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[ { "context": "US special envoy Stephen Biegun has urged North Korea to come to the negotiating table, saying: \"We are here, let's get this done.\" His comments in Seoul come days after North Korea conducted missile tests at a satellite launch site. North Korea has set an end-of-year deadline for the US to come up with a new denuclearisation deal that would involve significant sanctions relief. It said the US could expect a \"Christmas gift\" if it did not comply. Mr Biegun - the US special representative for North Korea - called Pyongyang's statements \"hostile, negative and so unnecessary\", adding that the US had a \"goal... not a deadline\". He called for Pyongyang to enter talks with the US, saying to his North Korean counterparts: \"It is time for us to do our jobs. Let's get this done. We are here and you know how to reach us.\" US President Donald Trump has said he will not lift sanctions until North Korea fully abandons its nuclear programme. North Korea said if the US did not make an acceptable offer, it would find a \"new way\". Pyongyang appears to have shut the door on further US talks, focusing instead on testing missiles. On 8 December, it said it carried out a \"very important test\". It held a second test less than a week later on 14 December. Both tests were said to be carried out at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground - a site that North Korea had promised to dismantle. It's not clear exactly what was being tested - but Ankit Panda, North Korea expert at the Federation of American Scientists, told the BBC it could be a ground test for a ballistic missile engine. The US and North Korea have reached a nuclear impasse. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his US counterpart Mr Trump held historic talks in Singapore in June 2018 and in Vietnam earlier this year aimed at denuclearisation. They also held \"impromptu\" talks at the Demilitarised Zone that separates North and South Korea in June. But talks have stalled since then - a recent meeting of officials in Stockholm ended without progress - and North Korea restarted testing of its short-range ballistic missiles. North Korea also appears to have renewed its verbal attacks against Mr Trump for the first time in two years. The foreign ministry said if Mr Trump was confrontational, it \"must really be diagnosed as the relapse of the dotage of a dotard\". The North first called Mr Trump a dotard, meaning old and weak, in 2017.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1580, "answer_start": 1030, "text": "Pyongyang appears to have shut the door on further US talks, focusing instead on testing missiles. On 8 December, it said it carried out a \"very important test\". It held a second test less than a week later on 14 December. Both tests were said to be carried out at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground - a site that North Korea had promised to dismantle. It's not clear exactly what was being tested - but Ankit Panda, North Korea expert at the Federation of American Scientists, told the BBC it could be a ground test for a ballistic missile engine." } ], "id": "100_0", "question": "What tests did North Korea carry out?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2401, "answer_start": 1581, "text": "The US and North Korea have reached a nuclear impasse. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his US counterpart Mr Trump held historic talks in Singapore in June 2018 and in Vietnam earlier this year aimed at denuclearisation. They also held \"impromptu\" talks at the Demilitarised Zone that separates North and South Korea in June. But talks have stalled since then - a recent meeting of officials in Stockholm ended without progress - and North Korea restarted testing of its short-range ballistic missiles. North Korea also appears to have renewed its verbal attacks against Mr Trump for the first time in two years. The foreign ministry said if Mr Trump was confrontational, it \"must really be diagnosed as the relapse of the dotage of a dotard\". The North first called Mr Trump a dotard, meaning old and weak, in 2017." } ], "id": "100_1", "question": "How are US - North Korea relations?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Broadway has paid tribute to child star Laurel Griggs who has died aged 13. Her family says she suffered a \"massive asthma attack\". Griggs made her Broadway debut when she was just six, performing alongside actress Scarlett Johansson in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The role led to a career in theatre, TV and movies. She made two appearances on Saturday Night Live - the legendary US comedy sketch show. Broadway has dimmed its lights to honour of the young star. After playing Polly in Cat in a Hot Tin Roof, Laurel joined the cast of Once, a Tony award-winning musical. She also appeared in Cafe Society, a romantic comedy starring Steve Carell. The news of her death last week was met with tributes throughout the theatre community at the weekend. \"You were always smiling and always made other people laugh,\" wrote Once co-star Eliza Holland Madore. \"I'm so incredibly grateful that I got to know you.\" Her asthma was diagnosed at a young age, her grandfather David Rivlin told the New York Times. \"She took her medication every day and had some kind of machine for breathing if she needed it,\" he said. \"It's just a destructive disease... God only knows what she could have done with her life.\" Asthma is a disease that causes a swelling of the airways, resulting in breathlessness, wheezing, coughing and a tight chest. The World Health Organization reports it is the most common chronic disease among children, and around 235 million people suffer from asthma worldwide. Asthma attacks can be triggered by a number of environmental factors, including smoke, pollution, allergens like mould or illnesses like the flu. There is no cure for the condition, but it can be managed with medication, like inhalers. More than 19 million adults and five million children in the US have asthma, according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data. The CDC reported over 3,500 Americans died from asthma in 2017, and asthma led to more than 1.7 million emergency room visits in 2016. In the UK, more than 1,400 adults and children died from asthma attacks in 2018.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2054, "answer_start": 1195, "text": "Asthma is a disease that causes a swelling of the airways, resulting in breathlessness, wheezing, coughing and a tight chest. The World Health Organization reports it is the most common chronic disease among children, and around 235 million people suffer from asthma worldwide. Asthma attacks can be triggered by a number of environmental factors, including smoke, pollution, allergens like mould or illnesses like the flu. There is no cure for the condition, but it can be managed with medication, like inhalers. More than 19 million adults and five million children in the US have asthma, according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data. The CDC reported over 3,500 Americans died from asthma in 2017, and asthma led to more than 1.7 million emergency room visits in 2016. In the UK, more than 1,400 adults and children died from asthma attacks in 2018." } ], "id": "101_0", "question": "What is asthma?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "As the Cuban Communist Party prepares for its Seventh Congress, the BBC's Will Grant looks at what message is coming from the party in the wake of US President Barack Obama's historic visit. Just a glance around Havana's latest trade fair is enough to demonstrate the global interest in Cuba's gradually opening economy. This month, it's the turn of the construction industry - a growing business in Cuba - and companies from France, Mexico, Brazil and Chile are among those with stands at the event. The exhibition hall is thick with prospective clients leafing through glossy brochures, watching slick promotional videos or testing the products on show. Everyone, it seems, is keen to get in on the ground floor of the island's emerging real estate and hospitality markets. \"We've heard there are over 120 hotels that are going to open here or begin construction over the next year and we want to be part of that,\" says Scott Banda, the marketing director of Bostik, the multinational adhesives brand. Noticeably, US companies have also made the short trip to Havana in ever greater numbers since the thaw with Washington picked up pace. \"I've always had a real interest in Cuba and Cuban culture and art. It's an amazing art scene here,\" says Ted Acworth, the chief executive of Artaic, a Boston-based firm that makes mosaics from ceramic tiles for swimming pools and hotel lobbies. \"When I heard Obama had come here to more or less open up the relationship, it seemed to me like an interesting opportunity to come here, to learn about Cuba and see if there's any interest in my products.\" President Obama's historic visit to the island is still fresh in the memory for Cubans, many of whom never thought they'd see the day a serving US president would address them live on state television in Havana. His words of reconciliation moved many viewers to tears as the years of hostility seemed finally to be brought to an end when he quoted Cuban independence poet Jose Marti's immortal line: \"Cultivo una rosa blanca\" (\"Cultivate a white rose\"). But not everyone was entranced by President Obama's performance or his offer of \"extending the hand of friendship to the Cuban people\". In the days immediately after the trip, Fidel Castro wrote a column in the state newspaper calling President Obama's words \"honey-coated\". In essence, Castro argued that Washington wasn't to be trusted and that \"we do not need any gifts from the empire\". \"Obama is a showman,\" says Hector Hernandez, vice-president of the state-run Institute for Studies of Jose Marti and long-standing member of the Communist Party. \"He's charismatic, he makes jokes, they prepared him well with Cuban phrases to say while he was here. He's a showman.\" But as the Cuban Communist Party's Seventh Congress gets under way, critics say the Cuban government's exact position on President Obama and the thaw with the United States still isn't clear. \"I wouldn't say it's a mixed message,\" says Hector Hernandez. \"I think Fidel and Raul think the same way.\" But he does acknowledge that \"there are two visions\" within the party of how best to proceed when it comes to the US. \"There's those who don't want to forget the past and those who say they just want to turn the page. But I think these two things can complement each other. You can turn the page while still recognising and respecting the past.\" While the improved relations with Washington have dominated the headlines, a great deal has happened in Cuba since the last CCP congress was held five years ago. - The Seventh Congress meets on 16-18 April - Meets every five years - Key body in determining Cuba's future economic and political course - About 1,000 party members will attend At that meeting in 2011 a whole raft of economic reforms were agreed, 313 to be exact, intended to open the economy and allow a greater role for private enterprise. To date, by the government's own admission, only 21% of those measures have been implemented. Before the previous congress, a nationwide debate was held with party activists and grassroots organisations to determine the country's new economic course. On this occasion, though, no such national debate has been held, prompting some open criticism from the party ranks. One activist, Francisco Rodriguez, even took to writing an open letter to Raul Castro, the first party secretary as well as President of Cuba, in which he spoke of his \"dissatisfaction\" at \"the lack of discussion of the central documents\" before the congress. Normally the youth wing of the party leads the calls for greater transparency and democracy within the organisation. Yoerky Sanchez is one of the youngest deputies in the National Assembly and an editor at the state newspaper, Rebel Youth. But he is firmly on message when it comes to the party's hierarchical decision-making processes. \"There could always be more democracy, a greater spirit of openness. You can never have too much democracy,\" he concedes. \"But the agenda for the party congress wasn't cooked up in secret by a handful of bureaucrats. It was debated by many representatives of society, including parliamentary deputies.\" Maybe so, but the final documents are still not public and the sense of behind-the-scenes political negotiation contrasts sharply with the open demeanour of President Obama, who impressed ordinary Cubans with his frankness. Still, most Cubans will be watching the event closely. The Party's Seventh Congress could involve some important announcements - including hitherto unprecedented changes to the political system. Raul Castro is 84 years old and has already made clear his intention to step down in early 2018. The party hierarchy may choose to prepare the ground for his succession sooner rather than later. When asked about the recent changes in Cuba, Communist Party activists often recite a popular slogan: \"The changes will move Cuba towards more socialism, not more capitalism.\" As Havana's construction fair makes way for the party congress, the next few days may show whether there is any substance to that oft-repeated claim.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6078, "answer_start": 5139, "text": "Maybe so, but the final documents are still not public and the sense of behind-the-scenes political negotiation contrasts sharply with the open demeanour of President Obama, who impressed ordinary Cubans with his frankness. Still, most Cubans will be watching the event closely. The Party's Seventh Congress could involve some important announcements - including hitherto unprecedented changes to the political system. Raul Castro is 84 years old and has already made clear his intention to step down in early 2018. The party hierarchy may choose to prepare the ground for his succession sooner rather than later. When asked about the recent changes in Cuba, Communist Party activists often recite a popular slogan: \"The changes will move Cuba towards more socialism, not more capitalism.\" As Havana's construction fair makes way for the party congress, the next few days may show whether there is any substance to that oft-repeated claim." } ], "id": "102_0", "question": "Succession preparations?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Italian police are investigating a leaked photo of a blindfolded American teenager who is accused of killing an officer in Rome. The photo of murder suspect Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth, 18, was shown by Italian media on Sunday. Mr Natale-Hjorth and his friend, 19-year-old Finnegan Lee Elder, were arrested on suspicion of killing police officer Mario Cerciello Rega on Friday. Rega, 35, was stabbed to death in the Prati neighbourhood of Rome. He was allegedly knifed eight times after he investigated a drug deal gone wrong involving the teen suspects. Police have alleged that Mr Natale-Hjorth and Mr Elder, both students from San Francisco, California, \"confessed to their guilt\". The picture of Mr Natale-Hjorth, showing him blindfolded with his head bowed and hands restrained behind his back, was taken after their arrest. It was leaked to Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, whose article about the picture likened it to the treatment of prisoners at the US military detention camp Guantanamo Bay. Italy's military police, the Carabinieri, has sought to distance itself from the leak of the photo and has launched an investigation. \"This is an unacceptable episode and should be treated as such,\" commander general of the force, Giovanni Nistri, told Corriere della Sera. Police commander Francesco Gargaro said the blindfolding of a suspect is \"illegal\", telling the Associated Press that the officer responsible did so by \"mistake\". The officer blindfolded Mr Natale-Hjorth to prevent him from seeing documents pertaining to the investigation, the commander said. Italian news agency Ansa reported that the officer is to be taken off operational duty. Italian politicians and human rights groups expressed concern at the photo, but Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini was less sympathetic. \"To those who complain about the blindfolding of a person arrested, I remind them that the only victim to cry for is a ... Carabinieri... who died while doing his job, killed by people who, if guilty, deserve to spend their life in prison,\" Mr Salvini tweeted. The two suspects were allegedly in the Trastevere area, near to Vatican City, trying to buy drugs. They are said to have stolen a rucksack from an alleged drug dealer who had sold them fake product, according to Ansa. They reportedly offered to bring it back to him, if he paid them $100 (PS80; EUR90) and gave them a gram of cocaine. As they waited, they were approached by Rega and a colleague as part of a plain-clothed operation because the police had been tipped off about the bag exchange, Ansa reported. A brawl ensued, during which Rega was stabbed several times. He was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries. Mr Natale-Hjorth and Mr Elder, who face charges of murder and attempted extortion, appeared in court on Saturday. Officers found a large knife hidden in the false ceiling of their hotel room. The pair were \"ready to leave\" Italy when found, police said. Vice-Brigadier Rega had been married only 43 days and had returned from his honeymoon just this week. \"Mario was a lovely lad,\" Sandro Ottaviani, commander of Rome's Piazza Farnese Carabinieri station, was quoted as saying by Ansa. \"He never held back at work and he was a figurehead for the whole district. He always helped everyone. He did voluntary work, accompanying sick people to Lourdes and Loreto. Every Tuesday he went to Termini train station to feed the needy.\" Grieving family members and friends paid tribute to Rega at a church ceremony in Rome on Sunday. His funeral will be held in his hometown of Somma Vesuviana, near Naples, on Monday, in the same church in which he was married.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2956, "answer_start": 2074, "text": "The two suspects were allegedly in the Trastevere area, near to Vatican City, trying to buy drugs. They are said to have stolen a rucksack from an alleged drug dealer who had sold them fake product, according to Ansa. They reportedly offered to bring it back to him, if he paid them $100 (PS80; EUR90) and gave them a gram of cocaine. As they waited, they were approached by Rega and a colleague as part of a plain-clothed operation because the police had been tipped off about the bag exchange, Ansa reported. A brawl ensued, during which Rega was stabbed several times. He was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries. Mr Natale-Hjorth and Mr Elder, who face charges of murder and attempted extortion, appeared in court on Saturday. Officers found a large knife hidden in the false ceiling of their hotel room. The pair were \"ready to leave\" Italy when found, police said." } ], "id": "103_0", "question": "What do we know about Rega's killing?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3655, "answer_start": 2957, "text": "Vice-Brigadier Rega had been married only 43 days and had returned from his honeymoon just this week. \"Mario was a lovely lad,\" Sandro Ottaviani, commander of Rome's Piazza Farnese Carabinieri station, was quoted as saying by Ansa. \"He never held back at work and he was a figurehead for the whole district. He always helped everyone. He did voluntary work, accompanying sick people to Lourdes and Loreto. Every Tuesday he went to Termini train station to feed the needy.\" Grieving family members and friends paid tribute to Rega at a church ceremony in Rome on Sunday. His funeral will be held in his hometown of Somma Vesuviana, near Naples, on Monday, in the same church in which he was married." } ], "id": "103_1", "question": "Who was the victim?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Researchers say an area the size of the US is available for planting trees around the world, and this could have a dramatic impact on climate change. The study shows that the space available for trees is far greater than previously thought, and would reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by 25%. The authors say that this is the most effective climate change solution available to the world right now. But other researchers say the new study is \"too good to be true\". The ability of trees to soak up carbon dioxide has long made them a valuable weapon in the fight against rising temperatures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that if the world wanted to limit the rise to 1.5C by 2050, an extra 1bn hectares (2.4bn acres) of trees would be needed. The problem has been that accurate estimates of just how many trees the world can support have been hard to come by. This new report aims to show not just how many trees can be grown, but where they could be planted and how much of an impact they would have on carbon emissions. The scientists from ETH-Zurich in Switzerland used a method called photo-interpretation to examine a global dataset of observations covering 78,000 forests. Using the mapping software of the Google Earth engine they were able to develop a predictive model to map the global potential for tree cover. They found that excluding existing trees, farmland and urban areas, the world could support an extra 0.9bn hectares (2.22bn acres) of tree cover. Once these trees matured they could pull down around 200 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, some two-thirds of extra carbon from human activities put into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. This is a quarter of the overall amount of CO2 in the air. \"Our study shows clearly that forest restoration is the best climate change solution available today and it provides hard evidence to justify investment,\" said Prof Tom Crowther, the senior author on the study. \"If we act now, this could cut carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by up to 25%, to levels last seen almost a century ago.\" The researchers identify six countries where the bulk of the forest restoration could occur: Russia (151m hectares), US (103m), Canada (78m), Australia (58m), Brazil (50m) and China (40m). But they say speed is of the essence because as the world continues to warm then the potential area for planting trees in the tropics would be reduced. \"It will take decades for new forests to mature and achieve this potential,\" said Prof Crowther. \"It is vitally important that we protect the forests that exist today, pursue other climate solutions, and continue to phase out fossil fuels from our economies.\" The new study has been welcomed by Christiana Figueres, former UN climate chief, who was instrumental in delivering the Paris climate agreement in 2015. \"Finally an authoritative assessment of how much land we can and should cover with trees without impinging on food production or living areas,\" she said in a statement. \"A hugely important blueprint for governments and private sector.\" However not everyone was as effusive about the new study. Several researchers expressed reservations, taking issue with the idea that planting trees was the best climate solution available to the world right now. \"Restoration of trees may be 'among the most effective strategies', but it is very far indeed from 'the best climate change solution available,' and a long way behind reducing fossil fuel emissions to net zero,\" said Prof Myles Allen from the University of Oxford. Others are critical of the estimates of carbon that could be stored if these trees were planted. \"The estimate that 900 million hectares restoration can store an addition 205 billion tonnes of carbon is too high and not supported by either previous studies or climate models,\" said Prof Simon Lewis from University College London. \"Planting trees to soak up two-thirds of the entire anthropogenic carbon burden to date sounds too good to be true. Probably because it is,\" said Prof Martin Lukac from the University of Reading. \"This far, humans have enhanced forest cover on a large scale only by shrinking their population size (Russia), increasing productivity of industrial agriculture (the West) or by direct order of an autocratic government (China). None of these activities look remotely feasible or sustainable at global scale.\" The study has been published in the journal Science. Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4479, "answer_start": 3070, "text": "However not everyone was as effusive about the new study. Several researchers expressed reservations, taking issue with the idea that planting trees was the best climate solution available to the world right now. \"Restoration of trees may be 'among the most effective strategies', but it is very far indeed from 'the best climate change solution available,' and a long way behind reducing fossil fuel emissions to net zero,\" said Prof Myles Allen from the University of Oxford. Others are critical of the estimates of carbon that could be stored if these trees were planted. \"The estimate that 900 million hectares restoration can store an addition 205 billion tonnes of carbon is too high and not supported by either previous studies or climate models,\" said Prof Simon Lewis from University College London. \"Planting trees to soak up two-thirds of the entire anthropogenic carbon burden to date sounds too good to be true. Probably because it is,\" said Prof Martin Lukac from the University of Reading. \"This far, humans have enhanced forest cover on a large scale only by shrinking their population size (Russia), increasing productivity of industrial agriculture (the West) or by direct order of an autocratic government (China). None of these activities look remotely feasible or sustainable at global scale.\" The study has been published in the journal Science. Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc." } ], "id": "104_0", "question": "What do the critics say?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Women in Bangladesh are no longer required to declare if they are virgins on marriage registration forms, the country's top court has ruled. The high court ordered that \"virgin\" be replaced with \"unmarried\". The other two options on the form - \"widow\" and \"divorced\" - remain unchanged. Women's rights groups - who had argued the word \"virgin\" was humiliating - welcomed Sunday's verdict. Separately, the court said grooms now also must declare their marital status. Marriage laws in the Muslim-majority Bangladesh have been criticised by women's rights groups as restrictive and discriminatory. Many girls in the country are forced into arranged marriages at a very young age. The court said the Bengali word \"kumari\" must be removed from marriage registration forms. The word is used to describe unmarried women, but it can also mean \"virgin\". Lawyers for the groups who filed the case in 2014 had successfully argued that the marriage forms were humiliating and breached women's privacy. On Sunday, the court said the Bengali word \"obibahita\", which unambiguously means \"an unmarried woman\" - must be used from now on instead of \"kumari\". In a separate ruling, the court required grooms to state whether they are unmarried, divorced or widowed. The changes are expected to come into force in a few months when the full court verdict is officially published. \"It is a landmark verdict,\" Aynun Nahar Siddiqua, a lawyer involved in the case, was quoted as saying. She said she hoped the ruling would help advance women's rights in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, a local marriage registrar said he and his colleagues were now waiting for the authorities to officially inform them about the changes in the form. \"I have conducted many marriages in Dhaka and I have often been asked why men have the liberty to not disclose their status but women don't. I always told them this wasn't in my hands,\" registrar Mohammad Ali Akbar Sarker told Reuters. \"I guess I won't be asked that question anymore,\" he added.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1360, "answer_start": 678, "text": "The court said the Bengali word \"kumari\" must be removed from marriage registration forms. The word is used to describe unmarried women, but it can also mean \"virgin\". Lawyers for the groups who filed the case in 2014 had successfully argued that the marriage forms were humiliating and breached women's privacy. On Sunday, the court said the Bengali word \"obibahita\", which unambiguously means \"an unmarried woman\" - must be used from now on instead of \"kumari\". In a separate ruling, the court required grooms to state whether they are unmarried, divorced or widowed. The changes are expected to come into force in a few months when the full court verdict is officially published." } ], "id": "105_0", "question": "What did the court rule?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1997, "answer_start": 1361, "text": "\"It is a landmark verdict,\" Aynun Nahar Siddiqua, a lawyer involved in the case, was quoted as saying. She said she hoped the ruling would help advance women's rights in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, a local marriage registrar said he and his colleagues were now waiting for the authorities to officially inform them about the changes in the form. \"I have conducted many marriages in Dhaka and I have often been asked why men have the liberty to not disclose their status but women don't. I always told them this wasn't in my hands,\" registrar Mohammad Ali Akbar Sarker told Reuters. \"I guess I won't be asked that question anymore,\" he added." } ], "id": "105_1", "question": "What has the reaction been?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "China's constitution allows independent candidates to run in local elections but it is a futile exercise for those who dare to get their names on the ballot. In the heart of Beijing's old alleyways, the polling station is bathed in autumn sunlight. It is busy. An elderly man has turned up with his wife on the back of his tricycle. Three nurses, clutching their voter registration certificates, arrive on foot in deep conversation while election officials and policemen oversee the whole affair. On the surface, it is a scene that would be recognisable to voters in democratic countries the world over. But of course, this is China and the reality is very different. We drive to the outskirts of Beijing to meet Liu Huizhen, a 45-year-old woman who wants nothing more than the right to take part in this election. She has managed to secure the ten nominations from fellow citizens that, according to Chinese law, are needed to allow her name to go forward for inclusion on the ballot as an independent candidate but she is not out campaigning. Instead, she is living under constant surveillance and, as we approach her front door, it is quickly surrounded by a group of unidentified men who stand in silence and block our way. By reaching over their heads I manage to knock and a few moments later, Ms Liu appears in her doorway. But as she begins to tell me why she wants to exercise her democratic right, the door is pushed shut and the thugs lean against it. She makes an attempt to open a window but it too is forced shut and she is, once again, prevented from speaking to us. China calls its five-yearly, nationwide exercise in voting the \"world's largest election\". This week it is Beijing's turn, but by early next year, according to state-run media, 900 million people the length and breadth of China will have cast their ballots. As a result, more than 2.5 million deputies will take their seats in thousands of local \"people's congresses\". Those local deputies will in turn \"elect\" the city and provincial level congresses above them, and so on all the way to very top. So these local polls are the only chance most Chinese people get to vote but there is a crucial, unofficial caveat. It is the Communist Party that decides who gets on to the ballot. For the vast majority of would-be independent candidates the task of obtaining the requisite ten nominations is made so difficult that their quest for office is over before it even begins. More sinned against than sinning? Outcry over 'common man' execution Drugs, money and wildlife: Myanmar's free-wheeling Wa state India's rupee crisis: The village with cash worth nothing We arrange to meet another election hopeful, 59-year-old Ye Jingchun, at her apartment complex in Beijing. The residents' committee has called a meeting to introduce the approved list of candidates, which Ms Ye is not on, and we are hoping to speak to her after the meeting is finished. This time it is a police officer who is there at the entrance waiting for us. We are not allowed in and Ms Ye is not allowed out but a few hours later we manage to catch up with her. \"They were polite,\" she tells me, standing on the pavement outside a shopping mall. \"But I couldn't leave the room. There were more than a dozen of them.\" Her motivation for wanting to stand is a simple one. \"I was once trying to find my own local delegate and I could not, I did not even know who he was,\" she tells me. \"So I told myself, if I become a delegate, I could serve people who are at the bottom of society, who really need their delegate's help. I would not be a puppet.\" It is a noble calling, one that would be recognised by those who choose to represent their local communities the world over. But here, it is little more than a futile aspiration. \"First of all, we need to get the nomination forms,\" Ms Ye tells me, \"which are extremely difficult to get. In fact, the community officer warned residents not to nominate me.\" There has been scant coverage of the local elections in China's state-run media, beyond the usual bald facts and figures. Nonetheless, an altogether different kind of election, a long way from China, has been occupying the attention of the Community Party's propagandists. China's journalists have had full, unfettered access to America's open system of democracy and have used that access to full effect. They have covered the US election as a case study in all that is wrong with Western democracy - the dissatisfaction with elites, the bitter, divisive nature of the campaign and the concerns over media bias and corporate influence. And Chinese readers of this Communist Party-led reporting have been constantly reminded that they should think of themselves as lucky. The US campaign has been described as \"circus-like,\" a \"chaotic political farce\" and a \"train wreck\". Of course, some of those sentiments could very well be written from the pens of Western journalists. That, though, is the point. Democracy is recognised, even by its strongest proponents as flawed and vulnerable to manipulation but that does not necessarily make it worse than the alternatives. Public dissent, social discord and a simmering resentment of the ruling classes are not unique to America or Britain. And the thuggery and heavy-handed control are signs that behind the supposed political unity of China's one-party state lies a deep unease. It springs from the knowledge that even one independent candidate presents a threat to the very premise on which the whole system is based. There is no reciprocal, open invitation to the foreign media to freely observe, report and comment. Outside Ms Liu's house, the thugs have had enough. The group, now some 20 or 30 strong, grab at our coats and drag us roughly down the road to where our car is parked.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5783, "answer_start": 3593, "text": "It is a noble calling, one that would be recognised by those who choose to represent their local communities the world over. But here, it is little more than a futile aspiration. \"First of all, we need to get the nomination forms,\" Ms Ye tells me, \"which are extremely difficult to get. In fact, the community officer warned residents not to nominate me.\" There has been scant coverage of the local elections in China's state-run media, beyond the usual bald facts and figures. Nonetheless, an altogether different kind of election, a long way from China, has been occupying the attention of the Community Party's propagandists. China's journalists have had full, unfettered access to America's open system of democracy and have used that access to full effect. They have covered the US election as a case study in all that is wrong with Western democracy - the dissatisfaction with elites, the bitter, divisive nature of the campaign and the concerns over media bias and corporate influence. And Chinese readers of this Communist Party-led reporting have been constantly reminded that they should think of themselves as lucky. The US campaign has been described as \"circus-like,\" a \"chaotic political farce\" and a \"train wreck\". Of course, some of those sentiments could very well be written from the pens of Western journalists. That, though, is the point. Democracy is recognised, even by its strongest proponents as flawed and vulnerable to manipulation but that does not necessarily make it worse than the alternatives. Public dissent, social discord and a simmering resentment of the ruling classes are not unique to America or Britain. And the thuggery and heavy-handed control are signs that behind the supposed political unity of China's one-party state lies a deep unease. It springs from the knowledge that even one independent candidate presents a threat to the very premise on which the whole system is based. There is no reciprocal, open invitation to the foreign media to freely observe, report and comment. Outside Ms Liu's house, the thugs have had enough. The group, now some 20 or 30 strong, grab at our coats and drag us roughly down the road to where our car is parked." } ], "id": "106_0", "question": "Luckier than Americans?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "An artist in India is challenging sexist drawings of women in comic books by parodying them using male heroes in poses typically associated with women. She-Hulk has superhuman strength and speed and is one of the most formidable hand-to-hand combatants in the Marvel world. Like Hulk, not only does she have physical power, she's also completely green. Yet, on a 1991 comic book cover, she is shown in a seductive pose, wearing a G-string bikini, with her curves sharply accentuated. Indian artist Shreya Arora was shocked when she saw the image. \"For Hulk, the visual representation focuses on his strength. For She-Hulk, all we see is an emphasis on sexuality,\" says Arora, who grew up reading comic books. The 21-year-old graphic designer decided she wanted to flip the narrative. Her artwork draws inspiration from comic book covers but parodies the male superheroes using body language typically associated with women. The result - covers with familiar characters, such as Superman and Batman, in strikingly unusual poses and outfits. A scantily-clad Spiderman is pictured in only a thong, a coy Hulk covers himself with a newspaper, while an Iron Man with prominent buttocks crawls on a ledge. \"The way female heroines are drawn would never be applied to men,\" Arora tells BBC 100 Women. Marvel, DC and other publishers in the comic world have been accused of sexism before. But Arora, who is in her third year at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, says she only noticed the issue while she was studying in France. \"Maybe seeing comics with text in a language I wasn't familiar with, made me focus more on the visuals,\" she says. Part of the problem is that \"comic books are very often drawn by men, for men to enjoy\", she argues. \"The current depiction of superheroines exists because of this vicious cycle. Companies decide on a specific target market and then use that demographic as a reason to continue the same problematic process of content creation. \"I wish comic book publishers would see that there is definitely a market for more inclusive comics.\" Her project has been criticised for not acknowledging that comics show not only female characters with unrealistic body shapes and poses, but male ones too. Arora maintains the comics are misogynistic, particularly on the front covers. \"Body standards for men, with huge biceps and rock-hard abs, exist to make them look strong and powerful, which superheroes are known for,\" she says. \"The body standards for women are tweaked to make them look sexy. \"People deem the body types of real-life athletic, strong women, like Serena Williams, 'too masculine'. \"If creators wanted to make superheroines look strong, they have plenty of real life inspiration to choose from.\" Arora is working on other projects that look at sexist representations of the female body and gender imbalance in media. She is behind a bogus magazine ad showing a woman with zipped-up lips, unable to speak out against domestic abuse. Her image of a magazine cover has the headline, \"Why getting sexually assaulted is your fault\" - a prompt to start a conversation about victim-blaming. \"While there are a lot of young, passionate artists currently working on social issues and starting important conversations, even these conversations have a privilege bar - people with access to the internet, fluent in English, and to an extent, visually literate,\" says Arora. \"But there are people in India and other countries, who do not fit these criteria. I want to bridge the gap between all this good intent, and the lack of impact at a grass-roots level\". Produced by Valeria Perasso, social affairs correspondent for BBC Languages. BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year. We create documentaries, features and interviews about their lives, giving more space for stories that put women at the centre. Follow BBC 100 Women on Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3967, "answer_start": 3677, "text": "BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year. We create documentaries, features and interviews about their lives, giving more space for stories that put women at the centre. Follow BBC 100 Women on Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation." } ], "id": "107_0", "question": "What is 100 Women?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The chairman of the US Senate Judiciary Committee has vowed to investigate allegations that top FBI and justice department officials discussed ways to remove President Trump from office. Senator Lindsey Graham said the claims were an \"attempted bureaucratic coup\". Ex-acting FBI chief Andrew McCabe said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had talks in 2017 about a constitutional clause that allows the removal of a president if deemed unfit. Mr Rosenstein has previously denied it. The pledge by Mr Graham, a Republican who has become one of the president's biggest defenders, comes after Mr McCabe appeared on US broadcaster CBS saying Mr Rosenstein discussed the numbers needed to invoke the clause, known as the 25th Amendment to the US constitution. In the 60 Minutes interview aired on Sunday, Mr McCabe also said that: - The FBI \"had reason to investigate\" the president's links with Russia, based on Mr Trump's actions - Mr Rosenstein had been \"absolutely serious\" when he discussed secretly wearing a wire to record Mr Trump - Mr Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin had told him North Korea did not have the capability to hit the US with ballistic missiles - and, when US intelligence officials contradicted this assessment, responded with: \"I don't care. I believe Putin\" The White House said Mr McCabe, who was fired last year for allegedly lying to government investigators, had \"no credibility\". President Trump has posted several tweets on Monday morning in response to the interview, and what he described as \"many lies\" by the \"now disgraced\" Mr McCabe. He also said that it looked like him and Mr Rosenstein were attempting to carry out a \"very illegal act\" and a \"coup attempt\" against his leadership. The allegations that Mr Rosenstein discussed invoking the amendment were first reported last year by the New York Times, which cited anonymous sources. However, Mr McCabe's quotes are the first to be made on the record from someone present at the meeting where the alleged comments were reportedly made - in May 2017, after Mr Trump fired FBI director James Comey, according to Mr McCabe. \"The discussion of the 25th Amendment was simply [that] Rod raised the issue and discussed it with me in the context of thinking about how many other cabinet officials might support such an effort,\" he said. Mr McCabe also said Mr Rosenstein was openly \"counting votes, or possible votes\" and that he was \"very concerned\" about the president \"his capacity and about his intent at that point in time.\" \"To be fair, it was an unbelievably stressful time... it was really something that he kind of threw out in a very frenzied chaotic conversation about where we were and what we needed to do next.\" Mr Rosenstein has previously strongly denied having such discussions, saying there was \"no basis\" to invoking the amendment. Reacting to the interview, Senator Graham described it as \"stunning\" and pledged to hold a hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee to determine \"who's telling the truth\" and that he could issue subpoenas - a court order forcing a witness to appear to give testimony - \"if that's what it takes\". The powerful committee he chairs oversees the US judiciary. \"I think everybody in the country needs to know if it happened. I'm going to do everything I can to get to the bottom of Department of Justice [and] FBI behaviour toward President Trump and his campaign,\" he told CBS. It provides for the removal of a president if he is deemed unfit for office. Duties are transferred to the vice-president. Activating the relevant section of the 25th Amendment would require the approval of eight of the 15 members of Mr Trump's cabinet, the vice-president and two-thirds majorities in Congress. Ronald Reagan and George W Bush used the amendment to temporarily transfer power when they were medically anaesthetised. Mr Rosenstein is also alleged to have offered to secretly record Mr Trump, amid concerns about possible obstruction of justice relating to the investigation into alleged collusion between the president's campaign team and Russia. When the allegations first emerged in the New York Times, Mr Rosenstein said the report was \"inaccurate and factually incorrect\". A source told the BBC at the time that Mr Rosenstein's comment \"was sarcastic and was never discussed with any intention of recording a conversation with the president\". However, Mr McCabe said that Mr Rosenstein \"was not joking. He was absolutely serious\". \"It was incredibly turbulent, incredibly stressful. And it was clear to me that that stress was - was impacting the deputy attorney general. \"We talked about why the president had insisted on firing [Mr Comey] and whether or not he was thinking about the Russia investigation. And in the context of that conversation, the deputy attorney general offered to wear a wire into the White House. \"I never actually considered taking him up on the offer,\" he added. Mr McCabe said the FBI was right to investigate Mr Trump's ties to Russia. When Mr Trump had told journalists and Russian diplomats that the Russia inquiry was among the reasons he had fired Mr Comey, his comments indicated that \"a crime may have been committed\", he said. Mr McCabe said he was \"very concerned\" about the Russia case, and wanted to ensure that \"were I removed quickly and reassigned or fired, that the case could not be closed or vanish in the night without a trace\". The justice department says Mr McCabe's account is \"inaccurate and factually incorrect\". It also denied Mr Rosenstein authorised any recording or considered invoking the Amendment. Meanwhile, the White House said: \"Andrew McCabe was fired in disgrace from the FBI for lying, and he opened a completely baseless investigation into the president - everyone knows he has no credibility.\" Mr McCabe, who took over the FBI in 2017, was himself fired as deputy director in March last year just two days before he was due to retire. He was sacked by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said an internal review found he leaked information and misled investigators. Mr McCabe denied the claims and said he was being targeted because of his involvement in the inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He has now written a book on his time in the post.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3417, "answer_start": 1732, "text": "The allegations that Mr Rosenstein discussed invoking the amendment were first reported last year by the New York Times, which cited anonymous sources. However, Mr McCabe's quotes are the first to be made on the record from someone present at the meeting where the alleged comments were reportedly made - in May 2017, after Mr Trump fired FBI director James Comey, according to Mr McCabe. \"The discussion of the 25th Amendment was simply [that] Rod raised the issue and discussed it with me in the context of thinking about how many other cabinet officials might support such an effort,\" he said. Mr McCabe also said Mr Rosenstein was openly \"counting votes, or possible votes\" and that he was \"very concerned\" about the president \"his capacity and about his intent at that point in time.\" \"To be fair, it was an unbelievably stressful time... it was really something that he kind of threw out in a very frenzied chaotic conversation about where we were and what we needed to do next.\" Mr Rosenstein has previously strongly denied having such discussions, saying there was \"no basis\" to invoking the amendment. Reacting to the interview, Senator Graham described it as \"stunning\" and pledged to hold a hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee to determine \"who's telling the truth\" and that he could issue subpoenas - a court order forcing a witness to appear to give testimony - \"if that's what it takes\". The powerful committee he chairs oversees the US judiciary. \"I think everybody in the country needs to know if it happened. I'm going to do everything I can to get to the bottom of Department of Justice [and] FBI behaviour toward President Trump and his campaign,\" he told CBS." } ], "id": "108_0", "question": "What are the 25th Amendment claims?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3850, "answer_start": 3418, "text": "It provides for the removal of a president if he is deemed unfit for office. Duties are transferred to the vice-president. Activating the relevant section of the 25th Amendment would require the approval of eight of the 15 members of Mr Trump's cabinet, the vice-president and two-thirds majorities in Congress. Ronald Reagan and George W Bush used the amendment to temporarily transfer power when they were medically anaesthetised." } ], "id": "108_1", "question": "What is the 25th Amendment?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4927, "answer_start": 3851, "text": "Mr Rosenstein is also alleged to have offered to secretly record Mr Trump, amid concerns about possible obstruction of justice relating to the investigation into alleged collusion between the president's campaign team and Russia. When the allegations first emerged in the New York Times, Mr Rosenstein said the report was \"inaccurate and factually incorrect\". A source told the BBC at the time that Mr Rosenstein's comment \"was sarcastic and was never discussed with any intention of recording a conversation with the president\". However, Mr McCabe said that Mr Rosenstein \"was not joking. He was absolutely serious\". \"It was incredibly turbulent, incredibly stressful. And it was clear to me that that stress was - was impacting the deputy attorney general. \"We talked about why the president had insisted on firing [Mr Comey] and whether or not he was thinking about the Russia investigation. And in the context of that conversation, the deputy attorney general offered to wear a wire into the White House. \"I never actually considered taking him up on the offer,\" he added." } ], "id": "108_2", "question": "What is the claim about secret recordings?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5412, "answer_start": 4928, "text": "Mr McCabe said the FBI was right to investigate Mr Trump's ties to Russia. When Mr Trump had told journalists and Russian diplomats that the Russia inquiry was among the reasons he had fired Mr Comey, his comments indicated that \"a crime may have been committed\", he said. Mr McCabe said he was \"very concerned\" about the Russia case, and wanted to ensure that \"were I removed quickly and reassigned or fired, that the case could not be closed or vanish in the night without a trace\"." } ], "id": "108_3", "question": "What did McCabe say about the Russia inquiry?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6276, "answer_start": 5413, "text": "The justice department says Mr McCabe's account is \"inaccurate and factually incorrect\". It also denied Mr Rosenstein authorised any recording or considered invoking the Amendment. Meanwhile, the White House said: \"Andrew McCabe was fired in disgrace from the FBI for lying, and he opened a completely baseless investigation into the president - everyone knows he has no credibility.\" Mr McCabe, who took over the FBI in 2017, was himself fired as deputy director in March last year just two days before he was due to retire. He was sacked by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said an internal review found he leaked information and misled investigators. Mr McCabe denied the claims and said he was being targeted because of his involvement in the inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He has now written a book on his time in the post." } ], "id": "108_4", "question": "What has the response been?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The Republican-controlled Congress is expected to confirm the most sweeping overhaul of the US tax system in more than three decades. The House of Representatives approved the legislation comfortably on Tuesday, but the vote is likely to be closer in the Senate. The bill looks set to mark the party's first major legislative triumph under President Donald Trump. Critics say the package is a deficit-bloating giveaway to the super-rich. But Republicans argue the tax cuts for corporations, small businesses and individuals will bolster economic growth. Tuesday saw 12 Republicans and all Democratic members of the House oppose the bill, which passed by 227 votes to 203, to loud cheers and applause from Republicans in the chamber. Speaker Paul Ryan said: \"Today we are giving the people of this country their money back. This is their money after all!\" However, the House will have to vote again on Wednesday morning for procedural reasons, ahead of the planned signing into law of the bill by Mr Trump. The bill - described by the president as a \"Christmas gift\" for the country and by Democratic congresswoman Barbara Lee as \"a slap in the face to low- and middle-income families\" - permanently cuts the tax rate for corporations from 35% to 21%. It reduces the tax share paid by the wealthiest Americans, while awarding more modest reductions for most other income brackets. Other key elements include: - Lower individual tax rates, albeit temporarily - Less inheritance tax - An expanded child tax credit - Lower taxes on overseas profits The legislation would add as much as $1.4tn (PS1tn) to the $20tn national debt over 10 years, the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation says. US tax bill: Winners and losers Senators have now begun voting on the bill, as demonstrators in the gallery attempted to disrupt proceedings, shouting: \"Kill the bill!\" US Vice-President Mike Pence has postponed a Middle East trip in case he is needed to cast a tie-breaking vote to ensure the measure clears the Senate. In the upper chamber, which Republicans control by 52-48, the party can afford to lose support from no more than two votes. On Monday, two of the last Senate Republican holdouts, Susan Collins and Mike Lee, agreed to support the legislation. Senator Jeff Flake remained undecided late on Monday. Senator John McCain, who has brain cancer, is with his family in Arizona. Another Republican senator, Bob Corker, meanwhile, denied his change of heart in favour of the bill had been motivated by a tax deduction that could benefit his real estate investments. The Tennessean had long been opposed to the tax bill because of projections it would add to the federal deficit. But on Friday Mr Corker dropped his objections as a provision was added offering a 20% deduction on certain property income. On Monday, he denied switching sides because he could benefit personally from the legislation. Aside from the tax changes that will affect most Americans, Republicans have been eager to prove they can govern after their attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act collapsed during the summer. The tax bill continues the party's attempts to dismantle the 2010 law known as Obamacare by scrapping a fine it imposes on Americans who do not buy health insurance. With an eye on next year's mid-term elections, Democrats argue that the tax package will further expand the US income gap between rich and poor. Will Trump's plans trigger a tax war?", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2899, "answer_start": 1722, "text": "Senators have now begun voting on the bill, as demonstrators in the gallery attempted to disrupt proceedings, shouting: \"Kill the bill!\" US Vice-President Mike Pence has postponed a Middle East trip in case he is needed to cast a tie-breaking vote to ensure the measure clears the Senate. In the upper chamber, which Republicans control by 52-48, the party can afford to lose support from no more than two votes. On Monday, two of the last Senate Republican holdouts, Susan Collins and Mike Lee, agreed to support the legislation. Senator Jeff Flake remained undecided late on Monday. Senator John McCain, who has brain cancer, is with his family in Arizona. Another Republican senator, Bob Corker, meanwhile, denied his change of heart in favour of the bill had been motivated by a tax deduction that could benefit his real estate investments. The Tennessean had long been opposed to the tax bill because of projections it would add to the federal deficit. But on Friday Mr Corker dropped his objections as a provision was added offering a 20% deduction on certain property income. On Monday, he denied switching sides because he could benefit personally from the legislation." } ], "id": "109_0", "question": "What happens next?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3457, "answer_start": 2900, "text": "Aside from the tax changes that will affect most Americans, Republicans have been eager to prove they can govern after their attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act collapsed during the summer. The tax bill continues the party's attempts to dismantle the 2010 law known as Obamacare by scrapping a fine it imposes on Americans who do not buy health insurance. With an eye on next year's mid-term elections, Democrats argue that the tax package will further expand the US income gap between rich and poor. Will Trump's plans trigger a tax war?" } ], "id": "109_1", "question": "Why is this bill important?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Narendra Modi has been sworn in for a second term as India's prime minister after his party won a landslide majority in the recent election. Thousands were invited to the ceremony in Delhi, including regional leaders and Bollywood stars. But notable names were excluded, including Pakistan's PM Imran Khan, and some opposition leaders stayed away. The election was seen as a referendum on Mr Modi, 68, who is adored by many but also accused of stoking divisions. He ran a campaign dominated by his personal image and national security after tensions with Pakistan spiked in February in the disputed region of Kashmir. The ceremony is taking place at the presidential palace, a colonial-era building in the centre of the capital. A new cabinet has also been sworn in, and includes the chief of Mr Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Amit Shah is credited with steering the party to victory in the election, the results of which were announced last week. A BJP-led alliance won 354 seats in the 545-member lower house, known as the Lok Sabha. Mr Modi retained his seat of Varanasi by a margin of nearly half a million votes. He has become the first leader since 1971 to secure a single party majority in back-to-back elections. His government will be under pressure to deal with a slowdown in India's economy and provide more jobs. The new government suffered a blow on Wednesday when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said he was standing down for health reasons. By Zubair Ahmed, BBC World Service in Delhi The majestic presidential palace or Rashtrapati Bhawan, home to the Indian president, was the venue for the ceremony. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of Mr Modi, who earned a massive mandate in the recent elections. Many of the over 7,000 guests had arrived early. As Mr Modi was being sworn in for a second term, his supporters rose from their seats and applauded enthusiastically. Loud cheers were also reserved for Mr Modi's friend and BJP president Amit Shah, who was credited with securing this resounding victory for the party. Foreign leaders and key opposition and regional politicians were in attendance, as were industrialists, Bollywood stars and sporting legends. Karan Johar, Rajinikanth and Kangana Ranaut were among the film stars attending, as were leaders from several neighbouring countries - including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. Pakistani leaders were not invited. Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi - who led the main opposition that lost to Mr Modi and the BJP - attended alongside his mother, Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi. State leaders, some of whom who had run against the BJP in the elections, were also invited. Local media reported that an invitation had also been extended to Bill Gates. The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, a strong critic of Mr Modi, was one of the opposition leaders who turned down the invitation. She said she would not be attending after reading \"media reports\" quoting the BJP as saying 54 people had been murdered in \"political violence\" in her state. \"This is completely untrue,\" she said in a statement. During the election campaign, West Bengal witnessed poll violence as clashes broke out between BJP supporters and those of Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress party (TMC). Both parties accused each other of starting the clashes. Poll violence has been a regular feature of campaigning in West Bengal over the years. Ms Banerjee and Mr Modi regularly traded barbs on the election trail as the BJP courted voters in West Bengal. It is not surprising that Pakistani PM Imran Khan was not invited. Tensions between Pakistan and India dominated the election after more than 40 paramilitary troops were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir on 14 February. It was the deadliest attack against Indian forces in Kashmir in decades and brought the nuclear-armed powers to the brink of war.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2762, "answer_start": 2057, "text": "Foreign leaders and key opposition and regional politicians were in attendance, as were industrialists, Bollywood stars and sporting legends. Karan Johar, Rajinikanth and Kangana Ranaut were among the film stars attending, as were leaders from several neighbouring countries - including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. Pakistani leaders were not invited. Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi - who led the main opposition that lost to Mr Modi and the BJP - attended alongside his mother, Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi. State leaders, some of whom who had run against the BJP in the elections, were also invited. Local media reported that an invitation had also been extended to Bill Gates." } ], "id": "110_0", "question": "Who was on the guest list?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3898, "answer_start": 2763, "text": "The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, a strong critic of Mr Modi, was one of the opposition leaders who turned down the invitation. She said she would not be attending after reading \"media reports\" quoting the BJP as saying 54 people had been murdered in \"political violence\" in her state. \"This is completely untrue,\" she said in a statement. During the election campaign, West Bengal witnessed poll violence as clashes broke out between BJP supporters and those of Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress party (TMC). Both parties accused each other of starting the clashes. Poll violence has been a regular feature of campaigning in West Bengal over the years. Ms Banerjee and Mr Modi regularly traded barbs on the election trail as the BJP courted voters in West Bengal. It is not surprising that Pakistani PM Imran Khan was not invited. Tensions between Pakistan and India dominated the election after more than 40 paramilitary troops were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir on 14 February. It was the deadliest attack against Indian forces in Kashmir in decades and brought the nuclear-armed powers to the brink of war." } ], "id": "110_1", "question": "Was there any controversy over the event?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A Toronto landscaper accused of killing eight men who went missing between 2010-17 has pleaded guilty to their murders. Bruce McArthur, 67, was arrested last January and charged in the deaths of two men, and police subsequently charged him in six other cases. Most of his victims had links to Toronto's Gay Village neighbourhood. Many of the victims' remains were found in plant pots on one property in Toronto's Leaside neighbourhood. Each of the first-degree murder charges carry an automatic life sentence, meaning he will not be able to apply for release until the age of 91. His sentencing hearing will begin on 4 February, in which friends and relatives will be give impact statements, describing how the killings have affected their lives. The judge must also decide whether to sentence him to consecutive life sentences, or whether he can serve eight life sentences concurrently. In court on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Michael Cantlon described how McArthur had \"staged\" and photographed the victims, keeping mementos such as jewellery and a notebook. He described all of the crimes as \"sexual in nature\", adding that there is evidence he tied the victims up during the murders. While many of the remains were buried in planters at 53 Mallory Crescent in Toronto, where McArthur worked as a gardener, others were buried in a nearby ravine. McArthur had an agreement with the home's elderly residents to store his landscaping equipment there in exchange for free lawn care, according to the authorities. Police say they found a duffle bag with duct tape, a surgical glove, rope, zip ties, a black bungee cord and syringes in his bedroom when they searched his property, according to court documents. They say that some of the victims were killed during a sexual assault or while being \"unlawfully confined\". The arrest launched a massive investigation that spanned Canada's largest city, one of the largest such investigations in the history of Toronto police. Investigators searched dozens of properties linked to the self-employed landscaper and looked into cold cases dating back decades. By Robin Levinson-King in the Toronto court In a packed courtroom, Bruce McArthur's eight guilty pleas marked the beginning of the end of a saga that has haunted Toronto's LGBT community for years. Dressed in a black cable-knit sweater and a plaid shirt, McArthur spoke softly and matter-of-factly when addressing the court, which was filled with family and friends of his victims. As the plea deal was read, they were stoic, but outside of the courtroom, many embraced with signs of relief in their eyes. For years, rumours of a serial killer stalking Toronto's Gay Village has left the city's LGBT community afraid. McArthur's conviction, and his subsequent sentencing to life in prison, will bring closure for many. But nagging questions remain: how did he get away with it for so long? Why did he do it? So far, all of the eight victims except one had ties to the city's Gay Village. Many were immigrants from South Asia or the Middle East. Members of Toronto's LGBT community have criticised police, saying they did not take their concerns about the missing men seriously. The first two alleged victims were identified in January as Andrew Kinsman, 49, and Selim Esen, 44, who both went missing in 2017. Since then, police have named Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40, who disappeared on Labour Day weekend in 2010; Soroush Mahmudi, 50, reported missing in 2015; Dean Lisowick, 47, who is believed to have been killed in April 2016; Abdulbasir Faizi, 42, who disappeared in 2010; Majeed Kayhan, 58, who disappeared in 2012; and Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, 37, who police believe was killed in January 2016. Karen Fraser, one of the residents of the home where victims were recovered, told reporters outside the courthouse that the couple feels \"violated\" by the man they knew for more than a decade. \"What does remorse look like? I only saw a blank face,\" she said, calling him \"evil\" and a \"shuffling, broken man, as he should be\". She had previously met two of the victims, whom she did not name, at her property with McArthur. She said thinking about their last moments \"haunts her\". \"They're not just on a list or a photograph, they were people standing in front of me.\" Mrs Fraser said that in her mind, there were two Bruce McArthurs: \"Bruce A\" and \"Bruce B\". Lead Homicide Detective David Dickinson said investigators are glad for the guilty plea, which will spare victims and families a trial. An independent review has been ordered to look into how police handle missing persons cases. \"If mistakes were made we should learn from them,\" Detective Dickinson said. Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention Director Haran Vijayanathan, who has been speaking on behalf of many victims' families since McArthur's arrest, said they are grateful. \"We have closure now finally. We don't have to guess and wait and anticipate and come to court meetings and just walk away with no answers,\" he said. \"So this is really good for closure for everyone.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2097, "answer_start": 888, "text": "In court on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Michael Cantlon described how McArthur had \"staged\" and photographed the victims, keeping mementos such as jewellery and a notebook. He described all of the crimes as \"sexual in nature\", adding that there is evidence he tied the victims up during the murders. While many of the remains were buried in planters at 53 Mallory Crescent in Toronto, where McArthur worked as a gardener, others were buried in a nearby ravine. McArthur had an agreement with the home's elderly residents to store his landscaping equipment there in exchange for free lawn care, according to the authorities. Police say they found a duffle bag with duct tape, a surgical glove, rope, zip ties, a black bungee cord and syringes in his bedroom when they searched his property, according to court documents. They say that some of the victims were killed during a sexual assault or while being \"unlawfully confined\". The arrest launched a massive investigation that spanned Canada's largest city, one of the largest such investigations in the history of Toronto police. Investigators searched dozens of properties linked to the self-employed landscaper and looked into cold cases dating back decades." } ], "id": "111_0", "question": "What were his crimes?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2905, "answer_start": 2098, "text": "By Robin Levinson-King in the Toronto court In a packed courtroom, Bruce McArthur's eight guilty pleas marked the beginning of the end of a saga that has haunted Toronto's LGBT community for years. Dressed in a black cable-knit sweater and a plaid shirt, McArthur spoke softly and matter-of-factly when addressing the court, which was filled with family and friends of his victims. As the plea deal was read, they were stoic, but outside of the courtroom, many embraced with signs of relief in their eyes. For years, rumours of a serial killer stalking Toronto's Gay Village has left the city's LGBT community afraid. McArthur's conviction, and his subsequent sentencing to life in prison, will bring closure for many. But nagging questions remain: how did he get away with it for so long? Why did he do it?" } ], "id": "111_1", "question": "Why?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3701, "answer_start": 2906, "text": "So far, all of the eight victims except one had ties to the city's Gay Village. Many were immigrants from South Asia or the Middle East. Members of Toronto's LGBT community have criticised police, saying they did not take their concerns about the missing men seriously. The first two alleged victims were identified in January as Andrew Kinsman, 49, and Selim Esen, 44, who both went missing in 2017. Since then, police have named Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40, who disappeared on Labour Day weekend in 2010; Soroush Mahmudi, 50, reported missing in 2015; Dean Lisowick, 47, who is believed to have been killed in April 2016; Abdulbasir Faizi, 42, who disappeared in 2010; Majeed Kayhan, 58, who disappeared in 2012; and Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, 37, who police believe was killed in January 2016." } ], "id": "111_2", "question": "Who are the victims?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5044, "answer_start": 3702, "text": "Karen Fraser, one of the residents of the home where victims were recovered, told reporters outside the courthouse that the couple feels \"violated\" by the man they knew for more than a decade. \"What does remorse look like? I only saw a blank face,\" she said, calling him \"evil\" and a \"shuffling, broken man, as he should be\". She had previously met two of the victims, whom she did not name, at her property with McArthur. She said thinking about their last moments \"haunts her\". \"They're not just on a list or a photograph, they were people standing in front of me.\" Mrs Fraser said that in her mind, there were two Bruce McArthurs: \"Bruce A\" and \"Bruce B\". Lead Homicide Detective David Dickinson said investigators are glad for the guilty plea, which will spare victims and families a trial. An independent review has been ordered to look into how police handle missing persons cases. \"If mistakes were made we should learn from them,\" Detective Dickinson said. Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention Director Haran Vijayanathan, who has been speaking on behalf of many victims' families since McArthur's arrest, said they are grateful. \"We have closure now finally. We don't have to guess and wait and anticipate and come to court meetings and just walk away with no answers,\" he said. \"So this is really good for closure for everyone.\"" } ], "id": "111_3", "question": "What's the reaction?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "French and British fishermen have clashed in the English Channel in an escalating battle over scallops. About 40 French boats tried to stop five larger British boats from fishing 12 nautical miles (22km) off the Normandy coast, in the Bay of Seine. Fishing boats collided and stones were thrown, but no-one was injured. UK boats are entitled to fish in the scallop-rich area, but their presence has angered the French, who accuse the British of depleting shellfish stocks. Now UK fishermen are demanding government protection, while the French bewail the loss of a \"primary resource\". The French boats gathered overnight on Monday in protest against so-called British \"pillaging\". \"The French went to contact the British to stop them working and they clashed with each other,\" said Dimitri Rogoff, who heads the Normandy fishing committee. The British were unable to match the local flotilla for numbers and were ultimately chased away. Two British boats, Golden Promise and Joanna C, returned to Brixham harbour with damaged windows. The crews alleged they had been were surrounded and had rocks and metal shackles thrown at them. A video on French media showed a Scottish scallop dredger, the Honeybourne 3, colliding with French vessels. A French local government spokesperson, Ingrid Parrot, said: \"Things were thrown on both sides - from the English and from the French. Both parties were extremely tense.\" Tension has rumbled for 15 years, but in the past five years a deal has prevailed - larger British boats stayed out of the area in exchange for more fishing rights. British boats can gather scallops year-round, but French law restricts the scallop fishing season to between 1 October and 15 May. \"For the Brits, it's an open bar - they fish when they want, where they want, and as much as they want,\" Mr Rogoff complained. \"We don't want to stop them from fishing, but they could at least wait until 1 October so that we can share. \"Scallops are a flagship product for Normandy, a primary resource and a highly sensitive issue.\" Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, described the clashing incident as \"clear piracy\". Speaking about the Scottish boat, he told BBC Scotland: \"He's fully entitled to be there. UK vessels can enter that French zone, it's not illegal. \"The Peterhead vessel is going about its business. The French vessels are probably attacking it.\" Appeals for calm were issued by Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, which said some boats had been filmed manoeuvring dangerously. \"We have raised the matter with the British government and asked for protection for our vessels, which are fishing legitimately,\" its chief executive, Barrie Deas, said. \"The deeper issues behind the clashes should be settled by talking around the table, not on the high seas where people could be hurt.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1411, "answer_start": 585, "text": "The French boats gathered overnight on Monday in protest against so-called British \"pillaging\". \"The French went to contact the British to stop them working and they clashed with each other,\" said Dimitri Rogoff, who heads the Normandy fishing committee. The British were unable to match the local flotilla for numbers and were ultimately chased away. Two British boats, Golden Promise and Joanna C, returned to Brixham harbour with damaged windows. The crews alleged they had been were surrounded and had rocks and metal shackles thrown at them. A video on French media showed a Scottish scallop dredger, the Honeybourne 3, colliding with French vessels. A French local government spokesperson, Ingrid Parrot, said: \"Things were thrown on both sides - from the English and from the French. Both parties were extremely tense.\"" } ], "id": "112_0", "question": "What exactly happened?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2040, "answer_start": 1412, "text": "Tension has rumbled for 15 years, but in the past five years a deal has prevailed - larger British boats stayed out of the area in exchange for more fishing rights. British boats can gather scallops year-round, but French law restricts the scallop fishing season to between 1 October and 15 May. \"For the Brits, it's an open bar - they fish when they want, where they want, and as much as they want,\" Mr Rogoff complained. \"We don't want to stop them from fishing, but they could at least wait until 1 October so that we can share. \"Scallops are a flagship product for Normandy, a primary resource and a highly sensitive issue.\"" } ], "id": "112_1", "question": "Why has it all blown up now?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A photo of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confronting the President Donald Trump at a reportedly explosive White House meeting has become a symbol of the deep divisions in Washington. In the image, leading Democrat Ms Pelosi is standing up at a large table, surrounded by male congressional leaders and top military officials, pointing her finger towards the president, who is seated opposite her and appears stunned. Afterwards, Mr Trump took to his preferred social media platform, Twitter, to share the photo along with the caption: \"Nervous Nancy's unhinged meltdown\". Ms Pelosi - who has said it was Mr Trump that had the \"meltdown\" - hit back by proudly making the image her cover photo on both Twitter and Facebook. The original tweet by Mr Trump has now been shared more than 24,000 times on Twitter, with scores of people weighing in on what it says about the two top US politicians. It has spurred debates on everything from gender inequality in politics, to who would be the better president, but at its core are the disagreements over one of the most divisive political issues of the moment. The Wednesday meeting was held to discuss the situation in northern Syria, where Turkey launched an offensive last week against Kurdish-led forces after the US suddenly withdrew its troops. Just before the meeting, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to condemn the troop withdrawal. A Democratic source told the Associated Press news agency that the meeting began with Mr Trump bragging about a \"nasty\" letter he had sent to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ms Pelosi is then said to have mentioned the House vote and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer began to read the president a quote from former Defence Secretary James Mattis on the need to keep US troops in Syria to prevent a resurgence of the so-called Islamic State group, known as IS or Isis. According to US media, Mr Trump cut Mr Schumer off, complaining that Mr Mattis was \"the world's most overrated general\". As the meeting went on, the president is said to have told Ms Pelosi: \"I hate Isis more than you do.\" When asked by Mr Schumer if his plan was to rely on the Syrians and the Turks, the president said the plan was \"to keep the American people safe\". Ms Pelosi reportedly told him that this was a goal, not a plan. Mr Schumer has said the president then called Ms Pelosi a \"third-rate\" politician. (She later said it was \"third-grade\".) At that point, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer reportedly interjected, telling the president that such insults were \"not useful\". The Democratic leaders then left the meeting early. Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Ms Pelosi described it as \"most unsatisfactory\". \"Two-to-one, the Republicans voted to oppose what he was doing in Syria. He just couldn't handle it so he just kind of engaged in a meltdown,\" she said. Mr Schumer said the president had been \"insulting, particularly to the speaker\". It was later that Mr Trump took to Twitter with a series of photos from the meeting, including the one of Ms Pelosi standing and pointing. In a final photo, showing three empty seats following the walk-out, he labelled Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer the \"Do Nothing Democrats\". He then said Ms Pelosi \"needs help fast\". \"She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her, she is a very sick person,\" he wrote. As the photo went viral, some used the hashtag #BeNancy, urging people to take inspiration from the House speaker, while others siding with the president tweeted #PelosiMeltdown. Why is Turkey bombing the Kurds in Syria?", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2618, "answer_start": 1404, "text": "A Democratic source told the Associated Press news agency that the meeting began with Mr Trump bragging about a \"nasty\" letter he had sent to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ms Pelosi is then said to have mentioned the House vote and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer began to read the president a quote from former Defence Secretary James Mattis on the need to keep US troops in Syria to prevent a resurgence of the so-called Islamic State group, known as IS or Isis. According to US media, Mr Trump cut Mr Schumer off, complaining that Mr Mattis was \"the world's most overrated general\". As the meeting went on, the president is said to have told Ms Pelosi: \"I hate Isis more than you do.\" When asked by Mr Schumer if his plan was to rely on the Syrians and the Turks, the president said the plan was \"to keep the American people safe\". Ms Pelosi reportedly told him that this was a goal, not a plan. Mr Schumer has said the president then called Ms Pelosi a \"third-rate\" politician. (She later said it was \"third-grade\".) At that point, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer reportedly interjected, telling the president that such insults were \"not useful\". The Democratic leaders then left the meeting early." } ], "id": "113_0", "question": "What was said around that table?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3570, "answer_start": 2619, "text": "Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Ms Pelosi described it as \"most unsatisfactory\". \"Two-to-one, the Republicans voted to oppose what he was doing in Syria. He just couldn't handle it so he just kind of engaged in a meltdown,\" she said. Mr Schumer said the president had been \"insulting, particularly to the speaker\". It was later that Mr Trump took to Twitter with a series of photos from the meeting, including the one of Ms Pelosi standing and pointing. In a final photo, showing three empty seats following the walk-out, he labelled Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer the \"Do Nothing Democrats\". He then said Ms Pelosi \"needs help fast\". \"She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her, she is a very sick person,\" he wrote. As the photo went viral, some used the hashtag #BeNancy, urging people to take inspiration from the House speaker, while others siding with the president tweeted #PelosiMeltdown." } ], "id": "113_1", "question": "What happened afterwards?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "President Lenin Moreno has imposed a night curfew near government buildings after protesters clashed with security forces inside Ecuador's heavily guarded parliament. Demonstrators briefly burst through a police cordon before being driven back with tear gas, witnesses said. Mr Moreno declared a state of emergency last week but has failed to end protests led by indigenous groups. They are demanding an end to austerity and the return of fuel subsidies. Petrol prices have soared by more than 100% since last Thursday when the subsidies were removed. The unrest has forced President Lenin Moreno to move the government out of the capital. Indigenous-led protests have toppled three presidents in the past few decades. Amid the worst unrest in years, the embattled government has said it is open to mediation through the United Nations or the Roman Catholic Church. Witnesses said protesters, some of whom were carrying wooden shields, broke through a security cordon around the National Assembly building on Tuesday. Once inside they waved flags and chanted slogans before being forced back by security forces using tear gas. No staff were in the building at the time. Other government buildings in the capital were also attacked and damaged, local media reported. Across Ecuador, two people have died in the recent disturbances and dozens more have been injured. Later on Tuesday, Mr Moreno declared a curfew restricting movement near government buildings between 20:00 and 05:00 in a bid to quell the unrest. The president has refused to resign, reportedly telling broadcaster Teleamazonas \"under no circumstance\" would he quit. \"I don't see why I should if I'm making the right decisions,\" he reportedly said. President Moreno had earlier announced that he had temporarily moved government operations from the capital to the port city of Guayaquil. Mr Moreno's announcement last week of an end to subsidies that had been holding down fuel prices triggered a strike by transport unions. The unions later stopped their action, but protests have continued. Indigenous demonstrators have blocked roads and highways in the country and thousands have travelled to the capital Quito for bigger protests. Some of the road blockages have affected petrol deliveries, leading to fuel shortages in parts of the country. Officials said on Tuesday that the number of arrests had risen to 570. Mr Moreno has declared a two-month national emergency over the unrest. Mr Moreno said the subsidies, which cost the government $1.3bn (PS1bn) annually, were no longer affordable. The elimination of the subsidies, introduced in the 1970s, are part of his plan to shore up Ecuador's flagging economy and ease its debt burden. The government has agreed to cut public spending as part of a loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The agreement, signed in March, allows Ecuador to borrow $4.2bn (PS3.4bn).", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1852, "answer_start": 866, "text": "Witnesses said protesters, some of whom were carrying wooden shields, broke through a security cordon around the National Assembly building on Tuesday. Once inside they waved flags and chanted slogans before being forced back by security forces using tear gas. No staff were in the building at the time. Other government buildings in the capital were also attacked and damaged, local media reported. Across Ecuador, two people have died in the recent disturbances and dozens more have been injured. Later on Tuesday, Mr Moreno declared a curfew restricting movement near government buildings between 20:00 and 05:00 in a bid to quell the unrest. The president has refused to resign, reportedly telling broadcaster Teleamazonas \"under no circumstance\" would he quit. \"I don't see why I should if I'm making the right decisions,\" he reportedly said. President Moreno had earlier announced that he had temporarily moved government operations from the capital to the port city of Guayaquil." } ], "id": "114_0", "question": "What's the latest?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2453, "answer_start": 1853, "text": "Mr Moreno's announcement last week of an end to subsidies that had been holding down fuel prices triggered a strike by transport unions. The unions later stopped their action, but protests have continued. Indigenous demonstrators have blocked roads and highways in the country and thousands have travelled to the capital Quito for bigger protests. Some of the road blockages have affected petrol deliveries, leading to fuel shortages in parts of the country. Officials said on Tuesday that the number of arrests had risen to 570. Mr Moreno has declared a two-month national emergency over the unrest." } ], "id": "114_1", "question": "What has led to the trouble?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2897, "answer_start": 2454, "text": "Mr Moreno said the subsidies, which cost the government $1.3bn (PS1bn) annually, were no longer affordable. The elimination of the subsidies, introduced in the 1970s, are part of his plan to shore up Ecuador's flagging economy and ease its debt burden. The government has agreed to cut public spending as part of a loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The agreement, signed in March, allows Ecuador to borrow $4.2bn (PS3.4bn)." } ], "id": "114_2", "question": "Why were fuel subsidies scrapped?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "US senators have passed a sweeping tax cuts bill, paving the way for Donald Trump's first big legislative victory. The package would mark the biggest tax overhaul since the 1980s. It was passed by 51 votes to 49, after a series of amendments in a marathon session. Democrats complained it only benefited the wealthy and big business. The plan sees a sharp cut in corporation tax, but a Senate committee finding has warned it would add $1tn (PS742bn) to the budget deficit. President Trump wants the measures enacted by the end of the year and he congratulated Republicans for taking the US \"one step closer to delivering massive tax cuts for working families\". The Senate will now have to merge its legislation with that passed last month by the House of Representatives, before it can be signed into law by the president. On Saturday, a triumphant Mr Trump told supporters at a New York fundraiser: \"So last night we passed in the history of the country, the largest tax cuts and reform... what we're doing is, if you look at it, we're going to grow the country, we're going to grow jobs. We're going to be growing everything.\" The move is as a major victory for Mr Trump, who since taking office has struggled to get major legislative movement in Congress - including fulfilling his vow to repeal and replace Obamacare. His presidency has also been dogged by an independent investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 US election and possible collusion with his campaign team. On Friday, ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn became the Trump administration's most senior member to be charged in the investigation. Analysis: Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington The US Senate, a seemingly insurmountable roadblock for the Republican agenda for much of this year, has at last given its assent to a major piece of legislation. Perhaps unsurprisingly it was sweeping tax cuts - always beloved by conservatives - that finally brought the party together and gave President Donald Trump the opportunity to claim a landmark legislative achievement. It wasn't always pretty. Senate negotiators were handwriting amendments to the massive bill practically up until the final votes were taken. Deals within deals were cut to satisfy recalcitrant legislators. Democrats howled at the permanent cuts provided to corporations, while middle-class taxpayer benefits had sunset clauses. In the end, however, a combination of hope and fear were enough to drag a slim majority into the yes column. The hope is that a booming economy will give Republicans a chance to run on their tax policy when they stand before voters next November. The fear was that yet another failure would have led to a revolt among the party's big donors and traditional business constituencies. The House and Senate must now smooth out differences in their bills and vote on the compromise. It's not the end of the race, but the finish line is in sight. Presiding over the Senate, Vice-President Mike Pence declared the 51-49 victory to applause from Republicans in the early hours of Saturday morning. The final draft of the bill went through several changes in order to bring reluctant Republicans on board. Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the Senate. Random tax provisions you may have missed Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the corporate tax rate would be permanently lowered from 35% to 20%, while future foreign profits of US-based firms would be mainly exempt from tax. The measures were passed despite the non-partisan Senate Joint Committee on Taxation warning on Thursday that the bill would add significantly to the federal deficit over a decade. The committee's findings contradicted a White House claim that economic growth would compensate for the tax cuts. Most Americans across all income levels would see modest tax breaks until 2026 and the committee said after that families earning under $75,000 a year would likely face higher taxes. Some opponents highlighted a measure that would end a requirement introduced under Obamacare for most taxpayers to buy health insurance or face a fine. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, scrapping the mandate would push up insurance premiums and lead to 13 million people losing cover by 2027. There were some last minute changes, including a $10,000 property tax deduction as requested by Senator Susan Collins, one of the Republicans who had been reluctant to back the bill. After the vote, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his opponents would pay the price at the ballot box in mid-term elections next year. \"My Republican friends will ultimately pay consequences for this bill in 2018 and beyond. The Republican party will never again be the party of tax cuts for middle-class people,\" he warned. He said the measures would endanger social security and medical provision. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders was among the most vocal critics, declaring during the debate that the American treasury was \"being looted\". But Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who succeeded in bringing dissenting party members into line, said the legislation would prove to be \"just what the country needs to get growing again\". He brushed aside complaints that it was pushed through without proper scrutiny, saying: \"Everybody had plenty of opportunity to see the measure. You complain about process when you're losing and that's what you heard on the floor tonight.\" Republican Senator Bill Cassidy also praised the bill, saying \"working families and middle-income families across the nation will be better off\". Democrats were angry about the last-minute revisions, complaining that they had not been given enough time to digest the nearly 500-page document, with handwritten changes to the legislation. The only Republican senator who refused to back the legislation was Bob Corker. \"I am not able to cast aside my fiscal concerns and vote for legislation that... could deepen the debt burden on future generations,\" he said.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2932, "answer_start": 1636, "text": "Analysis: Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington The US Senate, a seemingly insurmountable roadblock for the Republican agenda for much of this year, has at last given its assent to a major piece of legislation. Perhaps unsurprisingly it was sweeping tax cuts - always beloved by conservatives - that finally brought the party together and gave President Donald Trump the opportunity to claim a landmark legislative achievement. It wasn't always pretty. Senate negotiators were handwriting amendments to the massive bill practically up until the final votes were taken. Deals within deals were cut to satisfy recalcitrant legislators. Democrats howled at the permanent cuts provided to corporations, while middle-class taxpayer benefits had sunset clauses. In the end, however, a combination of hope and fear were enough to drag a slim majority into the yes column. The hope is that a booming economy will give Republicans a chance to run on their tax policy when they stand before voters next November. The fear was that yet another failure would have led to a revolt among the party's big donors and traditional business constituencies. The House and Senate must now smooth out differences in their bills and vote on the compromise. It's not the end of the race, but the finish line is in sight." } ], "id": "115_0", "question": "How did we get here?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4440, "answer_start": 2933, "text": "Presiding over the Senate, Vice-President Mike Pence declared the 51-49 victory to applause from Republicans in the early hours of Saturday morning. The final draft of the bill went through several changes in order to bring reluctant Republicans on board. Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the Senate. Random tax provisions you may have missed Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the corporate tax rate would be permanently lowered from 35% to 20%, while future foreign profits of US-based firms would be mainly exempt from tax. The measures were passed despite the non-partisan Senate Joint Committee on Taxation warning on Thursday that the bill would add significantly to the federal deficit over a decade. The committee's findings contradicted a White House claim that economic growth would compensate for the tax cuts. Most Americans across all income levels would see modest tax breaks until 2026 and the committee said after that families earning under $75,000 a year would likely face higher taxes. Some opponents highlighted a measure that would end a requirement introduced under Obamacare for most taxpayers to buy health insurance or face a fine. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, scrapping the mandate would push up insurance premiums and lead to 13 million people losing cover by 2027. There were some last minute changes, including a $10,000 property tax deduction as requested by Senator Susan Collins, one of the Republicans who had been reluctant to back the bill." } ], "id": "115_1", "question": "What's in the new tax bill?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6003, "answer_start": 4441, "text": "After the vote, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his opponents would pay the price at the ballot box in mid-term elections next year. \"My Republican friends will ultimately pay consequences for this bill in 2018 and beyond. The Republican party will never again be the party of tax cuts for middle-class people,\" he warned. He said the measures would endanger social security and medical provision. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders was among the most vocal critics, declaring during the debate that the American treasury was \"being looted\". But Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who succeeded in bringing dissenting party members into line, said the legislation would prove to be \"just what the country needs to get growing again\". He brushed aside complaints that it was pushed through without proper scrutiny, saying: \"Everybody had plenty of opportunity to see the measure. You complain about process when you're losing and that's what you heard on the floor tonight.\" Republican Senator Bill Cassidy also praised the bill, saying \"working families and middle-income families across the nation will be better off\". Democrats were angry about the last-minute revisions, complaining that they had not been given enough time to digest the nearly 500-page document, with handwritten changes to the legislation. The only Republican senator who refused to back the legislation was Bob Corker. \"I am not able to cast aside my fiscal concerns and vote for legislation that... could deepen the debt burden on future generations,\" he said." } ], "id": "115_2", "question": "How did senators react?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders supporting two controversial oil pipelines, Keystone XL and Dakota Access. Keystone XL has been at the centre of the controversy. A planned 1,179-mile (1,897km) pipeline running from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would join an existing pipe. It could carry 830,000 barrels of oil each day. It would mirror an operational pipe, also called Keystone, but would take a more direct route, boosting the flow of oil from Canada. A section running south from Cushing in Oklahoma to the Gulf opened in January 2014. At the coast there are additional refineries and ports from which the oil can be exported. The pipeline would be privately financed, with the cost of construction shared between TransCanada, an energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, and other oil shippers. US-produced oil would also be transported by Keystone XL, albeit in smaller quantities than Canadian. Canada already sends 550,000 barrels of oil per day to the US via the existing Keystone Pipeline. The oil fields in Alberta are landlocked and as they are further developed require means of access to international markets. Many of North America's oil refineries are based in the Gulf Coast, and industry groups on both sides of the border want to benefit. An increased supply of oil from Canada would mean a decreased dependency on Middle Eastern supplies. According to market principles, increased availability of oil means lower prices for consumers. Mr Trump said the project would create 28,000 construction jobs. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will work with the new US leader regarding the pipeline, and that he was \"confident that the right decisions\" would be taken. The Canadian National Energy Board approved the pipeline in March 2010 but Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, did not issue the presidential permit required in the US. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advised him not to approve the pipeline. Mr Obama said the project would not: - lower petrol prices - create long-term jobs - affect energy dependence Donald Trump issued the permits within days of taking office, stipulating only that American steel be used in the work. \"We build it in the United States, we build the pipelines, we want to build the pipe,\" he said. \"It's going to put a lot of workers, a lot of steelworkers back to work.\" Even back in 2011, the US state department appeared confused about the issue. After first saying XL would not have significant adverse effects on the environment, it advised TransCanada to explore alternative routes in Nebraska because the Sandhills region was a fragile ecosystem. Beyond the risks of spillage, the pipeline means a commitment to develop Alberta's oil sands. Despite the recent push to find renewable sources of energy and move away from fossil fuels, the amount of oil produced in northern Alberta is projected to double by 2030. It's argued by some that by developing the oil sands, fossil fuels will be readily available and the trend toward warming of the atmosphere won't be curbed. The fate of the pipeline is therefore held up as symbolic of America's energy future. In the here and now, more energy is required to extract oil from the Alberta oil sands than in traditional drilling, and Environment Canada says it has found industry chemicals seeping into ground water and the Athabasca River. This risk to local communities is one of the reasons many have opposed the project. First Nations groups in Northern Alberta have even gone so far as to sue the provincial and federal government for damages from 15 years of oil sands development they were not consulted on, including treaty-guaranteed rights to hunt, trap and fish on traditional lands.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 962, "answer_start": 184, "text": "A planned 1,179-mile (1,897km) pipeline running from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would join an existing pipe. It could carry 830,000 barrels of oil each day. It would mirror an operational pipe, also called Keystone, but would take a more direct route, boosting the flow of oil from Canada. A section running south from Cushing in Oklahoma to the Gulf opened in January 2014. At the coast there are additional refineries and ports from which the oil can be exported. The pipeline would be privately financed, with the cost of construction shared between TransCanada, an energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, and other oil shippers. US-produced oil would also be transported by Keystone XL, albeit in smaller quantities than Canadian." } ], "id": "116_0", "question": "What is Keystone XL?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1757, "answer_start": 963, "text": "Canada already sends 550,000 barrels of oil per day to the US via the existing Keystone Pipeline. The oil fields in Alberta are landlocked and as they are further developed require means of access to international markets. Many of North America's oil refineries are based in the Gulf Coast, and industry groups on both sides of the border want to benefit. An increased supply of oil from Canada would mean a decreased dependency on Middle Eastern supplies. According to market principles, increased availability of oil means lower prices for consumers. Mr Trump said the project would create 28,000 construction jobs. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will work with the new US leader regarding the pipeline, and that he was \"confident that the right decisions\" would be taken." } ], "id": "116_1", "question": "Why do the US and Canada want XL?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3784, "answer_start": 2412, "text": "Even back in 2011, the US state department appeared confused about the issue. After first saying XL would not have significant adverse effects on the environment, it advised TransCanada to explore alternative routes in Nebraska because the Sandhills region was a fragile ecosystem. Beyond the risks of spillage, the pipeline means a commitment to develop Alberta's oil sands. Despite the recent push to find renewable sources of energy and move away from fossil fuels, the amount of oil produced in northern Alberta is projected to double by 2030. It's argued by some that by developing the oil sands, fossil fuels will be readily available and the trend toward warming of the atmosphere won't be curbed. The fate of the pipeline is therefore held up as symbolic of America's energy future. In the here and now, more energy is required to extract oil from the Alberta oil sands than in traditional drilling, and Environment Canada says it has found industry chemicals seeping into ground water and the Athabasca River. This risk to local communities is one of the reasons many have opposed the project. First Nations groups in Northern Alberta have even gone so far as to sue the provincial and federal government for damages from 15 years of oil sands development they were not consulted on, including treaty-guaranteed rights to hunt, trap and fish on traditional lands." } ], "id": "116_2", "question": "Why so much opposition?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "More than 200 Australians have been flown back home after 14 days in quarantine on remote Christmas Island amid coronavirus fears. They were evacuated from China's Hubei province - the epicentre of the deadly outbreak - on 3 February. With no cases reported during the minimum required time, they were taken to six cities across Australia. Many of the returnees, including children, expressed relief, saying they were happy to be finally home. More than 70,600 people across China have been infected by the virus, with 1,771 deaths. Most new cases and deaths in the past 24 hours have been reported in Wuhan, Hubei's largest city. More than two dozen countries around the world have confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Australia is among them with 15 cases. Outside mainland China, five deaths have been reported - in France, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan. The virus, which causes acute respiratory disease, has been named Covid-19. The Australian citizens and permanent residents, including dozens of children, arrived back home on Monday evening. \"I'm really glad we will be able to go home now. I feel really lucky,\" Catherine Chen, who landed in Perth, was quoted as saying by Australian broadcaster ABC. Ms Chen, who runs a childcare centre in Western Australia, had been separated from her husband for a month after travelling with her two children to Hubei. Meanwhile, Mel Pleno arrived back in Sydney with his wife and three children. \"We're very grateful for the Australian government and their response to the situation, and chartering a plane for my family to come back,\" Mr Pleno said, quoted by Australia's 7 News. None of the returnees will be required to take any further tests. The remote island is an Australian external territory, about 2,700km (1,680 miles) from the mainland, and is best known for its immigration detention centre. Since 2003, thousands of asylum seekers have been detained there under Australia's hardline refugee policy. Evacuees had previously expressed concern about the plan, and some have chosen to stay in Wuhan. The Christmas Island facility was closed in 2018 but re-opened the following year. Critics had earlier questioned the state of medical facilities on the island, and the holding of citizens in an immigration detention centre.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2300, "answer_start": 1713, "text": "The remote island is an Australian external territory, about 2,700km (1,680 miles) from the mainland, and is best known for its immigration detention centre. Since 2003, thousands of asylum seekers have been detained there under Australia's hardline refugee policy. Evacuees had previously expressed concern about the plan, and some have chosen to stay in Wuhan. The Christmas Island facility was closed in 2018 but re-opened the following year. Critics had earlier questioned the state of medical facilities on the island, and the holding of citizens in an immigration detention centre." } ], "id": "117_0", "question": "What is Christmas Island?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The parents of a Spanish banker who was killed confronting terrorists during the London Bridge attack have accepted a civilian medal on his behalf. Wielding only his skateboard, Ignacio Echeverria, 39, tried to fight off one of the terrorists who killed eight people on 3 June last year. His parents were presented with the George Medal during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Two police officers also received the same award for their actions. At the ceremony his father Joaquin Echeverria Alonso said it was a \"special moment but very emotional\" for him and his wife Miralles De Imperial Hornedo. He said the award helped \"recognise the courage of my son\". \"Since Ignacio's death we have lived a year of intense emotions,\" he said. \"There has been pain and love and I have reflected on the meaning of duty and commitment. \"I have been compelled to think about what really matters and what is worth taking risks and fighting for; life, freedom, dignity, for oneself and for others.\" Mr Echeverria Alonso said his son was \"committed to helping others\" and his bravery on the day was not just a spur of the moment decision. He told the BBC that Ignacio had said he would have intervened if he had been passing the Westminster Bridge attack which happened three months earlier. \"Ignacio told us that if he had have been skateboarding past on that occasion then the police officer would have survived, because he would have tried to help. \"Later, during the attack at London Bridge, he demonstrated this through his actions.\" Three men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before launching a knife attack in Borough Market last year. They killed eight people. Mr Alonso said: \"When terrorists attack someone they attack our entire way of life. \"They manipulate words and minds and try and convince us that they have acted in the name of a cause. \"So when Ignacio is recognised with an award, it represents the opposite of all of that.\" He said he was grateful to be receiving the George Medal on his son's behalf because it showed the UK considered his actions to be \"important\". PC Charles Guenigault and PC Wayne Marques were also given the bravery award. PC Leon McLeod was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for running at the terrorists and then providing aid to victims following the attack. The award was created in September 1940 under the reign of King George VI, initially to reward acts of civilian courage and bravery during the Blitz. Since then it has been awarded more than 2,000 times, and some military personnel have received it for \"gallant conduct that is not in the face of the enemy\". Posthumous recipients of the medal include PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed outside the Houses of Parliament in March 2017 during the Westminster terror attack.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2794, "answer_start": 2317, "text": "The award was created in September 1940 under the reign of King George VI, initially to reward acts of civilian courage and bravery during the Blitz. Since then it has been awarded more than 2,000 times, and some military personnel have received it for \"gallant conduct that is not in the face of the enemy\". Posthumous recipients of the medal include PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed outside the Houses of Parliament in March 2017 during the Westminster terror attack." } ], "id": "118_0", "question": "What is the George Medal?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "\"If they knew I was talking to you, I'd be killed,\" says Mohamed. Young and a fluent English speaker, he comes from the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of so-called Islamic State. The threat posed by the group is one of the main factors pushing the mass migration of people to Europe. And as we sit beside the stadium in Edirne where 2,000 have gathered, trying to cross Turkey's land border with Greece, he gives me an insight into the heart of the \"caliphate\". \"At first when they arrived, it seemed fine because [Syrian President] Assad's forces were driven out,\" Mohamed says. \"But then they tightened their control. They imposed their rules: anybody who defied them, anyone who was suspected of talking to journalists or TV channels was immediately taken off to be killed. \"They have a big intelligence network - foreigners working for them, who inform them about everything. I've seen Germans, Chechens, Turks, Saudis and Tunisians. They're the ones who catch you.\" What changes has he seen during the IS takeover, I ask? \"Until a few months ago we had internet at home. Now we have to go to internet cafes to go online - and they come and check which sites we've visited. \"We only have two hours of electricity per day. There's talk that they'll remove satellite dishes from houses so we can only watch TV they control. \"And food prices are going up. We're banned from smoking - I was caught twice with a cigarette, put in prison for a day and given 20 lashes. \"Men are not allowed to be clean-shaven - anyone who is, will be put in prison.\" The IS black flag now flies across Raqqa and every official building has \"Islamic State\" painted on the walls, Mohamed tells me. How are the militants recognised? \"They carry guns - all the time.\" - Beheadings, crucifixions and mass shootings - What is Islamic State? - Exclusive footage - inside IS stronghold - 'Taking their future into their own hands' - The BBC's Lyse Doucet on why migrant crisis is erupting now \"When you look at the faces of our citizens, they have fear in their eyes,\" he tells me. \"Everyone is afraid that one wrong word will put them in prison or worse. We all love Islam - but this is not Islam. \"Now even people say they want Assad to come back. Both are evil - but this is worse.\" Mohamed is desperate to cross safely into Europe, unable to pay the $2,000 (PS1,300) demanded by smugglers for the boat trip to the Greek islands and unwilling to risk his life. But as the EU progresses with plans to redistribute 120,000 asylum seekers, the reality is that he will not be among them. The number only includes those already in the bloc, in Italy or Germany - not those knocking at Europe's door here in Turkey. They will be encouraged to stay. But Mohamed refuses. \"Here I cannot make a decent life for myself. I earn so little money, they don't want me here,\" he says. \"If I cannot get to Europe, I will go back to Raqqa. \"There, I will live like I have a clamp to my throat - but at least I'll have my family.\" It is that natural human inclination - the need for safety - that is driving this mass migration. And as Islamic State broadens its control and continues its rampage, those like Mohamed subjected to it will pursue the path to the refuge they crave.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3248, "answer_start": 2271, "text": "Mohamed is desperate to cross safely into Europe, unable to pay the $2,000 (PS1,300) demanded by smugglers for the boat trip to the Greek islands and unwilling to risk his life. But as the EU progresses with plans to redistribute 120,000 asylum seekers, the reality is that he will not be among them. The number only includes those already in the bloc, in Italy or Germany - not those knocking at Europe's door here in Turkey. They will be encouraged to stay. But Mohamed refuses. \"Here I cannot make a decent life for myself. I earn so little money, they don't want me here,\" he says. \"If I cannot get to Europe, I will go back to Raqqa. \"There, I will live like I have a clamp to my throat - but at least I'll have my family.\" It is that natural human inclination - the need for safety - that is driving this mass migration. And as Islamic State broadens its control and continues its rampage, those like Mohamed subjected to it will pursue the path to the refuge they crave." } ], "id": "119_0", "question": "Back to Raqqa?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Bombardier puts its new CSeries planes on display in Paris in the hope of securing new orders. The aircraft are making their debut at the Paris Air Show. Northern Ireland economy minister Jonathan Bell has travelled to the French capital, along with representatives of local aerospace companies, aiming to land business at the trade show. But what is the CSeries and what is at stake for Bombardier's Belfast operation? Bombardier has long made business jets, but this is its first move into larger passenger planes and a market dominated by the big two: Boeing and Airbus. There are two versions. The CS100 and the CS300 with seat capacity of between 100-160. The smaller CS100 costs $63m (PS40.4m) and the CS300 has a $72m (PS46m) list price. Is it made in Belfast? Only the wings are - at a specially constructed factory at Queen's Island. Costing PS520m, it represents the biggest inward investment project ever in Northern Ireland. Bombardier has said that when CSeries goes into full production, it will support 800 jobs in Belfast. Currently, the Canadian company employs 5,700 staff locally. It is the world's largest trade show. It happens bi-annually, attracting buyers from the major airlines. Bombardier badly needs to generate interest. It currently has 243 firm orders, short of the 300 target it set for when the plane goes into service early next year. Only one buyer ranks among the world's top 20 airlines by passenger traffic. It has been nine months since the last order, causing concern among shareholders. The big selling point of the CSeries is its fuel economy due to its innovative carbon-fibre wings which make it significantly lighter. But analysts say it is no coincidence that there have been no orders since the price of oil tumbled. But there are other issues. The aircraft has been delayed by three years and is $2bn (PS1.2bn) over budget. It is due to obtain certification later this year. Meanwhile, one of Bombardier's competitors, Airbus, has been discounting the price of a similar-sized aircraft, the A320. CSeries has made it a very challenging year for Bombardier. There has been an overhaul in its top management team and even speculation that the commercial aircraft division may be put up for sale. CSeries is bleeding money with knock-on consequences. Production of smaller Bombardier jets has been cut back or even suspended, causing jobs to be lost. Around 800 jobs in Belfast have gone within the past year, mostly among its contractor labour force.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1099, "answer_start": 420, "text": "Bombardier has long made business jets, but this is its first move into larger passenger planes and a market dominated by the big two: Boeing and Airbus. There are two versions. The CS100 and the CS300 with seat capacity of between 100-160. The smaller CS100 costs $63m (PS40.4m) and the CS300 has a $72m (PS46m) list price. Is it made in Belfast? Only the wings are - at a specially constructed factory at Queen's Island. Costing PS520m, it represents the biggest inward investment project ever in Northern Ireland. Bombardier has said that when CSeries goes into full production, it will support 800 jobs in Belfast. Currently, the Canadian company employs 5,700 staff locally." } ], "id": "120_0", "question": "What is CSeries?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1527, "answer_start": 1100, "text": "It is the world's largest trade show. It happens bi-annually, attracting buyers from the major airlines. Bombardier badly needs to generate interest. It currently has 243 firm orders, short of the 300 target it set for when the plane goes into service early next year. Only one buyer ranks among the world's top 20 airlines by passenger traffic. It has been nine months since the last order, causing concern among shareholders." } ], "id": "120_1", "question": "Why is the Paris Air Show important?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2044, "answer_start": 1528, "text": "The big selling point of the CSeries is its fuel economy due to its innovative carbon-fibre wings which make it significantly lighter. But analysts say it is no coincidence that there have been no orders since the price of oil tumbled. But there are other issues. The aircraft has been delayed by three years and is $2bn (PS1.2bn) over budget. It is due to obtain certification later this year. Meanwhile, one of Bombardier's competitors, Airbus, has been discounting the price of a similar-sized aircraft, the A320." } ], "id": "120_2", "question": "Why is that?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2496, "answer_start": 2045, "text": "CSeries has made it a very challenging year for Bombardier. There has been an overhaul in its top management team and even speculation that the commercial aircraft division may be put up for sale. CSeries is bleeding money with knock-on consequences. Production of smaller Bombardier jets has been cut back or even suspended, causing jobs to be lost. Around 800 jobs in Belfast have gone within the past year, mostly among its contractor labour force." } ], "id": "120_3", "question": "What is at stake?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Fox's proposed acquisition of Sky is not in the public interest, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally found. The CMA cited \"media plurality concerns\" as a key reason for its decision. The competition regulator is concerned that if the deal went through, the Murdoch Family Trust (MFT)'s control across all media platforms in the UK would give it too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda. Communications watchdog Ofcom raised similar concerns in June 2017. Sky and Fox first agreed the deal in December 2016 and the European Commission said in April that it was happy for the takeover to proceed. However, the then Culture Secretary, Karen Bradley, referred the bid to the CMA, and they revealed their provisional findings on Tuesday. There are concerns about Rupert Murdoch controlling 21st Century Fox and Sky, while also owning the Times, the Sunday Times and the Sun newspapers. Opponents say this will give him too much power in the UK media. Fox has also been hit by sexual harassment scandals at its flagship Fox News channel in the US. Some of the victims have given evidence to regulator Ofcom. However, the CMA says in its provisional ruling that, on the issue of broadcasting standards, these issues at Fox News did not call into question the company's commitment to upholding standards in Britain. In December, Walt Disney agreed to snap up the bulk of 21st Century Fox's business for $52.4bn (PS39bn), including Fox's film and television studios and its 39% stake in Sky. Should the acquisition be completed successfully, Disney is likely to assume full ownership of Sky, including Sky News, which would lessen the Murdoch family's influence over British media providers. The deal would expand Disney's offerings, adding the FX and National Geographic cable channels, as well as Fox's regional sports network in the US. Disney already owns a vast array of news, film and leisure companies in the US, including the likes of ABC News and Radio, Vice, ESPN, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar. Although it doesn't yet have big interests in the UK, the deal would extend the company's global reach, adding media company Star India and Fox's interests in Sky plc and Tata Sky to its portfolio. When the Fox bid for Sky was announced in December 2016, Rupert Murdoch was willing to spend PS11.7bn on the deal for Fox to acquire the shares in Sky it did not already own. If the Sky-Fox deal goes ahead, 21st Century Fox would gain access to Sky's 22 million customers in Europe. As well as the UK and Ireland, Sky owns similar satellite pay-TV operations in Germany and Italy. It would also have full control over how it is run, rather than having to listen to independent shareholders. However, if the Disney-Fox deal does finally go through, which would almost certainly be after the Sky-Fox deal, the whole of Sky would be likely to transfer to Disney's ownership. Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation tried to buy BSkyB in 2011, but the deal fell apart after revelations about the hacking of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone by the Murdoch-owned News of the World. Then, as now, there was opposition from Labour and the Liberal Democrats as well as other media groups. After this, Mr Murdoch split the broadcasting and film empire - Fox - away from his newspaper interests - News Corp. The CMA's ruling is only provisional, so this tale still has a long time to run. The process now moves to a three-week public consultation where the CMA will receive responses to its provisional ruling. After that, it will incorporate the responses into a final report, which will be sent to new Culture Secretary Matt Hancock by 1 May. He then has 30 working days to make the final decision as to whether or not the deal will go ahead.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1356, "answer_start": 782, "text": "There are concerns about Rupert Murdoch controlling 21st Century Fox and Sky, while also owning the Times, the Sunday Times and the Sun newspapers. Opponents say this will give him too much power in the UK media. Fox has also been hit by sexual harassment scandals at its flagship Fox News channel in the US. Some of the victims have given evidence to regulator Ofcom. However, the CMA says in its provisional ruling that, on the issue of broadcasting standards, these issues at Fox News did not call into question the company's commitment to upholding standards in Britain." } ], "id": "121_0", "question": "Why is the deal controversial?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2913, "answer_start": 2242, "text": "When the Fox bid for Sky was announced in December 2016, Rupert Murdoch was willing to spend PS11.7bn on the deal for Fox to acquire the shares in Sky it did not already own. If the Sky-Fox deal goes ahead, 21st Century Fox would gain access to Sky's 22 million customers in Europe. As well as the UK and Ireland, Sky owns similar satellite pay-TV operations in Germany and Italy. It would also have full control over how it is run, rather than having to listen to independent shareholders. However, if the Disney-Fox deal does finally go through, which would almost certainly be after the Sky-Fox deal, the whole of Sky would be likely to transfer to Disney's ownership." } ], "id": "121_1", "question": "Why was Mr Murdoch keen on the takeover?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3340, "answer_start": 2914, "text": "Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation tried to buy BSkyB in 2011, but the deal fell apart after revelations about the hacking of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone by the Murdoch-owned News of the World. Then, as now, there was opposition from Labour and the Liberal Democrats as well as other media groups. After this, Mr Murdoch split the broadcasting and film empire - Fox - away from his newspaper interests - News Corp." } ], "id": "121_2", "question": "Did Murdoch try to buy Sky once before?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3777, "answer_start": 3341, "text": "The CMA's ruling is only provisional, so this tale still has a long time to run. The process now moves to a three-week public consultation where the CMA will receive responses to its provisional ruling. After that, it will incorporate the responses into a final report, which will be sent to new Culture Secretary Matt Hancock by 1 May. He then has 30 working days to make the final decision as to whether or not the deal will go ahead." } ], "id": "121_3", "question": "What happens now?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, to the joy of activists. The Gulf kingdom is the only country in the world that bans women from driving. Until now, only men were allowed licences and women who drove in public risked being arrested and fined. Praise for the move has been pouring in from inside Saudi Arabia, as well as around the world. US President Donald Trump said it was a \"positive step\" towards promoting women's rights. Campaigner Sahar Nassif told the BBC from Jeddah that she was \"very, very excited - jumping up and down and laughing\". \"I'm going to buy my dream car, a convertible Mustang, and it's going to be black and yellow!\" - A ministerial body will be set up to give advice within 30 days - The royal order will be implemented by 24 June 2018 The country's US ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, confirmed that women would not have to get male permission to take driving lessons, and would be able to drive anywhere they liked. He said it was \"an historic and big day\" and \"the right decision at the right time\". Rights groups in the kingdom have campaigned for years to allow women to drive, and some women have been imprisoned for defying the rule. Because of the law, many families have had to employ private drivers to help transport female relatives. Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who was detained for 73 days in 2014 for flouting the ban, tweeted \"thank God\" following the announcement. The move was welcomed by the US state department, which called it \"a great step in the right direction\". UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres echoed that sentiment. Manal al-Sharif, an organiser of the Women2Drive campaign who has also been imprisoned for driving, said on Twitter that Saudi Arabia would \"never be the same again\". The hashtags \"I am my own guardian\" and \"Saudi Women Can Drive\" quickly gained traction on social media. Not everyone reacted positively, however, with conservative voices accusing the government of \"bending the verses of Sharia\". \"As far as I remember, Sharia scholars have said it was haram (forbidden) for women to drive. How come it has suddenly become halal (permissible)?\" one critic tweeted. Others emphasised that despite the latest development, Saudi Arabia remains a long way off gender equality. Amnesty International's Philip Luther said it was \"just one step\", adding: \"We also need to see a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices swept away in Saudi Arabia.\" By Frank Gardner, BBC News This decree is huge for Saudi Arabia. For decades now, Saudi women, many of whom are extremely well-educated and ambitious, have been waiting for their chance to participate fully in their country's economy. For all this time families have had to stretch their budgets to the limit, as they have had to hire in imported chauffeurs from south and south-east Asia, house them, feed them and insure them. An estimated 800,000 foreign chauffeurs currently ferry Saudi women around. The reason it has taken so long is the long-standing opposition from religious conservatives, who have expressed views varying from \"they are too stupid to drive\" to \"it will lead to intolerable mingling of the sexes\". Yet this decree is in line with a programme called Vision 2030, promoted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, to modernise Saudi society and bring it more into line with the rest of the world. Saudi law enforces a strict form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism and is known for its gender segregation rules. Women have to adhere to strict dress codes, must not associate with unrelated men, and if they want to travel, work or access healthcare they must be accompanied by - or receive written permission from - a male guardian. The kingdom recently faced a backlash from conservatives on social media after allowing women to participate in Saturday's National Day celebrations for the first time. The festivities included fireworks, light shows and a concert in King Fahd International Stadium in the capital, Riyadh.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1477, "answer_start": 1092, "text": "Rights groups in the kingdom have campaigned for years to allow women to drive, and some women have been imprisoned for defying the rule. Because of the law, many families have had to employ private drivers to help transport female relatives. Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who was detained for 73 days in 2014 for flouting the ban, tweeted \"thank God\" following the announcement." } ], "id": "122_0", "question": "What has the road to reform been like?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2493, "answer_start": 1478, "text": "The move was welcomed by the US state department, which called it \"a great step in the right direction\". UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres echoed that sentiment. Manal al-Sharif, an organiser of the Women2Drive campaign who has also been imprisoned for driving, said on Twitter that Saudi Arabia would \"never be the same again\". The hashtags \"I am my own guardian\" and \"Saudi Women Can Drive\" quickly gained traction on social media. Not everyone reacted positively, however, with conservative voices accusing the government of \"bending the verses of Sharia\". \"As far as I remember, Sharia scholars have said it was haram (forbidden) for women to drive. How come it has suddenly become halal (permissible)?\" one critic tweeted. Others emphasised that despite the latest development, Saudi Arabia remains a long way off gender equality. Amnesty International's Philip Luther said it was \"just one step\", adding: \"We also need to see a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices swept away in Saudi Arabia.\"" } ], "id": "122_1", "question": "What was the reaction?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "US lawyer Michael Avenatti, who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump, has been arrested on fraud charges. Prosecutors say he tried to extort more than $20m (PS15m) from Nike, threatening to use his profile to inflict reputational harm on the firm. In a separate case, the 48-year-old has been accused of embezzlement. Mr Avenatti has denied attempting to extort Nike. \"We never attempted to extort Nike & when the evidence is disclosed, the public will learn the truth about Nike's crime & coverup,\" Mr Avenatti tweeted. He has not commented on the other allegations. A frequent guest on TV news and talk shows, Mr Avenatti emerged as a fierce critic of Donald Trump. At one point he said he was considering running for president himself in 2020. Mr Avenatti appeared in a New York court on Monday and was released on $300,000 (PS227,000) bail on condition that he surrender his US and Italian passports. He did not enter a plea. Outside court, he said he was confident he would be \"fully exonerated\". He told reporters he had spent his career fighting powerful people and powerful corporations and that he would \"never stop fighting that good fight\". According to federal prosecutors in New York, Mr Avenatti met a lawyer for Nike earlier this month. During their meeting, he allegedly threatened to release damaging information about the company unless it paid him and another, unnamed co-conspirator between $15m (PS11.4m) and $25m (PS19m). He also demanded $1.5m (PS1.13m) for an individual he claimed to represent. Mr Avenatti reportedly threatened to take $10bn (PS7.56bn) off Nike's market value. He was arrested in New York on Monday, shortly after announcing that he would hold a news conference about a scandal surrounding Nike on Tuesday. \"A suit and tie does not mask the fact that, at its core, this was an old-fashioned shakedown,\" said prosecutor Geoffrey Berman told reporters. Nike said in a statement it would \"not be extorted or hide information that is relevant to a government investigation\". The company said it immediately reported the matter to federal prosecutors. In another case in Los Angeles, Mr Avenatti has been charged with embezzling money from a client and defrauding a bank. Los Angeles prosecutor Nick Hanna said Mr Avenatti describes himself as an \"attorney, advocate and fighter for good\" on social media, while in fact he \"fights for his own selfish interests\". Prosecutors say that he negotiated a $1.6m settlement for a client, but only gave them a \"bogus\" agreement with a false payment date. He allegedly then collected the settlement in secret and \"advanced\" $130,000 to his client, using the rest to support his \"lavish lifestyle\". Mr Avenatti is also accused of falsifying documents to secure a loan from a Mississippi bank. He is due to appear in court in California on 1 April and in New York on 25 April. Mr Avenatti has formerly represented Stormy Daniels, who is suing the president to get out of a non-disclosure agreement she signed before the 2016 election. The non-disclosure agreement related to an affair she said he had with Mr Trump in 2006. On Saturday, he tweeted that the president should be indicted for colluding with his former lawyer \"to violate the law and commit crimes.\" Ms Daniels, in a tweet, said on Monday that she had terminated Mr Avenatti's contract \"more than a month ago... after discovering that he had dealt with me extremely dishonestly\". \"Knowing what I know now about Michael, I'm saddened but not shocked regarding his arrest.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2128, "answer_start": 1191, "text": "According to federal prosecutors in New York, Mr Avenatti met a lawyer for Nike earlier this month. During their meeting, he allegedly threatened to release damaging information about the company unless it paid him and another, unnamed co-conspirator between $15m (PS11.4m) and $25m (PS19m). He also demanded $1.5m (PS1.13m) for an individual he claimed to represent. Mr Avenatti reportedly threatened to take $10bn (PS7.56bn) off Nike's market value. He was arrested in New York on Monday, shortly after announcing that he would hold a news conference about a scandal surrounding Nike on Tuesday. \"A suit and tie does not mask the fact that, at its core, this was an old-fashioned shakedown,\" said prosecutor Geoffrey Berman told reporters. Nike said in a statement it would \"not be extorted or hide information that is relevant to a government investigation\". The company said it immediately reported the matter to federal prosecutors." } ], "id": "123_0", "question": "What are the Nike charges about?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2892, "answer_start": 2129, "text": "In another case in Los Angeles, Mr Avenatti has been charged with embezzling money from a client and defrauding a bank. Los Angeles prosecutor Nick Hanna said Mr Avenatti describes himself as an \"attorney, advocate and fighter for good\" on social media, while in fact he \"fights for his own selfish interests\". Prosecutors say that he negotiated a $1.6m settlement for a client, but only gave them a \"bogus\" agreement with a false payment date. He allegedly then collected the settlement in secret and \"advanced\" $130,000 to his client, using the rest to support his \"lavish lifestyle\". Mr Avenatti is also accused of falsifying documents to secure a loan from a Mississippi bank. He is due to appear in court in California on 1 April and in New York on 25 April." } ], "id": "123_1", "question": "What other charges is Avenatti facing?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3550, "answer_start": 2893, "text": "Mr Avenatti has formerly represented Stormy Daniels, who is suing the president to get out of a non-disclosure agreement she signed before the 2016 election. The non-disclosure agreement related to an affair she said he had with Mr Trump in 2006. On Saturday, he tweeted that the president should be indicted for colluding with his former lawyer \"to violate the law and commit crimes.\" Ms Daniels, in a tweet, said on Monday that she had terminated Mr Avenatti's contract \"more than a month ago... after discovering that he had dealt with me extremely dishonestly\". \"Knowing what I know now about Michael, I'm saddened but not shocked regarding his arrest.\"" } ], "id": "123_2", "question": "What about Stormy Daniels?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "YouTube stars and fans are gathering in London for Summer in the City, the UK's largest and longest-running online video festival. We meet the people who get to call YouTube their job. Lucy Moon is a 23-year-old online influencer, whose days consist of creating videos for her YouTube channel, writing blog posts and recording her podcast from her flat in London. With a combined online following of more than half a million, Lucy says it's her honesty that's kept people watching, reading and listening for the last eight years. And in 2016 she really put that idea to the test, when she uploaded a video to her channel, revealing she had \"an alcohol problem\". \"I don't think that video was a choice for me to make because I was in a really bad place in my life,\" she tells the BBC. \"For me, it's about being authentic and honest with the people who watch me, and if I hadn't addressed what was going on in my life at the time then I couldn't have ever made another video. \"At that point in my life, the best thing I could do was address it publicly, so I made this video and then had to deal with the consequences of making it public.\" Lucy says the whole experience was \"really helpful\" but she was not prepared for the response, with \"hundreds, even thousands of emails and messages\" from people telling her about their own experiences and giving her advice. She couldn't believe how many people were invested in her life. According to data from the US, YouTube is the most popular online destination for teens, with 85% of them choosing it as their top platform to visit in their spare time. So why is it that millions of young people are shunning traditional entertainment like TV and choosing to watch the lives of ordinary people unfold instead? \"People turn to TV for a more glamorous view of people's lives,\" Lucy says. \"They watch scripted and curated personal stories of what script writers and directors have gone through, whereas with YouTubers we are very current and everything is very raw a lot of the time. \"Whilst some of that can be construed and manipulated, there is a lot of real and honest discussion that is really vital in making it normal for us to talk about our feelings and normalise it to teenagers and young adults.\" Lucy's audience get a look in to many aspects of her life on her YouTube channel, from the clothes she's bought to the make up she puts on in the morning and how she chooses to spend her weekends. She says it's \"very easy to become invested in someone's life\" as the video-sharing platform is a \"microcosm of celebrity culture\". \"You get to really follow someone's life and there's this ability to really connect with someone every day through a 10-minute window of their time and your time. \"They develop personal relationships with that person and they become role models and I think that's really nice,\" she says. But just like celebrities, YouTubers get criticised by the public too, except it's a lot easier for them to be exposed to hateful comments and trolls. Lucy says she really \"struggled\" at first with cruel comments because they were really accessible - seeing them underneath her videos or in her mentions on Twitter were hard to block out. \"I've learnt how to deal with the online forums and gossip, but a big part of that was getting support. \"I have management who help me now and a therapist, I also get my sister to read my comments before I do so I don't have to see something nasty and cutting that will ruin my day. \"She leaves up valid criticism, but if it's just cruel then it's gone and that's such a relief - it means I don't have to fear going into places where I can actually get good feedback.\" Lucy is clear to point out that whilst her job has \"a lot of perks\" it is not as easy as just hitting record on a camera and then uploading straight to the internet. \"At the end of the day you're having to keep a business going and you're a self-employed person,\" she says. \"A lot of my work day is not actually about making videos, but all the elements that come with running a business - like answering emails, admin and planning future projects. \"On top of that I'm making content every week - I'm making a video every week, which can take between a couple of hours and two to three days to film and edit.\" She says she is often frustrated by the thought \"that if you don't work a 9-5 specifically, then you don't work\". \"I don't know why that's levied at YouTubers but not every freelancer or photographer,\" she says. \"Everyone is working a 40-50 hour week in different ways - a lot of YouTubers don't take weekends but I force myself to and recently I took my first bank holiday for example.\" She also says \"a common misconception is that we receive loads of packages all the time - free gifts and presents.\" \"If I get one thing a week I get really excited and run to the post office!\" And does YouTube reveal everything there is to know about Lucy's life? Definitely not, she says. \"We don't document all of our lives, we do have friends who don't do YouTube and have family we don't put on camera. \"We have big worlds as multi-faceted people, but we only portray a small amount of that because it's what we enjoy sharing and is a nice amount to give to the world.\" Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5246, "answer_start": 4285, "text": "She says she is often frustrated by the thought \"that if you don't work a 9-5 specifically, then you don't work\". \"I don't know why that's levied at YouTubers but not every freelancer or photographer,\" she says. \"Everyone is working a 40-50 hour week in different ways - a lot of YouTubers don't take weekends but I force myself to and recently I took my first bank holiday for example.\" She also says \"a common misconception is that we receive loads of packages all the time - free gifts and presents.\" \"If I get one thing a week I get really excited and run to the post office!\" And does YouTube reveal everything there is to know about Lucy's life? Definitely not, she says. \"We don't document all of our lives, we do have friends who don't do YouTube and have family we don't put on camera. \"We have big worlds as multi-faceted people, but we only portray a small amount of that because it's what we enjoy sharing and is a nice amount to give to the world.\"" } ], "id": "124_0", "question": "Free gifts?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Hong Kong's opposition pro-democracy movement has made unprecedented gains in the Chinese territory's district council elections, early results show. According to local media counts, 17 of the 18 councils are now controlled by pro-democracy councillors. Despite fears the vote could be disrupted or cancelled over the unrest, it went ahead peacefully. The election was seen as a test of support for the government after months of unrest, protests and clashes. The government and Beijing had been hoping the election would bring a show of support from the so-called \"silent majority\", but that did not materialise. Instead some significant pro-Beijing candidates lost council seats. One controversial pro-Beijing lawmaker, who lost his seat, Junius Ho, said \"heaven and earth have been turned upside down\". Hong Kong's district councillors have little political power and mainly deal with local issues such as bus routes and rubbish collection, so the district elections don't normally generate such interest. But these polls were the first time people could express at the ballot box their opinion on embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam's handling of the crisis, which was sparked by a now withdrawn extradition law. Also, 117 of the district councillors will also sit on the 1,200-member committee that votes for the chief executive, so a pro-democracy district win could translate eventually to a bigger share, and say, in who becomes the city's next leader. A record 4.1 million people had registered to vote - more than half the population - and more than 2.9m people cast votes. That's a turnout of more than 71%, against 47% in 2015. The weekend was also the first in months without any clashes between protesters and police. Over the past months, demonstrations and unrest had been gradually escalating. Police have at times used live rounds, wounding several protesters. Activists in turn have attacked police or in one case set alight a government supporter. It was unclear how much of the general population still supported the protesters, and authorities had been hoping the election would identify the protesters as a small group of fringe extremists. But in many districts, young first-time candidates, many who had explicitly aligned themselves with the protesters, unseated established politicians backing the government. The hope from activists is that the overwhelming victory of anti-establishment parties will force the government to take protesters' demands more seriously. Stephen McDonell, BBC China correspondent, in Hong Kong Outside the Yau Ma Tei North polling station, local residents lined up to gain entry so they could watch the vote count. The doors opened and they poured into the public viewing area. Six months into an ongoing political crisis, people have lost faith in government institutions. They wanted to make sure that this process was fair and transparent. As they waited for the total in their own district council to be tallied, they could see the numbers coming in from elsewhere on their mobile phones. By their facial expressions it was clear they couldn't believe what was unfolding, and people cheered in astonishment as one surprising result came in after another. Nobody imagined such a comprehensive wipeout, and Carrie Lam's administration will no doubt come under renewed pressure to listen to the demands of protestors following such an overwhelming defeat for her and her allies. More than 1,000 candidates ran for 452 district council seats which, for the first time, were all contested. A further 27 district seats are allocated to representatives of rural districts. Pro-Beijing parties held the majority of these seats ahead of the election. In one of the biggest losses for the pro-Beijing camp, lawmaker Junius Ho - one of Hong Kong's most controversial politicians - suffered a shock defeat. He was stabbed earlier this month by a man pretending to be a supporter. The lawmaker has openly voiced his support for Hong Kong's police force on multiple occasions. He was in July filmed shaking hands with a group of men - suspected of being triad gangsters - who later assaulted pro-democracy protesters. Jimmy Sham, a political activist who has recently risen to prominence as the leader of the Civil Human Rights Front - a campaign group responsible for organising some of the mass protest marches - won a seat after running for the first time. Mr Sham has also been attacked twice, once apparently with hammers. Photographs at the time showed him lying on the street covered in blood. After the vote, Mr Sham said \"we have to be leaders of the community that listens to people's voices and opinions\". Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was barred from running in the elections, a move he referred to as \"political screening\", but the pro-democracy candidate who replaced him has won. In a tweet, Mr Wong said the \"historic\" results showed that public opinion had not turned against the pro-democracy movement. Reflecting on her reported defeat, pro-Beijing lawmaker Alice Mak suggested Ms Lam's administration was partly to blame. \"In the election campaign, pro-government candidates have been unfairly treated. This is a very important reason,\" she said. Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the city's largest pro-Beijing party, was among the few establishment candidates to secure her seat. \"I think [Lee] is the only one who can survive the de facto referendum,\" said Leung Kwok-hung, her pro-democracy opponent in the poll.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1732, "answer_start": 806, "text": "Hong Kong's district councillors have little political power and mainly deal with local issues such as bus routes and rubbish collection, so the district elections don't normally generate such interest. But these polls were the first time people could express at the ballot box their opinion on embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam's handling of the crisis, which was sparked by a now withdrawn extradition law. Also, 117 of the district councillors will also sit on the 1,200-member committee that votes for the chief executive, so a pro-democracy district win could translate eventually to a bigger share, and say, in who becomes the city's next leader. A record 4.1 million people had registered to vote - more than half the population - and more than 2.9m people cast votes. That's a turnout of more than 71%, against 47% in 2015. The weekend was also the first in months without any clashes between protesters and police." } ], "id": "125_0", "question": "Why is this vote so important?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2494, "answer_start": 1733, "text": "Over the past months, demonstrations and unrest had been gradually escalating. Police have at times used live rounds, wounding several protesters. Activists in turn have attacked police or in one case set alight a government supporter. It was unclear how much of the general population still supported the protesters, and authorities had been hoping the election would identify the protesters as a small group of fringe extremists. But in many districts, young first-time candidates, many who had explicitly aligned themselves with the protesters, unseated established politicians backing the government. The hope from activists is that the overwhelming victory of anti-establishment parties will force the government to take protesters' demands more seriously." } ], "id": "125_1", "question": "What does it mean for Hong Kong?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "UK Prime Minister Theresa May made the snap election on 8 June personal right from the start. In April she said the election would not be just about the parties' competing visions on Brexit, but also about who could best pull off a deal. \"It will be a choice between strong and stable leadership in the national interest, with me as your prime minister, or weak and unstable coalition government, led by Jeremy Corbyn,\" she said. \"Every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger when I negotiate for Britain with the prime ministers, presidents and chancellors of the European Union.\" She stressed early on that the stakes could hardly be higher. After all, whoever wins this election will face three extraordinary challenges: - Shaping Britain's post-Brexit future, after more than 40 years of EU membership being a cornerstone of the UK's economy and diplomacy - Keeping the UK from breaking apart over its exit from the EU - Healing the still sometimes bitter divisions between the opposing sides in last year's EU referendum. At first Mrs May seemed on track for a thumping victory. The early evidence suggested that Brexit was trumping normal party loyalties, with many of Labour's white working-class voters, who had backed Leave, deserting the party over the EU and because of their dislike for Jeremy Corbyn. In one so-called \"safe\" Labour seat near Manchester I struggled to find anyone who would be backing the party in 2017, despite hours talking to voters. And crucially Mrs May was winning back many of the nearly four million people who had voted for the anti-EU party UKIP at the last election. Her decision to call a snap election also seemed to be working in Scotland. As I travelled amid the beautiful hills and small towns of the Scottish Borders, I saw and heard first-hand the phenomenon of voters opposed to independence deciding to back the Conservatives, seeing it as the best way of voicing opposition to a second Scottish referendum. Of course this general election won't settle the question of how best Scotland should be governed, given the continuing high levels of support for independence. But it will affect who has the political momentum, and whether another referendum will be held before or after Brexit, or perhaps whether it happens at all. It's certainly Brexit that is dominating the election in Northern Ireland, where the EU referendum last June divided the province, as ever, on sectarian lines. Most Roman Catholics voted to remain in the EU, while many Protestants voted to leave. Although Northern Irish voters told me they couldn't imagine a return to violence, they did voice concern about what would happen to relations between the North and South, and in particular, whether border controls would be reintroduced after Brexit. It was while I was in Northern Ireland, a part of the UK where the mainland parties neither stand nor campaign, that Mrs May's election seemed to come unstuck. Just days after launching her party's manifesto, she abandoned a key part of it, thus undermining her main slogan that she was the only politician offering \"strong and stable\" leadership. The terror attack in Manchester temporarily put the election campaign on hold. When it resumed, the bombing seemed not to have had much effect on the polls. Whether the 3 June attack in London will have a bigger effect on the final outcome, given the more political reaction of the parties, is hard to say. Extensive academic research in other countries suggests attacks during election campaigns don't tend to have much effect. Maybe the UK will prove different, but maybe not. Despite Jeremy Corbyn's past support for groups many voters would consider to be terrorists, attention once again focused on Mrs May and her somewhat tarnished image as a rather wooden politician, campaigning more on slogans than clear policies. Ultimately Mrs May continues to hope that, whatever her flaws, on 8 June the voters will decide she rather than Jeremy Corbyn would get the best deal on Brexit. As to this being dubbed the Brexit election, it may well be that Brexit decides the outcome, rather than concerns about security or austerity. But any voters, countries or companies hoping to learn much more from the campaigns about what Britain's post-EU future holds will have been sadly disappointed. Above all, this has felt like an election that has failed to come to life, despite the stakes being higher than in decades. It seems to be an election where the key questions affecting millions of people won't be answered until after the votes are counted and the Brexit negotiations begin.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4611, "answer_start": 2285, "text": "It's certainly Brexit that is dominating the election in Northern Ireland, where the EU referendum last June divided the province, as ever, on sectarian lines. Most Roman Catholics voted to remain in the EU, while many Protestants voted to leave. Although Northern Irish voters told me they couldn't imagine a return to violence, they did voice concern about what would happen to relations between the North and South, and in particular, whether border controls would be reintroduced after Brexit. It was while I was in Northern Ireland, a part of the UK where the mainland parties neither stand nor campaign, that Mrs May's election seemed to come unstuck. Just days after launching her party's manifesto, she abandoned a key part of it, thus undermining her main slogan that she was the only politician offering \"strong and stable\" leadership. The terror attack in Manchester temporarily put the election campaign on hold. When it resumed, the bombing seemed not to have had much effect on the polls. Whether the 3 June attack in London will have a bigger effect on the final outcome, given the more political reaction of the parties, is hard to say. Extensive academic research in other countries suggests attacks during election campaigns don't tend to have much effect. Maybe the UK will prove different, but maybe not. Despite Jeremy Corbyn's past support for groups many voters would consider to be terrorists, attention once again focused on Mrs May and her somewhat tarnished image as a rather wooden politician, campaigning more on slogans than clear policies. Ultimately Mrs May continues to hope that, whatever her flaws, on 8 June the voters will decide she rather than Jeremy Corbyn would get the best deal on Brexit. As to this being dubbed the Brexit election, it may well be that Brexit decides the outcome, rather than concerns about security or austerity. But any voters, countries or companies hoping to learn much more from the campaigns about what Britain's post-EU future holds will have been sadly disappointed. Above all, this has felt like an election that has failed to come to life, despite the stakes being higher than in decades. It seems to be an election where the key questions affecting millions of people won't be answered until after the votes are counted and the Brexit negotiations begin." } ], "id": "126_0", "question": "Northern Ireland: Return of a hard border?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The second round of the Niger presidential election takes place on Sunday 20 March, and the result may have implications for regional stability and the fight against Islamist terrorism in West Africa. Incumbent President Mahamadou Issoufou looks set to secure a second term in office, as opposition candidate Hama Amadou has been evacuated from prison to France for specialized medical treatment just days before the run-off, raising concerns over the poll. The former parliamentary speaker and prime minister has been in detention in the south-western town of Filingue since November 2015 over allegations of baby trafficking. He has dismissed the charges as politically motivated. Niger is seen as a key ally in the fight against Boko Haram, and President Issoufou has been praised in the West for rallying neighbouring countries to fight the group. President Issoufou seems poised for victory in the run-off, having narrowly missed outright victory in the first round with 48% of the vote. Having garnered only 17%, it will be difficult for Mr Amadou to bridge the gap despite the opposition alliance backing him. Mixed messages about a poll boycott are also likely to weaken his chances. It is still unclear if the Opposition Coalition for Change (COPA 2016) - an alliance formed to back Mr Amadou - will take part in the vote, having announced a boycott. The opposition has said it will not recognise the outcome, saying Mr Amadou's imprisonment prevented him from campaigning, among other complaints; while the government's handling of his medical condition is a sensitive issue that could inflame tensions. The nature of Mr Amadou's illness is not clear, but the government says he has \"a chronic illness which he has suffered from for three years\". The 66-year-old received medical treatment for an eye condition recently. On 14 March, he reportedly lost consciousness before being revived at the prison clinic, his doctor telling a local TV station that he had fainted. The doctor was later arrested for \"revealing medical confidentiality and spreading false news\". On 16 March, it was reported that Amadou had been flown to France for \"specialist treatment\", with the government claiming that he was suffering from \"general fatigue\". The opposition has made conflicting statements about their participation. On 8 March, COPA 2016 announced its withdrawal on account of \"irregularities and massive fraud\". However, the coalition reportedly did not consult Mr Amadou about the boycott, and his camp later asserted that he would take part in the vote. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) says the opposition candidate's name will be on the ballot because he had not formally withdrawn his candidacy by the cut-off date of 10 March. The governing Niger Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) says the vote will proceed with or without the opposition, accusing its rivals of fearing \"dismal defeat\". - Population is of 16.6 million people; 7.5 million are eligible voters - UN report said last month about two million people would need urgent food aid this year due to drought - Challenges include unemployment and absence of infrastructure - Country has oil, gold and uranium deposits, as well as agricultural potential More about Niger Niger is fragile and its stability is at stake as one of the poorest countries in Africa. It also finds itself on the frontline in the fight against jihadist group Boko Haram, and Mr Issoufou has been active in rallying a regional force against the group. The president claimed to have foiled a coup against him in December, and military officers and opposition leaders were subsequently arrested. Seen as a key ally of the West in ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the vast Sahel region, the incumbent president has been described as one of French President Francois Hollande's \"most loyal African partners\". It has also been attacked by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. A vast, arid state on the edge of the Sahara desert, Niger is rated by the UN as one of the world's least-developed nations. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1613, "answer_start": 852, "text": "President Issoufou seems poised for victory in the run-off, having narrowly missed outright victory in the first round with 48% of the vote. Having garnered only 17%, it will be difficult for Mr Amadou to bridge the gap despite the opposition alliance backing him. Mixed messages about a poll boycott are also likely to weaken his chances. It is still unclear if the Opposition Coalition for Change (COPA 2016) - an alliance formed to back Mr Amadou - will take part in the vote, having announced a boycott. The opposition has said it will not recognise the outcome, saying Mr Amadou's imprisonment prevented him from campaigning, among other complaints; while the government's handling of his medical condition is a sensitive issue that could inflame tensions." } ], "id": "127_0", "question": "What is the likely outcome?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2243, "answer_start": 1614, "text": "The nature of Mr Amadou's illness is not clear, but the government says he has \"a chronic illness which he has suffered from for three years\". The 66-year-old received medical treatment for an eye condition recently. On 14 March, he reportedly lost consciousness before being revived at the prison clinic, his doctor telling a local TV station that he had fainted. The doctor was later arrested for \"revealing medical confidentiality and spreading false news\". On 16 March, it was reported that Amadou had been flown to France for \"specialist treatment\", with the government claiming that he was suffering from \"general fatigue\"." } ], "id": "127_1", "question": "What is Hama Amadou's current condition?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2923, "answer_start": 2244, "text": "The opposition has made conflicting statements about their participation. On 8 March, COPA 2016 announced its withdrawal on account of \"irregularities and massive fraud\". However, the coalition reportedly did not consult Mr Amadou about the boycott, and his camp later asserted that he would take part in the vote. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) says the opposition candidate's name will be on the ballot because he had not formally withdrawn his candidacy by the cut-off date of 10 March. The governing Niger Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) says the vote will proceed with or without the opposition, accusing its rivals of fearing \"dismal defeat\"." } ], "id": "127_2", "question": "Will the opposition take part in the run-off?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3939, "answer_start": 3262, "text": "Niger is fragile and its stability is at stake as one of the poorest countries in Africa. It also finds itself on the frontline in the fight against jihadist group Boko Haram, and Mr Issoufou has been active in rallying a regional force against the group. The president claimed to have foiled a coup against him in December, and military officers and opposition leaders were subsequently arrested. Seen as a key ally of the West in ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the vast Sahel region, the incumbent president has been described as one of French President Francois Hollande's \"most loyal African partners\". It has also been attacked by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb." } ], "id": "127_3", "question": "What are the key issues facing the country?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4215, "answer_start": 3940, "text": "A vast, arid state on the edge of the Sahara desert, Niger is rated by the UN as one of the world's least-developed nations. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook." } ], "id": "127_4", "question": "What is Niger like?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The withdrawal of US troops from Syria depends on certain conditions, US National Security Adviser John Bolton says, in a further indication that the process is being slowed down. On a trip to Israel and Turkey, he said he would seek Turkish assurances that Kurds in northern Syria would be safe. The US also wants to ensure that the remnants of the Islamic State (IS) group are defeated, he added. President Donald Trump has faced strong criticism over the planned US pullout. When he first announced the move in the middle of December, he said: \"They're all coming back and they're coming back now.\" After the president made his announcement on 19 December, US officials said American forces had been given 30 days to leave Syria. In his announcement, Mr Trump had also declared that IS had been \"defeated\". However, speaking on Sunday before leaving for his Camp David retreat, he told reporters: \"We're going to be removing our troops. I never said we were doing it that quickly. \"We're pulling out of Syria... and we won't be finally pulled out until Isis [IS] is gone.\" Last month's announcement shocked allies and US defence officials alike, with Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and senior aide Brett McGurk resigning soon after. On Saturday, Department of Defence chief of staff Kevin Sweeney became the third senior Pentagon official to announce his resignation since President Trump's announcement. Meanwhile, America's Kurdish allies in north-east Syria were left feeling exposed as Turkey, which regards them as terrorists, appeared poised to move against them. But Mr Trump seemed to row back last week when he said troops were being pulled out \"slowly\" and that they would be fighting remaining IS militants at the same time. \"We don't think the Turks ought to undertake military action that is not fully co-ordinated with and agreed to by the United States at a minimum so they don't endanger our troops, but also so that they meet the president's requirement that the Syrian opposition forces that have fought with us are not endangered,\" Mr Bolton said in Israel ahead of talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He told reporters there was no timetable for a US withdrawal from Syria but that there was not an unlimited commitment. Mr Bolton also said President Trump wanted to ensure that IS was \"destroyed\". Mr Netanyahu said he would discuss Iran's ambitions in Syria when he met Mr Bolton on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will begin a week-long tour of the Middle East designed to reassure allies in the region. The US partnership with the Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) is credited with playing a major role in the demise of IS. But the main fighting force in the SDF is the Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey regards as a terrorist group. On Sunday, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was \"irrational\" to suggest Turkey targeted Kurds. Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey's focus was on the YPG and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - which Ankara also regards as a terror group. Some 2,000 US military personnel are reported to be in Syria although the real numbers could be higher. American ground troops first became involved in Syria in autumn 2015 when then-President Barack Obama sent in a small number of special forces to train and advise local Kurdish fighters who were fighting IS. The US did this reluctantly after several attempts at arming anti-IS groups had descended into chaos. Over the intervening years the number of US troops in Syria has increased, and a network of bases and airfields has been established in an arc across the north-eastern part of the country.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3066, "answer_start": 1737, "text": "\"We don't think the Turks ought to undertake military action that is not fully co-ordinated with and agreed to by the United States at a minimum so they don't endanger our troops, but also so that they meet the president's requirement that the Syrian opposition forces that have fought with us are not endangered,\" Mr Bolton said in Israel ahead of talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He told reporters there was no timetable for a US withdrawal from Syria but that there was not an unlimited commitment. Mr Bolton also said President Trump wanted to ensure that IS was \"destroyed\". Mr Netanyahu said he would discuss Iran's ambitions in Syria when he met Mr Bolton on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will begin a week-long tour of the Middle East designed to reassure allies in the region. The US partnership with the Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) is credited with playing a major role in the demise of IS. But the main fighting force in the SDF is the Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey regards as a terrorist group. On Sunday, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was \"irrational\" to suggest Turkey targeted Kurds. Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey's focus was on the YPG and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - which Ankara also regards as a terror group." } ], "id": "128_0", "question": "What did John Bolton say?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3669, "answer_start": 3067, "text": "Some 2,000 US military personnel are reported to be in Syria although the real numbers could be higher. American ground troops first became involved in Syria in autumn 2015 when then-President Barack Obama sent in a small number of special forces to train and advise local Kurdish fighters who were fighting IS. The US did this reluctantly after several attempts at arming anti-IS groups had descended into chaos. Over the intervening years the number of US troops in Syria has increased, and a network of bases and airfields has been established in an arc across the north-eastern part of the country." } ], "id": "128_1", "question": "What is the US presence in Syria?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Australia has formally agreed to a deal to help build a 4,000km (2,500 mile) internet cable to the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands, a small Pacific nation, had originally given the contract to Chinese company Huawei. Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela has said the decision followed \"concerns raised by Australia\", which neither nation has elaborated upon. Analysts say Canberra is concerned about China's influence in the region, a subject of recent Australian debate. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Wednesday: \"As we step up our engagement in the Pacific, we are working as partners with Solomon Islands more closely than ever to ensure stability, security and prosperity in the region.\" Australia is expected to commit about A$100m (PS56m;$75m) of its foreign aid budget to the project. The deal will bring high-speed internet to the island chain via an underwater cable from Sydney. Australia agreed to a similar deal with Papua New Guinea last year. Australia is the dominant source of foreign aid for the Solomon Islands. Last year, Canberra ended a 14-year peacekeeping mission and signed a renewed security agreement. Mr Houenipwela said his country had abandoned its 2016 agreement with Huawei, a private telecommunications giant. \"We have had some concerns raised with us by Australia, and I guess that was the trigger for us to change from Huawei to now the arrangements we are now working with Australia on,\" he said last week. Canberra has previously blocked Huawei from taking part in Australian infrastructure projects, citing national security concerns. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Australian spy chiefs had been opposed to Huawei's deal with the Solomon Islands, arguing it might compromise the security of infrastructure in both nations. Australia is keen to offset what it sees as efforts by China to gain regional influence, according to Peter Jennings, executive director of think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute. \"Our government was very concerned about the prospect of Huawei providing the Solomons with its sole internet access connection, because that does create an opportunity for an intelligence organisation to monitor all of the communications traffic coming in and out of the island,\" he told the BBC. Tensions between Australia and China have been strained in recent times after Canberra announced new laws designed to prevent foreign interference. Beijing has dismissed allegations of political interference in Australia as \"hysteria\".", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2527, "answer_start": 1148, "text": "Mr Houenipwela said his country had abandoned its 2016 agreement with Huawei, a private telecommunications giant. \"We have had some concerns raised with us by Australia, and I guess that was the trigger for us to change from Huawei to now the arrangements we are now working with Australia on,\" he said last week. Canberra has previously blocked Huawei from taking part in Australian infrastructure projects, citing national security concerns. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Australian spy chiefs had been opposed to Huawei's deal with the Solomon Islands, arguing it might compromise the security of infrastructure in both nations. Australia is keen to offset what it sees as efforts by China to gain regional influence, according to Peter Jennings, executive director of think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute. \"Our government was very concerned about the prospect of Huawei providing the Solomons with its sole internet access connection, because that does create an opportunity for an intelligence organisation to monitor all of the communications traffic coming in and out of the island,\" he told the BBC. Tensions between Australia and China have been strained in recent times after Canberra announced new laws designed to prevent foreign interference. Beijing has dismissed allegations of political interference in Australia as \"hysteria\"." } ], "id": "129_0", "question": "What is the controversy?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Anne Rucchetto, 27, is a writer living in Toronto, Canada. As part of the BBC's 100 Women series, she writes about why it matters who picks up the bill. When I first began dating, my mother warned me that there was \"no such thing as a free drink\". She would elaborate gravely: \"Men will think you owe them something.\" I know my mother didn't mean to fill me with dread, but her statement left me troubled each time I met someone new. It took me time to relinquish the sense of obligation I felt to men who covered the cost of my $5 beer - but since then, I've never looked back. As someone who's been dating since the age of 14, I've spent a lot of time thinking and talking about ways to find a great partner, as well as what behaviours to look for when meeting someone for the first time. These days finding a date is easier than ever, with apps and online communities for people of every conceivable orientation, identity, and background. But who should pay for the first date always sparks a spirited conversation. I used to embrace the logic that for women to be treated as equal to men, we should pay for our own share, and split the bill with our date. To make sure that's never a problem, I've always suggested affordable dating venues - cheap and cheerful restaurants, dive bars, gigs, parks. About five years ago my friends and teachers introduced me to ideas that made me question that approach. I became aware of feminist writers like Gloria Jean Watkins (known by her pen name bell hooks) who made me think about who benefits most from the current structure of society. She and others got me thinking about the way power functions at the every level, including small individual exchanges. People benefit differently based on the current structure of society, so depending on who we're spending time with, it shouldn't be expected for both parties to pay equal amounts. Women, on average, earn less than men. Canadian women, on average, earn C$0.69 for every dollar a man makes at work. This doesn't mean that our cost of living is cheaper - in many cases, it can be more expensive. Expectations around women's appearances and behaviour have material and personal costs. Women's physical appearances are held to impossibly high standards and a routine subject of ridicule everywhere from the entertainment industry to The White House. We are expected to be calmer, more attentive, understanding, flexible, and accommodating than men in every area of our lives - in family, work, relationships, and friendships. Meeting these norms is costly - materially and emotionally. Furthermore, who pays cannot be reduced to an issue of men versus women. We all have different experiences based on our gender, social and economic status, race, citizenship, and more. Ultimately, equality is not the same as equity. Equality is everyone getting the exact same pair of shoes. Equity is everyone getting a pair of shoes that fits them. In good relationships, people will strive for equity. When I went on a first date with a man who spent most of the time boasting about his sports car and travels, it confused me when he wanted to split the bill. Curiously, it is often these privileged men that have declared to my friends and I: \"I'm a feminist, so we'll split it\" Whether or not men believe women's labour is underpaid, it is. Further, whether or not men agree with women being underpaid, they directly benefit from it. This isn't to say that men don't work hard or should always pay - when I've been in situations where it is obvious that I have more income than the man I'm dating, I am happy to split or cover the bill. If I sense that a man correlates his paying for a first date with me \"owing\" him in some way, I will insist on paying for both of us and shut down any chance of further communication. This kind of primitive thinking shows a lack of perspective, respect, and consent. I have dated both men and women, and funnily enough, anytime I've dated a woman, or gender-diverse person we've ended up competing to pay the bill. I've been with my partner, Zac, for over a year now. I had a good feeling about him when he told me he loved animals, described his appreciation for his friends, and shared his views about labour rights. He paid for our first date and I paid for our second. Now, we share expenses based on what we can afford when we go out together or visit each other's homes. This might change in the future, but we've found a balance that works for both of us. Our most important goal is to make sure that both of us feel respected and that neither of us feel underappreciated or taken advantage of. First dates are one small opportunity to recognise that people in society have different access to resources. If we want to be good company and good partners, challenging power imbalances is an important part of every relationship. Who pays on a first date doesn't define the terms of the relationship. As bonds develop, the people involved can work to find terms that suit them. Regardless of the expectations we might have about who should (or shouldn't) pay on a first date, it's always good to be considerate. BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year and shares their stories. It's been a momentous year for women's rights around the globe, so in 2018 BBC 100 Women will reflect the trailblazing women who are using passion, indignation and anger to spark real change in the world around them.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5471, "answer_start": 5141, "text": "BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year and shares their stories. It's been a momentous year for women's rights around the globe, so in 2018 BBC 100 Women will reflect the trailblazing women who are using passion, indignation and anger to spark real change in the world around them." } ], "id": "130_0", "question": "What is 100 Women?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "US President Donald Trump has called the king of Saudi Arabia to urge Gulf unity amid an escalating dispute over Qatar's alleged support for militants. Earlier, he said the Saudis' move to isolate Qatar could mark the \"beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism\". Several Gulf countries cut travel and embassy links with Qatar on Monday. Qatar strongly denies supporting radical Islamism. The rift has affected oil prices, travel and shipping, and has raised fears of food shortages. The emir of Kuwait is mediating in the dispute and the president of Turkey has also offered to help, saying isolation and sanctions will not resolve the crisis. \"His [Mr Trump's] message was that we need unity in the region to fight extremist ideology and terrorist financing,\" a US official told Reuters news agency. Mr Trump had earlier claimed credit for the pressure placed on Qatar, saying his recent visit to Saudi Arabia was \"already paying off\". In a series of tweets on Tuesday morning, Mr Trump accused Qatar of funding terrorism, saying: \"During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!\" In his phone call to King Salman, he was quoted by Reuters as saying: \"It's important that the Gulf be united for peace and security in the region,\" Separately, the Pentagon thanked Qatar for hosting the largest US air force base in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister called on Qatar to cut ties with Palestinian group Hamas in the occupied territories, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, if it wanted to end its isolation in the Gulf region. Adel Al-Jubeir said: \"Nobody wants to hurt Qatar. It has to choose whether it must move in one direction or another direction.\" Speaking in Paris, he said the economic measures should put pressure on Qatar to act \"like a normal country\". He name-checked \"support of extremist groups\", \"hostile media\" and \"interference in affairs of other countries\" as things Qatar would have to change if it wished to restore ties. He added that Qatar was undermining the Palestinian Authority and Egypt by supporting Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and said stopping these policies would \"contribute to stability in the Middle East\". Hamas is the largest of several militant Islamist Palestinian groups, and was the first Islamist group in the Arab world to win election at the ballot box, before it took power in Gaza after a battle 10 years ago. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is another Islamist group that became politically active. Some countries designate both as terrorist groups. The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Washington says Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have all funded extremists in Syria but pulled back under US pressure, while Qatar, which likes to see itself as a neutral player and potential intermediary, has dealings that are arguably murkier than the others'. But Qatar's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Than, said: \"There is no single evidence that the Qatar government is supporting radical Islamists.\" On Monday, several countries withdrew their ambassadors from Doha, Qatar's capital, while some cut transport links and gave Qatari nationals two weeks to leave their territory. Disruption to airspace in the Gulf began on Tuesday morning local time. Doha, Qatar's capital, is a major hub for international flight connections. Airlines affected include Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have revoked the licences of Qatar Airways and ordered its offices to close. When avoiding Saudi Arabia, their massive - and only - neighbour, Qatar's planes are having to take more indirect routes, leading to longer flight times. Qatar is heavily dependent on food imports and residents have been queui