bbcuk--2020-01-22--Rough sex murder defence: Why campaigners want it banned

Campaigners say men are increasingly using the `` rough sex '' defence to try to get away with murdering women .
They want the law changed to prevent such a defence and have the support of two MPs .
But what difference would it make ?
The death of British backpacker Grace Millane provoked an outpouring of anger and disgust , not only because of the circumstances in which she lost her life , but because of how her killer tried to explain away her death .
He told police that Ms Millane had asked to be strangled during sex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Personal details about the 22-year-old 's sex life and apparent interest in BDSM were then discussed in court , and duly reported on by the world 's media .
Commentators believed she was being `` slut-shamed '' and blamed for her own death .
Ms Millane , from Wickford in Essex , was murdered in New Zealand , but back home in England former solicitor general Harriet Harman wants the law changed to stop men from being able to use the defence of `` rough sex gone wrong '' - even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They should always be prosecuted for murder , the Labour MP believes , and it is `` his bad luck '' if a man accidentally kills his partner during sex .
`` The new version of men being able to blame the woman they killed for her own death is by saying 'she wanted the violence ' , '' Ms Harman told Woman 's Hour .
`` And the difficulty is that there were two people there and only one of them gets to speak because he has killed her , and therefore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
This defence offered by Ms Millane 's killer was rejected , and he was convicted of her murder .
But , still , the case has led to increased concerns about men using the so-called `` Fifty Shades of Grey '' defence in murder trials .
It 's very common , a survey published in November suggests .
Commissioned by BBC Radio 5 live , it asked 2,002 UK women aged between 18 and 39 if they had experienced various acts during sex .
The majority ( 59 % ) had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choking , 34 % had experienced gagging , 20 % had experienced spitting and 59 % had experienced biting .
Almost half of the women ( 44 % ) , said these acts were always wanted .
However , 29 % said they were unwanted some of the time , 14 % said they were unwanted most of the time , and 10 % said they were unwanted every time .
The Centre for Women 's Justice said the figures showed a `` growing pressure on young women to consent to violent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` likely to be due to the normalisation of extreme pornography '' .
But one 28-year-old woman , who spoke to the BBC anonymously , said the feeling of domination that came with choking was `` a pretty common sexual fantasy '' .
`` Sometimes , during sex , my partner will put his hands around my throat , or hold me down by my throat , '' she said .
`` It is never so hard that I can not breathe at all .
`` Whether you know each other well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sexual partner to be rough or to choke them , they are asking them to take on responsibility for their safety .
`` If you have any doubts about your ability to keep them safe , you say no .
Once you 've agreed , there 's a line between consensual rough sex and dangerous abuse and you need to be able to communicate where that is throughout , verbally or non-verbally .
`` A person who asks for rough sex does not intend to die so when they do it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the negligence of the other person .
`` If you are trying not to kill someone , you wo n't kill them .
It is only through failing to try not to , or actually trying to kill them that you will . ''
So how dangerous is choking during sex ?
It 's potentially deadly , according to pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton - although he points out the risks should be obvious .
Choking is `` inherently dangerous '' because compression of the blood vessels causes a lack of blood flow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` With pressure on the neck , normally you become unconscious quite quickly .
`` It 's not for me to pass a view on what people do in the privacy of their own homes - personally I would n't fancy it - but be very well aware that it is a dangerous thing to do .
`` So if you are in your right mind and your partner stops breathing , a jury could reasonably infer that the logical thing to do would be to stop strangling them and say , 'Are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than maintaining pressure on an unresponsive human being for another few minutes , '' he said .
In terms of establishing whether there was intent to cause serious harm , he said cases like this could be challenging .
Dr Hamilton , who examined the body of Charlotte Teeling after she was strangled by Richard Bailey during sex , said it was difficult to tell through forensic examination whether or not there was an intention to kill .
`` As a pathologist , the physical findings are that somebody has been strangled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` If you strangle someone deliberately in order to kill them or if you 've seen something on the internet and decide to give it a go and it goes horribly wrong , the physical findings are n't going to be all that different .
`` We do n't know what the deliberations are in the jury room , but I think the fact he [ Richard Bailey ] had left the body in his flat for a week and used her [ Charlotte Teeling 's ] bank card after she died probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why do campaigners think the law should be changed ?
The group We Ca n't Consent To This has collated 59 examples of women `` killed by men who claim a sex game , gone wrong '' and , along with Ms Harman , is demanding that the rough sex defence should be outlawed .
The group 's numerous supporters include the Guardian newspaper and women 's magazine Grazia .
When Grazia asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the proposal , he said : `` I agree with Harriet Harman that the '50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll make sure the law is clear on this . ''
The campaign also has the support of Mark Garnier , the Conservative MP for Wyre Forest , who started looking at the issue because of the Natalie Connolly case .
Ms Connolly - whose parents live in the MP 's constituency - was left to die by her boyfriend John Broadhurst after what he said had been consensual sex .
She was left bleeding and suffered more than 40 injuries .
Broadhurst was sentenced to less than four years in prison for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be altered ?
What campaigners want is to amend the Domestic Abuse Bill currently going through Parliament , to make it the expectation that murder charges are brought against those suspected of killing a person during sex .
As it stands , if someone kills another person during sexual activity they could be charged with manslaughter alone .
To murder someone , there needs to have been an intention to kill that person or to cause them grievous bodily harm ( GBH ) .
`` If the prosecuting barrister wants to reduce the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are more convinced they will get a conviction [ of manslaughter ] , that would have to be agreed by the director of public prosecutions , '' said Mr Garnier .
He believes this could have made a difference in the prosecution of John Broadhurst .
`` We were worried that the prosecuting barrister did n't show a significant amount of nerve or braveness in terms of prosecuting the full case of murder , '' he said .
`` We want to make sure that administrative change within the law is done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so that someone like Natalie 's killer is not let off with a lesser charge . ''
A second amendment backed by campaigners is to do with people consenting to being injured .
In the late 1980s , in a case known as R v Brown , the UK 's highest court ruled that consent was not a defence to actual bodily harm ( ABH ) .
The judgement concluded a case in which a group of men had willingly submitted to whippings and beatings , for sexual satisfaction .
Evidence had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had videotaped the acts .
What Ms Harman wants is for this to be written into the bill going through Parliament .
`` R v Brown is in case law but bearing in mind we 've got a new Domestic Abuse Bill , it would be right to put it in statute law , '' she said .
`` Statute law is much more under the noses of the judiciary and the prosecutors and the defence . ''
`` Kneejerk '' legislation that is a response to prominent campaigning , risks `` creating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect the public , said Caroline Goodwin QC , chairwoman of the Criminal Bar Association .
So does the law really need to change ?
Dr Samantha Pegg , who lectures at Nottingham Law School on criminal law regarding sadomasochism ( S & M ) , thinks not .
She believes what is being proposed would change nothing in practice , but merely `` clarify '' the existing law .
`` At the moment it 's no defence at all to say that person is consenting , because of Brown .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ca n't consent to injury which amounts to actual bodily harm if it 's in the course of S & M . ''
• How to stop rough sex crossing the line into abuse Dr Pegg said the changes would not prevent defendants from claiming they killed someone accidentally through rough sex .
`` It wo n't stop people making these claims , '' she said .
`` It does seem over the last year or so that there has been absolutely a significant shift and people do seem to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might just be that shift in culture and they think a jury might believe them , or in fact it might be true .
But we ca n't stop them doing that . ''
Rosina Cottage QC , a barrister at Red Lion Chambers , agrees .
`` The changes will not affect the ability of a defendant to run a defence of lack of intent to murder and nor will they assist those campaigning for the protection of people from sexual violence , '' she said .
And in any case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting away with murder by using this defence .
`` It 's not an excuse that a jury is necessarily going to buy into , '' she said .
`` They [ jurors ] are going to have to look at the facts and decide whether there is some truth in this matter or whether they [ the accused ] are just trying to buy into social constructions of people engaging in these kinds of activities . ''
What if someone does die in a genuine accident ?
Ms Harman believes a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if his sexual partner consented to the violence , and even if the man did not intend to kill her or cause her GBH .
`` I mean if he 's squeezing her neck and saying 'but actually she was saying more , more ' well it 's murder , because he 's intending to squeeze her neck and that 's the actions which caused her death , '' the MP said .
But what if the man did not intend to harm the woman by strangling her ?
`` Well that 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` He is intending to put his hands on her windpipe . ''
However , barristers who spoke to the BBC have concerns about this .
Abimbola Johnson , of 25 Bedford Row , said : `` The law makes the distinction [ between murder and manslaughter ] because murder charges are , rightly , reserved for instances when someone deliberately and intentionally causes someone at least serious harm which results in their death . ''
Rosina Cottage QC said : `` To deprive an individual of the defence to murder is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undertaken after a wide-ranging and considered discussion about the ramifications . ''
Obscenity lawyer Myles Jackman believes removing the right to such a defence would be `` a horrendous intrusion into human rights and freedoms '' .
`` I 'm really concerned that there is a risk that people may die through consensual rough sex , and the person responsible did not intend for that person to die - it was just a dreadful accident that ruined people 's lives - and they should not be punished in the same way as someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find on Tinder , '' he said .
Author and journalist Rebecca Reid , who has written about her experiences with BDSM , believes that while the `` sex game gone wrong '' claim can be a `` hastily pieced-together excuse when a woman has been murdered '' , rough sex between consenting couples can be a real risk .
In an age when BDSM practices are more mainstream , she argues that some people need better education about how to stay safe .
But rough sex did not kill Ms Millane , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it feels like people who have nothing to do with BDSM are appropriating it to try and get away with some vicious and evil behaviour , which is really sad for a community that has spent a long , long time fighting for some recognition and a right to exist in an authentic way , '' she said .
`` The important thing with the Grace Millane case is that it was not that he was a well-intentioned young man trying to please his new fling who accidentally got it wrong .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ emulating what they 've seen in porn and making honest mistakes . ''
If you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence , help and support is available at BBC Action Line .

Rough sex murder defence: Why campaigners want it banned Published 22 January 2020
Image source, Alamy Image caption, Fifty Shades of Grey has been credited with helping BDSM into the mainstream
Campaigners say men are increasingly using the "rough sex" defence to try to get away with murdering women. They want the law changed to prevent such a defence and have the support of two MPs. But what difference would it make?
The death of British backpacker Grace Millane provoked an outpouring of anger and disgust, not only because of the circumstances in which she lost her life, but because of how her killer tried to explain away her death.
He told police that Ms Millane had asked to be strangled during sex, and her death was an accident. Personal details about the 22-year-old's sex life and apparent interest in BDSM were then discussed in court, and duly reported on by the world's media. Commentators believed she was being "slut-shamed" and blamed for her own death.
Ms Millane, from Wickford in Essex, was murdered in New Zealand, but back home in England former solicitor general Harriet Harman wants the law changed to stop men from being able to use the defence of "rough sex gone wrong" - even if the death is a genuine accident. They should always be prosecuted for murder, the Labour MP believes, and it is "his bad luck" if a man accidentally kills his partner during sex.
"The new version of men being able to blame the woman they killed for her own death is by saying 'she wanted the violence'," Ms Harman told Woman's Hour. "And the difficulty is that there were two people there and only one of them gets to speak because he has killed her, and therefore her version of events is not heard."
This defence offered by Ms Millane's killer was rejected, and he was convicted of her murder. But, still, the case has led to increased concerns about men using the so-called "Fifty Shades of Grey" defence in murder trials.
How common is 'rough sex'?
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Figures show a growing pressure on young women to consent to violent acts, campaigners say
Commissioned by BBC Radio 5 live, it asked 2,002 UK women aged between 18 and 39 if they had experienced various acts during sex.
The majority (59%) had experienced slapping, 38% had experienced choking, 34% had experienced gagging, 20% had experienced spitting and 59% had experienced biting. Almost half of the women (44%), said these acts were always wanted.
However, 29% said they were unwanted some of the time, 14% said they were unwanted most of the time, and 10% said they were unwanted every time.
The Centre for Women's Justice said the figures showed a "growing pressure on young women to consent to violent, dangerous and demeaning acts", which was "likely to be due to the normalisation of extreme pornography".
But one 28-year-old woman, who spoke to the BBC anonymously, said the feeling of domination that came with choking was "a pretty common sexual fantasy".
"Sometimes, during sex, my partner will put his hands around my throat, or hold me down by my throat," she said. "It is never so hard that I cannot breathe at all.
"Whether you know each other well or not, when a person asks a sexual partner to be rough or to choke them, they are asking them to take on responsibility for their safety.
"If you have any doubts about your ability to keep them safe, you say no. Once you've agreed, there's a line between consensual rough sex and dangerous abuse and you need to be able to communicate where that is throughout, verbally or non-verbally.
"A person who asks for rough sex does not intend to die so when they do it is down to, at the very least, the negligence of the other person.
"If you are trying not to kill someone, you won't kill them. It is only through failing to try not to, or actually trying to kill them that you will."
So how dangerous is strangulation play?
Image source, Police handout Image caption, Charlotte Teeling was murdered when Richard Bailey strangled her during sex
It's potentially deadly, according to pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton - although he points out the risks should be obvious.
Strangling is "inherently dangerous" because compression of the blood vessels causes a lack of blood flow to the brain, he said. "With pressure on the neck, normally you become unconscious quite quickly.
"It's not for me to pass a view on what people do in the privacy of their own homes - personally I wouldn't fancy it - but be very well aware that it is a dangerous thing to do.
"So if you are in your right mind and your partner stops breathing, a jury could reasonably infer that the logical thing to do would be to stop strangling them and say, 'Are you all right, pet?' rather than maintaining pressure on an unresponsive human being for another few minutes," he said.
In terms of establishing whether there was intent to cause serious harm, he said cases like this could be challenging.
Dr Hamilton, who examined the body of Charlotte Teeling after she was strangled by Richard Bailey during sex, said it was difficult to tell through forensic examination whether or not there was an intention to kill.
"As a pathologist, the physical findings are that somebody has been strangled to death," he said. "If you strangle someone deliberately in order to kill them or if you've seen something on the internet and decide to give it a go and it goes horribly wrong, the physical findings aren't going to be all that different.
"We don't know what the deliberations are in the jury room, but I think the fact he [Richard Bailey] had left the body in his flat for a week and used her [Charlotte Teeling's] bank card after she died probably swayed the jury's mind."
Why do campaigners think the law should be changed?
Image source, PA Image caption, John Broadhurst was originally charged with murdering Natalie Connolly, but the prosecution later accepted his plea to gross negligence manslaughter
The group We Can't Consent To This has collated 59 examples of women "killed by men who claim a sex game, gone wrong" and, along with Ms Harman, is demanding that the rough sex defence should be outlawed. The group's numerous supporters include the Guardian newspaper and women's magazine Grazia.
When Grazia asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the proposal, he said: "I agree with Harriet Harman that the '50 Shades defence' is unacceptable and we'll make sure the law is clear on this."
The campaign also has the support of Mark Garnier, the Conservative MP for Wyre Forest, who started looking at the issue because of the Natalie Connolly case.
Ms Connolly - whose parents live in the MP's constituency - was left to die by her boyfriend John Broadhurst after what he said had been consensual sex.
She was left bleeding and suffered more than 40 injuries. Broadhurst was sentenced to less than four years in prison for her manslaughter.
How might the law be altered?
Image source, Family handout Image caption, Natalie Connolly's partner admitted gross negligence manslaughter for leaving her unsupervised at the foot of the stairs without calling emergency services
What campaigners want is to amend the Domestic Abuse Bill currently going through Parliament, to make it the expectation that murder charges are brought against those suspected of killing a person during sex.
As it stands, if someone kills another person during sexual activity they could be charged with manslaughter alone. To murder someone, there needs to have been an intention to kill that person or to cause them grievous bodily harm (GBH).
"If the prosecuting barrister wants to reduce the [murder] charge because they feel they are more convinced they will get a conviction [of manslaughter], that would have to be agreed by the director of public prosecutions," said Mr Garnier. He believes this could have made a difference in the prosecution of John Broadhurst.
"We were worried that the prosecuting barrister didn't show a significant amount of nerve or braveness in terms of prosecuting the full case of murder," he said. "We want to make sure that administrative change within the law is done so that this can't happen again, so that someone like Natalie's killer is not let off with a lesser charge."
A second amendment backed by campaigners is to do with people consenting to being injured.
In the late 1980s, in a case known as R v Brown, the UK's highest court ruled that consent was not a defence to actual bodily harm (ABH). The judgement concluded a case in which a group of men had willingly submitted to whippings and beatings, for sexual satisfaction. Evidence had only come to light because the men had videotaped the acts.
What Ms Harman wants is for this to be written into the bill going through Parliament.
"R v Brown is in case law but bearing in mind we've got a new Domestic Abuse Bill, it would be right to put it in statute law," she said. "Statute law is much more under the noses of the judiciary and the prosecutors and the defence."
But barristers are cautious.
"Kneejerk" legislation that is a response to prominent campaigning, risks "creating bad, unworkable" laws that fail to protect the public, said Caroline Goodwin QC, chairwoman of the Criminal Bar Association.
So does the law really need to change?
Image source, West Midlands Police Image caption, Ashley Foster claimed he accidentally killed Megan Bills by strangling her during sex - but a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court did not believe him and convicted him of murder
Dr Samantha Pegg, who lectures at Nottingham Law School on criminal law regarding sadomasochism (S&M), thinks not.
She believes what is being proposed would change nothing in practice, but merely "clarify" the existing law.
"At the moment it's no defence at all to say that person is consenting, because of Brown. People certainly can't consent to being killed, they can't consent to injury which amounts to actual bodily harm if it's in the course of S&M."
Dr Pegg said the changes would not prevent defendants from claiming they killed someone accidentally through rough sex.
"It won't stop people making these claims," she said. "It does seem over the last year or so that there has been absolutely a significant shift and people do seem to be using that excuse of sadomasochism. It might just be that shift in culture and they think a jury might believe them, or in fact it might be true. But we can't stop them doing that."
Rosina Cottage QC, a barrister at Red Lion Chambers, agrees. "The changes will not affect the ability of a defendant to run a defence of lack of intent to murder and nor will they assist those campaigning for the protection of people from sexual violence," she said.
And in any case, Dr Pegg said defendants were not necessarily getting away with murder by using this defence. "It's not an excuse that a jury is necessarily going to buy into," she said.
"They [jurors] are going to have to look at the facts and decide whether there is some truth in this matter or whether they [the accused] are just trying to buy into social constructions of people engaging in these kinds of activities."
What if someone does die in a genuine accident?
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Harriet Harman believes a man should be prosecuted for murder even if he did not intend to kill his partner
Ms Harman believes a man should always be prosecuted for murder even if his sexual partner consented to the violence, and even if the man did not intend to kill her or cause her GBH.
"I mean if he's squeezing her neck and saying 'but actually she was saying more, more' well it's murder, because he's intending to squeeze her neck and that's the actions which caused her death," the MP said.
But what if the man did not intend to harm the woman by strangling her? "Well that's his bad luck," she said. "He is intending to put his hands on her windpipe."
However, barristers who spoke to the BBC have concerns about this.
Abimbola Johnson, of 25 Bedford Row, said: "The law makes the distinction [between murder and manslaughter] because murder charges are, rightly, reserved for instances when someone deliberately and intentionally causes someone at least serious harm which results in their death."
Rosina Cottage QC said: "To deprive an individual of the defence to murder is an extreme measure and should only be undertaken after a wide-ranging and considered discussion about the ramifications."
Obscenity lawyer Myles Jackman believes removing the right to such a defence would be "a horrendous intrusion into human rights and freedoms".
"I'm really concerned that there is a risk that people may die through consensual rough sex, and the person responsible did not intend for that person to die - it was just a dreadful accident that ruined people's lives - and they should not be punished in the same way as someone who deliberately preys on victims that they find on Tinder," he said.
Image source, Lucie Blackman Trust Image caption, Grace Millane's killer claimed he accidentally killed her during sex - a story rejected by jurors
Author and journalist Rebecca Reid, who has written about her experiences with BDSM, believes that while the "sex game gone wrong" claim can be a "hastily pieced-together excuse when a woman has been murdered", rough sex between consenting couples can be a real risk.
In an age when BDSM practices are more mainstream, she argues that some people need better education about how to stay safe.
But rough sex did not kill Ms Millane, she stressed.
"The difficulty is that it feels like people who have nothing to do with BDSM are appropriating it to try and get away with some vicious and evil behaviour, which is really sad for a community that has spent a long, long time fighting for some recognition and a right to exist in an authentic way," she said.
"The important thing with the Grace Millane case is that it was not that he was a well-intentioned young man trying to please his new fling who accidentally got it wrong. This isn't a case of people emulating what they've seen in porn and making honest mistakes.
"This was calculated murder."
If you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.


bbcuk--2020-01-22--The writers breathing life into black British history

From an African girl who was `` gifted '' to Queen Victoria to a slave who took on his master in the British courts , several little-known but remarkable chapters of black British history are being put in the spotlight on stage this year .
A string of writers are reaching back to the 18th and 19th Centuries to fill in gaps in the story of Britain .
In the year that British actress Cynthia Erivo is up for an Oscar for playing US slave-turned-abolitionist Harriet Tubman , many of the new plays are examining the slave era from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four of the plays and the stories behind them .
The experience of a young black woman in royal circles could hardly be more timely .
But 170 years before Harry met Meghan , there was Sarah Bonetta , a girl who was taken from slavery in Africa by a Royal Navy captain and presented as a gift to Queen Victoria .
`` As a child I 'd heard of Queen Victoria having a black godchild , '' says Janice Okoh , whose new play The Gift includes Bonetta 's story , alongside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called Sarah .
`` The story goes that she was about to be sacrificed by an African king , '' Okoh says of Bonetta .
`` We do n't know whether that story is 100 % true .
`` Queen Victoria did not bring her up in her palace , but she fostered her out to people she knew .
But Sarah Bonetta had a strong relationship with Queen Victoria 's children and mixed in their circles . ''
Okoh 's play comes from Eclipse Theatre 's Revolution Mix project , which aims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history - especially those from before the HMS Windrush docked from the Caribbean in 1948 , which is widely perceived as the start of mass immigration .
Okoh says : `` I find it interesting to learn more about my history that is not covered in school .
You go away thinking you do n't belong anywhere , that black people did n't do anything or contribute to British society , and they did .
It 's about that . ''
Linking the past and present in The Gift are the themes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its head .
`` The big question is , how can white people understand what racism is without ever having experienced it ? ''
the writer asks .
`` That really feeds into the debate at the moment with Meghan , and people saying she has n't experienced racism , she 's just disliked .
`` She 's experiencing that on that level .
Can you imagine what black women experience on an everyday level ? ''
That being said , Okoh stresses that she has channelled the sensitivities and frustrations around race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Please say it 's a comedy , '' she adds .
`` Because it 's fun ! ''
The Gift is at the Belgrade Theatre , Coventry , until Saturday 25 January , then at Theatre Royal Stratford East , London , and on tour .
The national slave debt only repaid in 2015 In 1833 , the UK parliament passed a law to finally outlaw slavery in the British Empire .
The catch ?
In order to persuade slave owners , the government had to pay £20m in compensation for the loss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bailout to slave owners amounted to 40 % of the country 's national budget at the time , or £2.4bn in today 's money .
The debt was n't fully paid off until 2015 .
`` So your salary has gone to paying for this , as has mine as a descendant of the slave trade , '' says playwright Juliet Gilkes Romero , a former BBC journalist .
The political manoeuvring behind the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act forms the backbone of Gilkes Romero 's new play The Whip , written for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a double meaning - referring to the chief whip who tries to push through abolition , as well as the instrument of torture .
The play also features a runaway slave who is the chief whip 's parliamentary assistant ; another former slave based on Mary Prince , the first woman to petition parliament ; and a mill worker who provides a comparison between conditions in the Caribbean and those faced by workers at home .
Hours spent researching in the House of Commons library , and a trip with the cast to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romero an admiration for the mother of parliaments , she says .
`` They knew that slavery was untenable , '' she says .
`` It was a moral decision and a pragmatic one .
How long could the Empire continue to drive its economic industry and wealth on the back of the enslavement of peoples ?
It was the right call .
`` In America they could n't agree .
They had a civil war .
There was carnage .
The [ British ] bill was flawed .
It was n't perfect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was achieved ? ''
On top of the huge financial outlay , there was great uncertainty about how the British economy would cope .
Gilkes Romero sees parallels with the Brexit debate .
`` When this country decided to have abolition , they did n't really know what was on the other side of that wall .
You 're giving up a massive income stream . ''
The 1830s parliament was debating the fates of freed slaves .
While today 's decisions about EU citizens and other migrants come at a very different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` moral choices '' being made .
`` What becomes of those people ?
Will they come here , and what will happen ?
Will there be bloodshed and violence ?
Will people forgive and forget ?
I think there are definitely resonances . ''
The Whip is at the RSC 's Swan Theatre , Stratford-upon-Avon , from 1 February-21 March .
The artist and the slave massacre In 1781 , more than 130 slaves died when they were thrown overboard from a British slave ship called the Zong , which had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed an insurance claim on the value of the loss of their property - the slaves .
The artist JMW Turner later depicted the Zong massacre in his 1840 painting The Slave Ship .
`` I find it an incredible artistic response , '' writer Winsome Pinnock says .
`` In that painting , he says , 'This is n't finished , history does n't end .
And you have to look at it , you have to examine it , before you can move on . '
'' Turner , his painting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a modern-day actress all somehow feed into Pinnock 's new play Rockets and Blue Lights , which switches between Victorian times and the present day .
`` The play is about memory .
It 's about a shared British history , '' she says .
`` Contrary to the things people seem to think , there are n't very many plays written on the themes of enslavement by black British writers .
There really are n't . ''
Rockets and Blue Lights is being staged at Manchester 's Royal Exchange theatre , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having once been the largest cotton trading hall in the country .
`` The fact that I , a black woman writer , descended from enslaved people - who were denied their voice and their culture - is speaking in that space and have written a play in which I explore that history… That has a lot of resonance , '' she says .
Pinnock was the first black woman to have a play staged by the National Theatre in 1995 and has long been regarded as a trailblazer .
Her mother arrived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Windrush generation .
When she died several years ago , the writer started thinking about her own connection with slavery , and Britain 's role .
But she says her show `` plays around with history '' and `` is not looking at enslavement in quite the way that one might expect '' .
So it 's not a straightforward historical re-enactment .
`` I often wonder if my ancestors would want me to keep reliving their trauma .
And I do n't think they would , '' she says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do something else with it .
And there are lots of things I can do theatrically to make this relevant . ''
Rockets and Blue Lights is at the Royal Exchange , Manchester , from 12 March-4 April .
The slave who took his master to court , and won In 1778 , Joseph Knight successfully challenged his status as a slave in court in Edinburgh - not only defeating his master and winning his freedom , but ensuring that slavery was ruled illegal in Scotland .
Knight had been taken from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sugar plantation owner Sir John Wedderburn .
It was , for the period , a more `` nurturing '' relationship than that experienced by most slaves , according to May Sumbwanyambe , who tells the story in the National Theatre of Scotland 's play Enough of Him .
`` This was a young black man who wanted his freedom but at the same time felt such a degree of loyalty towards his 'master and father ' - somebody who had actually been very loving and caring towards him , '' the writer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and slave owner who genuinely felt anguish and felt betrayed that this young man wanted to be free of him . ''
Sumbwanyambe was born in Edinburgh but grew up in Grimsby , working night shifts on the docks to earn money during the university holidays while studying for a law degree .
He wrote the play against the backdrop of debate about Brexit .
`` You kept hearing this thing - 'We want our country back . '
`` And it was constantly linked to immigration .
The thing that I struggled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this idea that , if only you could just go back 70 years , back to the glory days when Britain still just had an empire but was all completely white .
I knew that was a myth . ''
The point that immigration was happening long before Windrush underpins his play .
Sumbwanyambe was surprised to learn that there were thought to have been between 10,000 and 20,000 black people in mid-18th Century London , out of a population of around 700,000 .
`` Black people have been here and we 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white people for a very long time , '' the playwright says .
`` For all those glory days that people want to go back to - we were there too . ''
Joseph Knight was among those who left a legacy .
`` The journey towards this noble idea of justice and dignity and respect that we think of [ as British ] was contributed to by that young black man 's actions . ''
Enough of Him is at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 17 October , then at Perth Theatre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Follow us on Facebook , or on Twitter @ BBCNewsEnts .
If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news @ bbc.co.uk .

"Black people have been here and we've been living side-by-side in this country with white people for a very long time," the playwright says. "For all those glory days that people want to go back to - we were there too."


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Election 2019: The defeated MPs deciding what to do next

To the casual observer , politics might at times seem like a game but the consequences of elections can be immediate and profound - not least for those MPs who lose their seats .
Just over a month on from the general election , what is it like to lose , clear out your office , dust your self down and work out what to do next ?
`` The hardest thing I have had to do since the election is make members of staff redundant , '' says Stephen Gethins , who had been MP for North East Fife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had won the seat by just two votes , the most precarious majority in the UK .
Last month he was the only SNP MP to lose their seat .
`` It is always something that you are mindful of , '' he says .
`` That 's the nature of politics . ''
Like the other defeated incumbents he is paid for just two months from the election , not exactly the never-ending political gravy train many might imagine .
`` You do n't get very long to find a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
`` There is a balance between getting an income and thinking what I 'm going to do longer term .
`` I think trying to give yourself a bit of space is important and I 've been lucky I have had lots of advice from friends in all political parties who have been through this process . ''
Jo Swinson was the only Scottish Lib Dem to lose their seat in the election but she did not want to be interviewed .
She had experienced defeat before in 2015 but fought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go on to become party leader .
However , the 39-year-old lost both her seat and the Lib Dem top job after December 's vote .
Labour 's Danielle Rowley says she was more disappointed than shocked to have lost her seat in Midlothian .
`` I was probably more shocked in 2017 when I did win , '' she says .
After her defeat she had to return to Westminster to clear out her House of Commons office .
`` It was strange being in parliament but not being able to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The strangest part was knowing I would not be in that building representing my home any more . ''
Ms Rowley says there is an assumption that all politicians are privileged and it is not the case .
`` My good friend Laura Smith , who was the MP for Crewe , had someone take a photo of her in her local job centre because he found it so funny that she should be there , '' she says .
• Former Labour MP 'not ashamed ' by Jobcentre visit '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just like anyone else losing their jobs . ''
Ms Rowley , who is now a former MP at the age of just 29 , expects to eventually return to the charitable sector where she feels she can make most difference in an era of a large Conservative majority .
Luke Graham , of the Conservatives , had only been MP for Ochil and South Perthshire since 2017 and faces a similar dilemma .
To return to his background in accountancy and business or to somehow keep going with politics in the hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the electorate .
`` I am still an accountant , '' says the 34-year-old .
`` I can still go back to that world but I do n't feel I 'm finished with politics yet .
`` If I 'm honest I hope to be re-elected to be an MP .
I have n't lost my passion for politics and I think I have still got something to give .
`` It is a setback and a gutting experience but it is what you decide to do with that next that 's important @ @

"My good friend Laura Smith, who was the MP for Crewe, had someone take a photo of her in her local job centre because he found it so funny that she should be there," she says.


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Mental health at work: 'My boss let me go over my condition'

`` I 've had really bad experiences in the past with employers , I 've even been 'let go ' because I took time off for my mental health , '' says Steph .
The 29-year-old says she worked at a number of retail and agency jobs , with most managers being far from understanding .
`` I was always really anxious and uncomfortable asking for time off because of my mental health , to the point where I just went into work instead , '' Steph says .
Workers like Steph are not alone .
New research by Deloitte @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that young people in the UK are more likely to use their holidays , instead of taking days off work , when experiencing poor mental health .
It was only when Steph started working at Greggs in 2017 that things started to change for the better , she says .
Steph says that when she opened up about suffering from anxiety and depression to her manager at the bakery chain , he was understanding .
`` He went out of his way to make sure I was comfortable and felt safe . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ length about stuff that was bothering us .
He really became like a father figure to me , and even pushed me to take time off when I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder . ''
• Make sure you take your full lunch break • Maintain clear boundaries between work and home - try not to check emails • Use time on your commute to wind down , by listening to music or reading • Ask for help if your workload is out of control Steph says she had to stop working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move , but says she gained confidence from working with the team who were `` like a family '' .
`` Never be afraid to express when you 're in a bad place .
There are always people there to support you , '' she says .
Bill Hill , on the other hand , is trying to make a change to how bosses deal with mental health in the construction industry .
He heads up the Lighthouse Club charity , which runs the Construction Industry Helpline , a national helpline which offers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems .
He says the industry is just `` waking up to the issue '' .
Between 2011 and 2015 , more than 1,400 construction workers took their own lives , according to the Office for National Statistics .
The industry employs a high proportion of young men , who are statistically most at risk of dying by suicide .
But Bill says there is a range of reasons behind the `` major problem '' in the industry .
Isolation , job uncertainty from one week to the next and poor working conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You are away from your family , often for days at a time at what can be a dangerous place to work .
When men are put up with two or three other mates in a caravan , you often see a drinking culture too , '' Bill says .
`` Online gambling is also an issue .
You expect to go home to a hero 's welcome , but by the time you get there you might have blown your wages . ''
Bill now delivers talks on-site to managers to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health , and would like to see mental health first aiders on each construction site .
`` It 's something that urgently needs addressing , for the future of the industry too , '' Bill says .
He says that traditionally `` masculine '' construction sites can be tough places to work .
Women make up just 13 % of the industry 's workforce , according to UK engineering giant Balfour Beatty .
`` Men have these stoic beliefs , where it 's not OK to talk about feelings , it 's not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women are being attracted through to the industry yet , and if we address the gender balance , we might be able to make it a more positive environment . ''
During the talks Bill delivers on mental health , he offers three `` golden nuggets '' of advice to managers : • Ask twice : Check in to see if people are OK • Try to understand someone else before you are understood Details of organisations which offer advice and support can also be found on the BBC 's Actionline .
Or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any time , to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066 .

"You are away from your family, often for days at a time at what can be a dangerous place to work. When men are put up with two or three other mates in a caravan, you often see a drinking culture too," Bill says.


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Burnout: 'Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired'

`` I was working non-stop .
The company was almost like a love affair .
I call it 'my greatest love affair ' , because it felt so , so important .
`` My identity was so wrapped up with work .
If I was n't doing that job , I did n't really know who I was . ''
In 2017 , Amber Coster was a glamorous highflyer in a senior role at a successful tech start-up , in her late 20s and travelling the world .
`` On paper , my life looked incredible , '' she says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signs that all was not well .
`` I used to say I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired , '' Amber says .
And in addition to chronic fatigue and nausea , she was having migraines , extreme abdominal pain , skin rashes and eczema .
Her GP diagnosed a recurrence of teenage glandular fever .
And Amber , who lives in London , took two weeks off work to recover .
`` I lost my words - I could n't speak properly , '' she says .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partner and ask him to 'pass the post ' instead of 'the water ' .
I could n't read numbers .
I could n't walk down to the shops - I 'd have to sit down on somebody 's garden wall . ''
As the two weeks off turned into six months , doctors carried out countless tests .
One told her she had the blood-test results of `` a 20-year-old Olympian '' .
`` I just cried , '' she says .
`` I knew that there was something wrong and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did n't know - and Amber herself had n't confronted - was she had been working extremely hard .
She had regularly been getting up at 05:30 to send emails , working through until 23:30 , when she fell into bed , and cancelling weekend plans in order to do yet more work - all the while telling her team to ensure they made time to relax .
Nobody had said anything to her about her own routine .
Even when she had made an effort to spend fewer hours working , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She describes the company , where she had been a senior manager , as `` a very aggressive , high-sales , revenue-first organisation '' .
Its product was software enabling other businesses to run 24-7 and Amber says she had felt like she was becoming a part of the tech herself .
`` We spoke about greatness a lot .
And we spoke about 'lion culture ' .
`` We spoke about being strong and we spoke about being brave and doing things that other people do n't do .
We spoke about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after she turned to a psychiatrist , Amber realised it was her mental health rather than her body that was , in her words , `` broken '' .
Physical symptoms of burnout are a common warning sign , sleep expert and author Dr Nerina Ramlakhan says .
`` I 've seen a great deal of this - and I 'm seeing more and more of it .
The way in which we 're using technology and information and screens puts us very much 'in our head ' .
`` If we were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the body and getting off that mental treadmill , we would notice the niggles , the little aches and pains , the little early warning signals long before they become huge , great crescendos and screams for help . ''
Dr Ramlakhan advises taking screen breaks , however small , as often as possible - on the commute , in the bathroom , at lunch , keeping phones out of bedrooms at night , alongside healthy eating and going to bed at a reasonable time .
`` Little things like that can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 10 days , '' she says .
• Step 1 : Constant feelings of pressure and anxiety ; a feeling of having too much to do ; waking up with it in the pit of your stomach , starting the day with coffee and your phone • Step 2 : You stop taking breaks during the day ; you start working longer hours , you 're taking work home with you ; your work spills over into your weekend , your family time ; you 're even sitting on the toilet working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bubble up : this might be headaches and migraines , or irritable bowel , or cold sores or lots of little niggling colds , which just do n't go away , or aches and pains in the body • Step 4 : Until now your work is probably unaffected but your behaviour may become more erratic , more impatient , more arguments with colleagues , you are more tetchy , irritable , you may make more mistakes or become irrationally perfectionist ; you feel unable to delegate anything ; you might start to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems , neck and shoulder problems • Step 5 : Clients might start to complain ; then , you hit rock bottom , serious burnout , serious anxiety , depression , serious medical problems , and that 's where you could be signed off Amber recovered and returned to her job .
She started doing some coaching around mental health and colleagues began to open up to her : the father who felt unable to talk about his children in the office because he feared it was a distraction ; the woman whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending time with her partner ; others who felt unwell but worried they simply `` were n't tough enough '' .
But when she discussed making changes at the company at a senior level , she was met with a mixed response .
On the one hand , they cared about the staff , she says , but on the other , they believed her experience was uncommon and most people `` needed a bit more of a push '' to get their jobs done .
Amber has now left her old company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , run a marathon and started her own company , Balpro - with a mission to `` help businesses balance aggressive revenue goals with employee wellbeing '' .
`` I used to believe that 'exceptional ' was making sure that PowerPoint [ presentation ] was perfect , or we were getting that deal , or that this training was above the bar , '' she says .
`` What I now realise is that exceptional is finishing work and having dinner with your kids , or being present for a friend who 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and saying , 'Hey , I need some help . '
'' Tech may be part of the `` always-on '' problem but entrepreneur Jana Dowling believes it could also hold the solution .
A serious mental-health crisis inspired her new app , designed to help people track their mental health in the same way they might track their diet , weight or workouts , and look for correlations in data between , for example , anxiety levels and sleep , or caffeine consumption and work stress .
The app , MyArkeo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) in investment .
`` We 're here to change the way people think about what it means to be fit , to include tracking their mental fitness , '' she says .
It is aimed primarily at 25- to 40-year-old professionals .
And the questions asked by MyArkeo can be answered only once a day , in order to avoid additional anxiety or encourage excessive screen time .
`` We 're not a diagnosing tool .
We 're not a treatment tool , '' Jana says .
`` We 're built as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their lives and their mental fitness . ''

What the doctors didn't know - and Amber herself hadn't confronted - was she had been working extremely hard. She had regularly been getting up at 05:30 to send emails, working through until 23:30, when she fell into bed, and cancelling weekend plans in order to do yet more work - all the while telling her team to ensure they made time to relax.


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Mental health: How to spot if you are suffering 'burnout'

Ex-mental health nurse on why she left Aimee Leigh Smith was a mental health nurse for 17 years .
She @ @ @ @ @ `` stress and burnout '' became too much .

Stress expert Nerina Ramlakhan explains the four signs of burnout that people can exhibit, due to stress at work - and, importantly, how to improve things if you are suffering.
Filmed and edited by Peter Page and Dougal Shaw


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Mental health: 'Combine peak performance with moments of rest'

My way to stop boardroom infighting CEO Gordon Wilson says his way to stop execs infighting is for people to @ @ @ @ @

Lloyds Bank chief executive António Horta-Osorio, is one of Britain's leading voices when it comes to better mental health provision in the workplace.
He himself collapsed from exhaustion shortly after taking over at the bank; insomnia and over-work were to blame. He advises everybody not to destroy themselves by working flat-out, all the time.


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Newspaper headlines: Ozzy Osbourne's diagnosis and Trump climate row

The irony of making climate change a key issue at this year 's World Economic Forum in Davos is not lost on some newspapers .
The Daily Telegraph 's main cartoon shows dozens of the world 's elite scrambling from their private jets at the local airport , with one of them shouting to the others : `` Hurry , we do n't want to miss Greta Thunberg . ''
But it 's President Trump 's speech describing environmental campaigners as `` prophets of doom '' that gets the most attention .
The Financial Times says he used his address @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event dominated by concerns about the environment .
The headline on the front of the i newspaper describes Mr Trump as `` Earth 's Number One climate change denier '' , while the Metro says he had already raised eyebrows by arriving with a huge convoy of jeeps , a jet and seven helicopters .
For its main story , the Guardian says it has been told by sources that the founder of Amazon , Jeff Bezos , had his mobile phone `` hacked '' after receiving a WhatsApp message apparently sent from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prince .
It reports that the encrypted message from the number used by Mohammed bin Salman is believed to have included a malicious file that infiltrated Mr Bezos 's phone .
Large amounts of data were taken from the phone within hours , the paper adds .
The Saudis have dismissed the report as `` absurd '' .
The Telegraph leads with the introduction by the Information Commissioner of strict rules aimed at protecting children from harmful content on the internet .
Slowly but surely , the paper says , the walls of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media companies .
But , it adds , it is more slowly than surely - and there is a long way to go to create a safe space for our children .
The Daily Express is pleased with the government 's promise to end the automatic early release for prisoners convicted of the most dangerous crimes .
But at the same time , its leader column warns that society will not be safer if inmates spend years in squalid , overcrowded and drug-ridden prisons .
It says jails must be true engines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime '' .
Get news from the BBC in your inbox , each weekday morning According to the Daily Mail 's lead , Princess Diana 's niece has joined the Queen 's grandson , Peter Phillips , in using royal connections to promote milk sales in China .
The paper says that a day after it exposed Mr Phillips ' commercial work , it emerged that Lady Kitty Spencer has got in on the act too - and the pair are going head to head by plugging rival Chinese dairy brands .
Neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have commented .
Meanwhile , the Telegraph reports that senior Tories have complained that Boris Johnson was `` blindsided '' by Tony Hall 's resignation as BBC director general , and Number 10 was given just an hour 's notice .
A source is quoted as saying given this was an announcement of such public interest , the government would have expected to get `` a little more '' warning of it .
Leader writers are disturbed by a warning from the Alzheimer 's Society that vulnerable dementia patients in England are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of care in the community .
For the Daily Mail , better treatment of dementia sufferers will only happen if the broken care system is fixed - and the paper demands that Boris Johnson delivers on his pledge to solve the crisis .
The Express says the fiasco is a source of heartbreak , worry and danger that can not be ignored any longer .
And the Mirror calls for the wealthiest to be taxed a little more to fund high quality care for everyone - as well as the introduction of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sun says that after years of giving the HS2 high-speed rail project the benefit of the doubt , it is now calling for its scrapping - and the prime minister `` must pull the plug before it 's too late '' .
The newspaper describes the mounting costs as `` an obscene and reckless sum for a railway much of the country does n't want '' .
Instead , the paper suggests that some of the billions should be spent on a massive rail upgrade and a huge new network of bus routes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Finally , the whole of Year 11 at Fitzalan High School in Cardiff and their maths teacher feature in several papers - after all 30 pupils achieved A* grades in the subject at GCSE , six months early .
The Daily Mirror says the pupils have hailed Francis Elive a hero after he helped them achieve the top grades .
The Times says his passionate approach to his subject reaped dividends and he has been described as the `` maths whisperer '' .
Mr Elive is quoted in the Express as saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard work .

The paper says that a day after it exposed Mr Phillips' commercial work, it emerged that Lady Kitty Spencer has got in on the act too - and the pair are going head to head by plugging rival Chinese dairy brands. Neither Lady Kitty's agent nor Buckingham Palace have commented.


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Seven Kings stabbing: Man charged after three men killed

A man has been charged in connection to a triple stabbing in east London .
The victims - aged 29 @ @ @ @ @ died following a fight in Seven Kings , Ilford , on Sunday evening .
Gurjeet @ @ @ @ @ South Park Crescent , Ilford , has been charged with possessing an offensive weapon in @ @ @ @ @ Met Police said .
He is due to appear in custody at Redbridge Magistrates ' @ @ @ @ @ man who was also arrested remains in police custody .
The two men were held @ @ @ @ @ murder .
Police said the 29-year-old man who has been charged remains under investigation in @ @ @ @ @ The deaths are not thought to be gang related and officers `` are not seeking @ @ @ @ @ for murder '' , the force added .

The deaths are not thought to be gang related and officers "are not seeking to make any further arrests for murder", the force added.


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Tesco Bank to create 100 tech jobs at Edinburgh base

Tesco Bank is to create 100 new technology jobs at its Edinburgh base .
The company is recruiting test , software and systems engineers , systems architects , solution designers , project managers , and IT and business analysts .
A further 20 jobs will be created in Newcastle as part of a wider investment in online banking .
This is in addition to 20 roles created when Tesco Bank announced Newcastle as the home for a new `` leading-edge technology hub '' in November .
Tesco closed one of its Edinburgh offices in 2017 as part of a move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the city .
The firm 's office in the South Gyle area of Edinburgh is its UK headquarters .
David Bowerman , chief operations officer at Tesco Bank , said : `` It 's an exciting time at Tesco Bank as we invest to develop propositions which better meet the needs of Tesco shoppers .
`` We know there are deep talent pools in Edinburgh and Newcastle , and we hope to tap into these further . ''
Scotland 's Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said : `` This latest investment by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's - and Scotland 's - appeal as a destination for highly-trained tech jobs , and help to create a more dynamic and innovative side to our financial sector . ''
The boost for the city 's technology sector comes after online food delivery company Deliveroo announced plans to create 70 highly-skilled jobs at a new Edinburgh HQ .
It follows the company 's acquisition of Edinburgh software firm Cultivate .
The new roles , which will more than treble the company 's Edinburgh workforce , will include engineers , designers and data @ @

Scotland's Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: "This latest investment by Tesco Bank will further add to Edinburgh's - and Scotland's - appeal as a destination for highly-trained tech jobs, and help to create a more dynamic and innovative side to our financial sector."


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Tribeca Belfast: Council backs £500m plan for Cathedral Quarter

Outline planning approval has been granted for a revised version of the 'Tribeca ' development in Belfast .
The £500m project , by Castlebrooke Investments , proposes to regenerate the city 's Cathedral Quarter .
A vote on a revised masterplan , which will retain more of the area 's historic buildings , received backing by Belfast City Council 's planning committee .
The council received more than 450 letters of objection to the development and five letters of support .
Castlebrooke Investments has properties on 12 acres between Royal Avenue and the Cathedral Quarter , a project formerly known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who put the new plan to a voluntary 10-week public consultation , said it would `` incorporate a greater degree of retention of non-listed building fabric which further retains the best elements of the historic streetscape '' .
Planning permission has already been granted for the first phase , with Tuesday night 's approval covering the remaining two thirds of the site .
The project has been opposed by campaigners from the group SaveCQ ( Save Cathedral Quarter ) .
It had urged councillors to reject the new plans and described it as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only inflate land prices and push more people out of the city , with an ill-conceived scheme that is unbuildable in its current form '' .
Jonathan Mitchell , director of Castlebrooke Investments , said : `` We have been working on Tribeca Belfast for many years and it is fantastic to see such a significant step forward taking place today .
`` We listened to the concerns of interested parties through our voluntary public consultation process and this effort has been recognised by Belfast City Council .
`` Our attention now turns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and beginning work on site as soon as possible . ''
Agustina Martire , who chairs Save CQ , is a lecturer in architecture at Queen 's University , Belfast .
`` Our biggest concerns are the reduction of public space at Writers Square ; the amount of demolition - which is over 75 % of the existing fabric - and the type of housing that is provided by the project , '' she said .
She said the one and two-bedroom residential accommodation proposed in the plan was `` not really suitable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of `` lifelong homes that we would like to see in that area '' .
Ms Martire added that the revised proposal still did not meet the 20 % quota for social housing `` stipulated in the local development plan '' .
The chairwoman also argued that Writers Square was an important public space in Belfast city centre and claimed the Tribeca ' development would reduce that public space to `` at least half of what it is now '' .
She said SaveCQ campaigners accept that the Cathedral Quarter `` desperately needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be of a good standard and accessible to the people of Belfast .
Ms Martire said the revised masterplan was an improvement on the 2017 proposal but still did not comply with a lot of the principles that SaveCQ has been advocating for .
Alliance Party councillor Kate Nicholl told BBC News NI that `` a lot of the issues that were raised by campaigners were completely valid '' and she would like there to be more social housing .
But she welcomed plans by developers for more public space , including `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better '' .
Speaking on Good Morning Ulster , architect Dawson Stelfox , one of the project 's designers , argued the area `` needs a big , bold effort to get such a derelict area of the city back into life again '' .
`` There 's been a huge amount of public consultation and the scheme has changed as a result of that , '' he said .
`` All the listed buildings in the scheme will be properly restored and put back into life again .
In addition to that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facades are also being kept .
`` In these schemes , no one gets everything they want but it 's a balanced judgement as to what is economically viable , what 's realistic , good for the city and how we can get regeneration happening . ''
The outline plans will now have to go to the Department of Infrastructure before they can be fully approved .

Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.


bbcuk--2020-01-22--Sian Green-Lord has prosthetic leg made from Louis Vuitton bag

A woman who lost part of her leg when she was hit by a taxi in New York has made @ @ @ @ @ a vintage Louis Vuitton bag .
Sian Green-Lord , from Leicester , was walking with @ @ @ @ @ holiday when the vehicle mounted the kerb in 2013 .
The aspiring model can now @ @ @ @ @ the first time ever since the crash using her new leg , which was made @ @ @ @ @ Taxi driver , Faysal Himon , who has never faced criminal charges , blames a @ @ @ @ @ having an argument just before the crash .

A woman who lost part of her leg when she was hit by a taxi in New York has made a prosthetic leg out of a vintage Louis Vuitton bag.
Sian Green-Lord, from Leicester, was walking with a friend in Manhattan on holiday when the vehicle mounted the kerb in 2013.
The aspiring model can now also wear high heels for the first time ever since the crash using her new leg, which was made using a vintage handbag.
Taxi driver, Faysal Himon, who has never faced criminal charges, blames a cyclist with whom he was having an argument just before the crash.


bbcuk--2020-01-23--Morrisons supermarket axes 3,000 managers in huge shake-up

Morrisons is axing 3,000 management roles as part of a huge restructuring to create more shop floor jobs .
The firm says it is also creating 7,000 new hourly-paid roles at its 500 stores , meaning a net 4,000 new posts .
The new jobs will be in customer-facing roles , such as more butchers , bakers , fishmongers , the supermarket said .
Managers will be able to move to the new jobs , with the firm saying there will be roles `` for everybody who wants to continue to work at Morrisons '' .
David Lepley , Morrisons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whilst there will be a short period of uncertainty for some managers affected by these proposals we will be supporting them through this process .
`` There will also be more roles with greater flexibility that are very attractive to colleagues with families . ''
The company says those in managerial jobs who want to remain working at Morrisons can stay , however , their new offer will be at the shop floor level .
Front-line store staff at Morrisons earn £9 an hour .
News of the restructuring was first reported by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are all making changes to try to stem the flow of shoppers switching allegiance to discount stores .
They are all hoping to save money on staffing costs in order to be able to offer bigger discounts to shoppers in store .
Within the past year Tesco , Sainsbury 's and Asda have all announced significant job cuts at management level .
However , unlike Tesco 's job cuts at this point last year , Morrisons are putting more new shop floor workers behind specialist counters .
Rather than cutting deli counters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sections to help them stand out against the other big players in the supermarket wars .
All affected stores will have a 45-day consultation period , with the cuts beginning in March .
The manager jobs at risk include in-store posts , and not office roles , the company said .
Jobs such as in-store beer , wine and spirits managers will be combined with other jobs .
Morrisons is not the only supermarket to be cutting management posts .
All the big four UK supermarket chains are battling to retain market share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chains Aldi and Lidl .
Earlier this week , Sainsbury 's said it was shedding hundreds of management roles , but did not confirm the number .
Sainsbury 's said the cuts were being made due to the integration of Argos , which it bought in 2016 .
Asda has reportedly begun consultations with more than 2,800 staff over cutbacks .
Reports say those working in administrative , cash office and personnel roles have been told their jobs are at risk .

Managers will be able to move to the new jobs, with the firm saying there will be roles "for everybody who wants to continue to work at Morrisons".


bbcuk--2020-01-23--Crime: Number of suspects charged by police hits new low

Only about one in 14 crimes reported to police lead to a suspect being charged , official statistics have shown .
Covering the year up to September 2019 , the Home Office figures for England and Wales mark a new low , having fallen from about one in seven in 2015 .
It comes as knife crime recorded by police rose by 7 % to an all-time high and robberies increased by 12 % .
But homicides - including murder and manslaughter - fell by 6 % to 617 deaths , and fatal stabbings fell 20 % .
• The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ We stitch their stab wounds and then we save them ’ The proportion of crimes leading to a prosecution in England and Wales has been in continuous decline since 2015 , when the figures were first compiled this way .
Between September 2015 and September 2018 , it had fallen from 14 % to 8.4 % , and it has now dropped again to 7.3 % - about one in 14 cases .
In addition , 1.4 % of crimes led to a caution , 2.3 % led to an informal warning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consideration '' - meaning an offender admitted them as part of another investigation .
Yvette Cooper , chair of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee , said the fall in prosecutions was `` extremely concerning '' .
`` The public need to have confidence that the criminal justice system is finding , prosecuting and convicting criminals - so it is a serious problem that fewer crimes are being solved or dealt with , '' she said .
She said MPs had previously warned that police forces were `` badly overstretched '' and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` serious consequences for public safety '' .
Rape had the lowest rate of charges at just 1.4 % , while for thefts it was 5.4 % and for robberies it was 7.2 % .
The slump in the charging rate is arguably the most worrying feature of these latest statistics .
It means 13 out of every 14 crimes are not being solved - offenders are still at large and able to commit further offences , fuelling the steady rise in crimes such as robbery .
There are some tentative signs that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - it was down only one-tenth of a percentage point in the last three months - and extra government investment in policing and the Crown Prosecution Service will undoubtedly help .
But low detection levels dent public confidence in police and the criminal justice system , creating a damaging vicious circle in which people are less likely to co-operate with investigations - because they do n't believe anything will happen .
Cases where the victim does not support criminal proceedings have risen sharply over five years , from 8.7 % to 22.9 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no suspect could be identified .
It comes as separate crime figures show that police recorded 44,771 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year to September 2019 - an increase of 7 % to a new record high .
Helen Ross , from the Office for National Statistics ' Centre for Crime and Justice , said there is a `` mixed picture '' across the country for knife crime and `` overall levels of violence remain steady '' .
`` We have also seen the number of homicides where a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a fifth , driven by falls in London , '' she said .
The ONS said that although improvements in the way crime was recorded may have contributed to the 12 % rise in robberies , to a total of 82,542 offences , some of the increase is `` likely to reflect a real change '' .
The crime figures exclude Greater Manchester , due to technical issues with recording the data .
The Crime Survey for England and Wales - which is considered better for judging long-term trends - suggests that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the survey shows that fraud rose by 9 % , driven by a rise in bank and credit account fraud .

There are some tentative signs that the rate of decline may be slowing - it was down only one-tenth of a percentage point in the last three months - and extra government investment in policing and the Crown Prosecution Service will undoubtedly help.


bbcuk--2020-01-23--China coronavirus: 'Increased likelihood' of cases in the UK

There is an `` increased likelihood '' of cases of the new coronavirus occurring in the UK , Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said .
Globally , there are more than 500 confirmed cases of the virus , which has killed 17 people in China .
But there are no known cases in the UK , he said , which was `` well prepared '' to deal with an outbreak .
However , four patients in Scottish hospitals are being tested after showing symptoms , it has emerged .
All the patients had respiratory symptoms and had been in Wuhan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strain is thought to have originated - in the last 14 days .
It is believed three of the patients are being treated in Edinburgh , with a fourth in Glasgow .
It is likely to be several days before tests will confirm whether they have contracted coronavirus or not .
• How worried should we be ?
• Can wearing masks stop the spread of viruses ?
Wuhan - which has a population of 11 million people - has gone into lockdown , with authorities suspending planes and trains in and out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monitoring flights arriving from China as a precaution .
In a statement to the House of Commons , Mr Hancock said that it was a `` rapidly developing situation and the number of deaths and the number of cases is likely to be higher than those that have been confirmed so far and I expect them to rise further '' .
He told MPs : `` The chief medical officer has revised the risk to the UK population from 'very low ' to 'low ' and has concluded that while there is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country , we are well prepared and well equipped to deal with them . ''
He added : `` The UK is one of the first countries to have developed a world-leading test for the new coronavirus .
`` The NHS is ready to respond appropriately to any cases that emerge . ''
In response to the outbreak , the Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to Wuhan .
On Wednesday , Public Health England began carrying out enhanced monitoring of direct flights from China .
Passengers are receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall ill , which Mr Hancock said was the most important part of the monitoring as it can take days after infection before a patient develops symptoms , so physical checks were considered less useful .
He added : `` We are working closely with our counterparts in the devolved administrations and the public can be assured that the whole of the UK is always well prepared for these types of outbreaks .
`` And we 'll remain vigilant and keep our response under constant review in the light of emerging scientific evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced screening measures for passengers from China .
Singapore , Saudi Arabia and Vietnam are the latest countries to have registered a confirmed case .
Thailand has confirmed four cases of the virus - the most outside of China .
The US , Japan , Taiwan and South Korea have all reported one case each .
The World Health Organization 's ( WHO ) emergency committee is meeting on Thursday in Geneva to decide whether or not to declare a `` global emergency '' .
A global emergency is the highest level of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously been used in response to swine flu , Zika virus and Ebola .
All the fatalities so far have been in Hubei province , of which Wuhan is the capital .
Most of the 17 victims were elderly and suffered from other chronic diseases including Parkinson 's disease and diabetes .
The lockdown comes as millions of Chinese people travel across the country for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday .
What do we know about the virus ?
Currently known as 2019-nCoV , the virus is understood to be a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humans .
The Sars ( Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ) virus that killed nearly 800 people globally in the early 2000s was also a coronavirus , as is the common cold .
Authorities have said it originated in a seafood market that `` conducted illegal transactions of wild animals '' .
The market has been shut down since the beginning of the year .

In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Hancock said that it was a "rapidly developing situation and the number of deaths and the number of cases is likely to be higher than those that have been confirmed so far and I expect them to rise further".


bbcuk--2020-01-23--Leyton machete attack: Van driver guilty of wounding PC

A van driver who repeatedly struck a police officer with a machete during a routine traffic stop has been found guilty of wounding with intent .
Muhammad Rodwan attacked PC Stuart Outten , 29 , after he was pulled over in Leyton , east London , on 7 August .
The officer was badly injured and has yet to return to work .
Rodwan , 56 , of Luton , had claimed he was acting in self defence .
He was convicted of wounding with intent but found not guilty of attempted murder .
In a victim impact statement read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said : `` This incident has changed my life but I hope it has not changed the way I police . ''
• ' I thought I need to stop him or he will kill me' Rodwan , who has previous convictions for rape and two other machete attacks , was also cleared by the jury of possessing an offensive weapon .
PC Outten suffered six blows to the head from a 2ft-long blade after stopping Rodwan 's white van for having no insurance .
The defendant said he was not aware at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ van had expired 12 days earlier .
Following the attack PC Outten said he counted himself `` very lucky '' to survive , saying `` thankfully '' his head was hard enough to withstand the onslaught .
He suffered six deep wounds to the head , exposing his skull , slash wounds to his arm , several broken fingers and three severed tendons in one hand .
Bleeding heavily from deep gashes to the head and arm the Met Police officer Tasered Rodwan twice before subduing him , the Old Bailey heard .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ punching PC Outten before he was arrested .
In the struggle , the officer pulled some of Rodwan 's dreadlocks out , which was `` extremely painful '' , and grabbed his throat , he said .
`` I could not breathe at all , '' Rodwan told his trial .
`` It felt like he cracked my throat , squeezed so hard it felt like it was popping . ''
Rodwan said he retrieved his machete from the van but could not remember how many times he hit PC Outten with it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I was just trying to hit him to get him away from me . ''
The defendant said he did not know Pc Outten had a Taser and had raised the machete up to `` try to scare him away from me '' .
Graphic footage from the police officer 's body worn camera showed Rodwan punching the officer before grabbing a sharpened machete as Pc Outten tried to arrest him .
Rodwan had claimed he had the machete in his van for his gardening work .
The jury was told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1982 .
And in 1997 at Snaresbrook Crown Court he was convicted of two offences of wounding with intent for an unprovoked machete attack on a tenant and his friend for which he was sentenced to nine years in prison .
At the time of his arrest last year , Rodwan gave a relative 's address in Luton , Bedfordshire , but went on to tell jurors he slept in his van around Waltham Forest .
During his trial , Mrs Justice Carr ruled Rodwan 's violent past was inadmissible despite jurors asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nathan Munson , who led the investigation , said : `` Rodwan was not acting in self-defence on that day - the number of blows , the force of the blows and targeted blows to PC Outten 's head proved this .
`` It is reassuring for Londoners to know this violent individual will be unable to cause harm to other members of the emergency services or the wider public . ''
Following the verdicts , Det Ch Supt Richard Tucker paid tribute to PC Outten , saying : `` He did what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police officers in the country would do .
`` He had the training , he put that into action , notwithstanding he was very , very lucky that day and I 'm very , very proud of Stuart .
`` He did an amazing job to apprehend that individual . ''
According to figures from the Metropolitan Police , 5,900 officers and staff were attacked between January and December last year , compared to 5,700 in the period between November 2018 and October 2019 .
A total of 45 % involved some form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 % amounted to grievous bodily harm or grievous bodily harm with intent .

And in 1997 at Snaresbrook Crown Court he was convicted of two offences of wounding with intent for an unprovoked machete attack on a tenant and his friend for which he was sentenced to nine years in prison.


bbcuk--2020-01-23--Missing dogs still a mystery as walker Louise Lawford sentenced

A dog walker who lost five pets in her care has been banned from keeping animals for five years .
Louise Lawford admitted four animal welfare offences relating to her business Pawford Paws in Birmingham .
Prosecutors rejected her claim the dogs ran off - but said they could not prove what happened and had to drop charges relating to the pets ' disappearance .
She was called a `` dog killer '' by someone in the public gallery , which the judge described as `` outrageous '' .
Birmingham Magistrates ' Court heard Mrs Lawford , from Erdington , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trust and left customers anguished .
The fate of the missing `` Tamworth Five '' , Ralph , Charlie , Pablo , Maggie and Jack , which disappeared after a walk in Hopwas Woods near Tamworth on 23 June , remains a mystery .
Some of the pets ' owners were in court to witness Mrs Lawford being sentenced .
`` The dogs were never found , despite being chipped and there being extensive searches , '' said Jonathan Barker , prosecuting , adding he did not accept Mrs Lawford 's account that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but could not prove otherwise .
Speaking after the hearing , the dogs ' owners - who say they `` know '' their pets are dead - said they would take civil action against Mrs Lawford .
`` It 's a positive outcome because the court just did not believe the dogs were lost , '' one owner Becky Parsons said .
`` It just does n't make sense . ''
She said the past six months had been `` an emotional rollercoaster '' and that she was so upset at losing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she `` could n't face going back '' to her house and has had to move .
The case , brought by Birmingham City Council , has attracted much attention on social media , and Mrs Lawford was called a `` dog killer '' when she left court briefly before sentencing .
Mrs Lawford 's legal representatives said she had also been sent anonymous death threats online .
She said she was suffering `` extreme emotional and physical stress '' when the dogs vanished in Tamworth in June 2019 .
She had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffered a nervous breakdown when she made the `` foolish decision '' to continue her dog-walking duties , the court heard .
Describing it as `` a very strange case , '' Judge Joanna Dickens expressed frustration she could not take the disappearance of the dogs into account when sentencing Mrs Lawford .
The former dog walker , who has already had her licence revoked , admitted breaching conditions including limits on the number of dogs she boarded at any one time , boarding dogs from different homes , as well as failing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a skin condition .
Mrs Lawford 's defence said she expressed `` extreme and continuing remorse for what happened to the dogs '' .
`` This is well-intentioned but incompetent care , '' her legal representative Tom Walking said .
The 49-year-old was fined £800 and banned from owning dogs for five years for breaching her licence conditions and failing to seek treatment for the dog that developed a skin condition while in her care .
She must also pay costs of £2,616 and a victim surcharge of £80 .
Her sentence means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elderly pet labrador .
Birmingham City Council welcomed the sentence , calling the case `` unusual and upsetting '' .
`` Only Mrs Lawford knows the truth of what happened to the five beloved pets placed in her care , '' said Vicky Allwood , the council 's senior animal welfare officer .
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook , on Twitter , and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone

The decision not to pursue charges relating to their disappearance may at first seem baffling, but the owners of the "Tamworth Five" say it will help their civil case, as it means that the dog-sitter's explanation - that the dogs ran away - hasn't been accepted in a legal setting.


bbcuk--2020-01-23--Royal Marine injured on exercise at Tregantle beach near Plymouth

A Royal Marine recruit is in a life-threatening condition following a training exercise on a beach in Cornwall .
A group had been practising an assault from a landing craft on Tregantle beach near Plymouth when a man got into difficulty in the water .
South Western Ambulance Service said it was alerted at 22:00 GMT on Tuesday after `` a person had gone underwater '' .
The recruit , who had been in full kit , was airlifted to Derriford Hospital .
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said the recruit had be to resuscitated after he was recovered unconscious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recruits , who had full kit , backpacks and rifles , exited a landing craft close to the shore and reportedly struggled in the water , which was said to be up to their necks .
The Royal Marines ' principal military training centre is situated near Lympstone in Devon .
A Royal Navy spokesperson said : `` We are aware of an incident involving a member of the Royal Marines in Plymouth .
`` The next of kin have been informed and we ask for privacy for the family .
The incident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be inappropriate to comment further . ''
South Western Ambulance Service said it `` was called on Tuesday at 22:01 about an incident at Tregantle beach , Cornwall '' .
`` The caller reported to us that a person had gone underwater .
We sent land , air and other specialist paramedics to attend the incident , '' a spokesman added .
`` They treated a male patient at the scene and he was conveyed by air ambulance for further care . ''

While stressing he did not know the circumstances surrounding Tuesday's incident, Mr Cuttell, who left the Marines in 2006, said the force has "made a lot of changes in recent years to ensure the safety of young men and ensure the training is more efficient".


bbcuk--2020-01-23--Auschwitz: Prince Charles warns world leaders over 'hatred'

The Prince of Wales has warned `` hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart '' , at an event in Israel marking 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz .
During his speech in Jerusalem , he said lessons of the Holocaust are still `` searingly relevant '' and called on world leaders to be `` fearless in confronting falsehoods '' and violence .
The Nazis murdered more than a million people at Auschwitz , most of them Jews .
• How Auschwitz became centre of Nazi Holocaust Prince Charles delivered his call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being staged at Yad Vashem , the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre .
Russian President Vladimir Putin , French President Emmanuel Macron and US Vice-President Mike Pence were among those attending .
However , a decision by Poland 's President Andrzej Duda not to join them threatened to overshadow the event .
Prince Charles , on his first official trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank , told them that hatred and intolerance `` tell new lies , adopt new disguises , and still seek new victims '' .
`` All too often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into dehumanisation , '' he said .
`` Words are used as badges of shame to mark others as enemies , to brand those who are different as somehow deviant .
`` All too often , virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence .
All too often , real violence ensues , and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion , their race or their beliefs .
`` Knowing , as we do , the darkness to which such behaviour leads , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever-changing threats ; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence .
`` And we must never rest in seeking to create mutual understanding and respect . ''
The focus , say the organisers , will be on fighting anti-Semitism today .
But some speeches - particularly those outside of the event - look set to go further ; as Jerusalem bristles with presidents and princes in what officials say amounts to the biggest political gathering since Israel 's founding .
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say the number one lesson from Auschwitz is stopping a nuclear armed Iran .
While the decision to give the podium to President Putin of Russia has sparked fury in Poland .
Its nationalist president Andrzej Duda is staying away in protest at not being invited to speak ; accusing Mr Putin of distorting the history of the Holocaust and the war to attack his country .
Ahead of the event , the prince met survivors of the Holocaust , saw the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls , and visited Israel 's President Reuven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Israel `` deeply appreciates '' his attendance at the gathering , which he said would help to `` show that when we are united we can fight this phenomenon '' .
He also told the prince that `` we still expect your mother to come '' to Israel .
The Queen has never visited the country during her 67-year reign .
To commemorate the visit , Charles was invited to plant an oak tree in the gardens of the president 's official residence , Beit HaNassi .
During his two-day trip , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the grave of his grandmother , Princess Alice of Battenberg , in Jerusalem 's Church of St Mary Magdalene .
She was honoured by the Jewish people for hiding and saving the lives of Jews in Nazi-occupied Athens , Greece , during World War Two .
In his address on Thursday , Prince Charles spoke of his `` immense pride '' at the honour , saying he has `` long drawn inspiration from the selfless actions of my dear grandmother '' .

"All too often, virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence. All too often, real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs.


bbcuk--2020-01-23--John Bercow 'categorically' denies bullying allegations

John Bercow has `` categorically '' denied accusations of bullying during his time as the Speaker of the Commons .
The statement comes after his former Clerk of the House , Lord Lisvane , made a formal complaint about him to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards .
But Mr Bercow said he had never `` bullied anyone , anywhere at any time '' .
The former Speaker also criticised the government for failing to nominate him for a peerage .
He said that , since retiring , it had `` become increasingly obvious that the government has no intention of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Speaker is promptly elevated to the House of Lords '' .
Mr Bercow added : `` Indeed , it has been suggested to me that the government actively seeks to block any other attempt to nominate me for membership of the upper House . ''
There have been reports that the former Speaker - who previously sat as a Conservative MP - has been nominated for a peerage by the outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn .
Lord Lisvane , who served as Clerk of the House between 2011 and 2014 , confirmed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Wednesday , which was understood to be centred around bullying .
In an earlier statement , Mr Bercow - who stood down in 2019 after 10 years in the chair - said his former colleague had `` ample opportunity '' to raise issues in their time working together , adding that the timing of the intervention was `` curious '' .
On Thursday afternoon , he said : `` I have seen in the media that Lord Lisvane is formally complaining that I bullied staff .
`` For the record , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone , anywhere at any time . ''
Mr Bercow has faced other accusations of bullying during his time in office , but has denied all the claims .
No 10 said the allegations were `` very concerning '' and should be `` investigated thoroughly '' .
The prime minister 's spokesman added : `` There can be no place for bullying or abuse in Westminster or any workplace , and it is important that the parliamentary leadership responds fully and promptly to any concerns which are raised . ''
Lord Lisvane began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1972 and has held a number of procedural roles , including clerk for Private Members ' Bills and clerk for the European Scrutiny Committee .
He became Clerk Assistant and Director General of the Chamber and Committee Services in 2009 , before stepping up to the Clerk of the House of Commons in 2011 .
After standing down in 2014 , he became a life peer and sits in the House of Lords as a crossbencher .
Earlier , former Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom said anyone found to have bullied or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be offered a peerage '' .
The now-business secretary , who clashed with Mr Bercow on a number of occasions in the Commons , told BBC Radio 5 Live : `` I worked cross-party to put in place a complaints procedure which would mean anybody , whoever they are , including the Speaker of the House of Commons , or indeed of the Lords , would be subject to those same complaints procedures .
`` Specifically , we made sure if you were an MP and you were potentially going to be offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged against you would be taken into account .
`` So , I think it is really important , whoever you are , that all of those complaints are taken seriously . ''

The now-business secretary, who clashed with Mr Bercow on a number of occasions in the Commons, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I worked cross-party to put in place a complaints procedure which would mean anybody, whoever they are, including the Speaker of the House of Commons, or indeed of the Lords, would be subject to those same complaints procedures.