bbc--2020-06-24--Michael Flynn: Court rules in favour of ex-Trump aide

A federal court has moved to dismiss charges against ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn , one of several Trump associates convicted of lying .
Flynn , a former three-star US general , was the highest ranking official snared by the special counsel inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election .
The ruling came as a prosecutor told Congress he was pressured to go easy on long-time Trump aide Roger Stone .
Stone has been sentenced to 40 months in jail for election-related crimes .
The surprise 2-1 ruling by the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lying to FBI investigators about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to Washington .
It follows a highly criticised request from the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) to drop the case and an attempt by Flynn to change his guilty plea .
The ruling orders the judge overseeing the Flynn case to immediately drop all charges and cease his evaluation of the DOJ decision to drop the long-running prosecution .
If the case is not appealed , Flynn will be legally exonerated .
President Trump cheered the `` great '' ruling in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director James Comey to apologise to him .
The case of Flynn , who first came to many Americans ' attention with his chants of `` lock her up '' at Trump campaign rallies in 2016 , has become a political lightning rod .
Mr Trump has argued that his prosecution - as well as several other of his close associates - was motivated by his political enemies in the DOJ .
He left the White House 24 days into the job after acknowledging that he had misled Vice-President Mike Pence about his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there political pressure in the Roger Stone case ?
Also on Thursday , Aaron Zelinsky , an assistant US attorney in Maryland who previously worked on special counsel Robert Mueller 's Russia meddling inquiry , told lawmakers on the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives Judiciary Committee that he had felt `` heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break '' .
Mr Zelinsky testified that `` political considerations '' led top DOJ officials to treat Stone `` differently and more leniently '' because of his `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was found guilty in 2019 of lying to the House Intelligence Committee about his attempts to contact Wikileaks , the website that released damaging emails about Mr Trump 's 2016 Democratic election rival Hillary Clinton , as well as of obstruction and witness tampering .
Prosecutors , including Mr Zelinsky , asked a judge to jail him for at least seven years , but after Mr Trump took to Twitter to call the sentencing guidelines `` horrible and very unfair '' and a `` miscarriage of justice '' Mr Barr stepped in and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All four prosecutors assigned to the Stone case - including Mr Zelinsky - quit after the lower sentence was requested .
Mr Zelinsky told lawmakers on Wednesday that he had been pressured to change a sentencing memo to the judge to ask for a lighter sentence for Stone .
He said he was told he could be fired if he did not co-operate .
`` I was explicitly told that the motivation for changing the sentencing memo was political , and because the US Attorney was 'afraid of the President ' . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to investigate an environmental deal made between US auto manufacturers and the state of California after Mr Trump criticised it on Twitter .
DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said `` Mr Zelinksy 's allegations concerning the US Attorney 's motivation are based on his own interpretation of events and hearsay ( at best ) , not first-hand knowledge '' .
Why is Barr under scrutiny ?
After Congressman Jerrold Nadler , who oversaw Wednesday 's hearing , threatened to compel Mr Barr to testify about his `` deceptions '' with a subpoena , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committee voluntarily on 28 July .
Mr Barr has long been criticised by Democrats for his role in several high-profile legal and political battles involving the president .
After receiving the special counsel 's report on Russian meddling - and before it was made public - he delivered a summary of its findings that was called `` misleading '' by a federal judge and lacking `` context '' by Mr Mueller himself .
More recently , he distanced himself from moves to forcibly clear the park across from the White House of protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a photograph .
Over the weekend , he ordered the firing of US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman , who had in the past ordered inquiries into several Trump associates , his campaign and presidential administration .
During the hearing on Wednesday , Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen said lawmakers `` should pursue impeachment against Mr Barr because he is raining terror on the rule of law '' .
But Mr Barr himself has said in interviews that his department remains independent from political interference .

The case of Flynn, who first came to many Americans' attention with his chants of "lock her up" at Trump campaign rallies in 2016, has become a political lightning rod. Mr Trump has argued that his prosecution - as well as several other of his close associates - was motivated by his political enemies in the DOJ.


bbc--2020-06-24--Coronavirus: Human trial of new vaccine begins in UK

Volunteers have begun being immunised with a new UK coronavirus vaccine .
About 300 people will have the vaccine over the coming weeks , as part of a trial led by Prof Robin Shattock and his colleagues , at Imperial College London .
Tests in animals suggest the vaccine is safe and triggers an effective immune response .
Experts at Oxford University have already started human trials .
The trials are among many across the world - there are around 120 vaccine programmes under way .
• Does the UK have coronavirus under control ?
• Is it safe to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close to developing a vaccine are we ? '
I volunteered to help beat the virus' Kathy , 39 , who works in finance , is one of the first volunteers taking part in the Imperial trial .
She said she volunteered because she wanted to play a part in fighting the virus .
`` I think it came from not really knowing what I could do to help , and this turned out to be something that I could do .
`` And understanding that it 's not likely that things will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vaccine , so wanting to be part of that progress as well . ''
After this first phase , another trial is being planned for October , involving 6,000 people .
The Imperial team hopes the vaccine could be distributed in the UK and overseas from early 2021 .
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• SOCIAL LIFE : When will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile the Duke of Cambridge met volunteers taking part in Oxford University 's trial , at the city 's Churchill Hospital .
Prince William told the volunteers : `` It 's the most incredibly exciting and very welcome project that you 're all doing which is why it 's fascinating . ''
Many traditional vaccines are based on a weakened or modified form of virus , or parts of it , but the Imperial vaccine is based on a new approach , using synthetic strands of genetic code , called RNA , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ muscle , the RNA self-amplifies - generating copies of itself - and instructs the body 's own cells to make copies of a spike protein found on the outside of the virus .
This should train the immune system to recognise and fight coronavirus without having to develop Covid-19 .
Because only a tiny amount of genetic code is used in the Imperial vaccine , a little goes a very long way .
The Imperial team says one litre of its synthetic material will be enough to produce two million doses .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but later this year manufacturing is switching to the UK , so that if and when it needs to be mass produced , it can be done here .
All clinical trials begin carefully and slowly to reduce safety risks .
When the Oxford vaccine began in April , only two volunteers were immunised on the first day .
Within a week , 100 were being jabbed every day .
The unique nature of the Imperial vaccine means that only one volunteer will be immunised on the first day , followed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a week or so , numbers will slowly ramp up .
Unlike the Oxford vaccine , which uses one dose , volunteers on the Imperial trial will get two shots , four weeks apart .
Prof Shattock and his team say there are no particular safety concerns with their jab - it 's simply the newness of the approach which is making them proceed with caution .
There are more than 120 coronavirus vaccines in early development across the world .
Most of these will never get beyond the laboratory .
A further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five in China , three in the United States , two in the UK , one in Australia , Germany and Russia .
All the vaccine teams are keen to stress that they are not in a race against each other , but against the virus .
If there are to be enough doses to protect the world , several vaccine approaches will need to be successful .
Prof Shattock said : `` We 've been able to produce a vaccine from scratch and take it to human trials in just a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the vaccine provides effective protection against disease , it could revolutionise how we respond to disease outbreaks in future . ''
Chief investigator for the study , Dr Katrina Pollock , added : `` I would n't be working on this trial if I did n't feel cautiously optimistic that we will see a great immune response in our participants .
`` The pre-clinical data looked very promising .
We 're getting a neutralising antibody response which is the immune response you would want to protect from infection .
But there 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evaluate this vaccine . ''
The research has been funded by £41m from the UK government , as well as £5m of other donations .
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There are more than 120 coronavirus vaccines in early development across the world. Most of these will never get beyond the laboratory. A further 13 are now in clinical trials: five in China, three in the United States, two in the UK, one in Australia, Germany and Russia.


bbc--2020-06-24--Coronavirus: New York imposes quarantine on nine US states

New York , New Jersey and Connecticut have asked people travelling from states where virus cases are rising to go into self-isolation for 14 days .
New Jersey 's Phil Murphy said people in the three states had been `` through hell and back '' and did not want `` another round '' of virus infections .
Some southern and western states have been reporting record numbers of cases .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 121,000 deaths .
Health officials say the coming weeks will be crucial to stem the outbreaks .
• Is the US testing more people than anywhere else ?
• Is the pandemic getting worse in the US ?
On Tuesday America 's top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci told lawmakers there was `` a disturbing surge of infection '' and `` increased community spread '' in many southern and western states .
He told Americans to take social distancing measures , saying : `` Plan A , do n't go in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you do , make sure you wear a mask . ''
Which states are subject to the quarantine ?
Currently , those states are Alabama , Arkansas , Arizona , Florida , North Carolina , South Carolina , Texas , Washington and Utah , the governor of New York state Andrew Cuomo told reporters .
People coming from those states - including returning New York , New Jersey and Connecticut residents - will be asked to quarantine upon arrival for 14 days .
Anyone found breaking the quarantine could face fines of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5,000 for repeated violations , Mr Cuomo said .
He added that US states would be added or taken off the quarantine list depending on the number of new cases per 100,00 people or the rate of positive tests .
`` This is a smart thing to do , '' New Jersey 's Governor Phil Murphy said .
`` We have taken our people , the three of us from these three states , through hell and back , and the last thing we need to do right now is subject our folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states are seeing cases surge ?
The overall number of infections in the US rose by a quarter last week , with 10 states reporting a rise in cases of more than 50 % , according to Reuters news agency .
On Wednesday California reported a record 7,149 new confirmed cases , bringing the state 's total to 190,222 cases , officials said .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mandatory in public .
Florida also reported a daily record of 5,508 new infections .
It brings Florida 's total number of confirmed infections to 109,014 , with 3,281 deaths .
In the absence of a state-wide mask requirement , several cities and towns have issued their own orders mandating masks in public .
Arizona on Wednesday reported 1,795 new infections , down from the record 3,600 new infections on Tuesday , when President Trump held a campaign rally in the city of Phoenix .
At the event Mr Trump - who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus `` plague '' was `` going away '' and again referred to the virus as the `` kung flu '' , which the White House denies is a racist term .
Arizona officials warn that over 80 % of hospital beds are currently being used , and that the healthcare system may be overrun in the coming days or weeks .
Texas on Wednesday also reported a new record daily number of 5,551 confirmed cases .
The state has seen increasing numbers of people admitted to hospital and a children 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus patients .
Texas Children 's Hospital urged the public to `` take responsible actions - practice appropriate social distancing , wear a mask or face covering anytime you leave your home '' .
Both Arizona and Texas were among those states that removed coronavirus restrictions early .
Texas has temporarily revoked alcohol licences from several businesses that were breaking social distancing rules .
On Tuesday the governor of Washington state , Jay Inslee , ordered all residents to wear face masks in public after confirmed infections rose by more than a third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about saving lives .
It 's about reopening our businesses .
And it 's about showing respect and care for one another , '' Mr Inslee said .
Several US states and cities have instructed residents to wear face coverings .
South Carolina , Utah , Mississippi and Louisiana have also seen a surge in caseload and some governors have said they may be forced to announce new lockdown measures .
The European Union is reportedly considering banning US citizens from entering the bloc as it considers how to reopen its external borders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the symptoms ?
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"We have taken our people, the three of us from these three states, through hell and back, and the last thing we need to do right now is subject our folks to another round."


bbc--2020-06-25--Jamaal Bowman: Political newcomer shakes up NY 'status quo'

A political newcomer in New York has sent a shockwave through the Democratic party establishment by declaring victory over a 31-year incumbent .
Jamaal Bowman , 44 , a former Bronx school principal , has a solid lead over Eliot Engel in the 16th district .
His campaign is being likened to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 's stunning victory in a neighbouring New York congressional district two years ago .
Final results may take weeks , but Mr Bowman 's lead appears insurmountable .
Tuesday 's primary elections tested the influence of the Democratic left wing at a time when its standard-bearer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a moderate , Joe Biden .
• Who will Biden pick as running mate ?
As of Wednesday , Mr Bowman had captured 60.7 % of the vote , compared to Mr Engel 's 34.7 % , according to preliminary figures from the state board of elections .
In the liberal-leaning New York district , whoever wins the primary is all but assured to beat his Republican opponent in autumn 's general election .
`` I 'm a Black man raised by a single mother in a housing project .
That story does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Bowman , 44 , tweeted on Wednesday .
`` But today , that 11-year-old boy beaten by police is about to be your Representative .
`` I ca n't wait to get to DC and cause problems for those maintaining the status quo . ''
But Mr Engel - who is chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee - did not concede , with his campaign citing a record number of yet-uncounted absentee ballots because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Mr Bowman ran on a platform focusing on racial justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement , an idea seen by party moderates as too radical this election season .
Mr Bowman won the endorsements of progressive darlings Senator Bernie Sanders , Senator Elizabeth Warren and Ms Ocasio-Cortez .
Mr Engel , a 16-term congressman , was endorsed by Hillary Clinton , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Black Caucus .
Mr Engel , 73 , did not help himself when he was overheard in early June on a microphone at a news conference devoted to Black Lives Matter saying he had only turned up because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did n't have a primary , '' he said , `` I would n't care . ''
Ms Ocasio-Cortez herself brushed aside a challenge on Tuesday in her New York City district from former CNBC television anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera , 53 .
Ms Ocasio-Cortez amassed about 70 % of the vote .
Her opponent , who was backed by the conservative-leaning US Chamber of Commerce , won less than 20 % of ballots .
The liberal leading light was a 28-year-old former waitress when she caused a political earthquake two years ago by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat who had held the 14th district for two decades .
It was a rewarding night for at least one other black progressive after a primary campaign waged amid anti-racism protests stemming from the police killing of an unarmed black man , George Floyd , in Minneapolis , Minnesota , last month .
In central Virginia , Cameron Webb decisively beat three white opponents in the primary for a US House seat that Democrats hope to win from Republicans .
He would be the first African American physician in Congress if elected in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another black progressive , Charles Booker , hopes to beat establishment favourite Amy McGrath to become the Democratic Senate candidate .
The well-financed Ms McGrath had the edge over Mr Booker in early results , but hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots are outstanding and final results will not be known until next week at the earliest .

Mr Engel, 73, did not help himself when he was overheard in early June on a microphone at a news conference devoted to Black Lives Matter saying he had only turned up because of his looming election.


bbc--2020-06-25--Trump administration claims Huawei 'backed by Chinese military'

The US Defense Department has determined that 20 top Chinese firms , including Huawei , are either owned by or backed by the Chinese military .
The list , seen by US media , features video surveillance firm Hikvision , China Telecoms , China Mobile and AVIC .
The determination could lay the groundwork for new US financial sanctions against the firms .
It comes as the US has pressured other countries , including the UK , to bar Huawei for national security reasons .
The BBC understands that list has been published in order to inform congressional committees , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners of Chinese firms about the role such firms may play in transferring sensitive technology to the Chinese military .
The list is also likely to grow .
Under US law , the Defense Department is required to track firms `` owned or controlled '' by China 's People 's Liberation Army that are active in the US .
The Pentagon has been under pressure in recent months from lawmakers of both the Democrats and Republican parties to publish and update the list .
In November , US senators Tom Cotton and Chuck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commerce Wilbur Ross , asking for an update on reviews of US policy that are mandated by the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 and the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act .
In the letter , the senators emphasised their concerns about the danger of exporting critical US technologies to companies with Chinese ties .
They also questioned why the Commerce Department had been slow to complete export-control reviews mandated by the two acts .
The senators stressed that reviews should be conducted to assess whether the Chinese Communist Party had been stealing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as whether it had been enlisting Chinese corporations to harness emerging civilian technologies for military purposes .
`` What is the status of this review and implementation of the results ?
Will this review determine specific sectors of the US economy that the Chinese are targeting for espionage and forced technology-transfer efforts ?
Will you modify the scope of controls for military end uses and end-users in China ?
Will you make the results of this review public ?
, '' wrote Mr Cotton and Mr Schumer .
`` We urge you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and thoroughly as possible .
Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter of national security . ''
The White House already taken several steps against Huawei and other Chinese firms , including barring US companies from selling them certain technology without permission .
The administration has also said its trade war with China , which resulted in billions of dollars worth of tariffs , was a response to theft of US trade secrets .
But it has faced calls by some in Washington to act more aggressively .
Huawei @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` unsubstantiated allegations '' .

"What is the status of this review and implementation of the results? Will this review determine specific sectors of the US economy that the Chinese are targeting for espionage and forced technology-transfer efforts? Will you modify the scope of controls for military end uses and end-users in China? Will you make the results of this review public?," wrote Mr Cotton and Mr Schumer.


bbc--2020-06-24--Madison Cawthorn: Newcomer beats Trump nominee in NC congressional primary

A political newcomer has defeated the candidate approved by US President Donald Trump to win a Republican congressional primary in North Carolina Madison Cawthorn beat Lynda Bennett to become the party 's nominee in November 's race for the state 's 11th Congressional District .
The motivational speaker and real estate investor turns 25 , the minimum age to serve in Congress , in August .
He will face Democratic candidate Moe Davis , a former US Air Force colonel .
Ms Bennett has not yet conceded the race , but the North Carolina Republican Party congratulated Mr Cawthorn on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this was a bad week for Trump The district 's previous representative , Mark Meadows , resigned in March to become the president 's chief of staff .
Mr Cawthorn , who uses a wheelchair after being involved in a car accident in 2014 , won Tuesday 's vote despite high-level endorsements for his opponent .
`` Please let this serve as my Complete and Total Endorsement of a great fighter and ally in North Carolina , '' the president wrote of Ms Bennett earlier this month , adding that she would `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DC '' .
Mr Meadows had also lent his backing to Ms Bennett .
But it was this support that Mr Cawthorn attacked during the campaign .
He criticised his opponent for refusing to take part in debates , saying in one video that he would not `` cower behind big-name endorsements '' .
Mr Cawthorn does , however , also support Mr Trump .
• Things the US has got right - and got wrong North Carolina is due to host the Republican party 's national convention in August , but Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions were placed on attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Presidential hopefuls do not become official candidates until each party 's nominations for president and vice-president are announced at their national convention , and so these events are a key part of the election process ahead of nationwide voting on 3 November .
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bbc--2020-06-24--Tanzanite: Tanzanian miner becomes overnight millionaire

A small-scale miner in Tanzania has become an overnight millionaire after selling two rough Tanzanite stones - the biggest ever find in the country .
Saniniu Laizer earned £2.4m ( $ 3.4m ) from the country 's mining ministry for the gemstones , which had a combined weight of 15kg ( 33 lb ) .
`` There will be a big party tomorrow , '' Mr Laizer , a father of more than 30 children , told the BBC .
Tanzanite is only found in northern Tanzania and is used to make ornaments .
It is one of the rarest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ geologist estimates its supply may be entirely depleted within the next 20 years .
The precious stone 's appeal lies in its variety of hues , including green , red , purple and blue .
Its value is determined by rarity - the finer the colour or clarity , the higher the price .
Mr Laizer mined the stones , weighing 9.2kg and 5.8kg , last week , but he sold them on Wednesday during a trading event in the northern region of Manyara .
Until now the largest Tanzanite rock to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phoned in to congratulate Mr Laizer on the find .
`` This is the benefit of small-scale miners and this proves that Tanzania is rich , '' the president said .
Mr Magufuli came to power in 2015 promising to safeguard the nation 's interest in the mining sector and increase the government 's revenue from it .
What did the new millionaire say ?
Mr Laizer , 52 , who has four wives , said he would slaughter one of his cows to celebrate .
He also plans to invest in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I want to build a shopping mall and a school .
I want to build this school near my home .
There are many poor people around here who ca n't afford to take their children to school . ''
`` I am not educated but I like things run in a professional way .
So I would like my children to run the business professionally . ''
He said the windfall would not change his lifestyle , and that he planned to continue looking after his 2,000 cows .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extra precautions despite his new-found riches .
`` There is enough security [ here ] .
There wo n't be any problem .
I can even walk around at night without any problem . ''
Some small-scale miners like Mr Laizer acquire government licences to prospect for Tanzanite , but illegal mining is prevalent especially near mines owned by big companies .
In 2017 , President Magufuli ordered the military to build a 24km ( 14-mile ) perimeter wall around the Merelani mining site in Manyara , believed to be the world 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , the government reported an increase in revenue in the mining sector and attributed the rise to the construction of the wall , the BBC 's Sammy Awami in Dar es Salaam reports .

He said the windfall would not change his lifestyle, and that he planned to continue looking after his 2,000 cows. He said he did not need to take any extra precautions despite his new-found riches.


bbc--2020-06-24--Ahmaud Arbery: Three men indicted over death of black jogger in February

A grand jury in the US state of Georgia has indicted three white men in the killing of unarmed black man Ahmaud Arbery in February , officials say .
Travis McMichael , his son Greg , and William Bryan were indicted by Glynn County 's Grand Jury on charges including malice and felony murder .
Mr Arbery , 25 , was jogging when he was shot dead during a confrontation with the father and son on 23 February .
The incident in Brunswick was captured on a video , drawing a national outcry .
`` This is another positive step @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Ahmaud , for finding justice for this family and the community beyond , '' District Attorney Joyette Holmes said on Wednesday .
Defence lawyers for the McMichaels have cautioned against a rush to judgment , the Associated Press reports .
Meanwhile , a lawyer for Mr Bryan , who filmed Mr Arbery 's death on his mobile phone , has maintained that his client was merely a witness .
• Ahmaud Arbery went jogging .
Why did he die ?
• Viewpoint : US must confront its Original Sin to move forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the US following the death of another unarmed black man , George Floyd , in police custody last month .
In the moments before the fatal confrontation , Gregory McMichael , 64 , and Travis , 34 , armed themselves with a pistol and shotgun and pursued Mr Arbery in a pickup truck in Brunswick 's Satilla Shores neighbourhood .
Gregory McMichael later told police he believed that Mr Arbery resembled the suspect in a series of local break-ins .
Mr Bryan 's 36-second video leaked online on 5 May , generating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by murder charges .
It was filmed by Mr Bryan from his vehicle while he was driving behind Mr Arbery .
The clip appears to show Mr Arbery running down a tree-lined street as the McMichaels wait ahead for him in their vehicle .
A tussle follows between the younger McMichael and Mr Arbery , who falls to the ground .
The three defendants were not charged until more than two months after Mr Arbery was killed .
State police began investigating after footage of the incident circulated .

"This just empowers us to fight. This is just the first steps of it - we still have a long way to go."


bbc--2020-06-25--Coronavirus: Qantas to axe 6,000 jobs due to pandemic

Qantas will axe 6,000 workers in a bid to stay afloat through the coronavirus pandemic , the airline says .
The cuts equate to about a fifth of the airline 's workforce prior to the Covid-19 crisis .
In March , it furloughed two-thirds of its staff .
Australia 's national carrier said the collapse in global air travel had devastated revenues .
Last week , the Australian government said its border would most likely remain closed into next year .
It prompted Qantas to cancel all international flights until late October , except for those to New Zealand .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the airline expected smaller revenues in the next three years , forcing it to become a smaller operation to survive .
`` The actions we must take will have a huge impact on thousands of our people , '' he said in a statement .
`` But the collapse in billions of dollars in revenue leaves us little choice if we are to save as many jobs as possible , long term . ''
He added that Qantas , and its budget subsidiary Jetstar , would continue to extend a furlough for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the recovery we know is coming '' .
The airline also plans to raise A $ 1.9bn ( £1.05bn ; $ 1.3bn ) in equity - its first such move in 10 years - to bring in new funds and help `` accelerate '' its recovery .
Other short-term savings will be found in grounding its A380 fleet and deferring the purchase of new planes , it said .
Mr Joyce said he estimated domestic demand for flights would fully recover by 2022 , but that international demand at that time would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australia 's other large carrier , Virgin Australia , has also suffered financially during the pandemic and slumped into voluntary administration in April .
It has since received several buyout offers , it says .
Earlier this month the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) warned that the airline industry could suffer losses of more than $ 84bn this year .

"The crisis is deeper and wider than what many think it is, and it will have a debilitating effect on the industry. We are seeing just the beginning of what is going to be at least 12 to 18 months of pain and suffering before airlines slowly recover."


bbc--2020-06-24--No case against Canada indigenous chief battered by police

All charges have been dropped against an indigenous chief who was battered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police .
Video of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam being beaten by an officer on 10 March went viral .
The incident in Fort McMurray , Alberta , began over an expired registration plate .
Mr Adam was charged with assaulting police and resisting arrest .
After seeing the clip , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had `` serious questions '' about the officer 's conduct .
Mr Adam learned about the charges being dropped on Wednesday as he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overwhelmed that the charges have been withdrawn , '' Mr Adam said at a news conference .
`` My wife and I knew we did n't do nothing wrong .
It was just for an expired licence plate . ''
Mr Adam has said he was targeted because he was indigenous , and is calling for Canadian policing reforms .
The incident , which took place last March , is being investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team , which oversees incidents involving police where someone is hurt .
The RCMP 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the footage and found the officer 's actions `` reasonable '' .
Constable Simon Seguin , the officer who arrested Mr Adam , remains on duty , and is facing charges of unlawfully entering a house , mischief and assault stemming from an unrelated incident on 5 August 2019 .
On Wednesday , the division confirmed charges had been dropped .
RCMP said in a written statement : `` The role of the police is to investigate and gather evidence in support of a charge and the RCMP fulfilled that role on this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to assess the elements of the offence and to determine if they prosecute . ''
The incident began when an RCMP officer approached Mr Adam and his wife over an expired registration plate in a car park outside a casino .
The nearly 12-minute video , recorded by a dashcam from the RCMP officer 's vehicle parked behind Mr Adam 's lorry , begins with Mr Adam having a tense and profanity-laden discussion with the officer .
`` I 'm tired of being harassed by the RCMP , '' he says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a heated argument .
At about the 4:45 mark , the officer tries to arrest Mr Adam 's wife , twisting her arm behind her back until she says : `` Ow ! ''
That is when Mr Adam gets out again , shouting : `` Leave my wife alone ! ''
He pushes the officer away .
Everyone gets back in the vehicle .
Backup is called , and Mr Adam gets out of the lorry .
The officer begins to arrest him , and Mr Adam says `` do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is when a second officer runs at him full speed , knocks him down , and repeatedly punches him while shouting : `` Do n't resist . ''

"I'm overwhelmed that the charges have been withdrawn," Mr Adam said at a news conference. "My wife and I knew we didn't do nothing wrong. It was just for an expired licence plate."


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 .

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--CrossFit sold after George Floyd backlash

CrossFit owner Greg Glassman has sold his fitness company , after stepping down as chief following outcry over remarks he made about George Floyd .
The comments , in which he asked why he should mourn for Mr Floyd , had prompted athletes , gyms and sportswear firms to cut ties with the business .
Incoming owner Eric Roza , a tech executive and co-founder of a successful CrossFit gym , said he would be `` working hard to rebuild bridges '' .
Terms of the deal were not disclosed .
The value of the Crossfit business , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on high intensity workouts , has previously been estimated at about $ 4bn ( £3.1bn ) .
It is affiliated with about 13,000 gyms in 158 countries worldwide .
`` In the past weeks , divisive statements and allegations have left many members of our community struggling to reconcile our transformative experiences in the local box with what we 've been reading online , '' said Mr Roza , a former Oracle executive who is now working for US venture capitalists General Catalyst .
`` My view is simple : Racism and sexism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in CrossFit . ''
In early June , Mr Glassman had courted controversy by responding to a public health body on Twitter that was saying racism was a public health issue .
Mr Glassman tweeted : `` It 's FLOYD-19 '' , an apparent reference to the coronavirus .
He followed it up with a second tweet saying : `` Your failed model quarantined us and now you 're going to model a solution to racism ?
George Floyd 's brutal murder sparked riots nationally . ''
He also called an affiliate `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been silent on the killing in Minneapolis .
Hours before posting the fateful tweets , Mr Glassman had told gym owners on a private Zoom call that was leaked to reporters : `` We 're not mourning for George Floyd - I do n't think me or any of my staff are .
`` Can you tell me why I should mourn for him ?
Other than that it 's the white thing to do . ''
The comments prompted affiliate gyms to drop CrossFit branding and were rebuked by athletes , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was ending its partnership with the brand .
The backlash set off further reports that alleged incidents of sexism at the firm .
In a statement this month announcing his retirement , Mr Glassman acknowledged that he had `` created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members '' .
He added : `` I can not let my behaviour stand in the way of HQ 's or affiliates ' missions .
They are too important to jeopardise . ''
On Wednesday , in its announcement of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement from Mr Glassman , which said it was `` time '' for him to move on .
`` The world has changed but the magnificent human machine , the proven benefits of CrossFit , and its market opportunity remain unchanged , '' he said .
Mr Glassman 's retirement was the latest corporate fallout from the protests set off by George Floyd 's death in the hands of police , which have reignited discussions of racism and prompted many firms to speak out .
• WATCH : 'This is why we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ context to understand the protests • CRIME AND JUSTICE : How are African Americans treated ?


bbc--2020-06-24--Kosovo President Thaci faces war crimes indictment

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has been accused of war crimes by a special international prosecutor in The Hague .
Mr Thaci and others `` are criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders '' , torture and enforced disappearances , the prosecutor said .
The accusations - covering Kosovo 's independence war against Serbia - are being assessed by a judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers who will decide if the case goes to trial .
In its announcement , the Special Prosecutor 's Office ( SPO ) said that , on 24 April , it had filed a 10-count indictment with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consideration '' .
It has not released details about the alleged war crimes .
`` The Indictment is only an accusation .
It is the result of a lengthy investigation and reflects the SPO 's determination that it can prove all of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt , '' it said .
The statement also said Mr Thaci and another of the accused , Kosovo politician Kadri Veseli , have sought to `` obstruct and undermine '' the SPO 's work `` in an attempt to ensure that they do not face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has six months to decide if the court will issue charges .
Allegations of organ-trafficking against the Kosovo Liberation Army ( KLA ) - the rebel movement that Mr Thaci led - were first set out by a former Hague war crimes prosecutor , Carla del Ponte in 2008 .
The EU-backed court was set up to investigate the claims .
Kosovo 's government has angrily denied the allegations , calling them `` baseless and defamatory '' ahead of the publication of a report in 2010 .
• Kosovo organ trafficking : Where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been in power in Kosovo since the end of the war - most recently as president of Kosovo .
The independence war in 1998-1999 cost more than 10,000 lives and only ended after a Nato air campaign .
Kosovo declared its independence in 2008 , something Serbia still does not recognise .
Mr Thaci was due to travel to Washington DC for planned talks with Serbia 's leadership in the White House on Saturday .
He has now cancelled the trip .
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers ( KSC ) has suddenly broken its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It has not just revealed that Kosovo 's president is the subject of an indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity , but also accused him of `` repeated efforts… to obstruct and undermine the work '' of the court .
For anyone who has ever attempted to get information from the KSC , this is a staggering development .
The court has revealed virtually nothing about its work since it was established in 2016 .
Even when Kosovo 's former Prime Minister , Ramush Haradinaj , said that he had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was no confirmation from the KSC .
The fact that the prosecutor has indicted Hashim Thaci is actually less surprising than the manner of the court 's announcement .
The KSC was set up to examine the allegations in a 2011 Council of Europe report which named Mr Thaci as the leader of a criminal offshoot of the Kosovo Liberation Army involved in drug , gun and human organ trafficking .
At the time , Mr Thaci said the Council report contained `` baseless allegations '' and threatened to sue the author @ @ @ @ @ @

For anyone who has ever attempted to get information from the KSC, this is a staggering development. The court has revealed virtually nothing about its work since it was established in 2016. Even when Kosovo's former Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, said that he had been questioned as a suspect last year, there was no confirmation from the KSC.


bbc--2020-06-24--Iran arrests men for 'selling babies on Instagram'

Three men have been arrested in Iran on suspicion of trying to sell two babies on Instagram .
Tehran 's police chief , Brig-Gen Hossein Rahimi , said one of the children was 20 days old .
The other was two months old .
The babies had already been bought for up to $ 500 ( £400 ) , and were being resold for between $ 2,000 and $ 2,500 .
One of those arrested allegedly said he was `` getting babies from poor families '' and `` handing them over to families who could provide a better future '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard US sanctions have hit Iran Brig-Gen Rahimi told local media that police officers had been alerted to `` ads on Instagram for selling babies '' .
The officers uncovered `` 10 to 15 such pages '' on the photo-sharing service and found the two babies with the three men who were arrested , he said .
The babies were handed over to social services .
The suspects claimed that they had bought the babies from poor families for a `` small fee '' , according to the general .
In a video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news agency , one of the men said : `` This would have helped these babies have a better future . ''
This is not the first such case uncovered by the authorities in Iran .
Earlier this year , police in the province of Gorgan said they had arrested four women and a man who had allegedly been finding poor pregnant women and paying their hospital expenses , then taking away their babies after they gave birth .
In 2016 , then Vice-President for Family and Women 's Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` high number '' of expectant mothers selling their babies .
She said women were being forced to do so by `` a variety of factors '' , including poverty , drug addiction , child marriage and homelessness .

The officers uncovered "10 to 15 such pages" on the photo-sharing service and found the two babies with the three men who were arrested, he said. The babies were handed over to social services.


bbc--2020-06-24--Olympus quits camera business after 84 years

Olympus , once one of the world 's biggest camera brands , is selling off that part of its business after 84 years .
The firm said that despite its best efforts , the `` extremely severe digital camera market '' was no longer profitable .
The arrival of smartphones , which had shrunk the market for separate cameras , was one major factor , it said .
It had recorded losses for the last three years .
The Japanese company made its first camera in 1936 after years of microscope manufacture .
The Semi-Olympus I featured an accordion-like fold-out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a month 's wages in Japan .
The company continued to develop the camera business over the decades , becoming one of the top companies by market share .
`` There 's a huge amount of affection for Olympus , going right back , '' says Nigel Atherton , editor of Amateur Photographer magazine .
The 1970s was a high point , with their cameras advertised on television by celebrity photographers such as David Bailey and Lord Lichfield .
`` Those cameras were revolutionary - they were very small , very light , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nice quality lenses , '' adds Atherton .
A cult following stayed with the firm , despite teething issues with new technologies such as autofocus , Atherton says .
But the firm had a second wave with digital cameras , where they were early adopters .
But they targeted their later range of mirrorless cameras at a middle market - `` people who were n't serious photographers - they wanted something better than a point-and-shoot camera , but they did n't want a DSLR camera '' .
`` That market very very quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned out not to exist . ''
The market for standalone cameras has fallen dramatically - by one estimate , it dropped by 84 % between 2010 and 2018 .
`` Olympus I find a very frustrating company , '' Atherton says .
`` Continually over the last few years , they 've constantly got it wrong , made wrong decisions , taken wrong turns , and gone down cul-de-sacs . ''
One example he cited was the lack of progress in video performance , where rivals have made strides .
The company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior executives in 2011 .
Olympus is now seeking to strike a deal to carve off the camera part of its business so that its brands - such as Zuiko lenses - can be used in new products by another firm , Japan Industrial Partners .
In a statement , the Japanese company said that it was business as usual until then .
`` We believe this is the right step to preserve the legacy of the brand , '' the statement said .
On social media , however , its UK team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions '' .
`` We ask for your patience ... Olympus sees this potential transfer as an opportunity to enable our imaging business to grow and delight both long-time and new photography enthusiasts , '' it said .
The company never stopped making microscopes , and has turned its optical technology to other scientific and medical equipment such as endoscopes .

Olympus is now seeking to strike a deal to carve off the camera part of its business so that its brands - such as Zuiko lenses - can be used in new products by another firm, Japan Industrial Partners.


bbc--2020-06-24--President Trump calls coronavirus 'kung flu'

While speaking at a youth rally in Phoenix , Arizona , President Donald Trump mused on what the deadly virus @ @ @ @ @ to cheers from the audience about the `` kung flu '' suggestion , he went @ @ @ @ @ 19 in Covid-19 stood for .
President Trump 's counselor Kellyanne Conway told journalists on @ @ @ @ @ made very clear he wants everybody to understand , and I think that we need @ @ @ @ @ the virus originated in China '' .
The United States has over two million cases @ @ @ @ @ 120,000 fatalities to the disease .
Over 28 million people have been tested .

While speaking at a youth rally in Phoenix, Arizona, President Donald Trump mused on what the deadly virus should be called.
Responding to cheers from the audience about the "kung flu" suggestion, he went on to ponder what the 19 in Covid-19 stood for.
President Trump's counselor Kellyanne Conway told journalists on Wednesday that he "has made very clear he wants everybody to understand, and I think that we need Americans to understand, that the virus originated in China".
The United States has over two million cases and has suffered from over 120,000 fatalities to the disease. Over 28 million people have been tested.


bbc--2020-06-24--'It's cold and damp': Seeking a workmate in a historic Australian tunnel

It would be an unusual co-working space - a decommissioned 19th Century railway tunnel that is cold , humid and @ @ @ @ @ owner Dean Smith says he hopes someone may find a use for the `` unique @ @ @ @ @ Tasmania .

It would be an unusual co-working space - a decommissioned 19th Century railway tunnel that is cold, humid and half-filled with mushrooms.
But owner Dean Smith says he hopes someone may find a use for the "unique" space in Hobart, Tasmania.
Video by Isabelle Rodd.


bbc--2020-06-24--Nigeria's Yoruba women announce their arrival in style

Nigerian photographer Oye Diran reimagines the fashion of the Yoruba people in a stunning series of images .
When an aunt sent Oye Diran an old family photo , he was mesmerised by the high sense of fashion and style exhibited by the Yoruba women of West Africa in the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s .
The photo was of his mother and her sister adorned in iro and buba , the colourful two-piece outfit of wrapped skirt and top popular with Yoruba women in Nigeria .
Diran , a Yoruba himself and Nigerian photographer based in New York , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and buba had evolved over time , but that the outfit still maintained its elegance .
Inspired , he ploughed through the internet looking for more vintage images of the outfit but was disappointed with what he saw .
`` What I found were updated and modernized versions that people wear today which was n't what I needed , '' he told the BBC .
He then picked up his camera and produced a series of images which he titled A Ti De ( We Have Arrived ) .
The Yoruba are Nigeria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reputation for loud celebrations and incessant parties - anything from a new child to a new house warrants a huge gathering of friends and family and music , food and drinks .
The centrepiece at gatherings , especially weddings , are the matching colourful outfits worn by guests .
For the women it is the iro and buba which in the past would sit at the bottom of the steel box awaiting its call for that special occasion .
But its glory days are long gone , replaced by the aso-ebi , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same pattern .
As a sign of how times have changed , the aso-ebi does n't sit at the bottom of a heavy steel box , but hides in the darkest corner of a wardrobe , away from the light and other not so important outfits , as it awaits the special day .
`` Yoruba fashion has evolved in different ways over the last few decades but has always maintained it 's authentic look , '' Diran told the BBC .
`` I feel we started seeing more of it 's modernisation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` For example , in the 1960s the length of the iro ended right above the knees .
Today the length of the iro can go as far as the feet .
We see influences from other fashion trends around the world on Yoruba fashion , '' he said .
Diran , a fine art and fashion photographer , was born in Nigeria 's commercial capital , Lagos , to a mother who was a visual artist and a father who was a veterinary doctor and businessman .
`` My mother had an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I would see old work she had done along with new pieces she was creating through mixed media , drawings , paintings and photography .
`` I basically grew up surrounded and inspired by art . ''
He fused his background in art and his interest in photography to create his current style which he describes as `` conceptual with a degree of minimalism '' .
He mostly creates with a palette of neutral and pastel colours .
`` I try to illuminate a sense a beauty , empowerment and ideologies in my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yoruba fashion has evolved to incorporate trends , from flared sleeves to puff sleeves to off-shoulder blouses and narrower collars .
Materials that were n't traditionally used , from chiffon to organza are now being worn and most importantly , the outfits that were traditionally loose are now more fitted .
`` A Ti De is a phrase of confidence , '' he said .
`` It is used to announce one 's arrival in a celebratory fashion in most cases . ''
For the party-loving Yoruba people , truer words have never @ @ @

"For example, in the 1960s the length of the iro ended right above the knees. Today the length of the iro can go as far as the feet. We see influences from other fashion trends around the world on Yoruba fashion," he said.


bbc--2020-06-24--Girl Guide's diary describes visiting Hitler in 1936

A woman from Dorset is trying to trace a Girl Guide who wrote in her diary about meeting Adolf Hitler @ @ @ @ @ , who lives in Piddlehinton in Dorset , wants to share the diary as a @ @ @ @ @ it the girl , who is thought to be called Georgina Giles , describes Hitler @ @ @ @ @ , rather like Charlie Chaplin '' .
She is now trying to trace the people @ @ @ @ @ and would like it to be displayed in a museum .
This story was filmed @ @ @ @ @ .

A woman from Dorset is trying to trace a Girl Guide who wrote in her diary about meeting Adolf Hitler in 1936.
Rhiannon Shutler, who lives in Piddlehinton in Dorset, wants to share the diary as a warning from history.
In it the girl, who is thought to be called Georgina Giles, describes Hitler as "a little chap, rather like Charlie Chaplin".
She is now trying to trace the people who feature in the diary and would like it to be displayed in a museum.
A film by Rich George and Jane Goddard
This story was filmed using safe social distancing techniques.


bbc--2020-06-24--Coronavirus vaccine trials in Africa: What you need to know

With the start this week of the first human vaccine trials in South Africa , Africa has now officially joined @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 vaccine .
The large-scale trial of the vaccine developed by Oxford University is being @ @ @ @ @ the UK and Brazil .
Experts say a vaccine is the one thing that will @ @ @ @ @ normal , but trials have to take place in many different settings before there is @ @ @ @ @ use .
Scientists say that it is vital that Africans take part in these trials @ @ @ @ @ so could jeopardise efforts to find a vaccine that works worldwide - and not just @ @ @ @ @ critics cite a history of Western exploitation of Africa and unethical drug trials in the @ @ @ @ @ to participate .
BBC Africa 's Joice Etutu reports on why vaccine trials in Africa @ @ @ @ @ and whether things have changed .

With the start this week of the first human vaccine trials in South Africa, Africa has now officially joined the race to find a Covid-19 vaccine.
The large-scale trial of the vaccine developed by Oxford University is being conducted in South Africa, the UK and Brazil.
Experts say a vaccine is the one thing that will help bring life back to normal, but trials have to take place in many different settings before there is one which is safe to use.
Scientists say that it is vital that Africans take part in these trials, arguing that not doing so could jeopardise efforts to find a vaccine that works worldwide - and not just for richer nations.
But critics cite a history of Western exploitation of Africa and unethical drug trials in the past as a reason not to participate.
BBC Africa's Joice Etutu reports on why vaccine trials in Africa are such a sensitive topic and whether things have changed.


bbc--2020-06-24--Could search engines predict the spread of coronavirus?

Scientists are investigating whether searches for particular medical problems could be used to predict a second spike in cases of @ @ @ @ @ , searches for loss of taste and smell were peaking before lockdown , and long @ @ @ @ @ as being linked to the disease .
See more at Click 's website and @ @

Scientists are investigating whether searches for particular medical problems could be used to predict a second spike in cases of Covid-19.
In the UK, searches for loss of taste and smell were peaking before lockdown, and long before those symptoms were announced as being linked to the disease.
BBC Click's Spencer Kelly finds out more.
See more at Click's website and @BBCClick


bbc--2020-06-24--Loren Gray: TikTok star 'glad' she shared sexual assault story

`` I felt pressured into sharing , but I 'm kind of glad it happened . ''
In May , TikTok star Loren Gray revealed she had been sexually assaulted at the age of 12 .
It was only after receiving a message that someone knew and might share her story `` in the wrong way '' , that she decided to speak .
In her only interview about it since , the 18-year-old tells Radio 1 Newsbeat she 's grateful for the positive response .
`` It was really difficult for me , because I did n't know what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people were going to look at me differently . ''
`` I was n't prepared for it , you never can be .
It was hard but I feel like I handled it in the best way I could . ''
In the TikTok video , Loren wrote she was assaulted in a basement belonging to somebody she trusted .
`` I struggled to put the pieces together as to why this had happened to me .
I felt dirty , hopeless , broken , and worthless , '' the American added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell anyone , including her parents , that she was planning on sharing publicly what happened to her .
`` I just went for it because at the end of the day , it 's my story .
So it 's on me when I share .
`` But my parents were really proud , '' she adds .
Loren says she has n't reported what happened to the authorities .
`` I did n't because at the time , it was n't right for my healing process . ''
But she knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for other people '' .
Circumstances were different for her because her parents `` had never dealt with anything '' like that so they `` were really unsure about what to do '' .
`` By the time I told anyone , it had already been a couple of months .
I just wanted to move forward . ''
'It 's not your fault , talking can help' Loren has more than 60 million followers across her social media pages .
Since sharing , she says many of her fans have told their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It shows `` you never really know what 's going on in someone 's life '' .
`` But I 'm glad I could help people share their own stories , because it 's something that happens to a lot of people . ''
If you need support with any of the issues raised in this article , these organisations may be able to help .
According to the Rape , Abuse & Incest National Network , 15 % of sexual assault victims in the US are aged between 12 and 17 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ assault .
She says there are always questions inside about what could have happened instead .
`` You ask 'What if I did this differently , or what would have happened if I did something else ? '
'' `` It 's a natural feeling .
But it takes a lot of learning and realisation to realise it 's not your fault and talking to people really helps . ''
Having other people hear what she was going through helped ease some of those feelings .
`` Even though it 's really difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , talking to my parents was really hard , but in the end was like therapy . ''
The other thing which helped Loren was making videos , which she started doing a few months after the incident to pass time when being home schooled .
`` I feel making videos separated the two worlds , especially once I started gaining a following .
`` It helped me separate what I was feeling and the life that I could have . ''
She credits her fans for helping her get through a tough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what had happened , so they were just there to support me in what I was doing and what I 'm passionate about , which is making videos . ''
The most important thing for Loren was to not let what happened control her future .
`` I know that especially at the time , it feels really life defining . ''
`` You 'll look at yourself differently , even thinking other people are looking at you differently , even when they are n't , '' she adds .
`` But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always the case .
There 's always a light at the end of the tunnel . ''
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here .


bbc--2020-06-24--Israel annexation plans for West Bank 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.
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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--2020-06-24--Russian parade defies pandemic as Putin stages power bid

Moscow 's coronavirus lockdown was strict and long .
Its end has been swift and almost total .
Veterans in their nineties joined President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday for a giant 75th anniversary Victory Day parade as if facemasks and social distancing were never invented .
And across the city , with the sun finally beating down , crowds have been flooding back to parks , bars and restaurant terraces , shrugging off the weeks hiding indoors from infection as an unpleasant memory .
Officially Covid-19 has been declared `` in retreat '' .
But with more than 600,000 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are aimed at clearing the way for Vladimir Putin 's political priorities : a parade , and a vote on extending his rule .
`` The whole country had been preparing all year for the Victory Day parade , '' retired naval officer Alexander Goncharov says , after helping get World War Two veterans to the event postponed from 9 May by the pandemic .
He said 28 of them , who 'd occupied the seats closest to President Putin , had spent more than two weeks at a sanatorium outside Moscow in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Covid tests .
On the day itself , all were covered in medals .
Very few wore face coverings .
`` They were sure they 'd be OK .
They shook hands with the president with no gloves or anything , '' Mr Goncharov told the BBC .
`` If the leader of the country is not afraid , then I 'm sure the veterans are confident too . ''
The statistics might indicate a more cautious approach .
Back in April , when Mr Putin declared it too risky to press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia was detecting around 3,500 Covid cases each day .
Currently the figure is twice that , although in Moscow the infection rate has been falling .
Shops , hairdressers - even the zoo - have re-opened in recent weeks .
The latest restrictions were lifted on Tuesday , including on indoor cafes , playgrounds and gyms .
A day later , thousands of troops marched across the cobblestones of Red Square to mark the Soviet defeat over Nazi Germany , a moment of history Vladimir Putin describes as 'sacred . '
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted world leaders alongside him on the tribune , underlining his assertion of modern Russia as a global power as its military arsenal was paraded before them .
The pandemic put paid to that .
The handful of heads of state who did make it to Moscow were mostly from former Soviet republics .
Their ranks were depleted even further when two of the Kyrgyz delegation tested positive for Covid-19 , forcing the president to skip the parade .
The public , though , defied instructions to watch from home on television : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many stood on bridges and pavements to watch tanks roll through the city centre .
Ignoring the mandatory facemask rule , they squeezed together behind police barriers to snap photos .
No-one stepped in to break up the crowds .
This event was always intended as a patriotic boost ; a feel-good day after a tough couple of months and a reminder of what Vladimir Putin represents .
• Is Putin rushing Russia out of lockdown ?
It was scheduled one day before the start of voting on a constitutional reform package that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president .
In a recent interview , an infectious diseases specialist in Orel , south-west of Moscow , had a stark warning about that ballot .
`` Let whoever wants to vote , vote .
But there 's no more hospital beds , '' Viktoria Adoneva told a local paper .
`` There will definitely be a [ surge in cases ] ; but we 'll have nowhere to put them . ''
When her words caused a national scandal she claimed they 'd been distorted , but others agree .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus , '' warns Dr Anton , an ER doctor in Moscow who does n't want me to use his surname .
His own hospital is back operating as normal again after treating only Covid-19 cases at the height of the pandemic - a time he recalls as `` terrifying '' .
`` The image they 're creating : the fall in patient numbers , the end of restrictions , the parade - it 's all wonderful , like there 's no problem .
But there are problems , '' Anton says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional reform allowing him to run again is a vote for stability , eliminating unsettling speculation over who would succeed him come 2024 .
Others see it as grabbing a `` window of political opportunity '' to ensure he stays in power , snatched between an apparent `` victory '' over the virus and before the economic effects of the pandemic are fully felt .
In Moscow , those who want to take part can vote online .
That 's risky , according to election monitors , in terms of vote-rigging , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who do turn out in person , voting has been spread over a week .
`` The problem is everyone 's stopped thinking about coronavirus ; they think it 's all over , '' Dr Anton worries .
After all , their president - who spent a couple of months tucked away in his residence , holding video conference calls - is now walking around without a facemask and shaking hands .
`` People are edging closer and closer together on public transport and all over the place , '' the doctor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new outbreak is very high . ''