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0_1 | A top Turkish official, presidential adviser Yasin Aktay, has said he believes Jamal Khashoggi's body was dissolved in acid after being cut up. The "only logical conclusion", he said, was that those who had killed the Saudi journalist in Istanbul had destroyed his body "to leave no trace behind". Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi rulers, was killed inside the country's consulate on 2 October. No forensic evidence has been provided to prove his body was dissolved. "The reason they dismembered Khashoggi's body was to dissolve his remains more easily", Mr Aktay told the Hurriyet Daily newspaper. "Now we see that they did not only dismember his body but also vaporised it." The claims came as Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, called on world leaders to "bring the perpetrators to justice", in an editorial for five newspapers, including the Guardian and the Washington Post. Meanwhile, reports quote Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as telling the US he considered Khashoggi to be a dangerous Islamist. The reported phone call to the White House came before Saudi Arabia admitted Khashoggi had been killed. Saudi Arabia has denied the comments were made or that its royal family was involved in the killing, and says it is "determined to find out all the facts". Istanbul's prosecutor confirmed on Wednesday that the writer had been strangled. During the call with President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton, Prince Mohammed said Khashoggi had been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organisation, the Washington Post reports. The phone call is reported to have taken place on 9 October, a week after Khashoggi disappeared. Prince Mohammed also reportedly urged the White House to preserve the US-Saudi alliance. In a statement to the newspaper, Khashoggi's family denied he had been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and said the murdered writer had himself denied this repeatedly in recent years. "Jamal Khashoggi was not a dangerous person in any way possible. To claim otherwise would be ridiculous," the statement said. There is still no consensus on how Khashoggi died. He entered the consulate to sort out documents for his marriage. But on Wednesday Turkey said he had been strangled immediately after entering the consulate and his body dismembered "in accordance with plans made in advance". Turkish media had previously quoted sources as saying Turkey had audio recordings proving that Khashoggi had been tortured before being murdered. Saudi Arabia has changed its account of what happened to Khashoggi. When he first disappeared, it said Khashoggi had walked out of the building alive. It later admitted he had been murdered, saying the killing was premeditated and a result of a "rogue operation". It has arrested 18 suspects who, it says, will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia. Turkey wants the suspects to be extradited. Turkey has steered away from publicly blaming Saudi Arabia for the killing. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Saudi King Salman last week, and the two agreed to continue co-operating in the investigation. Saudi Arabia has faced a backlash over the death, including from its allies, who have called for answers. President Trump has said he is "not satisfied" with the Saudi account. However, he also said he was unwilling to sacrifice lucrative arms deals with the country. Although their US visas have been revoked, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it would be a "handful more weeks" before the US knew enough to impose sanctions on individuals involved in Khashoggi's killing. Mr Pompeo said the US had "deep and long-term strategic relationships" with Saudi Arabia and said "we intend to make sure that those relationships remain intact". On Wednesday, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Khashoggi's death was a "crime" and "odious". He said France was not "dependent on our economic relations with Saudi Arabia" and the country would impose sanctions, but no details were given. UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also said it was an appalling act, adding that it had "possibly" given the US and the UK a chance to put new pressure on Saudi Arabia over other issues. Earlier, the US called for a swift cessation of hostilities in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting rebels supported by its arch-enemy Iran. In an editorial published in five international newspapers, Ms Cengiz said Khashoggi had just bought a house and wished to start a family. She described the "anguish" she had experienced since his "brutal, barbaric and ruthless" death. "We must all send a clear message that authoritarian regimes cannot kill journalists ever again." She called on governments around the world to take action to reveal the truth, accusing the United States of taking a position "devoid of moral foundation." "If the democracies of the world do not take genuine steps to bring to justice the perpetrators of this brazen, callous act - one that has caused universal outrage among their citizens - what moral authority are they left with?" she asked. | What has the investigation found so far? | 2,109 | There is still no consensus on how Khashoggi died. He entered the consulate to sort out documents for his marriage. But on Wednesday Turkey said he had been strangled immediately after entering the consulate and his body dismembered "in accordance with plans made in advance". Turkish media had previously quoted sources as saying Turkey had audio recordings proving that Khashoggi had been tortured before being murdered. Saudi Arabia has changed its account of what happened to Khashoggi. When he first disappeared, it said Khashoggi had walked out of the building alive. It later admitted he had been murdered, saying the killing was premeditated and a result of a "rogue operation". It has arrested 18 suspects who, it says, will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia. Turkey wants the suspects to be extradited. Turkey has steered away from publicly blaming Saudi Arabia for the killing. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Saudi King Salman last week, and the two agreed to continue co-operating in the investigation. | 0.368637 |
1_0 | Former Labour MP Luciana Berger has joined the Liberal Democrats, saying the party is "unequivocal in wanting to stop Brexit". She said leader Jo Swinson had offered "a vital, positive alternative" to Labour and the Conservatives. Ms Berger left Labour in protest at the handling of anti-Semitism allegations. Along with six other MPs she formed Change UK, but left after disappointing results in the European elections earlier this year. Ms Swinson said she was "delighted" to welcome Ms Berger to the Liberal Democrats. "We're thrilled to add her perspective, expertise and skills to our ever-growing parliamentary team," she said. Speaking to the BBC, Ms Berger, MP for Liverpool Wavertree, said: "We need to do everything possible to make sure the country, when the election comes, has a proper choice rather than choosing between the two terrible options of Johnson vs Corbyn." "The two-party system is over," she added. Nina Houghton, Labour's constituency chairman in Wavertree, said Ms Berger was "ignoring the 80% of Wavertree voters who voted Labour". She accused the MP of lacking the "courage" to resign and hold a by-election. Ms Berger is the fourth MP in three months to join the Liberal Democrats - who now have 16 MPs in Parliament. On Tuesday, Conservative Phillip Lee defected to the party, accusing the government of "pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways", putting lives and livelihoods at risk. Ex-Change UK MPs Chuka Umunna and Sarah Wollaston have also joined the party. Ms Berger has been the MP for Liverpool Wavertree since 2010, where she has a majority of 29,466. As an MP she held a number of posts, including shadow minister for energy and climate, shadow minister for public health and shadow minister for mental health. Before becoming an MP she worked for management consultancy company Accenture and the NHS Confederation, a body representing healthcare organisations. Before leaving the Labour Party, she faced the threat of a no-confidence vote from local Labour members for criticising Jeremy Corbyn, but it was withdrawn after individuals in the constituency party were accused of "bullying" her. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said any attempts to deselect her had been a result of her association with a breakaway party. She attended a protest against anti-Semitism in the Labour Party in Westminster's Parliament Square in March 2018, and has campaigned vigorously on the issue. This is not massively surprising. We have seen a steady trickle of those unaligned, lost MPs moving to the Lib Dems. The Remainers are beginning to shuffle towards the Lib Dems as the most clear, overt force for Remain. There is no doubt that Brexit is now really beginning to play for the party. For everyone who wants to stop Brexit, they are a natural home. And new leader Jo Swinson has injected a bit of energy and colour which frankly Vince Cable was unable to do. They've got a bit of mojo and we've seen that in the polls too. | Who is Luciana Berger? | 1,505 | Ms Berger has been the MP for Liverpool Wavertree since 2010, where she has a majority of 29,466. As an MP she held a number of posts, including shadow minister for energy and climate, shadow minister for public health and shadow minister for mental health. Before becoming an MP she worked for management consultancy company Accenture and the NHS Confederation, a body representing healthcare organisations. Before leaving the Labour Party, she faced the threat of a no-confidence vote from local Labour members for criticising Jeremy Corbyn, but it was withdrawn after individuals in the constituency party were accused of "bullying" her. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said any attempts to deselect her had been a result of her association with a breakaway party. She attended a protest against anti-Semitism in the Labour Party in Westminster's Parliament Square in March 2018, and has campaigned vigorously on the issue. | 0.358018 |
5_1 | A quarantine imposed in Mongolia after two people died from the bubonic plague has been lifted, allowing a number of tourists to leave the area. The Mongolian couple contracted the illness after eating the raw meat of a marmot, a type of rodent. Following their deaths, a six-day quarantine was declared on 1 May in Mongolia's western Bayan Olgii province bordering both China and Russia. In previous centuries plague outbreaks killed millions in Europe and Asia. Human cases are now rare but can still be deadly unless treated with antibiotics. The couple had eaten raw marmot meat and kidney, thought to be a folk remedy for good health, Ariuntuya Ochirpurev of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Ulaanbaatar told the BBC. Suspicion the two victims had developed the highly contagious pneumonic plague led to the decision to impose the quarantine, Ms Ochirpurev added. The rodent is a known carrier of the plague bacteria and it is commonly associated with plague cases in the country. Hunting the rodent is illegal. According to Ms Ochirpurev, 118 people had come into contact with the couple and were isolated and treated with antibiotics for prophylaxis. Among those were seven foreign tourists from Switzerland, Sweden, Kazakhstan and South Korea. Media reports, however, put the number of tourists much higher, saying travellers from Russia, Germany and the US were barred from leaving the area due to the quarantine. "After the quarantine [was announced] not many people, even locals, were in the streets for fear of catching the disease," Sebastian Pique, a US Peace Corps volunteer living in the region, told the AFP news agency. While rare, the plague still continues to be a threat to humans. The disease - typically transmitted from animals to humans by fleas - has a 30%-60% fatality rate if left untreated. In Mongolia, one case was reported in 2017 but it was not fatal. In 2016, no cases were reported. From 1989 to 1997, there were 69 cases in the country and 22 deaths, according to the WHO's Ms Ochirpurev. The US also still has annual cases of the disease and 12 recorded fatalities since 2000. In 2015, parts of the Yosemite National Park had to be closed due to an outbreak of the plague. Symptoms of the plague include high fever, chills, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin. It can be hard to identify in its early stages because symptoms, which usually develop after three to seven days, are flu-like. There are three main types of plague depending on how the infection manifests. The bubonic plague is characterised by swollen lymph nodes. Pneumonic plague affects the respiratory system. It becomes septicaemic if it is found in the bloodstream. The Black Death, as it was known at the time, caused about 50 million deaths across Africa, Asia and Europe in the 14th Century. Its last terrifying outbreak in London was the Great Plague of 1665, which killed about a fifth of the city's inhabitants. In the 19th Century there was a plague outbreak in China and India, which killed more than 12 million. | How dangerous is the plague now? | 1,644 | While rare, the plague still continues to be a threat to humans. The disease - typically transmitted from animals to humans by fleas - has a 30%-60% fatality rate if left untreated. In Mongolia, one case was reported in 2017 but it was not fatal. In 2016, no cases were reported. From 1989 to 1997, there were 69 cases in the country and 22 deaths, according to the WHO's Ms Ochirpurev. The US also still has annual cases of the disease and 12 recorded fatalities since 2000. In 2015, parts of the Yosemite National Park had to be closed due to an outbreak of the plague. Symptoms of the plague include high fever, chills, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin. It can be hard to identify in its early stages because symptoms, which usually develop after three to seven days, are flu-like. There are three main types of plague depending on how the infection manifests. The bubonic plague is characterised by swollen lymph nodes. Pneumonic plague affects the respiratory system. It becomes septicaemic if it is found in the bloodstream. The Black Death, as it was known at the time, caused about 50 million deaths across Africa, Asia and Europe in the 14th Century. Its last terrifying outbreak in London was the Great Plague of 1665, which killed about a fifth of the city's inhabitants. In the 19th Century there was a plague outbreak in China and India, which killed more than 12 million. | 0.623756 |
6_2 | China has announced a $46bn investment plan which will largely centre on an economic corridor from Gwadar in Pakistan to Kashgar in the Chinese region of Xinjiang. The BBC's M Ilyas Khan looks at the significance of the plans. The money China is planning to pour into Pakistan is more than twice the amount of all foreign direct investment (FDI) Pakistan has received since 2008, and considerably more than the entire assistance from the United States, Pakistan's largest donor until now, since 2002. Pakistani officials say most projects will reach completion in between one and three years, although some infrastructure projects could take from 10 to 15 years. So the investment is not going to be spread too thin over a longer period of time, as happened with the US assistance. Also, this investment will be heavily concentrated in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a combination of transport and energy projects and the development of a major deep-sea port offering direct access to the Indian Ocean and beyond. Experts say this will create jobs and spark economic activity in Pakistan which over the last three decades has become a cranky, rent-seeking military power torn by armed insurgencies and a failing system of service delivery. But as defence analyst Professor Hasan Askari Rizvi warns, the real game changer is not the signing of deals, but their timely execution. Officials admit that some deals already signed by China and Pakistan in 2010 might not reach completion. If that turns out to be the case, they admit it will mostly have been due to incompetence, corruption and lack of transparency. So if anything is to come out of the present deals, the Pakistanis will need to work harder to fulfil their part of institutional, legal, financial and logistical commitments. Some level of corruption is expected at both ends, and neither country is known for encouraging transparency. So we may not know until much later how much of this money is coming in the form of loans, how much in grants and how much in the shape of public or private investment. There is also a political dispute brewing in Pakistan, with some politicians threatening to oppose the corridor if its route is not planned along some specific areas. Economic expert Dr Kaisar Bengali says that while Pakistan has many problems to overcome, its move to end militant sanctuaries in the north-west has created an air of expectancy, and the arrival of Chinese investment at this time suggests Pakistan has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make an economic turnaround. "This is Pakistan's first opportunity since the 1960 Indus Water Treaty to change its economic geography," he says. The economic corridor starts at Gwadar and ends at Kashgar. Gwadar is located on the Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan, a province in south-west Pakistan which is wracked by a decade-old separatist insurgency. Kashgar is located at the centre of China's only Muslim-majority, Turkic-speaking Xinjiang region. It is populated mainly by ethnic Uighur Muslims, and has been home to a separatist movement since the mid-1990s. There has been a recent upsurge in violence which China blames on separatist "terrorists". Between Gwadar and Kashgar, the corridor passes through areas that are within striking range of Pakistan's Taliban insurgents. Until recently they controlled territory along Pakistan's north-western border with Afghanistan, and hosted the largest concentration of Uighur militants outside China. They still have a presence in the border region, though their sanctuaries have been disrupted by a Pakistani military operation that began last June. Both Uighur and Pakistani Taliban militants have been targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan. The Baloch insurgents have their roots in socialist ideology, but they too dismiss the Chinese as allies of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province which they accuse of "robbing" Balochistan's resources. A former diplomat, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, said in a TV debate that the Pakistani army has decided to raise a special force to safeguard this 3,000km corridor. Many are sceptical because the army previously failed to ensure a trouble-free supply to Nato troops in Afghanistan. But some believe the military is likely to treat the Chinese corridor differently because the economic benefits accruing from it could help isolate Baloch insurgents. Pakistanis have long described their "friendship" with China as higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the oceans, and as information minister Pervez Rashid put it more recently, sweeter than honey. But behind these lofty words lie some hard-core interests. China has been a more reliable and less meddlesome supplier of military hardware to Pakistan than the US, and is therefore seen by Pakistanis as a silent ally against arch-rival India. Friendly exchanges with China also help Pakistan show to its "more volatile" allies in the west, notably the US, that it has other powerful friends as well. For the Chinese, the relationship has a geo-strategic significance. The corridor through Gwadar gives them their shortest access to the Middle East and Africa, where thousands of Chinese firms, employing tens of thousands of Chinese workers, are involved in development work. The corridor also promises to open up remote, landlocked Xinjiang, and create incentives for both state and private enterprises to expand economic activity and create jobs in this under-developed region. China could also be trying to find alternative trade routes to by-pass the Malacca straits, presently the only maritime route China can use to access the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Apart from being long, it can be blockaded in times of war. This may be the reason China is also pursuing an eastern corridor to the Bay of Bengal, expected to pass through parts of Myanmar, Bangladesh and possibly India. Experts say much of Chinese activity is geared towards boosting domestic income and consumption as its previous policy of encouraging cheap exports is no longer enough to sustain growth. On the external front, it is investing in a number of ports in Asia in an apparent attempt to access sources of energy and increase its influence over maritime routes. There are indications the Americans have been encouraging China to play a stabilising role in Afghanistan. And few in Pakistan believe that American influence is likely to significantly recede from this region in the short run. In the long run, though, the Americans will definitely be working on strategies to cope with the rise of Russia and China, and what that means for the resource-rich regions of Central Asia and the Middle East. Likewise, while the Indians have China as one of their largest trading partners, they may have long-term security concerns about Chinese control of the Pakistani port of Gwadar. | Why is China doing this? | 4,376 | Pakistanis have long described their "friendship" with China as higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the oceans, and as information minister Pervez Rashid put it more recently, sweeter than honey. But behind these lofty words lie some hard-core interests. China has been a more reliable and less meddlesome supplier of military hardware to Pakistan than the US, and is therefore seen by Pakistanis as a silent ally against arch-rival India. Friendly exchanges with China also help Pakistan show to its "more volatile" allies in the west, notably the US, that it has other powerful friends as well. For the Chinese, the relationship has a geo-strategic significance. The corridor through Gwadar gives them their shortest access to the Middle East and Africa, where thousands of Chinese firms, employing tens of thousands of Chinese workers, are involved in development work. The corridor also promises to open up remote, landlocked Xinjiang, and create incentives for both state and private enterprises to expand economic activity and create jobs in this under-developed region. China could also be trying to find alternative trade routes to by-pass the Malacca straits, presently the only maritime route China can use to access the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Apart from being long, it can be blockaded in times of war. This may be the reason China is also pursuing an eastern corridor to the Bay of Bengal, expected to pass through parts of Myanmar, Bangladesh and possibly India. Experts say much of Chinese activity is geared towards boosting domestic income and consumption as its previous policy of encouraging cheap exports is no longer enough to sustain growth. On the external front, it is investing in a number of ports in Asia in an apparent attempt to access sources of energy and increase its influence over maritime routes. | 0.449832 |
6_3 | China has announced a $46bn investment plan which will largely centre on an economic corridor from Gwadar in Pakistan to Kashgar in the Chinese region of Xinjiang. The BBC's M Ilyas Khan looks at the significance of the plans. The money China is planning to pour into Pakistan is more than twice the amount of all foreign direct investment (FDI) Pakistan has received since 2008, and considerably more than the entire assistance from the United States, Pakistan's largest donor until now, since 2002. Pakistani officials say most projects will reach completion in between one and three years, although some infrastructure projects could take from 10 to 15 years. So the investment is not going to be spread too thin over a longer period of time, as happened with the US assistance. Also, this investment will be heavily concentrated in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a combination of transport and energy projects and the development of a major deep-sea port offering direct access to the Indian Ocean and beyond. Experts say this will create jobs and spark economic activity in Pakistan which over the last three decades has become a cranky, rent-seeking military power torn by armed insurgencies and a failing system of service delivery. But as defence analyst Professor Hasan Askari Rizvi warns, the real game changer is not the signing of deals, but their timely execution. Officials admit that some deals already signed by China and Pakistan in 2010 might not reach completion. If that turns out to be the case, they admit it will mostly have been due to incompetence, corruption and lack of transparency. So if anything is to come out of the present deals, the Pakistanis will need to work harder to fulfil their part of institutional, legal, financial and logistical commitments. Some level of corruption is expected at both ends, and neither country is known for encouraging transparency. So we may not know until much later how much of this money is coming in the form of loans, how much in grants and how much in the shape of public or private investment. There is also a political dispute brewing in Pakistan, with some politicians threatening to oppose the corridor if its route is not planned along some specific areas. Economic expert Dr Kaisar Bengali says that while Pakistan has many problems to overcome, its move to end militant sanctuaries in the north-west has created an air of expectancy, and the arrival of Chinese investment at this time suggests Pakistan has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make an economic turnaround. "This is Pakistan's first opportunity since the 1960 Indus Water Treaty to change its economic geography," he says. The economic corridor starts at Gwadar and ends at Kashgar. Gwadar is located on the Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan, a province in south-west Pakistan which is wracked by a decade-old separatist insurgency. Kashgar is located at the centre of China's only Muslim-majority, Turkic-speaking Xinjiang region. It is populated mainly by ethnic Uighur Muslims, and has been home to a separatist movement since the mid-1990s. There has been a recent upsurge in violence which China blames on separatist "terrorists". Between Gwadar and Kashgar, the corridor passes through areas that are within striking range of Pakistan's Taliban insurgents. Until recently they controlled territory along Pakistan's north-western border with Afghanistan, and hosted the largest concentration of Uighur militants outside China. They still have a presence in the border region, though their sanctuaries have been disrupted by a Pakistani military operation that began last June. Both Uighur and Pakistani Taliban militants have been targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan. The Baloch insurgents have their roots in socialist ideology, but they too dismiss the Chinese as allies of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province which they accuse of "robbing" Balochistan's resources. A former diplomat, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, said in a TV debate that the Pakistani army has decided to raise a special force to safeguard this 3,000km corridor. Many are sceptical because the army previously failed to ensure a trouble-free supply to Nato troops in Afghanistan. But some believe the military is likely to treat the Chinese corridor differently because the economic benefits accruing from it could help isolate Baloch insurgents. Pakistanis have long described their "friendship" with China as higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the oceans, and as information minister Pervez Rashid put it more recently, sweeter than honey. But behind these lofty words lie some hard-core interests. China has been a more reliable and less meddlesome supplier of military hardware to Pakistan than the US, and is therefore seen by Pakistanis as a silent ally against arch-rival India. Friendly exchanges with China also help Pakistan show to its "more volatile" allies in the west, notably the US, that it has other powerful friends as well. For the Chinese, the relationship has a geo-strategic significance. The corridor through Gwadar gives them their shortest access to the Middle East and Africa, where thousands of Chinese firms, employing tens of thousands of Chinese workers, are involved in development work. The corridor also promises to open up remote, landlocked Xinjiang, and create incentives for both state and private enterprises to expand economic activity and create jobs in this under-developed region. China could also be trying to find alternative trade routes to by-pass the Malacca straits, presently the only maritime route China can use to access the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Apart from being long, it can be blockaded in times of war. This may be the reason China is also pursuing an eastern corridor to the Bay of Bengal, expected to pass through parts of Myanmar, Bangladesh and possibly India. Experts say much of Chinese activity is geared towards boosting domestic income and consumption as its previous policy of encouraging cheap exports is no longer enough to sustain growth. On the external front, it is investing in a number of ports in Asia in an apparent attempt to access sources of energy and increase its influence over maritime routes. There are indications the Americans have been encouraging China to play a stabilising role in Afghanistan. And few in Pakistan believe that American influence is likely to significantly recede from this region in the short run. In the long run, though, the Americans will definitely be working on strategies to cope with the rise of Russia and China, and what that means for the resource-rich regions of Central Asia and the Middle East. Likewise, while the Indians have China as one of their largest trading partners, they may have long-term security concerns about Chinese control of the Pakistani port of Gwadar. | What do the US and India think? | 6,219 | There are indications the Americans have been encouraging China to play a stabilising role in Afghanistan. And few in Pakistan believe that American influence is likely to significantly recede from this region in the short run. In the long run, though, the Americans will definitely be working on strategies to cope with the rise of Russia and China, and what that means for the resource-rich regions of Central Asia and the Middle East. Likewise, while the Indians have China as one of their largest trading partners, they may have long-term security concerns about Chinese control of the Pakistani port of Gwadar. | 0.487358 |
11_0 | The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been active in north-eastern Nigeria for well over a decade. President Buhari says its activities have been largely brought under control since he assumed office in 2015. His political opponents disagree and say the situation has recently deteriorated both in terms of the number of attacks and kidnappings by the group. Ahead of Nigeria's elections on 23 February, BBC Reality Check examines the competing claims over the security situation in the country. Formed around 2002 as a non-violent organisation with the aim of purifying Islam in northern Nigeria, it became increasingly radicalised and eventually adopted militant tactics in pursuit of its aims. It has been active not only in Nigeria, but also in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than two million displaced over the past decade. Boko Haram has been notorious for kidnapping schoolchildren and attracted global media attention in 2014 following the abduction of almost 300 girls from a school in the town of Chibok, in Borno, the state where the militant group has been most active. In 2015, Boko Haram was ranked the world's deadliest terror group by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Since then, territory controlled by the group has declined and it has splintered into competing factions. However, the Islamist militants remain active in the region, defying attempts by the army to bring the insurgency to an end. To underline this continued activity, in 2018 more than 100 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the northern town of Dapchi. Most of the girls were eventually released. The former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is supporting main opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has strongly criticised President Muhammadu Buhari's record on tackling Boko Haram. "The security situation has deteriorated, with kidnapping everywhere," said Mr Obasanjo in January. But President Buhari's view of the security situation is very different. He says the militants have been "decimated" since 2015 in their stronghold of Borno State. So what are the available facts regarding both attacks on civilians and on kidnappings? Insecurity and poor communications in rural areas make assessment both for the government and independent organisations particularly difficult and many incidents go unreported. The Nigerian government's National Bureau of Statistics provides public access to economic, social and general security data gathered within Nigeria but a spokesman told BBC News it did not collect data on the activities of Boko Haram. However, research by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) tracks information by monitoring local media and other reports. From a peak in 2015 of more than 5,000, the number of deaths attributed to Boko Haram has fallen off significantly to below 1,000 a year for the past three years. This decline followed a military campaign launched against Boko Haram in 2015 by the Nigerian government, with international support. Large areas of territory previously controlled by Boko Haram were recaptured during this offensive. So, President Buhari is right to say killings by militants have declined substantially since he came to office in 2015. But these attacks have not ended completely and there have been several in the early weeks of 2019. "In terms of the current situation, I do think the current trend line is quite dangerous and that they are far from defeated," says Alex Thurston, a visiting assistant professor of political science and comparative religion at Miami University of Ohio. The Nigeria Security Tracker, a product of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), in Washington, monitors kidnappings through local media reports. These indicate a peak in the number of kidnappings in 2014 and 2015, when Boko Haram was at its strongest militarily. However, despite a dramatic fall in reported kidnappings in 2016, the level has risen since then, with 310 reported last year. One theory put forward for this increase is that as Boko Haram has lost territory and military influence, its tactics have shifted away from direct confrontation with security forces. Instead, the militants have turned their attention to soft targets such as schools and rural villages, taking hostages from these locations. So, when Mr Obasanjo says "the security situation has deteriorated with kidnapping everywhere", he's right in the sense that the level of kidnapping is on the increase and that major incidents such as the kidnapping of more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, in 2018, do give serious cause for concern. This fear is particularly heightened given Boko Haram's use of children as suicide bombers. In 2017 and 2018, there were 77 and 26 incidences respectively of children being used in this way by the militants. In 2016 this figure was nine, according to Unicef. Looking at the distribution of all kidnappings across Nigeria, this is clearly not the case, with Boko Haram operating largely in the far north-east of the country. Kidnappings have also been regularly reported in the country's oil-rich southern Niger Delta region - but these are unrelated to the activities of Boko Haram. So, looking at the overall picture of kidnappings, not just by Boko Haram, you can see that the distribution is more geographically widespread - but it's certainly not the case as Mr Obasanjo says that kidnappings have been taking place "everywhere" across the country. Overall, the picture of Boko Haram activity in the north-east of Nigeria appears to be one of declining military activity. But along with this has come a recent rise in kidnappings although it's not clear whether this indicates a resurgence in the strength of the group or a re-focusing on softer targets. Amendment: The Nigerian presidential election has been delayed until 23 February and this has been reflected in the article. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter | What is Boko Haram? | 501 | Formed around 2002 as a non-violent organisation with the aim of purifying Islam in northern Nigeria, it became increasingly radicalised and eventually adopted militant tactics in pursuit of its aims. It has been active not only in Nigeria, but also in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than two million displaced over the past decade. Boko Haram has been notorious for kidnapping schoolchildren and attracted global media attention in 2014 following the abduction of almost 300 girls from a school in the town of Chibok, in Borno, the state where the militant group has been most active. In 2015, Boko Haram was ranked the world's deadliest terror group by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Since then, territory controlled by the group has declined and it has splintered into competing factions. However, the Islamist militants remain active in the region, defying attempts by the army to bring the insurgency to an end. To underline this continued activity, in 2018 more than 100 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the northern town of Dapchi. Most of the girls were eventually released. | 0.603554 |
11_1 | The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been active in north-eastern Nigeria for well over a decade. President Buhari says its activities have been largely brought under control since he assumed office in 2015. His political opponents disagree and say the situation has recently deteriorated both in terms of the number of attacks and kidnappings by the group. Ahead of Nigeria's elections on 23 February, BBC Reality Check examines the competing claims over the security situation in the country. Formed around 2002 as a non-violent organisation with the aim of purifying Islam in northern Nigeria, it became increasingly radicalised and eventually adopted militant tactics in pursuit of its aims. It has been active not only in Nigeria, but also in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than two million displaced over the past decade. Boko Haram has been notorious for kidnapping schoolchildren and attracted global media attention in 2014 following the abduction of almost 300 girls from a school in the town of Chibok, in Borno, the state where the militant group has been most active. In 2015, Boko Haram was ranked the world's deadliest terror group by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Since then, territory controlled by the group has declined and it has splintered into competing factions. However, the Islamist militants remain active in the region, defying attempts by the army to bring the insurgency to an end. To underline this continued activity, in 2018 more than 100 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the northern town of Dapchi. Most of the girls were eventually released. The former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is supporting main opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has strongly criticised President Muhammadu Buhari's record on tackling Boko Haram. "The security situation has deteriorated, with kidnapping everywhere," said Mr Obasanjo in January. But President Buhari's view of the security situation is very different. He says the militants have been "decimated" since 2015 in their stronghold of Borno State. So what are the available facts regarding both attacks on civilians and on kidnappings? Insecurity and poor communications in rural areas make assessment both for the government and independent organisations particularly difficult and many incidents go unreported. The Nigerian government's National Bureau of Statistics provides public access to economic, social and general security data gathered within Nigeria but a spokesman told BBC News it did not collect data on the activities of Boko Haram. However, research by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) tracks information by monitoring local media and other reports. From a peak in 2015 of more than 5,000, the number of deaths attributed to Boko Haram has fallen off significantly to below 1,000 a year for the past three years. This decline followed a military campaign launched against Boko Haram in 2015 by the Nigerian government, with international support. Large areas of territory previously controlled by Boko Haram were recaptured during this offensive. So, President Buhari is right to say killings by militants have declined substantially since he came to office in 2015. But these attacks have not ended completely and there have been several in the early weeks of 2019. "In terms of the current situation, I do think the current trend line is quite dangerous and that they are far from defeated," says Alex Thurston, a visiting assistant professor of political science and comparative religion at Miami University of Ohio. The Nigeria Security Tracker, a product of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), in Washington, monitors kidnappings through local media reports. These indicate a peak in the number of kidnappings in 2014 and 2015, when Boko Haram was at its strongest militarily. However, despite a dramatic fall in reported kidnappings in 2016, the level has risen since then, with 310 reported last year. One theory put forward for this increase is that as Boko Haram has lost territory and military influence, its tactics have shifted away from direct confrontation with security forces. Instead, the militants have turned their attention to soft targets such as schools and rural villages, taking hostages from these locations. So, when Mr Obasanjo says "the security situation has deteriorated with kidnapping everywhere", he's right in the sense that the level of kidnapping is on the increase and that major incidents such as the kidnapping of more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, in 2018, do give serious cause for concern. This fear is particularly heightened given Boko Haram's use of children as suicide bombers. In 2017 and 2018, there were 77 and 26 incidences respectively of children being used in this way by the militants. In 2016 this figure was nine, according to Unicef. Looking at the distribution of all kidnappings across Nigeria, this is clearly not the case, with Boko Haram operating largely in the far north-east of the country. Kidnappings have also been regularly reported in the country's oil-rich southern Niger Delta region - but these are unrelated to the activities of Boko Haram. So, looking at the overall picture of kidnappings, not just by Boko Haram, you can see that the distribution is more geographically widespread - but it's certainly not the case as Mr Obasanjo says that kidnappings have been taking place "everywhere" across the country. Overall, the picture of Boko Haram activity in the north-east of Nigeria appears to be one of declining military activity. But along with this has come a recent rise in kidnappings although it's not clear whether this indicates a resurgence in the strength of the group or a re-focusing on softer targets. Amendment: The Nigerian presidential election has been delayed until 23 February and this has been reflected in the article. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter | Have attacks by Boko Haram declined? | 2,220 | Insecurity and poor communications in rural areas make assessment both for the government and independent organisations particularly difficult and many incidents go unreported. The Nigerian government's National Bureau of Statistics provides public access to economic, social and general security data gathered within Nigeria but a spokesman told BBC News it did not collect data on the activities of Boko Haram. However, research by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) tracks information by monitoring local media and other reports. From a peak in 2015 of more than 5,000, the number of deaths attributed to Boko Haram has fallen off significantly to below 1,000 a year for the past three years. This decline followed a military campaign launched against Boko Haram in 2015 by the Nigerian government, with international support. Large areas of territory previously controlled by Boko Haram were recaptured during this offensive. | 0.599687 |
12_3 | Tent camps have become one of the most prominent and controversial symbols of San Francisco's problem with homelessness. The camps have sprung up along streets and under overpasses, swelling in some cases to 30 or 40 tents. They have divided opinion in a city which has seen an influx of well-paid tech workers in recent years but struggled to house its poorer citizens. Now a new ballot measure, backed financially by tech investors and to be voted on by residents next month, is proposing to introduce laws against the tent camps. Proposition Q would give the city the right to tear down camps and remove residents' belongings. Police would have to give 24 hours notice and find a shelter for anyone they turf out. Supporters say the measure prioritises housing over dangerous camp environments. Opponents say it is yet another move to criminalise the homeless. Here's what you need to know about Prop Q. In theory, a police officer or other city worker would offer someone sleeping in a tent a room in a shelter for the night, or a paid bus ticket out of the city to a family member or friend, under the city's existing "Homeward Bound" programme. If the homeless person refused, they would be given 24 hours notice to dismantle their tent and vacate the site. If they failed to comply, the city would remove the tent and store the owner's possessions for up to 90 days. Prop Q was drawn up and sponsored by Mark Farrell, a San Francisco city supervisor. Mr Farrell told the BBC that the camps had become "the symbol of the city's homeless problem" and were "some of the most dangerous places you can imagine". "From documented rapes, to fires, to tonnes and tonnes of waste - these camps are a significant strain on our public safety resources," he said. Mr Farrell and Prop Q's other advocates say no one will be moved on from a camp unless there is a guaranteed bed for them that night. He said that allowing the camps to remain and providing water or other assistance would encourage homeless people to come to the city. "If word got out... we would see a massive influx of tent camps in the city," he said. Mr Farrell said he "completely rejected" the accusation that the law would criminalise the homeless. "This is about rejecting dangerous living environments and prioritising shelter and housing," he said. In the other corner is San Francisco city supervisor John Avalos, Prop Q's official opposition. Mr Avalos called Prop Q "a political move". "Police already have all the powers they need to move encampments," he said in an interview. "This measure is on the ballot so voters can vote with their anger about homelessness." He said the key to solving homelessness was to focus resources on supportive housing. "This measure does not do anything to increase supportive housing, it pushes people from sidewalk to sidewalk, from block to block, in the hope of housing that doesn't exist." "This is kind of like a tough love measure," he said. "But we know from the past, they tend to operate on very little love and mostly toughness." Also opposing the law is San Francisco's Coalition on Homelessness charity. Jennifer Friedenbach, the charity's executive director, called it "an incredibly deceptive measure" and warned it would stir up hate against the homeless. "It's already illegal for tents to be on the sidewalks," she said. "So it bears the question why put it on the ballot? The only reason is to have the homeless vilified to draw out more conservative voters." Not exactly. San Francisco has a lower homelessness rate than many major US cities including LA, Seattle, and Washington DC. But San Francisco does have a significantly higher proportion of unsheltered homeless people - 511 per 100,000 people, according to 2015 data from the city's Housing Department. That's more than five times the rate of unsheltered homeless than Washington DC, which has twice the overall rate of homelessness. And San Francisco's homelessness rate is slowing growing, according to the Housing Department's biannual survey. One of the central arguments against Prop Q is that there aren't enough rooms in shelters to move people to, so the homeless will just get pushed around. Mr Farrell says that a new so-called Navigation Centre under development, plus the city's existing sheltered housing, will total 1,500 rooms, against just 600 people believed to be in tent camps. But opponents point to the total number of homeless in the city, thought to be at least 6,500 but possibly as high as 9,500, and say there is already a long daily waiting list for a room. "We have over 800 people waiting for shelter," said Ms Friedenbach, "and the city would hold shelter beds empty in order to offer them to people in encampments, putting other elderly people and people with disabilities who are in those shelter beds out on the streets." Is San Francisco tougher on homelessness than other cities? According to a 2015 study by California's University of Berkeley, the average city in the state has nine homelessness laws - significantly more than in other states. San Francisco has the most - 23 laws. San Francisco's include so called "sit-lie" - a 2010 measure which bans sitting or lying on the sidewalk during daytime hours and is punishable by up to six months in prison. And a 2015 measure against begging which set a 20ft perimeter around cash machines and made it illegal to ask for money again from someone who had refused. That measure did also include provisions to get more homeless people into drug or mental health programmes instead of prison. According to a report by the Guardian, wealthy tech investors have donated significant amounts of money to the campaign for Prop Q. The newspaper reported that Sequoia Capital chairman Michael Moritz, tech angel investor Ron Conway, and hedge-fund investor William Oberndorf donated $49,999 each to a war chest totalling $270,000. Mr Farrell said the campaign had also had large numbers of small donations from ordinary voters, but the news that rich investors putting up most of the funds has angered many. "These are people who spend more money in a year than homeless people have for a budget for food for six years... I mean how awful to have a billionaire funding a campaign to take away people's tents," Ms Friedenbach said. Anti-homelessness legislation has typically been popular among voters in San Francisco and proponents say they are confident of it passing. The measure needs more than 50% of the vote to pass. Voting is on 8 November. | Is homelessness particularly bad in San Francisco? | 3,486 | Not exactly. San Francisco has a lower homelessness rate than many major US cities including LA, Seattle, and Washington DC. But San Francisco does have a significantly higher proportion of unsheltered homeless people - 511 per 100,000 people, according to 2015 data from the city's Housing Department. That's more than five times the rate of unsheltered homeless than Washington DC, which has twice the overall rate of homelessness. And San Francisco's homelessness rate is slowing growing, according to the Housing Department's biannual survey. | 0.796113 |
12_5 | Tent camps have become one of the most prominent and controversial symbols of San Francisco's problem with homelessness. The camps have sprung up along streets and under overpasses, swelling in some cases to 30 or 40 tents. They have divided opinion in a city which has seen an influx of well-paid tech workers in recent years but struggled to house its poorer citizens. Now a new ballot measure, backed financially by tech investors and to be voted on by residents next month, is proposing to introduce laws against the tent camps. Proposition Q would give the city the right to tear down camps and remove residents' belongings. Police would have to give 24 hours notice and find a shelter for anyone they turf out. Supporters say the measure prioritises housing over dangerous camp environments. Opponents say it is yet another move to criminalise the homeless. Here's what you need to know about Prop Q. In theory, a police officer or other city worker would offer someone sleeping in a tent a room in a shelter for the night, or a paid bus ticket out of the city to a family member or friend, under the city's existing "Homeward Bound" programme. If the homeless person refused, they would be given 24 hours notice to dismantle their tent and vacate the site. If they failed to comply, the city would remove the tent and store the owner's possessions for up to 90 days. Prop Q was drawn up and sponsored by Mark Farrell, a San Francisco city supervisor. Mr Farrell told the BBC that the camps had become "the symbol of the city's homeless problem" and were "some of the most dangerous places you can imagine". "From documented rapes, to fires, to tonnes and tonnes of waste - these camps are a significant strain on our public safety resources," he said. Mr Farrell and Prop Q's other advocates say no one will be moved on from a camp unless there is a guaranteed bed for them that night. He said that allowing the camps to remain and providing water or other assistance would encourage homeless people to come to the city. "If word got out... we would see a massive influx of tent camps in the city," he said. Mr Farrell said he "completely rejected" the accusation that the law would criminalise the homeless. "This is about rejecting dangerous living environments and prioritising shelter and housing," he said. In the other corner is San Francisco city supervisor John Avalos, Prop Q's official opposition. Mr Avalos called Prop Q "a political move". "Police already have all the powers they need to move encampments," he said in an interview. "This measure is on the ballot so voters can vote with their anger about homelessness." He said the key to solving homelessness was to focus resources on supportive housing. "This measure does not do anything to increase supportive housing, it pushes people from sidewalk to sidewalk, from block to block, in the hope of housing that doesn't exist." "This is kind of like a tough love measure," he said. "But we know from the past, they tend to operate on very little love and mostly toughness." Also opposing the law is San Francisco's Coalition on Homelessness charity. Jennifer Friedenbach, the charity's executive director, called it "an incredibly deceptive measure" and warned it would stir up hate against the homeless. "It's already illegal for tents to be on the sidewalks," she said. "So it bears the question why put it on the ballot? The only reason is to have the homeless vilified to draw out more conservative voters." Not exactly. San Francisco has a lower homelessness rate than many major US cities including LA, Seattle, and Washington DC. But San Francisco does have a significantly higher proportion of unsheltered homeless people - 511 per 100,000 people, according to 2015 data from the city's Housing Department. That's more than five times the rate of unsheltered homeless than Washington DC, which has twice the overall rate of homelessness. And San Francisco's homelessness rate is slowing growing, according to the Housing Department's biannual survey. One of the central arguments against Prop Q is that there aren't enough rooms in shelters to move people to, so the homeless will just get pushed around. Mr Farrell says that a new so-called Navigation Centre under development, plus the city's existing sheltered housing, will total 1,500 rooms, against just 600 people believed to be in tent camps. But opponents point to the total number of homeless in the city, thought to be at least 6,500 but possibly as high as 9,500, and say there is already a long daily waiting list for a room. "We have over 800 people waiting for shelter," said Ms Friedenbach, "and the city would hold shelter beds empty in order to offer them to people in encampments, putting other elderly people and people with disabilities who are in those shelter beds out on the streets." Is San Francisco tougher on homelessness than other cities? According to a 2015 study by California's University of Berkeley, the average city in the state has nine homelessness laws - significantly more than in other states. San Francisco has the most - 23 laws. San Francisco's include so called "sit-lie" - a 2010 measure which bans sitting or lying on the sidewalk during daytime hours and is punishable by up to six months in prison. And a 2015 measure against begging which set a 20ft perimeter around cash machines and made it illegal to ask for money again from someone who had refused. That measure did also include provisions to get more homeless people into drug or mental health programmes instead of prison. According to a report by the Guardian, wealthy tech investors have donated significant amounts of money to the campaign for Prop Q. The newspaper reported that Sequoia Capital chairman Michael Moritz, tech angel investor Ron Conway, and hedge-fund investor William Oberndorf donated $49,999 each to a war chest totalling $270,000. Mr Farrell said the campaign had also had large numbers of small donations from ordinary voters, but the news that rich investors putting up most of the funds has angered many. "These are people who spend more money in a year than homeless people have for a budget for food for six years... I mean how awful to have a billionaire funding a campaign to take away people's tents," Ms Friedenbach said. Anti-homelessness legislation has typically been popular among voters in San Francisco and proponents say they are confident of it passing. The measure needs more than 50% of the vote to pass. Voting is on 8 November. | What's the funding controversy around Prop Q? | 5,562 | According to a report by the Guardian, wealthy tech investors have donated significant amounts of money to the campaign for Prop Q. The newspaper reported that Sequoia Capital chairman Michael Moritz, tech angel investor Ron Conway, and hedge-fund investor William Oberndorf donated $49,999 each to a war chest totalling $270,000. Mr Farrell said the campaign had also had large numbers of small donations from ordinary voters, but the news that rich investors putting up most of the funds has angered many. "These are people who spend more money in a year than homeless people have for a budget for food for six years... I mean how awful to have a billionaire funding a campaign to take away people's tents," Ms Friedenbach said. | 0.532022 |
13_1 | It's crunch time for the government's EU Withdrawal Bill - the bill which aims to ensure European law will no longer apply in the UK after Brexit. This key plank of legislation, once known as the Great Repeal Bill, has reached committee stage in the House of Commons, which is the bit where there will be hundreds of attempts by MPs to change its wording. As its informal name suggests, the repeal bill will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act, which took Britain into the EU and meant that European law took precedence over laws passed in the UK Parliament. It will also end the power of the European Court of Justice in the UK. All existing EU legislation will be copied across into domestic UK law to ensure a smooth transition on the day after Brexit. The government says it wants to avoid a "black hole in our statute book" and avoid disruption to businesses and individual citizens as the UK leaves the EU. The UK Parliament can then "amend, repeal and improve" individual laws as necessary. Ensuring the continuity of EU rules and regulations is also meant to aid trade negotiations with the EU because the UK will already meet all of its product stands. The bill is likely to be "one of the largest legislative projects ever undertaken in the UK", a report by the House of Commons library predicts, with "major swathes of the statute book" needing to be examined to see how they will work after Brexit. This is because working out which bits of UK law came from the EU is not as simple as it may sound. In fact, it presents a "unique challenge", a House of Lords committee warned, because "the body of EU law is found in a number of different places, and in a number of different forms". Simply transposing all EU law into UK legislation will not be enough, the government's White Paper on the bill says. Swathes of UK law "will no longer work" on exit, for example because they refer to EU institutions. Not all of this can be done through the repeal bill, so the government plans to create powers to "correct the statute book where necessary" - without full Parliamentary scrutiny. This power - known as Henry VIII power - is the one of the most controversial features of the bill (see below). More complications are presented by the government's negotiations with the EU, which will be taking place while the bill is passing through Parliament. Those talks could shape what the UK's post-Brexit laws look like - but the repeal bill will need to be done and dusted by the day the UK leaves. The government plans to enact its "corrections" to the statute book using what are known as Henry VIII powers, after the Statute of Proclamations 1539 which gave him the power to legislate by proclamation. Given that this will not involve the usual Parliamentary scrutiny process, opposition parties have protested, with Labour claiming ministers were being handed "sweeping powers" to make hasty, ill thought-out legislation. Ministers have attempted to reassure critics by saying such measures will be time-limited and not used to make policy changes. In total, the government estimates that 800 to 1,000 measures called statutory instruments will be required to make sure the bill functions properly. A lot. The government's White Paper says there is "no single figure" for this, but that there are believed to be 12,000 EU regulations (one type of EU law) in force, while Parliament has passed 7,900 statutory instruments implementing EU legislation and 186 acts which incorporate a degree of EU influence. The total body of European law, dating back to 1958, is known as the Acquis Communautaire. It binds all member states and in 2010 was estimated to consist of about 80,000 items, covering everything from workers' rights to environment and trade. As well as regulations, this includes EU treaties, directions and European Court of Justice rulings. New EU legislation is being created all the time and will continue to apply to the UK until it leaves. Different types of EU legislation work in different ways, and will be treated differently by the bill. So regulations, which apply automatically in the UK, will be converted into UK law. But directives require a new UK law to come into force - this legislation will be preserved by the bill. Reality check: How much UK law comes from the EU? MPs have already voted to approve the second reading of the bill, by 326 votes to 290. But there are many hurdles ahead and on Tuesday the line-by-line scrutiny of how it will operate begins. As tends to happen with legislation deemed to be of constitutional importance, this 'committee stage' is taking place on the floor of the House of Commons, so all MPs can take part. Eight days have been allocated for this process, which will be followed by more stages including the bill's passage through the House of Lords. The plan is for it to be passed ahead of the UK's exit from the EU but to become law only when it actually leaves, in March 2019. Read more: A guide to the EU bill's journey through Parliament Labour, the SNP and the Lib Dems all opposed the bill at second reading, and MPs from all parties - with the exception of the DUP - are now trying to amend it at committee stage. Labour's suggested changes include trying to maintain a role for the European Court of Justice during the transition phase planned after March 2019. There is also a cross-party attempt to prevent the UK from leaving the EU without a deal in place. Until the UK actually leaves, EU law will continue to apply. But after leaving, the European Union (Withdrawal) Act (as it will be by then) comes into force. The government says having the legislation in place will ensure a "calm and orderly exit". Then begins the long-term process of the government, and Parliament, choosing what it wants to do with the laws it has incorporated from the EU. With so many pieces of legislation to be considered, this could turn out to be a "major drain on resources" and should not "crowd out" other government policies, the Institute for Government think tank has warned. Some of the EU laws are in areas that are controlled by the devolved administrations - so do they now become part of Westminster law, or will they be added to the statute book in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? It is not entirely clear how this will work, although the government says it will work closely with the devolved administrations. It also predicts the repeal process will result in a "a significant increase in the decision-making power of each devolved administration", as powers in devolved areas are repatriated from Brussels. But the bill has been described by the Scottish government as an "executive power grab". Ministers have confirmed the devolved administrations will be asked to consent to the bill - but this does not amount to a veto. The UK government has warned that blocking the bill could have "very significant consequences", leaving "a hole in our law". | How much EU law is there? | 3,210 | A lot. The government's White Paper says there is "no single figure" for this, but that there are believed to be 12,000 EU regulations (one type of EU law) in force, while Parliament has passed 7,900 statutory instruments implementing EU legislation and 186 acts which incorporate a degree of EU influence. The total body of European law, dating back to 1958, is known as the Acquis Communautaire. It binds all member states and in 2010 was estimated to consist of about 80,000 items, covering everything from workers' rights to environment and trade. As well as regulations, this includes EU treaties, directions and European Court of Justice rulings. New EU legislation is being created all the time and will continue to apply to the UK until it leaves. Different types of EU legislation work in different ways, and will be treated differently by the bill. So regulations, which apply automatically in the UK, will be converted into UK law. But directives require a new UK law to come into force - this legislation will be preserved by the bill. Reality check: How much UK law comes from the EU? | 0.756006 |
15_0 | The death in a prison cell of a Syrian refugee suspected of planning a bomb attack in Germany is a judicial scandal, his lawyer has said. Jaber al-Bakr, 22, strangled himself in a jail in Leipzig with his shirt and the government has demanded an immediate inquiry. His lawyer said the prison was aware Bakr was a suicide risk after he was captured on Monday. However, regional authorities said he had not been considered an acute risk. Jaber al-Bakr was detained on Monday on suspicion of plotting to bomb an airport in Berlin, possibly in the coming days. When police raided his flat in the eastern city of Chemnitz early on Saturday, they found 1.5kg of TATP, a home-made explosive used in the deadly jihadist attacks in Paris last year and in Brussels last March. Sebastian Gemkow, justice minister in the eastern state of Saxony, told reporters a psychological assessment of the prisoner had been made and safety measures had been taken. And the head of the prison described Bakr during the day as "calm and on an even keel". "It shouldn't have happened, but it did," the justice minister said, adding that he took responsibility for the suicide but would not resign. Prison officials rejected reports that Bakr was only being checked on an hourly basis. Originally, he was given top-level supervision, involving 15-minute intervals, but a panel of experts agreed hours before he died to lower the regular checks to every 30 minutes. There is no video monitoring of prisoners held in remand cells in Saxony, said prison governor Rolf Jacob. A guard stationed outside the cell door would have been more appropriate, he acknowledged. Jabr al-Bakr's body was found at 19:45 (17:45 GMT) on Wednesday evening, 15 minutes after a regular check, the prison governor said. Attempts to resuscitate him failed. Defence lawyer Alexander Huebner was adamant his client was a risk as he had already broken light bulbs and tampered with power sockets. He had also been refusing food and drink. The prison governor said later that the damage had been assessed as vandalism rather than an indication of potential suicide. "How could this happen?" Mr Huebner asked. "He must have been the best-guarded prisoner in Germany." German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere demanded a "rapid and comprehensive inquiry". He told German TV that Bakr's death had made the task of investigating the possible Berlin airport bomb plot much harder. Centre-right CDU politician Wolfgang Bosbach said it was a tragedy to lose such an important source of intelligence. Leading centre-left SPD politician Burkhard Lischka blamed the Saxony authorities for the death in custody and said years of underfunding were to blame. Family Affairs Minister Manuela Schwesig simply tweeted: "What on earth's going on?" Granted asylum last year after coming to Germany in February 2015, he had been under surveillance for months on suspicion of being linked to jihadist group Islamic State. But when police raided his flat early on Saturday, he escaped. Police fired a warning shot but were wary of harming neighbours. After a two-day manhunt Bakr made his way to Leipzig, where he asked three Syrian asylum seekers for help. The three told police they had heard about the manhunt and tied him up while one of them knelt on him. One of the men took a photo of the captive to a police station, and he was detained in the early hours of Monday. Widely hailed as heroes in Germany, the three men were apparently implicated by Bakr in the bomb plot, German media reported, citing security officials in Leipzig. Call to reward Syrian refugees who arrested fugitive | What went wrong at the jail? | 767 | Sebastian Gemkow, justice minister in the eastern state of Saxony, told reporters a psychological assessment of the prisoner had been made and safety measures had been taken. And the head of the prison described Bakr during the day as "calm and on an even keel". "It shouldn't have happened, but it did," the justice minister said, adding that he took responsibility for the suicide but would not resign. Prison officials rejected reports that Bakr was only being checked on an hourly basis. Originally, he was given top-level supervision, involving 15-minute intervals, but a panel of experts agreed hours before he died to lower the regular checks to every 30 minutes. There is no video monitoring of prisoners held in remand cells in Saxony, said prison governor Rolf Jacob. A guard stationed outside the cell door would have been more appropriate, he acknowledged. Jabr al-Bakr's body was found at 19:45 (17:45 GMT) on Wednesday evening, 15 minutes after a regular check, the prison governor said. Attempts to resuscitate him failed. Defence lawyer Alexander Huebner was adamant his client was a risk as he had already broken light bulbs and tampered with power sockets. He had also been refusing food and drink. The prison governor said later that the damage had been assessed as vandalism rather than an indication of potential suicide. "How could this happen?" Mr Huebner asked. "He must have been the best-guarded prisoner in Germany." | 0.394024 |
15_1 | The death in a prison cell of a Syrian refugee suspected of planning a bomb attack in Germany is a judicial scandal, his lawyer has said. Jaber al-Bakr, 22, strangled himself in a jail in Leipzig with his shirt and the government has demanded an immediate inquiry. His lawyer said the prison was aware Bakr was a suicide risk after he was captured on Monday. However, regional authorities said he had not been considered an acute risk. Jaber al-Bakr was detained on Monday on suspicion of plotting to bomb an airport in Berlin, possibly in the coming days. When police raided his flat in the eastern city of Chemnitz early on Saturday, they found 1.5kg of TATP, a home-made explosive used in the deadly jihadist attacks in Paris last year and in Brussels last March. Sebastian Gemkow, justice minister in the eastern state of Saxony, told reporters a psychological assessment of the prisoner had been made and safety measures had been taken. And the head of the prison described Bakr during the day as "calm and on an even keel". "It shouldn't have happened, but it did," the justice minister said, adding that he took responsibility for the suicide but would not resign. Prison officials rejected reports that Bakr was only being checked on an hourly basis. Originally, he was given top-level supervision, involving 15-minute intervals, but a panel of experts agreed hours before he died to lower the regular checks to every 30 minutes. There is no video monitoring of prisoners held in remand cells in Saxony, said prison governor Rolf Jacob. A guard stationed outside the cell door would have been more appropriate, he acknowledged. Jabr al-Bakr's body was found at 19:45 (17:45 GMT) on Wednesday evening, 15 minutes after a regular check, the prison governor said. Attempts to resuscitate him failed. Defence lawyer Alexander Huebner was adamant his client was a risk as he had already broken light bulbs and tampered with power sockets. He had also been refusing food and drink. The prison governor said later that the damage had been assessed as vandalism rather than an indication of potential suicide. "How could this happen?" Mr Huebner asked. "He must have been the best-guarded prisoner in Germany." German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere demanded a "rapid and comprehensive inquiry". He told German TV that Bakr's death had made the task of investigating the possible Berlin airport bomb plot much harder. Centre-right CDU politician Wolfgang Bosbach said it was a tragedy to lose such an important source of intelligence. Leading centre-left SPD politician Burkhard Lischka blamed the Saxony authorities for the death in custody and said years of underfunding were to blame. Family Affairs Minister Manuela Schwesig simply tweeted: "What on earth's going on?" Granted asylum last year after coming to Germany in February 2015, he had been under surveillance for months on suspicion of being linked to jihadist group Islamic State. But when police raided his flat early on Saturday, he escaped. Police fired a warning shot but were wary of harming neighbours. After a two-day manhunt Bakr made his way to Leipzig, where he asked three Syrian asylum seekers for help. The three told police they had heard about the manhunt and tied him up while one of them knelt on him. One of the men took a photo of the captive to a police station, and he was detained in the early hours of Monday. Widely hailed as heroes in Germany, the three men were apparently implicated by Bakr in the bomb plot, German media reported, citing security officials in Leipzig. Call to reward Syrian refugees who arrested fugitive | How serious is the blow to German intelligence? | 2,211 | German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere demanded a "rapid and comprehensive inquiry". He told German TV that Bakr's death had made the task of investigating the possible Berlin airport bomb plot much harder. Centre-right CDU politician Wolfgang Bosbach said it was a tragedy to lose such an important source of intelligence. Leading centre-left SPD politician Burkhard Lischka blamed the Saxony authorities for the death in custody and said years of underfunding were to blame. Family Affairs Minister Manuela Schwesig simply tweeted: "What on earth's going on?" | 0.430031 |
18_0 | US President Donald Trump has attacked Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, calling it a "total mess" and "absolutely nuts". He tweeted on Thursday that investigators were "threatening" people to provide "the answers they want". "They are screaming and shouting at people," Mr Trump wrote, adding that no collusion between his election campaign and Russia had been found. He says the inquiry is a "witch hunt". The US president has previously said the special counsel investigation led by Mr Mueller, who is a highly regarded former head of the FBI and a Republican, was unfair and dominated by "hardened Democrats". In Mr Trump's latest tweets, he describes Mr Mueller as "conflicted" and says that those involved in the long-running probe "are a disgrace to our nation". The president later tweeted that Mr Mueller and "his gang of Democrat thugs" were destroying people, and blamed social media tech giants for unfavourable coverage towards his administration and the Republicans. "Check out how biased Facebook, Google and Twitter are in favour of the Democrats," he wrote. It is unclear what was behind his latest comments and Mr Trump did not provide any evidence for his claims. Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC Washington Donald Trump is back on the attack against Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation. After a brief mid-term interlude that included dire warnings about refugee caravans in Mexico and mix-and-match endorsements of Republican candidates, the looming Russia investigation is back on the president's mind - and his Twitter feed. Mr Trump may simply be reflecting the growing sense that Mr Mueller is poised for new action after a pre-election quiet period. Rumours and reports have swirled of impending indictments and late nights at the special counsel's office. There's also the possibility that the president knows something new - either passed along from his lawyers or allies under investigation, or from his newly appointed acting attorney general, who the New York Times referred to in September as the White House's "eyes and ears" in the justice department. Whatever the explanation, Mr Trump has appeared in a sour mood of late, lashing out at the media and, according to background sources, considering changes to his top staff. There is the feeling in Washington of an impending storm, of threats to the presidency from the outside and within. It's been a quiet few days, but that seems certain to change. It comes just a week after the US president forced the resignation of Jeff Sessions, the US Attorney General who was an early supporter of Mr Trump. Mr Sessions had earlier voluntarily removed himself from the Russia probe after Democrats accused him of failing to disclose contacts with the Russian ambassador during his Senate confirmation hearing. Following this decision, Mr Trump told the New York Times: "Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else." Mr Sessions' replacement in charge of the Department of Justice, Matthew Whitaker, now has the power to sack Mr Mueller or end the investigation. Mr Whitaker, who has been appointed acting attorney general, has been open about his concerns over the scope of Mr Mueller's inquiry. In 2016, US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia had used a state-authorised campaign of cyber attacks and fake news stories planted on social media in an attempt to turn the election against Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. A team of investigators led by Mr Mueller is looking into whether anyone from Mr Trump's campaign colluded in the effort. It has been established that senior members of Mr Trump's team met Russian officials, while several of these meetings were not initially disclosed. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr, met a Russian lawyer during the campaign who was said to have "dirt" on Mrs Clinton, and adviser George Papadopoulos has admitted lying to the FBI about meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia. Four people connected with Mr Trump's campaign and presidency have been charged and further indictments could be issued. However the US president denies any wrongdoing and no solid evidence has emerged to implicate him. | What is behind the Russia investigation? | 3,368 | In 2016, US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia had used a state-authorised campaign of cyber attacks and fake news stories planted on social media in an attempt to turn the election against Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. A team of investigators led by Mr Mueller is looking into whether anyone from Mr Trump's campaign colluded in the effort. It has been established that senior members of Mr Trump's team met Russian officials, while several of these meetings were not initially disclosed. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr, met a Russian lawyer during the campaign who was said to have "dirt" on Mrs Clinton, and adviser George Papadopoulos has admitted lying to the FBI about meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia. Four people connected with Mr Trump's campaign and presidency have been charged and further indictments could be issued. However the US president denies any wrongdoing and no solid evidence has emerged to implicate him. | 0.580374 |
20_0 | US President Donald Trump has named Lt Gen HR McMaster as his national security adviser. He will replace Lt Gen Michael Flynn who was fired after just three weeks and three days in the job. A lieutenant general with the US Army, HR McMaster served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked on a government anti-corruption drive. Mr Trump's first choice, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, turned down the role, citing "personal reasons". Mr Trump has praised Herbert Raymond McMaster as "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience" who is "highly respected by everybody in the military". Gen McMaster served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is known as a thoughtful, if straight-talking, military strategist, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from Washington. He does not appear to have close ties to Moscow, and was recently commissioned to study the ways the US could counter some of Russia's military advances, our correspondent adds. Gen McMaster is no stranger to questioning authority. In a 2014 interview, he said: "The commanders that I've worked for, they want frank assessments, they want criticism and feedback." Profile: The new national security adviser How much has Trump achieved so far? Russia: The scandal Trump can't shake Time magazine named him as one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, saying he "might be the 21st Century Army's pre-eminent warrior-thinker". He criticised the US military's involvement in the Vietnam War in his book Dereliction of Duty. He has a PhD in US history from the University of North Carolina. Gen McMaster has said it is "a privilege... to be able to continue serving our nation" and that he looks forward to joining the national security team. The role involves serving as an independent adviser to the president on issues of national security and foreign policy. It is one of the most senior roles in the US government. Observers say the role's influence varies from administration to administration, but the adviser is seen as one of the president's key confidantes. The adviser attends the National Security Council, and may act as a broker between different government departments. The role is not subject to US Senate confirmation. Gen Flynn stepped down after misleading Vice-President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the US. Mr Flynn is alleged to have discussed US sanctions with Russia's ambassador in calls before his own appointment. It is illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy. However, Mr Trump wrote on Twitter that the intelligence leaks about Mr Flynn's conversations were "the real scandal". Mr Flynn's short tenure led critics to describe Mr Trump's administration as chaotic. Keith Kellogg, who took over as acting national security adviser after the resignation, will now serve as the National Security Council chief of staff. The other candidates in the running were Robert Caslen, an Army lieutenant general who is the superintendent of the US Military Academy at West Point, and career diplomat John Bolton, who served as George W Bush's ambassador to the UN from August 2005 to December 2006. Mr Trump says Mr Bolton will also serve his government "in another capacity". Mr Trump held interviews with the four men at Mar-a-Lago where he spent the third weekend in a row. He has called Mar-a-Lago, a private property, the "Southern White House". | Who is Lt Gen HR McMaster? | 439 | Mr Trump has praised Herbert Raymond McMaster as "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience" who is "highly respected by everybody in the military". Gen McMaster served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is known as a thoughtful, if straight-talking, military strategist, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from Washington. He does not appear to have close ties to Moscow, and was recently commissioned to study the ways the US could counter some of Russia's military advances, our correspondent adds. Gen McMaster is no stranger to questioning authority. In a 2014 interview, he said: "The commanders that I've worked for, they want frank assessments, they want criticism and feedback." | 0.622046 |
20_1 | US President Donald Trump has named Lt Gen HR McMaster as his national security adviser. He will replace Lt Gen Michael Flynn who was fired after just three weeks and three days in the job. A lieutenant general with the US Army, HR McMaster served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked on a government anti-corruption drive. Mr Trump's first choice, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, turned down the role, citing "personal reasons". Mr Trump has praised Herbert Raymond McMaster as "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience" who is "highly respected by everybody in the military". Gen McMaster served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is known as a thoughtful, if straight-talking, military strategist, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from Washington. He does not appear to have close ties to Moscow, and was recently commissioned to study the ways the US could counter some of Russia's military advances, our correspondent adds. Gen McMaster is no stranger to questioning authority. In a 2014 interview, he said: "The commanders that I've worked for, they want frank assessments, they want criticism and feedback." Profile: The new national security adviser How much has Trump achieved so far? Russia: The scandal Trump can't shake Time magazine named him as one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, saying he "might be the 21st Century Army's pre-eminent warrior-thinker". He criticised the US military's involvement in the Vietnam War in his book Dereliction of Duty. He has a PhD in US history from the University of North Carolina. Gen McMaster has said it is "a privilege... to be able to continue serving our nation" and that he looks forward to joining the national security team. The role involves serving as an independent adviser to the president on issues of national security and foreign policy. It is one of the most senior roles in the US government. Observers say the role's influence varies from administration to administration, but the adviser is seen as one of the president's key confidantes. The adviser attends the National Security Council, and may act as a broker between different government departments. The role is not subject to US Senate confirmation. Gen Flynn stepped down after misleading Vice-President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the US. Mr Flynn is alleged to have discussed US sanctions with Russia's ambassador in calls before his own appointment. It is illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy. However, Mr Trump wrote on Twitter that the intelligence leaks about Mr Flynn's conversations were "the real scandal". Mr Flynn's short tenure led critics to describe Mr Trump's administration as chaotic. Keith Kellogg, who took over as acting national security adviser after the resignation, will now serve as the National Security Council chief of staff. The other candidates in the running were Robert Caslen, an Army lieutenant general who is the superintendent of the US Military Academy at West Point, and career diplomat John Bolton, who served as George W Bush's ambassador to the UN from August 2005 to December 2006. Mr Trump says Mr Bolton will also serve his government "in another capacity". Mr Trump held interviews with the four men at Mar-a-Lago where he spent the third weekend in a row. He has called Mar-a-Lago, a private property, the "Southern White House". | What will his role as national security adviser involve? | 1,723 | The role involves serving as an independent adviser to the president on issues of national security and foreign policy. It is one of the most senior roles in the US government. Observers say the role's influence varies from administration to administration, but the adviser is seen as one of the president's key confidantes. The adviser attends the National Security Council, and may act as a broker between different government departments. The role is not subject to US Senate confirmation. | 0.808939 |
21_0 | Chat apps that promise to prevent your messages being accessed by strangers are under scrutiny again following last week's terror attack in London. On Sunday, the home secretary said the intelligence services must be able to access relevant information. Her comments followed the discovery that Khalid Masood appeared to have used WhatsApp minutes before carrying out his killings. There are doubts about whether that action was related to the atrocity. BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw has highlighted that the police had declared that they believed Masood had acted alone on the day, and would not have done so unless they had accessed and read messages stored on his phone. Even so, the home secretary has summoned WhatsApp's owner, Facebook, and other technology companies to a meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to ensure that security officers get the data they need in the future. Several chat apps have adopted a technique called end-to-end encryption. This digitally scrambles their messages' contents when it leaves a sender's device, and then reassembles it on the recipient's computer using a shared key. The technology company running the service is not made privy to the key, so is unable to make sense of the conversation even though it passes through its computer servers. Some apps, including WhatsApp, Apple's iMessage, Signal and Threema, use end-to-end encryption by default. Others, such as Telegram, Line and Google's Allo, offer it as an option. If end-to-end encryption is active, the technology company running the app is limited in what useful information it can remotely disclose. But if a phone, tablet or PC is not passcode-protected - or if the authorities find a way to bypass the code - the physical device itself will provide access. Not necessarily. When someone sends or reads a message, they generate what's known as "metadata" - information about their interaction that is distinct from the chat's contents. This can include: - the time a message was written - the telephone number or other ID of the person it was sent to - the physical locations of the sender and recipient at the time WhatsApp has shared such details with law enforcement officers in the past and has said it has been co-operating with authorities over last week's incident. In addition, if Apple users subscribe to the company's iCloud Backup service, the firm may be able to recover messages copied to its servers for safe-keeping and it has co-operated with investigators in the past. It is not exactly clear. The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, told the BBC that chat apps must not "provide a secret place" for terrorists to communicate, and that when a warrant had been issued, officers should be able to "get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp". On Sky News, she later added that she supported end-to-end encryption as a cybersecurity measure, but said it was "absurd to have a situation where you can have terrorists talking to each other on a formal platform... and it can't be accessed". How this would work in practice is uncertain. WhatsApp, for example, does not store messages on its servers after they have been delivered. So, even if there was a way to retrospectively unencrypt the chats, it is unclear how this would work without significant changes to its systems. At one point, there had been speculation that the Investigatory Powers Act - which came into effect last year - might ban chat app's use of end-to-end encryption outright. Instead, it stated that technology companies could be compelled to "provide a technical capability" to remove "electronic protection" within their products - which has been interpreted by some to mean app-makers might be compelled to secretly create backdoors or other security weaknesses to let messages be unscrambled. Files leaked by rogue US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden and Wikileaks suggest that even the most closely guarded hacking secrets can be revealed. And even if the tech companies did not share the technical details of the backdoors with the authorities - instead limiting themselves to passing on unscrambled chats - the very fact vulnerabilities existed means someone else might sniff them out. As a consequence, public trust in their software might be undermined. "The encryption debate always rages after a terror incident, regardless of how effective backdoors would have been," said security consultant Troy Hunt. "Even if, say, the UK was to ban encryption or mandate weaknesses be built into WhatsApp and iMessage, those with nefarious intent would simply obtain encryption products from other sources. "These responses are kneejerk reactions by those who have little understanding of the efficacy and implications of what they're actually proposing." The TechUK lobby group said other hacking powers and a move to make internet providers keep a record of their customers' internet habits - which were also outlined in the Investigatory Powers Act - meant counter-terrorism officers already had strong powers to tackle threats. "From storing data on the cloud to online banking to identity verification, end-to-end encryption is essential for preventing data being accessed illegally in ways that can harm consumers, business and our national security," said its deputy chief executive, Antony Walker. | What has this got to do with encryption? | 898 | Several chat apps have adopted a technique called end-to-end encryption. This digitally scrambles their messages' contents when it leaves a sender's device, and then reassembles it on the recipient's computer using a shared key. The technology company running the service is not made privy to the key, so is unable to make sense of the conversation even though it passes through its computer servers. Some apps, including WhatsApp, Apple's iMessage, Signal and Threema, use end-to-end encryption by default. Others, such as Telegram, Line and Google's Allo, offer it as an option. If end-to-end encryption is active, the technology company running the app is limited in what useful information it can remotely disclose. But if a phone, tablet or PC is not passcode-protected - or if the authorities find a way to bypass the code - the physical device itself will provide access. | 0.442361 |
22_0 | Austria's highest court has annulled the result of the presidential election narrowly lost by the candidate of the far-right Freedom Party. The party had challenged the result, saying that postal votes had been illegally and improperly handled. The Freedom Party candidate, Norbert Hofer, lost the election to the former leader of the Greens, Alexander Van der Bellen, by just 30,863 votes or less than one percentage point. The election will now be re-run. Announcing the decision, Gerhard Holzinger, head of the Constitutional Court, said: "The challenge brought by Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache against the 22 May election... has been upheld." He added: "The decision I am announcing today has no winner and no loser, it has only one aim: to strengthen trust in the rule of law and democracy." Austria's politics have been thrown into confusion. One of the most controversial and polarising presidential elections in recent history will have to be re-run. This is a moral victory for the far-right, anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic Freedom Party, which launched the legal challenge last month after alleging "terrifying" irregularities. The Freedom Party is hoping that the decision by the court will help its candidate Norbert Hofer win in the new election this autumn. Hanging over the vote is the shadow of "Brexit" - the UK's decision to leave the EU. Will Mr Hofer choose to make Austria's future membership of the EU a campaign issue? Some Austrians think the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the EU could boost populist and nationalist sentiment in Austria. Others believe the political turbulence in Britain may make people more cautious about Eurosceptic parties. Mr Hofer said on Friday he was pleased that the court had taken "a difficult decision", adding: "I have great trust in the rule of law." Mr Van der Bellen said he was "very confident" he would emerge the winner. "Austria needs to be well represented in Europe and the world. If we can do it once, we can do it again," he told reporters. Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said the court ruling showed that the country's democracy was strong and he called for "a short campaign, a campaign without emotions". In two weeks of hearings, lawyers for the Freedom Party argued that postal ballots were illegally handled in 94 out of 117 districts. It alleged that thousands of votes were opened earlier than permitted under election rules and some were counted by people unauthorised to do so. The party also claimed to have evidence that some under-16s and foreigners had been allowed to vote. In its ruling, the court said election rules had been broken in a way that could have influenced the result. But it said there was no proof the count had been manipulated. If elected, Mr Hofer would become the first far-right head of state of an EU country. His party has based its election campaigns around concern over immigration and falling living standards for the less well-off. After Britain voted to leave the EU, Mr Hofer said he favoured holding a similar referendum in Austria if the bloc failed to stop centralisation and carry out reforms "within a year". Last Sunday, he told the Oesterreich newspaper (in German): "If [the EU] evolves in the wrong direction, then in my opinion the time has come to ask the Austrians if they still want to be part of it." His opponent, Mr Van der Bellen, is strongly pro-EU and has spoken of his dream for a border-free "United States of Europe". The two men went forward to a run-off when, for the first time since World War Two, both the main centrist parties were knocked out in the first round of voting. Following the court's order to re-run the vote, President Heinz Fischer will be replaced on a temporary basis by three parliamentary officials, including Mr Hofer. The new election is expected to be held in September or October. It is a mostly ceremonial post. But the president does have the power to dissolve the National Council - the more powerful lower house of parliament. That triggers a general election. The president can only do that once for a particular reason - he cannot use the same grounds to dissolve it again. It is the chancellor's job to appoint government ministers. And the chancellor has the power to dismiss the government. But ministers have to be formally sworn in by the president. Norbert Hofer - Age: 45 - Background: Aeronautical engineer - Politics: Far-right Freedom Party - Campaign soundbite: "To those in Austria who go to war for the Islamic State or rape women - I say to those people: 'This is not your home'." Alexander Van der Bellen - Age: 72 - Background: Economics professor - Politics: Former Green Party leader - Campaign soundbite: "I've experienced how Austria rose from the ruins of World War Two, caused by the madness of nationalism." | What powers does the Austrian president have? | 3,867 | It is a mostly ceremonial post. But the president does have the power to dissolve the National Council - the more powerful lower house of parliament. That triggers a general election. The president can only do that once for a particular reason - he cannot use the same grounds to dissolve it again. It is the chancellor's job to appoint government ministers. And the chancellor has the power to dismiss the government. But ministers have to be formally sworn in by the president. | 0.425524 |
24_0 | A government-appointed human rights group in Zimbabwe has accused soldiers of using "systematic torture" in a crackdown on protests. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission strongly criticised authorities for using troops to quell demonstrations. Unrest broke out more than a week ago following a sharp rise in fuel prices. A government spokesman defended the crackdown, telling the BBC: "When things get out of hand, a bit of firmness is needed." Reports have emerged of assaults allegedly carried out by the military in various parts of the capital, Harare. Soldiers in Harare were seen beating a large group of minibus drivers on Tuesday. The BBC's Andrew Harding in Harare spoke to a man who said he and about 30 others had been rounded up and beaten by soldiers for "more than two hours". The continuing violence raises further questions about President Emmerson Mnangagwa's control over the military, which helped bring him to power 14 months ago, our correspondent adds. President Mnangagwa has promised that abuses against civilians will not be tolerated. In a blunt statement, the commission said at least eight deaths had been reported since last week, "mostly attributed to use of live ammunition". "Armed and uniformed members of the Zimbabwe National Army and the Zimbabwe Republic Police instigated systematic torture." It said the torture was "organised" in that security forces targeted men close to where barricades had been erected, and near areas torched by protesters or looted. The commission detailed reports of security forces entering houses at night and making men, and even boys as young as 11, lie on the ground where they were then beaten. "The deployment of the army in quelling civilian disturbances leads to loss of life and serious bodily injuries and other human rights violations, yet the government continues to make such deployments," the statement said. Other reports say at least 12 people have been killed and scores treated for gunshot injuries. More than 600 people have been arrested in relation to the protests - with rights groups and opposition lawmakers saying many have been detained arbitrarily. Pastor Evan Mawarire, a prominent activist who led the 2016 protests against Robert Mugabe, was arrested on 16 January and remains in detention. On Monday Mr Mnangagwa, 76, broke off a trip to Europe to deal with the continuing unrest. He had been due to attend the Davos economic summit where he was expected to seek investment for Zimbabwe. Back in Harare, he took to Twitter to urge all sides to work together to fix a broken economy. In a series of tweets, he said violence or misconduct by security forces was "unacceptable and a betrayal of the new Zimbabwe", adding: "If required, heads will roll." Mr Mnangagwa announced a steep increase in the fuel price earlier this month. The price rises were meant to tackle fuel shortages, but mean that Zimbabwe now has the most expensive fuel in the world, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com. Many Zimbabweans, worn down by years of economic hardship, have suddenly found they cannot even afford the bus fare to work. This led to angry protests in Harare and the south-western city of Bulawayo. Ellen Ngwenia, a pre-school teacher in Epworth, told the BBC: "I'm not afraid to protest, because we are hungry." Her mother, the school's headteacher, was killed in last week's protests after being hit by an army truck. Ms Ngwenia, who blames the government for her mother's death, said "we will continue protesting until things [are] settled." It accuses the opposition MDC party of using the protests for political means. Presidential spokesman George Charamba said on Sunday: "The MDC leadership has been consistently pushing out the message that they will use violent street action to overturn the results of [last year's] ballot." The opposition rejected a court ruling in August 2018 that confirmed President Mnangagwa had defeated MDC leader Nelson Chamisa The MDC said on Tuesday that five of its MPs had been detained and refused bail. Party official Morgen Komichi dismissed Mr Mnangagwa's announcement of an investigation into security forces, saying: "We don't trust his word. We don't regard him as an honest leader." The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the umbrella group that called the protests, says its leader, Japhet Moyo, has also been arrested. Mr Chamisa told the BBC there was "no justification whatsoever of having soldiers with live ammunition, with guns, machine guns, AK47 on the streets, beating up citizens". "People are being approached in their homes, they are being taken out of their homes with their families even if they are sleeping... a lot of people have been arrested for no apparent reason," he said. | What has been alleged? | 1,061 | In a blunt statement, the commission said at least eight deaths had been reported since last week, "mostly attributed to use of live ammunition". "Armed and uniformed members of the Zimbabwe National Army and the Zimbabwe Republic Police instigated systematic torture." It said the torture was "organised" in that security forces targeted men close to where barricades had been erected, and near areas torched by protesters or looted. The commission detailed reports of security forces entering houses at night and making men, and even boys as young as 11, lie on the ground where they were then beaten. "The deployment of the army in quelling civilian disturbances leads to loss of life and serious bodily injuries and other human rights violations, yet the government continues to make such deployments," the statement said. Other reports say at least 12 people have been killed and scores treated for gunshot injuries. More than 600 people have been arrested in relation to the protests - with rights groups and opposition lawmakers saying many have been detained arbitrarily. Pastor Evan Mawarire, a prominent activist who led the 2016 protests against Robert Mugabe, was arrested on 16 January and remains in detention. | 0.399691 |
24_1 | A government-appointed human rights group in Zimbabwe has accused soldiers of using "systematic torture" in a crackdown on protests. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission strongly criticised authorities for using troops to quell demonstrations. Unrest broke out more than a week ago following a sharp rise in fuel prices. A government spokesman defended the crackdown, telling the BBC: "When things get out of hand, a bit of firmness is needed." Reports have emerged of assaults allegedly carried out by the military in various parts of the capital, Harare. Soldiers in Harare were seen beating a large group of minibus drivers on Tuesday. The BBC's Andrew Harding in Harare spoke to a man who said he and about 30 others had been rounded up and beaten by soldiers for "more than two hours". The continuing violence raises further questions about President Emmerson Mnangagwa's control over the military, which helped bring him to power 14 months ago, our correspondent adds. President Mnangagwa has promised that abuses against civilians will not be tolerated. In a blunt statement, the commission said at least eight deaths had been reported since last week, "mostly attributed to use of live ammunition". "Armed and uniformed members of the Zimbabwe National Army and the Zimbabwe Republic Police instigated systematic torture." It said the torture was "organised" in that security forces targeted men close to where barricades had been erected, and near areas torched by protesters or looted. The commission detailed reports of security forces entering houses at night and making men, and even boys as young as 11, lie on the ground where they were then beaten. "The deployment of the army in quelling civilian disturbances leads to loss of life and serious bodily injuries and other human rights violations, yet the government continues to make such deployments," the statement said. Other reports say at least 12 people have been killed and scores treated for gunshot injuries. More than 600 people have been arrested in relation to the protests - with rights groups and opposition lawmakers saying many have been detained arbitrarily. Pastor Evan Mawarire, a prominent activist who led the 2016 protests against Robert Mugabe, was arrested on 16 January and remains in detention. On Monday Mr Mnangagwa, 76, broke off a trip to Europe to deal with the continuing unrest. He had been due to attend the Davos economic summit where he was expected to seek investment for Zimbabwe. Back in Harare, he took to Twitter to urge all sides to work together to fix a broken economy. In a series of tweets, he said violence or misconduct by security forces was "unacceptable and a betrayal of the new Zimbabwe", adding: "If required, heads will roll." Mr Mnangagwa announced a steep increase in the fuel price earlier this month. The price rises were meant to tackle fuel shortages, but mean that Zimbabwe now has the most expensive fuel in the world, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com. Many Zimbabweans, worn down by years of economic hardship, have suddenly found they cannot even afford the bus fare to work. This led to angry protests in Harare and the south-western city of Bulawayo. Ellen Ngwenia, a pre-school teacher in Epworth, told the BBC: "I'm not afraid to protest, because we are hungry." Her mother, the school's headteacher, was killed in last week's protests after being hit by an army truck. Ms Ngwenia, who blames the government for her mother's death, said "we will continue protesting until things [are] settled." It accuses the opposition MDC party of using the protests for political means. Presidential spokesman George Charamba said on Sunday: "The MDC leadership has been consistently pushing out the message that they will use violent street action to overturn the results of [last year's] ballot." The opposition rejected a court ruling in August 2018 that confirmed President Mnangagwa had defeated MDC leader Nelson Chamisa The MDC said on Tuesday that five of its MPs had been detained and refused bail. Party official Morgen Komichi dismissed Mr Mnangagwa's announcement of an investigation into security forces, saying: "We don't trust his word. We don't regard him as an honest leader." The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the umbrella group that called the protests, says its leader, Japhet Moyo, has also been arrested. Mr Chamisa told the BBC there was "no justification whatsoever of having soldiers with live ammunition, with guns, machine guns, AK47 on the streets, beating up citizens". "People are being approached in their homes, they are being taken out of their homes with their families even if they are sleeping... a lot of people have been arrested for no apparent reason," he said. | What is President Mnangagwa doing? | 2,286 | On Monday Mr Mnangagwa, 76, broke off a trip to Europe to deal with the continuing unrest. He had been due to attend the Davos economic summit where he was expected to seek investment for Zimbabwe. Back in Harare, he took to Twitter to urge all sides to work together to fix a broken economy. In a series of tweets, he said violence or misconduct by security forces was "unacceptable and a betrayal of the new Zimbabwe", adding: "If required, heads will roll." | 0.643759 |
28_0 | Gibraltar has freed an Iranian oil tanker detained last month on suspicion of sanctions-busting, despite a last-minute plea by the US authorities. The UK territory received written assurances from Iran that the ship would not discharge its cargo in Syria. Grace 1, carrying Iranian oil, was stopped by Royal Marines on 4 July, triggering a standoff with Tehran. Gibraltar's chief justice, Anthony Dudley, said no US application was currently before the court. An independent legal body would make a determination on the American request, Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said in a statement. The tanker remained off Gibraltar early on Thursday evening but, according to witnesses speaking to Reuters news agency, its prow had moved around by at least 180 degrees. It was unclear whether this was because of strong sea currents or because it was preparing to leave. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Iran must abide by the assurances it had given that the tanker would not proceed to Syria, which is under EU sanctions. The FCO described Syria as a "regime that has deployed chemical weapons against its own people". Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif condemned the US attempt to stop the tanker's release, accusing the Trump administration of attempted "piracy". A couple of weeks after the Iranian tanker was stopped, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Gulf and, despite official denials, there has been speculation of a swap if the Grace 1 is freed. Relations between the US and Iran have deteriorated sharply since US President Donald Trump took office in 2017, with the two countries coming close to armed conflict in June. The release of the Grace 1 inevitably raises all sorts of questions but it also points to a possible resolution of the stand-off between Britain and Iran. The Iranians had detained the Stena Impero in apparent retaliation for the seizure of the Grace 1. While Britain insists that the two episodes are in no sense the same - one they argue is legal, the other not - the freeing of the Iranian tanker would seem to be an essential prerequisite for a resolution. But where does this leave the Americans? They made a last-minute attempt to have the vessel turned over to them, but appear not to have lodged a formal legal request. Might they still have time to do this? What grounds would they have for doing so? And how might such a move risk raising tensions in the Gulf further with the Iranian foreign minister already accusing Washington of attempted piracy? It was stopped after the government of Gibraltar suggested it was heading for Syria. About 30 marines were flown from the UK to Gibraltar to help police detain the tanker and its cargo, at the request of the Gibraltarian government. The initial seizure of the tanker sparked a diplomatic crisis between the UK and Iran which escalated when the Stena Impero was seized on 19 July. Last week, the UK announced it would join a US-led taskforce to protect merchant ships travelling through the key shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz. Almost a fifth of the world's oil passes through the narrow strait, which lies off the south coast of Iran. Confirming that the tanker had been "released from detention", Mr Picardo explained that the US justice department had requested that a "new legal procedure for the detention of the vessel should be commenced". "That is a matter for our independent Mutual Legal Assistance authorities who will make an objective, legal determination of that request for separate proceedings," he said. The Stena Impero, which is British-flagged but Swedish-owned, is anchored in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, 27 days after being detained. Tehran said Stena Impero had been "violating international maritime rules" but the UK called its detention an example of "state piracy". Global seafarers' charity Stella Maris said it hoped the release of Grace 1 might in turn lead to the release of the Stena Impero's crew. Iran released photos of the crew aboard the tanker last month, showing cooks preparing meals and crew members being briefed by an Iranian official. Most of the crew of 23 are Indians while the others are of Russian, Latvian or Philippine nationality. Most of the 28 members of the Grace 1's crew are also believed to be Indians. Washington suspects Iran of continuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons, something Tehran has always denied, and also accuses it of seeking to destabilise the Middle East. Last year, the US withdrew from a 2015 deal to limit Iran's nuclear activities and re-imposed sanctions against the country. The UK and other European countries have said they remain committed to the deal. Washington has also blamed Iran for a series of attacks on tankers in waters off Gulf Arab states over the summer, an accusation Tehran denies. In June, Mr Trump was reportedly on the verge of bombing sites in Iran in response to the downing of an American drone. | How was the Iranian tanker seized? | 2,538 | It was stopped after the government of Gibraltar suggested it was heading for Syria. About 30 marines were flown from the UK to Gibraltar to help police detain the tanker and its cargo, at the request of the Gibraltarian government. The initial seizure of the tanker sparked a diplomatic crisis between the UK and Iran which escalated when the Stena Impero was seized on 19 July. Last week, the UK announced it would join a US-led taskforce to protect merchant ships travelling through the key shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz. Almost a fifth of the world's oil passes through the narrow strait, which lies off the south coast of Iran. | 0.578248 |
28_1 | Gibraltar has freed an Iranian oil tanker detained last month on suspicion of sanctions-busting, despite a last-minute plea by the US authorities. The UK territory received written assurances from Iran that the ship would not discharge its cargo in Syria. Grace 1, carrying Iranian oil, was stopped by Royal Marines on 4 July, triggering a standoff with Tehran. Gibraltar's chief justice, Anthony Dudley, said no US application was currently before the court. An independent legal body would make a determination on the American request, Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said in a statement. The tanker remained off Gibraltar early on Thursday evening but, according to witnesses speaking to Reuters news agency, its prow had moved around by at least 180 degrees. It was unclear whether this was because of strong sea currents or because it was preparing to leave. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Iran must abide by the assurances it had given that the tanker would not proceed to Syria, which is under EU sanctions. The FCO described Syria as a "regime that has deployed chemical weapons against its own people". Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif condemned the US attempt to stop the tanker's release, accusing the Trump administration of attempted "piracy". A couple of weeks after the Iranian tanker was stopped, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Gulf and, despite official denials, there has been speculation of a swap if the Grace 1 is freed. Relations between the US and Iran have deteriorated sharply since US President Donald Trump took office in 2017, with the two countries coming close to armed conflict in June. The release of the Grace 1 inevitably raises all sorts of questions but it also points to a possible resolution of the stand-off between Britain and Iran. The Iranians had detained the Stena Impero in apparent retaliation for the seizure of the Grace 1. While Britain insists that the two episodes are in no sense the same - one they argue is legal, the other not - the freeing of the Iranian tanker would seem to be an essential prerequisite for a resolution. But where does this leave the Americans? They made a last-minute attempt to have the vessel turned over to them, but appear not to have lodged a formal legal request. Might they still have time to do this? What grounds would they have for doing so? And how might such a move risk raising tensions in the Gulf further with the Iranian foreign minister already accusing Washington of attempted piracy? It was stopped after the government of Gibraltar suggested it was heading for Syria. About 30 marines were flown from the UK to Gibraltar to help police detain the tanker and its cargo, at the request of the Gibraltarian government. The initial seizure of the tanker sparked a diplomatic crisis between the UK and Iran which escalated when the Stena Impero was seized on 19 July. Last week, the UK announced it would join a US-led taskforce to protect merchant ships travelling through the key shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz. Almost a fifth of the world's oil passes through the narrow strait, which lies off the south coast of Iran. Confirming that the tanker had been "released from detention", Mr Picardo explained that the US justice department had requested that a "new legal procedure for the detention of the vessel should be commenced". "That is a matter for our independent Mutual Legal Assistance authorities who will make an objective, legal determination of that request for separate proceedings," he said. The Stena Impero, which is British-flagged but Swedish-owned, is anchored in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, 27 days after being detained. Tehran said Stena Impero had been "violating international maritime rules" but the UK called its detention an example of "state piracy". Global seafarers' charity Stella Maris said it hoped the release of Grace 1 might in turn lead to the release of the Stena Impero's crew. Iran released photos of the crew aboard the tanker last month, showing cooks preparing meals and crew members being briefed by an Iranian official. Most of the crew of 23 are Indians while the others are of Russian, Latvian or Philippine nationality. Most of the 28 members of the Grace 1's crew are also believed to be Indians. Washington suspects Iran of continuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons, something Tehran has always denied, and also accuses it of seeking to destabilise the Middle East. Last year, the US withdrew from a 2015 deal to limit Iran's nuclear activities and re-imposed sanctions against the country. The UK and other European countries have said they remain committed to the deal. Washington has also blamed Iran for a series of attacks on tankers in waters off Gulf Arab states over the summer, an accusation Tehran denies. In June, Mr Trump was reportedly on the verge of bombing sites in Iran in response to the downing of an American drone. | Why did the court not consider the American request? | 3,180 | Confirming that the tanker had been "released from detention", Mr Picardo explained that the US justice department had requested that a "new legal procedure for the detention of the vessel should be commenced". "That is a matter for our independent Mutual Legal Assistance authorities who will make an objective, legal determination of that request for separate proceedings," he said. | 0.370688 |
28_3 | Gibraltar has freed an Iranian oil tanker detained last month on suspicion of sanctions-busting, despite a last-minute plea by the US authorities. The UK territory received written assurances from Iran that the ship would not discharge its cargo in Syria. Grace 1, carrying Iranian oil, was stopped by Royal Marines on 4 July, triggering a standoff with Tehran. Gibraltar's chief justice, Anthony Dudley, said no US application was currently before the court. An independent legal body would make a determination on the American request, Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said in a statement. The tanker remained off Gibraltar early on Thursday evening but, according to witnesses speaking to Reuters news agency, its prow had moved around by at least 180 degrees. It was unclear whether this was because of strong sea currents or because it was preparing to leave. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Iran must abide by the assurances it had given that the tanker would not proceed to Syria, which is under EU sanctions. The FCO described Syria as a "regime that has deployed chemical weapons against its own people". Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif condemned the US attempt to stop the tanker's release, accusing the Trump administration of attempted "piracy". A couple of weeks after the Iranian tanker was stopped, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Gulf and, despite official denials, there has been speculation of a swap if the Grace 1 is freed. Relations between the US and Iran have deteriorated sharply since US President Donald Trump took office in 2017, with the two countries coming close to armed conflict in June. The release of the Grace 1 inevitably raises all sorts of questions but it also points to a possible resolution of the stand-off between Britain and Iran. The Iranians had detained the Stena Impero in apparent retaliation for the seizure of the Grace 1. While Britain insists that the two episodes are in no sense the same - one they argue is legal, the other not - the freeing of the Iranian tanker would seem to be an essential prerequisite for a resolution. But where does this leave the Americans? They made a last-minute attempt to have the vessel turned over to them, but appear not to have lodged a formal legal request. Might they still have time to do this? What grounds would they have for doing so? And how might such a move risk raising tensions in the Gulf further with the Iranian foreign minister already accusing Washington of attempted piracy? It was stopped after the government of Gibraltar suggested it was heading for Syria. About 30 marines were flown from the UK to Gibraltar to help police detain the tanker and its cargo, at the request of the Gibraltarian government. The initial seizure of the tanker sparked a diplomatic crisis between the UK and Iran which escalated when the Stena Impero was seized on 19 July. Last week, the UK announced it would join a US-led taskforce to protect merchant ships travelling through the key shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz. Almost a fifth of the world's oil passes through the narrow strait, which lies off the south coast of Iran. Confirming that the tanker had been "released from detention", Mr Picardo explained that the US justice department had requested that a "new legal procedure for the detention of the vessel should be commenced". "That is a matter for our independent Mutual Legal Assistance authorities who will make an objective, legal determination of that request for separate proceedings," he said. The Stena Impero, which is British-flagged but Swedish-owned, is anchored in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, 27 days after being detained. Tehran said Stena Impero had been "violating international maritime rules" but the UK called its detention an example of "state piracy". Global seafarers' charity Stella Maris said it hoped the release of Grace 1 might in turn lead to the release of the Stena Impero's crew. Iran released photos of the crew aboard the tanker last month, showing cooks preparing meals and crew members being briefed by an Iranian official. Most of the crew of 23 are Indians while the others are of Russian, Latvian or Philippine nationality. Most of the 28 members of the Grace 1's crew are also believed to be Indians. Washington suspects Iran of continuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons, something Tehran has always denied, and also accuses it of seeking to destabilise the Middle East. Last year, the US withdrew from a 2015 deal to limit Iran's nuclear activities and re-imposed sanctions against the country. The UK and other European countries have said they remain committed to the deal. Washington has also blamed Iran for a series of attacks on tankers in waters off Gulf Arab states over the summer, an accusation Tehran denies. In June, Mr Trump was reportedly on the verge of bombing sites in Iran in response to the downing of an American drone. | Why are US relations with Iran so strained? | 4,310 | Washington suspects Iran of continuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons, something Tehran has always denied, and also accuses it of seeking to destabilise the Middle East. Last year, the US withdrew from a 2015 deal to limit Iran's nuclear activities and re-imposed sanctions against the country. The UK and other European countries have said they remain committed to the deal. Washington has also blamed Iran for a series of attacks on tankers in waters off Gulf Arab states over the summer, an accusation Tehran denies. In June, Mr Trump was reportedly on the verge of bombing sites in Iran in response to the downing of an American drone. | 0.488294 |
30_1 | Arming more teachers could help tackle gunmen targeting students if there were "four to five guns to one", a senior Texan official has said. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick was speaking two days after 10 people were killed at the Santa Fe High School, which had an armed guard. He had previously said schools had "too many entrances and too many exits" and their design should be reconsidered. The proposal to arm teachers is not a new idea. After a 14 February school shooting in Florida, US President Donald Trump suggested giving teachers a bonus if they carried guns. But he clarified via Twitter that "only the best 20% of teachers" - those with military backgrounds or special training - should be allowed guns. Mr Patrick, a Republican, said the best way to stop a gunman was with a gun. "But even better than that is four to five guns to one," he told CNN. Hours earlier, the police chief of neighbouring Houston said he had hit "rock bottom" over failure to enact gun reforms. Chief Art Acevedo wrote on Facebook that he had "shed tears of sadness, pain and anger" over the shooting. The shooting was the latest in a series of deadly incidents across the US that have reignited debate about gun control. Police now say eight students and two teachers were killed when another student opened fire in an art class shortly before 08:00 (13:00 GMT) on Friday at the Santa Fe High School. Thirteen others were wounded in the attack, with two in critical condition. Among the dead are a Pakistani exchange student and a substitute teacher. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, has been charged with murder after surrendering to police. He later admitted "to shooting multiple people". He allegedly used a shotgun and a revolver taken from his father, who legally owned the weapons. It was the fourth deadliest shooting at a US school in modern history, and the deadliest since a student opened fire in February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people. The Florida attack spawned a nationwide youth-led campaign for gun control, and a series of proposed changes, including moves to ban so-called bump stocks used in last year's Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 concert-goers. Dan Patrick is a well-known proponent of gun ownership. He has advocated carrying weapons openly and concealed in Texas - and reiterated some of his views on Sunday, too. He told CNN's State of the Union programme that restricting school entrances and arming more teachers could reduce such incidents. "When you're facing someone who's an active shooter, the best way to take that shooter down is with a gun. But even better than that is four to five guns to one," Mr Patrick said. ON ABC's This Week, he blamed a culture of violence. "We have devalued life, whether it's through abortion, whether it's the breakup of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games." Challenged over gun ownership that made it so deadly in the US - unlike in other countries that had the same social challenge - Mr Patrick said: "Guns stop crimes." Chief Acevedo runs the police department of America's fourth most populous city, Houston, which lies nearly 40 miles (64 km) north-west of Santa Fe. "I know some have strong feelings about gun rights but I want you to know I've hit rock bottom and I am not interested in your views as it pertains to this issue. Please do not post anything about guns aren't the problem and there's little we can do," Chief Acevedo said in his Facebook post. "This isn't a time for prayers, and study and inaction, it's a time for prayers, action and the asking of God's forgiveness for our inaction (especially the elected officials that ran to the cameras today, acted in a solemn manner, called for prayers, and will once again do absolutely nothing)," he added. In just a few hours, his post had received more than 29,000 reactions and 15,590 shares. Chief Acevedo first spoke out about gun control in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting last October, and was a prominent figure in Texas's March for Our Lives demonstration following the Florida attack earlier this year. None of the victims has yet been identified by US authorities, but family members of the victims have spoken to media outlets. The embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC confirmed that exchange student Sabika Sheikh, 17, was among the dead. She had been on a special study abroad programme set up by the state department in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks to bring students from Muslim-majority nations to the US on a cultural exchange. Substitute teacher Cynthia Tisdale was also killed in the attack, her family told US media outlets. Ms Tisdale's brother-in-law John Tisdale described her on Facebook as an "amazing person". The LA Times says it has spoken to the mother of another victim, 16-year-old Shana Fisher, who she said had "had four months of problems from this boy" - referring to the gunman. "He kept making advances on her and she repeatedly told him no," the mother Sadie Rodriguez said, adding that her daughter finally stood up to him and embarrassed him in class a week before the shooting. The other victims who have been named by US media are: - Jared Black, 17 - student - Christian Garcia, 15 - student - Aaron McLeod, 15 - student - Ann Perkins, 64 - substitute teacher - Angelique Ramirez, 15 - student - Chris Stone, 17- student - Kimberly Vaughan, no age given - student The 17-year-old suspect has been charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a public servant. Court documents revealed on Saturday that the suspect - who waived his right to remain silent and admitted to the shooting - told police he had spared certain students he liked "so he could have his story told". One of his two lawyers, Nicholas Poehl, told Reuters news agency his client was "very emotional and weirdly nonemotional". "There are aspects of it he understands and there are aspects he doesn't understand," he added. | What did the Houston police chief have to say? | 3,064 | Chief Acevedo runs the police department of America's fourth most populous city, Houston, which lies nearly 40 miles (64 km) north-west of Santa Fe. "I know some have strong feelings about gun rights but I want you to know I've hit rock bottom and I am not interested in your views as it pertains to this issue. Please do not post anything about guns aren't the problem and there's little we can do," Chief Acevedo said in his Facebook post. "This isn't a time for prayers, and study and inaction, it's a time for prayers, action and the asking of God's forgiveness for our inaction (especially the elected officials that ran to the cameras today, acted in a solemn manner, called for prayers, and will once again do absolutely nothing)," he added. In just a few hours, his post had received more than 29,000 reactions and 15,590 shares. Chief Acevedo first spoke out about gun control in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting last October, and was a prominent figure in Texas's March for Our Lives demonstration following the Florida attack earlier this year. | 0.484073 |
30_2 | Arming more teachers could help tackle gunmen targeting students if there were "four to five guns to one", a senior Texan official has said. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick was speaking two days after 10 people were killed at the Santa Fe High School, which had an armed guard. He had previously said schools had "too many entrances and too many exits" and their design should be reconsidered. The proposal to arm teachers is not a new idea. After a 14 February school shooting in Florida, US President Donald Trump suggested giving teachers a bonus if they carried guns. But he clarified via Twitter that "only the best 20% of teachers" - those with military backgrounds or special training - should be allowed guns. Mr Patrick, a Republican, said the best way to stop a gunman was with a gun. "But even better than that is four to five guns to one," he told CNN. Hours earlier, the police chief of neighbouring Houston said he had hit "rock bottom" over failure to enact gun reforms. Chief Art Acevedo wrote on Facebook that he had "shed tears of sadness, pain and anger" over the shooting. The shooting was the latest in a series of deadly incidents across the US that have reignited debate about gun control. Police now say eight students and two teachers were killed when another student opened fire in an art class shortly before 08:00 (13:00 GMT) on Friday at the Santa Fe High School. Thirteen others were wounded in the attack, with two in critical condition. Among the dead are a Pakistani exchange student and a substitute teacher. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, has been charged with murder after surrendering to police. He later admitted "to shooting multiple people". He allegedly used a shotgun and a revolver taken from his father, who legally owned the weapons. It was the fourth deadliest shooting at a US school in modern history, and the deadliest since a student opened fire in February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people. The Florida attack spawned a nationwide youth-led campaign for gun control, and a series of proposed changes, including moves to ban so-called bump stocks used in last year's Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 concert-goers. Dan Patrick is a well-known proponent of gun ownership. He has advocated carrying weapons openly and concealed in Texas - and reiterated some of his views on Sunday, too. He told CNN's State of the Union programme that restricting school entrances and arming more teachers could reduce such incidents. "When you're facing someone who's an active shooter, the best way to take that shooter down is with a gun. But even better than that is four to five guns to one," Mr Patrick said. ON ABC's This Week, he blamed a culture of violence. "We have devalued life, whether it's through abortion, whether it's the breakup of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games." Challenged over gun ownership that made it so deadly in the US - unlike in other countries that had the same social challenge - Mr Patrick said: "Guns stop crimes." Chief Acevedo runs the police department of America's fourth most populous city, Houston, which lies nearly 40 miles (64 km) north-west of Santa Fe. "I know some have strong feelings about gun rights but I want you to know I've hit rock bottom and I am not interested in your views as it pertains to this issue. Please do not post anything about guns aren't the problem and there's little we can do," Chief Acevedo said in his Facebook post. "This isn't a time for prayers, and study and inaction, it's a time for prayers, action and the asking of God's forgiveness for our inaction (especially the elected officials that ran to the cameras today, acted in a solemn manner, called for prayers, and will once again do absolutely nothing)," he added. In just a few hours, his post had received more than 29,000 reactions and 15,590 shares. Chief Acevedo first spoke out about gun control in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting last October, and was a prominent figure in Texas's March for Our Lives demonstration following the Florida attack earlier this year. None of the victims has yet been identified by US authorities, but family members of the victims have spoken to media outlets. The embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC confirmed that exchange student Sabika Sheikh, 17, was among the dead. She had been on a special study abroad programme set up by the state department in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks to bring students from Muslim-majority nations to the US on a cultural exchange. Substitute teacher Cynthia Tisdale was also killed in the attack, her family told US media outlets. Ms Tisdale's brother-in-law John Tisdale described her on Facebook as an "amazing person". The LA Times says it has spoken to the mother of another victim, 16-year-old Shana Fisher, who she said had "had four months of problems from this boy" - referring to the gunman. "He kept making advances on her and she repeatedly told him no," the mother Sadie Rodriguez said, adding that her daughter finally stood up to him and embarrassed him in class a week before the shooting. The other victims who have been named by US media are: - Jared Black, 17 - student - Christian Garcia, 15 - student - Aaron McLeod, 15 - student - Ann Perkins, 64 - substitute teacher - Angelique Ramirez, 15 - student - Chris Stone, 17- student - Kimberly Vaughan, no age given - student The 17-year-old suspect has been charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a public servant. Court documents revealed on Saturday that the suspect - who waived his right to remain silent and admitted to the shooting - told police he had spared certain students he liked "so he could have his story told". One of his two lawyers, Nicholas Poehl, told Reuters news agency his client was "very emotional and weirdly nonemotional". "There are aspects of it he understands and there are aspects he doesn't understand," he added. | What has happened to the attacker? | 5,439 | The 17-year-old suspect has been charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a public servant. Court documents revealed on Saturday that the suspect - who waived his right to remain silent and admitted to the shooting - told police he had spared certain students he liked "so he could have his story told". One of his two lawyers, Nicholas Poehl, told Reuters news agency his client was "very emotional and weirdly nonemotional". "There are aspects of it he understands and there are aspects he doesn't understand," he added. | 0.415309 |
34_2 | Human remains have been found in the hunt for 10 US sailors missing after their destroyer collided with a tanker near Singapore, the navy says. The discovery came when divers were sent down to search inside the USS John S McCain, now berthed at Singapore's Changi naval base. The collision with a Liberian-flagged ship happened before dawn on Monday as the US vessel made a routine port call. The US has since ordered a worldwide "operational pause" of its navy fleet. It was the fourth crash involving a US Navy ship in a year, and the second in the past two months. The collision ripped open the port side of the US vessel, flooding parts of the ship including crew compartments. Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said divers "were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today". The navy was also examining whether a body found by the Malaysian navy was one of the missing sailors, he said. Ships, equipment and aircraft from the American, Indonesian, Malaysian and Singapore navies have been involved in the search for the missing sailors. The USS John S McCain was east of Singapore when the collision occurred. It was reported before dawn at 05:24 local time on Monday (21:24 GMT on Sunday). The destroyer sustained damage to her port side, which is the left-hand side of the vessel facing forward. Five sailors were injured, four of whom were medically evacuated to a Singapore hospital. The tanker it collided with, Alnic MC, sustained damage to a tank near the front of the ship 7m (23ft) above the waterline, but none of its crew were injured and there were no oil spills. The Alnic MC, carrying oil from Taiwan to Singapore, is currently at the Raffles Reserved Anchorage in Singapore. The cause of the collision is not yet known, but Navy Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, has ordered fleet commanders to stop what they are doing for a day or two over the next week to "assess and review with their commands the fundamental practice to safe and effective operations". He has also ordered a more comprehensive review "to find the contributing factors and root causes of the incidents". "My hope is that we will learn, continue to improve in the short term, validating that we are sound on the fundamentals and if not then we'll take action to correct that, and then look at broader, more systemic issues that we may find through this comprehensive review," he said in a statement. He also said on Twitter that he would not rule out the possibility of some kind of outside interference or cyber-attack being behind the collision. This is the fourth time in a year that a US navy vessel has been involved in an accident. Just two months ago, seven US sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship in Japanese waters near the port city of Yokosuka. Those who died were found in flooded berths on board the ship after the collision caused a gash under the warship's waterline. The US Navy said last week that about a dozen sailors would be disciplined, and the commanding officer and other senior crew would be taken off the ship. In May, a guided missile cruiser collided with a South Korean fishing vessel, while in August last year a submarine collided with an offshore support vessel. USS John S McCain - Named after US senator John McCain's father and grandfather, both of whom were admirals in the US Navy, it is also known by its nickname Big Bad John - Operating from the US naval base in Yokosuka in Japan, it is part of the US 7th Fleet patrolling the Pacific - Has a crew of more than 300 sailors and officers. and a full displacement of 9,000 tons - In May, it successfully passed a navy inspection for mission readiness at sea Alnic MC - Oil and chemical transporting tanker - Built 2008, registered in Liberia - Owned by Greece based Stealth Maritime Corporation - Heading from Pyeongtaek, South Korea en route from Taiwan to Singapore Sources: US Navy, MarineTraffic.com, AFP | What happened in the previous collisions? | 2,621 | This is the fourth time in a year that a US navy vessel has been involved in an accident. Just two months ago, seven US sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship in Japanese waters near the port city of Yokosuka. Those who died were found in flooded berths on board the ship after the collision caused a gash under the warship's waterline. The US Navy said last week that about a dozen sailors would be disciplined, and the commanding officer and other senior crew would be taken off the ship. In May, a guided missile cruiser collided with a South Korean fishing vessel, while in August last year a submarine collided with an offshore support vessel. | 0.382616 |
37_0 | Donald Trump has responded to a guilty plea by his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying Mr Flynn's actions as a member of his transition team "were lawful". Mr Flynn has entered a plea deal and agreed to co-operate with an inquiry into alleged collusion with Russia. The deal, for a lesser charge than he might have faced, prompted speculation that he has incriminating evidence. The president wrote on Twitter on Saturday that he had "nothing to hide". Mr Flynn is co-operating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading an investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia ahead of the 2016 election. On Saturday, a day after Mr Flynn's indictment, it emerged that a veteran FBI agent had been dismissed from Mr Mueller's team after the discovery that he had sent anti-Trump text messages. Peter Strzok was removed from the investigation in summer, a spokesman for the special counsel's office, told the New York Times. Saturday was a momentous day for Mr Trump, after his sweeping tax reform bill finally scraped through the senate in the early hours of the morning with 51 votes to 49. But as he left the White House hours after the vote he was quick to address Michael Flynn's admission the day before of lying to the FBI. "What has been shown is no collusion, no collusion. There has been absolutely no collusion. So we're very happy," he told reporters. In denying that Mr Flynn had acted unlawfully as part of his transition team, Mr Trump appeared in his tweet to admit that he knew the former general had lied to the FBI before he fired him in February - contradicting the president's account at the time. Analysts say if Mr Trump knew that Mr Flynn had lied to the FBI, at a time when he appeared to pressure then-FBI director James Comey to drop the agency's investigation into the former general, it could amount to obstruction of justice by the president. Matthew Miller, a former Obama administration Justice Department official, said in a tweet: "Oh my god, he just admitted to obstruction of justice. If Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI when he asked Comey to let it go, then there is your case." Sources close to the president told the Washington Post that the tweet had been drafted by Mr Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, who later apologised and said he should have been more careful with his language. The White House has yet to comment. Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that it had obtained internal emails sent by Mr Trump's transition team that disputed the White House assertion that Mr Flynn acted alone in his contacts with Russian officials. In one email quoted by the paper, a senior adviser appeared to say that Russia had "just thrown the U.S.A. election to him", referring to Mr Trump. A White House lawyer told the paper that the adviser, KT McFarland, had meant only that the Democrats were portraying it that way. Under the terms of the plea deal with Mr Mueller, Mr Flynn admitted making false statements to the FBI, a significantly lesser charge than he might have faced for illegally dealing with Russian officials. Analysts say the deal suggests that the former general has evidence implicating one or more senior members of the Trump administration. Mr Flynn has admitted lying about his contact with the Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak in December 2016 - after Mr Trump was elected but before he became president. The charging documents against Mr Flynn state that he was directed to make contact with Russian officials by a "very senior member" of the Trump transition team. Several US news organisations report the very senior official now under the spotlight is Jared Kushner - Mr Trump's adviser and son-in-law. US intelligence agencies say Russia's President Vladimir Putin directed a state effort to influence the US election in favour of Mr Trump. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied that his campaign or transition team colluded in Russian actions. Mr Flynn was questioned by the FBI shortly after Mr Trump took office in January about his December meetings with Mr Kislyak. He was forced to resign in February, 23 days into his job. According to the FBI's statement of offence signed by Mr Flynn, he discussed Russia's response to US sanctions as well as a UN Security Council resolution on Israel, at the direction of the Trump team. Under the Logan Act it is illegal for a private US citizen, as Mr Flynn was during the transition period, to conduct foreign affairs without the permission or involvement of the US government. The charge of making false statements normally carries up to five years in prison, but under the terms of his plea deal Mr Flynn faces a lighter sentence of only up to six months, court filings show. The administration has sought to distance itself from Mr Flynn. White House lawyer Ty Cobb said on Friday: "Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr Flynn." Michael Flynn previously served in the Obama administration before being fired. Mr Obama reportedly advised his successor not to hire the former general, but Mr Trump appointed him to one of the most senior positions in the country. Mr Flynn is not the first former Trump official to be charged. In October, Mr Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his business associate Rick Gates were accused of conspiring to defraud the US in dealings with Ukraine (both deny the charges). Another ex-aide, George Papadopoulos, has also pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents. | What did Flynn do wrong? | 3,951 | Mr Flynn was questioned by the FBI shortly after Mr Trump took office in January about his December meetings with Mr Kislyak. He was forced to resign in February, 23 days into his job. According to the FBI's statement of offence signed by Mr Flynn, he discussed Russia's response to US sanctions as well as a UN Security Council resolution on Israel, at the direction of the Trump team. Under the Logan Act it is illegal for a private US citizen, as Mr Flynn was during the transition period, to conduct foreign affairs without the permission or involvement of the US government. The charge of making false statements normally carries up to five years in prison, but under the terms of his plea deal Mr Flynn faces a lighter sentence of only up to six months, court filings show. The administration has sought to distance itself from Mr Flynn. White House lawyer Ty Cobb said on Friday: "Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr Flynn." Michael Flynn previously served in the Obama administration before being fired. Mr Obama reportedly advised his successor not to hire the former general, but Mr Trump appointed him to one of the most senior positions in the country. Mr Flynn is not the first former Trump official to be charged. In October, Mr Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his business associate Rick Gates were accused of conspiring to defraud the US in dealings with Ukraine (both deny the charges). Another ex-aide, George Papadopoulos, has also pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents. | 0.583087 |
38_0 | Cramming all your recommended weekly exercise into one or two weekend sessions is enough to produce important health benefits, a study suggests. And being active without managing 150 minutes of moderate activity a week was still enough to reduce the risk of an early death by a third. The findings are based on a survey of about 64,000 adults aged over 40 in England and Scotland. Health experts said purposeful exercise was key to better health. Researchers from Loughborough University and the University of Sydney analysed data on the time people spent doing exercise and their health over 18 years. They found that no matter how often people exercised in a week or for how long, the health benefits were similar as long as they met the activity guidelines. This was good news for people with a busy lifestyle who turned into "weekend warriors" in order to fit in all their recommended physical activity, they said. Compared with those who didn't exercise at all, people who did some kind of physical activity - whether regularly or irregularly - showed a lower risk of dying from cancer and from cardiovascular disease (CVD), which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. "Weekend warriors", who did all their exercise on one or two days of the week, were found to lower their risk of dying from CVD by 41% and cancer by 18%, compared with the inactive. Those who exercised regularly on three or more days per week reduced their risks by 41% and 21%. Even the "insufficiently active" lowered their risk by a significant amount - 37% and 14%, the researchers said, writing in an article published online in JAMA Internal Medicine. People aged 19-64 should try to do: - at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking every week, and - strength exercises (such as lifting weights) on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles Or - 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running or a game of singles tennis every week, and - strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles Or - a mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity every week, such as two 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of fast walking, and - strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles Source: NHS Choices and Public Health England What do you think? Join the debate on the BBC Lifestyle & Health Facebook page. Dr Gary O'Donovan, study author and expert in physical activity and health, from Loughborough University, said the key was doing exercise that was "purposeful, and done with the intention of improving health". "You are not going to fidget or stand your way to health," he said. He added that a commitment to an active lifestyle was usually accompanied by other healthy lifestyle options, which made a positive difference regardless of body mass index (BMI). But Dr O'Donovan said no-one yet knew the best way of meeting the weekly recommended exercise total. The study cannot show a direct link between physical activity and a reduction in health risks in individuals. But extensive research has shown that exercise and a healthy diet can reduce the risk of a range of diseases - such as cancer, heart disease and type-2 diabetes - as well as helping to control weight, blood pressure and reduce symptoms of depression. Justin Varney, national lead for adult health and wellbeing at Public Health England (PHE), said: "The maximum health benefits are achieved from 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. "However, every little counts and just 10 minutes of physical activity will provide health benefits." PHE's How Are You quiz gives you a health score and links to free local information, apps and tools to improve that score. | How much physical activity should I do? | 1,633 | People aged 19-64 should try to do: - at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking every week, and - strength exercises (such as lifting weights) on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles Or - 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running or a game of singles tennis every week, and - strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles Or - a mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity every week, such as two 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of fast walking, and - strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles Source: NHS Choices and Public Health England What do you think? Join the debate on the BBC Lifestyle & Health Facebook page. | 0.605274 |
42_0 | David Cameron wants to renegotiate the terms of the UK's membership ahead of a referendum by the end of 2017. He has said he will campaign for Britain to remain in the EU if he gets the reforms he wants. Mr Cameron said he did not want to reveal full details of his negotiating hand before serious discussions get under way. Through a series of speeches and newspaper articles, he has given an overview of his priorities but, and in November, he set down his objectives on paper for the first time in a letter to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council. His four key objectives are: - Economic governance: Securing an explicit recognition that the euro is not the only currency of the European Union, to ensure countries outside the eurozone are not materially disadvantaged. The UK wants safeguards that steps to further financial union cannot be imposed on non-eurozone members and the UK will not have to contribute to eurozone bailouts - Competitiveness: Setting a target for the reduction of the "burden" of excessive regulation and extending the single market - Immigration: Restricting access to in-work and out-of-work benefits to EU migrants. Specifically, ministers want to stop those coming to the UK from claiming certain benefits until they have been resident for four years. Ministers have reportedly been warned by the UK's top civil servant this could be discriminatory and any limits may be reduced to less than a year. An option of an "emergency brake" to stop the payments for four years is being discussed as a compromise deal - Sovereignty: Allowing Britain to opt out from the EU's founding ambition to forge an "ever closer union" of the peoples of Europe so it will not be drawn into further political integration. Giving greater powers to national parliaments to block EU legislation. The Conservatives want to free business from red tape and "excessive interference" from Brussels and to provide access to new markets through "turbo charging" free trade deals with America and Asia. They also want trade barriers in the services and digital sectors to be removed to create a truly single market as well as specific protections for the City of London. They support continued enlargement of the EU to new members but with new mechanisms in place to "prevent vast migrations across the Continent". The prime minister has said Britain would resist any move towards a European Army and that he wants to free British police forces from EU interference. He has also ruled out Britain joining the euro. But he has placed less emphasis in recent years on demanding changes to EU social policy, such as the maximum 48-hour working week, agency workers, maternity leave and non-discrimination rules - amid pressure from trade unions to leave such protections intact. The official UK government position is that a referendum will be held by the end of 2017 but Downing Street sources have said: "If we can do it earlier we will." it is widely expected to be held in June or July if a deal is reached at the EU summit in February. The Conservatives will attempt to repeal the Human Rights Act, which requires UK courts to treat the European Court of Human Rights as setting legal precedents for the UK, in favour of a British Bill of Rights. The European Court of Human Rights is not a European Union institution. It was set up by the Council of Europe (CoE), which has 47 members including Russia and Ukraine. David Cameron says that if necessary he would back a new law reasserting the power of the UK Parliament over the EU. The freedom for people to move around Europe, enshrined in the EU treaties, works in parallel with the other three basic freedoms in the single market: freedom of goods, capital and services. It is a "red line" for other EU leaders, who do not want to see it eroded. Mr Cameron's decision to seek the four year ban on some UK benefits for EU migrants was a way round it, but a number of EU countries - including Hungary and Poland - say they will not accept anything which discriminates against their nationals. This has led to reports that the idea of an "emergency brake" to limit numbers when there has been a surge of migrants, might be back on the agenda. In a speech in November 2014, David Cameron set out measures to reduce the number of EU nationals moving to the UK. His main proposals were: - Four year delay for EU migrants wishing to claim in-work benefits, such as tax credits, or seeking access to social housing - Stopping migrants claiming child benefit for dependents living outside the UK - Removing migrants from the UK after six months if they have not found work - Restricting the right of migrants to bring non-EU family members into the UK - Stopping EU jobseekers claiming Universal Credit - Speeding up deportation of convicted criminals - Longer re-entry bans for beggars and fraudsters removed from the UK - Stopping citizens from new EU entrants working in the UK until their economies have "converged more closely". - Extra money for communities with high levels of migrants Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, has said he is ready to work with Mr Cameron to "strike a fair deal for the United Kingdom in the EU". But his spokesman reacted to the publication of Mr Cameron's negotiation objectives by warning that restrictions on benefits for new arrivals to the UK would be "highly problematic" as they affected the "fundamental freedoms of our internal market" and amounted to "direct discrimination between EU citizens". The main sticking point has been opposition from countries including Hungary and Poland to the idea of the four year ban on claiming some UK benefits. The message from the rest of the EU is that there cannot be a policy which discriminates against other EU nationals. However David Cameron has said he is willing to consider alternatives that have the same impact on migration flows, while his EU colleagues have also said they want to come up with a deal which achieves the UK's aims. Read more: Donald Tusk's letter responding to UK's renegotiation demands Mr Cameron has faced repeated calls to say whether he would campaign for Britain's exit from the EU in the referendum if he fails to get what he wants from the renegotiation process. All he has said is that he will "rule nothing out" and he has no "emotional attachment" to the EU. Some Conservative MPs want Britain to leave the EU no matter what David Cameron manages to renegotiate. A larger group are likely to want more concessions than Mr Cameron has so far indicated he is prepared to demand. Senior backbencher David Davis, who was defeated by Mr Cameron for the Tory leadership in 2005, told the Daily Telegraph the majority of the 332 Conservative MPs want Mr Cameron to negotiate an "opt-out" power to stop individual EU laws from applying to Britain. The prime minister has said this would be "impossible" without Britain leaving the EU. Mr Davis claims as many as 60 Tory MPs would be prepared to rebel and vote for Britain's exit from the EU if the prime minister fails to deliver. Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, which represents backbenchers, had urged David Cameron to give all Conservative MPs, including ministers, a free vote in the EU referendum despite Mr Cameron warning in January 2015 that serving cabinet ministers would have to quit the government if they wanted to campaign to leave the EU - if he had secured the reforms to it he wants. That position has now changed with Mr Cameron agreeing to allow cabinet ministers to campaign - in a personal capacity - on either side of the EU referendum campaign, once his renegotiation is over. In the 1975 referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Economic Community, as the EU was then called, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson decided to suspend collective responsibility because his cabinet was split on the issue. Ministers were allowed to vote with their consciences and campaign against each other. The majority of them, including Mr Wilson, joined the Yes camp, but left-wingers, such as Tony Benn, played a leading role in the No campaign. The Yes campaign won easily with 67% of the vote. Referendum on the UK's future in the European Union The UK is to have a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether to remain a member of the European Union or to leave. The vote is being proceeded by a process of negotiations in which the Conservative government is seeking to secure a new deal for the UK. Guide: All you need to know about the referendum More: BBC News EU referendum special report | What is Britain looking for? | 204 | Mr Cameron said he did not want to reveal full details of his negotiating hand before serious discussions get under way. Through a series of speeches and newspaper articles, he has given an overview of his priorities but, and in November, he set down his objectives on paper for the first time in a letter to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council. His four key objectives are: - Economic governance: Securing an explicit recognition that the euro is not the only currency of the European Union, to ensure countries outside the eurozone are not materially disadvantaged. The UK wants safeguards that steps to further financial union cannot be imposed on non-eurozone members and the UK will not have to contribute to eurozone bailouts - Competitiveness: Setting a target for the reduction of the "burden" of excessive regulation and extending the single market - Immigration: Restricting access to in-work and out-of-work benefits to EU migrants. Specifically, ministers want to stop those coming to the UK from claiming certain benefits until they have been resident for four years. Ministers have reportedly been warned by the UK's top civil servant this could be discriminatory and any limits may be reduced to less than a year. An option of an "emergency brake" to stop the payments for four years is being discussed as a compromise deal - Sovereignty: Allowing Britain to opt out from the EU's founding ambition to forge an "ever closer union" of the peoples of Europe so it will not be drawn into further political integration. Giving greater powers to national parliaments to block EU legislation. | 0.409279 |
42_1 | David Cameron wants to renegotiate the terms of the UK's membership ahead of a referendum by the end of 2017. He has said he will campaign for Britain to remain in the EU if he gets the reforms he wants. Mr Cameron said he did not want to reveal full details of his negotiating hand before serious discussions get under way. Through a series of speeches and newspaper articles, he has given an overview of his priorities but, and in November, he set down his objectives on paper for the first time in a letter to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council. His four key objectives are: - Economic governance: Securing an explicit recognition that the euro is not the only currency of the European Union, to ensure countries outside the eurozone are not materially disadvantaged. The UK wants safeguards that steps to further financial union cannot be imposed on non-eurozone members and the UK will not have to contribute to eurozone bailouts - Competitiveness: Setting a target for the reduction of the "burden" of excessive regulation and extending the single market - Immigration: Restricting access to in-work and out-of-work benefits to EU migrants. Specifically, ministers want to stop those coming to the UK from claiming certain benefits until they have been resident for four years. Ministers have reportedly been warned by the UK's top civil servant this could be discriminatory and any limits may be reduced to less than a year. An option of an "emergency brake" to stop the payments for four years is being discussed as a compromise deal - Sovereignty: Allowing Britain to opt out from the EU's founding ambition to forge an "ever closer union" of the peoples of Europe so it will not be drawn into further political integration. Giving greater powers to national parliaments to block EU legislation. The Conservatives want to free business from red tape and "excessive interference" from Brussels and to provide access to new markets through "turbo charging" free trade deals with America and Asia. They also want trade barriers in the services and digital sectors to be removed to create a truly single market as well as specific protections for the City of London. They support continued enlargement of the EU to new members but with new mechanisms in place to "prevent vast migrations across the Continent". The prime minister has said Britain would resist any move towards a European Army and that he wants to free British police forces from EU interference. He has also ruled out Britain joining the euro. But he has placed less emphasis in recent years on demanding changes to EU social policy, such as the maximum 48-hour working week, agency workers, maternity leave and non-discrimination rules - amid pressure from trade unions to leave such protections intact. The official UK government position is that a referendum will be held by the end of 2017 but Downing Street sources have said: "If we can do it earlier we will." it is widely expected to be held in June or July if a deal is reached at the EU summit in February. The Conservatives will attempt to repeal the Human Rights Act, which requires UK courts to treat the European Court of Human Rights as setting legal precedents for the UK, in favour of a British Bill of Rights. The European Court of Human Rights is not a European Union institution. It was set up by the Council of Europe (CoE), which has 47 members including Russia and Ukraine. David Cameron says that if necessary he would back a new law reasserting the power of the UK Parliament over the EU. The freedom for people to move around Europe, enshrined in the EU treaties, works in parallel with the other three basic freedoms in the single market: freedom of goods, capital and services. It is a "red line" for other EU leaders, who do not want to see it eroded. Mr Cameron's decision to seek the four year ban on some UK benefits for EU migrants was a way round it, but a number of EU countries - including Hungary and Poland - say they will not accept anything which discriminates against their nationals. This has led to reports that the idea of an "emergency brake" to limit numbers when there has been a surge of migrants, might be back on the agenda. In a speech in November 2014, David Cameron set out measures to reduce the number of EU nationals moving to the UK. His main proposals were: - Four year delay for EU migrants wishing to claim in-work benefits, such as tax credits, or seeking access to social housing - Stopping migrants claiming child benefit for dependents living outside the UK - Removing migrants from the UK after six months if they have not found work - Restricting the right of migrants to bring non-EU family members into the UK - Stopping EU jobseekers claiming Universal Credit - Speeding up deportation of convicted criminals - Longer re-entry bans for beggars and fraudsters removed from the UK - Stopping citizens from new EU entrants working in the UK until their economies have "converged more closely". - Extra money for communities with high levels of migrants Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, has said he is ready to work with Mr Cameron to "strike a fair deal for the United Kingdom in the EU". But his spokesman reacted to the publication of Mr Cameron's negotiation objectives by warning that restrictions on benefits for new arrivals to the UK would be "highly problematic" as they affected the "fundamental freedoms of our internal market" and amounted to "direct discrimination between EU citizens". The main sticking point has been opposition from countries including Hungary and Poland to the idea of the four year ban on claiming some UK benefits. The message from the rest of the EU is that there cannot be a policy which discriminates against other EU nationals. However David Cameron has said he is willing to consider alternatives that have the same impact on migration flows, while his EU colleagues have also said they want to come up with a deal which achieves the UK's aims. Read more: Donald Tusk's letter responding to UK's renegotiation demands Mr Cameron has faced repeated calls to say whether he would campaign for Britain's exit from the EU in the referendum if he fails to get what he wants from the renegotiation process. All he has said is that he will "rule nothing out" and he has no "emotional attachment" to the EU. Some Conservative MPs want Britain to leave the EU no matter what David Cameron manages to renegotiate. A larger group are likely to want more concessions than Mr Cameron has so far indicated he is prepared to demand. Senior backbencher David Davis, who was defeated by Mr Cameron for the Tory leadership in 2005, told the Daily Telegraph the majority of the 332 Conservative MPs want Mr Cameron to negotiate an "opt-out" power to stop individual EU laws from applying to Britain. The prime minister has said this would be "impossible" without Britain leaving the EU. Mr Davis claims as many as 60 Tory MPs would be prepared to rebel and vote for Britain's exit from the EU if the prime minister fails to deliver. Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, which represents backbenchers, had urged David Cameron to give all Conservative MPs, including ministers, a free vote in the EU referendum despite Mr Cameron warning in January 2015 that serving cabinet ministers would have to quit the government if they wanted to campaign to leave the EU - if he had secured the reforms to it he wants. That position has now changed with Mr Cameron agreeing to allow cabinet ministers to campaign - in a personal capacity - on either side of the EU referendum campaign, once his renegotiation is over. In the 1975 referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Economic Community, as the EU was then called, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson decided to suspend collective responsibility because his cabinet was split on the issue. Ministers were allowed to vote with their consciences and campaign against each other. The majority of them, including Mr Wilson, joined the Yes camp, but left-wingers, such as Tony Benn, played a leading role in the No campaign. The Yes campaign won easily with 67% of the vote. Referendum on the UK's future in the European Union The UK is to have a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether to remain a member of the European Union or to leave. The vote is being proceeded by a process of negotiations in which the Conservative government is seeking to secure a new deal for the UK. Guide: All you need to know about the referendum More: BBC News EU referendum special report | What else does Mr Cameron want? | 1,822 | The Conservatives want to free business from red tape and "excessive interference" from Brussels and to provide access to new markets through "turbo charging" free trade deals with America and Asia. They also want trade barriers in the services and digital sectors to be removed to create a truly single market as well as specific protections for the City of London. They support continued enlargement of the EU to new members but with new mechanisms in place to "prevent vast migrations across the Continent". The prime minister has said Britain would resist any move towards a European Army and that he wants to free British police forces from EU interference. He has also ruled out Britain joining the euro. But he has placed less emphasis in recent years on demanding changes to EU social policy, such as the maximum 48-hour working week, agency workers, maternity leave and non-discrimination rules - amid pressure from trade unions to leave such protections intact. | 0.382777 |
42_2 | David Cameron wants to renegotiate the terms of the UK's membership ahead of a referendum by the end of 2017. He has said he will campaign for Britain to remain in the EU if he gets the reforms he wants. Mr Cameron said he did not want to reveal full details of his negotiating hand before serious discussions get under way. Through a series of speeches and newspaper articles, he has given an overview of his priorities but, and in November, he set down his objectives on paper for the first time in a letter to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council. His four key objectives are: - Economic governance: Securing an explicit recognition that the euro is not the only currency of the European Union, to ensure countries outside the eurozone are not materially disadvantaged. The UK wants safeguards that steps to further financial union cannot be imposed on non-eurozone members and the UK will not have to contribute to eurozone bailouts - Competitiveness: Setting a target for the reduction of the "burden" of excessive regulation and extending the single market - Immigration: Restricting access to in-work and out-of-work benefits to EU migrants. Specifically, ministers want to stop those coming to the UK from claiming certain benefits until they have been resident for four years. Ministers have reportedly been warned by the UK's top civil servant this could be discriminatory and any limits may be reduced to less than a year. An option of an "emergency brake" to stop the payments for four years is being discussed as a compromise deal - Sovereignty: Allowing Britain to opt out from the EU's founding ambition to forge an "ever closer union" of the peoples of Europe so it will not be drawn into further political integration. Giving greater powers to national parliaments to block EU legislation. The Conservatives want to free business from red tape and "excessive interference" from Brussels and to provide access to new markets through "turbo charging" free trade deals with America and Asia. They also want trade barriers in the services and digital sectors to be removed to create a truly single market as well as specific protections for the City of London. They support continued enlargement of the EU to new members but with new mechanisms in place to "prevent vast migrations across the Continent". The prime minister has said Britain would resist any move towards a European Army and that he wants to free British police forces from EU interference. He has also ruled out Britain joining the euro. But he has placed less emphasis in recent years on demanding changes to EU social policy, such as the maximum 48-hour working week, agency workers, maternity leave and non-discrimination rules - amid pressure from trade unions to leave such protections intact. The official UK government position is that a referendum will be held by the end of 2017 but Downing Street sources have said: "If we can do it earlier we will." it is widely expected to be held in June or July if a deal is reached at the EU summit in February. The Conservatives will attempt to repeal the Human Rights Act, which requires UK courts to treat the European Court of Human Rights as setting legal precedents for the UK, in favour of a British Bill of Rights. The European Court of Human Rights is not a European Union institution. It was set up by the Council of Europe (CoE), which has 47 members including Russia and Ukraine. David Cameron says that if necessary he would back a new law reasserting the power of the UK Parliament over the EU. The freedom for people to move around Europe, enshrined in the EU treaties, works in parallel with the other three basic freedoms in the single market: freedom of goods, capital and services. It is a "red line" for other EU leaders, who do not want to see it eroded. Mr Cameron's decision to seek the four year ban on some UK benefits for EU migrants was a way round it, but a number of EU countries - including Hungary and Poland - say they will not accept anything which discriminates against their nationals. This has led to reports that the idea of an "emergency brake" to limit numbers when there has been a surge of migrants, might be back on the agenda. In a speech in November 2014, David Cameron set out measures to reduce the number of EU nationals moving to the UK. His main proposals were: - Four year delay for EU migrants wishing to claim in-work benefits, such as tax credits, or seeking access to social housing - Stopping migrants claiming child benefit for dependents living outside the UK - Removing migrants from the UK after six months if they have not found work - Restricting the right of migrants to bring non-EU family members into the UK - Stopping EU jobseekers claiming Universal Credit - Speeding up deportation of convicted criminals - Longer re-entry bans for beggars and fraudsters removed from the UK - Stopping citizens from new EU entrants working in the UK until their economies have "converged more closely". - Extra money for communities with high levels of migrants Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, has said he is ready to work with Mr Cameron to "strike a fair deal for the United Kingdom in the EU". But his spokesman reacted to the publication of Mr Cameron's negotiation objectives by warning that restrictions on benefits for new arrivals to the UK would be "highly problematic" as they affected the "fundamental freedoms of our internal market" and amounted to "direct discrimination between EU citizens". The main sticking point has been opposition from countries including Hungary and Poland to the idea of the four year ban on claiming some UK benefits. The message from the rest of the EU is that there cannot be a policy which discriminates against other EU nationals. However David Cameron has said he is willing to consider alternatives that have the same impact on migration flows, while his EU colleagues have also said they want to come up with a deal which achieves the UK's aims. Read more: Donald Tusk's letter responding to UK's renegotiation demands Mr Cameron has faced repeated calls to say whether he would campaign for Britain's exit from the EU in the referendum if he fails to get what he wants from the renegotiation process. All he has said is that he will "rule nothing out" and he has no "emotional attachment" to the EU. Some Conservative MPs want Britain to leave the EU no matter what David Cameron manages to renegotiate. A larger group are likely to want more concessions than Mr Cameron has so far indicated he is prepared to demand. Senior backbencher David Davis, who was defeated by Mr Cameron for the Tory leadership in 2005, told the Daily Telegraph the majority of the 332 Conservative MPs want Mr Cameron to negotiate an "opt-out" power to stop individual EU laws from applying to Britain. The prime minister has said this would be "impossible" without Britain leaving the EU. Mr Davis claims as many as 60 Tory MPs would be prepared to rebel and vote for Britain's exit from the EU if the prime minister fails to deliver. Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, which represents backbenchers, had urged David Cameron to give all Conservative MPs, including ministers, a free vote in the EU referendum despite Mr Cameron warning in January 2015 that serving cabinet ministers would have to quit the government if they wanted to campaign to leave the EU - if he had secured the reforms to it he wants. That position has now changed with Mr Cameron agreeing to allow cabinet ministers to campaign - in a personal capacity - on either side of the EU referendum campaign, once his renegotiation is over. In the 1975 referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Economic Community, as the EU was then called, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson decided to suspend collective responsibility because his cabinet was split on the issue. Ministers were allowed to vote with their consciences and campaign against each other. The majority of them, including Mr Wilson, joined the Yes camp, but left-wingers, such as Tony Benn, played a leading role in the No campaign. The Yes campaign won easily with 67% of the vote. Referendum on the UK's future in the European Union The UK is to have a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether to remain a member of the European Union or to leave. The vote is being proceeded by a process of negotiations in which the Conservative government is seeking to secure a new deal for the UK. Guide: All you need to know about the referendum More: BBC News EU referendum special report | When will the referendum be held? | 2,794 | The official UK government position is that a referendum will be held by the end of 2017 but Downing Street sources have said: "If we can do it earlier we will." it is widely expected to be held in June or July if a deal is reached at the EU summit in February. | 0.780688 |
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