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being over and says people should be prepared for new outbreaks , especially in areas where lockdowns are eased .
Globally , at least 4.5 billion people - half the world 's population - were living under social distancing measures at the height of the pandemic in Europe , according to the AFP news agency 's estimates .
Those restrictions have had a big impact on the global economy , with the International Monetary Fund warning the world faces the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s .
The United Nations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic could almost double the number of people suffering acute hunger .
• RISK AT WORK : How exposed is your job ?
• THE R NUMBER : What it means and why it matters • COMPARING COUNTRIES : The pitfalls of doing so • R0 , FURLOUGH : The language of the outbreak • RECOVERY : How long does it take to get better ?
In Europe , the UK , Italy , Spain and France , along with others , now appear to have passed the peak , with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ falling .
The UK has reported more than 42,000 coronavirus deaths , the highest number in Europe .
Italy has the second highest death toll with about 35,000 , while both France and Spain are just below 30,000 .
However , differences in population size and how countries report their figures , with some including deaths in care homes , or deaths of those suspected but not confirmed of having the virus , means international comparisons are complicated .
Having been on lockdown to control the spread of the virus , European countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How and when restrictions are lifted varies from country to country , but the WHO has urged all nations to adopt a `` slow , steady '' approach .
The risk of a second wave of infections requiring European countries to re-impose full lockdowns is moderate to high , according to the EU agency that monitors infectious diseases .
In Germany , authorities in the North Rhine-Westphalia region have reintroduced some lockdown measures after a coronavirus outbreak linked to a meatpacking plant .
New surge in US cases Top US health officials are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in cases in the US , with a number of states reporting record daily coronavirus infections .
On Tuesday , a number of US states , including Arizona , California and Texas also saw their highest hospital admissions in the pandemic so far , the Washington Post reported .
Cases and deaths in the US had appeared to peak in late March , but by May , cases were declining and most states had begun to end restrictions and reopen businesses .
The White House has said the rise in cases is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capacity .
But Dr Anthony Fauci , the top US health official for infectious diseases , has warned that higher percentages of positive tests in some states `` can not be explained by increased testing '' .
Governors across the US have been eager to reopen their states because of the dire effect the pandemic has had on the economy .
More than 45 million people in the US have applied for unemployment benefits at some point since March , with the downturn officially being declared a recession earlier this month .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US ?
The data used on this page comes from a variety of sources .
It includes figures collated by Johns Hopkins University , data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control , national governments and health agencies , as well as UN data on populations .
When comparing figures from different countries it is important to bear in mind that not all governments are recording coronavirus cases and deaths in the same way .
This makes like for like comparisons between countries difficult .
Other factors to consider include : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a country 's elderly population or whether a particular country has a large amount of its people living in densely-populated areas .
In addition , countries may be in different stages of the pandemic .

Please update your browser to see full interactive
Show more
This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals for each country.
** The past data for new cases is a three day rolling average. Due to revisions in the number of cases, an average cannot be calculated for this date.
Source: Johns Hopkins University and national public health agencies


bbc--2020-06-24--Glastonbury: The community spirit behind the festival town

A popular destination for tourists and spiritual pilgrimages alike , Glastonbury is a vibrant mix of different people and cultures @ @ @ @ @ we spoke with some visitors and local Glastonians in Knight 's Fish & Chip shop @ @ @ @ @ in the heart of Glastonbury that has been open for over 110 years , to @ @ @ @ @ makes Glastonbury so unique .

A popular destination for tourists and spiritual pilgrimages alike, Glastonbury is a vibrant mix of different people and cultures.
Before the lockdown, we spoke with some visitors and local Glastonians in Knight's Fish & Chip shop, a family run business in the heart of Glastonbury that has been open for over 110 years, to get their take on what makes Glastonbury so unique.
Produced, Filmed, and Edited by: Jon Jones
Researcher: Elliott Daly
Additional Editing: Tracy Kiryango
Commissioning Editor: Kimberley Rowell


bbc--2020-06-24--China: City to let people getting married see their partner's abuse history

A city in eastern China is introducing a system that lets people getting married check if their partner has a history of abuse .
Yiwu , in Zhejiang province , is launching an inquiry service that will be available to residents from 1 July .
Popular news website The Paper says that people who are arranging to get married will soon be able to fill out a form , and see if their partners have any history of violence , `` either between family members or during cohabitation '' .
All they need to do is provide a formal form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the person they are set to marry .
One person is allowed to make a maximum of two inquiries a year , it is reported .
Zhou Danying , a member of the women 's federation in the city , has welcomed the move , saying the system will help protect people in the city from domestic violence .
She told The Paper that the Domestic Violence Register database will begin by using information provided by the courts and public security organs from 2017 onwards .
The China Daily newspaper also notes approval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says this system `` protects a person 's right to be informed about the personality of their significant other before tying the knot '' .
You might also be interested in : • China bans domestic abuse : ' I woke up to my husband 's fist' The system has also been praised on Chinese social media , with many on the popular Sina Weibo microblog calling for it being rolled out nationwide .
Some say the new system should also include child abuse , noting that it is geared towards giving transparency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than sexual violence .
There have been growing calls in China in recent years to recognise and hold accountable people who have a history of domestic violence .
Before 2001 , physical abuse was not even grounds for divorce .
Laws only came into effect making domestic violence punishable by law in March 2016 .
Concerns about victims of domestic violence have been growing amid lockdowns during the Covid-19 epidemic .
News website Sixth Tone noted police reports on domestic violence doubled or tripled in some areas while citizens were under lockdown .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims grew after China made it more difficult for couples to divorce , introducing a new 30-day `` cool-off '' period to allow both parties time to rethink their decision .
Social media users at the time voiced fears that the law could lead to some people being coerced into backtracking , and it could deter victims from speaking out or leaving violent relationships .
The law , which will come into effect at the beginning of 2021 , is not applicable to families with a history of domestic violence , however there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be detected .
If you 've been affected by domestic violence , help and support is available via the BBC Action Line .
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV , radio , web and print media around the world .
You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook .

Popular news website The Paper says that people who are arranging to get married will soon be able to fill out a form, and see if their partners have any history of violence, "either between family members or during cohabitation".


bbc--2020-06-25--Manchester City v Liverpool to be played at Etihad Stadium

Manchester City have been given permission to host their Premier League match with Liverpool on Thursday , 2 July at Etihad Stadium .
The game between the league 's top two sides could have taken place at a neutral venue because of safety fears over fans gathering outside .
But a Manchester City Council safety advisory group ( SAG ) agreed it could be played at City 's home ground .
Liverpool will clinch the title if City fail to beat Chelsea this Thursday .
`` Following the most recent round of Premier League fixtures which have all taken place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has no objections to the above fixture taking place at Etihad Stadium as planned at 20:15 BST , Thursday , 2 July , '' explained Councillor Luthfur Rahman , executive member for skills , culture and leisure for Manchester City Council .
`` As with all other Premier League matches , this fixture will take place behind closed doors , with no fans present . ''
Supporters have been barred from attending matches or gathering outside stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic , despite the Premier League 's return on 17 June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposed plans to hold the game at a neutral venue , saying he would `` prefer to play in Manchester '' .
Other matches initially requested by police to be played at neutral venues included last Sunday 's Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool , but that was deemed safe to go ahead at Goodison Park following talks between the government , police and the Premier League .

Last updated on .From the section Premier League
Mohamed Salah scored in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Manchester City when the sides last met in the Premier League in November
Manchester City have been given permission to host their Premier League match with champions Liverpool on Thursday, 2 July at Etihad Stadium.
The game between the league's top two sides could have taken place at a neutral venue because of safety fears over fans gathering outside.
But a Manchester City Council safety advisory group (SAG) agreed it could be played at City's home ground.
Liverpool clinched the title when City lost to Chelsea on Thursday.
"Following the most recent round of Premier League fixtures which have all taken place behind closed doors the SAG has signalled it has no objections to the above fixture taking place at Etihad Stadium as planned at 20:15 BST, Thursday, 2 July," explained Councillor Luthfur Rahman, executive member for skills, culture and leisure for Manchester City Council.
"As with all other Premier League matches, this fixture will take place behind closed doors, with no fans present."
Supporters have been barred from attending matches or gathering outside stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic, despite the Premier League's return on 17 June.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had earlier opposed plans to hold the game at a neutral venue, saying he would "prefer to play in Manchester".
Other matches initially requested by police to be played at neutral venues included last Sunday's Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool, but that was deemed safe to go ahead at Goodison Park following talks between the government, police and the Premier League.


bbc--2020-06-24--'Our time to win the league', says Liverpool's Salah

Mohamed Salah believes now is the right time for Liverpool to end their 30-year wait for a top-flight English title .
Salah scored as the Reds beat Crystal Palace 4-0 on Wednesday - a result that leaves them two points away from winning the Premier League .
They could seal their victory on Thursday if Manchester City - the side that pipped them to last season 's title - fail to win at Chelsea .
`` Two points to go to win the league , it 's great , '' Salah told Sky Sports .
`` Since I came here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Premier League .
The city did not win it for a long time .
`` Last year we had a chance but Man City also played really well and deserved it .
It 's our time to win the league . ''
• When can Liverpool win the Premier League ?
• How you rated the players Liverpool 's last top-flight league title , their 18th , came in 1989-90 , when Sir Kenny Dalglish led them to victory .
Since then the closest they have come is last season , when Jurgen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points but were beaten by a single point by Pep Guardiola 's City .
This season , the Reds have been unrivalled in their brilliance , with only football 's three-month suspension in England because of the coronavirus pandemic delaying their league triumph .
Having drawn at Everton in their first game back and now beating Palace , Klopp 's side are on the brink of victory .
`` Tonight was a big step , that 's clear , '' Klopp told BBC Radio 5 Live .
`` We 've all still got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play like this it 's really not nice to play against us .
`` I have to watch the game tomorrow because we play them one week later .
That 's being professional and doing my job . ''
Liverpool completely outclassed Palace on Wednesday , scoring four times but also spurning numerous opportunities to add more goals .
Trent Alexander-Arnold scored the opener from a free-kick before Salah , Fabinho and Sadio Mane added the others .
`` It was a brilliant game , '' added Klopp .
`` If you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as close as I am to these boys , then you ca n't be happier than I am .
`` The way they played , the passion we showed was so exceptional , there were moments that I could n't believe it .
Especially after being 4-0 up and still showing it .
`` I 'm so happy that we showed that we do it for the people even when they 're not really here .
In this moment I am in a really good mood . ''

Last updated on .From the section Liverpool
Could Liverpool make it to 107 points?
Mohamed Salah believes now is the right time for Liverpool to end their 30-year wait for a top-flight English title.
Salah scored as the Reds beat Crystal Palace 4-0 on Wednesday - a result that leaves them two points away from winning the Premier League.
They could seal their victory on Thursday if Manchester City - the side that pipped them to last season's title - fail to win at Chelsea.
"Two points to go to win the league, it's great," Salah told Sky Sports.
"Since I came here I said I want to win the Premier League. The city did not win it for a long time.
"Last year we had a chance but Man City also played really well and deserved it. It's our time to win the league."
Liverpool's last top-flight league title, their 18th, came in 1989-90, when Sir Kenny Dalglish led them to victory.
Since then the closest they have come is last season, when Jurgen Klopp's side amassed a remarkable 97 points but were beaten by a single point by Pep Guardiola's City.
Klopp praises 'best ever' counter pressing game
This season, the Reds have been unrivalled in their brilliance, with only football's three-month suspension in England because of the coronavirus pandemic delaying their league triumph.
Having drawn at Everton in their first game back and now beating Palace, Klopp's side are on the brink of victory.
"Tonight was a big step, that's clear," Klopp told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We've all still got to play seven games, if we play like this it's really not nice to play against us.
"I have to watch the game tomorrow because we play them one week later. That's being professional and doing my job."
Liverpool have lost just one Premier League game all season
Liverpool completely outclassed Palace on Wednesday, scoring four times but also spurning numerous opportunities to add more goals.
Trent Alexander-Arnold scored the opener from a free-kick before Salah, Fabinho and Sadio Mane added the others.
"It was a brilliant game," added Klopp. "If you are involved in this, if you are as close as I am to these boys, then you can't be happier than I am.
"The way they played, the passion we showed was so exceptional, there were moments that I couldn't believe it. Especially after being 4-0 up and still showing it.
"I'm so happy that we showed that we do it for the people even when they're not really here. In this moment I am in a really good mood."


bbc--2020-06-24--Martial hits Man Utd's first league hat-trick for seven years in win against Sheff Utd

Anthony Martial scored Manchester United 's first Premier League hat-trick in more than seven years as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's men eased past Sheffield United at Old Trafford .
Robin van Persie was the last United player to score a treble in the league .
And while there was nothing to compare with the Dutchman 's brilliant volley against Aston Villa that helped seal the 13th and final title of Sir Alex Ferguson 's illustrious reign , Martial did complete his own milestone with a delightful chipped finish over Simon Moore after collecting Marcus Rashford 's return pass .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of fourth-placed Chelsea , who entertain Manchester City on Thursday .
However , for Chris Wilder 's visitors it was another disappointing day .
The Blades have now picked up just one point from three games since the resumption and are yet to score .
United 's decision to sell Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan in August and not buy an attacking replacement has been a talking point for most of the season .
And for most of the campaign , it looked like a poor move .
But , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ markedly since the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January , so Martial has profited too .
In seven league games since Fernandes arrived from Sporting Lisbon for £47m , Martial has scored six goals .
He now has 19 for the campaign - his best return in five years at Old Trafford .
And while he has a bit to do before he matches Lukaku 's 27 goals from two seasons ago , it is three more than the Belgian managed last term .
Even more satisfying for Solskjaer , the Frenchman 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goals he has been imploring him to score .
Both were runs to the near post , the first took him a bit nearer to the goal than the second .
But on each occasion , Martial found the net with a clinical first-time finish to convert low crosses from first Rashford and then Aaron Wan-Bissaka .
`` I am very happy for Anthony , '' said Solskjaer .
`` We have worked with him getting in the box .
The first goal , I think that 's a vital goal with they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a position to score from Marcus ' cross .
`` He 's getting into those positions more and more .
He is in good form . ''
Martial is not known for his smiling but even he managed one after scoring his third , his delight obvious after previously scoring twice in a game for United five times in five years without ever going on to complete his treble .
However , to put it into context , Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has scored 11 hat-tricks in the time United have managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul Pogba and Fernandes had started a game together and there were signs the pair could be a potent midfield combination .
Pogba operated in a slightly deeper role , closer to holding midfielder Nemanja Matic but evidently with licence to go forward .
Had Rashford not fluffed his first-time volley as he latched on to a brilliant chipped pass from Pogba at the end of a move Fernandes did much to influence , it would have ended a superb passage of play .
`` Paul and Bruno showed quality and it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talent like this , '' added Solskjaer .
`` Paul is still a bit away from his best form .
That 's natural on his first start since September and he 's been working hard , so hopefully it wo n't be too long , but I thought he controlled the game . ''
With Matic as well , there was a synergy about the home side in the middle of the field that , in the second half in particular , the visitors found it difficult to contain , judging by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blades ' players .
Pogba was mesmeric at times .
One run through the visitors ' defence involved close control with both feet , balance on both sides and delightful close control .
The pity was Martial stepped in to take the shot - which he missed - rather than let his fellow Frenchman try to find his own way to goal .
It has not been a great restart for the Blades .
One point and no goals from three games in a week has ended the optimistic talk about a Champions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dean Henderson - not allowed to play against his parent club - John Egan through suspension and Jack O'Connell to injury meant there was reduced chance of the visiting United recording a first Old Trafford success since April 1973 .
However , they looked tired at the end and need to pick themselves up quickly if they are to secure a top-half finish , which would be their first in the top flight since 1974-75 .
'We want third ' - what they said Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said : `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aim , we want to go up to third but we have to focus on each game as it comes and there 's two cups for us there as well .
In the end , we can count the points and maybe have only two teams in front of you . ''
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder said : `` I expect a better performance from my team .
I do n't want people looking at our defensive record and saying 'how have they done that ? '
To concede after three or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` If you give the ball away to players like that you are going to get hurt .
Lot to look at from our point of view .
Easy night for them . ''
Blades continue to struggle in front of goal - the stats • Anthony Martial scored Manchester United 's first Premier League hat-trick since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the 2012-13 season , with Robin van Persie the last Red Devils player to score one in April 2013 against Aston Villa .
• Manchester @ @ @ @ @ @ @ games in all competitions by an aggregate score of 13-0 .
• Sheffield United have failed to score in their three Premier League games in June , attempting just three shots on target across those games .
• Manchester United have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight matches at Old Trafford in all competitions ( W6 D1 L1 ) , including shutouts in each of their last five at home .
• Sheffield United have failed to score in three consecutive league games for the first time since September 2013 under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scored 19 goals in all competitions for Manchester United this season - his most prolific season for the Red Devils .
• Marcus Rashford has been directly involved in 13 goals in 12 home Premier League appearances this season ( 10 goals , 3 assists ) .
• Sheffield United have shipped three goals in consecutive league games for the first time since January 2016 under Nigel Adkins .
Manchester United 's next game is at Norwich in the FA Cup sixth round on Saturday , 27 June ( 17:30 BST ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the following day ( 13:00 ) .
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Last updated on .From the section Premier League
Anthony Martial scored his first senior hat-trick as Manchester United cruised past Sheffield United at Old Trafford
Anthony Martial scored Manchester United's first Premier League hat-trick in more than seven years as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men eased past Sheffield United at Old Trafford.
Robin van Persie was the last United player to score a treble in the league.
And while there was nothing to compare with the Dutchman's brilliant volley against Aston Villa that helped seal the 13th and final title of Sir Alex Ferguson's illustrious reign, Martial did complete his own milestone with a delightful chipped finish over Simon Moore after collecting Marcus Rashford's return pass.
The result moves United to within two points of fourth-placed Chelsea, who entertain Manchester City on Thursday.
However, for Chris Wilder's visitors it was another disappointing day. The Blades have now picked up just one point from three games since the resumption and are yet to score.
Martial benefiting from Fernandes' arrival
United's decision to sell Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan in August and not buy an attacking replacement has been a talking point for most of the season.
And for most of the campaign, it looked like a poor move.
But, just as United's fortunes have changed markedly since the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January, so Martial has profited too.
In seven league games since Fernandes arrived from Sporting Lisbon for £47m, Martial has scored six goals.
He now has 19 for the campaign - his best return in five years at Old Trafford. And while he has a bit to do before he matches Lukaku's 27 goals from two seasons ago, it is three more than the Belgian managed last term.
Even more satisfying for Solskjaer, the Frenchman's first-half strikes were exactly the kinds of goals he has been imploring him to score.
Both were runs to the near post, the first took him a bit nearer to the goal than the second. But on each occasion, Martial found the net with a clinical first-time finish to convert low crosses from first Rashford and then Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Anthony Martial's recent league record Season (Club) Goals Appearances Minutes per goal Longest run without scoring (games) 2013-14 (Monaco) 2 11 284 6 2014-15 (Monaco) 9 35 203 16 2015-16 (Monaco/Man Utd) 11 34 258 9 2016-17 (Man Utd) 4 25 390 6 2017-18 (Man Utd) 9 30 176 8 2018-19 (Man Utd) 10 27 162 5 2019-20 (Man Utd) 14 25 146 4
"I am very happy for Anthony," said Solskjaer. "We have worked with him getting in the box. The first goal, I think that's a vital goal with they way he turned and got himself into a position to score from Marcus' cross.
"He's getting into those positions more and more. He is in good form."
Martial is not known for his smiling but even he managed one after scoring his third, his delight obvious after previously scoring twice in a game for United five times in five years without ever going on to complete his treble.
However, to put it into context, Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has scored 11 hat-tricks in the time United have managed two.
The Pogba and Fernandes axis
It was the first time Paul Pogba and Fernandes had started a game together and there were signs the pair could be a potent midfield combination.
Pogba operated in a slightly deeper role, closer to holding midfielder Nemanja Matic but evidently with licence to go forward.
Had Rashford not fluffed his first-time volley as he latched on to a brilliant chipped pass from Pogba at the end of a move Fernandes did much to influence, it would have ended a superb passage of play.
"Paul and Bruno showed quality and it's exciting for us to be working with talent like this," added Solskjaer.
"Paul is still a bit away from his best form. That's natural on his first start since September and he's been working hard, so hopefully it won't be too long, but I thought he controlled the game."
With Matic as well, there was a synergy about the home side in the middle of the field that, in the second half in particular, the visitors found it difficult to contain, judging by the rather blunt messages being delivered by the Blades' players.
Pogba was mesmeric at times. One run through the visitors' defence involved close control with both feet, balance on both sides and delightful close control. The pity was Martial stepped in to take the shot - which he missed - rather than let his fellow Frenchman try to find his own way to goal.
Disappointing restart for Blades
It has not been a great restart for the Blades. One point and no goals from three games in a week has ended the optimistic talk about a Champions League place.
The loss of goalkeeper Dean Henderson - not allowed to play against his parent club - John Egan through suspension and Jack O'Connell to injury meant there was reduced chance of the visiting United recording a first Old Trafford success since April 1973.
However, they looked tired at the end and need to pick themselves up quickly if they are to secure a top-half finish, which would be their first in the top flight since 1974-75.
Man of the match - Anthony Martial
After his clinical hat-trick Martial is now United's joint top Premier League goalscorer alongside Marcus Rashford (14)
'We want third' - what they said
Solskjaer says Man Utd need to be 'more clinical'
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: "I've never said fourth is our aim, we want to go up to third but we have to focus on each game as it comes and there's two cups for us there as well. In the end, we can count the points and maybe have only two teams in front of you."
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder said: "I expect a better performance from my team. I don't want people looking at our defensive record and saying 'how have they done that?' To concede after three or four minutes put us on back foot.
"If you give the ball away to players like that you are going to get hurt. Lot to look at from our point of view. Easy night for them."
We don’t want our season to ‘fizzle out’ - Wilder on Man Utd loss
Blades continue to struggle in front of goal - the stats
Anthony Martial scored Manchester United's first Premier League hat-trick since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the 2012-13 season, with Robin van Persie the last Red Devils player to score one in April 2013 against Aston Villa.
Manchester United have won their last four home games in all competitions by an aggregate score of 13-0.
Sheffield United have failed to score in their three Premier League games in June, attempting just three shots on target across those games.
Manchester United have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight matches at Old Trafford in all competitions (W6 D1 L1), including shutouts in each of their last five at home.
Sheffield United have failed to score in three consecutive league games for the first time since September 2013 under David Weir.
Anthony Martial has scored 19 goals in all competitions for Manchester United this season - his most prolific season for the Red Devils.
Marcus Rashford has been directly involved in 13 goals in 12 home Premier League appearances this season (10 goals, 3 assists).
Sheffield United have shipped three goals in consecutive league games for the first time since January 2016 under Nigel Adkins.
What's next?
Manchester United's next game is at Norwich in the FA Cup sixth round on Saturday, 27 June (17:30 BST). Sheffield United entertain Arsenal at Bramall Lane the following day (13:00).


bbc--2020-06-25--Coronavirus: US cases ‘may have topped 20 million’

At least 20 million people in the US may already have been infected with Covid-19 , according to the latest estimate by health officials .
The Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) says the true number of cases is likely to be 10 times higher than the reported figure .
It comes as the state of Texas halted its reopening as infections and hospitalisations surged .
The US has recorded 2.4m confirmed infections and 122,370 deaths .
Some southern and western states have been reporting record numbers of cases in recent days .
• Is the US testing more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic getting worse in the US ?
The University of Washington predicts 180,000 US deaths by October - or 146,000 if 95 % of Americans wear masks .
What did the CDC say ?
`` Our best estimate right now is that for every case that was reported , there actually were 10 other infections , '' CDC Director Dr Robert Redfield told reporters .
This was because testing was restricted to people with symptoms and asymptomatic carriers were not tested , he said .
`` We probably recognized about 10 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we use to diagnosis between the March , April and May , '' he said .
Dr Redfield said that between 5 % and 8 % of the population had been exposed to the virus and urged Americans to keep social distancing , wearing masks and washing hands .
`` As we go into the fall , in the winter , these are going to be really , really important defence mechanisms , '' he said .
What is happening in Texas ?
The state , which has been at the forefront of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen thousands of new cases , prompting Republican Governor Greg Abbott to call a temporary halt to its reopening .
`` This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business , '' he said .
• There were also 47 new deaths , the highest daily toll for a month • The state has also seen record number of people requiring hospital treatment for 13 days in a row • Elective surgery has been suspended in the Houston @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas to free up beds • More than 10 % of the tests carried out over the past week have come back positive • All but 12 of the state 's 254 counties have reported cases Other states , including Alabama , Arizona , California , Florida , Idaho , Mississippi , Missouri , Nevada , Oklahoma , South Carolina and Wyoming , have all recorded record daily increases in the number of confirmed cases this week .
More than 36,000 new US cases were confirmed on Wednesday - not far off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 April .
While some of the increase is down to increased testing , the rate of positive tests in some areas is also increasing .
On Wednesday New York , New Jersey and Connecticut said they would ask people travelling from eight states - Alabama , Arkansas , Arizona , Florida , North Carolina , South Carolina , Texas and Utah - to go into self-isolation for 14 days .
In California , which reported a record 7,149 new confirmed cases on Wednesday , Walt Disney said it was delaying reopening of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park originally set for 17 July .
The company said it first needed to receive approval from government officials .
Governor Gavin Newsom said the state had carried out more than a million tests over the past two weeks , with about 5 % coming back positive .
Mr Newsom has made wearing a face mask mandatory in public .
The European Union is reportedly considering banning US citizens from entering the bloc as it considers how to reopen its external borders .
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This was because testing was restricted to people with symptoms and asymptomatic carriers were not tested, he said. "We probably recognized about 10% of the outbreak by the methods that we use to diagnosis between the March, April and May," he said.