# data[].attributes.headline
IS SCOTLAND ON THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE ?

# data[].attributes.subject
IS SCOTLAND ON THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE ?

# data[].attributes.body
CO - 7.21

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Is Scotland on the road to independence? | FT

# data[].attributes.headline
WHAT IS SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE & WHY IS IT A BIG ISSUE ?

# data[].attributes.subject
WHAT IS SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE & WHY IS IT A BIG ISSUE ?

# data[].attributes.body
CO - 8.34

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE and why is it a big issue? | Newsround

# data[].attributes.headline
Trump wall: How much has he actually built?

# data[].attributes.subject
Trump wall: How much has he actually built?

# data[].attributes.body
CE - BBC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Building a "big, beautiful wall" between the US and Mexico was the signature promise of President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign. A concrete barrier, he said, would serve to stop what he described as a flow of illegal immigrants and drugs over the border.

But what actually happened to the wall? How much of it has been built? And how effective has it been?

1. How much 'new wall' Trump has built is up for debate

Any calculation of the miles of new wall constructed by Mr Trump and his administration depends very much on the definition of the words "new" and "wall".

Before he took office, there were 654 miles (just over 1,000km) of barrier along the southern border - made up of 354 miles of barricades to stop pedestrians and 300 miles of anti-vehicle fencing.

Now, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in its 6 October status report, the southern border has 669 miles of "primary barrier" - the first structure people heading from Mexico to the US will encounter - and 65 miles of "secondary barrier" - which usually runs behind the primary structure as a further obstacle.

This means that in areas where no barricades existed before, they have built 15 miles of new, primary barrier or "border wall system", as it is called by CBP.

​​About a further 350 miles of barrier has been built, according to CBP, made up of replacement structures and some new secondary barrier.

More is planned, too, with 378 miles of new and replacement barrier either under construction or in the "pre-construction phase". Less than half of this will be in locations where no barriers currently exist, according to CBP.

However, Mr Trump himself doesn't make a distinction between these new stretches of barrier and replacement structures, regarding both as new wall.

This is because, he says, replacements involve "complete demolition and rebuilding of old and worthless barriers".

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read

and

before accepting. To view this content choose 'accept and continue'.

And he regards the progress made so far as a success.

"My administration has done more than any administration in history to secure our southern border," Mr Trump said in June during a visit to the wall.

But what Mr Trump has actually built is far from what he promised at the start of his 2016 election campaign, when he pledged to build a concrete wall along the border's entire 2,000-mile length.

He later clarified that it would cover only half of that. And by the time of his State of the Union address in February this year, his pledge had been reduced to "substantially more than 500 miles" by January 2021.

Mr Trump is still short of that target - even if you include all the new, replacement and secondary barriers erected so far.

Yet how much more will be built is uncertain, with Democratic rival presidential candidate Joe Biden saying that, while he would not tear down the barrier Mr Trump has built, he would not expand it further.

2. Most of the wall isn't 'wall' at all

As well as scaling back his ambitions for the length of the border barrier, Mr Trump has also changed his view of what constitutes a wall.

Throughout his 2016 election campaign, when he described it, he talked about concrete.

But once elected, he began referring to a barrier made of steel, which would enable border agents to see through it.

And what has been built so far is mostly such steel fencing.

Specifically, much of the current wave of construction is 18-30ft (5.4-9m) reinforced bollard fencing, according to a report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.

"It poses a formidable barrier, but it is not the high, thick masonry structure that most dictionaries term a 'wall'," the report states.

However, the report adds that while the new barriers may not be made of concrete and in many cases replace existing structures, they do pose "a new obstacle that changes the calculus of those attempting to cross the border between ports of entry".

Having said that, although Mr Trump's barriers are not themselves made of concrete, they have been constructed using a significant amount of it, according to CBP.

Some 774,000 cubic yards (592,000 cubic metres) of concrete have been used in construction so far, alongside 539,000 tonnes of steel.

3. How it's being paid for remains controversial

Despite Mr Trump's pledge on the campaign trail in 2016 to get Mexico to pay for the wall, it is the US government that has spent billions of dollars to expand and reconstruct it.

Just over $5bn (£3.9bn) in funding has come via traditional means through the CBP, but Mr Trump has also ordered almost $10bn in Department of Defense (DoD) funding to be diverted - a move that has sparked legal action.

Back in 2019, after his request for a further $5.7bn for the wall was rejected and Congress allotted only $1.4bn, Mr Trump declared border control a national emergency and used powers under the National Emergencies Act to move cash from DoD budgets.

Some $6.3bn of counter-drugs funding and £3.6bn of military construction funding has so far been diverted to the wall project, according to the CBP.

But Mr Trump's decision to bypass Congress in this way has triggered a number of legal challenges - one from a number of environmental groups, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, along with the states of California and New Mexico.

Two lower US courts have ruled in favour of these groups, concluding that the diversion of an amount of $2.5bn from DoD to construct barriers in California, New Mexico and Arizona was unlawful.

However, the Supreme Court - the highest federal court in the US - has allowed barrier construction using the funds to continue pending the appeals process. It will hear a challenge by President Trump's administration against the lower courts' decision next year.

Meanwhile, Democrats in the House of Representatives have also launched separate legal action.

4. Illegal crossings appear to have fallen this year

Mr Trump made reducing illegal immigration a top priority of his administration and it has been a key part of his re-election campaign.

The latest figures suggest the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border this year have fallen after doubling between 2018 and 2019.

In particular, the number of children and those travelling in family groups apprehended at the border has dropped significantly in the 12 months to October, compared with the previous year.

How much this fall in numbers is down to the new barriers is unclear, though, and immigration experts say the drop is likely to be the result of the deterrent effect of a whole raft of anti-immigration measures introduced by Mr Trump's administration rather than the barrier alone.

Those fleeing violence or persecution to the US have found asylum rules tightened, been forced to wait in camps for long periods as their cases are determined and come up against new limits on the number of refugees accepted into the country.

The administration has also adopted emergency procedures during the coronavirus pandemic that allow agents to expel those crossing the border back to Mexico, bypassing normal immigration and asylum proceedings.

"Any effect that the physical wall has had in reducing unauthorised migration has paled in comparison to the administration's bureaucratic wall," says Sarah Pierce, US immigration policy analyst at the independent Migration Policy Institute.

A series of "interlocking policies" have "significantly reduced unauthorised arrivals", she told the BBC.

But although figures for detentions at the border are likely to have dropped for the year as a whole compared with 2019, monthly figures have been rising since the spring and reached a 13-month high in September.

This is driven partly by single adults from Mexico who have been trying to enter the US repeatedly, according to CBP figures. Data shows the "recidivism rate" - the number of repeat crossers - has risen by 37% since the end of March.

Mark Morgan, CBP's acting commissioner, has suggested worsening economic conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic in Mexico and further afield could be to blame.

5. A key migrant camp is emptying

Thousands who have made the journey to the southern US border have found refuge in temporary border communities - often in shanty towns with little infrastructure or resources and vulnerable to pressure from violent organised-crime gangs.

According to Human Rights Watch, these migrants are under threat from criminal organisations which kidnap them on the assumption that they have relatives in the US who could be extorted for money.

In the town of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, hundreds of people set up one such camp in 2018 near the entry point, in the scrubland on the banks of the Rio Grande.

By the start of this year, the camp had around 3,500 people living in tents - men, women, and children from across Central and South America and beyond. Another 10,000 asylum seekers are thought to be living elsewhere in the city.

Charities such as the World Food Kitchen, the Dignity Village collective and Global Response Management (GRM) provide food, tents, clothing and medical care to those living in the camp, where around 50% of residents are under the age of 15.

But Andrea Leiner, director of strategic planning for GRM, says coronavirus and July's Hurricane Hanna have had dire consequences.

Coronavirus restrictions have meant the border has been closed for all but essential travel and immigration hearings have been postponed.

Hurricane Hanna not only brought floods to the camp but also caused an infestation of rats, snakes and mosquitoes, forcing many residents to flee.

Ms Leiner says the repeated blows of plague, famine, and hurricane, on top of the legal restrictions, have drained people of hope.

"These people have nowhere to go. They can't go home - they will be killed if they go home - and they can't get into the US, so they are stuck in this purgatory right now and we don't see that ending any time soon," she says.

6. The barrier is unlikely to stop most kinds of drugs coming into the US

Mr Trump has claimed in the past that 90% of heroin in the US comes across the southern border and that a wall would help the fight against drugs.

However strengthening and extending the border barrier is unlikely to do much to reduce illegal drugs - such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine - because most come through established border checkpoints, known as ports of entry.

While the majority of the heroin in the US does come from Mexico, the Drug Enforcement Administration says most of it is hidden in privately owned vehicles or transporter lorries, mixed with other goods, and smuggled through legal entry points.

CBP figures for drugs - excluding marijuana - seized on the southern border also show most come through ports of entry, although a report by the Congressional Research Service does state that border barriers can serve to push people to cross in places where they are more likely to be "detected, intercepted, and detained".

Rodney Scott, chief of the US Border Patrol, agrees - and gives the example of San Diego, where he says cartel lorries used to drive across the border "three or four at a time on an almost daily basis, with high-speed pursuits throughout town".

"Those stopped immediately with the border wall system, " he says. "It does not mean cartels will stop smuggling drugs - now we're going to deal with tunnels and other aspects - but it pushed that threat, the daily life-and-death threat for kids waiting for a school bus near the border, out of those areas."

Smugglers also appear increasingly to be using boats to try to land drugs on the beaches of southern California - with the numbers intercepted by CBP's air and marine operations jumping 82% last year.

Marijuana is the most trafficked drug, with more than 227 tonnes seized on the southern border this year. It is also the drug most likely to be smuggled in areas away from the border checkpoints.

Traffickers regularly use underground tunnels to smuggle tonnes of marijuana, mainly in the California and Arizona stretches of the border.

Design by Zoe Bartholomew and Gerry Fletcher

Copyright 2023 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Beta Terms By using the Beta Site, you agree that such use is at your own risk and you know that the Beta Site may include known or unknown bugs or errors, that we have no obligation to make this Beta Site available with or without charge for any period of time, nor to make it available at all, and that nothing in these Beta Terms or your use of the Beta Site creates any employment relationship between you and us. The Beta Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis and we make no warranty to you of any kind, express or implied.

In case of conflict between these Beta Terms and the BBC Terms of Use these Beta Terms shall prevail.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trump wall: How much has he actually built?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What happened to President Trump's long-promised wall? How much of it got built? And how effective has it been?

# data[].attributes.headline
The battle over what US children learn about American history

# data[].attributes.subject
The battle over what US children learn about American history

# data[].attributes.body
As President Trump pushes for "patriotic education" in American schools, some teachers say students aren't being taught the whole story when it comes to US history and its roots with slavery.
CO - BBC 4.33

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The battle over what's taught in US history class

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As President Trump pushes "patriotic education", some teachers want US history curriculum reform.

# data[].attributes.headline
Brexit vote: What just happened and what comes next?

# data[].attributes.subject
Brexit vote: What just happened and what comes next?

# data[].attributes.body
CE - BBC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's fair to say the coronavirus pandemic has dominated the news cycle this year, so you could be forgiven for wondering what's happening with Brexit.

Well, the UK's departure from the European Union is now fully back on the agenda after a big day of developments in London.

Let's break it down...

What happened in the UK parliament?

On Monday, Parliament voted on a controversial new bill published by the government.

It's worth noting that the UK is currently in a period known as the transition, that keeps it bound to the EU's rules until 31 December.

The two sides are trying to negotiate a new trade deal that would come into effect once this period ends, but talks have reached a standstill.

So, on a basic level, the government's new Internal Market Bill seeks to prevent disruption to trade between the four countries of the UK if no deal is reached with the EU. The government has described it as a "vital legal safety net".

Brexit: All you need to know

UK-EU trade talks: A simple guide

Brexit trade deal: What are the sticking points?

What is the transition period?

The bill aims to ensure regulations between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are joined-up because - once the UK leaves the EU - they will have the power to set their own rules on areas like food safety and air quality.

But it has attracted a swathe of criticism (we'll explain why later).

And after a heated day of debate in Parliament on Monday, the government won a vote on passing the bill to the next stage by 340 to 263.

This was no big surprise - Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a sizeable majority - but the row is far from over.

Why has the bill been criticised?

There are a few reasons. In fact, the bill has even attracted criticism from senior figures in the governing Conservative Party and former prime ministers.

This is because it seeks to overrule parts of the Brexit deal between the UK and the EU that came into effect in January.

That deal, known as the withdrawal agreement, is a fully fledged international treaty. It is a legal agreement.

A key part of that deal is the agreement that Northern Ireland will continue to follow some EU rules even after Brexit happens. This is designed to prevent a hard border returning between Northern Ireland (which is in the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (which is in the EU).

But the latest bill would go against the withdrawal agreement - and therefore international law - by allowing UK ministers to "disapply" previously agreed rules relating to Northern Ireland if there is no trade deal with the EU.

This is why one government minister recently admitted that the bill would "break international law" in a "specific and limited way", prompting a barrage of criticism and even some resignations.

How could the Northern Ireland Brexit deal change?

What is the row over UK 'internal markets' all about?

Critics say backtracking on a legally binding treaty would harm the UK's reputation and global standing. And the EU is clear that it wants the proposals to be dropped altogether.

Mr Johnson, meanwhile, has said the government is simply seeking to avoid disruption and protect the integrity of the UK.

But the bill is also contentious within the UK nations. Under the proposed law, they would have to accept goods at the standards set in any one country, prompting fears that quality controls for things like food could be dragged down to a lowest common denominator.

Why does it matter?

The UK and the EU are now in the closing weeks of negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal, with informal talks taking place in Brussels this week.

But the controversy over this bill is threatening to derail the discussions which are already deadlocked, with time is running out.

"Breaking international law is not acceptable and does not create the confidence we need to build our future relationship," the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said last week.

This matters because Mr Johnson has threatened to walk away from the negotiations if a trade deal is not agreed before 15 October.

And a no-deal exit would have profound consequences on the UK and its relationship with Europe. For example, the UK would have to apply tariffs to goods coming into the country from the EU and vice versa.

There are also domestic political implications to consider. The bill split opinion within Mr Johnson's Conservative Party, and a number of members voted against moving it to the next stage.

Five former prime ministers also voiced opposition to the proposal.

So whether or not this bill becomes law, how this saga develops is likely to have an impact on the prime minister's standing both within his own party and with the EU.

And while the legislation passed in Monday's vote, it is likely to face more difficulties in its later stages, including when it heads for debate in parliament's second chamber, the House of Lords.

So for now, watch this space.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's fair to say the coronavirus pandemic has dominated the news cycle this year, so you could be forgiven for wondering what's happening with Brexit. Well, the UK's departure from the European Union is now fully back on the agenda after a big day of developments in London. Let's break it down...

# data[].attributes.body
19th Amendment ...
The Suffragettes : the women who risked all to get the right to vote

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Black suffragists you should know on the 19th Amendment's 100th anniversary

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, remembering these Black suffragists.

# data[].attributes.headline
The difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England explained         

# data[].attributes.subject
The difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England explained         

# data[].attributes.body
Let’s Begin…

Though the names United Kingdom, Great Britain and England are often used interchangeably, they all have different meanings.

To clear up the confusion, CGP Grey explains the differences between the three.

CO - 5.14

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England Explained

# data[].attributes.body
CO - CNN (1.39)

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/design/2019/06/06/rainbow-flag-pride-history-origins-lon-orig.cnn

# data[].attributes.body
Fianna Fáil has won the most seats in the Irish general election just one ahead of Sinn Féin, who recorded a historic result.

But what do the results mean? The BBC's Larissa Kennelly has this analysis.

CO - BBC News (3.07)
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-51454766/ireland-elections-busting-five-myths

# data[].attributes.headline
Iowa caucuses: Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders take lead

# data[].attributes.subject
Iowa caucuses: Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders take lead

# data[].attributes.body
January 4th caucus results ...

# data[].attributes.headline
CAUCUS VS. PRIMARY - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE ?

# data[].attributes.subject
CAUCUS VS. PRIMARY - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE ?

# data[].attributes.body
Well understand the American Election !
CO - NPR (1.26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_gA766lT3c

# data[].attributes.headline
China Builds A Medical Center From Scratch In Under 2 Weeks

# data[].attributes.subject
China Builds A Medical Center From Scratch In Under 2 Weeks

# data[].attributes.body
CE - NPR
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/02/801537445/photos-china-builds-a-medical-center-from-scratch-in-under-2-weeks

# data[].attributes.headline
THE CHIEFS END 50-YEAR WIAT FOR SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP

# data[].attributes.subject
THE CHIEFS END 50-YEAR WIAT FOR SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP

# data[].attributes.headline
All Nerddoms Welcome: The Intergalactic Krewe Of Chewbacchus Parades In New Orleans

# data[].attributes.subject
All Nerddoms Welcome: The Intergalactic Krewe Of Chewbacchus Parades In New Orleans

# data[].attributes.body
CO - NPR (4mn)
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/29/800981732/all-nerddoms-welcome-the-intergalactic-krewe-of-chewbacchus-parades-in-new-orlean

# data[].attributes.headline
Brexit day: end of an era as United Kingdom leaves EU – as it happened

# data[].attributes.subject
Brexit day: end of an era as United Kingdom leaves EU – as it happened

# data[].attributes.body
CO + CE from The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/jan/31/brexit-day-britain-prepares-leave-eu-live-news-updates

# data[].attributes.headline
SUPER BOWL : Kansas City CHIEF DEFEAT San Francisco 49ers

# data[].attributes.subject
SUPER BOWL : Kansas City CHIEF DEFEAT San Francisco 49ers

# data[].attributes.body
CE + CO

https://www.bbc.com/sport/american-football/51352326?ocid=global_bbccom_email_03022020_top+news+stories

# data[].attributes.headline
A Surveillance Net Blankets China’s Cities, Giving Police Vast Powers (facial-recognition cameras)

# data[].attributes.subject
A Surveillance Net Blankets China’s Cities, Giving Police Vast Powers (facial-recognition cameras)

# data[].attributes.body
CE + CO - from the New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/technology/china-surveillance.html

The authorities can scan your phones, track your face and find out when you leave your home. One of the world’s biggest spying networks is aimed at regular people, and nobody can stop it.

# data[].attributes.headline
INSIDE CHINA'S DYSTOPIAN DREAMS : AI, SHAME AND LOTS OF CAMERAS

# data[].attributes.subject
INSIDE CHINA'S DYSTOPIAN DREAMS : AI, SHAME AND LOTS OF CAMERAS

# data[].attributes.body
CE - THE New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/business/china-surveillance-technology.html

ZHENGZHOU, China — In the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, a police officer wearing facial recognition glasses spotted a heroin smuggler at a train station.

In Qingdao, a city famous for its German colonial heritage, cameras powered by artificial intelligence helped the police snatch two dozen criminal suspects in the midst of a big annual beer festival.

In Wuhu, a fugitive murder suspect was identified by a camera as he bought food from a street vendor.

With millions of cameras and billions of lines of code, China is building a high-tech authoritarian future. Beijing is embracing technologies like facial recognition and artificial intelligence to identify and track 1.4 billion people. It wants to assemble a vast and unprecedented national surveillance system, with crucial help from its thriving technology industry.

# data[].attributes.body
From his childhood to his latest days ...
CO - from CBS NEWS 5.52
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/nba-legend-kobe-bryant-has-died-calabasas-california-today-2020-01-26/#x

# data[].attributes.headline
BASKETBALL LEGEND Kobe Bryant DIES AT 41 IN HELICOPTER CRASH

# data[].attributes.subject
BASKETBALL LEGEND Kobe Bryant DIES AT 41 IN HELICOPTER CRASH

# data[].attributes.body
CE - NPR
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/26/799716293/basketball-legend-kobe-bryant-killed-in-helicopter-crash

# data[].attributes.headline
WHAT ARE VIRUSES AND HOW DO THEY SPREAD ?

# data[].attributes.subject
WHAT ARE VIRUSES AND HOW DO THEY SPREAD ?

# data[].attributes.body
CO - BBC 2.06
https://www.bbc.com

# data[].attributes.body
There is a deadly coronavirus sweeping through south east Asia: could it be the next Sars?

CE - THE TELEGRAPH

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-china-wuhan-what-symptoms-could-next-sars/

# data[].attributes.body
What to expect in the trial ?
The story explained : who's who in  impeachment story ?

CO - BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-51213183?fbclid=IwAR1c3R2Ac78szUzGDkH04pLHnDy-mGSAfLR2PU2FtdFOwMsiK_MDbELBB9o

# data[].attributes.headline
MIGRANT CARAVAN CROSSES RIVER INTO MEXICO IN STANDOFF WITH SECURITY FORCES

# data[].attributes.subject
MIGRANT CARAVAN CROSSES RIVER INTO MEXICO IN STANDOFF WITH SECURITY FORCES

# data[].attributes.body
CE - NPR

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/20/797963823/migrant-caravan-crosses-river-into-mexico-in-standoff-with-security-forces

# data[].attributes.headline
AUSTRALIA FIRES  A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE BUSHFIRE CRISIS

# data[].attributes.subject
AUSTRALIA FIRES  A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE BUSHFIRE CRISIS

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/aug/15/400-years-since-slavery-timeline?fbclid=IwAR0Jh3R4PfhtHWoNgGN77Qq6BYXDAnK4NfOGyhk_LDu96r-JeI_iLxJ5Res

# data[].attributes.headline
THE 2019-2020 AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE SEASON HAS BURNED AN ESTIMATED 6.3 MILLION HECTARES AND DESTROYED OVER 2500 BUILDINGS AND HAS KILLED 25 PEOPLE SO FAR

# data[].attributes.subject
THE 2019-2020 AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE SEASON HAS BURNED AN ESTIMATED 6.3 MILLION HECTARES AND DESTROYED OVER 2500 BUILDINGS AND HAS KILLED 25 PEOPLE SO FAR

# data[].attributes.body
CE - NPR
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/03/793292951/australia-braces-as-frighteningly-quick-bushfires-advance-toward-sydney

# data[].attributes.body
President Trump Impeached By The House In Historic Rebuke

CE - NPR
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/18/789020525/president-trump-impeached-by-the-house-in-historic-rebuke

# data[].attributes.headline
A GENERAL STRIKE THAT THREATEANS TO PARALYZE FRANCE

# data[].attributes.subject
A GENERAL STRIKE THAT THREATEANS TO PARALYZE FRANCE

# data[].attributes.body
CE - The NewYorkTimes
Your Thursday Briefing
A general strike by a broad range of workers threatens to paralyze the country for several days, calling into question Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron’s apparent triumph over the “Yellow Vest” movement.

The walkout, which has become known as “the Dec. 5 wall,” was called to protest Mr. Macron’s proposed overhaul of the French pension system, one of the world’s most complicated and generous, which is headed for a deficit of about $19 billion.

The strikers: The grass-roots Yellow Vest movement will join in, as will Mr. Macron’s opponents from both the right and the left. Teachers, students, hospital staff, police officers, garbage collectors, truck drivers and airline workers were also expected to participate.

Already last night, workers at the national railway were off the job, parts of the Paris subway system had come to a halt and buses were returning to their depots.

Pensions: The system of 42 different retirement plans that Mr. Macron wants to streamline has given France one of the world’s lowest old-age poverty rates. Average incomes of those over 65 are slightly higher than incomes under that age.

# data[].attributes.headline
NATO ... What is NATO ?         CO - BBC (3.00)

# data[].attributes.subject
NATO ... What is NATO ?         CO - BBC (3.00)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.bbc.com

# data[].attributes.body
Nytimes videos - CO (12)
https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/africa/1247465446832/nelson-mandela-1918-2013.html

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.englishnexon.com/pages/teachers-zone-3eme/prezi-antarctica.html

# data[].attributes.body
PREZI

http://www.englishnexon.com/pages/teachers-zone-3eme/prezi-new-york.html

# data[].attributes.body
PREZI

http://www.englishnexon.com/pages/teachers-zone-3eme/prezi-australia.html

# data[].attributes.body
PREZI
http://www.letshavefunwithenglish.com/projects/british_culture/wales.html

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.letshavefunwithenglish.com/projects/british_culture/wales.html

# data[].attributes.body
PREZI -
http://www.englishnexon.com/pages/teachers-zone-3eme/wales.html

# data[].attributes.headline
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE UK - BRITAIN and ENGLAND ?

# data[].attributes.subject
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE UK - BRITAIN and ENGLAND ?

# data[].attributes.body
Test your knowledge ...

CO -  YOU TUBE (6.16)
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23Britain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eizhmb_tNSk&fbclid=IwAR28DUDBsv1RT0hVIOnsNMhT3XCBdQgAXXjN7lfJjV1Hb0jPpCxS2zr1yeY

# data[].attributes.headline
COLOMBIANS TURN OUT in memory of dead protester Dilan Cruz

# data[].attributes.subject
COLOMBIANS TURN OUT in memory of dead protester Dilan Cruz

# data[].attributes.body
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Colombian capital, Bogotá, in memory of a teenage protester who died on Monday.

CE - BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50587028

# data[].attributes.body
In pics ... Global protests denounce violence against women

CE - BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-50557784

# data[].attributes.headline
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO IMPEACH A PRESIDENT ?

# data[].attributes.subject
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO IMPEACH A PRESIDENT ?

# data[].attributes.body
CO - NPR (3.18)
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/23/640959673/what-does-it-take-to-impeach-a-president?jwsource=cl

# data[].attributes.headline
50 YEARS AGO ...THE MARCH AGAINST DEATH ... AGAINST VIETNAM WAR

# data[].attributes.subject
50 YEARS AGO ...THE MARCH AGAINST DEATH ... AGAINST VIETNAM WAR

# data[].attributes.body
CO - NPR (3 mn) explained by the online reporter Ritu Prasad

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-50408243/a-beginner-s-guide-to-impeachment-and-trump

# data[].attributes.body
How many amendments does the Constitution have ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwREAW4SlVY

# data[].attributes.body
Oklahoma Wanted $17 Billion To Fight Its Opioid Crisis: What's The Real Cost?

CO - CE - NPR (August 2019)

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/08/26/754485077/oklahoma-wanted-17-billion-to-fight-its-opioid-crisis-whats-the-real-cost

# data[].attributes.headline
PM Boris Johnson Downing Street statement

# data[].attributes.subject
PM Boris Johnson Downing Street statement

# data[].attributes.body
“The time has come to act, to take decisions, to give strong leadership and to change this country for the better. My job is to serve you, the people.” – Prime Minister Boris Johnson sets out his vision for the country.
Oral Comprehension 3mn07

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PM Boris Johnson Downing Street statement

# data[].attributes.body
How many UK  PM has the Queen Elizabeth during her reign ?

Queen Elizabeth II has ruled the roost for over 67 years, during which time she’s seen many UK Prime Ministers come and go. During the royal’s record-breaking reign, she has been served by 13 prime ministers, some more than once and others hand-picked by the Queen herself. Here, on the day Theresa May official stands down as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, we take a look back at the UK prime ministers throughout the Queen’s reign…
https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/07/many-uk-prime-ministers-queen-reign-9860933/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
All the Queen's prime ministers - in pictures

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Boris Johnson meets Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the 14th prime minister to serve during her reign

# data[].attributes.body
ORAL COMPREHENSION - Audio (4mn35) NPR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Britain's Conservative Party has chosen Boris Johnson to become the country's next prime minister, replacing the pragmatic and sometimes colorless Theresa May with a bombastic populist who favors a no-deal Brexit.

Johnson walked to the podium inside London's Queen Elizabeth II Centre, thanking his opponent, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, and May.

"Today at this pivotal moment in our history," Johnson said, "we again have to reconcile two sets of instincts, two noble sets of instincts, between the deep desire for friendship and free trade and mutual support and security and defense between Britain and our European partners, and the simultaneous desire, equally deep and heartfelt, for democratic self-government in this country."

British Conservative Party politician Cheryl Gillan announced the result, after Brandon Lewis, Chairman of the Conservative Party, urged the party to be united.

Members of the party overwhelminglychose Johnson - a former journalist, foreign secretary and mayor of London who also served in May's Cabinet before quitting last year over the Brexit impasse - over Hunt to become the new head of the party.

The leadership election was triggered by May's resignation two months ago. It came after her government's repeated failure to forge a Brexit compromise with the 28-nation European Union that could also withstand withering opposition in Parliament. May will deliver her final remarks and officially submit her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday.

Johnson, 55, will officially become prime minister and he will have only a few months to devise an exit plan from the EU that is agreeable to both the British Parliament and the bloc's leadership. His transition to No. 10 Downing Street is unlikely to be a smooth one. Many lawmakers oppose a no-deal Brexit and several members of May's ministers have threatened to quit the government altogether rather than serve under Johnson.

Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan didn't even wait for the results of the poll, choosing instead to resign on Monday, citing "very grave concerns" that Johnson "flies by the seat of his pants."

"[It's] all a bit haphazard and ramshackle," he wrote in his letter of resignation.

Education Minister Anne Milton also tweeted her resignation minutes before the result was announced, saying Britain "must leave the EU in a responsible manner."

Johnson has vowed to leave the EU by an Oct. 31 deadline whether or not a deal is reached. Most economists say such a move could be economically disastrous for Britain and even before his election was made official, the U.K.'s Office of Budget Responsibility warned that a no-deal Brexit could trigger an economic recession.

"We are getting ready to come out on 31 October. Come what may," Johnson told reporters last month.

"Do or die. Come what may," he added.

Former Labour Party Prime Minister Gordon Brown called such a move "an act of economic self-harm."

Others, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, plan to resign on Wednesday.

The EU has refused to reopen talks on Britain's withdrawal which were painstakingly hammered out over months of negotiations with May's government, but then repeatedly rejected by Parliament.

May congratulated Johnson, saying he had her full support "from the back benches."

Although Johnson remained the clear favorite up to the moment of voting, an incident occurred last month that left some in doubt about the politician. Police were called to the home of Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds, following reports of screaming amid an apparent domestic dispute.

Days later, a photo emerged of the couple in a garden, holding hands and smiling in what critics said was a hamfisted effort by the campaign to tamp down the incident. Some on social media also pointed out that the photo appeared to be old, as the length and color of Johnson's famously tousled hair did not match his current style.

In the weeks since, Johnson has dodged questions about the photo's authenticity. His girlfriend is a former a former Conservative Party communications director.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hard-Line Brexiteer Boris Johnson To Become Britain's New Prime Minister

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Britain's Conservative Party has chosen Boris Johnson to become the country's next prime minister, replacing the pragmatic and sometimes colorless Theresa May with a bombastic populist who favors a no-deal Brexit. Johnson walked to the podium inside London's Queen Elizabeth II Centre, thanking his opponent, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, and May.

# data[].attributes.headline
THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN Boris Johnson AND Donald Trump 

# data[].attributes.subject
THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN Boris Johnson AND Donald Trump 

# data[].attributes.body
ORAL COMPREHENSION - Audio (4mn06) NPR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
At a time of polarization and political chaos, the United Kingdom and the United States are about to be led by two remarkably similar figures. On Tuesday, Britain's ruling Conservative Party elected Boris Johnson as their leader by an overwhelming margin, sending him to No. 10 Downing Street. He will take office on Wednesday.

Like President Trump, Johnson is a larger-than-life populist who has made controlling immigration and restoring his nation's standing in the world key issues in recent years. (Unlike President Trump, he is given to speaking in Latin, making ancient historical allusions and has written a biography of Winston Churchill).

Johnson has been accused of extramarital affairs, and has a reputation for playing fast and loose with the facts.

Last week, President Trump predicted Johnson would "do a great job" and they would get along well.

"He's a different kind of guy, but they say I'm a different kind of guy, too," Trump said.

How these men have come to lead their countries says a lot about the political forces roiling much of the West in recent years. By 2016, the U.S. and the U.K. were poised for political earthquakes. Key groups of voters in both countries were frustrated with establishment politics, suffering from the negative effects of globalization and worried that foreigners would change their communities.

Boris Johnson and Donald Trump responded. On the campaign trail, Trump famously promised to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out undocumented immigrants, saying that Mexicans were "bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists."

In Britain, Boris Johnson helped lead the Brexit campaign, vowing to take back control of the country's borders by leaving the European Union, the political and economic union that allows people and goods to move freely among all 28 member states. The Brexit campaign suggested that Turkey would join the European Union and become a back door for Syrian refugees to enter the United Kingdom.

"That's scare-mongering, Boris, and you should be ashamed," said London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a debate days before the referendum.

"As far as I know, the last time I looked, the government wants to accelerate Turkish membership," Johnson shot back. In fact, Turkish membership in the EU is not remotely on the horizon.

Like Trump, Johnson has also emphasized his unease with the changing face of his homeland, using language that plays well with much of his white base but angers minorities and urban liberals. For instance, in his column in The Daily Telegraph, Johnson wrote in 2017 that women in burqas look like mailboxes or bank robbers.

Paul Whiteley, a professor of government at the University of Essex, says Johnson's message was clear: "The 'other,' in very broad terms, is a threat," Whiteley says.

That message is able to resonate in parts of England, Whiteley says, because immigration from Eastern Europe has affected public services, creating long waits for healthcare and overcrowded classrooms with students who don't have a strong command of English.

"There is a fear in poor communities that the few jobs they have will be taken away by immigrants, but also a cultural change into something that's unrecognizable and alien," Whiteley said.

Both Johnson and Trump have pledged to return their countries to a mythical, better age. Trump speaks fondly of what he calls the "old days," when Detroit ruled the auto industry, when most people said "Merry Christmas" at the holidays and - as Trump recalls it - people could just beat up protesters at a political rally.

Many Brexiteers see the good old days as the era of World War II, when the U.K. stood up to the Nazis, or even earlier - the age of the British Empire. Johnson describes Brexit as an opportunity for the United Kingdom to forge an independent future, unshackled from the European Union.

"I think Winston Churchill was absolutely right when he said that the empires of the future would be empires of the mind," Johnson said in a 2016 speech. "In expressing our values abroad, I believe that global Britain is a soft power superpower."

Brian Klaas, an assistant professor in global politics at University College London, says both Johnson and Trump have tapped into nostalgia for a time when both nations were whiter and more homogeneous. In the case of the U.K., Klaas says there is an added layer of nostalgia for a time when Britain was a global power and punched far above its weight.

"The idea that the U.K. will be independent and powerful once again is a very, very potent one," says Klaas, an American, who is the author of The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy.

As both Trump and Johnson seek to transform their countries, they have also targeted what they describe as the enemies of change. Trump pledged to "drain the swamp," referring to the political class of legislators and lobbyists in Washington, D.C. Similarly, Johnson has targeted the Eurocrats in Brussels, whom he made a career of criticizing back in the 1990s, when he was a reporter there for the Telegraph.

Today, Johnson portrays the European Union as a well-intentioned peace effort through economic integration that now threatens to become a super-state.

"It's not we who've changed, it's the EU that's changed out of all recognition," Johnson said when he launched the Brexit campaign in 2016. "To keep insisting that the EU is about economics is like saying the Italian mafia is interested in olive oil and real estate."

Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House, the London think tank, says both men rode a popular backlash against globalization that was brewing in their respective countries. Industries lost jobs to lower-wage countries overseas, hollowing out communities in the American Midwest as well as in the north of England and Wales, areas that voted heavily for Trump or Brexit in 2016.

The 2008 global financial crisis also had a big impact. Although the U.S. economy recovered, many Americans never did, while in the U.K., some communities suffered through debilitating cuts in government services and programs.

"It took us 20 years to get into this crisis of disappointment and dissatisfaction bubbling to the surface," says Niblett. "It's going to take us 20 years to get out of it."

How long President Trump and Johnson will lead their countries is another question. Trump heads into the 2020 election with a still-strong economy and facing a divided Democratic Party. Johnson's first task in office will be to try to unravel the Gordian knot that is Brexit, a challenge that has paralyzed British politics for much of the past three years and ended the careers of his two immediate predecessors.

But whatever these leaders' political fate, the populist forces that propelled Johnson and Trump to power are likely to endure.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Boris Johnson, Britain's Next Prime Minister, Shares Similarities With Trump

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At a time of polarization and political chaos, the United Kingdom and the United States are about to be led by two remarkably similar figures. On Tuesday, Britain's ruling Conservative Party elected Boris Johnson as their leader by an overwhelming margin, sending him to No. 10 Downing Street.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.playbuzz.com/laurenbuzz10/how-well-do-you-know-boris-johnson

# data[].attributes.body
Reading comprehension

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Boris Johnson, the U.K.'s next prime minister, is a charismatic and sometimes controversial figure that already divides his own party and the British public alike.

Johnson was announced as the winner of the ruling Conservative Party's leadership race on Tuesday, winning 92,153 of the party membership's vote, making him both leader of the party, and the U.K.

Here's a brief summary of the colorful background of the U.K.'s new leader.

Who is 'Boris'?

Johnson - full name Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (and widely known just as "Boris" in the British media and public) - rose to prominence in British public life when he was mayor of London from 2008 to 2016, although he had been a member of parliament (MP) for the Conservative Party since 2001 after a checkered career in journalism.

Johnson himself was born in New York and had both American and British citizenship before renouncing the former in 2017. It's widely reported that Johnson said as a child that his ambition was to be "world king." He has a colorful family history with links to European and British aristocracy and is descended from King George II.

Johnson studied at the prestigious Eton College private school and then Oxford University and was a journalist before entering politics. His career in the media was mired in controversy when he was sacked for fabricating a quote. He later went to work as a journalist in Brussels where he became infamous for his euroskeptic reporting on the European Commission.

Later becoming a politician and London mayor, he then took a pro-Brexit stance ahead of the 2016 U.K. referendum on EU membership. It is widely speculated that Johnson was undecided about which side to support before declaring that he was supporting the 'Leave " campaign.

Following former Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation after the referendum result in June 2016, Johnson was appointed as foreign minister in Theresa May's government. He resigned from that position in 2018, however, in protest at May's approach to Brexit. Some ministers have already said they would resign is Johnson became prime minister, including Finance Minister Philip Hammond. Johnson is likely to replace the current top team of ministers.

Controversies and gaffes

Johnson is no stranger to a public gaffe, in fact, his rise to prominence (and popularity among right-leaning Conservatives) might in no small part be attributed to his attention-grabbing, unfiltered comments on a wide variety of topics that have often got him into trouble.

When working back in London as a journalist in 2002, Johnson prompted controversy writing an article about a prime ministerial trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in which he used racist terms. He recently apologized for those remarks but has made other controversial comments over the years, cementing his public persona as somewhat eccentric, gaffe-prone, and buffoonish (a persona only accentuated by Johnson's unruly mop of blonde hair) - although many have questioned how much of the buffooning is real, and who is the real Boris.

Critics say Johnson is unsuitable for high office because of his previous comments; he was accused of Islamophobia after saying Muslim women wearing burkas looked "like letter boxes." He once said Hillary Clinton looked like a "sadistic nurse in a mental hospital" and dismissed Donald Trump before he became president in 2016.

When Trump said in 2015 that some parts of London had become so radicalized that police fear for their lives, Johnson retorted that "the only reason I wouldn't visit some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump." But Johnson has since become closer to Trump, and the U.S. president said he would do a "great job" as prime minister.

There have been many moments of levity provided by Johnson who has been known to play the fool - the image of Johnson stuck dangling from a zip wire when promoting the London 2012 Olympics is one that is indelible in many Brits' minds.

Elsewhere, his over-exuberance on the sports field led to him flooring a 10-year-old Japanese boy in a game of street rugby in Tokyo, and bulldozing a former international German footballer in a friendly game of soccer.

What about the B-word?

There is undoubtedly one topic that is sure to give Johnson a headache as soon as he takes office and that's Brexit, an issue that cost Johnson's former boss, Theresa May, her job as prime minister following repeated parliamentary rejections of the Brexit deal she struck with the EU.

Johnson has been one of the most vociferous supporters of leaving the EU, although many have questioned his motivation and belief in Brexit. One unpublished article he penned (before he declared support for leaving the EU) showed him arguing in favor of remaining in the bloc. The story prompted criticism that his support for Leave reflected personal ambition rather than the country's interest.

But attention is now on what the Brexiteer - who has criticized the U.K'.s approach from the sidelines since quitting government - will do with what has become a prolonged political mess with no obvious solution that can unite a polarized political establishment and public.

He has already caused a stir by saying that the U.K. must leave the EU by the October 31 deadline "do or die, come what may" even if that meant leaving without a deal in place.

A "no-deal" Brexit is seen by many inside and outside of parliament as a "cliff-edge" scenario to be avoided at all costs. Leaving without a deal in place would mean an abrupt departure from the EU with no transition period allowing businesses to adjust to life outside the bloc.

There have been widespread fears that Johnson could try to bypass (or prorogue) Parliament in order to push through Brexit without opposition lawmakers having their say. Johnson will have to see how the government's wafer-thin majority - only provided by a staunchly pro-Brexit party in Northern Ireland - lasts under his leadership. Northern Ireland, and its future relationship with the EU and position in the U.K., is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to a deal being approved.

On top of that, Johnson will have to deal with a rebellious and divided Parliament and a chasm in public opinion between the 52% who voted for Brexit, and the 48% that didn't (and all those in between that have since changed sides).

John Penrose, MP for Weston-super-Mare and minister of state to Northern Ireland, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Tuesday that the new prime minister would "have to help the party heal and lead the country to heal."

"Those wounds from three years ago - those are still there. We can't carry on like this, it's been three years we've got to get through it," he said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here's what we know about new UK PM Boris Johnson and what he means for Brexit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Boris Johnson, the U.K.'s next prime minister, is a charismatic and sometimes controversial figure that already divides his own party and the British public alike. Johnson was announced as the winner of the ruling Conservative Party's leadership race on Tuesday, winning 92,153 of the party membership's vote, making him both leader of the party, and the U.K.

# data[].attributes.body
Boris johnson named UK's new PM (Prime Minister)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Boris Johnson named UK's new Prime Minister