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[ { "context": "Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean independence icon turned authoritarian leader, has died aged 95. Mr Mugabe had been receiving treatment in a hospital in Singapore since April. He was ousted in a military coup in 2017 after 37 years in power. The former president was praised for broadening access to health and education for the black majority. But later years were marked by violent repression of his political opponents and Zimbabwe's economic ruin. His successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, expressed his \"utmost sadness\", calling Mr Mugabe \"an icon of liberation\". Mr Mnangagwa had been Mr Mugabe's deputy before replacing him. Singapore's foreign ministry said it was working with the Zimbabwean embassy there to have Mr Mugabe's body flown back to his home country. He was born on 21 February 1924 in what was then Rhodesia - a British colony, run by its white minority. After criticising the government of Rhodesia in 1964 he was imprisoned for more than a decade without trial. In 1973, while still in prison, he was chosen as president of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu), of which he was a founding member. Once released, he headed to Mozambique, from where he directed guerrilla raids into Rhodesia but he was also seen as a skilled negotiator. Political agreements to end the crisis resulted in the new independent Republic of Zimbabwe. With his high profile in the independence movement, Mr Mugabe secured an overwhelming victory in the republic's first election in 1980. But over his decades in power, international perceptions soured. Mr Mugabe assumed the reputation of a \"strongman\" leader - all-powerful, ruling by threats and violence but with a strong base of support. An increasing number of critics labelled him a dictator. He died far from home, bitter, lonely, and humiliated - an epic life, with the shabbiest of endings. Robert Mugabe embodied Africa's struggle against colonialism - in all its fury and its failings. He was a courageous politician, imprisoned for daring to defy white-minority rule. The country he finally led to independence was one of the continent's most promising, and for years Zimbabwe more or less flourished. But when the economy faltered, Mr Mugabe lost his nerve. He implemented a catastrophic land reform programme. Zimbabwe quickly slid into hyperinflation, isolation, and political chaos. The security forces kept Mr Mugabe and his party, Zanu-PF, in power - mostly through terror. But eventually even the army turned against him, and pushed him out. Few nations have ever been so bound, so shackled, to one man. For decades, Mugabe was Zimbabwe: a ruthless, bitter, sometimes charming man - who helped ruin the land he loved. In 2000, he seized land from white owners, and in 2008, used violent militias to silence his political opponents during an election. He famously declared that only God could remove him from office. He was forced into sharing power in 2009 amid economic collapse, installing rival Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister. But in 2017, amid concerns that he was grooming his wife Grace as his successor, the army - his long-time ally - turned against the president and forced him to step down. Deputy Information Minister Energy Mutodi, of Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, told the BBC the party was \"very much saddened\" by his death. \"He's a man who believed himself, he's a man who believed in what he did and he is a man who was very assertive in whatever he said. This was a good man,\" he said. Not everyone agreed, however. George Walden, one of the British negotiators at the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979 which ended white-minority rule, said Mr Mugabe was a \"true monster\". The agreement \"turned out rather well... and looked good for a while\", but Mr Mugabe later became \"a grossly corrupt, vicious dictator\", he said. Zimbabwean Senator David Coltart, once labelled \"an enemy of the state\" by Mr Mugabe, said his legacy had been marred by his adherence to violence as a political tool. \"He was always committed to violence, going all the way back to the 1960s... he was no Martin Luther King,\" he told the BBC World Service. \"He never changed in that regard.\" But he acknowledged that there was another side to Robert Mugabe, who had \"had a great passion for education... [and] mellowed in his later years\". \"There's a lot of affection towards him, because we must never forget that he was the person primarily responsible for ending oppressive white minority rule,\" the senator said. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa called Mr Mugabe a \"champion of Africa's cause against colonialism\" who inspired our own struggle against apartheid\". Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta said Mr Mugabe had \"played a major role in shaping the interests of the African continent\" and was \"a man of courage who was never afraid to fight for what he believed in even when it was not popular\". Kenya will fly all its flags at half-mast this weekend in honour of Mr Mugabe, he said. Veronica Madgen and her husband ran one of the largest farms in Zimbabwe before it was invaded by Mr Mugabe's supporters, forcing the family to come to the UK. Speaking to the BBC, she recalled: \"The tractors [were] being burnt, the motorcycles [were] being burnt, stones [were being] thrown through the window... It was very difficult to actually come to terms with what was happening. \"I was sad for him and his family, because for the first 20 years he governed that country, he was a good leader, until that threat of losing that election got hold of him and he turned.\" Yet Mr Mugabe is likely to be remembered for his early achievements, the BBC's Shingai Nyoka reports from the capital, Harare. In his later years, people called him all sorts of names, but now is probably the time when Zimbabweans will think back to his 37 years in power, she says. There's a local saying that whoever dies becomes a hero, and we're likely to see that now, our correspondent adds.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5926, "answer_start": 3173, "text": "Deputy Information Minister Energy Mutodi, of Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, told the BBC the party was \"very much saddened\" by his death. \"He's a man who believed himself, he's a man who believed in what he did and he is a man who was very assertive in whatever he said. This was a good man,\" he said. Not everyone agreed, however. George Walden, one of the British negotiators at the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979 which ended white-minority rule, said Mr Mugabe was a \"true monster\". The agreement \"turned out rather well... and looked good for a while\", but Mr Mugabe later became \"a grossly corrupt, vicious dictator\", he said. Zimbabwean Senator David Coltart, once labelled \"an enemy of the state\" by Mr Mugabe, said his legacy had been marred by his adherence to violence as a political tool. \"He was always committed to violence, going all the way back to the 1960s... he was no Martin Luther King,\" he told the BBC World Service. \"He never changed in that regard.\" But he acknowledged that there was another side to Robert Mugabe, who had \"had a great passion for education... [and] mellowed in his later years\". \"There's a lot of affection towards him, because we must never forget that he was the person primarily responsible for ending oppressive white minority rule,\" the senator said. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa called Mr Mugabe a \"champion of Africa's cause against colonialism\" who inspired our own struggle against apartheid\". Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta said Mr Mugabe had \"played a major role in shaping the interests of the African continent\" and was \"a man of courage who was never afraid to fight for what he believed in even when it was not popular\". Kenya will fly all its flags at half-mast this weekend in honour of Mr Mugabe, he said. Veronica Madgen and her husband ran one of the largest farms in Zimbabwe before it was invaded by Mr Mugabe's supporters, forcing the family to come to the UK. Speaking to the BBC, she recalled: \"The tractors [were] being burnt, the motorcycles [were] being burnt, stones [were being] thrown through the window... It was very difficult to actually come to terms with what was happening. \"I was sad for him and his family, because for the first 20 years he governed that country, he was a good leader, until that threat of losing that election got hold of him and he turned.\" Yet Mr Mugabe is likely to be remembered for his early achievements, the BBC's Shingai Nyoka reports from the capital, Harare. In his later years, people called him all sorts of names, but now is probably the time when Zimbabweans will think back to his 37 years in power, she says. There's a local saying that whoever dies becomes a hero, and we're likely to see that now, our correspondent adds." } ], "id": "500_0", "question": "What has the reaction been?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "International scepticism and condemnation have greeted North Korea's claim to have successfully carried out an underground hydrogen bomb test. If confirmed, it would be North Korea's fourth nuclear test since 2006 and mark a major upgrade in its capabilities. But nuclear experts have questioned whether the size of the blast was large enough to have been from an H-bomb. UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the test \"unequivocally\", calling it \"profoundly destabilising for regional security\". The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Wednesday and vowed to work immediately on a new resolution. South Korea called the test a \"grave provocation\" but said it was difficult to believe it was an H-bomb. Hydrogen bombs are more powerful and technologically advanced than atomic weapons, using fusion - the merging of atoms - to unleash massive amounts of energy. Atomic bombs, like the kind that devastated two Japanese cities in World War Two, use fission, or the splitting of atoms. Bruce Bennett, an analyst with the Rand Corporation, was among those casting doubts on Pyongyang's test: \"The bang they should have gotten would have been 10 times greater than what they're claiming. \"So Kim Jong-un is either lying, saying they did a hydrogen test when they didn't, they just used a little bit more efficient fission weapon - or the hydrogen part of the test really didn't work very well or the fission part didn't work very well.\" The data \"doesn't support suggestions that the bomb was a hydrogen bomb\", Chinese military expert Du Wenlong told state broadcaster CCTV. A South Korean politician, Lee Cheol-woo, said he was briefed by the country's intelligence agency that the blast \"probably falls short\" of a hydrogen detonation. But former British ambassador in Pyongyang John Everard warned \"an explosion of that size is quite enough to wipe out a city and I think that, of course, is deeply worrying\". South Korean President Park Geun-hye, said further analysis was needed to determine the nature of the test, while calling it \"a strong challenge to international peace and stability\". In other reaction: - China, North Korea's main ally, said it \"firmly opposes\" the test - Japan called it a \"major threat\" to its national security - The US and South Korea agreed that \"North Korea's provocations should have consequences\" - Russia warned the action could amount to \"a severe violation of international law\", calling for the resumption of talks - The EU urged North Korea \"cease this illegal and dangerous behaviour'' - Nato said North Korea should abandon nuclear weapons Heading into the UN meeting, Mr Ban said the test was \"deeply troubling and \"a grave contravention of international norms\". The UK ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, said: \"We will be working with others on a resolution on further sanctions.\" The rhetoric from the North Korean media was spectacular, announcing the country had carried out a \"world startling event\" - the underground test of a hydrogen bomb. \"People of the DPRK are making a giant stride, performing eye-catching miracles and exploits day by day,\" state media said. That North Korea is still living with its predictable 1950s post-Korean War world view, where the US is the prime aggressor, was made clear too. \"The US is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK.\" But despite the rhetoric, outside experts are sceptical about how much of a giant stride had been made. What is not in doubt is the determination of Pyongyang to go down the nuclear path despite widespread condemnation the last time it tested a device. North Korea's dramatic rhetoric Suspicions first emerged when an earthquake was registered near the Punggye-ri nuclear site in North Korea at 10:00 Pyongyang time (01:30 GMT), with the tremors rattling Chinese border cities. Hours later, in a surprise announcement, a newsreader on North Korean state TV said: \"The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016.\" A note signed by North Korea leader Kim Jong-un authorising the test said 2016 should begin with the \"stirring explosive sound\" of a hydrogen bomb. It could be days or weeks before independent tests are able to verify or dismiss the recent claim. Both China and Japan are reported to have been trying to detect radiation. North Korea carried out the first of its three previous nuclear tests in 2006, making it one of the few nuclear-armed nations on Earth. Despite North Korea's claims, experts are sceptical that North Korea can make a nuclear weapon small enough to fit on a missile. Observers agree a nuclear explosion of some kind took place and it seems to have been a bit bigger than the last test in 2013, but not nearly big enough to be a full thermonuclear explosion - an \"H-bomb\" - as Pyongyang claims. North Korea has a determination to defy both world opinion and heavy sanctions to reach its nuclear goal. Crucially, its main ally, China, has proved either unwilling or unable to help.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4628, "answer_start": 4500, "text": "Despite North Korea's claims, experts are sceptical that North Korea can make a nuclear weapon small enough to fit on a missile." } ], "id": "501_0", "question": "Can North Korea now launch a nuclear missile?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4855, "answer_start": 4629, "text": "Observers agree a nuclear explosion of some kind took place and it seems to have been a bit bigger than the last test in 2013, but not nearly big enough to be a full thermonuclear explosion - an \"H-bomb\" - as Pyongyang claims." } ], "id": "501_1", "question": "What do we know about the latest test?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5041, "answer_start": 4856, "text": "North Korea has a determination to defy both world opinion and heavy sanctions to reach its nuclear goal. Crucially, its main ally, China, has proved either unwilling or unable to help." } ], "id": "501_2", "question": "Why can't the world stop North Korea?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Tory leadership rivals Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson are continuing to unveil spending plans in the race to be the UK's next prime minister. Some are big ambitions - tax cuts, tuition fee write-offs. Others are more pragmatic - money to help industries cope in a no-deal scenario, for example. Both candidates have referred to using funds \"set aside\" by Chancellor Philip Hammond - but what are those? In his Spring statement this year, Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged PS26.6bn to boost the economy if MPs voted to leave the European Union with a deal The \"headroom\" in his fiscal forecasts basically means he has the scope to borrow an extra PS26.6bn, while staying within self-imposed limits on government borrowing. At the time of the announcement this money was widely referred to in the media as Mr Hammond's Brexit \"war chest\". He said the release of that money for spending and tax cuts - combined with the end of Brexit-induced uncertainty - would result in a \"deal dividend\" for the economy. Both Mr Hunt and Mr Johnson have ideas about what they'd like to do with the PS26.6bn - see below - when it is one of them (and their choice of chancellor) in charge of the public purse. However, in his Mansion House speech earlier this month, Mr Hammond warned that a no-deal Brexit would soak up this money so an incoming prime minister could no longer call on it. He reiterated that message again on Monday. Mr Hammond himself doesn't appear to have actually used the phrase \"war chest\", and Paul Johnson, director of economic think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), has stressed that such a thing does not exist. If the candidates \"want to borrow more they should just say they want to borrow more - there isn't a war chest to spend,\" he told BBC Newsnight. Both men have been accused of spending the same money more than once - or promising to make big investments or tax cuts even in the event of no deal, despite the fact that the PS26.6bn would be needed for other things. According to sources close to Mr Hunt, he wants to use some of the money to fund his pledge to increase defence spending by PS15bn over five years. That is obviously at odds with what Paul Johnson points out - that it is a one-off sum, not something necessarily available year after year for longer commitments. Mr Hunt has also made a host of other promises - more money for social care and mental health support in schools, investment to end illiteracy, an offer to write-off the tuition fees of graduate entrepreneurs, a cut in corporation tax - all of which will have to be paid for. The IFS says Mr Hunt's pledges so far would cost between PS37-65bn, more than absorbing that fiscal headroom. On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, he conceded some of his spending priorities would \"have to wait\" if the UK left without a deal because he would need to \"divert money\" into what he's calling his \"no deal war chest\" to support hard-hit businesses. So, slightly confusingly, we now have talk of two \"war chests\"... One - Mr Hunt's - to help cope with the worst case scenario, and another - Mr Hammond's - that could be tapped into in the best case. Mr Johnson wants to raise the higher income tax rate from PS50,000 to PS80,000, which his team estimates would cost about PS9.6bn. The leadership candidate said some of the cost would be absorbed by an increase in national insurance contributions, but it would also be partly funded from the PS26.6bn set aside by Mr Hammond. He has also pledged to fund increased investment in special needs education, as part of a PS4.6bn boost to overall school funding. Pressed on whether that money really could be found, especially in the event of no deal, Mr Johnson has insisted there is \"headroom available\" - and \"sensible tax cuts\" would also boost growth and increase revenue further. There's one other factor to bear in mind. The amount that's available for a new prime minister to borrow might be determined by outgoing holder of the office. The Financial Times reported last month on a row between Mr Hammond and Theresa May over her proposal to boost spending on a series of legacy projects before she departs. The chancellor is \"determined\" not to spend his Brexit \"war chest\" unless a deal is agreed with the EU, the newspaper reported, while the Sun said Mrs May wants to use the money to spend PS27bn over the next three years on schools. She has already committed the country to reaching \"zero-net\" carbon emissions by 2050 - something Mr Hammond has warned will cost \"about PS1 trillion\" and have \"implications\" for other spending ambitions.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1775, "answer_start": 402, "text": "In his Spring statement this year, Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged PS26.6bn to boost the economy if MPs voted to leave the European Union with a deal The \"headroom\" in his fiscal forecasts basically means he has the scope to borrow an extra PS26.6bn, while staying within self-imposed limits on government borrowing. At the time of the announcement this money was widely referred to in the media as Mr Hammond's Brexit \"war chest\". He said the release of that money for spending and tax cuts - combined with the end of Brexit-induced uncertainty - would result in a \"deal dividend\" for the economy. Both Mr Hunt and Mr Johnson have ideas about what they'd like to do with the PS26.6bn - see below - when it is one of them (and their choice of chancellor) in charge of the public purse. However, in his Mansion House speech earlier this month, Mr Hammond warned that a no-deal Brexit would soak up this money so an incoming prime minister could no longer call on it. He reiterated that message again on Monday. Mr Hammond himself doesn't appear to have actually used the phrase \"war chest\", and Paul Johnson, director of economic think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), has stressed that such a thing does not exist. If the candidates \"want to borrow more they should just say they want to borrow more - there isn't a war chest to spend,\" he told BBC Newsnight." } ], "id": "502_0", "question": "Is there a Brexit \"war chest\"?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3137, "answer_start": 1776, "text": "Both men have been accused of spending the same money more than once - or promising to make big investments or tax cuts even in the event of no deal, despite the fact that the PS26.6bn would be needed for other things. According to sources close to Mr Hunt, he wants to use some of the money to fund his pledge to increase defence spending by PS15bn over five years. That is obviously at odds with what Paul Johnson points out - that it is a one-off sum, not something necessarily available year after year for longer commitments. Mr Hunt has also made a host of other promises - more money for social care and mental health support in schools, investment to end illiteracy, an offer to write-off the tuition fees of graduate entrepreneurs, a cut in corporation tax - all of which will have to be paid for. The IFS says Mr Hunt's pledges so far would cost between PS37-65bn, more than absorbing that fiscal headroom. On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, he conceded some of his spending priorities would \"have to wait\" if the UK left without a deal because he would need to \"divert money\" into what he's calling his \"no deal war chest\" to support hard-hit businesses. So, slightly confusingly, we now have talk of two \"war chests\"... One - Mr Hunt's - to help cope with the worst case scenario, and another - Mr Hammond's - that could be tapped into in the best case." } ], "id": "502_1", "question": "What does Mr Hunt want to use this money for?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4584, "answer_start": 3818, "text": "There's one other factor to bear in mind. The amount that's available for a new prime minister to borrow might be determined by outgoing holder of the office. The Financial Times reported last month on a row between Mr Hammond and Theresa May over her proposal to boost spending on a series of legacy projects before she departs. The chancellor is \"determined\" not to spend his Brexit \"war chest\" unless a deal is agreed with the EU, the newspaper reported, while the Sun said Mrs May wants to use the money to spend PS27bn over the next three years on schools. She has already committed the country to reaching \"zero-net\" carbon emissions by 2050 - something Mr Hammond has warned will cost \"about PS1 trillion\" and have \"implications\" for other spending ambitions." } ], "id": "502_2", "question": "Is anyone else trying to spend the money?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has blown its cover on Instagram, giving would-be secret agents an intriguing mission to accomplish. Known for its secrecy, discretion and shadowy spy tactics, the US foreign intelligence service has shown its sense of irony by joining the social media platform. \"We are the nation's first line of defence,\" the account's bio says, portraying a seriousness more typically associated with the organisation. Its first post, however, takes a more playful tone. It includes a picture of a desk scattered with curiously placed objects, ranging from a curly grey wig to a pile of foreign banknotes. Taken at the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, the photo is cryptically captioned: \"I spy with my little eye...\" The challenge, it would seem, is to identify the objects in the picture. And to give you a clue, a CIA spokesperson told CBS News many of them belong to current employees. How many can you spot? The account was opened as part of the CIA's strategy to recruit a younger generation of officers, agents and analysts. Most users on Instagram are under 30. \"Joining Instagram is another way we're sharing CIA's stories and recruiting talented Americans to serve here,\" a CIA spokesperson said. \"Through the account, we'll give a peek into Agency life, but we can't promise any selfies from secret locations.\" CIA Director Gina Haspel announced plans to launch the account last week while appearing at a question-and-answer session at Auburn University in Alabama. Here is a by-no-means exhaustive list: 1) A plant, included as a wry reference to the CIA's foreign intelligence \"plants\". 2) A clock whose hands are set to 8:46, the time a plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center during the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. 3) A map of China, one of America's main rivals in Asia. 4) A golden owl said to represent Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. It was offered by the CIA's Chief Operating Officer, Andy Makridis. 5) What appears to be an amulet that resembles an evil eye - perhaps to represent the dangers CIA agents face? 6) An artwork depicting Tony Mendez, a CIA officer who posed as a filmmaker to rescue six US hostages in Iran in 1980. 7) A pair of cuff-links, reportedly used by CIA agents to identify each other. 8) A grey wig, presumably worn by undercover CIA agents. 9) An ID containing a mugshot of Ms Haspel 10) A top-secret pulp bag, used by agents to destroy evidence. The account, Ms Haspel said, was an example of how the intelligence service is seeking to modernise in the digital age. However, the CIA is no stranger to social media. It has accounts on Twitter and Facebook, platforms it joined in 2014. Its first tweet - \"We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet\" - was similarly tongue-in-cheek, belying its fearsome reputation.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2832, "answer_start": 1510, "text": "Here is a by-no-means exhaustive list: 1) A plant, included as a wry reference to the CIA's foreign intelligence \"plants\". 2) A clock whose hands are set to 8:46, the time a plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center during the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. 3) A map of China, one of America's main rivals in Asia. 4) A golden owl said to represent Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. It was offered by the CIA's Chief Operating Officer, Andy Makridis. 5) What appears to be an amulet that resembles an evil eye - perhaps to represent the dangers CIA agents face? 6) An artwork depicting Tony Mendez, a CIA officer who posed as a filmmaker to rescue six US hostages in Iran in 1980. 7) A pair of cuff-links, reportedly used by CIA agents to identify each other. 8) A grey wig, presumably worn by undercover CIA agents. 9) An ID containing a mugshot of Ms Haspel 10) A top-secret pulp bag, used by agents to destroy evidence. The account, Ms Haspel said, was an example of how the intelligence service is seeking to modernise in the digital age. However, the CIA is no stranger to social media. It has accounts on Twitter and Facebook, platforms it joined in 2014. Its first tweet - \"We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet\" - was similarly tongue-in-cheek, belying its fearsome reputation." } ], "id": "503_0", "question": "So what are the objects?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "India's Cabinet has approved the introduction of the death penalty for those who rape children, amid uproar over a series of high-profile cases. The change to the country's penal code applies to those convicted of raping a child under the age of 12. There have been nationwide protests in recent weeks over the gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl. The government has come under fire for not doing enough to prevent sexual-assault cases, many involving children. A number of serious crimes in India carry the death penalty, but raping a child was not among them until now. Nearly 19,000 cases were registered in India in 2016 - more than 50 each day. The executive order was cleared at a special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It allows capital punishment for anyone convicted of raping children under the age of 12. Minimum prison sentences for rape against girls under the age of 16 and women have also been raised. According to Reuters, which has seen a copy of the order, there was no mention of boys or men. Two recent rape cases have shocked the nation. Protests erupted earlier this month after police released horrific details of the rape of an eight-year-old Muslim girl by Hindu men in Kathua, in Indian-administered Kashmir in January. Anger has also been mounting after a member of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was accused last week over the rape of a 16-year-old girl in northern Uttar Pradesh state. India's poor record of dealing with sexual violence came to the fore after the 2012 gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus. This led to huge protests and changes to the country's rape laws. But sexual attacks against women and children have since continued to be reported across the country. Executions are rarely carried out in India, with just three recorded in the last decade. The four men convicted in the Delhi bus case were sentenced to death, though this has not yet been carried out. The judge in that case said it fell into \"the rarest of rare category\" which justifies capital punishment in India. India's penal code, according to the Hindustan Times, had already prescribed the death penalty for gang rape. Hanging is the main method of execution. A man convicted of financing the deadly 1993 Mumbai bombings was the last person to be executed in India - in 2015.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1048, "answer_start": 661, "text": "The executive order was cleared at a special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It allows capital punishment for anyone convicted of raping children under the age of 12. Minimum prison sentences for rape against girls under the age of 16 and women have also been raised. According to Reuters, which has seen a copy of the order, there was no mention of boys or men." } ], "id": "504_0", "question": "What's in the new law?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1765, "answer_start": 1049, "text": "Two recent rape cases have shocked the nation. Protests erupted earlier this month after police released horrific details of the rape of an eight-year-old Muslim girl by Hindu men in Kathua, in Indian-administered Kashmir in January. Anger has also been mounting after a member of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was accused last week over the rape of a 16-year-old girl in northern Uttar Pradesh state. India's poor record of dealing with sexual violence came to the fore after the 2012 gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus. This led to huge protests and changes to the country's rape laws. But sexual attacks against women and children have since continued to be reported across the country." } ], "id": "504_1", "question": "Why now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2349, "answer_start": 1766, "text": "Executions are rarely carried out in India, with just three recorded in the last decade. The four men convicted in the Delhi bus case were sentenced to death, though this has not yet been carried out. The judge in that case said it fell into \"the rarest of rare category\" which justifies capital punishment in India. India's penal code, according to the Hindustan Times, had already prescribed the death penalty for gang rape. Hanging is the main method of execution. A man convicted of financing the deadly 1993 Mumbai bombings was the last person to be executed in India - in 2015." } ], "id": "504_2", "question": "How is the death penalty used in India?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Forestry officials in India say they are investigating the unusual deaths of 11 Asiatic lions in the western state Gujarat over the last fortnight. The Asiatic lion was listed as endangered in 2008 - an improvement on a critically endangered listing in 2000 - after numbers increased in the state's Gir forest. But the death of such a large number of lions in a short period highlights the intense competition between the animals in the Gir sanctuary, home to hundreds of lions. It remains unclear but officials mainly suspect that a group of lions from a different area killed them in a battle over territory. They are fairly certain that this is what happened to at least eight of the 11, including three cubs. Forest official GK Sinha told reporters at least three adult male lions from another area entered a range in the forest and killed the cubs, in what he described as \"infighting\". \"This is a natural course of action among lions,\" he said. What killed the remaining three lions is unknown. Wildlife conservationist Rajan Joshi told BBC Gujarati that he suspected Canine distemper virus (CDV) - carried by domestic dogs - may have played a role in the deaths. But officials said medical tests during the post mortem of the dead cats had not found any evidence of the virus. The virus was first described at the beginning of the 20th Century and has been cited as contributing to the demise of the thylacine (commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger due to the black stripes on its back). Lions are the only truly social cats, with related females living together in prides overseen by male coalitions that compete for possession in fierce and often fatal battles. They move quickly at night to look for prey and shelter. Both prey - mainly deer and abandoned cattle in Gujarat - and shelter - jungles, farms and orchards - are widely dispersed in unprotected areas outside the sanctuaries. Gujarat is the world's last abode of Asiatic lions, who once prowled a vast region between India and the Middle East. There are 523 lions living in a 22,000 sq km area across eight districts - including the Gir sanctuary, where the 11 dead lions were found - according to the last census done in 2015. At least 200 of these lions are living in unprotected areas outside sanctuaries. The heavily protected Gir sanctuary, say experts, has a \"carrying capacity\" - an ecosystem's ability to support a specific and often fixed number of species - of 300 lions. After the lion population exceeded the \"capacity\" in 1995, the big cats began moving out of Gir because of overcrowding. Lions are now routinely spotted on private farms and near village homes. A pride of 18 lions was captured in the region after three people were killed between April and May 2016. A bulk of the government's budget for lions is spent on compensating farmers whose cattle have been killed by lions and on removing the big cats from farms. Wildlife officials say most of the lions outside the sanctuary live in Amreli and Bhavnagar districts. In June, the government announced that 109 sq km of area in these two districts would be reserved as a new sanctuary for lions. India's Supreme Court had ruled in 2013 that Gujarat needed to relocate some of its lions to neighbouring Madhya Pradesh state to avoid the possibility of disease or some other disaster wiping out the entire population. However, the move has been delayed as studies on prey base, vegetation cover and local weather of the new habitat in Madhya Pradesh have not yet been completed. Some 60% of the lions die of natural causes - their average lifespan is between 15 and 16 years, but many become old and infirm after nine or 10 years. In 2016, Ram, one of India's oldest and most popular lions in the wild, died from old age in Gir. Ram was thought to be 15 years old. According to local officials, 184 lions have died in and around Gir since 2016. Only 30 deaths were caused by unnatural causes. These would include accidentally coming in contact with electric fences around farms and being hit by speeding vehicles and trains while crossing highways and railway tracks. Lions in the area have also drowned after falling in open village wells, and after drinking contaminated water. Additional reporting by BBC Gujarati's Roxy Gagdekar Chhara in Ahmedabad.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1896, "answer_start": 479, "text": "It remains unclear but officials mainly suspect that a group of lions from a different area killed them in a battle over territory. They are fairly certain that this is what happened to at least eight of the 11, including three cubs. Forest official GK Sinha told reporters at least three adult male lions from another area entered a range in the forest and killed the cubs, in what he described as \"infighting\". \"This is a natural course of action among lions,\" he said. What killed the remaining three lions is unknown. Wildlife conservationist Rajan Joshi told BBC Gujarati that he suspected Canine distemper virus (CDV) - carried by domestic dogs - may have played a role in the deaths. But officials said medical tests during the post mortem of the dead cats had not found any evidence of the virus. The virus was first described at the beginning of the 20th Century and has been cited as contributing to the demise of the thylacine (commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger due to the black stripes on its back). Lions are the only truly social cats, with related females living together in prides overseen by male coalitions that compete for possession in fierce and often fatal battles. They move quickly at night to look for prey and shelter. Both prey - mainly deer and abandoned cattle in Gujarat - and shelter - jungles, farms and orchards - are widely dispersed in unprotected areas outside the sanctuaries." } ], "id": "505_0", "question": "What happened to the lions?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3521, "answer_start": 1897, "text": "Gujarat is the world's last abode of Asiatic lions, who once prowled a vast region between India and the Middle East. There are 523 lions living in a 22,000 sq km area across eight districts - including the Gir sanctuary, where the 11 dead lions were found - according to the last census done in 2015. At least 200 of these lions are living in unprotected areas outside sanctuaries. The heavily protected Gir sanctuary, say experts, has a \"carrying capacity\" - an ecosystem's ability to support a specific and often fixed number of species - of 300 lions. After the lion population exceeded the \"capacity\" in 1995, the big cats began moving out of Gir because of overcrowding. Lions are now routinely spotted on private farms and near village homes. A pride of 18 lions was captured in the region after three people were killed between April and May 2016. A bulk of the government's budget for lions is spent on compensating farmers whose cattle have been killed by lions and on removing the big cats from farms. Wildlife officials say most of the lions outside the sanctuary live in Amreli and Bhavnagar districts. In June, the government announced that 109 sq km of area in these two districts would be reserved as a new sanctuary for lions. India's Supreme Court had ruled in 2013 that Gujarat needed to relocate some of its lions to neighbouring Madhya Pradesh state to avoid the possibility of disease or some other disaster wiping out the entire population. However, the move has been delayed as studies on prey base, vegetation cover and local weather of the new habitat in Madhya Pradesh have not yet been completed." } ], "id": "505_1", "question": "How many lions are found in Gujarat?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4296, "answer_start": 3522, "text": "Some 60% of the lions die of natural causes - their average lifespan is between 15 and 16 years, but many become old and infirm after nine or 10 years. In 2016, Ram, one of India's oldest and most popular lions in the wild, died from old age in Gir. Ram was thought to be 15 years old. According to local officials, 184 lions have died in and around Gir since 2016. Only 30 deaths were caused by unnatural causes. These would include accidentally coming in contact with electric fences around farms and being hit by speeding vehicles and trains while crossing highways and railway tracks. Lions in the area have also drowned after falling in open village wells, and after drinking contaminated water. Additional reporting by BBC Gujarati's Roxy Gagdekar Chhara in Ahmedabad." } ], "id": "505_2", "question": "How common are lion deaths?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Couples from across the world braved swamps and bogs on a treacherous course in the 11th UK Wife Carrying Race. Chris Hepworth, carrying Tanisha Prince, of West Drayton, London, raced to victory in the contest over a 1250ft (380m) obstacle course in Surrey. Organisers suggested the activity of wife-carrying began in June 793 AD. They said Vikings carried \"wenches\" in a practice that lasted for 300 years and was reborn after 900 years - and some people took it \"very seriously\". Competitors faced a 49ft (15m) ascent and descent on the course, described as \"very tough\" by organisers. Information for competitors said: \"You do not have to be married (to each other, anyway) but it certainly helps if you are at least friends.\" Under the rules, all \"wives\" - who can be male or female over the age of 18 - had to weigh at least 50kg and there were penalties for dropping the \"wife\". Any underweight candidates had a rucksack of tinned baked beans to add to the load. Winner Mr Hepworth said he was \"surprised and chuffed\" and his \"wife\" Ms Prince said for her the uphill climb was easier than going downhill. They will go on to compete in the world contest in Finland in July. \"Maybe we can be the ones to win it,\" Mr Hepworth said. Organisers warned of the serious injuries participants risked, saying: \"Wife carrying can be a dangerous activity, which can lead to any one or more of the following injuries: slipped disk, broken legs and arms, spinal damage, facial injury, skull fracture, hernias, and other sundry injuries and illnesses, and potentially including death. \"But please don't let this put you off!\" Ben and Hannah Brackenbury entered the contest to mark their first wedding anniversary. Mrs Brackenbury said: \"It's got to be done.\" Her husband said: \"I was away for the weekend. I got a message saying am I free on that day. \"I thought she'd booked us in for a spa or something. Next thing I get home and she says I've entered us into the UK wife-carrying competition.\" The couple said they practised in the garden and in the rain, and tried some jumps in preparation for getting over hay bales. The winner received a barrel of local ale while last place was awarded the \"ceremonial\" Pot Noodle and dog food. Recognised holds included the bridal carry, the piggy back, the shoulder-ride, the fireman's carry and what was dubbed the Estonian hold - where the wife hangs upside down on the husband's back with legs crossed in front of the face. The Dorking hold was described as the reverse of the Estonian hold.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2529, "answer_start": 1706, "text": "Mrs Brackenbury said: \"It's got to be done.\" Her husband said: \"I was away for the weekend. I got a message saying am I free on that day. \"I thought she'd booked us in for a spa or something. Next thing I get home and she says I've entered us into the UK wife-carrying competition.\" The couple said they practised in the garden and in the rain, and tried some jumps in preparation for getting over hay bales. The winner received a barrel of local ale while last place was awarded the \"ceremonial\" Pot Noodle and dog food. Recognised holds included the bridal carry, the piggy back, the shoulder-ride, the fireman's carry and what was dubbed the Estonian hold - where the wife hangs upside down on the husband's back with legs crossed in front of the face. The Dorking hold was described as the reverse of the Estonian hold." } ], "id": "506_0", "question": "Spa or swamp?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Yemen is broken. The country once dubbed by the Romans as \"Arabia Felix\" - \"Fortunate Arabia\" - because of its lush valleys and rich agriculture has been torn apart by war. The UN estimates that close to 6,000 people have been killed since a Saudi-led nine-nation coalition began air strikes in March 2015, hoping to defeat the Houthi rebels who had taken over half the country. Already the poorest country in the Arab world, with dwindling oil and water reserves, Yemen is now facing catastrophe. Its basic infrastructure is shattered, its economy is grinding to a halt, at least 80% of the population is dependent on food aid. Its land is divided between Houthi rebels, forces loyal to the former president, forces loyal to the current president, Gulf Arab armies and rival jihadists from both al-Qaeda and so-called Islamic State (IS). Peace talks in Switzerland opened in December but if they fail to produce results when they resume in January then Yemen's largely unseen war could last well into 2016 and beyond. In 2011, Yemen experienced the Arab Spring protests, along with Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya and Syria. Worried that the protests could spill out of control or even beyond its borders, Yemen's Gulf Arab neighbours brokered a deal that saw longstanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh deposed and replaced by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. They underestimated the former president. Instead of slipping off gracefully into retirement, Mr Saleh remained in Yemen, conspiring to ruin the new president's chances of success. In 2014, Mr Saleh threw his support behind a rebellion by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, enabling them to march almost unopposed into the capital, Sanaa. By January 2015, the UN-recognised President Hadi had lost power completely and he fled into exile in Saudi Arabia where he remains today. By March 2015, the Houthis had taken over the whole of western Yemen, where the bulk of the population are concentrated. The Saudis and their Gulf Arab allies saw this as an Iranian takeover, fearing that Iran was about to seize control of Aden port and the strategic entrance to the Red Sea, through which thousands of ships pass each year. For the Saudis, this was a red line and they decided to act. In March, they began a massive campaign of air strikes, targeting both the Houthi rebels and their backers, the units loyal to Mr Saleh. The Saudis expected their overwhelming firepower to quickly drive the Houthis towards the negotiating table, and that they would sue for peace. Yet, nine months later the Houthis remain firmly embedded in the capital and much of the north. Yemen now effectively has two capitals - Sanaa and Aden - and the Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in an indecisive war where neither side is emerging as a clear winner. The toll on Yemen's population and infrastructure has been horrific. According to human rights groups both sides have committed abuses, some of which may amount to war crimes. More than 2,500 civilians are reported to have been killed, most by air strikes. The Saudi-led coalition stands accused of using at least four types of cluster bombs and dropping bombs on civilian homes, hospitals, factories and bottling plants. Saudi Arabia insists it only attacks carefully chosen military targets but there have been numerous accounts from Yemenis on the ground saying residential areas have been attacked, far from any Houthi positions. Human rights groups have called for a boycott of Western arms sales to Saudi Arabia since its air force uses US- and UK-made planes and missiles, while US tankers resupply those aircraft and US intelligence advisers work alongside the Saudis in their operations centre. The Houthi rebels are accused of shelling residential areas indiscriminately, of laying unmarked mines and of imprisoning members of the population without charge. Food distribution has been hampered by the fighting and by a partial blockade of Yemen's ports and aid agencies warn of the growing risk of malnutrition and disease if the war continues much longer. Some see the Yemen conflict as a sectarian proxy war between the two big regional rivals in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia is a Sunni-majority country where the Shia population in the east complain of marginalisation and discrimination. Iran is a Shia-majority country. The two are vying for control and influence over a rapidly-changing map of the Middle East. Until the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 that large, oil-rich country was ruled by Sunnis under President Saddam Hussein. Gulf Arab rulers did not much care for him but they saw Iraq as a useful bulwark against Iran and its efforts to export its Islamic Revolution. But today Iraq is ruled by Shias and has very close links with Iran. Syria, riven by civil war, has a nominally Shia president supported by Iran, while next door in Lebanon the most powerful militia is Hezbollah, also supported by Iran. So the Saudis are feeling a certain paranoia, fearing a \"Shia crescent\" that extends all the way from Afghanistan westwards to the Mediterranean. The prospect, in their eyes, of Yemen forming part of this Shia sphere of influence was simply too much for them, hence their commitment to a Yemen war with no apparent end in sight. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain all now appear more interested in what happens in Yemen than what happens in Syria. In practice, this has translated into a scaling back of Gulf Arab participation in the US-led air campaign against IS in Syria and Iraq. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain are fully committed militarily in Yemen and analysts question whether these countries can focus their full attention on two full scale conflicts simultaneously. The new, aggressive and adventurist stance of the Saudi ruling clique has surprised many people. Despite the billions of petrodollars they have spent on arms purchases over the years, the Saudis have not been a martial nation since the country's tribes united back in 1932. When Iraq's late President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, some Saudi princes even suggested a deal that would buy him off and let him keep part of Kuwait. Traditionally, the Saudis have preferred to conduct diplomacy by quiet negotiation and compromise, backed by cash, rather than seeking confrontation. But that changed after January 2015, when the late King Abdullah was succeeded by King Salman, who granted extraordinary power to his young and untested son, the 29-year-old Prince Mohammed bin Salman. As possibly the youngest defence minister in the world, he was given the green light to lead the war against the Houthis in Yemen. Today, Saudi troops are on the ground there, but under the same banner of the Saudi-led coalition so too are Emiratis from the UAE, Bahrainis and, reportedly Egyptians, Sudanese and even Colombian mercenaries. In September, a single missile attack on a coalition base killed 46 Emirati soldiers and several Saudis and Bahrainis. The UAE has some experience of expeditionary warfare (sending troops overseas to fight), after serving in Kosovo and Afghanistan, but for the Saudis the war in Yemen is a new and risky venture. Any deal that leaves the Houthi rebels in control of Sanaa and the surrounding area will be perceived as a failure for the Saudis and their coalition, something that could have negative consequences for the young defence minister. But reports from Yemen suggest that splits have emerged between the Houthi rebels and their Saleh backers. There are signs that some Houthi leaders want to bring this war to a swift end, while others want to fight on. So, as ever, the situation in Yemen is complicated. Ceasefires come and go, peace talks are convened then break up, more and more countries are getting drawn into the morass and with no clear winner, it is Yemen's increasingly beleaguered population that is emerging as the losers in this war.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2788, "answer_start": 1019, "text": "In 2011, Yemen experienced the Arab Spring protests, along with Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya and Syria. Worried that the protests could spill out of control or even beyond its borders, Yemen's Gulf Arab neighbours brokered a deal that saw longstanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh deposed and replaced by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. They underestimated the former president. Instead of slipping off gracefully into retirement, Mr Saleh remained in Yemen, conspiring to ruin the new president's chances of success. In 2014, Mr Saleh threw his support behind a rebellion by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, enabling them to march almost unopposed into the capital, Sanaa. By January 2015, the UN-recognised President Hadi had lost power completely and he fled into exile in Saudi Arabia where he remains today. By March 2015, the Houthis had taken over the whole of western Yemen, where the bulk of the population are concentrated. The Saudis and their Gulf Arab allies saw this as an Iranian takeover, fearing that Iran was about to seize control of Aden port and the strategic entrance to the Red Sea, through which thousands of ships pass each year. For the Saudis, this was a red line and they decided to act. In March, they began a massive campaign of air strikes, targeting both the Houthi rebels and their backers, the units loyal to Mr Saleh. The Saudis expected their overwhelming firepower to quickly drive the Houthis towards the negotiating table, and that they would sue for peace. Yet, nine months later the Houthis remain firmly embedded in the capital and much of the north. Yemen now effectively has two capitals - Sanaa and Aden - and the Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in an indecisive war where neither side is emerging as a clear winner." } ], "id": "507_0", "question": "What went wrong?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Children \"remain an afterthought\" for leading social media companies, England's Children's Commissioner, Anne Longfield, has said. And she has written to the biggest companies, urging them to commit to tackling issues of disturbing content. Her letter follows the suicide of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who killed herself after viewing distressing self-harm images on Instagram. The companies say they are working hard to keep their platforms safe. Ms Longfield's letter is addressed to YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, which also own WhatsApp and Instagram, and Snapchat. It urges them to back the introduction of a statutory duty of care where they would have to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children using their platforms. She also calls for a digital ombudsman - paid for by the industry - who would act as an independent arbiter between young users and technology companies. The letter says: \"The tragic suicide of Molly Russell and her father's appalled response to the material she was viewing on social media before her death have again highlighted the horrific amount of disturbing content that children are accessing online. \"I do not think it is going too far to question whether even you, the owners, any longer have any control over their [platforms'] content. \"If that is the case, then children should not be accessing your services at all and parents should be aware that the idea of any authority overseeing algorithms and content is a mirage.\" Ms Longfield says she believes that, while she has been told by the industry that the issue is being taken seriously, there is \"still a failure to engage and that children remain an afterthought\". The commissioner calls on the industry to \"accept there are problems and to commit to tackling them - or admit publicly that you are unable to\". Her letter ends: \"With great power comes great responsibility and it is your responsibility to support measures that give children the information and tools they need growing up in this digital world - or to admit that you cannot control what anyone sees on your platforms.\" A spokesman for Instagram and Facebook acknowledged the company had a \"huge responsibility\" to make sure young people were safe. \"Our thoughts are with Molly's family and with the other families who have been affected by suicide or self-harm,\" he said. \"We are undertaking a full review of our policies, enforcement and technologies and are consulting further with mental health experts to understand what more we can do. \"In the meantime, we are taking measures aimed at preventing people from finding self-harm related content through search and hashtags.\" YouTube says it has policies that prohibit videos that promote self-harm and will remove flagged videos that violate this policy. A spokeswoman for Snapchat said: \"We work hard to keep Snapchat a safe and supportive place for everyone. \"From the outset, we have sought to connect our community with content that is authoritative and credible and safeguard against harmful content and disinformation.\" The promotion of self-injury or eating disorders was not allowed, she added. A spokeswoman for Pinterest said : \"We don't want people to ever see disturbing content on our platform, and it is deeply upsetting to us if they do. \"We have assembled a special team that is urgently working to strengthen our technology that helps keep unwanted content off Pinterest. \"In addition, we are working with more outside groups with expertise in these issues to review our policy and enforcement guidelines and ensure we get this right.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3571, "answer_start": 2085, "text": "A spokesman for Instagram and Facebook acknowledged the company had a \"huge responsibility\" to make sure young people were safe. \"Our thoughts are with Molly's family and with the other families who have been affected by suicide or self-harm,\" he said. \"We are undertaking a full review of our policies, enforcement and technologies and are consulting further with mental health experts to understand what more we can do. \"In the meantime, we are taking measures aimed at preventing people from finding self-harm related content through search and hashtags.\" YouTube says it has policies that prohibit videos that promote self-harm and will remove flagged videos that violate this policy. A spokeswoman for Snapchat said: \"We work hard to keep Snapchat a safe and supportive place for everyone. \"From the outset, we have sought to connect our community with content that is authoritative and credible and safeguard against harmful content and disinformation.\" The promotion of self-injury or eating disorders was not allowed, she added. A spokeswoman for Pinterest said : \"We don't want people to ever see disturbing content on our platform, and it is deeply upsetting to us if they do. \"We have assembled a special team that is urgently working to strengthen our technology that helps keep unwanted content off Pinterest. \"In addition, we are working with more outside groups with expertise in these issues to review our policy and enforcement guidelines and ensure we get this right.\"" } ], "id": "508_0", "question": "How have the companies responded?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Parliament will be dissolved on Wednesday, so the 2019 general election campaign will then officially get under way. So what are the rules for parties and MPs on spending in the run-up to polling day on 12 December? In the run-up to an election, there are rules around campaign spending to try to keep the race fair. They can sometimes be vague, but they cover spending by political parties in the year before a general election - and can also include polling day. Each party must record and report all campaign spending to the Electoral Commission, which oversees elections. This includes money spent on: - Advertising of any kind - from YouTube videos to banners - Leaflets or letters sent to voters' homes - A manifesto, or other documents that set out a party's policies - Press conferences, rallies and related expenses - Transport to party events Political parties' spend is also capped at PS30,000 for each constituency that it contests in a general election. So if a party stood a candidate in each of the 650 UK constituencies, its maximum spend would total PS19.5m. Spending can even include expenses related to attending party events. For example, 62 reports of spending in McDonalds were logged with the Electoral Commission around the last election. In the 2017 general election, 75 parties and 18 campaign groups reported spending more than PS41.6m between them. The Conservatives spent most at PS18.6m. It fielded 638 candidates, winning in 317 constituencies. Labour came in at PS11m and the Liberal Democrats at PS6.8m. Slightly less was spent on the 2015 general election at PS39m. Campaigners who do not belong to a party have to register with the Electoral Commission if they plan to spend more than a certain amount on their campaign. That's more than PS20,000 in England, or PS10,000 in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The two biggest campaigns - the pro-EU Best for Britain and the National Union of Teachers - were listed as non-party campaigners in 2017's early election. Both spent more than PS250,000. When a general election is called, there are a lot of things that need to be organised, and paid for. It is difficult to estimate how much the forthcoming election might cost. But, we do know that after former Prime Minister Theresa May called the 2017 general election, the cost to taxpayers was more than PS140m. A Cabinet Office minister said that PS98m was spent by returning officers to run the poll in their constituencies, while PS42m went on posting material to voters. Before the 2001 general election, there were no limits on what political parties could spend on national campaigns at a UK general election. Today, if spending rules are broken, the maximum fine is PS20,000 per offence. The Electoral Commission has called for this to be increased, and offences can include delivering late or inaccurate spending returns. The Conservative, Labour and Women's Equality parties were investigated for weekly spending reports that were inaccurate ahead of the last general election. The Conservatives received the largest fine for this at PS6,250. Individuals hoping to become an MP in the House of Commons also have to keep an eye on their spending. At a local level, each candidate's spending limit is different. It is calculated by adding together a fixed amount of PS8,700, plus either 9p or 6p per registered voter in their constituency. The extra amount depends on whether it is a county constituency, or a smaller, built-up borough. Candidates have to report the costs of advertising, administration fees like telephone bills, and staff. They need to keep a log of all payments for election expenses, as well as receipts for any payments over PS20. Political parties have to report information on donations to the Electoral Commission every quarter. Every donation of more than PS7,500 which is made to a party must be declared, along with those of more than PS1,500 made to a party's \"accounting units\". They are bits of a party whose finances are not managed by its headquarters. Donations in Great Britain can be accepted when they are made by individuals on the electoral register, most UK-based companies, trade unions or building societies. In Northern Ireland, the rules are broadly the same, except that donations can also be accepted from Irish citizens and registered organisations. Between April and the end of June this year, 16 parties accepted a total of PS14.6m in donations.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1262, "answer_start": 216, "text": "In the run-up to an election, there are rules around campaign spending to try to keep the race fair. They can sometimes be vague, but they cover spending by political parties in the year before a general election - and can also include polling day. Each party must record and report all campaign spending to the Electoral Commission, which oversees elections. This includes money spent on: - Advertising of any kind - from YouTube videos to banners - Leaflets or letters sent to voters' homes - A manifesto, or other documents that set out a party's policies - Press conferences, rallies and related expenses - Transport to party events Political parties' spend is also capped at PS30,000 for each constituency that it contests in a general election. So if a party stood a candidate in each of the 650 UK constituencies, its maximum spend would total PS19.5m. Spending can even include expenses related to attending party events. For example, 62 reports of spending in McDonalds were logged with the Electoral Commission around the last election." } ], "id": "509_0", "question": "What can parties spend on an election?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2033, "answer_start": 1263, "text": "In the 2017 general election, 75 parties and 18 campaign groups reported spending more than PS41.6m between them. The Conservatives spent most at PS18.6m. It fielded 638 candidates, winning in 317 constituencies. Labour came in at PS11m and the Liberal Democrats at PS6.8m. Slightly less was spent on the 2015 general election at PS39m. Campaigners who do not belong to a party have to register with the Electoral Commission if they plan to spend more than a certain amount on their campaign. That's more than PS20,000 in England, or PS10,000 in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The two biggest campaigns - the pro-EU Best for Britain and the National Union of Teachers - were listed as non-party campaigners in 2017's early election. Both spent more than PS250,000." } ], "id": "509_1", "question": "How much was spent at previous elections?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4438, "answer_start": 3697, "text": "Political parties have to report information on donations to the Electoral Commission every quarter. Every donation of more than PS7,500 which is made to a party must be declared, along with those of more than PS1,500 made to a party's \"accounting units\". They are bits of a party whose finances are not managed by its headquarters. Donations in Great Britain can be accepted when they are made by individuals on the electoral register, most UK-based companies, trade unions or building societies. In Northern Ireland, the rules are broadly the same, except that donations can also be accepted from Irish citizens and registered organisations. Between April and the end of June this year, 16 parties accepted a total of PS14.6m in donations." } ], "id": "509_2", "question": "What are the rules on donations?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Boris Johnson has pledged to make it easier to help struggling UK companies after Brexit, if the Tories win the general election. The PM said being free of EU rules on state aid would make it quicker to intervene, and bring in \"buy British\" guidelines for public bodies. He added that an Australian-style immigration system would be in place in place by 1 January, 2021. But Labour criticised the Tories' past record of supporting industry. Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said the prime minister's promise on state aid rules \"sticks in his throat\". He said the Conservatives had \"sat on their hands and used state aid as an excuse\" when refusing to intervene to save a steel works in his Teesside constituency in 2015. Business lobby group the Institute of Directors said the PM's proposals \"suggest a retreat away from free and open markets\" and would have \"clear implications\" for the UK's ability to negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. Free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs said greater use of state aid to help firms in trouble would \"translate to veiled support for cronyism\". Earlier on Friday, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she was hoping for another hung parliament, with her party holding the balance of power. Mr Johnson has guaranteed that if the Conservatives win a working majority, the UK will leave the EU by 31 January at the latest. Under the terms of the withdrawal agreement, free movement from the EU will continue for 11 months after Brexit during a transition period. Mr Johnson said a new Australian-style immigration system would be in place when the current rules end on 31 December 2020. Under this scheme, those applying to come to the UK would be awarded points based on professional and personal characteristics, similar to the existing system for non-EU nationals. The PM wanted to set out not just the timescale for leaving the EU but what he saw as the benefits of Brexit for voters While the Conservatives were once the party of free trade, Boris Johnson donned the cloak of protectionism by outlining a new post-brexit state aid regime. And he said public bodies would be encouraged to adopt a \"Buy British\" policy to boost local economies. Critics say these measures would impede attempts to strike a trade deal with the EU. Mr Johnson also declined to say that no-deal preparations would be stood down but expressed confidence a trade agreement would be struck by the end of next year. With Gisela Stuart standing next to him, politically Boris Johnson wants to highlight differences with Jeremy Corbyn on Brexit, \"By lowering the number of unskilled immigrants, the system will remove a major force that puts a downward pressure on people's wages and reduce the overall level of immigration,\" Mr Johnson said. As part of what he said was a \"Brexit roadmap\" designed to show voters the benefits of leaving the EU, he said a re-elected Conservative government would take \"immediate steps\" to introduce new rules to take effect after the transition period is due to finish at the end of 2020. These would include a new state aid regime to help industries in trouble, scrapping VAT on sanitary products and promoting a \"buy British\" rule for public bodies to help farmers. The Conservatives say current EU rules on state aid are bureaucratic and inflexible, citing the difficulties the UK had in getting emergency financial for Tata Steel's UK business in 2012. The party said introducing a new UK state aid regime would allow decisions on whether and how to intervene to be taken within days, allowing a quicker response to economic downturns. The PM said his aim was not to bail out failing business but to ensure a \"level playing field\" for industry. Despite saying he was confident that a free trade agreement would be in place by the end of 2020 when the transition period ends. Mr Johnson added that he saw \"no reason to dismantle\" preparations for leaving the EU without a deal. He said the preparations - which included pledges of PS2.1bn extra spending under Mr Johnson - were \"thoroughly useful\" in convincing the EU that the UK was \"in earnest\" about leaving. \"Many of those preparations will be extremely valuable as we come out of the EU arrangements anyway, so I think they are the right thing to have done and to keep in a state of readiness,\" he said. Mr Johnson said only a Conservative victory would lift the country out of its \"political morass\" and \"deliver the change that people voted for by getting Brexit done\". He also said: - He was not \"running scared\" from an interview with the BBC's Andrew Neil, which other party leaders have committed to - He wanted to \"take the division out\" of social care funding by finding a cross-party solution which would ensure no one has to sell their home to pay for care - His previous remarks that the monarchy was \"beyond reproach\", which followed Prince Andrew's BBC interview, referred to the Queen rather than the Royal Family as a whole - He said it was \"inconceivable\" the party would bring back fox hunting and it intended to improve animal welfare after Brexit, including banning \"barbaric\" shark's fin soup Appearing alongside the PM, former Labour minister Gisela Stuart said she would be voting Conservative and urged other traditional Labour voters to do the same if they wanted to see Brexit delivered. Ms Stuart, who stood down at the 2017 election, was the most senior Labour figure in the Vote Leave referendum campaign. \"In this election, I will not vote for Jeremy Corbyn but I can vote for Brexit,\" she said. \"A vote for Boris Johnson this time around is a vote to get Brexit done, But let me be clear, voting for Brexit this time does not make me a Tory now or in the future.\" The Labour manifesto does not directly mention state aid, but the party has pledged to bring mail, rail, water and energy back into state ownership, and part-nationalise BT. Leader Jeremy Corbyn has previously suggested he thinks EU rules could restrict the government's ability to intervene to support industry. Labour would keep free movement rules if the UK stays in the EU following its planned referendum, or otherwise \"seek to protect\" them if voters opt for its Brexit deal instead. The Brexit Party has vowed to cap permanent immigration into the UK at 50,000 a year. The Liberal Democrats want the UK to stay in the EU, meaning it would continue to follow existing rules on state aid and free movement.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6445, "answer_start": 5734, "text": "The Labour manifesto does not directly mention state aid, but the party has pledged to bring mail, rail, water and energy back into state ownership, and part-nationalise BT. Leader Jeremy Corbyn has previously suggested he thinks EU rules could restrict the government's ability to intervene to support industry. Labour would keep free movement rules if the UK stays in the EU following its planned referendum, or otherwise \"seek to protect\" them if voters opt for its Brexit deal instead. The Brexit Party has vowed to cap permanent immigration into the UK at 50,000 a year. The Liberal Democrats want the UK to stay in the EU, meaning it would continue to follow existing rules on state aid and free movement." } ], "id": "510_0", "question": "What do other parties say about state aid and immigration?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Events of the last week in Saudi Arabia might not seem indicative of a government on the path to liberalisation. But when it comes to the economy, the oil rich kingdom is primed for reform. The rising tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran has distracted attention from what was already becoming a fascinating story. In Riyadh there seems to be a quiet revolution underway in attitudes towards some of the fundamentals that have long underpinned Saudi Arabian society. In December's budget we saw the first steps in a major economic reform plan, the rest of which is expected to be announced in January. The aim is to ensure political stability while the country adjusts to a much lower world oil price. These reforms are \"a necessity and not a luxury,\" according to the former Saudi petroleum ministry senior advisor, Dr Mohammed al-Sabban, who spoke to me from Riyadh. Cautionary tales abound of what can happen if rulers ignore people's economic needs: one need only look across the region, to Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria, according to one Saudi-based academic, who spoke to me privately. Ibraheem al-Jardan, business development manager of Riyadh-based investment firm Dayim Holdings agrees: \"Economic growth is strongly linked to political and social stability - particularly in this part of the world, at these difficult times.\" Saudi Arabia has avoided any such political discontent or extremism so far through generous state hand-outs and by imposing almost no taxes but it has a bloated public sector and a history of waste and government largesse it needs to address. Forcing their hand now though is the low oil price. While in the past oil revenues could be used to lubricate the generous Saudi state machine, the country's income from oil fell by 23% last year, highly significant in an economy where around 73% of total revenues come from oil. And there are fears that, with no prospect of higher oil prices any time soon, the tacit social contract: material comfort for limited political freedom could be at risk. As a result fundamental long term changes are required. King Salman has made a brave start. Risking the displeasure of citizens, as the December budget was announced, he raised the price of subsidised, cheap petrol 40% overnight. More is expected. There are plans to decrease other subsidies, reduce the growth of public sector salaries and limit the country's dependence on oil. It's a major shift. Despite positive economic growth, the kingdom's conservative rulers no longer think huge cash reserves and over $150bn (PS100bn) of annual, oil-fuelled state revenues are enough to maintain the high levels of spending on education, healthcare, military and security services, to which they remain committed. As a result, even before December's announcements, non-essential spending had already been cut. Transport schemes in a number of smaller cities have been postponed or scrapped, along with plans for a few trophy projects, like football stadiums. More such cuts are expected. Another area to watch will be the renewable energy market. Much-anticipated plans for investments in solar power are expected soon, as well as announcements on nuclear and wind power. Shifting towards renewables is a win-win. It creates jobs and reduces the amount the government spends on subsidising Saudis' consumption of oil. According to Jadwa Investments, domestic energy subsidies can cost the government around 10% of GDP a year. During the 1980s oil glut, Saudi Arabia did cut production, but other producers failed to follow suit. Once bitten, twice shy, Saudi Arabia will now only cooperate in a joint system of production cuts with states including Russia and Iran, a policy since 2014 reiterated to me this week by former Saudi petroleum ministry senior advisor, Dr Mohammed al-Sabban. \"\"Saudi Arabia has approached several large oil producers from OPEC and non-OPEC countries to co-operate in cuts to achieve market stability. Their answer so far is not very positive,\" he said. The low oil price also hurts the economies of Saudi Arabia's political foes and it intends to continue to produce as much oil as their quota will allow, stockpiling any excess supply on ships. \"Their policy makes complete sense; they have nothing to gain from cutting,\" according to Ann-Louise Hittle, head of oil market analysis at Wood Mackenzie. Dr al-Sabban predicts other big oil producers will eventually \"learn the hard way and will come to Saudi Arabia asking for a joint solution.\" But as his country now digs deep in to its cash reserves, he conceded: \"I wish they had come forth a long time ago.\" At the time of the December budget, ministers insisted that income tax, which has never existed in Saudi Arabia, would not be introduced. But other taxes will be sought, likely to include taxes on \"harmful goods such as tobacco, soft drinks and the like,\" according to the Ministry of Finance's budget statement. The statement also trailed \"plans to privatise a range of sectors and economic activities\". Some state assets are already run as semi-private companies but consultants McKinsey warn that without further structural changes to the economy there will be a \"rapid economic deterioration\" over the next 15 years. That is because of a pressing need for more jobs for a growing Saudi population. At present, there are around 10 million foreigners working in Saudi Arabia, which has a population of roughly 30 million. Last month, the Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf said that the hiring of foreign workers would now be \"more selective\". Rules are already in place to make it easier for companies to recruit Saudis over expats. Speaking from Riyadh, McKinsey's senior project manager, Tom Isherwood, told me one solution would be for more Saudis to be employed in the tourism sector, which was an \"untapped opportunity for growth\" by going beyond just religious tourism in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, to undeveloped beaches and picturesque sites across the country. Whimper or bang? But there are those who doubt anything will really change. The business community has been calling for reforms for years but the state has been held back by institutional, consensus-based decision-making in the country. Political analyst Crispin Hawes, from Teneo Intelligence, expects \"more of a whimper than a bang,\" when the new economic plan is announced. He points to the government's generous hand-out of around $30bn to state players in January 2015, to greet the arrival of the new king, which also helped cause last year's record budget deficit. In his view it was \"out of all proportion, simply to maintain levels of domestic stability,\" as an example of the attitude of those in power. Others believe that the momentum for change is there. \"Economic reforms are perhaps being expedited by the low oil prices, but they haven't just started as a result of it. There has been an on-going strategic plan for economic reform for a long time now, but Saudi moves at its own pace,\" said Amit Marwah, head of strategy and investments at Riyadh-based Dayim Holdings. Some believe the threat of jobless young people turning to extremism will cause Riyadh to increase the pace of the reform process. And there is already a new generation of younger politicians spearheading the reforms, including the King's favourite son, 30-year old Mohammed bin Salman. One insider described him to me as \"a very serious visionary\" and said the country will soon be experiencing a \"totally different way of doing business\" with strict targets and timetables for each task. In that sense, a low oil price may turn out to be more of a blessing than a curse for those in favour of change.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4614, "answer_start": 3452, "text": "During the 1980s oil glut, Saudi Arabia did cut production, but other producers failed to follow suit. Once bitten, twice shy, Saudi Arabia will now only cooperate in a joint system of production cuts with states including Russia and Iran, a policy since 2014 reiterated to me this week by former Saudi petroleum ministry senior advisor, Dr Mohammed al-Sabban. \"\"Saudi Arabia has approached several large oil producers from OPEC and non-OPEC countries to co-operate in cuts to achieve market stability. Their answer so far is not very positive,\" he said. The low oil price also hurts the economies of Saudi Arabia's political foes and it intends to continue to produce as much oil as their quota will allow, stockpiling any excess supply on ships. \"Their policy makes complete sense; they have nothing to gain from cutting,\" according to Ann-Louise Hittle, head of oil market analysis at Wood Mackenzie. Dr al-Sabban predicts other big oil producers will eventually \"learn the hard way and will come to Saudi Arabia asking for a joint solution.\" But as his country now digs deep in to its cash reserves, he conceded: \"I wish they had come forth a long time ago.\"" } ], "id": "511_0", "question": "Why won't oil producers cut production?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A year after the assembly election and the EU referendum, Wales returns to the polls again in the first ballot box test for the parties since the Brexit vote. On 4 May council candidates will face the electorate. A total of 1,161 seats are up for grabs in Wales' 22 county and county borough councils. It will be the first of two elections this year, with voters returning on 8 June for the early general election. Could Labour's low UK opinion poll ratings mean the party will take a big hit at council level? And might the general election campaign mean that the local government elections will serve as an early indication of what is coming down the road for the Westminster parties? Labour is the party with the most council seats in Wales - 580 - and therefore it has the most to lose. It did well at the last local elections in 2012, adding 231 seats to its previous total. Labour is standing 944 candidates in Wales. First Minister Carwyn Jones has already warned that the elections will be tough for the party, in what appeared to be an effort to manage expectations. Labour currently has a majority on ten councils across south Wales - stretching from Swansea to Newport - and also leads the Vale of Glamorgan and Flintshire as the largest group. But some Labour activists fear it could lose its grip in areas such as Blaenau Gwent, where the party had a scare in the 2016 assembly election. And could Bridgend - Mr Jones's local council - slip into no overall control if the Tories gain seats and cut into Labour's majority? If they have a really bad night, could Labour see numbers fall in north Wales? Plaid Cymru has the second highest number of councillors at 170. A total of 577 of its activists are standing for council seats in May. It had a bad night in 2012 when the party lost a council leader amid the Labour revival. The party - which has a majority on Gwynedd council - will also be aiming to take overall control of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, both of which it runs as a minority administration. Plaid will also be looking for gains in the south Wales valleys. The party will not discuss targets publicly, but there is potential for the party to do well in Rhondda Cynon Taf - where leader Leanne Wood won a seat at the assembly election last year. Plaid will also work hard to get a majority on the Isle of Anglesey, where it is currently short by just four. And could the party rebuild its councillor base in Caerphilly - an authority it has previously led? The Conservatives currently stand in third place with 104 seats, and will be hoping to benefit from Theresa May riding high in the polls. 630 candidates are standing for the party. The party - which runs Monmouthshire with Lib Dem support - could also do well in Swansea and in the Vale of Glamorgan, the local council of both Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns and Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies. Any gains might mostly be at the expense of Labour. Newport was led by the Tories as a minority administration with the Liberal Democrats from 2008 to 2012, and the Conservatives undoubtedly think they can take a step forward in the city again. The 2012 election left the Welsh Liberal Democrats the biggest losers - the party lost 66 seats. It has 75 seats to defend in May, and is standing a total of 280 candidates. Being on the losing side of the referendum has re-energised party activists, and they will be hoping to make gains in Cardiff, where the party had an MP in the constituency of Cardiff Central until 2015. The Lib Dems lost their leadership of Cardiff - which voted Remain at the EU referendum - at the last local election. And could the party make gains in Swansea? It will surprise many how large the independent presence is at local council level. Independents are defending a large number of seats - 325. They are a significant presence at Flintshire, Ceredigion, Wrexham, Powys, Denbighshire, Conwy, Carmarthenshire, Ynys Mon, Pembrokeshire, Monmouthshire and Gwynedd. More than 870 people are standing as independents or others in the elections. And then there's UKIP. Its first AMs were elected in 2016, but its big issue is organisation on a local level. The former Welsh chair of the party, Chris Smart, has claimed the party is unravelling. With no councillors in Wales currently, any seats won would be a boost. It is standing 80 candidates. If there is a natural home for UKIP in Wales, it may be the south east, where the party will want to capitalise on its strong showing at the general and assembly elections in Labour stamping grounds like Torfaen and Newport. And what about the Greens? The party is standing 78 candidates in the election and is defending one seat, in Gwynedd. Its largest cohort of candidates are standing in Powys, where 17 of its activists are in the running. There will not be council elections in every ward, however. A total of 92 of Wales' 1,254 seats will be uncontested, with candidates effectively elected because they do not face competition. One ward, in Powys, has had no candidates nominated at all. Council polls are coming just over a month before the snap general election, announced by Theresa May earlier in April. Any simultaneous Westminster campaign was always going to overshadow the local election campaign - bringing negotiations to leave the EU even more to the fore than they were already. The question is whether voters will make 4 May a preview for the June election. Or will those who decide to vote at the council elections separate the campaigns in their minds, and vote differently? The Conservatives are arguing that the Brexit talks need the political stability that the party says only it can offer. Could this help the Tories make gains at authorities based in Labour heartlands? Labour has tried to move the general election focus to public services in England, while both the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru are hoping to rally voters around their pro-Remain views. But could the pro-EU stance of Plaid, which has pushed for years to expand in the south Wales valleys, damage its standing in areas that voted heavily for Leave? The same question will be asked of Labour, which is defending its running of councils in such areas. Most but not all councils count overnight. Nine out of the 22 will not start full counts until the next day. Overnight counts: - Merthyr Tydfil - Blaenau Gwent - Flintshire - Wrexham - Monmouthshire - Bridgend - Neath Port Talbot - Swansea - Ceredigion - Torfaen - Newport - Cardiff - Vale of Glamorgan Friday counts: - Caerphilly - Denbighshire - Conwy - Carmarthenshire - Rhondda Cynon Taf - Powys - Isle of Anglesey - Pembrokeshire - Gwynedd While laws are made at Westminster and the Welsh Assembly, councils operate services at a local level. They do not run everything, but what they do run includes: - waste services - schools - social care - libraries - housing services - planning They also set rates of council tax. Unlike the assembly election, all councillors are elected on a first-past-the-post basis. Voters in multi-member wards, though, have the chance to select more than one councillor.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6203, "answer_start": 5057, "text": "Council polls are coming just over a month before the snap general election, announced by Theresa May earlier in April. Any simultaneous Westminster campaign was always going to overshadow the local election campaign - bringing negotiations to leave the EU even more to the fore than they were already. The question is whether voters will make 4 May a preview for the June election. Or will those who decide to vote at the council elections separate the campaigns in their minds, and vote differently? The Conservatives are arguing that the Brexit talks need the political stability that the party says only it can offer. Could this help the Tories make gains at authorities based in Labour heartlands? Labour has tried to move the general election focus to public services in England, while both the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru are hoping to rally voters around their pro-Remain views. But could the pro-EU stance of Plaid, which has pushed for years to expand in the south Wales valleys, damage its standing in areas that voted heavily for Leave? The same question will be asked of Labour, which is defending its running of councils in such areas." } ], "id": "512_0", "question": "What about Brexit and the general election?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 7109, "answer_start": 6649, "text": "While laws are made at Westminster and the Welsh Assembly, councils operate services at a local level. They do not run everything, but what they do run includes: - waste services - schools - social care - libraries - housing services - planning They also set rates of council tax. Unlike the assembly election, all councillors are elected on a first-past-the-post basis. Voters in multi-member wards, though, have the chance to select more than one councillor." } ], "id": "512_1", "question": "How will the election work and what do councils do?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "John Berry, a founding member of rap group Beastie Boys has died at the age of 52. His father said he had been suffering from frontal lobe dementia, which had worsened in recent months. John Berry originally formed the Beastie Boys as a hardcore punk band with three friends in 1981 and came up with the name for the group. He played guitar on their first EP, Polly Wog Stew, but left before they achieved commercial success. Berry attended the Walden School in New York with fellow band member Mike Diamond, known as Mike D. The pair were later joined by Adam Yauch and Kate Schellenbach and released their debut EP in 1982. When Berry left the group, he was replaced by Adam Horovitz, known as Ad-Rock, and the band took a new direction as a rap group. Schellenback also left the group before the release of their 1986 album Licence To Ill, which debuted at number one in the US. The group became a huge commercial success, recording a total of eight studio albums over 25 years, which collectively sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Four of them reached number one in the US, while their 1998 album Hello Nasty topped the album chart in the UK. Their best-known hits include (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!), Intergalactic, and Ch-Check It Out. Seven of their albums achieved platinum sales status and the band toured with Madonna in 1985. Beastie Boys remained a three-piece until Adam Yauch's death from cancer in 2012. In the same year, Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Billboard declared them the biggest selling rap group since the magazine began recording data in 1991. Horovitz read a speech written by Yauch at the ceremony, which mentioned Berry as a formative member of the band's early years. Frontal lobe dementia is a form of dementia that occurs when the frontal lobes of the brain begin to shrink. It is an uncommon form of dementia and is thought to affect about 16,000 people in the UK. Frontal lobe dementia is distinct from Alzheimer's disease and comes on earlier in life, usually between the ages of 45 and 65. Symptoms include problems with behaviour, language and thinking. The frontal lobes of the brain are involved in behaviour regulation. The disease can alter a person's character - they may become impulsive and lose their inhibitions or become less outgoing and socially isolated. Source: Alzheimer's Society and NHS Choices Mike D later confirmed that he and Ad-Rock would not continue with Beastie Boys, out of respect for Yauch. After he left the band, Berry went on to play guitar in several other bands - including Even Worse, Big Fat Love, Highway Stars and Bourbon Deluxe.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2664, "answer_start": 1759, "text": "Frontal lobe dementia is a form of dementia that occurs when the frontal lobes of the brain begin to shrink. It is an uncommon form of dementia and is thought to affect about 16,000 people in the UK. Frontal lobe dementia is distinct from Alzheimer's disease and comes on earlier in life, usually between the ages of 45 and 65. Symptoms include problems with behaviour, language and thinking. The frontal lobes of the brain are involved in behaviour regulation. The disease can alter a person's character - they may become impulsive and lose their inhibitions or become less outgoing and socially isolated. Source: Alzheimer's Society and NHS Choices Mike D later confirmed that he and Ad-Rock would not continue with Beastie Boys, out of respect for Yauch. After he left the band, Berry went on to play guitar in several other bands - including Even Worse, Big Fat Love, Highway Stars and Bourbon Deluxe." } ], "id": "513_0", "question": "What is frontal lobe dementia?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Hillary Clinton was suffering from \"walking pneumonia\" when she buckled and lost her balance as she left the 9/11 memorial ceremony on Sunday, it has been revealed. Medical professionals were quick to point out that the condition can be remedied quickly. But what is walking - or atypical - pneumonia and how serious a setback is it for US Democratic presidential candidate? Pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs and is usually caused by bacteria. As the body attempts to fight the infection, the airways become inflamed and fill up with fluid. The disease is most dangerous among the young and the elderly. Walking pneumonia is a non-medical term used to describe a mild form of pneumonia, which is often the result of an inhalation of bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae or Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The symptoms of the infection can vary in severity. Walking pneumonia is so mild that it can often be mistaken for a cold. Sufferers, although unwell, may feel healthy enough to continue to work. It rarely requires hospitalisation and can be cured in as little as a week. In fact, Mrs Clinton said after emerging on Sunday from her daughter's home in New York: \"I'm feeling great. It's a beautiful day in New York.\" The condition causes coughing and sneezing and can result in fever-like symptoms, a high temperature, headaches and difficulty breathing - which can lead to dizziness and exhaustion. It also causes dehydration. Anyone can contract pneumonia, which affects millions of people each year. Those who have respiratory health conditions such as lung disease or asthma are at risk of more severe manifestations of the illness. The disease is contagious and spread through close contact, transmitted through sneezing or coughing. However the contagious period usually lasts less than 10 days. As a presidential candidate, Mrs Clinton was at high risk of infection, according to Dr William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. \"Candidates are constantly out in enclosed spaces, face to face with myriads of people,'' he said. \"It's an ideal opportunity for the transmission of a respiratory virus.\" In contrast to the more serious form of the condition, walking pneumonia can usually be treated effectively with a prescription of antibiotics taken at home with rest and by drinking plenty of fluids. Mrs Clinton's doctor said in a statement that she had been prescribed antibiotics and advised to rest and modify her schedule.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 865, "answer_start": 375, "text": "Pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs and is usually caused by bacteria. As the body attempts to fight the infection, the airways become inflamed and fill up with fluid. The disease is most dangerous among the young and the elderly. Walking pneumonia is a non-medical term used to describe a mild form of pneumonia, which is often the result of an inhalation of bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae or Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The symptoms of the infection can vary in severity." } ], "id": "514_0", "question": "What is 'walking pneumonia'?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1440, "answer_start": 1230, "text": "The condition causes coughing and sneezing and can result in fever-like symptoms, a high temperature, headaches and difficulty breathing - which can lead to dizziness and exhaustion. It also causes dehydration." } ], "id": "514_1", "question": "What are the symptoms?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "More than one million NHS staff, including nurses, porters and paramedics, are being offered increases of at least 6.5% over three years - with some getting as much as 29%. The deal has been formally agreed by union leaders and ministers on Wednesday and will cost PS4.2bn. Staff will now be asked to vote on the deal, with rises backdated to April if they agree by the summer. The deal is tiered with the lowest-paid in each job receiving the biggest rise. The agreement covers all staff on the Agenda for Change contract - about 1.3m across the UK - which is the entire workforce with the exception of doctors, dentists and senior leaders. The agreement is complex. It means that: - half will get a 6.5% pay rise over three years - the other half will receive rises of between 9% and 29% because they are not at the top of their pay bands - the lowest full-time salary - paid to the likes of cleaners, porters and catering staff - will rise by 15% to more than PS18,000 - these groups will get an immediate PS2,000 rise this year - a nurse with one year's experience would see their basic pay rise by 21% over three years, giving them a salary of up to PS27,400 - the deal includes a commitment on both sides to reduce the high rate of sickness absence in the NHS Sara Gorton, lead negotiator for the health unions, said: \"It won't solve every problem in the NHS but it will go a long way towards making dedicated health staff feel more valued, lift flagging morale and help turn the tide on staffing problems.\" Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said \"compromises\" have had to be made but he predicts the deal will make the NHS a \"desirable\" employer once again. The unions, which represent staff from all over the UK, have been in talks with English negotiators. The deal will now be put to staff in England with the results of that consultation expected by July. If they agree it will be backdated to April. Twelve health unions have backed the deal, but the GMB has not. GMB national officer Kevin Brandstatter said the deal promised \"jam tomorrow\" and did not do enough to make up for the squeeze on pay since 2010. \"Long-serving, dedicated health service workers have had thousands of pounds swiped from their pay packets since 2010 by the government's cruel and unnecessary pay cap.\" It will be up to the devolved governments to decide whether to implement the deal outside England. Scotland has already given its lowest-paid staff bigger rises, so there could be some divergence in how the terms are introduced elsewhere. When the unions entered talks, they were asking for 3.9% a year. Under the deal agreed on Wednesday, pay will increase by 3% in the first year, but the future years will see smaller rises. Once you take into account inflation - forecast to be 2.4% in 2018, then 1.8% and 1.9% in the following two years - it is likely the rises will be fairly small in real terms. But what is important - for the unions at least - is that many will get much more. How much depends on where individual staff are on their pay bands. NHS pay is split into nine bands, each with quite broad ranges. Those at the very bottom of their pay bands could get up to 29%. Those close to the top are likely to get in the region of 9%. Tracey Budding works as a senior nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit and is an active member of the Royal College of Nursing. She is at the top of her pay band so will only get the 6.5% minimum. But she is backing the offer. \"It is a good deal,\" she says. \"It recognises the fact we have not been getting the pay rises we should have. \"It makes it easier for nurses to move up the pay bands and that in turn should help attract and retain nurses.\" The government first announced it would lift the public-sector 1% pay cap in September for police and prison officers, and then followed that with a promise in the Budget that NHS pay would be looked at, lifting the 1% cap a year early. The NHS has been under pressure to retain staff, after it was revealed that one in 10 nurses was leaving the public sector in England every year. The Royal College of Nursing claims average pay for nurses has fallen by more than 14% in real terms since 2010. Statistics obtained by the BBC from NHS Digital showed 33,000 nurses walked away in 2017, piling pressure on understaffed hospitals and community services. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the cost of the rise would be covered by the Treasury rather than coming out of the NHS budget. \"The agreement reflects public appreciation for just how much they have done and continue to do,\" he added. Read more from Nick Follow Nick on Twitter", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2546, "answer_start": 1681, "text": "The unions, which represent staff from all over the UK, have been in talks with English negotiators. The deal will now be put to staff in England with the results of that consultation expected by July. If they agree it will be backdated to April. Twelve health unions have backed the deal, but the GMB has not. GMB national officer Kevin Brandstatter said the deal promised \"jam tomorrow\" and did not do enough to make up for the squeeze on pay since 2010. \"Long-serving, dedicated health service workers have had thousands of pounds swiped from their pay packets since 2010 by the government's cruel and unnecessary pay cap.\" It will be up to the devolved governments to decide whether to implement the deal outside England. Scotland has already given its lowest-paid staff bigger rises, so there could be some divergence in how the terms are introduced elsewhere." } ], "id": "515_0", "question": "What happens next?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3251, "answer_start": 2547, "text": "When the unions entered talks, they were asking for 3.9% a year. Under the deal agreed on Wednesday, pay will increase by 3% in the first year, but the future years will see smaller rises. Once you take into account inflation - forecast to be 2.4% in 2018, then 1.8% and 1.9% in the following two years - it is likely the rises will be fairly small in real terms. But what is important - for the unions at least - is that many will get much more. How much depends on where individual staff are on their pay bands. NHS pay is split into nine bands, each with quite broad ranges. Those at the very bottom of their pay bands could get up to 29%. Those close to the top are likely to get in the region of 9%." } ], "id": "515_1", "question": "How good is the deal for staff?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox has said it would sell off Sky News to Disney or ring-fence it to try to allay regulatory concerns over its proposed acquisition of Sky. Fox wants to buy the 61% of Sky it does not already own. But it faces regulatory problems after the Competition and Markets Authority found the PS11.7bn deal was not in the public interest. Fox had already pledged to ensure the independence of Sky News. The Murdoch family's news outlets are currently consumed by nearly a third of the UK's population across TV, radio, online and newspapers. The Murdoch Family Trust controls News Corporation, which publishes newspapers including the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times. Sky was the top gainer on the FTSE 100 in early afternoon trading on Tuesday, with shares up about 2%. Under the proposed new deal, the news channel would become a distinct company within Sky, run by the head of Sky News. Funding for Sky News would also be guaranteed for 15 years. Previously, Fox had said it would be funded for 10 years. The executive chairmen of Sky, Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, and the chief executive, Chase Carey, would not try to influence editorial decisions made by the head of Sky News, according to a statement by 21st Century Fox. The company had already proposed remedies to the CMA's concerns, including having an independent board for Sky News. However, critics of that proposal, including politicians such as Ed Miliband, Vince Cable and Kenneth Clarke, had said that the head of Sky News would still be appointed by the head of 21st Century Fox and so could be influenced by the Murdochs. Fox hit back at those politicians on Tuesday, saying their assertions were \"unsupported and fanciful\". Fox also proposed selling off Sky News to Disney, whether or not Disney's proposed acquisition of Fox goes through. Disney's proposed takeover of 21st Century Fox, which has yet to be approved by regulators, includes Fox's current 39% stake in Sky. Even if that takeover gets knocked back, Sky News would still be sold off under the new proposal. Disney chief executive Bob Iger is keen on Sky and has said he is \"committed\" to Sky News, which is loss-making. US media giant Comcast has also thrown its hat into the ring for Sky with a PS22.1bn bid in February. Comcast has a broadband division serving 29 million US customers. It also owns NBC and Universal Pictures and wants to buy a majority stake in Sky. Analysis: Simon Jack, business editor This is great news for Sky shareholders. If Sky News is sold to Disney or legally separated from the rest of Sky, then the thorny issue of Murdoch control over Sky News - to add to the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times - is finally laid to rest. What we will then have is a straight shoot out between 21st Century Fox and US rival Comcast to acquire Sky. A proper auction between those two bidders will mean a higher price for Sky. Currently Fox is offering PS10.75 per share and Comcast has indicated it would be prepared to bid PS12.50. Directors at Sky are pretty confident that Fox will have to come in with a better offer. At that point, we will see how serious Comcast really is in its bid to derail Rupert Murdoch's carefully laid plans to sell Fox to Disney and effectively dismantle a media empire it has taken a lifetime to build.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1727, "answer_start": 797, "text": "Under the proposed new deal, the news channel would become a distinct company within Sky, run by the head of Sky News. Funding for Sky News would also be guaranteed for 15 years. Previously, Fox had said it would be funded for 10 years. The executive chairmen of Sky, Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, and the chief executive, Chase Carey, would not try to influence editorial decisions made by the head of Sky News, according to a statement by 21st Century Fox. The company had already proposed remedies to the CMA's concerns, including having an independent board for Sky News. However, critics of that proposal, including politicians such as Ed Miliband, Vince Cable and Kenneth Clarke, had said that the head of Sky News would still be appointed by the head of 21st Century Fox and so could be influenced by the Murdochs. Fox hit back at those politicians on Tuesday, saying their assertions were \"unsupported and fanciful\"." } ], "id": "516_0", "question": "What is the ring-fencing proposal?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2437, "answer_start": 1728, "text": "Fox also proposed selling off Sky News to Disney, whether or not Disney's proposed acquisition of Fox goes through. Disney's proposed takeover of 21st Century Fox, which has yet to be approved by regulators, includes Fox's current 39% stake in Sky. Even if that takeover gets knocked back, Sky News would still be sold off under the new proposal. Disney chief executive Bob Iger is keen on Sky and has said he is \"committed\" to Sky News, which is loss-making. US media giant Comcast has also thrown its hat into the ring for Sky with a PS22.1bn bid in February. Comcast has a broadband division serving 29 million US customers. It also owns NBC and Universal Pictures and wants to buy a majority stake in Sky." } ], "id": "516_1", "question": "What is the new Disney proposal?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3318, "answer_start": 2438, "text": "Analysis: Simon Jack, business editor This is great news for Sky shareholders. If Sky News is sold to Disney or legally separated from the rest of Sky, then the thorny issue of Murdoch control over Sky News - to add to the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times - is finally laid to rest. What we will then have is a straight shoot out between 21st Century Fox and US rival Comcast to acquire Sky. A proper auction between those two bidders will mean a higher price for Sky. Currently Fox is offering PS10.75 per share and Comcast has indicated it would be prepared to bid PS12.50. Directors at Sky are pretty confident that Fox will have to come in with a better offer. At that point, we will see how serious Comcast really is in its bid to derail Rupert Murdoch's carefully laid plans to sell Fox to Disney and effectively dismantle a media empire it has taken a lifetime to build." } ], "id": "516_2", "question": "What do Sky shareholders think of the proposals?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The woman nominated to head the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has pledged to launch a \"green deal for Europe\", in a bid for MEPs' support. Mrs von der Leyen spoke in the European Parliament ahead of a key vote on her candidacy, now taking place. The outgoing German defence minister needs a majority to take charge. On Brexit, she said \"I stand ready for a further extension of the [UK] withdrawal date, should more time be required for a good reason\". MEPs reacted with a mixture of applause and boos. \"In any case the UK will remain our ally, our partner and our friend,\" she said, defending the existing withdrawal deal, reached with Prime Minister Theresa May but rejected by the UK Parliament, which the EU has vowed not to reopen. The UK prime minister's successor is due to be revealed next week, while the country is currently scheduled to leave the EU on 31 October. If Mrs von der Leyen wins the vote in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening, she will replace EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on 1 November. She is a centre-right politician close to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Mrs von der Leyen, 60, has been criticised in Germany over the armed forces' persistent equipment shortages and what some consider to be her aloof management style. On climate change, she said \"I will propose a sustainable Europe investment bank\", to unlock substantially more investment in renewable energy and other measures over the next decade. The new \"green deal\" - promised within Mrs von der Leyen's first 100 days - would aim to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050, whereby carbon pollution is balanced by green measures such as planting trees. The UK has already set a 2050 deadline for becoming carbon neutral. \"It means change - all of us will have to contribute... in the way each of us travels and lives. Emissions must have a price that changes our behaviour,\" she said. She said the EU's current target of cutting carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 was not enough. The goal should be 50%, if not 55%, she said. The Commission drafts EU laws and enforces EU rules, with power to impose fines on member states if necessary. The MEPs' confirmation vote - a secret ballot - could be close, as many left-wingers and the Green group will oppose her. She was not one of the top candidates put before the European electorate in May. Significantly, she received the support of the centre-left Socialists and Democrats and the liberal Renew Europe bloc. However, many MEPs still resent the fact that the parties' top candidates (\"Spitzenkandidaten\") were rejected by EU government leaders. The German Social Democrats (SPD), junior partners in Mrs Merkel's government, lobbied against Mrs von der Leyen, attacking her record as defence minister. The UK Brexit Party, who came top in the UK European election, poured scorn on her candidacy, while Italy's ruling coalition agreed to back her. She made the bulk of her 43-minute speech in English, but there were passages in French and German too - part of her pitch to represent the whole of Europe. Born in Brussels, she has seven children and trained as a gynaecologist before entering politics. The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Strasbourg writes: It's the scenario many in the EU simply don't want to contemplate. So there are no official plans in place for what to do if Ursula von der Leyen is rejected by MEPs. But if MEPs fail to confirm her there will be an unprecedented confrontation that could last all summer, between the European Parliament and the national leaders. It took the leaders 50 hours of tortuous negotiations and difficult compromises to come up with Mrs von der Leyen's name - a surprise choice, who hadn't been mentioned before. They'd have to meet again, likely at a new emergency summit in the coming weeks, to make a new choice for the four top jobs they have to fill: the European Commission, the European Council, the EU's foreign policy chief and head of the European Central Bank. It's far from clear if they have any other surprise candidates to call on. And they may not be keen to undo all the compromises they've already made, having found women candidates to lead both the Commission and the Bank, as well as a balance between the EU's main political groups. So the other option is to go back to names previously considered, such as German conservative Manfred Weber or Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans. But the same problems will still exist as before. A long hot summer of bargaining may await. She promised a big push for the EU to play a bigger role in social welfare, to tackle poverty, and stressed that she would stand up for women's rights. \"If not enough female commissioners are proposed I'll not hesitate to ask for new names,\" she said. Each of the 28 member states has a commissioner in Brussels. \"We want our fair share,\" she said, noting that of 183 EU commissioners in the past, just 35 were women. In Tuesday's vote she needs 374 MEPs to back her, out of 747 in total. In all, 751 were elected in May, but four MEPs are absent. Mrs von der Leyen made some other significant pledges in her wide-ranging speech: - She would push to give the European Parliament \"the right of initiative\" - meaning the Commission would have to legislate on MEPs' resolutions; currently only the Commission can draft laws - On irregular migration to the EU, she said she would boost the EU's border force Frontex to 10,000 staff by 2024, but said \"we need to preserve the right to asylum through humanitarian corridors\" - She offered an EU \"reinsurance scheme\" to bolster national insurance schemes for the unemployed.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4487, "answer_start": 3151, "text": "The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Strasbourg writes: It's the scenario many in the EU simply don't want to contemplate. So there are no official plans in place for what to do if Ursula von der Leyen is rejected by MEPs. But if MEPs fail to confirm her there will be an unprecedented confrontation that could last all summer, between the European Parliament and the national leaders. It took the leaders 50 hours of tortuous negotiations and difficult compromises to come up with Mrs von der Leyen's name - a surprise choice, who hadn't been mentioned before. They'd have to meet again, likely at a new emergency summit in the coming weeks, to make a new choice for the four top jobs they have to fill: the European Commission, the European Council, the EU's foreign policy chief and head of the European Central Bank. It's far from clear if they have any other surprise candidates to call on. And they may not be keen to undo all the compromises they've already made, having found women candidates to lead both the Commission and the Bank, as well as a balance between the EU's main political groups. So the other option is to go back to names previously considered, such as German conservative Manfred Weber or Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans. But the same problems will still exist as before. A long hot summer of bargaining may await." } ], "id": "517_0", "question": "What if Mrs von der Leyen is rejected?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "South Korea says its jets fired warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace on Tuesday. Officials said the plane twice violated the airspace over the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islands, which are occupied by South Korea but also claimed by Japan. South Korea's ministry of defence said it scrambled fighter jets in response and fired 360 machine-gun rounds. Russia has denied violating the country's airspace. Moscow said two of its bombers carried out a planned drill over \"neutral waters\" and denied any warning shots were fired by South Korean jets. But Japan then confirmed its military had also deployed fighter jets in response to the Russian incursion. Russia later said it had been conducting its first joint long-range air patrol in the region with China, according to Reuters news agency. This is the first incident of its kind between Russia and South Korea. South Korea's military said that in total three Russian and two Chinese military aircraft entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on Tuesday morning. It said this group was made up of two Russian Tu-95 bombers, one Russian A-50 surveillance plane and two Chinese H-6 bombers. Russian and Chinese bombers and reconnaissance planes have occasionally entered the zone in recent years. Overseas aircraft should identify themselves before entering an air defence zone. South Korea said one of the Russian planes - the A-50 - flew beyond the KADIZ and entered the country's territorial airspace at around 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT). South Korean F-15 and F-16 planes were deployed to intercept it. The military said it fired 10 flares and 80 machine-gun rounds during the alleged first violation. It said the Russian plane then left before circling back round again, when it was met by 10 more South Korean flares and 280 machine-gun rounds. In its statement, Russia only mentioned two bomber planes. It did not specifically acknowledge the accusation that it had also sent an A-50 that violated South Korean airspace. Japan meanwhile has protested against both Russia and South Korea. Because it claims sovereignty over the islands, Japan's government said that Russia had violated its airspace. It also said that South Korea's response was extremely regrettable. - Known as Dokdo (Solitary islands) in Korea, Takeshima (Bamboo islands) in Japan - Claimed by Japan and South Korea, but occupied by South Korea since 1954 - Just 230,000 sq m in size An air defence identification zone (ADIZ) is an airspace which a country seeks to monitor on grounds of national security. It usually extends well beyond national airspace to allow for sufficient warning of a potential threat. But ADIZs are not governed by international law and the self-defined boundaries can be disputed or overlap with other countries' claims, which may lead to violations. This is the case in the East China Sea region, where South Korea, China and Japan all have overlapping ADIZs. Meanwhile, under UN conventions, countries control airspace above their territory and territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles from the coast). In this case, South Korea claims Russia went beyond its ADIZ and into the territorial airspace surrounding the islands. But other nations do not recognise South Korea's claim of sovereignty. The head of South Korea's National Security Office, Chung Eui-yong, has lodged a strong objection with the Security Council of Russia, and asked the council to take appropriate action. \"We take a very grave view of this situation and, if it is repeated, we will take even stronger action,\" the South Korean president's office quoted Mr Chung as saying. The Japanese government has lodged a complaint against South Korea and Russia. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said: \"In light of Japan's stance regarding sovereignty over Takeshima, the South Korean military aircraft's having carried out warning shots is totally unacceptable and extremely regrettable.\" China has insisted South Korea's air defence identification zone is not territorial airspace and so all countries can move within it. Although Russia likes to emphasise its friendship with North Korea, relations between Moscow and Seoul have been improving. At the G20 summit in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, that South Korea was \"one of our key partners in Asia,\" which adds further confusion to Tuesday's incidents. But it also comes as China and Russia ties continue to strengthen. After a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, Mr Putin said the mutual relationship had reached an \"unprecedented level.\" So was this a mistake? Did this Russian plane accidentally stray into South Korean territory? Officials in South Korea said it was an A-50 aircraft, a type of warning and control plane that is capable of carrying out surveillance and tracking targets on the ground and in the air. They said it encroached on South Korean territorial airspace not just once - but twice. It is also worth noting that the Russian aircraft appeared to have been taking part in exercises with the Chinese. In recent years, Seoul has become increasingly concerned about China's incursion in its airspace, including the use of spy planes, and has raised the issue with Beijing. Last year, China's People's Liberation Army took part in Russia's large-scale Vostok military exercises for the first time. It was a chance to show off their alliance and combined strength. They have done that again now, over the Korean peninsula - perhaps either testing or prodding a US ally, just as Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton arrives in Seoul.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3301, "answer_start": 2460, "text": "An air defence identification zone (ADIZ) is an airspace which a country seeks to monitor on grounds of national security. It usually extends well beyond national airspace to allow for sufficient warning of a potential threat. But ADIZs are not governed by international law and the self-defined boundaries can be disputed or overlap with other countries' claims, which may lead to violations. This is the case in the East China Sea region, where South Korea, China and Japan all have overlapping ADIZs. Meanwhile, under UN conventions, countries control airspace above their territory and territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles from the coast). In this case, South Korea claims Russia went beyond its ADIZ and into the territorial airspace surrounding the islands. But other nations do not recognise South Korea's claim of sovereignty." } ], "id": "518_0", "question": "What are these defence zones?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "On Wednesday, cryptocurrency Bitcoin fell by about 10% to a value of $15,800 (PS11,810). \"It has plunged,\" a colleague said. \"Should we do a story?\" Business journalists (or at least some of them) will debate passionately whether something is indeed a plunge, a dive, or merely a fall, a dip or a retreat. It's what makes us great company at parties. And sure, a 10% movement downwards would usually fall into one of the more dramatic descriptions. But to give it some perspective, Bitcoin dropping to $15,800 on 20 December took it to its lowest level since, well, 11 December. Which means we are not debating the terminology, but whether or not we should report, blow-by-blow, how Bitcoin is performing at all. Nobody could accuse the media of ignoring Bitcoin and its rivals, at least not recently. The BBC, like many others, has referred regularly to the skyrocketing price over the past year, including it almost doubling in value over the past month or so. And it seems almost daily there is a legitimate news story: just this week there have been probes about insider trading,Bitcoin crime stories and people asking for Bitcoin as a wedding gift to pick three at random from our website. So there is little doubt cryptocurrencies have entered the mainstream consciousness and news agenda. Both the currencies, and the technology behind them, seem sure to become more prevalent in the global economy. The possibilities which that opens up, as well as the risks, is surely worth investigating. Governments around the world are weighing in with their opinions on regulation. Some well-respected figures have warned that Bitcoin is a bubble that carries a big risk for investors. These seem reasonable things to report, as well as reflecting the more optimistic point of view. Meanwhile the trading of Bitcoin on a huge futures market such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is also interesting and worth covering, in that it marks a big step towards mainstream investing. But should we be reporting specifically on the price, where the news is essentially: price goes up, price goes down? It is tempting because Bitcoin stories are popular. And some people do clearly want to know. That list includes investors of course, and anyone wanting to buy, sell or just indulge in one of those \"If only I'd invested five years/five months/five weeks ago\" internal monologues. If that is you, fear not. Plenty of services can tell you what the price of Bitcoin is doing right this second. The BBC tends to use Coindesk as its reference point. There have been occasions when we decided the price was worth marking - most recently, for example, when it crossed the $10,000 threshold. But is choosing not to report on what some see as significant on-the-day price movements a kind of cryptocurrency snobbery? Well firstly, while we have currency market data pages using information bought from a third party, the BBC does not usually get involved in the nitty-gritty reporting of daily currency market movements. And if we do write or broadcast about what the dollar, sterling and the euro are up to, it is only when somebody judges it editorially significant. Sometimes it is when that movement is the result of some other newsworthy event (the sharp fall in the value of sterling after the Brexit referendum springs to mind). And of course the value of established physical currencies still has far more impact on people's lives - be they running a business, have savings and investments, be going on holiday or indeed buying anything that has been made abroad. So after a bit of a discussion in the BBC's Singapore office, here are few reasons why we feel reluctant to do stories based on the price movements in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency: - It is hugely volatile - which means these swings are the norm. - Because it is so volatile, the figures we refer to are massively out of date within seconds. Over the time it took to write this, the price has risen by about $500 - though I did stop to have a mince pie. - Despite the sudden growth in interest - the volume of Bitcoin being traded is still extremely low. - While the amount of coverage about this industry is increasing - and assuming more people decide to 'buy in' as a result, the number of people owning cryptocurrency is still very small. It is a tricky one to calculate, but a University of Cambridge study in August put the number at about three million. - The reasons for these sharp price rises and falls are often very unclear, so does reporting on price really tell us anything anyway? Incidentally, at the time of writing on Thursday, Bitcoin has bounced back from that \"plunge\" of yesterday to above $17,100. Which is higher than it was 24 hours ago. So no. I don't think we should do a story.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3555, "answer_start": 1976, "text": "But should we be reporting specifically on the price, where the news is essentially: price goes up, price goes down? It is tempting because Bitcoin stories are popular. And some people do clearly want to know. That list includes investors of course, and anyone wanting to buy, sell or just indulge in one of those \"If only I'd invested five years/five months/five weeks ago\" internal monologues. If that is you, fear not. Plenty of services can tell you what the price of Bitcoin is doing right this second. The BBC tends to use Coindesk as its reference point. There have been occasions when we decided the price was worth marking - most recently, for example, when it crossed the $10,000 threshold. But is choosing not to report on what some see as significant on-the-day price movements a kind of cryptocurrency snobbery? Well firstly, while we have currency market data pages using information bought from a third party, the BBC does not usually get involved in the nitty-gritty reporting of daily currency market movements. And if we do write or broadcast about what the dollar, sterling and the euro are up to, it is only when somebody judges it editorially significant. Sometimes it is when that movement is the result of some other newsworthy event (the sharp fall in the value of sterling after the Brexit referendum springs to mind). And of course the value of established physical currencies still has far more impact on people's lives - be they running a business, have savings and investments, be going on holiday or indeed buying anything that has been made abroad." } ], "id": "519_0", "question": "Snobbery?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Reality TV series Keeping up with the Kardashians has just returned for its 16th season, meaning the family's fights and blatant plugs for their product lines are once again on full display. The series has now been running for just over a decade, with the family's fortunes growing in tandem with it. Kylie Jenner - who when the series started was just nine-years-old - is now 21 and a billionaire. With an estimated fortune of $1bn (PS760m), according to Forbes magazine, the make-up mogul is by far the wealthiest member of the ubiquitous Kardashian clan, which is led by matriarch and \"momager\" Kris Jenner. However, the rest of her siblings aren't exactly scrabbling around the back of the sofa for loose change. Kim Kardashian West is a multi-millionaire thanks to her own beauty line, perfumes and her \"kimojis\"; Kendall Jenner is an international fashion model; Khloe Kardashian has her own jeans business Good American and eldest sister Kourtney Kardashian has benefitted from product endorsements and collaborations with fashion retailers. Blurring the personal and the professional coupled with their astonishing reach on social media platforms has proved lucrative. The sisters' combined following totals 537 million, allowing them to squeeze millions of dollars from exploiting pop culture. Alexander McKelvie, professor of entrepreneurship at Syracuse University, also believes the show is carefully scripted. \"If you were to analyse the show, you would think it is very spontaneous,\" he said. \"But it is most likely scripted and planned and very curated to provide a clear and compelling message about what the producers and the Kardashian family want to have revealed about them.\" This season of Keeping up with the Kardashians is focused squarely on a \"scandal\" involving Khloe Kardashian, her former partner Tristan Thompson and an alleged \"hook-up\" with Kylie Jenner's best friend, Jordyn Woods. In the show, Khloe laments: \"It just sucks it had to be so public. I'm not just a TV show. Like, this is my life.\" Around the time the alleged tryst emerged, the price of the Jordy Lip Kit, which was a liquid lipstick and lip pencil that was part of a wider collaboration between Kylie and Jordyn, was discounted by 50%. It soon sold out. In an interview with The New York Times, Kylie Jenner said she didn't know the price has been cut, adding: \"I would never do something like that\". But the fact is, the scandal shifted units. \"Essentially, their entire lives are on display the entire time and I think that it does make them appear more relatable to certain consumers,\" said Alison Gaither, beauty analyst at market research company Mintel. In that first episode, audiences also see Khloe at a photo shoot for her jeans company, Kim and Kylie discussing a perfume collaboration and Kim's husband, the rapper Kanye West, getting in on the act by talking about his own projects. Coinciding with all this was the launch of Kourtney Kardashian's own lifestyle blog Poosh - a bit like Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop website but with considerably more flesh on display. Like most things Kardashian, Poosh was announced via Kourtney's Instagram account, as was Khloe's jeans business last year, and the social media platform was central to the success of Kylie's cosmetics business. Ms Gaither said: \"What they've done the best is really leverage their social media following to create a brand that their followers actually want, especially when we think of Kylie Jenner.\" When Kylie first launched her lip kits back in November 2015, she was able to market to millions of fans directly through her Instagram account which meant she was able to dispense with the cost of marketing and get an instant reaction on what people did or didn't like. Lewis Sheats, assistant vice provost of entrepreneurship at North Carolina State University, said: \"If you think 20 years ago for an entrepreneur to get feedback from 20 customers they might actually have to invite them in or build a product and get it in their hands or stand on a street corner and survey them. \"On a social media platform, they can reach hundreds of thousands of people within seconds and get feedback on a concept.\" Some of the deals that the family struck in the early days of their fame, in particular involving older siblings Kourtney, Kim and Khloe, haven't always been smooth-sailing. The sisters became the faces of a make-up brand called Khroma Beauty through a licensing agreement. But after launching in 2012, the line was soon pulled from stores amid copyright infringement claims. It rebranded as Kardashian Beauty, but even then the legal problems continued. It was only very recently that the family was able to extricate itself from the situation. They also launched the Kardashian Kard, a pre-paid credit card aimed at teenagers and parents who wanted to track their spending. It was soon scrapped, however, after Connecticut's former attorney general Richard Blumenthal said he was \"deeply disturbed\" by the card's high fees \"combined with its appeal to financially unsophisticated young adults\". Even now, not everything they touch turns to gold. Kendall Jenner's stint as the face of Pepsi collapsed in a storm of anger after she starred in an advert that some claimed trivialised the Black Lives Matter movement. Pepsi pulled the advert the day after it aired. Mum of three (soon to be four) Kim Kardashian West provoked the ire of the US Food and Drug Administration when she promoted an anti-morning sickness medicine. And members of the family have garnered significant backlash for taking money to promote weight loss products. Ex-Radio 1 presenter Jameela Jamil, who has a campaign around body positivity, described Kim Kardashian West as a \"terrible and toxic influence on young girls\". The family's current television contract runs until this year and at this stage it isn't clear if the series will continue. Viewing figures for the last season of the show waned as the 1.3 million who tuned in for the premiere dropped to 851,000 by the end of its run. If the programme is nearing its end, would the family still have the same degree of success without it? \"They would certainly not get as much free advertising,\" said Professor McKelvie. \"But they've been successful in finding other ways to remain in the media by creating fake conflicts, whether they are self-made or not, that is free advertising.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4182, "answer_start": 1696, "text": "This season of Keeping up with the Kardashians is focused squarely on a \"scandal\" involving Khloe Kardashian, her former partner Tristan Thompson and an alleged \"hook-up\" with Kylie Jenner's best friend, Jordyn Woods. In the show, Khloe laments: \"It just sucks it had to be so public. I'm not just a TV show. Like, this is my life.\" Around the time the alleged tryst emerged, the price of the Jordy Lip Kit, which was a liquid lipstick and lip pencil that was part of a wider collaboration between Kylie and Jordyn, was discounted by 50%. It soon sold out. In an interview with The New York Times, Kylie Jenner said she didn't know the price has been cut, adding: \"I would never do something like that\". But the fact is, the scandal shifted units. \"Essentially, their entire lives are on display the entire time and I think that it does make them appear more relatable to certain consumers,\" said Alison Gaither, beauty analyst at market research company Mintel. In that first episode, audiences also see Khloe at a photo shoot for her jeans company, Kim and Kylie discussing a perfume collaboration and Kim's husband, the rapper Kanye West, getting in on the act by talking about his own projects. Coinciding with all this was the launch of Kourtney Kardashian's own lifestyle blog Poosh - a bit like Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop website but with considerably more flesh on display. Like most things Kardashian, Poosh was announced via Kourtney's Instagram account, as was Khloe's jeans business last year, and the social media platform was central to the success of Kylie's cosmetics business. Ms Gaither said: \"What they've done the best is really leverage their social media following to create a brand that their followers actually want, especially when we think of Kylie Jenner.\" When Kylie first launched her lip kits back in November 2015, she was able to market to millions of fans directly through her Instagram account which meant she was able to dispense with the cost of marketing and get an instant reaction on what people did or didn't like. Lewis Sheats, assistant vice provost of entrepreneurship at North Carolina State University, said: \"If you think 20 years ago for an entrepreneur to get feedback from 20 customers they might actually have to invite them in or build a product and get it in their hands or stand on a street corner and survey them. \"On a social media platform, they can reach hundreds of thousands of people within seconds and get feedback on a concept.\"" } ], "id": "520_0", "question": "How have the Kardashians made their millions?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5779, "answer_start": 4183, "text": "Some of the deals that the family struck in the early days of their fame, in particular involving older siblings Kourtney, Kim and Khloe, haven't always been smooth-sailing. The sisters became the faces of a make-up brand called Khroma Beauty through a licensing agreement. But after launching in 2012, the line was soon pulled from stores amid copyright infringement claims. It rebranded as Kardashian Beauty, but even then the legal problems continued. It was only very recently that the family was able to extricate itself from the situation. They also launched the Kardashian Kard, a pre-paid credit card aimed at teenagers and parents who wanted to track their spending. It was soon scrapped, however, after Connecticut's former attorney general Richard Blumenthal said he was \"deeply disturbed\" by the card's high fees \"combined with its appeal to financially unsophisticated young adults\". Even now, not everything they touch turns to gold. Kendall Jenner's stint as the face of Pepsi collapsed in a storm of anger after she starred in an advert that some claimed trivialised the Black Lives Matter movement. Pepsi pulled the advert the day after it aired. Mum of three (soon to be four) Kim Kardashian West provoked the ire of the US Food and Drug Administration when she promoted an anti-morning sickness medicine. And members of the family have garnered significant backlash for taking money to promote weight loss products. Ex-Radio 1 presenter Jameela Jamil, who has a campaign around body positivity, described Kim Kardashian West as a \"terrible and toxic influence on young girls\"." } ], "id": "520_1", "question": "Have the Kardashians always made money?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6398, "answer_start": 5780, "text": "The family's current television contract runs until this year and at this stage it isn't clear if the series will continue. Viewing figures for the last season of the show waned as the 1.3 million who tuned in for the premiere dropped to 851,000 by the end of its run. If the programme is nearing its end, would the family still have the same degree of success without it? \"They would certainly not get as much free advertising,\" said Professor McKelvie. \"But they've been successful in finding other ways to remain in the media by creating fake conflicts, whether they are self-made or not, that is free advertising.\"" } ], "id": "520_2", "question": "Where next for the family?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "French President Emmanuel Macron has said he convinced US President Donald Trump not to withdraw troops from Syria and instead commit \"for the long term\". Earlier this month, Mr Trump declared that the US would \"be coming out of Syria very soon\". On Saturday, joint US, UK and French strikes targeted Syrian government sites in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack. Mr Macron said he also persuaded Mr Trump to keep the strikes limited. The pair, who are reported to have a friendly relationship, spoke several times in the days before the military action was taken. Inspectors from the independent Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are in Syria to inspect the site of the alleged chemical attack, but British diplomats said Syria and Russia had not yet allowed the inspectors to visit the site. After Mr Macron's comments, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: \"The US mission has not changed - the president has been clear that he wants US forces to come home as quickly as possible\". But she added that the US was \"determined to completely crush\" the Islamic State group and prevent its return. Announcing the strikes in an address to the nation on Friday evening in Washington, Mr Trump insisted: \"America does not seek an indefinite presence in Syria - under no circumstances.\" The US has about 2,000 personnel on the ground in eastern Syria supporting an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Catch up on the strikes: Speaking in a live TV interview, during which he was grilled on several subjects, Mr Macron said: \"Ten days ago, President Trump was saying 'the United States should withdraw from Syria'. We convinced him it was necessary to stay for the long term.\" In telephone calls with Mr Trump, he also said he \"persuaded him that we needed to limit the strikes to chemical weapons [sites], after things got a little carried away over tweets\". A tweet from Mr Trump last week about US missile strikes on Syria had read: \"Get ready, Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart'. You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!\" The French president appears to have struck up a strong relationship with his US counterpart and this month will be afforded the first formal White House state visit of the Trump presidency. Mr Macron insisted the Western allies had \"complete international legitimacy to act\" in Syria. He said the allies had clear proof there had been a chemical attack in the town of Douma near Damascus on 7 April and that the Syrian government was responsible. Syria vehemently denies this. Mr Macron said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin directly that Russia - which backs the Syrian government militarily - was complicit. \"They have not used chlorine themselves but they have methodically built the international community's inability to act through diplomatic channels to stop the use of chemical weapons,\" he said. By Hugh Schofield, Paris correspondent for BBC News No-one in France can remember watching a presidential interview quite like this. Out went deference, journalistic fawning and the patsy questions. In came two attack hounds of the press, Jean-Jacques Bourdin and Edwy Plenel - both men bent, it seemed, on a proper slug-out with the head of state. A sign of the style: not once did the journalists call Emmanuel Macron \"Monsieur le President,\" which would be the norm on such occasions. Every time they wanted to address him, they said simply: \"Emmanuel Macron.\" The irony is that far from inconveniencing Mr Macron, this new aggression suits him down to the ground. In the heat of debate, he performs well. He knows his stuff. And on Syria, he made the strongest case yet for his policy - much-criticised - of sticking close to Donald Trump. If it was indeed Emmanuel Macron who talked Trump into \"re-engaging\" with Syria after the suspected chemical attack, then that is an enormous success for France. And the first dividend from a most unlikely presidential friendship. The wave of strikes had represented the most significant attack against President Bashar al-Assad's government by Western powers in seven years of Syria's civil war. Mr Macron said he still wanted dialogue with all parties, including Russia, to try to find a political solution and would go ahead with a planned trip to Moscow next month. The French parliament will be holding an urgent debate on the country's military action at 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT). MPs in the UK parliament are also due to question PM Theresa May on the air strikes. The opposition believes Mrs May should have consulted parliament before launching them. Inspectors from the independent OPCW are now in the country. But according to British diplomats at an urgent meeting in the OPCW headquarters in The Hague, the organisation's director says his experts are still waiting for Syria and Russia to grant them access to the alleged attack site in Douma. At the meeting, UK ambassador to the Netherlands Peter Wilson accused Russia of trying to undermine all OPCW investigations into alleged chemical weapons use by Syrian government troops. Russia in turn blamed other parties of trying to block their efforts to make a create a new way of investigating such chemical weapons claims. Western allies believe the claimed attack killed dozens of people with the use of chlorine gas and possibly Sarin. The Russians say there is no trace of any chemicals and questioned why the allies carried out strikes before the inspectors had reported. Russia says the attack in Douma was staged, accusing the UK of orchestrating it. The OPCW will not seek to establish, or publicly announce, who was responsible for the attack. Speaking on TV, US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley said new sanctions would be announced on Monday against Russian companies with links to President Assad. This would be the second tranche of sanctions against Russian firms in a month, partly related to Russia's support for Syria. Ms Haley also ruled out any direct talks with Mr Assad. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said no further strikes were planned, but that this would be reassessed if more chemical attacks took place. President Putin spoke to Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani by phone on Sunday, telling him that any new Western strikes on Syria would spark \"international chaos\". Syria is also high on the agenda of an EU foreign ministers' meeting taking place in Luxembourg. The future of the Syrian war: Three sites. Firstly, the Barzeh complex, which the US says is a centre for development, production and testing of chemical and biological weapons, although Syria denies this. The other two were suspected chemical weapons facilities at Him Shinshar near Homs. The US said 105 missiles were launched and it believed none were intercepted by Syrian defences. It said Syria's chemical weapons programme had been set back years. The Russians said 71 missiles were shot down by Syrian systems.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2995, "answer_start": 1509, "text": "Speaking in a live TV interview, during which he was grilled on several subjects, Mr Macron said: \"Ten days ago, President Trump was saying 'the United States should withdraw from Syria'. We convinced him it was necessary to stay for the long term.\" In telephone calls with Mr Trump, he also said he \"persuaded him that we needed to limit the strikes to chemical weapons [sites], after things got a little carried away over tweets\". A tweet from Mr Trump last week about US missile strikes on Syria had read: \"Get ready, Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart'. You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!\" The French president appears to have struck up a strong relationship with his US counterpart and this month will be afforded the first formal White House state visit of the Trump presidency. Mr Macron insisted the Western allies had \"complete international legitimacy to act\" in Syria. He said the allies had clear proof there had been a chemical attack in the town of Douma near Damascus on 7 April and that the Syrian government was responsible. Syria vehemently denies this. Mr Macron said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin directly that Russia - which backs the Syrian government militarily - was complicit. \"They have not used chlorine themselves but they have methodically built the international community's inability to act through diplomatic channels to stop the use of chemical weapons,\" he said." } ], "id": "521_0", "question": "What did Mr Macron say?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5762, "answer_start": 4706, "text": "Inspectors from the independent OPCW are now in the country. But according to British diplomats at an urgent meeting in the OPCW headquarters in The Hague, the organisation's director says his experts are still waiting for Syria and Russia to grant them access to the alleged attack site in Douma. At the meeting, UK ambassador to the Netherlands Peter Wilson accused Russia of trying to undermine all OPCW investigations into alleged chemical weapons use by Syrian government troops. Russia in turn blamed other parties of trying to block their efforts to make a create a new way of investigating such chemical weapons claims. Western allies believe the claimed attack killed dozens of people with the use of chlorine gas and possibly Sarin. The Russians say there is no trace of any chemicals and questioned why the allies carried out strikes before the inspectors had reported. Russia says the attack in Douma was staged, accusing the UK of orchestrating it. The OPCW will not seek to establish, or publicly announce, who was responsible for the attack." } ], "id": "521_1", "question": "What's happening on the ground in Syria?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6507, "answer_start": 5763, "text": "Speaking on TV, US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley said new sanctions would be announced on Monday against Russian companies with links to President Assad. This would be the second tranche of sanctions against Russian firms in a month, partly related to Russia's support for Syria. Ms Haley also ruled out any direct talks with Mr Assad. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said no further strikes were planned, but that this would be reassessed if more chemical attacks took place. President Putin spoke to Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani by phone on Sunday, telling him that any new Western strikes on Syria would spark \"international chaos\". Syria is also high on the agenda of an EU foreign ministers' meeting taking place in Luxembourg." } ], "id": "521_2", "question": "What are the latest diplomatic moves?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 7026, "answer_start": 6538, "text": "Three sites. Firstly, the Barzeh complex, which the US says is a centre for development, production and testing of chemical and biological weapons, although Syria denies this. The other two were suspected chemical weapons facilities at Him Shinshar near Homs. The US said 105 missiles were launched and it believed none were intercepted by Syrian defences. It said Syria's chemical weapons programme had been set back years. The Russians said 71 missiles were shot down by Syrian systems." } ], "id": "521_3", "question": "What was targeted by the US, UK and France?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "This year will be another year of intense and complex foreign policy challenges. But it will also be a year of revelations. In a number of areas, 2016 could be the year when international affairs begin at least to stabilise after the rollercoaster ride of unexpected crises seen since 2014. It is possible that the British people could get a vote as early as June on whether the country should remain in the EU or leave. This will be a seminal moment, not just for the UK, but for the EU as a whole. For the UK, leaving would entail major diplomatic distraction and economic disruption while it negotiates the terms of its departure, the likely resignation of the prime minister, and steps towards a new referendum on Scottish independence. Remaining in the EU would allow the government to focus on its economic agenda - including the still difficult objective of reducing the deficit and raising productivity - and on regaining a position of influence on issues of importance to its security, from the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS, also known as Isis, Isil, and Daesh) to working with its EU neighbours on controlling immigration. In the end, the EU referendum campaign will revolve not around the prime minister's recent negotiations, but rather on whether the British people feel they will be safer, economically and personally, inside the EU or outside. More than 1.8 million people entered the EU illegally between January and October 2015, with some 980,000 applying for asylum. These numbers include refugees from conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and economic migrants from the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa. The European Commission has estimated that, even if the EU accepted 1.4 million immigrants a year for the next three decades, the EU would still end up having two working-age people for every person aged over 65, compared with four today. So added numbers should be welcome. But the concentration of large-scale immigration through the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans and into a concentrated number of destinations (principally Germany, Hungary, Italy and Sweden) has thrown into sharp relief the inadequacy of the EU's Schengen Agreement. In 2016, EU governments will have under six months to prepare themselves for the next summer spike in migration flows across the Mediterranean. Arriving at consensus among EU member states will be very difficult, especially as the migration issue has strengthened nationalist parties across the EU. But, even if Schengen is suspended, the scale of the challenge is likely to drive governments to strengthen external EU border controls, finance processing centres and better distribute arrivals across the EU. An additional factor likely to drive EU governments towards a more unified approach to border management will be the fear of another terrorist attack by IS members or sympathisers in a European city. Such an attack is not just possible, but probable. In 2016, however, IS will come under the double pressure of an intensified military onslaught from US, European, Russian and Arab forces and a likely UN-brokered ceasefire between the Assad government and the main rebel forces. The prospect of IS entrenching itself on Europe's borders will force external governments to make the necessary compromises that, if successful, would convert IS from a putative \"state\", with attendant financial resources, into more of a guerrilla force and terrorist movement. Even if IS continues to deny central governments in Damascus, Baghdad or Tripoli sovereign control over their territories, 2015 may come to be seen as the apogee of the movement. President Putin may hope that his participation in operations against IS in Syria in 2016 will lead Western leaders to ease the economic sanctions that they imposed on Russia in the summer of 2014, at the height of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. This would ease the growing stand-off between Russia, the US and its Nato allies, which has been a major destabilising factor in international affairs in the past 18 months. It seems unlikely that EU sanctions linked to eastern Ukraine will be lifted without full implementation of the Minsk II agreement (including the Ukrainian government regaining control of the border between the Donbass and Russia, which remains a distant prospect). However, both sides appear to want to cap the recent escalation of tensions, and easing sanctions could offer an interim path in 2016 towards a thaw in Russia-Western relations. Although there will be no return to the status quo ante, 2016 could witness the beginning of two fundamentally different systems of economic and political governance finding a way to live together. There will be plenty of other foreign policy challenges in 2016, such as responding to China's rise in East Asia, a possible worsening of the Israeli-Palestinian stand-off, or destabilisation in vulnerable countries from the gradual tightening of US interest rates or the persistence of low oil and other commodity prices. The pressures driving migration to the EU will not disappear in 2016, nor will IS - especially if growing Saudi-Iranian tensions scupper a deal over Syria. Implementing the trade agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, between Ukraine and the EU in January will create another bone of contention with Moscow. Also, if David Cameron wins the referendum to keep the UK in the EU, some Conservative MPs may choose to leave their party rather than toe the line of continued EU integration. With a narrow 12-seat parliamentary majority, this could cause serious domestic problems for the UK government. But it is not unreasonable to take a more optimistic perspective. The West is adjusting, and 2016 may witness some stabilisation of the plethora of simultaneous international crises that have so stressed governments across the world for the past two years. Robin Niblett is the director of the think tank Chatham House.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3638, "answer_start": 2703, "text": "An additional factor likely to drive EU governments towards a more unified approach to border management will be the fear of another terrorist attack by IS members or sympathisers in a European city. Such an attack is not just possible, but probable. In 2016, however, IS will come under the double pressure of an intensified military onslaught from US, European, Russian and Arab forces and a likely UN-brokered ceasefire between the Assad government and the main rebel forces. The prospect of IS entrenching itself on Europe's borders will force external governments to make the necessary compromises that, if successful, would convert IS from a putative \"state\", with attendant financial resources, into more of a guerrilla force and terrorist movement. Even if IS continues to deny central governments in Damascus, Baghdad or Tripoli sovereign control over their territories, 2015 may come to be seen as the apogee of the movement." } ], "id": "522_0", "question": "IS - here to stay?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "President Donald Trump had been considering firing former FBI Director James Comey since he was elected, a White House spokeswoman says. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told media there had been an \"erosion of confidence\" in Mr Comey over the last year. The administration maintains he was removed on Tuesday for his handling of the Hillary Clinton emails inquiry. But US media report Mr Comey recently asked the Justice Department for more resources for his Trump-Russia inquiry. The US Senate Intelligence Committee has invited Mr Comey to testify next week. The White House is rejecting calls to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin in last year's US presidential election. \"We don't think it's necessary,\" Ms Huckabee Sanders said on Wednesday. \"No one wants this to be finished and completed more than us.\" In a farewell letter to staff, Mr Comey wrote: \"I have long believed that a President can fire an FBI Director for any reason, or for no reason at all. \"I'm not going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed.\" He signed off: \"Working with you has been one of the great joys of my life. Thank you for that gift.\" If Donald Trump is trying to avoid comparisons with Richard Nixon's scandal-plagued presidency, welcoming Henry Kissinger - the man probably most closely connected with the former president - in the Oval Office probably isn't the best move. The whole group meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak was a bit strange, starting with the fact that it happened at all. Given the allegations that Mr Trump fired James Comey because of the FBI investigation into Russia ties to the Trump campaign, meeting Moscow's envoy the very next day isn't exactly good optics, as they say. Neither is keeping US media out of the room and having Russian state photographers provide the only public images of the event - images that are sure to feature in Democratic campaign adverts in the not-too-distant future. During the campaign, Mr Trump famously joked that he could shoot somebody, and his supporters would stick by him. Smiling with the Russian ambassador in the midst of a growing Russian hacking controversy is the diplomatic equivalent - a brazen move sans firearms. Many in Washington will howl, but there's no guarantee it will move the needle among the president's legions. The White House insists it was because of how he handled the investigation into Mrs Clinton's use of private email while she was secretary of state. But many are sceptical that the FBI director would be fired because of actions that have been widely attributed for Mr Trump's shock election victory. The White House spokeswoman said Mr Comey had committed \"atrocities, circumventing the chain of command\" within the Justice Department. The White House said the \"final catalyst\" was Tuesday's letter from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein condemning Mr Comey's \"serious mistakes\". Mr Rosenstein faulted Mr Comey's decision last July to announce the Clinton emails case was closed, and for revealing in October - 11 days before the election - that the inquiry had reopened. The deputy attorney general said Mr Comey's conduct had \"usurped\" the then-attorney general. Unnamed White House officials briefed Reuters news agency that Mr Trump finally lost patience with the FBI director last week over a perceived act of insubordination. They said Mr Comey had refused to preview for top presidential aides his planned testimony to a 3 May Senate hearing on the Clinton email issue. Critics accuse the Republican president of firing the nation's top law enforcement official because he was leading an inquiry into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians in last year's election. On Wednesday, Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Richard Durbin told US media that Mr Comey had asked the deputy attorney general for more resources - mainly staff - for the FBI investigation. Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores called those reports \"totally false\". Either way, Republicans and Democrats vowed the House and Senate Intelligence Committees' investigations into the Russia claims would continue. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said if Mr Trump believed replacing Mr Comey would halt the inquiries \"he made a big mistake\". The president stood by his actions on Wednesday during a surprise meeting with Nixon-era Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Mr Trump said Mr Comey was fired \"because he was not doing a good job\". His remarks preceded a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergei Kislyak - his first with any Russian official since taking power. Mr Trump later tweeted: \"Dems have been complaining for months & months about Dir. Comey. Now that he has been fired they PRETEND to be aggrieved. Phony hypocrites!\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3552, "answer_start": 2371, "text": "The White House insists it was because of how he handled the investigation into Mrs Clinton's use of private email while she was secretary of state. But many are sceptical that the FBI director would be fired because of actions that have been widely attributed for Mr Trump's shock election victory. The White House spokeswoman said Mr Comey had committed \"atrocities, circumventing the chain of command\" within the Justice Department. The White House said the \"final catalyst\" was Tuesday's letter from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein condemning Mr Comey's \"serious mistakes\". Mr Rosenstein faulted Mr Comey's decision last July to announce the Clinton emails case was closed, and for revealing in October - 11 days before the election - that the inquiry had reopened. The deputy attorney general said Mr Comey's conduct had \"usurped\" the then-attorney general. Unnamed White House officials briefed Reuters news agency that Mr Trump finally lost patience with the FBI director last week over a perceived act of insubordination. They said Mr Comey had refused to preview for top presidential aides his planned testimony to a 3 May Senate hearing on the Clinton email issue." } ], "id": "523_0", "question": "Why was James Comey fired?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4322, "answer_start": 3553, "text": "Critics accuse the Republican president of firing the nation's top law enforcement official because he was leading an inquiry into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians in last year's election. On Wednesday, Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Richard Durbin told US media that Mr Comey had asked the deputy attorney general for more resources - mainly staff - for the FBI investigation. Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores called those reports \"totally false\". Either way, Republicans and Democrats vowed the House and Senate Intelligence Committees' investigations into the Russia claims would continue. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said if Mr Trump believed replacing Mr Comey would halt the inquiries \"he made a big mistake\"." } ], "id": "523_1", "question": "What about the Russia investigation?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4866, "answer_start": 4323, "text": "The president stood by his actions on Wednesday during a surprise meeting with Nixon-era Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Mr Trump said Mr Comey was fired \"because he was not doing a good job\". His remarks preceded a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergei Kislyak - his first with any Russian official since taking power. Mr Trump later tweeted: \"Dems have been complaining for months & months about Dir. Comey. Now that he has been fired they PRETEND to be aggrieved. Phony hypocrites!\"" } ], "id": "523_2", "question": "What does President Trump say?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Four people are dead and eight wounded in southern Turkey, after election campaigning descended into violence. The incident has heightened tensions ahead of the 24 June vote, in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is aiming for a second term. The clash broke out in the mainly Kurdish town of Suruc, when an MP from the ruling AKP, Ibrahim Halil Yildiz, was touring some shops. Pro-government and pro-Kurdish accounts of the incident differ significantly. The state-run Anadolu news agency reports that Kurdish militant shopkeepers attacked the MP's entourage, and says his brother is among the dead. It says supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were involved in the bloodshed. But opposition sources say the politician's bodyguards opened fire when he received a hostile reception. Eight people were taken to hospital and police made 10 arrests, security sources say. The presidential and parliamentary elections are expected to be close run. Mr Erdogan could be forced into a run-off and the AKP (the Justice and Development Party) may lose its majority in parliament. The presidential candidate for the pro-Kurdish HDP, Selahattin Demirtas, is campaigning from prison after being arrested in November 2016. If his party exceeds the 10% vote threshold required to enter Turkey's parliament, that could jeopardise Mr Erdogan's chances of a majority. Speaking about the bloodshed on Thursday, HDP co-leader Pervin Buldan condemned the killings and added: \"We see that some are trying to incite the people with provocations.\" Mr Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin condemned the \"hideous attack\" on Twitter. BBC Turkey Correspondent Mark Lowen reports that the violence on Thursday came after a video leaked on social media purported to show President Erdogan advocating the intimidation of Kurds to win more votes. The video shows the president telling party officials that they should focus on the HDP. He then tells them that they have the voter lists of each neighbourhood, and should do what is necessary. He adds that if AKP officials arrive at polling stations before the other parties, in his words, \"it can end before it even begins\". The president's supporters have argued that this is a legitimate campaign strategy to deal with the competition. His critics say he's encouraging the intimidation - or worse - of Kurdish voters. \"Amidst what could be the closest election in many years, it's an increasingly dirty fight for every vote,\" our correspondent reports.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1630, "answer_start": 895, "text": "The presidential and parliamentary elections are expected to be close run. Mr Erdogan could be forced into a run-off and the AKP (the Justice and Development Party) may lose its majority in parliament. The presidential candidate for the pro-Kurdish HDP, Selahattin Demirtas, is campaigning from prison after being arrested in November 2016. If his party exceeds the 10% vote threshold required to enter Turkey's parliament, that could jeopardise Mr Erdogan's chances of a majority. Speaking about the bloodshed on Thursday, HDP co-leader Pervin Buldan condemned the killings and added: \"We see that some are trying to incite the people with provocations.\" Mr Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin condemned the \"hideous attack\" on Twitter." } ], "id": "524_0", "question": "Why is the vote so tense?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2496, "answer_start": 1631, "text": "BBC Turkey Correspondent Mark Lowen reports that the violence on Thursday came after a video leaked on social media purported to show President Erdogan advocating the intimidation of Kurds to win more votes. The video shows the president telling party officials that they should focus on the HDP. He then tells them that they have the voter lists of each neighbourhood, and should do what is necessary. He adds that if AKP officials arrive at polling stations before the other parties, in his words, \"it can end before it even begins\". The president's supporters have argued that this is a legitimate campaign strategy to deal with the competition. His critics say he's encouraging the intimidation - or worse - of Kurdish voters. \"Amidst what could be the closest election in many years, it's an increasingly dirty fight for every vote,\" our correspondent reports." } ], "id": "524_1", "question": "What is Erdogan's strategy?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The US space agency (Nasa) has called time on its Opportunity Mars rover. The six-wheeled robot last contacted Earth in June last year, just before it was enveloped in the darkness of a global dust storm. Engineers hoped Oppy would power back up when the skies cleared and sunlight hit its solar panels again - but there has not been a peep out of the rover. The routine prompt commands that have been sent to Opportunity will now end. The mission has been declared over. \"We tried valiantly over these last eight months to recover the rover, to get some signal from it,\" explained project manager John Callas. \"We've listened every single day with sensitive receivers, and we sent over 1,000 recovery commands. We heard nothing and the time has come to say goodbye.\" The decision brings the curtain down on one of Nasa's most successful ever ventures. \"Oppy\" and its twin robot, called Spirit, landed on Mars in January 2004 with the goal of investigating whether the planet ever had the conditions necessary to support life. The mission team believed its \"mobile geologists\" would work for at least 90 Martian days and have the capability to travel up to 1km. In the end, the golf-buggy-sized rovers surpassed all expectations. Spirit worked for six years, logging a drive distance of almost 8km; and Opportunity trundled on for 45km over 14.5 years - a record for any wheeled vehicle off Earth. The science the rovers returned was hugely significant. They proved the planet in ancient times was very different to the freezing, desiccated world we see today. It was warmer and wetter. Indeed, there was evidence in the rocks examined by the rovers' instruments that bodies of water would sit at, or just under, the surface for prolonged periods. Oppy made this discovery almost as soon as it had landed in a small depression known as Eagle Crater. Its cameras spied small spherules that were quickly dubbed \"Blueberries\" because of their shape and small size. These concretions contained a lot of hematite, an iron-rich mineral that forms (often) in the presence of water. Scientists concluded this water would have been fairly acidic and therefore not that friendly to life, but then later in the mission, when it reached Endeavour Crater, it came across clay minerals and gypsum deposits - clear signs of water interactions under much more neutral, and hospitable, conditions. \"We were able at the rim of Endeavour Crater to find rocks that were probably the oldest observed by either one of the rovers; rocks that pre-dated even the formation of Endeavour Crater,\" said Steve Squyres, Opportunity's chief scientist from Cornell University. \"And those told a story of water coursing through the rocks but with a neutral pH - it was water you could drink. That was one of the mission's most significant discoveries.\" One is an inspirational effect, says Abigail Fraeman, the deputy project scientist on the rover mission. She was actually a high-school pupil when the robot landed and attended mission control on the day of touchdown, having won a competition. \"There really are hundreds, if not thousands, of students, who were just like me, who witnessed these rovers, and followed their missions with the images they released to the public over the last 15 years - and because of that went on to pursue careers in science, education and math(s).\" Another key legacy is the engineering, believes systems engineer Jennifer Trosper. Opportunity and Spirit showed how it was possible to build bigger and more capable machines to explore Mars. The previous landers, even ones with some mobility, were very restricted in what they could do. \"We weren't able to get to the things that we saw in the distance,\" she said. \"We saw mountains, we saw rocks, we saw stuff that our geologists wanted to get their hands on and we couldn't get there. \"So, one of the great paradigm shifts of Spirit and Opportunity was that we took everything that we needed, we put it on wheels and we made a geologist that could go and investigate the things that the science team was interested in.\" Opportunity's silence leaves just the one working rover on Mars. The Curiosity robot landed in 2012 in Gale Crater. It has a plutonium battery and so was able to ride out the darkness of the recent dust storm with ease. Nasa is currently preparing a near-twin of Curiosity, which will be delivered to the planet in February 2021. It will be joined on the surface a month later by Europe's Rosalind Franklin rover, although at a very different location. The US space agency currently also operates a static lander, called InSight, which touched down in November last year. Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1397, "answer_start": 768, "text": "The decision brings the curtain down on one of Nasa's most successful ever ventures. \"Oppy\" and its twin robot, called Spirit, landed on Mars in January 2004 with the goal of investigating whether the planet ever had the conditions necessary to support life. The mission team believed its \"mobile geologists\" would work for at least 90 Martian days and have the capability to travel up to 1km. In the end, the golf-buggy-sized rovers surpassed all expectations. Spirit worked for six years, logging a drive distance of almost 8km; and Opportunity trundled on for 45km over 14.5 years - a record for any wheeled vehicle off Earth." } ], "id": "525_0", "question": "How big a deal is this?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2819, "answer_start": 1398, "text": "The science the rovers returned was hugely significant. They proved the planet in ancient times was very different to the freezing, desiccated world we see today. It was warmer and wetter. Indeed, there was evidence in the rocks examined by the rovers' instruments that bodies of water would sit at, or just under, the surface for prolonged periods. Oppy made this discovery almost as soon as it had landed in a small depression known as Eagle Crater. Its cameras spied small spherules that were quickly dubbed \"Blueberries\" because of their shape and small size. These concretions contained a lot of hematite, an iron-rich mineral that forms (often) in the presence of water. Scientists concluded this water would have been fairly acidic and therefore not that friendly to life, but then later in the mission, when it reached Endeavour Crater, it came across clay minerals and gypsum deposits - clear signs of water interactions under much more neutral, and hospitable, conditions. \"We were able at the rim of Endeavour Crater to find rocks that were probably the oldest observed by either one of the rovers; rocks that pre-dated even the formation of Endeavour Crater,\" said Steve Squyres, Opportunity's chief scientist from Cornell University. \"And those told a story of water coursing through the rocks but with a neutral pH - it was water you could drink. That was one of the mission's most significant discoveries.\"" } ], "id": "525_1", "question": "What did the twin rovers achieve?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4075, "answer_start": 2820, "text": "One is an inspirational effect, says Abigail Fraeman, the deputy project scientist on the rover mission. She was actually a high-school pupil when the robot landed and attended mission control on the day of touchdown, having won a competition. \"There really are hundreds, if not thousands, of students, who were just like me, who witnessed these rovers, and followed their missions with the images they released to the public over the last 15 years - and because of that went on to pursue careers in science, education and math(s).\" Another key legacy is the engineering, believes systems engineer Jennifer Trosper. Opportunity and Spirit showed how it was possible to build bigger and more capable machines to explore Mars. The previous landers, even ones with some mobility, were very restricted in what they could do. \"We weren't able to get to the things that we saw in the distance,\" she said. \"We saw mountains, we saw rocks, we saw stuff that our geologists wanted to get their hands on and we couldn't get there. \"So, one of the great paradigm shifts of Spirit and Opportunity was that we took everything that we needed, we put it on wheels and we made a geologist that could go and investigate the things that the science team was interested in.\"" } ], "id": "525_2", "question": "What are the legacies?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Washington State's Democratic Governor Jay Inslee has announced his 2020 bid for the US presidential nomination, joining a lengthy list of contenders. Mr Inslee, 68, will make climate change his number one issue, calling it \"the most urgent challenge of our time\" in his first campaign video. He is the first governor to throw his hat into the ring, joining 12 other Democrats, including six senators. The two-term governor has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump. \"I'm running for president because I am the only candidate who will make defeating climate change our nation's number one priority,\" Mr Inslee says in the video, released on Friday. Mr Inslee's mid-term elections campaign ran on the platform of creating new energy jobs - his 2020 campaign video echoed the same, tying \"defeating climate change\" with transforming the economy. At a news conference on Friday, Mr Inslee said his national mission would focus on powering the economy with 100% clean energy, creating jobs, and focusing on \"justice and inclusion...so no group is left to bear the cost of transition\". \"We are going to build electric cars in Michigan, we are going to build and install wind turbines in Iowa, we are going to install solar right here in Washington State,\" Mr Inslee said. In addition to his environmental efforts, Mr Inslee announced his other big proposals: raising the minimum wage, legalising marijuana, protecting net neutrality, investing in infrastructure and pushing for gun control. \"We've banned bump stocks and we're not done - let's ban assault weapons and take weapons of war off our streets,\" he said. Mr Inslee will begin his campaigning efforts in Iowa on Tuesday and Nevada later next week, US media report. Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders are among other declared contenders for the Democratic primary in 2020, the first time more than one woman has competed. Jay Inslee is someone who in the past would be a naturally formidable presidential candidate. He's a veteran politician with the kind of executive experience that comes from being a governor of a mid-sized state. At a small session at the liberal Netroots Nation conference last August, the 68-year-old Inslee displayed a low-key confidence and command of the issues, with the kind of self-deprecating wit that can be effective disarming critics. He won't light up a stage like Senator Cory Booker or potential candidate Beto O'Rourke, but he's a comfortable public speaker. This isn't your father's Democratic Party, of course, and with a diverse range of candidates already in the race, Mr Inslee will be pressed to find breathing room for his campaign. His answer is to fashion himself as the environmental candidate. With the Green New Deal getting traction among progressives, Mr Inslee is touting his work addressing climate change in Washington state. He's launching his presidential bid at a solar panel factory whose success he attributes to his policies as governor. If Mr Inslee gets the attention of Democratic voters with his environmental pitch, he can then pivot to talking about his efforts to fight the Trump administration's immigration policies, expand healthcare in his state, raise the minimum wage, enact paid family medical leave, end capital punishment and pardon Washington residents previously convicted of now-legalised marijuana drug offences. It's a record of progressive accomplishment that the half-dozen senators already in the race, having toiled in the minority since 2014, can't match. Jay Inslee is a fifth-generation Washingtonian, born and raised in Seattle. He is a former prosecutor and former congressman who represented the state of Washington in the House of Representatives for several terms in the 1990s. His father was a high school science teacher who helped spark his love of nature. Mr Inslee won the governorship in 2012, defeating a Republican and replacing Democratic incumbent Christine Gregoire. He took the seat after winning only eight counties out of the state's 39, losing the rural vote to his conservative opponent, according to the New York Times. He was the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in 2018, helping with campaigning efforts across the country. In December, he compared his presidential hopes with those of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, saying both former presidents were \"unknown governors of small states\" before winning the presidency, the Seattle Times reported.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4488, "answer_start": 3556, "text": "Jay Inslee is a fifth-generation Washingtonian, born and raised in Seattle. He is a former prosecutor and former congressman who represented the state of Washington in the House of Representatives for several terms in the 1990s. His father was a high school science teacher who helped spark his love of nature. Mr Inslee won the governorship in 2012, defeating a Republican and replacing Democratic incumbent Christine Gregoire. He took the seat after winning only eight counties out of the state's 39, losing the rural vote to his conservative opponent, according to the New York Times. He was the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in 2018, helping with campaigning efforts across the country. In December, he compared his presidential hopes with those of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, saying both former presidents were \"unknown governors of small states\" before winning the presidency, the Seattle Times reported." } ], "id": "526_0", "question": "Who is Jay Inslee?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The first event that will help decide the candidates for US president takes place on Monday with the Iowa caucuses. Groups of voters will gather across the state and vote for their preferred candidate to represent their party in November's election. For the first time, the Democratic Party will hold international satellite caucuses - and one of the three outside the US is to take place in Glasgow. International satellite caucuses will also be held in Paris and Tbilisi. Colyn Burbank is from Des Moines, Iowa. He said he was looking forward to \"hosting the first ever Iowa satellite caucus here in Glasgow\". Mr Burbank is in Scotland studying for a post graduate degree at Strathclyde University. The social work student moved to the UK for two years with his wife and daughter. When he initially made the request to host the caucus he was expecting about six Iowan Democrats he knew to attend. But the number of attendees has grown to 23 people - \"much bigger than what I was originally expecting\", he said. He said it was \"exciting\" that Iowans were travelling from around the UK to come. Speaking to the BBC on Monday afternoon, Mr Burbank said he was decorating his flat to give it the vibe of \"nostalgic Iowa\" - he said this involved \"a lot of corn, that's kind of what we're known for\", and pictures of famous Iowans, including the actor John Wayne, former President Herbert Hoover, the band Slipknot and the author Bill Bryson. Mr Burbank said \"every state does it differently\", but an Iowan Democratic caucus was \"a very public way of voting\". The satellite caucus in Glasgow will follow the same format as the 1,677 caucuses taking place in the Midwest state will. Registered Iowa Democrats meet - sometimes in someone's home, like what Colyn has organised in Glasgow, or in larger public areas like schools, libraries and church halls across the state - to vote for who they want to be the Democrats' candidate on the ballot paper in November. They organise themselves into groups supporting each candidate - and try to convince others to switch sides. Some of the big names attendees can support include Bernie Sanders, who ran against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016, and former vice-president Joe Biden, as well as Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg. If any candidate gets under 15% of the support, their supporters then pick a second choice from among the candidates who got more than 15%, or they can choose to sit out the rest. Mr Burbank explained what would happen at his flat: \"We [will] all get together - the 23 of us or whoever shows up - and we stand under a sign of the candidate that we're supporting. \"So once we do our first alignment we'll look at the numbers and see who's viable, who's not. \"We will call for a second realignment and at that time people will try to convince people from this candidate to come to their candidate instead. \"Then we'll count the numbers,\" he said. The process in Iowa involves four stages (precinct caucuses, and then county, district and state conventions). If he was hosting his caucus in Iowa, it would nominate someone to go to the county convention. He will offer the attendees the option to go, but does not expect anyone to make the trip from the UK. Instead, they will get someone else who is already at the convention to represent their votes. The number of delegates each candidate sends to the convention is based on the proportion of support they receive in the state. Iowa will send 41 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July. A candidate needs more than 1,900 delegates to win the nomination. At the convention, the candidate who wins the most delegates receives the nomination to be the Democrat's candidate for president. The Midwest state is always the first to vote, and can help shape perceptions among voters. A win here can help give a candidate a solid start early in the race (as it did in 1976 with Jimmy Carter) and erase any doubts about their viability. While victory in Iowa doesn't guarantee anyone the nomination, it can help give them crucial momentum. But the state isn't representative of the US as a whole - it's largely white, so the way people vote there will be very, very different than in other states.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4260, "answer_start": 3757, "text": "The Midwest state is always the first to vote, and can help shape perceptions among voters. A win here can help give a candidate a solid start early in the race (as it did in 1976 with Jimmy Carter) and erase any doubts about their viability. While victory in Iowa doesn't guarantee anyone the nomination, it can help give them crucial momentum. But the state isn't representative of the US as a whole - it's largely white, so the way people vote there will be very, very different than in other states." } ], "id": "527_0", "question": "Why is the Iowa caucus important?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Earlier this week, it was reported that Will Smith could be starring in a new project called King Richard, telling the story of Richard Williams, the father of tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams. While Smith has yet to confirm the news, it didn't stop fans from tweeting their excitement about the idea of the star portraying such an accomplished man. But there were a few who weren't so pleased with the choice, and not because they were questioning the star's talent, but because his skin tone isn't considered dark enough. In recent years, Hollywood has made progress in representing minorities on screen, yet we still find ourselves circling around the issue of colourism. Colourism is described as discrimination against darker-skinned minorities and the idea that lighter-skinned minorities are given more privilege - and before you complain about the woes of \"snowflake millennials\" - it isn't a new concept. In America, colourism has existed since the days of slavery, where the shade of someone's skin often determined which jobs slaves were given. While dark-skinned slaves had more gruelling work outdoors on the plantations, their light-skinned counterparts usually worked indoors doing more domestic tasks - this preferential treatment occurred because light-skinned slaves were often the product of white slave owners raping their female slaves. Over time, having a closer proximity to whiteness became a tool for survival and having lighter skin was seen as a desirable asset. Many believe those attitudes are still reflected in Hollywood today. TV and film throughout the decades have offered up a plethora of stereotypes and tropes we've grown accustomed to, such as the mean, popular girls in school or the sassy black friend - and this same logic can be applied to the way certain skin tones have been perceived on screen. \"It's two things, firstly light-skinned people have always been seen as more palatable to the mainstream,\" says writer and Dazed's TV columnist, Bolu Babalola. \"And when I say mainstream, I do mean white, because there's proximity there to whiteness... they [light-skinned people] are just seen as more acceptable and much easier to consume. \"And dark-skinned people, their experiences navigating race is often so different to light-skinned people's,\" she continues. Babalola says darker-skinned men and women are often seen as \"animalistic\" and \"more sexualised\" than their counterparts in the media, whereas light-skinned people are often portrayed as more refined, less threatening and more likeable. A popular example of this dynamic can be seen in Martin Lawrence's 90s US sitcom, Martin. The title character's light-skinned girlfriend Gina was fun-loving, cool-headed and professional whereas her best friend and assistant, Pam, was more-or-less portrayed as the opposite. She was sassy, short-tempered and often at odds with Martin, who frequently insulted her throughout the show. Shows like Netflix's Dear White People were accused of recycling this very same trope in 2017, when in the show's first season, its light-skinned protagonist Sam was given ample time to explore her struggles with her mixed-race identity and was also the subject of many men's affections. However, some viewers thought that Coco and Joelle, Sam's former best friend and current best friend, who are both dark-skinned, were overlooked and underdeveloped. But in season two of the show, both Coco and Joelle's characters were given more depth both to their characters and story arcs. In 2016, Guardians of the Galaxy actress Zoe Saldana came under scrutiny for taking on the role of Nina Simone in a film about the singer, after photos of her wearing darker make-up and a prosthetic nose surfaced online. Many of Simone's fans were unhappy with the casting and disapproved of Saldana's role, citing the singer's skin tone and appearance as being a vital part of her activism. Simone's family, including her daughter, were also upset with the casting and believed other actresses such as Viola Davis would have been more suitable. Saldana, however, has repeatedly defended her role as Simone, saying: \"I don't care who tells me that I am not this and I am not that. I know who I am and I know what Nina Simone means to me.\" The Greatest Showman actress Zendaya has often spoken out about the \"privilege\" she has as a light-skinned black woman, admitting that she's the industry's \"acceptable version of a black girl\". \"As a light-skinned black woman it's important that I'm using my privilege, my platform, to show you how much beauty there is in the African-American community,\" she added. Similarly, The Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg also noted in an interview with Variety, that actresses like her and Zendaya \"fill this interesting space of being accessible to Hollywood and accessible to white people in a way that darker skinned girls are not.\" Stenberg has also faced scrutiny in the past for being cast as the lead in The Hate U Give, where her character in the book was originally dark-skinned. Colourism isn't an issue unique to Black Hollywood though. If you look over to India's Bollywood industry, most if not all of the leading roles go to light-skinned actors and actresses, whereas dark-skinned people are often portrayed as villains and degenerates. This then feeds into India's billion dollar skin lightening industry where some of Bollywood's top actors often endorse these cosmetic products encouraging their adoring fans to lighten their skin. Before Black Panther's triumph, Marvel didn't have the best record for representing its few black characters accurately. Storm, one of the most prominent black superhero figures is the descendant of an ancient line of African priestesses, has always been drawn as a dark-skinned women in Marvel's comics. But for the last 20 years, she has been portrayed as a light-skinned woman in every live-action film. She was first played by Halle Berry in the X-Men trilogy from 2000 and then again in X-Men: Apocalypse with Alexandra Shipp in 2016, which was met with fierce criticism in 2017 across Twitter, where Shipp dismissed the conversation about Storm as \"stupid\". She opened up about that moment in an interview in 2018, saying: \"You can't tell me that I can't play a woman of colour because I don't match the Crayola marker from 1975 when they drew the comic, that makes no sense. \"If all of us band together in a perfect world and say no, this is meant for a dark-skinned actress, the studio would say 'you've lost your damn mind' and hire a younger, light skinned actress, \" she added. But Black Panther broke new ground. Aside from the millions of pounds it raked in at the box office, and awards including three Oscars for original music, costume and production design, it was hailed as a cinematic celebration of black beauty. For many, it was the first time fans had seen dark-skinned men and women portrayed in such a positive and heroic light, proving to be a landmark moment of dark-skinned representation in film. BFI Network executive and founder of Bounce Cinema, Mathieu Ajan told the BBC we can't \"ignore the fact that darker-skinned performers have been marginalised in the film and television industry for a very long time\". But he said that in the case of the film about Richard Williams, Smith is still \"a very accomplished actor\" with star power. \"He's selling the film and you're going to get a lot more people's interest in watching it. \"He's a very hard working actor and there's a lot of reasons to cast him besides the tone of his skin,\" he added. Ajan argued that if Smith can do the role justice, then he's the right person for the job. \"The bigger picture of the world of casting is a bigger conversation that goes beyond this particular incident but it is a conversation that needs to be had.\" \"I don't believe it's a colourism-led casting but there is a problem in the industry,\" he concluded. 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": 1564, "answer_start": 681, "text": "Colourism is described as discrimination against darker-skinned minorities and the idea that lighter-skinned minorities are given more privilege - and before you complain about the woes of \"snowflake millennials\" - it isn't a new concept. In America, colourism has existed since the days of slavery, where the shade of someone's skin often determined which jobs slaves were given. While dark-skinned slaves had more gruelling work outdoors on the plantations, their light-skinned counterparts usually worked indoors doing more domestic tasks - this preferential treatment occurred because light-skinned slaves were often the product of white slave owners raping their female slaves. Over time, having a closer proximity to whiteness became a tool for survival and having lighter skin was seen as a desirable asset. Many believe those attitudes are still reflected in Hollywood today." } ], "id": "528_0", "question": "What is Colourism?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "New Zealand's parliament has voted in favour of legalising euthanasia, paving the way for a national referendum on the issue next year. The law would allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live the opportunity to choose assisted dying if approved by two doctors. The bill was passed with a vote of 69-51, ending years of heated parliamentary debate on the topic. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has supported calls for euthanasia reform. A recent poll suggested 72% of New Zealanders supported some form of assisted dying. Since 2017, there have been eight parliamentary debates and a record 39,000 submissions from the public on David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. There have been some alterations to the legislation. It now only covers those diagnosed with less than six months to live, while it previously included severe and incurable conditions. Another major alteration to secure its passing was the addition of the requirement of a referendum. This was a demand of the populist New Zealand First Party, which threatened to vote against the legislation if it wasn't put to the public. \"New Zealanders elect us. But they do not elect our consciences,\" said New Zealand First MP Tracey Martin. While there is widespread support for euthanasia reform, there has also been vocal opposition. As MPs voted, protesters carried placards stating \"assist us to live not die\" and \"euthanasia is not the solution\" outside parliament. The people of New Zealand will vote on the bill in a referendum in conjunction with the country's 2020 election. A second referendum question, about recreational cannabis, will also be on the ballot paper.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1654, "answer_start": 539, "text": "Since 2017, there have been eight parliamentary debates and a record 39,000 submissions from the public on David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. There have been some alterations to the legislation. It now only covers those diagnosed with less than six months to live, while it previously included severe and incurable conditions. Another major alteration to secure its passing was the addition of the requirement of a referendum. This was a demand of the populist New Zealand First Party, which threatened to vote against the legislation if it wasn't put to the public. \"New Zealanders elect us. But they do not elect our consciences,\" said New Zealand First MP Tracey Martin. While there is widespread support for euthanasia reform, there has also been vocal opposition. As MPs voted, protesters carried placards stating \"assist us to live not die\" and \"euthanasia is not the solution\" outside parliament. The people of New Zealand will vote on the bill in a referendum in conjunction with the country's 2020 election. A second referendum question, about recreational cannabis, will also be on the ballot paper." } ], "id": "529_0", "question": "What's in the bill?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Malaysia has filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two former employees in connection with a corruption and money laundering probe at the country's investment fund, 1MDB. The US bank has been under scrutiny for its role in helping to raise funds for the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). It is being investigated in at least six countries. Goldman Sachs called the charges \"misdirected\" and said it would \"vigorously defend them\". \"The firm continues to co-operate with all authorities investigating these matters,\" the bank added. Malaysia filed the charges against Goldman Sachs and its former bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng. Mr Leissner served as Goldman's South East Asia chairman, and left the bank in 2016. Mr Ng was a managing director at Goldman until his departure in May 2014. Malaysia also filed charges against local financier Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low who maintains his innocence, and former 1MDB employee Jasmine Loo Ai Swan. Last month, Mr Leissner, Mr Ng and Mr Low were served with criminal charges in the US in relation to 1MDB. Mr Leissner pleaded guilty in the US to conspiring to launder money and violating anti-bribery laws. US prosecutors said Mr Leissner and Mr Ng worked with Mr Low to bribe government officials to win 1MDB business for Goldman Sachs. Authorities in the US said billions of dollars were embezzled from the state fund - which was set up by the Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009 - and were used to buy a list of expensive properties, and even finance the Wolf of Wall Street movie. They allege that among the things bought by the money were: - L'Ermitage hotel property and business - Park Lane Hotel assets in New York - Four California properties - Four New York properties - One London property - A private jet - EMI assets, including royalties - Van Gogh painting - Two Monet paintings Malaysia's attorney general Tommy Thomas said in a statement: \"The charges arise from from the proceeds of three bonds issued by the subsidiaries of 1MDB, which were arranged and underwritten by Goldman Sachs.\" The scandal has prompted investigations around the world and played a role in the election defeat earlier this year of Mr Razak who is accused of pocketing $700m (PS517m) from the fund. By Natalie Sherman Malaysia has made its indictment against Goldman Sachs public - the first time a government has brought criminal charges against the bank over the 1MDB scandal. Now investors are waiting to see what the US Department of Justice will do. The case US prosecutors outlined last month against bankers Tim Leissner, Roger Ng and Malaysian financier Jho Low left Goldman's role up for debate. Goldman Sachs underwrote around $6bn in bonds issued by 1MDB in three separate offerings between 2012 and 2013. The Department of Justice accused the men of working around Goldman's compliance office to do the deals. But it also noted that \"other employees\" had helped execute transactions in connection with 1MDB and in his guilty plea, Mr Leissner said his actions were \"very much in line\" with the bank's culture. So will US officials decide the bank had weak oversight? Already, the investigation has clouded the reputation of departing chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein, while adding to troubles at the bank, which has performed relatively poorly compared to its rivals this year. That said, a decade of post-financial crisis scandals has left Wall Street's banks bigger and more profitable than ever. If the US Department of Justice chooses, for example, to level a fine against Goldman Sachs, it is questionable just how much impact that would really have on the financial giant.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3646, "answer_start": 2254, "text": "By Natalie Sherman Malaysia has made its indictment against Goldman Sachs public - the first time a government has brought criminal charges against the bank over the 1MDB scandal. Now investors are waiting to see what the US Department of Justice will do. The case US prosecutors outlined last month against bankers Tim Leissner, Roger Ng and Malaysian financier Jho Low left Goldman's role up for debate. Goldman Sachs underwrote around $6bn in bonds issued by 1MDB in three separate offerings between 2012 and 2013. The Department of Justice accused the men of working around Goldman's compliance office to do the deals. But it also noted that \"other employees\" had helped execute transactions in connection with 1MDB and in his guilty plea, Mr Leissner said his actions were \"very much in line\" with the bank's culture. So will US officials decide the bank had weak oversight? Already, the investigation has clouded the reputation of departing chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein, while adding to troubles at the bank, which has performed relatively poorly compared to its rivals this year. That said, a decade of post-financial crisis scandals has left Wall Street's banks bigger and more profitable than ever. If the US Department of Justice chooses, for example, to level a fine against Goldman Sachs, it is questionable just how much impact that would really have on the financial giant." } ], "id": "530_0", "question": "Analysis: How bad is this for Goldman Sachs?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The US Senate has voted to withdraw US military aid for Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen and to blame the kingdom's crown prince for the murder of a journalist. The historic vote is the first time any chamber of US Congress has agreed to pull US forces from a military conflict under the 1973 War Powers Act. Some of President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans defied him to pass the measure with Democrats by 56-41. But the resolution is seen as largely symbolic and unlikely to become law. The non-binding \"war powers resolution\" calls upon President Trump to remove all American forces engaging in hostilities in Yemen, except for those combating Islamist extremists. The Senate then unanimously passed a resolution blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi's murder in October, and insisting that the kingdom hold accountable those responsible. The US chose to cease refuelling Saudi war planes last month, and Thursday's resolution - if it were ultimately passed into law - would prohibit that practice from resuming. Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who co-sponsored the measure with Republican Mike Lee of Utah, hailed the vote. \"Today we tell the despotic government of Saudi Arabia that we will not be part of their military adventures,\" he said. He described the outcome as a signal to \"the world that the United States of America will not continue to be part of the worst humanitarian disaster on the face of the earth\". Republican Senator Bob Corker told MSNBC: \"If he was before a jury, the crown prince, he would be convicted in my opinion in 30 minutes.\" Analysis by Barbara Plett, BBC State Department Correspondent The two resolutions send a strong message that for a majority of senators, the status quo with Saudi Arabia is no longer acceptable. They value the strategic relationship but are deeply uneasy about the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. They have viewed his foreign interventions with growing concern, especially the human cost of the war in Yemen. But it was the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi that tipped the scales: it dramatically increased support for the resolution to withdraw US military support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, something that failed to pass earlier in the year. Many senators saw the Khashoggi killing as the blatantly egregious act of an ally that felt immune from rebuke. And they were dismayed when the administration stood staunchly by the prince without censure, even though the CIA concluded he probably ordered the killing. Senators want to see the administration shape the alliance as the senior partner, and enforce red lines. Senior Republican Senator Bob Corker noted recently that much of the bipartisan activism in the Senate had been fuelled by a perception that there is no balance between values and interests in the administration's policies. President Trump has vowed to veto the measure, and it is unlikely right now to pass the House of Representatives, which on Wednesday blocked a vote on the matter. But Senator Sanders said he expects the resolution to succeed once Democrats formally take over control of the House in January following their mid-term elections victory. The Trump administration had argued the bill would undercut US support for the Saudi-led coalition against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. White House officials have emphasised US economic ties to the kingdom. Mr Trump's adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has continued to cultivate ties with the prince, according to the US media. A ceasefire agreed by the warring parties on Thursday has come into effect in the country's main port, Hudaydah. After the deal was reached in Sweden, negotiators for both parties shook hands to applause, though they later expressed scepticism. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he hoped this would be the starting point to bring nearly four years of civil strife to a close. Since hostilities began in 2014, thousands of civilians have been killed, and around 14 million people have been pushed to the brink of starvation, according to the UN. Saudi Arabia buys the bulk of its weapons from the US, Britain and France.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1067, "answer_start": 487, "text": "The non-binding \"war powers resolution\" calls upon President Trump to remove all American forces engaging in hostilities in Yemen, except for those combating Islamist extremists. The Senate then unanimously passed a resolution blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi's murder in October, and insisting that the kingdom hold accountable those responsible. The US chose to cease refuelling Saudi war planes last month, and Thursday's resolution - if it were ultimately passed into law - would prohibit that practice from resuming." } ], "id": "531_0", "question": "What did the Senate actually do?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1625, "answer_start": 1068, "text": "Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who co-sponsored the measure with Republican Mike Lee of Utah, hailed the vote. \"Today we tell the despotic government of Saudi Arabia that we will not be part of their military adventures,\" he said. He described the outcome as a signal to \"the world that the United States of America will not continue to be part of the worst humanitarian disaster on the face of the earth\". Republican Senator Bob Corker told MSNBC: \"If he was before a jury, the crown prince, he would be convicted in my opinion in 30 minutes.\"" } ], "id": "531_1", "question": "What did senators say?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3571, "answer_start": 2894, "text": "President Trump has vowed to veto the measure, and it is unlikely right now to pass the House of Representatives, which on Wednesday blocked a vote on the matter. But Senator Sanders said he expects the resolution to succeed once Democrats formally take over control of the House in January following their mid-term elections victory. The Trump administration had argued the bill would undercut US support for the Saudi-led coalition against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. White House officials have emphasised US economic ties to the kingdom. Mr Trump's adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has continued to cultivate ties with the prince, according to the US media." } ], "id": "531_2", "question": "Can this legislation become law?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4200, "answer_start": 3572, "text": "A ceasefire agreed by the warring parties on Thursday has come into effect in the country's main port, Hudaydah. After the deal was reached in Sweden, negotiators for both parties shook hands to applause, though they later expressed scepticism. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he hoped this would be the starting point to bring nearly four years of civil strife to a close. Since hostilities began in 2014, thousands of civilians have been killed, and around 14 million people have been pushed to the brink of starvation, according to the UN. Saudi Arabia buys the bulk of its weapons from the US, Britain and France." } ], "id": "531_3", "question": "What's the latest in Yemen?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "It was billed as arguably the most destructive weapon of all time when it went up for sale last week. Adolf Hitler's personal telephone, into which he was said to scream his orders from his bunker in Berlin, inscribed with his name and the Nazi swastika, is undoubtedly a much-prized collector's item. But then, the story was questioned. The material was wrong. The rotary dial was suspect. Why would it have been made by a British company? For Major Ranulf Rayner, the doubts - levelled by a telephone museum in the US, and a telephone expert in Germany - were a shock. After all, the relic had been in his family since 5 May 1945 - handed to his father, Brigadier Sir Ralph Rayner, by Soviet soldiers after he became the first Allied officer to enter the Fuehrerbunker, and quietly brought back home to Devon, along with an Alsatian dog statue that previously took pride of place on the dictator's desk. \"I'm just extremely angry,\" Maj Rayner told the BBC, following the publication of the claims in a British newspaper. Both Maj Rayner, then aged 10, and his sister Fleur can clearly remember their father's return from World War Two with the two extremely unusual items in his bag. And there was an equally remarkable story to go with how the items came to be in the family's possession. On 5 May 1945, Sir Ralph - then second-in-command of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's communications in 21st Army Group - was asked to make contact with his Soviet counterpart. After making the difficult journey through Berlin, Sir Ralph arrived at what remained of the Reich Chancellery. Here, he found a Soviet officer who, after agreeing that his general would meet Field Marshal Montgomery as soon as possible, offered to show him the bunker they had discovered three days earlier. It was here, with the smell of burning flesh still hanging in the air, that he was shown to the private quarters of Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun. And then the Soviet officer - apparently eager to please his new friend - offered the black telephone which had sat on Braun's bedside table. However, Sir Ralph was more enthused by the red telephone near Hitler's bed, noting red was his favourite colour as he accepted the \"gift\", much to the delight of the Soviet officer. But that was not the only memento with which he left: he was also given a 12-inch model of an Alsatian by the Russians, taken from Hitler's desk after he told them he had an Alsatian at home. No one outside the immediate family was allowed to know about what Sir Ralph had brought back for many years. While Sir Ralph was in Berlin, Montgomery had decreed that anyone caught looting would be court martialed. It was only years later that Sir Ralph, Conservative Member of Parliament for Totnes from 1935 until 1955, felt he could show it off to the wider world. There is mention of it in German magazine Der Spiegel as far back as 1963. The family has spoken regularly of the telephone over the years. Indeed, the picture chosen for his obituary in the local newspaper in 1977 was one of Sir Ralph and the \"Hitler telephone\". However, when news of its auction broke two weeks ago, a number of people came forward to say they did not believe it was the real thing. Frank Gnegel, of the Frankfurt Museum of Communications, told the Daily Mail the fact the telephone had been painted red, instead of being made from red plastic, was suspect. He also queried why the handset had been made in Britain, and not by Siemens in Germany. Separately, The Telephone Museum, based in Lincoln, Massachusetts, raised its own concerns about the authenticity of the phone, as did a Dutch blogger. But Bill Panagopulos, who owns Alexander Historical Auctions, which sold the phone to an unnamed buyer for $243,000 (PS195,744) last week, has dismissed their claims. \"Needless to say, we stand by the telephone's authenticity,\" he told the BBC, adding that the claims otherwise were \"insulting to the reputation and memory of a distinguished British officer and his family\". \"The only people who are making any claims about it are this guy in Frankfurt, a guy who runs a blog and a little museum in a shed,\" Mr Panagopulos said. \"Nobody else in the world has questioned it.\" They cannot be certain about some things, but, most of the doubters' claims have been debunked by his or Maj Rayner's investigations. It has to be noted, both of them had a stake in the sale of the relic. But their arguments appear convincing. For example, when the phone was taken apart, it was revealed that even inside of had been carefully painted - indicating that it had been carefully crafted. Maj Rayner's own research - asking Peter von Siemens if he knew anything more about the phone - found Siemens did not produce a red phone at that time, perhaps explaining why it was painted. He also asked a friend to write to Rochus Misch, who was a telephone operator in the Fuehrerbunker, to see if he recognised the phone in 1985. He did, saying it accompanied the Nazi leader everywhere for the last two years of the war. However, Mr Panagopulos concedes that, due to the passing of time, no one will ever be able to prove it beyond all shadow of a doubt. But, he says, the provenance of the phone and the sheer length of time it had been within the family, on top of the other evidence, helped him feel sure it was the real thing. \"Did it smell right to me? Absolutely,\" he told the BBC.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2444, "answer_start": 1023, "text": "Both Maj Rayner, then aged 10, and his sister Fleur can clearly remember their father's return from World War Two with the two extremely unusual items in his bag. And there was an equally remarkable story to go with how the items came to be in the family's possession. On 5 May 1945, Sir Ralph - then second-in-command of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's communications in 21st Army Group - was asked to make contact with his Soviet counterpart. After making the difficult journey through Berlin, Sir Ralph arrived at what remained of the Reich Chancellery. Here, he found a Soviet officer who, after agreeing that his general would meet Field Marshal Montgomery as soon as possible, offered to show him the bunker they had discovered three days earlier. It was here, with the smell of burning flesh still hanging in the air, that he was shown to the private quarters of Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun. And then the Soviet officer - apparently eager to please his new friend - offered the black telephone which had sat on Braun's bedside table. However, Sir Ralph was more enthused by the red telephone near Hitler's bed, noting red was his favourite colour as he accepted the \"gift\", much to the delight of the Soviet officer. But that was not the only memento with which he left: he was also given a 12-inch model of an Alsatian by the Russians, taken from Hitler's desk after he told them he had an Alsatian at home." } ], "id": "532_0", "question": "So how did the phone end up in Devon?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2889, "answer_start": 2445, "text": "No one outside the immediate family was allowed to know about what Sir Ralph had brought back for many years. While Sir Ralph was in Berlin, Montgomery had decreed that anyone caught looting would be court martialed. It was only years later that Sir Ralph, Conservative Member of Parliament for Totnes from 1935 until 1955, felt he could show it off to the wider world. There is mention of it in German magazine Der Spiegel as far back as 1963." } ], "id": "532_1", "question": "Why was it kept secret?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3632, "answer_start": 2890, "text": "The family has spoken regularly of the telephone over the years. Indeed, the picture chosen for his obituary in the local newspaper in 1977 was one of Sir Ralph and the \"Hitler telephone\". However, when news of its auction broke two weeks ago, a number of people came forward to say they did not believe it was the real thing. Frank Gnegel, of the Frankfurt Museum of Communications, told the Daily Mail the fact the telephone had been painted red, instead of being made from red plastic, was suspect. He also queried why the handset had been made in Britain, and not by Siemens in Germany. Separately, The Telephone Museum, based in Lincoln, Massachusetts, raised its own concerns about the authenticity of the phone, as did a Dutch blogger." } ], "id": "532_2", "question": "What are the doubts?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5401, "answer_start": 3633, "text": "But Bill Panagopulos, who owns Alexander Historical Auctions, which sold the phone to an unnamed buyer for $243,000 (PS195,744) last week, has dismissed their claims. \"Needless to say, we stand by the telephone's authenticity,\" he told the BBC, adding that the claims otherwise were \"insulting to the reputation and memory of a distinguished British officer and his family\". \"The only people who are making any claims about it are this guy in Frankfurt, a guy who runs a blog and a little museum in a shed,\" Mr Panagopulos said. \"Nobody else in the world has questioned it.\" They cannot be certain about some things, but, most of the doubters' claims have been debunked by his or Maj Rayner's investigations. It has to be noted, both of them had a stake in the sale of the relic. But their arguments appear convincing. For example, when the phone was taken apart, it was revealed that even inside of had been carefully painted - indicating that it had been carefully crafted. Maj Rayner's own research - asking Peter von Siemens if he knew anything more about the phone - found Siemens did not produce a red phone at that time, perhaps explaining why it was painted. He also asked a friend to write to Rochus Misch, who was a telephone operator in the Fuehrerbunker, to see if he recognised the phone in 1985. He did, saying it accompanied the Nazi leader everywhere for the last two years of the war. However, Mr Panagopulos concedes that, due to the passing of time, no one will ever be able to prove it beyond all shadow of a doubt. But, he says, the provenance of the phone and the sheer length of time it had been within the family, on top of the other evidence, helped him feel sure it was the real thing. \"Did it smell right to me? Absolutely,\" he told the BBC." } ], "id": "532_3", "question": "What does the auction house say?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "US President Donald Trump has strongly defended ties with Saudi Arabia despite international condemnation of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder. The kingdom is a \"steadfast partner\" that has agreed to invest \"a record amount of money\" in the US, Mr Trump said in a statement. The president acknowledged Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman \"could very well\" have known about Khashoggi's murder. \"In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,\" he added. Mr Khashoggi was murdered on 2 October on a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia has blamed the killing on rogue agents but denied claims that the crown prince had knowledge of the operation. US media have reported that the CIA believes Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder. Mr Trump's statement said: \"[It] could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event - maybe he did and maybe he didn't!\" Later on Tuesday, Mr Trump said that the CIA had not made a \"100%\" determination on the killing. In an interview on Sunday, the president told Fox News that he had refused to listen to a recording of Khashoggi's murder provided by Turkey, calling it \"a suffering tape\". By the BBC's chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, in Riyadh For Saudis, and especially Saudi leaders, there will be a sigh of relief. But, it's also what they expected, and what they've always said about President Trump - he will be a true friend of the Kingdom. Both sides want to draw a line under this major crisis - and global outcry. But as Mr Trump acknowledged, and Saudis know, it won't go away. Not for many in the US Congress, as well as for many others, including countries who will continue to call for greater clarity. Many Saudis say they don't believe their country's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, would have ordered such a despicable act. Many, who'd long been hoping to see their country move forward, have been shaken by this shocking murder, and regret it will cast a dark shadow for many years to come. In the words of one prominent Saudi: \"It has brought Saudi Arabia ten steps back.\" Meanwhile, Lindsey Graham, a senator from Mr Trump's Republican Party, has predicted strong bipartisan support in Congress for sanctions against Saudi Arabia \"including appropriate members of the royal family\". \"The world is a very dangerous place!\", Mr Trump states, before holding up Saudi Arabia as an ally of the US against Iran. The kingdom spent \"billions of dollars in leading the fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism\" whereas Iran has \"killed many Americans and other innocent people throughout the Middle East\", it says. The statement also stresses Saudi investment pledges and arms purchases. \"If we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries,\" it adds. While admitting the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was \"terrible\", Mr Trump wrote that \"we may never know all of the facts\" about his death. \"The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region.\" Mr Trump later said he would meet Mohammed bin Salman at a G20 meeting in Argentina next week if the crown prince attended. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has backed his president, saying after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that \"it's a mean, nasty world out there\" and that Mr Trump was \"obliged to adopt policies that further America's national security\". Mr Cavusoglu said that co-operation with Saudi Arabia on the issue was \"not where we want it\". In a statement, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said she was shocked the president was not going to punish Mohammed bin Salman over the \"premeditated murder\" of Khashoggi. By Anthony Zurcher, BBC senior North America reporter, Washington Donald Trump is a different kind of president, and nowhere is that more clear than in his foreign policy, exclamation points and all. His release on the death of Jamal Khashoggi is remarkable for many reasons, and not just its blunt language. The president quickly tries to change the subject to Iran. He dismisses reports that Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder with a maybe-he-did, maybe-he-didn't shrug. He cites the economic impact of $450bn in investment and arms sales to the Saudis, although much of that is little more than paper promises. Perhaps most jarring is his casual observation that the Saudis viewed Khashoggi - a permanent US resident - as an \"enemy of the state\" with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Mr Trump has distilled his \"America First\" worldview down to its very essence. Morality and global leadership take a back seat to perceived US economic and military security. What the take-away will be in the Middle East and beyond is a serious issue, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus. US policy in the region is so closely aligned with that of two key individuals - Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel - that it is increasingly hard to see how the US can play a role as an independent arbiter, our correspondent says. Mr Trump's narrow, interests-based approach will further dismay Washington's allies in the West, he argues, reinforcing those in Moscow and Beijing who are already applying a \"Russia First\" and a \"China First\" approach in international affairs. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted his disgust at the Trump statement, calling it disgraceful:", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3776, "answer_start": 2330, "text": "\"The world is a very dangerous place!\", Mr Trump states, before holding up Saudi Arabia as an ally of the US against Iran. The kingdom spent \"billions of dollars in leading the fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism\" whereas Iran has \"killed many Americans and other innocent people throughout the Middle East\", it says. The statement also stresses Saudi investment pledges and arms purchases. \"If we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries,\" it adds. While admitting the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was \"terrible\", Mr Trump wrote that \"we may never know all of the facts\" about his death. \"The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region.\" Mr Trump later said he would meet Mohammed bin Salman at a G20 meeting in Argentina next week if the crown prince attended. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has backed his president, saying after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that \"it's a mean, nasty world out there\" and that Mr Trump was \"obliged to adopt policies that further America's national security\". Mr Cavusoglu said that co-operation with Saudi Arabia on the issue was \"not where we want it\". In a statement, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said she was shocked the president was not going to punish Mohammed bin Salman over the \"premeditated murder\" of Khashoggi." } ], "id": "533_0", "question": "What does the statement say?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5488, "answer_start": 4742, "text": "What the take-away will be in the Middle East and beyond is a serious issue, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus. US policy in the region is so closely aligned with that of two key individuals - Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel - that it is increasingly hard to see how the US can play a role as an independent arbiter, our correspondent says. Mr Trump's narrow, interests-based approach will further dismay Washington's allies in the West, he argues, reinforcing those in Moscow and Beijing who are already applying a \"Russia First\" and a \"China First\" approach in international affairs. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted his disgust at the Trump statement, calling it disgraceful:" } ], "id": "533_1", "question": "How will the statement play out internationally?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "For almost 30 years Britons have travelled the world clutching small burgundy books. But the question of what colour the British passport - for some a symbol of national identity - should be is not an easy one to answer. And following the UK's vote to leave the European Union, its hue has again been called into question. For many, the true colour of the British passport will always be dark blue. The familiar, modern-looking, navy British passport - used for more than 70 years by millions of Britons travelling abroad - dates back to 1921, the Home Office says. But, according to writer and lecturer Martin Lloyd, the colour goes back even further than that. The first blue passports were in fact first produced on 1 February 1915, says Mr Lloyd, as the government frantically attempted to find ways of identifying foreign spies during World War One. Mr Lloyd - who has written a book about the history of passports - says it was after a secret agent, infiltrated within the UK government, was discovered with a US passport that photographs were included on all British passports. At the same time a dark blue cardboard cover was introduced. So why blue? \"Blue is a very serviceable colour and it's a very cheap dye to make,\" Mr Lloyd says. \"And one practical consideration is it doesn't show the dirt. You are travelling around throwing it around and putting it in and out of your pocket and it is likely to get dirty.\" But for others it's more a question of patriotism. The Sun newspaper has launched a campaign to restore the traditional dark blue \"as a symbol of the UK regaining sovereignty from the EU\". It quotes Tory MP Andrew Rosindell as saying: \"It's a matter of identity. Having the pink European passports has been a humiliation.\" - First introduced during the reign of Henry V in the form of a \"safe conduct\", passports were granted from at least 1540 - One of the earliest still in existence was issued on 18 June 1641 and signed by Charles I - A passport photograph became a requirement in 1914, upon the outbreak of World War One - The familiar blue British passport came into use in 1921, with the last expiring in 2003 - The first burgundy, machine-readable, UK passports were issued in Glasgow, in September 1988 For more than 70 years the blue passports became a travelling companion for Britons - even apparently coming to their aid when some found themselves in unenviable situations. British double agent Robert Bruce Lockhart recounted being caught in the middle of fighting during Finland's civil war with his friend \"Hicks\" who he said waved his British passport in the hope of being spared in the shooting. When the decision was taken to change Britain's passports to burgundy, Mr Lloyd says some Britons were so fond of the little blue book they even travelled to consular offices in Europe - where newer production machines had yet to be introduced - to renew their passports and receive a blue one in return. For some countries, the choice of passport colour relates to its predominant religion. Muslim countries such as Morocco, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia all have green passports - a colour associated with the Prophet Muhammad. Hrant Boghossian, the vice-president of Arton Group - which runs the interactive passport database Passport Index - told the Telegraph red passports could hint at a communist past. Russia, China, Serbia, Latvia, Romania, Poland and Georgia all boast red passports. The decision to harmonise the passports of the members of the European Community was taken in the 1980s. According to the Passport Index, 76 countries have blue passports, including a number of former colonial and Commonwealth countries, such as Australia, the United States, Canada, India and Hong Kong. Several Caribbean countries also have blue passports, including Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines. In Europe, people from Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina both carry blue passports, while it is also a popular colour in central and south America, where Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Uruguay and Venezuela are among those with blue passports. Others include Israel, Iraq, Syria and North Korea. Source: Passport Index According to the Economist, it took the nine members of the-then European Community \"years\" to settle on the colour of the passport. Mr Lloyd says the idea of a lilac passport was even discussed at one point. It was in 1988 that new burgundy British passports were first printed, with \"European Community\" emblazoned on the front - later to be replaced with \"European Union\". Turkey, Macedonia, and Albania have all changed their passport shades to burgundy in order to match their EU aspirations. It is such connotations that have prompted leading pro-Brexit politicians to call for the burgundy passport - so synonymous with the UK's place inside the EU - to be abandoned and the blue ones returned. UKIP leader Nigel Farage brandished his passport several times during the EU referendum campaign, suggesting he could burn his in the event of a Brexit vote. The subject has also been raised in Parliament, when pro-Brexit Conservative MP Michael Fabricant asked if the Home Office would bring back the blue documents. But Home Office minister Robert Goodwill said nostalgic Britons may be in for a wait. There are \"no immediate plans for changes to the format or colour of the UK passport\", he said, adding: \"Parliament will be informed of any changes to the passport following UK withdrawal from the European Union.\" Mr Lloyd says there will \"always be people who don't like the red passports\" but he says, in any case, the perceived status of the British passport has declined over the decades as travel has become \"far more mundane\". However, he points out there is one blue British travel document still being produced - those issued to non-Britons who are recognised as refugees.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1747, "answer_start": 323, "text": "For many, the true colour of the British passport will always be dark blue. The familiar, modern-looking, navy British passport - used for more than 70 years by millions of Britons travelling abroad - dates back to 1921, the Home Office says. But, according to writer and lecturer Martin Lloyd, the colour goes back even further than that. The first blue passports were in fact first produced on 1 February 1915, says Mr Lloyd, as the government frantically attempted to find ways of identifying foreign spies during World War One. Mr Lloyd - who has written a book about the history of passports - says it was after a secret agent, infiltrated within the UK government, was discovered with a US passport that photographs were included on all British passports. At the same time a dark blue cardboard cover was introduced. So why blue? \"Blue is a very serviceable colour and it's a very cheap dye to make,\" Mr Lloyd says. \"And one practical consideration is it doesn't show the dirt. You are travelling around throwing it around and putting it in and out of your pocket and it is likely to get dirty.\" But for others it's more a question of patriotism. The Sun newspaper has launched a campaign to restore the traditional dark blue \"as a symbol of the UK regaining sovereignty from the EU\". It quotes Tory MP Andrew Rosindell as saying: \"It's a matter of identity. Having the pink European passports has been a humiliation.\"" } ], "id": "534_0", "question": "Why dark blue?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3535, "answer_start": 2944, "text": "For some countries, the choice of passport colour relates to its predominant religion. Muslim countries such as Morocco, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia all have green passports - a colour associated with the Prophet Muhammad. Hrant Boghossian, the vice-president of Arton Group - which runs the interactive passport database Passport Index - told the Telegraph red passports could hint at a communist past. Russia, China, Serbia, Latvia, Romania, Poland and Georgia all boast red passports. The decision to harmonise the passports of the members of the European Community was taken in the 1980s." } ], "id": "534_1", "question": "Does the colour matter?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The Conservatives have agreed changes designed to speed up the contest to succeed Theresa May as leader. The party has backed proposals requiring any MP who wants to stand to be backed by eight other colleagues. It has also set thresholds for how many votes candidates will need from MPs to reach the next round of the contest. The winner of the contest - in which Tory members will get the final say between two remaining candidates - will be announced in the week of 22 July. The changes to the first stage of the process were proposed amid criticism about the large number who have thrown their hats into the ring. Eleven MPs are still in the race, after junior ministers James Cleverly and Kit Malthouse withdrew. The deadline for contenders to put their names forward is 17.00 BST on 10 June. Under the previous rules, all the candidates would have needed only two MPs supporting them, but the new rules raise that bar to eight. After nominations close, all 313 Tory MPs will vote for their preferred candidate in a series of secret ballots that will whittle down the contenders one by one until only two are left. The first ballot will take place on Thursday 13 June, with further rounds of voting scheduled for 18, 19 and 20 of June. Under the new rules, candidates will need to win the votes of at least 17 MPs in the first ballot and 33 MPs in the second to proceed. If all the candidates exceed this threshold, the person with the fewest votes will be eliminated, a process that will continue in subsequent rounds until only two remain. Party members will get to question the final two candidates in a series of hustings beginning in the week of 22 June. Then finally the entire Tory membership of 124,000 will choose the winner in a process to be overseen by the Conservative Party board, its national governing body. Sam Gyimah, the only candidate to be proposing another Brexit referendum, said the timing of the changes was \"slightly disappointing\", given that people had put themselves forward on the basis of a system that had been in place for many years. But he told the BBC that he intended to continue with his campaign. Mr Cleverly and Mr Malthouse, both of whom were considered outsiders, dropped out on Tuesday. Mr Cleverly said it had \"become clear\" it was \"highly unlikely\" he would progress to the final two, while Mr Malthouse said \"there was an appetite for the contest to be over as soon as possible\" and he was \"realistic\" about his chances of success. The size of the field has prompted criticism across the party, with former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith likening it to the Charge of the Light Brigade, and former Chancellor Ken Clarke calling the situation a \"shambles\". Housing Secretary James Brokenshire said on Monday that some should consider pulling out because the party needed to find a new leader fast. Theresa May stands down as leader of the Conservative Party on Friday - she will remain PM until a successor is named. The winner of the contest to lead the Conservative Party will become the next prime minister.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3066, "answer_start": 2973, "text": "The winner of the contest to lead the Conservative Party will become the next prime minister." } ], "id": "535_0", "question": "Who will replace Theresa May?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "On the face of it, chaebols have hit a bumpy patch. Three of these quintessentially Korean family-controlled conglomerates are having difficulties at the moment: Samsung, Lotte and Hanjin Shipping. Samsung has just recalled its Galaxy Note 7, the big gleaming smartphone which was meant to take the shine off Apple. It looked great, but with the small snag that some batteries caught fire. Hanjin Shipping is near-bankrupt, protected from its creditors only by the courts, with its ships bobbing about on the ocean because ports fear they won't be paid the fees for letting the vessels dock. And last month, the vice-chairman of the giant conglomerate Lotte committed suicide as a corruption investigation swirled around him and members of the controlling family. Chaebols in crisis, then? Not quite - but the problems have revived the long-standing debate about whether they're fit for purpose. The three situations are different. In the Samsung case, there doesn't seem to be any connection between the company structure and its smouldering batteries - after all, product launches by rival Apple have not always gone smoothly either. But the woes of the other two chaebols may be connected to the way they've been run as sprawling family-run companies. Lotte consists of more than 60 businesses ranging from big department stores to construction, chemical manufacture and finance. It's still controlled by the founding family whose members feud over who runs what. The two sons of the founder took their fight to run the company to court. In August, Lotte's vice-chairman was found dead hours before he was due to be questioned in a corruption investigation. So the Lotte story plays well to those who say the chaebol structure is flawed. On the face of it, though, the third situation doesn't. Hanjin Shipping (part of Hanjin Group) is a victim of the slowdown in global trade - slower trade means lower demand for the company's cargo ships. No company could find that easy. But there is a wider question over whether the umbrella conglomerate has the right structure and attitude to deal with adversity. Has it had enough outside influence to help the family operate well and does it have a history as a nimble well-run company? The parent company was founded by Cho Choong Hoon in 1945 as a trucking business, initially, with a single truck. The original Mr Cho made a fortune by hauling supplies for American forces in the Korean and then the Vietnam wars. The founder died in 2002 at the age of 86 and since then his descendants have run the company he created. They have not always done it well. Korean Air is also part of Hanjin Group and it became an object of derision last year over the \"nut-gate scandal\" where Cho Hyun-ah, the daughter of the chairman Cho Yang-ho, felt entitled to berate and humiliate a steward on a flight run by the family firm. In the case of Hanjin Shipping, which is part of the same family conglomerate, there may also be an air of entitlement. In June, for example, the former chairwoman of Hanjin Shipping, Choi Eun-young, was accused by prosecutors in Seoul of selling off shares in her own company the day before their price crashed when bad news was published. Mrs Choi is the widow of a member of the founding family. According to South Korean media, she told reporters outside the court: \"I will fully co-operate with the investigation.\" She chaired Hanjin Shipping from 2007 until 2014 but, according to Lee Ji-soo, a lawyer at the Law & Business Research Centre in Seoul, didn't have the right qualifications. \"Without expertise or understanding of the industry, she was appointed as the CEO only because she was a relative,\" he said. \"It is a typical chaebol story.\" The management of Hanjin Group has been criticised before - and very seriously. In the 1980s and 1990s, Korean Air suffered a series of crashes and incidents which were blamed - at least partly - on the company's heavily hierarchical culture where junior staff were discouraged from speaking up (something which in a cockpit can prove deadly). The New York Times obituary of the founder said: \"As chairman of Korean Air, Mr Cho's greatest failures began in 1983, when a Soviet MIG fighter shot down a Boeing 747 with 269 people aboard after it strayed into Soviet airspace. More than 800 people died in crashes of Korean Air planes between 1983 and 1999. \"President Kim Dae Jung publicly blamed the 'management style' of the group for the crashes, forcing Mr Cho to accept responsibility and resign as Korean Air chairman. \"Mr Kim's anger also reflected concern over the finances of the Hanjin group, which had accumulated a debt-equity ratio of 10 to one before the Korean economic crisis of 1997, during which Hanjin Engineering and Construction was merged with Hanjin Heavy Industries.\" None of this is to say that the troubles of Hanjin Shipping today were primarily caused by management or the family-dominated structure. But the broader history has raised the question again in South Korea of whether such tight family firms have unacceptable downsides. Kim Woo-chan, a professor of finance at the business school at Korea University, told the BBC: \"Many of the Korean chaebols have not been performing well. They're entrenched against shareholders. When it comes to appointing top management, they tend to appoint members of the family.\" But he said there does now seem to be a political will to impose change. Lawmakers seem more open to introducing legislation which might make chaebols open up to outside ownership and management. In the Hanjin case, the government seems determined not to bail out the sinking shipper. It was, after all, a government agency - the Korea Development Bank - which was one of the creditors that forced Hanjin Shipping to the bankruptcy court. But there is some way to go yet. Cultures and structures don't change overnight.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3714, "answer_start": 2233, "text": "The parent company was founded by Cho Choong Hoon in 1945 as a trucking business, initially, with a single truck. The original Mr Cho made a fortune by hauling supplies for American forces in the Korean and then the Vietnam wars. The founder died in 2002 at the age of 86 and since then his descendants have run the company he created. They have not always done it well. Korean Air is also part of Hanjin Group and it became an object of derision last year over the \"nut-gate scandal\" where Cho Hyun-ah, the daughter of the chairman Cho Yang-ho, felt entitled to berate and humiliate a steward on a flight run by the family firm. In the case of Hanjin Shipping, which is part of the same family conglomerate, there may also be an air of entitlement. In June, for example, the former chairwoman of Hanjin Shipping, Choi Eun-young, was accused by prosecutors in Seoul of selling off shares in her own company the day before their price crashed when bad news was published. Mrs Choi is the widow of a member of the founding family. According to South Korean media, she told reporters outside the court: \"I will fully co-operate with the investigation.\" She chaired Hanjin Shipping from 2007 until 2014 but, according to Lee Ji-soo, a lawyer at the Law & Business Research Centre in Seoul, didn't have the right qualifications. \"Without expertise or understanding of the industry, she was appointed as the CEO only because she was a relative,\" he said. \"It is a typical chaebol story.\"" } ], "id": "536_0", "question": "Air of entitlement?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A powerful vehicle bomb has hit the diplomatic area of the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least 80 people and injuring 350. It struck near Zanbaq Square in the heavily fortified zone, with civilians said to be the main casualties. The morning rush-hour blast created a massive crater and blew out windows and doors hundreds of metres away. The Taliban have denied carrying out the attack. There has been no word so far from so-called Islamic State. Both groups have been behind recent attacks in the country. The BBC has said that Mohammed Nazir, a driver for the corporation's Afghan service, died in the explosion. The bomb went off at about 08:25 local time (03:55 GMT) during rush hour at the diplomatic quarter. Makeshift ambulances carried wounded away from the scene, as frantic relatives gathered both at the cordoned-off perimeter of the blast site and later at hospitals to try to locate loved ones. Images showed dozens of blackened and burned out cars. More than 50 vehicles were destroyed. Basir Mujahid a spokesman for Kabul police, told Reuters news agency the explosion had taken place close to the German embassy but added it was \"hard to say what the exact target is\". There are many other key buildings in the area, including the presidential palace and a number of embassies, including the British. Some reports say the bomb was in a lorry or water tanker. One Western diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse it was packed with more than 1,500kg of explosives The BBC's Harun Najafizada in Kabul says questions are already being asked about how the vehicle could have penetrated such a heavily fortified area, with its 3m (10ft) high blast walls, to carry out the deadliest attack in the capital in years. Initial reports suggest civilians bore the brunt of the casualties. The interior ministry has called on residents to donate blood, saying there was a \"dire need\". One local shop owner, Sayed Rahman, told Reuters his store was badly damaged, adding: \"I have never seen such a terrible explosion in my life.\" Another resident, Abdul Wahid, told the BBC the blast \"was like a heavy earthquake\". Several international and local sources have been reporting on casualties: - Mohammed Nazir, who worked as a driver for BBC Afghan for more than four years, died in the blast, the BBC confirmed, adding that four of his colleagues were injured. Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening - German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said employees at the German embassy had been injured and one Afghan security guard had died - French officials said the country's embassy had been damaged but no French casualties reported - The British embassy said all its staff were accounted for - Two Japanese embassy staff members were slightly wounded - Turkey said its embassy was damaged but no-one was hurt - Afghanistan's Tolo news agency tweeted that one of its staff members, Aziz Navin, had died - A Tolo journalist also said some of the victims were from the Roshan mobile phone company, but this has not been confirmed I have taken this route many times. This is one of the most heavily fortified areas of Kabul - the so-called Green Zone. There is a boom gate. Every vehicle is stopped and IDs are checked. But the stricter the security, the more insurgents find loopholes and adapt. It is very difficult to say that such attacks will be prevented. They happen in the most secure places on Earth. We have been told this was a truck, perhaps a tanker that travels to bring water and empty septic tanks. The attackers may have posed as one of the logistics companies that work in this area. The Taliban have denied the attack. When civilian casualties are high, no-one claims responsibility but this has the hallmarks of others claimed by Taliban insurgents. Francesca Unsworth, BBC World Service director: It is with great sadness that the BBC can confirm the death of BBC Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir following the vehicle bomb in Kabul earlier today, as he was driving journalist colleagues to the office. Mohammed Nazir worked as a driver for the BBC Afghan service for more than four years and was a popular colleague. He was in his late thirties and he leaves a young family. This is a devastating loss to the BBC and to Mohammed Nazir's friends and family. Tony Hall, Director-General: Many of our staff face dangerous situations every day as they report from volatile areas around the world. It's testament to their bravery that we are able to provide trusted, impartial coverage - but consequences like this are devastating for us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mohammed's family and many friends at such a very sad time. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he \"strongly condemned the cowardly attack in the holy month of Ramadan targeting innocent civilians in their daily life\". Germany's Sigmar Gabriel called the attack \"contemptible\". Indian PM Narendra Modi also tweeted his condemnation, saying: \"Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured.\" A Pakistani Foreign Office statement denounced the attack, saying: \"Pakistan, being a victim of terrorism, understands the pain and agony that such incidents inflict upon people and society.\" The Taliban and the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan are the main suspects. However, the Taliban quickly issued a statement denying involvement. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group condemned untargeted attacks that caused civilian casualties. Afghanistan's IS said it was behind a suicide bomb attack this month on a Nato convoy that was passing the US embassy in Kabul. At least eight civilians were killed. It has made no comment so far on the latest attack. When announcing the start of their major spring offensive last month, the Taliban said their main focus would be foreign forces, targeting them with a mix of conventional, guerrilla, insider and suicide attacks. The US has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, with another 5,000 from Nato allies. The Pentagon has reportedly pressed President Donald Trump to send thousands more troops back to the country to try to counter gains by the Taliban. More than a third of the country is now said to be outside Afghan government control. A Taliban attack on an Afghan army training compound in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif last month killed at least 135 soldiers, and led to the resignation of the defence minister and army chief of staff. - 8 March 2017 - About 50 people killed after attackers dressed as doctors stormed Sardar Daud Khan military hospital - 21 Nov 2016 - At least 27 dead in a suicide bomb attack on Baqir ul Olum mosque during a Shia ceremony - 23 July 2016 - At least 80 people killed in twin bomb blasts targeting a rally by the Shia Hazara minority in Deh Mazang square - 19 Apr 2016 - At least 28 dead in a huge explosion close to the Afghan defence ministry building - 1 Feb 2016 - 20 killed in a suicide bomb attack at police headquarters - 7 Aug 2015 - At least 35 people dead in separate bomb attacks across the capital", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1732, "answer_start": 620, "text": "The bomb went off at about 08:25 local time (03:55 GMT) during rush hour at the diplomatic quarter. Makeshift ambulances carried wounded away from the scene, as frantic relatives gathered both at the cordoned-off perimeter of the blast site and later at hospitals to try to locate loved ones. Images showed dozens of blackened and burned out cars. More than 50 vehicles were destroyed. Basir Mujahid a spokesman for Kabul police, told Reuters news agency the explosion had taken place close to the German embassy but added it was \"hard to say what the exact target is\". There are many other key buildings in the area, including the presidential palace and a number of embassies, including the British. Some reports say the bomb was in a lorry or water tanker. One Western diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse it was packed with more than 1,500kg of explosives The BBC's Harun Najafizada in Kabul says questions are already being asked about how the vehicle could have penetrated such a heavily fortified area, with its 3m (10ft) high blast walls, to carry out the deadliest attack in the capital in years." } ], "id": "537_0", "question": "When and where did the attack take place?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5220, "answer_start": 4668, "text": "Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he \"strongly condemned the cowardly attack in the holy month of Ramadan targeting innocent civilians in their daily life\". Germany's Sigmar Gabriel called the attack \"contemptible\". Indian PM Narendra Modi also tweeted his condemnation, saying: \"Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured.\" A Pakistani Foreign Office statement denounced the attack, saying: \"Pakistan, being a victim of terrorism, understands the pain and agony that such incidents inflict upon people and society.\"" } ], "id": "537_1", "question": "What has the reaction been?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6434, "answer_start": 5221, "text": "The Taliban and the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan are the main suspects. However, the Taliban quickly issued a statement denying involvement. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group condemned untargeted attacks that caused civilian casualties. Afghanistan's IS said it was behind a suicide bomb attack this month on a Nato convoy that was passing the US embassy in Kabul. At least eight civilians were killed. It has made no comment so far on the latest attack. When announcing the start of their major spring offensive last month, the Taliban said their main focus would be foreign forces, targeting them with a mix of conventional, guerrilla, insider and suicide attacks. The US has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, with another 5,000 from Nato allies. The Pentagon has reportedly pressed President Donald Trump to send thousands more troops back to the country to try to counter gains by the Taliban. More than a third of the country is now said to be outside Afghan government control. A Taliban attack on an Afghan army training compound in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif last month killed at least 135 soldiers, and led to the resignation of the defence minister and army chief of staff." } ], "id": "537_2", "question": "Who could have been behind the attack?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Wang Li Hong Sooma, who moved to East Africa from China more than two decades ago, is determined to teach Ugandans how to speak Mandarin. She and her Ugandan husband, Ayub Sooma, are organising nine-month intensive courses for secondary school teachers to learn China's dominant language. The first 30 teachers have now completed their training and have started holding Mandarin classes in schools across the country. The couple, who own their own secondary school on the outskirts of the capital, Kampala, can be seen as the perfect symbol of blossoming China-Uganda relations. Together they can chat in a mixture of English, Mandarin and some of the local language Luganda. They met 26 years ago in Beijing, when Mr Sooma was studying at Tsinghua University. Though at first, Mrs Wang says, it was not easy for them to be together. \"It was a war! At that time, they thought I was a very loose girl to date a black boy. But I knew he is very honest and has a good heart to help other people.\" They now have three children and Uganda has been their home since 1996. In that time, the economic relationship between China and Uganda has grown tremendously and the couple are in a perfect position to capitalise on that. - There is no alphabet, just thousands of characters. There are so many that no-one can give a definitive total, but it is believed to be around 60,000 - It uses a tonal system - four-and-a-half tones are used, meaning a single word can have many meanings - \"Ma\" can mean mother, horse, hemp, or a reproach Getting the right tone: - Tone one - A fairly high, even tone - Tone two - A rising tone, much like the sound at the end of a sentence with a question mark - Tone three - Falls then rises. Like the second, but must dip first - Tone four - Sharp falling tone, a little like how the end of a sentence with an exclamation mark sounds - Half tone - Pronounce words with light tones in about half the time you would a normal word, without putting emphasis on it They want to turn their school into a new frontier for Mandarin and Chinese culture. Their teacher-training programme is being paid for by the government in Beijing - though it is not clear how much is being stumped up for the initiative. \"They are funding these Chinese teachers [from China], their salary and their accommodation. They also help the trainees - providing their food, their accommodation and some allowance,\" says Mrs Wang. Most Mandarin lessons in Africa are taught through Chinese government-run Confucius Institutes. The first opened in Kenya in 2005 and there are now nearly 60 across the continent. Some schools in Zambia and Tanzania also offer the subject, and the scheme in Uganda is sub-contracted to Mrs Wang by the Confucius Institute. Forty more teachers are now enrolled and classes start at 08:00 and finish at 22:00 from Monday to Friday. To become fluent and be able to teach a language within nine months is a huge undertaking, though Pavin Mulokwa, a teacher from the western district of Mbarara, sees it as an opportunity to broaden her job prospects. Another trainee, Praise Twebaze, agrees and hopes it will enable him to travel too. \"We can go beyond lands where they use English but as well to lands where they use Chinese,\" he says. For 13-year-old Denis Mulungi, the Mandarin lessons he has just started at Lubiri Secondary School in central Kampala could shape his future career. \"Learning Chinese, it can help me get good jobs in future. Learning Chinese can help me go abroad. It could be easy for me to communicate with other people who know Chinese, if I go to China.\" It is not just the Ugandans who see this course as a life-changing opportunity. Gao Ya Hui, who has been teaching Mandarin in Uganda for a year, says it has changed her perceptions of Africa. From Xian city in central China, the 39-year-old left her husband and child behind to come and teach but was warned by family and friends not to because of \"diseases and war\". \"When I came here, it changed my stereotypes about African people. When I go back to China, I will introduce the real Africa to the people in China and change their way of looking at Africa.\" But some, like Fred Muhumuza - a Ugandan economist who has followed the growth of trade between China and Uganda - says questions have been raised about China's motives for funding such a scheme and whether the initiative has been forced on the Ugandan government. He lists some the concerns he has heard: \"Is this Chinese imperialism? Taking over Africa's resources, taking over even Africa's cultures and languages and wiping out everybody else?\" Aggrey David Kibenge, Uganda's education ministry spokesman, dismissed such apprehension, saying it was not political and that it was not unusual for a foreign government or organisation to support the teaching of a particular language. Supporters of Mandarin lessons point to the benefits for Uganda from economics and trade: Giving young Ugandans a better chance at competing on the global stage and an opportunity to narrow a massive trade gap. According to the World Bank data, Uganda's imports from China were $622m (PS474m) in 2013 and rose to $985m in 2017. These are mainly consumer goods, machinery, electronics and textiles. However, exports of Ugandan products to China reduced over the same period from $71.9m in 2013 to $33.4m in 2017. Mrs Wang's goal is to have 100 teachers trained up and teaching Mandarin in 50 Ugandan schools - both those that are privately and government run - by 2021. She sees it as a win-win situation, giving the example of how Chinese students have benefited from learning English in their understanding of America. \"We learnt their language, we understand them. We learnt their language, we learnt their technology. We learnt their skills and then we developed.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4605, "answer_start": 3597, "text": "It is not just the Ugandans who see this course as a life-changing opportunity. Gao Ya Hui, who has been teaching Mandarin in Uganda for a year, says it has changed her perceptions of Africa. From Xian city in central China, the 39-year-old left her husband and child behind to come and teach but was warned by family and friends not to because of \"diseases and war\". \"When I came here, it changed my stereotypes about African people. When I go back to China, I will introduce the real Africa to the people in China and change their way of looking at Africa.\" But some, like Fred Muhumuza - a Ugandan economist who has followed the growth of trade between China and Uganda - says questions have been raised about China's motives for funding such a scheme and whether the initiative has been forced on the Ugandan government. He lists some the concerns he has heard: \"Is this Chinese imperialism? Taking over Africa's resources, taking over even Africa's cultures and languages and wiping out everybody else?\"" } ], "id": "538_0", "question": "Chinese imperialism?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Several EU leaders have criticised Turkey, amid a growing row over the Turkish government's attempts to hold rallies in European countries. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Germany and the Netherlands of \"Nazism\" after officials blocked rallies there. Dutch PM Mark Rutte called his comments \"unacceptable\", while Germany's foreign minister said he hoped Turkey would \"return to its senses\". Denmark's leader said he was postponing a meeting with Turkey's prime minister. Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he was concerned that \"democratic principles are under great pressure\" in Turkey. He added that he had postponed the meeting later this month Binali Yildirim because: \"With the current Turkish attacks on Holland the meeting cannot be seen separated from that.\" The rallies aim to encourage a large number of Turks living in Europe to vote yes in a referendum expanding the president's powers. However, planned rallies in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands were blocked after officials cited security concerns or said the rallies could stoke tensions. A gathering in France however went ahead after local officials said it did not pose a threat. Ties between the Turkish and Dutch leaders became particularly strained at the weekend after two Turkish ministers were barred from addressing rallies in Rotterdam, with one of them escorted to the German border. Mr Erdogan likened the Netherlands to \"a banana republic\", demanded international organisations impose sanctions on the Netherlands, and accused countries in the West of \"Islamophobia\". \"I have said that I had thought that Nazism was over, but I was wrong. Nazism is alive in the West,\" he added. On Sunday, Mr Rutte demanded Mr Erdogan apologise for likening the Dutch to \"Nazi fascists\". \"This country was bombed during the Second World War by Nazis. It's totally unacceptable to talk in this way.\" The Netherlands would have to consider its response if Turkey continued on its current path, he added. Meanwhile, German ministers also appeared to harden their rhetoric against Turkey. Despite Chancellor Angela Merkel saying her government was not opposed to Turkish ministers attending rallies in Germany, as long as they are \"duly announced\", her interior minister said he was opposed to Turkish political gatherings in Germany. \"A Turkish campaign has no business being here in Germany,\" Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told local media. Separately, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Turkey had \"destroyed the basis for further progress in co-operation\". Reports say the owner of a venue in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, also cancelled a pro-Erdogan rally on Sunday that was to have been attended by Turkey's agriculture minister. Sweden's foreign ministry said it was not involved in the decision and that the event could take place elsewhere. Turkey is holding a referendum on 16 April on whether to turn from a parliamentary to a presidential republic. If successful, it would give sweeping new powers to the president, allowing him or her to appoint ministers, prepare the budget, choose the majority of senior judges and enact certain laws by decree. What's more, the president alone would be able to announce a state of emergency and dismiss parliament. There are 5.5 million Turks living outside the country, with 1.4 million eligible voters in Germany alone - and the Yes campaign is keen to get them on side. So a number of rallies have been planned for countries with large numbers of eligible voters, including Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. Many of the countries, including Germany, have cited security concerns as the official reason. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Mr Erdogan was not welcome to hold rallies as this could increase friction and hinder integration. Many European nations have also expressed deep disquiet about Turkey's response to the July coup attempt and the country's perceived slide towards authoritarianism under President Erdogan. Germany in particular has been critical of the mass arrests and purges that followed - with nearly 100,000 civil servants removed from their posts.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3557, "answer_start": 2843, "text": "Turkey is holding a referendum on 16 April on whether to turn from a parliamentary to a presidential republic. If successful, it would give sweeping new powers to the president, allowing him or her to appoint ministers, prepare the budget, choose the majority of senior judges and enact certain laws by decree. What's more, the president alone would be able to announce a state of emergency and dismiss parliament. There are 5.5 million Turks living outside the country, with 1.4 million eligible voters in Germany alone - and the Yes campaign is keen to get them on side. So a number of rallies have been planned for countries with large numbers of eligible voters, including Germany, Austria and the Netherlands." } ], "id": "539_0", "question": "What is the row about?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4134, "answer_start": 3558, "text": "Many of the countries, including Germany, have cited security concerns as the official reason. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Mr Erdogan was not welcome to hold rallies as this could increase friction and hinder integration. Many European nations have also expressed deep disquiet about Turkey's response to the July coup attempt and the country's perceived slide towards authoritarianism under President Erdogan. Germany in particular has been critical of the mass arrests and purges that followed - with nearly 100,000 civil servants removed from their posts." } ], "id": "539_1", "question": "Why are countries trying to prevent the rallies?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Liberia's Supreme Court has ordered preparations for Tuesday's presidential run-off to be halted amid allegations of fraud in the first round. Ex-football star George Weah and Vice-President Joseph Boakai are due to go head-to-head in the 7 November vote. But the Liberty Party's Charles Brumskine, who came third in the first round, has challenged the result. Last month's election was the country's first independently run vote following the end of civil war in 2003. Following the announcement, riot police were deployed to guard the court and electoral commission. Later, a delegation arrived in the capital, among them the heads of the regional grouping Ecowas, and the Africa Union. They are meeting the heads of all the political parties. Mr Brumskine and the Liberty Party said the first round was \"characterised by massive systematic irregularities and fraud\", including polling stations opening late and therefore preventing people from voting. The election is to be postponed until his accusations are properly investigated, the court says. But even if his case is thrown out, observers say it is likely to delay next week's vote as the commission will have lost valuable preparation time. The Liberty Party is not alone in its allegations. The accusation of irregularities is backed by two other political parties - including Mr Boakai's Unity Party, which on Sunday alleged that its own president had interfered in the process. In a statement, it said Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female elected president and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, had attempted to influence the outcome of the poll. Relations between Mrs Sirleaf and her deputy are not warm, with some ruling party officials saying the vice-president was not her choice to succeed her, the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh reports from the capital Monrovia. Mrs Sirleaf, 79, has however said more than twice that she supports Mr Boakai, who won 28.8% of the vote compared to Mr Weah's 38.4% in the first round. Mr Weah's Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) responded to the accusations by noting it was \"sad for a ruling party that has been in power for 12 years [to] be crying\". Mrs Sirleaf, meanwhile, has urged those taking part in the election to ensure the process \"remains peaceful\" so it can be completed successfully. International observers, including the European Union, had not raised major concerns about the first round of voting, although some irregularities were observed, AFP news agency reports. The court has instructed the Liberty Party and the electoral commission to present their cases by Thursday. Election commission spokesman Henry Flomo told the BBC it would abide by any ruling the Supreme Court made.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2709, "answer_start": 746, "text": "Mr Brumskine and the Liberty Party said the first round was \"characterised by massive systematic irregularities and fraud\", including polling stations opening late and therefore preventing people from voting. The election is to be postponed until his accusations are properly investigated, the court says. But even if his case is thrown out, observers say it is likely to delay next week's vote as the commission will have lost valuable preparation time. The Liberty Party is not alone in its allegations. The accusation of irregularities is backed by two other political parties - including Mr Boakai's Unity Party, which on Sunday alleged that its own president had interfered in the process. In a statement, it said Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female elected president and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, had attempted to influence the outcome of the poll. Relations between Mrs Sirleaf and her deputy are not warm, with some ruling party officials saying the vice-president was not her choice to succeed her, the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh reports from the capital Monrovia. Mrs Sirleaf, 79, has however said more than twice that she supports Mr Boakai, who won 28.8% of the vote compared to Mr Weah's 38.4% in the first round. Mr Weah's Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) responded to the accusations by noting it was \"sad for a ruling party that has been in power for 12 years [to] be crying\". Mrs Sirleaf, meanwhile, has urged those taking part in the election to ensure the process \"remains peaceful\" so it can be completed successfully. International observers, including the European Union, had not raised major concerns about the first round of voting, although some irregularities were observed, AFP news agency reports. The court has instructed the Liberty Party and the electoral commission to present their cases by Thursday. Election commission spokesman Henry Flomo told the BBC it would abide by any ruling the Supreme Court made." } ], "id": "540_0", "question": "Who does the president support?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "There are just days to go before the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but Pyongyang's state-controlled media seems to be rationing what North Koreans hear of it. North Korea, which goes to enormous lengths to control what information reaches the eyes and ears of its citizens, tends not to report on important events until after they happen and has not directly mentioned the 12 June meeting, due to be held in Singapore. Over the last month, the notion of a summit has only been mentioned a few times - when Pyongyang threatened to pull out of the meeting in mid-May, then again a few days later when it urged that it should take place after all. Instead, reports on TV, radio and in newspapers speak of \"dialogue\" with the US as part of peace efforts initiated by Mr Kim in his New Year's Day speech. North Korean citizens know the summit is planned, but unless they've been paying very close attention, they have not been told when or where it is taking place. The date is mentioned deep in a report on Mr Kim's recent meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the end of May; while North Koreans have been given no explanation as to why the Singaporean foreign minister visited Pyongyang yesterday. Part of the report on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's 9 May visit to Pyongyang published in state newspaper Rodong Sinmun included lines on preparations for the planned summit meeting. But it's worth noting that all the comments on the summit were attributed to Mr Pompeo, continuing the North's narrative that it was Washington that asked for dialogue, rather than Pyongyang. Just a week later, the North's foreign ministry threatened to cancel the dialogue following statements from US officials that Pyongyang termed \"sinister\" and \"absurd\". State news bulletins called the US position a \"ridiculous comedy\", and quoted the foreign ministry as saying \"we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-US summit\". The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is the official name of North Korea. But nine days later, following Mr Trump's announcement that all meetings were off, North Korean press statements said that the summit was an \"urgent necessity\". \"The historic summit is now high on the agenda between the DPRK and the US, and the preparations for it are being pushed forward at the final stage amid the remarkably great concern of the world,\" the foreign ministry said in a KCNA report. North Korean state media has remained relatively quiet on the summit, but it's possible that more comment is due - especially after Rudolph Giuliani, a member of Trump's legal team, said that Mr Kim \"got back on his hands and knees and begged\" for the summit. This turn of phrase is exactly the type of wording that would normally enrage Pyongyang. It's difficult to gauge opinion from inside North Korea, but Daily NK - a South Korea-based website which says it has contacts inside the country - said citizens are aware that a meeting with the US is in the pipeline. The website's unnamed source in South Hwanghae province said that people first knew about the planned summit after seeing reports of the Pompeo-Kim meeting in state media. It was the first time that domestic media has covered a high level US-North Korea meeting, said Daily NK. Before that, citizens had been in the dark about dialogue with the US, pointing out that perceptions of the US among North Koreans remain negative. \"North Koreans have long assumed that the US is an enemy of our people, and only remember the state's education system telling them that the US is the 'evil planner of war' and an 'invader,'\" a Daily NK source reportedly said. Central Television, the main TV channel in North Korea, has a daily routine by which you could set your watch. Programming rarely changes, and even special programmes fit around the unchanging news bulletins at 18:00 and 21:00. State media has stuck doggedly to its usual diet of praise for the Kim dynasty, martial music, and films and dramas featuring ladled-on ideological messages. With events involving Mr Kim habitually not reported to the people until he is safely back in Pyongyang, media behaviour both before and on summit day is not expected to change. 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": 2866, "answer_start": 848, "text": "North Korean citizens know the summit is planned, but unless they've been paying very close attention, they have not been told when or where it is taking place. The date is mentioned deep in a report on Mr Kim's recent meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the end of May; while North Koreans have been given no explanation as to why the Singaporean foreign minister visited Pyongyang yesterday. Part of the report on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's 9 May visit to Pyongyang published in state newspaper Rodong Sinmun included lines on preparations for the planned summit meeting. But it's worth noting that all the comments on the summit were attributed to Mr Pompeo, continuing the North's narrative that it was Washington that asked for dialogue, rather than Pyongyang. Just a week later, the North's foreign ministry threatened to cancel the dialogue following statements from US officials that Pyongyang termed \"sinister\" and \"absurd\". State news bulletins called the US position a \"ridiculous comedy\", and quoted the foreign ministry as saying \"we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-US summit\". The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is the official name of North Korea. But nine days later, following Mr Trump's announcement that all meetings were off, North Korean press statements said that the summit was an \"urgent necessity\". \"The historic summit is now high on the agenda between the DPRK and the US, and the preparations for it are being pushed forward at the final stage amid the remarkably great concern of the world,\" the foreign ministry said in a KCNA report. North Korean state media has remained relatively quiet on the summit, but it's possible that more comment is due - especially after Rudolph Giuliani, a member of Trump's legal team, said that Mr Kim \"got back on his hands and knees and begged\" for the summit. This turn of phrase is exactly the type of wording that would normally enrage Pyongyang." } ], "id": "541_0", "question": "What are they saying?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3738, "answer_start": 2867, "text": "It's difficult to gauge opinion from inside North Korea, but Daily NK - a South Korea-based website which says it has contacts inside the country - said citizens are aware that a meeting with the US is in the pipeline. The website's unnamed source in South Hwanghae province said that people first knew about the planned summit after seeing reports of the Pompeo-Kim meeting in state media. It was the first time that domestic media has covered a high level US-North Korea meeting, said Daily NK. Before that, citizens had been in the dark about dialogue with the US, pointing out that perceptions of the US among North Koreans remain negative. \"North Koreans have long assumed that the US is an enemy of our people, and only remember the state's education system telling them that the US is the 'evil planner of war' and an 'invader,'\" a Daily NK source reportedly said." } ], "id": "541_1", "question": "What are North Koreans saying?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4452, "answer_start": 3739, "text": "Central Television, the main TV channel in North Korea, has a daily routine by which you could set your watch. Programming rarely changes, and even special programmes fit around the unchanging news bulletins at 18:00 and 21:00. State media has stuck doggedly to its usual diet of praise for the Kim dynasty, martial music, and films and dramas featuring ladled-on ideological messages. With events involving Mr Kim habitually not reported to the people until he is safely back in Pyongyang, media behaviour both before and on summit day is not expected to change. 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": "541_2", "question": "What is state media showing North Koreans?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "China has announced a drop in new cases from the coronavirus outbreak for a third consecutive day. On Sunday, authorities reported 2,009 new cases and 142 more deaths nationwide. New cases spiked earlier in the week after a change in the way they were counted but have been falling ever since. In total more than 68,000 people have been infected in China, with the death toll standing at 1,665. Outside China there have been more than 500 cases in nearly 30 countries. Taiwan reported its first death from the illness on Sunday. The victim was a man in his 60s, who had not travelled abroad recently but who had diabetes and hepatitis B, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said. Four others have died outside China - in France, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan. The measures China has taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus are starting to have an impact, Mi Feng, a spokesman at the National Health Commission, said on Sunday. In other developments: - The number of people who have tested positive on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is being held in quarantine in Japan, has risen to 355 - A Chinese tourist has died in France - the first fatality outside Asia - An 83-year-old American woman has tested positive after disembarking another cruise ship that was turned away by a number of countries before being allowed to dock in Cambodia - In the UK, all but one of nine people being treated have been discharged from hospital On Saturday, World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Beijing's response to the outbreak. \"China has bought the world time. We don't know how much time,\" he said. \"We're encouraged that outside China, we have not yet seen widespread community transmission.\" China has imposed more restrictions on the 60 million people living under lockdown in Hubei province - the centre of the outbreak - in an attempt to control the epidemic. The use of private cars has been banned and residents have been told to stay at home unless there's an emergency. Officials say there will be only one exception to this rule - every three days a single person from each household will be allowed out to buy food and other essential items. The new measures come despite an announcement by China's State Council that the proportion of infected patients in a serious condition had fallen nationwide. Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said that along with a drop in infections within Hubei there had been a rapid increase in the number of people who had recovered. Meanwhile, authorities in the capital, Beijing, have ordered everyone returning to the city to go into quarantine for 14 days or risk punishment. China's central bank will also disinfect and store used banknotes before recirculating them in a bid to stop the virus spreading. In another development Chinese state media published a speech from earlier this month in which Chinese President Xi Jinping said he said he had given instructions on 7 January on containing the outbreak. At the time, local officials in the city of Wuhan were downplaying the severity of the epidemic. This would suggest senior leaders were aware of the potential dangers of the virus before the information was made public. With the government facing criticism for its handling of the outbreak, analysts suggest the disclosure is an attempt to show the party leadership acted decisively from the start. - SHOULD WE WORRY? Our health correspondent explains - YOUR QUESTIONS: Can you get it more than once? - WHAT YOU CAN DO: Do masks really help? - UNDERSTANDING THE SPREAD: A visual guide to the outbreak", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3387, "answer_start": 1732, "text": "China has imposed more restrictions on the 60 million people living under lockdown in Hubei province - the centre of the outbreak - in an attempt to control the epidemic. The use of private cars has been banned and residents have been told to stay at home unless there's an emergency. Officials say there will be only one exception to this rule - every three days a single person from each household will be allowed out to buy food and other essential items. The new measures come despite an announcement by China's State Council that the proportion of infected patients in a serious condition had fallen nationwide. Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said that along with a drop in infections within Hubei there had been a rapid increase in the number of people who had recovered. Meanwhile, authorities in the capital, Beijing, have ordered everyone returning to the city to go into quarantine for 14 days or risk punishment. China's central bank will also disinfect and store used banknotes before recirculating them in a bid to stop the virus spreading. In another development Chinese state media published a speech from earlier this month in which Chinese President Xi Jinping said he said he had given instructions on 7 January on containing the outbreak. At the time, local officials in the city of Wuhan were downplaying the severity of the epidemic. This would suggest senior leaders were aware of the potential dangers of the virus before the information was made public. With the government facing criticism for its handling of the outbreak, analysts suggest the disclosure is an attempt to show the party leadership acted decisively from the start." } ], "id": "542_0", "question": "How is China coping?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Whether you are a security guard, lawyer, or IT worker, wages vary hugely across the UK. But where are the towns and cities that offer the best wages? Workers in 15 of the country's largest towns and cities - defined here as built-up urban areas with 135,000 or more people - earn more than the average weekly wage of PS539. In contrast, workers in the 48 other towns and cities of this size earned less than the national average. (Full list at bottom of story). The reasons reveal a great deal about the way people live and work. There are no prizes for guessing that salaries are highest in London, where the average weekly wage is PS727. Nor that the capital is followed by neighbouring towns and cities. The next six highest earning places are all in the South East, with average wages of PS600 or more in Reading, Crawley, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Slough and Oxford. That's largely because they are all home to significant numbers of highly skilled workers who can command good wages. It's also due to their proximity to London, which helps these places attract high-paying companies. But it's not just the South East that is doing well, with wages of almost PS600 per week in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Derby, thanks mainly to their successful finance, oil and manufacturing industries. At the other end of the table, the lowest pay is, perhaps surprisingly, found in another place close to London. At PS413 per week, average pay in Southend is just over half that in the capital. This helps explain why so many people commute from Southend into London, with one in five of its working population making the journey. The number of people earning their money in London means that the average salary among Southend residents is PS144 higher than it is for those who actually work in the town. However, Southend is one of the few places in the South East near the bottom of the pay-scale. Worthing is the only other town from the region in the bottom 10. More broadly, there is a definite north-south divide when it comes to wages, with most - but not all - of the lowest paid towns and cities in Yorkshire and the North West of England. Huddersfield has the second lowest wage of any large town or city, with its workers earning PS424 per week on average. It is followed by Birkenhead and Wigan, where workers are paid PS428 and PS436 respectively. Belfast (PS514) and Cardiff (PS505) also fall under the UK average for wages, despite being the capitals of Northern Ireland and Wales respectively. The main reason why some towns and cities offer lower average wages is simple: they are home to fewer high paying occupations. For example, more than 12% of jobs in Reading and Milton Keynes are in high-income senior management roles, which pay an average PS915 per week in the UK. Only 6% of jobs in Stoke and Hull are in this category, with just over 8% in Glasgow and Swansea. Even within cities there can be great differences - workers in Tower Hamlets, in east London, are paid an average of PS952 per week, compared with PS518 for those working in Sutton, on the outskirts. Again, this reflects the number of senior managers in each area. Skills levels are also a big issue in most places with below average wages. For example, Wigan, Barnsley and Doncaster - all of which feature in the bottom 15 - have some of the lowest shares of residents educated to degree level. Swansea and Belfast have some of the highest levels of residents who have no formal qualifications whatsoever. There are also big gaps between what people get paid for doing the same kinds of jobs in different towns and cities. Workers in jobs classed by the Office for National Statistics as \"elementary occupations\" - such as cleaners and security guards - are paid less in Plymouth and Warrington (PS205 per week) than anywhere else in the country. In Slough, people in equivalent roles are paid about twice as much. Those in \"sales and customer service occupations\", such as sales assistants and call centre staff, are paid least in Wigan (PS207 per week) and most in Crawley (PS354). The same disparities can be seen among senior managers and directors, with the lowest salaries in Southend (PS615 per week) and the highest in London (PS1,208 per week). There are a number of reasons why. More stories like this: Differences in the cost of living is one, with housing in places such as London, Cambridge and Reading being much more expensive than elsewhere in the country. To attract the workers they need, businesses have to offer higher wages, especially to people at the lower end of the salary scale - which pushes up the average wage. A notable exception to this pattern is Derby, which despite being in the top 10 for wages (PS595 a week) has relatively low house prices. But a bigger factor is the value people working in the same jobs in different places bring to the economy. For example, in the business services sector - which includes lawyers and architects - the average output of a worker in London, in monetary terms, is more than double that in Southend. That's because lawyers in London are more likely to be undertaking work for which they can charge bigger fees. Think corporate lawyers working in London's financial services, compared with local housing conveyancing solicitors in Southend. Similarly, the value of the work done by someone in the information and communications sector (which includes computer programmers and telephone engineers) in Reading is twice that of someone working in the same sector in Wakefield. This reflects the fact that Reading is home to many high skilled, complex roles in computing giants such as Microsoft and Hewlett Packard. To improve wages in poorly paid cities, the big challenge is to make more high quality jobs - those that contribute more to the economy - available to people living in them This is one reason why politicians and commentators have been so worried about productivity in recent years. Only by increasing the amount the average worker produces will we be able to see sustained rises in pay. The lack of such opportunities in struggling towns and cities has implications for how attractive they are for people to live in. Over the past 10 years those towns and cities that have the highest paying jobs have seen the largest growth in the working age population - people aged between 16 and 64. Places such as London, Edinburgh and Milton Keynes have been able to attract significant numbers of new residents because of the jobs and wages they offer. But Burnley and Birkenhead have seen their working age populations fall, reflecting lower wages and the relative lack of career opportunities. Creating more jobs in these places is only part of the answer to improving living standards. Raising wages will be critical in turning around the fortunes of both struggling towns and cities and the people living in and around them. - London: PS727 - Reading: PS655 - Crawley: PS633 - Milton Keynes: PS619 - Cambridge: PS609 - Slough: PS606 - Oxford: PS600 - Edinburgh: PS598 - Aberdeen: PS597 - Derby: PS595 - Aldershot: PS588 - Southampton: PS579 - Luton: PS571 - Swindon: PS560 - Bristol: PS547 - Leeds: PS533 - Coventry: PS532 - Birmingham: PS527 - Glasgow: PS526 - Gloucester: PS526 - Portsmouth: PS520 - Belfast: PS514 - Liverpool: PS512 - Manchester: PS512 - Warrington: PS510 - Northampton: PS508 - Ipswich: PS506 - Cardiff: PS505 - Dundee: PS503 - Bournemouth: PS503 - Basildon: PS501 - Newcastle: PS501 - York: PS501 - Blackpool: PS500 - Exeter: PS499 - Peterborough: PS497 - Telford: PS497 - Brighton: PS496 - Chatham: PS494 - Blackburn: PS488 - Nottingham: PS486 - Sunderland: PS484 - Wakefield: PS483 - Leicester: PS480 - Preston: PS480 - Middlesbrough: PS477 - Sheffield: PS474 - Newport: PS473 - Mansfield: PS472 - Plymouth: PS467 - Hull: PS466 - Swansea: PS464 - Burnley: PS459 - Stoke: PS455 - Bradford: PS455 - Worthing: PS455 - Barnsley: PS453 - Norwich: PS450 - Doncaster: PS447 - Wigan: PS436 - Birkenhead: PS428 - Huddersfield: PS424 - Southend: PS413 *The Centre for Cities data covers built-up urban areas with a population of 135,000 or more About this piece This analysis piece was commissioned by the BBC from an expert working for an outside organisation. Andrew Carter is chief executive and Paul Swinney is head of research and policy at the Centre for Cities, which describes itself as working to understand how and why economic growth and change takes place in the UK's cities. Edited by Duncan Walker", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3487, "answer_start": 2501, "text": "The main reason why some towns and cities offer lower average wages is simple: they are home to fewer high paying occupations. For example, more than 12% of jobs in Reading and Milton Keynes are in high-income senior management roles, which pay an average PS915 per week in the UK. Only 6% of jobs in Stoke and Hull are in this category, with just over 8% in Glasgow and Swansea. Even within cities there can be great differences - workers in Tower Hamlets, in east London, are paid an average of PS952 per week, compared with PS518 for those working in Sutton, on the outskirts. Again, this reflects the number of senior managers in each area. Skills levels are also a big issue in most places with below average wages. For example, Wigan, Barnsley and Doncaster - all of which feature in the bottom 15 - have some of the lowest shares of residents educated to degree level. Swansea and Belfast have some of the highest levels of residents who have no formal qualifications whatsoever." } ], "id": "543_0", "question": "Why do wages differ between cities?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6885, "answer_start": 5665, "text": "To improve wages in poorly paid cities, the big challenge is to make more high quality jobs - those that contribute more to the economy - available to people living in them This is one reason why politicians and commentators have been so worried about productivity in recent years. Only by increasing the amount the average worker produces will we be able to see sustained rises in pay. The lack of such opportunities in struggling towns and cities has implications for how attractive they are for people to live in. Over the past 10 years those towns and cities that have the highest paying jobs have seen the largest growth in the working age population - people aged between 16 and 64. Places such as London, Edinburgh and Milton Keynes have been able to attract significant numbers of new residents because of the jobs and wages they offer. But Burnley and Birkenhead have seen their working age populations fall, reflecting lower wages and the relative lack of career opportunities. Creating more jobs in these places is only part of the answer to improving living standards. Raising wages will be critical in turning around the fortunes of both struggling towns and cities and the people living in and around them." } ], "id": "543_1", "question": "How can struggling cities boost average wages?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Brazilian President Michel Temer says the government is seeking funding from companies and banks to help rebuild the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro after it was destroyed by fire. Education Minister Rossieli Soares said international help was also being sought and talks with the UN's cultural body, Unesco, were under way. Museum officials say almost 90% of the collection has been destroyed. Staff have blamed the fire on years of funding cuts. The museum housed one of the largest anthropology and natural history collections in the Americas. It included the 12,000-year-old remains of a woman known as \"Luzia\". On Monday, President Temer's office said he had held talks with officials from major Brazilian banks and businesses to examine ways to reconstruct the museum \"as soon as possible\". Addressing reporters outside the ruined building, Mr Soares said the federal government had set aside an initial 15m reais (PS2.8m; $3.6m) to rebuild the structure and restore its collection. An investigation has been launched but Culture Minister Sergio Leitao told the Estado de S.Paulo newspaper that the most likely causes were an electrical fault or a homemade paper hot-air balloon landing on the roof. The fire started on Sunday evening, after the building - a 19th Century former royal palace - closed for the day. It is not yet clear if the museum was insured. The city's fire chief, Roberto Robadey, said nearby hydrants were dry when emergency services arrived. He said crews had to get water from a nearby lake and from tanker trucks. \"Yesterday was one of the saddest days of my career,\" he said. On Monday, fire crews were sifting through the charred wreckage, occasionally emerging with an artefact or a painting they had managed to rescue. Riot police fired tear gas outside the park housing the museum on Monday as a small, irate crowd tried to enter. Many demonstrators were angry at the budget cuts that they say led to the fire. The protesters were later allowed to surround the museum's perimeter in a symbolic \"embrace.\" Luiz Fernando Dias Duarte, a deputy director at the museum, expressed \"immense anger\", and accused Brazilian authorities of a \"lack of attention\". \"We fought years ago, in different governments, to obtain resources to adequately preserve everything that was destroyed today,\" he said. One issue appears to be the lack of a sprinkler system. Mr Duarte told Globo TV that a $5.3m (PS4.1m) modernisation plan agreed in June would have included modern fire prevention equipment, but only after October's elections. Roberto Leher, rector of the Rio de Janeiro federal university which administers the museum, said the community was \"very mobilised, and very indignant\". \"We all knew the building was vulnerable,\" he said. The flames tore through hundreds of rooms containing some 20 million artefacts. They ranged from fossils and the reconstructed skeleton of a dinosaur to Roman frescoes and pre-Columbian Brazilian objects. The jewel in the crown for many visitors was \"Luzia\" - the oldest human remains ever discovered in Latin America. \"Luzia is a priceless loss for everyone interested in civilisation,\" museum director Paulo Knauss told AFP news agency. Using her skull, experts had produced a digital image of her face, which was used as the basis for a sculpture that was also gutted by the fire. Another popular exhibit was the Bendego meteorite, weighing more than five tonnes and discovered in Minas Gerais region in the 18th Century. Deputy director Cristiana Serejo said it had survived along with part of the zoological collection, the library and some ceramics.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1754, "answer_start": 991, "text": "An investigation has been launched but Culture Minister Sergio Leitao told the Estado de S.Paulo newspaper that the most likely causes were an electrical fault or a homemade paper hot-air balloon landing on the roof. The fire started on Sunday evening, after the building - a 19th Century former royal palace - closed for the day. It is not yet clear if the museum was insured. The city's fire chief, Roberto Robadey, said nearby hydrants were dry when emergency services arrived. He said crews had to get water from a nearby lake and from tanker trucks. \"Yesterday was one of the saddest days of my career,\" he said. On Monday, fire crews were sifting through the charred wreckage, occasionally emerging with an artefact or a painting they had managed to rescue." } ], "id": "544_0", "question": "How did the fire start?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2758, "answer_start": 1755, "text": "Riot police fired tear gas outside the park housing the museum on Monday as a small, irate crowd tried to enter. Many demonstrators were angry at the budget cuts that they say led to the fire. The protesters were later allowed to surround the museum's perimeter in a symbolic \"embrace.\" Luiz Fernando Dias Duarte, a deputy director at the museum, expressed \"immense anger\", and accused Brazilian authorities of a \"lack of attention\". \"We fought years ago, in different governments, to obtain resources to adequately preserve everything that was destroyed today,\" he said. One issue appears to be the lack of a sprinkler system. Mr Duarte told Globo TV that a $5.3m (PS4.1m) modernisation plan agreed in June would have included modern fire prevention equipment, but only after October's elections. Roberto Leher, rector of the Rio de Janeiro federal university which administers the museum, said the community was \"very mobilised, and very indignant\". \"We all knew the building was vulnerable,\" he said." } ], "id": "544_1", "question": "What has the reaction been?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3615, "answer_start": 2759, "text": "The flames tore through hundreds of rooms containing some 20 million artefacts. They ranged from fossils and the reconstructed skeleton of a dinosaur to Roman frescoes and pre-Columbian Brazilian objects. The jewel in the crown for many visitors was \"Luzia\" - the oldest human remains ever discovered in Latin America. \"Luzia is a priceless loss for everyone interested in civilisation,\" museum director Paulo Knauss told AFP news agency. Using her skull, experts had produced a digital image of her face, which was used as the basis for a sculpture that was also gutted by the fire. Another popular exhibit was the Bendego meteorite, weighing more than five tonnes and discovered in Minas Gerais region in the 18th Century. Deputy director Cristiana Serejo said it had survived along with part of the zoological collection, the library and some ceramics." } ], "id": "544_2", "question": "What did the museum contain?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The value of digital currency Bitcoin is making headlines again. Amid volatile trade in November and December, it hit a peak of more than $17,000 at one point - a staggering rise, given that it started the year at $1,000. So what exactly is Bitcoin, and what's behind the buying frenzy? There are two key traits of Bitcoin: it is digital and it is seen as an alternative currency. Unlike the notes or coins in your pocket, it largely exists online. Although there are some specialist ATMs which issue bitcoins, it may be best to think of them as being more like virtual tokens. And secondly, Bitcoin is not printed by governments or traditional banks. That means it is \"not legal tender, you can't pay your taxes or use it to settle debts\", says Dr Garrick Hileman of the Judge Business School at University of Cambridge. Bitcoins are created through a complex process known as \"mining\", and then monitored by a network of computers across the world. There's a steady stream of about 3,600 new bitcoins a day - with about 16.5 million now in circulation. However, like all currencies its value is determined by how much people are willing to buy and sell it for. No one is entirely sure. Some say it's a classic economic bubble: frenzied investors paying far more for an asset than it's worth for fear of missing out. They put it in the same bracket as the mania for Dutch tulip bulbs in the 1630s or internet companies in the dot.com boom. Others point to the growing prospect of Bitcoin crossing over into the financial mainstream. \"Speculation is a big part of this, but there are signs of growing use,\" says Dr Hileman. He says there were between three and six million people around the world actively using crypto-currency in April. \"Today it's probably closer to 10 to 20 million, so it's a very quickly growing user base,\" he says. That's the equivalent of a population the size of the Netherlands or Chile. There has also been a boost by some large financial institutions, like the owner of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, getting into the space, he adds. There are now thousands of different crypto-currencies, but Bitcoin is still the best-known. To receive a bitcoin a user must have a Bitcoin address - a string of 27 to 34 letters and numbers. This acts as a kind of virtual postbox to and from which the bitcoins are sent. There is no registry linking real names to addresses, which helps some Bitcoin users to protect their anonymity. Bitcoin wallets store the addresses and are used to manage savings. They operate like privately-run bank accounts - with the proviso that if the data is lost, so are the bitcoins owned. Increasingly, users are often asked for ID to open a wallet. The rules underpinning Bitcoin say that only 21 million bitcoins can be created - and that figure is getting ever nearer. It is unclear what will happen to the value of bitcoins when that limit is reached. The anonymity afforded by digital currencies has attracted people wanting to make illegal purchases on the internet. However, a small but growing number of recognised businesses now allow customers to buy goods and services with Bitcoin. They range from multinational firms like Microsoft and travel booking site Expedia, through to small businesses using it as something of a novelty, such as a sushi restaurant in Cambridge or an art gallery in London. It is not the same as established currencies, like the US dollar, which can be used across the world to buy a coffee or pay for a hotel room. A 900% rise in one year for a traditional currency would have major repercussions for consumers' spending power and the businesses that accept it. But many Bitcoin owners don't use it to buy things. \"The vast majority of users - I would estimate upwards of 80% or 90% - get into the space for investment reasons,\" says Dr Hileman. \"So you see the term 'crypto-asset' being used to describe Bitcoin more than 'crypto-currency' these days.\" At the moment Bitcoin is largely unregulated, says Bradley Rice, an expert in financial regulation at the law firm Ashurst. It has been widely used on the dark web, which cannot be accessed via a normal internet browser without using a workaround. There are also concerns about its volatility. The chart below compares Bitcoin to the pound and euro. All the values start at 100 to compare the currencies more clearly. Because of Bitcoin's much faster growth, the chart uses a different approach on the y-axis where the smaller the gap, the faster the increase. China and South Korea have serious worries. They have banned the launch of new virtual currencies via so-called \"initial coin offerings\" - where companies or individuals issue their own digital currencies for investors to buy - and have been shutting down exchanges on which they are traded. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority warned investors in September they could lose all their money if they buy digital currencies issued by firms, known as \"initial coin offerings\". But the underlying technology of Bitcoin is regarded by some major financial institutions as bullet-proof. \"That's potentially why financial regulators [in Europe] are adopting largely a 'wait and see' approach,\" says Mr Rice. There is no shortage of financial journalists or experts saying Bitcoin's surge is a bubble. \"There may be good reasons for buying bitcoin,\" an article in The Economist said recently. \"But the dominant reason at the moment is that it is rising in price.\" Bitcoin has doubled in value in the space of a month - which has led some to argue it is too volatile to be seen as a currency, and warned that a crash is inevitable. However, Bitcoin has been \"declared dead\" a few times already, says Dr Hileman. \"It's shown some resilience and bounced back from some near-death experiences,\" he says. At the same time, many would agree this is \"very bubbly\", and he predicts we may see a \"spectacular crash again in the not-too-distant future\". \"So hang on tight if you are a holder of these currencies,\" he concludes.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1162, "answer_start": 287, "text": "There are two key traits of Bitcoin: it is digital and it is seen as an alternative currency. Unlike the notes or coins in your pocket, it largely exists online. Although there are some specialist ATMs which issue bitcoins, it may be best to think of them as being more like virtual tokens. And secondly, Bitcoin is not printed by governments or traditional banks. That means it is \"not legal tender, you can't pay your taxes or use it to settle debts\", says Dr Garrick Hileman of the Judge Business School at University of Cambridge. Bitcoins are created through a complex process known as \"mining\", and then monitored by a network of computers across the world. There's a steady stream of about 3,600 new bitcoins a day - with about 16.5 million now in circulation. However, like all currencies its value is determined by how much people are willing to buy and sell it for." } ], "id": "545_0", "question": "What is Bitcoin?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2064, "answer_start": 1163, "text": "No one is entirely sure. Some say it's a classic economic bubble: frenzied investors paying far more for an asset than it's worth for fear of missing out. They put it in the same bracket as the mania for Dutch tulip bulbs in the 1630s or internet companies in the dot.com boom. Others point to the growing prospect of Bitcoin crossing over into the financial mainstream. \"Speculation is a big part of this, but there are signs of growing use,\" says Dr Hileman. He says there were between three and six million people around the world actively using crypto-currency in April. \"Today it's probably closer to 10 to 20 million, so it's a very quickly growing user base,\" he says. That's the equivalent of a population the size of the Netherlands or Chile. There has also been a boost by some large financial institutions, like the owner of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, getting into the space, he adds." } ], "id": "545_1", "question": "Why has it gone up so much this year?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2903, "answer_start": 2065, "text": "There are now thousands of different crypto-currencies, but Bitcoin is still the best-known. To receive a bitcoin a user must have a Bitcoin address - a string of 27 to 34 letters and numbers. This acts as a kind of virtual postbox to and from which the bitcoins are sent. There is no registry linking real names to addresses, which helps some Bitcoin users to protect their anonymity. Bitcoin wallets store the addresses and are used to manage savings. They operate like privately-run bank accounts - with the proviso that if the data is lost, so are the bitcoins owned. Increasingly, users are often asked for ID to open a wallet. The rules underpinning Bitcoin say that only 21 million bitcoins can be created - and that figure is getting ever nearer. It is unclear what will happen to the value of bitcoins when that limit is reached." } ], "id": "545_2", "question": "How do people buy Bitcoin?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3939, "answer_start": 2904, "text": "The anonymity afforded by digital currencies has attracted people wanting to make illegal purchases on the internet. However, a small but growing number of recognised businesses now allow customers to buy goods and services with Bitcoin. They range from multinational firms like Microsoft and travel booking site Expedia, through to small businesses using it as something of a novelty, such as a sushi restaurant in Cambridge or an art gallery in London. It is not the same as established currencies, like the US dollar, which can be used across the world to buy a coffee or pay for a hotel room. A 900% rise in one year for a traditional currency would have major repercussions for consumers' spending power and the businesses that accept it. But many Bitcoin owners don't use it to buy things. \"The vast majority of users - I would estimate upwards of 80% or 90% - get into the space for investment reasons,\" says Dr Hileman. \"So you see the term 'crypto-asset' being used to describe Bitcoin more than 'crypto-currency' these days.\"" } ], "id": "545_3", "question": "Can they use bitcoins to buy things?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5201, "answer_start": 3940, "text": "At the moment Bitcoin is largely unregulated, says Bradley Rice, an expert in financial regulation at the law firm Ashurst. It has been widely used on the dark web, which cannot be accessed via a normal internet browser without using a workaround. There are also concerns about its volatility. The chart below compares Bitcoin to the pound and euro. All the values start at 100 to compare the currencies more clearly. Because of Bitcoin's much faster growth, the chart uses a different approach on the y-axis where the smaller the gap, the faster the increase. China and South Korea have serious worries. They have banned the launch of new virtual currencies via so-called \"initial coin offerings\" - where companies or individuals issue their own digital currencies for investors to buy - and have been shutting down exchanges on which they are traded. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority warned investors in September they could lose all their money if they buy digital currencies issued by firms, known as \"initial coin offerings\". But the underlying technology of Bitcoin is regarded by some major financial institutions as bullet-proof. \"That's potentially why financial regulators [in Europe] are adopting largely a 'wait and see' approach,\" says Mr Rice." } ], "id": "545_4", "question": "What concerns do regulators have?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6010, "answer_start": 5202, "text": "There is no shortage of financial journalists or experts saying Bitcoin's surge is a bubble. \"There may be good reasons for buying bitcoin,\" an article in The Economist said recently. \"But the dominant reason at the moment is that it is rising in price.\" Bitcoin has doubled in value in the space of a month - which has led some to argue it is too volatile to be seen as a currency, and warned that a crash is inevitable. However, Bitcoin has been \"declared dead\" a few times already, says Dr Hileman. \"It's shown some resilience and bounced back from some near-death experiences,\" he says. At the same time, many would agree this is \"very bubbly\", and he predicts we may see a \"spectacular crash again in the not-too-distant future\". \"So hang on tight if you are a holder of these currencies,\" he concludes." } ], "id": "545_5", "question": "Is it all a bubble?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A Canadian organisation is changing its defence over the alleged sex assault of a teen on its grounds after being criticised for \"victim blaming\". The woman, now in her 20s, is suing two organisations for failing to ensure her safety at a summer fair in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2008. The woman says she was assaulted by an employee who plied her with alcohol. Both organisations had said she showed negligence, including by drinking too much, in their statements of defence. The woman's civil suit was filed earlier this year against the Edmonton Northlands, a not-for-profit which hosted the fair; North American Midway Entertainment, which produced the event; and the estate of the man alleged to have assaulted her. He died in 2016. In the statements of defence filed in an Alberta court, both organisations deny the plaintiff's claims. They also said they are not liable if the incident did occur because the plaintiff, who was 13 years old at the time, was negligent by failing to take reasonable care of her own safety and for drinking excessively. The Northlands' claim also said she was negligent for \"agreeing to party\" with a male stranger. North American Midway Entertainment said she failed to seek assistance from security or other staff. The alleged perpetrator was an employee of the Indiana-based company, which is the largest operator of mobile amusement parks in North America. North American Midway Entertainment said it could not comment due to pending litigation. But Northlands now says it will amend its statement of defence to remove any reference to the plaintiff's \"contributory negligence\". The organisation says it was unaware of the full content of the filing until it was reported by media. It says it \"believes the victims of sexual assault are never to be blamed and should be treated with respect and dignity\". In a statement released on Friday, the plaintiff said the reaction to the negligence claim \"is a reminder that I am not alone in challenging the myths and mindsets that hold survivors responsible for sexual assaults rather than those who perpetrate and facilitate them\". Groups that provide support for survivors of sexual assault were fiercely critical of the legal defence put forward in the statements. Shaun O'Brien, with the Toronto-based Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, told the BBC it was \"consistent with a long line of reasoning and defences which blame victims for sexual assaults\". She said the fact the plaintiff was so young at the time of the alleged assault made it especially concerning. Ms O'Brien also noted that women who are indigenous, like the plaintiff, face particularly high rates of sexual violence. \"To blame a young indigenous girl, after she was provided with alcohol and sexually assaulted, is offensive and dangerous,\" she said. In her statement, the plaintiff says she and a friend were approached by an employee at the annual fair. She says he bought vodka and brought the girls to a lorry in the staff area. The man encouraged the girls to drink, and the plaintiff quickly felt light-headed. She says she was sexually assaulted shortly before losing consciousness. A hospital exam later found evidence of the alleged assault. Police investigated at the time, but no charges were laid. The plaintiff is seeking C$100,000 ($77,000; PS58,000) in damages. None of the claims have been tested in court.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1393, "answer_start": 734, "text": "In the statements of defence filed in an Alberta court, both organisations deny the plaintiff's claims. They also said they are not liable if the incident did occur because the plaintiff, who was 13 years old at the time, was negligent by failing to take reasonable care of her own safety and for drinking excessively. The Northlands' claim also said she was negligent for \"agreeing to party\" with a male stranger. North American Midway Entertainment said she failed to seek assistance from security or other staff. The alleged perpetrator was an employee of the Indiana-based company, which is the largest operator of mobile amusement parks in North America." } ], "id": "546_0", "question": "Why did the companies claim negligence?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3382, "answer_start": 2113, "text": "Groups that provide support for survivors of sexual assault were fiercely critical of the legal defence put forward in the statements. Shaun O'Brien, with the Toronto-based Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, told the BBC it was \"consistent with a long line of reasoning and defences which blame victims for sexual assaults\". She said the fact the plaintiff was so young at the time of the alleged assault made it especially concerning. Ms O'Brien also noted that women who are indigenous, like the plaintiff, face particularly high rates of sexual violence. \"To blame a young indigenous girl, after she was provided with alcohol and sexually assaulted, is offensive and dangerous,\" she said. In her statement, the plaintiff says she and a friend were approached by an employee at the annual fair. She says he bought vodka and brought the girls to a lorry in the staff area. The man encouraged the girls to drink, and the plaintiff quickly felt light-headed. She says she was sexually assaulted shortly before losing consciousness. A hospital exam later found evidence of the alleged assault. Police investigated at the time, but no charges were laid. The plaintiff is seeking C$100,000 ($77,000; PS58,000) in damages. None of the claims have been tested in court." } ], "id": "546_1", "question": "What's the reaction?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Donald Trump's administration has had a very high turnover - with senior officials quitting, being fired or getting eased out at a record pace. Here is a run-down of what they did, and why they left, starting with the most recent. Mr Spencer, a former Marines pilot-turned-investment banker, was sworn in as the 76th secretary of the US Navy in August 2017. During his time in the post, he also performed stints as acting secretary of defence and deputy secretary of defence. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said he asked Mr Spencer to resign over \"his lack of candour\" regarding the case of a Navy Seal convicted of posing with a corpse while serving in Iraq. The case of Edward Gallagher has sparked tensions between US President Donald Trump and military officials. The president reinstated Chief Petty Officer Gallagher's rank after he was demoted following his conviction, and later hit out at plans to hold a disciplinary review that could have resulted in him being stripped of his Seals membership. In a statement announcing the firing, Mr Esper alleged Mr Spencer had proposed a deal with the White House behind his back to resolve the case. Mr Trump, however, said he was not happy with \"cost overruns\" and how Gallagher's trial was run, and suggested this was why Mr Spencer was fired. In his resignation letter, Mr Spencer said it was apparent that he and Mr Trump did not have the same view of \"good order and discipline\". \"I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took,\" he wrote. Two years, three months. Before joining the cabinet, Mr McAleenan worked as commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection. He oversaw the president's tough policies aimed at curbing immigration across the Mexican border. In a tweet, President Donald Trump said Mr McAleenan wanted to \"spend more time with his family and go into the private sector.\" During his tenure, analysts described a turbulent relationship between the two. Mr McAleenan has also criticised the \"uncomfortable\" tone of debate about immigration in America. Six months Mr Bolton assumed the post in April 2018, becoming Mr Trump's third national security adviser after Michael Flynn and HR McMaster. At that time, the president's decision to appoint Mr Bolton came as a surprise. He remained an unapologetic cheerleader of the 2003 Iraq war, which the US president himself once lambasted as \"a big mistake\". Mr Bolton was praised, however, by conservative admirers as a straight-talking foreign policy \"hawk\". Mr Trump announced Mr Bolton's departure in a tweet, writing that his national security adviser's services were \"no longer needed\". But Mr Bolton quickly fired back, writing on Twitter that he had actually offered his resignation, but Mr Trump had told him \"let's talk about it tomorrow\". Mr Bolton's exit follows and argument with Mr Trump over the administration's peace talks with the Taliban. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told reporters: \"[The president] didn't like a lot of his policies, they disagree.\" According to White House sources, the National Security Council - which advises the president - had become a separate entity during Mr Bolton's tenure. A former senior Trump administration official, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC that Mr Bolton did not attend meetings, and followed his own initiatives. \"He's running his own show,\" said the official. One year, four months. Just a few days after his departure, Mr Bolton resumed his former job as the head of two political action committees: the John Bolton PAC and John Bolton Super PAC. So-called PACs promote the views of their members on selected issues, and have become an important tool for funnelling large funds into the political process and influencing elections. Bolton himself has pledged to donate $10,000 to five Republican Congress members seeking re-election in 2020. As director of national intelligence, Mr Coats oversaw all 17 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA. His office also had the authority to receive whistleblower complaints and decide if they should be referred to Congress. But Mr Coats' assessments were routinely contradicted by President Trump, who has been critical of the US intelligence community. In January, the president called his intelligence chiefs passive and naive in their assessment of the threat posed by Iran. On 28 July, President Donald Trump tweeted Mr Coats would step down in mid-August and Texas congressman John Ratcliffe would be nominated to replace him. In his resignation letter to the president, Mr Coats said America's intelligence community had become \"stronger than ever\" during his two-and-half-year tenure. \"As a result, I now believe it is time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life,\" he wrote. Mr Coats, a former senator and diplomat, said in February the president had asked him to stay in the post, yet their differences on foreign policy appeared irreconcilable at times. But the timing of his removal has been questioned by critics. The announcement came three days after a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which was the subject of a whistleblower complaint. The White House released a rough transcript of the call which shows Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, a Democratic frontrunner for the 2020 presidential elections. Two and a half years. Mr Acosta, a former federal prosecutor, was sworn in as Secretary in April 2017 - the first Hispanic appointee to the Cabinet. He was chosen for the role after Mr Trump's first choice, fast-food billionaire Andrew Puzder, withdrew. During his tenure, Mr Acosta oversaw initiatives to expand on promote workplace apprenticeships. But he was criticised for proposing massive cuts to the International Labor Affairs Bureau, a section of the department that combats human trafficking, child labour and forced labour. Mr Acosta had been defending his role in a 2008 plea deal that saw a light sentence for financier Jeffrey Epstein after he pleaded guilty to prostitution charges. Epstein was charged in July with new sex trafficking charges related to that case. Top Democrats had called on Mr Acosta to resign for engaging in \"an unconscionable agreement\" with Epstein. Mr Acosta said he negotiated the deal to ensure Epstein did not walk free, and that he was happy about the new case moving forward. While announcing his resignation, the former US attorney from Florida said he felt the \"right thing was to step aside\" so his past controversies would not overshadow the administration's accomplishments. Mr Trump, who stood next to Mr Acosta while he spoke to reporters, noted: \"This was him, not me.\" He said Mr Acosta was \"a great Labour Secretary\". Just over two years. Ms Sanders started out as deputy press secretary before replacing Sean Spicer in the top post - the third woman to ever hold the White House role. While Press Secretary, she was accused of lying to journalists and frequently criticised the media for spreading \"fake news\" about the Trump administration. Press briefings also became increasingly rare during her tenure as Mr Trump took charge of his own messaging. Mrs Sanders hosted fewer news conferences than any of the preceding 13 press secretaries, according to the American Presidency Project. Exact reasons are unclear, but President Trump announced her resignation on Twitter and lauded her as a \"warrior\". During her resignation speech, Ms Sanders said her role had been \"the honour of a lifetime\". Nearly two years. Ms Sanders is a regular contributor on television news channel Fox News, and is active among conservative groups. In October 2018 she spoke at a pro-Trump conference, during which a parody video was played showing the president massacring media outlets and political rivals. The video was condemned by media groups, but the Trump campaign denied that it made the video or condoned violence. Rod Rosenstein eventually submitted a resignation letter, effective from 11 May, after months of rumours about his departure. It came shortly after the release of the report into claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election - an investigation he oversaw. Reports say he specially timed his departure to allow for Robert Mueller's probe to wind down first. His relationship with the president was always publicly fraught - with the lawyer frequently coming under fire on Mr Trump's Twitter feed. There were even reports in 2018 that Mr Rosenstein at one point planned to secretly record the president in order to justify his removal under the 25th amendment of the US constitution. Despite this, Mr Rosenstein's resignation letter paid tribute to Mr Trump. In it, Rosenstein said he was \"grateful\" for the opportunity to serve under him and even signed it off borrowing his campaign slogan of \"America first\". Just over two years from his confirmation. Kirstjen Nielsen became Homeland Security Secretary in December 2017. Her sprawling department, responsible for domestic security, covers everything from borders to responding to national emergencies. She faced criticism for enforcing some of the most controversial elements of President Trump's domestic agenda, such as the separation of children from their migrant parents at the Mexican border. In a resignation letter she said it was the \"right time for me to step aside\". There have been tensions between her and the president for months, who blamed her for a rise in migrants at the Mexican border. Days earlier President Trump withdrew his nominee to lead another key department dealing with immigration, saying he wanted to go in a \"tougher direction\". It is widely thought he wants someone \"tougher\" at Homeland Security too. 16 months. Six months after her resignation, the White House announced that she would be rejoining the Homeland Security department. She is now a member of the department's National Infrastructure Advisory Council. The council has 30 members - taken from the private and public sector - who advise the White House on reducing threats to US infrastructure. Brock Long was appointed administrator of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency by President Trump in April 2017 and confirmed by the Senate two months later. Fema is responsible for co-ordinating the response to disasters and in his tenure he oversaw 220 of them. He was quickly battered by two hurricanes. Harvey hit Texas with catastrophic effect in August 2017, while Maria a month later devastated Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the US. He was one of those who bore heavy criticism for the response afforded to Puerto Rico. Mr Long gave no explicit reason for his departure, saying in a statement that it was \"time to go home to my family\". During his tenure, he was investigated for using government vehicles to commute from his home in North Carolina to Washington. He was later ordered to pay back the government $151,000 (PS117,000) for the cost of several private journeys he claimed on expenses. 21 months from confirmation. Mr Long is executive chairman of Hagerty Consulting, an emergency management consultancy firm where he worked before joining FEMA. A former Navy SEAL, Ryan Zinke was picked to lead the agency that oversees federal land, including national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone. He served as a congressman in his home state of Montana before the cabinet appointment. President Trump tweeted that Mr Zinke would be leaving the administration at the end of 2018. He did not offer any further details and it is unclear whether he resigned or was fired. \"Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation,\" Mr Trump said. Mr Zinke was under a number of investigations for his conduct in office. They include a land deal in Montana involving Mr Zinke and the chairman of oilfield services Halliburton. Almost two years. Since January 2019, Mr Zinke has been managing director of Artillery One, an investment firm specialising in the technology and energy sectors. While details of the role are unclear, the company said Mr Zinke would help to \"pursue investing and development opportunities globally\". The retired Marine general was initially nominated to oversee Homeland Security before Mr Trump promoted him to chief of staff in July 2017, replacing Reince Priebus. However, on 8 December Mr Trump announced that Gen Kelly would leave his post by the end of the year. By December 2018 his relationship with the president was said to have deteriorated, with some reports saying the pair were no longer on speaking terms. Earlier in the year Mr Kelly was forced to deny that he had called Mr Trump an \"idiot\" after the quote was included in a book by the veteran investigative journalist Bob Woodward. About one year, five months. (He was previously Homeland Security secretary from January to July 2017.) Mr Kelly serves on the board of Caliburn International, a professional services firm where we worked . The professional services company has several government contracts, including one to operate a migrant detention centre in Florida. A distinguished former Marine Corps general, Gen Mattis served in the Gulf War, the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War. Before his retirement in 2013 he served as head of US Central Command, and went on to several private sector roles before being tapped to join President Trump's cabinet. He positioned himself as one of the cooler heads throughout the president's term, and was referenced by Democrats and Republicans alike as a \"grown-up\" in the room - a far cry from his \"Mad Dog Mattis\" nickname. The move came just one day after the president controversially announced the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. Although not referring directly to that, in his resignation letter Gen Mattis said the president had the right to have a defence secretary \"whose views are better aligned\" with his. The two had diverging public views on a number of subjects, including Mr Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. \"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues,\" Gen Mattis wrote. President Trump was so angered with the letter than he accelerated Gen Mattis' departure date and said he was \"essentially fired.\" Just under two years. Gen Mattis has returned to his former role as Fellow at the Hoover Institution - a think tank based at Stanford University. As a Fellow, the institute said he plans \"to focus his research and writing on domestic and international security policy.\" The former governor of South Carolina was the first non-white woman to be appointed to Mr Trump's cabinet, and the first female, minority governor of her state. She had limited foreign policy experience prior to her role as US envoy and was a vocal critic of Mr Trump during his campaign. As ambassador, she affirmed sanctions on Russia would continue, and that the US military could be deployed in the response to North Korean missile tests. But she frequently clashed with the president over several foreign policy issues, including a proposed ban on immigration to the US from several Muslim-majority countries. In a news conference with Mr Trump, Mrs Haley announced she was stepping aside after a \"rough\" eight years as governor and envoy. She will be leaving her post at the end of 2018, but said she did not yet know what her next steps would be. Mrs Haley said she wanted to make sure Mr Trump's administration \"has the strongest person to fight\" for the US at the UN. While accepting her resignation, Mr Trump thanked her and said she did a \"terrific job\", making the role \"very glamorous\". One year, eleven months Since April 2019, Mrs Haley has served on the board of directors at Boeing. Critics have suggested that she received the appointment as a reward for the tax breaks and subsidies which Boeing received while she was governor. The Alabama Republican was the first senator to endorse Donald Trump's presidential candidacy, in early 2016. During the campaign, he became one of Mr Trump's closest national security advisers and, in government, was a supporter of the president's policies on immigration and law enforcement. Mr Sessions became a frequent target of the president's ire as soon as he stepped aside, in March 2017, from the investigation over alleged Russian collusion with Mr Trump's campaign. The recusal allowed his deputy Rod Rosenstein to oversee the inquiry, which led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. At various times, Mr Trump publicly belittled Mr Sessions as \"beleaguered\", \"VERY weak\", and \"DISGRACEFUL\". But Mr Sessions reacted to most of the insults in silence. US media reported that Gen Kelly had called Mr Sessions to say the president wanted him to step down. Mr Trump did not speak to Mr Sessions himself, and announced the departure on Twitter. In his resignation letter, Mr Sessions made clear the decision was not his own, saying: \"Dear Mr President, at your request I am submitting my resignation.\" One year, nine months The lawyer served as the attorney general of Oklahoma from 2011 - 2017. He had sued the EPA, the agency which he presided over, a number of times in his role as the state's attorney general. Donald Trump announced that Mr Pruitt had resigned due to \"unrelenting attacks\" on himself and his family. Since taking office, Mr Pruitt was mired in series of scandals concerning his spending habits and alleged misuse of office, and is the subject of at least a dozen investigations into his conduct. He angered many liberals and environmentalists by severely curtailing the agency's activities and repealing many measures designed to protect the environment. While accepting Mr Pruitt's resignation, Mr Trump tweeted that he had done \"an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him\". One year, four months Since April 2019, Mr Pruitt has been a registered lobbyist in Indiana, with a sole client connected to the coal industry. A lieutenant general with the US Army, HR McMaster served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked on a government anti-corruption drive. He replaced Lt Gen Michael Flynn, who was fired after just three weeks and three days in the job after he misled Vice-President Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Time magazine named him as one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, saying he \"might be the 21st Century Army's pre-eminent warrior-thinker\". Mr Trump reportedly disliked his \"gruff and condescending\" manner and the pair reportedly disagreed on the administration's policy towards Russia, North Korea and Iran. Gen Kelly, White House chief of staff at the time, also had little positive to say about him. Thirteen months. Gen McMaster works as a fellow and lecturer at Stanford University. He is also a board member of Spirit of America, a charity which \"improves the safety and success\" of US military personnel and diplomats deployed abroad. In 2020, he is expected to release a memoir called \"Battlegrounds\". The former president of the Goldman Sachs bank was appointed as head of the National Economic Council as Mr Trump took office, so becoming the president's top economic adviser. In his time at the White House, he helped push through sweeping reforms on taxes, one of the most significant policy achievements of the administration. But the two were not reported to be close, and rumours of Mr Cohn's departure continued to swirl. A staunch globalist, Mr Cohn had reportedly vowed to quit if Mr Trump pressed ahead with plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US. According to US media, Mr Cohn initially planned to resign after Mr Trump blamed \"both sides\" for violence at a deadly far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. Fourteen months. Since leaving, Mr Cohn has become a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Mr Tillerson was the first Secretary of State to be appointed under the Trump administration. A former oil executive, Mr Tillerson pushed for an end to sanctions on Russia and for the resumption of peace talks with North Korea. But his tenure was reportedly mired by clashes with the president over policy, and by the resignation of several high-ranking career diplomats. Mr Trump said his differences with Mr Tillerson came down to personal \"chemistry\". Indications of the pair's deteriorating relationship first surfaced after reports that Mr Tillerson had called the president a \"moron\". The comment was allegedly made after Mr Trump had pushed for a tenfold increase in America's nuclear arsenal. In a subsequent media appearance, the president challenged Mr Tillerson to \"compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win\". President Trump announced his departure in a tweet, though Mr Tillerson's spokesperson said he had not told about it beforehand. Fourteen months. Ms Hicks served as Mr Trump's press secretary and handled media requests during his campaign. She became his fourth director of strategic communications for the Trump White House after Anthony Scaramucci was fired after just 10 days in the job. The fashion model-turned-spokeswoman previously worked as a publicist for Ivanka Trump's fashion label before entering politics with Mr Trump's bid for the White House. Her resignation came a day after she testified to a congressional panel investigating Russian influence on the 2016 election, telling them she had occasionally told \"white lies\" for her boss. Her departure came only weeks after another top aide to Mr Trump, Rob Porter - with whom Ms Hicks was reported to have been in a relationship - quit amid allegations by two ex-wives of abuse. Six years in the Trump Organization, and three years with Mr Trump during his campaign and presidency. Ms Hicks works as chief communications officer at Fox Corporation, an American broadcasting firm. A doctor and former healthcare executive, Mr Shulkin had served as undersecretary of veterans affairs for health under Barack Obama. President Trump had hailed him as \"fantastic\" when appointing him, and the Senate gave him the only 100-0 confirmation of the Trump team. Mr Shulkin had come under fire for alleged improper behaviour by department staff on a trip to Europe in 2017, including his own acceptance of tickets to the Wimbledon tennis tournament. He denied wrongdoing but agreed to reimburse the government for his wife's air fare for the trip. Mr Shulkin won praise from veterans' groups, but his lack of action on privatising the Veterans Health Administration had angered conservatives. In parting, he condemned the \"toxic, chaotic, disrespectful and subversive\" environment in Washington. Fourteen months In October 2019, the former VA Secretary published a book tracing his 13 months in the Trump administration. A former political aide, Mr Porter was described as Mr Trump's \"right-hand man\" during his tenure. As Staff Secretary he helped to manage the flow of paperwork reaching Trump, from policy memos to speeches and news briefing documents. He was also responsible for circulating documents among senior staff for comment. Mr Porter resigned soon after two of his ex-wives publicly accused him of physical and emotional abuse. One, Colbie Holderness, supplied a photo of herself with a black eye to the media. He denies all the accusations of abuse. The Daily Mail, which broke the story, reported that Mr Porter did not receive security clearance for his White House job after the FBI interviewed his ex-wives during background checks. After his resignation, questions quickly arose over how early the president's chief of staff, Gen Kelly, had been made aware of the accusations by the FBI, and if they had played a role in his diminished security clearance. One year. Since leaving, the Daily Mail reported that Mr Porter was secretly hired to help with President Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. In an interview with The Daily Beast, the campaign's chief operating officer, Michael Glassner, denied the accusation. Andrew McCabe, a career FBI agent, served as the bureau's acting director for nearly three months after the president sacked James Comey. He was sacked days before he could retire with pension rights. The attorney has faced repeated criticism from President Trump, who claims his ties to Democrats made him partial in the ongoing Russia investigation. His wife, Jill McCabe, ran a failed Democratic bid for a state senate seat in Virginia in 2015, during which she received $500,000 (PS355,000) from a political action group allied with Hillary Clinton - a move which Mr Trump apparently found unforgiveable. He was fired 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. Before his departure, he had been under an internal investigation into the FBI's handling of two key inquiries during the 2016 presidential campaign: the revelations that Hillary Clinton had used a private email server while secretary of state; and suspicions that Russia was interfering to help Mr Trump win the presidency. Two years as FBI deputy director, including a year under Mr Trump's administration. Mr McCabe has retired from the FBI and is a contributor to news broadcaster CNN. The former Georgia congressman was a long-standing opponent of the Affordable Care Act - known as Obamacare. Mr Price was confirmed by the Senate along party lines, amid allegations of insider trading while he worked on healthcare laws - which he denied. As health secretary, Mr Price was involved in President Trump's repeated failures to push through bills repealing Obamacare. An analysis of transport spending by Politico discovered that Mr Price had, between May and late September, spent more than $1m on flights. Some $500,000 of that was on military flights approved by the White House, but private charter flights made up at least $400,000 where commercial flights were available. Mr Trump said he was \"not happy\". Almost eight months. In 2019, Mr Price put his name forward to replace Johnny Isakson as a Senator for Georgia. Mr Isakson resigned from the role in 2019, citing health reasons. Steve Bannon joined the Trump campaign after leading the right-wing Breitbart News website, which rose to prominence through its attacks on mainstream Republicans, as well as those on the left. The website helped to elevate the so-called \"Alt-right\", which critics label a white supremacist group. Like other aides to Mr Trump, he made his fortune as an investment banker, but later turned to financing film and television programmes such as the popular 90s sitcom Seinfeld. Some of Mr Trump's most influential advisers, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been pushing for his departure for months. His firing came amid a public backlash to Mr Trump's response to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which an anti-racist protester was killed by a 20-year-old man with Nazi sympathies. Fired one year after being named campaign chief. After his departure, Mr Bannon briefly rejoined Breitbart News as executive chairman. He drew ire from President Trump after the publication of Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury, which detailed several comments made by Mr Bannon that were critical of the administration. Mr Bannon remains active within politics and has served as an informal advisor to right-wing parties across Europe, Brazil and Israel. As part of this work he co-founded of The Movement, a Brussels-based organisation helping to promote the election of right-wing populist parties across Europe. The brash, Wall Street bigwig has known President Trump for years, and defended him in TV interviews. While in the job, he appeared to accuse then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus of being responsible for White House leaks in a tweet (later deleted) that also appeared to threaten him. Mr Scaramucci then attacked Mr Priebus and President Trump's senior adviser Steve Bannon in an expletive-filled rant on the phone with a reporter from the New Yorker magazine. Although he had boasted of reporting directly to the president, Mr Scaramucci's outbursts may have cost him any post alongside Gen Kelly, who was replacing Reince Priebus as chief of staff. Mr Scaramucci's departure was announced hours after Gen Kelly was sworn-in. Ten days (although his official start date was 15 August - so possibly minus 15 days.) Mr Scaramucci is a contributor to several media outlets and has founded his own media group, The Scaramucci Post. He is also a trustee of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation. Mr Scaramucci has been a vocal critic of President Trump since his departure, and has been the target of several visceral tweets by the commander-in-chief. The former Republican National Committee chairman was one of few Washington veterans given a top role in the Trump White House but was unable to assert his authority. He grappled with competing powers in an administration where Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, played key roles. President Trump lost confidence in him and clearly wanted a shake-up in the White House, opting for a general to replace the Republican Party operative, who was seen as weak. The announcement also came as the Republicans failed in their efforts to repeal Obamacare in the Senate. Six months. Mr Priebus is president of law firm Michael Best & Friedrich, and works as a human resources officer with the US Navy reserve. Mr Spicer famously kicked off his tenure as White House press secretary by defending a seemingly indefensible claim about the crowd size at President Trump's inauguration. Over the course of his time behind the podium he became - unusually for a press secretary - a household name, and was parodied on Saturday Night Live. Unlike most others on this list, Mr Spicer appears to have left on seemingly good terms with the president. He stepped down after Mr Scaramucci was appointed to a role he had partially filled, saying he did not want there to be \"too many cooks in the kitchen\". Six months. Mr Spicer is a public affairs officer with the US Navy and was appointed by President to serve on the US Naval Academy's Board of Visitors. He has also written a book called The Briefing: Politics, the Press and the President in which he referred to Trump as \"unicorn riding a unicorn across a rainbow\". In a surprise public appearance, he entered as a contestant on popular TV show Dancing with the Stars. Mr Comey played a dramatic and controversial part in the closing stages of the election when he announced, a week before the vote, that the FBI had reopened an investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server. He was criticised first by Democrats for the timing, then by Republicans when he said a week later that no charges would be brought. The president grew less appreciative of him as the FBI director led an investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. The Trump administration first claimed Mr Comey's handling of the Clinton email investigation rendered him no longer able to credibly lead the bureau and that Mr Trump had acted on the deputy attorney general's recommendation. However Mr Trump soon contradicted this, calling him a \"showboat\" in a TV interview and saying he was thinking of the \"Russia thing\" when he made the decision to sack him. Three years, eight months. Less than four months under Mr Trump. Mr Comey teaches a leadership course at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Since leaving he has been highly critical of the Trump administration. In August 2019, a Department of Justice report concluded that, after losing his job, Mr Comey divulged unclassified information from a memo he had written on his private conversations with Mr Trump. It ruled that he broke FBI rules by giving the contents of a memo to a friend so that it could be shared with a reporter. But the inspector general did not recommend Mr Comey be sued for the breach. Technically, Michael Flynn resigned, but he was asked to do so by the president. His departure followed weeks of deepening scandal in which it emerged that he had misled White House officials, including the vice-president, over his contact with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak. Mr Flynn has admitted to lying to the FBI about their pair discussing US sanctions against Russia with Mr Kislyak before Mr Trump took office. It is illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy, and once it was established that Mr Flynn had lied about his contact with Mr Kislyak there was no question that he had to go. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that the president needed the time to investigate Mr Flynn and establish his guilt, but the scandal prompted fierce speculation over what the president knew of Mr Flynn's contacts with Mr Kislyak. 23 days. Mr Flynn has agreed to a plea bargain and is due to appear in court on 18 December. Since resigning, he has co-operated with Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in America's 2016 presidential elections. President Trump has called the investigation a witch hunt and denies there was any collusion between his team and Russian officials to try to secure his election victory. The president fired Sally Yates after she questioned the legality of Mr Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries. Ms Yates, who was appointed by Barack Obama, believed it discriminated unconstitutionally against Muslims, and ordered justice department lawyers not to enforce the president's executive order. A White House statement said Ms Yates had \"betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States\". It also described her as \"weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration\". 10 days. She previously served as deputy attorney general from May 2015 until January 2017. Ms Yates is a partner at law firm King & Spalding, and lectures at Georgetown University Law Centre. It is not uncommon for prosecutors appointed by the previous administration to be replaced as the White House changes hands, but the widely-respected Preet Bharara had been told specifically by the Trump administration that he would be kept on. At the time of his sacking, he was overseeing several high-profile cases, including allegations of sexual harassment at Trump favourite Fox News. Mr Bharara was one of 46 prosecutors asked to resign by the Trump administration, which contended that it was part of a simple changing of the guard. But there was speculation among Democrats and others that Mr Bahara's jurisdiction, which included Trump Tower, may have concerned the president. Seven years, seven months. Less than two months under Mr Trump. Mr Bharara is a Scholar in Residence at New York University Law School, and co-hosts a legal podcast called \"Cafe Insider\". Paul Manafort, a long-time Republican political operative, was supposed to marshal some of the chaos around Mr Trump but ended up falling prey to it. He was sacked after five months with Mr Trump's campaign, three of those as campaign chair. The Trump campaign didn't give a reason for Mr Manafort's departure, issuing only a statement wishing him well. But a wave of reports in the week before the announcement alleged that Mr Manafort had received secret cash payments from a pro-Russian political party for representing Russian interests in Ukraine and the US. He has since been jailed for hiding $55m (PS42m) from US tax authorities - money he was paid by pro-Russia politicians. Three months. Mr Manafort is serving 90-month prison sentence, and is expected to be released at the end of 2024.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1537, "answer_start": 476, "text": "US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said he asked Mr Spencer to resign over \"his lack of candour\" regarding the case of a Navy Seal convicted of posing with a corpse while serving in Iraq. The case of Edward Gallagher has sparked tensions between US President Donald Trump and military officials. The president reinstated Chief Petty Officer Gallagher's rank after he was demoted following his conviction, and later hit out at plans to hold a disciplinary review that could have resulted in him being stripped of his Seals membership. In a statement announcing the firing, Mr Esper alleged Mr Spencer had proposed a deal with the White House behind his back to resolve the case. Mr Trump, however, said he was not happy with \"cost overruns\" and how Gallagher's trial was run, and suggested this was why Mr Spencer was fired. In his resignation letter, Mr Spencer said it was apparent that he and Mr Trump did not have the same view of \"good order and discipline\". \"I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took,\" he wrote." } ], "id": "547_0", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1562, "answer_start": 1538, "text": "Two years, three months." } ], "id": "547_1", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2068, "answer_start": 1762, "text": "In a tweet, President Donald Trump said Mr McAleenan wanted to \"spend more time with his family and go into the private sector.\" During his tenure, analysts described a turbulent relationship between the two. Mr McAleenan has also criticised the \"uncomfortable\" tone of debate about immigration in America." } ], "id": "547_2", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3413, "answer_start": 2521, "text": "Mr Trump announced Mr Bolton's departure in a tweet, writing that his national security adviser's services were \"no longer needed\". But Mr Bolton quickly fired back, writing on Twitter that he had actually offered his resignation, but Mr Trump had told him \"let's talk about it tomorrow\". Mr Bolton's exit follows and argument with Mr Trump over the administration's peace talks with the Taliban. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told reporters: \"[The president] didn't like a lot of his policies, they disagree.\" According to White House sources, the National Security Council - which advises the president - had become a separate entity during Mr Bolton's tenure. A former senior Trump administration official, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC that Mr Bolton did not attend meetings, and followed his own initiatives. \"He's running his own show,\" said the official." } ], "id": "547_3", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3896, "answer_start": 3437, "text": "Just a few days after his departure, Mr Bolton resumed his former job as the head of two political action committees: the John Bolton PAC and John Bolton Super PAC. So-called PACs promote the views of their members on selected issues, and have become an important tool for funnelling large funds into the political process and influencing elections. Bolton himself has pledged to donate $10,000 to five Republican Congress members seeking re-election in 2020." } ], "id": "547_4", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5399, "answer_start": 4541, "text": "In his resignation letter to the president, Mr Coats said America's intelligence community had become \"stronger than ever\" during his two-and-half-year tenure. \"As a result, I now believe it is time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life,\" he wrote. Mr Coats, a former senator and diplomat, said in February the president had asked him to stay in the post, yet their differences on foreign policy appeared irreconcilable at times. But the timing of his removal has been questioned by critics. The announcement came three days after a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which was the subject of a whistleblower complaint. The White House released a rough transcript of the call which shows Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, a Democratic frontrunner for the 2020 presidential elections." } ], "id": "547_5", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6772, "answer_start": 5935, "text": "Mr Acosta had been defending his role in a 2008 plea deal that saw a light sentence for financier Jeffrey Epstein after he pleaded guilty to prostitution charges. Epstein was charged in July with new sex trafficking charges related to that case. Top Democrats had called on Mr Acosta to resign for engaging in \"an unconscionable agreement\" with Epstein. Mr Acosta said he negotiated the deal to ensure Epstein did not walk free, and that he was happy about the new case moving forward. While announcing his resignation, the former US attorney from Florida said he felt the \"right thing was to step aside\" so his past controversies would not overshadow the administration's accomplishments. Mr Trump, who stood next to Mr Acosta while he spoke to reporters, noted: \"This was him, not me.\" He said Mr Acosta was \"a great Labour Secretary\"." } ], "id": "547_6", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 7551, "answer_start": 7344, "text": "Exact reasons are unclear, but President Trump announced her resignation on Twitter and lauded her as a \"warrior\". During her resignation speech, Ms Sanders said her role had been \"the honour of a lifetime\"." } ], "id": "547_7", "question": "Why did she leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 7960, "answer_start": 7570, "text": "Ms Sanders is a regular contributor on television news channel Fox News, and is active among conservative groups. In October 2018 she spoke at a pro-Trump conference, during which a parody video was played showing the president massacring media outlets and political rivals. The video was condemned by media groups, but the Trump campaign denied that it made the video or condoned violence." } ], "id": "547_8", "question": "What is she doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 8876, "answer_start": 8324, "text": "His relationship with the president was always publicly fraught - with the lawyer frequently coming under fire on Mr Trump's Twitter feed. There were even reports in 2018 that Mr Rosenstein at one point planned to secretly record the president in order to justify his removal under the 25th amendment of the US constitution. Despite this, Mr Rosenstein's resignation letter paid tribute to Mr Trump. In it, Rosenstein said he was \"grateful\" for the opportunity to serve under him and even signed it off borrowing his campaign slogan of \"America first\"." } ], "id": "547_9", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 9754, "answer_start": 9397, "text": "There have been tensions between her and the president for months, who blamed her for a rise in migrants at the Mexican border. Days earlier President Trump withdrew his nominee to lead another key department dealing with immigration, saying he wanted to go in a \"tougher direction\". It is widely thought he wants someone \"tougher\" at Homeland Security too." } ], "id": "547_10", "question": "Why did she leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 9765, "answer_start": 9755, "text": "16 months." } ], "id": "547_11", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 10110, "answer_start": 9766, "text": "Six months after her resignation, the White House announced that she would be rejoining the Homeland Security department. She is now a member of the department's National Infrastructure Advisory Council. The council has 30 members - taken from the private and public sector - who advise the White House on reducing threats to US infrastructure." } ], "id": "547_12", "question": "What is she doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 11035, "answer_start": 10658, "text": "Mr Long gave no explicit reason for his departure, saying in a statement that it was \"time to go home to my family\". During his tenure, he was investigated for using government vehicles to commute from his home in North Carolina to Washington. He was later ordered to pay back the government $151,000 (PS117,000) for the cost of several private journeys he claimed on expenses." } ], "id": "547_13", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 11064, "answer_start": 11036, "text": "21 months from confirmation." } ], "id": "547_14", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 11195, "answer_start": 11065, "text": "Mr Long is executive chairman of Hagerty Consulting, an emergency management consultancy firm where he worked before joining FEMA." } ], "id": "547_15", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 11907, "answer_start": 11429, "text": "President Trump tweeted that Mr Zinke would be leaving the administration at the end of 2018. He did not offer any further details and it is unclear whether he resigned or was fired. \"Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation,\" Mr Trump said. Mr Zinke was under a number of investigations for his conduct in office. They include a land deal in Montana involving Mr Zinke and the chairman of oilfield services Halliburton." } ], "id": "547_16", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 11925, "answer_start": 11908, "text": "Almost two years." } ], "id": "547_17", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 12207, "answer_start": 11926, "text": "Since January 2019, Mr Zinke has been managing director of Artillery One, an investment firm specialising in the technology and energy sectors. While details of the role are unclear, the company said Mr Zinke would help to \"pursue investing and development opportunities globally\"." } ], "id": "547_18", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 12808, "answer_start": 12477, "text": "By December 2018 his relationship with the president was said to have deteriorated, with some reports saying the pair were no longer on speaking terms. Earlier in the year Mr Kelly was forced to deny that he had called Mr Trump an \"idiot\" after the quote was included in a book by the veteran investigative journalist Bob Woodward." } ], "id": "547_19", "question": "Why is he leaving?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 13147, "answer_start": 12913, "text": "Mr Kelly serves on the board of Caliburn International, a professional services firm where we worked . The professional services company has several government contracts, including one to operate a migrant detention centre in Florida." } ], "id": "547_20", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 14423, "answer_start": 13648, "text": "The move came just one day after the president controversially announced the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. Although not referring directly to that, in his resignation letter Gen Mattis said the president had the right to have a defence secretary \"whose views are better aligned\" with his. The two had diverging public views on a number of subjects, including Mr Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. \"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues,\" Gen Mattis wrote. President Trump was so angered with the letter than he accelerated Gen Mattis' departure date and said he was \"essentially fired.\"" } ], "id": "547_21", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 14445, "answer_start": 14424, "text": "Just under two years." } ], "id": "547_22", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 14693, "answer_start": 14446, "text": "Gen Mattis has returned to his former role as Fellow at the Hoover Institution - a think tank based at Stanford University. As a Fellow, the institute said he plans \"to focus his research and writing on domestic and international security policy.\"" } ], "id": "547_23", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 15793, "answer_start": 15309, "text": "In a news conference with Mr Trump, Mrs Haley announced she was stepping aside after a \"rough\" eight years as governor and envoy. She will be leaving her post at the end of 2018, but said she did not yet know what her next steps would be. Mrs Haley said she wanted to make sure Mr Trump's administration \"has the strongest person to fight\" for the US at the UN. While accepting her resignation, Mr Trump thanked her and said she did a \"terrific job\", making the role \"very glamorous\"." } ], "id": "547_24", "question": "Why did she leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 16041, "answer_start": 15818, "text": "Since April 2019, Mrs Haley has served on the board of directors at Boeing. Critics have suggested that she received the appointment as a reward for the tax breaks and subsidies which Boeing received while she was governor." } ], "id": "547_25", "question": "What is she doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 17166, "answer_start": 16336, "text": "Mr Sessions became a frequent target of the president's ire as soon as he stepped aside, in March 2017, from the investigation over alleged Russian collusion with Mr Trump's campaign. The recusal allowed his deputy Rod Rosenstein to oversee the inquiry, which led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. At various times, Mr Trump publicly belittled Mr Sessions as \"beleaguered\", \"VERY weak\", and \"DISGRACEFUL\". But Mr Sessions reacted to most of the insults in silence. US media reported that Gen Kelly had called Mr Sessions to say the president wanted him to step down. Mr Trump did not speak to Mr Sessions himself, and announced the departure on Twitter. In his resignation letter, Mr Sessions made clear the decision was not his own, saying: \"Dear Mr President, at your request I am submitting my resignation.\"" } ], "id": "547_26", "question": "Why was he fired?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 17976, "answer_start": 17380, "text": "Donald Trump announced that Mr Pruitt had resigned due to \"unrelenting attacks\" on himself and his family. Since taking office, Mr Pruitt was mired in series of scandals concerning his spending habits and alleged misuse of office, and is the subject of at least a dozen investigations into his conduct. He angered many liberals and environmentalists by severely curtailing the agency's activities and repealing many measures designed to protect the environment. While accepting Mr Pruitt's resignation, Mr Trump tweeted that he had done \"an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him\"." } ], "id": "547_27", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 18120, "answer_start": 17999, "text": "Since April 2019, Mr Pruitt has been a registered lobbyist in Indiana, with a sole client connected to the coal industry." } ], "id": "547_28", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 18865, "answer_start": 18603, "text": "Mr Trump reportedly disliked his \"gruff and condescending\" manner and the pair reportedly disagreed on the administration's policy towards Russia, North Korea and Iran. Gen Kelly, White House chief of staff at the time, also had little positive to say about him." } ], "id": "547_29", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 18882, "answer_start": 18866, "text": "Thirteen months." } ], "id": "547_30", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 19172, "answer_start": 18883, "text": "Gen McMaster works as a fellow and lecturer at Stanford University. He is also a board member of Spirit of America, a charity which \"improves the safety and success\" of US military personnel and diplomats deployed abroad. In 2020, he is expected to release a memoir called \"Battlegrounds\"." } ], "id": "547_31", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 19936, "answer_start": 19601, "text": "A staunch globalist, Mr Cohn had reportedly vowed to quit if Mr Trump pressed ahead with plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US. According to US media, Mr Cohn initially planned to resign after Mr Trump blamed \"both sides\" for violence at a deadly far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017." } ], "id": "547_32", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 19953, "answer_start": 19937, "text": "Fourteen months." } ], "id": "547_33", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 20050, "answer_start": 19954, "text": "Since leaving, Mr Cohn has become a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government." } ], "id": "547_34", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 21015, "answer_start": 20423, "text": "Mr Trump said his differences with Mr Tillerson came down to personal \"chemistry\". Indications of the pair's deteriorating relationship first surfaced after reports that Mr Tillerson had called the president a \"moron\". The comment was allegedly made after Mr Trump had pushed for a tenfold increase in America's nuclear arsenal. In a subsequent media appearance, the president challenged Mr Tillerson to \"compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win\". President Trump announced his departure in a tweet, though Mr Tillerson's spokesperson said he had not told about it beforehand." } ], "id": "547_35", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 21830, "answer_start": 21447, "text": "Her resignation came a day after she testified to a congressional panel investigating Russian influence on the 2016 election, telling them she had occasionally told \"white lies\" for her boss. Her departure came only weeks after another top aide to Mr Trump, Rob Porter - with whom Ms Hicks was reported to have been in a relationship - quit amid allegations by two ex-wives of abuse." } ], "id": "547_36", "question": "Why did she leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 21933, "answer_start": 21831, "text": "Six years in the Trump Organization, and three years with Mr Trump during his campaign and presidency." } ], "id": "547_37", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 22031, "answer_start": 21934, "text": "Ms Hicks works as chief communications officer at Fox Corporation, an American broadcasting firm." } ], "id": "547_38", "question": "What is she doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 22835, "answer_start": 22303, "text": "Mr Shulkin had come under fire for alleged improper behaviour by department staff on a trip to Europe in 2017, including his own acceptance of tickets to the Wimbledon tennis tournament. He denied wrongdoing but agreed to reimburse the government for his wife's air fare for the trip. Mr Shulkin won praise from veterans' groups, but his lack of action on privatising the Veterans Health Administration had angered conservatives. In parting, he condemned the \"toxic, chaotic, disrespectful and subversive\" environment in Washington." } ], "id": "547_39", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 22960, "answer_start": 22852, "text": "In October 2019, the former VA Secretary published a book tracing his 13 months in the Trump administration." } ], "id": "547_40", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 23915, "answer_start": 23278, "text": "Mr Porter resigned soon after two of his ex-wives publicly accused him of physical and emotional abuse. One, Colbie Holderness, supplied a photo of herself with a black eye to the media. He denies all the accusations of abuse. The Daily Mail, which broke the story, reported that Mr Porter did not receive security clearance for his White House job after the FBI interviewed his ex-wives during background checks. After his resignation, questions quickly arose over how early the president's chief of staff, Gen Kelly, had been made aware of the accusations by the FBI, and if they had played a role in his diminished security clearance." } ], "id": "547_41", "question": "Why did he quit?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 23925, "answer_start": 23916, "text": "One year." } ], "id": "547_42", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 24175, "answer_start": 23926, "text": "Since leaving, the Daily Mail reported that Mr Porter was secretly hired to help with President Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. In an interview with The Daily Beast, the campaign's chief operating officer, Michael Glassner, denied the accusation." } ], "id": "547_43", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 25395, "answer_start": 24785, "text": "He was fired 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. Before his departure, he had been under an internal investigation into the FBI's handling of two key inquiries during the 2016 presidential campaign: the revelations that Hillary Clinton had used a private email server while secretary of state; and suspicions that Russia was interfering to help Mr Trump win the presidency." } ], "id": "547_44", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 25479, "answer_start": 25396, "text": "Two years as FBI deputy director, including a year under Mr Trump's administration." } ], "id": "547_45", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 25560, "answer_start": 25480, "text": "Mr McCabe has retired from the FBI and is a contributor to news broadcaster CNN." } ], "id": "547_46", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 26284, "answer_start": 25941, "text": "An analysis of transport spending by Politico discovered that Mr Price had, between May and late September, spent more than $1m on flights. Some $500,000 of that was on military flights approved by the White House, but private charter flights made up at least $400,000 where commercial flights were available. Mr Trump said he was \"not happy\"." } ], "id": "547_47", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 26305, "answer_start": 26285, "text": "Almost eight months." } ], "id": "547_48", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 26462, "answer_start": 26306, "text": "In 2019, Mr Price put his name forward to replace Johnny Isakson as a Senator for Georgia. Mr Isakson resigned from the role in 2019, citing health reasons." } ], "id": "547_49", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 27279, "answer_start": 26938, "text": "Some of Mr Trump's most influential advisers, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been pushing for his departure for months. His firing came amid a public backlash to Mr Trump's response to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which an anti-racist protester was killed by a 20-year-old man with Nazi sympathies." } ], "id": "547_50", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 27328, "answer_start": 27280, "text": "Fired one year after being named campaign chief." } ], "id": "547_51", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 27895, "answer_start": 27329, "text": "After his departure, Mr Bannon briefly rejoined Breitbart News as executive chairman. He drew ire from President Trump after the publication of Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury, which detailed several comments made by Mr Bannon that were critical of the administration. Mr Bannon remains active within politics and has served as an informal advisor to right-wing parties across Europe, Brazil and Israel. As part of this work he co-founded of The Movement, a Brussels-based organisation helping to promote the election of right-wing populist parties across Europe." } ], "id": "547_52", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 28620, "answer_start": 28355, "text": "Although he had boasted of reporting directly to the president, Mr Scaramucci's outbursts may have cost him any post alongside Gen Kelly, who was replacing Reince Priebus as chief of staff. Mr Scaramucci's departure was announced hours after Gen Kelly was sworn-in." } ], "id": "547_53", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 28707, "answer_start": 28621, "text": "Ten days (although his official start date was 15 August - so possibly minus 15 days.)" } ], "id": "547_54", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 29052, "answer_start": 28708, "text": "Mr Scaramucci is a contributor to several media outlets and has founded his own media group, The Scaramucci Post. He is also a trustee of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation. Mr Scaramucci has been a vocal critic of President Trump since his departure, and has been the target of several visceral tweets by the commander-in-chief." } ], "id": "547_55", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 29637, "answer_start": 29358, "text": "President Trump lost confidence in him and clearly wanted a shake-up in the White House, opting for a general to replace the Republican Party operative, who was seen as weak. The announcement also came as the Republicans failed in their efforts to repeal Obamacare in the Senate." } ], "id": "547_56", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 29649, "answer_start": 29638, "text": "Six months." } ], "id": "547_57", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 29776, "answer_start": 29650, "text": "Mr Priebus is president of law firm Michael Best & Friedrich, and works as a human resources officer with the US Navy reserve." } ], "id": "547_58", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 30360, "answer_start": 30100, "text": "Unlike most others on this list, Mr Spicer appears to have left on seemingly good terms with the president. He stepped down after Mr Scaramucci was appointed to a role he had partially filled, saying he did not want there to be \"too many cooks in the kitchen\"." } ], "id": "547_59", "question": "Why did he leave?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 30372, "answer_start": 30361, "text": "Six months." } ], "id": "547_60", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 30779, "answer_start": 30373, "text": "Mr Spicer is a public affairs officer with the US Navy and was appointed by President to serve on the US Naval Academy's Board of Visitors. He has also written a book called The Briefing: Politics, the Press and the President in which he referred to Trump as \"unicorn riding a unicorn across a rainbow\". In a surprise public appearance, he entered as a contestant on popular TV show Dancing with the Stars." } ], "id": "547_61", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 31672, "answer_start": 31274, "text": "The Trump administration first claimed Mr Comey's handling of the Clinton email investigation rendered him no longer able to credibly lead the bureau and that Mr Trump had acted on the deputy attorney general's recommendation. However Mr Trump soon contradicted this, calling him a \"showboat\" in a TV interview and saying he was thinking of the \"Russia thing\" when he made the decision to sack him." } ], "id": "547_62", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 31737, "answer_start": 31673, "text": "Three years, eight months. Less than four months under Mr Trump." } ], "id": "547_63", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 32289, "answer_start": 31738, "text": "Mr Comey teaches a leadership course at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Since leaving he has been highly critical of the Trump administration. In August 2019, a Department of Justice report concluded that, after losing his job, Mr Comey divulged unclassified information from a memo he had written on his private conversations with Mr Trump. It ruled that he broke FBI rules by giving the contents of a memo to a friend so that it could be shared with a reporter. But the inspector general did not recommend Mr Comey be sued for the breach." } ], "id": "547_64", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 33140, "answer_start": 32713, "text": "It is illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy, and once it was established that Mr Flynn had lied about his contact with Mr Kislyak there was no question that he had to go. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that the president needed the time to investigate Mr Flynn and establish his guilt, but the scandal prompted fierce speculation over what the president knew of Mr Flynn's contacts with Mr Kislyak." } ], "id": "547_65", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 33149, "answer_start": 33141, "text": "23 days." } ], "id": "547_66", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 33544, "answer_start": 33150, "text": "Mr Flynn has agreed to a plea bargain and is due to appear in court on 18 December. Since resigning, he has co-operated with Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in America's 2016 presidential elections. President Trump has called the investigation a witch hunt and denies there was any collusion between his team and Russian officials to try to secure his election victory." } ], "id": "547_67", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 34209, "answer_start": 34118, "text": "10 days. She previously served as deputy attorney general from May 2015 until January 2017." } ], "id": "547_68", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 34310, "answer_start": 34210, "text": "Ms Yates is a partner at law firm King & Spalding, and lectures at Georgetown University Law Centre." } ], "id": "547_69", "question": "What is she doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 34997, "answer_start": 34702, "text": "Mr Bharara was one of 46 prosecutors asked to resign by the Trump administration, which contended that it was part of a simple changing of the guard. But there was speculation among Democrats and others that Mr Bahara's jurisdiction, which included Trump Tower, may have concerned the president." } ], "id": "547_70", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 35061, "answer_start": 34998, "text": "Seven years, seven months. Less than two months under Mr Trump." } ], "id": "547_71", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 35185, "answer_start": 35062, "text": "Mr Bharara is a Scholar in Residence at New York University Law School, and co-hosts a legal podcast called \"Cafe Insider\"." } ], "id": "547_72", "question": "What is he doing now?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 35869, "answer_start": 35428, "text": "The Trump campaign didn't give a reason for Mr Manafort's departure, issuing only a statement wishing him well. But a wave of reports in the week before the announcement alleged that Mr Manafort had received secret cash payments from a pro-Russian political party for representing Russian interests in Ukraine and the US. He has since been jailed for hiding $55m (PS42m) from US tax authorities - money he was paid by pro-Russia politicians." } ], "id": "547_73", "question": "Why was he sacked?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 35883, "answer_start": 35870, "text": "Three months." } ], "id": "547_74", "question": "Time in post?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 35983, "answer_start": 35884, "text": "Mr Manafort is serving 90-month prison sentence, and is expected to be released at the end of 2024." } ], "id": "547_75", "question": "What is he doing now?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Russia will develop missiles banned under a Cold War agreement if the US exits the pact, President Vladimir Putin has warned. His comments follow Nato's accusation on Tuesday that Russia has already broken the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Signed in 1987 by the US and USSR, it banned both countries' use of all short and medium-range missiles. But Mr Putin says the accusation is a pretext for the US to leave the pact. In televised comments, the Russian leader said many other countries had developed weapons banned under the INF treaty. \"Now it seems our American partners believe that the situation has changed so much that [they] must also have such a weapon,\" he said. \"What's our response? It's simple - in that case we will also do this.\" US President Donald Trump has previously said the country would leave the treaty because of Russian actions. Analysts say Russia sees the weapons as a cheaper alternative to conventional forces. Arriving for talks with Nato foreign ministers, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini urged the two countries to save the treaty, saying it had \"guaranteed peace and security in European territory for 30 years now\". On Tuesday, the Western military alliance formally accused Russia of breaking the treaty. \"Allies have concluded that Russia has developed and fielded a missile system, the 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security,\" the Nato foreign ministers' statement read. The statement said the member nations \"strongly support\" the US claim that Russia is in breach of the pact, and called on Moscow to \"return urgently to full and verifiable compliance\". Speaking after the release of Nato's statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia had 60 days to return to compliance with the treaty, after which time the US would suspend its own compliance. \"During this 60 days we will still not test or produce or deploy any systems, and we'll see what happens during this 60-day period,\" he said. Russia has repeatedly denied breaking the Cold War treaty. - Signed by the US and the USSR in 1987, the arms control deal banned all nuclear and non-nuclear missiles with short and medium ranges, except sea-launched weapons - The US had been concerned by the Soviet deployment of the SS-20 missile system and responded by placing Pershing and cruise missiles in Europe - sparking widespread protests - By 1991, nearly 2,700 missiles had been destroyed - Both countries were allowed to inspect the other's installations - In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the treaty no longer served Russia's interests - The move came after the US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 In 2014, then US President Barack Obama accused Russia of breaching the INF Treaty after it allegedly tested a ground-launched cruise missile. He reportedly chose not to withdraw from the treaty under pressure from European leaders, who said such a move could restart an arms race. The last time the US withdrew from a major arms treaty was in 2002, when President George W Bush pulled the US out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which banned weapons designed to counter ballistic nuclear missiles. His administration's move to set up a missile shield in Europe alarmed the Kremlin, and was scrapped by the Obama administration in 2009. It was replaced by a modified defence system in 2016.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2082, "answer_start": 1182, "text": "On Tuesday, the Western military alliance formally accused Russia of breaking the treaty. \"Allies have concluded that Russia has developed and fielded a missile system, the 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security,\" the Nato foreign ministers' statement read. The statement said the member nations \"strongly support\" the US claim that Russia is in breach of the pact, and called on Moscow to \"return urgently to full and verifiable compliance\". Speaking after the release of Nato's statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia had 60 days to return to compliance with the treaty, after which time the US would suspend its own compliance. \"During this 60 days we will still not test or produce or deploy any systems, and we'll see what happens during this 60-day period,\" he said. Russia has repeatedly denied breaking the Cold War treaty." } ], "id": "548_0", "question": "What has Nato said?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight crashed shortly after taking off from the Iranian capital Tehran on 8 January, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. It came in the midst of escalating tensions between the US and Iran. After days of denial - and mounting evidence - on Saturday Iran admitted it had shot the Boeing plane down \"unintentionally\". Here is what we know. On 8 January, at 06:12 local time (02:42 GMT), UIA flight PS752 took off from Imam Khomeini International Airport. The plane was a Boeing 737-800 - one of the international airline industry's most widely used aircraft models. Before it had left the airport's air space, the plane appeared to turn around to return to the runway. Shortly afterwards, it crashed. The aircraft's \"black boxes\", which record flight data and sound within the cockpit, were recovered from the wreckage. But there have also been reports that mechanical diggers were sent to the crash site before international investigators had arrived, prompting speculation that evidence was being destroyed. The government in Tehran initially said the UIA plane suffered a technical problem shortly after take-off. It cited witnesses including the crew of another passenger plane who said it was on fire prior to impact. Authorities said they lost radar contact when the plane was at an altitude of about 8,000ft (2,400m), minutes after taking off. No radio distress call was made by the pilot, the report said. However, the timing of the accident - just hours after Iran had launched missiles at US targets in Iraq - provoked speculation about other possible causes. Aviation experts were quick to cast doubt on claims in Iranian state media that the crash was likely to have been caused by an engine fire. Commercial aircraft are designed to be able to withstand - in general - a failed engine and to land safely. On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said evidence suggested an Iranian missile brought down the aircraft by accident. \"We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence,\" Mr Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa. \"The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. This may well have been unintentional.\" He was echoing earlier reports in US media which said Pentagon officials were confident that the aircraft was shot down. And evidence was beginning to back up the missile-shooting theory. Video on social media showed a missile streaking across the night sky and exploding near the plane. (The New York Times later published a video that appeared to show two missiles targeting the airliner. It's thought the initial strike disabled the plane's transponder before the second strike around 23 seconds later. ) Three days after the accident, a statement by Iran's military was read on state TV and said the plane was brought down \"unintentionally\". There is general Iranian admission of guilt, but conflicting explanations about the exact sequence of events. President Hassan Rouhani described the crash as an \"unforgivable mistake\". Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered the military to investigate \"the possible shortcomings or mistakes\" that led to the crash. The initial Iranian military statement said the plane's downing was due to \"human error\" after the aircraft had flown close to a \"sensitive site\" belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps . The commercial airliner was mistaken for a \"hostile plane\", the statement said. Hours later, the man responsible for the unit that fired the missile, Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Brig-Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh told journalists the aircraft had been shot down by a short-range missile that exploded next to it. The Iranian operator had mistaken the Boeing for a \"cruise missile\". They tried to communicate with it and waited for 10 seconds for a reply before deciding to open fire, the general said. He added that a request had been made for a no-fly zone in the area before the incident but this was rejected. The reasons for this remain unclear. In fact, it appears the Iranian strikes on US bases did not affect operations at Imam Khomenei International Airport on Wednesday morning. Flight PS752 was the ninth to take off after the strikes, according to Flightradar24. Iran's admission of responsibility is an effort at de-escalation, says the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet But an important question remains. Gen Hajizadeh told the media that he had informed the authorities about what had happened on Wednesday - the day of the accident. So why did it take three days for Iran to admit it? The president of Ukraine International Airlines said: \"We didn't doubt for a second that our crew and our plane couldn't be the cause for this horrible crash\". But the company has denied that the plane veered from its expected course before the crash. It says officials should have closed the airport. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Iran to punish those responsible. \"We expect Iran... to bring the guilty to the courts,\" he said. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: \"We will continue working with our partners around the world to ensure a complete and thorough investigation.\" Under international protocol, the country where the plane crashes usually leads the investigation. As the aircraft was made in the US, US officials, including from its National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), would typically participate in any inquiry. Iran had initially ruled out handing over any information to the US authorities - after all, in addition to the current tensions, the two countries have no diplomatic relations. However, Iran's representative at the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization told Reuters on Thursday that Iran had formally invited the NTSB to take part in the investigation, and it has agreed to assign an investigator. Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, has said it is ready to assist in the investigation and will support the NTSB. But it is unclear what kind of investigation can be carried out now that it is known the plane did not crash, but was brought down. The passenger manifest lists 176 people - 15 of them children - giving their names and dates of birth, but not their nationalities. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko initially released details that said there were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians including all nine crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Britons and three Germans on board. However, on 10 January, Canada's Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the number of Canadians on the plane was now believed to be 57. The German government also contradicted the Ukrainian figures. It said it was not aware that any of its citizens had been on board the flight. It later emerged that three Afghans - a mother and her two children - who had been granted asylum in the country were passengers on the downed flight. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that four British nationals were on board. Some of the differences the figures may well be due to dual nationalities. Iran's head of emergency operations said 147 of the victims were Iranian. That would suggest that 65 of the foreign nationals had dual nationalities, which Iran does not recognise.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1065, "answer_start": 396, "text": "On 8 January, at 06:12 local time (02:42 GMT), UIA flight PS752 took off from Imam Khomeini International Airport. The plane was a Boeing 737-800 - one of the international airline industry's most widely used aircraft models. Before it had left the airport's air space, the plane appeared to turn around to return to the runway. Shortly afterwards, it crashed. The aircraft's \"black boxes\", which record flight data and sound within the cockpit, were recovered from the wreckage. But there have also been reports that mechanical diggers were sent to the crash site before international investigators had arrived, prompting speculation that evidence was being destroyed." } ], "id": "549_0", "question": "What happened?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2922, "answer_start": 1066, "text": "The government in Tehran initially said the UIA plane suffered a technical problem shortly after take-off. It cited witnesses including the crew of another passenger plane who said it was on fire prior to impact. Authorities said they lost radar contact when the plane was at an altitude of about 8,000ft (2,400m), minutes after taking off. No radio distress call was made by the pilot, the report said. However, the timing of the accident - just hours after Iran had launched missiles at US targets in Iraq - provoked speculation about other possible causes. Aviation experts were quick to cast doubt on claims in Iranian state media that the crash was likely to have been caused by an engine fire. Commercial aircraft are designed to be able to withstand - in general - a failed engine and to land safely. On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said evidence suggested an Iranian missile brought down the aircraft by accident. \"We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence,\" Mr Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa. \"The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. This may well have been unintentional.\" He was echoing earlier reports in US media which said Pentagon officials were confident that the aircraft was shot down. And evidence was beginning to back up the missile-shooting theory. Video on social media showed a missile streaking across the night sky and exploding near the plane. (The New York Times later published a video that appeared to show two missiles targeting the airliner. It's thought the initial strike disabled the plane's transponder before the second strike around 23 seconds later. ) Three days after the accident, a statement by Iran's military was read on state TV and said the plane was brought down \"unintentionally\"." } ], "id": "549_1", "question": "What caused the crash?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4310, "answer_start": 2923, "text": "There is general Iranian admission of guilt, but conflicting explanations about the exact sequence of events. President Hassan Rouhani described the crash as an \"unforgivable mistake\". Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered the military to investigate \"the possible shortcomings or mistakes\" that led to the crash. The initial Iranian military statement said the plane's downing was due to \"human error\" after the aircraft had flown close to a \"sensitive site\" belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps . The commercial airliner was mistaken for a \"hostile plane\", the statement said. Hours later, the man responsible for the unit that fired the missile, Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Brig-Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh told journalists the aircraft had been shot down by a short-range missile that exploded next to it. The Iranian operator had mistaken the Boeing for a \"cruise missile\". They tried to communicate with it and waited for 10 seconds for a reply before deciding to open fire, the general said. He added that a request had been made for a no-fly zone in the area before the incident but this was rejected. The reasons for this remain unclear. In fact, it appears the Iranian strikes on US bases did not affect operations at Imam Khomenei International Airport on Wednesday morning. Flight PS752 was the ninth to take off after the strikes, according to Flightradar24." } ], "id": "549_2", "question": "Have the Iranians explained everything?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5263, "answer_start": 4311, "text": "Iran's admission of responsibility is an effort at de-escalation, says the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet But an important question remains. Gen Hajizadeh told the media that he had informed the authorities about what had happened on Wednesday - the day of the accident. So why did it take three days for Iran to admit it? The president of Ukraine International Airlines said: \"We didn't doubt for a second that our crew and our plane couldn't be the cause for this horrible crash\". But the company has denied that the plane veered from its expected course before the crash. It says officials should have closed the airport. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Iran to punish those responsible. \"We expect Iran... to bring the guilty to the courts,\" he said. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: \"We will continue working with our partners around the world to ensure a complete and thorough investigation.\"" } ], "id": "549_3", "question": "Is this likely to end the controversy?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6173, "answer_start": 5264, "text": "Under international protocol, the country where the plane crashes usually leads the investigation. As the aircraft was made in the US, US officials, including from its National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), would typically participate in any inquiry. Iran had initially ruled out handing over any information to the US authorities - after all, in addition to the current tensions, the two countries have no diplomatic relations. However, Iran's representative at the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization told Reuters on Thursday that Iran had formally invited the NTSB to take part in the investigation, and it has agreed to assign an investigator. Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, has said it is ready to assist in the investigation and will support the NTSB. But it is unclear what kind of investigation can be carried out now that it is known the plane did not crash, but was brought down." } ], "id": "549_4", "question": "What will the investigation look like?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 7318, "answer_start": 6174, "text": "The passenger manifest lists 176 people - 15 of them children - giving their names and dates of birth, but not their nationalities. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko initially released details that said there were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians including all nine crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Britons and three Germans on board. However, on 10 January, Canada's Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the number of Canadians on the plane was now believed to be 57. The German government also contradicted the Ukrainian figures. It said it was not aware that any of its citizens had been on board the flight. It later emerged that three Afghans - a mother and her two children - who had been granted asylum in the country were passengers on the downed flight. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that four British nationals were on board. Some of the differences the figures may well be due to dual nationalities. Iran's head of emergency operations said 147 of the victims were Iranian. That would suggest that 65 of the foreign nationals had dual nationalities, which Iran does not recognise." } ], "id": "549_5", "question": "Who was on board?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Huawei has filed a lawsuit against the US government over a ban that restricts federal agencies from using its products. It said the US failed to provide evidence to support the ban, and the firm also rejected claims it had links to the Chinese government. The US has restricted the use of Huawei products over national security concerns. It has also been lobbying allies to shun the Chinese telecoms firm. Huawei is one of the world's largest telecommunications equipment and services providers. The lawsuit is part of a wider push by the company in recent months to challenge claims its products pose security risks. \"The US Congress has repeatedly failed to produce any evidence to support its restrictions on Huawei products. We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort,\" Huawei Rotating Chairman Guo Ping said in a statement. \"This ban not only is unlawful, but also restricts Huawei from engaging in fair competition, ultimately harming US consumers.\" Speaking at a press conference in Shenzhen, Mr Ping also accused the US government of misleading the public about Huawei and of hacking its servers. Huawei's cyber security chief John Suffolk said it was \"the most open [and] transparent company in the world\". But the company was later criticised for cutting the live feed of its conference before journalists could begin asking questions. Huawei is challenging the constitutionality of Section 889 of the National Defense Authorisation Act. The complaint has been filed in a US federal court in Texas. Huawei also rejected claims it had any links to the state, saying in a statement the firm was \"not owned, controlled, or influenced\" by the Chinese government. Several governments around the world, including Australia and New Zealand, have blocked telecoms companies from using Huawei gear in next-generation 5G mobile networks, citing security concerns. Analysis: John Sudworth, BBC News, Shenzhen Huawei is beginning its fight back. It is not just the company's reputation that is at stake, but perhaps the future of the global internet too. The US argues that the political realities in China mean all companies are beholden to the will of the Chinese Communist Party which could use Huawei to spy on, or to disrupt, critical next generation mobile networks. Huawei's case is that there is no evidence that it has ever done anything to harm the interests of its consumers. In the end, it may come down to how much latitude the courts decide the US Congress has in defining national security interests. The case, if it proceeds, could pass through a series of appeals and take many months. As China continues to push out into the world, the big question is to what extent the unreformed system of Leninist control back home should be a concern. In addition to restricting the purchase of Huawei products, the US is also pursuing criminal charges against the firm and its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou. Ms Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Canada in December, at the request of the US. She was detained on suspicion of fraud and breaching US sanctions on Iran, and faces extradition to the US. Last week, Ms Meng filed a civil claim against Canada's government, border agency and police for \"serious breaches\" of her civil rights. Mr Ren recently told the BBC that his daughter's arrest was politically-motivated. That possibility was also raised by Ms Meng's lawyer in her scheduled court appearance in Vancouver on Wednesday. US President Donald Trump said in December he could intervene in Ms Meng's case if it helped to avoid a further decline in US relations with China. The lawsuit is part of a broader, more aggressive strategy by the Chinese tech giant to counter what it sees as an American \"smear\" campaign. It has taken out ads in the foreign press and invited foreign journalists to visit its campuses as part of new public relations push. In perhaps its most striking move, it appealed to the American public in a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, telling them not to \"believe everything you hear.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3664, "answer_start": 2785, "text": "In addition to restricting the purchase of Huawei products, the US is also pursuing criminal charges against the firm and its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou. Ms Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Canada in December, at the request of the US. She was detained on suspicion of fraud and breaching US sanctions on Iran, and faces extradition to the US. Last week, Ms Meng filed a civil claim against Canada's government, border agency and police for \"serious breaches\" of her civil rights. Mr Ren recently told the BBC that his daughter's arrest was politically-motivated. That possibility was also raised by Ms Meng's lawyer in her scheduled court appearance in Vancouver on Wednesday. US President Donald Trump said in December he could intervene in Ms Meng's case if it helped to avoid a further decline in US relations with China." } ], "id": "550_0", "question": "What are the other points of contention?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Fifteen EU countries as well as Hong Kong and Switzerland have received eggs contaminated with the insecticide fipronil, the European Commission says. The commission will hold a meeting with ministers and regulators on 26 September. Its food safety chief has called countries to stop \"blaming and shaming\" each other. A row has erupted over how long Belgian and Dutch authorities have known about the contamination. Eggs, coming mainly from the Netherlands, have been found to contain fipronil, a substance used to kill lice and ticks on animals that is banned by the EU for use in the food industry. It is thought it was used to combat lice in some chicken farms, affecting the eggs of laying hens. The insecticide can damage people's kidneys, liver and thyroid glands if eaten in large quantities. However, food standards agencies are playing down the risks for anyone who has already eaten the tainted eggs. Farms were shut down in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France after authorities confirmed that fipronil had been used, European Commission spokesman Daniel Rosario said on Friday. The EU countries that have received the eggs are the UK, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Denmark. Non-EU Switzerland is also affected. Friday's revelation that tainted eggs had also been sent to Hong Kong marks the first time the widening scandal has spread outside Europe. The UK food watchdog also said about 700,000 eggs had been sent to the UK from potentially contaminated Dutch farms, up from an earlier estimate of 21,000. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it was very unlikely that there was a risk to public health. Processed foods containing eggs, including sandwiches and salads, have been recalled by leading supermarkets, including Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose and Asda. Supermarkets in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have also withdrawn millions of eggs from sale. On Friday, France's Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert said about 250,000 affected eggs had been sold in the country since April, adding that all products containing eggs from contaminated farms would be taken off the shelves. In Hong Kong, the government's Centre for Food Safety says it identified two samples of imported Dutch eggs containing excessive levels of fipronil last week and asked shops to remove the products. It has since tested other European egg imports and has not found any more \"unsatisfactory samples\", the South China Morning Post newspaper quoted a spokeswoman as saying. \"Blaming and shaming will bring us nowhere and I want to stop this,\" European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis said on Friday. \"But first things first. Our common job and our priority now is to manage the situation, gather information, focus on the analysis and lessons to be learned in a view to improve our system and prevent criminal activity.\" A commission spokesperson later added that the event scheduled for 26 September was not a crisis meeting. It is unclear whether the meeting will involve all 28 EU member states, or only affected countries. On Thursday, Dutch police arrested two people in joint raids carried out with Belgian authorities. A criminal investigation is under way, centring on two firms. Poultry Vision, a pest control firm from Belgium, is alleged to have sold the treatment to a Dutch poultry farm cleaning company, Chickfriend. More than 100 poultry farms have been closed during the investigation, and 26 suspects identified and evidence seized from their companies. The Netherlands is Europe's biggest egg producer - and one of the largest exporters of eggs and egg products in the world. The problem first surfaced earlier in August, when supermarket chain Aldi withdrew all its eggs from sale in Germany. It has since emerged that Belgian officials knew about the contamination in June, but did not make the information public. Meanwhile, Belgian Agriculture Minister Denis Ducarme has accused the Dutch authorities of knowing about the problem as far back as November 2016. The food watchdog in the Netherlands has denied this. By James Gallagher, health and science reporter, BBC News Fipronil should not be allowed anywhere near food. But the risk from eggs is thought to be low, because the number of contaminated eggs is also low. While 700,000 eggs sounds like a lot, it is worth remembering we eat 34 million every single day in the UK. It is why the Food Standards Agency says it is \"very unlikely\" there is any health risk. Many of the affected eggs will have already passed through the food chain before anyone was aware of the scandal. And the FSA has now pulled egg sandwiches and egg salads off the shelves that were made while contaminated eggs were still being imported. It insisted there was \"no need\" for people to stop eating eggs. Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1424, "answer_start": 911, "text": "Farms were shut down in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France after authorities confirmed that fipronil had been used, European Commission spokesman Daniel Rosario said on Friday. The EU countries that have received the eggs are the UK, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Denmark. Non-EU Switzerland is also affected. Friday's revelation that tainted eggs had also been sent to Hong Kong marks the first time the widening scandal has spread outside Europe." } ], "id": "551_0", "question": "Which countries are affected?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2541, "answer_start": 1425, "text": "The UK food watchdog also said about 700,000 eggs had been sent to the UK from potentially contaminated Dutch farms, up from an earlier estimate of 21,000. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it was very unlikely that there was a risk to public health. Processed foods containing eggs, including sandwiches and salads, have been recalled by leading supermarkets, including Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose and Asda. Supermarkets in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have also withdrawn millions of eggs from sale. On Friday, France's Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert said about 250,000 affected eggs had been sold in the country since April, adding that all products containing eggs from contaminated farms would be taken off the shelves. In Hong Kong, the government's Centre for Food Safety says it identified two samples of imported Dutch eggs containing excessive levels of fipronil last week and asked shops to remove the products. It has since tested other European egg imports and has not found any more \"unsatisfactory samples\", the South China Morning Post newspaper quoted a spokeswoman as saying." } ], "id": "551_1", "question": "What is being done about it?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3123, "answer_start": 2542, "text": "\"Blaming and shaming will bring us nowhere and I want to stop this,\" European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis said on Friday. \"But first things first. Our common job and our priority now is to manage the situation, gather information, focus on the analysis and lessons to be learned in a view to improve our system and prevent criminal activity.\" A commission spokesperson later added that the event scheduled for 26 September was not a crisis meeting. It is unclear whether the meeting will involve all 28 EU member states, or only affected countries." } ], "id": "551_2", "question": "What will the EU meeting do?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3567, "answer_start": 3124, "text": "On Thursday, Dutch police arrested two people in joint raids carried out with Belgian authorities. A criminal investigation is under way, centring on two firms. Poultry Vision, a pest control firm from Belgium, is alleged to have sold the treatment to a Dutch poultry farm cleaning company, Chickfriend. More than 100 poultry farms have been closed during the investigation, and 26 suspects identified and evidence seized from their companies." } ], "id": "551_3", "question": "What's happening with the criminal investigation?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4132, "answer_start": 3568, "text": "The Netherlands is Europe's biggest egg producer - and one of the largest exporters of eggs and egg products in the world. The problem first surfaced earlier in August, when supermarket chain Aldi withdrew all its eggs from sale in Germany. It has since emerged that Belgian officials knew about the contamination in June, but did not make the information public. Meanwhile, Belgian Agriculture Minister Denis Ducarme has accused the Dutch authorities of knowing about the problem as far back as November 2016. The food watchdog in the Netherlands has denied this." } ], "id": "551_4", "question": "Why have countries been arguing?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Women in Iran will be able to attend football matches, starting with a World Cup qualifier next month, according to football's world governing body, Fifa. Fifa president Gianni Infantino said he discussed the issue with the Iranian authorities after the death of a female fan earlier this month. Mr Infantino said they assured him that women would be allowed into matches. Women have effectively been banned from stadiums where men are playing since just after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Earlier this month, football fan Sahar Khodayari died after being arrested for trying to go to a match disguised as a man. Ms Khodayari, also known as the \"blue girl\" after the colours of her favourite team Esteqlal, feared she would be jailed. She set herself on fire outside the court and died a week later in hospital. Her death caused widespread grief and outrage, both within and outside Iran. Football players and fans around the world have also been paying tribute to Ms Khodayari. Footballers from some European women's teams have been wearing blue armbands during matches, in her memory. Fifa itself has faced growing criticism, with people calling for the body to suspend or ban Iran's football federation. Fifa officials have spent a week in Iran discussing the 10 October match against Cambodia, Iran's first home game of the 2022 qualifying competition. \"We need to have women attending,\" Mr Infantino told a Fifa conference on women's football. \"We have been assured that as of the next international game of Iran... women will be allowed to enter football stadiums. This is something very important - in 40 years this has not happened, with a couple of exceptions.\" Although Iranian women have been banned from watching men's teams play, foreign women have been allowed limited access to stadiums in order to watch these matches. While the sporting ban is not written into law, it is \"ruthlessly enforced\", Human Rights Watch says. The ban was temporarily lifted last year to allow women to watch the World Cup being streamed at a stadium in Tehran. Last November, there were hopes of more long-term change when a group of women were allowed to enter the second leg of the Asian Champions League final in Tehran. Mr Infantino was also at that match. However, women have been denied access to matches since.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2311, "answer_start": 1207, "text": "Fifa officials have spent a week in Iran discussing the 10 October match against Cambodia, Iran's first home game of the 2022 qualifying competition. \"We need to have women attending,\" Mr Infantino told a Fifa conference on women's football. \"We have been assured that as of the next international game of Iran... women will be allowed to enter football stadiums. This is something very important - in 40 years this has not happened, with a couple of exceptions.\" Although Iranian women have been banned from watching men's teams play, foreign women have been allowed limited access to stadiums in order to watch these matches. While the sporting ban is not written into law, it is \"ruthlessly enforced\", Human Rights Watch says. The ban was temporarily lifted last year to allow women to watch the World Cup being streamed at a stadium in Tehran. Last November, there were hopes of more long-term change when a group of women were allowed to enter the second leg of the Asian Champions League final in Tehran. Mr Infantino was also at that match. However, women have been denied access to matches since." } ], "id": "552_0", "question": "What did Fifa say?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Nasa says one of its satellites has found the debris of India's Moon rover which crashed on the lunar surface in September. The space agency released a picture showing the site of the rover's impact and the \"associated debris field\". Nasa has credited an Indian engineer, Shanmuga Subramanian, with helping locate the site of the debris. Mr Subramanian examined a Nasa picture and located the first debris about 750m north-west of the crash site. Chandrayaan-2 was due to touch down at the lunar South Pole on 7 September, over a month after it first took off. It approached the Moon as normal until an error occurred about 2.1km (1.3 miles) from the surface, moments before it was to touch down. The rover lost contact and had a \"hard landing\" about 600km (370 miles) from the South Pole in a \"relatively ancient terrain\". Announcing the discovery of the Vikram lander, Nasa tweeted a mosaic image of the site. In late September, pictures from a Nasa spacecraft had showed the targeted landing site of the Vikram rover. Many people had downloaded the image released by Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) team, a statement by the space agency said. It said after receiving Mr Subramanian's tip about the location of the debris, the LROC team \"confirmed the identification by comparing before and after images\". Mr Subramanian has tweeted an email sent to him by the space agency congratulating him for his effort. \"We had the images from Nasa [of] the lander's last location. We knew approximately where it crashed. So I searched pixel-by-pixel around that impact area,\" the 33-year-old Chennai-based engineer told BBC Tamil. Mr Subramanian said he had always \"been interested in space\" and had watched the July launch of the rocket. Chandrayaan-2 (Moon vehicle 2) was the most complex mission ever attempted by India's space agency, Isro. \"It is the beginning of a historical journey,\" Isro chief K Sivan said after launch in July. The lander (named Vikram, after the founder of Isro) carried within its belly a 27kg (59lbs) Moon rover with instruments to analyse the lunar soil. The rover (called Pragyan - wisdom in Sanskrit) had the capacity to travel 500m from the lander in its 14-day life span, and would have sent data and images back to Earth for analysis. The mission would have focussed on the lunar surface, searching for water and minerals and measuring moonquakes, among other things. A soft landing on another planetary body - a feat achieved by just three other countries so far - would have been a huge technological achievement for Isro and India's space ambitions, says science writer Pallava Bagla. He adds that it would also have paved the way for future Indian missions to land on Mars, and opened up the possibility of India sending astronauts into space. For the first time in India's space history, the interplanetary expedition was led by two women - project director Muthaya Vanitha and mission director Ritu Karidhal. It was also a matter of national pride - the satellite's lift-off in July was broadcast live on TV and Isro's official social media accounts. The mission also made global headlines because it was so cheap - the budget for Avengers: Endgame, for instance, was more than double at an estimated $356m. But this wasn't the first time Isro has been hailed for its thrift. Its 2014 Mars mission cost $74m, a tenth of the budget for the American Maven orbiter.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2413, "answer_start": 1749, "text": "Chandrayaan-2 (Moon vehicle 2) was the most complex mission ever attempted by India's space agency, Isro. \"It is the beginning of a historical journey,\" Isro chief K Sivan said after launch in July. The lander (named Vikram, after the founder of Isro) carried within its belly a 27kg (59lbs) Moon rover with instruments to analyse the lunar soil. The rover (called Pragyan - wisdom in Sanskrit) had the capacity to travel 500m from the lander in its 14-day life span, and would have sent data and images back to Earth for analysis. The mission would have focussed on the lunar surface, searching for water and minerals and measuring moonquakes, among other things." } ], "id": "553_0", "question": "What was this mission all about?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3414, "answer_start": 2414, "text": "A soft landing on another planetary body - a feat achieved by just three other countries so far - would have been a huge technological achievement for Isro and India's space ambitions, says science writer Pallava Bagla. He adds that it would also have paved the way for future Indian missions to land on Mars, and opened up the possibility of India sending astronauts into space. For the first time in India's space history, the interplanetary expedition was led by two women - project director Muthaya Vanitha and mission director Ritu Karidhal. It was also a matter of national pride - the satellite's lift-off in July was broadcast live on TV and Isro's official social media accounts. The mission also made global headlines because it was so cheap - the budget for Avengers: Endgame, for instance, was more than double at an estimated $356m. But this wasn't the first time Isro has been hailed for its thrift. Its 2014 Mars mission cost $74m, a tenth of the budget for the American Maven orbiter." } ], "id": "553_1", "question": "Why would it have been significant?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Uber says it will ban a secret software tool from being used to evade undercover regulators. The software, called Greyball, seeks to identify officials around the world trying to catch Uber drivers operating illegally. It then denies them service. The ride-hailing firm has been using the tool to secure early access to cities where its operations had not yet been authorized. But having defended the system just a few days ago, it has now done a U-turn. \"We are expressly prohibiting its use to target action by local regulators going forward,\" said Uber's chief security officer Joe Sullivan. He said the same technology had also been used for many other purposes, including for marketing promotions and deterring Uber riders using the app in violation of the company's term of service. These are understood to include stopping users aiming to physically harm drivers and targeting competitors looking to disrupt operations. These uses will not be affected by the ban. Mr Sullivan said that because of the way the system was configured, it would take some time to ensure the prohibition was fully enforced. Greyball identified regulators posing as ordinary passengers, by collecting data on the location used when ordering a taxi and determining whether this coincided with government offices. A report by The New York Times found that it also checked credit card information to establish whether the user was linked to an institution or law enforcement authority. Uber, the report added, even visited phone shops to trace smartphones bought by city officials setting up multiple accounts in an effort to catch the company's drivers. Once individuals suspected of attempting to entrap drivers were identified, they would be served a \"fake\" version of the Uber app, with fictitious cabs on view. If there were they were successful in ordering a real one, they would have their booking cancelled. Uber has been hit by a series of controversies recently. A video of its chief Travis Kalanick swearing at a driver appeared on social media, and there had also been allegations the company had routinely ignored cases of sexual harassment.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2135, "answer_start": 1109, "text": "Greyball identified regulators posing as ordinary passengers, by collecting data on the location used when ordering a taxi and determining whether this coincided with government offices. A report by The New York Times found that it also checked credit card information to establish whether the user was linked to an institution or law enforcement authority. Uber, the report added, even visited phone shops to trace smartphones bought by city officials setting up multiple accounts in an effort to catch the company's drivers. Once individuals suspected of attempting to entrap drivers were identified, they would be served a \"fake\" version of the Uber app, with fictitious cabs on view. If there were they were successful in ordering a real one, they would have their booking cancelled. Uber has been hit by a series of controversies recently. A video of its chief Travis Kalanick swearing at a driver appeared on social media, and there had also been allegations the company had routinely ignored cases of sexual harassment." } ], "id": "554_0", "question": "What is Greyball?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Sri Lanka's army defeated separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 after 26 years of civil war. Allegations of atrocities during the closing stages of that war have dogged the government ever since it ended. The rebels were also accused of abuses. The government has strenuously denied such allegations and insist they are on the path of reconciliation and rebuilding Sri Lanka's north. After independence from British rule, increasingly assertive Sinhala nationalists, resentful of what they saw as British favouritism towards minority Tamils, began to fan the flames of ethnic division. A Tamil separatist movement gained momentum during the 1970s when a number of armed Tamil groups emerged in the north and parts of eastern Sri Lanka. But in 1983 the insurgency was transformed after a brutal anti-Tamil backlash following the killing by insurgents of 13 soldiers spread throughout the country. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) emerged under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran as a ruthless and highly effective fighting force. It came to run what was in effect a shadow state in the north and east. The group used suicide bombings and other attacks to devastating effect in the capital Colombo and elsewhere in the 1990s. It also killed high-profile figures, including Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa. After various peace initiatives and ceasefires failed, the government launched a final offensive in 2009 and defeated the Tigers. Until the final months of the war, the death toll for more than 25 years of conflict was estimated to be about 70,000. But the final phase, when the government and rebels battled it out as thousands of civilians were hemmed in to a tiny strip of land on the north-eastern coast, has been the subject of most scrutiny. Estimates range from 20,000-75,000 killed in the final assault, but a government estimate put the figure at about 9,000. A 2011 UN report said hospitals, UN centres and ships belonging to the Red Cross were deliberately targeted by the army. The government was accused of using heavy weaponry and UN images obtained by the BBC appeared to show shelling damage in a government-designated \"safe zone\" for civilians. The report also accused the Tamil Tigers of using civilians as human shields, saying the rebels shot those who tried to escape. It also said that the rebels positioned heavy weapons in hospital grounds. Sri Lanka rejected the claims in the report as biased and fraudulent. Critics say there has been little serious attempt to do this so far. The government appointed a Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, which cleared the military of allegations that it had deliberately attacked civilians. Rights groups dismissed the inquiry as \"flawed\". In September 2013 the government held elections for a semi-autonomous council in the island's Tamil-majority north, a move which it said was a significant step in the reconciliation process. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won 30 seats in the 38-member council and now forms the first functioning provincial government in the north. The TNA's 80-year-old leader, Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, said the victory was a chance for everybody to \"think afresh about the future\". The overwhelming majority of analysts agree that in the short term at least the answer is a resounding \"no\". After so many years of war, many Sri Lankan Tamils are war-weary and struggling to earn a living. But many also warn that the government runs the risk of alienating the minority if it does not act on political reconciliation.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1504, "answer_start": 388, "text": "After independence from British rule, increasingly assertive Sinhala nationalists, resentful of what they saw as British favouritism towards minority Tamils, began to fan the flames of ethnic division. A Tamil separatist movement gained momentum during the 1970s when a number of armed Tamil groups emerged in the north and parts of eastern Sri Lanka. But in 1983 the insurgency was transformed after a brutal anti-Tamil backlash following the killing by insurgents of 13 soldiers spread throughout the country. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) emerged under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran as a ruthless and highly effective fighting force. It came to run what was in effect a shadow state in the north and east. The group used suicide bombings and other attacks to devastating effect in the capital Colombo and elsewhere in the 1990s. It also killed high-profile figures, including Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa. After various peace initiatives and ceasefires failed, the government launched a final offensive in 2009 and defeated the Tigers." } ], "id": "555_0", "question": "What happened in the war?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1943, "answer_start": 1505, "text": "Until the final months of the war, the death toll for more than 25 years of conflict was estimated to be about 70,000. But the final phase, when the government and rebels battled it out as thousands of civilians were hemmed in to a tiny strip of land on the north-eastern coast, has been the subject of most scrutiny. Estimates range from 20,000-75,000 killed in the final assault, but a government estimate put the figure at about 9,000." } ], "id": "555_1", "question": "How many people were killed?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2509, "answer_start": 1944, "text": "A 2011 UN report said hospitals, UN centres and ships belonging to the Red Cross were deliberately targeted by the army. The government was accused of using heavy weaponry and UN images obtained by the BBC appeared to show shelling damage in a government-designated \"safe zone\" for civilians. The report also accused the Tamil Tigers of using civilians as human shields, saying the rebels shot those who tried to escape. It also said that the rebels positioned heavy weapons in hospital grounds. Sri Lanka rejected the claims in the report as biased and fraudulent." } ], "id": "555_2", "question": "What were the main allegations against the government and rebels?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3594, "answer_start": 3260, "text": "The overwhelming majority of analysts agree that in the short term at least the answer is a resounding \"no\". After so many years of war, many Sri Lankan Tamils are war-weary and struggling to earn a living. But many also warn that the government runs the risk of alienating the minority if it does not act on political reconciliation." } ], "id": "555_3", "question": "Is there any chance of a return to Tamil militancy?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "South Korea's top court has set aside part of jailed former President Park Geun-hye's conviction and ordered a retrial. The court said separate verdicts should have been reached on the bribery allegations against her and sent the case back to a lower court. Park was convicted in 2018 of bribery and abuse of power and given 25 years. The Supreme Court also ordered a retrial for Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong on bribery charges in the same scandal. It said three horses worth $2.8m (PS2.3m) given by Samsung to then-president Park's friend's daughter should also have been considered as bribes. Lee was jailed for five years in 2017 but freed the following year after an appeals court suspended the sentence. South Korean media said she could ultimately face an even longer jail sentence if she is convicted again in two separate verdicts, AFP reported. In April 2018 she was convicted of receiving or asking for more than $20m (PS16m) from conglomerates. Park, the daughter of former military ruler Park Chung-hee and the country's first female president, boycotted court hearings, maintained her innocence and said the trials were politically motivated. Her trial brought to light the longstanding close ties between South Korea's political elite and the chaebols, or family-run conglomerates, which dominate its economy. The Supreme Court said the Seoul High Court's interpretation of what constituted a bribe had been too narrow and the three horses should also have been taken into consideration. They were donated for Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil's daughter to use in equestrian training. Samsung also paid Choi millions of dollars, allegedly for government favours. Choi was jailed for 20 years for corruption, influence-peddling and abuse of power. In 2018 the Seoul High Court cut Lee's sentence by half and suspended it for four years. Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su said that decision \"misunderstood the law on bribery... which is at fault for influencing the ruling\". Lee, the de facto head of the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, denies wrongdoing. In a statement, Samsung said that it \"deeply regrets that this case has created concerns across the society\". \"We will renew our commitment to carrying out the role of a responsible corporate citizen and will avoid a recurrence of past mistakes,\" it said.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1320, "answer_start": 706, "text": "South Korean media said she could ultimately face an even longer jail sentence if she is convicted again in two separate verdicts, AFP reported. In April 2018 she was convicted of receiving or asking for more than $20m (PS16m) from conglomerates. Park, the daughter of former military ruler Park Chung-hee and the country's first female president, boycotted court hearings, maintained her innocence and said the trials were politically motivated. Her trial brought to light the longstanding close ties between South Korea's political elite and the chaebols, or family-run conglomerates, which dominate its economy." } ], "id": "556_0", "question": "What does the ruling mean for Park?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2345, "answer_start": 1321, "text": "The Supreme Court said the Seoul High Court's interpretation of what constituted a bribe had been too narrow and the three horses should also have been taken into consideration. They were donated for Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil's daughter to use in equestrian training. Samsung also paid Choi millions of dollars, allegedly for government favours. Choi was jailed for 20 years for corruption, influence-peddling and abuse of power. In 2018 the Seoul High Court cut Lee's sentence by half and suspended it for four years. Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su said that decision \"misunderstood the law on bribery... which is at fault for influencing the ruling\". Lee, the de facto head of the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, denies wrongdoing. In a statement, Samsung said that it \"deeply regrets that this case has created concerns across the society\". \"We will renew our commitment to carrying out the role of a responsible corporate citizen and will avoid a recurrence of past mistakes,\" it said." } ], "id": "556_1", "question": "How does the ruling affect Samsung's Lee?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The truth is out there. All you need to do is Google it. And that's what plenty of you have done in the past week, if the most-searched questions on Google are any indication. We decided to answer some of those questions posed by UK users - and they tell us plenty about what happened in the news this week. Why did this come up? The US rapper, whose real name is Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested on Sunday and now American immigration officials could deport him. What's the answer? We now know he is definitely from the UK - the big question is whether he should be allowed to stay in the US. US officials say he came to America from the UK in July 2005 aged 12 and failed to leave when his visa expired a year later. Reuters news agency obtained a birth certificate showing he was born in Newham, east London. The rapper's lawyer says he arrived in the US from the UK in 1999 and that his immigration status expired through no fault of his own. Why did this come up? In an interview with The Independent published this week, actor Liam Neeson said he once set out to kill an innocent black man after someone close to him was raped. \"I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody,\" said Neeson, who has gone on to face significant criticism and faced calls to apologise. What's the answer? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a cosh is \"a stout stick, bludgeon or truncheon; a length of metal used as a life-preserver\". Why did this come up? The Super Bowl, the biggest event in the American football calendar, took place on Sunday (or Monday, in many parts of the world). What's the answer? The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a tight, defensive game (the lowest-scoring Super Bowl yet, in fact). In doing so, the team based just outside Boston equalled the Pittsburgh Steelers' record of six Super Bowl wins, and their star player Tom Brady won his record sixth title. You can read more about the game here. Why did this come up? This week, the British record store chain was rescued from collapse for the second time in under 10 years, although 27 shops (including affiliates) will close. What's the answer? Here goes.... Ayr; Bath; Bluewater; Bristol, Cribbs; Chichester; Exeter, Princesshay; Fopp, Bristol; Fopp, Glasgow Byres; Fopp, Manchester; Fopp, Oxford; Glasgow, Braehead; Guernsey; Hereford; Manchester, Trafford; Merry Hill; London Oxford Street; Peterborough, Queensgate; Plymouth, Drake Circus; Reading; Sheffield, Meadowhall; Southport; Thurrock; Tunbridge Wells; Uxbridge; Watford; Westfield; Wimbledon. Why did this come up? Most likely it is prompted by the news that the pink flamingo is on the list of emojis officially released for 2019. What's the answer? The Bahamas. Its national bird is the American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), which is common across the island nation and Cuba in particular. Some American Flamingo facts: they're surprisingly good swimmers, and mating females lay only one egg a year. Why did this come up? The clue here is in the word \"do\" instead of \"does\" - it refers to the Irish rugby team, who lost at home to England in their first match of the 2019 Six Nations tournament. Two anthems were played before the match. What's the answer? Before all the Irish rugby team's matches, the song Ireland's Call is played. At home games in Dublin, Amhran na bhFiann (A Soldier's Song) - the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland - is also sung. Ireland's Call was commissioned by the Irish Rugby Football Union for the 1995 World Cup because many of the IRFU's members are from Northern Ireland and regarded the use of A Soldier's Song as inappropriate, as it is the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland. Hockey Ireland and the Irish Cricket Union have also adopted Ireland's Call - both are also all-Ireland teams. Why did this come up? This week saw the start of the lunar new year, also known as Chinese New Year. It's the Year of the Pig! What's the answer? It's the biggest annual celebration for a sixth of the world's population, and a time for families to come together. Wherever there is a Chinese community around the world, it is marked. Why did this come up? This is all about the wildly popular online game Fortnite. In the latest round of challenges in the game, users are told to visit \"a truckers' oasis\". What's the answer? If you're playing Fortnite, you've probably already figured this out, but the Truck 'N' Oasis is in the bottom right-hand corner of the map. And if you're not playing Fortnite, and have no idea what we're talking about, then this is a good place to start.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 953, "answer_start": 308, "text": "Why did this come up? The US rapper, whose real name is Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested on Sunday and now American immigration officials could deport him. What's the answer? We now know he is definitely from the UK - the big question is whether he should be allowed to stay in the US. US officials say he came to America from the UK in July 2005 aged 12 and failed to leave when his visa expired a year later. Reuters news agency obtained a birth certificate showing he was born in Newham, east London. The rapper's lawyer says he arrived in the US from the UK in 1999 and that his immigration status expired through no fault of his own." } ], "id": "557_0", "question": "Where is 21 Savage from?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1464, "answer_start": 954, "text": "Why did this come up? In an interview with The Independent published this week, actor Liam Neeson said he once set out to kill an innocent black man after someone close to him was raped. \"I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody,\" said Neeson, who has gone on to face significant criticism and faced calls to apologise. What's the answer? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a cosh is \"a stout stick, bludgeon or truncheon; a length of metal used as a life-preserver\"." } ], "id": "557_1", "question": "What is a cosh?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1977, "answer_start": 1465, "text": "Why did this come up? The Super Bowl, the biggest event in the American football calendar, took place on Sunday (or Monday, in many parts of the world). What's the answer? The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a tight, defensive game (the lowest-scoring Super Bowl yet, in fact). In doing so, the team based just outside Boston equalled the Pittsburgh Steelers' record of six Super Bowl wins, and their star player Tom Brady won his record sixth title. You can read more about the game here." } ], "id": "557_2", "question": "Who won Super Bowl 2019?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2588, "answer_start": 1978, "text": "Why did this come up? This week, the British record store chain was rescued from collapse for the second time in under 10 years, although 27 shops (including affiliates) will close. What's the answer? Here goes.... Ayr; Bath; Bluewater; Bristol, Cribbs; Chichester; Exeter, Princesshay; Fopp, Bristol; Fopp, Glasgow Byres; Fopp, Manchester; Fopp, Oxford; Glasgow, Braehead; Guernsey; Hereford; Manchester, Trafford; Merry Hill; London Oxford Street; Peterborough, Queensgate; Plymouth, Drake Circus; Reading; Sheffield, Meadowhall; Southport; Thurrock; Tunbridge Wells; Uxbridge; Watford; Westfield; Wimbledon." } ], "id": "557_3", "question": "Which HMV stores are closing?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3001, "answer_start": 2589, "text": "Why did this come up? Most likely it is prompted by the news that the pink flamingo is on the list of emojis officially released for 2019. What's the answer? The Bahamas. Its national bird is the American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), which is common across the island nation and Cuba in particular. Some American Flamingo facts: they're surprisingly good swimmers, and mating females lay only one egg a year." } ], "id": "557_4", "question": "The flamingo is the national bird of which country?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3840, "answer_start": 3002, "text": "Why did this come up? The clue here is in the word \"do\" instead of \"does\" - it refers to the Irish rugby team, who lost at home to England in their first match of the 2019 Six Nations tournament. Two anthems were played before the match. What's the answer? Before all the Irish rugby team's matches, the song Ireland's Call is played. At home games in Dublin, Amhran na bhFiann (A Soldier's Song) - the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland - is also sung. Ireland's Call was commissioned by the Irish Rugby Football Union for the 1995 World Cup because many of the IRFU's members are from Northern Ireland and regarded the use of A Soldier's Song as inappropriate, as it is the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland. Hockey Ireland and the Irish Cricket Union have also adopted Ireland's Call - both are also all-Ireland teams." } ], "id": "557_5", "question": "Why do Ireland have two anthems?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4173, "answer_start": 3841, "text": "Why did this come up? This week saw the start of the lunar new year, also known as Chinese New Year. It's the Year of the Pig! What's the answer? It's the biggest annual celebration for a sixth of the world's population, and a time for families to come together. Wherever there is a Chinese community around the world, it is marked." } ], "id": "557_6", "question": "Why is Chinese New Year important?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4621, "answer_start": 4174, "text": "Why did this come up? This is all about the wildly popular online game Fortnite. In the latest round of challenges in the game, users are told to visit \"a truckers' oasis\". What's the answer? If you're playing Fortnite, you've probably already figured this out, but the Truck 'N' Oasis is in the bottom right-hand corner of the map. And if you're not playing Fortnite, and have no idea what we're talking about, then this is a good place to start." } ], "id": "557_7", "question": "Where is the Truckers' Oasis?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A knifeman has killed one person and wounded four in a suspected terror attack in central Paris, French officials say. The attacker was then shot dead by police in the Opera district. Witnesses say they heard him shout \"Allah Akbar\". So-called Islamic State (IS) later said one of its \"soldiers\" had carried out the attack on Saturday evening. Judicial sources told French media the attacker was a man born in 1997 in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya. The sources said his parents had been held for questioning. Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the victim of the attack was a 29-year-old man, but gave no further details. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted (in French): \"France has once again paid in blood, but will not give an inch to the enemies of freedom.\" The attacker began stabbing passers-by at about 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on the rue Monsigny. Eyewitnesses described him as a young man with brown hair and a beard, dressed in black tracksuit trousers. The man tried to enter several bars and restaurants but was blocked by people inside. Police arrived at the scene within minutes. They first tried to stop the assailant with a stun-gun before shooting him dead. An eyewitness, named as Gloria, told AFP news agency: \"We didn't know what was going on, we were quickly moved inside the bar, I went outside and I saw a man lying on the floor.\" Jonathan, a waiter at a local restaurant, told AFP: \"I saw him with a knife in his hand. He looked crazy.\" He said a woman the attacker had stabbed ran into into the restaurant bleeding. The assailant tried to follow her inside, but was fended off and finally fled. Two of the wounded in the attack are in a serious condition but do not have life-threatening injuries. Later in the evening the IS group said it was behind the attack, in a brief statement posted on its news outlet. The anti-terrorism unit of the Paris prosecutor's office has launched an investigation. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said police were on the scene five minutes after an emergency call and the attacker was killed \"less than nine minutes later\". Mr Collomb praised police for their \"cool response\". He said his first thoughts were \"with the victims of this heinous act\". Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted (in French): \"Tonight, our city was bruised.\" \"I want to tell them that all Parisians are on their side,\" she added. France has been on high alert following a series of attacks. More than 230 people have been killed by IS-inspired jihadists in the past three years. The deadliest violence occurred on 13 November 2015, when gunmen and suicide bombers struck various venues in Paris almost simultaneously - killing a total 130 people. After winning last year's elections, President Macron pledged that fighting Islamist terrorism would be his top foreign policy priority. Defeating IS in Iraq and Syria must go hand-in-hand with anti-terror measures in Africa, he said.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1859, "answer_start": 782, "text": "The attacker began stabbing passers-by at about 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on the rue Monsigny. Eyewitnesses described him as a young man with brown hair and a beard, dressed in black tracksuit trousers. The man tried to enter several bars and restaurants but was blocked by people inside. Police arrived at the scene within minutes. They first tried to stop the assailant with a stun-gun before shooting him dead. An eyewitness, named as Gloria, told AFP news agency: \"We didn't know what was going on, we were quickly moved inside the bar, I went outside and I saw a man lying on the floor.\" Jonathan, a waiter at a local restaurant, told AFP: \"I saw him with a knife in his hand. He looked crazy.\" He said a woman the attacker had stabbed ran into into the restaurant bleeding. The assailant tried to follow her inside, but was fended off and finally fled. Two of the wounded in the attack are in a serious condition but do not have life-threatening injuries. Later in the evening the IS group said it was behind the attack, in a brief statement posted on its news outlet." } ], "id": "558_0", "question": "How did the events unfold?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2381, "answer_start": 1860, "text": "The anti-terrorism unit of the Paris prosecutor's office has launched an investigation. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said police were on the scene five minutes after an emergency call and the attacker was killed \"less than nine minutes later\". Mr Collomb praised police for their \"cool response\". He said his first thoughts were \"with the victims of this heinous act\". Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted (in French): \"Tonight, our city was bruised.\" \"I want to tell them that all Parisians are on their side,\" she added." } ], "id": "558_1", "question": "How did French authorities react?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2933, "answer_start": 2382, "text": "France has been on high alert following a series of attacks. More than 230 people have been killed by IS-inspired jihadists in the past three years. The deadliest violence occurred on 13 November 2015, when gunmen and suicide bombers struck various venues in Paris almost simultaneously - killing a total 130 people. After winning last year's elections, President Macron pledged that fighting Islamist terrorism would be his top foreign policy priority. Defeating IS in Iraq and Syria must go hand-in-hand with anti-terror measures in Africa, he said." } ], "id": "558_2", "question": "How has France been countering security threats?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz has angered Democrats by considering an independent campaign for president in 2020. They are condemning the billionaire's idea as a \"vanity project\" that would only help President Donald Trump. Political strategists say such a third-party candidacy would divide the left, taking votes from the president's yet-to-be nominated Democratic challenger. Mr Schultz said he would run as a centrist. Neera Tanden, president of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress and confidante of 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, tweeted: \"Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting. \"If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because I'm not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win.\" During an appearance in New York City on Monday to promote his new book, From The Ground Up, a heckler shouted at him: \"Don't help elect Trump, you egotistical billionaire\", adding an expletive. \"Go back to Davos with the other billionaire elite who think they know how to run the world,\" the man said. Michael Bloomberg, another billionaire who previously considered an independent bid, released a statement criticising Mr Schultz's decision without specifically naming him. He said: \"The great likelihood is that an independent run would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the President. \"That's a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can't afford to run it now.\" Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to Barack Obama, tweeted: \"This half-baked idea... will pose an existential threat to a Democrat in what will likely be 2020 race decided by a few votes in a handful of states.\" Jennifer Palmieri, a former campaign adviser to Mrs Clinton, tweeted: \"Pfeiffer speaks the truth.\" Larry Sabato, who directs the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, tweeted that Mr Schultz's slogan \"might as well be, 'Re-elect Trump'\". The Republican president himself appeared to goad Mr Schultz into launching a bid, saying the businessman \"doesn't have the 'guts' to run\". Washington Democratic chairwoman Tina Podlodowski tweeted: \"A billionaire buying his way out of the entire primary process does not strengthen democracy.\" Democrats in the Pacific state posted a photograph, without comment, of a Starbucks cup with: \"Don't do it Howard\" written on. Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News Democrats are gnashing their teeth. Donald Trump is essentially daring him to run. That should tell you all you need to know about the perceived political implications of an independent presidential bid by Starbucks ex-CEO Howard Schultz. Of course, things don't always work out the way they first seem. Republicans panicked in 2000 over Pat Buchanan's conservative third-party bid damaging George W Bush, but it had no significant impact. Both Democrats and Republicans still believe Ross Perot's independent run in 1992 hurt their candidate. A self-proclaimed \"centrist\" running on a deficit-reduction platform might end up syphoning as many Republican moderates away from Trump as liberals or independents away from the Democratic nominee. Or, given today's polarised political climate, not syphoning much of anything away from anyone. The reality, however, is that Democrats feel pretty good about their position right now. Mr Trump has had a rough couple of weeks, and his poll numbers are down. They view anything that could shake up the current dynamic - even if it is more than a year and a half from election day - as an unwelcome development. In a weekend interview with Axios the former global coffee chain boss said he was aware his bid was \"going to create hate, anger, disenfranchisement from friends, from Democrats\". But he maintained he would be doing the right thing by running as a \"centrist independent\". In an interview with the New York Times, Mr Schultz said it would be \"disingenuous\" to run as a Democrat. He cited his disagreements with the party over free college tuition, universal healthcare, and other positions that he said have \"shifted so far to the left\". Many Democrats still blame Ralph Nader's 2000 independent presidential bid for helping Republican George W Bush beat Democrat Al Gore. In 2016, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson won hundreds of thousands of votes in states that were won by Mr Trump. A former espresso machine salesman, he grew up in public housing in Brooklyn, New York. He started working for the original Seattle Starbucks chain back in 1982 when it only had 11 outlets selling coffee beans. He acquired the company in 1987 and by the time he stepped down in 2018, it had grown to 28,000 cafes in 77 countries around the world. The 65-year-old frequently used his position to speak out on social issues like immigration and gun control. He now has an estimated fortune of about $3bn (PS2.3bn) and is a regular donor to Democratic campaigns, including that of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2376, "answer_start": 441, "text": "Neera Tanden, president of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress and confidante of 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, tweeted: \"Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting. \"If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because I'm not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win.\" During an appearance in New York City on Monday to promote his new book, From The Ground Up, a heckler shouted at him: \"Don't help elect Trump, you egotistical billionaire\", adding an expletive. \"Go back to Davos with the other billionaire elite who think they know how to run the world,\" the man said. Michael Bloomberg, another billionaire who previously considered an independent bid, released a statement criticising Mr Schultz's decision without specifically naming him. He said: \"The great likelihood is that an independent run would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the President. \"That's a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can't afford to run it now.\" Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to Barack Obama, tweeted: \"This half-baked idea... will pose an existential threat to a Democrat in what will likely be 2020 race decided by a few votes in a handful of states.\" Jennifer Palmieri, a former campaign adviser to Mrs Clinton, tweeted: \"Pfeiffer speaks the truth.\" Larry Sabato, who directs the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, tweeted that Mr Schultz's slogan \"might as well be, 'Re-elect Trump'\". The Republican president himself appeared to goad Mr Schultz into launching a bid, saying the businessman \"doesn't have the 'guts' to run\". Washington Democratic chairwoman Tina Podlodowski tweeted: \"A billionaire buying his way out of the entire primary process does not strengthen democracy.\" Democrats in the Pacific state posted a photograph, without comment, of a Starbucks cup with: \"Don't do it Howard\" written on." } ], "id": "559_0", "question": "Why the outcry?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4382, "answer_start": 3568, "text": "In a weekend interview with Axios the former global coffee chain boss said he was aware his bid was \"going to create hate, anger, disenfranchisement from friends, from Democrats\". But he maintained he would be doing the right thing by running as a \"centrist independent\". In an interview with the New York Times, Mr Schultz said it would be \"disingenuous\" to run as a Democrat. He cited his disagreements with the party over free college tuition, universal healthcare, and other positions that he said have \"shifted so far to the left\". Many Democrats still blame Ralph Nader's 2000 independent presidential bid for helping Republican George W Bush beat Democrat Al Gore. In 2016, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson won hundreds of thousands of votes in states that were won by Mr Trump." } ], "id": "559_1", "question": "What did Schultz say?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4994, "answer_start": 4383, "text": "A former espresso machine salesman, he grew up in public housing in Brooklyn, New York. He started working for the original Seattle Starbucks chain back in 1982 when it only had 11 outlets selling coffee beans. He acquired the company in 1987 and by the time he stepped down in 2018, it had grown to 28,000 cafes in 77 countries around the world. The 65-year-old frequently used his position to speak out on social issues like immigration and gun control. He now has an estimated fortune of about $3bn (PS2.3bn) and is a regular donor to Democratic campaigns, including that of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton." } ], "id": "559_2", "question": "Who is Howard Schultz?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death and jailed three others over the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi government, was killed inside the kingdom's consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul by a team of Saudi agents. The Saudi authorities said it was the result of a \"rogue operation\" and put 11 unnamed individuals on trial. A UN expert said the trial represented \"the antithesis of justice\". \"Bottom line: the hit-men are guilty, sentenced to death. The masterminds not only walk free. They have barely been touched by the investigation and the trial,\" Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard wrote on Twitter. A report released by Ms Callamard concluded in June that Khashoggi's death was an \"extrajudicial execution\" for which the Saudi state was responsible, and that there was credible evidence warranting further investigation that high-level officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were individually liable. The prince denied any involvement, but in October he said he took \"full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government\". A senior aide, Saud al-Qahtani, was sacked and investigated over the killing but not charged \"due to insufficient evidence\", the public prosecution said. Former Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmad Asiri was put on trial but acquitted on the same grounds. The Turkish foreign ministry said the decision of the Saudi court \"falls short of the expectations of Turkey and the international community for the clarification of all aspects of this murder and the serving of justice\". Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, called the Saudi announcement \"not acceptable\". The publisher of the Washington Post, for whom Khashoggi wrote columns, said: \"The complete lack of transparency and the Saudi government's refusal to co-operate with independent investigators suggests that this was merely a sham trial.\" But Khashoggi's son Salah, who lives in Saudi Arabia, tweeted: \"We affirm our confidence in the Saudi judiciary at all levels, that it has been fair to us and that justice has been achieved.\" The shadow cast by the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi has hung over Saudi Arabia's international reputation for more than a year now. The ruling princes, especially the all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will be hoping Monday's verdicts draw a line under the whole affair. That may be wishful thinking. The two most senior suspects - dubbed \"the masterminds\" - have walked free after a trial shrouded in secrecy. The reaction from the UK's foreign secretary has been a carefully-worded call for everyone to be held to account. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur who investigated the murder, has been rather more explicit. The trial, she said, was \"the antithesis of justice\", and \"a mockery\". And yet Saudi Arabia, with its vast oil wealth and allies in the White House, will doubtless be expecting that any outrage will soon give way to business as usual. The 59-year-old journalist, who went into self-imposed exile in the US in 2017, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate on 2 October 2018 to obtain papers he needed to marry Ms Cengiz. After listening to purported audio recordings of conversations inside the consulate made by Turkish intelligence, Ms Callamard concluded that Khashoggi was \"brutally slain\" that day. Saudi Arabia's deputy public prosecutor Shalaan Shalaan told reporters in November 2018 that the murder was ordered by the head of a \"negotiations team\" sent to Istanbul by the Saudi deputy intelligence chief to bring Khashoggi back to the kingdom \"by means of persuasion\" or, if that failed, \"by force\". Investigators concluded that Khashoggi was forcibly restrained after a struggle and injected with a large amount of a drug, resulting in an overdose that led to his death, Mr Shalaan said. His body was then dismembered and handed over to a local \"collaborator\" outside the consulate, he added. The remains were not found. At a news conference in Riyadh on Monday, Mr Shaalan said the public prosecution's investigations had shown that \"there was no premeditation to kill at the beginning of the mission\". \"The investigation showed that the killing was not premeditated... The killing was in the spur of the moment, when the head of the negotiating team inspected the premises of the consulate and realised that it was impossible to move the victim to a safe place to resume negotiations. \"The head of the negotiating team and the perpetrators then discussed and agreed to kill the victim inside the consulate,\" he added. Ms Callamard dismissed as \"utterly ridiculous\" the assertion that the killing was not premeditated, noting that in one of the purported audio recordings from the consulate two Saudi officials were heard discussing how to cut up and transport Khashoggi's body before he entered the consulate. \"I do not believe for one moment that the dismemberment of a body can be done in the spur of a moment,\" she told the BBC. \"I do not believe for one second that the presence of a forensic doctor was an accident. And I certainly do not believe for a moment that the same doctor speaking of dismemberment, two hours before the killing and dismemberment actually happened, was accidental.\" A statement by the Saudi public prosecution said a total of 31 individuals were investigated over the killing and that 21 of them were arrested. Eleven were eventually referred to trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court and the public prosecutor sought the death penalty for five of them. Human Rights Watch said the trial, which took place behind closed doors, did not meet international standards and that the Saudi authorities had \"obstructed meaningful accountability\". On Monday, the Riyadh Criminal Court sentenced five individuals to death for \"committing and directly participating in the murder of the victim\", according to the public prosecution's statement. Three others were handed prison sentences totalling 24 years for \"covering up this crime and violating the law\", while the remaining three were found not guilty. The public prosecution said it would decide whether to review the court's rulings and decide whether to appeal. The death sentences must be upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Ms Callamard said in June that the five people facing the death penalty were Fahad Shabib Albalawi; Turki Muserref Alshehri; Waleed Abdullah Alshehri; Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, an intelligence officer who the US said worked for Mr Qahtani; and Dr Salah Mohammed Tubaigy, a forensic doctor with the interior ministry. The other six defendants were Mr Asiri, Mansour Othman Abahussain; Mohammed Saad Alzahrani; Mustafa Mohammed Almadani; Saif Saad Alqahtani; Muflih Shaya Almuslih, reportedly a member of the consulate staff. According to interviews conducted by Ms Callamard, the defendants' lawyers argued in court that they were state employees and could not object to the orders of their superiors, and that Mr Asiri insisted that he never authorised the use of force to bring Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5349, "answer_start": 3075, "text": "The 59-year-old journalist, who went into self-imposed exile in the US in 2017, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate on 2 October 2018 to obtain papers he needed to marry Ms Cengiz. After listening to purported audio recordings of conversations inside the consulate made by Turkish intelligence, Ms Callamard concluded that Khashoggi was \"brutally slain\" that day. Saudi Arabia's deputy public prosecutor Shalaan Shalaan told reporters in November 2018 that the murder was ordered by the head of a \"negotiations team\" sent to Istanbul by the Saudi deputy intelligence chief to bring Khashoggi back to the kingdom \"by means of persuasion\" or, if that failed, \"by force\". Investigators concluded that Khashoggi was forcibly restrained after a struggle and injected with a large amount of a drug, resulting in an overdose that led to his death, Mr Shalaan said. His body was then dismembered and handed over to a local \"collaborator\" outside the consulate, he added. The remains were not found. At a news conference in Riyadh on Monday, Mr Shaalan said the public prosecution's investigations had shown that \"there was no premeditation to kill at the beginning of the mission\". \"The investigation showed that the killing was not premeditated... The killing was in the spur of the moment, when the head of the negotiating team inspected the premises of the consulate and realised that it was impossible to move the victim to a safe place to resume negotiations. \"The head of the negotiating team and the perpetrators then discussed and agreed to kill the victim inside the consulate,\" he added. Ms Callamard dismissed as \"utterly ridiculous\" the assertion that the killing was not premeditated, noting that in one of the purported audio recordings from the consulate two Saudi officials were heard discussing how to cut up and transport Khashoggi's body before he entered the consulate. \"I do not believe for one moment that the dismemberment of a body can be done in the spur of a moment,\" she told the BBC. \"I do not believe for one second that the presence of a forensic doctor was an accident. And I certainly do not believe for a moment that the same doctor speaking of dismemberment, two hours before the killing and dismemberment actually happened, was accidental.\"" } ], "id": "560_0", "question": "How did Jamal Khashoggi die?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 7177, "answer_start": 5350, "text": "A statement by the Saudi public prosecution said a total of 31 individuals were investigated over the killing and that 21 of them were arrested. Eleven were eventually referred to trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court and the public prosecutor sought the death penalty for five of them. Human Rights Watch said the trial, which took place behind closed doors, did not meet international standards and that the Saudi authorities had \"obstructed meaningful accountability\". On Monday, the Riyadh Criminal Court sentenced five individuals to death for \"committing and directly participating in the murder of the victim\", according to the public prosecution's statement. Three others were handed prison sentences totalling 24 years for \"covering up this crime and violating the law\", while the remaining three were found not guilty. The public prosecution said it would decide whether to review the court's rulings and decide whether to appeal. The death sentences must be upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Ms Callamard said in June that the five people facing the death penalty were Fahad Shabib Albalawi; Turki Muserref Alshehri; Waleed Abdullah Alshehri; Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, an intelligence officer who the US said worked for Mr Qahtani; and Dr Salah Mohammed Tubaigy, a forensic doctor with the interior ministry. The other six defendants were Mr Asiri, Mansour Othman Abahussain; Mohammed Saad Alzahrani; Mustafa Mohammed Almadani; Saif Saad Alqahtani; Muflih Shaya Almuslih, reportedly a member of the consulate staff. According to interviews conducted by Ms Callamard, the defendants' lawyers argued in court that they were state employees and could not object to the orders of their superiors, and that Mr Asiri insisted that he never authorised the use of force to bring Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia." } ], "id": "560_1", "question": "Who was put on trial?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "New data protection rules will come into force in the UK in May. The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will change how companies and individuals collect, store and share data. With the biggest change to data privacy in the UK since 1998 coming up, Reality Check explains what you need to know. The GDPR will give people more control over how organisations use their personal information, or data. It's a piece of EU legislation that was passed in 2016. It aims to create identical data privacy laws across all EU countries. Under the new rules, companies who rely on an individual's consent to collect their data will face tougher restrictions. The GDPR says that customers need to actively opt in. Companies will need to use language that is easy to understand, and tell people that they can withdraw consent at any time. Firms must also report any data breaches to authorities within 72 hours. Individuals will be able to request information about how a company might be using their data, what data it collects, and why. In the UK, the GDPR will replace the Data Protection Act 1998. Today, we create a huge amount of data - from watches tracking calories and sleep, to apps for managing finances or messaging friends. So, the GDPR was created to bring data protection rules up to date with how much data we produce, and how companies are using it. With recent data breaches at companies such as Facebook, Uber and MyFitnessPal, the regulation will also give companies tougher guidelines on how they can use data. The new law will apply in all EU states from 25 May 2018. The GDPR will apply to all data \"controllers\" or \"processers\". Controllers give direction on how and why personal data is processed (such as a company), while a processor carries out the action of collecting the data (such as an IT apprentice). The regulation will also apply to individuals. For example, a hairdresser who collects email addresses of customers to send a newsletter to needs to comply with the new rules. The GDPR will apply to anyone offering services in the EU, regardless of where it is headquartered. The GDPR applies to all personal data. That means any information that could identify a living person, directly or indirectly. This could include their name, location or their phone number. Some personal information is classed as sensitive by the GDPR, and needs more protection. That could include ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religious belief, trade union membership and more. Anyone can ask a company to confirm what personal data it has about them. That person has the right to be provided with a copy of the information - as well as the reason for that company collecting their personal data and who gets to see it. The company must supply this free of charge and in an accessible way, such as on email, within 30 days of the request, under the GDPR. Individuals can also ask for data to be corrected, if it's not accurate. People can also ask for their personal data to be deleted at any time - if it's no longer relevant. This is known as the right to be forgotten. This right also applies online. Someone could ask a company that has made their personal data available online to delete it, for example. Those companies are obligated to inform others that the owner of the personal data has requested the right to be forgotten. The data, links to it and copies of it, must be deleted. Companies with more than 250 employees must document all of the data they are processing, including why, how customers opted in, who can see the data, and a description of their security measures. Smaller companies might need only to document data they process on a regular basis, or data they process that is sensitive. Some business groups have raised concerns about the impact the new rules could have, saying many companies are unaware of the changes, and that recording this additional information will be a burden. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for enforcing the GDPR in the UK. It has published a 12-step guide on how businesses can get ready. Yes - the GDPR allows the ICO to issue fines to anyone failing to comply. The ICO can issue fines of up to about PS17.5m, or 4% of a company's global turnover, whichever is higher. Fines can be issued for misusing data, data breaches, or failing to process an individual's data correctly. GDPR rules will continue to apply after the UK leaves the EU. The government's Data Protection Bill, means that GDPR rules will essentially be replicated in UK law. The bill also adds the ability for individuals to request that social media companies delete any posts they made when they were a child, and expands the definition of personal data to include IP addresses, internet cookies - and even DNA. Read the ICO's full guide to the GDPR here. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1035, "answer_start": 307, "text": "The GDPR will give people more control over how organisations use their personal information, or data. It's a piece of EU legislation that was passed in 2016. It aims to create identical data privacy laws across all EU countries. Under the new rules, companies who rely on an individual's consent to collect their data will face tougher restrictions. The GDPR says that customers need to actively opt in. Companies will need to use language that is easy to understand, and tell people that they can withdraw consent at any time. Firms must also report any data breaches to authorities within 72 hours. Individuals will be able to request information about how a company might be using their data, what data it collects, and why." } ], "id": "561_0", "question": "1. What is the GDPR?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1528, "answer_start": 1036, "text": "In the UK, the GDPR will replace the Data Protection Act 1998. Today, we create a huge amount of data - from watches tracking calories and sleep, to apps for managing finances or messaging friends. So, the GDPR was created to bring data protection rules up to date with how much data we produce, and how companies are using it. With recent data breaches at companies such as Facebook, Uber and MyFitnessPal, the regulation will also give companies tougher guidelines on how they can use data." } ], "id": "561_1", "question": "2. Why does it matter?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1586, "answer_start": 1529, "text": "The new law will apply in all EU states from 25 May 2018." } ], "id": "561_2", "question": "3. When is it coming in?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2107, "answer_start": 1587, "text": "The GDPR will apply to all data \"controllers\" or \"processers\". Controllers give direction on how and why personal data is processed (such as a company), while a processor carries out the action of collecting the data (such as an IT apprentice). The regulation will also apply to individuals. For example, a hairdresser who collects email addresses of customers to send a newsletter to needs to comply with the new rules. The GDPR will apply to anyone offering services in the EU, regardless of where it is headquartered." } ], "id": "561_3", "question": "4. Who does it apply to?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2492, "answer_start": 2108, "text": "The GDPR applies to all personal data. That means any information that could identify a living person, directly or indirectly. This could include their name, location or their phone number. Some personal information is classed as sensitive by the GDPR, and needs more protection. That could include ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religious belief, trade union membership and more." } ], "id": "561_4", "question": "5. What does personal data mean?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2942, "answer_start": 2493, "text": "Anyone can ask a company to confirm what personal data it has about them. That person has the right to be provided with a copy of the information - as well as the reason for that company collecting their personal data and who gets to see it. The company must supply this free of charge and in an accessible way, such as on email, within 30 days of the request, under the GDPR. Individuals can also ask for data to be corrected, if it's not accurate." } ], "id": "561_5", "question": "6. Can I access data about myself?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3405, "answer_start": 2943, "text": "People can also ask for their personal data to be deleted at any time - if it's no longer relevant. This is known as the right to be forgotten. This right also applies online. Someone could ask a company that has made their personal data available online to delete it, for example. Those companies are obligated to inform others that the owner of the personal data has requested the right to be forgotten. The data, links to it and copies of it, must be deleted." } ], "id": "561_6", "question": "7. What is the right to be forgotten?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4085, "answer_start": 3406, "text": "Companies with more than 250 employees must document all of the data they are processing, including why, how customers opted in, who can see the data, and a description of their security measures. Smaller companies might need only to document data they process on a regular basis, or data they process that is sensitive. Some business groups have raised concerns about the impact the new rules could have, saying many companies are unaware of the changes, and that recording this additional information will be a burden. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for enforcing the GDPR in the UK. It has published a 12-step guide on how businesses can get ready." } ], "id": "561_7", "question": "8. How will the GDPR affect my business?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4374, "answer_start": 4086, "text": "Yes - the GDPR allows the ICO to issue fines to anyone failing to comply. The ICO can issue fines of up to about PS17.5m, or 4% of a company's global turnover, whichever is higher. Fines can be issued for misusing data, data breaches, or failing to process an individual's data correctly." } ], "id": "561_8", "question": "9. Can I be fined for failing to comply?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Two South Korean intelligence officials have been accused of raping a North Korean defector, with one said to have abused her dozens of times. The alleged victim, who had been in the two men's custody, was forced to have two abortions, her lawyers say. The officials, a lieutenant colonel and a master sergeant, have been suspended and an investigation has begun. North Korean women who defect are more vulnerable to sexual assault than South Koreans, human rights activists say. Difficult economic circumstances can make them reluctant to speak out. The defence ministry's intelligence command is tasked with investigating North Korean defectors and gathering intelligence. Early this year, the two suspects were assigned the woman's custody, law firm Good Lawyers told BBC Korean. According to the law firm, the first time the woman was raped she was unconscious as a result of drinking alcohol. The master sergeant is accused of raping her dozens of times while the lieutenant colonel is accused of raping her once. The defence ministry said that its investigators had already looked into the allegations and had sent the case to armed forces prosecutors. South Korean defence ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said the officials \"would be appropriately handled depending on the investigation results\". More than 72% of the 33,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea are women. A human rights activist who advises North Korean women told BBC Korean that \"many North Korean defectors experience sexual violence in China before coming to Korea\". \"They endured it and when they come to South Korea some have this notion that they are already defiled.\" Human rights group Korea Future Initiative says thousands of North Korean women and girls are being forced to work in the sex trade in China, and that many are forced into at least one form of sexual slavery within a year of leaving their homeland. When the activist asked North Korean women what they thought of the MeToo movement in South Korea back in 2018, some replied by saying: \"What good will it do?\"; \"It only brings humiliation\"; or \"They should just endure it.\" \"They're not used to speaking out, being educated about sexual violence, and demanding their rights,\" the activist says. \"They don't know that when they are sexually assaulted it's a crime and that people can be held accountable or be compensated.\" In fact, the biggest reason North Korean women keep quiet, human rights experts say, is because making a living is their foremost priority. \"They tell me: 'I need to survive. I need to eat and I need to live. That comes first,'\" the activist says. According to the Korea Institute for National Unification's 2017 figures, North Korean defectors' monthly average income is about 1.9m won (PS1,220; $1,590), compared with an average for South Koreans of 2.4m won. Their unemployment rate at 6.9% is nearly twice that of South Koreans. In spite of this, a Database Center for North Korean Human Rights survey of about 400 defectors found that 61% had sent money to their family in the North and 58% said they planned to continue to do so.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1306, "answer_start": 551, "text": "The defence ministry's intelligence command is tasked with investigating North Korean defectors and gathering intelligence. Early this year, the two suspects were assigned the woman's custody, law firm Good Lawyers told BBC Korean. According to the law firm, the first time the woman was raped she was unconscious as a result of drinking alcohol. The master sergeant is accused of raping her dozens of times while the lieutenant colonel is accused of raping her once. The defence ministry said that its investigators had already looked into the allegations and had sent the case to armed forces prosecutors. South Korean defence ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said the officials \"would be appropriately handled depending on the investigation results\"." } ], "id": "562_0", "question": "What are the allegations?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3113, "answer_start": 1307, "text": "More than 72% of the 33,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea are women. A human rights activist who advises North Korean women told BBC Korean that \"many North Korean defectors experience sexual violence in China before coming to Korea\". \"They endured it and when they come to South Korea some have this notion that they are already defiled.\" Human rights group Korea Future Initiative says thousands of North Korean women and girls are being forced to work in the sex trade in China, and that many are forced into at least one form of sexual slavery within a year of leaving their homeland. When the activist asked North Korean women what they thought of the MeToo movement in South Korea back in 2018, some replied by saying: \"What good will it do?\"; \"It only brings humiliation\"; or \"They should just endure it.\" \"They're not used to speaking out, being educated about sexual violence, and demanding their rights,\" the activist says. \"They don't know that when they are sexually assaulted it's a crime and that people can be held accountable or be compensated.\" In fact, the biggest reason North Korean women keep quiet, human rights experts say, is because making a living is their foremost priority. \"They tell me: 'I need to survive. I need to eat and I need to live. That comes first,'\" the activist says. According to the Korea Institute for National Unification's 2017 figures, North Korean defectors' monthly average income is about 1.9m won (PS1,220; $1,590), compared with an average for South Koreans of 2.4m won. Their unemployment rate at 6.9% is nearly twice that of South Koreans. In spite of this, a Database Center for North Korean Human Rights survey of about 400 defectors found that 61% had sent money to their family in the North and 58% said they planned to continue to do so." } ], "id": "562_1", "question": "Why are defectors so vulnerable?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "After weeks of tough talk and escalating tensions between the US and North Korea, President Donald Trump has referred to the possibility of meeting his opposite number, Kim Jong Un. Let's take a step back and look at how we got here. The threat perception: The Americans believe that Pyongyang already has the technology to fire nuclear warheads at Japan and South Korea. And they calculate that it will likely be able to hit the United States within a few years. So North Korea is now seen as a threat to US national security, not only a menace to regional allies. Hence the sense of urgency and resolve. The rhetoric: Military options have always \"been on the table\", sometimes more actively than others. But rarely if ever has a US administration been as blunt or outspoken about it. That is largely a factor of President Trump's style but it's also due to growing concern about the imminence of the threat. The military posturing: Spring is usually a tense time in the Korean Peninsula, because North Korea celebrates a number of patriotic anniversaries that can serve as launch pads for weapons tests, and the US conducts military exercises with Seoul. But this year the Trump administration added to the firepower on display, including a submarine equipped with guided missiles, and an aircraft carrier group. The confusion over the deployment of the latter, however, may have detracted somewhat from its deterrent effect. North Korea: Pyongyang has long held that it needs nuclear weapons to guarantee its security, and has been ready to face down international censure and punishment. But Kim Jong Un has shown particular determination and, unlike his father and grandfather, a disregard for the views of his only major ally, China. \"Kim Jong Il for all of his sins at least cared what other people thought and particularly cared what the Chinese thought,\" the former US negotiator Chris Hill told the BBC. \"His son Kim Jung Un doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks.\" China: China is exasperated by its recalcitrant ally and worried about the growing sophistication of its weapons. It had already begun tightening its implementation of sanctions by following through with the UN's recent ban on coal imports. But it's probably even more worried that Trump's military posturing will escalate tensions, and uneasy about his insistence that Beijing is uniquely positioned to squeeze Pyongyang. In an apparent response to US pressure, Chinese newspapers have published tougher statements about North Korea. There's also been closer coordination between Beijing and Washington. The Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Beijing has threatened Pyongyang with unilateral sanctions if it carries out a sixth nuclear test. The options: There are still no good ones. - A pre-emptive military strike on North Korea's nuclear weapons would almost certainly ignite a massive retaliation against South Korea, targeting 10 million civilians in Seoul and 28,000 US soldiers stationed in the country. - UN sanctions haven't worked. They are by nature watered down to achieve consensus, and there are holes in the implementation. The US is pressing for a much stricter \"painful\" embargo, but it would require the kind of vigilance and coalition building that was used so effectively against Iran. - Talks have been tried before but Pyongyang has generally used them to bargain for aid, and in the end resumed building nuclear warheads. North Korea experts believe it will never give them up, which has been the US pre-condition for negotiations. They see a weapons freeze as a much more realistic approach. Tillerson says denuclearisation would still be the goal, but he has not been precise about conditions for starting talks. The strategy: Actually, it has sort of changed and sort of hasn't. The administration says it has. But the components - pressing for tighter economic sanctions, urging China to lean on its neighbour, and waiting for North Korea to buckle - look a lot like Barack Obama's \"strategic patience\". The difference seems to be less patience, a more credible threat of military force, and more coercive diplomacy. Tillerson says the knob on the pressure campaign is at \"five or six\" right now, with the US \"testing\" Beijing's ability to influence North Korea, and threatening to sanction parties that violate the UN embargo. Alongside China, the Trump administration is also trying to convince South East Asian nations to isolate North Korea. China: China may be more willing to turn the screws on Pyongyang, but only so far. There is no sign that it has changed its calculation of North Korea as a buffer state. Beijing fears that if the regime collapses the American security umbrella will be extended across the peninsula right to its borders. And while North Korea is a dangerous headache, America is its biggest strategic rival. Tillerson's recent assurance that the US is not seeking regime change was aimed as much at Beijing as it was at Pyongyang. The wild card: Even with a nuclear rogue state, President Trump likes to be unpredictable. And his tactics are those of a deal maker. Nevertheless observers are struggling to interpret the contrast between his hardline rhetoric and his recent suggestion of a meeting with Kim Jong Un - under the \"right circumstances\" . Barack Obama also said during the 2008 election campaign he'd be willing to meet the North Korean leader. But he did not go on to praise his adversary as did Trump, calling him a \"smart cookie\" for holding onto power by wiping out his rivals. It's not clear if the president was deliberately dangling a carrot, making another overture among several to a strongman, or simply throwing an offhand comment into the mix.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2723, "answer_start": 234, "text": "The threat perception: The Americans believe that Pyongyang already has the technology to fire nuclear warheads at Japan and South Korea. And they calculate that it will likely be able to hit the United States within a few years. So North Korea is now seen as a threat to US national security, not only a menace to regional allies. Hence the sense of urgency and resolve. The rhetoric: Military options have always \"been on the table\", sometimes more actively than others. But rarely if ever has a US administration been as blunt or outspoken about it. That is largely a factor of President Trump's style but it's also due to growing concern about the imminence of the threat. The military posturing: Spring is usually a tense time in the Korean Peninsula, because North Korea celebrates a number of patriotic anniversaries that can serve as launch pads for weapons tests, and the US conducts military exercises with Seoul. But this year the Trump administration added to the firepower on display, including a submarine equipped with guided missiles, and an aircraft carrier group. The confusion over the deployment of the latter, however, may have detracted somewhat from its deterrent effect. North Korea: Pyongyang has long held that it needs nuclear weapons to guarantee its security, and has been ready to face down international censure and punishment. But Kim Jong Un has shown particular determination and, unlike his father and grandfather, a disregard for the views of his only major ally, China. \"Kim Jong Il for all of his sins at least cared what other people thought and particularly cared what the Chinese thought,\" the former US negotiator Chris Hill told the BBC. \"His son Kim Jung Un doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks.\" China: China is exasperated by its recalcitrant ally and worried about the growing sophistication of its weapons. It had already begun tightening its implementation of sanctions by following through with the UN's recent ban on coal imports. But it's probably even more worried that Trump's military posturing will escalate tensions, and uneasy about his insistence that Beijing is uniquely positioned to squeeze Pyongyang. In an apparent response to US pressure, Chinese newspapers have published tougher statements about North Korea. There's also been closer coordination between Beijing and Washington. The Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Beijing has threatened Pyongyang with unilateral sanctions if it carries out a sixth nuclear test." } ], "id": "563_0", "question": "What's changed under Trump?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said there was \"no blackmail\" in a phone call with Donald Trump that is at the heart of a possible attempt to remove the US president from office. \"This is not corruption, it was just a call,\" Mr Zelensky said on Thursday. The call prompted a whistleblower complaint and Democratic impeachment inquiry of the Republican president. Mr Trump denies withholding US aid while pressuring Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden. Impeachment is a process by which Congress can vote to oust a president - though it requires support from a majority of both chambers and as such, is currently thought unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. Speaking to reporters at a news conference in Kiev on Thursday, Mr Zelensky said of his 25 July call with Mr Trump: \"There was no blackmail. It was not the subject of our conversation.\" He said the purpose of the conversation was to arrange a meeting with Trump, and there were no \"conditions\" from the American side. Mr Zelensky also said he does not believe US-Ukraine relations will be affected by the impeachment inquiry. A rough transcript of the call released by the White House shows Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, now a Democratic frontrunner for next year's White House election. His son, Hunter Biden, landed a lucrative board position in 2014 with a Ukrainian gas firm, Burisma, that found itself under scrutiny from a former prosecutor general. As US vice-president Mr Biden, like other Western officials, put pressure on Ukraine in 2016 to have the prosecutor fired, citing corruption concerns. Mr Trump has said Mr Biden did so in order to derail the inquiry into Burisma. Ukrainian officials have said there is no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens. The whistleblower who filed a complaint over the call said in a memo that a White House official who listened to the phone discussion described it as \"crazy\" and \"frightening\", US media report. The official was \"visibly shaken by what had transpired\" in the call, the whistleblower reportedly wrote in the memo. On Wednesday a poll by Fox News, which is generally supportive of the president, found that 51% of voters are in favour of impeaching Mr Trump and removing him from office. The results show 85% of Democrats were in favour of impeachment, while 82% of Republicans were against it. Mr Trump hit back at Fox's poll results on Twitter, writing \"whoever their pollster is, they suck\". Later on Thursday, the president is hosting his first rally since the launch of the impeachment inquiry, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protests are expected against Mr Trump, who lost the state by a narrow margin to Hillary Clinton in 2016. The whistleblower whose complaint fuelled the impeachment inquiry had a \"prior working relationship with a current 2020 Democratic contender\" and is a registered Democrat, a source familiar with the matter told CBS News on Thursday. The details of this working relationship or the candidate are unclear. Lawyers representing the anonymous whistleblower said in a statement their client \"has never worked for or advised a political candidate, campaign or party\". They also noted that as a government employee, their client has interacted with candidates from both parties \"in their roles as elected officials - not as candidates\". The whistleblower's identity has remained a secret, though US media have reported he or she is a CIA officer.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3453, "answer_start": 2714, "text": "The whistleblower whose complaint fuelled the impeachment inquiry had a \"prior working relationship with a current 2020 Democratic contender\" and is a registered Democrat, a source familiar with the matter told CBS News on Thursday. The details of this working relationship or the candidate are unclear. Lawyers representing the anonymous whistleblower said in a statement their client \"has never worked for or advised a political candidate, campaign or party\". They also noted that as a government employee, their client has interacted with candidates from both parties \"in their roles as elected officials - not as candidates\". The whistleblower's identity has remained a secret, though US media have reported he or she is a CIA officer." } ], "id": "564_0", "question": "What do we know about the whistleblower?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Dozens of black actors and broadcasters have called on the BBC to overturn its decision to uphold a complaint against Breakfast host Naga Munchetty. The BBC said she broke rules while discussing remarks by Donald Trump that she said were \"embedded in racism\". Sir Lenny Henry and Gina Yashere are among 44 stars who asked the BBC to revisit the ruling in an open letter. The BBC said the letter was \"based on a misunderstanding of the editorial guidelines and how they apply\". Munchetty was found to have breached guidelines by criticising the US president's motives after he had said four female politicians should \"go back\" to \"places from which they came\". David Jordan, the BBC's head of editorial standards, said Munchetty was not found in breach for \"calling out racist comments, which is perfectly acceptable where things are clearly framed in racist language\". She is not facing any disciplinary action or reprimand. But writer Afua Hirsch, who helped organise the letter, told BBC Radio 4 the decision would have \"a chilling effect on other broadcasters of colour\". The letter demands that the BBC \"revisits and takes seriously overturning its decision\". The signatories include actors Adrian Lester and David Harewood, Sky journalist Gillian Joseph and film-maker Asif Kapadia. They called for BBC management to \"issue their support for journalists and acknowledge there can be no expectation of 'impartiality' over expressions and experiences of racism\". They also want the bodies that oversee complaints about broadcasting, including the BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit [ECU] and Ofcom, to \"address their own levels of diversity and increase transparency as to how they reach their decisions\". Hirsch said she was \"shocked and horrified\" by the BBC's ruling, telling BBC Two's Victoria Derbyshire programme: \"It's ludicrous to say it's fine for a presenter to express her own experience of racism but she shouldn't cast judgment on the person being racist.\" She also told the Today programme: \"As a matter of principle, it [the BBC decision] suggests that the racist views she was commenting on are opinions that should be treated impartially, and that really legitimises racism and suggests it's something we should debate. \"That's clearly wrong and it's widely accepted that racism is not a legitimate opinion, so I think the BBC has got confused by treating it that way.\" She added that the decision was \"abhorrent\", and that it had \"a highly disproportionate and unacceptable impact on people of colour in broadcasting, because it distributes the labour of having to challenge racism unequally\". \"We've seen the letter, but believe it is based on a misunderstanding of the editorial guidelines and how they apply,\" a statement said. It said the ECU's ruling was \"clear that Naga Munchetty was perfectly entitled to give a personal response to the phrase 'go back to your own country'.\" It continued: \"However, our editorial guidelines do not allow for journalists to then give their opinions about the individual making the remarks or their motives for doing so - in this case President Trump - and it was for this reason that the complaint was partially upheld. Those judgments are for the audience to make.\" Jordan said the problem arose after Munchetty had given her personal response to President Trump's \"clearly racist\" comment. It became an issue\"when she went on further to discuss President Trump himself, what his motivations were for that, and that breached our impartiality requirements\". The BBC did not take action against Walker because he was not the subject of any complaints. \"I'm afraid the ECU can only deal with the complaints that it receives,\" Mr Jordan said. Munchetty and BBC Breakfast co-presenter Dan Walker had the exchange after an interview with a supporter of Mr Trump on 17 July. Walker: It's the president. That was the most telling quote for me last night. I can't remember who said it, but she said, 'I've been told to go home many times to go back to where I've come from many times in my life, but never by the man sitting in the Oval Office'. Munchetty: Every time I have been told, as a woman of colour, to go back to where I came from, that was embedded in racism. Now I'm not accusing anyone of anything here but you know what certain phrases mean. Walker: Do you hear that quite regularly? Munchetty: Yes. Not regularly, but I've been told it. Walker: You're sitting here not giving an opinion, but how do you feel as someone when you've been told that before, and when you hear that from him? Munchetty: Furious. Absolutely furious. And I imagine a lot of people in this country will be feeling absolutely furious that a man in that position feels it's OK to skirt the lines with using language like that. Walker: Do you feel his use of that then legitimises other people to use this... Munchetty: Yes. Yes. Walker: As our guest was saying there, it feels like a thought-out strategy to strengthen his position. Munchetty: And it is not enough to do it just to get attention. He's in a responsible position. Anyway I'm not here to give my opinion. The guidelines say presenters can have a \"significant effect\" on whether the corporation is seen as impartial. Mr Jordan said Munchetty fell foul of the following part of the impartiality section of the guidelines: \"Our audiences should not be able to tell from BBC output the personal opinions of our journalists or news and current affairs presenters on matters of public policy, political or industrial controversy, or on 'controversial subjects' in any other area. \"They may provide professional judgements, rooted in evidence, but may not express personal views on such matters publicly, including in any BBC-branded output or on personal blogs and social media.\" Meanwhile, Ofcom said it would assess whether to investigate Munchetty's remarks against its broadcasting code. The media regulator said it had received two complaints, with Labour MP Chi Onwurah posting her letter to Ofcom on Twitter. The presenter has received widespread support, with #IStandWithNaga trending on Twitter, and messages from political figures including Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Actors Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar also added their support for the presenter. The BBC's spokeswoman said Munchetty was not available for comment. Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2611, "answer_start": 1075, "text": "The letter demands that the BBC \"revisits and takes seriously overturning its decision\". The signatories include actors Adrian Lester and David Harewood, Sky journalist Gillian Joseph and film-maker Asif Kapadia. They called for BBC management to \"issue their support for journalists and acknowledge there can be no expectation of 'impartiality' over expressions and experiences of racism\". They also want the bodies that oversee complaints about broadcasting, including the BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit [ECU] and Ofcom, to \"address their own levels of diversity and increase transparency as to how they reach their decisions\". Hirsch said she was \"shocked and horrified\" by the BBC's ruling, telling BBC Two's Victoria Derbyshire programme: \"It's ludicrous to say it's fine for a presenter to express her own experience of racism but she shouldn't cast judgment on the person being racist.\" She also told the Today programme: \"As a matter of principle, it [the BBC decision] suggests that the racist views she was commenting on are opinions that should be treated impartially, and that really legitimises racism and suggests it's something we should debate. \"That's clearly wrong and it's widely accepted that racism is not a legitimate opinion, so I think the BBC has got confused by treating it that way.\" She added that the decision was \"abhorrent\", and that it had \"a highly disproportionate and unacceptable impact on people of colour in broadcasting, because it distributes the labour of having to challenge racism unequally\"." } ], "id": "565_0", "question": "What does the letter say?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3698, "answer_start": 2612, "text": "\"We've seen the letter, but believe it is based on a misunderstanding of the editorial guidelines and how they apply,\" a statement said. It said the ECU's ruling was \"clear that Naga Munchetty was perfectly entitled to give a personal response to the phrase 'go back to your own country'.\" It continued: \"However, our editorial guidelines do not allow for journalists to then give their opinions about the individual making the remarks or their motives for doing so - in this case President Trump - and it was for this reason that the complaint was partially upheld. Those judgments are for the audience to make.\" Jordan said the problem arose after Munchetty had given her personal response to President Trump's \"clearly racist\" comment. It became an issue\"when she went on further to discuss President Trump himself, what his motivations were for that, and that breached our impartiality requirements\". The BBC did not take action against Walker because he was not the subject of any complaints. \"I'm afraid the ECU can only deal with the complaints that it receives,\" Mr Jordan said." } ], "id": "565_1", "question": "How did the BBC respond?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5106, "answer_start": 3699, "text": "Munchetty and BBC Breakfast co-presenter Dan Walker had the exchange after an interview with a supporter of Mr Trump on 17 July. Walker: It's the president. That was the most telling quote for me last night. I can't remember who said it, but she said, 'I've been told to go home many times to go back to where I've come from many times in my life, but never by the man sitting in the Oval Office'. Munchetty: Every time I have been told, as a woman of colour, to go back to where I came from, that was embedded in racism. Now I'm not accusing anyone of anything here but you know what certain phrases mean. Walker: Do you hear that quite regularly? Munchetty: Yes. Not regularly, but I've been told it. Walker: You're sitting here not giving an opinion, but how do you feel as someone when you've been told that before, and when you hear that from him? Munchetty: Furious. Absolutely furious. And I imagine a lot of people in this country will be feeling absolutely furious that a man in that position feels it's OK to skirt the lines with using language like that. Walker: Do you feel his use of that then legitimises other people to use this... Munchetty: Yes. Yes. Walker: As our guest was saying there, it feels like a thought-out strategy to strengthen his position. Munchetty: And it is not enough to do it just to get attention. He's in a responsible position. Anyway I'm not here to give my opinion." } ], "id": "565_2", "question": "What did Naga Munchetty say in the first place?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6011, "answer_start": 5107, "text": "The guidelines say presenters can have a \"significant effect\" on whether the corporation is seen as impartial. Mr Jordan said Munchetty fell foul of the following part of the impartiality section of the guidelines: \"Our audiences should not be able to tell from BBC output the personal opinions of our journalists or news and current affairs presenters on matters of public policy, political or industrial controversy, or on 'controversial subjects' in any other area. \"They may provide professional judgements, rooted in evidence, but may not express personal views on such matters publicly, including in any BBC-branded output or on personal blogs and social media.\" Meanwhile, Ofcom said it would assess whether to investigate Munchetty's remarks against its broadcasting code. The media regulator said it had received two complaints, with Labour MP Chi Onwurah posting her letter to Ofcom on Twitter." } ], "id": "565_3", "question": "What do the BBC editorial guidelines say?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "At least 74 people have died after a train travelling between the Pakistani cities of Karachi and Rawalpindi caught fire in the middle of its journey. Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the fire started when a gas cylinder, which passengers were using to cook breakfast on board, exploded. The huge blaze spread to at least three carriages. According to officials cited in local media, many victims died as they tried to jump off the moving, burning train. Another 40 people were injured. Officials say the number of victims may still rise. BBC Urdu's Farhat Javed, who visited hospitals where victims are being treated, said many patients were too traumatised to speak. Survivor Shahid Imran told the BBC he realised a fire had broken out when he heard screaming. He pushed his wife out of a window and then jumped after her. Mr Imran was slightly hurt in the fall from the moving train, but his wife suffered severe head injuries. Another survivor told the BBC they pulled the emergency chain to get the train to stop, but it did not slow down. Doctors are treating people for burns, broken limbs and head injuries, our correspondent said. The accident happened near the town of Rahim Yar Khan in the south of Punjab province. Many passengers were pilgrims heading to Raiwind near Lahore for one of Pakistan's largest annual religious congregations, organised by the Tablighi Jamaat Sunni Muslim missionary movement. Three carriages were set alight, officials said, with 54 people in the 11th carriage and 78 each in carriages 12 and 13. Most of these passengers were on their way to the religious festival. Mohammad Ramzan, who was on board, told BBC Urdu some pilgrims were making tea when their gas cylinder exploded. He jumped from the train to safety. Survivor Jamshed Pathan told BBC Urdu he was in carriage 11 when they realised there was a fire, and that it had broken out just after they finished morning prayers. \"There was chaos everywhere,\" he said. \"It was very difficult for us to get out and save ourselves.\" Another man, who gave his name as Ghaffar, said he could smell something in the night, \"but no one paid attention\". He and his friends helped rush injured passengers to hospital. \"I have no words to explain what we saw,\" he said. \"The rescue teams got there very late.\" District deputy commissioner Jamil Ahmed said some of the victims had suffered such severe burns that they could not be identified without DNA testing. Evidence is now being collected at the scene and sent off for forensic tests, an anonymous official told BBC Urdu. \"Two cooking stoves blew up. They were cooking, they had [cooking] oil which added fuel to fire,\" Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said. Passengers bringing stoves onto trains in order to cook meals on long journeys was a common problem, the minister said. Though it is common to carry food on board, gas cylinders are banned. But other reports from the scene suggest electrical problems could have been the cause. Several survivors have reportedly said they believed a short-circuit on board may have been to blame. Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was \"deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy\", adding that he had ordered an \"immediate inquiry\" into the cause of the fire. After an earlier suspension in the wake of the blaze, the railways minister said services had now been restored. By Abid Hussain, BBC Urdu Train travel is one of the most popular means of transport in Pakistan, particularly among middle- and lower-income groups. Built by the British during pre-partition era, the railway tracks cover the length of the country. However, while some of the upscale trains have dedicated dining carriages, most of the country's trains are in poor condition and have barely functioning amenities. Therefore, passengers choose to bring things along with them, or refresh themselves where the trains stop. They also take advantage of the fact that inspection is more relaxed than at airports, bringing banned items like cooking stoves and oil canisters to keep themselves sustained during the long hours on board. This particular service - Tezgam - is one of the oldest and most popular, travelling between Karachi in the south and Rawalpindi in the north. The journey takes more than 25 hours, with each of its carriages boasting space for somewhere between 60 and 80 passengers on bunk beds. Tickets cost between 1,500 rupees ($9.60; PS7.40) and 5,000 rupees ($32; PS24.80), depending on the class. This is Pakistan's worst rail disaster in over a decade, but the country has a history of fatal railway accidents. Casualty figures are often high because trains are packed with far greater numbers of passengers than they were designed for. In July, 11 people died in an accident, with four dying in another accident in September. In 2007, at least 56 people were killed and more than 120 injured in a crash near Mehrabpur. And in 2005, more than 130 people were killed when three trains collided in Sindh province in one of the country's worst train disasters.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2570, "answer_start": 1150, "text": "The accident happened near the town of Rahim Yar Khan in the south of Punjab province. Many passengers were pilgrims heading to Raiwind near Lahore for one of Pakistan's largest annual religious congregations, organised by the Tablighi Jamaat Sunni Muslim missionary movement. Three carriages were set alight, officials said, with 54 people in the 11th carriage and 78 each in carriages 12 and 13. Most of these passengers were on their way to the religious festival. Mohammad Ramzan, who was on board, told BBC Urdu some pilgrims were making tea when their gas cylinder exploded. He jumped from the train to safety. Survivor Jamshed Pathan told BBC Urdu he was in carriage 11 when they realised there was a fire, and that it had broken out just after they finished morning prayers. \"There was chaos everywhere,\" he said. \"It was very difficult for us to get out and save ourselves.\" Another man, who gave his name as Ghaffar, said he could smell something in the night, \"but no one paid attention\". He and his friends helped rush injured passengers to hospital. \"I have no words to explain what we saw,\" he said. \"The rescue teams got there very late.\" District deputy commissioner Jamil Ahmed said some of the victims had suffered such severe burns that they could not be identified without DNA testing. Evidence is now being collected at the scene and sent off for forensic tests, an anonymous official told BBC Urdu." } ], "id": "566_0", "question": "What happened?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3346, "answer_start": 2571, "text": "\"Two cooking stoves blew up. They were cooking, they had [cooking] oil which added fuel to fire,\" Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said. Passengers bringing stoves onto trains in order to cook meals on long journeys was a common problem, the minister said. Though it is common to carry food on board, gas cylinders are banned. But other reports from the scene suggest electrical problems could have been the cause. Several survivors have reportedly said they believed a short-circuit on board may have been to blame. Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was \"deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy\", adding that he had ordered an \"immediate inquiry\" into the cause of the fire. After an earlier suspension in the wake of the blaze, the railways minister said services had now been restored." } ], "id": "566_1", "question": "What was the cause?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "US President Donald Trump has reportedly lashed out at immigrants in a foul-mouthed Oval Office outburst that a UN spokesman later condemned as \"shocking\", \"shameful\" and \"racist\". \"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" Mr Trump reportedly asked lawmakers during talks on an immigration deal. He was apparently referring to Haiti, El Salvador and African countries. The White House made no attempt to deny the comment. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has been trying to limit the number of family members of immigrants who can enter the US, and has moved to end the protected status of thousands of immigrants already in the US. Mr Trump's reported remark came as lawmakers from both parties visited him on Thursday to propose a bipartisan immigration deal. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics, according to US media. According to the Washington Post, Mr Trump told lawmakers the US should instead be taking in migrants from countries like Norway, whose prime minister visited him a day earlier. The paper quoted him as saying: \"Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.\" Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, was in Thursday's meeting at the White House, but would not comment on the president's reported slur. \"Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people,\" a statement from White House spokesman Raj Shah said. \"Like other countries that have merit-based immigration, President Trump is fighting for permanent solutions that make our country stronger by welcoming those who can contribute to our society, grow our economy and assimilate into our great nation. \"He will always reject temporary, weak and dangerous stopgap measures that threaten the lives of hardworking Americans, and undercut immigrants who seek a better life in the United States through a legal pathway.\" UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said: \"If confirmed these are shocking and shameful comments from the president of the United States, I'm sorry but there is no other word for this but racist.\" Mr Colville spoke of a 2016 presidential campaign speech in which Mr Trump called Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, and his response last year to a white supremacist march that ended in violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, when the president said \"both sides\" were to blame. The UN official said such comments went against \"universal values the world has been striving for\" since the end of World War Two, and opened \"the door to humanity's worst side\". In the US, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) accused the president of falling \"deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of racism and xenophobia\". Mia Love, a Utah Republican and the only Haitian-American in Congress, demanded Mr Trump apologise for the \"unkind, divisive, elitist\" comments. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democratic lawmaker, tweeted: \"I condemn this unforgivable statement and this demeaning of the office of the Presidency.\" Another black Democratic lawmaker, Cedric Richmond, said Mr Trump's comments \"are further proof that his Make America Great Again agenda is really a Make America White Again agenda\". But one Trump official was quoted by CNN as saying: \"Though this might enrage Washington, staffers predict the comment will resonate with his base, much like his attacks on NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem did not alienate it.\" The Washington Post broke the story with the word \"shithole\" in its headline and in the alert that the paper sent out to followers' smartphones. On US TV, some broadcasters gave content warnings or avoided saying the word altogether. Fox News used asterisks to obscure the offensive word along the bottom of the screen, but CNN and MSNBC carried it in full. Around the world, journalists reporting in other languages faced the question of how to translate what Mr Trump had said. - In French, headlines featured \"pays de merde\", using the expletive to refer to the countries but without the word \"hole\" - In Spanish, \"paises de mierda\" was used, similar to the French, as well as \"paises de porqueria\", which means \"trash countries\" - In German, \"Drecksloch\" , which literally means dirt hole but like the word used by Mr Trump is considered vulgar - In Dutch, one newspaper used \"achterlijk\" (backward) as its headline - In Japanese, a word that translates as \"outdoor toilet\" was used - In Portuguese, one outlet used a word that translates as 'pigsty', while others translated the quote literally Lawmakers reportedly proposed restoring so-called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) permits for certain countries, allowing their residents leave to remain in the US because their home countries are temporarily unsafe for them. In return, they were said to have offered $1.5bn (PS1.1bn) for a wall that Mr Trump wants built on the US border with Mexico. This week the Trump administration announced it was withdrawing TPS for more than 200,000 people from El Salvador. The decision gives Salvadoreans who have been living in the US for nearly three decades until next year to leave, seek lawful residency or face possible deportation. They were granted provisional US residency after an earthquake devastated the Central American country in 2001. But the State Department said on Monday that much infrastructure damaged by the quake has since been repaired. TPS permits have already been withdrawn from Haitians and Nicaraguans. Hundreds of thousands of migrants face possible deportation from the US.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1402, "answer_start": 672, "text": "Mr Trump's reported remark came as lawmakers from both parties visited him on Thursday to propose a bipartisan immigration deal. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics, according to US media. According to the Washington Post, Mr Trump told lawmakers the US should instead be taking in migrants from countries like Norway, whose prime minister visited him a day earlier. The paper quoted him as saying: \"Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.\" Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, was in Thursday's meeting at the White House, but would not comment on the president's reported slur." } ], "id": "567_0", "question": "What did the president say?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2054, "answer_start": 1403, "text": "\"Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people,\" a statement from White House spokesman Raj Shah said. \"Like other countries that have merit-based immigration, President Trump is fighting for permanent solutions that make our country stronger by welcoming those who can contribute to our society, grow our economy and assimilate into our great nation. \"He will always reject temporary, weak and dangerous stopgap measures that threaten the lives of hardworking Americans, and undercut immigrants who seek a better life in the United States through a legal pathway.\"" } ], "id": "567_1", "question": "What has the White House said?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3625, "answer_start": 2055, "text": "UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said: \"If confirmed these are shocking and shameful comments from the president of the United States, I'm sorry but there is no other word for this but racist.\" Mr Colville spoke of a 2016 presidential campaign speech in which Mr Trump called Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, and his response last year to a white supremacist march that ended in violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, when the president said \"both sides\" were to blame. The UN official said such comments went against \"universal values the world has been striving for\" since the end of World War Two, and opened \"the door to humanity's worst side\". In the US, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) accused the president of falling \"deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of racism and xenophobia\". Mia Love, a Utah Republican and the only Haitian-American in Congress, demanded Mr Trump apologise for the \"unkind, divisive, elitist\" comments. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democratic lawmaker, tweeted: \"I condemn this unforgivable statement and this demeaning of the office of the Presidency.\" Another black Democratic lawmaker, Cedric Richmond, said Mr Trump's comments \"are further proof that his Make America Great Again agenda is really a Make America White Again agenda\". But one Trump official was quoted by CNN as saying: \"Though this might enrage Washington, staffers predict the comment will resonate with his base, much like his attacks on NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem did not alienate it.\"" } ], "id": "567_2", "question": "What reaction has there been?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5726, "answer_start": 4726, "text": "Lawmakers reportedly proposed restoring so-called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) permits for certain countries, allowing their residents leave to remain in the US because their home countries are temporarily unsafe for them. In return, they were said to have offered $1.5bn (PS1.1bn) for a wall that Mr Trump wants built on the US border with Mexico. This week the Trump administration announced it was withdrawing TPS for more than 200,000 people from El Salvador. The decision gives Salvadoreans who have been living in the US for nearly three decades until next year to leave, seek lawful residency or face possible deportation. They were granted provisional US residency after an earthquake devastated the Central American country in 2001. But the State Department said on Monday that much infrastructure damaged by the quake has since been repaired. TPS permits have already been withdrawn from Haitians and Nicaraguans. Hundreds of thousands of migrants face possible deportation from the US." } ], "id": "567_3", "question": "What was the meeting about?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "On the evening of 26 September 2014, a group of 43 Mexican students disappeared in south-western Guerrero state. Five years later, the case remains shrouded in unanswered questions. When news of the young trainee teachers disappearing was first reported, it sent shockwaves around the world. In Mexico, it continues to be a dominant political issue and source of protests to this day. While authorities long ago claimed to have uncovered the \"historic truth\" of the case, rights groups and families of the 43 say they are still awaiting real answers and justice. Here is what we know - and do not know - about the missing students. The 43 studied at an all-male teacher training college in the town of Ayotzinapa. The college has a history of left-wing activism and the students regularly took part in protests. The 43 were part of a larger group of teacher trainees from Ayotzinapa who travelled to the nearby town of Iguala to protest against what they saw as discriminatory hiring practices for teachers. They also wanted to raise funds for a trip they were planning to Mexico City to mark the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre, when a large number of students were killed by the security forces in the capital. One member of the group said they were planning on commandeering a number of buses for their trip, although he insisted they would convince the drivers to take them rather than force them. As they were travelling back from Iguala to Ayotzinapa, they were confronted by municipal police, who opened fire on the buses they were travelling in. The officers maintain they did so because the buses had been hijacked, while the surviving students say the drivers had agreed to give them a lift. Police also mistakenly fired on a bus carrying a local football team, killing its driver and one of the players on board. A woman travelling in a nearby taxi was killed by a bullet. Three students were also killed, two of them shot dead, while the body of the third was found mutilated the next morning near the scene of the shooting. A group of 43 students was reported missing after the clash between the municipal police and the students. An official government report said they were seized by municipal officers and taken to the police station in the nearby town of Cocula. There, they were handed over by corrupt police officers to members of a local drugs gang, Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors), the report said. The gangs then took them to a local rubbish dump, where they killed them and burned their bodies, the official report continued. They dumped their bones and ashes in a nearby stream, it concluded. However, that report has since been widely discredited, and prosecutors are investigating the attorney general who was in charge of the probe as well as his top aides. Independent forensic experts matched charred bone fragments reportedly found at a rubbish dump near Iguala to Alexander Mora, one of the 43 missing students. They also said there was a high probability that another set of remains could be those of Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz, another of the students. However, experts from the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights later said that the chain of evidence had been broken and that they could not be sure Alexander Mora's bone fragments came from the dump. Another independent investigation by Argentine forensic experts also concluded that there was no biological or physical evidence to indicate that the bodies of the 43 students were burned at the rubbish dump. Just days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the students' disappearance, the head of Mexico's human rights commission said that the state had failed to solve the case. \"We don't know with any certainty were the youngsters ended up and there is impunity, Luis Raul Gonzalez Perez said. Many relatives have long suspected that students were taken to the local army barracks. They demanded access to the barracks months after their disappearance but were denied entry. The government of President Enrique Pena Nieto, which was in power until December 2018, refused to let the soldiers be questioned by anyone but government prosecutors, which raised suspicions among the relatives that there was a cover-up. There have been many theories as to why the students may have been targeted. Their left-wing activism and protests in Iguala had angered the mayor of the town at the time, Jose Luis Abarca, even before the night of the clash. On the day the students came to Iguala, Mr Abarca's wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, was giving a speech at the town square, and there was speculation police were sent to stop the students from disrupting her event. The couple fled the town after the students' disappearance and were later arrested in Mexico City. They remain in prison awaiting trial on charges of links with organised crime. They allege they were forced into giving false evidence. In a report last year, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights found that suspects in the case were subjected to torture and other human rights violations. Dozens of suspects have been arrested in connection with the disappearances but no charges have been brought. The mayor of Cocula, where corrupt officers reportedly handed the students over to the Guerreros Unidos gang, was charged over his links with organised crime and remains detained. His family this year called for his release, saying he was a victim of ill-treatment and torture. A number of police officers and Guerreros Unidos gang members are also under arrest in connection with the students' disappearance. According to police interrogators, the gang members said they had killed the students because they had mistaken them for members of a rival gang called Los Rojos. But earlier this month, a key suspect in the case - Guerreros Unidos leader Gildardo Lopez Astudillo, known as El Gil - was released from prison after a judge found that he had been tortured to obtain evidence. A judge also ordered the release of 24 local police officers for the same reason. Of the 142 people arrested in connection with the case, fewer than half remain in custody, according to Mexico's deputy secretary of human rights, Alejandro Encinas. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was sworn in in December 2018, made getting to the bottom of the case a key campaign pledge when he was running for office. Just days before the fifth anniversary of the students' disappearance, the attorney-general's office announced that a new investigation would be opened. President Lopez Obrador said that finding out what had happened to them was \"about justice, about humanism and also about Mexico's reputation\".", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 811, "answer_start": 632, "text": "The 43 studied at an all-male teacher training college in the town of Ayotzinapa. The college has a history of left-wing activism and the students regularly took part in protests." } ], "id": "568_0", "question": "Who were they?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1413, "answer_start": 812, "text": "The 43 were part of a larger group of teacher trainees from Ayotzinapa who travelled to the nearby town of Iguala to protest against what they saw as discriminatory hiring practices for teachers. They also wanted to raise funds for a trip they were planning to Mexico City to mark the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre, when a large number of students were killed by the security forces in the capital. One member of the group said they were planning on commandeering a number of buses for their trip, although he insisted they would convince the drivers to take them rather than force them." } ], "id": "568_1", "question": "What were they doing on the day of their disappearance?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2048, "answer_start": 1414, "text": "As they were travelling back from Iguala to Ayotzinapa, they were confronted by municipal police, who opened fire on the buses they were travelling in. The officers maintain they did so because the buses had been hijacked, while the surviving students say the drivers had agreed to give them a lift. Police also mistakenly fired on a bus carrying a local football team, killing its driver and one of the players on board. A woman travelling in a nearby taxi was killed by a bullet. Three students were also killed, two of them shot dead, while the body of the third was found mutilated the next morning near the scene of the shooting." } ], "id": "568_2", "question": "What happened that night?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2799, "answer_start": 2049, "text": "A group of 43 students was reported missing after the clash between the municipal police and the students. An official government report said they were seized by municipal officers and taken to the police station in the nearby town of Cocula. There, they were handed over by corrupt police officers to members of a local drugs gang, Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors), the report said. The gangs then took them to a local rubbish dump, where they killed them and burned their bodies, the official report continued. They dumped their bones and ashes in a nearby stream, it concluded. However, that report has since been widely discredited, and prosecutors are investigating the attorney general who was in charge of the probe as well as his top aides." } ], "id": "568_3", "question": "What about the missing 43?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3803, "answer_start": 2800, "text": "Independent forensic experts matched charred bone fragments reportedly found at a rubbish dump near Iguala to Alexander Mora, one of the 43 missing students. They also said there was a high probability that another set of remains could be those of Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz, another of the students. However, experts from the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights later said that the chain of evidence had been broken and that they could not be sure Alexander Mora's bone fragments came from the dump. Another independent investigation by Argentine forensic experts also concluded that there was no biological or physical evidence to indicate that the bodies of the 43 students were burned at the rubbish dump. Just days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the students' disappearance, the head of Mexico's human rights commission said that the state had failed to solve the case. \"We don't know with any certainty were the youngsters ended up and there is impunity, Luis Raul Gonzalez Perez said." } ], "id": "568_4", "question": "Have any of their remains been found?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4223, "answer_start": 3804, "text": "Many relatives have long suspected that students were taken to the local army barracks. They demanded access to the barracks months after their disappearance but were denied entry. The government of President Enrique Pena Nieto, which was in power until December 2018, refused to let the soldiers be questioned by anyone but government prosecutors, which raised suspicions among the relatives that there was a cover-up." } ], "id": "568_5", "question": "If they were not killed in Cocula, where are they?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5086, "answer_start": 4224, "text": "There have been many theories as to why the students may have been targeted. Their left-wing activism and protests in Iguala had angered the mayor of the town at the time, Jose Luis Abarca, even before the night of the clash. On the day the students came to Iguala, Mr Abarca's wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, was giving a speech at the town square, and there was speculation police were sent to stop the students from disrupting her event. The couple fled the town after the students' disappearance and were later arrested in Mexico City. They remain in prison awaiting trial on charges of links with organised crime. They allege they were forced into giving false evidence. In a report last year, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights found that suspects in the case were subjected to torture and other human rights violations." } ], "id": "568_6", "question": "Why did the students become a target in the first place?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6692, "answer_start": 6229, "text": "President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was sworn in in December 2018, made getting to the bottom of the case a key campaign pledge when he was running for office. Just days before the fifth anniversary of the students' disappearance, the attorney-general's office announced that a new investigation would be opened. President Lopez Obrador said that finding out what had happened to them was \"about justice, about humanism and also about Mexico's reputation\"." } ], "id": "568_7", "question": "What is the current government doing?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A former Thai navy diver has died while taking part in efforts to rescue 12 boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. Petty Officer Saman Gunan lost consciousness on his way out of the Tham Luang cave complex, where he had been delivering air tanks. The boys have been trapped for nearly two weeks in a chamber in the cave. They ventured in while the cave was dry but were caught out by a sudden deluge of rain, which flooded the system. The group was found by British rescue divers after 10 days in the cave, perched on a rock shelf in a small chamber about 4km (2.5 miles) from the cave mouth. Teams of Thai and international divers have since supplied them with food, oxygen and medical attention, but there are mounting concerns about the oxygen level in the chamber, which officials said had fallen to 15%. The usual level is 21%. On the surface, a huge military and civilian rescue operation is racing against the clock to bring the boys to safety. Heavy monsoon rains are expected on Sunday, threatening further flooding. Officials had initially considered leaving the boys in the chamber to wait out the rainy season - which could have seen them trapped there for up to four months. But Thailand's Navy Seal commander suggested on Thursday that the divers may now have little choice but to attempt a daring emergency rescue - fraught with danger for the boys, who are aged 11 to 16 and some of whom cannot swim. \"At first, we thought the children could stay for a long time... but now things have changed, we have a limited time,\" Rear Admiral Apakorn Yookongkaew said. The death of Saman - a highly trained diver - on Thursday underscored the danger of moving from the chamber to mouth of the cave, and raised serious doubts about the safety of bringing the boys out through the cramped, flooded passageways. The diver died after losing consciousness in one of the passageways, said Passakorn Boonyaluck, deputy governor of the Chiang Rai region, where the cave is situated. \"His job was to deliver oxygen. He did not have enough on his way back,\" Mr Passakorn said. He said that Saman's dive partner tried to revive him but could not, and his body was brought out of the cave. Saman, who was reportedly 38, had left the navy but returned to aid in the rescue operation. Said to be an avid runner and cyclist, he was part of the massive rescue operation launched after the group became stranded in the Tham Luang cave. Officials said his funeral would be sponsored by the Thai king. The search operation would go on, said Rear Adm Arpakorn. \"I can guarantee that we will not panic, we will not stop our mission, we will not let the sacrifice of our friend go to waste,\" he said. About 1,000 people are involved in the rescue operation, including navy divers, military personnel and civilian volunteers. Authorities say there are concerns about falling oxygen levels in the chamber where the boys and their coach are trapped. Oxygen was being depleted by the large number of people working inside the cave network, said the Chiang Rai Governor, Narongsak Osotthanakorn. Authorities are now working to get a 5km (3 mile) cable into the cave to supply the group with air. They are also trying to feed a fibre optic cable through to the group, to connect them to their families for the first time in nearly two weeks. The boys are being regularly supplied with food and medical care, but there are grave concerns over heavy rainfall forecast for Sunday. Authorities are trying to work out how best to bring the group to safety, with officials stressing they do not intend to take any risks with the boys' safety. The military has been pumping water out of the cave but if it cannot hold the water level down, it will be left a stark reality: teaching the boys to use diving equipment and bringing them via a route which has already cost one trained diver his life. Some local groups are searching in the hills for unknown entrances to the cave system, but none has yet been found. If a rescue attempt fails, leaving the boys to wait out the rain brings with it another danger: that the sinkholes and streams in the hills above could flood the chamber completely. Sophie Long in Chiang Rai Rescue operation leaders here say most of those involved have been trained to work in high risk environments, and to deal with eventualities like this. They say the death of Saman won't impact on their mission. But there is a different atmosphere today in the makeshift village that's evolved at the cave's entrance, and the death of a former navy Seal highlights just how dangerous the route out of the cave remains. It is unlikely the boys will be told about the death. One of the prime concerns here is to keep them not just physically but mentally strong. Today, the priority is to connect the fibre optic cable that will allow the boys to speak to their families. It is hoped it will be a vital boost for the young boys, after two long weeks underground.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4195, "answer_start": 3351, "text": "The boys are being regularly supplied with food and medical care, but there are grave concerns over heavy rainfall forecast for Sunday. Authorities are trying to work out how best to bring the group to safety, with officials stressing they do not intend to take any risks with the boys' safety. The military has been pumping water out of the cave but if it cannot hold the water level down, it will be left a stark reality: teaching the boys to use diving equipment and bringing them via a route which has already cost one trained diver his life. Some local groups are searching in the hills for unknown entrances to the cave system, but none has yet been found. If a rescue attempt fails, leaving the boys to wait out the rain brings with it another danger: that the sinkholes and streams in the hills above could flood the chamber completely." } ], "id": "569_0", "question": "What are the rescue options?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Azerbaijan's ruling elite operated a secret $2.8bn (PS2.2bn) slush fund for two years to pay off European politicians and make luxury purchases, an investigation suggests. The money was allegedly channelled through four UK-based opaque companies. People said to have been paid include European politicians who adopted a favourable attitude to the government. There is no suggestion that all the recipients were aware of the original source of the money, the report said. The investigation into the alleged secret fund, nicknamed the Azerbaijani Laundromat, was carried out by a consortium of European newspapers and published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The report alleges that there is evidence of a link between the fund and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. President Aliyev has denied any involvement or wrongdoing. \"Attempts to link the president and his family are baseless, malicious and are of a provocative nature,\" the president's office said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement accused financier George Soros, whose Open Society Institute supports the OCCRP report, of being a \"fraud\" and a \"fake\" and called for the report's findings to be \"investigated\". According to the OCCRP, the scheme was used by Azerbaijan's ruling elite to launder funds through a series of shell companies in order to disguise their origin. It was allegedly used as a slush fund to pay people who served their interests. Azerbaijani Laundromat operated over a period of two years from 2012 to 2014, the OCCRP says. The money was channelled through four opaque UK companies; two based in England and two in Scotland. These companies have since been dissolved, according to the report. The funds, managed by the UK companies, made their way to various countries including Germany, France, Turkey, Iran and Kazakhstan. The payments were sometimes repetitive, the report adds. The source of the funds is unclear, but the investigation alleges that there is \"ample evidence of its connection to the family of President Ilham Aliyev\". The OCCRP report says that the money appeared to originate in Azeri and Russian government circles. Some of the funds came directly from the Azerbaijani government, the investigation says. By Rayhan Demetrie, BBC News In 2012, a Berlin-based think-tank, the European Stability Initiative, published a report titled Caviar Diplomacy: How Azerbaijan silenced the Council of Europe. The report detailed efforts by Azeri officials to win the \"hearts and minds\" of the Council's members by giving luxurious gifts such as silk carpets, electronic gadgets, black caviar and money in exchange for supporting Azerbaijan. The 47-member council - not part of the European Union - monitors compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights, and judges in Strasbourg enforce it. In 2010 and 2013, Azerbaijan's allegedly rigged parliamentary and presidential elections were praised by members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). PACE members in 2013 voted down a human rights report criticising Azerbaijan. Oil and caviar rich Azerbaijan is one of the world's most authoritarian nations, where dissent is not tolerated and most government critics are either in jail or have been forced to leave the country. The country's ministry of emergency situations, ministry of defence and intelligence service are said to have provided $9m to the scheme. A Russian arms exports agency, Rosoboronexport, provided $29m, according to OCCRP. But almost half of the money, $1.4bn, came from private Baku-based company Baktelekom MMC, which bears no relation to the mobile phone giant Baktelecom. Offshore companies, usually registered in the UK with \"proxy directors and shareholders\", also allegedly contributed. Much of the money is said to have been paid to European politicians, lobbyists, journalists and businessmen. At the time the alleged scheme, the oil-rich ex-Soviet state was accused of systematic corruption, vote-rigging and abuses, including the jailing of opposition politicians, human rights activists and journalists. The OCCRP report says the money \"bought silence\". Recipients are said to include the family of Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister, Yaqub Eyyubov, along with lobbyists tasked with tackling corruption in the country and members of parliament with links to businesses, such as pharmaceutical companies. Mr Eyyubov has not yet commented on the report's findings. The funds, the investigation says, were also used by the political elite in the capital, Baku, to purchase luxury items including private education for well-connected Azeri families living abroad. \"Over 13,000\" banking transactions were leaked to the media, according to the report. They show that millions of dollars in accounts of companies and individuals across the world were spent at luxury car dealerships, football clubs, travel agencies and hospitals, it adds. One of Europe's leading banks, Danske Bank from Denmark, processed the payments to those companies via its branch office in Estonia. It admitted it had not done enough to spot suspicious transactions. At least three European politicians, a journalist and a number of businessmen who praised the government were said to be among the recipients of the Azerbaijani Laundromat money. The four UK-based companies allegedly used to channel the funds were linked to anonymous tax haven entities based in the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles and Belize. According to the OCCRP report, the companies involved were: Polux Management and Hilux Services, which were set up in Glasgow; Metastar Invest in Birmingham; and LCM Alliance in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. The investigation suggests that because numerous payments were made to several \"secretive shell companies\" in the UK, the scheme's reach may have been much larger than is currently known. According to the OCCRP, the scheme seemed to have been successful in, for example, persuading the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe to vote against a report critical of Azerbaijan in 2013. The vote is currently under investigation and a report is expected by the end of the year.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1905, "answer_start": 1213, "text": "According to the OCCRP, the scheme was used by Azerbaijan's ruling elite to launder funds through a series of shell companies in order to disguise their origin. It was allegedly used as a slush fund to pay people who served their interests. Azerbaijani Laundromat operated over a period of two years from 2012 to 2014, the OCCRP says. The money was channelled through four opaque UK companies; two based in England and two in Scotland. These companies have since been dissolved, according to the report. The funds, managed by the UK companies, made their way to various countries including Germany, France, Turkey, Iran and Kazakhstan. The payments were sometimes repetitive, the report adds." } ], "id": "570_0", "question": "What is Azerbaijani Laundromat?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2250, "answer_start": 1906, "text": "The source of the funds is unclear, but the investigation alleges that there is \"ample evidence of its connection to the family of President Ilham Aliyev\". The OCCRP report says that the money appeared to originate in Azeri and Russian government circles. Some of the funds came directly from the Azerbaijani government, the investigation says." } ], "id": "570_1", "question": "Where did the money come from?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4931, "answer_start": 3781, "text": "Much of the money is said to have been paid to European politicians, lobbyists, journalists and businessmen. At the time the alleged scheme, the oil-rich ex-Soviet state was accused of systematic corruption, vote-rigging and abuses, including the jailing of opposition politicians, human rights activists and journalists. The OCCRP report says the money \"bought silence\". Recipients are said to include the family of Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister, Yaqub Eyyubov, along with lobbyists tasked with tackling corruption in the country and members of parliament with links to businesses, such as pharmaceutical companies. Mr Eyyubov has not yet commented on the report's findings. The funds, the investigation says, were also used by the political elite in the capital, Baku, to purchase luxury items including private education for well-connected Azeri families living abroad. \"Over 13,000\" banking transactions were leaked to the media, according to the report. They show that millions of dollars in accounts of companies and individuals across the world were spent at luxury car dealerships, football clubs, travel agencies and hospitals, it adds." } ], "id": "570_2", "question": "Where did the money go?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6164, "answer_start": 5875, "text": "According to the OCCRP, the scheme seemed to have been successful in, for example, persuading the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe to vote against a report critical of Azerbaijan in 2013. The vote is currently under investigation and a report is expected by the end of the year." } ], "id": "570_3", "question": "Was it successful?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Germany's domestic intelligence chief, Hans-Georg Maassen, has been told to quit and move to a senior post at the interior ministry. The government decision came amid a row over Mr Maassen's response to far-right unrest in Chemnitz, eastern Germany. Anti-migrant \"hunts\" were reported there on 26 August after a German man was killed in a brawl with migrants. Mr Maassen doubted that foreign-looking people had been hounded. Chancellor Angela Merkel was urged to sack him. Critics said his scepticism downplayed the seriousness of far-right violence and intimidation in Chemnitz. Mr Maassen will leave the BfV spy service and become a state secretary in the interior ministry. German media report that he will actually move to a higher pay grade. It is not yet clear who will replace him. Several xenophobic assaults were reported in the eastern city after the fatal stabbing of Daniel Hillig. They were described as racist \"hunts\", and images emerged showing demonstrators chasing people and flinging bottles and fireworks. Controversially, spy chief Mr Maassen said his Federal Office for Constitutional Protection (BfV) - which is similar to the British MI5 - had \"no reliable information about such hunts taking place\" in Chemnitz. He also questioned whether a video posted by \"Antifa Zeckenbiss\" - meaning \"anti-fascist tick bite\" - really showed, as claimed, a \"hunt in Chemnitz\" on 26 August. Mr Maassen said the video could have been disinformation; he added that he did not know who was behind Antifa Zeckenbiss. German public broadcaster ARD said in a \"fact-check\" that Antifa Zeckenbiss is an anonymous Twitter account, active since February, posting anti-fascist messages and \"there is nothing to indicate that it is a fake account\". There were more far-right rallies in Chemnitz after 26 August, and smaller counter-demonstrations by leftists. Mr Maassen was also criticised over his contacts with far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politicians. Tuesday's decision was a compromise between Mrs Merkel and her coalition partners - Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, of the right-wing Bavarian CSU, and centre-left Social Democrat (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles. Mr Seehofer defended Mr Maassen's actions over Chemnitz, but Ms Nahles wanted him dismissed. AfD's Beatrix von Storch tweeted scornfully: \"This gives the SPD what it wanted in theory, Seehofer can remain spineless and Merkel gets some peace.\" Investigations over the murder of Daniel Hillig are ongoing. Earlier on Tuesday, an Iraqi man identified as Yousif A was released from custody, three weeks after he was arrested and detained over the killing. His lawyer Ulrich Dost-Roxin said the detention had been \"illegal\", and accused officials and politicians of using him for political ends. \"No witness accused my client of involvement in the crime,\" he said in a statement. A Syrian man is still in custody, and police are still looking for a third suspect. The Maassen controversy has fuelled fears that Germany's main state security body may be soft on far-right extremism. AfD is now the main opposition party, with 92 seats in the 709-seat Bundestag. It backs the far-right protests, arguing that violent asylum-seekers should be expelled from Germany. AfD is furious with Mrs Merkel for having let in more than a million migrants in 2015-2016. Mr Maassen's predecessor was forced to quit over BfV shortcomings in the notorious NSU neo-Nazi case, in which a terrorist cell killed 10 people in a racially-motivated campaign in 2000-2007. The BfV and police were found to have neglected or ignored racism as a motive. It has about 3,100 staff who, along with regional intelligence services, monitor groups acting against Germany's democratic order. It was created in 1950 by the Allied powers in Germany to guard against communist and pro-Nazi groups. It is part of the federal interior ministry and is overseen by the Bundestag. The BfV cannot make arrests. It says most of its intelligence is gathered from open or public sources, including press reports. It can only spy on groups - not private individuals - engaged in anti-constitutional behaviour. Separate BfV departments spy on radical left-wingers, far-right extremists and militant Islamists. The BfV also runs counter-espionage operations, watching foreign spies in Germany. But overseas intelligence-gathering is done by the BND spy service.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1963, "answer_start": 789, "text": "Several xenophobic assaults were reported in the eastern city after the fatal stabbing of Daniel Hillig. They were described as racist \"hunts\", and images emerged showing demonstrators chasing people and flinging bottles and fireworks. Controversially, spy chief Mr Maassen said his Federal Office for Constitutional Protection (BfV) - which is similar to the British MI5 - had \"no reliable information about such hunts taking place\" in Chemnitz. He also questioned whether a video posted by \"Antifa Zeckenbiss\" - meaning \"anti-fascist tick bite\" - really showed, as claimed, a \"hunt in Chemnitz\" on 26 August. Mr Maassen said the video could have been disinformation; he added that he did not know who was behind Antifa Zeckenbiss. German public broadcaster ARD said in a \"fact-check\" that Antifa Zeckenbiss is an anonymous Twitter account, active since February, posting anti-fascist messages and \"there is nothing to indicate that it is a fake account\". There were more far-right rallies in Chemnitz after 26 August, and smaller counter-demonstrations by leftists. Mr Maassen was also criticised over his contacts with far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politicians." } ], "id": "571_0", "question": "What happened in Chemnitz?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2416, "answer_start": 1964, "text": "Tuesday's decision was a compromise between Mrs Merkel and her coalition partners - Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, of the right-wing Bavarian CSU, and centre-left Social Democrat (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles. Mr Seehofer defended Mr Maassen's actions over Chemnitz, but Ms Nahles wanted him dismissed. AfD's Beatrix von Storch tweeted scornfully: \"This gives the SPD what it wanted in theory, Seehofer can remain spineless and Merkel gets some peace.\"" } ], "id": "571_1", "question": "Who decided to force him out?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2932, "answer_start": 2417, "text": "Investigations over the murder of Daniel Hillig are ongoing. Earlier on Tuesday, an Iraqi man identified as Yousif A was released from custody, three weeks after he was arrested and detained over the killing. His lawyer Ulrich Dost-Roxin said the detention had been \"illegal\", and accused officials and politicians of using him for political ends. \"No witness accused my client of involvement in the crime,\" he said in a statement. A Syrian man is still in custody, and police are still looking for a third suspect." } ], "id": "571_2", "question": "What happened about the stabbing?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3594, "answer_start": 2933, "text": "The Maassen controversy has fuelled fears that Germany's main state security body may be soft on far-right extremism. AfD is now the main opposition party, with 92 seats in the 709-seat Bundestag. It backs the far-right protests, arguing that violent asylum-seekers should be expelled from Germany. AfD is furious with Mrs Merkel for having let in more than a million migrants in 2015-2016. Mr Maassen's predecessor was forced to quit over BfV shortcomings in the notorious NSU neo-Nazi case, in which a terrorist cell killed 10 people in a racially-motivated campaign in 2000-2007. The BfV and police were found to have neglected or ignored racism as a motive." } ], "id": "571_3", "question": "What's the bigger picture?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4380, "answer_start": 3595, "text": "It has about 3,100 staff who, along with regional intelligence services, monitor groups acting against Germany's democratic order. It was created in 1950 by the Allied powers in Germany to guard against communist and pro-Nazi groups. It is part of the federal interior ministry and is overseen by the Bundestag. The BfV cannot make arrests. It says most of its intelligence is gathered from open or public sources, including press reports. It can only spy on groups - not private individuals - engaged in anti-constitutional behaviour. Separate BfV departments spy on radical left-wingers, far-right extremists and militant Islamists. The BfV also runs counter-espionage operations, watching foreign spies in Germany. But overseas intelligence-gathering is done by the BND spy service." } ], "id": "571_4", "question": "Who does the BfV spy on?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "There's a chance you might not have heard of Line but the Japanese messaging service is set to sell shares for the first time in an initial public offering (IPO) in both New York and Tokyo. So here's what you need to know. Line is the most popular messaging app in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. It is similar to the likes of Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger or WeChat in China. While it is close to those, it does have some features that set it apart: virtual stickers, cartoon-like animated emojis and games with mascots such as a bear called Brown and his rabbit friend Cony. You can make video calls, stream video or order taxis with it. It also offers a timeline much like Facebook does. Line has about 218 million monthly active users and makes its money from advertising and selling its virtual stickers and games. There even are physical Line stores where you can buy merchandise featuring your favourite Line character. Line dates back to 2011 when, in the wake of the devastating Japanese tsunami, many of the normal channels of communication had broken down. The Japanese subsidiary to South Korea's internet giant Naver developed the app as a quick fix for staff to use internet-based communication. In June that year, Naver released Line for public use and the app quickly came to dominate the market in Japan. It went on to become the leading player in Taiwan and Thailand, and also gained a foothold in many other Asian countries. The company is set to raise up to $1.3bn (PS1bn) when it lists its shares, after setting its flotation price at 3,300 yen ($33; PS25) per share. It's being described as Japan's biggest tech IPO of the year but in fact it could have been significantly bigger. When Line was scheduled for an initial public offering two years ago, there was talk of a valuation of more than $10bn. But that was at a time when the user base was still growing at record pace, and those days are over. The shares will be launched in a dual offering in New York and Tokyo on 14 and 15 July. Line is looking to raise funds to expand into the US and help it compete with rivals Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and WeChat. Line is the market leader in a number of Asian countries. Yet analysts are hesitant when it comes to the company's outlook. \"Line is struggling to grow its user base,\" tech analyst Andrew Milroy of Frost & Sullivan told the BBC. Last year, it gained 13 million new users, an increase of just 6%. But the company does make money. Users buy stickers, animated emojis and pay for games. There's also money coming in from advertising. Revenue grew by 40% in the last year. Yet breaking into markets where there is already a dominant messenger app is extremely difficult. If all your friends are already on WeChat or Facebook, why would you switch to a new messenger? \"It has so far struggled to get out of the markets of Japan, Thailand, Taiwan,\" Mr Milroy explains. And while it could enter South East Asia markets like the Philippines or Indonesia, making money in those markets is \"more challenging\", he says.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 921, "answer_start": 223, "text": "Line is the most popular messaging app in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. It is similar to the likes of Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger or WeChat in China. While it is close to those, it does have some features that set it apart: virtual stickers, cartoon-like animated emojis and games with mascots such as a bear called Brown and his rabbit friend Cony. You can make video calls, stream video or order taxis with it. It also offers a timeline much like Facebook does. Line has about 218 million monthly active users and makes its money from advertising and selling its virtual stickers and games. There even are physical Line stores where you can buy merchandise featuring your favourite Line character." } ], "id": "572_0", "question": "What is Line?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1438, "answer_start": 922, "text": "Line dates back to 2011 when, in the wake of the devastating Japanese tsunami, many of the normal channels of communication had broken down. The Japanese subsidiary to South Korea's internet giant Naver developed the app as a quick fix for staff to use internet-based communication. In June that year, Naver released Line for public use and the app quickly came to dominate the market in Japan. It went on to become the leading player in Taiwan and Thailand, and also gained a foothold in many other Asian countries." } ], "id": "572_1", "question": "How did it get started?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2132, "answer_start": 1439, "text": "The company is set to raise up to $1.3bn (PS1bn) when it lists its shares, after setting its flotation price at 3,300 yen ($33; PS25) per share. It's being described as Japan's biggest tech IPO of the year but in fact it could have been significantly bigger. When Line was scheduled for an initial public offering two years ago, there was talk of a valuation of more than $10bn. But that was at a time when the user base was still growing at record pace, and those days are over. The shares will be launched in a dual offering in New York and Tokyo on 14 and 15 July. Line is looking to raise funds to expand into the US and help it compete with rivals Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and WeChat." } ], "id": "572_2", "question": "What do we know about the IPO?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3041, "answer_start": 2133, "text": "Line is the market leader in a number of Asian countries. Yet analysts are hesitant when it comes to the company's outlook. \"Line is struggling to grow its user base,\" tech analyst Andrew Milroy of Frost & Sullivan told the BBC. Last year, it gained 13 million new users, an increase of just 6%. But the company does make money. Users buy stickers, animated emojis and pay for games. There's also money coming in from advertising. Revenue grew by 40% in the last year. Yet breaking into markets where there is already a dominant messenger app is extremely difficult. If all your friends are already on WeChat or Facebook, why would you switch to a new messenger? \"It has so far struggled to get out of the markets of Japan, Thailand, Taiwan,\" Mr Milroy explains. And while it could enter South East Asia markets like the Philippines or Indonesia, making money in those markets is \"more challenging\", he says." } ], "id": "572_3", "question": "Is it a safe investment?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The former police chief of the Mexican city where 43 students disappeared in 2014 has been detained after two years on the run, officials say. Felipe Flores was arrested in Iguala, in the southern state of Guerrero, where the incident happened. The government says the students were arrested by police before being handed over to a drugs cartel who killed them and incinerated their bodies. But families and independent experts contest this claim. The panel of experts, working for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said the account that the students had been burnt beyond identification at a rubbish dump was physically impossible. Felipe Flores was police chief of Iguala when the incident took place on 26 September 2014, and his arrest may offer new clues as to what exactly happened then. Attorney General Arely Gomez welcomed Felipe Flores' capture, writing on Twitter that it would allow investigators to get \"a fundamental statement to clear up the events\". The case has tainted President Enrique Pena Nieto's image. The 43 were all students at an all-male teacher training college in the town of Aytozinapa, in south-western Guerrero state. The college has a history of left-wing activism and the students regularly took part in protests. They disappeared from the nearby town of Iguala on the evening of 26 September 2014 after a confrontation between municipal police and the students during which six people were killed. Independent forensic experts have matched charred bone fragments reportedly found at a rubbish dump near Iguala to Alexander Mora, one of the 43 missing students. They also say there is a high probability another set of remains could belong to Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz, another of the students. However, experts from the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights say the chain of evidence was broken and they could not be sure the bone fragments had been found at the dump. According to the official report, the students were seized by corrupt municipal police officers who handed them over to members of a local drugs gang. The drugs gang mistook the students for members of a rival gang, killed them and burned their bodies at the dump before throwing their ashes into a nearby stream. They think officials have failed to investigate the role soldiers from a nearby barracks may have played in the students' disappearance. The government has refused to let the soldiers, who were in the area at the time of the disappearance, be questioned by anyone but government prosecutors. The families also point to the report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights which said that there was no evidence the bodies of the 43 were burned at the dump.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1260, "answer_start": 1038, "text": "The 43 were all students at an all-male teacher training college in the town of Aytozinapa, in south-western Guerrero state. The college has a history of left-wing activism and the students regularly took part in protests." } ], "id": "573_0", "question": "Who are they?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1445, "answer_start": 1261, "text": "They disappeared from the nearby town of Iguala on the evening of 26 September 2014 after a confrontation between municipal police and the students during which six people were killed." } ], "id": "573_1", "question": "What happened to them?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1924, "answer_start": 1446, "text": "Independent forensic experts have matched charred bone fragments reportedly found at a rubbish dump near Iguala to Alexander Mora, one of the 43 missing students. They also say there is a high probability another set of remains could belong to Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz, another of the students. However, experts from the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights say the chain of evidence was broken and they could not be sure the bone fragments had been found at the dump." } ], "id": "573_2", "question": "Have any of them been found?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2238, "answer_start": 1925, "text": "According to the official report, the students were seized by corrupt municipal police officers who handed them over to members of a local drugs gang. The drugs gang mistook the students for members of a rival gang, killed them and burned their bodies at the dump before throwing their ashes into a nearby stream." } ], "id": "573_3", "question": "What is the government's version of events?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2701, "answer_start": 2239, "text": "They think officials have failed to investigate the role soldiers from a nearby barracks may have played in the students' disappearance. The government has refused to let the soldiers, who were in the area at the time of the disappearance, be questioned by anyone but government prosecutors. The families also point to the report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights which said that there was no evidence the bodies of the 43 were burned at the dump." } ], "id": "573_4", "question": "Why do the families not believe the official report?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Iraqi forces are advancing into the centre of Ramadi, after launching a major assault to drive Islamic State militants from the city, officials say. Security sources told the BBC troops and allied tribesmen, backed by US-led air strikes, had already retaken two districts, and entered two others. They are heading towards the main government complex, and have come up against snipers and suicide bombers. Ramadi fell to IS in May in an embarrassing defeat for the Iraqi army. Last month, government forces completed their encirclement of the predominantly Sunni Arab city, about 90km (55 miles) west of Baghdad, cutting off militants inside the centre from strongholds elsewhere in Anbar province and in neighbouring Syria. How tactical change boosted offensive Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service spokesman Sabah al-Numani said its troops, supported by soldiers, police and Sunni tribesmen, had begun the assault on central Ramadi at dawn and were advancing on the government complex. \"We went into the centre of Ramadi from several fronts and we began purging residential areas,\" he told the AFP news agency. \"The city will be cleared in the coming 72 hours.\" \"We did not face strong resistance - only snipers and suicide bombers, and this is a tactic we expected,\" he added. Sources in the Iraqi military's Anbar Operations Command told the BBC that engineers had built temporary bridges over the River Euphrates, which flows along the north and west of the city centre. This had enabled troops to enter directly the al-Haouz district, south-west of the government complex. By Tuesday afternoon, government forces had retaken the al-Thubat and al-Aramil districts, and entered nearby al-Malaab and Bakir, the sources said. If the battle to recapture Ramadi succeeds, it will be the second-largest city after Tikrit to be taken back from the self-proclaimed Islamic State in the past 18 months. It would be a major boost for the morale of the Iraqi security forces and for those Sunnis opposing IS in Iraq. That is not only because the city of Ramadi is predominantly Sunni and a key IS stronghold, but also because the forces fighting to take it back are spearheaded by Sunni tribesmen. The Shia-dominated paramilitary force known as Popular Mobilisation (al-Hashd al-Shaabi) has been involved in many battles against IS, but the government has chosen not to deploy it in Ramadi. The force was accused of human rights abuses against Sunnis after the recapture of Tikrit in April, and it is believed previous atrocities carried out by Shia militias helped alienate Sunnis and push them into the arms of IS. A spokesman for the US-led coalition against IS, which carried out at least 12 air strikes in support of the offensive on Tuesday, said the fall of Ramadi was \"inevitable\", but warned that it would be a \"tough fight\". Col Steve Warren suggested there were between 250 and 350 IS militants entrenched in the city centre, with some hundreds more to the north and west. The Iraqi defence ministry said the jihadists had prevented civilians leaving Ramadi since leaflets warning of an assault were dropped over the city last month. \"They plan to use them as human shields,\" spokesman Naseer Nuri told the Reuters news agency on Monday. Col Warren said there were still thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of civilians inside Ramadi. Sources inside Ramadi told the BBC IS had carried out a campaign of raids and mass arrests of residents in districts still under its control, in an attempt to prevent an uprising in support of the government offensive. IS has lost control of several key towns in Iraq to government and Kurdish forces since overrunning large swathes of the country's west and north in June 2014 and proclaiming the creation of a \"caliphate\" that also extended into neighbouring Syria. On Monday, analysis by IHS Jane's suggested that IS had lost 14% of its overall territory in Iraq and Syria, about 12,800 sq km (4,940 sq miles), over the past year. Despite this, the group has been able to capture new territory of strategic value over the same period, including Ramadi and Palmyra in Syria's Homs province. It also still controls the Iraqi cities of Falluja, east of Ramadi, and Mosul, in the north. A notoriously violent Islamist group which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq. It has declared its territory a caliphate - a state governed in accordance with Islamic law - under its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. IS demands allegiance from all Muslims, rejects national borders and seeks to expand its territory. It adheres to its own extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and regards non-believers as deserving of death. IS projects a powerful image, partly through propaganda and sheer brutality, and is the world's richest insurgent group. It has about 30,000 fighters but is facing daily bombing by a US-led multinational coalition which has vowed to destroy it. More on Islamic State", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4438, "answer_start": 4223, "text": "A notoriously violent Islamist group which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq. It has declared its territory a caliphate - a state governed in accordance with Islamic law - under its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi." } ], "id": "574_0", "question": "What is Islamic State?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4647, "answer_start": 4439, "text": "IS demands allegiance from all Muslims, rejects national borders and seeks to expand its territory. It adheres to its own extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and regards non-believers as deserving of death." } ], "id": "574_1", "question": "What does it want?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologised for wearing \"brownface\" make-up at a gala at a private school where he taught nearly two decades ago. The 2001 yearbook picture obtained by Time Magazine shows Mr Trudeau with skin-darkening make-up on his face and hands at the West Point Grey Academy. Addressing the image, Mr Trudeau said he \"deeply regretted\" his actions and \"should have known better\". The prime minister is battling for re-election on 21 October. Mr Trudeau, son of the late former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was 29 when he took part in the gala at the school in Vancouver. The image is politically embarrassing for the prime minister because he has made progressive policies a signature issue. Speaking to journalists after the Time article was published, Mr Trudeau said he had dressed up in the photo in an Aladdin costume at an Arabian Nights-themed gala. \"I take responsibility for my decision to do that. I shouldn't have done it. \"I should have known better. It was something that I didn't think was racist at the time, but now I recognise it was something racist to do and I am deeply sorry.\" When asked if there had been other occasions, Mr Trudeau told reporters he had also worn make-up when he was a student performing at a talent show in high school. An image from that incident has since been posted to Twitter. A source has confirmed to the BBC that the image is indeed from the second incident Mr Trudeau referred to. He wore \"blackface\" and sang Day-O, a Jamaican folk song popularised by American civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. Like \"blackface\", \"brownface\" typically refers to when someone paints their face darker to appear like someone with a different skin colour. The practice is associated with minstrel performances - in past centuries, white actors could be seen with their faces painted black, caricaturing African-Americans, and perpetuating offensive and racist stereotypes. In recent years, there have been several controversies involving politicians, celebrities and brands accused of \"blackface\", \"brownface\" or \"yellowface\". On Wednesday, Mr Trudeau said \"brownface\" was \"a significant thing that is very hurtful\" to \"communities and people who live with intersectionalities and face discrimination\". Mustafa Farooq, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said: \"Seeing the prime minister in brownface/blackface is deeply saddening. The wearing of blackface/brownface is reprehensible, and hearkens back to a history of racism and an Orientalist mythology which is unacceptable.\" The council added that it recognised \"people can change and evolve over two decades\". Later, the council issued a tweet thanking Mr Trudeau for apologising promptly. The picture was racist in 2001 and is racist now, said Andrew Scheer, leader of the opposition Conservatives. \"What Canadians saw this evening is someone with a total lack of judgement and integrity and someone who is not fit to govern this country,\" he said. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, a Sikh, said the image was \"troubling\" and \"insulting\". \"Any time we hear examples of brownface or blackface, it's making a mockery of someone for what they live and what their lived experiences are,\" Mr Singh told journalists on the campaign trail in Toronto. The image was also criticised in a tweet by Green Party leader Elizabeth May. Analysis by Jessica Murphy, BBC News, Toronto It is still too early to say how damaging this will be for Justin Trudeau but there is no doubt his tough fight for re-election just got tougher. Canadians have made clear that they pay attention when Mr Trudeau does something that contradicts his progressive political brand. He will also have to explain himself further to the many Canadians from diverse backgrounds who may feel deeply hurt by the image. Jagmeet Singh - who has spoken openly about the racism he faced in Canada growing up - wrote online that this is \"not about the prime minister\". \"This is about every young person mocked for the colour of their skin, the child who had the turban ripped from their head.\" Brian Lilley, a political columnist for the tabloid Toronto Sun, said it was a \"shocking photo\" and that Mr Trudeau was \"a hypocrite\". \"Trudeau isn't resigning over this even though he would demand that any other party fire any candidate caught in the same situation,\" he said. Meanwhile, political scientist Max Cameron told the Vancouver Sun that Mr Trudeau's apology \"hit all the right notes\", but had still caused \"a real dent in the strongest part of his armour\" as he had built himself up as a defender of multiculturalism and tolerance. Analysing the fallout, weekly news magazine Maclean's said, \"Blackface has a long, troubling history in Canada.\" However, Dr Cheryl Thompson, who has researched the phenomenon in Canada, told the magazine it \"was not nearly so widely denounced in 2001 as it is now\". She credited Mr Trudeau for apologising unequivocally but said she hoped his colleagues would not \"let him off easily\". Mr Trudeau has taken a pro-immigration stance as prime minister, and worked to appeal to ethnic minority voters. However, his costume choices have attracted criticism in the past - including during a 2018 official visit to India, when his extensive range of traditional Indian outfits were mocked as \"ridiculously overdressed\". Opinion polls indicate October's election will be a tough race for Mr Trudeau who is seeking a second term in office. His campaign got off to a bad start after his plane was grounded by a scraped wing on the first day. A bus ferrying journalists collided with the wing of the Liberal party's chartered Boeing last week. Earlier this year, in the US, Virginia governor Ralph Northam faced calls to resign over a photo in his 1984 yearbook. The photo showed a person in blackface beside another in Ku Klux Klan robes. Mr Northam initially apologised for the photo - but later said he was neither of the men pictured. However, he said he had worn blackface on a separate occasion that year while dressing up as Michael Jackson.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1583, "answer_start": 725, "text": "Speaking to journalists after the Time article was published, Mr Trudeau said he had dressed up in the photo in an Aladdin costume at an Arabian Nights-themed gala. \"I take responsibility for my decision to do that. I shouldn't have done it. \"I should have known better. It was something that I didn't think was racist at the time, but now I recognise it was something racist to do and I am deeply sorry.\" When asked if there had been other occasions, Mr Trudeau told reporters he had also worn make-up when he was a student performing at a talent show in high school. An image from that incident has since been posted to Twitter. A source has confirmed to the BBC that the image is indeed from the second incident Mr Trudeau referred to. He wore \"blackface\" and sang Day-O, a Jamaican folk song popularised by American civil rights activist Harry Belafonte." } ], "id": "575_0", "question": "How did Trudeau respond?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2741, "answer_start": 1584, "text": "Like \"blackface\", \"brownface\" typically refers to when someone paints their face darker to appear like someone with a different skin colour. The practice is associated with minstrel performances - in past centuries, white actors could be seen with their faces painted black, caricaturing African-Americans, and perpetuating offensive and racist stereotypes. In recent years, there have been several controversies involving politicians, celebrities and brands accused of \"blackface\", \"brownface\" or \"yellowface\". On Wednesday, Mr Trudeau said \"brownface\" was \"a significant thing that is very hurtful\" to \"communities and people who live with intersectionalities and face discrimination\". Mustafa Farooq, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said: \"Seeing the prime minister in brownface/blackface is deeply saddening. The wearing of blackface/brownface is reprehensible, and hearkens back to a history of racism and an Orientalist mythology which is unacceptable.\" The council added that it recognised \"people can change and evolve over two decades\". Later, the council issued a tweet thanking Mr Trudeau for apologising promptly." } ], "id": "575_1", "question": " What is 'brownface'?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3383, "answer_start": 2742, "text": "The picture was racist in 2001 and is racist now, said Andrew Scheer, leader of the opposition Conservatives. \"What Canadians saw this evening is someone with a total lack of judgement and integrity and someone who is not fit to govern this country,\" he said. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, a Sikh, said the image was \"troubling\" and \"insulting\". \"Any time we hear examples of brownface or blackface, it's making a mockery of someone for what they live and what their lived experiences are,\" Mr Singh told journalists on the campaign trail in Toronto. The image was also criticised in a tweet by Green Party leader Elizabeth May." } ], "id": "575_2", "question": "What's the political reaction been?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A Japanese pro gamer has said he is \"truly ashamed\" after faking his age to gain YouTube subscribers. Known to his followers as RizArt, the gamer gained notoriety after beating a Fortnite world record in November, despite being only 12 years old. The number of subscribers to his YouTube channel more than doubled to 187,000 after his feat made international news. Then, this month, RizArt revealed he had been lying about his age. \"I'm very sorry to have not been telling everyone the truth,\" he said in a video. \"I am truly ashamed for having lied to all of you.\" RizArt revealed that he is 16 years old. Far from being at elementary school as he had claimed, he is now in his first year of high school. He said that it began when other gamers assumed he was younger than he was because of his voice and appearance. He chose not to correct them, hoping it would help grow his viewership. \"As my subscribers grew in number, I kept worrying about how I had to come clean,\" he said. \"But it became a situation in which I couldn't tell the truth. \"I was so worried about it.\" RizArt is a pro Fortnite player from Japan, where he is registered on the e-sports team Crazy Raccoon. He has been selected as one of two players from the team to compete at the ESL Katowice Royale 2019, a Fortnite tournament where 100 teams are invited to compete for a $500,000 (PS386,000) prize pool. He will face competition from some of the best players in the world, including Tfue, Cloak and Nate Hill. Regarding the age controversy, RizArt did not break any official rules, as there are no age brackets within Fortnite competitions in Japan. But after making his celebrity from claiming to be a child prodigy - a 12-year-old who could compete with the best - the 16-year-old said he \"couldn't continue\" in secrecy. \"For this long period of time,\" he said, \"I haven't been able to tell my viewers the truth, and for that I am deeply sorry. \"I don't hope that you'll forgive me straight away. However, as penance I shall donate three months' earnings from my YouTube channel to charitable organisations. \"From here on I will act in a proper manner to regain your trust.\" The reaction to RizArt's admission has been broadly positive, with many of the comments on his video praising the gamer for his honesty. Others on social media praised him for his courage, said they were \"rooting for him\" regardless of his age, and said that the only thing they were interested in was watching him play. By Tom Gerken, BBC UGC & Social News, and William Leonardo, BBC World Service", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1483, "answer_start": 1074, "text": "RizArt is a pro Fortnite player from Japan, where he is registered on the e-sports team Crazy Raccoon. He has been selected as one of two players from the team to compete at the ESL Katowice Royale 2019, a Fortnite tournament where 100 teams are invited to compete for a $500,000 (PS386,000) prize pool. He will face competition from some of the best players in the world, including Tfue, Cloak and Nate Hill." } ], "id": "576_0", "question": "Who is RizArt?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "\"I must have been in denial - I was in denial,\" says Lynda Kent, whose daughter developed an eating disorder 15 years ago at the age of 19. \"I didn't want to see there was a problem, until her sister made it very clear that we had a problem.\" Lynda says she knew nothing about eating disorders back then and was slow to pick up on the telltale signs. Her story is not untypical, as a survey finds one in three adults could not name any signs of an eating disorder. The YouGov survey of 2,108 adults in the UK - to mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week - also found 79% were unable to name psychological symptoms, such as low self-esteem or having a distorted perception of weight. The eating disorder charity Beat says low awareness of the early signs of illnesses like anorexia and bulimia is linked to delayed treatment and increased risk of the illness becoming life-threatening. Lynda says the early warning signs are often subtle. \"In the early days, you don't see all the signs. Some of them can be mood swings - my daughter became very withdrawn and very quiet. \"She started to display signs of avoiding food, avoiding the truth of where she was eating that food, and lying - so she'd say 'I ate earlier' or 'I'm eating at a friend's'. \"But it was a very long time before dramatic signs were being shown. It was her sister who noticed it and spoke up and said: 'Can't you see what's happening, Mum?'.\" The charity Beat says the main signs to watch out for are: - becoming obsessive about food - changes in behaviour - having distorted beliefs about their body size - often tired or struggling to concentrate - disappearing to the toilet after meals - starting to exercise excessively Beat chief executive Andrew Radford says the survey findings are worrying because when early signs are picked up on and sufferers are treated early, they are more likely to make a sustained recovery. \"If you are worried about a family member, a friend or colleague, talk to them and encourage them to visit their GP or self-refer to an eating disorder service.\" Lynda says parents and relatives need to be aware that people with eating disorders can become very secretive as they try to hide the extent of their problem. \"They become very clever about not wanting to be found out, a bit like alcoholics, so they become very clever at manipulating the situation they're in.\" She recalls how one time she had left her daughter some chicken in the fridge and, in an attempt to look like she had eaten it, the teenager carved the meat off the bone, but threw it over the fence so as not to be discovered. \"Until you understand eating disorders, you think it's all about getting them to eat, but it's the mind that needs attending to. \"If the mind isn't dealt with, the food won't change, because it all comes from a place of insecurity and control - food is the only thing they can control.\" Lynda suggests that anyone who is concerned about a loved one should research the issues thoroughly and get help as soon as possible. \"You've got to get on to it fairly fast - the longer you have it, the worse it is to deal with. \"Early intervention is absolutely key. If you can get treatment early, you can nip it in the bud earlier. \"But they have got to be in a place where they want help,\" she adds. Despite more than 10 years of battling anorexia, the story of Lynda and her daughter does have a happy ending. After private treatment in the US, her daughter's health has been stable for the past five years and she is working as a producer for the BBC. \"I'm full of hope,\" says Lynda, \"if I think back five-and-a-half years, I was very worried that I might not see my daughter alive again. \"If someone as poorly as she was can pull through, there's hope. But it takes a lot of love, care and devotion, but there is hope.\" Beat offers two helplines - one for adults: 0808 801 0677 or email help@beateatingdisorders.co.uk and one for young people: 0808 801 0711 or email fyp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk ", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2877, "answer_start": 1408, "text": "The charity Beat says the main signs to watch out for are: - becoming obsessive about food - changes in behaviour - having distorted beliefs about their body size - often tired or struggling to concentrate - disappearing to the toilet after meals - starting to exercise excessively Beat chief executive Andrew Radford says the survey findings are worrying because when early signs are picked up on and sufferers are treated early, they are more likely to make a sustained recovery. \"If you are worried about a family member, a friend or colleague, talk to them and encourage them to visit their GP or self-refer to an eating disorder service.\" Lynda says parents and relatives need to be aware that people with eating disorders can become very secretive as they try to hide the extent of their problem. \"They become very clever about not wanting to be found out, a bit like alcoholics, so they become very clever at manipulating the situation they're in.\" She recalls how one time she had left her daughter some chicken in the fridge and, in an attempt to look like she had eaten it, the teenager carved the meat off the bone, but threw it over the fence so as not to be discovered. \"Until you understand eating disorders, you think it's all about getting them to eat, but it's the mind that needs attending to. \"If the mind isn't dealt with, the food won't change, because it all comes from a place of insecurity and control - food is the only thing they can control.\"" } ], "id": "577_0", "question": "What are the signs to watch out for?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "At least two people have died in clashes with Indian police in the north-eastern state of Assam, officials said. Police said the two had been caught in crossfire in the city of Guwahati where thousands had ignored a curfew to protest against a new citizenship bill. Troops have been deployed in parts of Assam and neighbouring Tripura state. The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) offers amnesty to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from three countries. Critics across India say the bill is discriminatory. In the north-east, protesters claim they will be \"overrun\" by migrants from Bangladesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed for calm. The bill - which applies to people from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan - was passed in the upper house of parliament on Wednesday night. It is yet to be signed by the president, but that is considered a formality. The ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party says the CAB will give sanctuary to people fleeing religious persecution. Illegal migration from Bangladesh has long been a concern in India's north-east. Assam is one of India's most multi-ethnic states and includes Bengali- and Assamese-speaking Hindus and various tribespeople. A third of its 32 million citizens are Muslims, the second-highest number after Indian-administered Kashmir. Police in Assam confirmed to the BBC that two people had died in what they called \"crossfire\" between officers and protesters in Guwahati. It was not clear which side fired the fatal shots. Several police officers were injured, a statement added. Despite appeals for calm, thousands of protesters again took to the streets in parts of Assam and Tripura, both of which border Bangladesh. About 5,000 paramilitary troops were sent to Guwahati where a curfew was widely ignored. Protesters there set fire to vehicles and buildings and battled security forces. A convoy of vehicles that included state police chief Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta was attacked in the city by a crowd throwing stones on Thursday, Indian media reported. No-one was hurt, police said, but reporters at the scene said the convoy had to stop several times. Police fired blanks into the air as well as tear gas to disperse crowds. At least four railway stations in Assam were damaged as protesters tried to burn them down, transport officials said. Meanwhile, police in Tripura state said about 1,800 people had been arrested since Wednesday, local media reported. Flights and rail services have been disrupted across the region. Prime Minister Modi sought to reassure people in Assam, telling them they had \"nothing to worry\" about. \"The central government and I are totally committed to constitutionally safeguard the political, linguistic, cultural and land rights of the Assamese people,\" he tweeted. However, with internet and mobile services shut down, it is unlikely residents would have been able to read the message. They want the bill to be repealed, as they say their ethnic and cultural identity is under threat from illegal migration. Essentially, they do not want any migrants - regardless of religion - to be allowed into the state. What is further fuelling passions in Assam, is the fact that two million residents - deemed to be illegal immigrants- were left off a citizens' register last August. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a list of people who can prove they came to the state by 24 March 1971, a day before neighbouring Bangladesh became an independent country. In the run-up to its publication, the BJP had supported the NRC, but changed tack days before the final list was published, saying it was error-ridden. The reason for that was a lot of Bengali Hindus - a strong voter base for the BJP - were left off the list, and would possibly become illegal immigrants. The CAB is seen as being linked to the register, although it is not the same thing. It will help protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register and face the threat of deportation or internment. The Indian Union Muslim League, a political party, has petitioned the country's top court to declare the bill illegal. In their petition to the Supreme Court, the Indian Union Muslim League argued that the bill violated articles of equality, fundamental rights and the right to life. More than 700 eminent Indian personalities, including jurists, lawyers, academics and actors, have signed a statement \"categorically\" condemning the bill. Investigative journalist Rana Ayyub told the BBC that it was sending out the wrong message. \"Clearly you are catering to your Hindu base by telling them that this country is only for Hindus,\" she said. \"The world's biggest democracy had a big heart when it could accommodate people. Right now we are coming across to the world as petty vindictive civilisation. That's not what India stood for.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2496, "answer_start": 1304, "text": "Police in Assam confirmed to the BBC that two people had died in what they called \"crossfire\" between officers and protesters in Guwahati. It was not clear which side fired the fatal shots. Several police officers were injured, a statement added. Despite appeals for calm, thousands of protesters again took to the streets in parts of Assam and Tripura, both of which border Bangladesh. About 5,000 paramilitary troops were sent to Guwahati where a curfew was widely ignored. Protesters there set fire to vehicles and buildings and battled security forces. A convoy of vehicles that included state police chief Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta was attacked in the city by a crowd throwing stones on Thursday, Indian media reported. No-one was hurt, police said, but reporters at the scene said the convoy had to stop several times. Police fired blanks into the air as well as tear gas to disperse crowds. At least four railway stations in Assam were damaged as protesters tried to burn them down, transport officials said. Meanwhile, police in Tripura state said about 1,800 people had been arrested since Wednesday, local media reported. Flights and rail services have been disrupted across the region." } ], "id": "578_0", "question": "How have the protests intensified?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3971, "answer_start": 2893, "text": "They want the bill to be repealed, as they say their ethnic and cultural identity is under threat from illegal migration. Essentially, they do not want any migrants - regardless of religion - to be allowed into the state. What is further fuelling passions in Assam, is the fact that two million residents - deemed to be illegal immigrants- were left off a citizens' register last August. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a list of people who can prove they came to the state by 24 March 1971, a day before neighbouring Bangladesh became an independent country. In the run-up to its publication, the BJP had supported the NRC, but changed tack days before the final list was published, saying it was error-ridden. The reason for that was a lot of Bengali Hindus - a strong voter base for the BJP - were left off the list, and would possibly become illegal immigrants. The CAB is seen as being linked to the register, although it is not the same thing. It will help protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register and face the threat of deportation or internment." } ], "id": "578_1", "question": "What do protesters want?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4805, "answer_start": 3972, "text": "The Indian Union Muslim League, a political party, has petitioned the country's top court to declare the bill illegal. In their petition to the Supreme Court, the Indian Union Muslim League argued that the bill violated articles of equality, fundamental rights and the right to life. More than 700 eminent Indian personalities, including jurists, lawyers, academics and actors, have signed a statement \"categorically\" condemning the bill. Investigative journalist Rana Ayyub told the BBC that it was sending out the wrong message. \"Clearly you are catering to your Hindu base by telling them that this country is only for Hindus,\" she said. \"The world's biggest democracy had a big heart when it could accommodate people. Right now we are coming across to the world as petty vindictive civilisation. That's not what India stood for.\"" } ], "id": "578_2", "question": "Has the bill been challenged?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Another week, another EU food scare. Is the future of the humble and hugely popular doner kebab now in question? Recent headlines are not comforting for fans of the spicy, grilled Turkish meat. \"Is the doner a goner?\" and \"For pitta's sake\" helped fuel an anxious debate, while Germany's Bild daily screamed \"It could be the end of the doner!\" It's all because of a vote in the European Parliament next week. MEPs will debate whether to tighten controls over phosphate additives widely used in the meat following health warnings. But it's not all bad news for this fast food favourite. Technically phosphate additives are already banned from doner kebabs, but they are commonly used in the frozen meat and the EU rule isn't enforced. The EU Commission wants to allow use of the additives and to regulate them - as happens already with some other processed meats, such as speciality sausages. But a resolution put forward by the Socialist and Green groups threatens to block that move. If it is successful, doner kebabs are likely to face tighter scrutiny. There have been health warnings about a high intake of phosphate additives posing a possible risk, especially to people with cardiovascular problems and chronic kidney disease. The additives, identified by various E numbers on packaging labels, are also common in sausages and some other processed meats. Christel Schaldemose, a Danish Socialist MEP, co-authored the resolution to block the Commission's plans. She told the BBC that \"we fear the health effects\" and \"we don't have enough market surveillance\" to control the use of phosphates. The EU's European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) is now studying phosphate additives as a priority and plans to issue a scientific opinion on the risks before the end of next year. \"We're not saying we would ban doner meat forever, but let's wait until the Efsa review,\" Ms Schaldemose said. Efsa says there is a need to establish whether the health risk comes mainly from phosphate additives or from a general accumulation of phosphates in the diet. A scientific paper published by a German medical website, Deutsches Aerzteblatt, says naturally occurring phosphates in food - in meat, potatoes and bread, for example - \"cannot be restricted without incurring the risk of lowering protein intake\". You might also like: Only 40-60% of natural phosphates are absorbed by the body, but the absorption rate for phosphate additives is much higher, the study says. \"Phosphate additives in food are a matter of concern, and their potential impact on health may well have been underappreciated,\" it warns. Processed meat can contain nearly 70% more phosphate than fresh meat. Phosphate additives help to bind the meat, acting as a sort of glue. So when it's on a spit it doesn't fall apart. That means the meat - usually lamb - should also cook through more evenly. Phosphates can also act as acidic preservatives for meat, fish, cheese and soft drinks. It is widely believed that they also help water retention in meat, keeping it juicy. But Halil Ahmet, a director at Veli's Kebabs in Burton-on-Trent, said water retention was actually a bad idea. \"More water turns the meat into rubber, and the more phosphates you put in the more rubbery it gets,\" he told the BBC. \"We use a tiny level of phosphate - one gram per ten kilograms.\" Nobody is threatening to ban doner kebabs, but the way the meat is produced may have to change. Germany produces about 80% of doner meat consumed in the EU and about 110,000 German jobs depend on it. Renate Sommer, a German MEP in Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat (CDU) party, attacked the parliament resolution as \"ridiculous\" on Facebook (in German). According to her, a typical EU citizen consumes as much phosphate from doner kebabs in one year as from drinking 1.5 litres (2.6 pints) of Coca-Cola. She says kebab sellers have no alternative to phosphates for binding doner meat effectively. But Mr Ahmet said he would like to see better checks by national food inspectors to make sure all kebab meat was up to standard. \"The checks are not adequate at all - we've complained to trading standards about other producers not conforming. \"They say 'we'll look into it', but they don't have enough inspectors.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1055, "answer_start": 586, "text": "Technically phosphate additives are already banned from doner kebabs, but they are commonly used in the frozen meat and the EU rule isn't enforced. The EU Commission wants to allow use of the additives and to regulate them - as happens already with some other processed meats, such as speciality sausages. But a resolution put forward by the Socialist and Green groups threatens to block that move. If it is successful, doner kebabs are likely to face tighter scrutiny." } ], "id": "579_0", "question": "What's all the fuss about in the EU?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2295, "answer_start": 1056, "text": "There have been health warnings about a high intake of phosphate additives posing a possible risk, especially to people with cardiovascular problems and chronic kidney disease. The additives, identified by various E numbers on packaging labels, are also common in sausages and some other processed meats. Christel Schaldemose, a Danish Socialist MEP, co-authored the resolution to block the Commission's plans. She told the BBC that \"we fear the health effects\" and \"we don't have enough market surveillance\" to control the use of phosphates. The EU's European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) is now studying phosphate additives as a priority and plans to issue a scientific opinion on the risks before the end of next year. \"We're not saying we would ban doner meat forever, but let's wait until the Efsa review,\" Ms Schaldemose said. Efsa says there is a need to establish whether the health risk comes mainly from phosphate additives or from a general accumulation of phosphates in the diet. A scientific paper published by a German medical website, Deutsches Aerzteblatt, says naturally occurring phosphates in food - in meat, potatoes and bread, for example - \"cannot be restricted without incurring the risk of lowering protein intake\"." } ], "id": "579_1", "question": "What is the concern about phosphate additives?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4247, "answer_start": 3324, "text": "Nobody is threatening to ban doner kebabs, but the way the meat is produced may have to change. Germany produces about 80% of doner meat consumed in the EU and about 110,000 German jobs depend on it. Renate Sommer, a German MEP in Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat (CDU) party, attacked the parliament resolution as \"ridiculous\" on Facebook (in German). According to her, a typical EU citizen consumes as much phosphate from doner kebabs in one year as from drinking 1.5 litres (2.6 pints) of Coca-Cola. She says kebab sellers have no alternative to phosphates for binding doner meat effectively. But Mr Ahmet said he would like to see better checks by national food inspectors to make sure all kebab meat was up to standard. \"The checks are not adequate at all - we've complained to trading standards about other producers not conforming. \"They say 'we'll look into it', but they don't have enough inspectors.\"" } ], "id": "579_2", "question": "What does this all mean for kebab shops?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A migrant centre on the Italian island of Sicily which had been one of the largest of its kind in Europe has been officially shut down. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini attended the closure of the Mineo centre, which at its peak housed more than 4,000 people. The leader of the populist, right-wing League party, has spearheaded Italy's hard-line stance toward migration. He live-streamed a walkabout tour of the empty facility on Tuesday. Italy is the main entry for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe. Its populist government has tried to reduce the number of people arriving by banning rescue ships bearing migrants from docking at its ports. While the number of arrivals on Italian territory has fallen dramatically from the total of 181,000 in 2016 to 3,071 so far this year, the proportion of dead and missing has climbed to 667 - more than one in six. Hours ahead of Tuesday's closure, an Italian customs boat arrived at the Sicilian port of Pozzallo carrying 47 rescued migrants who had been travelling to Italy's Lampedusa island. The migrants were said to come from Tunisia and sub-Saharan Africa. Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has called on the bloc's 28 member states to reach a temporary arrangement on taking in migrants until permanent reforms are agreed. \"The challenges of migration cannot only be the responsibility of Italy and Malta simply because these states are located on the Mediterranean,\" he told Germany's Die Welt. The EU's own four-year Mediterranean sea patrol mission, credited with rescuing thousands of migrants, is being suspended at the end of September, amid a row with Italy over where the saved migrants should disembark. In 2017, Mr Salvini filmed himself spending a night at the Mineo migrant centre, a former US military base in Sicily. He later described what he witnessed as \"organised migration\" aimed at \"replacing the Italian people with other people, Italian workers with other workers\". The decision to close the Mineo centre was announced last month, after the number of asylum seekers there declined from 2,526 a year ago to 152, Ansa news agency reported. The remaining migrants were transferred to smaller centres ahead of Tuesday's closure. At the time of the announcement, Mr Salvini said Italy's policy of closing ports had brought about the closure of other big migrant centres and \"now it's Mineo's turn\". He said it was \"good news\" for local residents, citing the murder of an elderly couple in 2015 at the hands of an Ivorian teenager who had been living in the Mineo camp. In addition to the 47 migrants taken to Sicily on Tuesday, a German charity ship, the Alan Kurdi, said it had rescued 44 migrants from a wooden boat in the Mediterranean, adding that it would deliver them to Malta. Its operator, Sea-Eye, said the country had agreed to accept those on board, including women and children, and was sending a vessel to pick them up. Last week, the Alan Kurdi rescued 65 migrants off the coast of Libya and handed them to the Maltese navy after Italy closed its ports to the vessel. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said after talks with the European Commission and German government that all 65 would be relocated to other parts of the EU. On Tuesday, Mr Salvini said maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean needed to be \"accelerated\" and suggested the use of passenger ships to repatriate migrants to Tunisia. Italy's defence ministry is also reportedly planning to send navy vessels to accompany its coastguard to Italian ports to block humanitarian ships carrying migrants, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Mr Salvini, whose populist government came to power a year ago, accuses humanitarian groups operating in the Mediterranean of encouraging North African smuggling routes. Italy is often the closest EU nation when migrants are rescued off the coast of Libya - which many organisations do not consider safe. Last month, Italy's cabinet passed laws allowing for fines of up to EUR50,000 (PS45,000; $56,000) to be issued to boats that sail to Italian ports without permission. Tensions over the country's policy escalated last month when the charity ship Sea-Watch 3 forced a landing on the Italian island of Lampedusa. It had been stranded at sea for two weeks while awaiting permission to dock. Mr Salvini accused the ship's captain, Carola Rackete, of committing \"an act of war\" after her boat trapped an Italian patrol boat against a quayside. Ms Rackete, who was aware that entering Italian waters risked serious consequences, said her decision was \"not an act of violence\" but simply an attempt to get \"exhausted and desperate\" people on to dry land. She was arrested but has been cleared by an Italian court of endangering lives. She still faces charges for people smuggling and resisting the authorities and is due to appear in court again on 18 July.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2594, "answer_start": 1722, "text": "In 2017, Mr Salvini filmed himself spending a night at the Mineo migrant centre, a former US military base in Sicily. He later described what he witnessed as \"organised migration\" aimed at \"replacing the Italian people with other people, Italian workers with other workers\". The decision to close the Mineo centre was announced last month, after the number of asylum seekers there declined from 2,526 a year ago to 152, Ansa news agency reported. The remaining migrants were transferred to smaller centres ahead of Tuesday's closure. At the time of the announcement, Mr Salvini said Italy's policy of closing ports had brought about the closure of other big migrant centres and \"now it's Mineo's turn\". He said it was \"good news\" for local residents, citing the murder of an elderly couple in 2015 at the hands of an Ivorian teenager who had been living in the Mineo camp." } ], "id": "580_0", "question": "What has Salvini said about Mineo?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4902, "answer_start": 3648, "text": "Mr Salvini, whose populist government came to power a year ago, accuses humanitarian groups operating in the Mediterranean of encouraging North African smuggling routes. Italy is often the closest EU nation when migrants are rescued off the coast of Libya - which many organisations do not consider safe. Last month, Italy's cabinet passed laws allowing for fines of up to EUR50,000 (PS45,000; $56,000) to be issued to boats that sail to Italian ports without permission. Tensions over the country's policy escalated last month when the charity ship Sea-Watch 3 forced a landing on the Italian island of Lampedusa. It had been stranded at sea for two weeks while awaiting permission to dock. Mr Salvini accused the ship's captain, Carola Rackete, of committing \"an act of war\" after her boat trapped an Italian patrol boat against a quayside. Ms Rackete, who was aware that entering Italian waters risked serious consequences, said her decision was \"not an act of violence\" but simply an attempt to get \"exhausted and desperate\" people on to dry land. She was arrested but has been cleared by an Italian court of endangering lives. She still faces charges for people smuggling and resisting the authorities and is due to appear in court again on 18 July." } ], "id": "580_1", "question": "What is behind Italy's policy?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "It's Monday, a new week, so let's get a sense of what's coming up with some of the most important and interesting stories over the next seven days. What's happening? On Tuesday, Malaysia's former prime minister, Najib Razak, goes on trial over corruption involving the state's 1MDB fund. He faces charges including criminal breach of trust, which he denies. Why does it matter? The disappearance of billions of dollars from Malaysia's state fund was one of the biggest financial scandals in history, the full implications of which are still being understood. According to US and Malaysian prosecutors, the money, which was meant to help the people of Malaysia, instead lined the pockets of a few powerful individuals. This is the first time for anyone to face trial over the scandal - and it's no less a figure than the man who was still governing Malaysia last May. What's happening? On Saturday, Nigerians will vote in the country's first presidential election since 2015. Why does it matter? Whoever wins will govern over Africa's most populous country. There are more than 60 candidates running, but two who are realistically in with a chance of winning, both of whom are men in their 70s. On one side is the current president, Muhammadu Buhari, who has often been absent due to illness and under whom unemployment has doubled. He can claim improved security in the north-east and his incorruptibility as plus points. On the other side is Atiku Abubakar, a prominent businessman and philanthropist who has tried for the presidency three times before - and failed each time. What's happening? Donald Trump's jail-bound former lawyer testifies before the US Senate on Tuesday. Why does it matter? This will be the first time Michael Cohen has given a detailed run-through of his relationship with the US president, in his own words. On 6 March, Cohen will start a 36-month sentence given after he admitted campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress. Relations between the president and his former loyal lawyer have soured significantly, and Cohen condemned what he called his former boss' \"dirty deeds\" in December. He's now co-operating with investigators. He'll now give evidence before the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the top Democrat on the panel says there are key questions he needs to answer, notably on any possible contact between the Trump campaign and Russia. Before you get the popcorn ready, though: you should know the hearing will be in private.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2489, "answer_start": 1578, "text": "What's happening? Donald Trump's jail-bound former lawyer testifies before the US Senate on Tuesday. Why does it matter? This will be the first time Michael Cohen has given a detailed run-through of his relationship with the US president, in his own words. On 6 March, Cohen will start a 36-month sentence given after he admitted campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress. Relations between the president and his former loyal lawyer have soured significantly, and Cohen condemned what he called his former boss' \"dirty deeds\" in December. He's now co-operating with investigators. He'll now give evidence before the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the top Democrat on the panel says there are key questions he needs to answer, notably on any possible contact between the Trump campaign and Russia. Before you get the popcorn ready, though: you should know the hearing will be in private." } ], "id": "581_0", "question": "3) What will Cohen say?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The US Democratic Party has begun a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over allegations that he pressured a foreign power to damage a political rival. Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi said the president \"must be held accountable\". Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the efforts a \"witch hunt\". There is strong support from House Democrats for impeachment, but the proceedings would be unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. The high-stakes move by House Speaker Ms Pelosi, prompted by allegations that Mr Trump pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate his leading political rival Joe Biden, lays the groundwork for a potentially hugely consequential confrontation between Democrats and the president ahead of the 2020 election. If the inquiry moves forward, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives will vote on any charges. If Democrats were to remain united, the measure would be carried - and Mr Trump would become the third president in US history to be impeached. But the proceedings would be expected to stall in the Senate, where the president's Republican party holds enough seats to prevent him from being removed from office by a two-thirds majority. Ms Pelosi did not provide any timeline for how the process might play out. Senior Democrats including Ms Pelosi had previously resisted growing calls from within the party to begin impeachment proceedings. But the party's leadership united on the issue after an intelligence whistleblower lodged a formal complaint about one or more phone calls between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Trump administration has so far refused to release the whistleblower complaint to Congress but Democrats say Mr Trump threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless Mr Zelensky agreed to investigate unsubstantiated corruption allegations against Mr Trump's leading political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Mr Trump has admitted discussing Joe Biden with Mr Zelensky. He has denied that he exerted pressure on the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rival. On Tuesday, Mr Trump confirmed that military aid to Ukraine had been withheld but said he had done this to try and pressure European nations to increase their contributions to the country. Two presidents have been impeached in US history - Andrew Johnson in 1868, and Bill Clinton in 1998. But neither were removed from office by a Senate trial. Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 before he could be impeached. For months now, Democratic leaders have been playing a semantics game. They wanted those who supported and those who opposed a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump to both think they were getting what they wanted. This strategy suggested Nancy Pelosi and others feared that heading down the path to impeachment would put moderate Democrats facing tough 2020 re-election fights at risk. That calculation has changed after the rapid drumbeat of new revelations about Mr Trump's contacts with the Ukrainian president. Now even middle-of-the road politicians are coming out in favour of impeachment proceedings. The dam has broken. The genie is out of the bottle. Pick your metaphor. The simple fact is that Ms Pelosi - a keen judge of the political mood within her caucus - has made the decision to shift from resisting impeachment to advocating for it. The path forward is uncertain. Opinion surveys could show the latest drama is taking a toll on one party or the other, causing political will to crumble. Or, both sides could dig in for a long, gruelling battle that could drag into the darkest days of winter. More from Anthony on why Ms Pelosi has made her move In a statement on Tuesday she said Mr Trump had betrayed his oath of office and committed \"a violation of the law\". She called his actions \"a breach of his constitutional responsibilities\". \"This week the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take action that would benefit him politically,\" she said, adding: \"The president must be held accountable. No-one is above the law.\" Mr Biden has denied wrongdoing and no evidence has emerged to back up the claims against him. He has also said he supports impeachment proceedings unless the US president complies with investigations. Impeaching Mr Trump \"would be a tragedy\", Mr Biden said. \"But a tragedy of his making.\" He is the current frontrunner to take on Mr Trump in the 2020 election. In a series of tweets Mr Trump said Democrats \"purposely had to ruin and demean\" his trip to the UN in New York \"with more breaking news Witch Hunt garbage\". \"They never even saw the transcript of the call. A total Witch Hunt!\" he added. He promised to release a transcript of his conversation with Ukraine's president on Wednesday to show it was \"totally appropriate\". In his response to the Democrats' move, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: \"Speaker Pelosi happens to be the Speaker of this House, but she does not speak for America when it comes to this issue.\" \"She cannot unilaterally decide we're in an impeachment inquiry,\" he added. Meanwhile, the acting director of US national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, has refused to share the whistleblower report with Congress. He is due to testify before a public House intelligence committee hearing on Thursday. In a separate development, the unnamed whistleblower is seeking to meet directly with lawmakers. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff suggested in a tweet that this could happen later this week. Ms Pelosi's announcement gives an official go-ahead for lawmakers to investigate the US president's phone call with the Ukrainian leader and determine whether he committed an impeachable offence. In her announcement Ms Pelosi said the six congressional committees already investigating Mr Trump would continue their work, but now under the umbrella of a formal impeachment inquiry. If the process moves forward the House of Representatives will vote on one or more articles of impeachment. If any pass, the process would next move to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required - and where the Republicans hold sway. By Vitaliy Shevchenko, BBC Monitoring Commentators in Ukraine see President Volodymyr Zelensky's role in this affair as accidental, but at the same time believe it could lead to history-making consequences. Den, a daily newspaper, warns President Zelensky against taking sides in the drama unfolding in Washington. \"Ukraine is facing an unstoppable tsunami, and our president will just have to do some surfing,\" it says. Some argue that the timing could not be worse for President Zelensky, who is scheduled to meet Donald Trump in New York later on Wednesday. Public TV station Pershy describes the controversy as a \"trap\" for Ukraine. \"It would be stupid to start playing into the hands of either Democrats or Republicans,\" said one of the channel's commentators. Others contend that the Ukrainian president has US politicians over the barrel. \"Zelensky has two pistols in his hands: one pointing at Trump, and the other at Biden,\" reports Pryamy TV.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2522, "answer_start": 1286, "text": "Senior Democrats including Ms Pelosi had previously resisted growing calls from within the party to begin impeachment proceedings. But the party's leadership united on the issue after an intelligence whistleblower lodged a formal complaint about one or more phone calls between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Trump administration has so far refused to release the whistleblower complaint to Congress but Democrats say Mr Trump threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless Mr Zelensky agreed to investigate unsubstantiated corruption allegations against Mr Trump's leading political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Mr Trump has admitted discussing Joe Biden with Mr Zelensky. He has denied that he exerted pressure on the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rival. On Tuesday, Mr Trump confirmed that military aid to Ukraine had been withheld but said he had done this to try and pressure European nations to increase their contributions to the country. Two presidents have been impeached in US history - Andrew Johnson in 1868, and Bill Clinton in 1998. But neither were removed from office by a Senate trial. Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 before he could be impeached." } ], "id": "582_0", "question": "How did we get here?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4458, "answer_start": 3698, "text": "In a statement on Tuesday she said Mr Trump had betrayed his oath of office and committed \"a violation of the law\". She called his actions \"a breach of his constitutional responsibilities\". \"This week the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take action that would benefit him politically,\" she said, adding: \"The president must be held accountable. No-one is above the law.\" Mr Biden has denied wrongdoing and no evidence has emerged to back up the claims against him. He has also said he supports impeachment proceedings unless the US president complies with investigations. Impeaching Mr Trump \"would be a tragedy\", Mr Biden said. \"But a tragedy of his making.\" He is the current frontrunner to take on Mr Trump in the 2020 election." } ], "id": "582_1", "question": "What did Nancy Pelosi say?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5543, "answer_start": 4459, "text": "In a series of tweets Mr Trump said Democrats \"purposely had to ruin and demean\" his trip to the UN in New York \"with more breaking news Witch Hunt garbage\". \"They never even saw the transcript of the call. A total Witch Hunt!\" he added. He promised to release a transcript of his conversation with Ukraine's president on Wednesday to show it was \"totally appropriate\". In his response to the Democrats' move, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: \"Speaker Pelosi happens to be the Speaker of this House, but she does not speak for America when it comes to this issue.\" \"She cannot unilaterally decide we're in an impeachment inquiry,\" he added. Meanwhile, the acting director of US national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, has refused to share the whistleblower report with Congress. He is due to testify before a public House intelligence committee hearing on Thursday. In a separate development, the unnamed whistleblower is seeking to meet directly with lawmakers. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff suggested in a tweet that this could happen later this week." } ], "id": "582_2", "question": "How did Mr Trump and Republicans respond?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6168, "answer_start": 5544, "text": "Ms Pelosi's announcement gives an official go-ahead for lawmakers to investigate the US president's phone call with the Ukrainian leader and determine whether he committed an impeachable offence. In her announcement Ms Pelosi said the six congressional committees already investigating Mr Trump would continue their work, but now under the umbrella of a formal impeachment inquiry. If the process moves forward the House of Representatives will vote on one or more articles of impeachment. If any pass, the process would next move to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required - and where the Republicans hold sway." } ], "id": "582_3", "question": "What happens next?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Once it would have been almost unthinkable: a red carpet roll-out in Riyadh for a Russian leader. \"Those Godless Communists\" is how some of Saudi Arabia's more devout citizens once referred to the Soviets during the Cold War. How the world has changed since then. This week has seen a full ceremonial 21-gun salute for President Vladimir Putin in the capital, an audience with the king and crown prince, a host of bilateral deals and a seismic strategic recalculation in the region as Saudi Arabia's US allies effectively abandon the Kurds to their fate in northern Syria. So how close is Saudi Arabia now drawing to Russia and why? President Putin has made a rare but much-publicised visit to Saudi Arabia - his first in 12 years - accompanied by a sizable delegation of trade, security and defence officials. Bilateral deals worth more than $2bn (PS1.6bn) and more than 20 agreements have been announced. The Saudis have also invited Russia to participate in the ongoing international investigation into the 14 September drone and missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Defence discussions have included the possible purchase and future deployment of Russia's formidable S-400 air defence missile system, which would be something of a diplomatic blow to Washington. The US recently cancelled Turkey's participation in its F35 fighter programme after Turkey went ahead with buying the S-400 from Russia. Bilateral trade deals between Riyadh and Moscow have been accelerating since a June 2018 agreement and recent co-operation to restrain global oil supplies to keep prices buoyant. Announcements by RDIF, Russia's Direct Investment Fund, to coincide with President Putin's visit include: - A deal with Saudi state oil company Saudi Aramco to acquire a 30% Saudi share in Novomet, a Russian oil equipment supplier - A $600m deal for Saudi Arabia to invest in Russian aircraft leasing business - Possible co-operation between Russia's Gazprom and Saudi firms on natural gas. All of this signals a significant warming of ties between the Saudis and a country whose enemies (the Afghan mujahideen) they once bankrolled in the 1980s. Put bluntly, the Saudis no longer trust the US and the West as much as they used to. That doesn't mean they necessarily trust Moscow either, but recent events in the Middle East have triggered a major rethink in Saudi court circles. The first big shock came with the Arab Spring protests of 2011. The Saudis - and other Gulf Arab monarchies - were appalled at the speed with which the West dumped its long-time ally, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. By contrast, they couldn't help noticing that Moscow stood by its beleaguered Middle East partner, Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad. The next shock came with President Barack Obama's support for the Iran nuclear deal in 2015, which left the Saudis feeling deeply uncomfortable. They suspected, rightly, that the Obama White House was losing interest in the region. When the newly elected President Donald Trump chose Riyadh for his first overseas presidential visit in 2017 the Saudis were ecstatic. Relations with Washington appeared back on track and billions of dollars' worth of deals were announced. But then came the murder by Saudi government agents of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 which resulted in massive condemnation in the world's free press. Suspicious of his involvement, Western leaders started to give Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman a wide berth, at least in public. At the G20 summit in Buenos Aires the following month he was largely shunned. By contrast, President Putin high-fived him. Although President Trump has lobbied in favour of good relations with the Saudi leadership, Saudi officials are still dismayed by his unpredictable and quixotic approach to the region. This week the Saudi Ambassador to UK, Prince Khalid Bin Bandar, described the Turkish incursion into northern Syria (triggered by Trump's decision to withdraw US troops there) as a \"disaster\". When asked about warming relations with Moscow, the ambassador replied that \"Russia often understands the East better than the West does\". Eight years on from the outbreak of the Syrian civil war and Russia has successfully helped save Assad's regime, showcasing its latest military hardware while simultaneously establishing a strategic foothold in the region. America under President Trump, meanwhile, appears to be heading for the exit, despite rushing extra troops to shore up Saudi Arabia's air defences after the equipment it had sold the Saudis failed to prevent the catastrophic attack on 14 September. Bottom line: the Saudis and their Gulf Arab allies are looking to diversify their partnerships away from a heavy dependence on the West. This is to hedge against any future upsets, be they incoming missile attacks they blame on Iran (which could in future risk killing Russian technicians) or diplomatic upsets like the Khashoggi incident. All of this needs to be seen in perspective. Saudi Arabia's prime security partner has been, and continues to be, the United States. This dates back to 1945 when President Roosevelt met Saudi King Abdulaziz onboard a US warship. Over the ensuing years the Saudis guaranteed to keep the oil flowing, America promised them a security umbrella. That pact, while somewhat frayed at the edges, remains. The US military has substantial bases in all six Gulf Arab countries. The nuclear-capable US Navy's 5th Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, remains the most potent navy in the region. When Mr Trump came to Riyadh, more than $300bn worth of deals were announced; when Putin came this week, it was $2bn. But there is no question that the tectonic plates of alliances in the Middle East are shifting and diversifying. Expect to see more visits by Russian and Chinese delegates to Riyadh. America still has a prime seat at the Saudi table, but there are rather more guests sitting round it now.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2132, "answer_start": 633, "text": "President Putin has made a rare but much-publicised visit to Saudi Arabia - his first in 12 years - accompanied by a sizable delegation of trade, security and defence officials. Bilateral deals worth more than $2bn (PS1.6bn) and more than 20 agreements have been announced. The Saudis have also invited Russia to participate in the ongoing international investigation into the 14 September drone and missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Defence discussions have included the possible purchase and future deployment of Russia's formidable S-400 air defence missile system, which would be something of a diplomatic blow to Washington. The US recently cancelled Turkey's participation in its F35 fighter programme after Turkey went ahead with buying the S-400 from Russia. Bilateral trade deals between Riyadh and Moscow have been accelerating since a June 2018 agreement and recent co-operation to restrain global oil supplies to keep prices buoyant. Announcements by RDIF, Russia's Direct Investment Fund, to coincide with President Putin's visit include: - A deal with Saudi state oil company Saudi Aramco to acquire a 30% Saudi share in Novomet, a Russian oil equipment supplier - A $600m deal for Saudi Arabia to invest in Russian aircraft leasing business - Possible co-operation between Russia's Gazprom and Saudi firms on natural gas. All of this signals a significant warming of ties between the Saudis and a country whose enemies (the Afghan mujahideen) they once bankrolled in the 1980s." } ], "id": "583_0", "question": "What's happened?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4951, "answer_start": 2133, "text": "Put bluntly, the Saudis no longer trust the US and the West as much as they used to. That doesn't mean they necessarily trust Moscow either, but recent events in the Middle East have triggered a major rethink in Saudi court circles. The first big shock came with the Arab Spring protests of 2011. The Saudis - and other Gulf Arab monarchies - were appalled at the speed with which the West dumped its long-time ally, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. By contrast, they couldn't help noticing that Moscow stood by its beleaguered Middle East partner, Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad. The next shock came with President Barack Obama's support for the Iran nuclear deal in 2015, which left the Saudis feeling deeply uncomfortable. They suspected, rightly, that the Obama White House was losing interest in the region. When the newly elected President Donald Trump chose Riyadh for his first overseas presidential visit in 2017 the Saudis were ecstatic. Relations with Washington appeared back on track and billions of dollars' worth of deals were announced. But then came the murder by Saudi government agents of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 which resulted in massive condemnation in the world's free press. Suspicious of his involvement, Western leaders started to give Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman a wide berth, at least in public. At the G20 summit in Buenos Aires the following month he was largely shunned. By contrast, President Putin high-fived him. Although President Trump has lobbied in favour of good relations with the Saudi leadership, Saudi officials are still dismayed by his unpredictable and quixotic approach to the region. This week the Saudi Ambassador to UK, Prince Khalid Bin Bandar, described the Turkish incursion into northern Syria (triggered by Trump's decision to withdraw US troops there) as a \"disaster\". When asked about warming relations with Moscow, the ambassador replied that \"Russia often understands the East better than the West does\". Eight years on from the outbreak of the Syrian civil war and Russia has successfully helped save Assad's regime, showcasing its latest military hardware while simultaneously establishing a strategic foothold in the region. America under President Trump, meanwhile, appears to be heading for the exit, despite rushing extra troops to shore up Saudi Arabia's air defences after the equipment it had sold the Saudis failed to prevent the catastrophic attack on 14 September. Bottom line: the Saudis and their Gulf Arab allies are looking to diversify their partnerships away from a heavy dependence on the West. This is to hedge against any future upsets, be they incoming missile attacks they blame on Iran (which could in future risk killing Russian technicians) or diplomatic upsets like the Khashoggi incident." } ], "id": "583_1", "question": "Why are ties growing?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5937, "answer_start": 4952, "text": "All of this needs to be seen in perspective. Saudi Arabia's prime security partner has been, and continues to be, the United States. This dates back to 1945 when President Roosevelt met Saudi King Abdulaziz onboard a US warship. Over the ensuing years the Saudis guaranteed to keep the oil flowing, America promised them a security umbrella. That pact, while somewhat frayed at the edges, remains. The US military has substantial bases in all six Gulf Arab countries. The nuclear-capable US Navy's 5th Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, remains the most potent navy in the region. When Mr Trump came to Riyadh, more than $300bn worth of deals were announced; when Putin came this week, it was $2bn. But there is no question that the tectonic plates of alliances in the Middle East are shifting and diversifying. Expect to see more visits by Russian and Chinese delegates to Riyadh. America still has a prime seat at the Saudi table, but there are rather more guests sitting round it now." } ], "id": "583_2", "question": "What happens next?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The plants, animals, and micro-organisms that are the bedrock of food production are in decline, according to a UN study. If these critical species are lost, the report says, it \"places the future of our food system under severe threat\". The study says that land-use changes, pollution, and climate change are all causing biodiversity loss. While species friendly policies are increasing, they are not growing quickly enough, the scientists add. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), who've put the report together using data gathered in 91 countries, say it is the first such study of its kind. This is essentially the diversity of plants, animals, and other organisms, both wild and domesticated, that provide us with food, fuel and fibre. And it includes those organisms that provide essential services, such as bees and other pollinators, and worms, mangroves, sea grasses and fungi which work to keep soils fertile and purify the air and water. The report, called the State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, highlights two key messages. The first is that the world is relying on an ever smaller number of foodstuffs to feed a growing population that's expected to rise to around 10 billion people by 2050. Of the 6,000 plant species cultivated for food, just nine account for 66% of total crop production. The world's livestock production is based on around 40 species with only a handful providing the vast majority of meat, milk and eggs. The second key point is that many of these species that support food and agriculture are under threat or declining. Around a thousand wild food species, mainly plants, fish and mammals are decreasing in abundance. \"Biodiversity is critical for safeguarding global food security, underpinning healthy and nutritious diets, improving rural livelihoods, and enhancing the resilience of people and communities,\" said FAO's Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva. \"We need to use biodiversity in a sustainable way, so that we can better respond to rising climate change challenges and produce food in a way that doesn't harm our environment.\" According to the study, the lack of biodiversity can leave food production much more vulnerable to shocks, such as outbreaks of disease and pests. The report highlights what can happen in worst-case scenarios like the Irish potato famine of the 1840s. As Irish tenant farmers used their land to mainly grow grain to pay their rents, they became increasingly dependent on the potato as their main source of sustenance. When a disease caused by a fungus destroyed the potato crop for several years in a row, it led to the the deaths of a million people from starvation and illness. While nothing on the scale of famine is now predicted, the new study highlights a number of examples where the loss of biodiversity is impacting people's lives and diets. - The Gambia says that large losses of wild foods have forced communities to turn to industrially processed foods to supplement their diets - Several countries including Ireland, Norway, Poland and Switzerland report declines in bumblebees. - In Oman, the loss of pollinator populations due to extreme heat associated with climate change has seen the decline of wild food, including figs and berries. The report says that there are several significant causes or drivers of biodiversity loss. The main ones are: - Changes in land and water use and management - Pollution - Overexploitation and overharvesting - Climate change - Population growth and urbanisation \"We see that in the tropics and sub-tropics the expansion of large scale agriculture accounted for 40% of forest loss between 2010 and 2015,\" said Julie Belanger, who co-ordinated the report for the FAO. \"Other major negative drivers that countries reported include climate change, pollution and inappropriate use of inputs as well as overexploitation.\" Yes - the report highlights a number of what it terms \"biodiversity friendly practices\" that are on the rise. Some 80% of the countries reporting say that they follow one or more of these approaches. Some examples include: - In Argentina, some 560,000 home gardens and 12,000 school and community gardens have been created and are providing food for an estimated 2.8 million people - In California, farmers are now allowing their rice fields to be flooded after harvest instead of burning them, opening 111,000 hectares of surrogate wetlands and open space for 230 bird species. - Farmers in Ghana are planting cassava plants on field margins which produce huge amounts of nectar, attracting bees and other species, leading to higher yields. While these are lauded, the problem according to the FAO is that these changes aren't happening quickly enough. \"It is very positive to see that countries are adopting more and more practices that contribute to sustainable food production across the globe,\" said Julie Belanger. \"However, sometimes increased adoption is coming from a very low starting point indeed.\" In common with many environmental problems, consumers have enormous power to drive change. The FAO says that the general public can opt for more sustainably grown products from farmers' markets, for example, or boycott foods that are seen to be unsustainable. \"Something that came out strongly was the importance of the role of citizen scientists,\" said Julie Belanger. \"People who are involved in volunteer work for biodiversity-monitoring and also for conservation work - these are playing a very important role in a number of countries.\" Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 961, "answer_start": 608, "text": "This is essentially the diversity of plants, animals, and other organisms, both wild and domesticated, that provide us with food, fuel and fibre. And it includes those organisms that provide essential services, such as bees and other pollinators, and worms, mangroves, sea grasses and fungi which work to keep soils fertile and purify the air and water." } ], "id": "584_0", "question": "What exactly is biodiversity for food and agriculture?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2116, "answer_start": 962, "text": "The report, called the State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, highlights two key messages. The first is that the world is relying on an ever smaller number of foodstuffs to feed a growing population that's expected to rise to around 10 billion people by 2050. Of the 6,000 plant species cultivated for food, just nine account for 66% of total crop production. The world's livestock production is based on around 40 species with only a handful providing the vast majority of meat, milk and eggs. The second key point is that many of these species that support food and agriculture are under threat or declining. Around a thousand wild food species, mainly plants, fish and mammals are decreasing in abundance. \"Biodiversity is critical for safeguarding global food security, underpinning healthy and nutritious diets, improving rural livelihoods, and enhancing the resilience of people and communities,\" said FAO's Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva. \"We need to use biodiversity in a sustainable way, so that we can better respond to rising climate change challenges and produce food in a way that doesn't harm our environment.\"" } ], "id": "584_1", "question": "Why is this new report important?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3268, "answer_start": 2117, "text": "According to the study, the lack of biodiversity can leave food production much more vulnerable to shocks, such as outbreaks of disease and pests. The report highlights what can happen in worst-case scenarios like the Irish potato famine of the 1840s. As Irish tenant farmers used their land to mainly grow grain to pay their rents, they became increasingly dependent on the potato as their main source of sustenance. When a disease caused by a fungus destroyed the potato crop for several years in a row, it led to the the deaths of a million people from starvation and illness. While nothing on the scale of famine is now predicted, the new study highlights a number of examples where the loss of biodiversity is impacting people's lives and diets. - The Gambia says that large losses of wild foods have forced communities to turn to industrially processed foods to supplement their diets - Several countries including Ireland, Norway, Poland and Switzerland report declines in bumblebees. - In Oman, the loss of pollinator populations due to extreme heat associated with climate change has seen the decline of wild food, including figs and berries." } ], "id": "584_2", "question": "So what is the scale of threat to our food?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3883, "answer_start": 3269, "text": "The report says that there are several significant causes or drivers of biodiversity loss. The main ones are: - Changes in land and water use and management - Pollution - Overexploitation and overharvesting - Climate change - Population growth and urbanisation \"We see that in the tropics and sub-tropics the expansion of large scale agriculture accounted for 40% of forest loss between 2010 and 2015,\" said Julie Belanger, who co-ordinated the report for the FAO. \"Other major negative drivers that countries reported include climate change, pollution and inappropriate use of inputs as well as overexploitation.\"" } ], "id": "584_3", "question": "So what's causing the decline?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4993, "answer_start": 3884, "text": "Yes - the report highlights a number of what it terms \"biodiversity friendly practices\" that are on the rise. Some 80% of the countries reporting say that they follow one or more of these approaches. Some examples include: - In Argentina, some 560,000 home gardens and 12,000 school and community gardens have been created and are providing food for an estimated 2.8 million people - In California, farmers are now allowing their rice fields to be flooded after harvest instead of burning them, opening 111,000 hectares of surrogate wetlands and open space for 230 bird species. - Farmers in Ghana are planting cassava plants on field margins which produce huge amounts of nectar, attracting bees and other species, leading to higher yields. While these are lauded, the problem according to the FAO is that these changes aren't happening quickly enough. \"It is very positive to see that countries are adopting more and more practices that contribute to sustainable food production across the globe,\" said Julie Belanger. \"However, sometimes increased adoption is coming from a very low starting point indeed.\"" } ], "id": "584_4", "question": "Are there any effective solutions to this?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "More than 500 million bees have died in Brazil in the last three months. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, 400 million dead bees were found - with beekeepers in four states reporting the mass deaths. Researchers have blamed the use of pesticides - chemical substances which are used to kill pests. Bees have a really important role in the food chain - with around one-third of the food we eat relying on pollination mainly by bees. These include fruits and vegetables such as avocados, broccoli and cherries. The main cause of death for these bees has been the use of pesticides containing products that are banned in Europe, such as neonicotinoids and fipronil. The EU imposed an almost total ban on neonicotinoids last April because of the serious harm it could cause to bees. But in the same year Brazil lifted restrictions on pesticides - despite opposition from environmentalists who called it the \"poison package\". The use of pesticides in Brazil has increased, according to Greenpeace, with 193 products containing chemicals banned in the EU being registered in Brazil in the last three years. The country uses pesticides because its economy is so reliant on agriculture. Things aren't looking good for bees around the world. In the United States, beekeepers lost four in 10 of their honeybee colonies in the past year, making it the worst winter on record. In Russia 20 regions reported mass bee deaths, with officials also warning it could mean 20% less honey being produced. At least one million bees died in South Africa in November 2018, with fipronil being blamed. And countries such as Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Turkey have all also reported mass die-offs of bees in the last 18 months. The World Wildlife Foundation says unused land that was previously used for development should be managed to better safeguard bee populations. It adds that with greater urbanisation happening, more urban green spaces should be developed to protect bees. Some researchers say wildlife-friendly farming and gardening - such as creating patches of wild plants and weeds to encourage pollinating insects - can have a positive impact. Your garden can help too as growing plants encourages bees to pollinate - and leaving the grass to grow longer also gives bees more shelter. For tired bees, wildlife charity Buglife says people should put them onto flowers, where they may be able to find nectar which contains nutrients they need - but sugar water can be more controversial. You can also create a bee bath - which is filling a small dish with water and stones - that will let bees land on the stone to drink water. And many environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth say banning harmful pesticides is vital to stopping bees from dying. Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1705, "answer_start": 1180, "text": "Things aren't looking good for bees around the world. In the United States, beekeepers lost four in 10 of their honeybee colonies in the past year, making it the worst winter on record. In Russia 20 regions reported mass bee deaths, with officials also warning it could mean 20% less honey being produced. At least one million bees died in South Africa in November 2018, with fipronil being blamed. And countries such as Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Turkey have all also reported mass die-offs of bees in the last 18 months." } ], "id": "585_0", "question": "What's the story globally?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2760, "answer_start": 1706, "text": "The World Wildlife Foundation says unused land that was previously used for development should be managed to better safeguard bee populations. It adds that with greater urbanisation happening, more urban green spaces should be developed to protect bees. Some researchers say wildlife-friendly farming and gardening - such as creating patches of wild plants and weeds to encourage pollinating insects - can have a positive impact. Your garden can help too as growing plants encourages bees to pollinate - and leaving the grass to grow longer also gives bees more shelter. For tired bees, wildlife charity Buglife says people should put them onto flowers, where they may be able to find nectar which contains nutrients they need - but sugar water can be more controversial. You can also create a bee bath - which is filling a small dish with water and stones - that will let bees land on the stone to drink water. And many environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth say banning harmful pesticides is vital to stopping bees from dying." } ], "id": "585_1", "question": "How can bees be helped?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Bangladesh coast guards have found the bodies of 20 people who drowned fleeing Myanmar, amid a rising exodus from Rakhine state. The group, mostly women and children from the Rohingya minority, were trying to escape a recent surge of violence. The crisis erupted after Rohingya rebels attacked 30 police stations last Friday, triggering a military response. More than 100 people, mostly insurgents, have been killed and more than 27,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled. Authorities in Bangladesh have warned that people are becoming increasingly desperate and attempting to escape by boat. A coast guard official told AFP news agency the migrants were trying to flee on \"rickety inland fishing boats\" poorly equipped for the rough seas around Bangladesh. The authorities in Bangladesh - which already hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees from Myanmar - have been sending many back. The UN in Bangladesh said on Thursday that some 27,400 were estimated to have crossed the border since Friday, up from 18,000 a day earlier. Thousands more people are thought to be trapped in an unoccupied zone between the countries. Aid workers giving emergency shelter and food in Bangladesh said the refugees were in a \"very desperate condition\". \"People are traumatised,\" said Sanjukta Sahany of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Some of the new arrivals had recent bullet wounds, aid workers said. Rakhine, the poorest region in Myanmar (also called Burma), is home to more than a million Rohingya. The Rohingya have faced decades of persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they are not considered citizens. There have been waves of deadly violence in recent years. The current upsurge is the most significant since October 2016, when nine policemen died in attacks on border posts. The violence comes just days after an international commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan warned of more radicalisation if ethnic tensions were not addressed. Refugees arriving in Bangladesh accuse the military in Myanmar of raiding villages and burning down houses. With media access to Rakhine severely restricted, casualties are difficult to verify. An AFP journalist on a government-led trip to the province said he had seen plumes of smoke rising from several burning villages. The government accused the militants for burning houses before fleeing to the mountains. By Mir Sabbir, BBC News, Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh Along the main road in front of Kutupalong refugee camp, hundreds of Rohingya gather in small groups under the open sky. The vast majority are women and children. These people crossed the border under the cover of darkness, walked a long way or took an auto-rickshaw if they could afford one, and reached this camp. They know that if they are caught during the crossing, they will be sent back. But even after being turned away, they just keep trying again. Some say there is nothing left for them at home. Many of them have lost their family members. Many of the Rohingya crossing the border already have relatives in these camps. With their help, these people will probably also get some shelter here. But looking at children in the refugee camps - exhausted by the long journey, confused about why they had to come here and suddenly living under the open sky - it's hard not to get emotional. A group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) has said it carried out the attacks on police. The group first emerged in October 2016, when it carried out similar assaults. Those attacks triggered a military crackdown that led to widespread allegations of killings, rape and torture of Rohingya, and an exodus into Bangladesh. The UN is investigating alleged human rights abuses by the security forces, who deny wrongdoing. Arsa says its primary aim is to protect the Rohingya Muslim minority from state repression. Myanmar earlier in the week changed from using the term \"extremist Bengali terrorists\" to using \"Arsa extremist terrorists\" in referring to the insurgents. The government claims the group's leaders have been trained abroad. Its head is Ata Ullah, a Rohingya born in Pakistan who was raised in Saudi Arabia, according to the International Crisis Group think tank. But a spokesman for the group told Asia Times that it had no links to jihadi groups and that its members were young Rohingya people angered by events since communal violence in 2012.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2372, "answer_start": 1401, "text": "Rakhine, the poorest region in Myanmar (also called Burma), is home to more than a million Rohingya. The Rohingya have faced decades of persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they are not considered citizens. There have been waves of deadly violence in recent years. The current upsurge is the most significant since October 2016, when nine policemen died in attacks on border posts. The violence comes just days after an international commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan warned of more radicalisation if ethnic tensions were not addressed. Refugees arriving in Bangladesh accuse the military in Myanmar of raiding villages and burning down houses. With media access to Rakhine severely restricted, casualties are difficult to verify. An AFP journalist on a government-led trip to the province said he had seen plumes of smoke rising from several burning villages. The government accused the militants for burning houses before fleeing to the mountains." } ], "id": "586_0", "question": "What is happening in Rakhine?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3319, "answer_start": 2373, "text": "By Mir Sabbir, BBC News, Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh Along the main road in front of Kutupalong refugee camp, hundreds of Rohingya gather in small groups under the open sky. The vast majority are women and children. These people crossed the border under the cover of darkness, walked a long way or took an auto-rickshaw if they could afford one, and reached this camp. They know that if they are caught during the crossing, they will be sent back. But even after being turned away, they just keep trying again. Some say there is nothing left for them at home. Many of them have lost their family members. Many of the Rohingya crossing the border already have relatives in these camps. With their help, these people will probably also get some shelter here. But looking at children in the refugee camps - exhausted by the long journey, confused about why they had to come here and suddenly living under the open sky - it's hard not to get emotional." } ], "id": "586_1", "question": "What is it like for the refugees?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4391, "answer_start": 3320, "text": "A group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) has said it carried out the attacks on police. The group first emerged in October 2016, when it carried out similar assaults. Those attacks triggered a military crackdown that led to widespread allegations of killings, rape and torture of Rohingya, and an exodus into Bangladesh. The UN is investigating alleged human rights abuses by the security forces, who deny wrongdoing. Arsa says its primary aim is to protect the Rohingya Muslim minority from state repression. Myanmar earlier in the week changed from using the term \"extremist Bengali terrorists\" to using \"Arsa extremist terrorists\" in referring to the insurgents. The government claims the group's leaders have been trained abroad. Its head is Ata Ullah, a Rohingya born in Pakistan who was raised in Saudi Arabia, according to the International Crisis Group think tank. But a spokesman for the group told Asia Times that it had no links to jihadi groups and that its members were young Rohingya people angered by events since communal violence in 2012." } ], "id": "586_2", "question": "Who are the militants?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Prince Harry says he is \"thrilled\" after announcing he is to marry US actress girlfriend Meghan Markle. The fifth in line to the throne will marry Ms Markle in spring 2018. The couple, who have been dating since the summer of 2016, smiled as they posed for photographs outside Kensington Palace in London, where they will live. Prince Harry said it had been a romantic proposal, while Ms Markle said she was \"so very happy, thank you\". Ms Markle, wearing a white belted coat, held Harry's hand as they appeared briefly for the press at the palace's Sunken Garden, and showed off her diamond engagement ring. Asked by a reporter when he knew Suits star Ms Markle \"was the one\", Prince Harry said: \"The very first time we met\". A TV interview the couple are giving to the BBC's Mishal Husain will be broadcast at 18:00 GMT. Kensington Palace said Ms Markle's engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry and features two diamonds which belonged to his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. At the centre of the ring is a diamond from Botswana, a country the couple has spent time together over the last year and a half. The band is made from gold. Downing Street said there are \"no plans\" for a bank holiday on the day of the wedding. Prince Charles also said he was \"thrilled\", adding that Ms Markle's parents had given their blessing. Prince Harry had already told the Queen and \"other close members of his family\" of the engagement, which took place in London earlier this month, Prince Charles said on Twitter. The announcement, issued by Clarence House, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's official residence, said details about the wedding day would be unveiled \"in due course\". The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh said they were \"delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness\", a Buckingham Palace spokesman said. Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, said they were \"very excited for Harry and Meghan\", adding: \"It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.\" Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose predecessor officiated at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, wished them \"many years of love, happiness and fulfilment\". Ms Markle's parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, said their daughter was a \"kind and loving person\" and they were \"incredibly happy\". They added: \"To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents.\" Prime Minister Theresa May offered her \"very warmest congratulations\" and wished the couple \"great happiness for the future\". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: \"I wish them well - I hope they have a great life together.\" Prince Harry, 33 and Ms Markle, 36, made their first public appearance as a couple in September at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, a sporting event set up by the prince for injured, wounded and sick soldiers. Their married home will be the prince's current residence, Nottingham Cottage, on the grounds of Kensington Palace - where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, also have an apartment. Their 16-month relationship began in July 2016 when they met through mutual friends in London. Prince Harry first confirmed his relationship with Ms Markle in November 2016, in a statement from Kensington Palace attacking the media for subjecting her to a \"wave of abuse and harassment\". That statement said the couple were \"a few months into a relationship\" and it was \"not right\" that Ms Markle should receive such treatment. It described nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers, attempts by reporters and photographers to get into her home and the \"bombardment\" of nearly every friend and loved one in her life. Ms Markle spoke about her love for the prince for the first time in September - telling Vanity Fair magazine: \"We're two people who are really happy and in love\". She said the pair were enjoying a \"special\" time together, adding: \"I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time.\" Ms Markle may not have been a familiar name in the UK until recently, but in the US she was known for her role as Rachel Zane in TV legal drama Suits. She attended a private primary school before studying at a girls' Roman Catholic college and later graduating from Northwestern University School of Communication in 2003, just as her acting career was beginning. Ms Markle was previously married, but the Church of England agreed in 2002 that divorced people could remarry in church at the discretion of the priest. The instant Prince Harry and Ms Markle are pronounced \"man and wife\" she will automatically become Her Royal Highness, Princess Henry of Wales. However, she does not automatically become Princess Meghan - because she is not of royal blood. The Queen's late sister Margaret was entitled to call herself Princess Margaret. The Queen's daughter is Princess Anne and her granddaughters are Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. The Queen's great granddaughter, Prince William's daughter, is Princess Charlotte. All of these are, or were, of royal blood and so are princesses in their own right. But Princess Charlotte's mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, is not known as Princess Catherine, just as the Duchess of York never became Princess Sarah and the Countess of Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, is not Princess Sophie. Lady Diana Spencer was never officially Princess Diana. She was the Princess of Wales and, after her divorce from Prince Charles, she was Diana, Princess of Wales.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5706, "answer_start": 4720, "text": "The instant Prince Harry and Ms Markle are pronounced \"man and wife\" she will automatically become Her Royal Highness, Princess Henry of Wales. However, she does not automatically become Princess Meghan - because she is not of royal blood. The Queen's late sister Margaret was entitled to call herself Princess Margaret. The Queen's daughter is Princess Anne and her granddaughters are Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. The Queen's great granddaughter, Prince William's daughter, is Princess Charlotte. All of these are, or were, of royal blood and so are princesses in their own right. But Princess Charlotte's mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, is not known as Princess Catherine, just as the Duchess of York never became Princess Sarah and the Countess of Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, is not Princess Sophie. Lady Diana Spencer was never officially Princess Diana. She was the Princess of Wales and, after her divorce from Prince Charles, she was Diana, Princess of Wales." } ], "id": "587_0", "question": "What will we call her?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A trial pitting two of the biggest players in self-drive technology against each other has begun in San Francisco. Ride-sharing firm Uber is being sued by Waymo, the self-driving company spun out of Google. Uber is accused of stealing and using trade secrets relating to Lidar (light detection and ranging) - one of the technologies that enables an autonomous car to understand what is happening around it. Waymo is making its case first, and then it will be up to Uber to defend itself. Emails already shown in court detailed Uber's ex-chief executive Travis Kalanick demanding \"pounds of flesh\" from Waymo, while others are said to involve him saying he wanted to \"find the cheat codes\". Waymo's legal team has compared Mr Kalanick to Rosie Ruiz, a runner who cheated in the 1980 New York Marathon by taking the subway. Uber will likely begin its defence next week. It is expected the company will not dispute document theft, but instead attempt to convince the jury it did not use the information in its self-drive experiments. While bitter and expensive legal disputes between tech companies are common, it's rare for these tussles to be played out in public. The case is expected to last about three weeks. At stake is a potential damages payout of hundreds of millions of dollars. Or, perhaps worse, an injunction to halt, or at least hinder, Uber's self-driving research. This would be a big blow to the company, which once said leading the way in self-driving tech was critical to its survival. The row centres around a man named Anthony Levandowski, a former Google employee considered a leading mind in autonomous research. He worked on Google's self-driving programme before leaving in January 2016. It is alleged that when he left, he took with him more than 14,000 confidential documents, which were blueprints and other technical information about Lidar. He then founded Otto, an autonomous trucking company, which after less than a year was acquired by Uber for $680m (PS481m). It formed the basis of Uber's self-driving division, and Mr Levandowski was at the helm. Waymo alleges this whole process was an elaborate charade, and that Uber, specifically then-chief executive Travis Kalanick, was in talks with Mr Levandowski before he left Google. Otto was merely a front for Uber's plan to pinch their technology, Waymo claims. Uber denies this version of events, though not entirely. It's not disputing the documents were taken, but insists it didn't gain anything whatsoever from them. The crucial point Waymo will need to prove is that not only did Uber have the documents, but that it used them to gain an advantage of some kind. In the original filing, Waymo cited 121 secrets and patents Uber was said to have stolen. That number has since been reduced to eight. The significance of this reduction depends on which company's spin you want to follow. In background briefings, Uber said the fact so many of the claims were dropped from the case proved they were flimsy. Waymo said it was forced to select a handful of the most significant claims in order to have a trial that didn't last months, or even years. Judge William Alsup's comments, it has to be said, seem more closely aligned with Uber's interpretation. He described at least one of the dismissed \"secrets\" as \"Optics 101\" - meaning, the very basics of the technology, not the kind of insight that would justify calling it a secret. Either way, the jury will be asked to rule individually on the eight secrets. Discussions about the specifics will be off limits to press, but the jury will see each secret in detail in order to make its decision. Part of that process will be determining whether the information could be considered a secret in the first place. Key to Waymo's strategy will be convincing the jury that secrets can cover failure as much as success. If Waymo spent millions of dollars and hundreds of hours discovering that something didn't work, is Uber capitalising on that trade secret by saving itself the effort? While Mr Levandowski is on the witness list, don't expect much if he appears. Throughout this case, he has \"pleaded the Fifth\" - the protection afforded by the American constitution to not say anything that could incriminate oneself. Because of this, Uber has since fired him. Should Waymo call Mr Levandowski to the stand, we can assume it's theatre - the man at the centre of the row refusing to speak a peep is not a great look for Uber. We expect, within the first few days, to hear from Mr Kalanick. The controversial co-founder of Uber was forced to step down as chief executive last year following a string of scandals of which this case is but one. We are also likely to see Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google's co-founders. Less glamorous but perhaps more useful will be the numerous Uber engineers who will be rigorously questioned about how they were directed by Mr Levandowski, and whether those stolen documents and secrets ever surfaced in Uber's work. Overseeing the proceedings is Judge Alsup, a favourite among journalists for his highly-quotable courtroom quips, but not a person either legal team will be looking forward to dealing with. Judge Alsup is a force to be reckoned with: he famously learned some coding skills in order to have a better grasp on a different trial between Google and database specialist Oracle. Jury trials bring about a whole new psychology to how lawyers must approach a case. Attacks and rebuttals must be thorough but not overwhelming; simplified but not patronising. Uber knows it could face a jury which, being from San Francisco, may already hold a negative view of the company. During the selection process, Uber asked potential jurors if they were, had been, or just knew a taxi driver - such is the animosity over Uber's impact on traditional business. It also asked if anyone had deleted Uber's app in protest at various ethical decisions the company has made in recent times. Uber's baggage in front of the five man, five woman jury can't be understated: Mr Kalanick has a reputation as a hard, cut-throat operator - and that's just to his friends. Given a past of covering up a security breach, surveilling journalists, and using secret software to evade government officials, it will hardly be a huge leap for the jury to believe Mr Kalanick wasn't above tapping up a rival's star employee. Privately, Uber accuses Waymo of wanting to dumb down the jury's technical expertise in the hope of getting jurors who know less about sophisticated technology. Waymo strongly denies this, and if it is to win it will need to do a lot more than paint Uber as some kind of tech bogeyman. We can expect Judge Alsup to have little patience for anything that strays far from the intricate facts of the trade secrets in question. Ultimately, it's up to Waymo to draw a clear line, from stolen documents, to Uber's self-driving work. Let's consider the jury decides that Uber stole and used all the trade secrets of which it's accused. That could mean it would have to pay more than $1bn in damages. Calculating such an amount could be difficult, though. It's hard to measure the real cost to Waymo given the technology is yet to be commercialised, at least in the ways these companies envision. More straightforward would be an injunction that would stop Uber's self-driving programme altogether. That would be an extreme outcome - it's more likely that any injunction would just apply to whichever trade secrets the jury decides were infringed. As I see it, there is a scenario would allow both companies to claim a moral victory, even if, technically, the decision goes Waymo's way. If a jury decides Uber did steal and use trade secrets and an injunction is handed down, Uber will immediately brush it off by claiming it doesn't use the secrets anyway. Indeed, the company has already outsourced its Lidar needs to San Jose-based Velodyne. At most, an injunction might impact Uber's plans to make the technology in-house. Another outcome, of course, is that Waymo fails to convince the jury that any trade secrets were stolen, and that's the end of that. This case is being so keenly watched because it already represents an enormous argument in Silicon Valley, one about the cross-pollination of ideas and expertise. When extraordinary brains do incredible work at powerful companies, what right do they have to take those ideas with them? Uber unquestionably benefitted from Mr Levandowski's expertise. But is that because of trade secrets, or simply because of who he is? The jury won't be asked that question, but the outcome of this case will be seen by many as providing an answer.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2649, "answer_start": 1503, "text": "The row centres around a man named Anthony Levandowski, a former Google employee considered a leading mind in autonomous research. He worked on Google's self-driving programme before leaving in January 2016. It is alleged that when he left, he took with him more than 14,000 confidential documents, which were blueprints and other technical information about Lidar. He then founded Otto, an autonomous trucking company, which after less than a year was acquired by Uber for $680m (PS481m). It formed the basis of Uber's self-driving division, and Mr Levandowski was at the helm. Waymo alleges this whole process was an elaborate charade, and that Uber, specifically then-chief executive Travis Kalanick, was in talks with Mr Levandowski before he left Google. Otto was merely a front for Uber's plan to pinch their technology, Waymo claims. Uber denies this version of events, though not entirely. It's not disputing the documents were taken, but insists it didn't gain anything whatsoever from them. The crucial point Waymo will need to prove is that not only did Uber have the documents, but that it used them to gain an advantage of some kind." } ], "id": "588_0", "question": "What is the accusation?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 4013, "answer_start": 2650, "text": "In the original filing, Waymo cited 121 secrets and patents Uber was said to have stolen. That number has since been reduced to eight. The significance of this reduction depends on which company's spin you want to follow. In background briefings, Uber said the fact so many of the claims were dropped from the case proved they were flimsy. Waymo said it was forced to select a handful of the most significant claims in order to have a trial that didn't last months, or even years. Judge William Alsup's comments, it has to be said, seem more closely aligned with Uber's interpretation. He described at least one of the dismissed \"secrets\" as \"Optics 101\" - meaning, the very basics of the technology, not the kind of insight that would justify calling it a secret. Either way, the jury will be asked to rule individually on the eight secrets. Discussions about the specifics will be off limits to press, but the jury will see each secret in detail in order to make its decision. Part of that process will be determining whether the information could be considered a secret in the first place. Key to Waymo's strategy will be convincing the jury that secrets can cover failure as much as success. If Waymo spent millions of dollars and hundreds of hours discovering that something didn't work, is Uber capitalising on that trade secret by saving itself the effort?" } ], "id": "588_1", "question": "What are the trade secrets?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5353, "answer_start": 4014, "text": "While Mr Levandowski is on the witness list, don't expect much if he appears. Throughout this case, he has \"pleaded the Fifth\" - the protection afforded by the American constitution to not say anything that could incriminate oneself. Because of this, Uber has since fired him. Should Waymo call Mr Levandowski to the stand, we can assume it's theatre - the man at the centre of the row refusing to speak a peep is not a great look for Uber. We expect, within the first few days, to hear from Mr Kalanick. The controversial co-founder of Uber was forced to step down as chief executive last year following a string of scandals of which this case is but one. We are also likely to see Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google's co-founders. Less glamorous but perhaps more useful will be the numerous Uber engineers who will be rigorously questioned about how they were directed by Mr Levandowski, and whether those stolen documents and secrets ever surfaced in Uber's work. Overseeing the proceedings is Judge Alsup, a favourite among journalists for his highly-quotable courtroom quips, but not a person either legal team will be looking forward to dealing with. Judge Alsup is a force to be reckoned with: he famously learned some coding skills in order to have a better grasp on a different trial between Google and database specialist Oracle." } ], "id": "588_2", "question": "Who will appear in court?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 6890, "answer_start": 5354, "text": "Jury trials bring about a whole new psychology to how lawyers must approach a case. Attacks and rebuttals must be thorough but not overwhelming; simplified but not patronising. Uber knows it could face a jury which, being from San Francisco, may already hold a negative view of the company. During the selection process, Uber asked potential jurors if they were, had been, or just knew a taxi driver - such is the animosity over Uber's impact on traditional business. It also asked if anyone had deleted Uber's app in protest at various ethical decisions the company has made in recent times. Uber's baggage in front of the five man, five woman jury can't be understated: Mr Kalanick has a reputation as a hard, cut-throat operator - and that's just to his friends. Given a past of covering up a security breach, surveilling journalists, and using secret software to evade government officials, it will hardly be a huge leap for the jury to believe Mr Kalanick wasn't above tapping up a rival's star employee. Privately, Uber accuses Waymo of wanting to dumb down the jury's technical expertise in the hope of getting jurors who know less about sophisticated technology. Waymo strongly denies this, and if it is to win it will need to do a lot more than paint Uber as some kind of tech bogeyman. We can expect Judge Alsup to have little patience for anything that strays far from the intricate facts of the trade secrets in question. Ultimately, it's up to Waymo to draw a clear line, from stolen documents, to Uber's self-driving work." } ], "id": "588_3", "question": "What are the strategies and risks?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 8115, "answer_start": 6891, "text": "Let's consider the jury decides that Uber stole and used all the trade secrets of which it's accused. That could mean it would have to pay more than $1bn in damages. Calculating such an amount could be difficult, though. It's hard to measure the real cost to Waymo given the technology is yet to be commercialised, at least in the ways these companies envision. More straightforward would be an injunction that would stop Uber's self-driving programme altogether. That would be an extreme outcome - it's more likely that any injunction would just apply to whichever trade secrets the jury decides were infringed. As I see it, there is a scenario would allow both companies to claim a moral victory, even if, technically, the decision goes Waymo's way. If a jury decides Uber did steal and use trade secrets and an injunction is handed down, Uber will immediately brush it off by claiming it doesn't use the secrets anyway. Indeed, the company has already outsourced its Lidar needs to San Jose-based Velodyne. At most, an injunction might impact Uber's plans to make the technology in-house. Another outcome, of course, is that Waymo fails to convince the jury that any trade secrets were stolen, and that's the end of that." } ], "id": "588_4", "question": "What are the potential outcomes?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 8648, "answer_start": 8116, "text": "This case is being so keenly watched because it already represents an enormous argument in Silicon Valley, one about the cross-pollination of ideas and expertise. When extraordinary brains do incredible work at powerful companies, what right do they have to take those ideas with them? Uber unquestionably benefitted from Mr Levandowski's expertise. But is that because of trade secrets, or simply because of who he is? The jury won't be asked that question, but the outcome of this case will be seen by many as providing an answer." } ], "id": "588_5", "question": "What is the bigger picture?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "The US economy expanded at an annual pace of 3% during the three months to the end of September, which was stronger than expected. The growth extended the robust activity reported in the previous quarter, when US GDP grew at an annual pace of 3.1%. Analysts had been expecting a sharp slowdown after back-to-back hurricanes battered several states in the quarter. But consumer spending held steady, despite a drop in homebuilding investment. Together the two quarters mark the strongest six months of economic activity for the US since 2014, the Commerce Department said. \"Overall, this is a very solid performance, given the disruption caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma,\" wrote Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics. \"Their net effect seems to have been smaller and shorter than we expected.\" Consumer spending, which increased at a hearty 3.3% rate in the second quarter, slowed to 2.4% growth - a deceleration probably caused by the hurricanes. Construction spending also fell, but exports and business investments in equipment and intellectual property accelerated from the previous quarter. Economists warned that estimates of business inventories, a major factor in the GDP rise, can vary significantly quarter-to-quarter. Excluding that category, GDP - a broad measure of goods and services made in the US - increased at an annual pace of 2.3%. The Commerce Department cautioned that its figures did not capture all the losses caused by the storms, which caused widespread closures of factories, offices and airports in states such as Florida and Texas. Its GDP estimates, for example, do not measure activity in US territories, such as Puerto Rico, which suffered some of the most severe damage. The Commerce Department estimated that storm-related damage to fixed assets, such as homes and government buildings, totalled more than $131bn (PS100bn). It also said it expected the government and insurers to pay more than $100bn in insurance claims, with foreign companies accounting for more than $17.4bn. Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross claimed Friday's GDP report a sign of progress, calling it a \"remarkable achievement in light of the recent hurricanes\". President Donald Trump has made hitting annual GDP growth of 3% a goal, and pledged tax cuts and other policies intended to reach that pace or higher. \"President Trump's bold agenda is steadily overcoming the dismal economy inherited from the previous administration,\" Mr Ross said. \"As the President's tax cut plan is implemented, our entire economy will continue to come roaring back.\" On a year-on-year basis, GDP was up 2.3%, the Commerce Department said in its report, which is an advance estimate that will be revised as more data is collected. That pace is roughly in line with US expansion since the 2007-2009 recession. Kenneth Rogoff, a professor of economics at Harvard University, said the growth reflects improvement in the labour market and other areas that date back to the Obama administration. While some of the president's plans may boost growth, they're not in place yet, he said. \"Let's make no mistake - this was a very good number,\" he said. \"Jobs have been improving, consumption's been improving, businesses are doing better, there is a profound inequality problem but the US economy, despite not much from President Trump, has been doing well.\" Economists said the underlying economic strength shown in the report makes it more likely that central bankers at the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again by the end of the year, as expected. The price index for consumer spending, a closely-watched measure of inflation, increased at 1.3% in the third quarter, excluding food and energy. That remains below the Federal Reserve's 2% target.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3759, "answer_start": 802, "text": "Consumer spending, which increased at a hearty 3.3% rate in the second quarter, slowed to 2.4% growth - a deceleration probably caused by the hurricanes. Construction spending also fell, but exports and business investments in equipment and intellectual property accelerated from the previous quarter. Economists warned that estimates of business inventories, a major factor in the GDP rise, can vary significantly quarter-to-quarter. Excluding that category, GDP - a broad measure of goods and services made in the US - increased at an annual pace of 2.3%. The Commerce Department cautioned that its figures did not capture all the losses caused by the storms, which caused widespread closures of factories, offices and airports in states such as Florida and Texas. Its GDP estimates, for example, do not measure activity in US territories, such as Puerto Rico, which suffered some of the most severe damage. The Commerce Department estimated that storm-related damage to fixed assets, such as homes and government buildings, totalled more than $131bn (PS100bn). It also said it expected the government and insurers to pay more than $100bn in insurance claims, with foreign companies accounting for more than $17.4bn. Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross claimed Friday's GDP report a sign of progress, calling it a \"remarkable achievement in light of the recent hurricanes\". President Donald Trump has made hitting annual GDP growth of 3% a goal, and pledged tax cuts and other policies intended to reach that pace or higher. \"President Trump's bold agenda is steadily overcoming the dismal economy inherited from the previous administration,\" Mr Ross said. \"As the President's tax cut plan is implemented, our entire economy will continue to come roaring back.\" On a year-on-year basis, GDP was up 2.3%, the Commerce Department said in its report, which is an advance estimate that will be revised as more data is collected. That pace is roughly in line with US expansion since the 2007-2009 recession. Kenneth Rogoff, a professor of economics at Harvard University, said the growth reflects improvement in the labour market and other areas that date back to the Obama administration. While some of the president's plans may boost growth, they're not in place yet, he said. \"Let's make no mistake - this was a very good number,\" he said. \"Jobs have been improving, consumption's been improving, businesses are doing better, there is a profound inequality problem but the US economy, despite not much from President Trump, has been doing well.\" Economists said the underlying economic strength shown in the report makes it more likely that central bankers at the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again by the end of the year, as expected. The price index for consumer spending, a closely-watched measure of inflation, increased at 1.3% in the third quarter, excluding food and energy. That remains below the Federal Reserve's 2% target." } ], "id": "589_0", "question": "What went into the figure?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Bombardier has won a trade case in the United States, overturning a decision to impose damaging tariffs on imports of its C-Series aircraft. In December, the US Commerce Department ruled the UK and Canada had given unfair subsidies to Bombardier to help it build the aircraft. But in a surprise ruling, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) rejected the complaint brought by Boeing. We look at the case. The case relates to a major order for Bombardier from the US airline Delta for 75 C-Series aircraft. Boeing complained to the US Commerce Department that they had been sold at \"absurdly low prices\" in violation of trade law and this was made possible by unfair subsidies to Bombardier from the British and Canadian governments. Bombardier has received PS135m in UK aid, almost all of it a loan towards a new C-Series wing factory in Belfast which opened in 2013. About 50 companies in the UK supply Bombardier with parts for the C-Series. The UK government sided with Bombardier. The company employs about 4,000 people in Northern Ireland. Its main factories are in constituencies held by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), who have a confidence-and-supply deal keeping Theresa May in power. The prime minister lobbied President Donald Trump on Bombardier's behalf, but the government resisted trade union calls to cancel defence contracts with Boeing. Bombardier said Boeing never lost out in the Delta order as it does not make the small size of plane requested. Some analysts wondered if Boeing was simply out to damage a competitor. Following an investigation last year, it made a final ruling on 20 December. It recommended an import tariff of 292% be added to the price of each C-Series plane sold in America. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said: \"The United States will always stand up for American workers and companies being harmed by unfair imports.\" Cost over-runs on the C-Series almost bankrupted Bombardier. Orders have been sluggish and the fear was tariffs would damage sales prospects in America and have a knock-on impact on jobs. The stakes were arguably made higher because Bombardier is the biggest manufacturing company in Northern Ireland and is important to its economy. However, even before its victory at the US ITC, Bombardier was hopeful for the future after Airbus announced it would acquire a controlling stake in the C-Series and promised to boost its fortunes.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 949, "answer_start": 411, "text": "The case relates to a major order for Bombardier from the US airline Delta for 75 C-Series aircraft. Boeing complained to the US Commerce Department that they had been sold at \"absurdly low prices\" in violation of trade law and this was made possible by unfair subsidies to Bombardier from the British and Canadian governments. Bombardier has received PS135m in UK aid, almost all of it a loan towards a new C-Series wing factory in Belfast which opened in 2013. About 50 companies in the UK supply Bombardier with parts for the C-Series." } ], "id": "590_0", "question": "Why did Boeing bring the case?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1549, "answer_start": 950, "text": "The UK government sided with Bombardier. The company employs about 4,000 people in Northern Ireland. Its main factories are in constituencies held by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), who have a confidence-and-supply deal keeping Theresa May in power. The prime minister lobbied President Donald Trump on Bombardier's behalf, but the government resisted trade union calls to cancel defence contracts with Boeing. Bombardier said Boeing never lost out in the Delta order as it does not make the small size of plane requested. Some analysts wondered if Boeing was simply out to damage a competitor." } ], "id": "590_1", "question": "How did Bombardier and the UK react?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1876, "answer_start": 1550, "text": "Following an investigation last year, it made a final ruling on 20 December. It recommended an import tariff of 292% be added to the price of each C-Series plane sold in America. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said: \"The United States will always stand up for American workers and companies being harmed by unfair imports.\"" } ], "id": "590_2", "question": "What had the US Commerce Department decided?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2408, "answer_start": 1877, "text": "Cost over-runs on the C-Series almost bankrupted Bombardier. Orders have been sluggish and the fear was tariffs would damage sales prospects in America and have a knock-on impact on jobs. The stakes were arguably made higher because Bombardier is the biggest manufacturing company in Northern Ireland and is important to its economy. However, even before its victory at the US ITC, Bombardier was hopeful for the future after Airbus announced it would acquire a controlling stake in the C-Series and promised to boost its fortunes." } ], "id": "590_3", "question": "Had jobs been at risk?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Canadian police have moved in to clear a key blockade that has stopped rail transport across the country. Members of the Mohawk First Nation erected the blockade in Tyendinaga, Ontario, in solidarity with another tribe's conflict over a pipeline. It has cut off major cross-country train routes, and led to about 1,500 temporary layoffs and supply shortages. The conflict began over opposition to a pipeline, but it is also about broader issues like indigenous land rights. Police are enforcing a court injunction that was ordered earlier this month on behalf of CN Rail. They arrested 10 people on Monday morning. All have been charged and released from police custody. The blockade was erected on 6 February in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, who had been trying to stop construction of a gas pipeline through their traditional territory in British Columbia. On Friday, Justin Trudeau said the blockades \"must come down and the [court] injunctions much be obeyed and the law must be upheld\". Police have up until now avoided using force. Members of the Mohawk nation met Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs on Friday, and reiterated their solidarity. Mohawk representatives say they will end the blockade only if the RCMP completely leave Wet'suwet'en territory. The Coastal GasLink pipeline is a 670km (416 miles) project that would ship natural gas from north-eastern parts of BC to the coast. The C$6.6bn ($4.9bn, PS3.8bn) project, in a remote part of the province a full day's drive from Vancouver, has been in the works since 2012. Coastal GasLink has reached deals with 20 elected indigenous councils along the route, including some Wet'suwet'en councils. Training, employment and community investment forms part of the agreements. But Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs oppose it and claim they hold authority over a bigger expanse of traditional lands, not just reserve land, over which the elected councils have no jurisdiction. It's not clear exactly how much support there is within the broader Wet'suwet'en community for the pipeline or the protests, though some have told the media there are splits within the community. For years, protesters have erected camps along the proposed pipeline route to prevent access to construction sites. In early February, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) enforced a court injunction and cleared the camps, arresting people in the process. Meanwhile, other blockades and protests have sprung up across the country in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, including the blockade in Tyendinaga, disrupting rail lines, ports and highways. The Tyendinaga blockade is located near Belleville, Ontario, at a key intersection for trains travelling from the east through major cities like Montreal and Toronto. It has essentially ground Canada's cross-country rail system to a halt, led to almost 1,500 temporary layoffs of rail workers and to growing concerns about supply shortages. More broadly, there is growing concern that the demonstrations will discourage future investment from energy companies. On Sunday, Teck Resources Ltd withdrew its application to build a C$20bn (TK) mine in Alberta's oilsands. The federal government was supposed to make its decision on whether to approve the project this week. Tech's CEO Don Lindsay citied the ongoing climate debate as the reason why he has decided not to build the mine in his letter to environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson. \"Unfortunately, the growing debate around this issue has placed Frontier and our company squarely at the nexus of much broader issues that need to be resolved. In that context, it is now evident that there is no constructive path forward for the project,\" Mr Lindsay wrote. \"It is our hope that withdrawing from the process will allow Canadians to shift to a larger and more positive discussion about the path forward. Ultimately, that should take place without a looming regulatory deadline.\"", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2609, "answer_start": 1277, "text": "The Coastal GasLink pipeline is a 670km (416 miles) project that would ship natural gas from north-eastern parts of BC to the coast. The C$6.6bn ($4.9bn, PS3.8bn) project, in a remote part of the province a full day's drive from Vancouver, has been in the works since 2012. Coastal GasLink has reached deals with 20 elected indigenous councils along the route, including some Wet'suwet'en councils. Training, employment and community investment forms part of the agreements. But Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs oppose it and claim they hold authority over a bigger expanse of traditional lands, not just reserve land, over which the elected councils have no jurisdiction. It's not clear exactly how much support there is within the broader Wet'suwet'en community for the pipeline or the protests, though some have told the media there are splits within the community. For years, protesters have erected camps along the proposed pipeline route to prevent access to construction sites. In early February, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) enforced a court injunction and cleared the camps, arresting people in the process. Meanwhile, other blockades and protests have sprung up across the country in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, including the blockade in Tyendinaga, disrupting rail lines, ports and highways." } ], "id": "591_0", "question": "What is the background?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3942, "answer_start": 2610, "text": "The Tyendinaga blockade is located near Belleville, Ontario, at a key intersection for trains travelling from the east through major cities like Montreal and Toronto. It has essentially ground Canada's cross-country rail system to a halt, led to almost 1,500 temporary layoffs of rail workers and to growing concerns about supply shortages. More broadly, there is growing concern that the demonstrations will discourage future investment from energy companies. On Sunday, Teck Resources Ltd withdrew its application to build a C$20bn (TK) mine in Alberta's oilsands. The federal government was supposed to make its decision on whether to approve the project this week. Tech's CEO Don Lindsay citied the ongoing climate debate as the reason why he has decided not to build the mine in his letter to environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson. \"Unfortunately, the growing debate around this issue has placed Frontier and our company squarely at the nexus of much broader issues that need to be resolved. In that context, it is now evident that there is no constructive path forward for the project,\" Mr Lindsay wrote. \"It is our hope that withdrawing from the process will allow Canadians to shift to a larger and more positive discussion about the path forward. Ultimately, that should take place without a looming regulatory deadline.\"" } ], "id": "591_1", "question": "What is the impact?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Following a flurry of scare stories, some schools have warned parents about the \"momo challenge\" - but fact-checkers say it is a hoax. The original tale said a character with bulging eyes would \"hack\" into WhatsApp and set children dangerous \"challenges\" such as harming themselves. Charities say there have been no reports of anybody being \"hacked\" or harming themselves as a result. But the image is now being shared on social media to frighten children. It has been found edited into unofficial copies of children's cartoons such as Peppa Pig on YouTube. \"News coverage of the momo challenge is prompting schools or the police to warn about the supposed risks posed by the momo challenge, which has in turn produced more news stories warning about the challenge,\" said the Guardian media editor Jim Waterson. In February, versions of the momo story went viral on social media. They attracted hundreds of thousands of shares and resulted in news stories reporting the tale. According to the story, children are contacted on WhatsApp by an account claiming to be momo. Some versions of the tale suggested \"hackers\" made the image appear on the phone unexpectedly. Children are supposedly encouraged to save the character as a contact and are then asked to carry out challenges, as well as being told not to tell other members of their family. The UK Safer Internet Centre told the Guardian that it was \"fake news\". However, unofficial copies of cartoons such as Peppa Pig have been uploaded to YouTube with footage of \"momo\" edited in. Children watching unofficial uploads may therefore be exposed to the distressing images. Several articles claimed the momo challenge had been \"linked\" to the deaths of 130 teenagers in Russia. The reports have not been corroborated by the relevant authorities. On Wednesday, police in Northern Ireland sought to reassure parents about the doll figure with bulging eyes. The image of momo is actually a photo of a sculpture by Japanese special-effects company Link Factory. According to pop-culture website Know Your Meme, it first gained attention in 2016. Fact-checking website Snopes suggested the story was \"far more hype or hoax than reality\", but warned the images could still cause distress to children. \"The subject has generated rumours that in themselves can be cause for concern among children,\" wrote David Mikkelson on the site. Police in the UK have not reported any instances of children harming themselves due to the momo meme. The charity Samaritans said it was \"not aware of any verified evidence in this country or beyond\" linking the momo meme to self-harm. The NSPCC told the Guardian it had received more calls from newspapers than from concerned parents. Police have suggested that rather than focusing on the specific momo meme, parents could use the opportunity to educate children about internet safety, as well as having an open conversation about what children are accessing. \"This is merely a current, attention-grabbing example of the minefield that is online communication for kids,\" wrote the Police Service of Northern Ireland, in a Facebook post. Broadcaster Andy Robertson, who creates videos online as Geek Dad, said in a podcast that parents should not \"share warnings that perpetuate and mythologise the story\". \"A better focus is good positive advice for children, setting up technology appropriately and taking an interest in their online interactions,\" he said. To avoid causing unnecessary alarm, parents should also be careful about sharing news articles with other adults that perpetuate the myth.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2093, "answer_start": 812, "text": "In February, versions of the momo story went viral on social media. They attracted hundreds of thousands of shares and resulted in news stories reporting the tale. According to the story, children are contacted on WhatsApp by an account claiming to be momo. Some versions of the tale suggested \"hackers\" made the image appear on the phone unexpectedly. Children are supposedly encouraged to save the character as a contact and are then asked to carry out challenges, as well as being told not to tell other members of their family. The UK Safer Internet Centre told the Guardian that it was \"fake news\". However, unofficial copies of cartoons such as Peppa Pig have been uploaded to YouTube with footage of \"momo\" edited in. Children watching unofficial uploads may therefore be exposed to the distressing images. Several articles claimed the momo challenge had been \"linked\" to the deaths of 130 teenagers in Russia. The reports have not been corroborated by the relevant authorities. On Wednesday, police in Northern Ireland sought to reassure parents about the doll figure with bulging eyes. The image of momo is actually a photo of a sculpture by Japanese special-effects company Link Factory. According to pop-culture website Know Your Meme, it first gained attention in 2016." } ], "id": "592_0", "question": "What is 'momo'?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A court in Pakistan has overturned the death sentence handed down to former president Pervez Musharraf by declaring the legal process unconstitutional. Gen Musharraf had challenged the formation of special court which found him guilty of treason last December. On Monday, the Lahore High Court sided with the exiled general, who seized power in a 1999 coup and was president from 2001 to 2008. The decision meant Gen Musharraf was \"a free man\", one prosecutor said. \"The filing of the complaint, the constitution of the court, the selection of the prosecution team are illegal, declared to be illegal... And at the end of the day the full judgment has been set aside,\" the government prosecutor, Ishtiaq A. Khan, explained to news agency AFP. He added there was \"no judgment against him any longer\". According to BBC Urdu, the long-running case - which relates to Gen Musharraf's suspension of the constitution in 2007, when he declared an emergency in a move intended to extend his tenure - could still be retried in another court. The indictment in 2014 was a highly significant moment in a country where the military has held sway for much of its independent history, with no other military leader ever facing such legal consequences for their actions. When the verdict finally came in December, it was strongly opposed by both the military and the current government. But the penalty was unlikely to be carried out. Gen Musharraf, who has always denied any wrongdoing, was allowed to leave Pakistan in 2016 on medical grounds and is in Dubai where he is receiving medical treatment. The ruling allowed for this, saying if Gen Musharraf died before he could be executed \"his corpse (should) be dragged to D-Chowk, [outside parliament in] Islamabad, Pakistan, and be hanged for three days\". The directive sparked outrage, with the government seeking to disbar the panel's head judge, according to news agency Reuters. In November 2007, Gen Musharraf suspended the constitution and imposed emergency rule - a move which sparked protests. He resigned in 2008 to avoid the threat of impeachment. When Nawaz Sharif - an old rival whom he deposed in the 1999 coup - was elected prime minister in 2013, he initiated a treason trial against Gen Musharraf and in March 2014 the former general was charged for high treason. Gen Musharraf argued the case was politically motivated and that the actions he took in 2007 were agreed by the government and cabinet. But his arguments were turned down by the courts and he was accused of acting illegally. According to the Pakistani constitution, anyone convicted of high treason could face the death penalty. Gen Musharraf travelled to Dubai in 2016 after a travel ban was lifted and he has refused to appear before the court, despite multiple orders. The three-member bench had reserved its verdict in the long-running case last month, but was stopped from announcing it by a petition filed by the federal government to the Islamabad High Court.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2983, "answer_start": 1920, "text": "In November 2007, Gen Musharraf suspended the constitution and imposed emergency rule - a move which sparked protests. He resigned in 2008 to avoid the threat of impeachment. When Nawaz Sharif - an old rival whom he deposed in the 1999 coup - was elected prime minister in 2013, he initiated a treason trial against Gen Musharraf and in March 2014 the former general was charged for high treason. Gen Musharraf argued the case was politically motivated and that the actions he took in 2007 were agreed by the government and cabinet. But his arguments were turned down by the courts and he was accused of acting illegally. According to the Pakistani constitution, anyone convicted of high treason could face the death penalty. Gen Musharraf travelled to Dubai in 2016 after a travel ban was lifted and he has refused to appear before the court, despite multiple orders. The three-member bench had reserved its verdict in the long-running case last month, but was stopped from announcing it by a petition filed by the federal government to the Islamabad High Court." } ], "id": "593_0", "question": "What is the case about?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "A Polish expedition hoping to complete the first winter ascent of the world's second-highest mountain, K2, says one of its climbers appears to have launched an unauthorised solo attempt. Russo-Polish mountaineer Denis Urubko left teammates on Saturday at the base camp on the border between Pakistan and China, a spokesman told the BBC. The 44-year-old split off from the group after a series of arguments. One climber described a solo attempt in winter as \"completely suicidal\". Expedition spokesman Michal Leksinski said he thought Urubko wanted to reach the top this month so his effort would definitely count as a winter climb. Leksinski said he trusted his colleague to turn back if he had to, rather than endanger himself or the team. He believes the next 48 hours are critical. Urubko reportedly left without a radio, after refusing to discuss his plans. \"He was trying to persuade the team to push for the summit in February,\" a porter with the group told AFP news agency. \"He has had a heated debate with the team leader and left for the summit without saying a word.\" Professional mountaineers have expressed dismay at the climber's decision. \"A solo attempt of K2 in winter is completely suicidal,\" said Pakistani climber Mirza Ali Baig. Karim Shah, a mountaineering friend of Urubko, agreed the move was \"very risky\". \"He is known as the 'Himalayan expert' among the mountaineering community... but his decision is not correct and does not suit someone of his stature,\" he said. He is said to be a highly capable mountaineer who has conquered all of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000m. The expedition members believe he has probably reached an existing K2 camp located at 7,200m. Urubko made headlines just last month by saving a stricken French climber, Elisabeth Revol. He and three other team members were flown by helicopter from K2 to the 8,126m Nanga Parbat in Pakistan - nicknamed Killer Mountain - where they performed an audacious night-time rescue. K2, the pinnacle of the Karakoram range, stands at a majestic 8,611m (28,251ft). It is the only peak above 8,000m never climbed in winter. It has a higher fatality-to-summit rate than Everest, and is known as the Savage Mountain due to its fiendish conditions. K2's steepness challenges even the world's most accomplished climbers. Avalanches are an ever-present risk, and in winter temperatures can fall to -50C, accompanied by winds of up to 200km/hr (124mph).", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1077, "answer_start": 785, "text": "Urubko reportedly left without a radio, after refusing to discuss his plans. \"He was trying to persuade the team to push for the summit in February,\" a porter with the group told AFP news agency. \"He has had a heated debate with the team leader and left for the summit without saying a word.\"" } ], "id": "594_0", "question": "Why did they fall out?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1490, "answer_start": 1078, "text": "Professional mountaineers have expressed dismay at the climber's decision. \"A solo attempt of K2 in winter is completely suicidal,\" said Pakistani climber Mirza Ali Baig. Karim Shah, a mountaineering friend of Urubko, agreed the move was \"very risky\". \"He is known as the 'Himalayan expert' among the mountaineering community... but his decision is not correct and does not suit someone of his stature,\" he said." } ], "id": "594_1", "question": "How dangerous would a solo bid be?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2431, "answer_start": 1491, "text": "He is said to be a highly capable mountaineer who has conquered all of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000m. The expedition members believe he has probably reached an existing K2 camp located at 7,200m. Urubko made headlines just last month by saving a stricken French climber, Elisabeth Revol. He and three other team members were flown by helicopter from K2 to the 8,126m Nanga Parbat in Pakistan - nicknamed Killer Mountain - where they performed an audacious night-time rescue. K2, the pinnacle of the Karakoram range, stands at a majestic 8,611m (28,251ft). It is the only peak above 8,000m never climbed in winter. It has a higher fatality-to-summit rate than Everest, and is known as the Savage Mountain due to its fiendish conditions. K2's steepness challenges even the world's most accomplished climbers. Avalanches are an ever-present risk, and in winter temperatures can fall to -50C, accompanied by winds of up to 200km/hr (124mph)." } ], "id": "594_2", "question": "How good is Urubko?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced the creation of an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, marking a historic split from Russia. He said national security depended on \"spiritual independence\" from Russia. He was speaking at a special council of orthodox priests in Kiev, where a new leader of the church was selected. The Russian Orthodox Church cut ties with the spiritual authority of the world's Orthodoxy after it recognised the Ukrainian Church's independence. Russia also fears that its churches in Ukraine could be seized. Despite Russia banning priests from the branch of the Church loyal to Moscow from the event, two of its bishops were seen arriving for the council in Kiev. The special council was held in the ancient St Sophia's Cathedral - one of Kiev's best known landmarks. Ukrainian clerics of different Orthodox denominations elected 39-year-old Metropolitan Epifaniy as the leader of the new church. Epifaniy is now expected to travel to Istanbul on 6 January to receive a special decree, a tomos, granting independence (autocephaly) to the new church from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. \"This day will go into history as a sacred day... the day of the final independence from Russia,\" President Poroshenko told a crowd of thousands outside the cathedral. Ahead of the meeting, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, called on religious and world leaders to protect believers and clergymen in Ukraine from what he called persecution. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been under the Moscow Patriarchate for centuries. But tensions within the church mounted after Ukraine became independent in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Before Sunday's council in Kiev, there were three Orthodox Church branches in Ukraine: - The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate) - The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) - The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Now, priests from the Kiev Patriarchate and the Autocephalous Church become members of the new church - the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The drive for Ukrainian Orthodox independence intensified in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and Russia-backed separatists seized a big swathe of territory in eastern Ukraine. The Moscow branch of the Ukrainian Church has denied being a tool of the Kremlin, and says it has tried to bring about peace in eastern Ukraine. Earlier this year, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople - seen as the first among equals in the world's Orthodoxy - overruled its decision dating back to 1686 to transfer its jurisdiction over Kievan Orthodox churches (known as the Kievan Metropolis) to Moscow. Now Moscow fears losing many of its 12,000 parishes in Ukraine. Constantinople holds sway over more than 300 million Orthodox Christians across the world. The Russian Orthodox Church is by far the biggest.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1506, "answer_start": 704, "text": "The special council was held in the ancient St Sophia's Cathedral - one of Kiev's best known landmarks. Ukrainian clerics of different Orthodox denominations elected 39-year-old Metropolitan Epifaniy as the leader of the new church. Epifaniy is now expected to travel to Istanbul on 6 January to receive a special decree, a tomos, granting independence (autocephaly) to the new church from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. \"This day will go into history as a sacred day... the day of the final independence from Russia,\" President Poroshenko told a crowd of thousands outside the cathedral. Ahead of the meeting, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, called on religious and world leaders to protect believers and clergymen in Ukraine from what he called persecution." } ], "id": "595_0", "question": "What happened in Kiev?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2884, "answer_start": 1507, "text": "The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been under the Moscow Patriarchate for centuries. But tensions within the church mounted after Ukraine became independent in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Before Sunday's council in Kiev, there were three Orthodox Church branches in Ukraine: - The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate) - The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) - The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Now, priests from the Kiev Patriarchate and the Autocephalous Church become members of the new church - the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The drive for Ukrainian Orthodox independence intensified in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and Russia-backed separatists seized a big swathe of territory in eastern Ukraine. The Moscow branch of the Ukrainian Church has denied being a tool of the Kremlin, and says it has tried to bring about peace in eastern Ukraine. Earlier this year, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople - seen as the first among equals in the world's Orthodoxy - overruled its decision dating back to 1686 to transfer its jurisdiction over Kievan Orthodox churches (known as the Kievan Metropolis) to Moscow. Now Moscow fears losing many of its 12,000 parishes in Ukraine. Constantinople holds sway over more than 300 million Orthodox Christians across the world. The Russian Orthodox Church is by far the biggest." } ], "id": "595_1", "question": "What is the dispute all about?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has begun the final day of the general election campaign by warning about extremism and fascism. Neither his centre-left Social Democrats nor the main centre-right party is likely to win a majority. The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats (SD) is expected to win around 20% of the vote, becoming the second biggest party in parliament. Mr Lofven said an SD vote was \"dangerous\" and \"counterproductive\". He said it was \"like trying to quench fire with alcohol\", according to the Omni news site. Immigration has been a central issue of the election campaigns. The nationalist SD doubled its seats in the 2014 election and it is predicted to double them again on Sunday. On Saturday, SD leader Jimmie Akesson said Sweden had been \"an extreme country in many ways, not least when it comes to immigration\" and that his plan to take in fewer migrants would be regarded as \"normal politics in the rest of Europe\". The SD was linked for years to neo-Nazis and other far-right groups, only entering parliament in 2010. It has been working to rebrand itself, changing its logo from a flaming torch (similar to the one used by the UK far-right National Front) to a blue-and-yellow daisy, the colours of the Swedish flag. Traditionally appealing to working-class men, it wants to attract more women and more educated and higher-income voters. Mr Akesson, who became leader in 2005, says there is zero tolerance towards racism in the party and several members have been expelled. However, the party has still been embroiled in various racism scandals. One municipal candidate shared a song on Facebook with the lyrics \"Swedes are white and the country is ours\", according to a report in tabloid Aftonbladet. Last year, some of its ex-members went on to found the far-right Alternative for Sweden (AfS). Sweden's economy is booming but many voters are concerned that housing, healthcare and welfare services have come under pressure from a wave of immigration during the 2015 migrant crisis. That year Sweden took in a record 163,000 asylum seekers - the highest such intake in the EU, per head of population. Sweden's traditional parties have since hardened their tone to reflect concerns about integration. Many voters are also concerned about violence. The SD links a rise in shootings to increased immigration, although official figures show no correlation. The SD also wants to leave the European Union and has proposed a \"Swexit\" referendum. However, the powerful centrist parties all oppose such a vote, so it is unlikely to go ahead. Aside from immigration, climate change is an issue many Swedes care about - particularly after a long, hot summer and severe forest fires. During the heatwave, around 25,000 hectares of forest burned in wildfires and many farmers were forced to destroy livestock after their pasture land dried up. Support for the Green party, which had been struggling after various internal scandals, has crept up across the country. The Left party is making gains too, from the environmentally concerned and from centre-left voters dissatisfied with the mainstream parties' approach to migration. Prime Minister Lofven currently heads a minority, centre-left coalition government made up of his Social Democrats and the Green Party. In recent years there has been a fall in support for the Social Democrats and the largest traditional opposition party, the centre-right Moderates. However, polls suggest that the Social Democrats are narrowly ahead of other parties and may be in a position to lead another minority government. Both the Social Democrats and the Moderates have said they will not enter a coalition with the SD, however well they perform.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1825, "answer_start": 943, "text": "The SD was linked for years to neo-Nazis and other far-right groups, only entering parliament in 2010. It has been working to rebrand itself, changing its logo from a flaming torch (similar to the one used by the UK far-right National Front) to a blue-and-yellow daisy, the colours of the Swedish flag. Traditionally appealing to working-class men, it wants to attract more women and more educated and higher-income voters. Mr Akesson, who became leader in 2005, says there is zero tolerance towards racism in the party and several members have been expelled. However, the party has still been embroiled in various racism scandals. One municipal candidate shared a song on Facebook with the lyrics \"Swedes are white and the country is ours\", according to a report in tabloid Aftonbladet. Last year, some of its ex-members went on to found the far-right Alternative for Sweden (AfS)." } ], "id": "596_0", "question": "Who are the Sweden Democrats?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Norwegian ex-border guard Frode Berg has been recommended for pardon two years after he was jailed for spying on Russian submarines, Interfax news agency reports. Moscow's official pardons commission said the documents had been passed to President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. The recommendation to release Berg, 64, comes on the eve of a ceremony marking the Soviet liberation of north Norway. Reports suggest his release could be part of a three-way spy swap. Lithuania is said to have been negotiating with Russia to exchange two Russians jailed in Lithuania for Berg and two Lithuanians held in Russia, however there has been no official confirmation of any potential prisoner swap. The Norwegian lawyer acting for Frode Berg said the timing of the pardons commission's announcement appeared to fit perfectly ahead of Friday's ceremony. \"We see this as confirmation of a breakthrough, but there's always uncertainty because of the secrecy surrounding this case,\" Brynjulf Risnes told the BBC. No exchange is expected for some weeks because the Lithuanian parliament has to amend extradition legislation early next month. Berg admitted acting as a courier for Norwegian intelligence but said he had little knowledge of any mission. He was arrested in Moscow in December 2017 and later imprisoned in a strict-regime labour camp on charges of gathering intelligence about nuclear submarines. His lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said at the time of sentencing that Berg would not appeal against the verdict and would instead seek a pardon from the president. A formal request was made last week. On Thursday, Moscow's Commissioner for Human Rights, Tatyana Potyaeva, told Interfax that the pardoning commission had sent the required documentation to the presidential administration office. Although not all recommendations for pardon are acted upon, this decision comes ahead of a visit on Friday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Berg's home town of Kirkenes, on Norway's northern border with Russia. Norway's King Harald, Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide are all due to attend the event, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Kirkenes and the rest of the East Finnmark area from the Nazis by Soviet troops in 1944. Frode Berg admitted delivering \"envelopes\" to a Russian source on behalf of Norwegian military intelligence. He said, however, that he did not know what was inside. Mr Novikov said in April that his client had \"been used without his knowledge,\" and that \"we cannot talk about gathering any secret information\". He added that Berg expected \"his government to undertake diplomatic efforts\" to secure his release from \"basically a life sentence\". The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow said that Berg was accused of posting envelopes containing cash and instructions from Norwegian intelligence, most recently to a Russian woman named Natasha. But the details remain murky. In July, Berg's wife told the BBC that she blamed her country's intelligence service for putting her husband - a civilian - at risk, and called on Norway's government to do everything in its power to bring him home. Norway - a Nato member - shares an Arctic border with Russia and for decades their relations were amicable, even during the Cold War. But ties have worsened since 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2264, "answer_start": 1124, "text": "Berg admitted acting as a courier for Norwegian intelligence but said he had little knowledge of any mission. He was arrested in Moscow in December 2017 and later imprisoned in a strict-regime labour camp on charges of gathering intelligence about nuclear submarines. His lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said at the time of sentencing that Berg would not appeal against the verdict and would instead seek a pardon from the president. A formal request was made last week. On Thursday, Moscow's Commissioner for Human Rights, Tatyana Potyaeva, told Interfax that the pardoning commission had sent the required documentation to the presidential administration office. Although not all recommendations for pardon are acted upon, this decision comes ahead of a visit on Friday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Berg's home town of Kirkenes, on Norway's northern border with Russia. Norway's King Harald, Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide are all due to attend the event, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Kirkenes and the rest of the East Finnmark area from the Nazis by Soviet troops in 1944." } ], "id": "597_0", "question": "What did Frode Berg do?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3365, "answer_start": 2265, "text": "Frode Berg admitted delivering \"envelopes\" to a Russian source on behalf of Norwegian military intelligence. He said, however, that he did not know what was inside. Mr Novikov said in April that his client had \"been used without his knowledge,\" and that \"we cannot talk about gathering any secret information\". He added that Berg expected \"his government to undertake diplomatic efforts\" to secure his release from \"basically a life sentence\". The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow said that Berg was accused of posting envelopes containing cash and instructions from Norwegian intelligence, most recently to a Russian woman named Natasha. But the details remain murky. In July, Berg's wife told the BBC that she blamed her country's intelligence service for putting her husband - a civilian - at risk, and called on Norway's government to do everything in its power to bring him home. Norway - a Nato member - shares an Arctic border with Russia and for decades their relations were amicable, even during the Cold War. But ties have worsened since 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula." } ], "id": "597_1", "question": "Was he really spying on Russian subs?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Amid a rise in attacks in Afghanistan attributed to the so-called Islamic State (IS), the BBC's Dawood Azami examines what kind of threat the militant group poses in the conflict-hit nation and the wider region. IS announced the establishment of its Khorasan branch - an old name for Afghanistan and surrounding areas - in January 2015. It was the first time that IS had officially spread outside the Arab world. Within a few weeks, the group appeared in at least five Afghan provinces, including Helmand, Zabul, Farah, Logar and Nangarhar, trying to establish pockets of territory from which to expand. It was the first major militant group to directly challenge the Afghan Taliban's dominance over the local insurgency. Its first aim was to drive Afghan Taliban fighters out of the area and it also hoped to evict Taliban ally al-Qaeda from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, or absorb its fighters. Yet despite efforts to energise battle-weary militants, IS struggled to build a wide political base and the indigenous support it expected in Afghanistan. Instead, it made enemies of almost everyone, including the Afghan Taliban. In the first half of 2015, IS managed to capture large chunks of territory in eastern Nangarhar province. This became the de facto \"capital\" principally for two reasons - its proximity to the tribal areas of Pakistan, home of IS Khorasan's top leaders, and the presence of some people who follow a similar Salafi/Wahhabi interpretation of Islam to IS. IS is also trying to get a foothold in northern Afghanistan, where it aims to link up with Central Asian, Chechen and Chinese Uighur militants. But it has largely been eliminated from southern and western Afghanistan by the Afghan Taliban and military operations conducted by Afghan and US/Nato forces. It has also lost territory in eastern Afghanistan in recent months. But it still has control over some parts of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, where it plans attacks and trains fighters. Small IS pockets have also been reported in Zabul and Ghazni, as well as a few northern provinces. Since its emergence in Afghanistan, IS has lost hundreds of militants in US air strikes and ground fighting with the Afghan military. Meanwhile, several hundred IS fighters have been killed in clashes with the Afghan Taliban. Around a dozen top leaders of the group's Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, including founding leader Hafiz Saeed Khan, a former Pakistani Taliban commander, and his deputies, have been killed in Afghanistan, mostly in US drone attacks. Estimates about IS's numerical strength inside Afghanistan vary, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000. US General John Nicholson, the top commander of US and Nato troops in Afghanistan, estimates that between 1,000 and 1,500 IS fighters are in Afghanistan. He says their number has been cut in half, from an estimated 3,000, by military operations over the past year or so. He adds that about 70% of those fighters come from the Pakistani Taliban group (TTP), some of whom moved to Afghanistan after the Pakistani military launched an operation in North Waziristan tribal area in 2014. But Afghan security officials insist that 80% of IS militants are Pakistanis. The other members were part of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a group focused on Central Asian countries, and former Afghan Taliban or new recruits, they say. IS has so far survived the onslaught and it seems the group is attracting new recruits to replace those killed. After losing territory, IS Khorasan is emulating its Middle East counterparts by resorting to guerrilla tactics such as suicide attacks, targeted killings and the use of IEDs. It says it carried out some of the deadliest recent attacks in Afghanistan, several of them in the capital, Kabul. In July 2016, a suicide bomb attack on a rally in Kabul killed about 80 people. Three months later, two similar attacks during the religious festival of Ashura claimed around 30 lives and in November 2016 an attack at a mosque in Kabul killed more than 30. All of these attacks targeted minority Shia Muslims. IS has also claimed responsibility for attacks in other parts of the country and has killed civilians, including tribal elders and religious scholars opposed to its extreme ideology and brutal tactics. Like its counterparts in the Middle East, IS Khorasan has taken violence to new levels, even by the bloody standards of the region. While al-Qaeda introduced suicide bombings into the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, IS brought new and more ruthless tactics. In one notorious example an IS video released in August 2015 showed 10 blindfolded community elders in Achin district in Nangarhar being forced to sit on holes in the ground filled with explosives. They were then blown to pieces. Beheadings and abductions, including of women and children, are other tactics. In addition, IS propaganda on the internet and air waves is strong. The group has several Twitter and Facebook accounts and has been broadcasting on an FM radio station in Nangarhar since December 2015. Radio Caliphate can be heard in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, as well as adjacent parts of Pakistan. The station was once hit in a US airstrike but was back on air within a few weeks. IS has also carried out attacks in Pakistan, where it relies mainly on the support of certain anti-Shia sectarian groups. The first major attack in Pakistan for which IS claimed responsibility was in May 2015 when about 40 minority Shias were killed in a gun attack on a bus in the country's biggest city, Karachi. On 16 February, IS said it carried out an attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sufi shrine in the town of Sehwan in Sindh province. Police say 90 people were killed. The conflict in Afghanistan has been going on for nearly four decades, but the country has largely remained immune to the sectarian violence that has hit other regional nations. IS, however, aims to turn the conflict in Afghanistan into a sectarian war between the majority Sunnis and minority Shias, as it has tried in Syria and Iraq. Shias are considered apostates by IS, which follows an austere version of Sunni Islam. The new 'Great Game' in Afghanistan Pakistan's bloody week: Who is to blame? Islamic State group: The full story Although IS has also killed many of its Sunni opponents, it has clearly stated sectarian goals in a number of its attacks. Justifying the July 2016 attack on the Shia rally in Kabul, IS called it retaliation for the activities of Afghan Shia Hazaras who have gone to Syria via Iran to fight for the government of President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawi-Shia, against the Islamic State group. Deliberate attacks by IS against Shia in Afghanistan add a dangerous complication to the conflict. The future of IS in Afghanistan and Pakistan is in many ways linked to the fate of IS in Syria and Iraq. Western and Afghan military officials confirm the group has financial ties to, and is in communication with, the main IS leadership. It also has contacts with IS cells operating in South and Central Asian countries. So far, IS has not been able to carry out attacks outside Afghanistan and Pakistan. But the group has many sympathisers in the region. Additionally, thousands of volunteers from nine South and Central Asian states - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for IS. They have been trained and radicalised there. The return of these militants will pose a new threat and might strengthen the existing IS infrastructure in the region. Such developments further complicate the conflict in Afghanistan and pose a long term risk to regional stability. Regional powers, such as Russia, China and Iran, are concerned about the threat that IS poses to their internal security. These powers have established contacts with the Afghan Taliban, which is fighting IS, to hedge against the potential risk. Mutual mistrust is preventing regional players from reaching a consensus to end the conflict in Afghanistan.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3465, "answer_start": 2071, "text": "Since its emergence in Afghanistan, IS has lost hundreds of militants in US air strikes and ground fighting with the Afghan military. Meanwhile, several hundred IS fighters have been killed in clashes with the Afghan Taliban. Around a dozen top leaders of the group's Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, including founding leader Hafiz Saeed Khan, a former Pakistani Taliban commander, and his deputies, have been killed in Afghanistan, mostly in US drone attacks. Estimates about IS's numerical strength inside Afghanistan vary, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000. US General John Nicholson, the top commander of US and Nato troops in Afghanistan, estimates that between 1,000 and 1,500 IS fighters are in Afghanistan. He says their number has been cut in half, from an estimated 3,000, by military operations over the past year or so. He adds that about 70% of those fighters come from the Pakistani Taliban group (TTP), some of whom moved to Afghanistan after the Pakistani military launched an operation in North Waziristan tribal area in 2014. But Afghan security officials insist that 80% of IS militants are Pakistanis. The other members were part of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a group focused on Central Asian countries, and former Afghan Taliban or new recruits, they say. IS has so far survived the onslaught and it seems the group is attracting new recruits to replace those killed." } ], "id": "598_0", "question": "How many fighters does IS have?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 5220, "answer_start": 3466, "text": "After losing territory, IS Khorasan is emulating its Middle East counterparts by resorting to guerrilla tactics such as suicide attacks, targeted killings and the use of IEDs. It says it carried out some of the deadliest recent attacks in Afghanistan, several of them in the capital, Kabul. In July 2016, a suicide bomb attack on a rally in Kabul killed about 80 people. Three months later, two similar attacks during the religious festival of Ashura claimed around 30 lives and in November 2016 an attack at a mosque in Kabul killed more than 30. All of these attacks targeted minority Shia Muslims. IS has also claimed responsibility for attacks in other parts of the country and has killed civilians, including tribal elders and religious scholars opposed to its extreme ideology and brutal tactics. Like its counterparts in the Middle East, IS Khorasan has taken violence to new levels, even by the bloody standards of the region. While al-Qaeda introduced suicide bombings into the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, IS brought new and more ruthless tactics. In one notorious example an IS video released in August 2015 showed 10 blindfolded community elders in Achin district in Nangarhar being forced to sit on holes in the ground filled with explosives. They were then blown to pieces. Beheadings and abductions, including of women and children, are other tactics. In addition, IS propaganda on the internet and air waves is strong. The group has several Twitter and Facebook accounts and has been broadcasting on an FM radio station in Nangarhar since December 2015. Radio Caliphate can be heard in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, as well as adjacent parts of Pakistan. The station was once hit in a US airstrike but was back on air within a few weeks." } ], "id": "598_1", "question": "What are its tactics?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 8046, "answer_start": 6723, "text": "The future of IS in Afghanistan and Pakistan is in many ways linked to the fate of IS in Syria and Iraq. Western and Afghan military officials confirm the group has financial ties to, and is in communication with, the main IS leadership. It also has contacts with IS cells operating in South and Central Asian countries. So far, IS has not been able to carry out attacks outside Afghanistan and Pakistan. But the group has many sympathisers in the region. Additionally, thousands of volunteers from nine South and Central Asian states - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for IS. They have been trained and radicalised there. The return of these militants will pose a new threat and might strengthen the existing IS infrastructure in the region. Such developments further complicate the conflict in Afghanistan and pose a long term risk to regional stability. Regional powers, such as Russia, China and Iran, are concerned about the threat that IS poses to their internal security. These powers have established contacts with the Afghan Taliban, which is fighting IS, to hedge against the potential risk. Mutual mistrust is preventing regional players from reaching a consensus to end the conflict in Afghanistan." } ], "id": "598_2", "question": "How do regional powers view IS?" } ] } ]

[ { "context": "Turkey says it has sent back to the US an American belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group, as part of a drive to repatriate captured jihadist fighters. The interior ministry said 20 IS fighters from Germany, France, Ireland and Denmark were also being expelled. Turkey wants to repatriate some 2,500 militants - most to EU countries - state broadcaster TRT Haber said. Turkey's president said 7,600 people from 102 countries held in the fight against IS had already been deported. What happens to foreign IS fighters has been a key question since the defeat of the group in territory it controlled in Syria and Iraq. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated that some 2,500 foreign IS fighters are in prison in Turkey. European countries have been reluctant to allow back nationals who went to fight for IS. It was not confirmed if those being repatriated were seized in Syria, or in Turkish territory. Some IS members and their relatives were captured in north-eastern Syria in October, when Turkey launched a cross-border operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) there. At the time, the SDF said it was holding more than 12,000 suspected IS members in seven prisons in the area, at least 4,000 of them foreign nationals. Relatives of suspected IS militants were also being held at a number of camps for displaced people - the largest of which, al-Hol, housed almost 70,000 people. When Turkey's allies warned its invasion could compromise the security of those camps and aid the revival of IS, Ankara said it would take responsibility for IS prisoners found during the offensive. The UN has said countries should take responsibility for their own citizens unless they are to be prosecuted locally, in accordance with international standards. A French foreign ministry source told AFP news agency last week that suspected jihadists were often sent back to France from Turkey under a 2014 agreement. \"Jihadists and their families are regularly sent back to France and arrested as they leave the airplane. Most of the time it is done secretly. The news is not published, or released much later,\" the source said. It is unclear whether Turkey will be able to repatriate IS suspects who have had their home citizenships revoked. The UK has stripped more than 100 people of citizenship for allegedly joining jihadist groups abroad, AFP reports - for example in the case of teenage IS recruit Shamima Begum. Denmark and Germany have taken the same step to block the return of suspected IS members. Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu warned last week that jihadists would be returned to their home countries regardless of revoked citizenships. \"There is no need to try to escape from it, we will send them back to you. Deal with them how you want,\" he said on Friday. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says European intelligence agencies have warned that many of those who survived the final days of IS's last stand will remain highly dangerous radicals, brutalised by the atrocities they have witnessed, and in some cases, committed. German magazine Der Spiegel said German officials believed a third of its nationals in the Kurdish-run camps - a total of 27 men and women - were \"capable of carrying out violent acts including terrorist attacks\". Our correspondent says there is a fear that if and when these jihadists are eventually brought to trial in their home countries there could well be insufficient evidence - given the fluid circumstances in which they were captured - to convict them. Governments may then find themselves accused of allowing back in dangerous men and women who pose a risk to national security.", "qas": [ { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 1620, "answer_start": 823, "text": "It was not confirmed if those being repatriated were seized in Syria, or in Turkish territory. Some IS members and their relatives were captured in north-eastern Syria in October, when Turkey launched a cross-border operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) there. At the time, the SDF said it was holding more than 12,000 suspected IS members in seven prisons in the area, at least 4,000 of them foreign nationals. Relatives of suspected IS militants were also being held at a number of camps for displaced people - the largest of which, al-Hol, housed almost 70,000 people. When Turkey's allies warned its invasion could compromise the security of those camps and aid the revival of IS, Ankara said it would take responsibility for IS prisoners found during the offensive." } ], "id": "599_0", "question": "Where were the IS suspects captured?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 2807, "answer_start": 1621, "text": "The UN has said countries should take responsibility for their own citizens unless they are to be prosecuted locally, in accordance with international standards. A French foreign ministry source told AFP news agency last week that suspected jihadists were often sent back to France from Turkey under a 2014 agreement. \"Jihadists and their families are regularly sent back to France and arrested as they leave the airplane. Most of the time it is done secretly. The news is not published, or released much later,\" the source said. It is unclear whether Turkey will be able to repatriate IS suspects who have had their home citizenships revoked. The UK has stripped more than 100 people of citizenship for allegedly joining jihadist groups abroad, AFP reports - for example in the case of teenage IS recruit Shamima Begum. Denmark and Germany have taken the same step to block the return of suspected IS members. Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu warned last week that jihadists would be returned to their home countries regardless of revoked citizenships. \"There is no need to try to escape from it, we will send them back to you. Deal with them how you want,\" he said on Friday." } ], "id": "599_1", "question": "How will the repatriations work?" }, { "answers": [ { "answer_end": 3671, "answer_start": 2808, "text": "BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says European intelligence agencies have warned that many of those who survived the final days of IS's last stand will remain highly dangerous radicals, brutalised by the atrocities they have witnessed, and in some cases, committed. German magazine Der Spiegel said German officials believed a third of its nationals in the Kurdish-run camps - a total of 27 men and women - were \"capable of carrying out violent acts including terrorist attacks\". Our correspondent says there is a fear that if and when these jihadists are eventually brought to trial in their home countries there could well be insufficient evidence - given the fluid circumstances in which they were captured - to convict them. Governments may then find themselves accused of allowing back in dangerous men and women who pose a risk to national security." } ], "id": "599_2", "question": "What is the risk from these fighters?" } ] } ]