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world-europe-17220320

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17220320

Czech Republic profile - Leaders

President: Milos Zeman

Former Prime Minister Milos Zeman won the first direct Czech presidential election in January 2013 as the candidate of his own small centre-left grouping, the Party of Civic Rights. Like his predecessor, Vaclav Klaus, Mr Zeman thrives on confrontation and has not hesitated to exercise his presidential authority, even when this has meant entering into conflict with the Czech government. After a long political career - including his stint as a prime minister in 1998-2002 - Mr Zeman quit the Social Democratic and effectively retired from politics in 2003 in response to his loss to Vaclav Klaus Klaus in the presidential election. Political analysts attributed his 2013 comeback to his harnessing of discontent among older and poorer voters with the Necas government's handling of the economic downturn. But he is less popular with younger and better educated Czechs, who regard his election and subsequent performance with some dismay. Mr Zeman is a divisive figure, especially on account of his tendency to express his views - which are often at variance with government policy - in colourfully trenchant terms. He has irked many people - both within the country and among the Czech Republic's western allies - by defending Russia's stance on Ukraine and by voicing opposition to the western sanctions against Russia. In November 2015, Mr Zeman marked the twenty-sixth anniversary of the 1989 revolution by sharing a platform with an anti-Islamic group. Prime Minister: Bohuslav Sobotka Social Democratic party leader Bohuslav Sobotka became prime minister after a 2013 snap election triggered by the fall of the centre-right government of Petr Necas over a spying, sex and bribery scandal earlier in the year. After Necas's ouster, President Milos Zeman initially appointed a former aide, Jiri Rusnok, to head a government of experts, but the administration was deeply resented by the main political parties, and MPs withdrew their confidence and voted to go to the polls. The Social Democrats emerged as the largest party in parliament, but without a majority, and formed a coalition with the pro-business ANO party and the Christian Democrats. On his appointment, Mr Sobotka pledged to end the political gridlock that had paralysed policy making for seven months and revive economic growth following the country's longest recession on record. He promised to boost the economy by reversing the former centre-right government's austerity measures. Mr Sobotka also expressed a desire to see the Czech Republic play a fuller role in EU politics, after the euro-sceptic course pursued by centre-right governments for most of the previous decade. He has been much more supportive of the EU line on Ukraine than President Zeman. Although initial reservations about the sanctions against Russia, he eventually backed them. A trained lawyer, Mr Sobotka has been a member of parliament since 1996 and served as finance minister in 2002-6. He joined the Social Democrats in 1989 and has led the party since 2011.

business-41348971

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-41348971

Why Ryanair's 'mess up' may not lead to lasting damage

Airlines often have cock-ups.

Simon JackBusiness editor BA's computer failure or the chaotic opening of Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Lufthansa's seemingly endless industrial disputes or the United incident that saw a passenger assaulted on camera. Inglorious moments for sure. But the performance and profitability of these companies since, suggests these mistakes did not leave a permanent mark. Is this latest Ryanair incident different? Will the combination of unhappy customers, and the increased cost of retaining pilots, harm the very business model of the airline itself? Could Michael O'Leary become a lightning rod for staff discontent (the way Willie Walsh did at BA) and have to stand down? According to shareholders I spoke to today, the answers are no, no and no. In reverse order, Michael O'Leary is not some easy come, easy go, hired-gun chief executive. Although the airline was founded by Tony Ryan it became the biggest carrier of passengers in Europe under Mr O'Leary. He owns 4% of the company and has survived worse publicity than this. Higher pilots' wages will not change the economics of Ryanair. All airlines try and bear down on cost as it is a competitive business, but the things that really affect profits are external factors like the world economy and the price of fuel. Both of those things are in the industry's favour right now. So no, this incident is not different. When this current spat passes, consumers will return to looking at which airline can get them where they are going, at the price they want to pay. By way of comparison, Volkswagen announced today it is selling more cars than it did before the diesel emissions scandal. Consumers are either forgetful or forgiving - or just don't give a fig.

uk-34478008

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34478008

Cross-party UK EU exit group launches

"Vote leave - take control."

Laura KuenssbergPolitical editor@bbclaurakon Twitter The message of a new, cross-party campaign vying to get the UK to leave the EU could hardly be clearer. On Friday, the group, which contains politicians and, crucially, financial backers from across the political spectrum, launches officially. The date of the actual referendum on our membership of the EU is not yet set, but it is becoming clear who will shape up on each side. This new campaign, Vote Leave, is funded by major Conservative donor and City millionaire Peter Cruddas, John Mills, Labour's biggest private financial backer, and Stuart Wheeler, for years a Tory donor but more recently a supporter of UKIP. Clashes ahead The expectation is that they will spend up to £20m, around half the amount the Tories spent in the 12 months before the election. And it will fold in three existing campaign groups: Conservatives for Britain, Business for Britain and the Labour Leave campaign. They already have the backing of politicians like Lord Lawson, Kate Hoey from Labour, and Douglas Carswell from UKIP, and their hope is to build support and credibility across the spectrum. The campaign will begin with its "take control" plea to voters - citing the £350m it will claim is paid by UK taxpayers each week to the EU. The campaign's argument is simply that the EU has too much control over too much of our lives. But stand by for clashes over how much money we get back, compared with what we put in. The arguments over whether we really gain or lose economically will be a central strand of the referendum debate, with the government, most of the Labour Party, the SNP, the Liberal Democrats and much of the business world pressing the case that the rewards of being in the EU are much greater than the costs. 'Campaign muscle' But Vote Leave has money, campaign muscle, a plan to build a politically broad-based group, and a clear message. It is also confident it will end up becoming the official campaign, designated by the Electoral Commission, rather than the campaign Leave.EU that includes the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage and UKIP's multi-millionaire donor, Aaron Banks. The two groups, Vote Leave and Leave.EU, have had talks and may eventually join forces, but for now they are being run as separate campaigns. On the other side, the In campaign, which makes the case for the UK's EU membership, is expected to launch early next week. But, by the time you are reading this, Vote Leave will already be trying to flood the internet with its message, trying to establish not just its arguments but itself as the established campaign group making that side of the argument. This debate may last as long as two years, but the race is already on.

uk-scotland-highlands-islands-33831256

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-33831256

Things are just that little bit different at Belladrum festival

It happens at every festival/stadium concert.

By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter There is the anthem that everyone knows word for word and loudly sings along to. And at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival just such a moment came early in the day on Friday. "Oooooh…You cannae shove yer granny aff the bus," sang the crowd. Belladrum prides itself in doing things a little bit different. On the main Garden Stage were Fun Box, a colourful band of children's entertainers treading the same boards The Proclaimers had on Thursday night and less than seven hours before Manic Street Preachers would. The wee unusual twists do not end with the festival's line up. Sat on the ruins of an old building, a white elephant with a purple cape that streamed from behind it in a breeze. Fittingly, within sight of this sculpture, the band Elephant Sessions were trying out new material to a packed-out audience in the Grassroots tent. At the opposite end of the site were fake sheep up trees on the end of ladders and brightly-coloured umbrellas in an avenue of trees. There were performers inside giant puppets of a horse and a golden Highland cow. A roving band of Viking re-enactors launched a mock attack on children rolling around inside big inflatable balls, and a magician riding around on what looked like a modern version of a Penny Farthing bicycle while his little white rabbits munched grass in a little enclosure in front of the magic show tent. Nearby, children made sock puppets with help from Highland Council rangers while yet more kids tried their hands at stilt-walking and riding unicycles. In a big top there were wrestling matches, while across from there stunt bike rider Danny Macaskill and his friends wowed a crowd. And everywhere there were people dressed to the festival's theme this year - superheroes. There were children and adults dressed as the Hulk, Captain America, Bananaman, Groot from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Superman, Supergirl...and Hong Kong Phooey. Following the traffic issues of Thursday, Belladrum was well and truly in full swing on Friday. On the music front, Glasgow synthpop band Prides drew a big crowd to the Garden Stage, later followed by US band Hayseed Dixie. But something strange was never far away. Following the end of Hayseed Dixie's set, which featured Highway to Hell and then Banjo Duel from the horror film Deliverance, the crowd were stopped in their tracks when the theme music from Superman suddenly belted out from the main stage. The tune was the signal for a flash mob dance organised by Inverness' Eden Court.

newsbeat-50599756

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-50599756

The decade in memes

Picture this.

By Kirsty GrantNewsbeat reporter It's 2010. TikTok is simply a song by Ke$ha, you're playing Flappy Bird on an iPhone 3gs, and One Direction have only just formed. Oh, and there aren't hundreds of new memes circulating the internet everyday. Fast-forward a decade and it's impossible to count the number of internet inside-jokes being shared daily. As the decade comes to a close, we've done our best to round up some of the most iconic memes the internet has brought us over the past 10 years. 2010: YouTube There's no denying that 2010 was a strange year. There weren't *really* memes as we know them today - but there were viral internet sensations. One of those was a lady named Elonia - whose YouTube video singing "sitting on the toilet", while she's sitting on the toilet - currently has more than 9m views. "And flush" - what a finale. The video sets a pretty standard precedent for early 2010 memes. They were simple, poorly-produced and lacked intellectual depth. But, there's no denying Elonia's song has been buried somewhere in our minds for 10 years, so fair play. 2011: Classic meme format In 2011 pictures with basic text captions on them emerged. One of the early examples was a Futurama screenshot, with memes that followed the template: "not sure if ___, or just ___". Looking back now, it's surprising that we ever found these funny. 2012: Overly attached girlfriend There was no escaping the simple picture and block text format in 2012, where the Overly Attached Girlfriend meme was born. It came from a YouTube video by Laina Morris, in which she sings Boyfriend by Justin Bieber but changes the lyrics to fit the character of a crazy, possessive girlfriend. Her character must have been pretty strong - it got millions of views and her creepy smile was meme-fied. Up until a few months ago, Laina Morris was still regularly doing videos in the Overly Attached Girlfriend character. 2013: Chloe and Gavin When we were putting together this list, 2013 stood out for its contribution to memes. It was when two children, Gavin and Chloe, were introduced to the meme-sphere - and they've stood the test of time. Chloe's disturbed expression proved to be very relatable: And Gavin's often confused, disgruntled facial expressions saturated the internet in 2013 and - to be honest - have done ever since. He truly is the "internet's son". 2014: 'But that's none of my business' The meme that dominated 2014 was an image of Kermit the frog drinking iced tea - and minding his business. See if you can figure out how it was used: You also couldn't scroll for long without seeing "starter packs". Nobody was safe from having their entire personality and style ripped to shreds by one of these picture grids. They were simple, but fantastic banter. Another special mention has to go to this iconic photo. The streets will never forget. Amazingly, the veiny guy apparently went to school with the Overly Attached Girlfriend. If nothing else, they definitely once met. Incredible effort from both of them there. 2015: Why you always lyin'? 2015 was the height of Vine's popularity - and it was the year that Nicholas Fraser sang along to the tune of "Too Close" by Next. But this wasn't any old singing video. Nicholas featured his own lyrics, about liars, and made a dance to go with it. It went viral. It was also the year that Drake released Hotline Bling and his dance moves in the music video were as memorable as the catchy chorus. People added their own twists to the video... 2016: Meme sophistication The word "meme" was being searched for a lot on Google in 2016. Arguably, by then, the days of stock images with bold white text were pretty much gone - memes had become much more nuanced. One that was particularly popular was "Arthur's clenched fist". Like most memes, it got entirely out of hand and even ended up being made into embroidery. 2016 was also the year that "Damn Daniel" was born. It was a great example of how to support your friends - and also make them Twitter famous. Daniel, his friend, and his white Vans were invited on to The Ellen DeGeneres show, and were even mentioned in a Jay-Z lyric. 2017: Blinking guy & Distracted boyfriend 2017 was as busy as ever, with far too many memes to mention them all. But a special shoutout goes to Blinking Man. You know it well - the simple gif of a man doing a surprised, double-take blink. Stock image memes made a resurgence in 2017, with Distracted Boyfriend impossible to escape. It tackled ancient history... ... primary school memories.... and grammar dilemmas... It was also the year Radio 1 Newsbeat (that's us) did a documentary all about the joy of memes. 2018: Kids running memes again One of last year's biggest stars was Mason Ramsey. Or - as you might know him - the kid who yodelled in a Walmart store. The video of Mason went viral. Mason definitely made the most of his sudden fame. He released a follow-up single, appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, performed at Coachella festival and even featured on Lil Nas X's Old Town Road remix. But it wasn't just Mason putting kids on the map in 2018. At some point during all of this ASMR - people trying to trigger a tingly feeling with whispery noises - happened. YouTuber LifewithMaK managed to crossover into memes. 2019: Sorry to this man You've made it to 2019 - congrats. Or, if you're a Facebook user, you might still be in 2018. Nowadays memes often start on Reddit before making their way to Twitter, then Instagram, WhatsApp and finally Facebook. Oh, and their shelf life has massively decreased. Hundreds are churned out every day, unlike the start of the decade when they'd be recycled for months on end. They're often still self-deprecating and observational, but are simply better - and faster - produced than in earlier years. That's why we think 2019 was the best year for memes. Actress Keke Palmer gave us one of the year's best reaction videos when she was shown a picture of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Next up: Jasmine Masters and her infamous "and I oop". No idea what that is? 1. Have you been living under a rock? 2. Let the video do the talking. The moment (when drag queen Jasmine hits her genitals by accident) has been used for Titanic memes... ...to classical memes. Obviously, we can't recap the year without mentioning Kombucha Girl. Brittany Tomlinson's video has more than 40 million views on TikTok. Something else we've seen a lot of in 2019 is No Context accounts. Undoubtedly the best was boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. Here are just a few of our favourites: They even got pretty meta, with memes being referenced within other memes. The final special mention of 2019 goes to Nicole - one of the most simple but effective memes of the year. It's been the decade when memes as we know them were born, and they've only got more creative and plentiful. Here's to more great memes in the next decade. Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

technology-35639549

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35639549

Is your smartphone listening to you?

It all began with a car crash.

By Zoe KleinmanTechnology reporter, BBC News I was doing some ironing when my mum came in to tell me that a family friend had been killed in a road accident in Thailand. My phone was on the worktop behind me. But the next time I used the search engine on it, up popped the name of our friend, and the words, "Motorbike accident, Thailand" and the year in the suggested text below the search box. I was startled, certain that I had not used my phone at the time I had had the conversation - my hands had been full. Had I started to look the details up later on and forgotten? Or was my phone listening in? Almost every time I mentioned it to people they had a similar story, mainly based around advertising. Cybersecurity Alert special index How to hack the average home Hanging out with the script kiddies Ukraine blackout hacks 'could happen elsewhere' One friend complained to her boyfriend about a migraine, her first ever, only to find the next day she was being followed on Twitter by a migraine support group. Another had an in-depth chat with her sister about a tax issue, and the next day was served up a Facebook advert from tax experts offering advice on that exact issue. Many said they were discussing particular products or holiday destinations and shortly afterwards noticed advertising on the same theme. Community website Reddit is full of similar stories. One reporter mentioned his male colleague seeing online adverts for sanitary pads after discussing periods with his wife in the car. But surely if the microphone was activated and the handset was sending data, battery life would be even worse than it is now and individual data usage would be through the roof? Tech challenge I challenged cybersecurity expert Ken Munro and his colleague David Lodge from Pen Test Partners to see whether it was physically possible for an app to snoop in this way. Could something "listen in" at will without it being obvious? "I wasn't convinced at first, it all seemed a bit anecdotal," admitted Mr Munro. However, to our collective surprise, the answer was a resounding yes. They created a prototype app, we started chatting in the vicinity of the phone it was on and watched our words appear on a laptop screen nearby. "All we did was use the existing functionality of Google Android - we chose it because it was a little easier for us to develop in," said Mr Munro. "We gave ourselves permission to use the microphone on the phone, set up a listening server on the internet, and everything that microphone heard on that phone, wherever it was in the world, came to us and we could then have sent back customised ads." The whole thing took a couple of days to build. It wasn't perfect but it was practically in real time and certainly able to identify most keywords. The battery drain during our experiments was minimal and, using wi-fi, there was no data plan spike. "We re-used a lot of code that's already out there," said David Lodge. "Certainly the user wouldn't realise what was happening. As for Apple and Google - they could see it, they could find it and they could stop it. But it is pretty easy to create." "I'm not so cynical now," said Ken Munro. "We have proved it can be done, it works, we've done it. Does it happen? Probably." Google responds The major tech firms absolutely reject such an idea. Google said it "categorically" does not use what it calls "utterances" - the background sounds before a person says, "OK Google" to activate the voice recognition - for advertising or any other purpose. It also said it does not share audio acquired in that way with third parties. Its listening abilities only extend to activating its voice services, a spokesperson said. It also states in its content policy for app developers that apps must not collect information without the user's knowledge. Apps found to be breaking this are removed from the Google Play store. Facebook also told the BBC it does not allow brands to target advertising based around microphone data and it never shares data with third parties without consent. It said Facebook ads are based only around information shared by members on the social network and their net surfing habits elsewhere. Other big tech companies have also denied using the technique. Coincidence There is of course also a more mathematical explanation - the possibility that there is really no connection at all between what we say and what we see. Mathematics professor David Hand from Imperial College London wrote a book called The Improbability Principle, in which he argued that apparently extraordinary events happen all the time. "We are evolutionarily trained to seek explanations," he told the BBC. "If you see a sign you know is associated with a predator you run away and you survive. "It's the same sort of thing here. This apparent coincidence occurs and we think there must be explanation, it can't be chance. But there are so many opportunities for that coincidence to occur. "If you take something that has a tiny chance of occurring and give it enough opportunities to occur, it inevitably will happen." People are generally more alert to things that are currently occupying them, such as recent conversations or big decisions like buying a car or choosing a holiday, he added. So suddenly those sorts of messages stand out more when they may have been in the background all the time. Beautiful Prof Hand is not immune to the lure of coincidence himself. When his book was published another author published a very similar title at the same time. The author of The Coincidence Authority, John Ironmonger, shared the same birthday as Prof Hand and was based at the same university as his wife. "These sorts of things happen," he said. "Just because I understand why it happened doesn't make it any less beautiful."

world-asia-15971013

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-15971013

Singapore profile - Timeline

A chronology of key events:

1819 - Sir Stamford Raffles of British East India Company establishes trading post on Singapore island. 1826 - Singapore, Malacca and Penang become British colony of the Straits Settlements. 1832 - Singapore becomes capital of Straits Settlements. The port attracts thousands of migrants from China, India and other parts of Asia. 1867 - Straits Settlements become crown colony of British Empire. 1869 - Suez Canal opens, trade booms. 1922 - Singapore becomes main British naval base in East Asia. 1941 - World War II. Japan bombs Singapore. 1942 - Singapore falls to Japan, which renames it Syonan (Light of the South). 1945 - Japan defeated. Singapore under British military administration. Independence 1946 - Singapore becomes separate crown colony. 1959 - Self-government attained with Lee Kuan Yew as prime minister. 1963 - Singapore joins the Federation of Malaya, Sabah (North Borneo), and Sarawak in the Federation of Malaysia. 1965 - Singapore pulls out of the Federation of Malaysia, at Malaysia's invitation, amid political and ethnic tensions. The territory becomes an independent republic and joins the United Nations. 1967 - Singapore founder member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). 1971 - Last British military forces withdrawn. End of an era 1984 - Two opposition MPs elected to parliament for first time. 1990 - Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew stands down after 31 years, but continues to exert significant influence as senior minister. Goh Chok Tong becomes new prime minister. 1993 - Ong Teng Cheong becomes first directly-elected president. 1994 - Caning of American teenager Michael Fay for vandalising cars grabs world headlines. 1995 - Nick Leeson's disastrous dealings on Singapore stock exchange lead to collapse of Britain's oldest merchant bank, Barings. He is convicted in Singapore and sentenced to six and a half years in jail. Asian crisis 1997 - Singaporean SilkAir airliner crashes into river in south Sumatra, with the loss of all 104 passengers and crew. 1998 - Singapore slips into recession for the first time in 13 years during Asian financial crisis. Malaysia bans Singapore's military and rescue planes from its air space, after Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs accuse Malaysia of ''bullying'' during the 1960s. 1999 - S R Nathan becomes president without election after he is declared only candidate eligible to run. Nick Leeson released early from Singapore jail for good behaviour. 2000 November - Singapore Airlines 747 airliner crashes while taking off in high winds at Taipei airport, killing 81 passengers and crew. 2001 - Unprecedented anti-government rally - the first legal demonstration outside election campaign. Hundreds gather to support veteran opposition leader J.B. Jeyaretnam who faces bankruptcy and consequent expulsion from parliament. Malaysia, Singapore agree to end long-standing disputes, are to build a new bridge and tunnel. General election landslide victory for governing People's Action Party which secures all but two of the 84 seats. 2002 January - Japan, Singapore sign free trade agreement. 2003 - Outbreak of pneumonia-like Sars virus; Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong says outbreak is worst crisis country has faced. Singapore becomes first Asian nation to sign free-trade deal with US. Power transfer 2004 August - Lee Hsien Loong, eldest son of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, is sworn in as prime minister. 2005 - Singapore, Malaysia settle a bitter dispute over land reclamation work in border waters. Government approves a controversial plan to legalise casino gambling, paving way for construction of two multi-billion dollar casino resorts. President S R Nathan begins second term after winning elections from which his rivals were disqualified. Execution of an Australian man for drug smuggling, despite high-level appeals for clemency, is condemned by Australia's attorney-general as barbaric. 2006 May - Lee Hsien Loong's ruling People's Action Party wins general elections which are seen as the first real test of the prime minister's popularity. 2007 January - Two African men are executed for drug smuggling despite worldwide appeals for clemency. Parliament votes against a proposal to decriminalise sex between men. 2008 February - Mas Selamat Kastari, suspected leader of Islamist militant group Jemaah Islamia, escapes from jail. Security forces mount massive manhunt. Recovery 2009 - Singapore appears to emerge from its worst recession on record after the economy expands at an annualised rate of 20.4% between April and June. 2010 November - British author Alan Shadrake convicted for insulting Singapore's judiciary in a book on the death penalty. 2011 - Ruling People's Action Party (PAP) wins all but six seats in parliament, but opposition parties make unprecedented gains in what PM Lee Hsien Loong calls a "watershed election". Tony Tan is elected president, in the first election of its kind for 18 years. 2012 January - Government-appointed committee recommends massive pay cuts for ministers including prime minister and president. 2012 May - Opposition Workers' Party wins closely fought by-election, retaining seat left empty after MP expelled by the party in February. 2012 November - Singapore experiences its first strike since the 1980s. Chinese bus drivers walk out complaining their pay is lower than local or Malaysian drivers. 2013 May - Demonstrators hold an unusually large rally to protest against government plans to boost the population, mostly with foreign workers. 2013 December - A riot involving some 400 foreign workers breaks out following the death of an Indian migrant worker knocked down by a bus. It is the first rioting in Singapore in more than 30 years. 2014 March - Singapore becomes the second country in the world after the US to regulate virtual currencies such as bitcoins, in an attempt to prevent money-laundering. 2015 January - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong unveils stiffer measures against corruption after a number of high-profile graft scandals in the last two years. 2015 March - Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies aged 91. Tens of thousands of people line the streets to attend his funeral procession. 2015 August - Singapore marks 50th anniversary of independence from Malaysia. 2015 September - The governing People's Action Party wins a snap election to extend its 50-year-old hold on power. A Singapore court sentences a Filipino nurse to four months in prison for posting inflammatory comments about the city state on Facebook. 2015 November - The government reduces the number of banned publications from that 250 to just 17 to reflect "changes in society". 2015 December - The United States says it is deploying specialised maritime surveillance plane to Singapore in an apparent response to China's pursuit of territorial claims in the South China Sea. 2016 May - Singapore and Bangladesh arrest a group of Bangladeshi men suspected of being hardline Islamic militants. Singapore said it had detained eight men who were planning to overthow the Bangladesh government and establish a hardline regime aligned with so-called Islamic State. Singapore says it will spend more than 1.5 billion dollars expanding the capacity of its military training bases in Australia as part of a 25-year agreement. 2016 August - Parliament approves a new contempt law which could see offenders jailed for up to three years. Human Rights Watch says the law could further impede freedom of speech and lead the media to self-censor. The world's first driverless taxi service is launched in Singapore. 2017 March - A teenage blogger is granted asylum in the US. A judge said Amos Yee had been persecuted for his political opinions. 2017 July - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his siblings engage in a public row over the will of their late father, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. 2017 September - Hundreds of people protest against the uncontested Halimah Yacob being declared president, saying the move was undemocratic.

world-africa-14095711

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14095711

eSwatini profile

A chronology of key events:

1894 - Britain and the Boer Republic of Transvaal jointly rule Swaziland. 1907 - Swaziland becomes a British High Commission territory. 1921 - King Sobhuza II succeeds to the throne. 1962 - The Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) is formed. 1964 - Swaziland's first constitution enters into force. 1964 - King Sobhuza establishes a political party, the Imbokodvo National Movement (INM). It secures all the seats in the new Legislative Council. 1967 - A new constitution comes into effect, providing for the introduction of self-government once independence is gained. 1967 - The Legislative Council is dissolved. Elections to a new bicameral parliament - including a House of Assembly and Senate - take place. The INM gains all 24 elective seats in the lower house. Despite not gaining any seats, the NNLC emerges as the main opposition. Independence 1968 - Swaziland is granted formal independence, within the Commonwealth, and adopts a new constitution. Authority is vested in the new parliament, a proportion of the members are nominated by the monarch. 1972 - Elections to the House of Assembly see the INM retaining 21 seats and the NNLC gaining the remaining three. 1973 - King Sobhuza suspends the constitution and bans political parties. 1977 - The parliamentary system is abolished and replaced by traditional tribal communities. 1978 - The new constitution enshrines electoral representation by 'Tinkhundla'. Under the system candidates are nominated by Tinkhundla's (local councils) and elected by secret ballot. The king retains the power to appoint a proportion of parliamentarians. Parliament's role is advisory. 1979 - New parliament is opened. King Mswati III crowned 1982 - The body advising on Swazi tradition - the Swaziland National Council - made up of members of the royal family, is renamed the Supreme Council of State (Liqoqo). 1982 - King Sobhuza dies. 1982 - Queen Mother Dzeliwe is authorised to act as Regent until Prince Makhosetive reaches 21. 1983 - Queen Regent Dzeliwe is deposed. Queen Ntombi, Prince Makhosetive's mother, is made regent. 1983 - The People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) is formed. 1986 - Prince Makhosetive is crowned - three years early - and assumes the title of King Mswati III. 1986 - King Mswati dissolves the Supreme Council of State (Liqoqo). 1991 - King Mswati agrees to review the Tinkhundla system by setting up a commission. Pudemo rejects the commission. 1992 - The king sets up a second commission to review political reforms. 1992 - Pudemo rejects the second commission's proposals. King Mswati dissolves parliament and announces he will govern by decree until the elections. 1997 - Half of the labour force observes a general strike called by the SFTU. The government declares the strike illegal. Aids epidemic 2003 October - Parliamentary elections; pro-democracy activist Obed Dlamini wins a seat. 2004 March - UN Aids envoy says Swaziland has the world's highest rate of HIV infection. 2004 July - King proposes to build new royal residences to house some of his wives. 2005 August - King signs a new constitution. Opposition protests 2007 July - Thousands protest in the commercial capital Manzini to press for democratic reforms. 2008 September - Opposition groups boycott elections as part of their campaign for multi-party elections. 2010 September - Pro-democracy demonstrators march through Manzini, despite the arrest of some 50 activists the previous day. 2011 November - Swaziland is hit by a budget crisis described by the IMF as "critical", with the government struggling to pay the salaries of public sector workers. 2013 August, September - Parliamentary polls. Candidates participate as individuals because parties are barred from contesting elections. 2018 April - King Mswati announces that the country is to change its name to eSwatini.

entertainment-arts-48049918

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48049918

Cannes 2019: Nine films to look out for

Bonjour mes amis!

By Paul GlynnEntertainment reporter at the Cannes Film Festival The 72nd Cannes Film Festival begins on Tuesday with a heady mix of star names, fresh faces and both high- and low-brow subject matters. From familiar-looking zombies to a late Hollywood arrival - via football icons, rock stars and zero-hour contracts - here are nine films sure to make the headlines. 1) The Dead Don't Die It all gets going on Tuesday evening with the official premiere of US director Jim Jarmusch's comedy-horror, The Dead Don't Die, at the city's Grand Théâtre Lumière. The film, which boasts "the greatest zombie cast ever disassembled", finds police officers (Bill Murray, Chloë Sevigny and Adam Driver) and a morgue expert (Tilda Swinton) attempting to keep the humdrum town of Centerville safe from a horde of zombies, including Iggy Pop, Sara Driver and Carol Kane. Are you keeping up so far? Good. The un-dead Iggy previously teamed up with Jarmusch on the 2016 Stooges rock doc Gimme Danger and he isn't the only music star in this one, as Selena Gomez, Wu-Tang Clan's RZA and Tom Waits all appear. The festival opener is one of 21 films 'in competition' for the prestigious Palme d'Or prize finale, and in a show of strength for cinema, it will be broadcast simultaneously in more than 400 theatres across France. Better bring a jacket to hide/laugh behind... 2) Little Joe Little Joe is an unsettling-sounding story, about a genetically engineered crimson flower plant causing strange changes in living creatures. It stars Emily Beecham and Ben Whishaw, and as one of two BBC and BFI-backed films at this year's event you're bound to see it on UK telly over the next few years. Austrian director Jessica Hausner is also one of only four female directors up for the top prize this year, including Celine Sciamma for her Portrait of a Lady on Fire. The only other time that not-so-lofty figure was reached was in 2011. Last year, dozens of women - including acting stars Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart and Salma Hayek - staged a red-carpet demonstration against gender-based discrimination in the industry. As Blanchett remarked: "The prestigious Palme d'Or has been bestowed upon 71 male directors... but only two female directors." You do the maths. For the first time Cannes claims to have "methodically counted the female directors submitting their films for selection" and the jury for the big one is made up of four men and four women; including movie star Elle Fanning. Festival president Pierre Lescure honoured the late French filmmaker and "icon of the festival" Agnès Varda, by featuring her on the official poster. 3) Sorry We Missed You Ken Loach is on a Palme d'Or hat-trick as he returns to Cannes this year with the other British-backed film, Sorry We Missed You - written by Paul Laverty. The 82-year-old UK director has bagged the big one twice before, first in 2006 for the Irish War of Independence drama, The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Ten years later he won again for I, Daniel Blake, which tackled unemployment and food banks in England. That film sparked a national debate and Loach will be hoping for more of the same with his latest politicised effort, which follows a delivery driver and his carer wife, who are pushed to breaking point as they struggle to keep their family going on zero-hour contracts. One of Loach's veteran US counterparts, Terrence Malick, 75, returns this year too with his historical drama, A Hidden Life, which tells the story of Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector from Austria, who refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War Two. Malick took the Palme d'Or in 2011 for The Tree of Life; an experimental movie which found Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain pondering the origins of existence and the very meaning of life itself (we've all done that on a rainy Wednesday in work). Cannes loves nothing more than a good 'auteur' and so along with Malick and Loach, Pedro Almodóvar's new film about a director in decline, Pain and Glory - starring Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz - also makes the esteemed list. 4) Atlantics While female directors have often been overlooked in the competition, black female filmmakers have been absent entirely. French-Senegalese director Mati Diop, therefore, makes history this year by becoming the first-ever woman of African descent in the Cannes competition with her feature directorial debut, Atlantics. It stars Mame Sane (above) as a young woman in the Senegalese capital of Dakar, whose lover disappears by boat in search of greater opportunities in Europe. A most topical movie for the festival which will also hold discussions about the impact of Brexit on the film industry. 5) Rocketman Thursday night's alright for a screening so a touch of showbiz stardust will be sprinkled on the Croissette as the Sir Elton John biopic, Rocketman, is launched into orbit out of competition - one week ahead of its UK release. It is directed by Dexter Fletcher, who stepped into the breach of another rock biopic - 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody, after Bryan Singer was fired from the project. Notably, this one is produced by Sir Elt' himself alongside his husband, David Furnish. Taron Egerton, who plays the piano, recently told the BBC that his portrayal will show him at his best and worst. "Elton essentially gave me licence to go and make him look ugly at times," he said. The pair performed together at an Oscars viewing party in February, and with the Rocket Man expected in town there are whispers of another possible pre-screening performance. 6) Diego Maradona The life of another charismatic and often-troubled entertainer, Diego Armando Maradona, will be brought to the big screen similarly out of competition on Sunday. The self-titled documentary about the controversial Argentine footballer is the latest work of Asif Kapadia, who won an Oscar for his 2016 feature on late soul singer Amy Winehouse. He also directed the 2011 film about the life and death of Brazilian motor-racing champion Ayrton Senna. Now Diego Maradona tells the tale of how "the world's most celebrated football genius and the most dysfunctional city in Europe [Napoli] were a perfect match for each other." It's out on 14 June in the UK, no doubt bringing back nightmares for England fans everywhere. 7) Too Old To Die Young The ongoing talks between Cannes and Netflix bosses Ted Sarandos and Scott Stuber means there will be no films by the streaming giant for a second year, with festival director Thierry Frémaux saying "we are not ready to welcome films that are not released in a theatre". In doing so he noted the support of mega director and cinema enthusiast, Steven Spielberg. Cannes' principled stance caused them to miss out last year after Netflix took their films, including the soon-to-be Oscar-winning Spanish-language movie, Roma, elsewhere - but you know, rules are rules. Despite all that, two episodes of Nicolas Winding Refn's haunting new Amazon TV series, Too Old To Die Young (North of Hollywood and West of Hell) will be shown out of competition. The Danish director, who gave us the Ryan Gosling-starring Drive in 2011, places Miles Teller, John Hawkes and Jena Malone in the lead roles for his latest noir thriller about a grieving police officer who finds himself embroiled in the LA underworld after crossing paths with the man who killed his partner. 8) Parasite Unwittingly, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho was partly to blame for the whole Cannes v Netflix debacle in the first place. One of his previous offerings, the Netflix-funded Okja, actually made the in-competition list in 2017, causing the festival to come in for criticism and subsequently change its policy. Parasite, his new Korean-language tragicomedy - which explores notions of class and the family - has been financed in a more conventional manner, though, and is in the running. Justice for Joon this year... anyone? The movie platform debate is not going away any time soon, though, and could be complicated further by the upcoming arrival of Apple+, as well as Disney and Warner's new streaming services. 9) Once Upon a Time In Hollywood Finally, in the least surprising surprise in recent Cannes history, Quentin Tarantino's new retrospective, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, was declared ready for competition with just weeks to spare. It wasn't listed on the initial official selection last month but Frémaux suggested he would welcome a late addition from the US director, who he later called "a real, loyal and punctual child of Cannes!" More eyebrows will have been raised by two other late announcements last week; first that Sylvester Stallone will return this year to promote Rambo V - Last Blood, and secondly Mel Gibson is heading to the festival market as Santa Claus in the action comedy, Fatman. Tarantino's film, set in 1969 against the backdrop of the Manson murders, stars Brad Pitt as the stuntman for a Hollywood actor (reportedly based on Burt Reynolds) played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Margot Robbie as the tragic late actress Sharon Tate. Tarantino has apparently been buried in the editing studio for months and wanted to deliver the newly-finished product on old school 35mm film. "His film," said Frémaux, "is a love letter to the Hollywood of his childhood, a rock music tour of 1969, and an ode to cinema as a whole." Once Upon a Time will premiere on Tuesday, 21 May, exactly 25 years to the day since another of his creations, the 1994 Palme d'Or-winning Pulp Fiction, was first shown by the French Riviera. If it wins that would be a truly Hollywood ending. The Cannes Film Festival takes place from 14 to 25 May. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

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Middle East protests: Country by country

Iran

Long-simmering unrest over the disputed 2009 presidential election boiled over again on 14 February 2011. Thousands of people heeded calls by the two main opposition leaders to rally in the capital Tehran in solidarity with pro-democracy protests across the Middle East. Security forces cracked down on the protest. Two people were killed and many more injured. Rallies held in the days following, as well as on 20 February, were also suppressed. In further demonstrations on 1 March, the opposition claimed that 200 people were arrested. However, since then, the authorities have succeeded in preventing any more large demonstrations from taking place. Iran's complex and unusual political system combines elements of a modern Islamic theocracy with democracy. Its President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a hardliner who has said he will put down any protests. Meanwhile, there has been speculation about the internal dynamics of the regime, after an apparent increase in tensions between President Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In March 2012, Mr Ahmadinejad's support base in parliament was eroded in elections which saw conservatives allied to Ayatollah Khamenei win an extra 41 seats. The opposition Green Movement was barred from taking part. The movement's leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi were placed under house arrest in February 2011 and have not been seen in public since. Supporters of the government have been calling for them to be executed. Iran's nuclear programme has long been regarded with suspicion in Israel and the West, as has its support for militant groups in the Middle East.

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Big Sam Allardyce: His career in pictures - or 'Sam's moustache though the ages'

Sam Allardyce is the new England manager.

By Will ChalkNewsbeat reporter Affectionately known as Big Sam, the 61-year-old has beaten off competition from Hull boss Steve Bruce. England fans won't need reminding of their team's abysmal showing under Roy Hodgson at the Euros. He resigned just minutes after the final whistle blew on a 2-1 defeat to Iceland, remember? As Sam Allardyce looks to take the team forward, Newsbeat looks back at his career, in pictures. He started playing in the youth squad for his home town Dudley in the late 1960s. He got his first professional contract at Bolton Wanderers, where, at 6ft 3in (1m 91cm), he quickly developed a reputation as a powerful centre-back, strong in the air and not shy of a tackle. On the pitch, he was nicknamed "Super Sam Bionic Man", because of his ability to absolutely clatter his opponents and get back up completely unharmed. But he also had a lighter side and, apparently, was a big fan of westerns. Here he is dressed as, we're guessing, Clint Eastwood. Not content with being a bionic cowboy, he was a family man too. He met his wife Lynne while still a youth player at Bolton and they got married in 1974. They have two kids, who presumably are too big now for this sort of thing. After seven years at Bolton, he had spells at Sunderland, Millwall, and even in America, with the fantastically named Tampa Bay Rowdies. He joined Coventry City in 1983 and was made captain. He clearly took his duties seriously, even when it came to leading his squad in a ballet session. We're finally into the days of colour photography and Big Sam's playing career is still going strong. Through the 1980s, he featured for Huddersfield, West Brom and Limerick before finishing his days on the pitch at Preston North End. After spells at Limerick and Blackpool, Allardyce's first big managerial success was with Notts County in the 1997-8 season. He guided them to the division three title by a 19-point margin and, of course, celebrated with a cigar. At the turn of the century, he took Bolton to the League Cup and FA Cup semi-finals - and as a reward was offered a 10-year contract with the club, which he took. He set up wagers with his players and after his side beat Leicester 5-0 on the opening day of the 2001 FA Carling Premiership season, Big Sam and his staff were reportedly forced to eat sheep testicles. Nice. He had the balls to stick with Bolton, though, and achieved his best ever Premier League finish of sixth in the 2004-05 season. That won Wanderers a place in Europe - in what was then called the Uefa Cup. After leaving Bolton in 2007, Big Sam spent time at Newcastle and Blackburn, before taking on the West Ham job in 2011. He joined Sunderland last year. As for his managerial style, throughout his career he's been accused by some of encouraging boring, long-ball football - something that he denies. He's clearly not the biggest fan of diving though and laughed his head off at Swansea City's Chico Flores when he took a tumble in 2014. Watch the Vine. We'll have to wait until September to find out exactly what he'll offer. His first match in charge is a World Cup qualifier against Slovakia. Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat

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Brexit: Danger has not passed for Theresa May

Westminster seems more peaceful tonight.

Laura KuenssbergPolitical editor@bbclaurakon Twitter Maybe I should just stop there. It is Friday night after all, and after the Big Dipper ride of the last few days, maybe for Number 10, and maybe for you, that's enough to be going on with for now. But Number 10 knows they'd be kidding themselves to imagine that the danger has gone. We simply won't know, probably until Monday, whether there are enough Tory MPs willing to put their names to letters calling for her to go to trigger a vote on confidence in her that might - in theory - force her from office. It is possible that by the start of next week Theresa May finds herself with a vote that could unseat her. If she doesn't, or even if she does but then wins such a vote, here's the problem. More than 20 MPs have put their names out there publicly calling on her to go and screaming protests at her Brexit deal. They might not get their confidence vote. Even if they do, they might not get enough support to oust her. But it seems impossible for those who have put their names out there to vote for the Brexit deal in a few weeks time. With the DUP bristling with rage about the deal and how it was arrived at, and very little sign of a cavalry of Labour MPs riding to the rescue, the number of public protests from those Tory MPs makes it seem like Theresa May's agreement is doomed. In that regard, how on earth does the government plan to get it through? Can they? There are two factors that Number 10 hopes will come through for them. First off, they hope that once the deal is done officially with the EU, next Sunday (25 November), then the dynamic will change. Something along the lines of the leaked plan to sell the deal that we saw last week can get going, and when it does, expect it to rev up fast and loud. As we've discussed before plenty of times, the government machine will crank up fast and furiously to get MPs to back the deal - or else. And they also hope that more Labour MPs than currently expected will back them in the end. That's not just because they could choose a deal rather than open Pandora's box. But it's also because there's a belief in Number 10 that Labour's fellow politicians on the left around Europe will make it clear that frankly, this deal is the best the UK will get, and that a hypothetical Labour government couldn't and wouldn't do any better. Is that realistic, when the opposition party have the temptation of doing maximum damage to the government of the day? Let's see. For some of the government's critics, it's simply deluded to imagine they will be able to turn this debate around. The draft deal, only 48 hours after it was published, has been roundly attacked. There are many more MPs on the record now than are needed to defeat the agreement in Parliament. But it is impossible to be in the minds of the MPs contemplating turning in a letter calling for May to quit over the weekend. And harder still to be in the minds of those who will have an agonising choice if the deal makes it to the Commons in a few weeks time. It is calmer in Westminster tonight, but it is messy, and the danger hasn't gone away.

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Donald Trump gets a bashing at the Emmys

Donald Trump has never won an Emmy.

He's been nominated twice while hosting the The Apprentice in America, but lost out to a show called The Amazing Race on both occasions. Since then he's started his own amazing race, as he bids to make the transition from primetime to presidency. And as the election nears, he stands a decent chance of winning. Though back on his old stomping ground, last night's Emmy winners weren't shy in having a go at him. The Republican nominee has been criticised for a number of his proposed policies, which include building a wall between America and Mexico and banning all Muslims from the US. Host Jimmy Kimmel kicked off proceedings with a dig at Trump in his opening monologue. "If it wasn't for television, would Donald Trump be running for president?" Kimmel said. Picking out the British producer of The Apprentice in the audience, he added: "Thanks to Mark Burnett, we don't have to watch reality shows anymore, because we're living in one. "Thank you for coming all the way from England to tear us all apart with your intricate plot. It worked." He then nominated Burnett to be the first one thrown over the wall if Trump wins and actually builds it on the border to Mexico. Julia Louis-Dreyfus won outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as US President Selina Meyer in Veep. During her acceptance speech she apologised for what she called "the current political climate". "I think that 'Veep' has torn down the wall between comedy and politics. "Our show started out as a political satire but it now feels like a sobering documentary. "So, I promise to rebuild that wall, and make Mexico pay for it," she said. That wasn't the final joke about Trump's immigrations plans though. Aziz Ansari, the star of Netflix's "Master of None," declared that he was going to enforce Mr. Trump's policies and order Muslims and Hispanics out of the audience. "America Ferrera?" he said to the actress. "Nice try changing your name to 'America.' You're not fooling anybody!" Slightly less tongue in cheek was Transparent creator Jill Soloway's comments on the Republican nominee. In the press room after her for win for outstanding directing for a comedy series, she compared him to Hitler. "He calls women pigs if they don't look like beauty pageant contestants. "He blames Muslims and Mexicans for our problems. He makes fun of disabled people. "He's a complete dangerous monster and any moment that I have to call Trump out for being a inheritor to Hitler, I will." A few celebrities decided not to have a go at Trump but backed Hillary Clinton instead. She's the democratic candidate running against Trump in the race to become the US President. Courtney B. Vance won best actor in a limited series show for The People v O.J. Simpson and after giving a shout out to his wife he ended his acceptance speech with, "Obama out! Hillary in!" Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat

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World Cup 2018: How Three Lions is still the definitive England song after 22 years

"Football's coming home!"

By Imran Rahman-JonesNewsbeat reporter It's the chant that makes a resurgence every time England are in a major tournament. You would have heard it sung it in the streets, seen the memes, even Alan Shearer was chanting it on the BBC on Match of the Day after England's penalty delight on Tuesday. For the past few years, the song Three Lions has been sung across the country despite the team being nowhere near bringing the trophy home. But this time it feels different. Fans seem to be singing it with even more passion than normal because England actually have a chance of doing well thanks to early exits from favourites such as Spain, Germany and Argentina. The song was written for Euro 96 by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner with the band the Lightning Seeds. Although "it's coming home" originally referred to the fact that England was hosting its first major tournament since the 1966 World Cup, it's now got a broader meaning - basically that England will win it. Baddiel and Skinner weren't random choices by the FA to write the official England song for the Euro 96 tournament - the double act hosted a popular football show called Fantasy Football at the time. The programme summed up 90s lad culture, but the song was meant to have a deeper meaning. In a 5 Live show about the song, David Baddiel said that they wanted to write something "that actually reflects what it's like to be an England fan". He said Frank Skinner described it as a "bittersweet love song to the England team". It's true - the opening verse of Three Lions, with the lyrics "England's gonna throw it away, gonna blow it away" encapsulates a lifetime of disappointments as an England fan. But it's the chorus that you hear sung in streets, bars and pubs up and down the country when the team wins. "This is a song about how we've lost so often - and yet it's a song we want to sing," says Baddiel. Frank Skinner described the first time he heard it played out at Euro 96 when he appeared on Desert Island Discs. "It was at the end of the England-Scotland game. We'd just won 2-0. As they were exchanging shirts at the end, they played it over the loud speaker, and I thought 'great'. "And then the crowd really really sang it. That was when I knew we'd got something special." Baddiel has said that he heard the FA thought the song was too downbeat and had doubts about it. "Apparently the FA didn't want the DJ to put it on at Wembley, but he did it anyway," he said. "And then it was sung at every game until England went out." That tournament exit has been getting a lot of coverage this year - it's the one where Gareth Southgate missed the decisive penalty in the semi-finals against Germany. But by then, Three Lions had already cemented itself into the national football consciousness. Two years later, it was re-recorded for the World Cup, with a few updated lyrics. Some fans even prefer the 1998 version (although the original has about three times more plays on YouTube than Three Lions '98 does). The less said about the 2010 version, featuring Robbie Williams, Russell Brand and an opera singer, the better. But the song's endurance has had one negative, according to Baddiel. "Three Lions killed off the football anthem quite conclusively. "There were a few attempts after 1996 but no-one managed it," he told the BBC in 2016. "And that's because it is the best football anthem of all time." Now, 22 years on, some people singing it might not even know its origins - and it's probably better known as the "football's coming home" chant rather than its title Three Lions. But the song's effect is still the same. There's still the same spine-tingle of English pride every time you hear it - even if it's just a 10-second clip in the latest meme. Even if England don't make it all the way this year, Three Lions will have taken on a new significance as it's chanted around the country. It was written for a tournament which ended with Gareth Southgate's penalty miss for England. Imagine if that same man ended 52 years of hurt by bringing football home this summer. Newsbeat's at the World Cup in Russia this summer. You can follow our coverage on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Or listen live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here.

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Guess what? Not every music venue is under threat

What was your favourite gig?

By Mark SavageBBC Music reporter Chances are, it was somewhere small and sweaty - pressed up against the amps, watching beads of sweat roll off the singer's face - rather than straining to see Coldplay in the distant recesses of an anonymous enormodrome. But small venues have been struggling in recent years. We've lost the likes of The Astoria in London, The Boardwalk in Sheffield, The Arches in Glasgow and The Cockpit in Leeds. Why? A variety of factors: Greedy landlords, rising property prices, noise abatement orders and councils imposing unrealistic licensing restrictions. Against this background, however, some venues are thriving. A report from the Mayor of London marking Independent Venue Week showed the number of grassroots music venues in the capital had remained stable for the first year since 2007. To find out more, we spoke to two of the UK's most successful concert halls: The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, and the Tunbridge Wells Forum in Kent. With space for 250 to 400 customers, they've hosted shows by Adele, Oasis, Muse, Foals, The Cribs and dozens of up-and-coming bands. What are they doing right? And how can others learn from their example? Look after the bands "Every band that comes through our door is treated the same, regardless of their status," says Nathan Clark, who took over the running of the Brudenell Social Club from his parents in 2004. It's the little touches that count, "like the wifi being personalised... and having things like a microwave and washing facilities", he explains. Unlike other venues, the Social Club doesn't demand a percentage of the money bands make from selling t-shirts and CDs after the show. "If the bands can come out and speak to their fans, it builds a rapport. And when that happens, they sell more merch," says Clark. "So if we double their revenue, they're keen to come back." Don't expect to get rich "I'm not sure whether you can make money from grassroots venues," says Jason Dormon, who set up the Tunbridge Wells Forum 25 years ago. "You either put on shows that are going to make money, or you invest in new and young talent. The two don't work together." "We make a profit but then we reinvest it," adds Clark. "Everyone gets paid fairly. All the staff get the living wage. " "If we were just to chase money the feeling would be totally different," Dormon explains. "From the volunteers to the fans. People probably wouldn't hang around as much." Don't book artists your audience won't like It might seem obvious - but some venues just book the bands on the touring circuit, rather than forging their own musical identity. "People come back because they have a degree of trust in our taste," says Clark. "We're very active on social media: 'You should listen to this artist,' or, 'We think this is great music'. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big band, it just has to be great music." "As a smaller venue, we have to be more connected with the community," agrees Dormon. "We listen to the bands, we listen to the local community, we listen to the music fans that come through the door every weekend." Give young bands a break "It's great to have big names coming through," says Dormon, who has hosted low-key warm-up shows for bands like Ash, Foals and Mumford & Sons. "But it's important for local bands to get to play with them, because they're the touring acts of tomorrow. They're learning off one another, so to speak." "There's lots of times we'll suggest good local bands to the artists who come in on tour," agrees Clark. "You create a green scene of local bands who breed. They become fond of the venue because you give them support and, even if they grow, they'll come back and play smaller shows here." In 2007, The Cribs repaid the Brudenell's faith in their band by staging three Christmas shows at the venue, with support from Franz Ferdinand, Kate Nash and Kaiser Chiefs. Get tips from the musicians "I'll chat to a band after a gig and find out what's happening in their town," says Clark. "Like, 'What bands should I be listening to from San Francisco? What gigs are you going to?' "They'll name bands we've never heard of, but if you trust their musical taste, you check them out and you build the bedrock of your relationship from there." Buy your venue (if you can) "The Brudenell is now paid for [so] we haven't got rent and some ridiculous landlord who'll hike the rent when the venue's doing well," says Clark. "Some venues might have a landlord that might say, 'I'm better off developing this space into flats because I'll get more from that than I get in rent from you,' says Dormon, who bought his property (a former public toilet) from the council. "In the future, I'd like to see venues being bought by a national trust, so the spaces can be protected." More on Independent Venues Week Invest, invest, invest "Some venues don't see any benefit in investing £60,000 in a new PA that's going to take five or six years to pay back," says Clark, "But when artists come somewhere like here, where everything's new and shiny and sounding top-end, they want to come back and play regularly." It takes commitment "I live at the venue, and it's part of my life. It's been part of my life for 20 years," says Clark. "In some ways, it gets in the way, but it enhances my life as well. There's a lot of friends that have come from promoting shows and meeting people in bands." "It's my whole life," agrees Dormon, who given all of his spare time to the Forum - as a volunteer - for a quarter of a century. "I have another job and I just about get by, but I'd much rather be involved with music and see music in my town than have nothing." Don't annoy the neighbours "We always struggled with perception," says Dormon, who remembers when his venue was considered "the dirty rock and roll club down the road". But the owners worked hard to develop a place in the community - from hosting local events to installing disabled toilets. Recently, the owners decided to make the venue a Community Interest Company, which means all the money made at the venue is reinvested, rather than going into the owners' bank accounts. "Now we're seen as a community asset, a cultural asset," says Dormon. "People want to get married in The Forum, because it's a unique place. "And older people, music fans, are coming in because the perception is we're a music venue. We're there for them." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk

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How should you talk to friends and relatives who believe conspiracy theories?

You're dreading the moment.

By Marianna SpringSpecialist disinformation reporter As your uncle passes the roast potatoes, he casually mentions that a coronavirus vaccine will be used to inject microchips into our bodies to track us. Or maybe it's that point when a friend, after a couple of pints, starts talking about how Covid-19 "doesn't exist". Or when pudding is ruined as a long-lost cousin starts spinning lurid fictions about QAnon and elite Satanists eating babies. The recent rules changes have upended holiday plans for many of us, but you still may find yourself grappling with such situations over the next few days. So how do you talk to people about conspiracy theories - without ruining Christmas? 1: Keep calm While it's important to confront falsehoods, it's never useful if things end up in a flaming row. "My number one rule would be to not spoil Christmas," says Mick West, author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole. "An angry, heated conversation will leave everyone feeling rubbish and further cement conspiracy beliefs." Psychologist Jovan Byford, a lecturer at the Open University, notes that conspiracy theories often have a strong emotional dimension. "They are not just about right and wrong," he says, "but underpinned by feelings of resentment, anger and indignation over how the world works." And they've boomed this year, with many searching for grand explanations for the pandemic, American politics, and huge world events. Catherine from the Isle of Wight understands that better than most. The 38-year-old used to be a big believer in conspiracies about vaccines being used to deliberately harm people. She's since rejected such claims. "It is extremely important to remain calm at all times," she says. "Whoever you're talking to is often just as passionate as you are about your own beliefs and will defend them to the grave." And also remember - medical experts say shouting increases the chance of spreading coronavirus. Yet another reason to keep things low-key. 2: Don't be dismissive "Approach conversations with friends and family with empathy rather than ridicule," says Claire Wardle from First Draft, a not-for-profit which fights misinformation. "Listen to what they have to say with patience." Her golden rule is: never publicly shame someone for their views. That's likely to backfire. "If you do decide to discuss conspiracy theories, don't be dismissive of the other person's beliefs," Jovan Byford agrees. "Establish some common ground." Remember that people often believe conspiracy theories because deep down, they're worried or anxious. Try to understand those feelings - particularly in a year like the one we've just had. 3: Encourage critical thinking People who believe conspiracy theories often say: "I do my own research." The problem is that their research tends to consist of watching fringe YouTube videos, following random people on Facebook, and cherry-picking evidence from biased Twitter accounts. But the spirit of doubt that pervades the conspiracy-minded internet is actually a key opening for rational thought, says Jovan Byford. "Many people who believe in conspiracy theories see themselves as healthy sceptics and self-taught researchers into complex issues," he says. "Present this as something that, in principle, you value and share. "Your aim is not to make them less curious or sceptical, but to change what they are curious about, or sceptical of." That's what helped Phil from Belfast. He used to be big into conspiracies, even once believing that the earth is flat. "I used to point out the fact that there were various experts who doubted official stories. This was very persuasive to me," he explains. "Why would these experts lie?" But then he began applying scepticism not to just "official sources" but also the alternative "experts" that was listening to. He developed a deeper understanding of the scientific method and scepticism itself. Just because one expert believes something, doesn't make it true. "You can find experts and very intelligent people who lend credence to any position," he says. "Focus on those who are pushing these ideas, and what they might be getting," says Claire Wardle. "For instance, financial gain by selling health supplements, or reputational gain in building a following." 4: Ask questions Fact-checking is important, but it's often not the right approach when someone passionately believes in conspiracies. Questions are much more effective than assertions, experts say. "Focusing on the tactics and techniques used by people pushing disinformation is a more effective way of addressing these conversations than trying to debunk the information," Claire Wardle says. Think of general queries that encourage people to think about what they believe. For instance, are some of their beliefs contradictory? Do the details of the theory they're describing make much sense? Have they thought about the counter-evidence? "By asking questions and getting people to realise the flaws, you ultimately get people to doubt their own confidence and open them up to hearing alternative views," says former conspiracy believer Phil. 5: Don't expect immediate results You might be hoping that a constructive conversation will end with some kind of epiphany over Christmas pudding - but don't bet on it. For those who have fallen deep down the conspiracy rabbit hole, getting out again can be a very long process. "Be realistic about what you can achieve," psychologist Jovan Byford warns. "Conspiracy theories instil in believers a sense of superiority. It's an important generator of self-esteem - which will make them resistant to change." For fact-checker Claire Wardle, it's not just about bruised egos. This year has been scary - and for many, conspiracy theories have been a source of comfort. "Recognise that everyone has had their lives turned upside down, and is seeking explanations," she says. "Conspiracy theories tend to be simple, powerful stories that explain the world. Reality is complex and messy, which is harder for our brains to process." But the experts agree that even if you don't see immediate results - don't give up. What did you think of this story? Email Marianna Subscribe to the BBC Trending podcast or follow us on Twitter @BBCtrending or Facebook.

uk-northern-ireland-44539486

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-44539486

Pope's Ireland visit: John Pauls reflect on their name

Rewind to Ireland 1979.

By Nuala McCannBBC News NI When Pope John Paul II's plane touched down at Dublin airport, the crowds waved yellow and white papal flags; held up babies; pushed forward wheelchairs; cheered. The figure of John Paul II emerged from the plane, moved down the steps and, cloak whipping in the wind, knelt to kiss Irish soil. It was an historic moment. Almost a third of the population turned up to cheer him at Dublin's Phoenix Park. Across the country, in the weeks and year that followed, midwives and doctors in Irish maternity hospitals held up newborns, announced: "It's a boy" and one in ten mothers opted for "John Paul". The past is a distant country. That was 39 years ago. Ireland has changed. BBC News NI asked some of the John Pauls their thoughts on the Pope, Catholicism and living with that moniker. The proud Catholic John-Paul Feeley is a solicitor, a councillor for Cavan County Council, a member of Fianna Fáil and Shannon Gaels GAA, a Cavan supporter... and a proud Catholic. "I was born in 1981 and I was a seventh son," he says. "I was named after the Pope and I wasn't alone. There were John Pauls in my school and there were also Karols - after the Pope's Polish Christian name. "The world has changed since 1979. We are no different in Ireland - it's just that we think we're extremely different. "I'll see the Pope. I hope to attend the World Meeting of Families on both Saturday and Sunday. As for being a Catholic - that is is one of the organisations of which I'm happy to say I'm a member. "I go to Mass. Shock! Horror! Disbelief! Pope in Ireland: Other stories you might like "One of the underlying ideas being put out there is that Ireland has changed so much and there is nobody going to see the Pope. "In society, when you're a practising Catholic, you're looked down on by those who think they're your betters. "Listen to radio and the idea that anyone would practise religion is scoffed at, it's a kind of running joke. "I don't regard myself as a Holy Joe or religious, but there's a lot of people who don't practise because they think that's the thing to do. "It takes no courage or conviction to say they don't go to Mass. Monkey see; monkey do. "All I would like to hear is if people want to go, then they go and if they don't, they don't. The atheist John-Paul Whearty is a stand-up comic and creator of the satirical Loyalists Against Democracy (LAD) group. "I was named after Pope John Paul II," he says. "I was going to be called something else. but my mum ended up going into labour just at the time the Pope was flying out of Ireland in his aeroplane, so that's how I got the name. "I have a picture of John Paul II up in my kitchen, but I'm an atheist. "When I was a kid, I used to tell people I was called after John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin instead. "The name used to embarrass me when I was younger, but now that I'm older, I own it. "As for Catholicism, I would have no interest in it at all. "My mum goes to Mass every day. She goes up and opens the church in the morning and closes it in the evening, but she's very much a follower of Jesus rather than the Church. "I'm absolutely proud of my name. There are lots of John Pauls... John Paul Jones, John Paul Getty and it's a name that comes from the Pope, so it resonates. "I know two other John Pauls among my close friends and because we were all born around 1979-80, I bump into John Pauls all the time. The last Pope's visit was such a momentous occasion for Irish society. The babies were born, we got education, then came the boom and the money - that's progress." The church florist John Paul Deehan is an award-winning fashion designer and florist based in his native Derry. His first commission was doing the flowers for his cousin's wedding when he was just 10 years old. He recently turned 40. "I'm John Paul but I wasn't named after for the last Pope," he says. "I was born in June 1978 and my parents couldn't choose between John and Paul. "They were toying between the names. So, they put the two names together. My great grandmother said she didn't like it. Then John Paul I was made pope and she said: 'You can't change it.' "I could have been something else until the Pope came along and my great granny put her foot down. "As a florist, I'm in churches and chapels practically every day of the week, but I'm rarely at Mass. "I go now and again but I have no plans to go and see Pope Francis. "Still, his visit can only be for the better. He has a very modern approach. He will attract young people to the Church. "And it seems that a lot of the younger generation want to embrace religion. "My nieces and nephews would have an attraction to go. They would look to go to Mass. People of my age might say: 'Maybe next week.' "But they go of their own accord, there is a real swing back to the church. "What I like about Pope Francis is his very modern approach. He includes everybody and that's important." The 'supermarket Catholic' John-Paul Coyle is business manager with Lissan House, Cookstown. His mother included the hyphen when he was born so he would be called the full name. "I was born on 21 October 1980, so I went to school with a few John Pauls as well as Joannes and Paulas," he says. "I used to hate my name when I was younger. It felt like a political thing. There was an element of sectarianism. "My mother said she was putting the hyphen in my name because it was John-Paul but there were people who would choose just to call me John or Paul - it took me a while to get my head around that. "As for Catholicism, when you think of the whole cover-up of paedophilia within the Church - John Paul knew, so why did he do nothing? "There were pompous, arrogant men who were involved. But I feel sorry for the priests who have done nothing wrong but feel they are guilty by default. It must be very lonely and difficult for them. "I would still regard myself as a Catholic but I wouldn't agree with all the rules. I'm a supermarket Catholic, I like the bits I like. "I really like Pope Francis. I think he is what the Church needs. He could be more of a reformer but you cannot expect radical changes in a 2,000-year-old institution. "Francis instils that sense of humility that has been lacking for so long. He has banished that level of extravagance. "If I could have got a ticket, I probably would have gone to see him. Papal visit to Ireland: Itinerary highlights Saturday 25 August Sunday, 26 August

blogs-trending-43470837

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-43470837

WhatsApp co-founder says it is time to delete Facebook

"It is time. #deletefacebook."

By Tom GerkenBBC UGC & Social News After reports of Cambridge Analytica using Facebook's user information came to light, people across social media have begun to urge others to either #DeleteFacebook or #BoycottFacebook in response. One surprising voice has joined this movement - WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton. Mr Acton left the company in 2017, three years after Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19bn (£11.4bn at the then exchange rates) in 2014. You may also like: "We all moved on from MySpace. We can move on from Facebook too." This was a typical message found on Twitter in the wake of accusations over Cambridge Analytica using personal data from 50 million Facebook users to influence the US presidential election in 2016. The #DeleteFacebook hashtag appeared to gain traction after one Twitter user quoted a BBC Stories tweet from 2017 - an interview with Theresa Wong about Cambridge Analytica, originally broadcast on BBC Two in the series Secrets of Silicon Valley. Four quotes were taken from the interview to infer Facebook's role in Donald Trump's 2016 US election victory, such as "Facebook was our hands-on partner," and "Without Facebook we wouldn't have won," coupled with the call to #DeleteFacebook in response. This seemed to be the starting point for people to begin expressing their desire to leave Facebook, with blink-182's Mark Hoppus amassing over 6,000 likes in 24 hours for simply tweeting the words "Delete Facebook". But the irony of using one social media account to decry another was not lost on some people. One comment on a Reddit thread about the #DeleteFacebook movement joked "the rally cry to delete from Facebook is now trending as a hashtag on Twitter - another social media site that gathers data on users". And a person on Twitter suggested because Instagram is owned by Facebook, "if you delete one, you gotta delete the other". Neither Twitter nor Instagram are accused of using personal data in a similar way to the dispute concerning Cambridge Analytica and Facebook, although one person suggested an extreme approach to data security as the solution. A spokeswoman for Privacy International warned that privacy concerns extend beyond Facebook as "your data is being exploited all the time". A person on the technology subsection of Reddit agreed, saying removing Facebook "doesn't solve the long term problem [because] consent to data use is very weakly protected online right now". And one Twitter user seeking regulation of Facebook said having the ability to delete an account is "a privilege".

newsbeat-46304640

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-46304640

Bungle the chow-chow: Why police seized this fluffy dog

This is Bungle the chow-chow.

The four-month-old pup was seized by police on Saturday after biting a police officer and has yet to be reunited with his owner. Social media has rallied behind Bungle with 4,000 members of a Facebook group campaigning for his freedom. The hashtag #FreeBungle has been used on Twitter and an online petition calling for his release has more than 2,500 signatures. He even made it onto the front page of the Sun newspaper. It's been reported he might spend up to nine months away from his owner. So what's going on here? What happened? Northamptonshire Police say Bungle was seized after an officer was bitten in Stoke Bruerne, near Towcester. The officer was on his way to another appointment when he found out traffic was being held up by a dog on the loose. "The officer went to assist and while trying to catch the dog, he was bitten on the hand and arm," the police said in a statement. The force says Bungle was seized because his owner was not present and there was a risk to the safety of the dog and the public. His owner David Hayes told the Sun he was likely to be separated from his puppy for "potentially up to nine months". Will he be locked up for nine months? No. Northamptonshire Police told Newsbeat this is incorrect. Bungle is currently in kennels and the police say that because an animal is involved, they will want to settle things as soon as possible - but can't currently put a time frame on it. An investigation is taking place, with co-operation from Bungle's owner. Police say they are looking at whether the owner has committed any offences under section 3 of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act. What is the law? It's against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control. It applies to public areas as well as private spaces such as a neighbour's house or garden or even in the owner's own home. A dog might be considered "dangerously out of control" if it injures a person, another animal or makes someone worried it might injure them. If found guilty, owners can face a range of penalties - from a fine up to 14 years in prison. The dog could even be destroyed. "Dogs who use aggression are doing so because they feel threatened and are normally experiencing a negative state or are simply just unhappy in certain situations," says Sam Gaines, a dog welfare expert for the RSPCA. "We really hope that the circumstances under which Bungle bit someone and the reasons why dogs use aggression are taken into consideration." What have people been saying? "You are not looking at a dangerous dog. Bungle is a loving family member," wrote dog groomer Jules on the Facebook group, Bungle The Chow. "Bungle would of acted as he felt necessary and was clearly distressed after getting caught underneath a lorry." People using #FreeBungle on Twitter are keen that the puppy doesn't spend too long away from his home. Would it be front page news if Bungle wasn't so cute? "It is incredibly sad that Bungle has been seized, but there are lots of other dogs that sadly get seized on a regular basis and whose welfare is compromised," says Sam. She doubts there would have been the same outcry over Bungle if he were, for instance, a four-month-old pit bull terrier. In 2017, the RSPCA had to put down 82 pit bull terriers simply because of how they looked and people like Sam are campaigning to have laws around dangerous dogs changed. What does the RSPCA want to see happen to Bungle next? It wants to see Bungle sent home, mostly because a kennel environment could have lasting negative effects on such a young dog. "It's really important that the experiences and exposure to different things he gets is really positive and that isn't necessarily going to be the case in a kennel," says Sam. She says what Bungle experiences in the kennel could prove a challenge if or when he is returned to his owners. "If he could go home until the point at which the police make a decision about his fate and the courts as well, then it actually would be so much better for Bungle. "It's understandable why there is a response to Bungle being in a kennel, but it shouldn't be because he's cute, it's because he's a young dog." Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here.

uk-politics-18008165

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-18008165

Lords reformers facing many hurdles

What now for House of Lords reform?

By James LandaleDeputy Political Editor, BBC News The Queen has announced that the government will bring forward a bill to change the composition of Parliament's second chamber. In the introduction to the Queen's Speech, David Cameron and Nick Clegg say "we will keep our promise in our parties' manifestos and reform the House of Lords". The accompanying bumf says the bill would create a substantially smaller, mainly elected second chamber. The new members would be elected a third at a time. The old members would leave in stages. The powers and functions of the Lords would remain unchanged. But what does that mean in practice, not least when there seem to be many signals that the government is getting cold feet on this? THE DETAIL In the coming weeks, the coalition will have to put flesh on the bones and agree the detail. And this will be no easy task. For example, there is as yet no agreement on how small the new Lords chamber should be. Some say 300, symmetrically half of the new 600-strong House of Commons. A committee of MPs and peers said recently that was too few and 450 would be a better number. What form of proportional representation should be used? How big should be the regional constituencies? And, yes, how many bishops should survive? THE TIMING Once political agreement is reached on the detail, the parliamentary draftsmen will draw up a bill. Ministers expect to publish one probably in late June or early July, so that MPs can debate the principles before they go on their summer holidays. As we know, this will be a hugely controversial bill, so the government business managers want to get on with it. As it is a constitutional reform, all the detailed committee stage scrutiny will have to take place on the floor of the House of Commons, not in some room for Lords obsessives upstairs, so it will take time. THE OPPOSITION So there will be a bill and it will be put before Parliament. But, and it is a big but, there is huge opposition to this measure. Many Conservatives oppose what they see as a second-order issue compared with fixing the economy. Many MPs and peers from all sides think it is the wrong thing to do. Many Liberal Democrats, though, believe it is entirely possible to do both. Either way, this legislation will be hard fought. THE OFFICIAL OPPOSITION What Labour do on Lords reform will be crucial because their votes could make government defeat possible in the House of Commons. The expectation is that Labour will support the idea of reform in principle but oppose the government on much of the detail. So it is expected that they will oppose the government's motion that limits the amount of time MPs can debate the plans in the Commons. It is expected that they will oppose plans for an 80% elected chamber and instead push for a fully elected Lords. It is also likely that they will push for a referendum. THE COALITION In the face of all that opposition, there are many signs that the coalition is possibly losing the political will to force these reforms through using technical measures known as the Parliament Acts. These allow the government to get the changes through eventually, without needing the support of the House of Lords. SIGN ONE The Queen promised simply that there would be a bill to reform the composition of the House of Lords. That is pretty broad language which could allow the government to water down its plans and make lesser changes such as getting rid of the remaining 92 hereditary peers. SIGN TWO The Queen announced 15 bills before she got round to Lords reform. Priority this ain't. The government wants people to think it is focused on tackling the economy not obsessed with what some see as arcane constitutional reform. SIGN THREE The deputy prime minister has been softening his rhetorical support for reform, saying on Tuesday that he cared more about helping apprentices and poor school children and cutting taxes than introducing "a smidgen of democracy" into the House of Lords. SIGN FOUR The man in charge of the upper house, Lord Strathclyde, said in an interview with the Financial Times that he backed an elected Lords but noted that it would be more expensive and more aggressive. He also suggested that an elected Lords might not have backed Margaret Thatcher's privatisation. These are not remarks that will lessen the opposition of Tory MPs. A POSSIBLE GET-OUT DEAL? It has been reported that Mr Cameron might persuade Mr Clegg to give up on Lords reform by agreeing to postpone plans to change parliamentary boundaries and cut the size of the House of Commons from 650 to 600 MPs. Many MPs believe the boundary changes would help the Tories by redressing historical anomalies. But both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats inside Downing Street say categorically that this suggested trade-off is untrue. And that makes sense. If Mr Cameron wishes Lords reform to go away, he can simply allow Parliament to kill it for him. He does not need the Lib Dems' agreement to do that, nor does he need to give them anything in return. There are enough opponents of Lords reform on all sides of both houses to drive a stake through this bill. He also, as he said in the Daily Mail, wants a majority at the next election and boundary changes could in theory help him get that. SO WHAT NOW? There will be a bill to reform the Lords. It will be hugely controversial. We are just at the early skirmishes in a long battle. It is still highly possible that it will enter Parliament but never leave it. Even Lord Strathclyde says it is 50-50. But it is not dead yet. The signals coming out of Number Ten downplaying reform are designed to calm fevered Tory brows and show the government remains focused on the economy rather than the constitution. But the coalition has not yet reached the point when it has to decide how much political capital it wishes to spend on Lords reform. That will come later after many long days and nights of parliamentary battle.

world-middle-east-48298517

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48298517

Is the United States heading for war with Iran?

There are two competing narratives.

Jonathan MarcusDiplomatic correspondent@Diplo1on Twitter The first, which is favoured by US President Donald Trump's administration, is that Iran is up to no good. Preparations are said to have been seen for a potential attack on US targets, though few details have been revealed publicly. The US has moved reinforcements to the region; it is reducing its non-essential diplomatic personnel in Iraq; and it is reportedly dusting off war plans. The message to Tehran is clear: any attack on a US target from whatever source, be it Iran or one of its many proxies or allies in the region, will be met by a significant military response. The second narrative lays the blame for this crisis squarely at Washington's door. Iran - not surprisingly - holds to this view, but so too do many domestic critics of the Trump administration's approach. Indeed, to varying degrees many of Mr Trump's key European allies share some of these concerns. According to this narrative, the "Iran hawks" in the Trump administration - people like National Security Adviser John Bolton, or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - sense an opportunity. Their goal, this narrative argues, is regime change in Tehran. And if maximum economic pressure does not work then they believe, military action is not ruled out in the appropriate circumstances. These two narratives reflect different interpretations of the reality and, as so often, they play up certain facts and ignore others to make their case. But perceptions here matter just as much as reality. Indeed, in many ways they produce the reality. And that reality is that a conflict between the US and Iran - albeit by accident rather than design - is more likely today than at any time since Mr Trump took office. Tensions in the Middle East are certainly mounting. Iran, its economy suffering from the re-imposition of US sanctions that were lifted under a 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, is pushing back. It has warned that it may no longer abide by the restrictions on its nuclear activities. The arrival of Mr Trump was a turning point. The president pulled the US out of the nuclear deal a year ago and embarked upon a policy of maximum pressure against Tehran. Iran has had enough. It is pushing the Europeans to do more to help its ailing economy and threatening if they do not - and it is hard to see what they can do - it will go ahead and breach the nuclear deal. That would only give the Trump administration additional ammunition. Much now depends upon the dynamics inside the Trump administration and also on Tehran's assessment of what is going on there. The president himself has sought to play down the idea that his officials are divided regarding Iran, and reports indicate that he has little enthusiasm for war. His opposition to military entanglements abroad is well-known. However Mr Trump is unlikely to back down if US forces or facilities are attacked. However this is not necessarily the way things may be seen in Tehran. Might Iran think that it can play off Mr Bolton against his boss; raising tensions enough for the national security adviser's perceived designs to be revealed perhaps precipitating his downfall? If that is Tehran's assessment, then it is a high-risk strategy. While Washington's key Middle Eastern allies - Israel and Saudi Arabia - may be applauding from the sidelines, Mr Trump's European partners are uneasy at the way things are heading. Spain, Germany and the Netherlands have all taken steps to suspend military activities in the region alongside the Americans, citing the rising tensions. This is not the moment to rehearse what a conflict between Iran and the US would look like. But comparisons between such a conflict and the 2003 Iraq war are unhelpful. Iran is a very different proposition to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. A full-scale invasion of Iran is not going to be on the cards. Rather, this would be an air and maritime conflict with a huge dose of asymmetry in Iran's responses. It could set the whole region ablaze. There were those who predicted a major foreign policy catastrophe when Mr Trump took office. Instead, there is an unfolding and multi-dimensional crisis that has many elements and the Iran situation illustrates them all: an antipathy to international agreements; an over-reliance on regional allies with their own agendas to pursue; rising tensions with long-standing Nato partners; and, above all, an inability to determine and to prioritise Washington's real strategic interests. With the revival of great power competition, when the US is seeking to re-orientate its deployments and to bolster its armed forces to face a rising China and an emboldened Russia, where should Iran rate in Washington's strategic priorities? Does the Iran threat really merit a major conflict? Many US strategic pundits would say no. Many accept that containing Tehran and, yes, threatening severe reprisals if US interests are attacked, may be necessary. But the steady drumbeat towards war is not. And one thing should be clear. There is no "drift" towards war. That suggests an involuntary process that people can do little about. If there is a conflict then it will be down to conscious decision-making, to the calculations and miscalculations of the Iranians and the Americans themselves.

uk-wales-politics-25007591

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-25007591

Simple-minded sound and fury

Guest post from @TobyMasonBBC

Nick ServiniPolitical editor, Wales Most people who have either listened to or been interviewed by Felicity Evans on Radio Wales would not describe her as "simple minded" - in fact very much the reverse. But somehow this morning the Education Minister, Huw Lewis, in the course of trying to explain why he won't be putting a firm policy on student tuition fees before the Welsh electorate in 2016, did exactly that. It was a somewhat sheepish minister who emerged from the BBC studios in the Bay after the interview, having realised fairly rapidly that it wasn't perhaps an optimum choice of words. The problem for the Minister is not his unfortunate choice of terminology though - it's the fact that he didn't have, it seemed to me, a clear answer as to why his schedule for the cross party Commission he proposed last night to examine higher education in Wales means it won't come back with any conclusions until after the next Assembly elections in 2016. The current fee subsidy regime, which gives each Welsh student studying in the UK up to £5,500 a year towards their tuition fee costs, is a firm Welsh Government pledge until 2016. Ministers say it's costed, affordable and sustainable - at least until then. What comes next? Labour are facing questions from opposition parties as well as the HE sector as a whole to state where they stand on continuing the policy beyond 2016 - questions that will only grow between now and the election. Speaking this morning the Minister refused to give any commitment - saying it would be a matter for the Commission to examine, along with other aspects of higher education funding. But that appears to mean that Labour will effectively subcontract their policy on student fees to the Commission for the duration of the next Assembly elections and beyond, something the Liberal Democrats have called "cynical and weak" The Lib Dems have got recent and painful memories of pre-election pledges relating to student finance, of course. Their leader Kirsty Williams told her press conference this morning that "the tuition fees trauma is still with us". But their fundamental point is this. The Welsh electors will get a once in five year chance to vote for the party of their choice in May 2016 and they should have the right to know where they stand on an issue as key as how much people will have to spend to go to university. If you say one thing in an election campaign and then do something else afterwards you rightly cop a monumental amount of flak, as Nick Clegg has done. If you don't say anything at all, they argue, then how are people supposed to make up their minds and then hold you to your promises? Plaid Cymru have called for a cross party Commission on this issue in the past so are going to play ball in order to appear completely consistent. But they sense internal Labour divisions here between those who want to push on with the current policy beyond 2016 and those who want to let it go. Their education spokesman Simon Thomas noted, "a Commission that does not report until after the next election will be seen as saying as much about the Minister's reluctance to engage with his own party on reform as it does about anything else." Mr Lewis affected, or at least tried to affect, nonchalance in the chamber this afternoon after being summoned to answer an urgent question by the Shadow Education Minister Angela Burns who asked him rather pointedly about "this simple-minded policy". He attacked the "synthetic" anger of the opposition parties and on the timescale said, "it could report a week next Wednesday, it could report in five years" which doesn't go very far towards answering the question as to why autumn 2016 is suddenly so significant. But he is clearly thinking long term - for him, the prize is a national debate followed by a settlement that could endure for ten years or more. He told AMs that he was very concerned that the "sound and fury" of an election campaign was not the place to debate sustainable policies for the long term. Discuss. Incidentally, in his response, the minister made great play of his desire to build a genuine consensus around the Commission. According to Angela Burns, his only contact about establishing a Commission with the Shadow Minister of the main opposition party prior to last night's speech was a brief note on the Assembly chamber's instant messaging system. All in all, a textbook example of how not to announce a cross party Commission on a highly sensitive political topic. The man the Minister has nominated as his chair, Professor Sir Ian Diamond, the current Vice Chancellor of Aberdeen University, has got his work cut out. But looking on the bright side, as things stand at least he's got three years or so to do it.