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business-41000756

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-41000756

'We should give back art looted by the Nazis'

Joerg Schillinger is showing me around the extravagant foyer of the head office of frozen pizza and processed foods firm, Dr Oetker - complete with a winding marble staircase and Victorian grandfather clock - when he points to a former chief executive's bronze bust.

By Joe MillerBBC News, Bielefeld "This is Dr Richard Kaselowsky," says the manager, before adding, with a hint of embarrassment: "Unfortunately, he was a strong Nazi." The 126-year-old company, a household name in Germany and beyond, has done more than most to face up to what Mr Schillinger calls the "dark shadow" of its activities in the 1930s and 1940s. A few years ago, the family-owned firm enlisted prominent historians to write a book chronicling the relationship between former boss Rudolf-August Oetker - a member of the Waffen SS - and the Third Reich. It revealed how Dr Oetker had supported the war effort by providing pudding mixes and munitions to Nazi troops, and how the business had used slave labour in some of its facilities. Now, in a rarer move, the company is turning its attention to a more tangible reminder of former sins - its vast private art collection. In a floor-to-ceiling library at Dr Oetker's sprawling headquarters in the North-Rhine Westphalian city of Bielefeld, Dr Monika Bachtler reveals one of its treasures - a resplendent 17th Century silver goblet. "It's a typical German silversmith's piece," says the white-gloved curator of the Oetker collection, "made in Augsburg in 1612". The goblet originally belonged to Emma Budge, a wealthy Jewish socialite, philanthropist and art-lover from Hamburg. It was part of an impressive collection forcibly auctioned off by the Nazis in the early 1930s, including porcelain figures by Kaendler and paintings by van Loo. This particular piece of silverware's troubling provenance was discovered as a consequence of a voluntary audit of Dr Oetker's own collection. The collection, which includes some some 4,500 priceless pieces, scattered across several, secret locations, was mostly purchased by Rudolf-August Oetker, who was a renowned art enthusiast. The company's board, which includes members of the Oetker family, commissioned the audit in 2015. So far, just four artworks have been restored to their rightful owners - including the windmill-shaped goblet. Dr Oetker is tight-lipped about the precise value of the goblet - for which the Budge estate elected to receive financial compensation - but other items in the Budge collection are worth as much as £270,000, according to Lothar Fremy, one of just a dozen or so lawyers in Germany who represent heirs of Nazi confiscated art. Mr Fremy, a Berliner who represents the Budge heirs, says few cases are carried out this smoothly. "Sometimes it's like a big puzzle you have to put together," he explains. "Between 1933 and 1945, hundreds of thousands of items were sold, the market was flooded with artefacts." Tracing their origin is a process which will take "10, 20 or 30 years easily", he says. In this case, thanks to the meticulous paperwork left behind by Nazi bureaucrats, a comprehensive catalogue of the forced auction of the Budge collection exists, complete with images of most items. This allowed Mr Fremy to enter the details of more than 1,000 items from the catalogue onto lootedart.com, an online registry for the return of stolen cultural objects. But although many items from the Budge collection have been found in galleries, including Meissen porcelain figures at the V&A in London, it is rarer for private collections - let alone those owned by corporations - to voluntarily examine their inventory for a match to an artefact on the online database. The widely-followed principles for returning Nazi-confiscated art, outlined after a conference in Washington in 1998, are largely focused on public institutions. Private collectors, Mr Fremy says, have generally not felt inclined to look too closely into the origins of their prized possessions. Yet the return of stolen items from the Budge collection and beyond, he says, is becoming more common. "Ten or 12 years ago, it wasn't a warm or co-operative reception," says Mr Fremy, reminiscing about early approaches to individuals who may have been in possession of stolen art, "but in general it's getting better." Back in Bielefeld, Dr Oetker's researchers say it may take decades to determine how many more items in its collection are due for restitution. But Joerg Schillinger hopes that other German companies, among which huge art collections are not uncommon, will follow the frozen food firm's lead. "It's a pity that there are still some companies that haven't stepped into their history," he says. "We were quite late, 70 years after the war, but we are very happy that we did it." His recommendation to other businesses? "Just do it, for the sake of your company and for the sake of the stakeholders."

जॉर्ग शिलिंजर मुझे जमे हुए पिज्जा और प्रसंस्कृत खाद्य फर्म, डॉ. ओटकर के मुख्य कार्यालय के असाधारण घर के चारों ओर दिखा रहा है-एक घुमावदार संगमरमर की सीढ़ी और विक्टोरियन दादा घड़ी के साथ-जब वह एक पूर्व मुख्य कार्यकारी के कांस्य प्रतिमा की ओर इशारा करता है।

in-pictures-36081458

https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-36081458

In pictures: Four lives changed by Nepalese earthquake

Last year, on 25 April, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, leaving more than 8,000 people dead and many thousands homeless. A large number of aftershocks followed, including one that measured 7.3 on 12 May 2015. Photographer Alison Baskerville travelled to Nepal with Handicap International UK to meet young people whose lives were changed forever by those events.

Uma Silwal Uma Silwal (right) was at home with her family when the earthquake hit. "We were sitting having lunch and the ground started to shake," she says. "At first we just froze, we had no idea what to do. Then we ran. I don't remember the wall landing on me. I just remember seeing everyone running ahead in front of me." At the time of the earthquake Uma was studying engineering. Her father had just retired from a long career in the Nepalese Fire Service and was adjusting to life at home with a reduced income. "I knew I had to get educated and find work so I could help support my family," Uma says. The earthquake destroyed their home. As well as looking after her family, Uma's mother has been involved in rebuilding their house, and feeding the workers. "My mother does so much," says Uma. "Sometimes I worry that we take her for granted. She is the closest person to me and keeps our family together." Uma later decided to change her degree to social work. "I had a few choices ahead of me before the earthquake. It felt like with two legs I have two paths to take. "After the quake I only have one leg but it's also given me one clear path. To help those who are like me." Amrit Magar Amrit Magar was sleeping in his room in the Pepsicola district of Kathmandu when the earthquake hit. With both parents at work he was home alone and unsure what to do. He tried to run from the house but as he escaped the building collapsed and he was buried in rubble. Neighbours managed to pulled him free and he was taken to hospital. "When the wall fell I was unconscious. When I woke up I thought my legs were fine," he says. But Amrit remained in a fracture ward until the decision was made to remove one of his legs because it was so badly damaged. "I loved football before my accident but now I like to read and I want to go back to school," says Amrit. His father says they can no longer keep Amrit at home as they cannot afford the taxi fares for him to go to the local clinic. Amrit's brother Amish (middle) spent four weeks by his side in hospital. His mother, Chandra Kala Magar, holds a family photograph that was recovered from the home. They now live in a temporary home built by the family's employer. Ramesh Khatri Ramesh Khatri, then 18, was trapped under rubble for almost three days. When he was eventually pulled free he was rushed to the already overcrowded Bir hospital in Kathmandu. He kept his badly damaged legs for almost five days before doctors decided they should both be amputated. "I just had to accept this new life I have been given without my legs. It has not been easy but I'm really trying to start again and adapt to my new life," he says. Ramesh uses the walkway at the National Disability Fund clinic in Kathmandu to train on his prosthetics. Although he has become highly skilled in his wheelchair, he is now focusing on his walking. A few days after breaking his third wheelchair, Ramesh decided to take part in a 3km race in the city. With bloodied hands and sweat on his brow, Ramesh pushed himself to sixth place out of 21. "Next year I'm going to win this race," he shouted as he received his finishing medal. "He is ever the optimist," says Samrat Singh Basnet, the owner of the hostel where Ramesh lives. "He's always there in the clinic, helping and encouraging people." "I want to study first and then I want to be a social worker to help other people like me," says Ramesh. "Whatever happened, happened. This is our future. We should start from here. We can start again even with our disability." Sandesh Basnet Sandesh was on his lunch break at the Nepal Police School when the earth began to shake. Along with his classmates he fled from the room where they were. But the outside wall collapsed on top of him, pinning him to the ground. "We were going to hide under the beds but then we decided to run," says Sandesh. "Then the wall fell down on me. I was unconscious until I got to hospital." He too lost his legs because of the injuries he sustained. In hospital, he also received the terrible news that his best friend had been killed. After almost nine months at home Sandesh has now returned to the police school. He is the only student with a disability and the school have tried their best to accommodate him. But there is a steep slope between the classrooms and accommodation blocks, which makes it difficult for Sandesh to move between the two areas. He stays in the classroom area throughout the school day. During his time in hospital he says he lost motivation and found it difficult to accept his condition. With help from therapists and fellow patient Ramesh, he was able to come to terms with his disability. He began using a wheelchair, later also using crutches, until he received his prosthetic legs. "I thought I would never walk again," he says. "When I stood up for the first time I was so happy." All photographs © Alison Baskerville / Handicap International

पिछले साल, 25 अप्रैल को, नेपाल में एक भूकंप आया था, जिसमें 8,000 से अधिक लोग मारे गए थे और कई हज़ार बेघर हो गए थे। इसके बाद बड़ी संख्या में झटके आए, जिसमें 12 मई 2015 को आए भूकंप की तीव्रता 7.3 थी। फोटोग्राफर एलिसन बास्करविले ने उन युवाओं से मिलने के लिए हैंडीकैप इंटरनेशनल यूके के साथ नेपाल की यात्रा की, जिनका जीवन उन घटनाओं से हमेशा के लिए बदल गया था।

uk-england-devon-45799153

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-45799153

'Fishing crew' in hospital after 20ft Plymouth harbour wall fall

Two men believed to be part of a fishing crew have fallen 20ft (6m) from a harbour wall.

One man was found in the water and the other was "unconscious on metal fishing equipment" near Victoria Wharf in Plymouth at 23:50 BST on Monday. One remains in intensive care in hospital, while the other is "awake and talking", police said. A man, from Dumfries, has been arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol while on a boat. The 49-year-old is being held under the Railway & Transport Safety Act 2003 and remains in police custody. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation.

माना जाता है कि मछली पकड़ने वाले दल के दो लोग बंदरगाह की दीवार से 20 फीट (6 मीटर) नीचे गिर गए हैं।

10521834

https://www.bbc.com/news/10521834

Clooney to appear in Milan court

Hollywood star George Clooney is to appear at the trial of three people accused of usurping his name for a fashion label, a judge has said.

Clooney, 49, will testify as a civil plaintiff at the trial in the Italian business and fashion capital Milan, the ANSA news agency said. Clooney's lawyer Grazia Maria Mantelli confirmed her client would be in court. Judge Pietro Caccialanza has ordered extra security to ensure the trial goes ahead smoothly. "There will be a lot of people, I imagine," said Mr Caccialanza, who also promised Clooney's fans a chance "to come close to their hero". The case dates back to April 2008, when the three unnamed defendants, who are accused of fraud, forgery and possession of stolen goods, organised a fashion show in a Milan hotel.

हॉलीवुड स्टार जॉर्ज क्लूनी को एक फैशन लेबल के लिए उनका नाम हड़पने के आरोप में तीन लोगों के मुकदमे में पेश होना है।

uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-39914028

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-39914028

Crambeck deaths: Two struck on A64 after getting off bus

Two people died when they were hit by a minibus as they crossed a road after getting off a bus in North Yorkshire.

Police said the 52-year-old woman and a man, 51, were struck by a black Renault minibus on the A64 at Crambeck, near Malton, close to midnight on Saturday. The pair, who were pronounced dead at the scene, had just got off a double-decker Coastliner bus. The minibus was heading towards York at the time and police have made an appeal for witnesses.

उत्तरी यॉर्कशायर में एक बस से उतरने के बाद सड़क पार करते समय एक मिनी बस की चपेट में आने से दो लोगों की मौत हो गई।

world-europe-54890229

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54890229

Coronavirus: Denmark shaken by cull of millions of mink

There was shock last week when Denmark decided to cull all its mink - up to 17 million animals - because of the spread of coronavirus. That national cull has turned into a political outcry, now that the prime minister has admitted the plan was rushed and had no legal basis.

By Adrienne MurrayDenmark Danish authorities worry that a mutated form of coronavirus found in mink could potentially hamper the effectiveness of a future vaccine. As the politicians argue, mass graves have appeared in the Danish countryside filled with the slaughtered animals. 'A hard blow' Police and the armed forces have been deployed and farmers have been told to cull their healthy animals too -but the task will take weeks. "We have 65,000 mink. In the coming week all will be put down," says Martin From, pointing to rows of long huts housing thousands of mink on his farm in rural Funen. A Danish flag flies at half-mast in his garden. Warning: You may find some of the images below upsetting Overnight he has seen his livelihood wiped out. "It seems very unjust," he adds. Mr From is a third-generation fur farmer, and after 60 years of the family business, the cull has devastated him. He is not alone. Farmers have appeared on Danish TV in tears. Denmark's mink cull has in fact been going on for several weeks, with 2.85 million already put down. By Tuesday, coronavirus had been reported on 237 farms in Jutland with further cases suspected on another 33. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration says the cull is complete on 116 farms and the work continues. Why the cull was ordered Denmark is not the first country to report outbreaks on fur farms but it is the world's biggest producer. Spain, Sweden, Italy, and the US have all been affected, as has the Netherlands, where mink farming will be outlawed by spring next year. Here in Denmark, more than one in five farms have reported infections. Scientists from Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen first raised the alert after detecting mutations in strains of coronavirus found in mink. Then came the order for a mass cull last Wednesday and a four-week lockdown for people living in the northwest of the country. "Mutation happens all the time, but once in a while these mutations happen in the spike protein," says Prof Anders Fomsgaard, SSI's head of virus research. That spike protein of the coronavirus is the target of some vaccines in development. "So we are a little nervous once we see mutations that change amino acids and the shape of this protein," he tells the BBC. 'Cluster 5' Covid-19 originally came from a wild animal, it was then transmitted to humans and, later, passed on to farmed mink, before jumping back to a small number of humans. Several different mutations have been discovered in the virus in mink that do not arise in humans. But one called "Cluster 5" is of particular concern and 12 people are known to have caught it in Denmark. More than 200 other people have contracted other mink-related strains of the virus. Prof Fomsgaard stresses that the worry about a vaccine is hypothetical so far. But tests have found that patient antibodies responded less well to Cluster 5 and further laboratory investigations are being carried out. "We are working hard to find if this has any biological effects and vaccine issues. Therefore we have to look into it immediately before this potential problem grows." The infections have attracted widespread international attention, and prompted the UK to ban travellers from Denmark. However there's also concern that Denmark may have overreacted and scientists at home and abroad have tried to assess the risk. While scientists told Denmark's Berlingske Tidende newspaper that Cluster 5 had not been detected since September, the head of Denmark's health authority, Soren Brostrom, said the risk was too great when the virus was spreading among the mink population. 'Mistakes have been made' The government admitted on Tuesday it lacked the legal framework for a nationwide order and only had jurisdiction to cull infected mink or herds within a safety radius. "It is a mistake. It is a regrettable mistake," said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as she apologised to parliament. The government has tried to remedy that by rushing through emergency legislation, but opposition parties say they are unlikely to support the new bill and getting it through parliament could take time. Liberal Party chairman Jakob Ellemann-Jensen called it "shocking" and criticised a lack of transparency. Compensation for farmers should have been in place first, he said. Even parties allied to the government have called for an investigation. "Mistakes have been made," said Mogens Jensen, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. "But that does not change the fact that there is a great risk of having mink breeding in Denmark under corona." Farmers were recently sent papers telling them to cull their herds by 16 November but some have refused to co-operate. But Martin From says with coronavirus spreading between farms he cannot afford to wait. "We are just carrying on. it makes no difference." Is this the end of the mink business in Denmark? Denmark is home to more than 1,000 farms, so the head of trade body Kopenhagen Fur has termed the nationwide cull a disaster. "It is a de facto permanent closure and liquidation of the fur industry," said its chairman, Tage Pedersen, who predicted 6,000 jobs could be affected. The industry had a reported turnover of almost $1bn (£750m) in 2018-19. Furs are sold to the garment industry but also used in some false eyelash products. China and Hong Kong in particular provide the biggest market. Coronavirus outbreaks have already spelled the end of the mink industry in the Netherlands. The UK and Austria banned fur production years ago, Germany has phased it out and Belgium, France and Norway plan to as well. Across Europe there are some 4,350 mink farms, with Poland, Finland, Lithuania and Greece also part of the sector. Industry group Fur Europe insists demand for natural fur is still strong. "The market has already reacted to next year's reduced supply with higher pelt prices," it told the BBC. But Danish animal rights groups believe it is time to follow the example of other European countries and phase out the trade completely. "It's highly unacceptable to treat animals the way that mink are treated in the industry," says Birgitte Iversen Damm of Animal Protection Denmark.

पिछले सप्ताह एक झटका लगा जब डेनमार्क ने कोरोनावायरस के प्रसार के कारण अपने सभी मिंक-1 करोड़ 70 लाख जानवरों तक-को मारने का फैसला किया। वह राष्ट्रीय हत्या एक राजनीतिक आक्रोश में बदल गई है, अब जब प्रधान मंत्री ने स्वीकार किया है कि योजना जल्दबाजी में की गई थी और इसका कोई कानूनी आधार नहीं था।

uk-england-derbyshire-43485901

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-43485901

Horn honked at ambulance in Chesterfield for 30 minutes

An irate motorist spent about 30 minutes sounding his horn at an ambulance that was blocking his way while medics dealt with an emergency.

Paramedics were also "verbally abused" by the man in the altercation in Chesterfield on Tuesday, East Midlands Ambulance Service said. The service said its security team had begun an investigation and could pass information on to the police. EMAS tweeted treating a patient "will always come first". It added: "Sometimes we will need to block driveways or roads so that we can access a patient experiencing a medical emergency. "Please be patient with us, one day it could be you or your family member who needs our emergency help." The location of the incident has not been disclosed due to patient confidentiality, the ambulance service said.

एक क्रोधित मोटर चालक ने एक एम्बुलेंस पर अपना हॉर्न बजाते हुए लगभग 30 मिनट बिताए, जो उसका रास्ता रोक रही थी, जबकि चिकित्सक एक आपातकालीन स्थिति से निपट रहे थे।

uk-england-leeds-15588196

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-15588196

Man charged with Leeds student Jagdip Randhawa murder

A 20-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a 19-year-old student who was assaulted in Leeds city centre.

Jagdip Randhawa, a student at the University of Leeds from Hounslow in London, died in Leeds General Infirmary on 17 October. Mr Randhawa was injured in Albion Street, Leeds, on 12 October. Clifton Mitchell, from Derby, will appear before Leeds magistrates on Monday. He has also been charged with assault over the incident. Police said a 23-year-old man who was also arrested remains on police bail.

लीड्स शहर के केंद्र में एक 20 वर्षीय व्यक्ति पर 19 वर्षीय छात्र की हत्या का आरोप लगाया गया है, जिस पर हमला किया गया था।

world-us-canada-13935006

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-13935006

World iceberg capital turns frozen blocks to cold, hard cash

Twillingate is obsessed with icebergs. The eastern Canadian fishing town calls itself the iceberg capital of the world, and tourists flock to visit in the summer when the season for the frozen goliaths is booming.

By Brandy YanchykBBC News, Twillingate, Canada Many in the community off the north-eastern shore of Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador province make their living from the icebergs. "We all love to see when the icebergs are here," says Capt Perry Young. The iceberg tourism works its way into "every aspect of business in Twillingate", from accommodation to restaurants to convenience stores, he says. And when the icebergs fail to drift into the region, which happened as recently as two years ago, it places a lot of pressure on the town. "It puts a strain on us financially because, I mean, it's pretty much 50% of our income," Mr Young says. "And when you lose 50% of your income it hurts," he adds. Peak iceberg season is May and June, though this year was a relatively good one, and the mammoth frozen blocks were still floating by as late as August. 'Iceberg alley' Twillingate's traditional saltbox houses, fishing boats and docks make it look like something from a postcard. About 2,500 people live in Twillingate but when an iceberg rolls in, those numbers rise dramatically. "We are actually right beneath the iceberg alley, which is the Labrador Current," says Kim Young, who operates tourist boat tours in the town. "So when the current comes out through the alley they bring them to us," Ms Young adds. Drawing in tourists is important business in Twillingate. Like many fishing villages in Newfoundland and Labrador, residents of Twillingate suffered when they lost their cod-fishing industry, which was shut down by the Canadian government in 2003 because of declining stock. The residents have had to find another way to make a living, and attracting tourists with icebergs was the answer. Tracking icebergs Now the local tourism board has launched a new pilot programme using GPS tracking devices that allow locals to track icebergs when they are spotted. There are also three different websites dedicated to showing where icebergs are in the area. A small group of local fishermen have also started harvesting iceberg water to make iceberg vodka, beer and wine for sale in the province. "The thing about Newfoundland is that we have to adapt and change with the times, and this is the reason we have been able to survive on this rock for 500 years," says local fisherman David Boyd, the owner of the Prime Berth store, which caters to tourists. "Human beings have the ability to basically destroy everything that they touch, and we have done that with the fishery, with technology and with very poor management," he adds. "So we have to adapt and now we are basically capitalising on something that at one time we didn't want to see," Mr Boyd says. For centuries icebergs were not a welcome sight for residents of Twillingate and local fishermen. Their attraction is a recent phenomenon. Invading giants "The icebergs were the scourge of the fishery," says Mr Boyd. "The fishermen hated to see the icebergs because the big bergs would come in on their nets and their cod traps." These "invading giants", as locals describe them, come with their own myths and are making their way into local folklore, art and writing. Visitors can hear stories of murder on an iceberg or the deaths of young local children who have played around them. "There are all sorts of stories around the province of narrow escapes from them because they are unpredictable," says Twillingate artist Gilbert Manuel. "Around here and everywhere in Newfoundland, we have a healthy respect for them. We don't go near them - unless you know what you're doing - because they can tip over or founder, break apart, without any warning." WW2 plane It isn't just the icebergs themselves that are full of mystery: sometimes it's the visitors that they bring along with them to shore. One time it was a polar bear, which is extremely rare for the area. The animal's body is now on display in the town's local museum. Sometimes the icebergs bring treasures from the past. An aircraft, embedded into an iceberg, also once came drifting into the region, Mr Manuel says. "Somebody researched it and this was a plane that had crashed I think years ago during the Second World War in Greenland," he says. This dependence on icebergs can become a burden when they don't drift in. "I've seen it, a lot of hurtful faces, and I try to explain to them basically, that we are an iceberg viewing area," says Cecil Stockley, a founder of the tourism industry, who is known locally as the Iceberg Man. The unpredictable nature of icebergs have added to their allure and have started debates in the town. Some residents believe climate change is the reason the cold goliaths aren't making it into the area as often. Others think that this is just part of a natural cycle. "I believe it is the El Nino effect of warmer water moving north, icebergs are meeting these waters more farther north and melting," says Mr Stockley. "Even on our best of years, it's hard to get a small percentage of icebergs down here. Even we might get a couple hundred, probably, there is 2,000 in Greenland," adds Mr Stockley. But Mr Manuel disagrees: "There's fewer of them right now, but it was always like that. You had years when there were icebergs everywhere. Then for whatever reason you have years when there are no icebergs." The residents of Twillingate will no doubt adapt no matter what happens.

ट्विलिंगेट हिमखंडों के प्रति जुनूनी है। पूर्वी कनाडाई मछली पकड़ने वाला शहर खुद को दुनिया की हिमखंड राजधानी कहता है, और गर्मियों में जब जमे हुए गोलियाथ का मौसम फल-फूल रहा होता है तो पर्यटक यहाँ आने के लिए आते हैं।

world-europe-guernsey-52323848

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-52323848

Rare black-winged kite spotted in Alderney

A rare black-winged kite has been spotted in Alderney.

Alderney Bird Observatory warden John Horton spotted the raptor while "pottering about in the garden". He said he happened to look up to see the bird "coming in over the sea", adding: "If I wasn't on lockdown I wouldn't have seen it." The first recorded sighting of the kite in the Channel Islands was made in Guernsey in 2018. The bird of prey has never been recorded in the UK, the British Trust for Ornithology confirmed. Mr Horton described the sighting as "enormous news" for the British bird-watching community, as the furthest north the species is recorded to breed is central Spain. "We're 1,000 miles north of where it should be," he said.

एल्डर्नी में एक दुर्लभ काले पंखों वाली पतंग देखी गई है।

uk-england-sussex-20152688

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-20152688

Sgt Pepper artist Peter Blake produces art for Gatwick

The artist who designed The Beatles' iconic Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album sleeve has produced a series of canvases to greet travellers arriving at Gatwick Airport.

Sir Peter Blake's work shows London through the ages. He said: "They are a fantasy London, so each one is a specific tourist attraction, but then lovely odd things are happening." They are on display in the North and South Terminals of the airport. He said: "If you're waiting for your bag and looking around you think, what are those animals doing in Westminster abbey? "However much time you've got, there's a lot to look at." In April Sir Peter recreated the Sgt Pepper cover to celebrate his 80th birthday, which included celebrities Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss.

द बीटल्स के प्रतिष्ठित सार्जेंट पेपर के लोनली हार्ट्स क्लब बैंड एल्बम स्लीव को डिजाइन करने वाले कलाकार ने गैटविक हवाई अड्डे पर आने वाले यात्रियों का स्वागत करने के लिए कैनवस की एक श्रृंखला का निर्माण किया है।

world-europe-guernsey-17867669

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-17867669

Access limited to Guernsey Airport by airfield project

Access to Guernsey Airport will be limited at the weekend due to the installation of traffic lights and removal of kerbs at its entrance.

Changes to the junction are to allow greater access into the compound opposite the entrance that houses asphalt and concrete batching plants. During the work the western approach road will be closed from 06:30 BST on Saturday to 06:30 BST on Monday. A diversion will be in place along Rue du Mont Marche and Vue de L'Eglise. For traffic heading past the airport a separate diversion will be in place. Airport authorities have advised islanders to allow more time for journeys to and from the airport. Colin Le Ray, the airport director, has apologised for any inconvenience.

सप्ताहांत में ट्रैफिक लाइटों की स्थापना और इसके प्रवेश द्वार पर कर्ब्स को हटाने के कारण ग्वेर्नसे हवाई अड्डे तक पहुंच सीमित होगी।

uk-scotland-south-scotland-39999942

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-39999942

Borders Railway engineering work warning issued

Passengers on the Borders Railway have been advised to check their journeys in advance ahead of engineering work.

Track replacement is taking place in the Newcraighall area over three Sundays - 4, 11 and 18 June. Journey times on the line will be extended and buses will replace trains between Edinburgh and Gorebridge. Rail services will run as normal on the rest of the line. Customers have been advised to check train times on the ScotRail app or website. A ScotRail Alliance spokesperson said: "We appreciate our customers' patience while we undertake these vital works."

सीमा रेलवे पर यात्रियों को इंजीनियरिंग कार्य से पहले अपनी यात्रा की जांच करने की सलाह दी गई है।

world-europe-47822843

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47822843

Brexit: Germany's CDU leader hopes for second referendum

"Have you heard about the British party guest? He's the one who announces he's leaving, then you find him hours later wandering around the house with no money for a taxi. When he finally goes, he takes two bottles of wine with him."

Katya AdlerEurope editor@BBCkatyaadleron Twitter European stereotype depictions tend to portray Germans as lacking a sense of humour. But in political cartoons and on satire shows like Extra 3, Germany is finding plenty to laugh about Brexit. "Fisch und Tschüss" is a slogan for the satirical news programme, The Heute [today] Show - a play on words for the traditional UK dish, fish and chips. Except Tschüss in German means goodbye. After initially mourning the UK's vote to leave, then following every twist and turn of negotiations for a while, many Germans now feel alienated from the process. They can't keep up with what's going on in the House of Commons. "I no longer care so much how Brexit ends," you often hear. "As long as it ends." "Brexit has been a strain on all of us. In some ways it has paralysed us," Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told me in Berlin in a UK exclusive interview. She's the leader of Germany's CDU party, very close to Angela Merkel and widely tipped to be the next German chancellor. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer - also known as AKK - is far from detached when it comes to Brexit. She and a number of other German politicians penned a letter to the Times newspaper back in January, appealing to the UK to change its mind. Now, the EU's determined attempt to show unity at all times over Brexit means it has been frustratingly difficult to get EU leaders to agree to in-depth, on-the-record Brexit interviews . But AKK is not the German chancellor. She had no qualms about laying bare her Brexit regret. "Anything that keeps the UK close to the EU and best of all, in the EU, would make me personally very happy" she told me. "Maybe that could result from the current talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn." She hopes for a second referendum - but only, she said, if the majority of UK citizens felt it would heal the country rather than exacerbate divisions further. With the deadline for a Brexit decision looming next week on 12 April, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer believes the risk of the UK leaving without a deal have "risen dramatically". This is something German business find no laughing matter. A recent poll suggested 100,000 German jobs could be affected by a no-deal Brexit. The BDI Federation of German Industry warned Germany would lose at least 0.5% of its GDP - and this at a time when the German economy is already heading south. That, I think, is why there is a sudden, noticeable softening in tone when EU leaders speak about Brexit. At a press conference in Dublin on Thursday, Chancellor Merkel struck a determinedly encouraging note. Instead of "no-deal is the most likely scenario" or "if Theresa May requests a longer extension, we'll attach really tough conditions", which we've got used to hearing by now, Mrs Merkel chose the words: "Where there's a will, there's a way." Peering into the abyss of a no-deal Brexit over the last few days, EU leaders have had a short, sharp reality check. What impact would that have on them and their countries, they wonder? And what are they be prepared to do to avoid it? There is no common EU position on this yet. That's putting it politely. Verbal fisticuffs are predicted at next week's emergency Brexit summit when the 27 EU leaders come face-to-face. The man who represents all of them here in Brussels, President of the European Council Donald Tusk, thinks he may have found a solution. However, it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. He's proposing what he calls a "flextension", which could see the UK signing up to a one-year-long Brexit delay with the option to cut it short as soon as parliament ratified the Brexit deal. Mr Tusk believes the arrangement would suit the EU and the UK - and as one EU official put it to me, it would avoid Brussels potentially being faced with "endless" UK requests for repeated short extensions every few weeks. EU leaders will discuss Mr Tusk's proposal at next Wednesday's summit. By law, their decision must be unanimous. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer suggested something else the EU could do: take another look at the controversial backstop guarantee to keep the Irish border open after Brexit. "If the UK now came to us and said, 'let's spend five days negotiating non-stop on how to avoid the backstop', I can't imagine anyone in Europe saying 'No'. If the UK had new watertight proposals for the border, I don't think anyone in the EU would say, 'We don't want to talk about it.'" Far from official EU Brexit policy, but it gives us a taster of the kind of conversations going on behind closed EU political doors.

"क्या आपने ब्रिटिश पार्टी के मेहमान के बारे में सुना है? वही है जो घोषणा करता है कि वह जा रहा है, फिर आप उसे घंटों बाद घर में घूमते हुए पाते हैं कि उसके पास टैक्सी के लिए पैसे नहीं हैं। जब वह अंत में जाता है, तो वह अपने साथ शराब की दो बोतलें ले जाता है।"

education-45195807

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-45195807

The three-year-old with an IQ of 171

When Natalie and Ben's daughter Ophelia joined the high-IQ society Mensa at only three years old, they knew they would be accused of being pushy parents. But what is it like to have a naturally-gifted child?

"Really it was from about eight months old [that we realised how bright she could be]," Natalie Morgan tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. Her daughter Ophelia had said her first word, 'hiya', a few months younger than the norm. "It really went from there. She started saying her colours, letters, numbers quite early on compared to most children." By the age of two, Ophelia, the couple's first child, was able to remember and recite the alphabet. They knew she was above average having read up online, but it was not until she started at play school that they realised how more advanced she was than her peers. That was when they decided to get Ophelia assessed, taking her to a child psychologist who specialises in gifted children. "We just really wanted to clarify how we could help her," father Ben Dew, an IT support worker, explains. "We didn't want her to feel she was being pushed, but at the same time we didn't want her to feel under-stimulated." From there Ophelia took the Stanford-Binet test - used to assess children from the age of two on areas such as spatial awareness and verbal and logic skills. The average IQ score for people of all ages is 100, with most people ranging between 85 and 115. Ophelia scored 171. "I was worried people would think we're pushy parents," admits Natalie. "I would be proud of Ophelia no matter what she did, as long as she's happy and healthy." Lyn Kendall, a psychologist and gifted child consultant for British Mensa, says exceptional children process things quickly, have a good memory, and are more attentive to what is happening around them. They also have a thirst to learn, with which she says parents find it difficult to keep up. "Usually when the parents come to me they say, 'help, this child does not want to stop asking questions and learning all the time'," she says. "One thing parents find is it's quite isolating. You can't [talk to other parents about it] at the school gates, because it sounds boastful. "These children start at five in the morning, and they don't stop until they go to sleep." Ms Kendall says, however, that unlike Natalie and Ben, some parents are pushy - something to which she is strongly opposed. "[These parents] give their children high-energy foods, special juice mixes. Their days are timetabled," she says. "I have parents ring me up and say, 'at 18:30 we have intellectual conversation'. "You just think, 'When do they have time to be a child?'." Ms Kendall's son, now 36, was gifted himself as a child. He has written a novel and worked for Microsoft, which was his dream job growing up. But the psychologist says she always placed a focus on making sure he was well-rounded. "Though these children's brains are zipping ahead at lightning speed, their bodies and emotions are still children and we always have to remember that," she explains. 'Proper conversations' Natalie says Ophelia is "very much a three-year-old in every other sense". She enjoys running around and playing with her cousins, jumping in puddles - the normal stuff for a child of that age. She also just happens to love to learn and try new things. "It's like talking to a 19-year-old," Ben says, describing their interactions. "She has proper conversations, she comes up with her own ideas. "She just seems to pick everything up a lot quicker, and remember it." Watch the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 BST on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel in the UK and on iPlayer afterwards.

जब नताली और बेन की बेटी ओफेलिया केवल तीन साल की उम्र में हाई-आई. क्यू. सोसाइटी मेन्सा में शामिल हुई, तो उन्हें पता था कि उन पर दबाव डालने वाले माता-पिता होने का आरोप लगाया जाएगा। लेकिन स्वाभाविक रूप से उपहार देने वाले बच्चे का होना कैसा होता है?

world-europe-jersey-22263234

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-22263234

Polls open for Jersey's government reform referendum

Polls have opened for Jersey's referendum on electoral reform.

The referendum asks islanders how many politicians they want in the States, how they will be elected and what the size of constituencies should be. Polling stations in every parish electoral district will be open from 08:00 to 20:00 BST. After nearly two days of debate, the States agreed the questions would include two options for change and one to maintain the status quo. Option A will see 42 deputies elected from six large voting districts. Option B will have 30 deputies elected from six districts and 12 parish constables. Option C will maintain the status quo of eight senators elected island wide, 29 deputies in a range of constituency sizes and 12 parish constables. Preference vote In 2012 the States of Jersey set up an electoral commission to look at reforming the way politicians were elected and come up with referendum questions to be put to the public. Voters must not use an 'X' to indicate their preference on the ballot paper, but put the number one next to their first choice and a number two next to their second choice, if they have one. After the polls close, the votes will be counted at one central location in each parish, either the Parish, Public or Town Hall. Jurats in each parish will announce the result at each parish count. Once all 12 parishes have declared, the States Greffier Michael de la Haye, who will be based at the Town Hall in St Helier, will announce the how many first preference votes have been cast for each of the options across the island. If one of the options gets more than 50% of the total valid votes cast, that option will win. But if none of the options have more than 50%, the option with the least island-wide votes will be recounted using the second preference shown. Not binding Last week States members voted against setting a minimum turnout threshold for the results of the referendum to be considered. At the last election in 2011 average turnout for the constable elections was 48.6%, for deputies it was 47.9% and 48.4% for the senators elections. Political expert, Adrian Lee, said: "The interesting thing will be whether the opportunity for a referendum will in fact break the Jersey habit, as I would call it, of non voting. "The last time a majority of Jersey's electorate voted in an election was 50.5% in the senatorial elections in 1978." Whatever the outcome, the referendum will not be binding because it will be up to the States to decide if and how it reforms itself. The referendum is only the second in the island's history. The first referendum in 2008 asked if Jersey should move to Central European Time from GMT, and it was rejected by 17,230 votes to 6,564.

चुनाव सुधार पर जर्सी के जनमत संग्रह के लिए मतदान शुरू हो गए हैं।

world-asia-43496212

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43496212

CIA director Gina Haspel's Thailand torture ties

When Gina Haspel was nominated as the next head of the CIA in March, it re-opened debate on a murky period of recent US history - the use of secretive overseas prisons to torture terror suspects. As the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head reports, the spotlight has fallen on Thailand, and one such "black site" which Haspel once ran.

In early April 2002, a plane took off from an undisclosed air base in Pakistan, en route to Thailand. On board was a special passenger. Abu Zubaydah, a 31-year-old Saudi-born Palestinian, believed to be one of Osama Bin Laden's top lieutenants, had been captured a few days earlier in a joint US-Pakistani raid on Al Qaeda safe houses in Faisalabad. He was now in the hands of CIA agents, who had decided to make him the first "high-value detainee" to be subjected to what they called "enhanced interrogation techniques" - something human rights groups say amounts to torture. But they needed somewhere to do it. In December 2014 the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) published an executive summary of a confidential 6,000 page report on these techniques. The place where Abu Zubaydah and at least two other high-value detainees were interrogated is referred to only as Detention Site Green. Thailand is not named as the host country. US and Thai officials have consistently denied the existence of such a facility, although the Thai denials have at times been less than wholehearted. But a senior former Thai national security official has confirmed to the BBC that Detention Site Green was located inside the Royal Thai Air Force base in Udon Thani in the north-east. It was not large - just a CIA safe house on the base, he said. The Americans could operate there so long as the Thai government was kept informed. "Whenever someone was captured by the Americans, either in other countries or inside Thailand, they were brought through the site, and later sent off again in an American plane," the official recalls. Why Thailand? The SSCI's report runs through the CIA's reasons for choosing Thailand: President Bush approved the transfer of Abu Zubaydah to Detention Site Green on 29 March 2002. The Thai government was informed, and gave its consent, on the same day. The choice of Thailand, and Udon Thani, would have made sense for a number of reasons: By the time the CIA was considering bringing Al Qaeda suspects to Thailand in 2002, the country had a new prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, a confident but abrasive leader who wanted to move his country in a different direction. He was publicly much cooler towards the Americans than his predecessors, partly driven by the resentment felt by many Thai businesses towards the US for its perceived failure to support them during the 1997 financial crisis. Mr Thaksin also sought closer ties with China. He insisted that Thailand should remain neutral in President George Bush's war on terror, and was adamant that Thailand did not have a terrorist problem. Later he would chide the US for criticising his human rights record, complaining that he was not Washington's "lackey". But behind Mr Thaksin's defiant public face, relations between the two countries, and in particular their military, intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, remained close. Thai co-operation or resistance? Several months before the 9-11 attacks in New York, the CIA had formed a secret new organisation known as the Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Center, bringing together personnel from three Thai agencies with their US counterparts to track down Islamic militants in South East Asia. Despite this, when the CIA first requested the use of Detention Site Green to interrogate suspects, it clearly had some difficulties with the Thais. The SSCI report mentions a request made to the CIA for some kind of "support" from the officials responsible for the site. This "support" was apparently given, but then the Thai officials were replaced by less compliant colleagues, nearly forcing the CIA to close down the facility. The CIA country chief was, says the report, able to negotiate keeping it open. The report also refers to at least eight Thai officials, presumably senior, who knew of the secret site, and the agency assumed that many more people probably also knew of it. With major newspapers beginning to pick up bits of information about the detainment site, the CIA believed increased publicity, and the embarrassment this would cause the Thais, would eventually force it to close. This is in fact what happened in December 2002, two months after Gina Haspel is believed to have taken charge of it. No results from torture During his capture in Pakistan, Abu Zubaydah had been badly injured, and went straight to hospital after his arrival in Thailand. But by 15 April he was transferred to Detention Site Green. His cell was described in a CIA cable as "white with no natural lighting or windows, but with four halogen lights pointed into the cell…" Security officers wore all black uniforms, including boots, gloves, balaclavas, and goggles to keep Abu Zubaydah from identifying the officers, as well as to prevent Abu Zubaydah "from seeing the security guards as individuals who he may attempt to establish a relationship or dialogue with". The security officers communicated by hand signals when they were with Abu Zubaydah and used handcuffs and leg shackles to maintain control. In addition, either loud rock music was played or noise generators were used to enhance Abu Zubaydah's "sense of hopelessness". According to the report: Haspel's unclear role By the time Gina Haspel took over Detention Site Green, the intensive interrogation of Abu Zubydah was over. One other al Qaeda suspect, Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, was also waterboarded The controversial methods used on Abu Zubaydah did not produce any useful information. By all accounts he had been co-operative during the softer FBI questioning. What Gina Haspel's exact role was is still unclear. The BBC contacted the CIA for clarification of her role in Thailand. The CIA stated that it was unable to comment on our questions, but directed us to a correction made in another article about Gina Haspel, in which it was stated that she took on her supervisory role in Thailand after the waterboarding of Abu Zubaydah had finished. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the former chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has demanded that Gina Haspel's part in running Detention Site Green, and in a CIA order in 2005 to destroy 92 videotapes of the interrogations conducted there, must be made public so that the Senate can make an informed judgement about her suitability to head the agency. When Detention Site Green was closed in December 2002, Abu Zubaydah was flown to another CIA secret detention site in Poland. Eventually he was taken, via several other locations, to Guantanamo Bay, where he was seen in public for the first time in August 2016, 14 years after his capture. The US now acknowledges that he was not as important in Al Qaeda as they originally thought. The exact building used to detain and interrogate him in Udon Thani air base is still undisclosed. Since the closure of Detention Site Green, Thai US relations have been strained by two military coups, but close military and intelligence co-operation has continued, regardless of the public diplomatic positions of each country. The White House, meanwhile, issued a statement on 3 May urging the Senate to endorse Ms Haspel's nomination as soon as possible. It quotes former director of CIA Clandestine Service John Bennet as saying she has taken on some of the "most demanding and least rewarding" assignments in her career, "because she felt it was her duty". "That sense of patriotism", says the White House statement, "is precisely what Americans deserve in a CIA director."

जब मार्च में गिना हैस्पेल को सी. आई. ए. के अगले प्रमुख के रूप में नामित किया गया था, तो इसने हाल के अमेरिकी इतिहास के एक अस्पष्ट दौर पर बहस फिर से शुरू कर दी-आतंकवादी संदिग्धों को यातना देने के लिए गुप्त विदेशी जेलों का उपयोग। जैसा कि बी. बी. सी. के दक्षिण पूर्व एशिया संवाददाता जोनाथन हेड ने बताया, थाईलैंड पर ध्यान केंद्रित किया गया है, और ऐसा ही एक "ब्लैक साइट" जो हैस्पेल ने एक बार चलाया था।

stories-49405924

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-49405924

Who was Sir Oswald Mosley?

Last night fans of Peaky Blinders met the gangster drama's latest villain - a fictionalised version of British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley. He was the one with big 'tache, who pulled aside gangland-boss-turned-MP Tommy Shelby and told him, ominously, "You have come to my attention."

He gave me the creeps. Adrien Brody was pretty menacing as the bad guy in the last series. But this fella... He frightened lots of people in real life too. During the 1930s Mosley led Britain's virulently anti-Semitic fascist movement, whose streetfighters - known as blackshirts - were notorious for their violence against Jews and left-wing opponents. He was on friendly terms with Mussolini. And Hitler was guest of honour at his second wedding. Oh, and that wedding took place at the home of Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. And here was me thinking razor-wielding Brummie gangsters were terrifying. The British authorities definitely considered Mosley a threat. During World War Two he was interned as a suspected enemy sympathiser. It was widely assumed at the time that, had the Nazis successfully invaded the UK, he would have been installed as head of a pro-German puppet regime. Everyone knows about German Nazis and Italian fascists. British fascists... not so much. What kind of background did he come from? "In the 20s he was a fashionable figure," says Stephen Dorril, Mosley's biographer. Born into an aristocratic family, Mosley was a champion fencer who distinguished himself during World War One and was elected Conservative MP for Harrow at the age of 21. He married the daughter of an earl. "He was invited to lots of parties. He knew Churchill, he knew all the politicians. A massive womaniser - he was very tall for the time, although he had a limp. He lived life to the full," says Dorril. So he started out as a Tory. How did he end up so much further to the right? Actually, after leaving the Conservatives he became a Labour politician - the MP for Smethwick, in Tommy Shelby's West Midlands stamping ground. Following the 1929 crash he became a government minister tasked with finding ways to solve the unemployment problem, but his proposals were rejected. Mosley couldn't accept this, says Dorril. "He was incredibly egotistical. He believed he was the right man. He believed that he had the solution." That's when he set up the New Party, which held meetings stewarded by heavies known as the "biff boys". Then, after touring Mussolini's Italy, Mosley formed the British Union of Fascists (BUF) in 1932, blending his economic programme with explicit anti-Semitism. And this was actually popular… in the UK? He achieved some limited success, for a time. At one point the BUF claimed 50,000 members. The Daily Mail's owner, Viscount Rothermere, notoriously wrote a 1934 article headlined "Hurrah for the blackshirts!" The BUF also got a handful of councillors elected. You said the blackshirts were violent towards Jewish people. What did they do? There was a 1934 rally at London's Olympia, in which they brutally attacked hecklers in the crowd - left-wingers as well as Jews. Mosley also attempted to stage a march through a Jewish area of east London, resulting in the famous "Battle of Cable Street", in which local people and anti-fascists blocked the blackshirts' path. Although the BUF's membership actually rose in the wake of Cable Street, Dorril says that in general "the British don't like people parading around in uniform". In fact, the Public Order Act of 1936 included a ban on political uniforms. The war must have put an end to his political career… Pretty much. Most British people thought of WW2 as a war against fascism, and Mosley's internment met with little opposition. After the war, he attempted to revive his party - soon renamed the Union Movement - with little success, and he left the country in 1951. Eight years later, in the wake of race riots in Notting Hill, he stood for election in Kensington North on an anti-immigration platform, but failed to break through. After failing again in the 1966 general election, also in a London constituency, he retired to France. He died in 1980. So, does he have any relevance today? Other than appearing in Peaky Blinders? Dorril thinks Mosley would have welcomed the recent surge in populism, but he wouldn't have approved of Brexit: "He would have been appalled about Britain leaving Europe," he says. After WW2, Mosley began promoting the idea of "Europe, a nation". Mosley shows that the far-right has in the past had a certain appeal in the UK - but his biographer says Mosley was never in danger of securing power: "It's clear he was an exceptional speaker, but it never translated into a real mass movement. I think he was always doomed to failure, fortunately." You may also be interested in: He was a skinhead and the poster boy for one of the 1980s' most notorious far-right movements. But Nicky Crane was secretly gay. Then his precarious dual existence fell dramatically apart. The secret double life of a gay neo-Nazi (December 2013)

पिछली रात पीकी ब्लाइंडर्स के प्रशंसक गैंगस्टर नाटक के नवीनतम खलनायक से मिले-ब्रिटिश फासीवादी नेता सर ओस्वाल्ड मोस्ले का एक काल्पनिक संस्करण। वे बड़े 'टेच' वाले व्यक्ति थे, जिन्होंने गैंगलैंड-बॉस से सांसद बने टॉमी शेल्बी को अलग कर दिया और उनसे कहा, "आप मेरे ध्यान में आ गए हैं।"

uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-55521537

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-55521537

Man's body discovered on farm track near Cardenden

Police are investigating the discovery of a man's body on a farm track in Fife.

The body of the 43-year-old man was found at Cardenbarns Farm, near Cardenden, at about 10:30 on Saturday. The death is being treated as unexplained. Police said inquiries were continuing. Related Internet Links Police Scotland Non Emergencies - Phone 101

पुलिस फाइफ में एक खेत की पटरियों पर एक व्यक्ति का शव मिलने की जांच कर रही है।

entertainment-arts-39623148

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39623148

Is 2017 the year of virtual reality film-making?

The Tribeca Film Festival, opening this week in New York, is promoting virtual reality (VR) as never before. And next month the Cannes Film Festival has announced it's to show its first big VR attraction. So is 2017 the year virtual reality film-makers finally hit the big time?

By Vincent DowdArts reporter, BBC News Bogart Street in Bushwick has the mix of occupants you might expect in a formerly blue-collar but increasingly artsy corner of Brooklyn. Number 56 is the four-storey home of small art galleries, jewellery designers and miscellaneous media start-ups. Part of the basement is occupied by Scatter, which calls itself an immersive media studio. Only a few years ago terms such as "immersive", "experiential", "volumetric" and "virtual reality" were on the outer fringe of film-making. Yet recent analysis claimed that by 2021 the VR industry could generate revenues of $75bn (£60bn) annually. Some older hands in the film industry are wary of such optimism - but they're also watching the rapidly developing VR world with a keen eye. James George, co-founder of Scatter and technical director of Blackout, which the studio is showing at this year's Tribeca, calls it an experience rather than a film. "You put on a headset and you're in a totally convincing virtual depiction of a New York subway car. In the car, which you can move about in, are various characters and as you turn to look you hear what each person's thinking. "So someone is depressed about getting older and another person is thinking about doing their nails or whatever. The headset detects who you focus on through your head and eye movements. "The term virtual reality now covers a whole array of audience experiences and the technology is changing constantly. What we do in Scatter draws deeply on the history of film-making and in no way rejects it. There's more than a century of experience there in how to tell a story effectively. "But we build on that sensibility and those skills and we expand into room-scale holographic experiences. "Though the movie comparison is good, there's also a link to immersive live theatre which a company like Punchdrunk offers in something like Sleep No More where the audience is mobile and surrounded by the action. "This whole desire to move into immersive is a generational shift. A new generation is demanding participation in their media - which you can call interactivity. So everyone showing at Tribeca will have their own slightly different model of VR - and we all have our own means of trying to make it work financially." Broken Night is a very different VR experience also viewable at this year's Tribeca. It's the work of Eko, a tech and media company based in Manhattan. Eko's Alon Benari says the project has an overlap with traditional film-making but is also different. "We were lucky that Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola [real-life husband and wife] were keen to come on board to play key roles on screen," he says. "So they play a married couple - and at a certain point a gun is fired. It's hard to say much more because exactly what happens when you have the head-set on depends on which storyline you follow. The viewer explores the woman's memories and to a degree constructs them." But co-director Tal Zubalsky says it's not a case of the viewer determining the storyline. "The interactivity is there to increase the viewer's emotional involvement, not to give them control - this isn't like winning points in a video game," he explains. "But we're all learning and that's why Emily and Alessandro wanted to co-produce: suddenly traditional film-makers want to understand this new world. They were with us for two days on location, shooting on a Nokia Ozo, to make a six-minute film." Like Blackout, Broken Night depends on an individual viewer experiencing the narrative in a headset. Some VR experiences at Tribeca will offer multiple headsets but the problem of making a profit with limited audiences is obvious. Benari admits that for now distribution of a film like Broken Night is a challenge. "But you need to look at the level of excitement in the creative world, in investors and increasingly in consumers," he says. "Technology will figure it out even if for now it's like the early days of silent movies or radio. No one can say if a version of today's headsets will be the medium of mass distribution at all: maybe it will all be embedded in eyeglasses or contact lenses or maybe it will be a hologram experience we don't yet understand. "Then we can have audiences not of one person or three people but hundreds. "Once you reach mass distribution with content which audiences really want - that's when there's huge monetisation. We are not there yet but if you look at the investment in VR, it's going to happen." Loren Hammonds is the overall programmer for VR at the Tribeca Festival. "We had VR content last year but even in 12 months it's remarkable how things have grown. And we all wanted Tribeca to stay in the forefront. "The kind of immersive film-making we're most interested in puts story first. It might be a thriller like Broken Night or something far remote from that. "But increasingly we're seeing the tech used in clever ways to support a narrative, whether fiction or documentary. We've already gone beyond the demo phase of just explaining what the bells and whistles can do. "Now we're into an adoption phase. Some people know all about VR but now the general public needs to be introduced to it so people see it's a lot more than Hollywood-style 3D. Optimistic future "Our Virtual Arcade will have around 30 experiences, with two thirds of them world premieres. I'm thinking of it as a street filled with curiosities - some of which you will love and some you probably won't. But it will be a great place to see the latest VR and for practitioners to talk. "You might be on a swivel-chair with a 360-degree world around you and other experiences are positional, meaning you can actually walk around within a physical room. I'm looking forward to an installation called Treehugger by Marshmallow Laser Feast where you can put your head through knotholes into the tree and it will change your perceptions. "Or there's an experience called Draw Me Close by Jordan Tannahill which actually involves an actress in a motion capture suit who interacts with you live. It's co-produced with the National Theatre in London and you might say it's something totally different again. But it's all VR." Hammonds is optimistic about VR financially. "It's changing every month. But we've got the premiere of Kathryn Bigelow and Imraan Ismael's The Protectors. That's a mass trigger event, with 250 people in a room and they all have headsets and have the same experience at the same time. So VR needn't just be for one person at a time. "I can't guess what VR we'll be showing at Tribeca a couple of years from now - or how people will see it. But the richer the content is, and the more compelling, the more it warrants being paid for. That's when we have an industry and a legitimate visual medium." The Immersive Virtual Arcade runs as part of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York 19 - 30 April. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

न्यूयॉर्क में इस सप्ताह शुरू होने वाला ट्रिबेका फिल्म महोत्सव आभासी वास्तविकता (वी. आर.) को बढ़ावा दे रहा है जैसा कि पहले कभी नहीं हुआ था। और अगले महीने कान फिल्म महोत्सव ने घोषणा की है कि वह अपना पहला बड़ा वी. आर. आकर्षण दिखाएगा। तो क्या 2017 वह वर्ष है जब आभासी वास्तविकता फिल्म निर्माता आखिरकार बड़े समय पर पहुंच गए हैं?

world-asia-55344408

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55344408

Shukatsu sexism: The Japanese jobseekers fighting discrimination

Japan has one of the most intense, fiercely competitive and stressful recruitment processes for new graduates anywhere in the world. The way men and women are expected to dress is just one of the many demands part of the highly rigid experience. But as a few raise their voices against the system, things may be slowly changing.

By Tom BatemanTokyo, Japan "I'm not cisgender but also not transgender at the same time. I don't want to be identified as a man or woman, just me, myself," says Yumi Mizuno, an interpreter in her early 30s. When speaking English she uses feminine pronouns, but Ms Mizuno identifies as non-binary, an umbrella term that refers to people who do not see their gender as being exclusively male or female. In Japanese she prefers the gender-neutral "jibun", meaning "myself". Back in 2011 she was one of thousands of student job hunters, dressed in black and taking part in Japan's highly-structured, year-long recruitment process known as "Shushoku katsudo", or "Shukatsu" for short. Applicants are expected to wear what are known as 'recruit suits' that come in two varieties: a men's suit, worn with a white shirt and dark tie, and a women's suit with a skirt, white blouse and a jacket that's cinched in at the waist. But for Ms Mizuno, that gender-based choice is unacceptable so she's raising her voice to challenge a system that dates back to the 1950s. High stakes Competition is intense, which has spurred the growth of an entire industry devoted to grooming students for success during the Shukatsu period. Recruiters and clothing companies provide detailed guidelines that define things like the recruit suits students can wear, the haircuts they can have and even how they should sit during an interview. "They only provide etiquette and clothing instructions based on a gender binary, for men and women," she says, "and I felt I couldn't fit in either of them. "It's very scary, because in Japan we're taught to get a job before we graduate from university." Shukatsu begins every April and culminates in a hiring season that lasts from August to October. Those who miss out on a job offer risk having to wait and repeat the process the next year, competing against a fresh crop of students. It's a prospect that, historically, has come with a degree of shame attached. "The stigma can damage their chance of gaining a quality graduate position in the following year," explains Dr Kumiko Kawashima, an expert in Japan's working culture at Macquarie University in Australia. "Given this reality, it is not unheard of that professors allow final year students to concentrate on job hunting instead of turning up to class," she says. Dropping out A low point for Ms Mizuno came when she went to a job interview dressed in flat shoes, a suit jacket, trousers and tie - the typical uniform of a male job hunter. "It was very scary, I felt I couldn't take the risk. I went to the station bathroom and I took off my tie, put on makeup, changed my shoes from flats to high heels," she says. "Even after I changed my clothes at the station, I was still afraid because I had a bag that's for boys. I was scared, what if the interviewers judge me for having the wrong bag?" Not long afterwards, she dropped out of the Shukatsu process. "I thought, 'I'm losing my identity'," she says, "so I started to cover myself up. I couldn't go out at that time. I locked myself up in my apartment for three months." Dr Kawashima says she's not surprised by that story. "In the name of etiquette, Shukatsu 'experts' teach a rigid gender performance where being masculine is the opposite of being feminine and nothing in between or outside of the binary exists," she tells the BBC. "Students have little choice but to conform to those styles so as not to jeopardise their chances of landing a good job." 'Anyone can speak up' There are signs that Japan is warming up to diversity, however. A recent survey by the Kyodo news agency found that over 600 schools across Japan had relaxed their rules on gender-segregated uniforms, allowing students to dress according to their gender identity. In October Japan Airlines stopped calling passengers "ladies and gentlemen" during English-language announcements, choosing to go with the gender-neutral "all passengers" and "everyone" instead. In a case that made headlines around the world in 2019, the actress Yumi Ishikawa started an online movement called #KuToo (a play on #MeToo and the Japanese word for shoes, "kutsu") after she was forced to wear high heels every day while working at a funeral home. "I hope this campaign will change the social norm so that it won't be considered to be bad manners when women wear flat shoes like men," Ms Ishikawa told reporters at the time. As the #KuToo campaign gained international attention, Yumi Mizuno began to work as an interpreter for Ms Ishikawa, translating for her during media interviews in English. Inspired by #KuToo's impact, Ms Mizuno asked a group of like-minded people to help start a campaign called Stop #ShukatsuSexism. The campaign calls on recruiters and clothing companies to accommodate a more diverse range of people with their products. "Just one sentence on their instructions or below their instructions could change society. Like, for example, saying 'this is just a guideline, you can choose other suits, as well'," she says. "I don't want them to change everything at the same time, but I want them to try and show their effort." 'We don't have people like you' Kento Hoshi understands what it's like to be different. A victim of discrimination himself, the 26-year-old was bullied out of school for being gay when he was 14. But it was a transgender friend's Shukatsu experience that inspired him to try to change the way Japanese recruitment works. "One company wrote about diversity and inclusion activities, so she thought it would be ok for her," he says. But when she mentioned that she was transgender during her job interview, she was asked to leave. "The interviewer said, 'We don't have people like you'," Mr Hoshi says. He decided to set up a website where people could share their experiences of job interviews at various companies. That website later grew into Japan's first recruitment agency aimed at LGBT people, Job Rainbow. "If diverse people, including LGBT, can't work, it has a really bad effect on the Japanese economy. I want to make it a win-win relationship," he says. Companies forced to change This debate isn't unique to Japan. In the UK alone, moves toward accommodating a wider variety of gender identities has led to conflict over toilets, school uniforms and passports. "While Japan's case seems extreme due to the institutionalised and uniform nature of the Shukatsu process, similar gender biases abound in the business world elsewhere," says Macquarie University's Dr Kawashima. But it remains the case that the country's low birth rate and strict limits on immigration have left businesses competing for an ever-shrinking pool of fresh recruits, sparking a burst of change. In 2018, Keidanren, the federation representing many of Japan's largest companies, announced that by March 2021 the Shukatsu system would no longer run on a strict annual timetable, a move that aims to help Japanese firms compete against foreign recruiters. There have not, however, been any official moves to encourage the availability of more diverse clothing options. "Japan's shrinking and ageing population is making the search for young talent more competitive," says Dr Kawashima. "Embracing and promoting diversity during and beyond recruitment will be increasingly important if employers want to remain relevant in the eyes of capable job seekers." Kento Hoshi agrees. "We get a lot of enquiries from many huge companies who want to be more LGBT-friendly. I feel like society is changing." Yumi Mizuno's own push for change has gathered over 13,000 signatures in support of its call for companies to recognise a greater diversity of clothing options. She hopes it will benefit every job seeker. "The campaign is not only for LGBT+ people, because what's wrong is this gender binary," she says. "I want them to present all types of suits equally for each gender. Then the people like me, trans people, queer people won't think they're wrong, that they're marginalised."

जापान में दुनिया में कहीं भी नए स्नातकों के लिए सबसे तीव्र, अत्यधिक प्रतिस्पर्धी और तनावपूर्ण भर्ती प्रक्रियाओं में से एक है। जिस तरह से पुरुषों और महिलाओं से कपड़े पहनने की उम्मीद की जाती है, वह अत्यधिक कठोर अनुभव की कई मांगों में से एक है। लेकिन जैसे-जैसे कुछ लोग इस प्रणाली के खिलाफ अपनी आवाज उठाते हैं, चीजें धीरे-धीरे बदल सकती हैं।

world-africa-54692210

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-54692210

Seychelles elections: How a priest rose to become president

On his sixth attempt Wavel Ramkalawan, an Anglican cleric, has become Seychelles' president ending decades in opposition, but as Tim Ecott reports from the Indian Ocean archipelago - he now has to bring the country together.

"After 43 years we have regained democracy. The road has been long and now we will reap its rewards." There was only the merest hint of triumphalism in President Wavel Ramkalawan's acceptance speech as he addressed an audience of invited dignitaries assembled in the manicured grounds of State House. His election marks a seismic change for the islands, where the presidency has been dominated by one party since 1977. In front of the grand Victorian colonial mansion and accompanied by a military guard of honour, the 58-year-old was sworn in by the chief justice on Monday. The new president is an ordained Anglican minister, and not surprisingly his overall message was one of peace, tolerance and an appeal for all Seychellois to work together for national unity, and to overcome the divisions of so many years of political wrangling. Thanking outgoing President Danny Faure for keeping political dialogue open over the past few years, Mr Ramkalawan stressed the need for tolerance among the Seychellois people and appealed for what he called a return to civility, to a society where everyone says good morning to one another and where racial and social differences are put aside. The 115-island Indian Ocean nation 97,625population $17,400per person income 65%of GDP comes from tourism 1976gains independence from UK 1977coup sees PM Albert René installed as president 1991Multiparty democracy restored "Seychelles," said the new president, "should be an example of tolerance for the whole world. We are 115 small islands in the Indian Ocean, but we are not insular. "We will maintain friendly relations with all nations, and welcome help and assistance from our international allies whomsoever they may be." Behind the Christian sentiments expressed by the new president there is also political steel. 'Pulpit politician' This was his sixth attempt at the presidency, a journey that began when he first contested the role in 1998. He had entered politics several years earlier, and was criticised by the government for making what they saw as political statements from the pulpit during the one-party state era. He had come tantalising close to winning the presidency several times, and in 2015 lost to James Michel by only 193 votes in a second round of voting. Referring to the years in opposition, and his five previous defeats in presidential elections Mr Ramkalawan quoted Nelson Mandela: "A winner is a dreamer who never gives up." In spite of the positive messages in his inaugural address, there is no doubting the divisions within Seychellois society. It is precisely 43 years since the islands were subjected to a violent coup by Albert René, who overthrew the democratically elected government of James Mancham, the man who had led the islands to independence from the UK in 1976. Amid his appeals for peace and harmony, President Ramkalawan pointedly paid homage to Gerard Hoarau, an opponent of René assassinated in London in 1985, and whose killers have never been identified. Hoarau was not the only person who died or disappeared during the one-party era that lasted from 1977 to 1991. Many of the crimes committed during that period were exposed publicly during recent Truth and Reconciliation hearings in Seychelles. There is no doubt that those revelations harmed the chances of Mr Faure and his United Seychelles party in these elections. United Seychelles is the current name of the former Seychelles People's Progressive Front, which was in power when René so ruthlessly imprisoned and persecuted his political opponents. For all its convoluted political history in the decades since independence, the 97,000-strong population of Seychelles now faces very big challenges. The economy is heavily reliant on tourism, with around 350,000 annual visitors accounting for 65% of GDP. Covid-19 has reduced tourist arrivals to a tiny trickle, and the economy has already shrunk by around 14%. In addition, local non-governmental organisations estimate that approximately 10% of the working population, some 6,000 people, are addicted to heroin, and many are reliant on the government's methadone rehabilitation programme. As well as winning the presidency, Mr Ramkalawan's party, Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), has also won a convincing majority in the islands' national assembly. They will have 25 seats to the United Seychelles' 10. However, the president warned his parliamentarians not to become complacent. "Just because we have won, we can't sit back," he said. "We need to carry on working hard, delivering what our people deserve." You may also be interested in: One of the subtexts of Mr Ramkalawan's inaugural address is that the LDS will need to unravel decades of inefficiency, corruption and cronyism within the civil service and public administration of Seychelles. He has promised that under his presidency "no-one will be above the law". Even though the one-party state was dismantled more than 25 years ago, a small number of educated Seychellois have tended to occupy key positions and appointments have been handed out based on party loyalty rather than competence. Internationally, the new president is likely to also face challenges negotiating the tricky geopolitical order of the Indian Ocean. Just a day before the elections he reiterated that the islands' sovereignty was not for sale. India-China rivalry He was referring to a deal made by President Faure to cede control of a remote island to the Indian Navy as a base. Mr Ramkalawan is adamant this will not go ahead. However, in recent years the region has been the scene of diplomatic rivalry between India and China. India had hoped to use the Seychelles' island of Assumption to rival China's military base in Djibouti. Both China and India have made significant donations to Seychelles, although the most generous donor is the United Arabs Emirates - especially Abu Dhabi. However, fresh diplomatic overtures towards President Ramkalawan from India are highly likely, especially since he had a grandfather who emigrated to Seychelles from the Indian state of Bihar. The LDS victory has been received peacefully in Seychelles, and most people believe that it is time for a new philosophy at State House. President Ramkalawan stated clearly that his wish was for national reconciliation and for all parties to join in helping young people secure a better future. "Whatever our party," he said, "we must now concentrate on being Seychellois together."

अपने छठे प्रयास में वेवेल रामकलावन, एक एंग्लिकन मौलवी, विपक्ष में दशकों का अंत करते हुए सेशेल्स के राष्ट्रपति बन गए हैं, लेकिन जैसा कि टिम एकॉट हिंद महासागर द्वीपसमूह से रिपोर्ट करते हैं-उन्हें अब देश को एक साथ लाना है।

business-55889331

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55889331

GameStop - David and Goliath or a political fable?

Take a company that's been around for years. Think of a high street VHS video store in the age of Netflix, for example. I, a cynical financial investor, think to myself - I don't like the prospects for that company - it looks out of date, I reckon it's doomed. The shares cost £1 each - a year from now I reckon it will surely be bust.

Simon JackBusiness editor@BBCSimonJackon Twitter Thanks to the way the financial markets work there is a way I can make money out of this company's seemingly inevitable demise. I find someone who owns the shares and I borrow 1,000 of them in return for a small daily fee. I then sell the shares I've borrowed, pocketing £1,000 but I still owe the owner (I am "short") 1,000 shares. Sure enough, the shares start to fall. Everyone starts to agree with me and the shares fall to 50p. I buy those shares back for £500, give back the thousand shares I borrowed and, hey presto, I'm up £500 on the deal. If it went bust - even better, the shares cost nothing to buy back so I could have made as much as £1,000. However, what happens if after I've sold them, the company suddenly starts doing well? VHS tapes are suddenly cool again. The shares start rising to £2 - to get back the shares I borrowed and owe I would have to pay twice the money I got for selling. I am £1,000 down. Here's the scary thing for me - the amount I could lose is UNLIMITED - as the shares rise, more people pile in. Then some of the other people who have done what I've done (the other "shorts") start panicking and decide to cut their losses by buying back the shares they have borrowed and sold. This only adds to the stampede of buyers. Do I hold my nerve? If the share price goes up much further my debt will overwhelm me and I'll be ruined. That is what happened with GameStop. Some of the hedge funds who had bet against the company eventually raised the white flag and lost billions of dollars. An army of small investors started pushing the shares up, from $20 to $450, turning the tables on the cynical professionals who were betting this company would fail. A classic and romantic tale of David and Goliath - or more like the Ewoks beating the Empire. Emboldened by their success, this golden horde of small investors look around for other companies the pros had written off and betted heavily against. But hang on a minute. What are GameStop shares actually worth? $450 or $20? If I was late to this party I may have paid 20 times more than it's worth - whatever money I put is at very great risk of being lost. Small investors are being encouraged to do something manifestly bad for their own financial well-being. Investors cry foul This is where the brokers and their regulators get nervous The companies that operate the small investors' accounts start shutting down the activity before the regulators get angry. They say they are trying to protect the little guy who sees something going up and wants a piece of the action to make a few bucks. The army of small investors cry foul: you are limiting my freedoms - it's my money to do what I want with - you are protecting the establishment - where were you when the establishment was taking ludicrous risks? - oh yes, you bailed THEM out. Suddenly this is a political debate. My freedom to trade is the financial equivalent of my freedom of speech and the powers that be are silencing me. When I pointed out on Twitter that I was worried that the glee at duffing up the hedge funds would be replaced by anger and disappointment when small investors lost money they couldn't afford to, many agreed. But I was also met with some pretty stern ideological resistance. "It's their right to lose money if they want. Stopping them is scary big brother behaviour." "Wall Street turned to suppression of the regular Joe investor." "You just don't get it do you? This is not about money - it's about upsetting the control of the elites." Different motives The point here is that the army of small investors will have enlisted for different reasons. Some will hope to profit from getting in early and starting a wave of others doing the same, ride it for a bit before getting off the wave and letting it crash after they've taken their profits. Others will see something going up and think the sky's the limit to this - still plenty of time for me to profit too. And others will think - I don't really care if I lose a few bucks, sticking it to the man is the name of the game. The first group will have made money and indeed may be being infiltrated right now by the very professionals they hoped to beat. The second group will end up poorer and unhappy about it. The third may end up poorer but don't care - they have made a telling political point. The regulators have done the equivalent of what Twitter and Facebook did to Donald Trump. Even Angela Merkel - who holds no candle for Donald Trump - thought that was a mistake. With GameStop - no shots were fired, no one died, not a single window was broken. GameStop is as much a political as a financial story. You can hear more on this story on Business Daily, on the BBC World Service.

एक ऐसी कंपनी को लें जो वर्षों से चल रही है। उदाहरण के लिए, नेटफ्लिक्स के युग में एक हाई स्ट्रीट वीएचएस वीडियो स्टोर के बारे में सोचें। मैं, एक सनकी वित्तीय निवेशक, अपने आप से सोचता हूं-मुझे उस कंपनी की संभावनाएं पसंद नहीं हैं-यह पुरानी लगती है, मुझे लगता है कि यह बर्बाद हो गई है। शेयरों की कीमत प्रत्येक £1 है-अब से एक साल बाद मुझे लगता है कि यह निश्चित रूप से ध्वस्त हो जाएगा।

uk-england-tyne-19458146

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-19458146

Roker and Seaburn seafronts in Sunderland get £1m revamp

Council bosses in Sunderland have unveiled plans for a £1m revamp of the seafront areas of Roker and Seaburn.

The work will focus on Marine Walk in Roker and Seaburn's promenade. Sunderland City Council is sharing the cost with the Commission of Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe) Sea Change fund. The authority said it hoped to appoint contractors by December, with the redevelopment work completed by July next year. The project will see the installation of new street furniture, lighting and play facilities. Millions of people visit Seaburn from Sunderland's annual international air show.

सुंदरलैंड में परिषद के मालिकों ने रॉकर और सीबर्न के समुद्र तट क्षेत्रों के 1 मिलियन पाउंड के सुधार की योजना का अनावरण किया है।

uk-northern-ireland-18265567

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-18265567

Mind the gap: Alliance and the community relations debate

Last Thursday, when Alliance walked out of the cross party Cohesion, Sharing and Integration working group, I broadcast a piece on BBC Newsline which compared and contrasted what the latest draft of the CSI document contained with David Ford's bottom lines on community relations.

Mark DevenportPolitical editor, Northern Ireland@markdevenporton Twitter The draft, which dates from early May, merits lengthier quotation than I had the time for on Thursday or during Tuesday morning's story related to flags. One thing worth stressing is the document I've seen is a draft - it indicates the areas under debate, not what has been agreed. Just like the Good Friday agreement talks these discussions operate on the basis that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. On flags, Alliance demanded a framework to remove illegal flags and emblems. The draft says the Stormont parties "are committed to working with people across, and within, all sections of the community to achieve our objective of removing threatening and divisive symbols, such as flags, racist and sectarian graffiti and murals, where these are used or perceived as being used in an attempt to intimidate". Misuse The document distinguishes between paramilitary flags and "the inappropriate misuse of national flags". It says when it comes to paramilitary flags there should be "zero tolerance. There must be no place in any normal society for the celebration of a culture of violence and intimidation". The document deals with efforts by the authorities to remove paramilitary symbols through dialogue in detail. It says that the authorities may be tempted to engage in dialogue over paramilitary flags in order to minimise the potential for disorder. However it points out that there are risks to this approach in relation to building up the status of "certain individuals" or "self appointed community gatekeepers" at the expense of others who have never been associated with violence. The draft says that "the issue of the public display of flags or emblems associated with paramilitary activity in the recent conflict on main thoroughfares or in sensitive areas needs to be tackled as a priority". After I broadcast the story about "self appointed community gatekeepers" on Good Morning Ulster, an Alliance source told me most of the flags section was their idea. But not all the text can have been provided by Alliance because on my copy the section on paramilitary flags on main thoroughfares has an Alliance note attached arguing that this falls short of the 2000 law which already bans such displays. Targets An Alliance spokesperson told me the party "believed that just setting targets on what is already the law is not enough and so proposed that the document went further by having a regulatory framework to ensure the respectful and non-intimidatory and time-bound display of national flags in order to allow cultural expression and to promote and protect all public space as shared space. This was another Alliance proposal that was rejected by the other parties and led to the Alliance's withdrawal from the working group." On our school system, Alliance sought investment and targets for increased integrated education. The Stormont draft contains no targets but does say that "creating more opportunities for shared and integrated education [with a view to achieving a full shared education system in Northern Ireland] is a crucial part of breaking the cycle of sectarianism". Those square brackets could be crucial, as there's no consensus for making the single educational system a policy objective. I gather that the unionists parties and Alliance think such a commitment should be included, but both nationalist parties withheld their consent to what they view as a plan to end Catholic schools. The draft claims that the Programme for Government reflects the Executive's commitment to building a more shared learning environment and goes on to argue that "it is vital that this process addresses sectarian divisions and results in a less segregated and more shared school system". On housing, Alliance wanted a review of segregated housing and prioritisation of mixed housing. The draft document looks pretty close to this saying "mixed housing should be considered the norm" and it is "imperative that we prioritise the need to develop more shared housing and neighbourhood schemes". The draft also says "a landmark review of residential segregation and equality of housing provision" should be undertaken. Hot topic Housing near interfaces has become a particularly hot topic since the row developed over the redevelopment of the Girdwood site in North Belfast. The CSI document I have seen predates the Girdwood announcement. However it says that "housing should be only accessible to all and those making decisions on where to live should be able to do so free from the risk of intimidation or threat". But it continues to point out that "in practice, however, segregation through fear in housing represents a significant barrier to creating a more united community and achieving our vision of a society where people can live, work and socialise together." Finally concerns have been expressed by gay activists that their concerns won't be reflected in the CSI strategy. The draft I have seen does contains a specific reference to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and a target date of December 2012 for the publication of the Executive's Sexual Orientation strategy. As with the flags it's not clear which ideas on housing, education and gay issues are agreed and which are contested. For that, we shall have to wait for the finished CSI policy.

पिछले गुरुवार को, जब एलायंस क्रॉस पार्टी कोहेशन, शेयरिंग एंड इंटीग्रेशन वर्किंग ग्रुप से बाहर निकला, तो मैंने बीबीसी न्यूज़लाइन पर एक टुकड़ा प्रसारित किया, जिसमें सामुदायिक संबंधों पर डेविड फोर्ड की मुख्य बातों के साथ सी. एस. आई. दस्तावेज़ के नवीनतम मसौदे की तुलना और तुलना की गई थी।

uk-wales-45651931

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-45651931

Murder memorials: A grisly history written in stone

Wandering around the picturesque cemetery at St Catwg's church in Cadoxton, Neath, a first-time visitor might be startled out of their gentle stroll by the stark message on top of one tall, weathered stone - MURDER.

By Natalie GriceBBC News This memorial in south Wales is one of a handful of "murder stones" erected around the UK, the majority over a period of about 100 years, to commemorate violent deaths that shocked the local communities. The Cadoxton stone is dated 1823, and recounts the death of Margaret Williams, 26, who was from Carmarthenshire but was working "in service in this parish" and was found dead "with marks of violence on her person in a ditch on the march below this churchyard". Miss Williams' story, such as is known from contemporary reports, tells of an unmarried young woman who had been working for a local farmer in Neath when she became pregnant. She had declared the father of the child was the farmer's son, and when her apparently strangled body was discovered head down in a watery inlet in marshes near the town, he was the prime suspect. But whatever local opinion may have believed, there was no evidence to tie him or anyone else to the crime, and her murder remained unsolved. However, the murderer was left in no doubt as to the feelings of the local community after this stone, part gravestone and part warning, was erected over poor Margaret's body. Giving the details of her fate and the date of her death, the stone, erected by a local Quaker, continues: "Although the savage murderer escaped for a season the detection of man yet God hath set his mark upon him either for time or eternity, and the cry of blood will assuredly pursue him to certain and terrible righteous judgement." This unsolved killing is unusual in the history of the surviving murder stones in that the murderer escaped justice. Most of the other memorials are to people whose killers were quickly detected, sentenced and dispatched via the gallows. Dr Jan Bondeson, a retired senior lecturer at Cardiff University and a consultant physician, has made a study of the history of crime alongside his medical career and has written a number of books on the subject. He became interested in murder stones after editing a book which featured them. He said: "The murder stone in Cadoxton is the only one in Wales. There are plenty of them in England. "There was an instinct for the local people to erect them. There was a strong instinct to commemorate a tragic murder." Dr Bondeson has documented several further murder stones across the English counties, and one early example of the type in Scotland. One murder stone has been immortalised by no less a writer than Charles Dickens himself. In the novel Nicholas Nickleby, the eponymous hero walks through the ominously named Devil's Punch Bowl at Hindhead in Surrey. There, he and his companion come across the real-life stone marking the 1786 murder of a man known only as the Unknown Sailor. The unnamed man was en route to his ship in Portsmouth when he visited a local pub in Thursley. There he fell in with three fellow sailors, and paid for their drinks and food before leaving with them. The sailor was repaid for his generosity in the following way: They "nearly severed his head from his body, stripped him quite naked and threw him into a valley". The three did not get far. The sailor's body was found soon after, and James Marshall, Michael Casey and Edward Lonegon were chased and captured after trying to sell the dead man's clothes at a pub. They were hanged from a triple gibbet near the murder scene, and the unknown man was buried in Thursley with a stone paid for by local people. But the local mill owner, James Stillwell, went a step further. He placed a stone in Devil's Punch Bowl itself, with this grim warning to future generations: "ERECTED, In detestation of a barbarous Murder, Committed here on an unknown Sailor, On Sep, 24th 1786, By Edwd. Lonegon, Mich. Casey & Jas. Marshall "Who were all taken the same day, And hung in Chains near this place, Whoso sheddeth Man's Blood by Man shall his, Blood be shed. Gen Chap 9 Ver 6" Dr Bondeson said the majority of the stones appeared around the 1820s, adding "That was the high level for the erecting of murder stones. All of them are in the country - none are in urban areas." Elizabeth - Bessie - Sheppard was just 17 when she set out from her home in Papplewick, Nottingham, on 7 July 1817, to seek work as a servant in Mansfield, seven miles away. She found a job, but she never found her way back home, because on her return journey, a travelling knife grinder found her. Charles Rotherham, a man in his early 30s, had served as a soldier in the Napoleonic wars for 12 years before beginning this new stage in his life. He was seen on the road coming from Mansfield after drinking several pints where his path crossed Bessie's. Her severely battered body was found in a ditch by quarrymen the next day. Her shoes and distinctive yellow umbrella were missing and there was evidence her attacker had tried to remove her dress but had failed. Rotherham had sold Bessie's shoes and was on his way to Loughborough when he was arrested. He confessed to the crime and was returned to the scene where he showed a constable the hedge stake he had used to kill Bessie. Like all murderers at the time, Rotherham swung for his crime. Local people, outraged by the attack, banded together to raise money for a stone to commemorate Bessie, which was placed on the site where she was attacked. Bessie's stone simply honours the memory of the dead girl, but another stone erected to a female victim of violence has more of a moral tone, seemingly warning women against certain behaviour as much as expressing anger with the killer. "As a warning to Female Virtue, and a humble Monument to Female Chastity: this Stone marks the Grave of MARY ASHFORD, who, in the twentieth year of her age, having incautiously repaired to a scene of amusement, without proper protection, was brutally violated and murdered on the 27th of May, 1817." The story behind Mary Ashford's death and its aftermath is one which left a permanent mark on English legal history. She had gone to a dance in Erdington, Birmingham, with her friend Hannah Cox, whom she planned to stay with overnight before returning to her place of work at her uncle's house in a neighbouring village. At the dance, she met a local landowner's son, Abraham Thornton, and later reports confirmed the pair spent most of the night dancing together and having fun. When they left the dance, Mary told her friend she would spend the night at her grandparents' home - possibly a ploy to spend more time with Thornton - and Mary and he went off together. Mary returned to Hannah's house at 4am, changed her dancing clothes for her working clothes, collected some parcels and set out for her uncle's home. About two hours later a labourer found a bundle of clothing and parcels on the path leading to Mary's home. The alarm was raised and her body was found submerged in a water-filled pit. An autopsy showed she had drowned and had been raped shortly before her death. You may also like: People believed Thornton, having been rebuffed by Mary during their hours together, had lain in wait for her to return home and raped her before throwing her into the pit to drown. He was duly arrested and tried, but a number of witnesses placed him at another location at the time of Mary's death and he was acquitted. But the story does not end there. Mary's brother William Ashford began a private prosecution under an obscure ancient law, which allowed relatives of murder victims to bring an "appeal of murder" following an acquittal. Thornton had a surprise up his sleeve though. In response, he demanded a trial by combat as was his right under that law, under which he could legally have killed Ashford, or if he defeated him, gone free. Ashford was much smaller than Thornton, and declined the battle. Thornton was a free man, and the case was swiftly followed by a change in the law in 1819, banning such appeals and therefore trial by battle. Other victims include: The last word goes to those who chose to commemorate Nicholas Carter, a 55-year-old farmer from Bedale, Yorkshire, killed by a farm labourer as he rode home from market. The stone laid at the murder site in Akebar - later to become a Grade II listed monument which hit the headlines earlier this year when it was badly broken in a car crash - had a very simple message, along with the date of his death, May 19, 1826. Do No Murder.

नीथ के कैडॉक्सटन में सेंट कैटवग चर्च में सुरम्य कब्रिस्तान के चारों ओर घूमते हुए, पहली बार आने वाले व्यक्ति को एक लंबे, वातावरण वाले पत्थर-मर्डर के ऊपर के कठोर संदेश से उनकी कोमल सैर से चौंका दिया जा सकता है।

uk-england-cambridgeshire-56216488

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-56216488

Katy Sprague: The family piecing together an 'avoidable murder'

Katy Sprague was strangled to death in the common room at a block of flats for people with mental health issues. Her family had long-held concerns for her safety. New details of her killer's violent past have amplified their search for answers over a death they feel could have been avoided.

By Phil ShepkaBBC News, Cambridgeshire In the months before she was murdered, Katy Sprague had become worried the man living in the flat below was becoming more and more unwell. He would often disturb her late at night, "banging around and being sick"; on occasions he was found lying in the foetal position in a communal corridor. Her family raised their concerns to staff but say they were played down - each of the residents of Denham Place lived there because they needed help with their mental health. But, all around, the support for her sister was becoming more threadbare, says Rebecca Sprague. Katy, 51, had been living at the block in Cambridge for 13 years, having struggled with acute anxiety for more than two decades. In Denham Place, morale among staff appeared low. Elsewhere, social clubs were closing and activities halted - part of a "gradual, steady decline" in services which had left "nothing for people with mental health issues to go to". That fraying safety net around Katy has become a key focus for the family as they piece together the factors that led to Katy's death at the hands of Zac Jackson, the man who lived downstairs. Her murder has already sparked two separate independent reviews into the organisations whose job it was to care for Katy. In their victim impact statement to the court, her family said they believed her death was "preventable" and "avoidable". But a string of details that emerged at Jackson's murder trial has left them asking how an unstable man with a history of violence towards women - who requested to be sectioned hours before he killed her - was left alone with her, with no staff around. "[People with mental health problems] cannot be left to basically fend for themselves in the wider community without adequate support," Rebecca says. "Obviously, mental health services have been cut to the bare bones, and some of the results are people are dying because of this." Katy had a young mental age and had suffered from anxiety since around the time of her father John's sudden death. She was a caring and thoughtful person, says Rebecca, describing her as someone who "enjoyed life, but became very, very anxious over seemingly quite simple situations". Katy lived in the flat above Jackson and, though the two were not friends, they would occasionally bump into one another in Cambridge's bookshops. The 38-year-old's flat was piled high with Star Trek magazines and books on conspiracy theories, from the Moon landings to the Kennedy assassination. He had been diagnosed with an anti-social and emotionally unstable personality disorder, and had spent several periods at Fulbourn Hospital, a nearby mental health facility in Cambridgeshire. It was a place he knew well, and where he wanted to return to on the day he murdered Katy. On the morning of 27 November 2019, he was visited by a community psychiatric nurse for his fortnightly anti-psychotic injection. In his flat, Jackson told her he wanted to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act at Fulbourn - then attempted to strangle her. She pushed him away and went to tell a manager but, following her, Jackson told her he was "going to kill her, kill the manager and kill Katy". The nurse called the mental health crisis team to attend to Jackson but was told was no-one was available to assess him until the next day. The news seemed to placate Jackson. Later that day, with no staff on site at Denham Place, Jackson strangled Katy to death in the common room. At his trial in February, it emerged that Jackson had a history of strangulation attempts, though no previous convictions. Katy's family learned he had tried to strangle a support worker in 2018. Two further incidents happened at Fulbourn Hospital; one in 2016 and another in 2002, when he attempted to strangle his mother. 'Warning signs' The court was told that, as a child, Jackson had witnessed violence between his parents, both Class A drug addicts who later died from overdoses. As an adult, he would provoke altercations with random women in the street, the court was told, making disparaging remarks before confronting them if they challenged him. "The warning signs were there," says Rebecca. "He shouldn't have been left in minimal supported housing and very unsupported. "He obviously didn't want to be in Denham Place. He didn't, as far as we know, have any family support. "More regard should have been taken to the fact he did have this history of violence and, we later learned, it seems to be violence particularly towards women." Jailing Jackson for life, the judge Mr Justice Bryan described him as "something of a loner, and reclusive". He said his outburst about killing Katy was "rightly [seen as a] cry for help" as he wanted to be sectioned - a tactic he had used before. 'Threat to kill' But Katy's family say questions remain over the response of the crisis team, which did not respond when called, and how Denham Place staff responded after Jackson's outburst in the manager's office. "Katy certainly was not aware there was any threat to kill her otherwise she wouldn't have been in the common room on her own with him," says Rebecca. The common room of the 16-flat complex had long been a source of concern to Katy's family, and they raised fears over it being open when support staff were not on site - just as on the day of the murder. They also say Katy had previously been physically assaulted there by another resident - not her killer. Her family believe if their concerns had been fully addressed, Katy would be alive today. A local safeguarding adults review is now under way into the case, as well as an NHS review. When contacted by the BBC, each agency said they were waiting for the outcome of that review. Julian Hendy runs the charity Hundred Families, which supports those affected by mental health homicides. He says Jackson was "clearly a very troubled man with concerning history of threatening innocent women". "There are serious questions to be asked if he was receiving the appropriate level of supervision at Denham Place, and whether services responded quickly enough when he asked to be sectioned," he says. "If they had been able to respond sooner, Katy might still be with us today." Cambridgeshire County Council says the review being done on behalf of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board will be made public "at the appropriate time". "The local authority and partners will ensure that there is an open and transparent process to make sure that any lessons learnt are shared," a spokeswoman for the authority says. The council has commissioned Sanctuary Supported Living to operate Denham Place's day-to-day support since 2017. A spokesman for Sanctuary Supported Living says: "Our thoughts remain with Katy's family during this very difficult time. "We are co-operating fully with the [review] being conducted on behalf of the local authority and await the outcome." A spokesman for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the crisis team, says: "We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Katy's family and friends. "We are supporting the review... to make sure that any lessons from this incident are acted on." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk

कैटी स्प्रेग की मानसिक स्वास्थ्य के मुद्दों वाले लोगों के लिए फ्लैटों के एक ब्लॉक में आम कमरे में गला दबाकर हत्या कर दी गई थी। उसके परिवार को उसकी सुरक्षा के लिए लंबे समय से चिंता थी। उसके हत्यारे के हिंसक अतीत के नए विवरणों ने एक मौत पर जवाब के लिए उनकी खोज को बढ़ा दिया है जो उन्हें लगता है कि टाला जा सकता था।

uk-northern-ireland-14636081

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-14636081

Edwin Poots plans ban on cigarette vending machines

Health Minister Edwin Poots has said he hopes to ban tobacco sales from vending machines in Northern Ireland from next February.

It would be the latest in a series of measures taken by the Department of Health concerning tobacco sales. They include an attempt to introduce regulations banning the display of tobacco products at point of sale as well as vending machines. Mr Poots said he would consider views from everyone involved in the business. He added it could be next spring before the ban on displaying products was introduced.

स्वास्थ्य मंत्री एडविन पूट्स ने कहा है कि उन्हें उम्मीद है कि अगले फरवरी से उत्तरी आयरलैंड में वेंडिंग मशीनों से तंबाकू की बिक्री पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया जाएगा।

uk-wales-north-west-wales-32164147

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-32164147

Unique art exhibition unveiled on Anglesey

A unique art exhibition has been unveiled on Anglesey, with giant canvasses displayed at the exact beauty spots where they were painted.

The 2.5 metre-tall acrylic oil canvasses, dubbed 'Four on Anglesey' depict iconic views from the island. They were painted over the course of a week by landscape artist Anthony Garratt and hoisted on to steel structures. It is hoped residents and visitors will be inspired and do a double take. They depict views of Caernarfon, Snowdonia, the Great Orme, the Llyn Peninsula and the Irish Sea and will be on display until October. The paintings were commissioned by owner of the Menai Holiday Cottages Bun Matthews, who wanted a "unique" celebration. She hopes residents and visitors will do a 'double take' on the view.

एंग्लेसी पर एक अनूठी कला प्रदर्शनी का अनावरण किया गया है, जिसमें सटीक सौंदर्य स्थलों पर विशाल कैनवस प्रदर्शित किए गए हैं जहां उन्हें चित्रित किया गया था।

world-africa-18506474

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-18506474

Out of Ethiopia: Is international adoption an ethical business?

International adoption is big business in Ethiopia and the country accounts for almost one in five international adoptions in the US, but how ethical is the process? BBC Africa's Hewete Haileselassie reports in this article which appeared in the latest issue of our Focus on Africa magazine.

Twenty-five years after leaving Ethiopia, Matthews Teshome decided to come home from the United States. This time for good. He had left much behind in April 2007 - most notably a successful career in IT. But his reason was simple. "There is work to be done," he said at the time. Soon after returning to the capital, Addis Ababa, he befriended a young boy he saw running errands and shining shoes around his hotel. Zeberga, who was then 13, used the little money he made to clothe and feed himself, pay his uncle rent, put himself through night school and send money back to his mother in rural Ethiopia. "As I was in the country to help out, if I couldn't help this boy then I wasn't doing much," says Mr Matthews, who was determined that Zeberga should return to school full-time. After promising to continue the monthly $3 (£2) remittance, he received permission from Zeberga's uncle and his mother to support Zeberga. Within months the young boy had moved in with Mr Matthews, who employed a lawyer to facilitate the adoption process not only of Zeberga but also of his younger sister who was working as a maid in the capital. Drawn to Ethiopia Meanwhile, 8,000 miles (13,000 km) away, in the US, Bridget Shaughnessy gave birth to her daughter Elia. It was also April 2007. In the final weeks of her pregnancy, Mrs Shaughnessy was diagnosed with a rare birth complication which meant that the baby had to be delivered early. Elia arrived safely but her birth was both traumatic and risky for Mrs Shaughnessy. As she and her husband Luke watched Elia grow up in Denver, Colorado, they decided that adoption was the only way to complete their family. They both felt drawn to Ethiopia, its culture and history, and so made contact with an agency specialising in international adoptions. That was the beginning of a three-year process that ended in their bringing their son Teshale home from Ethiopia. Back in Addis Ababa, Mr Matthews says the biggest obstacle he initially faced in the adoption process was being a single man with no biological children of his own. But once the authorities were convinced of his motives and character, the process proved less difficult than he had anticipated. While it is common in Ethiopia for families to incorporate children of relatives into their own households, formal and legal adoptions remain the preserve of foreigners. Parents vetted Official Ethiopian data is hard to come by but Dagnachew Tesfaye, a lawyer who has handled many adoptions for the country's children and youth affairs office, estimates that there are around 5,000 international adoptions a year from Ethiopia. Almost 19% of all children adopted from abroad and taken to the US come from Ethiopia, according to the US department of State - the most famous case being actress Angelina Jolie and her daughter Zahara. It costs up to $25,000 to adopt a child to take abroad. In contrast, Mr Matthews says he paid roughly $300 for his own in-country adoption. Mr Dagnachew, who has also presided as judge in many high profile international adoptions, says that while the fees are high - leading to accusations of impropriety in some cases - the government is in no way profiting. He adds that the amounts paid to the courts in processing fees, for example, were "laughably small", with the difference being taken by the agencies who handled the foreign adoptions. Mr Dagnachew explains that the Ethiopian government sees international adoption as one of the measures used to tackle the country's large number of orphans - said to be five million, from a population of 85 million. The United Nations defines an orphan as a child having one or more dead parents. The Ethiopian ministry of women's affairs is also putting in place various checks to ensure that the adoptive families are thoroughly vetted. This can include visits to children in their new homes abroad. 'Amazing moment' Mrs Shaughnessy, who blogs at www.stickymangofeet.com, says that she was drawn to Ethiopia because of its "open" and "ethical" adoption process. She also points out that children maintain access to information about their birth families. In fact, soon after she contacted the adoption agency in Minnesota that would link her to a government orphanage in Ethiopia, she had a home visit from a government representative. She describes the moment when she took the telephone call that informed her she had been allocated a child as "surreal - very exciting. A really amazing moment." The Shaughnessys travelled to Ethiopia in November to meet Teshale and to start the process of taking him to the US. Mrs Shaughnessy says that by the time they met him in an orphanage in Addis Ababa - where he had been for almost a year since being placed there by his birth mother - "we had already fallen in love with him, but he didn't know who we were." As for Teshale, who was not yet two at the time, Mrs Shaughnessy says he was scared and overwhelmed. "He knew something was happening but not what," she says. She spoke of tears each time he left the orphanage to spend time with them. Once in the US, she kept her son's Ethiopian name as part of honouring what his birth mother had given him. She added that she keeps in close touch with other adoptive families who also have Ethiopian children. Controversial practice But this still remains a highly controversial practice. One high-profile former adoptee is a United Kingdom-based poet and playwright, Lemn Sissay. He entered the British care system in the 1960s having been given up for adoption by his mother who gave birth in England before returning to Ethiopia. He says that non-Africans should be closely "monitored" when seeking to adopt African children and that while many good adopting parents exist, "having an African baby is often a sign to non-African adopters of their philanthropic, political, familial or religious credentials." Ultimately, he says, "taking a child from another culture is an act of aggression". Selamawit (not her real name), an independent consultant who works with women's affairs organisations in Addis Ababa, shares Mr Lemn's concerns about screening adoptive families but says that "adoption in principle is not a bad thing" although it is best for children to remain with their birth families or, failing that, the extended family. She argues that in Ethiopia adoption has become far too lucrative a business where children's interests seem secondary. She also says there is a pressing need to monitor internal adoptions, formal or otherwise, as children can be subjected to child labour when sent to live with family members. These cases tend to fall outside monitoring mechanisms. Selamawit suggests that the money should be reinvested into the orphanages to help those children left behind. Five years on from being adopted, Zeberga is legally an adult and his sister is 16. Their father, Mr Matthews, runs a successful restaurant in Addis Ababa and says that some of his colleagues who were the most wary of his plans to adopt later became the most supportive. "Adopting has become one of the best experiences of my life," he says. Mrs Shaughnessy echoes these sentiments saying of her son Teshale: "We are beyond in love with him. I don't even know how to make sense of it, it's amazing what happened."

इथोपिया में अंतर्राष्ट्रीय गोद लेना एक बड़ा व्यवसाय है और अमेरिका में लगभग पाँच में से एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय गोद लेने के लिए देश जिम्मेदार है, लेकिन यह प्रक्रिया कितनी नैतिक है? बीबीसी अफ्रीका के हेवेट हेलसेलासी ने इस लेख में बताया है जो हमारे फोकस ऑन अफ्रीका पत्रिका के नवीनतम अंक में प्रकाशित हुआ था।

uk-wales-23694202

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-23694202

Wales unemployment rises by 1,000 to 122,000 in last three months

Unemployment in Wales has risen by 1,000 in the last three months with 122,000 people out of work, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has said.

The rate remains at 8.2% as it was for the period between January and March while the figure is 4,000 lower than the same period last year. The number of people on Jobseekers Allowance fell by 1,800 to 73,400. Figures also show 21,000 more people in work in Wales compared to last year and 5,000 more than the last three months. The UK unemployment total fell by 4,000 to 2.51 million - a rate of 7.8% and above the new target of 7% set by the Bank of England. Bank governor Mark Carney announced the target last week, saying interest rates would be unlikely to be raised until UK unemployment came down to 7%.

राष्ट्रीय सांख्यिकी कार्यालय (ओ. एन. एस.) ने कहा है कि पिछले तीन महीनों में वेल्स में बेरोजगारी में 1,000 की वृद्धि हुई है और 122,000 लोग काम से बाहर हो गए हैं।

world-europe-23373731

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23373731

Amid Greek austerity, plunder of priceless treasures

The financial crisis in Greece has already had far-reaching consequences for many people, but now it is claiming a new casualty as some of the country's ancient treasures become a target for thieves.

By Theopi SkarlatosBBC Fast Track, Athens Detective Gergios Tsoukalis puffs nervously on his cigar. In the passenger's seat of a taxi, he grapples with four different mobile phones as he tries to co-ordinate the arrest of yet another antiquities smuggler. As the driver pulls into the port, he sees ahead of him that plainclothes police officers have already pounced on the unassuming man, who is completely shocked by the early-morning operation. As he is being bundled into a van, one of the officers shouts at him: "How many of you are there? Don't mess me around. How many?" Mr Tsoukalis is less concerned with the accused. He is following the trail of the treasure. He heads straight to the back of the suspect's vehicle and pulls out a bag to confirm that these are the stolen artefacts. "These are them, here are the coins," he says with relief, immediately lighting up another cigar. These moments are what the detective lives for. Vulnerable artefacts Hunting down illegal traders and saving timeless ancient objects does not just provide him with a rush of adrenaline or a satisfying buzz. First and foremost, he does this job because he is Greek and cannot stand to see his country's most valuable and vulnerable artefacts in the wrong hands. There has been a rise in the last three years in illegal trading. According to police reports, there has been a 30% increase since the crisis took hold in 2009. Mr Tsoukalis believes the most popular buyers are Russians, Chinese and Latin Americans. "In the last few years with the crisis, people who have reached their limits have become more easily tempted," he says. "They are more likely to either sell antiquities in their possession or search for them in abandoned excavation sites, in order to sell what they find to dealers who take them abroad. "We've tracked down ancient Greek antiquities as far away as Colombia - in the hands of drug dealers". In February, he received a call from one man determined to do the right thing. Yiannis Dendrinellis, from the coastal town of Derveni in Corinthia, came across what he has now been told could be the site of an ancient temple. He found a bag left at the side of the road where someone had been digging. "Inside there were some old coins and parts of small statues. You read stories about people finding treasure, but it can't be compared to finding it yourself with your own hands. It was amazing, just something else." Yiannis will receive a small share of the value of his find because he contacted the authorities. He is still waiting to hear more about its worth. Inadequate protection From the onset of the financial crisis in Greece, it became easier for people to steal and sell on artefacts because many sites, including those still being excavated are not adequately protected. "Some islands only have one guard to protect and maintain all of the ancient sites," says Despina Koutsoumba, of the Association of Greek Archaeologists. "How can he do his job properly? Things are being stolen all the time. Only recently a man was arrested and caught with a Macedonian tomb - and inside the entire warrior's outfit. We didn't even know it existed until the man who took it was arrested." Her main worry is ensuring the maintenance and security of the already registered artefacts in Greece's museums. In December 2012, the finance ministry took control of the archaeological fund containing all the profits from museum ticket sales - a budget of 2m euros (£1.72m). "We have not seen this money since December last year and this money is needed to keep our museums running properly. Not only can we not afford toilet paper and petrol for our drivers, but we haven't been able to pay our electricity, water and phone bills, since last year. "So you can imagine what this means for a museum, to be threatened and have its electricity cut off, what that means for its operations and what that means for its alarms," she said. The Ministry of Culture stresses it is doing all it can to protect Greece's most important sites and museums. Maria Vlazaki, General Director of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage says: "There are a lot of people employed to guard Greece's most important sites, but of course there are less than before. "As there are fewer employees in all other sectors, we have the same problem with this one. But we have done all the work we can to protect our museums and archaeological sites and keep them safe. I know it is a difficult situation, but we try hard". Last week the government secured another bailout instalment from the troika of international creditors, the EU, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB). In return, a further 25,000 public sector workers will be dismissed and all ministries will be affected. Those working for the Ministry of Culture are waiting nervously to find out not only if their jobs will be protected, but also the ancient antiquities behind glass cases - and those yet to be discovered. Fast Track can be seen on BBC World News at 03.30, 13.30 and 18.30 GMT on Saturdays and 06.30 GMT on Sundays.

यूनान में वित्तीय संकट के पहले से ही कई लोगों के लिए दूरगामी परिणाम रहे हैं, लेकिन अब यह एक नए नुकसान का दावा कर रहा है क्योंकि देश के कुछ प्राचीन खजाने चोरों के लिए एक लक्ष्य बन गए हैं।

uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-56602894

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-56602894

'Long Covid has destroyed me but I am fighting back'

Health coach Jasmine Hayer had to give up her life in London and move back in with her parents after catching Covid. Now she is focused on a twin goal - battling back to health while helping others get the right treatment for Long Covid.

By Charlie JonesBBC News For someone who coaches people on how to live a healthy life, the concept of not being able to move her body was unthinkable for Jasmine. She was training to be a yoga teacher and thrived on life in the capital, with a busy social life that suited her extrovert personality. Last March, she noticed that she couldn't taste or smell anything, following a week of flu-like symptoms. It was the start of a month of "hell", stuck at home with her flatmate who was also suffering with the virus. The 31-year-old spent much of that month terrified, as she struggled to catch a breath. Doctors told her not to go to hospital because she didn't have a fever or cough, so she waited it out at home. She thought she was getting better until a relapse in May left her gasping for air. Even walking around the house made her lungs "feel as though they were on fire", she says. In June, she tried to do 10 minutes of stretching but it left her bed-bound for a week. "It felt like my lungs were allergic to movement," she says. She then developed a rash all over her arms and felt as though "ants were crawling all over me". Weight loss, irregular menstrual cycles, acid reflux, an increased heart-rate, palpitations and insomnia were just a few of the long list of symptoms she experienced. She began to feel anxious and depressed and would cry uncontrollably several times a day. In November, she made the difficult decision to move back in with her parents in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, to focus on her recovery. "I realised making my bed left me breathless for days so I needed help," she says. Doctors continually dismissed her symptoms as anxiety and she says it was "heartbreaking" that she had no medical evidence of the disease. She felt "desperately alone" until she tested positive for antibodies and finally began to be taken more seriously. Her lungs slowly started to improve and she thought she was turning a corner until she went for a long, slow walk a few weeks later. She describes the fallout as a "firestorm". A feeling of tightness in her chest developed into a "tornado" sensation that "ripped through" her lungs and "stabbed" her in the heart. "It felt like I was dying. It was like all of the life was being sucked out of me." Her respiratory specialist ran an X-ray, blood tests and an electrocardiogram which all came back normal. He told her that "her lungs were fine and she may be experiencing trauma from Covid". Dr William Man, the head of the Royal Brompton Hospital's chest clinic, started treating her in December, as part of a clinic seeing 100 severe long Covid cases in the UK. Jasmine describes it as a "complete game changer". She learned she had developed a "dysfunctional breathing pattern" due to experiencing low oxygen levels. A lung gas transfer test showed her breathing levels to be 53%, the same level as a patient with lung disease, and doctors found an obstruction at the top of her right lung, which they believe to be mini blood clots. She started blood-thinning medication in February as a "matter of urgency" to try to clear the clots. An echocardiagram also showed a build-up of fluid around her heart. She also tested positive for Epstein-Barr antibodies, the virus that causes glandular fever. She is hoping more research will be done in this area to establish whether there is a link between the two. Later this month she will have further scans to see if the blood thinners are working and whether the fluid around her heart has decreased. "Long Covid has basically destroyed me," she says. "It has left me physically and mentally imprisoned. "I am a shell of myself and I am grieving the person I used to be. But I am fighting back." What is long Covid? Source: ONS/NHS Other so-called "long haulers" are not getting the help they need because they face "such a battle" to be taken seriously, she worries. She decided to start a blog to document her symptoms and wants to share her story as widely as possible in the hope of helping others. "I've had messages from around the world and I was so happy to hear that one girl has shown her doctor my blog and he is giving her more tests as a result," she says. "I know how lonely and scary it is when you are fighting to be believed. You are literally on your own." She is hopeful that one day she will return to London and finish her training to be a yoga teacher. While she still struggles to exercise and talk for long periods of time, she is enjoying writing and hopes it can help her voice be heard. "This is going to be a long journey for me and I really want to use it to do something good. "I have learned so much, now I just want to share it with other people, including the doctors who are dealing with this new and complex condition." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk Related Internet Links Jasmine Hayer

स्वास्थ्य प्रशिक्षक जैस्मीन हेयर को लंदन में अपना जीवन त्यागना पड़ा और कोविड की चपेट में आने के बाद अपने माता-पिता के साथ वापस लौटना पड़ा। अब वह एक दोहरे लक्ष्य पर ध्यान केंद्रित कर रही है-लंबे कोविड के लिए सही उपचार प्राप्त करने में दूसरों की मदद करते हुए स्वास्थ्य के लिए वापस संघर्ष करना।

world-europe-guernsey-22263600

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-22263600

Guernsey and Hong Kong sign tax agreement

A taxation agreement signed by Guernsey and Hong Kong is an important step in growing business links, Guernsey's chief minister has said.

Deputy Peter Harwood said it would "resolve issues relating to potential double taxation" and "lead to greater opportunities for new business". Since 2011 Guernsey has signed six of the double taxation agreements. Rob Gray, director of income tax, said they helped stop people and companies being charged in both jurisdictions. Deputy Harwood said one with Luxembourg would be signed shortly. Last week the chief minister signed a tax information exchange agreement with the British Virgin Islands - the 41st such accord to be reached. A policy council spokesman said: "This network of agreements covers the majority of G20 countries and EU member states."

ग्वेर्नसे के मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा है कि ग्वेर्नसे और हांगकांग द्वारा हस्ताक्षरित एक कराधान समझौता बढ़ते व्यावसायिक संबंधों की दिशा में एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम है।

uk-scotland-tayside-central-20642563

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-20642563

Bug closes ward at Dundee's Royal Victoria Hospital

A virus known to cause vomiting and diarrhoea has prompted the closure of a hospital ward in Dundee.

NHS Tayside has closed ward 4 at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) to new admissions following several suspected cases of norovirus or winter vomiting bug. Health officials said the move was taken as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, ward 5 at Ninewells hospital in Dundee has reopened following an outbreak of norovirus. The health board said all appropriate infection control measures had been put in place at the RVH. NHS Tayside is urging people who may be feeling unwell or experiencing vomiting and diarrhoea not to visit their friends and family members who are in hospital for at least 48 hours.

उल्टी और दस्त का कारण बनने वाले एक वायरस ने डंडी में एक अस्पताल के वार्ड को बंद करने के लिए प्रेरित किया है।

magazine-22217676

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22217676

Marikana mine massacre casts long shadow

South Africa changed irrevocably when apartheid was abolished and the African National Congress came to power. But in an emotional return to the country of his youth, the British MP and former government minister Peter Hain came face to face with the bitter legacy of last year's shootings at the Marikana mine.

It was a moving homecoming. I returned to my old school where in Pretoria, in my day in the early 1960s, apartheid decreed it was for whites only. This time, I witnessed blacks and whites, friends and students together. I interviewed an old comrade of my anti-apartheid parents in the Supreme Courtroom, where Nelson Mandela had been on trial for his life in 1964 and where that same year a close family friend had been sentenced to death. The emotional turmoil of those grim apartheid years coming flooding back. I met Dikgang Moseneke who told me how, as a frightened 15-year-old on a treason charge, my mother Adelaine had comforted him by bringing him a bar of his cherished chocolate every day - until he was sentenced to 10 years on Robben Island. He is now South Africa's acclaimed Deputy Chief Justice. I was thrilled to witness multi-racial cricket played at Cape Town's international arena, Newlands, Table Mountain majestic behind. After my parents were forced to leave in 1966 for exile in Britain, I led protests in the UK to disrupt all-white South African rugby and cricket tours. Then I could only hope and believe that this would bring about change - here at Newlands was the proof, visible all around me. After Nelson Mandela walked to freedom from 27 years in prison, later to lead his country, he began a process of joyous transformation from evil and bitterness. South Africa today is an amazing and beautiful country to visit, with an infectious spirit of energy and liberation. But I was dismayed to find rampant corruption - and bitter resentment directed towards the African National Congress which freed the country but whose leaders are now widely accused, by their own supporters, of self-enrichment. And one word came up time and again: "Marikana". Last August's terrible police massacre of striking black miners - killing 34 and injuring 78 - symbolises a crisis facing the country. At Lonmin's Marikana Platinum mine north-west of Johannesburg, I heard shocking stories of cold-blooded executions and torture - reminiscent of some of the worst atrocities of apartheid. Lawyers representing families of the dead and injured told me, on the margins of an official Commission of Inquiry, that the massacre seemed pre-planned. This is denied by the police and Lonmin. At least under the country's vibrant multi-racial democracy the truth will come out whereas under apartheid, barbarity was invariably covered up. But it was still shocking to hear a white police ballistics expert confirm to the inquiry that the machine guns used against the defenceless miners were "weapons of war". It was equally chilling to read a letter sent on 13 August 2012 - three days before the massacre - from Lonmin to the Minister of Mines, asking for the full force of the state to be brought to bear on the strikers. I put this to the CEO of Lonmin, Simon Scott, who denied it was an appeal for violence. The Marikana Commission will have to decide whether the killings were premeditated. But no wonder the widows and their lawyers saw events as sinister, not simply tragic. Walking amid rows of macabre white crosses to mark the dead, I concluded that Marikana was indeed a turning point, as former ANC government minister and struggle leader Ronnie Kasrils told me. "I believe it's an actual watershed which the ruling party needs to understand. I feel that we have lost our way to quite a degree," he said. "South Africa's got to re-think its economic position. If we can't find a way to deal with the needs of the workers of this country we are… facing [a] crisis." Not only was it horrific, but the clash between the London Stock Exchange-listed company and its poor black workers suggests that - although democracy came with human rights entrenched for all - the inequalities of apartheid are unchanged. A new, black elite has been co-opted into the white business establishment - a few even becoming billionaires. Lonmin has just appointed a black African Chief Executive, Ben Magara. But the fundamentals of an economy run for a 9% white minority seem unreformed. The ANC government of President Zuma has a mountain to climb - apartheid bequeathed to Mandela and his followers a harsh inheritance. Insatiable demand for new housing means nobody could have expected enough homes to be built - though fully three million have been. Nobody could have imagined that education could have been totally transformed from serving whites only - though the number of black children at school has doubled. Millions have also received running water and electricity under the ANC. Yet so much more could have been achieved if corruption hadn't become almost institutionalised, blocking proper delivery of vital services. And this, I discovered, is what is breeding daily and country-wide community protests, in which two million people were involved last year. Frustration recently erupted into violence at Marikana and in the stunning wine-producing valleys of the Western Cape where I also travelled. But despite everything, I am optimistic. This is still a country with enormous natural resources, good infrastructure and long established administrative mechanisms. Whatever the failings of its local and national leaders, most ANC policies remain admirable. The spirit of Mandela remains strong despite his grave frailty. There is a fine constitution entrenching freedoms. Importantly, there is a vociferous parliamentary opposition and independent pressure groups demanding civil liberties, transparency and honest government. And above all for me personally, the rainbow nation is still an inspirational star compared with the depravity and brutality of apartheid. Watch Peter Hain MP's film South Africa: The Massacre that Changed a Nation on BBC Two at 21:00 BST on Wednesday 24 April and afterwards on the BBC iPlayer.

जब रंगभेद को समाप्त कर दिया गया और अफ्रीकी राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस सत्ता में आई तो दक्षिण अफ्रीका अपरिवर्तनीय रूप से बदल गया। लेकिन अपनी युवावस्था के देश में एक भावनात्मक वापसी में, ब्रिटिश सांसद और पूर्व सरकारी मंत्री पीटर हेन को पिछले साल मारिकाना खदान में हुई गोलीबारी की कड़वी विरासत का सामना करना पड़ा।

uk-england-london-41259697

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-41259697

Injuries increase as teens 'accepting' of knife culture

An increasing number of teenagers in London are being injured by knives, figures obtained by the BBC show. But why are teens continuing to carry knives - and what's it like growing up in this environment?

By Rebecca CafeBBC News Twelve-year-old Imani Bennett is well aware of the danger of knives. Her mother created a poster of pictures of teenagers who have been stabbed to death in London in recent years. Sadly, she knew one of the boys on it. Imani said the poster was not intended to upset her, rather her mother wanted her to understand what was happening and to plant a seed in her head that she was not to become another victim. Imani's friend Shaquan Sammy-Plummer was killed in April 2016 as he attempted to leave a house party in Winchmore Hill. His murderer, Jemal Williams, wanted to teach the 17-year-old a lesson because he had refused to hand over a bag of drinks. She often visits Shaquan's mother, who she describes as "like an auntie", and the pair sit in his room and talk about what happened. "I connect to her a lot and I feel her pain and agony," she said. Shaquan's murder highlights some of the seemingly petty reasons why teens are being attacked in the city. A stolen tracksuit, phone or bike, an insult on social media or in the street are some of the excuses given for murders in recent years. In 2012, six teenagers were stabbed to death, five years later that figure has doubled. The number of knife-inflicted injuries on the under 20s has also followed this upward trend - there were 957 victims in 2012, while in 2016 that figure increased by nearly 30% to 1,234. The age which saw the biggest increase in injuries was 18, which rose by 44%. Although knife crime is a national problem, London recorded the highest increase in knife attacks in the last financial year, according to the Office of National Statistics. 'Streets aren't safe' Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes, 15, was murdered in Willesden, west London, in January. His murderer, who cannot be named due to his age, told his trial he was angry he had been insulted when a so-called rival gang member called him a derogatory name on social media. Despite there being no evidence that Quamari was a member of a gang, the 15-year-old wanted revenge and attacked him as he left school. Attacks like this not only affect the victim's loved ones, but also make other teenagers fearful and feel the need to protect themselves. Joshua, Quamari's close friend, said he noticed a few of his friends began carrying knives after Quamari died. He asked one of them why he felt the need to do so and the response was: "The streets aren't safe, anything can happen." Tekisha, 15, from Catford, south-east London, said when she was in year eight at school she saw a friend get stabbed in the leg for going to another school and trying to fight a rival gang. She says it has affected her upbringing as she does not feel comfortable going out at certain times and cannot visit some areas without a sense of fear. "If I went to Peckham, I would fear for my safety. Not too much that I wouldn't go, but I would be apprehensive because if something potentially happened - would they recognise that I'm not from the area?" Despite this awareness of knife crime, some teenagers have learned to avoid situations that put them at risk. Fourteen-year-old Shannon Green-Barett from Hackney prefers to be mindful that people may be carrying a knife. "I'm not scared to go out and be around people who may be in gangs because there won't ever be a situation where they have to take it out [on her]," she said. She believes that despite the ubiquity of gang members in her area, she does not think they would harm people in their community. "If you're going to go somewhere, you need to understand what might happen, the risks. If you're going into an estate, you're going to think that there will be gang members with knives whereas if you were to go down the road with a lot of houses you're not going to think that. It just depends on where you are. "I've seen people use knives for protection, to feel safe and to know that if something really bad happens, they've always got that one weapon that could have a chance of saving their life. Or they want to prove that they're the one that 'if you mess with me, just know that I have a knife'. "If you're friends with the person and they have a knife you don't really care because maybe nothing can break that friendship." Imani says she avoids getting into arguments, particularly with groups including older girls, and tries to make friends with everyone on her estate. "I know my boundaries, and they're older than me, so I can't disrespect them in a way where it will get to that point where they will take out a knife," she said. She also has friends whose older brothers are in gangs and probably carry knives. "As negative and horrible as this stuff is, what I try to do is, I try to understand it and I am not going to be like this, I'm going to try do my best to bring my community together." 'Fear perpetuates knives' Janita, a youth manager for Hackney Quest, a community-based support group for young people, says it is upsetting that children as young as 12 think it is normal to be around knives. "It's just really, really sad that they have almost become immune to it and they've had to learn to keep themselves safe in terms of staying away from certain areas or getting themselves involved with positive youth clubs and youth activities just so that they know that they've got communities around them." What previously would have resulted in a fist fight now ends in a knife being pulled out, she explained. Janita says because a lot of work is being done to try to overcome this issue, children therefore know about it and that perpetuates a fear. "It's a vicious circle - the fear perpetuates the reactivity that perpetuates the knives. Their fear is often what will lead them into an attack." But Areeb, 23, from Willesden, says it is important teenagers know what is going on. In his area, three teenagers have been murdered in recent years. "Gang members are the ones telling all their members to stay indoors. I feel the innocent ones have to be clued on to it more nowadays because anyone can get hurt." But gangs account for less than 5% of London knife crime, according to a police and crime report. Yvonne Lawson, whose son Godwin was stabbed to death in 2010, says: "It seems like you switch on the television and there's another knife crime. "It's like it's accepted, we're normalising it. We can't normalise a precious life being taken away. We can't be complacent."

लंदन में किशोरों की बढ़ती संख्या चाकू से घायल हो रही है, बीबीसी शो द्वारा प्राप्त आंकड़े। लेकिन किशोर चाकू क्यों ले जा रहे हैं-और इस वातावरण में बड़ा होना कैसा लगता है?

blogs-china-blog-49354507

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-49354507

Hong Kong protest: What is mainland China hearing?

Since protests against a proposed extradition bill began, Hong Kong has drawn global attention. But on the Chinese mainland, it took a while for the story to be picked up, and people have been fed a selective and sometimes misleading narrative.

By Beijing bureauBBC News State media have dismissed the protesters as a small and violent group of separatists, enabled by foreign powers and disliked by locals. In recent days, state media have intensively distributed the most violent moments of the incident, making a hero of a mainland journalist who was beaten up at the airport. Here's how reporting has evolved in China. Controlled coverage If you Google "Hong Kong" in Chinese, the first term that comes up is "Hong Kong protest", linking to coverage by both Western media such as the BBC and the New York Times and state media like CCTV. But access to Google is blocked in China, and if you look on Baidu, the filtered search engine mostly used on the mainland, you get "Hong Kong flights back to normal" followed by "what has happened in Hong Kong recently". The results led on what China's ambassador to the UK said on the issue recently and the losses protesters have caused by paralysing the airport. When the demonstrations first erupted on 9 June, China's heavily controlled state media kept silent, except for reports on pro-government rallies and the foreign ministry's condemnation of "foreign interference". One headline in the nationalist Global Times read: "HK parents march against US meddling."". In early July, media published their first stories about the demonstrations after protesters broke in to the Legislative Council, Hong Kong's parliament. Xinhua, the state-run news agency, criticised "lawless acts that caused mass destruction, which was shocking, distressing and infuriating", citing the Hong Kong Liaison Office of the central government. A second round of coverage on the protest rolled out when the Liaison Office was besieged in late July. The official line has highlighted moments of violence, with words like clashes, mobs and riots, fanning mainland public anger. Over the past week, coverage has focused on protesters throwing petrol bombs and causing injuries to police. Much of the attention in Hong Kong media has been on a female protester whose eye was injured during clashes. Both sides were hurling projectiles, so it is unclear whether her injury was caused by police or demonstrators. Protesters blame police, but CCTV reported on Monday, with a firm tone, that the injury was caused by a fellow protester. It even posted a photo which showed a woman counting cash, and reported suggestions that this was the same woman and a paid provocateur. Videos of armed police assembling in the neighbouring city of Shenzhen, on the mainland, were circulating by state media as well, as well quotes from the Chinese government's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office warning that the movement had laid the foundations for "terrorism". Some have seen this as preparing the public for a potential crackdown by Beijing, even by armed police. A sit-in that shut down the city's airport led to unprecedented chaos on Tuesday night when two mainlanders were tied up and beaten by people around them. One was a Global Times reporter who shouted out "I support Hong Kong police". The reporter, Fu Guohao, is being named a "hero" on the mainland. One online comment said police should learn from how the Communist Party cleared the 1989 protests "with an iron hand". That's a reference to the tanks and armed forces sent into Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds, if not thousands, of the participants. State media have also been reflecting the government's stance alleging "foreign interference", especially from the US and UK, despite a lack of evidence. They ran articles citing Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to the UK, who on Thursday urged countries to stop interfering and "conniving in violent offences". What do mainlanders make of the protests? China has a wealth of independent bloggers posting on the likes of WeChat and Weibo. Their opinions usually only reach a limited audience if they pick up on a sensitive topic, as such content can be deleted within hours. Last week, one article on WeChat briefly went viral as it provided detailed timelines and historic context of how the issue has evolved, something state media tend to avoid. For example, it argued that the extradition bill wasn't a good solution to the legal case for which it was suggested - where a Hong Kong man killed a woman in Taiwan but fled to his home city. The post was removed by a large-scale Chinese censorship operation after a few hours. A guide to the Hong Kong protests There are ways of getting around the Great Firewall which controls what people in China see online. The country's better-connected youth have been consuming news from external channels with the help of VPNs. What do they make of what they're reading? Despite reading both domestic and foreign news, one mainland Chinese youth, who asked not to be identified, was still largely unsympathetic, and said the ultimate reason behind the unrest was not political, but economic. "The fastest-growing period of Hong Kong has already passed, so the young people there find no way to climb up the social ladder. They feel choked in an environment of expensive housing, sweltering climate and a neighbour [the mainland] that's becoming richer and richer," he said. "The young people in Hong Kong look down upon the mainlanders, and at the same time are afraid of us because they don't want us to overtake them," another mainlander said under the condition of anonymity. He and his friends rarely talk about the ongoing demonstration, he said, because the city is just not important to them. "If a protest breaks out in Beijing or Shanghai, it's going to be much more worrying." That's a fairly typical mindset of mainlanders who have been told for generations that economic growth outweighs other concerns. Some have been using the term "useless youth," a disdainful nickname that emerged in the Occupy Central movement in 2014 for protesters seen as contributing nothing to society but complaints. But one mainlander told us she felt the term resulted from a misinterpretation. She said Hong Kong's youth had their own dreams and that there should be more open communication between the two regions. And what of mainlanders who now live in Hong Kong? Many have expressed support for the protests. One man who has lived in Hong Kong for more than a decade said he joined the 9 June demonstration and donated to a crowdfunding project for a global ad campaign of the demonstration. But he said he disliked some of the more extreme or violent actions of some protesters, and was critical of Hong Kong media, saying they could also be biased. Another mainlander in Hong Kong said they understood the "fear, anger and doubt of the protesters, but beating people up is not forgivable. If the ones who got hit in the face are criminals, violence turns the demonstrators into criminals as well."

एक प्रस्तावित प्रत्यर्पण विधेयक के खिलाफ विरोध शुरू होने के बाद से, हांगकांग ने दुनिया का ध्यान आकर्षित किया है। लेकिन चीनी मुख्य भूमि पर, कहानी को उठाए जाने में कुछ समय लगा, और लोगों को एक चयनात्मक और कभी-कभी भ्रामक कथा दी गई है।

uk-54220065

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54220065

New coronavirus rules 'inevitable': The view near No 10

For some of those sunning themselves in London's St James's Park on Saturday afternoon, discussions ongoing just yards away at Downing Street on the tightening of national restrictions in England are at once both "worrying" and "inevitable".

By George BowdenBBC News Couples and friends meeting for picnics and catch-ups told BBC News conflicting and confusing advice on what they can and cannot do during the pandemic runs alongside a general feeling of resignation over the prospect of national measures being tightened. Ruth and Chris Parker, from Wigan but on a week's holiday after working non-stop since March, think the difference between social distancing in the north and south of England has been "stark". "We were queuing for a pub in Putney last night and we had to just leave it," Chris, 48, says. "There was no social distancing at all," Ruth, 49, adds. "We ended up in Wagamamas, which was pretty well organised." 'Lockdown is coming' The couple say they think there has been a change in attitudes in the North West since a marked rise in coronavirus cases led to tighter local restrictions. Wigan is one of the few areas in Greater Manchester to see local restrictions on households and movement lifted. "People are now taking it pretty seriously there," says Chris, who conducted much of his work as a church minister virtually during the first lockdown. "We do seem a bit better at social distancing," Ruth, a former music teacher, adds. A second lockdown has them worried, but Chris believes "if it has to happen, it has to happen". "I think a national two-week lockdown is coming but not quite the full lockdown we had." "It's not ideal," is Tom Duncan's view as he enjoys a meal deal with his partner Aisha. The 21-year-old finance workers say they do not want to see another full lockdown with just a few permitted reasons for leaving home. "Closing pubs and bars early seems fine," Tom says, "But not being unable to see anyone again." Drinking and distancing "It's going to have to happen as people don't care - people don't see it as a threat," Aisha adds. "You can see when people have had a drink they don't socially distance." The pair say they are now able to go back to their offices if they book a slot - but working from home has its advantages. It also means a second lockdown "doesn't really affect us," Aisha says. "There's pros and cons to it." Nicola Evans, 24, who works for an engineering firm, says a second lockdown might not be the worst thing if it helps protect vulnerable people. "I feel like, why not? If it's keeping people safe," she says. "It's the way it is. Though I'd rather be able to see people. "I'm working from home so it doesn't really affect me - as long as I'm able to get out of the house during the day. "I've not gone back to the office yet, it keeps being postponed." 'Still paying rent' But for her friend Emmelia Georgio, 24, from Cyprus, the prospect of a second lockdown would throw a spanner into the final year of her Masters in dance movement psychotherapy. "This year is already going to be very different," she says of her studies. "It's a mix of online and in-person learning now, but I worry what would happen in a second lockdown. "If there is a second lockdown it's hard to see how it is managed." "We still have to pay fees and rent - and you think, 'what's the point in paying' if a lockdown happens," she adds. There is little doubt about what will happen next for Antonia Brown and Ioanna Gkoutna - a second lockdown is "inevitable". Ioanna, 21, arrived a week ago from her native Greece to begin a Masters at the University of Oxford. "Compared to home, nobody here is taking things seriously," she says. "I was really surprised when I came here. You're in Tescos, say, and so many people are not wearing masks and nobody is challenging them. The staff are not wearing masks." Ioanna - from a part of Greece not covered by quarantine rules - thinks enforcement is crucial to any future lockdown. "In Greece there is lots of enforcement of the rules," she says. "I myself phoned the police when a man refused to wear a mask at the beach - if I did that here, what would even happen?" Antonia, 22, from London, says "London needs to wake up" to the coronavirus once more. "We're now talking about locking down harder but they had the audacity to say 'get back to work'." "We're running before we can walk," she adds. "They're telling us to get out and spend money, and now the rates are going back up." "Unless they enforce it, it won't make a difference," Ioanna adds, "I've been [in the UK] for a week and haven't seen the police once." Just as Ioanna finishes speaking, a police officer passes on a bicycle taking a keen interest in those gathered for picnics in the park. "Well, he's here now I guess."

शनिवार दोपहर लंदन के सेंट जेम्स पार्क में खुद को धूप खिलाने वालों में से कुछ के लिए, इंग्लैंड में राष्ट्रीय प्रतिबंधों को कड़ा करने पर डाउनिंग स्ट्रीट पर कुछ गज की दूरी पर चल रही चर्चा एक साथ "चिंताजनक" और "अपरिहार्य" दोनों हैं।

uk-england-34504053

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34504053

The UK YouTube stars with fans around the world

The UK's most influential YouTube creators have been named in a top 10 list produced for the BBC. How do self-made stars like these become famous around the world? And are they taking over from traditional celebrities?

By Caroline LowbridgeBBC News Becky Sheeran was shopping four years ago when a girl she had never met walked up to her, asked for a hug, then started crying. Becky was working as a television journalist at the time, but the girl didn't recognise her from TV - she recognised her from videos she recorded in her spare time and uploaded to YouTube. "I will never forget it," says the 27-year-old, from Nottinghamshire. "She knew everything about my life, my family, my favourite foundation, my favourite clothes. "It was just amazing and ever since then it's carried on happening." Becky, who started making videos for her TalkBeckyTalk channel in 2009, eventually left TV to concentrate on YouTube full-time. "Now [being recognised] happens most times I go into town, especially if I'm in a shopping centre, it always happens on a Saturday because there are always women there," she says. "Really randomly I was skiing last Christmas in Switzerland and I was up the highest mountain in this tiny log cabin and two twin girls came up to my sister and I." These experiences may sound unusual, but there are literally thousands of YouTube creators like Becky who have huge audiences all over the world. Data analysed by video intelligence company Tubular Labs shows that 17,000 creators have more than 100,000 subscribers - and 1,275 of these creators are registered in the UK. Incredibly, 1,477 YouTube creators have more than a million subscribers, and 147 of these creators are registered in the UK. The top 10 Tubular Labs has created a list of the top 10 most influential UK creators for the BBC. At the very top is Olajide "JJ" Olatunji, who dropped out of college, but has made $4.5m (£2.9m) in the past year, according to a Forbes list of the world's highest-paid YouTube stars. The 22-year-old, from Watford, has more than 10 million subscribers on his KSI YouTube channel and a "social reach" of 17.4 million when other social media platforms are taken into account. He is best known for filming himself playing computer games while commentating on them, but he also makes comedy videos and more typical vlogs. His vlogs include one where he decided to dye his hair blond and another in which he filmed himself for a week to give his viewers a chance to see what he does when he's not posting YouTube videos. However, he has been criticised for the content of some of his videos, with claims that he propagates misogynistic views of women and trivialises rape. He was also accused of sexually harassing attendees of Eurogamer 2012, a video games showcase. In a statement in response to the criticism, his manager said he has "been actively avoiding certain content seen in the distant past and wants to be judged on the great content and value he gives to brands and partners, without controversy". KSI's brother Deji Olatunji, known as ComedyShortsGamer, is in second place on the list. His videos appear to concentrate more on comedy than gaming, with one of his most popular being a prank where he told his mother he had made a girl pregnant. The hugely popular gamer and comedian Felix Kjellberg, known to fans as PewDiePie, does not appear on the list because he is registered as a Swedish creator, although he lives in Brighton. A global audience "What is amazing specifically about the UK creators is that their content travels so well internationally," says Denis Crushell, vice president of Europe for Tubular Labs. "They are probably exporting this content to hundreds of countries around the world, which if you think about a TV show and more traditional media brands, it would be quite hard to distribute to hundreds of countries pretty easily." In fact, only 34% of the audience for the top 10 UK creators is based in the UK, while 27% of the audience is based in the US. Mr Crushell thinks this is partly because the UK and US share the same language. "What you see in countries around Europe, like Germany and France, is their content doesn't travel as well because of the language," he says. He also thinks there has been a "One Direction effect", where people who are fans of the English-Irish boy band favour young male YouTube creators from the UK. "All of these creators getting mass audiences around the world has only really been happening in the last four or five years, so it's kind of a trend that's kept on par with when One Direction have been pretty popular," says Mr Crushell. YouTube as a career In joint third place are two other siblings - Zoe Sugg, known as Zoella, and Joe Sugg, known as ThatcherJoe - along with Joe's flatmate Caspar Lee, known simply as Caspar. They all film a mix of videos, with some of the most popular being one where Zoe shows people how she applies her makeup every day, Joe plays pranks on Caspar in the flat they share, and Caspar introduces people to his girlfriend. All three are managed by Gleam Futures, a company founded in 2010 to manage what it calls "social talent". Its MD and founder, Dominic Smales, worked in newspapers and radio before becoming fascinated by social media. "No-one was calling them talent at that time and I think we were the first people to coin the phrase social talent, and it grew from there really," says Mr Smales. "We now have 28 talent on the roster that will probably drive in the region of four billion views this year on YouTube alone." So why does Mr Smales think Zoe, Joe and Caspar have been so successful? "All of them have the ability to connect and entertain global audiences who feel like they have a real relationship with those guys, and they do," he says. "They are who they are and there are no skeletons in the closet and I think people feel like these are people just like me. "I relate to them as my friend rather than being an untouchable character on a big screen." Zoe has talked openly about having an anxiety disorder and panic attacks, so it's difficult to imagine her being the type of person to go to stage school or become a TV presenter. But YouTube has enabled her to become so famous there are now Madame Tussauds wax figures of her and boyfriend Alfie Deyes - who is also a YouTuber and appears at number 10 in the influencers list. Mr Smales thinks people who find fame through YouTube are often very different from traditional celebrities. "I think the major differences are that a lot of our talent set out on this journey with fame not being the goal," he says. "Our talent, they are not so much performers but they are internet entrepreneurs I guess." It might look easy to make a living by making YouTube videos, but Mr Smales says this is a serious misconception. "It really isn't that easy and it's very, very hard work and all of our talent work very hard at making a career out of it," he says. So how do YouTube creators make money, and how much can they expect to earn? Mr Smales says they get a "small percentage" of advertising revenue but "it's not until you get a really big audience that you can start being able to pay the bills with it". There are other opportunities to make money, though, such as being sponsored to promote products in videos, or being paid for work outside of YouTube - such as Zoe's record-breaking novel, Girl Online. 'Cashing in' - and criticism YouTubers will "never, ever discuss the numbers they are making with you", according to Alex Brinnand, co-editor of TenEighty, a magazine about vloggers and the internet. "It's not the done thing, and it's also against YouTube's guidelines to talk about advertising in particular and the finances behind that," he says. "But we can all be assured that there are more than hundreds of YouTubers out there that are earning six-figure, if not seven-figure, salaries from being on YouTube and it only seems to be growing. "As more advertisers and more brands become interested in them, these YouTubers are really setting themselves up to cash in on this deal." Some YouTubers have been criticised for not making it clear when videos are sponsored, and the Committee of Advertising Practice has issued its first guidance since a landmark Advertising Standards Authority ruling last year. "The majority of us started doing it as people doing it for fun and we never saw it as a business thing at all," says Mr Brinnand, who has been a YouTuber himself since 2007. "So being thrown in front of brands and advertisers and being offered these crazy deals is something that a lot of YouTubers are having to learn on their feet and as they go." As more people realise that YouTube can become a career, Mr Brinnand believes the type of people starting channels is changing. "A lot of young people do see YouTube as a very glamorous job, if you can call it that, and that is because the majority of what audiences see is only a snippet of people's day," he says. "I think they like the idea of it but I'm not sure they would be comfortable doing it day in day out for years as these established YouTubers have done." YouTube vs television Stars from social media and traditional media are increasingly crossing over. For example, Zoe Sugg was a celebrity contestant on TV show the Great Comic Relief Bake Off, while TV chef Jamie Oliver has several YouTube channels. "We are now seeing more and more YouTube stars levelling or surpassing mainstream celebrities," says Mr Brinnand. "When we look at TV or even magazines we are now beginning to see these YouTube stars alongside the pop stars and the TV stars. "It's really changing the face of the media industry and what we know as celebrity." Denis Crushel has similar views. "You see people like Jamie Oliver create a big YouTube channel where he realises that it's a big opportunity to distribute his content and his name and everything else on a global platform," he says. "People's habits are changing and not only for younger audiences. "I think right now TV is still so large [but] a lot of that viewing habit that happens on TV will be moving online, whether it's YouTube or other video platforms that gain big audiences that's yet to be seen." Becky Sheeran thinks there will always be space for television. "It's not that television is dying, I read things like this all the time and I don't think that's true," she says. "I think the online world is completely in harmony with it because you turn to television for the most amazing content and you turn to television for quality because there's undeniable quality in a television programme. "What people are turning to YouTube for is alternative, they are turning to YouTube for stuff that they cannot get on television." Dominic Smales thinks people will still watch television in future, but it won't necessarily be transmitted live into people's homes. "Everything is heading towards coming down an internet pipe, even though it will still be your TV or your screen that's in your living room that you might consume a lot of content on," he says. "This is only going to grow. It's a seismic shift in the way that generations consume media and celebrity."

ब्रिटेन के सबसे प्रभावशाली यूट्यूब रचनाकारों को बी. बी. सी. के लिए बनाई गई शीर्ष 10 सूची में नामित किया गया है। इस तरह के स्व-निर्मित सितारे दुनिया भर में कैसे प्रसिद्ध होते हैं? और क्या वे पारंपरिक हस्तियों से अलग हो रहे हैं?

stories-42627782

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-42627782

'There's a 50% chance I've a fatal disease. Do I find out?'

If you could see how the rest of your life might play out would you want to? Jackie Harrison has a 50-50 chance of a disease that has killed her mother, uncle and grandfather. Should she take a test to find out whether she will get it too - and could she cope with the result? The BBC's Sarah Bowen has been following her story.

It's rare for a day to pass when Jackie Harrison doesn't wonder if she's inherited the faulty gene that could lead to her developing Huntington's disease, a condition that causes certain nerve cells in the brain to waste away and slowly robs you of the ability to talk, to walk, to move, to think, to swallow. There is no treatment for Huntington's and no cure. Jackie is 51 and lives in Brighouse, a small, industrial town in West Yorkshire, with her partner of 30 years, Tony, and younger brother, Mark. When Jackie was 12 her mother, Jean, who'd been a teacher, died from the disease at the age of just 48. Her father left the children to be brought up by their grandmother, 78-year-old Edith, who had already lost her husband to Huntington's. Within two years Edith's son, Barry - Jackie's uncle - had also died. "I've not had a normal life, it's taken everything from me," Jackie says. "I don't know what it's like to have a mum and dad, to have that stability." Jackie wanted to become a teacher like her mum and grandmother, but when Edith died it was up to Jackie to run the house and look after her brother. Find out more She got a job and managed to keep a roof over their heads while Mark took his exams at school. Then, when Mark went to university, Jackie was able to work part-time and study herself - gaining a degree and doing a teaching diploma. But then Mark developed Huntington's and for the past 10 years Jackie has been his full-time carer. "I prepare all his food, do his shopping, do all the cleaning," Jackie says. "As soon as he's got clean clothes on he's dirty straightaway, spills his food down him all the time." Jackie helps Mark with everything, from going to the toilet to organising his finances. Having a parent who had Huntington's means Jackie has a 50-50 chance of developing it herself and the possibility that she will is always there at the back of her mind. "I twitch my shoulder and I know I do it. Sometimes I've got a twitchy eye," Jackie says. "I'm being bad tempered, shouting at people. So you think, 'Is this the start of it?'" But Jackie's never wanted to take the Huntington's test, whenever she's thought about it she's always backed away, her partner Tony says. It's early December 2016. Jackie has her first appointment with a clinical geneticist at Leeds General Infirmary to discuss the possibility of taking the test. She's not really had much time to think about the idea, what with the stress of looking after Mark and trying to get funding to build an extension for a specially adapted bathroom for him. Jackie's also learning to drive - something she's never done before because she knows she'll only have to give it up if she does get Huntington's. "I remember coming back from the seaside once in the car with my uncle and being stopped by the police - they thought he was drunk," Jackie says. "Eventually the car was taken off us. So what's the point in going through all this heartache, wasting a year of my life and spending all this money if I do test positive for this bloody disease?" Jackie's not even sure that she's really ready to find out if she carries the Huntington's gene. "I don't know how far with the process I will go. This might be the end of it today, I don't know," she says. Jackie and the doctor talk through her family history and the pros and cons of taking the test for about an hour. "There's no medical reason to do the test," Dr Emma Hobson explains. "We have to think very carefully about a bad result and the impact of that. You may say that you've always thought you're going to get Huntington's, but the reality of actually being told, 'Yes, you are,' that's quite a big step ." Jackie gets upset, she's not sure Christmas is the right time, maybe it's not a good idea to go ahead just now. "It puts a microscope to everything you've lost," she says. "Maybe in the spring." Jackie agrees to return for another meeting in a couple of months. "If you get a positive result you're effectively getting a death sentence. You know exactly how are you going to die, which is a lot of knowledge to take on," she says. "I suppose that's why there's so much counselling upfront. Would I throw myself under a bus? I don't know." As Christmas approaches Jackie is busy looking after Mark and trying to raise the profile of Huntington's disease with an idea inspired by her border terrier, Sybil. She's sewing and sending out hundreds of little green and pink felt dogs to encourage friends, celebrities, anyone, to photograph themselves with one, just to get people to talk about the disease. "I'm not very good at crafts, but I've managed to make six or seven hundred of these," Jackie says, "it's driving me crazy picking up bits of thread and felt." Huntington's disease For as long as she can remember, Jackie's felt that Huntington's has been a hidden disease - as though it were a shameful thing to have in the family. "In America researchers in the '20s thought Huntington's disease families were tainted by witchcraft," Jackie says. "And the language around it is fascinating - it's a devil's disease, or it's a curse." Many families hide Huntington's, she says, and that feeling of shame passes through generations. She remembers being embarrassed as a child, going out with her own mother. "Mum wanted to go to the Brighouse Gala but then she'd fall over and have a cut leg, and so you're the one with the mother staggering about looking like she's a drunk, not like the other ones," Jackie says, fighting back tears. "And you're frightened it'll be you next and nobody will want you because you're going to get the same thing, it just goes on for generations." But after Jackie and Mark there won't be any future generations of this family with Huntington's. Mark never had the chance to marry and have kids before the disease took hold, and although Jackie and Tony have been together for more than three decades they've never had children either. More from The Untold Tony would have liked to have married Jackie but with everything else going on it would just be another thing to organise now. He says it's hard to imagine how different things would have been if there had been no Huntington's in their lives. "I should imagine we probably would have had children - we would have had no reason not to," Tony says. "It's something that I'm sure Jackie regrets." But having a family is something Jackie's never really allowed herself to think about too much because she's always believed she carries the faulty gene. "You toy with it, but I think you just put it away because you wouldn't want to inflict this on to anybody else," she says. It's a warm, spring day in early May 2017 and Jackie and Tony are back in Leeds, on their way to the next hospital appointment. "At the end of the day, it's never going to be the right time. So what do you do? Live without the knowledge? Or crack on and get it done?" Jackie says. Since her last visit here government funding for the bungalow extension has come through and building work has begun on the accessible wet-room for Mark. Jackie's also passed her driving test. "Every time I get in the car I think, 'This is really bizarre,'" Jackie says, smiling. "But it will be useful." She's feeling more determined to go ahead with the test and spends an hour talking through the impact that both a positive and negative result might have. If Jackie wants to go ahead with the test she now can. Five months later, on Friday 13 October 2017, Jackie is back at Leeds General Infirmary. Emma Hobson explains how she will tell Jackie the results at the next appointment if she goes ahead and has the blood test. "I will make sure your appointment is the first of the afternoon and I will call you in and I will say, 'Hello, I've got your results. I'm really pleased it's good news', or 'I'm really sorry it's not,'" she says. "We will not be chatting, or passing the time of day, or talking about the weather." She goes through the consent form with Jackie and continues to check that this is really is the right thing for her. Jackie has her blood taken by a nurse. It takes just seconds. A month has passed. It has been a long wait. Jackie and Tony have arranged to get a new dog in the days after Jackie gets her results. Their beloved Sybil passed away in September after more than 14 years with them, and they think that the new puppy, another border terrier they'll call Spike, will help keep their minds off things. Jackie's been having strange dreams and is nervous and feeling stressed, but soon she will know the answer to the question she's wanted to know but been too frightened to ask almost all of her life. Little is said on the car journey to the hospital. Emma Hobson comes to the door of her office in the neurology outpatients department. "Come in and have a seat Jacqueline," she says. "Welcome, I've got your result, and it's good news. Have a look. "'Normal' it says on there. It's very good news." Text by Sarah McDermott "The doctor said to us: 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' The nurse on duty cried," says Sally Phillips, recalling the day when her 10-day-old son, Olly, was tested for Down's syndrome. Already 90% of women in the UK who know their baby will have Down's syndrome opt for termination and Phillips worries that a new, very accurate test will cause the number to rise. Will Olly be one of the UK's last children with Down's? Read: A world without Down's syndrome? Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

यदि आप देख सकते हैं कि आपका बाकी जीवन कैसा चल सकता है तो क्या आप चाहेंगे? जैकी हैरिसन के पास एक ऐसी बीमारी की संभावना है जिसने उसकी माँ, चाचा और दादा को मार दिया है। क्या उसे यह पता लगाने के लिए एक परीक्षण करना चाहिए कि क्या वह भी इसे प्राप्त करेगी-और क्या वह परिणाम का सामना कर सकती है? बीबीसी की सारा बोवेन अपनी कहानी का अनुसरण कर रही है।

world-europe-29755967

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29755967

Ukraine vote could push the country into chaos

Five months after Ukrainians elected the pro-Western Petro Poroshenko to replace the Russian-leaning Viktor Yanukovych, who was deposed in a February mass uprising, Ukrainians once again are heading to the polls - this time to choose a new parliament.

By David SternBBC News, Kiev President Poroshenko hopes this will cap the revolutionary process, and help stabilise the country, producing a legislature seen as legitimate by the population and with a clear mandate to pass needed reforms. Right now, Mr Poroshenko's self-named political bloc is leading in the opinion polls and may secure an absolute majority. But it is equally possible that, instead of helping to introduce calm, the new parliament will become a centre of dissent and turmoil - and provide a springboard to groups which will challenge Mr Poroshenko's political programme, both inside the legislature and out on the streets. The situation throughout the country remains brittle. The economy is disintegrating and the Ukrainian government is faced with a mountain of debt. A dispute over gas prices with Moscow means the country could suffer through a severe energy shortage this winter. What's more, the war in the east could escalate at any moment. Right now, though fighting continues, it's percolating at a relatively lower level, giving Mr Poroshenko just enough breathing space to forge ahead with his political plans. Rebel commanders in the past days, though, have raised fears of a return to full-scale combat. The "prime minister" of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, has been quoted as saying his army could soon mount a campaign to take three towns in the region, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Mariupol. "We intend to take them, to return them to us. So we don't exclude there could be heavy military operations," Zakharchenko said, according to Interfax news agency. Later, however, he said he was misquoted and meant the cities would be taken through "peaceful means". White supremacist Even if the "ceasefire" manages to hold, the war in the east will nevertheless dictate developments back in Kiev. The death toll continues to mount - more than 350 people have died since the truce was declared on 5 September - with fierce battles raging in a number of locations, especially around the charred steel husk of Donetsk's main airport. Only a handful of election districts in the warring regions of Donetsk and Luhansk will be open. It also remains to be seen how many people will have the courage to vote or the desire, given the bitterness among a large part of the population, after months of shelling. But once the deputies have taken their seats, the battle may shift inside the walls of the parliament. Conceivably, nine political parties could pass the 5% barrier and enter parliament through proportional representation, based on their overall showing in the vote. Half of parliament's 450 seats are chosen through party lists and half elected directly through single-mandate districts. Of these, besides President Poroshenko's bloc, three seem to have the highest chance: Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk's People's Front, ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko's Fatherland party, and populist leader Oleh Lyashko's Radical Party. Parties from the far right, pro-European centre, and the remnants of the once-ruling Party of Regions could also cross the minimum threshold. It is still unclear how any of these parties, or the over-sized egos that run them, will behave once in parliament. Moreover, many of the new faces are completely unknown quantities - such as the numerous paramilitary commanders on various parties' tickets, or Andrei Biletsky, a white supremacist commander running for Arseniy Yatseniuk's People's Front. Social pain The mood in the country is darkening. Eight months after the February revolution, a feeling is spreading that nothing has changed. Corruption is rampant, political and economic reforms are just being discussed, and the same faces populate the political elite. Many question whether Mr Poroshenko, a billionaire with deeply vested business interests, truly wants to transform Ukraine into something more transparent and democratic. If Mr Poroshenko does introduce reforms, many could initially cause profound social pain - such as raising the domestic price for gas. As necessary as this may be - in order to eliminate corruption in the gas industry and a massive budgetary black hole - it will unquestionably create an outcry. The war in the east is another flashpoint. Mr Poroshenko's peace plan is highly unpopular. Many fear it has rewarded the militants and Russia, which has by all appearances supported the insurgency with weapons, organisation and troops, by creating two de facto independent states. There is heavy criticism of the government's overall conduct of the war. Although the military seems in better shape than in the first disastrous days of the war, it is still badly equipped, and, according to many fighters, badly led. For anyone who wants to mount an anti-government or anti-Poroshenko campaign, therefore, the potential pressure points are many. And many in the new parliament may seize the opportunity, either because of true concern for Ukrainians, or out of personal ambition.

यूक्रेनियनों द्वारा पश्चिमी समर्थक पेट्रो पोरोशेंको को रूसी झुकाव वाले विक्टर यानुकोविच की जगह लेने के लिए चुने जाने के पांच महीने बाद, यूक्रेनियन एक बार फिर चुनाव की ओर बढ़ रहे हैं-इस बार एक नई संसद चुनने के लिए।

disability-40960488

https://www.bbc.com/news/disability-40960488

What I wish I hadn't said to my colleague

Life with a disability can sometimes give rise to unspoken questions and sensitivities, but amid the awkwardness there can be humour. The following is an edited version of a sketch performed by Maura Campbell, who has Asperger's syndrome, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

I come from a family of VIPs. We all have letters after our names. My husband has ADHD. And my son and I have ASD, which stands for Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Autism affects how a person perceives and relates to the world around them, but I don't actually feel "disordered" as such. I think of it more as having a set of differences. Basically, I was born with the social skills of a used teabag. Over the years I've improved by carefully observing the humanoids in their natural habitat, mirroring other people and such, but I still have some social blind spots and I have a limited amount of social energy. Because of that, I experience high levels of social anxiety. Like many women on the spectrum, I had a late diagnosis. I was 44 when my Asperger's syndrome - a form of autism - was confirmed so for most of my life I had absolutely no idea why I found interacting with other people so problematic. I think my defining characteristics growing up were probably my honesty and directness. One night, as a senior manager in the civil service, I found myself at a dinner hosted by a national newspaper during party conference season. It was in the late 1990s. I was seated beside a very non-descript bloke, who seemed pleasant enough. He introduced himself and manfully tried to keep a conversation going with me - small talk is not my strength. After an awkward pause I finally asked if he was a journalist. "No," he said, "I'm an MP." "Oh, what did you say your name was again?" "Iain Duncan Smith." "Sorry. Never heard of you," I said. As well as autism, I have something else in common with my son - we both have curly hair. His curls make him look like a cherub. Mine hang so I look more like Dougal from The Magic Roundabout. All my life, for as long as I can remember, I have longed for straight, smooth hair. I used to work with a woman - let's call her Janice - who had great hair. She wore it in a nice bob which was very elegant. I wanted Janice's hair. I had hair-envy so bad. After a while, we went off to work in different departments. But a few years later I ran into her at a meeting with loads of people sitting round a big table. "Janice! What have you done with your hair?" I said. Her hair was now short and curly. It didn't suit her nearly as well as the lovely bob. "Your hair was far nicer before. Why did you do that to it?" I asked. A strange hush descended on the room. I looked around and everybody had their heads down. Janice smiled and replied: "Oh, you know, it just grew back that way, after the chemo." I realised immediately what I'd done. I felt truly awful. I started to apologise but Janice just laughed and told me it was absolutely fine. Janice had worked with me before and so, while it must have appeared to everyone else in the room as though I had just been really rude, she knew I'd meant no harm. She chose to see the funny side. Maybe it was even a bit of a relief for her that, for once, someone didn't tiptoe around her illness. I had trampolined on it. Maybe she was just being kind. I don't know, but I was incredibly grateful to her for being so gracious. It wasn't the first time I'd put my foot in it and I'm sure it won't be the last. I can only speak of my own experience, but I've observed that honesty and directness can be something of an "over-strength" for many autistics. It's often the result of our inability to be fake or insincere. We tell it like it is. I hate lies and I would rather get it wrong socially than tell an outright lie to someone. It can also be because of a thing called "context blindness", which sometimes leads people to assume - incorrectly - that we don't empathise. I think my son may have inherited the honesty gene from me as well. One night recently, while we were snuggling together on the sofa, he poked me in the stomach. "Wobbly. Is wobbly. Too wobbly!" You know what? I couldn't have been prouder. Storytelling Live: Tales of the Misunderstood Maura was one of seven people with a disability or mental health difficulty to perform a story about awkward moments as part of BBC Ouch's storytelling event at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. You can also read: Look out for a special TV programme which brings all the tales together. For more Disability News, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the weekly podcast. For more Disability News, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the weekly podcast.

विकलांग जीवन कभी-कभी अनकहे प्रश्नों और संवेदनशीलताओं को जन्म दे सकता है, लेकिन अजीबता के बीच हास्य हो सकता है। निम्नलिखित एडिनबर्ग फ्रिंज फेस्टिवल में एस्परजर सिंड्रोम से पीड़ित मौरा कैंपबेल द्वारा प्रस्तुत एक स्केच का संपादित संस्करण है।

uk-wales-north-west-wales-35837927

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-35837927

Gwynedd bus boss 'had no knowledge' of fraud, court hears

A former Gwynedd bus firm boss has claimed he had no knowledge of the fraudulent claiming of more than £800,000 of public money.

John David Hulme, 55, denied fraud and false accounting charges, relating to money paid by Gwynedd council to Padarn Bus in claims for concessionary fares. He told Caernarfon Crown Court he did not know the firm claimed to carry more concessionary passengers than it had. Mr Hulme said he had no previous experience of running a company. The trial continues.

ग्वेनेड बस फर्म के एक पूर्व प्रमुख ने दावा किया है कि उन्हें 800,000 पाउंड से अधिक के सार्वजनिक धन के धोखाधड़ी वाले दावे के बारे में कोई जानकारी नहीं थी।

uk-wales-56031507

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56031507

Covid lockdown love: 'We got engaged after 24 hours'

When Wales was locked down to try to stop the spread of coronavirus, comedian Lorna Prichard thought it would put a halt to her planned return to the world of dating. But the film fan went online, found her hero and fell in love. Here she describes how she found her happy ending.

I'd always been into romantic movies. And deep down I'd harboured hope that my own love life would be as full of passion and emotion as the ones I had seen on screen. From Casablanca to Clueless - I was hooked on love stories from a very young age. But throughout my 20s and early 30s, my love life had been a series of disasters. Box office bombs. I spent a couple of years in the dating wasteland. And in March 2019 I decided to give myself a year off. Instead, I'd focus on my career in stand-up comedy. March 2020 would be the perfect time to get back on the dating scene. When that month finally came round, I realised to my dismay that a global plague had accompanied it. Dating was completely off the cards! Not just a ban on casual sex, there was a ban on meeting up for coffee! Not that I could afford luxuries like coffee - suddenly, all my gigs had dried up. With characteristic optimism I decided to take my love life online. After all, I had plenty of time on my hands! I joined a couple of dating apps and set up my profile: "Tree-loving Welsh woman seeks same", "Jobless comedian after an audience of one". I also went for a range of photos that showed what fun I was and how flat my stomach had been 10 years ago. I hadn't anticipated the amount of admin online dating involves! It didn't help that I'm bisexual, so that was double the paperwork. By May I was ready to give up. I thought I'd have one more trawl through my dating inboxes out of politeness. That's when a man called Leo caught my eye. He was a Brazilian engineer. He had lively, intelligent eyes and a big smile. I decided to give virtual dating one last chance and invited him for a Friday night drink over Zoom. The first date He was an hour late, which surprised me. How can you be an hour late in lockdown? What other commitments can you possibly have? But he soon made up for it with easy conversation and natural charm. A non-stop stream of texts and phone calls ensued between us. Were we falling in love, or just bored? I'm not sure we'll ever know. The prospect of holidays to his hometown of Rio de Janeiro may have helped. The only hiccup we encountered was when he, a meat-loving Brazilian, discovered I was vegan. Eventually he got over it, and we set our sights on a real life date. Covid restrictions meant we'd have to keep two metres apart, but at least we'd be able to chat without worrying about the wi-fi going down. I was excited but also very nervous. He seemed perfect on paper and over the internet, but what about in real life? I drove to Bristol in my best outfit - a long, over-sized summer dress that concealed the fact I hadn't exercised or shaved my legs in four months. Towards me wandered a tall man in a bright blue t-shirt, shorts and flip flops. Dishevelled hair and a light smattering of salt and pepper stubble. It felt a bit like Tom Hanks had put it in one of my all time favourite romcoms, Sleepless In Seattle: "It was like... coming home. Only, to no home I'd ever known". The proposal We had a great time and decided to meet again the next day for a picnic. We sat near a river. It was a perfect summer's day. And I was about to make the strangest and most impulsive decision of my life. "Lorna." "Yes?" "Will you marry me?" I picked up a crisp. "Yeah definitely," I replied. "Ok thank you," he said. "Let's go for another swim." As proposals go, it was perfect. But I hadn't expected to say yes to a man I'd only met the day before. Friends' reactions varied. One asked if this was a sketch for BBC Wales Sesh, a platform I contributed to regularly. Another asked if I was having a mental breakdown. One asked if I was perhaps the victim of a scam? Part of me knew it sounded crazy, getting engaged to someone after 24 hours. But it didn't feel any less right. Days after the engagement we discussed when we might see each other again. "I've got a three-bedroom flat. Why don't you move in?" No regrets By November, we'd both settled into pandemic monotony. Getting engaged in a plague was all well and good, but we'd missed out on so much. It wasn't like the honeymoon period had ended - we hadn't had one! It was as though we'd been together 30 years! It seemed improbably romantic. We had fallen in love at first sight. We'd lived, laughed and cried through months of difficulties - and still wanted to be together. I have no regrets about getting engaged to a stranger and moving him into my flat within a week. We're not sure when we can actually get married. When we met last summer, we had hopes it could happen spring or early summer 2021, but the pandemic is making that seem increasingly unlikely. We'd really like his family and friends to be able to travel over from Brazil. As we face our first Valentine's Day together, I wonder what we can do to celebrate it. Perhaps we'll take a chilly picnic to the park, and sit next to a river. For old time's sake. Although - relatively speaking - it isn't that long at all. I hope my improbable real life love story inspires others seeking love online to keep going. As my mum's fond of saying: "Mae na frân i bob frân" - "There's a crow for every crow". It just happens that my crow is a Carioca. When Lorna Met Leo: Love in the time of Covid is available on BBC Sounds and will be repeated on BBC Radio Wales at 19:00 GMT on14 February, Valentine's Day. Around the BBC BBC Sounds

जब कोरोनावायरस के प्रसार को रोकने की कोशिश में वेल्स को बंद कर दिया गया था, तो कॉमेडियन लोर्ना प्रिचार्ड ने सोचा कि यह डेटिंग की दुनिया में उनकी नियोजित वापसी को रोक देगा। लेकिन फिल्म प्रशंसक ऑनलाइन चला गया, उसे अपना हीरो मिल गया और उसे प्यार हो गया। यहाँ वह बताती है कि कैसे उसने अपना सुखद अंत पाया।

uk-england-37353242

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37353242

Is the law tough enough on killer drivers?

Two young men have been jailed for a high-speed car crash that killed a taxi driver and his passenger - the latest in a series of similar cases in England. Are the penalties for such drivers sufficient? Even the judge, sentencing them to seven-and-a-half years apiece, admitted the length of the prison terms "will no doubt be questioned".

By Tom AireyBBC News Judge Jonathan Durham Hall said he was obliged to give the pair credit for their guilty pleas - despite his view that the case was "approaching the worst" of its kind. Muhammad Sikder, 27, and Ismail Miah, 23, were racing each other in their high-performance cars when they caused the fatal crash in Bradford in January. The maximum possible jail sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is 14 years, while causing death by careless driving carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. But road safety charity Brake says the average prison sentence handed out to those convicted of killing someone while driving is under four years. "In 30 years, the longest sentence I saw handed out was six," said John Scruby, a former traffic officer. Mr Scruby, now a trustee for the West Yorkshire road charity SCARD, added: "It's appalling how families are treated. "As a family liaison officer, I had to tell them, 'don't get your hopes up for a custodial sentence' as some cases aren't even passed up to the crown court. "Judges are obviously tied by what they can do, but they are very reluctant to hand out the maximum sentence." Causing death by careless driving Causing death by dangerous driving Source: Brake James Gilbey was killed on a pedestrian crossing in Leeds last year, with his body struck at such speed it travelled 70m down the road. Majid Malik and Kaiz Mahmood, who were racing in separate cars at the time of the crash, both received sentences of eight years for causing death by dangerous driving. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today, Mr Gilbey's father Maj Richard Gilbey said: "They have got a huge reduction from the maximum sentence and you don't feel it's enough. "They didn't choose to kill James, but all of their actions were conscious actions and decisions - they chose to drive at 90mph, they chose to race, leave James and burn their clothes [to destroy evidence]. "All of those things tied together can't be a driving-related incident, it's manslaughter at the very least." At a Westminster Hall debate on the issue earlier this week, Claire Perry MP called on the government to introduce tougher penalties for motorists convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. The Conservative MP for Devizes said: "These gentleman killed James Gilbey as surely as if they had thrown a knife down a crowded street or fired a gun. "Their weapon of choice just happened to be two tonnes of steel driving at 90mph. "Surely the maximum tariff for the worst kind of death by dangerous driving, which these defendants committed, should be lifetime imprisonment." Justice minister Sam Gyimah said the Sentencing Council - an independent body that aims to promote consistency in sentencing in England and Wales - was reviewing guidelines relating to such driving offences with new draft guidance to be set out "in due course". He said: "As the prime minister made clear last week there are deep concerns around the law on dangerous driving and the sentencing powers that are currently available to the courts. "For too long these concerns have not been acted upon." Mr Gyimah reaffirmed the government's commitment to consult on the penalties for dangerous driving offences and insisted ministers want to make sure that the punishments "fit the crime". However, Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general, said he thought the offence of causing death by dangerous driving was "treated very seriously" and did provide "the adequate punishment". He said: "There is nothing to suggest that manslaughter charges would lead to higher sentences. "I can see there might be arguments about a review of maximum sentences, but it has already been raised - it's now up to 14 years. "One also has to keep a sense of proportion with other offences." But for Maj Gilbey, the current laws simply do not reflect the seriousness of some drivers' actions. "Just because their weapon of choice was a vehicle, why does it have to be downgraded to a driving-related offence?"

दो युवाओं को तेज गति वाली कार दुर्घटना के लिए जेल भेजा गया है जिसमें एक टैक्सी चालक और उसके यात्री की मौत हो गई थी-इंग्लैंड में इसी तरह के मामलों की एक श्रृंखला में नवीनतम। क्या ऐसे चालकों के लिए दंड पर्याप्त है? यहां तक कि न्यायाधीश ने भी स्वीकार किया कि उन्हें साढ़े सात साल की सजा सुनाई गई है, जेल की अवधि पर "निस्संदेह सवाल उठाया जाएगा"।

uk-scotland-highlands-islands-28570371

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-28570371

Fort William sees super-fast broadband upgrade

Super-fast broadband services have officially launched in Fort William.

More than 3,240 homes and businesses in the Lochaber town now have access to the high-speed technology, installed as part of the BT Openreach programme. This figure will increase to around 3,880 as engineers complete the local upgrade in the weeks ahead. Highland Council leader Drew Hendry said the upgrade would help stimulate local businesses and create jobs. Mr Hendry said: "Super-fast fibre broadband in Fort William offers huge benefits to local residents and businesses and will help our local economy to flourish. Better, faster communications help businesses to grow and stimulate job creation. "The arrival of fibre broadband means local people and firms can do more online at faster speeds and on multiple devices. "This is great news for many people in Fort William and I look forward to fibre broadband being rolled out across the rest of the Highlands." In Scotland, BT said it was investing about £126m in fibre broadband partnerships with the Scottish government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Broadband Delivery UK), European Regional Development Fund and Scotland's local authorities. BT Scotland director Brendan Dick said: "Businesses tell us it's helping them in a wealth of ways, from day to day activities like downloading software, collaborating with clients and moving large data files around to big business decisions like expanding the workforce or introducing better quality IT services at less cost."

फोर्ट विलियम में सुपर-फास्ट ब्रॉडबैंड सेवाओं को आधिकारिक तौर पर शुरू कर दिया गया है।

uk-england-hampshire-33901788

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-33901788

Arrest after cyclist dies in A31 Bentley van crash

A man has been arrested after a cyclist died in a crash with a van on the A31 in Hampshire.

The crash, involving a white Ford Transit van, happened near the junction with Station Road at Bentley just before 19:30 BST on Wednesday, police said. The cyclist, a man in his 40s, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries where he later died. A man in his 20s is being questioned in connection with the crash. Both carriageways of the road were closed until the early hours while officers investigated the scene. Hampshire Constabulary has appealed for any witnesses to contact them.

हैम्पशायर में ए31 पर एक वैन के साथ दुर्घटना में एक साइकिल चालक की मौत के बाद एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।

entertainment-arts-16036656

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-16036656

Simon Armitage pays tribute to 'one-off' Ted Hughes

At a service on the 6 December the name of Ted Hughes, former Poet Laureate, will take its place in the South Transept of Westminster Abbey, in that part of the building colloquially known as Poets' Corner.

By Simon ArmitagePoet Geoffrey Chaucer, one of the founding fathers of British poetry, was buried here, and although he was being recognised as an employee of the Abbey rather than for anything he had written, the practice of honouring the greatest poets of the age with a tomb or a stone has developed into a 600-year tradition. Dryden, Tennyson, Browning and Hardy are buried in Poets' Corner, and Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Blake, Hopkins and Eliot are memorialised there. It is, is could be argued, poetry's most exclusive club, or as close as a poet might come to immortality here on earth. Hell-raisers like Byron have to wait for the scandal to die down and the dust to settle before being offered a berth in such sacred surroundings, though why it has taken 13 years of questioning and campaigning for Hughes to be recognised in this way is something of a mystery. Edward James Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire in 1930, and right from the outset his tone of voice and subject matter set him apart from other poets of his generation. Compared with the urban and urbane styles of his post-war contemporaries whose poems often looked like crossword puzzles or elaborate word-games, Hughes's approach was elemental and unpretentious, almost as if the poems had grown out of the earth. He came to immediate attention with his first book, Hawk in the Rain, and from that moment on was never far from the literary headlines, either because of the singular quality of his work or through his now infamous marriage to Sylvia Plath and her subsequent suicide. When another lover took her own life and that of their daughter, Hughes's name was forever linked with tragedy and the sensationalism that accompanies it, though the writing never stopped, and included work for children, theatre, radio, critical commentaries, translation and always, at the heart of it, poetry. 'Acts of magic' In 1998 he published Birthday Letters, his belated poetic response to the all-too-public terrors of his personal life. Birthday Letters became that rare thing - a poetry bestseller - and one in which the potentially explosive subject matter was brought under control through the measured artistry of his writing. Hughes won the Whitbread Book prize twice. For me, Birthday Letters was a reminder of what I had felt all along, that Hughes was a one-off, a writer with an unparalleled natural gift, a once-in-a-generation poet, whose work was a major contribution to English Literature. Reading his poems in the classroom at school all those years ago had been like experiencing spell-binding acts of magic. When he wrote about a bull, I could smell it; when he wrote about a jaguar, I could sense it to the point where the hairs on the back of my neck stood up; when he wrote about a bayonet charge, I wasn't just witnessing it, I was experiencing it, going over the top in the "cold clockwork of the stars and nations," into the bullets and bombs. Those were adult poems, germinating and burgeoning and multiplying wildly in my young imagination, something that several generations of students have gone on to appreciate. For although Hughes's themes are often complex and cerebral, his poetry is nearly always approachable and engaging, even to the common reader. It is a balance that not all writers understand and even fewer achieve, and one of the main reasons I believe we will still be reading Hughes (assuming we will be "reading" at all) in future centuries. Hughes was only 68 when he died, and at that time Seamus Heaney was moved to describe him as "a guardian spirit of the land and language". In those terms, it seems entirely fitting that this great man of words should take his place in such hallowed ground, among his forbears and equals.

6 दिसंबर को एक सेवा में पूर्व कवि पुरस्कार विजेता टेड ह्यूजेस का नाम वेस्टमिंस्टर एबे के दक्षिण ट्रांसेप्ट में होगा, जिसे बोलचाल की भाषा में पोएट्स कॉर्नर के नाम से जाना जाता है।

uk-england-derbyshire-46597615

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-46597615

Derby sex assaults: Man pleads guilty after cyclist appeal

A man has admitted a series of sex attacks after a police appeal to trace a cyclist.

Officers had received reports of a man riding past teenage girls and grabbing them in Derby city centre. Csaba Kiss, 35, of St Chads Road, Derby, pleaded guilty to 22 counts of sexual assault at Derby Crown Court earlier. He has been remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced at the same court on January 14. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

साइकिल चालक का पता लगाने की पुलिस की अपील के बाद एक व्यक्ति ने यौन हमलों की एक श्रृंखला को स्वीकार किया है।

uk-12679445

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12679445

Police pay review: Politicians and groups react

An independent review of police pay and conditions has recommended big cuts in perks and bonuses, including saving £60m a year in overtime - but there are fears 28,000 jobs could be lost. Politicians, police groups and others give their reaction.

Association of Chief Police Officers Acpo predicts the jobs of 12,000 police officers and 16,000 civilian staff will be lost as a result of the cuts - a reduction of about 12% of posts. Chief Constable Peter Fahy, Acpo's lead on workforce development, said "hugely difficult" decisions would have to be taken but most forces were realistic sacrifices had to be made. He said he was pleased bonuses for chief officers had been suspended and that no evidence was found suggesting abuses of overtime were prevalent. The review would lay "lasting foundations" for the service, he added. Police Federation of England and Wales Chairman Paul McKeever said: "These recommendations, if implemented, together with the two-year pay freeze and a likely increase in pension contributions, will have a devastating effect on policing. "Police officers are likely to suffer a 15-20% reduction in the value of their pay. "Officers and their families are paying the price for the failure of the home secretary to safeguard policing from the 20% cut on the service imposed by the Treasury." He added: "We have to work a way around the law. We do not have a right to strike. We are being bullied at the moment." Policing Minister Nick Herbert He said: "We have to deal with the deficit, and police forces can and must make savings, focusing on back and middle office functions like IT and procurement so that front-line services can be protected. "But when three-quarters of force budgets goes on pay, reform of pay and conditions is also essential to protect police jobs and keep officers on the streets." Association of Police Authorities The organisation said the Winsor review was a "once in a generation opportunity to see police pay reformed". Chairman Rob Garnham said: "Police authorities are ready for the challenge of change, to deliver a modern, effective pay system that delivers value for money. "This means a system that is fair to both police officers and staff and the taxpayer." Metropolitan Police Federation Chairman Peter Smyth said: "Whichever way it is dressed up, Mr Winsor has produced a formula for slashing police pay. "When officers have deciphered the report's opaque language and realise the reality of the massive cuts to the police pay budget, they will be dismayed and very angry." He said plans to pay officers according to performance would "unavoidably create a mushrooming of bureaucratic work in the back office". Police Superintendents' Association President Derek Barnett said: "It is inevitable in any such review that there will be some winners and losers and it is important now that we take the opportunity to reflect on the huge amount of detail. "We need to recognise that police officers, along with other public servants, are facing a two-year pay freeze and a steep increase in pension contributions that will significantly reduce the take-home pay of all police officers. "This will amount to a double hit for many officers." Home Secretary Theresa May "With a record budget deficit, we are in exceptional circumstances," she told the BBC. "And with three-quarters of the police budget going on staff, then pay and conditions has to play its role in ensuring we can keep officers' jobs, keep officers on the street, and cut crime." She said it was possible for forces to make "significant" budget savings by making back offices, support services, procurement and IT more efficient. "I know up and down the country chief constables are making sure that they are protecting front-line, visible and available policing, and responsive policing," she added. Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee "Looking at the changes that a police officer is going to have to undergo over the next few weeks, months and years, it's going to be pretty tough for them," he said. "Where it says do not just give bonuses and overtime payments for the sake of it, I think that the British public will be delighted with what is being said. But we shouldn't just single out the police in this particular circumstance." He added: "On a day when Acpo itself have said that 12,000 officers are going to lose their jobs, if you're then subsequently going to cut overtime payments in the way in which it's being suggested, then that's going to be very difficult." Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper "It is already clear that this won't stop the 28,000 police job cuts that chief constables have announced today, as a result of the 20% police budget cuts," she said. "Everyone will support sensible reforms but it's important the government works with the police on reform rather that picking a fight with the police as they tried to do last week. "The government is cutting too far too fast and hitting the police budget hard, ultimately it is local communities that will pay the price."

पुलिस वेतन और शर्तों की एक स्वतंत्र समीक्षा ने भत्ते और बोनस में बड़ी कटौती की सिफारिश की है, जिसमें ओवरटाइम में प्रति वर्ष 60 मिलियन पाउंड की बचत शामिल है-लेकिन 28,000 नौकरियां जाने की आशंका है। राजनेता, पुलिस समूह और अन्य अपनी प्रतिक्रिया देते हैं।

world-europe-guernsey-20962142

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-20962142

Guernsey coast road undergoes more temporary repairs

Further temporary repairs have been made to a hole in Guernsey's west coast sea defences, after initial repairs were weakened by waves.

Boulders were taken from Longue Hougue in St Sampson to shore up the sea wall at Perelle, St Saviour. A 10m (33ft) section of the road was washed away by a 9.9m (32ft) tide and strong winds in October last year. More permanent repairs are scheduled to be carried out in May, for which the States has gone out to tender. Jenny Giles, the project's engineer, said: "A lot of the walls are very old." "It's very difficult to say whether there are going to be any future events such as this," she said. A coastal defence study by consultants Royal Haskoning, published in August, recommended the States spend £50m in the next 20 years, to avoid significant flooding.

गुएर्नसे के पश्चिमी तट की समुद्री सुरक्षा में एक छेद की और अस्थायी मरम्मत की गई है, जब प्रारंभिक मरम्मत लहरों से कमजोर हो गई थी।

education-40946785

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-40946785

What is new about this year's A-levels?

Thousands of teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving their A-and AS-level results. But, in England, there have been changes to this year's A-level qualifications - the BBC News website sets out the changes.

What is different about this year's A-levels in England? Under the new system, students sit all A-level exams at the end of two years of study, instead of taking modular exams throughout the course. AS-level results no longer count towards A-level grades. No subject will have more than a 20% coursework component and most courses will be assessed entirely through exams. Resits will still be available, but January exams will be scrapped, so students will have to wait until May/June of the following year for a chance to improve their grades. Why was this change brought in? The change was brought in by the former Education Secretary Michael Gove with the intention of making the exams more "fit for purpose" - or harder. The new AS- and A-levels syllabuses have been phased in across schools in England from September 2015. The DfE says: "The content for the new A-levels has been reviewed and updated. Universities played a greater role in this for the new qualifications than they did previously." What is happening to AS-levels? The AS-level is being decoupled from the A-level, which means it operates as a stand-alone qualification and the results do not count towards A-level grades - although in Wales and Northern Ireland, they will still count towards an overall A-level mark. Provisional figures from the Department for Education show that the number of entries for AS subjects has fallen by 42% this summer. Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton said it "sounded the death knell for AS-levels". "The great benefit of the old system was that it gave students a broader range of knowledge and allowed them to keep their options open for longer," he said. "The decision to decouple these qualifications was an entirely unnecessary reform, which is narrowing the curriculum and reducing student choice." Which subjects are being phased in when? This year, new A-level qualifications were taken in: Next summer, candidates will sit the new A-level qualifications in the following subjects: In the summer of 2019, new exams will be sat in: Hasn't all this change been stressful for the teenagers involved? Young people and teachers have told the BBC that preparing for the new qualification has been stressful, especially as there were no past papers to refer to and some text books were written before some of the syllabuses were finalised. Rosamund McNeil, from the National Union of Teachers, said: "The upheaval of a hastily reformed curriculum and the changes leading to a reduction in much of the coursework elements, created unnecessary stress and concern for pupils and teachers alike. "While results nationally may have remained in line with those in the previous year, some schools and colleges will no doubt see considerable variation. "The volatility around results and the accountability measures which use them can have damaging and unfair consequences." What is happening elsewhere in the UK? There have been no major changes in the other nations. In Wales and Northern Ireland, AS-levels have remained as an integral part of studying for A-levels. AS-levels contribute 40% of the total marks of the full A-level and can be taken at the end of the AS course or alongside A2. In Scotland, students do not sit A-levels and AS-levels. Instead, they take Highers and Advanced Highers. This year, the Higher pass rate dipped by 0.2%, but the total number of passes remained above 150,000 for a third successive year. Reporting by BBC News education reporter Katherine Sellgren

इंग्लैंड, वेल्स और उत्तरी आयरलैंड में हजारों किशोर अपने ए-और ए. एस-स्तर के परिणाम प्राप्त कर रहे हैं। लेकिन, इंग्लैंड में, इस वर्ष की ए-स्तर की योग्यताओं में बदलाव किए गए हैं-बीबीसी समाचार वेबसाइट परिवर्तनों को निर्धारित करती है।

world-latin-america-20779967

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20779967

Dilma Rousseff and Brazil set for two testing years

It was more polite applause than thunderous cheers as Brazil's normally stern-looking President, Dilma Rousseff, jauntily kicked a ball to inaugurate the first of 12 stadiums set to host the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

By Julia CarneiroBBC Brasil, Rio de Janeiro But December's opening of the stadium in the north-eastern city of Fortaleza was a key moment as Brazil gears up to be the centre of sporting attention. "We Brazilians are showing the world that we are good both on and off the football field," said President Rousseff as she inaugurated another stadium, this time in the city of Belo Horizonte. After years of planning for the World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics, the moment has arrived for Brazil to start delivering. And with Ms Rousseff now halfway through her four-year term, her own ability to produce results is also under scrutiny. According to recent opinion polls, Ms Rousseff enjoys approval ratings of 62% - the highest achieved by a president in their first two years. Her popularity has continued despite a slowdown in the economy, with growth in 2012 at just 1%, well below the expectations of the government and investors. This sluggish performance is the worst compared with other Bric nations Russia, India and China, and is in sharp contrast to a 7.5% rate recorded just two years ago. Given this, economic analysts say, 2013 will be a crucial year for Brazil - and the government. "Another 'PIBinho' (or 'tiny GDP', as Brazilians have been calling last year's results) will be devastating for Dilma and for the country's image," says historian Jose Murilo de Carvalho, of Rio de Janeiro's Federal University (UFRJ). "Once more the dream of becoming a great power, which Brazilians have aspired to since independence (in 1822), will be frustrated." No-nonsense The halfway point of Ms Rousseff's first term also marks 10 years in office for the Workers' Party, which first won the presidency under her predecessor and mentor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. During this period, Brazil has won international acclaim for reducing some of its extreme inequality. Ms Rousseff has taken some of the credit for that, says Mr Carvalho, but he also points to other factors. He believes the president is gaining supporters among Brazil's growing middle class, who are increasingly aware of their rights as taxpayers. "These people are more concerned about having a good government in terms of efficiency, honesty and transparency, which is Dilma's promise," he says. Ms Rousseff lacks former president Lula's charisma, but her firm style has earned her a reputation as a tough, no-nonsense manager - and an ethical one. She sacked seven ministers for allegations of corruption and has frequently said she will not tolerate wrongdoing. But it is the economy that the opposition will be focusing on to develop its campaign for the presidential elections in 2014. The Social Democratic Party (PSDB), which governed before Lula, aims to attack President Rousseff's image as an efficient manager. Another area where Ms Rousseff could face a big challenge is Brazil's energy sector. Water levels in the reservoirs that feed the country's hydroelectric power stations are as low as in 2001, when the authorities were forced to introduce nationwide energy rationing. Ms Rousseff, who was Lula's minister for mines and energy, has dismissed any need for rationing this time, but has been holding emergency talks on the issue. Skills shortage The government puts much of the blame for the economic slowdown on the wider international financial crisis, which has affected traditional trade partners such as the US and Europe. But analysts say the problem is just as much internal. "Now that the international situation has deteriorated, there is growing demand for products and services here," says Fernando Lattman-Weltman, from the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro. "But businesses have difficulty to meet this demand because of problems such as poor infrastructure, an unskilled labour force and a high tax burden." The government seems to be trying to tackle these problems, says Luciano Rostagno, chief strategist for WestLB Bank. "But these are improvements that will only happen in the medium-term," he says. Mr Rostagno predicts growth will be 3.5% this year, while the government, which has proved to be overly optimistic in 2012, is suggesting 4%. But GDP should not be the sole measure of success, says political scientist Eduardo Raposo, of Rio's Pontifical Catholic University (PUC-Rio). Looking at the wider picture, he says Brazil is going through "a good moment". Its institutions are growing stronger, as shown by a recent major corruption trial before the Supreme Court that convicted 25 people, among them high-profile politicians. "We are living the longest period of democracy in Brazil's republic since the end of the dictatorship (in 1985). This brings an institutional stability that we'd never seen before," says Mr Raposo. But for the year ahead, the success of the Rousseff administration looks set to rest on what can be achieved economically. Just before Christmas, Ms Rousseff said 2013 would be the year to reap the benefits of measures taken in 2012, such as lowering interest rates. She told reporters her hope for 2013 was a "PIBao grandao", or a "big fat GDP". She will be joining 190 million Brazilians in rooting for the national football side to triumph in this year's Confederations Cup curtain-raiser and in next year's World Cup. However well - or not - the economy is doing then, a Brazil victory could well earn Dilma Rousseff extra popularity points.

यह जोरदार जयकारों की तुलना में अधिक विनम्र तालियाँ थीं क्योंकि ब्राजील की आम तौर पर कठोर दिखने वाली राष्ट्रपति, डिल्मा रूसेफ ने 2014 फीफा विश्व कप की मेजबानी के लिए निर्धारित 12 स्टेडियमों में से पहले का उद्घाटन करने के लिए एक गेंद को लात मारी।

world-europe-49098263

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49098263

In pictures: Europe's July 2019 heatwave

People around Europe are looking for ways to stay cool as record temperatures hit the Continent.

The second heatwave in a month has seen Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands all record their highest ever temperatures. Weather warnings have been issued in countries including Portugal, France and Luxembourg. Temperatures of 42C have been reached in Paris, while comparisons have been drawn to a deadly heatwave in 2003. All pictures subject to copyright.

यूरोप के आसपास के लोग ठंडे रहने के तरीकों की तलाश कर रहे हैं क्योंकि महाद्वीप में रिकॉर्ड तापमान है।

education-20697316

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-20697316

Primary league tables: Best results

This table lists the primary schools with the highest attainment in England in 2012.

At these 213 schools, all Year 6 children achieved Level 4 in English and maths. They are then ranked on the average point scores that the pupils have achieved. The list does not include schools with fewer than six pupils.

इस तालिका में 2012 में इंग्लैंड में सबसे अधिक उपलब्धि हासिल करने वाले प्राथमिक विद्यालयों को सूचीबद्ध किया गया है।

uk-england-52825797

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-52825797

Coronavirus: Devon care homes were 'hit so quickly'

Care homes across England have tried in vain to protect their vulnerable from Covid-19 but the virus has swept through many, contributing to thousands of deaths and causing a widespread crisis over the way it has been handled. One care home boss describes the reality of trying to stop the virus once it got through the doors.

By Emma HallettBBC News "It was so unprecedented and such uncharted territory - things were just changing so quickly. The first day I went in, within the first hour, there were two deaths. "You had people walking around that do not have the capacity or insight to understand that walking around could potentially kill themselves or infect another resident." Less than two weeks into the national lockdown, Ed Bliss learned that residents and staff at his family-run care homes in Devon were showing possible signs of Covid-19. Primley Court and Primley View in Paignton had closed their doors to visitors and relatives two weeks before the prime minister's announcement on 23 March. But by the first week of April, several residents at both premises, which have 100 staff and care for up to 80 people with dementia, were seriously unwell, and the entire senior team was ill or self-isolating. "[Primley Court] was hit so quickly, the staff had been wiped out," said Ed. "Our top five senior staff members were taken out of the game, so we had lost our rudder. "We had 40% of our workforce out on the floor either ill or self-isolating, so we were running a home at near full capacity with complex dementia care needs with 60% of our own staff and limited senior management." Optima Care Partnership was started by Ed's father, Paul, 34 years ago and remains a family-run business based in Weston-super-Mare. It cares for people with varying types of dementia and those who need psychiatric rehabilitation or end-of-life nursing at homes in Bristol, North Somerset and Devon. The first coronavirus symptoms were seen at the Paignton homes on 3 April and a small number of residents were tested five days later. The results, which came back on 11 April, showed some of those tested were positive for the virus. Management at the homes raised concerns two days later about the number of residents becoming lethargic with no fever with the Torbay Council Quality Assurance and Improvement Team (QAIT) and Public Health England (PHE), and insisted more residents needed to be swabbed. But Ed, who is director of dementia services, said a consultant at PHE told them lethargy was not a symptom of the virus and further testing was unnecessary. "We were saying 'we need help here' and we weren't getting that as readily as we wanted. While understanding that it was just wildly unprecedented, that is where the hole was," he said. "The social care sector was being treated as second class to the NHS. Second week into lockdown there was nothing, no focus on social care. That's when they should have been in, at that point, and that's where it fell down." The situation was escalated by QAIT and on 18 April all residents and staff were tested for the virus. With the situation becoming critical following a number of deaths, a specialist team from Torbay Hospital was called in to help. Ed, his nephew and sister-in-law, all of whom are nurses, joined them soon after. "We knew [staff] were really struggling and we had to do something," said Ed, who normally works in a home near Bristol. "We were told by the NHS infection control team, 'you have a high risk of getting this'. That was just something we were prepared to accept." To combat the spread of the virus, floors were isolated and staff worked on one site to reduce the risk of cross infection. The changes made those residents with complex dementia more agitated, with some becoming violent and spitting - a particular risk when trying to stop the spread of the virus. For residents showing coronavirus symptoms, official advice was to keep them in their rooms, but Ed said this was "impossible". "You have to imagine - residents are coming out of their rooms that we're desperately trying to keep in their rooms, but we can't keep them in there because of the distress that would cause and varying care policies. "That is what we were constantly up against. It's indescribable, because you're in the middle of it, you're in the middle of danger." How big is the epidemic in care homes? Asymptomatic care workers unknowingly spread virus Care homes felt 'abandoned' as virus hit Many of the staff brought in to help had no experience of working in a care home setting or how to provide dementia care at a complex level. Staff were also faced with the challenge of trying to care for people, many of whom have communication difficulties, while dressed head to toe in protective clothing, or PPE. "Half your face is covered, you have plastic all over you, gloves on and the only thing you can really communicate [with] is this muffled voice and your eyes," said Ed. By far one of the hardest things to manage was the impact on families who lost relatives, said Ed. "Making the call to say 'mum is close now', that was very difficult, very alien. To have that kind of emotional phone call… you can't hold someone's hand, they can't see how genuinely upset you are about what you are saying to them. "To have that conversation with someone over the phone is not what we are here to do, but that is all we had. Someone telling you that you can't see your mum or dad, knowing they are probably going to die within the next 24 hours… to take that away from the families is disastrous. You just can't understand how crushing that is." By the end of April the outbreak at both homes had stabilised and they have since been given the all-clear by PHE. Despite the challenges they faced, Ed said support from the Care Quality Commission, PHE and local authorities had been "excellent" during an incredibly difficult time. "We would have wanted to see more support within that initial two-week gap, more testing and resource, we didn't get it," he said. "But we did as best we could and... the NHS professional disciplinary teams did as best they could as well." A spokeswoman for PHE said: "PHE South West, Torbay Council and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust worked in partnership to support the care home, following the government guidance on managing an outbreak. "Further testing of residents, asymptomatic, symptomatic or otherwise, was not part of government guidance at the time. "However, to provide extra support to the home, testing of all residents and also staff was promptly carried out by the local hospital laboratory alongside a full support package provided by the local hospital." Optima Care Partnership has not released official figures for the number of staff and residents affected, or the number of deaths. It said it could not conclusively say when or how the virus got into its homes.

पूरे इंग्लैंड में देखभाल गृहों ने कोविड-19 से अपने कमजोर लोगों को बचाने के लिए व्यर्थ प्रयास किए हैं, लेकिन वायरस कई लोगों में फैल गया है, जिससे हजारों मौतें हुई हैं और जिस तरह से इसे संभाला गया है उस पर व्यापक संकट पैदा हो गया है। एक देखभाल गृह मालिक वायरस को दरवाजे से निकलने के बाद रोकने की कोशिश करने की वास्तविकता का वर्णन करता है।

uk-england-merseyside-38925260

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-38925260

The helter skelter story of the Cavern Club

It has been shut down, demolished, and rebuilt, but Liverpool's Cavern Club remains an icon of pop history. As it celebrates its 60th year, those who were there in its heyday recall its evolution from subterranean jazz club to international music Mecca.

'What about that place there?' Peter Morris was a friend of the club's first owner, Alan Sytner, who modelled the basement venue on Le Caveau de la Huchette - a jazz place he'd seen in Paris. He recalled how they were drinking at The Grapes pub in Mathew Street when the idea was formed. "Alan said, 'We should have a place like [Le Caveau]'. He said, 'I'd love to find a place, like a basement or something'. "We came out of the pub and [one of us] said, 'Hey Alan, what about that place there?' And there was a sign that said 'Basement For Sale, Or Let'. "The next day we met up again for a pint at lunch time and Alan said, 'Got that place. I've bought it'." Peter recalled how Alan's vision for the club, which opened on 16 January 1957, involved some questionable manual labour. "It was actually three rooms, and Alan said, 'What we need is one big room, so these walls will have to come down'. He said, ''I'll get the sledgehammers and a barrel of ale, and we'll all go down one night and knock these walls down'. "Just thinking about it afterwards, you know, the whole thing could have come down on top of us." 'They're all leaving' Colin Hanton was the drummer with John Lennon's skiffle group, The Quarrymen - a precursor to The Beatles. He remembered how the jazz club's owners were less than impressed with their set in 1958. "John had done a couple of rock and roll numbers and someone passed him a folded piece of paper. So John said over the microphone, 'Oh, we have a request from the audience'. "He opened it up and it said, 'Do not do any more rock n' roll, signed the management'. Apparently we weren't the only band that got that kind of note. "But rock and roll was coming, you know? It was like King Canute trying to hold back the waves. "The more we played rock and roll the more people got up and left and John was quite beside himself. He turned to me and said, 'They're all leaving, I can't believe it'. 'Here's our Cilla' By 1960, the club's new owner Ray McFall - whose bankruptcy forced its temporary closure in 1966 - had abandoned the venue's jazz roots for rock 'n' roll. He would help launch the careers of many Merseybeat bands, including The Beatles, who played their first Cavern gig in 1961. Gerry Marsden, lead singer of Gerry and the Pacemakers, remembered the club as a popular spot which shone a spotlight on then-cloakroom attendant, Cilla Black. "We would play alternate days with The Beatles. It used to be packed - all the girls would come from the offices and the lads would all come in [at lunchtime]. "Cilla asked, 'Can I sing?' 'Yep come on, get up. Here she is! Here's our Cilla'. "And that was it. She just got up and did it and a star was born." 'It was like a steam bath' For Cavern regular Debbie Greenberg, the anticipation started above ground. "We would queue up in Mathew Street waiting to go in and you could hear the 'throb, throb, throb' of the beat inside. "There was a small opening to get in and 18 stone steps to go down. And there'd be a guy sitting at a wooden table taking the money as you went in. "You'd pay your shilling to get in and then you'd be part of the excitement." But it wasn't just the thrill of the music and the bands that made an impression. "It was a smelly place, because there were no drains, no main drains, just a cesspit under the toilets, and the cleaners used to top it up with disinfectant every day. "There would be condensation running down the walls, everybody would be perspiring because it was so hot in there, it was like a steam bath. "But that was what made [it] The Cavern." The Cavern would became an even bigger fixture in her life when her father Alf Geoghegan bought it in the late 1960s. "Dad came to me and said 'I've got a chance of buying the Cavern, what do you think?' Well, you offer a child a key to a sweet shop it's not going to say no. "Paul McCartney turned up [once] and said: 'I've got my new girlfriend in the car outside, and I'd like to bring her back and show her where it all began'. "They came in and she took a photograph of me with Paul." 'It changed my life' Billy Kinsey, lead singer of The Merseybeats, also recalled the cellar's strange aroma - "horrible smell, very distinctive". But despite its dungeon-like qualities, he credits the club with shaping the course of his life. "I knew the minute I saw The Beatles playing on the Cavern - that's what I wanted to be, a professional musician. "And three days later I left school. I became a professional musician, which I still am. "It changed my life. It absolutely changed my life." 'So really, did we lose anything?' The club's long and winding road looked set to hit a dead end when in 1973 British Rail obtained a compulsory purchase order to build a new underground railway. The original venue was bulldozed and the cellar filled in, bringing what many thought was an end to the landmark venue. But following John Lennon's murder in 1980, it was rebuilt on the original site and opened four years later. It now mixes its 60s heritage with modern acts. Dave Jones, who has owned the club since 1991, said the venue and the success of The Beatles has helped make Liverpool a global destination. "We know it's not the original Cavern, we don't pretend that it is, but [it] is where the original Cavern was," he said. "In hindsight you could say that because it led to the demolition, and it led to the rebuilding, we actually ended up with a better venue anyway, on the same site. "So really, did we lose anything?" Learn more: The Cavern The Most Famous Club In The World

इसे बंद कर दिया गया है, ध्वस्त कर दिया गया है और पुनर्निर्मित किया गया है, लेकिन लिवरपूल का कैवर्न क्लब पॉप इतिहास का एक प्रतीक बना हुआ है। जैसा कि यह अपने 60 वें वर्ष का जश्न मना रहा है, जो लोग इसके सुनहरे दिनों में थे वे भूमिगत जैज़ क्लब से अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संगीत मक्का में इसके विकास को याद करते हैं।

magazine-17456672

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17456672

Could you run a marathon without training?

London Marathon entrants have a month of training left for what's seen as one of the greatest feats of human endurance. Yet Irish twins Jedward claim they completed the Los Angeles marathon without any training. So is it possible to run one on a whim?

By Vanessa Barford and Jon KellyBBC News Magazine For most runners, a marathon is not just 26.2 miles of physical endurance - it means months and months of arduous, painstaking preparation. Typically, those signing up commit to long periods of meticulous planning, a careful diet and a regimented programme of progressively longer runs. And yet those limbering up for the London Marathon on 22 April can be forgiven for feeling galled by Irish pop singers Jedward - aka John and Edward Grimes - who claim to have completed the Los Angeles marathon on a whim, straight off a flight and with no training. Such an accomplishment flies in the face of all the advice offered by the medical world and the running community alike. With the body under considerable stresses and the race consuming an entire day's worth of calories, conventional wisdom says completing a marathon is a physical ordeal for which you have to prepare. Add cramps, chafing, dizziness and dehydration into the mix, and the 26-mile mission can push the human body to its limits. People can even die running both marathons and half-marathons. In the first 30 years of the London Marathon, 10 competitors died, with eight of those cardiac cases. Sportscardiologists recommend screeningfor many runners. Jedward are not the only figures said to have completed a marathon without preparation. Former athlete David Bedford, now race director for the London Marathon, apparently only chose to enter the 1981 race in the early hours of race day, while in a nightclub. He had been challenged by none other than Grandstand commentator David Coleman. After stopping on the way home for a curry, according to his own account, Bedford duly completed the course - although he was filmed throwing up midway through the route. Andrew Gertig caused consternation in running circles when he announced he had finished the2003 San Francisco marathonin four hours 28 minutes without any training. And when Eddie Izzard ran 43 marathons in 51 days, the comedian admitted he only began preparing five weeks before. Not all have been so successful, however. The reality television star Jade Goody was hospitalised after attempting the 2006 London marathon without meaningful training. So how difficult is it to run a marathon without putting in the leg work? For American Sean Ogle, 26,running a marathon on almost no trainingwas not something he set out to achieve. But he is testament to the fact it can be done, albeit in a modest time of five hours and 29 minutes. Ogle began training for the Eugene marathon in Oregon, held on 1 May 2011, in January of that year. But he kept up his training for just three weeks. Then he was compelled to travel more regularly for work, and picked up a shin injury, so he stopped. "Before I knew it, it was three weeks before the marathon," he recalls. "I'd paid $100 to enter, I wanted to do it, so I decided to run three miles to see if I could. It was hard, but it made me think, maybe I can walk this thing." Ogle says he turned up to the start of the race with his new plan, but then something happened. His ego kicked in. "There were a bunch of 10 women between the ages of 50-60 next to me and I didn't want to be the guy holding them up. So I decided to run for the first mile, which went to three, and somehow I kept going. "By 18 or 19 miles, I was walking at the end of every mile for 30 or 45 seconds. I'd stretch my leg on a tree or something. "I'd heard all the stories about crashing at 22 or 23 miles, and I didn't know what was going to happen. All I knew was I was getting closer." Ogle says he was overcome with emotion and pain when he actually managed to cross the finish line. For the following week he could barely walk as far as his local shops. And yet he did not entirely tackle the marathon from scratch. Although Ogle says he has no regular fitness regime, he normally runs about three miles a couple of times a week. Indeed, according to Dr Valerie Gladwell, a senior lecturer in sports and exercise science at the University of Essex, a person's basic level of fitness plays a big part in their potential. The Jedward twins were keen runners in their pre-fame days,according to a Sunday Times profile,competing in their local athletics club and coming 7th and 13th in an Irish schools' mountain running championships shortly before they came to public recognition. Gladwell says this history of fitness would have been crucial. "Jedward spend a lot of time being very active, they do a lot of dancing," she says. "Their cardiovascular systems are going to be OK, they will have reasonable muscle strength. "If people of their level of fitness get their fuelling right, if they keep their pace steady, they could probably do a marathon if they really wanted to, but it isn't something I'd recommend," she says. "From doing no training, their muscles wouldn't be accustomed to it. If they were going through an extra pain barrier they would risk injury through muscle strains and excessive wear and tear on their joints. "But if they went round slowly and listened to their bodies they wouldn't necessarily be at any more risk - as long as they are staying within their comfort zone and not doing it faster than they are capable of." John Brewer, professor of sports science at the University of Bedfordshire, agrees it is physically possible as long as the competitor has some experience of running and attempts it at the lowest possible intensity. "If you're a runner and your body is conditioned to running 5k or 10k in distance, as long as you set your goals properly and you run at a very slow pace, you could probably get around," he says. "If you walk briskly at 15 minutes per mile, that's six-and-a-half hours to do 26.2 miles - most people could sustain it." Interspersing walking with a small amount of running might shave another hour off the time, he says. "In today's world of mass-participation running with people fundraising in fancy dress costumes, you're not going to be the last to finish with a time like that." However, he cautions that, for those unaccustomed to long distances, recovery will be longer and more painful. Additionally, first-time runners who have eschewed health check-ups would run the risk of triggering any undiscovered medical condition. "I wouldn't ever recommend anybody tackling a marathon without proper training - you can't underestimate the physical effort and energy demands involved," he adds. Indeed, he is not the only one. Ogle believes anyone who wants do to a marathon should go for it, but he would not advise anyone to follow in his footsteps. "If I ever was to do one again, I'd train," he says. "Training needs real commitment. Personally I think training for a marathon is more of an accomplishment than running it."

लंदन मैराथन में प्रवेश करने वालों के पास एक महीने का प्रशिक्षण बचा है जिसे मानव सहनशक्ति के सबसे बड़े कारनामों में से एक के रूप में देखा जाता है। फिर भी आयरिश जुड़वां जेडवर्ड का दावा है कि उन्होंने बिना किसी प्रशिक्षण के लॉस एंजिल्स मैराथन को पूरा किया। तो क्या एक सनक पर दौड़ना संभव है?

world-africa-13881370

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13881370

Mali country profile

Once home to several pre-colonial empires, the landlocked, arid West African country of Mali is one of the largest on the continent. For centuries, its northern city of Timbuktu was a key regional trading post and centre of Islamic culture.

But this prominence has long since faded. After independence from France in 1960, Mali suffered droughts, rebellions, a coup and 23 years of military dictatorship until democratic elections in 1992. In 2013, France intervened militarily upon the government's request following the capture of the town of Konna and its troops overran Islamist strongholds. Authorities agreed a United Nations-sponsored ceasefire with Tuareg separatists in 2015, but parts of the country remain tense, with Tuareg rebels sporadically active. Meanwhile, a jihadist insurgency in Mali's north and central regions continues. Mali is renowned worldwide for having produced some of the stars of African music, most notably Salif Keita. FACTS Republic of Mali Capital: Bamako Population 18.5 million Area 1.25 million sq km (482,077 sq miles) Major languages French, Bambara, Berber, Arabic Religions Islam, indigenous beliefs Life expectancy 57 years (men), 84 years (women) Currency CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc LEADERS Interim President: Bah Ndaw The military council that seized power in August 2020 named former army officer Bah Ndaw as interim president of Mali the following month. Coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita will serve as his deputy. Mr Ndaw, a retired colonel-major, served as defence minister under ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. West African leaders have demanded the appointment of an interim president to oversee a planned 18-month-long transition to elections. Mali has struggled with mass protests over corruption, electoral probity, and a jihadist insurgency that has made much of the north and east ungovernable. President Keita, who took office in September 2013, proved unable to unify the country or face down the insurgency. MEDIA The media environment in Bamako and the south is relatively open, but the presence of armed militant groups in the north poses dangers for media workers, says Freedom House. Radio is the leading medium. There are hundreds of stations, run by the state as well as by private operators. TIMELINE Some key dates in Mali's history: 11th century - Empire of Mali becomes dominant force in the upper Niger basin. 14th-15th centuries - Decline of the Empire of Mali, which loses dominance of the gold trade to the Songhai Empire. Late 16th century - Moroccans defeat the Songhai, make Timbuktu their capital and rule until their decline in the 18th century. 1898 - France completes conquest of Mali, then called French Sudan. 1960 - Mali becomes independent with Modibo Keita as president. It becomes a one-party, socialist state. 2012 - Coup after which Islamist fighters capture several towns. France intervenes militarily and recaptures key towns from the rebels. 2015 - November - Islamist gunmen attack the Radisson Blu hotel in the capital Bamako. 2018 - Ibrahim Boubacar Keita re-elected for a second term as president. 2020- Military coup ousts President Keita.

एक समय में कई पूर्व-औपनिवेशिक साम्राज्यों का घर, भूमि से घिरा, शुष्क पश्चिम अफ्रीकी देश माली महाद्वीप के सबसे बड़े देशों में से एक है। सदियों से, इसका उत्तरी शहर टिंबक्टू एक प्रमुख क्षेत्रीय व्यापारिक केंद्र और इस्लामी संस्कृति का केंद्र था।

world-asia-42916451

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42916451

New Zealand gannet 'no mates Nigel' dies alongside fake partner

Nigel "no mates", a lonely New Zealand gannet who lived his life on the edge of the cliffs of an uninhabited island, has been found dead alongside his partner - a concrete replica bird.

Nigel had been on Mana Island for five years and was besotted with one of the 80 decoys spread across the island. Conservation ranger Chris Bell, who found Nigel's body last week, said his passing was "incredibly sad". "This just feels like the wrong ending to the story," Mr Bell said. Nigel was found next to his immobile concrete partner, who was part of a fake colony created to help lure gannets to Mana Island off the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. He had been observed over the years by volunteers who said they were touched after witnessing him carefully construct a nest from seaweed and twigs on the cliff edge in an apparent act of courtship in 2013. In a Facebook post on Thursday, conservation group Friends of Mana Island wrote that Nigel "won the hearts" of its members and visitors to the island. The group, which says that three other gannets recently arrived on the island as a "Christmas surprise", posted a poem dedicated to the dead bird, with the message: "RIP 'no mates' Nigel." "We weeded, we painted, we sprayed guano around," the post reads, adding: "We hoped you'd find the real thing." You might also be interested in: Mr Bell said that with the recent arrival of other gannets, Nigel's love affair may not have been "for nothing", the Guardian newspaper reports. "Whether or not he was lonely, he certainly never got anything back, and that must have been very strange experience," he said. "I think we all have a lot of empathy for him, because he had this fairly hopeless situation." Despite the arrival of the three other gannets, Nigel apparently refused to be separated from his replica mate and his commitment was confirmed when he later died by its side.

नाइजल "कोई साथी नहीं", एक अकेला न्यूजीलैंड गैनेट जो एक निर्जन द्वीप की चट्टानों के किनारे पर अपना जीवन जीता था, अपने साथी-एक ठोस प्रतिकृति पक्षी के साथ मृत पाया गया है।

blogs-echochambers-26755692

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-26755692

The disruptive power of 3D printing

Advocates of 3D printing say that small, in-home machines will allow tinkerers and makers to unleash a wave of creative energy, constructing whatever they can imagine, whether replacement shower curtain rings, works of art or even cars.

By Anthony ZurcherEditor, Echo Chambers "The technology has not yet evolved to replace full manufacturing processes, but in its current nascent form it does cut down on prototyping, waste and transportation emissions - opening the door for more sustainable business practices across a range of industries," writes Chat Reynders of Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management for the Guardian's website. Reason magazine's Greg Beato says the focus on the myriad uses of the technology, from the artistic to the mundane, ignores the larger picture: 3D printing has the potential to be a disruptive, possibly revolutionary invention. What will happen, he writes, once millions of people are able "to make, copy, swap, barter, buy, and sell all the quotidian stuff with which they furnish their lives"? It's the end of big-box stores - Bed, Bath & Beyond, for one. But more than that, it could also strike a blow to the heart of government (music to Beato's libertarian ears). He explains how: Once the retail and manufacturing carnage starts to scale, the government carnage will soon follow. How can it not, when only old people pay sales tax, fewer citizens obtain their incomes from traditional easy-to-tax jobs, and large corporate taxpayers start folding like daily newspapers? Without big business, big government can't function. Beato contends that recent history shows that government will fight back. Just ask the online car-for-hire company Uber, which has struggled with taxi unions and local government approval in cities like Dallas and Seattle. Over the past decade or so, as newer technologies and fewer opportunities for traditional employment have prompted more people to act in entrepreneurially innovative ways, government's response has been the same: Consumers must be protected against strawberry balsamic jam made in home kitchens. Tourists must be protected against immaculately maintained carriage houses that can be rented on a daily basis for below-hotel rates. Travellers must be protected from cheap rides from the airport. There's a "dark side" to 3D printing, writes Lyndsey Gilpen of TechRepublic, and it's not just because the machines are "energy hogs" and possible sources of pollution. "3D printers are still potentially hazardous, wasteful machines, and their societal, political, economic, and environmental impacts have not yet been studied extensively," she says. There's a reason government has stepped in to regulate factories, after all. Unfettered manufacturing could have harmful consequences: Weapons can be 3D printed. So can safety equipment such as helmets, wheels for bikes, and toys for small children. Of course there is the issue of intellectual property and trademark, but the larger issue involves responsibility. If a person shoots a gun and harms or kills someone, stabs someone with a 3D printed knife, or breaks their neck while riding on a bike with a 3D printed helmet, who is held accountable? The owner of the printer, the manufacturer of the printer, or the irresponsible person who thought it was a good idea to produce and use an untested product? 3D printing is clearly one of the Next Big Things. Should politicians and CEOs be worried?

3डी प्रिंटिंग के अधिवक्ताओं का कहना है कि छोटी, घर में चलने वाली मशीनें टिंकरों और निर्माताओं को रचनात्मक ऊर्जा की एक लहर को मुक्त करने की अनुमति देंगी, जो कुछ भी वे कल्पना कर सकते हैं, चाहे वह प्रतिस्थापन शॉवर पर्दे की अंगूठी, कला के काम या यहां तक कि कारें हों।

entertainment-arts-41352719

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41352719

Wolf Alice: 'Our album is like hummus'

Wolf Alice have won the 2018 Mercury Music Prize for their second album, Visions of a Life. Speaking to the BBC on its release in 2017, they discussed their eclectic sound, panic attacks and why Craig David should be prime minister.

By Mark SavageBBC Music reporter "It's crazy, Los Angeles," says Wolf Alice's bassist, Theo Ellis. "It's like a fictitious city." "You can go skiing and then come back down to the ocean," adds singer Ellie Rowsell, "or go to the desert and then into town." The band spent the start of 2017 in the city, recording Visions of a Life - their follow-up to the Mercury-nominated debut My Love Is Cool. Like that record, it tears up the indie-rock rule book, merrily flitting between wild-eyed punk (Yuk Foo), dreamy pop (Beautifully Unconventional) and chiming indie melodies (Planet Hunter). "We're easily influenced," laughs Rowsell. "But I think the thing we've learned the most is that you have to trust your gut." The band landed in LA on the day of Donald Trump's inauguration, noting that "everyone seemed really angry". But the political situation didn't overwhelm the record, most of which was written before Donald Trump's surprise victory. Instead, the lyrics are deeply personal, talking about departed friends, blossoming love affairs and, on Sky Musings, a panic attack Rowsell suffered 40,000 feet in the air. The first single, Yuk Foo, is two minutes of unbridled rage, but you wrote it in a dressing room at a TV show. Didn't the other guests get scared? Ellie: I've mastered this by having, unfortunately, lived with my parents my whole life. When you're supposed to be being quiet, but you want to write a song where you're shouting, I have my technique. It sounds a little bit like this. [Makes a sound uncannily like a chipmunk]. I promise it actually sounds like shouting if you layer it up and put enough effects on it! Theo: That might be the reason for our unique sound, is you trying to record angry songs very quietly. Was Yuk Foo targeted at anything in particular? Had someone left the M&Ms off your rider? Ellie: Yes, someone decided to put sun-dried tomatoes in my hummus. Theo: Scum! It's funny you bring up hummus… The first time I interviewed you, in 2014, you told me it was the only item on your rider. Ellie: Haha! We're very low maintenance. What's your favourite variety: Red Pepper, Moroccan, traditional? Ellie: I like anything with garlic in it. But yeah, probably just traditional. Theo: To be fair though, maybe we should get different varieties... Marks and Spencer does a selection pack. Theo: Too posh! Too bougie! Ellie: I think hummus is quite a good analogy for our album. You get all these different varieties but at the end of the day they're all hummus. Yuk Foo is a spicy hummus, Don't Delete The Kisses is beetroot. That's one of the things that impresses me about the album - You have a different sound, and even vocal style, from one track to the next. Is that something you considered in the writing process? Ellie: Not really the songwriting, but maybe the recording. We're all quite easily influenced. I'll watch one band and be like, "I want to be in that band" and then I'll watch another completely different band and be like, "actually, no, I want to be in that band". But why do I have to be in one or the other? I can go and write like a stoner rock dude, and then write a sugary folk song - and adopt the role of each singer without doing anything that feels unnatural to me. What band do you want to be in today? Theo: I want to be in Outkast, but played by the members of Drenge. OutDrenge. It feels like the lyrics on this album are more revealing than the first record... Ellie: I held back less on this record. It's something you grow into with confidence. If you were to write a diary and you held things back, when you went back to look at it when you were older, you'd be annoyed because you want to know how you truly felt. So I didn't want to do that. Musically, as well, we didn't do that. People often say guitar solos are embarrassing, but if they're working it's not embarrassing. Just do it. Speaking of which - did I hear a saxophone solo on Heavenward? Ellie: No! That's Joff's guitar. Theo: I really like it. It's a very specific guitar pedal that he bought. Ellie: It's called a Miku. Theo: The nature of the pedal is quite bizarre. It's supposed to emulate the singing voice of multiple Asian women. It's really, really weird. He just bought it on a whim, because he's always exploring how to make his guitar sound different. My mum thought it was bagpipes when I played it to her. St Purple and Green is a really personal lyric. It's about your grandmother, right? Ellie: Yes. My grandma, she was always a big talker but her mind slowly began to deteriorate. I remember I went to her house one day and she was saying: "I want to go there, purple and green." I was like, "What is she going on about?" but I also liked the way she was talking. One of the most inspiring things about her was she was always quite excited by the prospect of death. She always said, "Why would you be scared of it? It's the next big adventure." I guess Purple and Green is about that - don't be scared, you get to go to this new place. And the song Sky Musings sounds like a panic attack in three minutes. What inspired those lyrics? Ellie: I've had quite a few moments on long haul flights where I've had a couple of drinks and watched some rom-com and felt like I had a thousand million thoughts swimming around my head. Apparently it's a thing that happens on flights: Because its one of the only opportunities you get to do nothing, you start to have lots of thoughts which you'd normally push aside. And also, your life is in the hands of someone else, so people get very emotional. So Sky Musings is kind of the journey of that panic attack, which I had on lots of different flights, but rolled into one for the sake of a song. You've recently done some work with the Labour party. What's your view on Corbyn-mania? Theo: He's been adopted by a generation even younger than us, I reckon. He's the meme lord! The older media were a little reluctant to endorse him. Ellie: And it didn't stop him… or it did for a bit… Theo: Yeah, it stifled him but social media and a lot of youth-leaning outlets championed him. It's really interesting to see that - especially with Brexit being voted for, largely, by the older generation. But then, he's pro-Brexit. Theo: Yeah, I don't necessarily agree with him on Brexit. Ellie: But I think lots of people were for Brexit, when it wasn't really laid out to us what Brexit would mean. Theo: Politics is for everyone, and I don't feel everyone was given the right information on what was going on. People were ringing up the next day and saying, "Can I change my vote?" Will Brexit affect you as a band? Theo: It does directly affect touring in Europe. We have to get all the right pieces of information and documentation. Ellie: So many bands can't get to America because of Visa issues. If we're going to have to start needing Visas around Europe, it's the end of low-level touring. You built your career on touring. Why don't more bands do that? Ellie: It's expensive to tour. You have to remember that. We did it on a shoestring but we were lucky that we had a mate that would drive us, and we had jobs that would let us go. You're a big, formidable presence on stage now. Was that true at the beginning? Theo: No. We had no idea who we were at all! Ellie: I was probably more confident, in a way, because I thought no-one was paying attention. One thing I've noticed is that your influences are much broader than most guitar bands. Wasn't Craig David's Born To Do It the first record Theo bought? Theo: How the heck did you know that?! But, yeah, he's such a good performer. He's the Judi Dench of garage now. He's like a British icon. A hero. He went away for 10 years, moved to Miami, got massive, came back and started shelling it down at every festival on earth. He is also exceptionally polite in real life. Theo: I know! Craig David for next Labour leader. Ellie [singing]: Oh, Cra-i-ig David. What was your first record, Ellie? Ellie: I think mine was Missundaztood by Pink. That was Dua Lipa's first record, too. Ellie: Really? That's funny. I think Pink's like a rock star making pop music. Theo: Everyone likes Pink. And Dua Lipa leans her chair back very far on flights. It feels like there's a story there... Theo [in a strained voice]: "I need some wine, Dua Lipa is crushing me." Listen, Dua Lipa has no idea who I am. But shout out to her, I really like her. She's totally wicked. She's just really bad at flying. Wolf Alice's second album, Visions of a Life, is out on 29 September. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

वुल्फ एलिस ने अपने दूसरे एल्बम, विज़न्स ऑफ ए लाइफ के लिए 2018 का मरकरी संगीत पुरस्कार जीता है। 2017 में इसके जारी होने पर बी. बी. सी. से बात करते हुए, उन्होंने अपनी सारग्राही ध्वनि, पैनिक अटैक और क्रेग डेविड को प्रधान मंत्री क्यों बनाया जाना चाहिए, इस पर चर्चा की।

uk-england-35603938

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35603938

Meningitis B: Is there enough vaccine to go round?

As hundreds of thousands of people sign a petition for the meningitis B vaccine to be given to all children, BBC News asks why it is limited to babies of a certain age - and whether there is enough of it to go round.

The issue was thrust into the news when the mother of two-year-old Faye Burdett, who died from the B-strain of the infection, shared a photograph of her. Former England rugby player Matt Dawson has also revealed his child suffered from the C-strain of the illness. His toddler son Sami is now recovering well. A vaccine for meningitis C is available free for all children as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme. At the moment though, the vaccine - called Bexsero - for meningitis B is only available free for babies born on or after 1 May 2015. The reason behind this is that babies and children under five are the most at risk, with a peak age of five months. However, if the carers of children who are too old to qualify for the vaccine free on the NHS want them to have the inoculation, they can buy it privately. Or can they? The supplier of the vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline, has released a statement to say: "Due to unexpected global demand for Bexsero during 2015, we are experiencing supply constraints during the first half of this year. "Although vaccination through the NHS childhood programme has been prioritised and is unaffected, we have unfortunately had to ask private clinics temporarily to not start new courses of vaccination. "Children who have already started their course of the vaccine privately should still be able to receive their follow-up doses. "We know the unexpectedly high demand for the vaccine reflects the importance parents have placed on protecting their children from meningitis B, so we are working hard to increase supply, and expect to have increased stock by summer 2016." Clinics across the country are telling worried parents they can join a waiting list for the vaccine. Boots UK, one of the leading pharmacies in the country, announced in November it was introducing a private meningitis B vaccination service for children aged two and older. But now it has said the service is unavailable for new patients, due to a shortage in the market. CityDoc, the largest supplier of the vaccine outside of the NHS, said it was unable to offer it to new patients. Babies who qualify for the free NHS vaccination are unaffected by the shortage. Stocks are expected to return to normal levels by July, GlaxoSmithKline said. What is meningitis B? Bexsero protects against infection by meningococcal group B bacteria, which are responsible for more than 90% of meningococcal infections in young children. The Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) said "GPs and travel clinics throughout the UK and Ireland have been informed that the vaccine is available. "You should start by asking your own GP for the vaccine, as if they can provide it, this is likely to be the least costly option. "GPs may not be able to offer the vaccine to their own patients, but they may be able to arrange it via another surgery on private prescription. "You can also get the vaccine from a travel vaccination clinic in your area, or a private GP practice." As a guideline, the NHS list price of the vaccine is £75 a dose, excluding VAT, although GPs or clinics can set their own charges for administration, meaning prices in excess of £150 a dose are not unusual. More than one dose of the vaccine is needed for sufficient protection - the total number depends on the age of the person being vaccinated, but for some families it can be prohibitively expensive. "I've got three kids and I want them all to have the jabs," said Jane Hunter, from Carlisle. "I'd never put money before my kids' health, so I'll find the way somehow. Credit card maybe. "Looking at that poor little girl who died it's worth it." Sue Davie, chief executive of Meningitis Now, said: "Although the introduction of the Men B vaccine on the childhood immunisation scheme for young babies was a momentous achievement, saving thousands of lives, there are still so many, like Faye, left unprotected. "We continue to campaign to see the Men B vaccine rolled out, particularly to at-risk groups, to ensure a future where no-one in the UK loses their life to meningitis." A Department of Health spokesman said: "When any new immunisation programme is introduced, there has to be a date to determine eligibility. A decision is based on the best independent clinical recommendation to ensure we can protect those children most at risk of Men B. "When our nationwide Men B vaccination programme was introduced last year, England became the first country to protect our babies from this devastating disease."

जैसे ही लाखों लोग सभी बच्चों को मेनिनजाइटिस बी का टीका दिए जाने के लिए एक याचिका पर हस्ताक्षर करते हैं, बीबीसी न्यूज़ पूछता है कि यह एक निश्चित उम्र के शिशुओं तक ही सीमित क्यों है-और क्या यह देखने के लिए पर्याप्त है।

business-31499814

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-31499814

Euro's existential threat

The acrimonious breakdown of talks last night between Greece and other eurozone governments on a new financial and economic settlement for the debt-burdened country isn't just another swerve in the longest game of chicken in financial history.

Robert PestonEconomics editor It crystallises for the first time how much is at stake for Berlin and other eurozone governments, in the nature of what led to this latest impasse. Because the fact that Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, Dublin and the rest are insistent that Greece must agree to an extension of the current bailout, and its terms (however flexibly interpreted), goes to the heart of the matter. For Germany et al the long-term success of the euro depends on the perception that its rules, and the applications of its rules, apply to all, in all circumstances. If they create an exception for Greece, they fear they may find themselves obliged by politics and justice to revisit the austerity and hardship forced on Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus. The euro would look like a hastily cobbled together monetary pact driven from pillar to post by economic expediency, with no reliable underlying governance structure. Or at least so they worry. And that would be the road to endemic economic and financial instability. But there may be an even worse outcome for them from this impasse - which is that Greece could leave the euro. That arguably would be an even more severe existential threat to the euro than bending the fiscal and financing rules for Greece. Because in theory the euro is forever. That is what all the law associated with it says. And once it is not forever for Greece, it is not forever for any nation, even Germany. Whether Berlin likes it or not, the moment Greece leaves, those who control the world's huge pools of liquidity or cash will start placing bets on the next country to head for the exit. Once that happens, eurozone fragmentation is almost impossible to reverse: the vast and widening gulf in access to global capital between vulnerable and stronger eurozone economies would reinforce their diverging economic performances. Gamble As the rich north became ever richer relative to the over-indebted south, a more devastating eurozone breakup would become almost inevitable. So, it is the big gamble of Greece and its finance minister Yanis Varoufakis that its exit will ultimately be seen by Berlin as the bigger existential threat. To be clear Greek exit is also an existential threat for the Syriza government, given that most Greeks say they want to keep the euro. But Syriza can be confident Greece would endure if Greece leaves the euro, although the country would be considerably poorer for a while. By contrast, Berlin, Paris and the rest simply cannot be confident the euro will be for all time if Greece is either bundled out the exit door or chooses to walk through it. Because it would demonstrate that the euro had failed in its core underlying purpose, which was to bind its members ever closer together, economically, financially and - perhaps critically - in a political sense too.

ग्रीस और अन्य यूरोज़ोन सरकारों के बीच कल रात कर्ज के बोझ से दबे देश के लिए एक नए वित्तीय और आर्थिक समझौते पर बातचीत का तीखा टूटना वित्तीय इतिहास में चिकन के सबसे लंबे खेल में सिर्फ एक और मोड़ नहीं है।

world-africa-55999678

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55999678

South Africa in shock after AstraZeneca vaccine rollout halted

South Africa's decision to halt its rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after a study showed "disappointing" results against its new Covid-19 variant may have left the nation in shock, but it also shows how scientists are at the forefront of the battle against coronavirus.

By Pumza FihlaniBBC News, Johannesburg One and half million doses of the jab had been bought for healthcare workers and they were due to start getting their vaccinations this week How do frontline workers feel? There is no denying that they feel anxious. Siviwe Gwarube, head of health for the main opposition Democratic Alliance, said the setback left them vulnerable to a third wave. South Africa has recorded almost 1.5 million coronavirus cases and more than 46,000 deaths since the pandemic began - a higher toll than any other country on the continent. "I had a lot of hope that the vaccine would change the situation we're in as a country. A lot of people are losing jobs. I'm a medical student and we are really exposed to Covid-19. It was a blow for me when I heard that the efficacy of the vaccine was lower," a young male medic, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC. But health experts say while the new variant has affected South Africa's initial vaccine plan, all is not lost - and 100,000 older nurses and other health workers will still be given the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as part of a new trial. This is because they believe that the vaccine may still be effective in preventing severe illness and go some way to reducing the number of people who need to be admitted to hospital for treatment. This is important in a country where some 80% of the population cannot afford private health care and rely on state hospitals, which are currently overstretched. Was the AstraZeneca trial a waste of time? No, say South African experts. "We are experiencing science in real time," says Dr Kerrin Begg, a public medicine specialist at the University of Cape Town. And South Africa's health officials have been commended for following the advice of scientists in their handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Many of their, at times, controversial decisions have been driven by erring on the side of caution. In this case, the most recent phase of the study on the AstraZeneca vaccine was carried out on 2,000 people whose average age was 31. Recent data from the trial shows it was not effective against mild and moderate symptoms of the more contagious South African variant, also known as 501.V2 or B.1.351. This is a stumbling block as 90% of new infections in South Africa are of the new variant. The scientists now want to see if the study on the group of 100,000 nurses and other healthcare workers will show if the vaccine is effective against the new variant and in preventing severe illness in an older age group And Dr Begg says the public should not lose sight of how much has been achieved by scientists not just in South Africa but globally since the virus's outbreak last year. "Vaccines usually take years to develop because they are amongst the most regulated substances on Earth. But we're in a position now where many have been passed for safety and are becoming available to the public, that is an incredible achievement." Are anti-vax sentiments a factor? South Africans generally do not have a problem with vaccinations - from birth, children are immunised for various diseases including polio, measles and chicken pox and hepatitis B up until they begin school. These programmes are done through both private and state hospitals. However, in the case of coronavirus, there have been some who have voiced concerns about the speed at which the vaccines have been made available, partly down to fake news peddled on social media and conspiracy theories accusing pharmaceuticals of trying to "poison" people through the vaccines. Even some of those working on the frontline have doubts, including this male health worker in Johannesburg, who asked not to be named: "I am worried that they want to test these vaccines on us healthcare workers. "We work in medicine, it's a concern to me that we don't know all the side-effects of these vaccines and their contra-indications but we're expected to just take them and don't have a say." Yet most are confident in the science as expressed by a medic working on paediatric wards in a Johannesburg hospital: "If there was a vaccine we could use I would feel more protected, less anxious, feel that there's hope. "Vaccines have been helping us for ages in South Africa, I would take any vaccine that's proven to be safe and effective." Another Johannesburg resident agreed: "We lost family members because of Covid. "We need to get vaccines that work so we can get on with our lives," she said. So what happens next? There are suggestions that if this nurses' trial goes well, AstraZeneca will still be administered to all health workers and to be followed with a "booster" once it becomes available. The country's new plan, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, includes the new Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine - of which it has ordered nine million doses Trials of that vaccine have shown a high degree of efficacy against Covid-19, including the new variant discovered in South Africa in November and since confirmed in at least 30 other countries worldwide. The government has also secured 20 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Both expected to arrive in the next few months. Officials say they are now working on accelerating their delivery. How bad is the situation in South Africa? South Africa has recently passed the peak of a second wave of infections. But scientists warn of another surge in the winter months, around June, so officials are imploring citizens not to drop their guard. "Vaccines are not going to stop Covid. Human behaviour is still one of the most important tools," says Dr Begg. "People need to understand that the first defence is washing hands, keep wearing masks, practice social distance and limiting being in large crowds." And as Prof Shabir Madhi, who led the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial in South Africa, has warned - mutations are always going to be a problem. The message is "it is not too late" to change your behaviour to beat the virus. Around the BBC Africa Today podcasts

एक अध्ययन के बाद ऑक्सफोर्ड-एस्ट्राजेनेका वैक्सीन के अपने रोलआउट को रोकने के दक्षिण अफ्रीका के फैसले ने अपने नए कोविड-19 संस्करण के खिलाफ "निराशाजनक" परिणामों से देश को सदमे में छोड़ दिया होगा, लेकिन यह यह भी दर्शाता है कि वैज्ञानिक कैसे कोरोनावायरस के खिलाफ लड़ाई में सबसे आगे हैं।

uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19408814

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19408814

Aberdeen Journals confirm distribution outsourcing deal

A move to outsource the distribution of the Press and Journal and Evening Express newspapers has been confirmed.

Owner DC Thomson is holding a redundancy consultation with 59 affected staff in Aberdeen and Inverness. The delivery of the Aberdeen Newspaper titles will be handled by Menzies Distribution from Monday 10 September. Ellis Watson, chief executive officer for publishing, said the decision was taken to prevent business declining. DC Thomson bought the titles in 2006.

प्रेस एंड जर्नल और इवनिंग एक्सप्रेस समाचार पत्रों के वितरण को आउटसोर्स करने के कदम की पुष्टि की गई है।

uk-england-humber-50916734

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-50916734

Huge vegetable oil fire at North Cave recycling plant

Firefighters have tackled a huge blaze at a recycling plant where 600 tonnes of vegetable oil went up in flames on Christmas Day.

At its height, 62 firefighters and 12 engines were at the biogas plant in Crosslands Lane in North Cave. There have been no reported casualties as the plant was not believed to be operational at the time. People nearby were urged to keep windows and doors closed as a precaution. Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said crews remained at the scene throughout Boxing Day checking for hotspots and liaising with the owners of the plant. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.

अग्निशामकों ने एक पुनर्चक्रण संयंत्र में लगी भीषण आग पर काबू पा लिया है, जहां क्रिसमस के दिन 600 टन वनस्पति तेल में आग लग गई थी।

magazine-20168393

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20168393

Barack Obama's presidency: Why hope shrivelled

Barack Obama was sworn in as president of the United States on the "audacity of hope" but four years on, the great orator - fuelled by such bold optimism and grand promises - appears to have been replaced by a very different man, says Andrew Marr.

Who would have thought it? Who - left or right, Democrat or Republican - would have believed four years ago, after his ecstatic campaign and election, that Barack Obama would be fighting for his political life? This was a man once compared, only half jokingly, to a political messiah, a saviour, a faith healer - who could bring Americans together again and wash away the raw anger of the Bush years. Now he is within an inch of losing to Mitt Romney, a wealthy Republican Mormon who many of his own supporters recently despaired of. We set out for Chicago, Washington and New York with a simple question: what happened to hope? Was it that the 2008 financial crash and the threat of a second Depression just blew away the optimism? Was it his own impossible promises, combined with inexperience? Was it endemic failure in the US political system? Or raw Republican enmity? Certainly, we heard the most dramatic possible accounts of the awful economic situation which confronted Obama even before inauguration. Many thought American capitalism itself was about to collapse. Austen Goolsbee, the Chicago economics professor who helped steer policy through the first part of the Obama administration, described the bad news - coming in a blur of awful figures - as "just one terrifying thing after another". He had told Obama after one particularly grim session that it might have been the worst background briefing any president-elect had had since Lincoln's in 1861, when the Union was about to break apart. Obama had glanced up at him and replied: "Goolsbee, that's not even my worst briefing this week." With a massive fiscal stimulus, Obama saved the economy from total collapse, and on the way saved the imperilled automobile industry. But some economists thought he got it badly wrong, failing to take the chance to change the system itself. Jeffrey Sachs, sometimes described as the world's most famous economist, told me he thought adding half a trillion dollars on to the deficit without a plan was "rather shocking". He did not feel Obama's administration was dealing with the fundamental problems of a deeply unequal and under-invested economy, which had exported too many jobs abroad. "This is not a country in good shape. We have 15% of the population in poverty, we have one in six or one in seven on food stamps, we have about half of our households within at least twice the poverty line or below, meaning that we have a staggering share of America that is financially struggling right now." Certainly, it is that sense of a struggling middle class that has dogged Obama's campaign and given Romney some of his best lines. We spoke to plenty of people who, while applauding Obama's attempt to reform healthcare, thought it had deflected him from the economy and stirred up ferocious hostility he could have done without. Obama's complex health compromise certainly proved a hard sell. It produced disastrous 2010 mid-term election results for the Democrats - their worst performance since 1948. After that, Washington was gridlocked and Obama's power at home severely curtailed. Obama had said "Yes, we can" but he failed to translate a brief sense of common purpose into a movement that would carry him through. On foreign policy, the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and the use of drone strikes - controversial abroad - have been wildly popular. But Obama's early promises to close Guantanamo Bay and bring about a new era of trust between the US and the Muslim world have turned to dust. He over-promised. He believed in his own importance as a symbol of change. But a symbol of change and an agent of change are two very different things. It is quite true that in Congress, the Republicans waged a brutal and remorseless campaign to frustrate him. The level of vituperation and abuse Obama took at the hands of insurgent Tea Party activists went far beyond civilised disagreement. Yet Obama cannot escape responsibility for his own failure to communicate. His biographer Jodi Kantor, of The New York Times, speculated that he might rely too much on his own intelligence. "He is an extremely solitary man. He's the most introverted president we've seen in the United States for decades." As an explainer, Bill Clinton has been far more effective over the past few weeks, to the point where Obama calls him "the Secretary of State for Explaining Stuff". Yet I came away believing the real reason for that shrivelling optimism of 2008 was deeper. This is a great country which is losing its economic dominance and has not found any kind of consensus about how it might be recovered. Politicians have loaded the country with debt, much of it now owned by China. Tough choices have been avoided. As Sachs pointed out, a thicket of dense, semi-corrupt relationships between big money and politics has overgrown Washington. Meanwhile, increasingly, Americans live in their own separate liberal and conservative worlds, listening to different media, barely conversing. Instead of steering the ship, the crew are throwing punches. It would have required some kind of saviour to turn all that around. Obama is a clever and likeable man. But he is not the Messiah.

एंड्रयू मार का कहना है कि बराक ओबामा ने "आशा के दुस्साहस" पर संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका के राष्ट्रपति के रूप में शपथ ली थी, लेकिन चार साल बाद, इस तरह के साहसिक आशावाद और भव्य वादों से प्रेरित महान वक्ता की जगह एक बहुत ही अलग व्यक्ति ने ले ली है।

sinhala.101213_karuna

https://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2010/12/101213_karuna

'LTTE ordered killing of surrendees'

Karuna Amman a former Tamil Tiger militant in Sri Lanka, now a government minister, has admitted that his comrades killed more than 600 policemen 20 years ago in the part of the country he then controlled as a Tiger leader.

Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, commonly known as Colonel Karuna Amman said, he was in a different part of Sri Lanka at the time. Testifying before a government-appointed commission looking at the Sri Lankan war, blamed Tiger’s leader and intelligence chief for killings. 600 policeman Colonel Karuna’s defection from the Tamil Tigers or LTTE six years ago is seen as having led to their all-out military defeat in 2009. Now a vice-president of Sri Lanka’s governing party, he’s been dogged by allegations that he has abused human rights. He has now told the war commission that more than 600 policemen were indeed killed in eastern Sri Lanka when he headed the LTTE there, something some earlier witnesses alleged. But Col Karuna said he was then in Jaffna in the north. He said the Tigers’ leader, Prabhakaran, and their intelligence chief were to blame, as they had taken in the police who, he said, were never heard of again. The former Tiger said he joined the militants as a teenager and received training in India during the time of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Big mistake Ironically, the Tigers later assassinated her son, Rajiv. He said this was a “big mistake” but added that Indian peackeeping troops sent to the island by Mr Gandhi when he was prime minister had killed many Sri Lankan Tamils and raped many women; he implied that one such woman was used as the suicide bomber who killed Mr Gandhi. Col Karuna Amman, like other Sri Lankan government members, dismissed the idea that government forces should face war crimes charges. He said the Tigers, his former comrades, had used 300,000 Tamil civilians as a human shield against the state military, and that the latter’s military campaign was necessary in order to release them.

श्रीलंका में एक पूर्व तमिल टाइगर आतंकवादी करुणा अम्मन, जो अब एक सरकारी मंत्री हैं, ने स्वीकार किया है कि उनके साथियों ने 20 साल पहले देश के उस हिस्से में 600 से अधिक पुलिसकर्मियों की हत्या कर दी थी, जिस पर वे एक बाघ नेता के रूप में नियंत्रण रखते थे।

uk-wales-politics-31870679

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-31870679

Views sought on double council tax plan for Wales

Plans to charge extra council tax on holiday homes and empty properties in Wales could be softened as consultations are launched.

From April 2017, councils will be able to charge up to 100% extra in a bid to control house prices and put more empty properties back into use. Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews asked whether there should be exemptions for "unreasonable" charges. He gave the example of someone actively trying to sell or let an empty house. Separate consultations on the charges for second homes and empty properties will run until June. An estimated 23,000 homes in Wales are empty or used as second homes.

वेल्स में छुट्टियों के घरों और खाली संपत्तियों पर अतिरिक्त परिषद कर लगाने की योजना को नरम किया जा सकता है क्योंकि परामर्श शुरू किए जाते हैं।

business-20262282

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-20262282

'Zombie' companies eating away at economic growth

You may have seen zombies in horror movies - the bodies of lost souls, neither alive nor dead - but experts are increasingly talking of a zombie colony in the UK economy, which is expanding and threatening to impede recovery and a return to growth.

By Hugh PymChief economics correspondent, BBC News The rise of so-called zombie companies is, to some extent, a consequence of the UK's current record low interest rates. Struggling companies can just about afford the interest payments on their loans, but not much more. There are zombie households, too - those on interest-only mortgages, yet unable to pay off the loan itself. "A zombie company is one which is generating just about enough cash to service its debt, so the bank is not obliged to pull the plug on the loan," explains Mark Thomas, business strategy expert at PA Consulting and author of The Zombie Economy. "The company can limp along, it can survive, but it hasn't got enough money to invest." According to R3, the industry group that represents insolvency practitioners, there are an estimated 146,000 zombie businesses in the UK - and, says R3, that figure is on the rise. And according to experts around a third of these - approaching 50,000 - could be doomed to failure if interest rates go up: "They could pull through, but urgent attention is needed to avoid the catastrophe of multiple failures and tens of thousands of job losses," says Christine Elliott, chief executive of the Institute for Turnaround, which represents financial professionals brought in to help ailing companies. But there are concerns that banks are keeping these no-hope companies alive in order to avoid taking further, potentially significant losses - and this, in turn, could be holding them back from new lending, which is needed to boost the economy. More failure needed Finding a zombie company prepared to own up to its status is not easy, but I finally tracked one down in East London. The owner, who does not want to be identified, has been a successful developer for 20 years building up a portfolio of shops and offices in the South East of England. But he is currently stuck with more than £500,000 ($794,000) of debt, which was run up before the financial crisis. Since the credit crunch, his bank has refused to lend any more money to allow him to build houses on his main site, a former knitwear factory. And that has left him in limbo. Speaking to Radio 4's File on 4 programme, the developer says the situation is "demoralising" and he feels trapped: "We are in a hole and we can't really get out because it's not like you can trade... without any money from the banks you can't trade." The plunge in commercial property values has played its part in the zombie phenomenon. The British Council of Shopping Centres acknowledges that the industry is facing difficult challenges, with one in five centres already defaulting on loans, or in danger of going that way. Property values in the sector have plunged more than a third since the top of the market - but lenders are reluctant to pull the plug because they know they will struggle to sell the assets. The investor and entrepreneur Jon Moulton thinks the zombies pose a threat to the wider economy. "We do need to have a situation where bad businesses fail, otherwise the economy will stack up with progressively weaker business models and growth will go into reverse," he says. So-called forbearance - where banks give a breathing space to borrowers - has been a matter of concern for regulators, too. They have urged banks to build up their capital reserves, so that they can more easily bear the losses when they pull the plug on zombie businesses. Critics of the banks argue they are applying forbearance to avoid making tough decisions on loans. But Derek Sach, head of debt restructuring at RBS, denies that banks are failing to face up to their losses because they cannot afford to plug the holes in their balance sheets: "We rigorously go through our books on a monthly basis, looking at loans where we should be making provisions - we are taking the appropriate steps to take write-downs wherever we should." The wider concern for the economy is that money tied up in struggling companies is not available for more vibrant small businesses or entrepreneurs. Andrew Bailey, head of banking supervision at the Financial Services Authority, says the issue is high on his list of priorities: "It's not a bad thing to be extending credit terms to companies in this way, providing it isn't choking off new lending and new investment. "That's why we and the Bank of England are so focussed on that question," he told File on 4. "Zombie companies" is not a phrase that bankers and regulators like to use. Most shy away from the idea and prefer to talk in their usual jargon, like "forbearance" and "provisions". But there is no doubt that the dead hand of the zombies is casting a shadow over the economy. Listen to the full report on File on 4 on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 13 November at 20:00 GMT and Sunday, 18 November GMT at 17:00 GMT. Listen again via the Radio 4 website or the File on 4 podcast.

आपने डरावनी फिल्मों में लाशों को देखा होगा-खोए हुए आत्माओं के शरीर, न तो जीवित और न ही मृत-लेकिन विशेषज्ञ तेजी से ब्रिटेन की अर्थव्यवस्था में एक ज़ोंबी कॉलोनी की बात कर रहे हैं, जो विस्तार कर रहा है और सुधार और विकास में वापसी को बाधित करने की धमकी दे रहा है।

uk-scotland-highlands-islands-14417278

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-14417278

Highlands and Islands university mace made in Edinburgh

A mace is being made for Scotland's newest university.

The ceremonial staff will be unveiled on 25 August at celebrations marking the creation of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). Silversmiths at Hamilton and Inches in Edinburgh are close to finishing the mace, which features ash wood, silver and gold. UHI said the design symbolised the landscape and natural elements of the Highlands and Islands. The university has a network of colleges and centres in the Highlands, Western and Northern isles, Moray, Argyll and Perthshire.

स्कॉटलैंड के सबसे नए विश्वविद्यालय के लिए एक गदा बनाई जा रही है।

uk-wales-56873223

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56873223

Covid: Pubs and restaurants reopen outdoors in Wales

People in Wales have been visiting pubs and restaurants for the first time in almost five months.

From Monday, pubs, cafes and restaurants in Wales are able to reopen to customers outdoors. Up to six people from six households are now able to meet, with social distancing and hygiene measures in place. Outdoor attractions, such as zoos and theme parks, can also reopen under the latest easing of lockdown. Wedding receptions and funerals can again be held outdoors at regulated premises with up to 30 people. Organised outdoor activities, such as sport activities limited to 30 people, are also able to resume. Protests are also now allowed but will need to be organised by a "responsible body with appropriate mitigations, including undertaking a risk assessment". Hospitality is set to reopen indoors from 17 May, along with increased limits on those who can attend organised events, but this depends on case rates and the make-up of the Welsh government after the election on 6 May. Wales' rolling seven-day case rate is now 12.9 per 100,000 people, the lowest level since 3 September. More than a fifth of people in Wales have now had a full Covid vaccine. Volunteers and those who are unable to work from home can also order a lateral flow self-test kit to be delivered to their home from Monday. First Minister Mark Drakeford said because "meeting outdoors continues to be lower risk than meeting indoors" the lockdown easing was able to go ahead. The Welsh Conservatives said it was a "welcome but long overdue" reopening for these sectors. Plaid Cymru said it was thanks to "the collective effort of the people of Wales" that the changes could happen. The Welsh Liberal Democrats described it as a "cautious but welcome" first step to reopening. SIGN UP FOR WALES ALERTS: Get extra updates on BBC election coverage 'First drink of the year' Friends Linda Trollope and Pat Cooper have been enjoying a gin on the terrace of Murray's Sports Bar in Bargoed, Caerphilly county. "It is so lovely just to be out in the open and in the sun again," said Ms Trollope. "First drink of the year, we couldn't wait for it to open again, even if it is outside." "I wish I wore a t-shirt, instead of my winter jumper. We're celebrating in style," added Ms Cooper. Jean Ellis, from Rhyl, Denbighshire, was at the Dinorben Arms in Bodfari celebrating her son's birthday. "It's lovely," she said. "I was restricted to my own home for so long because I have heart problems and I have to be very careful, but I've had both my vaccinations now, so I'm hopefully clear now." 'Still limited' Nick Saunders, director of an entertainment and food venue in Cardiff, said he was "delighted to be back open" after being shut for the past five months. He said it was "crucial" to get more than 60 members of staff who have been on furlough back to work. From Monday, the venue will be operating 40 tables offering street food, with table service carried out via an app. However, Mr Saunders said he was "still limited" by the entertainment he could offer, saying "there's no real entertainment we can do apart from background music". "We'd be delighted to get back to entertaining people in the way that we have done previously," he said. 'Small and strong community' Meanwhile, Elen Morris said there would be "a lot to do" to prepare for reopening her pub in Bala, Gwynedd, after five months of being shut. Ms Morris said opening outdoors would not be "financially viable" because there would be "triple the staff, and a quarter of the capacity", but once they could open indoors customers would be there "day in, day out". "People used to go out and have a pint on their own and talk to bar staff until somebody else came in - and by the end of the night they would know who is who in the pub and all get along," she said. Suzanne Hallmark-Powell, who was preparing for a busy day in her beer garden in Ystalyfera, near Swansea, told BBC Radio Wales that if the sunny weather continued everything would be OK. "If it's like during the last lockdown when we reopened, all it did was rain for two weeks, and that put us even further back," she said. She added she was looking forward to seeing her regulars again, saying: "A lot of my regulars are elderly people that live on their own, so that walk to their pub or shop, that's their only socialisation." As cafes and pubs could start serving customers outside, people enjoyed a drink in the sunshine at Barry Island. Friends Vicky Evans and Lauren Ing enjoyed a cup of coffee in the sunshine after travelling from Herefordshire, and said they might go for "something stronger later". After bringing his deck chair to the beach every day, to be able to sit outside, Jim Kennedy said it was "wonderful" to finally be able to meet friends for a drink. Thomas Jones, who grabbed a pint at 11:00 BST when the Lamb and Flag in Rhayader reopened, said it had been "a long winter" for the industry. "It's good to get out and support them," he said, "We are hoping for a better summer in the town and looking forward to visitors." 'The animals will enjoy the company of visitors' Meanwhile, in neighbouring county Conwy, Nick Jackson's zoo is also preparing to open its doors again to visitors. He said he was "over the moon" to reopen and staff had been working "frantically". "We're so pleased to be opening and getting income back, but it still hangs over our heads the worry as to what the future holds." He said the zoo's closure to the public - including being shut for two Easter periods - has been "very difficult, in a direct practical way because of the loss of income". "Although we're back on Monday we're not back to the level of normality we would like to see." The zoo will have a visitor number cap of 1,500 people who can enter per day. Mr Jackson said the site would only be able to reopen its outdoor areas, while its cafe is just operating for takeaways. However, he said he thought that many of the zoo's animals - including primates and monkeys - would "enjoy the company of the visitors coming in" because they find them entertaining and amusing. 'Out on the water' The lockdown changes also mean adults will also be able to return to outdoor activity centres. Alison Yates, operations and programme manager at a centre in Caernarfon, said the team was pleased visitors "will now be able to experience the huge benefits that come from being out on the water, especially after a period which has been tough for many reasons, including on mental health". The attraction - which offers outdoor activities and watersports courses - initially reopened on 2 April for under-18s living in Wales, but from Monday it is able to welcome all visitors from across the UK. 'Eager to get on the green' For Alan Thompson, 74, the easing of restrictions means he will be able to step back on the bowling green for the first time in over three years after recovering from a stroke. While playing was banned, Mr Thompson, from Llantrisant, had been practicing by taking part in virtual games during lockdown. "I honestly didn't think I'd ever be able to play bowls again, but playing virtual bowls helped me ease back into it and I've found my confidence again," he said. "I've done the rehearsal and now it's time for the real performance out on the green." 'You can't guarantee the weather' However, Bre Carrington-Sykes said despite restrictions easing to allow 30 at outdoor weddings, many of the bookings at her wedding venue still cannot go ahead. The venue in Llandyrnog, Denbighshire, typically accommodates up to 150 people for a wedding booking. She said so far she just has two weddings able to go ahead in June, but there are at least 70 weddings still waiting to happen because couples want more than 30 people present. "Until we open up properly, many of our weddings can't go ahead. "On a wedding day, we could have roughly 40 staff - including caterers, florists - working here." "Usually we'd have a wedding every weekend from March to the end of October. Last year we had 43 weddings booked. "We're maintaining the place and desperate to get open, refurbishing different pieces, but an outdoor wedding even for 30 people - you can't guarantee the weather," she said. 'Desperate for clarity' Tracey Owen, who owns a wedding venue, in Llangollen, Denbighshire, said three weeks notice was "pretty pointless" for most couples and many venues were already booked up. "Weddings need a couple of months to prepare... and our couples are making decisions for weddings due to take place months away," she told BBC Radio Wales. She repeated calls for clarity for couples and the industry, saying people were "desperate" to know when receptions would be able to be held indoors. "We've lost all of our weddings to postponements to later dates... our couples have been so patient we really need that clarity," she said. The Welsh government said it had provided the "most generous offer of help anywhere in the UK" with a package of financial assistance for firms worth more than £2bn. A spokeswoman said it was looking to run a number of pilot events in May and June, connected to the test events programme happening in England. "We will assess these results and will work closely with the events sector with the aim of restoring activities safely and successfully in Wales as soon as we're able to do so," she said. What do Wales' political parties say? Mr Drakeford, the Welsh Labour leader, said the reopening of hospitality outdoors would provide more opportunities for people to meet and have a "significant positive impact on people's well-being". A Welsh Conservative spokesman said the reopening of sectors such as outdoor hospitality was "welcome but long overdue, particularly when clarity could've been afforded to these businesses some time ago". "Regrettably, Labour ministers have chosen to play politics at the expense of people's businesses and livelihoods, and that's why the Welsh Conservatives pledge to cut the confusion and end the political games in Cardiff Bay after May's Senedd election." Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, said it was "thanks to the collective effort of the people of Wales" and NHS staff that rules could be eased. "Like people all over Wales, I can't wait to support local businesses by enjoying a socially distanced drink after a long day campaigning for Plaid Cymru." Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said the reopening was a "cautious but welcome" first step to the recovery of the hospitality sector, which it "desperately needs". "For many firms, takings will be significantly down as they can only operate at a reduced capacity and it's important that financial assistance from the government continues," she said. A modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. More information about these elections Who can I vote for in my area? Enter your postcode, or the name of your English council or Scottish or Welsh constituency to find out. Eg 'W1A 1AA' or 'Westminster'

वेल्स में लोग लगभग पाँच महीनों में पहली बार पब और रेस्तरां जा रहे हैं।

uk-wales-north-west-wales-42031165

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-42031165

Rescued Caernarfon sewer snake reunited with owner

A snake rescued from a sewage system in Gwynedd has been reunited with its owner four months after it is believed to have escaped down a toilet.

The RSPCA was contacted after a Carolina corn snake was found by staff at a treatment works in Llanllyfni, near Caernarfon. Rebecca Wood spotted the rescue story in a newspaper and "knew immediately" it was her son's snake Charlie. "I always had a feeling she would come back," said Ms Wood. "We're unclear how she escaped, but after she got out, we found shampoo bottles knocked over all around our bathroom. "We're just relieved to have Charlie home, who is now getting plenty of rest."

ग्वेनेड में एक सीवेज प्रणाली से बचाया गया एक सांप शौचालय से भागने के चार महीने बाद अपने मालिक के साथ फिर से मिल गया है।

uk-england-49999054

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-49999054

What do you think of a public transport snack ban?

A ban to stop people snacking on public transport has been mooted by England's outgoing chief medical officer, in a bid to tackle childhood obesity. Has the plan found favour with commuters across the country, or left a bad taste in the mouth?

Six out of every 30 children are obese - and it's because they are being "flooded" with junk food, according to Professor Dame Sally Davies. She has suggested a number of measures to tackle the growing crisis, but the one that has sparked the most debate is her proposal to ban snacking on certain public transport. There was a caveat to her proposal: "Prohibit eating and drinking on urban public transport, except fresh water, breastfeeding and for medical conditions." But what do people who have to make these journeys think of the idea? In Wolverhampton, which is one of the worst places for childhood obesity, Maan Surdhar said a public transport snack ban would not solve the problem. "I think children need to be more active," said the 29-year-old who lives in London and is a postgraduate at the University of Wolverhampton. "In London, people are more aware of their health, children seem to be more active. "But here all I see is children hanging around takeaways, eating all the time and then they go home and there's a real problem with gaming addiction too. "I don't think the answer is banning food on public transport, because even though they might not eat on the bus for example, they'll still eat it outside won't they?" Rosemary O'Connor, 61, from Aldersley in Wolverhampton, said: "I don't think they should ban eating on public transport. "I get buses and coaches often and have a snack on them because it's the only time I have sometimes. "It's down to parents - a little and often can do you no harm can it?" Tony Morgan, 55, who works in security at Wolverhampton railway station branded the plan "ridiculous". "I don't think it would help stop kids being obese," he said. "The main thing is that parents are busy now and so it's easier to pick up a takeaway." Michelle Crosbie, who is a public health lecturer for University of Wolverhampton, called for projects to tackle the root of the child obesity problem. "The government has launched various schemes and looked at school dinners, but if you can come out of school and access fast food that's not going to help," she said. "But banning food on public transport may not be the right way to do this. We need to fund grassroots initiatives with families and give children safe and accessible places to play in a way that combines physical exercise and technology. " In Liverpool, Stacey said she agreed with the ban but not for young children. "As a parent you've got to be able to give them a snack - and they can have a healthy snack," she said. "Fast food and hot food yes, it's horrible sitting next to people eating that on the bus. That should not be allowed." In Nottingham, Sue Walters said: "If you want to change what people eat, you should target the manufacturers, not the end users. "People often don't have the time or information to make better choices but if the products are better, you immediately change what is being consumed." Jo Drage said: "How would you enforce it? Who is going to police it? "Who will judge when someone has to eat and what they can eat?" Commuter Emma O'Riordan posted on Twitter that the idea was "nonsense" and pointed to the need to eat on the run. "I'm currently on a bus for work that left at 06:35 BST so I left the house at 06:25. I'll be damned if anyone is taking my snack from me. "Also, have the authors of this report been around 'hangry' kids? "If you share an hour-long bus trip home with kids after school, would you rather see them have a snack or a meltdown?" TV presenter Kate Quilton, who fronted Channel 4's Food Unwrapped, said: "The issue is what kids are eating, not when. "Giving my baby a bit of banana on the bus can be a godsend. (A) public transport ban is not the solution." A senior conductor with West Midlands Trains told BBC 5 live it was a "ridiculous idea" from a practical standpoint. "I'm just wondering who this nannying nincompoop thinks is going to enforce this? Does she want us to strip search people before they get on the train, or seize the food off them when they start snacking? "I get enough grief just asking somebody to take their feet off the seats, if I tried to take their food off them I'd have a riot on the train." Some people could see the benefits of the idea, but queried the approach. Anne Terry, in Tunbridge Wells, said: "I can see a ban would be put in for the right reasons, but I'm not sure a blanket ban is the right way to go." Fellow commuter Clive Freeman added: "I think people having hot, smelly foods on the train is more annoying for passengers than eating in general. "If this is about obesity, it would be better if they just said no fizzy drinks or junk food. It's really for the manufacturers to make the food and drink they produce a bit healthier." Dr Simon Blainey, an associate professor of transport at the University of Southampton, said it was a "terrible idea" and an "excellent way to discourage people from travelling by healthy and sustainable modes". Mark Ryan, a commuter in central London, said: "I think it's a sensible idea to ban snacking on the Tube but I don't think it will really help with cutting obesity. "The problem is our fast food culture, that's what needs to change. I also don't see how they would be able to police it." Health Secretary Matt Hancock said his department would study the report closely and "act on the evidence". A Department for Health spokesman said there were no plans to ban snacking on public transport.

बचपन के मोटापे से निपटने के लिए इंग्लैंड के निवर्तमान मुख्य चिकित्सा अधिकारी ने सार्वजनिक परिवहन पर लोगों को खाना खाने से रोकने के लिए प्रतिबंध लगाने का विचार रखा है। क्या इस योजना को देश भर के यात्रियों ने पसंद किया है, या मुंह में बुरा स्वाद छोड़ दिया है?

business-33992832

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-33992832

Tough outlook for emerging markets

A series of emerging market currencies are losing value and stock markets across the developing world are in retreat. The more excitable parts of the financial sector - and indeed on financial twitter (yes, there is such a thing) - are talking of a re-run of the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.

Duncan WeldonNewsnight economics correspondent@Duncanweldonon Twitter So, just to be clear, this is not a re-run of 1997. But that doesn't mean it isn't serious. In 1997 much of Asia fell into a severe financial crisis. Countries like Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea had become dependent on foreign credit, and when it dried up they were severely hit. Currencies crashed, economies tumbled, unemployment soared and there was serious talk of a global financial meltdown. The current situation is quantitatively different and rather than being a sudden episode of crisis, it feels like the culmination of some deeper structural changes in the world economy. Emerging market currencies have lost value against the dollar and currently stand at a six-and-a-half-year low in aggregate. The Financial Times today reports that almost $1tn of capital has flowed out of emerging economies in the last 13 months. After six years of near zero interest rates and extraordinary monetary policy such as quantitative easing (electronically creating money to buy bonds), the US Federal Reserve is close to the first interest rate rise in almost a decade. With the returns available in the US on the rise, it's becoming a more attractive home for often footloose global capital. That's pushing the dollar up and driving the capital outflow from the emerging world. A tightening of US monetary policy - especially after the last six highly unusual years - would always be an issue for emerging markets, but it comes at time when just about everything that could go wrong seems to be going wrong at the same time for them. Three long trending factors that have supported economic growth - and financial market returns - across the developing economies appear to be either reversing or slowing. The first is the process of economic globalisation itself - at least as expressed through world trade. As I've written before, for reasons that still aren't entirely clear, world trade has had a terrible few years. Commodity price collapse 2015 looks set to be the fourth consecutive year in which world trade growth is slower than global GDP growth. This slowing makes the kind of export-led growth strategies that many (although not all) emerging economies have pursued that much trickier. Secondly, there's commodity prices. The oil price has collapsed, from around $110 a barrel last summer to around $50 today. But it's not just oil, the price of things like industrial metals has collapsed too. Copper currently trades at a six year low. For many commodity exporting nations this is little shortage of a catastrophe. Go back eight or nine years and the talk was of a "commodity super cycle": how the industrialisation of Asia would drive commodity prices ever higher. The "super cycle" looks to have turned. Finally, financial conditions are getting tougher. This doesn't just relate though to the coming rise in US interest rates - although that is the catalyst for the recent sell-off. The bigger picture is that long-term interest rates across the developed world of the US, Europe and Japan have basically been falling for thirty five years. As the fund manager Bill Gross recently wrote long-term interest rates in the US were 14.5% in 1981. Today they're just 2.2%. Over the course of those years the Dow Jones Industrial Average of US shares has risen from 900 to 17,500. In other words investors have had a very good few decades, much of it underpinned by falling borrowing costs. But eventually a limit is hit, longer term interest rates can only fall so far. The fall in borrowing costs which underpinned the 35-year bull market in the West seems unrepeatable - unrepeatable at least if we rule out deeply negative longer term borrowing costs. Add together slowing world trade, collapsing commodity prices and less easy global financial conditions, and you've got a recipe for a tough time for emerging economies. Not necessarily for a 1997-style meltdown, but certainly for an environment for lower growth and lower returns for investors. Important component of global growth To an extent you can bind all three factors into a single story - the story of China's boom and slowing. Certainly China has been a driver of world trade growth and the single most important marginal driver of commodity demand in the last couple of decades. It may also be connected to the falls in long term interest rates. As Toby Nangle of asset management firm Columbia Threadneedle Investments has argued, the integration of China into the world economy coincided with the falls in the cost of borrowing. If nothing else, cheap Chinese manufactured goods helped to hold down inflation in the West allowing central banks to keep rates lower. China's economy was always destined to slow - no country can maintain a 10% annual growth rate forever - but the consequences of that slowing will be felt far and wide. Emerging economies have been an important component of global growth, especially since 2008. If that prop to the global economy is looking less firm, then that is a serious problem. It leaves already indebted consumers in countries like the US and UK responsible for generating even more of global demand. The outlook for emerging markets is tougher than it has been in years. But at least for the moment, reaching for the 1997 analogy feels like a stretch too far.

उभरते बाजार की मुद्राओं की एक श्रृंखला मूल्य खो रही है और विकासशील दुनिया में शेयर बाजार पीछे हट रहे हैं। वित्तीय क्षेत्र के अधिक उत्तेजक हिस्से-और वास्तव में वित्तीय ट्विटर पर (हां, ऐसी बात है)-1997 के एशियाई वित्तीय संकट के फिर से चलने की बात कर रहे हैं।

magazine-37442351

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37442351

Vote for Britain's best new building: Weston Library

The Weston Library is one of six UK buildings up for the 2016 Riba Stirling Prize for architecture. A select line-up of judges will decide the winner, but the BBC, in partnership with Riba, is inviting you to vote for your favourite. Find out about the other buildings here .

If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app, tap here to vote. What is it and where? A restored and extended Grade II listed building at Oxford University, originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, built in the 1930s and known as the New Bodleian Library. The remodelled and renamed building, still used as a library but with added exhibition and teaching space, was designed by WilkinsonEyre. How much did it cost? £50m, although the total project cost is reported to have been about £80m. What was the vision? The New Bodleian was more of a storage facility than public building and, with some of its books now kept elsewhere, the Weston opens up the space to provide more public access and show off the central bookstack. The university says the design aimed to respect the building's heritage while modernising its infrastructure and providing better facilities for students and researchers, as well as greater opportunities for outreach to the wider community. What have people said about it? "A fine attempt to ensure the repository of books survives into the future." Edwin Heathcote, Financial Times, July 2016 "The dreary old New Bod has become the Mod Bod. For the first time, shafts of natural light fall into the central core and the reading rooms and there is a strong sense of a building that now breathes easily, rather than holds its stale bookish breath." Jay Merrick, i, March 2015 "The Weston is a competent and professionally committed reworking of a historic building, albeit with some awkwardness in its spatial arrangements, but without the spark that you would hope for in a Stirling prize winner." Rowan Moore, Guardian, July 2016 Explore the other buildings on the shortlist BBC Riba Stirling home page Find out more about the BBC Riba Stirling Prize partnership Credits: Video by Richard Kenny and Dave O'Neill. Animation by Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

वेस्टन पुस्तकालय वास्तुकला के लिए 2016 के रिबा स्टर्लिंग पुरस्कार के लिए ब्रिटेन की छह इमारतों में से एक है। कुछ चुनिंदा न्यायाधीश विजेता का फैसला करेंगे, लेकिन रिबा के साथ साझेदारी में बीबीसी आपको अपने पसंदीदा के लिए मतदान करने के लिए आमंत्रित कर रहा है। यहाँ अन्य इमारतों के बारे में पता करें।

world-south-asia-19076365

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-19076365

Press fumes at India's power failure

India's mainstream press was unanimously scathing in its criticism of the power outages which caused major disruption to much of the country over the past two days. Several papers expressed concern at how the blackout had affected India's image as an emerging superpower.

Commentators were also displeased at the timing of a cabinet reshuffle which saw Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde moved to the ministry of home affairs on the second day of the outages. A number of newspapers identified the overdrawing of power by three northern states - Uttar Pradesh (UP), Haryana and Punjab - as the probable reason for the outages. Most papers agreed on the need for urgent reforms in the country's power sector. The Times of India The paper ran the headline: "Powerless and clueless". In an editorial it said: "Lack of power holds back India's industrial take-off, and prevents it from making the kind of strides in reducing poverty that China or East Asia have." The Economic Times The paper's main headline was: "Superpower India, RIP". In its editorial, it said India "cannot afford the power blackout witnessed on Monday and again on Tuesday… This simply must stop". Hindi daily Dainik Jagran "Not only is this a new example of incompetence, it is also an occasion for shame. The grid failures have provoked laughter at India around the world." Hindi daily Amar Ujala "If there was an Olympic competition for power blackouts, India would win gold." Hindi-language Navbharat Times "For a country that aspires to be an economic power, this incident is disgraceful." Rashtriya Sahara "What can we say of our country? When half the country was sunk in darkness due to a power failure and there was chaos all around, Power Minster Sushil Kumar Shinde was being promoted to the post of home minister… " English-language daily The Indian Express In its editorial, the paper said Uttar Pradesh was the "habitual offender" for taking more than its allocated share of power from the grid. "Without punitive measures in place, plans to set up a [higher-capacity] national grid… cannot be started on." The Hindu "State governments need to understand that they should either find the funds to invest in power generation, or make it worthwhile for the private sector to set up new plants that can feed into the grid in order to cope with rising demand." Business standard "The scale of the disruption was unprecedented. And coming as it did just a day after a similar collapse of the power grid for the northern region, with almost similar consequences, it underlined once again the depressing state of the country's power sector and its poor governance by regulators." Hindi daily Hindustan "What is most essential is that power should be treated as an industrial commodity. Only then can we end the atmosphere of wastage and mismanagement… but will this two-day crisis be able to compel the centre and states to implement the necessary reforms?" BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here

भारत की मुख्यधारा की प्रेस ने सर्वसम्मति से बिजली कटौती की आलोचना की, जिससे पिछले दो दिनों में देश के अधिकांश हिस्सों में भारी व्यवधान पैदा हुआ। कई समाचार पत्रों ने इस बात पर चिंता व्यक्त की कि कैसे ब्लैकआउट ने एक उभरती हुई महाशक्ति के रूप में भारत की छवि को प्रभावित किया है।

magazine-25880373

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25880373

More or Less: Calculating how much migrants cost or benefit a nation

Now the initial furore about Romanian and Bulgarian people being allowed to work in the UK has subsided, what does a more detailed look at immigration statistics tell us about the benefits, or otherwise, of welcoming overseas citizens? The picture is mixed.

By Ruth AlexanderBBC News Immigrants to the UK since 2000 have made a "substantial" contribution to public finances, a recently published report claimed. Those from the European Economic Area (EEA - the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) had made a particularly positive contribution in the decade up to 2011, the authors noted, contributing 34% more in taxes than they received in benefits and services. "Given this evidence, claims about 'benefit tourism' by EEA immigrants seem to be disconnected from reality," one of the study's authors Christian Dustmann, professor of economics at University College London, said. The story is slightly different for immigrants who came to the UK from outside the EEA in that period. They also put more into the public purse than they took out, but by a smaller margin of 2%. However, studying the numbers in the UCL report more closely, another finding emerges. And that is, that if you look at the figures for the whole of the period under study, 1995-2011, immigration has been a drain on the public purse. To the tune of about £95bn. So how can that be? How can the picture be so radically different if you look six years further into the past? It's because these figures include all immigrants living in the UK at that time - so, not just recent arrivals, but people who'd been in the UK for, in some cases, decades. This is significant because a good proportion of those people who have been in the UK for some time are likely to be older than the most recent immigrants, and so are more likely to be on benefits and using health services than those who have arrived since 2000 (who have an average age of just 26 years). Dustmann argues therefore if you look at the fiscal contribution of all immigrants in this way, then you may not be capturing the truest picture of their total contribution to the public purse. Certainly, focusing on the most recent immigrants gives a clear view of how much immigrants contribute to the public purse in the first few years of their stay in the UK, but it also doesn't give a complete picture, because what you are capturing is a very particular time in their lives - some of their youngest, most productive years. To make sense of the numbers, it helps to break them down a little - to divide the net contribution to the public purse by the number of people in each group under study. When we do that, we see that between 1995-2011, on average each EEA immigrant put about £6,000 more into the public purse than they took out. Non-EEA immigrants each took out about £21,000 more than they put in during that period. And this group is the biggest - non-EEA immigrants make up two thirds of the UK immigrant population. So both groups of immigrants - EEA and non-EEA - considered together, take out around £14,000 more than they put in, amounting to a deficit of around £95bn for the public purse between 1995-2011. Of course it's well known the UK government has been running an annual deficit that's much larger than this. That is, it's been spending more than it's got for some time now. And it's spending a large proportion of that money it doesn't have on, of course, its own people. And we can see that clearly when we look at how much native Brits are each putting in and taking out of the public purse. On average, each native Briton took out roughly £11,000 more than they put in between 1995-2011. So to conclude, on average only Europeans are putting in more to the UK public purse than they're taking out. At least that was the case between 1995 and 2011. It's worth highlighting the UCL calculations are conservative, in the sense that they are likely to allocate relatively more costs to immigrants than to natives. "For instance, while allocating costs of education of children to immigrants, we allocate the contributions of these children when they enter the labour market to natives," Dustmann says. "We also don't include in our calculations the implicit savings made by the UK because the cost of education of immigrants is borne by the sending countries." But there's a bigger question to consider. We've been discussing the impact immigrants - and natives - have on the government's books. But what about the impact they have on the economy as a whole? You would expect the economy to grow if there are more people in the country. But what we really want to know is, are immigrants creating added value? That is, are we all better off because of the newcomers? Therefore, we have to think about what's happening to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of the resident population. A few studies have considered that for the UK and other countries, but the impact is generally found to be quite small, according to Thomas Liebig, a migration specialist at the OECD. "If you look at it in per capita terms, most studies don't find a particularly large impact and these studies depend on a whole range of assumptions and the impact will depend on how you look at things," Liebig says. "Another specific issue is the impact on the labour market - who benefits and who loses. And globally, you find that the impact is not particularly large. That doesn't mean that it can't have a significant impact on some specific groups or sectors." Indeed, perhaps some people feel the effects of immigration more than others. Two groups are generally believed to be clear beneficiaries of immigration - the immigrants themselves, who move from poor countries to ones where more opportunities are on offer, and the employers of cheap labour. Two studies from the US give us some insight into how the resident workforce might be affected, according to Carlos Vargas-Silva, an economist at the Migration Observatory at Oxford University. One, by George Borjas of the Harvard Kennedy School, makes the point that migrants who move to the US reduce the wages of competing workers. "Employers are going to benefit from migration because they are going to pay lower wages than before," Vargas-Silva says, explaining the study's findings. "But native workers are going to be competing with those migrants, and they are going to be negatively affected - their wages are going to be lower." But the work of another immigration expert in the US, Giovanni Peri from the University of California, suggests immigrants can help boost the prospects of native workers. "Before, you could have a native person doing construction work," Vargas-Silva says. "But then you have more Mexican workers going in there, working in construction and then these native workers become supervisors and that native person has become more productive because of the existence of the migrant workers." So we've considered both the fiscal and aspects of the economic impact of immigrants. But experts agree it's hard to capture the true picture, without making a lot of assumptions. There are many things you can measure, and you can measure them in many different ways, making many different assumptions. And of course it's not just a question of economics and numbers. There are less tangible effects to consider. The impact on culture, on community, for example - important considerations, which are difficult to measure. Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

अब यू. के. में रोमानियाई और बल्गेरियाई लोगों को काम करने की अनुमति दिए जाने के बारे में प्रारंभिक हंगामा कम हो गया है, आप्रवासन आंकड़ों पर अधिक विस्तृत नज़र हमें विदेशी नागरिकों का स्वागत करने के लाभों के बारे में क्या बताती है? तस्वीर मिश्रित है।

world-asia-india-24086285

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-24086285

BJP's big risk on Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi is one of the canniest Indian politicians.

Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent Hours after he had been named as the prime ministerial candidate for the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for next year's general election, his flashy website welcome had duly been updated. "Thank you! Let us work together to make Mission 272+ a reality," the new slogan said, replacing India First, the moniker of his muscular nationalist campaign. Mission 272+ alludes to the number of seats in parliament the party needs to win for an absolute majority, a miracle for any party in India's severely fractured politics. In the background, a beaming Mr Modi flashes a victory sign. He has tried hard to reinvent himself, from the somewhat remote chief minister of Gujarat who steadfastly refused to apologise for the 2002 religious riots that killed more than 1,000 people, to a sprightly, energetic leader who appeals to a rising tide of young voters. At 62, he's comparatively young by Indian political standards. People in Gujarat have backed him enthusiastically for four successive terms, impressed by his reputation as a no-nonsense administrator. The jury is still out on whether Gujarat's enviable record of development has been truly inclusive. Mr Modi has been clever enough to retool his image to appeal to India's young. He talks about an India that has changed from a "nation of snake charmers to a nation of mouse charmers", referring to its info-tech success. He says he "sows dreams in the eye of my fellow-citizens". Closely fought On Twitter, he exhorts the young to register to vote because they are the "power and strength of India". However, Mr Modi continues to remain a hugely divisive and polarising figure. One key ally of the BJP-led coalition quit after fears that supporting him could lose Muslim votes. Some 15% (180 million) of India's 1.2 billion people are Muslims. They comprise over 11% of the voters in six states, including the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. It is unlikely that they will warm to Mr Modi. Many people believe that by making the 2014 election a presidential-style referendum on Mr Modi, the Hindu nationalist BJP is taking a huge risk. For the past two decades, elections in the world's largest democracy have been closely fought affairs, with regional aspirations, local issues, caste dynasts and local chieftains playing a crucial role. In the end, the parties with the bigger numbers and common interests cobble together a ruling coalition. The BJP hopes that Mr Modi, taking advantage of a ruling Congress party that is tired and enfeebled, will attract enough votes to sweep the party into power.

नरेंद्र मोदी भारत के सबसे चतुर राजनेताओं में से एक हैं।

uk-england-cambridgeshire-49111301

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-49111301

Pondersbridge crop fire battled as UK heatwave takes hold

More than 40 firefighters have tackled a large crop blaze as temperatures have soared across Cambridgeshire.

Plumes of thick black smoke were seen billowing into the sky from a field near the B1040 at Pondersbridge in the Fens. A line of flames was seen spreading across the field in what the fire service called an "extensive fire". Station commander Pete Jones said the blaze was "more or less under control", with hotspots being dampened down. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The fire service has advised that people avoid the area.

40 से अधिक अग्निशामकों ने एक बड़ी फसल की आग पर काबू पा लिया है क्योंकि कैम्ब्रिजशायर में तापमान बढ़ गया है।