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world-europe-guernsey-14167116

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-14167116

Blue plaque raised to 18th Century writer Denys Corbet

A blue plaque has been unveiled in Guernsey in honour of 18th Century writer and artist Denys Corbet.

Corbet is best known for his contribution to Guernsey's culture through his English, French and patois writing as well as his paintings. The plaque, which was paid for by the Forest parish, was put at La Roberge Farm where he lived for about 50 years. Dave Gorvel, who now lives in the farmhouse, nominated Mr Corbet for the plaque. A short service was held where poetry from Corbet's Les Chànts du Draïn Rimeux was read, before Sir Geoffrey Rowland unveiled the plaque. It is the third blue plaque on the island.

18वीं सदी के लेखक और कलाकार डेनिस कॉर्बेट के सम्मान में ग्वेर्नसे में एक नीली पट्टिका का अनावरण किया गया है।

blogs-news-from-elsewhere-50040247

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-50040247

Uzbek wedding restrictions prompt backlash

Uzbekistan has brought in curbs on what it sees as excessive spending on weddings, but suggestions for more draconian measures have prompted public anger and a campaign by the country's leading singing stars.

By News from Elsewhere......as found by BBC Monitoring The new law obliges wedding planners to notify the local authorities in advance, and cut back the length of the celebrations, as well as the number of guests, singers and rented cars, the Kun.uz news site reports. The new regulations, which also apply to birthdays and funerals, come into force in January 2020, and are the latest in a long campaign by the authorities against public pressure on families to host lavish festivities that push them into debt. Only last year, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev criticised "shameless spending" on feasts, which can cost $20,000 in a country where monthly incomes rarely exceed $300, and urged families to use the money to help those in need. His recommendation to cap the number of guests and singers fell on deaf ears, prompting the government to enforce the curbs. You may also be interested in: There is considerable support for the move on social media, as reported by the BBC Uzbek Service, but this is coupled with scepticism about its effectiveness, as well as irritation at perceived official high-handedness. This irritation has grown since Senator Maqsuda Borisova demanded an audit of people's incomes to see whether they are spending more than they earn. "We need to find out where people get the money for these lavish weddings, if they don't earn much. It could be illegal," the leading pro-government legislator told state TV's Munosabat talk show - a suggestion that goes far beyond anything specified in the new legislation. 'Try your own pocket' Her comments prompted anger on social media. "You want to know where the people's money has gone? Try your own pocket," read one comment on the Troll.uz site's Instagram page, while another feigned sympathy with the senator - "her surprise is reasonable, as politicians should have ensured that the people have no money left at all by now". Ms Borisova is only the latest legislator to weigh in with draconian suggestions for dealing with wedding excesses. Senator Iqbol Mirzo, a noted poet, wants offenders to "account for their disgraceful behaviour in the media, as fines don't work", while MP Alisher Hamroyev dubbed them "vulgar and brainless". 'Fees support families' But more eye-catching than social-media sniping is the counter-offensive launched by Uzbekistan's wedding singers, who have come together to defend their reputation. Stars like Ozoda Nursaidova have posted videos and graphics on Instagram to protest that their wedding fees let an army of musicians, drivers and bodyguards feed their families. Singer Minusa Rizayeva told her 3.1 million followers that her fees support nearly 150 people a month, according to Radio Liberty's Uzbek Service. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the curb on celebrations, one social-media commentator spoke for many when he wondered what Mr Hamroyev's nuptial feast was like. "Something tells me it wasn't a modest wedding," he posted on the UPL24 news site. Reporting by Martin Morgan Next story: Tajik taxis ban hugs and kisses Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.

उज्बेकिस्तान ने शादियों पर अत्यधिक खर्च पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया है, लेकिन अधिक कठोर उपायों के सुझावों ने जनता के गुस्से और देश के प्रमुख गायक सितारों द्वारा एक अभियान को प्रेरित किया है।

uk-scotland-17867324

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-17867324

Food banks: What they do

The Trussell Trust runs the UK's only network of food banks. They operate more than 200 food banks across the UK, including 10 in Scotland. Last year they fed almost 129,000 people, double the number of the previous year. In Scotland 6,000 people were fed by their food parcels. Chris Mould, executive chairman of the trust says food banks are a lifeline when people cannot make ends meet.

Trussell Trust food banks provide at least three days nutritionally-balanced food for local people in crisis. They are community projects led by churches and supported by schools, businesses and local individuals who donate all the food, give their time to volunteer and, where they can, donate money too. Food banks are a lifeline when people can't make ends meet. Health problems Thousands of frontline care professionals across the country use food banks week in week out to prevent people they are working with from falling into a downward spiral that so often could lead to them losing their home, suffering family breakdown, getting caught up in crime or facing serious mental and physical health problems. With a shocking 13 million people living in poverty in the UK - half of them in working households - the need is massive. Flat-lining incomes, rising food and fuel prices, higher rents and changes to tax and benefits all mean the situation for so many is set to get worse over the coming years. Two out of three households have no savings so unemployment, an unexpected repair bill, a cut in hours or overtime mean the household books simply won't balance any more. Again and again, food banks meet people who have been going without proper food for days - often so that their children can get a square meal. Christian charity In winter the stark choice is between eating and heating and there are no winners. The Trussell Trust, a Christian charity, believes every community should have a food bank: no-one in the UK should have to go hungry. Since 2004 the charity has launched a network of 200 food banks. It aims to launch 450 food banks by April 2015. Highland food bank, based in Inverness, was the first in Scotland. It launched in 2005, and this year will feed about 3,300 people across the Highland region. In the past year, nine new food bank projects have launched across Scotland in places such as Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Angus. The trust is working with local communities to establish a food bank network right across Scotland and to do so as fast as possible. BBC Scotland Investigates: Breadline Scotland transmits on Sunday 29 April at 16:32 on BBC Radio Scotland

ट्रसेल ट्रस्ट यू. के. में खाद्य बैंकों का एकमात्र नेटवर्क चलाता है। वे पूरे यू. के. में 200 से अधिक खाद्य बैंकों का संचालन करते हैं, जिनमें से 10 स्कॉटलैंड में हैं। पिछले साल उन्होंने लगभग 129,000 लोगों को खाना खिलाया, जो पिछले वर्ष की संख्या से दोगुना है। स्कॉटलैंड में 6,000 लोगों को उनके खाद्य पार्सल से खाना खिलाया गया था। ट्रस्ट के कार्यकारी अध्यक्ष क्रिस मोल्ड का कहना है कि खाद्य बैंक एक जीवन रेखा हैं जब लोग अपनी जरूरतें पूरी नहीं कर सकते।

uk-england-northamptonshire-14322355

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-14322355

Final stage of homes plan near Corby backed

The final stage of a 5,000-home development near Corby in Northamptonshire has been approved by councillors.

Corby Developments has been given the go-ahead for the final 735 homes at Priors Hall alongside the A43 Stamford Road by East Northamptonshire Council. Plans for more than 4,000 homes on greenfield land and a secondary school had been approved in 2007. The final stage was backed by the council development control committee.

नॉर्थम्पटनशायर में कॉर्बी के पास 5,000 घरों के विकास के अंतिम चरण को पार्षदों द्वारा अनुमोदित किया गया है।

world-asia-india-42408844

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-42408844

The woman who collects clothes of sex assault victims

Sexual harassment across the world is often followed by victim-blaming and one question survivors are invariably asked is: "What were you wearing?" Indian artist-activist Jasmeen Patheja collects clothes donated by victims as testament to the fact they are not to blame, reports the BBC's Geeta Pandey.

In a small room in her Bangalore home that has been converted into a museum of sorts are dozens of garments. The kind of clothes we see women around us wearing all the time. But each item has a story. This is Jasmeen Patheja's collection of the clothes of sex assault survivors. One red-and-black jumpsuit was donated by a woman who was caught up in the widespread sexual assaults that took place at New Year's Eve celebrations in Bangalore last year. "She said she was present at the celebrations when mobs went berserk, groping and assaulting women," Ms Patheja says. "She talked about how she was harassed, about seeking refuge." Then she holds up a cream-coloured kurta (tunic) with red and black prints - a garment almost startling in its simplicity. It was donated by a woman who was groped while travelling on a train in the southern city of Coimbatore. "She told me she was dissuaded from reporting the assault." The pink dress she shows me next came to her from a woman in Montreal. "She said if you don't take it, I'll have to throw it away. It made her even sick to have it," Ms Patheja says. As we go through the rack, she points out a white dress, a swimsuit, a champagne-coloured gown, a pair of trousers, a school uniform - examples that she describes as "a mirror" to the fact that all women experience abuse and gender violence. "It's got nothing to do with what you're wearing, there's never any excuse for such violence and nobody ever asks for it." And that's why her project is called - "I Never Ask For It." "The project wants to contain and hold space for our collective stories of pain, and trauma." Her fight against sexual- and gender-based violence began nearly a decade and a half ago, just after she moved to Bangalore from the northern city of Kolkata (Calcutta) to study art. "It's not that there was no harassment in Kolkata, but I was new to Bangalore. I was 23 and I had no family to run to for protection," she says. "It was also a time when street harassment was being dismissed as just 'eve-teasing', something that boys do and girls must experience. It was being normalised. There was an environment of denial and silence around the issue, which made it okay to continue it." To address this denial and to break the silence, she decided to start a conversation. "One day, I got all female students into a room and said, 'Let's come up with words that evoke a public space.' In three minutes, we had a vast mind map of only negative words." The result wasn't a surprise - harassment in public places is all too common and almost every woman has experienced catcalls, lewd remarks, touching and groping. And anyone who questions it is told that the fault actually lies with them - she may have done something provocative, she may be wearing clothes that showed skin, she may have been out late at night, she may have been drinking, she may have been flirting: in short, she may have asked for it. "Girls are raised to be careful, we are raised in an environment of fear which is constantly telling us to be careful. We are told if you've experienced assault, then maybe you're not being careful enough, that's the underlying message we're given." She set up the Blank Noise collective in 2003 to "confront" that fear. "We believe that blame leads to shame, shame leads to guilt, guilt leads to more silence and that perpetuates sexual and gender-based violence." The first step to confronting any fear, Ms Patheja says, is to start a conversation around it and one of the things that Blank Noise does as part of the "I Never Ask For It" project is to gather testimonials from women. So they approached girls and women on the streets of Bangalore and other cities, inviting them to write down their testimonials. Ms Patheja says "when one person writes, it encourages others to do the same", so they returned with white boards filled with names, ages, incidents of abuse, what happened, where it happened and what time, what were they wearing, what they did and what they wished they had done. One woman wrote about being harassed on a bus by a middle-aged man and how she just changed her seat, a schoolgirl wrote about how she was stalked by two men on a bicycle, another said she had been groped multiple times in multiple cities. There were testimonials from 14 and 16 year olds and also from women in their 30s and 40s and sometimes older. Almost all women chose to describe what they were wearing at the time of the assault and, Ms Patheja says, that's what gave them the idea about the museum of garments. "We found women often wondering about their garments. They'd say, "I was wearing that red skirt', or 'I was wearing that pair of jeans', or 'I was wearing that school uniform'. So it became a deliberate question at Blank Noise and we began asking, 'so what were you wearing'?" And Ms Patheja says if the question then arises - did I ask for it? - the answer is an emphatic no. "I Never Ask For It." "But we ask people to remember their garments, bring them in because they have memory, and in that memory it's been a witness and it's your voice." This story is part of a series about Indian women fighting for equality.

बी. बी. सी. की गीता पांडे की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, दुनिया भर में यौन उत्पीड़न के बाद अक्सर पीड़ित-दोषारोपण किया जाता है और उत्तरजीवियों से हमेशा एक सवाल पूछा जाता हैः "आपने क्या पहना था?" भारतीय कलाकार-कार्यकर्ता जसमीन पाथेजा पीड़ितों द्वारा दान किए गए कपड़ों को इस तथ्य के प्रमाण के रूप में एकत्र करती हैं कि वे दोषी नहीं हैं।

stories-47832426

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-47832426

Housemates from hell - me and my 23-year-old son

It's becoming normal for grown-up children to spend years at home even after starting work, because of the mismatch between salaries and rents. Sue Elliott-Nicholls and her son, Morgan Elliott, agree that it can be a nightmare. Here's Sue's story with interjections from Morgan.

An unusually warm spring day. I skip up to the door of the family home, it's been a good day at work and a pleasant cycle home. I'm enjoying the lighter evenings and I'm home early - it's only four o'clock! Maybe I can have a cuppa out in the back yard. And then it hits me. I open the front door and a Sahara-like jet of air billows out. HE'S GOT THE BLOODY HEATING ON! I tell a neighbour. She produces a bath plug from her pocket. "I take it out with me so he can't spend all afternoon in the bath, while I'm out working to keep a roof over our heads," she says. You may be forgiven for thinking we're both in dysfunctional relationships with men, and in a sense we are - with our sons! Our sons in their 20s, who are forced to live at home because their wages won't cover London rents (and I mean just the rents, you can forget other bills). According to the Civitas think tank, 49% of 23-year-olds are now living with their parents, up from 37% in 1998. These are our kids. The ones who aren't privileged enough to enjoy the services of the bank of mum and dad, but are privileged enough to enjoy (or not) the lodgings of mum and dad, at a hugely subsidised rent. I have to say at this point that my son Morgan is not lazy. Hard-working, driven, determined to earn money and get on in life - how else would he pay for his trainer habit? I feel for him too. After three years living in Manchester, enjoying independence, spreading his wings, leaving dirty dishes in the sink and festering towels on the floor, to have to come back to a small room in a terraced house where all your conversations - your every breath - can be overheard… that must be desperate. How do I stop myself from turning back into nagging mum and let the boy breathe? Morgan Elliott comments: This Moncler jacket that I basically spent my whole student loan on isn't proving enough for the Arctic conditions I've found myself in recently. I don't even think Bear Grylls would be able to survive the temperatures that my mother chooses to put us through. It's ironic that she spends literally a tenner a day on coffee but she can't afford to heat up the house for her dear son. There are glasses in the dishwasher full of dirty water because they have been loaded the wrong way. He has a university degree, how can he not know how to put a glass in a dishwasher? The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty; the glass is fully full WITH SCUMMY DISHWASHER WATER. The luxury chorizo sausage that was meant for a family tea has been demolished. Maybe I can use the chicken breast instead? No, apparently not. Or the lamb chops? No. All gone. "What?" he says. "You didn't say not to eat it." We have regressed. He into petulant teen, me into screeching banshee. Morgan comments: Seeing as I'm her son, it makes sense for my mum to want to feed me. However, this doesn't seem to be the case. Sometimes I'll spot a bit of chicken in the fridge and I might just decide to cook it up into a wholesome meal. Mum's phone's off but I'm sure providing her son with something to eat won't be too much of a problem. This is always a big regret though. This small decision of mine has now somehow become a case of me potentially being kicked out of the house, and this isn't even an exaggeration. "YOU'RE A 23-YEAR-OLD MAN!" she screams. Exactly! And a 23-year-old man needs to eat! Take the heating, again. Have I mentioned the heating? If it's cold when I'm working at home I light the fire in one room, Ebenezer-Scrooge-like. Imagine my wrath when I see him flitting about the house in a T-shirt and boxers with all the radiators full on. What to do in this instance? Option 1. Ground him. No he's 23, this is not a real option. Option 2. Ask him to pay more rent and risk an argument over money. Option 3. Let it go in a Zen-like fashion and pay the extra heating bill, ignoring the nagging voice that tells you what a mug you are. Option 4. Ask him to leave if he can't keep the bills down. Seems a bit drastic… It's the hidden expense that Morgan doesn't see. It costs money to use an entire washing machine cycle for a pair of shoelaces. The oven turned up to gas mark nine to cook one sausage - and then left on for the rest of the day, costs money. "I've even considered turning the gas off when we're out," laughs my husband. I laugh too, pause, and cast him a sideways look. "Can that be done?" He tells our son tales of how, in his day, he was expected to contribute most of his wages to the family coffers, putting the money in a teapot. "But that was 350 years ago and times were harder then," I interject - once again undermining him, just as I did when the boys were little. The whole family is regressing. If we were flatmates one of us would be under the floorboards rolled in a body bag. But then, as so often happens in families, moments later you're laughing in the kitchen, everything is forgotten in an instant. Until next time. Morgan comments: Annoyingly for me, I happen to have a lot of wealthier friends and so the idea of my mum taking money from me instead of giving me money towards rent seems absurd. It isn't really a problem in itself, and I do completely understand that bills need to be paid, but it seems my rent is increasing on almost a monthly basis. My mum will look for any excuse to raise it - the more I earn the more she wants me to pay! The whole system kind of feels like some sort of online scam in which you subscribe and in the small print it says *rent will increase by £50 each month*. A six-month contract would at least give me an idea of how to budget for the coming months. And yes, that may include buying trainers. Morgan says he feels judged by us and to a certain extent that's true. We got to play out our mistakes in rented flats above shops, visiting our parents with the fresh-faced clean-living industrious demeanour reserved for them and them alone. But I also feel judged by him. When we're sprawled out on the sofa on a Friday night with a bottle and a bag of Kettle chips and the boys are going out around the time we're thinking of going to bed I feel like a social failure. When we're going out or having friends around I proudly tell my kids - and realise I'm seeking approval. "See I have friends, I have a social life, I'm cool too." Morgan comments: Talking about judging, imagine this non-hypothetical scenario: I've just got home from work and I'm completely exhausted - for once I feel like a cheeky smoke. In summer I'd happily take a leisurely stroll down to the park at the end of the road, but right now the garden seems more appropriate. BUT… if I get caught then my mum will definitely think I'm a crackhead, and judging by the commotion she causes when I turn up the heating she definitely can't afford to send me to rehab this year. Also, my brother's window's open and if the wind blows the fumes into his room my dad will definitely sniff me out and shut down my operation swiftly. Not that he was any better at my age. Yes it's true, I do judge... noticing his new trainers. "Why are you buying £150 trainers when you could be saving for a deposit on a flat?" I casually mention. No sooner are the words out of my mouth than I wish I could take them back again. Because why shouldn't he? When I was younger, in fact when he was a baby, I bought myself expensive clothes because at that time I hadn't got a hope of buying a house, so why not? "If I'm paying rent I should at least be able to bring girls back," he says. Well, girls yes, as in girlfriends. But ultimately this is still a family home (not that his teenage brother would mind - it would give him an excuse to do the same). Living in an alpha male household there's nothing I love more than a girlfriend - I'm almost begging them not to leave me as they walk out of the door. But it's not a bachelor pad and so I'd at least like to see them and chat to them. Now I feel like a prude. A neurotic, prudish, stingy harridan. Do other cultures know how to do it better? Do they have the rules - the family traditions that make inter-generational living easier? Morgan comments: It's 3am in Shoreditch and I feel like I could have just potentially met my future wifey. We've walked around the area about 10 times trying to find a bar that's still open but it seems like we're out of luck… I'm acting like I don't actually have anywhere to take her back to. I do of course, but I'm not sure how comfortable she will be meeting the Munster family just yet. They'll assume she's my girlfriend and start questioning her. Or worse, what if there's something unpleasant left in the toilet? I'm really starting to doubt whether the cheap rent in Dalston is worth it. When I was younger, it was a lot easier bringing girls back - but now I'm bringing grown women back, ready to challenge the domain of the lioness. "The next thing is he'll leave and then you'll miss him," says a friend. "And then they come back and you have to get used to that, and then they leave again, it's called boomeranging." A study carried out last year by the LSE concluded the boomeranging generation causes a significant decline in parents' mental health. But I know I will miss him when he's gone. My kids are now 17 and 23 and when we're all chatting in the kitchen, or I hear them laughing in the living room I come over all emotional at how fantastic they both are. They are excellent company, funny, interesting, thoughtful, and their banter is on point. One day they will go. "But that's OK," I tell myself. "They'll be back soon enough." You may also be interested in: Lately, Sue Elliott-Nicholls has been to lots of weddings where the bride and groom have been together for decades. And in September she, too, did the deed in her 50s. So why are all these middle-aged couples finally opting for marriage? (October 2018) Read: Why we said 'I do' after 30 years together Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

बड़े बच्चों के लिए काम शुरू करने के बाद भी घर पर वर्षों बिताना सामान्य होता जा रहा है, क्योंकि वेतन और किराए के बीच बेमेल है। सू इलियट-निकोल्स और उनका बेटा, मॉर्गन इलियट, इस बात से सहमत हैं कि यह एक दुःस्वप्न हो सकता है। यहाँ मॉर्गन के हस्तक्षेप के साथ सू की कहानी है।

uk-53597137

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53597137

Did UK Special Forces execute unarmed civilians?

At the height of the war in Afghanistan in 2011, two senior officers from Special Forces met in a bar in Dorset to have a secret conversation. They feared some of the UK's most highly-trained troops had adopted a "deliberate policy" of illegally killing unarmed men. Evidence is now emerging that suggests they were right.

By Matt Bardo & Hannah O'GradyBBC Panorama The two senior officers were thousands of miles from the dust and danger of Helmand province in Afghanistan. One had recently returned from the war where his troops reported their understanding that a policy of execution-style killings was being carried out by Special Forces. The other had been at headquarters, reading reports from the frontline with growing concern. They showed a sharp rise in the number of "enemies killed in action" (EKIA) by UK Special Forces. Special Forces are the UK's elite specialist troops, encompassing both the SAS (Special Air Service) and the SBS (Special Boat Service). After the conversation, a briefing note believed to have been written by one of the most senior members of UK Special Forces was passed up the chain of command. The message contained clear warnings for the highest levels of Special Forces and concluded that these "concerning" allegations merit "deeper investigation" to "at worst case put a stop to criminal behaviour". The documents were released to solicitors Leigh Day, as part of an ongoing case at the High Court, which will rule on whether allegations of unlawful killing by UK Special Forces were investigated properly. The man bringing the case is Saifullah Ghareb Yar. He says that four members of his family were assassinated in the early hours of 16 February 2011. It follows a BBC Panorama programme last year, which reported on the deaths. The programme worked with the Sunday Times Insight team to reveal evidence of a pattern of illegal killings by UK Special Forces. The government maintains that the four members of Saifullah's family were killed in self defence. But now correspondence in the newly-released documents shows that some had grave concerns about the UK Special Forces mission. Just hours after the elite troops had returned to base, other British soldiers were exchanging emails describing the events of that night as the "latest massacre". 'Shaking with fear' At 01:00 in Nawa, rural Helmand, on 16 February 2011, Saifullah's family were asleep in their home. They woke suddenly to the sound of helicopter rotors, followed by shouting through megaphones. Saifullah was still a teenager but he was about to find himself in the middle of a Special Forces "kill or capture" mission. These "night raids" were a common tactic at the time. They were typically carried out in partnership with Afghan forces under cover of darkness. Their purpose was to target senior members of the Taliban. "My whole body was shaking because of the fear. Everyone was frightened. All the women and children were crying and screaming," Saifullah told BBC Panorama. He described how his hands were tied and he was put in a holding area with the women and children. He had not been there for long when he heard gunfire. After the troops had left, the bodies of his two brothers were discovered in the fields surrounding their home. His cousin had been shot dead in a neighbouring building. Going back into his house, Saifullah found his father, lying face down on the ground. "His head, the forehead area, was shot with many bullets, and his leg was completely broken by the bullets," he said. Last year, Panorama exposed how the intelligence that identified the targets for these raids was often deficient. Philip Alston, the former UN Special Rapporteur on executions, told the programme: "I have no doubt that overall many of the allegations [of innocent people being killed] are justified, and that we can conclude that a large number of civilians were killed in night raids, totally unjustifiably." Saifullah believes his family were wrongly targeted and then executed in cold blood. In Nawa district, there was an outcry after the killings. The Governor of Helmand believed the victims were innocent civilians. British military emails from the aftermath of the raid obtained by Panorama suggest that eyewitnesses from the Afghan military supported Saifullah's version of events. A commanding officer from the Afghan forces is quoted as having said that no one was firing at the British but the four family members were shot anyway and that "he sees this as confirmation that innocents were killed". The Afghan commander suggests that "two men were shot trying to run away, and that the other two men were "assassinated" on target after they had already been detained and searched". The correspondence shows that these events sent shockwaves through the British military from Helmand to London. Emails outline concerns over Afghan forces refusing to accompany the British on night raids because they did not believe the killings were justified. This was not the first time that the Afghan forces had made this complaint. One senior Special Forces officer comments that this kind of falling out "puts at risk the [redacted] transition plan and more importantly the prospects of enduring UK influence" in Afghanistan. "Aside from alienating our Afghan allies, the narrative of murderous British forces played right into the hands of the insurgents," said Frank Ledwidge, a former military intelligence officer who served as a justice adviser in Helmand. "The actions of some Special Forces actively undermined the overall counterinsurgency mission, which was challenging enough already," he said. 'You couldn't make it up' Among the documents released to the court is a detailed summary marked "secret". It includes an extract of the classified operational summary (OPSUM), which provides the official account of what the strike team did at Saifullah's home. The UK Special Forces reported that after initially securing the compound they went back in to search the rooms with one of the Afghan men they had detained. While there, it says he suddenly reached for a grenade behind a curtain. "He poses an immediate threat to life and is engaged with aimed shots. The assault team members take cover. The grenade malfunctions and does not detonate," the OPSUM says. That man was Saifullah's father. After the shooting, the OPSUM reports that another Afghan was moved into the neighbouring compound to help with the search of the buildings. They say he was also shot after picking up a weapon. That man was Saifullah's cousin. Both of Saifullah's brothers are reported to have run away when they spotted the unit arriving. One hid in a bush with a grenade and was shot and killed when the explosive was spotted, says the OPSUM. The other was reported to be hiding a short distance away with an assault rifle. When he emerged from a hiding place under a blanket with the weapon, he too was shot. This official account of the killings was met with suspicion by some in the British military. An internal email requests a copy of the OPSUM within hours of the killings and asks: "Is this about [redacted] latest massacre!" The reply includes a summary of the unlikely events in the official report and concludes by saying: "You couldn't MAKE IT UP!" It looks as if the soldiers reading these reports had concerns that they were being falsified using near-identical cover stories. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said "This is not new evidence, and this historical case has already been independently investigated by the Royal Military Police as part of Operation Northmoor. It has also been subject to four reviews conducted by an Independent Review Team. "These documents were considered as part of the independent investigations, which concluded there was insufficient evidence to refer the case for prosecution. "The Service Police and the Service Prosecuting Authority of course remain open to considering allegations should new evidence, intelligence or information come to light." 'Perverting the course of justice' The suspicious pattern of similar incidents leading to the killing of Afghan men during Special Forces night raids caught the eye of several people back at UK Special Forces headquarters in England. The court documents show a review was ordered. A Special Forces Major examined all of the official reports of killings by the elite troops between December 2010 and April 2011. He wrote to other senior officers to say the number of killings led him to conclude "we are getting some things wrong, right now". His report highlighted 10 incidents in which the similarity of the accounts in official paperwork raised his suspicions. All involved the shooting of men who were detained before they unexpectedly grabbed a weapon during a search of the buildings. The Major also found at least five separate incidents where more people were killed than there were weapons recovered. That means either the weapons went missing or the people who were killed were not armed. In one case, nine people had been killed and only three weapons had been recovered. The newly-released evidence appears to support revelations in last year's Panorama and Sunday Times investigation. Panorama reported that a large scale Royal Military Police (RMP) investigation called Operation Northmoor had linked dozens of suspicious killings on night raids. Among them were the deaths of Saifullah's family members. When the RMP interviewed the Special Forces troops who took part in the raid of 16 February 2011, all of them claimed they could not remember the specifics of the mission that night. Operation Northmoor was investigating whether official operation reports had been falsified. In one case, the RMP had even brought charges against members of the UK Special Forces for murder, falsifying a report and perverting the course of justice. But the charges were dropped and the government closed down Operation Northmoor without prosecuting a single case. Insiders said it was closed too soon for them to complete their investigation. "It seems to be one of the unique characteristics of British Special Forces that they are truly accountable to no-one," said Frank Ledwidge. "Accountability must apply to everyone and particularly to the senior commanders and politicians who have allowed, condoned or ignored these alleged crimes and created the environment for them to happen". You can watch Panorama, War Crimes Scandal Exposed on BBC iPlayer

2011 में अफगानिस्तान में युद्ध के चरम पर, विशेष बलों के दो वरिष्ठ अधिकारी डोरसेट के एक बार में एक गुप्त बातचीत करने के लिए मिले। उन्हें डर था कि ब्रिटेन के कुछ सबसे उच्च प्रशिक्षित सैनिकों ने निहत्थे पुरुषों को अवैध रूप से मारने की "जानबूझकर नीति" अपनाई थी। अब सबूत सामने आ रहे हैं जो बताते हैं कि वे सही थे।

uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-21022987

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-21022987

North Yorkshire drivers warned of icy roads

Motorists in North Yorkshire are being warned of icy driving conditions after heavy snow on Monday.

About five inches (13 cm) of snow fell on parts of North Yorkshire, causing traffic gridlock during the evening rush hour in Scarborough. A Met Office yellow warning of further snow and icy driving conditions remains in force for the east of the county. Major routes were gritted overnight, according to North Yorkshire County Council. North Yorkshire Police said drivers should take extreme care on the roads and only travel if their journey was essential.

सोमवार को भारी बर्फबारी के बाद उत्तरी यॉर्कशायर में मोटर चालकों को बर्फीली ड्राइविंग की स्थिति के बारे में चेतावनी दी जा रही है।

science-environment-42238262

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42238262

Mt Hope installed as 'UK's highest peak'

Britain has a new tallest mountain.

By Jonathan AmosBBC Science Correspondent, New Orleans Mt Hope, which is sited in the part of the Antarctic claimed by the UK, was recently re-measured and found to tower above the previous title holder, Mt Jackson, by a good 50m (160ft). Hope is now put at 3,239m (10,626ft); Jackson is 3,184m (10,446ft). The map-makers at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) were prompted to take another look at the mountains because of concerns for the safety of pilots flying across the White Continent. "In Antarctica there are no roads, so to get around you have to fly planes. And if you're flying planes you really need to know where the mountains are and how high they are," explained Dr Peter Fretwell. As well as giving Mt Hope its new status, the reassessment has provided a more complete description of the relief across the quadrant of Antarctica claimed by Britain. This encompasses the long peninsula that stretches north towards South America. Some of its mountains have now been "moved" up to 5km to position them more accurately on future maps. Mount Vinson, which sits just outside the British Antarctic Territory, remains the undisputed tallest peak on the continent at 4,892m (16,049ft). Dr Fretwell's team is releasing its findings on UN International Mountain Day. Elevation data-sets are a topic of discussion here at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) - the world's largest annual gathering of Earth and planetary scientists. The BAS group used a combination of elevation models built from satellite data to make the new mountain assessment. When this medium-resolution information threw up the possibility that Mt Hope had been underestimated, the researchers then ordered in some very high-resolution photos for confirmation. These pictures, taken from orbit by the American WorldView-2 spacecraft, allowed for a stereo view of the summits of both Hope and Jackson. "We call this photogrammetry," said Dr Fretwell. "Because we know the position of the satellite so well, if we use it to take two images of a mountain that are ever so slightly offset from each other, we can then employ simple trigonometry to work out the height of that mountain." The process raised Hope from 2,860m to 3,239m. The measurement technique carries an uncertainty of just 5m, so there should be no argument over the mountain's new-found superiority. The long chain of peaks that runs down the spine of the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth. The chain was initially built some 50-100 million years ago when an oceanic tectonic plate slid under the Antarctic continent, said BAS geophysicist Dr Tom Jordan. "This produced volcanism and a shortening and a thickening of the crust. Then, more recently, the ice sheet and its glaciers have cut deep trenches into the Antarctic Peninsula, removing rock and depositing it offshore. "As this mass has been removed so the whole of the peninsula has rebounded, uplifting the peaks fairly significantly," he explained. At the AGU meeting in New Orleans, US researchers are showcasing very similar work - but on a much more extensive scale. Dr Paul Morin, from the Polar Geospatial Center at the University of Minnesota, has led an effort to re-map the elevation of both the Arctic and the Antarctic. These projects have access to several years of WorldView images and time on a supercomputer to process all the data. The Arctic map has an elevation point, or "posting," every 2m across the region. The Antarctic map, due to be released early next year, will have the postings every 8m. "With this availability of data, Antarctica has gone from the poorest mapped place on the planet to one the best," Dr Morin told BBC News. "It makes better science cheaper and faster to achieve. And it also makes science much safer because we know where everything is." [email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

ब्रिटेन में एक नया सबसे ऊँचा पर्वत है।

uk-england-tees-15607570

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-15607570

New cancer outpatient unit opens at James Cook Hospital

A new outpatient unit has opened at a Teesside hospital as part of a multi-million pound investment programme in cancer services.

The new Endeavour Unit at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital boasts three treatment rooms. A spokesman for South Tees Foundation Trust said the unit would offer a full radiotherapy service by early next year. The new two-storey building is part of a new £35m cancer services programme.

कैंसर सेवाओं में कई मिलियन पाउंड के निवेश कार्यक्रम के हिस्से के रूप में टीसाइड अस्पताल में एक नई बाह्य रोगी इकाई खोली गई है।

health-52543692

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52543692

Coronavirus: Is it time to free the healthy from restrictions?

The constant stream of bad news on coronavirus, from the rising number of deaths, to doctors and nurses risking their lives because of a lack of protective equipment has, understandably, caused great anxiety.

Nick TriggleHealth correspondent@nicktriggleon Twitter That much is clear from the proportion of adults worried about the threat they believe the virus poses to themselves. Older people are the most concerned, but even among younger age groups the majority believe they are at risk. But have we got this out of perspective? How much actual risk does coronavirus present? The people who are most at risk are older people and those with pre-existing health conditions. The overwhelming majority of deaths has been among these groups. But young people are, of course still, dying - by late April there had been more than 300 deaths among the under-45s. What is more, there are many more who have been left seriously ill, struggling with the after-effects for weeks. So how should we interpret that? And what does that mean for post-lockdown life? Our constant focus on the most negative impacts of the epidemic means we have "lost sight" of the fact the virus causes a mild to moderate illness for many, says Dr Amitava Banerjee, of University College London. The expert in clinical data science believes it is important not to jump to conclusions about the deaths of younger, seemingly healthy adults. Some could have had health conditions that had not been diagnosed, he says. But he admits there will be otherwise healthy people who have died - as happens with everything from heart attacks to flu. In future, we need to stop looking at coronavirus through such a "narrow lens", he says. Instead we should take more account of the indirect costs, such as rising rates of domestic violence in lockdown, mental health problems and the lack of access to health care more generally. A 'nasty flu' for many On Sunday Boris Johnson is expected to set out how restrictions will be eased in England. All indications are that it will be a very gradual process to keep the rate of transmission of the virus down. But some believe we do not need to be so draconian. Edinburgh University and a group of London-based academics published a paper this week arguing restrictions could be lifted quite significantly if the most vulnerable were completely shielded. That would require the continued isolation of these individuals and the regular testing of their carers - or shielders as the researchers call them. If we could protect them - and that would require very good access to quick testing and protective equipment - the researchers believe we could lift many restrictions and allow a "controlled" epidemic in the general population. Good hand-hygiene, isolating when you have symptoms and voluntary social distancing where possible would be needed. But people could return to work, and school - in a matter of months. The majority could even be eating in restaurants and going to cinemas. For the non-vulnerable population, coronavirus carries no more risk than a "nasty flu", says Prof Mark Woolhouse, an expert in infectious disease who led the research. "If it wasn't for the fact that it presents such a high risk of severe disease in vulnerable groups, we would never have taken the steps we have and closed down the country. "If we can shield the vulnerable really well, there is no reason why we cannot lift many of the restrictions in place for others. "The lockdown has come at a huge economic, social and health cost." It is, he says, all about getting the balance of risk right. A risk to live with It is a point others have made. Cambridge University statistician Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter has highlighted evidence which shows the risk of dying from coronavirus is very similar to the underlying risk people of all age groups from early 20s upwards have of dying anyway. His point is that for the average adult getting infected means you are effectively doubling your risk of death. The younger you are, the lower the risk. For children, as you can see on the graph, the risk from the virus is so small that you might be better off worrying about other things. After the first year of life cancers, accidents and self-harm are the leading causes of death. Researchers from Stanford University in the US have been trying to count the risk another way - equating it to that which we face from dying while driving. In the UK, they calculate that those under the age of 65 have faced the same risk over the past few months from coronavirus as they would have faced from driving 185 miles a day - the equivalent of commuting from Swindon to London. Strip out the under-65s with health conditions - about one in 16 - and the risk is even lower, with deaths in non-vulnerable groups being "remarkably uncommon". Putting risk in perspective is going to be essential for individuals and decision-makers, the authors suggest. If we do, we may learn to live with coronavirus. We may have to.

मौतों की बढ़ती संख्या से लेकर सुरक्षात्मक उपकरणों की कमी के कारण अपनी जान जोखिम में डालने वाले डॉक्टरों और नर्सों तक, कोरोनावायरस पर बुरी खबरों की निरंतर धारा, स्पष्ट रूप से, बहुत चिंता का कारण बनी है।

world-asia-india-47987657

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47987657

India election 2019: The man who has lost 24 times but won't give up

Every Indian election throws up several independent candidates who, despite the odds stacked against them, take a chance on democracy. Omkar Khandekar reports on one man who has lost two dozen times but refuses to stop trying.

Vijayprakash Kondekar is now a familiar face in Shivaji Nagar in the western city of Pune. For the past two months the 73-year-old has been going around the neighbourhood trying to drum up support for his election campaign. "I just want to show people that party politics is not the only way in the largest democracy in the world," he says. "I plan to give the country independent candidates like myself. It's the only way we can clean up all the corruption." Mr Kondekar is contesting a parliamentary seat that will go to the polls in the third phase of voting on 23 April. India's mammoth general election kicked off on 11 April and is taking place over seven stages, with votes being counted on 23 May. Mr Kondekar is running as an independent candidate. One day, he hopes to become prime minister. If that happens, he says he will give every Indian citizen 17,000 rupees ($245; £190). He says doing so would be "easy enough" if the government reduced other expenses. Until the late 1980s, he used to work for the state electricity board in Maharashtra. Now, he can often been seen walking around Pune, pushing a steel cart on wheels with a signboard attached to it. Previously, locals say, the board carried a request for donations - but not much, less than a dollar. Now the signboard says "Victory for the boot" - a reference to the election symbol allotted to Mr Kondekar by India's Election Commission. It makes for an amusing sight in the city's streets. While many people ignore the aspiring politician, others request selfies. Mr Kondekar happily obliges, hoping to benefit from free publicity on social media. Others openly scoff at what they see: a frail man with long white hair and a beard, walking in the hot April sun to canvass for votes while wearing only cotton shorts. And that's before they find out that Mr Kondekar has contested - and lost - more than 24 different elections at every level of the Indian political system, from local polls for municipal bodies to parliamentary elections. He is one among hundreds of independent candidates trying their luck in this year's national election. In 2014, just three of the 3,000 independent candidates who contested won. Read more about the Indian election Although there is precedent for independent candidates to succeed en masse - in the 1957 election, 42 of them were elected as MPs - it very rarely happens. Since the first election in 1952, a total of 44,962 independent candidates have run for parliament, but only 222 have won. Independents rarely win because parties have far more money and better resources available to them. And there's no shortage of parties, with 2,293 registered political parties, including seven national and 59 regional parties. The governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Congress are the two major national parties but in many states they trail strong regional parties with hugely popular leaders. But Mr Kondekar says he has found a novel strategy to gain an advantage. As per election rules, candidates from the national parties are listed first, followed by those from state parties. At the bottom are the independents. "My appeal [to the public] is vote for the last candidate, the one listed before the none-of-the-above option. In all probability, it will be an independent candidate," he says. For Tuesday's vote, he has changed his surname to Znyosho, so that his name appears last on the candidate list. Despite the disadvantages they face, independent candidates jump into the fray every election for myriad reasons. For some it's a vanity project, while many are fielded by political parties hoping to divide votes. Others, like K Padmarajan, contest the polls as a stunt. He has taken part in - and lost - more than 170 elections only to earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Mr Padmarajan, who is competing against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the southern seat of Wayanad this Tuesday - recently said, "If I win, I will get a heart attack." Such candidates have even prompted India's law commission to recommend a ban on independent candidates contesting state or national parliamentary elections. That never happened. And although more and more independents are taking part, their success rate is not increasing. "Political parties have a stranglehold on the Indian political system," says Jagdeep Chhokar, founder of election watchdog the Association for Democratic Reforms. There are several systemic problems stymieing independent candidates' election campaigns, Mr Chhokar adds. For one, there are limits on how much can spent by individual candidates but not the political parties backing them. Independent candidates also don't enjoy the income tax exemptions that political parties do. "There are candidates who genuinely want to make a difference but funding limitations, lack of influence and public perception in favour of big parties often constrains their chances." Mr Kondekar is aware that he's unlikely to win. Over the years, he has sold ancestral land and a house to raise money for his campaigns. His only source of income - as per the disclosures he made while filing his nomination - is a monthly pension of 1,921 rupees ($28; £21). But while admitting that his fight is mostly symbolic, Mr Kondekar refuses to give up hope. "It's a contest between their [political parties'] iron sword and my paper cut-out," he says. "But I want to keep trying. Given my age, this will most likely be my last election. But perhaps things might be different this time."

हर भारतीय चुनाव में कई निर्दलीय उम्मीदवार सामने आते हैं, जो अपने खिलाफ खड़ी बाधाओं के बावजूद, लोकतंत्र पर एक मौका लेते हैं। ओमकार खांडेकर एक ऐसे व्यक्ति के बारे में बताते हैं जो दो दर्जन बार हार गया है लेकिन कोशिश करना बंद करने से इनकार कर देता है।

uk-england-manchester-45765120

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-45765120

Manchester Piccadilly signal fault leads to rush hour rail misery

Rail passengers have faced disruption after a signalling fault between Manchester Piccadilly and Wilmslow hit rush hour journeys.

Network Rail said the problem, which affected the line between Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent from about 17:00 BST, has now been resolved. However, it will take some time for services to return to normal. Arriva Trains said passengers can travel between Manchester and Crewe/Warrington using any route.

मैनचेस्टर पिकैडिली और विल्म्सलो के बीच सिग्नल में खराबी के कारण रेल यात्रियों को परेशानी का सामना करना पड़ा है।

uk-scotland-39115151

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-39115151

Toasting Welsh whisky on St David's Day

If you are so minded this St David's Day, you might want to toast the patron saint of Wales with a dram of Welsh whisky. With two distilleries, the EU now formally recognises Wales as a whisky-producing country. BBC Scotland's David Allison reports that with several more distilleries planned, Welsh whisky is back...with a bit of Scottish help along the way.

Our Celtic cousins have distilled whisky in Wales since the middle ages, but not continuously. The late 19th Century temperance movement opposed the demon alcohol, and whisky production ended in 1910 when the Welsh Whisky Distillery Company closed its doors for the last time. In 1915, in an attempt to reduce the impact of alcohol on the war effort, the then Chancellor Lloyd George's Immature Spirits Act stipulated that whisky must be matured for at least three years. It led to the drink's reputation as a premium product, and the irony of a Welshman boosting the Scotch whisky industry. Welsh whisky wasn't produced again for almost 100 years until the Penderyn Distillery in the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales released its first batch on St David's Day 2004, exactly 13 years ago. It's gone on to be a multi-award-winning product, with a bit of Scottish help including a still from the McMillan company in Prestonpans in East Lothian. Penderyn's Sian Whitelock says they've learned plenty of good practice from the industry in Scotland in areas such as sourcing the best barley and barrels. The company's Jon Tregenna says the learning experiences are going both ways. "We have no plans to be releasing a 12-year, or a 15-year, or an 18-year," he said. "There is a rise in non-age statement whiskies and some Scottish distilleries are making advances in that direction as well, realising that out of this fashion maybe the old 12, 18, 25 might start to change a bit over the years." The company is planning a second distillery in two years' time, its copper stills to be located appropriately enough in the area of Swansea nicknamed Copperopolis from when the ready supply of coal for energy made it the epicentre of the world's copper industry. Penderyn is also aiming for a third distillery at a yet to be disclosed location in North Wales, while another firm Halewood International has also submitted plans for another whisky distillery also in the north near Bangor. But currently, the tiny distillery which actually gives Wales that all-important EU recognition as a whisky-producing country is based at a small organic farm in west Wales. The Da Mhile micro-distillery in Llandysul stands out for a number of reasons, not least because in an area where the Welsh language is king its name is actually Scots Gaelic, and means two thousand. It takes its name from an organic whisky that farmer and cheesemaker, and now proud distiller, John Savage Onstwedder commissioned from the Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown to celebrate the new millennium. The first locally-distilled Da Mhile whisky went on sale last November and promptly sold out. Mr Ontswedder says the scale is small but the aim is for the standard to be high. "One cannot survive in rural Wales by producing mediocrity. It won't work. So it has to be top quality," he said. The still was made in Germany, the home of schnapps, but elsewhere on the farm Scottish connections run deep. John Savage Onstwedder is himself half Dutch, half Scots and his son John-James trained at the small Kilchoman distillery on the west coast of Islay. Whisky in Wales is a growth industry, and while lawyers for the industry in Scotland will make sure that they'll never be able to call it Scotch, the regular awards demonstrate that the quality of the product is not in question. So from west Wales "Iechyd da!" - "Cheers!" "Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus!" - Happy St David's Day.

यदि आप इस सेंट डेविड दिवस पर इतने ही इच्छुक हैं, तो हो सकता है कि आप वेल्स के संरक्षक संत को वेल्श व्हिस्की के एक ड्रम के साथ टोस्ट करना चाहें। दो डिस्टिलरी के साथ, यूरोपीय संघ अब औपचारिक रूप से वेल्स को एक व्हिस्की उत्पादक देश के रूप में मान्यता देता है। बीबीसी स्कॉटलैंड के डेविड एलिसन ने बताया कि कई और डिस्टिलरी की योजना के साथ, वेल्श व्हिस्की वापस आ गई है... रास्ते में थोड़ी स्कॉटिश मदद के साथ।

uk-england-somerset-55500361

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-55500361

Somerset man accused of police and paramedic assaults

A man accused of assaulting a paramedic and police officers during an incident in Bridgwater has appeared in court.

Anthony McLellan, 35, of Stoke Road, Stoke St Mary, appeared at Taunton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. He is accused of six charges of common assault on an emergency worker, three charges of common assault and one charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm after the incident on Monday. Mr McLellan has also been charged with causing criminal damage. He was remanded in custody and will appear at Taunton Crown Court on 1 February. Related Internet Links Avon and Somerset Policewww.avonandsomerset.police.uk

ब्रिजवाटर में एक घटना के दौरान एक पैरामेडिक और पुलिस अधिकारियों पर हमला करने का आरोपी एक व्यक्ति अदालत में पेश हुआ है।

uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-18161911

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-18161911

Coventry Cathedral: Memories of its construction 50 years on

Coventry Cathedral, a celebrated example of 20th Century architecture, turns 50 this week and over the years has become, along with the adjoining ruins of St Michaels, a global symbol of peace and reconciliation.

The decision to build it came in the immediate aftermath of the devastation caused to the previous structure by incendiary bombs during World War II. Hundreds of people had a hand in its construction, not least Sir Basil Spence who won a competition to design the cathedral in the 1950s. But it could have looked very different if the man behind Birmingham's Rotunda had won the contract. Jim Roberts, an unknown architect at the time, was one of many given 12 months to submit a design. He felt he played by the rules unlike Sir Basil. Quality craftsmanship Mr Roberts said: "The rules of the competition were specific. They asked to associate the new scheme with the existing tower and spire. "Basil Spence provided the right answer but as far as I was concerned it was a total contravention of the instructions that the competitors were all given. "With my scheme the ruins would have been obliterated because you would have kept the tower and spire but to glue the new building onto it meant the whole of the ruins would have been decimated." One of those who worked as an architect on the successful cathedral project was Anthony Blee, Sir Basil's son-in-law. Mr Blee said: "I saw it as a great opportunity because the building had been designed and yet there was still a lot of design to do. "What I'm proud of is nothing to do with me. It's the level of craftsmanship that is consistent here." The attention to detail is evident throughout. From the tapestry of Christ and the Baptistry Window to the pennies embedded in the floor and the walls of the building itself. Peter Walker and Roy Burnett were just teenagers when they began making the stones for the cathedral in a Staffordshire yard. For Mr Burnett, it was a labour of love. He said: "I reckon one in every 20 stones came through our hands. "Working the ends of the stone, you could probably do 10 or 15 a day. "But if it was a piece of the Baptistry Window you did one every 14 hours. "A lot have got my wife's name underneath them." The cathedral's foundation stone was laid by the Queen on 23 March 1956. But according to Mr Walker, it was not the one Sir Basil had initially picked out. He said: "The first one toppled over. "It had frozen during the day and it was balanced on two blocks. When it thawed the stone tipped and knocked a big piece out of it." Digging up bones One of those to work on the cathedral ahead of its consecration on 25 May 1962 was Tony McGregor, who helped dig the foundation for the Chapel of Unity. Mr McGregor said: "There were graves and we were told any bones or skulls that we dug up we were to put them to one side. They were going to bury them as a communal grave. "We were throwing all the soil onto the wagons. "We didn't wear gloves in those days and some of the lads didn't like handling the bones or the skulls so they used to throw them on the wagon. "Apparently [the police] found the skulls on the tip and they thought a mass murder had been committed." Mr McGregor admits that it is only years after that he appreciates his role in the cathedral's construction. He believes it has stood the test of time. "It'll take a good German bomb to shift this cathedral," he added. "It's so solid." To celebrate the occasion, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire has recorded 50 stories about the cathedral from those who have played a part in its history. The 50 Stories for 50 Years have been shared on the radio and on the station's on the station's Facebook and Audioboo pages.

कोवेंट्री कैथेड्रल, 20वीं शताब्दी की वास्तुकला का एक प्रसिद्ध उदाहरण, इस सप्ताह 50 वर्ष का हो गया है और वर्षों से सेंट माइकल्स के आसपास के खंडहरों के साथ, शांति और सुलह का एक वैश्विक प्रतीक बन गया है।

uk-england-manchester-56907072

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-56907072

Covid: Why is Liverpool being used as a test site?

Events are taking place in Liverpool to test crowd safety and check what impact easing Covid-19 rules will have ahead of a full lifting of restrictions later in the year. But why is the city at the forefront of these trials and how do people feel about the city being used as a test site?

By Lauren HirstBBC News Online The events form part of the government's Events Research Programme (ERP), which will explore the risk of transmission and the effectiveness of measures such as ventilation and testing. Liverpool's involvement is not the first time the city has been used to help shape national policy during the pandemic, as in November it was also selected for the mass testing trial where residents were offered regular coronavirus tests. The city's director of public health Matt Ashton believes part of the reason Liverpool has been trusted to take on the trials dates back to July 2020, when concerns started to grow over a spike in cases in the city's Princes Park ward "right in the heart of one of our most disadvantaged communities". In a bid to stop the virus from spreading, people living in the area were advised to avoid mixing with other households, a walk-in testing centre was opened, community buildings were closed and a local public health campaign was launched. Mr Ashton said this local response not only ensured the outbreak was "squashed in under two-and-a-half weeks" but it also "showed what local areas can do when they take control of the situation". This partly led to the decision to select Liverpool for the mass testing pilot as "the government was keen to work with us as a result of our previous success", he said. So when discussions started over the ERP, Mr Ashton knew the city had the "knowledge and infrastructure in place to deliver complicated projects safely". "We have been knocking on government's door since last year wanting to be a part of pilot events [as] we know we can do it safely and well." He said he was "massively proud of the way Liverpool has come together to fight this awful pandemic," adding it was a "continuation of the city's long-standing tradition of carrying out pioneering public health work". 'Huge honour' The first ERP trial was held on Wednesday and saw 400 people gather for the start of The Good Business Festival at ACC Liverpool. Guests did not have to wear masks or socially distance, but all attendees had to take a test before and after the event. "It is much safer coming to these events than it is going to the supermarket," said Liverpool's director of culture, Claire McColgan, who was part of the team organising the festival. She said it was important to help get these kinds of gatherings back up and running as the events sector "represents more than half of our economy, so also plays a major role in the success of the city". "Liverpool is a really interesting city because it always does put its hands up for things, always has done," she added. Paul Grover, the chairman of the Liverpool China Partnership, was one of those who went along. He said it was a "huge honour to be a part of the project", which had been "really exciting". He added that he hoped it had been "a snapshot of where we are going to get to hopefully in a few weeks' time". Jayne Moore, the chief executive of Jayne Moore Media Group, also attended the event. She said there was a lot of excitement as it was "really important for our economy that we get back to normality as quickly as possible". "I think Liverpool is famous for being first for many things and that's because we are such a tight, well-organised community," she added. 'Old school normality' Other trials in the city will be held at Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse with a nightclub event hosted by Circus, Luna Outdoor Cinema and in Sefton Park, where rock band Blossoms will headline a near-normal gig without any social distancing or mask wearing. Yousef Zaher, the co-founder of Circus events and DJ, said he was "excited to be able to contribute to getting the whole nation back into the real world". He said his event would be "monumental for a thousand reasons" and added that once those attending are through the doors, it would be "old school normality to gather data to be able to get us to 21 June with as least resistance as possible". A spokesman for Liverpool City Council said the choice of the city was down to its "can-do attitude and real sense of community spirit". "People get the importance of being part of something significant that helps get life back to normal," he said. "We saw how people embraced mass testing and similarly we are seeing the same with the ERP." Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected] Related Internet Links Liverpool City Council Department of Health and Social Care

लिवरपूल में भीड़ की सुरक्षा का परीक्षण करने और यह जांचने के लिए कार्यक्रम आयोजित किए जा रहे हैं कि साल के अंत में प्रतिबंधों को पूरी तरह से हटाने से पहले कोविड-19 नियमों को आसान बनाने का क्या प्रभाव पड़ेगा। लेकिन इन परीक्षणों में शहर सबसे आगे क्यों है और लोग शहर को एक परीक्षण स्थल के रूप में उपयोग किए जाने के बारे में कैसा महसूस करते हैं?

uk-wales-54247648

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54247648

Ford Bridgend: 'It's over - and it's hard to take'

The Ford plant in Bridgend will shut down for the last time later, bringing to a close four decades of production at the site. The closure, announced in June 2019 , will have a major impact on the local community in Bridgend, with the loss of hundreds of skilled, well-paid jobs. When opened in May 1980, it was seen as an industrial landmark in Wales. And for those living there, such as BBC Radio Wales presenter Gareth Lewis , its blue logo loomed large over life. 'Synonymous with Bridgend'

By Gareth LewisBBC Radio Wales It was impossible to grow up in Bridgend in the 1980s and 1990s without a connection to Ford. One of your family worked there, you knew someone who worked there, or you were lucky like us and knew Pete, who worked at the factory and did car services on the side. Even now, in 2020, there are still boys I went to school with working at the plant. The house I grew up in looked down on to the industrial estate and the two big names that for decades now have been synonymous with Bridgend: Sony on the right with its big neon sign, and to the left the sprawling Ford building with its unmistakable oval logo towering above it. Motown in my home town, the pride of Detroit in south Wales. But how? Why here? Even as a child it seemed pretty incongruous. But when the deal was struck back in 1977 they were different times. It came down partly to a personal meeting at Chequers where the then Prime Minister James Callaghan wooed Henry Ford II, grandson of the original Henry. Wales wanted Ford, and in the end Ford wanted to come. We did not even have the ironic cheek to specify the colour of the factory. But now Ford - like Sony - is gone. Someone I spoke to this week called it "tragic." Manufacturing they said, is "under immense threat and it will only deteriorate further". 'End of an era' And the future does look more uncertain than it did back in 1977. It feels pretty hard to take that something which started in the year I was born is now over. An industry that provided so many jobs when those in coal were starting to burn out. The end of an era in Welsh manufacturing and despite that concerted wooing 43 years ago, the end of the marriage between Bridgend and Ford.

ब्रिजेंड में फोर्ड संयंत्र बाद में आखिरी बार बंद हो जाएगा, जिससे साइट पर चार दशकों का उत्पादन होगा। जून 2019 में घोषित बंद होने से ब्रिजेंड में स्थानीय समुदाय पर बड़ा प्रभाव पड़ेगा, जिससे सैकड़ों कुशल, अच्छी तनख्वाह वाली नौकरियों का नुकसान होगा। जब मई 1980 में खोला गया, तो इसे वेल्स में एक औद्योगिक मील का पत्थर के रूप में देखा गया। और वहाँ रहने वालों के लिए, जैसे कि बीबीसी रेडियो वेल्स के प्रस्तुतकर्ता गैरेथ लुईस, इसका नीला लोगो जीवन भर बड़ा दिखाई दिया। 'ब्रिजेंड के साथ समानार्थी'

entertainment-arts-19923076

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-19923076

Tim Burton: 'I've never made a scary movie'

Nearly 30 years after Disney fired Tim Burton because his short film Frankenweenie was "too scary" for children, the director - who has made a feature length, 3D stop-motion version of the story - insists he has "never made a scary movie".

By Sarah Jane GriffithsEntertainment reporter, BBC News The black-and-white animation pays homage to his favourite, classic horror movies, which Burton's parents say he was watching on TV "before I could walk or talk". It is also just in time for Halloween. But Burton says his intention has never been to make a frightening film. "I don't think I've ever made any scary movie, ever, even if I've tried to. I've never made a scary movie," insists the director, whose visually stunning, darker-than-average films include Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride and the recent Dark Shadows. He also points out that serving up "scary" subject matter to children is nothing new. "You know I grew up on Disney movies and I always thought that's what partly made Disney movies. From Snow White on, they've always dealt with some [scary] imagery. "Those are the most memorable parts of the movie as far as I was concerned," says Burton. He was "never afraid" of the 1930s horror films such as Dracula and The Mummy but as a young boy growing up in Burbank, Los Angeles, who felt "a little isolated", he instead identified with the title characters. "I just linked up the feeling with Frankenstein with the way I felt. The creature, and also the mad scientist. And my neighbours were the angry villagers," he explains. Childhood memories In true Burton style, Frankenweenie deals with death and darkness with a light touch. It tells the sweet story of young science buff Victor Frankenstein, who tries to bring his pet dog Sparky back to life. Burton based Victor on himself as a boy: "On an emotional level anyway, obviously it's not real. "I liked making little Super 8 films and I was a lacking sportsperson. [I] loved my dog," explains Burton. Sadly for the film-maker, his dog Pepe also died. But as well as loss and bereavement, the film also touches on issues of making friends and finding your way in life. "I think a lot of kids feel like they're just sort of loners," explains Burton. "But you also get along, you go to school. In fact I always felt like the other kids were much stranger than I was, which I tried to reflect a little bit in the film." Victor's schoolmates, ranging from toothy misfit Edgar 'E' Gore to Boris Karloff lookalike Nassor and the wide-eyed Weird Girl with her fluffy cat Mr Whiskers, certainly seem to reflect Burton's views of his classmates. "What was fun for me on this is to really delve back into the memory bank. We tried to base everything on a real actual person or memory or a combination of people. And then also how those [horror] movies kind of helped me through those years." 'Powerful combination' Created by Burton and screenwriter John August, Frankenweenie's characters were brought to life as stop-motion puppets at Three Mills Studios in east London, with each animator painstakingly creating just a few seconds of footage in an average week. They were inspired by the original drawings Burton made while working at Disney in 1984. Burton chose to use stop-motion and black and white as they are a "powerful combination" for 3D technology which "shows the artist's work more". "I just felt it was more emotional in black and white than in colour, and more real in a strange way," says Burton. As usual, Burton called on actors he could trust to voice the characters, from Edward Scissorhands star Winona Ryder, to Ed Wood's Martin Landau - who plays Victor's inspirational science teacher Mr Rzykruski. In fact both Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Martin Short (Mars Attacks!) voice three characters each. O'Hara - who met her husband on the set of Beetlejuice more than 20 years ago - voices Victor's mother Mrs Frankenstein, Weird Girl and the school's overbearing PE teacher. The director persuaded her to base the latter on an "obnoxious" woman on US TV. "The monsters in Tim's life are these scary people who take themselves seriously, and are arrogant and oppress others," explains O'Hara. 'Risky business' Working with people "who just believe in you and basically take a shot" is also Burton's way of negotiating the business end of Hollywood, where "everything is risky". Despite having achieved box office success with films like Batman, he says each project can still be "a struggle to mount". So far critics have raved about Frankenweenie, which opened the London Film Festival last week. But Burton remains unsure of what the public's reaction will be, and is even primed for some "initial resistance". "When I did my first couple of films, Pee Wee's Big Adventure or Beetlejuice, they were on the 10 worst movies of the year list! A few years later people change their minds." Producer Allison Abbate - another longtime Burton collaborator - hopes parents will give it a shot, rather than assuming the animation is too dark. "We've had parents say, 'I like this movie because I can talk to my kids about stuff'. It does seem like a pity if people can't find the movie because they think it might be too scary. "But once kids see it and say 'I wasn't scared', more people will go and see it." With such a personal project as Frankenweenie, the stakes are higher than usual for Burton. "You're always worried, you always feel a bit exposed. I get quite vulnerable and actually depressed." Burton continues: "I never know. Every movie I've ever done could go either way. "I've heard 10-year old girls say they love Sweeney Todd. On other movies people say, 'When one of your films comes on, my dogs love watching it'!" Frankenweenie is released in UK cinemas on 17 October.

डिज्नी द्वारा टिम बर्टन को बर्खास्त करने के लगभग 30 साल बाद क्योंकि उनकी लघु फिल्म फ्रेंकेनवीनी बच्चों के लिए "बहुत डरावनी" थी, निर्देशक-जिन्होंने कहानी का एक फीचर लेंथ, 3डी स्टॉप-मोशन संस्करण बनाया है-जोर देकर कहते हैं कि उन्होंने "कभी भी एक डरावनी फिल्म नहीं बनाई है"।

magazine-22277462

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22277462

From Belgian school to Syrian battleground

Hundreds of Europeans are fighting with rebel forces in Syria and intelligence agencies are concerned some could return home to launch terrorist attacks. One Belgian family says their son has joined rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime.

By Duncan CrawfordBBC News A camera shakily films a group of rebel fighters preparing to pray, lined up in rows, their weapons at their feet. A young man walks into shot and takes off his rifle before briefly turning towards the camera. "That's Brian," says Ingrid de Mulder, pointing at her nephew in the online video on her computer. "I'm 100% sure. That's him. No doubt." Nineteen-year-old Brian de Mulder from Antwerp is one of hundreds of Europeans authorities believe to be in Syria. "It's not the Brian brought up by his mother," says Ingrid. "Brian was athletic, he was sporty, he was helping everybody. We never saw him like this. For me it's a programmed robot." The BBC can't verify the video but analysts believe it was filmed in Syria and European voices can be heard in the background. Ingrid says Brian converted to Islam two years ago. The family were at first supportive but say he gradually became more radical after getting involved with a group known as Sharia4Belgium. "He became fanatic. He wanted to pray only. He left school," says Ingrid. The family were so worried they moved to a new home 100 miles from Antwerp in the summer last year, but it didn't work. "He started saying 'I can do whatever I want and even if I die I am not afraid, I will go to the paradise of Allah,'" she says. Brian left in January this year. By then he had changed his name to Abu Qasem Brazili. His 12-year-old sister Ashia was the last family member to see him. "Brian told her he was saying goodbye. He said: 'I love you but you will never see me again.'" says Ingrid. "To leave all your family and not contact your mother anymore. I think he's in a state of being a soldier. A soldier of Allah," she says. Belgian police raided dozens of houses of people linked to Sharia4Belgium last week. The authorities have accused the group of recruiting more than 30 people to fight in Syria in the last year. The EU's anti-terror chief says that hundreds of Europeans have gone there and that some could join radical groups. "Not all of them are radical when they leave. But most likely many of them will be radicalised there, will be trained," says the EU's counter terrorism co-ordinator, Gilles de Kerchove. He says the UK, Ireland, France, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and other EU nations have significant numbers involved in the fighting. "As we've seen from previous situations this might create a serious threat when they get back." "They will be veterans and they may inspire other people and all of this may have a sort of radicalising impact," he adds. Earlier this month, a survey by King's College London found that up to 600 people from Europe have taken part in the conflict since it began two years ago. There are other online videos which back up the findings. In one, rebel fighters appear to be in a firefight and a Flemish voice says: "Only shoot once when you see them". "It's dangerous. Make sure you aim," says a Dutch voice in another video. Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly said the insurgency against him is largely the result of "foreign-backed terrorists". So far the US and EU have refused to supply the rebels with weapons, partly over concerns that they may end up in the hands of Islamist extremists inspired by al-Qaeda. Jacques Beres, co-founder of medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, says that he treated five injured Europeans in Syria last year. "Two brothers were from France, two others were from the UK and there was a Swedish national who was of Syrian origin. They seemed to be completely lost. They looked as if they were machines. It was terrifying." Mr Beres says one of the brothers was inspired by Mohammed Merah, a gunman who killed seven people in south-western France last year in the name of al-Qaeda. Merah was killed in an armed siege after police surrounded his block of flats in Toulouse. "He (the French brother) told me that the real hero is Mohammed Merah, that he was an example to follow," Mr Beres says. Intelligence agencies across Europe have stepped up investigations in response to the growing number of European fighters in Syria. The Netherlands raised the terror threat level from "limited" to "substantial" last month, partly over concerns about radicalised citizens returning. The UK has increased efforts to track how fighters are recruited and funded. And in Belgium, some politicians have called for pre-emptive action to stop young Belgian Muslims from travelling. "People suspected of wanting to go to Syria should have their ID cards confiscated in advance," says Flemish Socialist MP Hans Bonte. The EU is pushing to bring in a Europe-wide passenger database for air-travel which in future could help track individuals down. Questions have also been asked about what Muslim leaders are doing to deal with the problem. The body that represents Muslims in Belgium has rejected claims they haven't spoken out forcefully enough against radical elements. "Some people may be talking in a way that might radicalise some Muslims but we categorically condemn this," says Semsettin Ugurlu, the president of the Muslim Executive in Belgium. "As a body we do not accept words of hate and of violence in mosques," he adds. For Brian de Mulder's family the waiting continues. They say Brian put up a notice on his Facebook page a few days ago saying they need to become true believers. "You are not my family anymore," he wrote. "My Muslim brothers are now my family. If I ever contact you again, you must be on your knees asking forgiveness and convert to Islam first." He added: "I will never come back to Belgium as it's a country full of unbelievers." The family say Brian also messaged a friend saying he was near the Syrian capital Damascus. His aunt Ingrid fears her nephew will never be the same again. But sitting in her garden, staring at photos of him in his old football kit, she clings on to hope. "I'm praying every day. I hope he sees the light one day. To use their words: inshallah [God willing]."

सैकड़ों यूरोपीय सीरिया में विद्रोही बलों के साथ लड़ रहे हैं और खुफिया एजेंसियों को चिंता है कि कुछ लोग आतंकवादी हमले करने के लिए घर लौट सकते हैं। बेल्जियम के एक परिवार का कहना है कि उनका बेटा बशर अल-असद के शासन से लड़ने वाले विद्रोहियों में शामिल हो गया है।

uk-scotland-south-scotland-25101968

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-25101968

Man reported after Gretna sheep worrying

Police have said a man is being reported to the procurator fiscal after an incident which resulted in the death of a dozen sheep on a farm near Gretna.

Two animals died immediately and another 10 had to be put down later at West Scales farm in Rigg on 1 November. Police Scotland said a 50-year-old local man had been traced and reported in relation to the incident. They said he would be charged with offences under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

पुलिस ने कहा है कि ग्रेटना के पास एक खेत में एक दर्जन भेड़ों की मौत की घटना के बाद एक व्यक्ति को खरीददार वित्तीय को सूचित किया जा रहा है।

uk-wales-43557126

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-43557126

The Swansea couple who have fostered 1,000 children

Wendy Taylor and her husband Steve have fostered more than 1,000 children since they took in their first child 34 years ago. As charities call for all Welsh councils to exempt young people leaving care from paying council tax until they are 25, Wendy describes the challenges faced by her children as they leave home for an independent life at 18.

My husband Steve and I decided to foster children after we had our daughter, Becky, in 1984. We were unable to have any more children but did not want her to be an only child - now she jokes she's been brought up with half of Swansea. At the last count, we'd fostered 1,000 children and on the whole it's a rewarding job, although it can be very difficult as you're taking on other people's problems and trying to manage them. There was a time in the 1990s when all my boys were involved in car crime - car theft, that sort of thing, which was quite prevalent in Swansea at the time. Steve and I were in police stations and courts daily - we were on first name terms with the solicitors and they knew us well at Swansea Prison. There is a bypass that goes behind our house and if the boys had stolen a car they would beep all along the bypass - I would hear it and know to expect a call about 20 minutes later from the police after they'd been arrested. But that's when Steve and I would do a lot of our work to help those children. When they were locked up in a police cell I would ask to go and sit in there with them. We're talking about hardened criminals here, but at that point they would be at their most vulnerable - their defences would be down and they would just sit and put their head on my lap - that's when I felt I was really making a difference. Not all made it out of that cycle okay. Sometimes I'm in Swansea shopping and I walk past a few familiar faces who are now homeless and live on the streets. I have also lost about 20 children over the years - some through suicide, others through drugs - and that is sad. It devastates me. They are just children who don't have a good start in life. And that's why I think we need to do all we can to help these kids - and giving them one less bill to pay by exempting them from council tax when they first leave home would help. We mainly take in teenagers and a lot of what I do is to try to equip them for life on their own when they leave us aged 18 or 19. Some choose to leave at 16 and they then go into supported lodgings. Unlike most children, they do not have a mum or dad who they can turn to for help or money - they don't have the luxury of a mother at the end of a phone. They have also been through a lot in their lives already - many are immature and struggle in school. So I feel I have a lot to cram in to prepare them for living on their own at such a young age. I usually start when they are about 15 with basic things like teaching them to do their own washing, to tidy up after themselves and to do their own shopping. I give them £25 a week and with that they have to buy everything they need - toiletries, clothing, food... they have their own cupboard in the kitchen and an area in the fridge and freezer. It takes a while for them to get to grips with it and I have to stay firm - it's thinking about tomorrow, not today. A lot of them are keen to leave - they want to live on their own. Initially when they do, they are put in a little studio flat - or a bedsit as I would call them - in a shared house owned by the local council. But when the reality hits, we often get calls from them in tears saying they want to come back to us. Your instinct is to mother them and at first I would find it hard. But now I know you have to hold firm. 'Guiding hand' Every child is different but facing the world as an adult can be very stressful and it's a shock for them. Just grasping the concept of bills is hard. All of a sudden they are having to pay things like water rates and it's funny because they say to me "don't be silly, you don't pay for water, it comes out of a tap". And they really don't understand council tax - it's really hard to explain it to them. They might come from a background where maybe their parents didn't pay this stuff anyway - they would just move from place to place to avoid it. They have been brought up to think you don't pay, you vanish. Equally, many have come from a background where education isn't seen to be important so going to school and college can be very frightening for them. But sometimes, when they are given an opportunity and a guiding hand, they can surprise you. We have been so proud to see some of our children go on to college and make a good life for themselves. We keep in touch with lots of them - you never know who will show up at Christmas time and that's lovely. I must admit, I find it hard to remember all of their names - sometimes someone comes to the door and I recognise the face but just can't find a name, so I just say 'come in, come in' and get chatting and hope the name pops into my head. 'Feeling of belonging' I would say it's been a huge learning curve - I took in my first foster child when I was just 28 and he was 15 and I wasn't really old enough to be his mother. I was more like a sister. But I've grown in confidence and learned a lot over the years - I used to feel threatened by their families, for example, but now I love working with them. Our second foster child is 46 now - but I still call him my child - and he always comes for Sunday lunch. One of our other boys has just come out of prison, which I'm so pleased about. I'm 61 now and I suppose I'm thinking of retiring in the next few years - Steve retired from his job on a youth offending team last year. But I think I'll have to do it gradually - go down to two children at a time perhaps - because I know I will miss it all so much when it ends. It's a lovely feeling having them all - I suppose it's a feeling of belonging. It's a strange circle we have here, but it's our own little bubble and we love it.

वेंडी टेलर और उनके पति स्टीव ने 34 साल पहले अपने पहले बच्चे को जन्म देने के बाद से 1,000 से अधिक बच्चों का पालन-पोषण किया है। जैसा कि दान सभी वेल्श परिषदों से 25 साल की उम्र तक देखभाल छोड़ने वाले युवाओं को परिषद कर का भुगतान करने से छूट देने का आह्वान करता है, वेंडी अपने बच्चों के सामने आने वाली चुनौतियों का वर्णन करती है क्योंकि वे 18 साल की उम्र में स्वतंत्र जीवन के लिए घर छोड़ते हैं।

entertainment-arts-35418009

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35418009

Daniel Radcliffe's stiff Swiss Army challenge

It's been the most talked about film at the Sundance Film Festival, and it stars Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe. But Swiss Army Man, a feature film debut by directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, is achieving headlines for two reasons - not only has its sensationalist plot divided critical reaction, but Radcliffe plays a dead body with flatulence issues.

By Emma JonesEntertainment reporter Speaking as the film had its world premiere at the Sundance festival in Utah, 26-year-old Radcliffe called making Swiss Army Man "one of the most joyous experiences of my entire life". Yet the media had differing opinions with Rolling Stone calling it '"Sundance's craziest movie" and the Guardian's headline reading "Daniel Radcliffe's flatulent corpse prompts Sundance walkouts" - a reference to the amount of people who deserted the premiere, apparently in disgust. From start to finish, Swiss Army Man is controversial. Paul Dano, currently starring in the BBC drama War and Peace, plays Hank, a lonely young man on the shore of a desert island. He is thinking about finishing it all, when the body of Radcliffe's character is washed up. Manny, as the corpse is called, can't control any of his bodily functions, but his gaseous presence saves Hank's life, and he's not prepared to let him go, taking him bodily back into civilization. Dano says he spent most of the weeks of filming "dragging Dan's corpse around the woods". But Radcliffe, far from having an easy job, says he found playing a dead body a difficult move. "It was a massive challenge physically," he says, "I mean he's dead, rigor mortis is setting in, so everything has to be said with the eyes. It was weirdly emotional, playing a corpse, but I'm really pleased about just how dead I look in the film." The actor, who after finishing Harry Potter, has taken parts such as beat poet Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings, and Igor in Paul McGuigan's gothic Victor Frankenstein, admits "a liking for the strange and fantastical". "Why did I take this part? Well, why not? I think it's a fantastic and important movie and it's just an amazing work of imagination." Kwan and Scheinert, Americans who met at a college animation class, collectively call themselves the "Daniels", and are known for making music videos, as well as a short film called My Best Friend's Sweating. They say that after writing Swiss Army Man they "thought we would just have to act in it ourselves, because the plot is so crazy, we really thought we would never get any actor to do it". Radcliffe says: "I didn't know what I was doing until I turned up, even though I had read the script. In fact I didn't know what I was doing from day to day. As you'll see if you watch the film, it was a hard one to be prepared for. But I had such a good experience. "A lot of my friends would say that playing a dead guy is a good role for me, I took some flak on that before I even filmed it. I don't want to say exactly what happens to me, apart from getting lugged around by Paul Dano, but his character uses and abuses my character's body. "It's going to split opinion, it's going to be divisive, and you're either going to love it or hate it. There's something very, very absurd about the movie." But Radcliffe denies that his heart now lies in independent film-making, saying "people should stop thinking big budget films aren't a challenge to make for actors". "I am sure I'll do one again sometime. For me, it's all about the freedom to do what project I want at the time. " Now living in New York, Radcliffe was due to take a part in a John Krokidas comedy about George W Bush's senior advisor Karl Rove, but the project is on hold. However, taking such a controversial role in Swiss Army Man will do his career no harm. According to trade magazine the Hollywood Reporter, it has all the makings of a cult classic. It says: "By turns enchanting, irritating, juvenile and yet oddly endearing… Swiss Army Man will probably make very little money theatrically. But over the long haul, there will be plenty of punters willing to watch it." Radcliffe himself says he has no regrets: "This is a film where cinematically, anything goes. It's crazy and wild. Am I happy I did it? You bet." The Sundance Film Festival runs until 31 January. Swiss Army Man is yet to receive a release date in the UK.

सनडांस फिल्म फेस्टिवल में यह सबसे चर्चित फिल्म रही है, और इसमें हैरी पॉटर अभिनेता डेनियल रैडक्लिफ हैं। लेकिन स्विस आर्मी मैन, निर्देशक डेनियल क्वान और डेनियल शाइनर्ट द्वारा एक फीचर फिल्म की शुरुआत, दो कारणों से सुर्खियां बटोर रही है-न केवल इसके सनसनीखेज कथानक ने आलोचनात्मक प्रतिक्रियाओं को विभाजित किया है, बल्कि रैडक्लिफ ने पेट फूलने के मुद्दों के साथ एक मृत शरीर की भूमिका निभाई है।

uk-england-birmingham-35092981

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-35092981

Birmingham Central Library: Demolition work begins

Demolition work has begun on Birmingham's old Central Library.

Once described by the Prince of Wales as looking like "a place where books are incinerated, not kept", the concrete building is being cleared as part of a major redevelopment project. Built more than 40 years ago, it has been stripped inside, although work is not expected to be finished until next autumn. Campaigners had wanted it to be given listed status and preserved. Updates on this story and more from Birmingham They handed a 2,000-signature petition to the city council earlier this month. Crowds gathered to watch the city's "important example of brutalist architecture" be slowly taken down. Designed by local architect John Madin, who was also behind the BBC's Pebble Mill studios and the chamber of commerce building in the city, it was opened in 1973. A "concrete cruncher" is being used initially to "nibble" at the exterior, but because of the impact of the work the building has been strengthened with about a dozen steel joists, developers said. Timeline: Birmingham Central Library The nearby one-way Paradise Circus loop has been closed to enable demolition equipment, including a special excavator used on buildings in tightly constrained places, to be put in place. While work to clear the site takes place, a walkway through the old Paradise Forum has been closed, along with a large part of Chamberlain Square. Pedestrians and cyclists are being re-routed through Fletchers Walk. Developers described the start of the demolition work as a "significant milestone". Once fully demolished, it will be replaced with office space as part of the £500m Paradise regeneration scheme. The 10-year project will see new offices, shops and walkways created, which will link Chamberlain and Centenary Squares. A new £190m library opened in Centenary Square in 2013.

बर्मिंघम के पुराने केंद्रीय पुस्तकालय को ध्वस्त करने का काम शुरू हो गया है।

uk-wales-south-east-wales-37610811

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-37610811

Wales football team marks Aberfan disaster anniversary

The Wales football team has visited Aberfan to mark the 50th anniversary of the mining disaster which killed 144 people.

The players visited the memorial garden to pay their respects before rejoining their clubs. The village was devastated in 1966 when a colliery waste tip collapsed, with slurry engulfing Pantglas Junior School on the last day before half term. Manager Chris Coleman described the visit as "humbling". "In a small way we wanted to show our respect and reflect on the tragedy of 50 years ago," he said. "It puts everything into perspective."

वेल्स फुटबॉल टीम ने खनन आपदा की 50वीं वर्षगांठ को चिह्नित करने के लिए एबरफान का दौरा किया है जिसमें 144 लोग मारे गए थे।

world-europe-guernsey-11047684

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-11047684

Guernsey clinics offer minimum wage advice

Workers and their employers can find out more about Guernsey's minimum wage advice at two seminars.

The new minimum wage of £6 for anyone over 19 and £4.26 for 16 to 18 year olds, starts on 1 October. All workers including part-timers will also have to be provided with written terms and conditions of service. Commerce and Employment will be holding seminars on the requirements of the new minimum wage at Les Cotils on 2 and 8 September.

श्रमिक और उनके नियोक्ता दो संगोष्ठियों में ग्वेर्नसे की न्यूनतम मजदूरी सलाह के बारे में अधिक जानकारी प्राप्त कर सकते हैं।

world-middle-east-28250471

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28250471

Syrian conflict: Untold misery of child brides

There is an alarming rise in the number of Syrian refugee girls in Jordan being forced into early marriages, according to the new figures from the United Nations. As Orla Guerin reports from Zaatari refugee camp, poverty is forcing some families to effectively sell their daughters to much older men, and there is now an organised trade in young girls.

In a prefabricated cabin in the sprawling camp, a girl, 13, sat on the floor engulfed by a frilly white dress, and a hooded silk cape. She was surrounded by children, not much younger than her, clapping and singing a nursery rhyme. What looked like a game of dressing-up was in fact her wedding reception. Her Mother looked on from a distance and wept - for her war torn homeland, and perhaps for her daughter. She asked us not to give their names. No choice Earlier, at a makeshift beauty salon, a fellow Syrian refugee curled the girl's hair and layered make-up on her face - the finishing touches to the end of a childhood. The bride told me her 25-year-old husband had been chosen by her family and she had never seen him before. She appeared relaxed, and said she was happy to be getting married. The reality is she had no choice. Almost one third ( 32% ) of refugee marriages in Jordan involve a girl under 18, according to the latest figures from Unicef. This refers to registered marriages, so the actual figure may be much higher. The rate of child marriage in Syria before the war was 13%. Some families marry off their daughters because of tradition. Others see a husband as protection for their daughters, but the UN says most are driven by poverty. City of the dispossessed "The longer the crisis in Syria lasts, the more we will see refugee families using this as a coping mechanism," said Michele Servadei, deputy Jordan representative for Unicef. "The vast majority of these cases are child abuse, even if the parents are giving their permission." In Zaatari camp - a city of the dispossessed sprouting in the desert - some are married before they reach their teens. Jordanian midwife Mounira Shaban, known in the camp as "Mama Mounira", was invited to the wedding of a 12-year old girl and a 14-year old boy. She could not bring herself to attend. "I felt like I wanted to cry," she said. "I felt like she was my daughter. I think this is violence. It's a shame. If a girl is 18 or over they think she is old and will not marry." Mounira tries to spare young girls from adult burdens. At her clinic she lectures refugees, sitting on benches in the sand, about the problems faced by young brides. "They don't know how to cook," she said, "and they don't know how to read and write. They have to take care of their husbands, when they want to go outside and play. Many of them get divorced." That is what is ahead for a slender 17-year-old we met who did not want to be identified. She was married at 15 and has a treasured baby girl. 'Not scared of divorce' The two-month old wriggled in her arms, snug in a pink and white baby-grow, and her mother's love. But her husband is threatening to take the child away, as the price of her freedom. "I am not scared of divorce. I know I will start a new life, but I am scared that my daughter will be taken from me," she said. "I will die without her. A mother's heart burns if her child is taken from her." At the other side of the camp we met Alaa, a shy young girl in a floral headscarf. Back home in Syria she loved school but now her only lessons are in housework. When we heard the sound of dishes being dropped her 20-year old husband Qassem joked that she was no good at cooking. Not surprising perhaps. Alaa - an orphan - is just 14. She fled Syria with her extended family. When she had to share accommodation with male relatives she was married off to Qassem, her cousin. The couple seemed happy in each other's company, but Alaa is pregnant, and worried. "I am scared of having the baby because I feel I won't be able to look after it," she told us, over a pot of sweet tea. "I wish I could have continued my studies and become a doctor and not got married so young." Shopping for brides Not far from the camp, in the city of Mafraq, there is an organised trade in young girls, according to Syrian refugees and local aid workers. It involves Syrian brokers and men - mainly from the Gulf States - who present themselves as donors, but are actually shopping for brides. They prey on refugee families, living in rented accommodation, who are struggling to get by. Local sources say the going rate for a bride is between 2,000 and 10,000 Jordanian dinars ($2,800/£1,635 to $14,000/£8,180) with another 1,000 ($1,400/£818) going to the broker. "These guys from the Gulf know there are families in need here," said Amal, a refugee, and mother of four. "They offer money to the family and the first thing they ask is 'do you have girls?' They like the young ones, around 14 and 15." Some men want even younger children like 13-year-old Ghazal, a slight but spirited girl with blue nail varnish. A 30-year-old Saudi man proposed to her, but she turned him down - against her family's wishes. She told us she was determined to continue her studies, but it is unclear how long she can defy her parents. Saying "no" was not an option for another teenage refugee in the city, who had dreams of becoming a lawyer. Instead she was married off at 14 to a 50-year-old from Kuwaiti. She told her story from beneath a black veil, which concealed her face, but not the pain in her eyes. "Usually a girl's wedding day is the happiest day in her life," she said, "for me it was the saddest. Everyone was telling me to smile or laugh but my feeling was fear, from the moment we got engaged." Her mother - a Syrian war widow - sat alongside. She told us she accepted 10,000 Jordanian dinars ($14,117/£8,248) for her daughter because she had seven more children she could not provide for. "I would never have considered this back in Syria but we came here with nothing, not even a mattress to sleep on. I thought the money would secure the future of my children. He took advantage of our situation." Instead of a better future, the family now has another mouth to feed. Her daughter has a four-month-old baby boy. His Kuwaiti father has never met him. He abandoned his young bride as soon as she became pregnant.

संयुक्त राष्ट्र के नए आंकड़ों के अनुसार, जॉर्डन में सीरियाई शरणार्थी लड़कियों की संख्या में खतरनाक वृद्धि हुई है, जिन्हें जल्दी शादी करने के लिए मजबूर किया जा रहा है। जैसा कि ज़तरी शरणार्थी शिविर से ओर्ला गुएरिन ने बताया है, गरीबी कुछ परिवारों को अपनी बेटियों को प्रभावी रूप से बहुत बड़े पुरुषों को बेचने के लिए मजबूर कर रही है, और अब युवा लड़कियों में एक संगठित व्यापार है।

world-europe-52784913

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52784913

Coronavirus: Nightmare spreads through Russia's care homes

When Alexei Sidnev saw the horror caused by coronavirus in European care homes he knew he had to act fast. Way back in March, before any lockdown in Russia, he began sealing off the six homes he runs near Moscow and buying-up protective clothing for staff.

By Sarah RainsfordBBC News, Moscow "I don't sleep much. It's probably the hardest time of my life and I've been through perestroika and all the crises," Mr Sidnev confides, recalling the Soviet Union's reform and eventual collapse. But while the businessman shares his own trials on social media, the struggle in Russia's state care sector plays out old-style, largely behind closed doors. "I know of many care homes right now fighting the virus, it's just not public," Mr Sidnev says. 'In our place no-one does autopsies' The story of a Covid-19 outbreak at the Vishenki home for the elderly in Smolensk, 400km (250 miles) west of Moscow, is one hint at how that wider picture may look. "What's happening here is a nightmare," a carer told the BBC by telephone, one of dozens from the state-run home who are now off sick after residents and staff caught coronavirus. All those we spoke to asked to remain anonymous because they want to keep their jobs. "By 3 May lots of residents had a fever and they started dying," the nurse recalled. "I think about eight people died and that's just on my floor." She believes their "accompanying illnesses" were given as their cause of death, rather than Covid-19. "In our place, no-one does autopsies," she said. "No-one even told us there was Covid-19 in the home!" an orderly complained bitterly, in a separate call. "We found out when the ambulances came and they were dressed in those suits." "We sent a lot of people to hospital," she said, and confirmed that other residents had died. The local governor's office did not respond to a BBC enquiry about fatalities and as of Tuesday Smolensk region had counted just 21 coronavirus fatalities in total. Is Russia unusual in Europe? Across Europe, frail care home residents account for up to half of all coronavirus fatalities. The figures in Smolensk are in line with the unusually low overall mortality rate that Russia is reporting in this epidemic, at around 1%. The government insists that's down to early diagnosis and treatment, though it only counts those found to have died of Covid-19 directly. More from Sarah on Russia's pandemic: So is Russia some kind of exception to a shocking trend? The official mantra is that the country used its couple of weeks' grace to good effect, bracing before the full force of Covid-19 hit. The government certainly advised care homes to stop group gatherings and restrict access in early April. On 17 April, a telegram then recommended "full quarantine", with carers living in at work for a fortnight at a time to reduce exposure to the virus. "The statistics from the UK were terrifying and that helped places here hunker down, desperate not to let the virus in," explains Elizaveta Oleskina, the head of the Starost' v Radost' (Joy in Old Age) charity which works with many state-run homes. 'Nothing to pay us with' But the homes are funded from limited regional budgets and full quarantine is expensive as carers must self-isolate for a fortnight between shifts. Staff at Vishenki said their home was already stretched to the limit before the epidemic, with even incontinence pads in short supply. Managers did consider locking-down from 1 May, they said, then decided against it. "The director said she had nothing to pay us with," a nurse explained. By then, coronavirus had already penetrated. "When the elderly started getting sick, we guessed what it was and said it was time to quarantine," a third employee recalled. "But the director said it was just flu, and we shouldn't worry." The Smolensk governor's office told the BBC its care homes had been informed of all government recommendations and were funded "in full". The Fear Factor Covid-19 is now spreading through Russia's care system. "There are cases in places out in the Taiga, 300km from any town, and in a village care home where no Muscovite has ever been," Elizaveta Oleskina explains. Her charity says at least 95 homes have reported cases so far, out of 1,280 in total. Many are old with large, shared rooms and bathrooms. "If a home is big, the virus is like a forest fire - it spreads instantly," Ms Oleskina warns, stressing repeatedly that the sector here is battling the same extraordinary challenges as the rest of the world. But there is one very Russian factor. A report by sociologists at Moscow's Higher School of Economics describes what they call the "total concealment" of incidents in care homes, driven by a fear of prosecution for negligence. On Tuesday, the prosecutor's office announced it was looking into the situation at Vishenki; the director has already been cautioned. 'We don't really know death toll' Alexei Sidnev believes in transparency, so that everyone learns vital lessons in this unprecedented crisis. But the man who runs six facilities called Senior Homes near Moscow suspects that old habits die hard. "We now know what happened roughly 30 years ago: we learned about it from an HBO series," the businessman says, referring to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and Soviet cover-up, recently dramatised on TV. "The true amount of the death toll and what's happening, we don't really know," he says. "Maybe we'll find out later." Coronavirus in Europe's care homes:

जब अलेक्सी सिदनेव ने यूरोपीय देखभाल गृहों में कोरोनावायरस के कारण होने वाले भय को देखा तो उन्हें पता था कि उन्हें तेजी से काम करना होगा। मार्च में, रूस में किसी भी लॉकडाउन से पहले, उन्होंने मास्को के पास अपने छह घरों को सील करना शुरू कर दिया और कर्मचारियों के लिए सुरक्षात्मक कपड़े खरीदना शुरू कर दिया।

stories-46529582

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-46529582

How a country suddenly went ‘crazy rich’

Indonesia, the nation with the world's largest Muslim population, is home to a rapidly growing middle class. As Rebecca Henschke reports from Jakarta, this has given rise to a striking phenomenon - the so-called "Crazy Rich" Indonesians.

The colourful invitation on our cluttered fridge had said it would be a dog-themed birthday party. "That's cute," I thought - and different. Traditionally in this country dogs are not well-liked or looked after. But that wasn't the only surprise. To celebrate their little girl turning six, her family had turned an empty piece of land in Menteng, the most expensive part of Jakarta, into a park for the day. Security guards escorted us off the street into another world. Real grass - an incredibly rare thing in this concrete jungle - had been rolled out. There were also fully grown trees and an obstacle course for dogs. In one corner, a groomer was giving appreciative canines - which had also been specially brought in for the event - massages and baths. In another was an air-conditioned marquee where the parents were sipping freshly made iced coffees - and, later in the day, wine. High alcohol taxes here mean wine is expensive. The middle of the "park" was filled with dog-shaped balloons, a bubble-blowing performer and a slime-making station. That was back in October and I had just got back from reporting the destruction, grief and devastation in Palu, on the island of Sulawesi, which had been hit by a tsunami and earthquake. It made for a bizarre, almost surreal contrast. "Where do you go from here?" I whispered to one of the other parents. "What would an 18th birthday party have to be, if you kept this up?" "It's not what the children ask for, it's really for the parents," she replied. The party bag we left with was three times the size of the present we had brought. I'm not sure why I'm still surprised. Parties like this have become the norm among the upper-class Indonesian children that my kids now go to school with. One family hired a film company to re-edit the Hollywood blockbuster Suicide Squad so that the birthday girl appeared as a character in key scenes. The kids watched it on a cinema-sized screen in the ballroom of a top hotel. On that occasion I had recently returned from a trip to the remote province of Papua, where I was covering a children's health crisis - tiny malnourished toddlers dying in a measles outbreak. When the film Crazy Rich Asians came out here in September, people took to Twitter to tell stories of the "crazy rich Indonesians" they knew, particularly in country's second biggest city, Surabaya. The hashtag #crazyrichsurabayans started trending on social media after a local teacher at an elite school shared anecdotes about the family of one of her students - tales of them travelling to get their vaccinations done in Japan and of holidays in Europe. She is now writing a book about it and there is talk of a movie. Recently, the luxurious lavish wedding of a couple from Surabaya was dubbed the ultimate Crazy Rich Surabayans event by local media. Hundreds of guests from Indonesia and abroad attended, it was reported, and all were said to have been entered into a prize draw for a Jaguar sports car. The groom, it's understood, had proposed with the assistance of a flash mob in front of hundreds of total strangers at the Venetian Macao resort. Many members of Indonesia's growing upper-middle class, concentrated solely in the west of the country, have money their parents would never have dreamed of - and most think it's normal, and perhaps even essential, to show it off. Following a massive reduction in the country's poverty rate in the last two decades, one in every five Indonesians now belongs to the middle class. They're riding a commodities boom - the burning and churning-up of this vast archipelago's rich natural resources, including logging, palm oil, coal, gold and copper. This, combined with aggressive domestic spending, low taxes and little enforcement of labour laws, means that those who know how to play the system are raking it in. Salimun is one of the many who don't understand that system - but has, in a way, also eked out a future for his children that is very different from his own life. He is a street sweeper, paid the minimum wage of £194 ($254) a month to take away the waste of the wealthy houses in Menteng - great plastic mountains in front of Greco-Roman-inspired concrete mansions - piles of rubbish like monuments to out-of-control consumerism. He drags by hand a cart that he banged together from scavenged wood. He is the strongest man I have ever seen. My children call him Superman. He pulls anything that might have value out of the trash, sorts it and stores it at our house - and then sells it on. Salimun lives in a room behind our house - he effectively came with the property. He was squatting there at the time we came to look it over before deciding to rent it, and asked if he could stay. I am glad we decided, after some debate, that he should - he has become like an uncle to my children. He's a farmer at heart who has turned our swimming pool into a fish pond and the garden into a banana plantation. When I cleaned out my wardrobe and left a pair of high-heeled leather boots I didn't wear any more out at the front to give away, I found him wearing them. He had cut off the heels and was very pleased with them. Whatever he earns, he sends home to his family in a village in central Java, going home just once a year to see them. That money from the waste of the rich has meant that his children finished high school and now have jobs in manufacturing, producing goods for the shops in the giant glittery shopping malls of Jakarta. "What's an iPad?" he once asked me. "My son says he really needs one. How does it work?" I talked him out of paying for one, suggesting a cheaper alternative. His daughter came to stay briefly - she seemed very interested in her phone. Salimun might not be crazy rich, but the next generation are already seasoned consumers. Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

इंडोनेशिया, दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी मुस्लिम आबादी वाला देश, तेजी से बढ़ते मध्यम वर्ग का घर है। जैसा कि रेबेका हेंस्के ने जकार्ता से रिपोर्ट किया है, इसने एक आश्चर्यजनक घटना को जन्म दिया है-तथाकथित "पागल अमीर" इंडोनेशियाई।

blogs-echochambers-29578265

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-29578265

Satya Nadella's 'karma' advice: 'Deplorable and incorrect'

When you're a speaker at a "celebration of women in computing", it's probably not a good idea to make off-the-cuff remarks about how women should trust "the system" to give them the pay they deserve.

BBC NewsWashington, DC This is the lesson Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella learned the hard way on Thursday. "It's not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along," Nadella said during an on-stage interview. "Because that's good karma. It'll come back because somebody's going to know that's the kind of person that I want to trust," he said. Given that this was a tech industry conference, Mr Nadella's controversial remarks appeared on Twitter and other social media sites practically the moment they were spoken. By morning they were making national headlines. The resulting commentary is the stuff of Microsoft public relations nightmares. "Nadella achieved this emotional engagement by offering up the most deplorable and incorrect advice to women in the workplace since Joan Holloway told Peggy Olson to wear something that showed off her darling ankles," writes Nitasha Tiku on the tech blog ValleyWag, referring to the television programme Mad Men, which depicts office culture in the 1960s. At Time, Laura Stampler writes: "Gender pay gap got you down? Take a crash course from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's Etiquette Academy For Polite Young Ladies: Smile pretty and don't be so unbecoming as to ask for a salary bump. After all, a raise is a lot like a male suitor, and if you pursue it, you might just drive it away." Although the "karma" portion of Nadella's speech gained the most attention, Stampler reserves her sharpest words for "the system" that Mr Nadella says will take care of female workers. "Unfortunately, that system that Nadella wants women to put all their blind trust in only provides them with 78 cents to the dollar of what men earn. And if we look closer at the women Nadella was specifically addressing, the reality is fairly grim: a gender pay gap exists on every level of Stem [science, technology and maths] jobs. In Silicon Valley, men with bachelor's degrees earn 40% more than their female educational counterparts," She goes on to say that some technology companies have even taken advantage of the assumption that women are paid less. She tells the story of start-up founder Evan Thornley, who said earlier this year that a perk of hiring women is that their salary is still "relatively cheap compared to what we would've had to pay someone less good of a different gender". As the outrage grew, Mr Nadella backtracked late Thursday afternoon, tweeting: "Was inarticulate re how women should ask for raise. Our industry must close gender pay gap so a raise is not needed because of a bias." He reiterated the idea an hour later in an email to employees, saying he believes men and women should get equal pay for equal work. "I answered that question completely wrong," he writes. "Without a doubt, I wholeheartedly support programmes at Microsoft and in the industry that bring more women into technology and close the pay gap. I believe men and women should get equal pay for equal work." That doesn't fly for Nicole Kobie of the PC Pro Blog, however. She points that Mr Nadella, as CEO of one of the 10 biggest technology companies in the world, has a unique ability within the industry to close the gap - and it's not by tweeting about it. "Want to close the pay gap? Here's what to do: examine the salaries of women and men at Microsoft in comparable jobs," she writes. "Does there seem to be a gap? No. Awesome; issue a press release about how wonderful you are. But if there is a pay gap? Fix it. Pay them more." In fact, just days before the keynote address, Microsoft released data about its staff diversity. Time magazine's Charlotte Alter uses those numbers to show that at Microsoft, like many tech companies, a pay gap is not the only discrepancy between men and women. "Microsoft's leadership is only 17.3% female," she writes. At the same time, "women make up less than 30% of the entire company as a whole." Thanks to its CEO's remarks, Microsoft suddenly has become the poster child for what critics see as a larger issue of disparate pay in the technology sector and beyond. With the spotlight fixed on the computing giant, we'll see if it has any good karma left. (By Micah Luxen)

जब आप "कम्प्यूटिंग में महिलाओं के उत्सव" में एक वक्ता हैं, तो शायद इस बारे में अनौपचारिक टिप्पणी करना एक अच्छा विचार नहीं है कि महिलाओं को "प्रणाली" पर कैसे भरोसा करना चाहिए ताकि उन्हें वह वेतन मिल सके जिसके वे हकदार हैं।

uk-scotland-highlands-islands-13454070

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-13454070

New £9m lab plan for Dounreay nuclear site in Caithness

A new laboratory to analyse radioactive and other hazardous material could be built at the Dounreay nuclear site at a cost of £9m.

The facility is needed to replace laboratories built at the Caithness plant in the 1950s which no longer comply with modern standards. York-based Yorkon, part of the Shepherd Group, has been named preferred bidder for the building contract. Work could start in March 2012 if planning permission is given. Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) said the construction project would provide work for 40 people.

9 मिलियन पाउंड की लागत से डौनरे परमाणु स्थल पर रेडियोधर्मी और अन्य खतरनाक सामग्री का विश्लेषण करने के लिए एक नई प्रयोगशाला का निर्माण किया जा सकता है।

uk-england-cumbria-54153056

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-54153056

Baby among five rescued from sinking yacht in Allonby Bay

Five people including a six-month-old baby were rescued when a yacht began taking on water off the Cumbrian coast.

The alarm was raised shortly before 10:30 BST about the vessel in distress in Allonby Bay, off Crosscanonby. Workington RNLI, Maryport Inshore Rescue, a fishing boat and a windfarm service boat went to the scene. The two women and baby were taken off the yacht which RNLI crew members boarded and pumped out water before it was towed to safety. Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]

कुम्ब्रियन तट पर जब एक नौका ने पानी लेना शुरू किया तो छह महीने के बच्चे सहित पांच लोगों को बचा लिया गया।

uk-northern-ireland-47847804

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-47847804

Virtual reality helps demystify voting for disabled people

Going to cast your vote on polling day should be simple.

By Jayne McCormackBBC News NI Political Reporter But for Dave Morton, who has a learning disability, it has always seemed an intimidating experience. That's why he has never voted before. But thanks to virtual reality technology, he and others have been taken through the entire process in time for next month's council elections. 'Confidence' The learning disability charity Mencap has been working to create a scheme to ease anxieties that disabled people might have about going to the polling station. It walks users through everything, from explaining what canvassers are to showing them how to mark their ballot paper. Mr Morton told BBC News NI he "never had the confidence" to go out and vote, because he found the environment too unfamiliar. However he is determined to vote this year and said being walked through the ins and outs of a polling station had really helped him. "Other people probably don't realise there are people with disabilities who do need help and support," he added. The deadline to register to vote is Friday 12 April, ahead of the council elections on 2 May. Mencap is hoping the new project will encourage more disabled people to get on the electoral roll. 'Basic rights' Its director in Northern Ireland, Margaret Kelly, said disabled people faced "many barriers" in society that most people take for granted. "People with learning disabilities are often excluded in so many ways," she said. "For me, voting is one of the most basic rights in society and and one of most basic ways of being included as a citizen." She said research carried out by the charity in 2014 suggested that only 26% of people in Northern Ireland with a learning disability had voted. There are also concerns that some disabled people have been excluded from voting by turning up to a polling station, and not having enough support to help them cast their vote properly. "We want to give people the tools and resources to help them vote. We should help people with a learning disability feel a bit more important in our communities," added Ms Kelly. The technology is not only for first-time voters. It's also hoped disabled people who have had to rely on carers or parents to help them vote before, might feel confident enough to vote independently next time. 'Every vote counts' One of those hoping to do that this year is Christopher White. He said his mum had to help him cast his vote before and that he had always found the process "confusing". "It's very important to me to be able to vote," he said. "People with learning difficulties are human beings too, sometimes people only see the learning difficulty - they don't see the person." The Electoral Commission has also helped Mencap draw up a guide, in an easy-read format, to explain the process of voting. So what's the verdict from those who have tried it out? Mr Morton said he would encourage other disabled people to test out the technology, and use it to get rid of any worries they might have about voting. "They have the right to go out and vote - every vote counts."

मतदान के दिन अपना वोट डालने जाना सरल होना चाहिए।

uk-scotland-south-scotland-42444034

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-42444034

Hawick flood protection scheme given final approval

A council has given final approval to plans for a £44m flood scheme to protect more than 900 properties.

It should allow the project in Hawick to be completed by 2022. Stuart Marshall, who represents the area on Scottish Borders Council, described it as an "early Christmas present" for the town. The scheme was drawn up in an attempt to address repeated problems with flooding in the area. A report to the local authority recommended approval for the plans. It concluded that with no objections from people in areas affected by flooding or by the work, there was no need to refer the scheme to Scottish ministers.

एक परिषद ने 900 से अधिक संपत्तियों की रक्षा के लिए 44 मिलियन पाउंड की बाढ़ योजना की योजनाओं को अंतिम मंजूरी दे दी है।

world-europe-52480925

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52480925

Canadian helicopter missing off Greece

A Canadian helicopter has gone missing over the Ionian Sea off Greece, officials say.

Contact was lost after the CH-148 Cyclone took off from the frigate HMCS Fredericton during a Nato exercise on Wednesday. Canadian officials gave no further details. Greek media say there were between three and six people on board. They say rescue teams are searching international waters off Greece's Kefalonia island.

अधिकारियों का कहना है कि एक कनाडाई हेलीकॉप्टर ग्रीस के पास आयोनियन सागर में लापता हो गया है।

world-europe-isle-of-man-25808864

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-25808864

Princess Anne to open Isle of Man equestrian centre

The Princess Royal will visit the Isle of Man on Tuesday.

During her visit Princess Anne will visit the island's prison in Jurby and spend time at the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture. The princess will also open an equestrian centre in Santon and visit Peel cathedral for a briefing on its current development campaign. Her last visit to the Isle of Man was in June 2008 when she attended the Tynwald ceremony in St John's. She has visited the Isle of Man on a number of occasions since the 1970s.

राजकुमारी शाही मंगलवार को आइल ऑफ मैन की यात्रा करेंगी।

uk-politics-21503533

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-21503533

At-a-glance: Apologies for the past by UK prime ministers

David Cameron has described the Amritsar massacre as a "deeply shameful event". Although he stopped short of a formal apology, it joins a number of other events - which predate their arrival in No 10 - that UK prime ministers have tackled in recent years.

By Ed LowtherPolitical reporter, BBC News British 1919 Amritsar Massacre, February 2013 During a visit to India David Cameron described the Amritsar massacre as "a deeply shameful event in British history". Writing in the memorial book of condolence, he added: "We must never forget what happened here." Although he did not offer a formal apology Mr Cameron was the first serving prime minister to pay his respects at the site in person. The death toll at the massacre in 1919 - when British riflemen opened fire to disperse a crowd - is disputed, with an inquiry by colonial authorities putting it at 379 and Indian sources putting it nearer to 1,000. The killings were condemned by the British at the time - War Secretary Winston Churchill described them as "monstrous" in 1920. Unnecessary deaths at Stafford Hospital, February 2013 Prime Minister David Cameron apologised to the families of patients who were subjected to years of abuse and neglect at Stafford Hospital. In a Commons statement on the outcome of a public inquiry into failings at the hospital, he said he was "truly sorry" for what had happened, which was "not just wrong, it was truly dreadful". The unnecessary deaths of hundreds of patients were caused by failings that went right to the top of the health service, inquiry chairman Robert Francis QC had concluded. Mr Cameron announced that a new post of chief inspector of hospitals would be created in the autumn. Hillsborough disaster and cover-up, September 2012 David Cameron said he was "profoundly sorry" for what he called the double injustice of the Hillsborough disaster. He was addressing the House of Commons following an independent report into previously unseen documents about what happened on 15 April 1989. Ninety-six fans died as a consequence of the crush at Sheffield Wednesday's ground, which was hosting an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The report was compiled by the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which scrutinised more than 450,000 pages of documents over the course of 18 months. The medical advisor on the panel, Dr Bill Kirkup, said up to 41 of the 96 who died could have potentially been saved if they had received treatment earlier. The report also showed police and emergency services had made strenuous attempts to deflect the blame for the disaster on to fans. Mr Cameron said the safety of the crowds at Hillsborough had been "compromised at every level". Bloody Sunday killings, June 2010 Giving the UK government's response to the Saville Report, produced after a 12-year inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday, David Cameron said the killings that took place that day were unjustified and unjustifiable. He said he was "deeply sorry". Thirteen marchers were shot dead on 30 January 1972 in Londonderry when British paratroopers opened fire on crowds at a civil rights demonstration. Fourteen others were wounded; one later died. The report was heavily critical of the Army and found that soldiers fired the first shot. Child migrants sent abroad, February 2010 Gordon Brown apologised for the UK's role in sending more than 130,000 children to former colonies, where many suffered abuse. He expressed regret for the "misguided" Child Migrant Programme, announcing in the Commons that he was "truly sorry". He also announced a £6m fund to reunite families that were torn apart. The scheme sent poor children for a "better life" to countries like Canada and Australia from the 1920s to 1960s, but many were abused and lied to. "We are sorry they were allowed to be sent away at the time when they were most vulnerable. We are sorry that instead of caring for them, this country turned its back," he told MPs. Alan Turing's prosecution, September 2009 Gordon Brown said he was sorry for the "appalling" way World War II code-breaker Alan Turing was treated for being gay. A petition on the No 10 website had called for a posthumous government apology to the pioneer who made significant contributions to the emerging fields of artificial intelligence and computing. In 1952, Turing was prosecuted for gross indecency after admitting a sexual relationship with a man. He was given experimental chemical castration as a "treatment", and subsequently committed suicide. He is most famous for his code-breaking work at Bletchley Park during WWII, helping to create the Bombe that cracked messages enciphered with the German Enigma machines. Slavery, March 2007 Tony Blair said sorry for the slave trade, not long before the 200th anniversary of its abolition. His previous statement of "deep sorrow" had been criticised for stopping short of a full apology. "I have said we are sorry and I say it again," he said after talks with Ghanaian president John Agyekum Kufuor. The most important thing was "to remember what happened in the past, to condemn it and say why it was entirely unacceptable," Mr Blair said. Guildford Four miscarriage of justice, June 2000 Tony Blair apologised to the Guildford Four, who were wrongfully convicted of IRA bomb attacks in England in 1974. In a letter, Mr Blair acknowledged the "miscarriage of justice" which they suffered as a result of their wrongful convictions. Paul Hill, Gerry Conlon, Patrick Armstrong and Carole Richardson, were given life sentences for bombing public houses in Guildford, Surrey. Each of them spent 15 years in prison before the convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in 1989.

डेविड कैमरन ने अमृतसर नरसंहार को एक "बेहद शर्मनाक घटना" के रूप में वर्णित किया है। हालांकि उन्होंने औपचारिक रूप से माफी मांगना बंद कर दिया, लेकिन यह कई अन्य घटनाओं में शामिल हो जाता है-जो नंबर 10 में उनके आने से पहले की हैं-जिनसे हाल के वर्षों में ब्रिटेन के प्रधानमंत्रियों ने निपटा है।

technology-51149014

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51149014

Can Microsoft's 'moonshot' carbon goal succeed?

Tech giant Microsoft has announced two bold ambitions: firstly, to become carbon negative by the year 2030 - meaning it will be removing more carbon from the air than it emits - and secondly, to have removed more carbon by 2050 than it has emitted, in total, in its entire history.

By Zoe KleinmanTechnology reporter, BBC News In an interview with the BBC's Chris Fox, Microsoft president Brad Smith admitted that the plan was a "moonshot" - a very big idea with no guaranteed outcome or profitability - for the company. He stressed there was simultaneously a sense of urgency and a need to take the time to do the job properly. He also said that the tools required don't entirely exist yet. Mr Smith talked about tree planting, and direct air capture - a way of removing carbon from the air and returning it to the soil - as examples of available options. "Ultimately we need better technology," he said. But don't expect Microsoft to roll up its sleeves: "That's not a business we will ever be in but it's a business we want to benefit from," he added, announcing a $1bn Climate Innovation Fund, established with the intention of helping others develop in this space. Microsoft makes 'carbon negative' pledge He expects support from the wider tech sector, he said, "because it's a sector that's doing well, it can afford to make these investments and it should." But historically, isn't it also one of the worst offenders? CES in Las Vegas, the huge consumer tech show, has just ended. It was attended by 180,000 people most of whom probably flew there, to look at mountains of plastic devices clamouring to be the Next Big Thing. From gas-guzzling cars and power-hungry data centres to difficult-to-recycle devices and the constant consumer push to upgrade to new shiny plastic gadgets - the tech sector's green credentials are not exactly a blueprint for environmental friendliness despite much-publicised occasional projects. There was no immediate announcement from fellow tech giants about any collaborations with Microsoft, or indeed similar initiatives of their own - but the aim is ahead of the current ambitions of many, including Facebook, Google and Apple, which have not (yet) made a "carbon negative" commitment. That said, software-maker Intuit has pledged to be carbon negative by 2030, and Jeff Bezos announced in September 2019 that Amazon would be carbon neutral by 2040. Mr Smith made an open offer to share Microsoft's carbon-monitoring tools. "Competition can make each of us better," he said of the notoriously rivalry-fuelled industry. "If we make each other better the world is going to be better off and we should applaud each other as we take these new steps." Mr Smith agreed that "the switching on of an Xbox", Microsoft's games console, was as much part of the firm's carbon footprint as the carbon that went into creating the cement used in its buildings. However, he did not suggest scaling back on collaborations with the big energy firms - on the contrary, we are going to need more power rather than less in the coming decades, he said - and that has troubled campaigner Greenpeace. "While there is a lot to celebrate in Microsoft's announcement, a gaping hole remains unaddressed - Microsoft's expanding efforts to help fossil fuel companies drill more oil and gas with machine-learning and other AI technologies," commented senior campaigner Elizabeth Jardim. Environmental awareness, especially among the under-30s, will ultimately prove to be a big driver for market change, Mr Smith believes. "I think it's interesting to think about a future where buying a product and understanding how much carbon was emitted to create it is like going to the supermarket and looking at what's on the shelf and seeing how many calories it contains," he said.

तकनीकी दिग्गज माइक्रोसॉफ्ट ने दो साहसिक महत्वाकांक्षाओं की घोषणा की हैः पहला, वर्ष 2030 तक कार्बन नकारात्मक बनने के लिए-जिसका अर्थ है कि यह हवा से जितना कार्बन उत्सर्जित करता है उससे अधिक कार्बन को हटा देगा-और दूसरा, 2050 तक उससे अधिक कार्बन को हटा देगा, जो उसने अपने पूरे इतिहास में उत्सर्जित किया है।

uk-northern-ireland-12126135

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-12126135

Derry peace bridge ready for May

The £13m peace bridge across the River Foyle is expected to be finished by May, according to the company behind the project.

Ilex said the bad weather caused difficulties for construction staff working on the bridge over the Christmas period. Programme manager Sean Currie said there had been a delay of approximately four weeks. "The snow and ice caused problems accessing the bridge." "Snow had to be cleared from the deck before they could begin work and in the bad weather it was too dangerous to allow anyone to go up in the basket to the masts." A meeting is to be held on Monday to finalise the completion date.

परियोजना के पीछे की कंपनी के अनुसार, फॉयल नदी पर 13 मिलियन पाउंड का शांति पुल मई तक पूरा होने की उम्मीद है।

world-europe-guernsey-28714395

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-28714395

Revised plans for Guernsey Brewery development

Revised plans have been submitted by a developer for the site of the former Guernsey Brewery at Havelet Bay.

Thirty-three apartments had been planned at the site in St Peter Port, with work due to be completed by 2016. Developer Comprop said submissions being made to planners would include a redesign which would see more of the planned units moved to the seafront side of the site. The redesign would also increase the number of homes to 34, it added.

हैवलेट बे में पूर्व ग्वेर्नसे ब्रुअरी के स्थल के लिए एक डेवलपर द्वारा संशोधित योजनाएं प्रस्तुत की गई हैं।

uk-england-wear-11459383

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wear-11459383

Highland cattle to preserve County Durham bog

Three Highland cattle are being used to conserve a wetland habitat in County Durham.

Hope, Betty and Kate will graze on Wanister Bog, near Chester-le-Street, which is part of the Waldridge Fell Site of Special Scientific Interest. It has been drying out and is in danger of losing some of its plants. The weight of the cattle and their grazing breaks up grass, allowing the area to become wetter. The cows will graze on the bog over the winter.

काउंटी डरहम में आर्द्रभूमि आवास के संरक्षण के लिए तीन हाईलैंड मवेशियों का उपयोग किया जा रहा है।

world-middle-east-54589235

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-54589235

Israel and Bahrain establish formal diplomatic relations

Israel and Bahrain have formally established diplomatic relations.

The deal - brokered by the US - was signed in the Bahrain capital, Manama, on Sunday. For decades, most Arab states have boycotted Israel, insisting they would only establish ties after the Palestinian dispute was settled. Bahrain is now the fourth Arab country in the MIddle East - after the UAE, Egypt and Jordan - to recognise Israel since its founding in 1948. Palestinians have condemned the diplomatic moves as a "stab in the back". At a ceremony in Manama on Sunday evening, Bahraini and Israeli officials signed a "joint communiqué" establishing full diplomatic relations. The two countries are now expected to open embassies. Israeli media report that the document did not include any references to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Following the signing, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani said in a speech that he hoped for "fruitful bilateral co-operation in every field" between the two nations. He also called for peace in the region, including a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict. The Israeli team flew on El Al flight 973 - in reference to Bahrain's international dialling code - and passed over Saudi Arabia with special permission from the kingdom. Saudi leaders have so far resisted calls to normalise relations Israel. Regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran has played a role in this diplomacy - a decades-old feud exacerbated by religious differences, with Iran a largely Shia Muslim power and Saudi Arabia seeing itself as the leading Sunni Muslim power. The UAE and Bahrain - both allies of Saudi Arabia - have shared with Israel worries over Iran, leading to unofficial contacts in the past. US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin accompanied the Israeli delegates. He will also accompany Israel's first delegation to the UAE on Tuesday. The Israeli agreement with the UAE came after Israel agreed to suspend controversial plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. Palestinian leaders were reportedly taken by surprise by that announcement. They have condemned the UAE deal and the later Bahrain agreement. The Palestinian foreign ministry recalled its ambassador to Bahrain after the deal was announced last month, and a statement from the Palestinian leadership spoke of the "great harm it causes to the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people and joint Arab action".

इज़राइल और बहरीन ने औपचारिक रूप से राजनयिक संबंध स्थापित किए हैं।

uk-scotland-glasgow-west-51331267

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-51331267

Man and woman found dead after crash in Argyll named

A man and a woman who were found dead following a car crash in Argyll have been named by police.

They were 37-year-old father-of-three Jonathan Graham and 19-year-old Jasmine Herron. Their bodies were discovered near a car on the B8024 south of Ormsary at about 09:00 on Sunday. A police spokesman said an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash continued and officers were speaking to witnesses. Anyone with further information is urged to contact Police Scotland.

आर्गिल में एक कार दुर्घटना के बाद मृत पाए गए एक पुरुष और एक महिला का नाम पुलिस ने लिया है।

stories-53052917

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-53052917

Atatiana Jefferson: 'Why I will no longer call the police'

James Smith has never wanted much to do with the police but he called them to check on his neighbour in the Texas city of Fort Worth, because it was late at night and her front door was wide open. Soon afterwards he heard a gunshot, and later saw the dead body of a 28-year-old woman, his neighbour's daughter, carried out on a stretcher.

By Stephanie HegartyPopulation correspondent James Smith is angry, hurt and tired. Every death of a black person at the hands of a police officer takes him back to the moment in October when Atatiana Jefferson was killed. "I have to live with this guilt, with this cloud hanging over me for the rest of my years," he says. Because he was the reason that the police were there that night. At around 02:30 on 12 October he was woken by his niece and nephew, who told him the front door of their neighbour's house was wide open and the lights were on. The owner of the house, Yolanda Carr, had a heart condition and had recently been in and out of intensive care, so Smith was worried something had happened to her. He went across the road and noticed the lawnmower and other gardening equipment were still plugged in, which he thought was strange. So he dialled a number in the phone book to request a "wellness check" - expecting that a police officer would come out, knock on the door and check the family was OK. He didn't know that Carr was in hospital that night and that her daughter and grandson were up late playing video games. He was standing directly opposite the house when the police arrived. One of the officers, Aaron Dean, had his gun drawn as he approached the front door and then walked around the side of the house to the back garden. Seconds later there was a gunshot. "When that bullet went off I heard her spirit say, 'Don't let them get away with it,'" Smith says. "And that's pretty much why I stayed out there all night long until they brought her out." Police soon filled the street, but they wouldn't tell him what had happened. It wasn't until they wheeled a body out six hours later that he knew Yolanda Carr's daughter, Atatiana Jefferson, had been killed. The two families were still getting to know each other. Yolanda Carr had bought the house four years earlier and was fiercely proud of it. Her house is separated from James Smith's by a road and their wide, green, manicured lawns. Smith is a veteran of the neighbourhood. He's raised children and grandchildren there, and five members of his family still live on the same street. Keeping the yard straight is like a ritual in the area, he says, one that Atatiana's family had been quick to adopt. He describes Yolanda Carr as a hard-working lady. "She had some problems in life that she overcame and her home was her trophy." Atatiana had been staying in the house while her mother was unwell. She was saving for medical school while caring for her mother and her eight-year-old nephew. A few days before the killing there had been a car crash on the street, James Smith remembers. Atatiana rushed out to help, and she stayed with the people in the car until the ambulance came. That was just her nature, he says. "She intended to become a doctor," he says, before going silent for a moment. "But that's not going to happen now." Sometimes he would mow their lawn for them, Atatiana would bring him water and they'd chat. The day that she died she had been mowing the lawn herself, showing her nephew how to do it. On the footage from the officer's body cam, released after she was killed, officer Aaron Dean can be seen walking up to a window at the back of the house, where Atatiana briefly appears. "Put your hands up, show me your hands!" he shouts. He has barely finished speaking when he fires through the window. He never declared he was a police officer. Aaron Dean resigned before he could be fired. He was quickly arrested and in December he was indicted for murder, but the trial has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Fort Worth police chief Ed Kraus said he "could not make sense" of why Atatiana Jefferson had to lose her life. In a press conference he seemed emotional as he spoke about the damage that her death had done to relations between the police and the community. But James Smith doesn't find any of this reassuring. Atatiana's death has destroyed what little faith he had in law enforcement. "We don't have a relationship with the police because we don't trust the police," he says. "So if we can stay out of their way, we're fine." He's more reluctant than ever to call them. Recently, when his sister heard gunshots in the neighbourhood she asked him to call 911, but he refused. "It's an experience that unfortunately, you would have to be a person of colour to understand," he says. "I don't buy the police kneeling and hugging people, because we've been kneeling and hugging and praying for 60 years." He doesn't feel that the case against Aaron Dean is being pursued properly. It troubles him that no-one from law enforcement has come to speak to him since the night of the shooting. It's his belief that if he hadn't spoken to the media the following morning, Atatiana's death might not have been investigated. He's also upset with the pace of the trial. "With the pandemic going on they said it could be 2021 before this thing starts. On the other hand, had it been a person or colour we'd be tried, convicted and have started our sentence already," he says. "We're still holding our breath. Pardon the phrase, but we can't breathe." There are about 1,000 "officer-involved shootings" in which someone is killed every year in the US. These statistics are not centrally collected but various organisations and researchers have been compiling the data, mostly from media reports. According to one of these organisations, Mapping Police Violence, in 2019 black people represented 24% of those killed by police despite making up only 13% of the population. Dr Philip Stinson of Bowling Green State University has also compiled an extensive database on police crime and, analysing cases where police have been arrested, has found that police crimes against black people tend to involve violence more often than police crimes against other races. Convictions for these crimes are rare. Between 2013 and 2019, Mapping Police Violence recorded more than 7,500 cases in which officers shot and killed someone, but according to Stinson's database only 71 were charged with murder or manslaughter and only 23 were convicted of a crime related to the killing. Since 2005, Stinson calculates, only five non-federal police officers have been convicted of murder. When James Smith went on TV to talk about his neighbour's death he learned that this was the seventh officer-involved shooting of 2019 in Fort Worth, a city of less than one million people. But shootings are only part of the problem. In the midst of the George Floyd protests in early June, a Fort Worth police officer called Tiffany Bunton spoke out about the death of her uncle in police custody two years ago. Christopher Lowe died in the back of a police vehicle after being detained by two officers. The body camera footage of his arrest shows officers dragging him to their car. It's disturbing to watch. Though he's compliant throughout the arrest, the officers taunt Lowe as he struggles to stand up and to walk. He tells them he's sick. "I can't breathe," he says, "I'm dying." "Don't pull that [expletive]," the officer says. And later, "If you spit on me bud I'm going to put your face in the [expletive] dirt." Thirteen minutes later Lowe was found dead of a drug overdose in the back of the car. Tiffany Bunton believes his death could have been prevented if the officers had called an ambulance, instead of ignoring his symptoms and insulting him when he told them he was unwell. Five officers were fired in January 2019, as a result. A year later two of them got their jobs back. When I asked James Smith if he was familiar with this case he simply replied, "That's what we go through. So we avoid the police as best we can." Two weeks after Atatiana's funeral, her father, Marquis Jefferson, died from a heart attack. His brother believes it was grief that killed him. Her mother Yolanda Carr was in hospital the night her daughter was killed and was too sick to attend her funeral. In January she was well enough to return home, and James Smith said he'd treat her to lunch. He was waiting for the barbecue place to open when an ambulance screeched down the street and parked outside the house. He rushed over and found paramedics trying to resuscitate her. She was wearing a T-shirt covered in portraits of her daughter, and lying on a cushion that Smith had given her, decorated with a print of Atatiana's face. In early June the mayor of Fort Worth, Betsy Price put out a statement on the death of George Floyd - who was killed in Minneapolis when officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. In the statement the mayor mentioned Floyd by name but referred to Atatiana only as Fort Worth's "own tragedy". "She didn't even mention Atatiana's name," Smith says. It felt like a knife being twisted in his gut. As he watches protests all over the country in response to George Floyd's death, he wonders why people didn't respond to the killing of Atatiana in the same way. "The quieter we are the more likely that Atatiana is forgotten and I don't want her forgotten," he says. On 19 June Atatiana's remaining family - her sisters and brothers - are launching a foundation in her honour, funded by donations they received in the wake of her death. The Atatiana Project will focus on education and on improving relations between the police and the community. It will be based in the house where Atatiana was shot. On Facebook, James Smith proudly posts pictures of a wall in his home, filled with framed photos of his children, nieces and nephews in their graduation gowns and mortarboard hats. They're smiling, holding rolled up bachelors and masters' degrees. He and Yolanda Carr should be American success stories. A postal worker and a nurse who worked hard, saved money, educated their children and bought beautiful homes on a quiet street to enjoy into their old age. But James Smith is not sure if he can be happy in this neighbourhood again. "I look through my dining room window and I see Atatiana's house. When I wash my dishes I look out of my window I see Atatiana's house. When I sit on my back deck I see Atatiana's house." And every time the image of that night comes back to him. "I'm going to see these people coming across the street and going to the back of the house and bang! I'm going to see this when my great-grandchildren are born… when I'm sitting on a rocking chair." You may also be interested in: Robert Jones was arrested in 1992, accused of killing a young British tourist in New Orleans. Four years later, he went on trial - by this time another man had already been convicted of the crime, but he was prosecuted anyway. The judge who sentenced the young father to life in prison now says his skin colour sealed his fate. Locked up for 23 years - when the real killer had already been jailed (2015)

जेम्स स्मिथ कभी भी पुलिस के साथ बहुत कुछ नहीं करना चाहता था, लेकिन उसने उन्हें टेक्सास शहर फोर्ट वर्थ में अपने पड़ोसी की जांच करने के लिए बुलाया, क्योंकि देर रात हो चुकी थी और उसका सामने का दरवाजा खुला था। इसके तुरंत बाद उसने एक गोली की आवाज सुनी, और बाद में एक 28 वर्षीय महिला, जो उसकी पड़ोसी की बेटी थी, का शव एक स्ट्रेचर पर ले जाते हुए देखा।

uk-england-53502760

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-53502760

Coronavirus: 'Soft play is heading for a cliff edge'

They are the salvation of a rainy day - where children can fearlessly fling themselves up and down brightly-coloured, spongy mats as parents seek solace with coffee and a chat, the latter usually drowned out by deafening, delirious-with-happiness screams.

By Rebecca WoodsBBC News But soft play centres face being wiped out amid the coronavirus pandemic as one of the last industries to have a proposed opening date. In the last three weeks, at least 15 have closed their doors permanently and many more are set to follow. More than 25,000 people have signed the #RescueIndoorPlay petition, calling on the government to make a decision on reopening or offer more financial support to the UK's 1,100 centres, which employ 30,000 people. There is also concern among operators about the impact closure could have on families with young children, which rely on soft play centres for sanity and socialisation. "I feel for children and parents' mental health," says Helen Whittington, who has started a crowdfunder to replace "tricky to clean" ball pools at DJ Jungles in St Albans and Hemel Hempstead with new sensory areas that would enable social distancing. "We have baby classes, NCT meets and are a place for people to socialise - postnatal depression could increase and children lose the confidence to mix and make friends, share and take turns." Simon Bridgland made the heartbreaking decision to close Big Fun House in Canterbury at the beginning of July, which he'd run for six years. The announcement was met with an "outpouring of love" from customers on his Facebook page. "I was blown away by the volume of comments," he says. It was not an easy decision to make, with 17 staff losing their jobs. "We'd not had any income whatsoever since March. Soft play isn't the gold mine people think it is - you make your money in winter to get through the summer months. Most are in big warehouses and cost a lot of money to keep going." Only last year he opened a £50,000 go kart track which had just a few months of use. Instead, he has decided to diversify. Mr Bridgland runs Snowflakes Day Nursery on the same site, and is going to extend it into what was Big Fun House. Children will have the run of the place and its facilities. "It's going to be one hell of a nursery, what with the sheer volume of space and lots of unique features. "Personally, I think soft play is dead. The kids, they can't social distance. So we were left with no option but to repurpose the centre." Another owner reworking their business is Ellis Potter, managing director of the Riverside Hub in Northampton, who is soon to get a delivery of 80 tonnes of play sand for a pop-up beach on the car park. "It's cost us about £1,000 a day just to stand still with the doors closed, which is a serious chunk of money," he says. "We've received hundreds of emails from parents who want to bring a sense of normality back to their children's lives, because it's the children that are being affected in all of this. "We've implemented massive hygiene and safety measures, and spent tens of thousands of pounds with air sterilisation and antibacterial fogging - all the things that we can do to keep safe but the government are just not having it. They just won't let us open indoor play. "We've 60 staff on furlough who are apprehensive about the future, and we want to give them some clarity. There's been some very dark times but emails and Facebook messages from customers have kept us going." Mikey Johnson, assistant manager of Jungleland in Telford, said the lack of clarity for soft play centres was "diabolical". Takings went down 90 per cent in the week before lockdown as worried families stayed at home. Within a week it was zero. As the pandemic took hold, Jungleland became a drop-off point for a local food bank. In March the firm had 26 members of staff. Now eight remain on furlough, all eyes on the next government announcement. "At the minute it's an unknown," said Mr Johnson. "Even if we have a date, it's the rebuilding period after that. "We'd probably be working at half capacity, and that's just not a viable business. We need bums on seats. It's just a waiting game." Representatives from the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) - many in furry costumes - descended on 10 Downing Street recently to raise awareness of their #RescueIndoorPlay campaign. The pandemic meant they weren't allowed to physically hand in a petition, but that is gathering pace on Change.org. "We've had a huge amount of support from people who use these centres all the time - they are embedded in our local communities," said Paul Kelly, chief executive of BALPPA. "We want the government to tell us the date we can reopen, or tell us why we can't. There are 1,100 centres and I can't see them surviving if we don't hear something soon. "We are heading for a cliff edge." Lizzie Elston, 45 from Harpenden, mum to Oliver, eight, is among those who are backing the campaign. "The benefits of soft play are massive. Oliver's not into organised sport - we've tried to get him into rugby or cricket, but he's at his happiest when he's jumping off things just being a ninja," she says. "He's always absolutely loved soft play - just being a lunatic - so it is brilliant as a parent because you can have a coffee with friends and know he's safe, either by himself or with friends. It's so important for his physical and mental wellbeing just not being in front of a screen. "It can't be overestimated, the importance of soft play - it helps how they develop, how they learn and socialise, so it's critically important for their mental health." Additional reporting by Vanessa Pearce

वे एक बरसात के दिन की मुक्ति हैं-जहाँ बच्चे निडरता से खुद को चमकीले रंग की, स्पंजी चटाई से ऊपर और नीचे फेंक सकते हैं क्योंकि माता-पिता कॉफी और एक चैट के साथ सांत्वना चाहते हैं, बाद वाला आमतौर पर बहरेपन, प्रफुल्लितता के साथ खुशी की चिल्लाहट से डूब जाता है।

uk-politics-37567690

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-37567690

UKIP leadership: The contenders to succeed Diane James

UKIP is holding a fresh leadership contest after the recently-elected Diane James unexpectedly quit after 18 days in the post. Her replacement will be announced on 28 November. With nominations closed, who's running?

Suzanne Evans The former UKIP deputy chairman launched her bid for the leadership saying she would make the party less "toxic" and aim to occupy the "common sense centre" ground. She told the BBC she would "pour oil on troubled water" after there had been "a bit too much testosterone" in UKIP". Ms Evans was unable to compete in the last leadership election because of a temporary suspension, now lifted, after an internal dispute. A former Conservative councillor, she defected to UKIP in 2013 and is credited with presenting a softer, less abrasive side to the party. She wrote its 2015 election manifesto. But she is also mistrusted by sections of the party and accused one-time contest rival Raheem Kassam (who pulled out shortly before nominations closed) of seeking to take the party too far to the right. Paul Nuttall Paul Nuttall sees himself as the man to "bring the factions together" in UKIP and believes he has "huge support" among both the grassroots and the top of the party. The ex-party chairman, former deputy leader and Bootle-born MEP did not stand for the big job in the summer, reportedly because of the effect that it would have on his family life. But launching his bid this time around, he told the BBC: "I felt that with Brexit that my job and Nigel's job was done and we could hand over to the next generation. "That doesn't appear to have been the case and maybe it's time for someone who's an older hand in many ways." He said UKIP needed to come together as it was currently "looking over the edge of a political cliff". "I want to be the candidate who will tell us to come backwards," he said. "We need a strong UKIP there in the background to ensure that Brexit means Brexit and I believe that UKIP can become the patriotic face of working people." John Rees-Evans The former soldier announced he'd be running for leader on Daily Politics. Mr Rees-Evans describes himself as "a patriot who believes in the innate common sense of the British people." He has not previously held an elected office - his attempt to win the seat of Cardiff South and Penarth at the 2015 general election resulted in a third-place finish. Not standing: Elizabeth Jones Another former leadership contender, Elizabeth Jones came last in the previous contest to replace Nigel Farage. Deputy chair of the party's Lambeth branch, she stood unsuccessfully in May's London Assembly elections and came fifth in last month's Tooting by-election. The family law solicitor is a member of the party's national executive committee but decided not to run this time around. Lisa Duffy A previously less well-known figure in Westminster circles, Lisa Duffy, a town and district councillor in Cambridgeshire, came second in the last leadership contest, with 4,591 votes out of 17,970. She won the backing of key modernising figures in the party such as Suzanne Evans - who was unable to take part in the contest due to a suspension - and MEP Patrick O'Flynn, for whom she is chief of staff. Ms Duffy is a former mayor of the town of Ramsey, and as campaigns director played a key role in fighting by-elections. She joined UKIP in 2004 and stood unsuccessfully against Labour's Hazel Blears in Salford in the 2005 general election. Raheem Kassam A former chief of staff to Nigel Farage, he left his role following a bout of infighting in the wake of the 2015 election and has been editor of the London edition of the Breitbart website. He hit out at what he described as "chicanery and duplicity" at the top echelons of the party and pledged to campaign for a "strong, united UKIP free of Tory splitters". He said he was the man to continue Mr Farage's legacy inside UKIP but pulled out of the contest shortly before nominations closed, claiming the top of the party was treating the contest "like a coronation", criticising his treatment by the media and saying he had not raised enough money to run anything beyond "a digital campaign run from SW1". David Kurten Holding one of two UKIP seats as a London Assembly member, David Kurten sits on the transport, housing and environment committees and the education panel of the Assembly. Announcing his candidacy, he insisted UKIP remained a "vital force" in British politics and has vowed to "not rest" until the country is built up again after decades of "embracing destructive ideologies of political correctness". Before starting his career in politics, he was a chemistry teacher for 15 years. He pulled out of the contest the day before nominations closed on 31 October. Andrew Beadle Andrew Beadle was UKIP's parliamentary candidate for Bermondsey and Old Southwark in the 2015 general election. He lost out in the Wallington South by-election of the same year. Mr Beadle said that UKIP "needs a full time leader not a part-time caretaker" and wants to drive the party forward with its "potential" and "staggering ability". Announced he was pulling out of the contest on 26 October. Bill Etheridge A Conservative activist before joining UKIP in 2011, Mr Etheridge has called for major reform of the penal system, including restricting prisoners' privileges, banning visits during the first six months of a sentence and an automatic 10-year increase in sentence for anyone attacking a prison officer. He has also called for far-reaching changes to the tax system, including a 50% cut in alcohol and tobacco duty, replacing VAT with a local sales tax and gradually merging national insurance and income taxes. On 25 October he announced he'd be abandoning his leadership campaign. Steven Woolfe The 49-year-old barrister was a front-runner in the contest - but withdrew, and resigned from UKIP, after a row with party colleagues. Mr Woolfe was taken to hospital after the clash with fellow MEP Mike Hookem in the European Parliament, with the two men giving conflicting verdicts on what happened. He was previously the bookies' favourite for the job, vowing to make UKIP "the main opposition party", to stand up for the "ignored working class" and to bring about a "radically different political landscape in Britain for a generation". But he will now see out his term as an independent MEP. Peter Whittle The party's culture spokesman and most prominent gay representative has dropped out of the race to succeed Diane James. He previously told the the BBC UKIP was "not going anywhere soon" and insisted it was "here to stay". On 4 November Mr Whittle recommended that his supporters back Paul Nuttall instead, saying: "UKIP needs a leader who knows the party inside out and who can command the loyalty of members across the board." Other leading figures Douglas Carswell: The party's sole MP, who defected from the Conservatives in 2014, has repeatedly said the job of leader is not for him Neil Hamilton: The former Tory minister, who is leader of UKIP in the Welsh Assembly, has said he has no interest in becoming leader under any circumstances. Mr Farage, who has a fractious relationship with Mr Hamilton, has said this would be a "horror story".

हाल ही में निर्वाचित डायने जेम्स के अप्रत्याशित रूप से पद छोड़ने के बाद यूकेआईपी एक नई नेतृत्व प्रतियोगिता आयोजित कर रहा है। उनके प्रतिस्थापन की घोषणा 28 नवंबर को की जाएगी। नामांकन बंद होने के साथ, कौन दौड़ रहा है?

business-46895332

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46895332

10 things you didn't know about Davos

Every January for almost 50 years, world leaders, the bosses of the world's biggest companies and a sprinkling of celebrities have gathered in a small Swiss mountain town called Davos for the World Economic Forum.

By Katie HopeBBC News, Davos But what is it and why do they go? Here are 10 handy facts to make sure when someone next mentions Davos you can nod wisely and look like you know what you're talking about. 1. It isn't really called Davos Although everyone calls it Davos, the January get-together is actually the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Davos is simply the name of the Swiss mountain resort where the summit is held. The town's association with the glitzy gathering means plenty of rival events have tried to capitalise on the name's cachet, with a proliferation of conferences claiming to be "Davos" this or that. But last year when a Saudi investment conference was dubbed "Davos in the desert" around the time of the controversial death of prominent government critic Jamal Khashoggi, WEF finally hit back. It warned it would use "all means to protect the Davos brand against illicit appropriation". 2. It's not just a conference The World Economic Forum is a not-for-profit group with the ambitious mission of improving the state of the world. Its annual jamboree is officially a conference. There are endless speeches and sessions on everything from the outlook for the global economy to managing stress. In reality, most people aren't there for the sessions but to network relentlessly. Being in a relatively tiny space for four days enables corporate bosses, politicians and journalists to have an incredible number of meetings in an efficiently short space of time with no travel required. This networking carries on late into the night with daily dinners, drinks and parties, put on by the firms who are attending. 3. Meetings can lead to action Forum founder Klaus Schwab started the annual shindig in 1971 to discuss global management practices. Now WEF has a much broader remit, but critics argue that it's still just a talking shop. But the isolated setting of Davos offers politicians a valuable chance to meet away from the public glare. North and South Korea held their first ministerial level meetings in Davos in 1989, for example. Last year, the Greek and Macedonian prime ministers met face to face for the first time in seven years, paving the way to the end of a 27-year dispute over Macedonia's name. 4. Only businesses pay (a lot) to attend The only attendees who pay to attend WEF are companies; all other attendees are invited free of charge. The charge for companies is 27,000 Swiss francs (£20,900; €23,800) per person. But that's not all. Attendees must also be a member of the World Economic Forum. There are a number of tiers of membership, starting at 60,000 Swiss francs per year to a whopping 600,000 Swiss francs to be a so-called "strategic partner". It's a pricey business, but top members get access to private sessions with their industry peers and unlike everyone else, slipping and sliding over the icy pavements, they also get a dedicated car and chauffeur. A price worth paying, some might say. 5. Conference passes are colour coded Improving inequality is always a big talking point at Davos, but WEF operates its own very unequal system determined by a complicated caste system of coloured badges. Yes you might be in the same place as Prince William or the New Zealand PM but it's unlikely you'll bump into them in the loo. Such high-profile guests get a white badge with a hologram on it, giving them access to everywhere - including the hyper-exclusive special backroom meetings. There are different coloured badges for participants' spouses and journalists, all offering various levels of access. The lowest level is a "hotel" badge, which means you can't get into the conference centre at all, but crucially can attend the nightly parties or indeed go skiing. Arguably the best badge going. 6. There are a lot of men In the 49 years since Davos started hosting its annual meetings, men have vastly outnumbered women despite a quota system for large firms who must bring one woman for every four men. "Davos Man" has even become a description in its own right, synonymous with the stereotypical attendee: a powerful and wealthy elite male - whom many see as out of touch with the real world. Of course, this largely reflects the current reality: those at the top in both business and politics are predominantly male. But while photos of the suit-heavy gathering captioned "spot the woman" do the rounds on social media every year, the situation is steadily improving. This year, 22% of attendees will be female. It's not great, but the percentage of women has doubled since 2001. 7. It's not a young crowd It takes time to claw your way to the top and wangle a Davos invite and the average age of attendees reflects this: it's 54 for men and 49 for women. Of course there are some anomalies. At just 16, South African wildlife photographer Skye Meaker is the youngest participant this year, while the oldest is 92-year-old broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. 8. It has its own language Complicated corporate jargon is a hallmark of the conference. What anyone actually means can be mystifying, even to the seasoned WEF watcher. Even the theme of each year's conference is often incomprehensible. This year's is Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. What's it actually about? Umm, we'll let you know next week. 9. It's like flying... without the actual flying This year's attendees include Japanese and New Zealand PMs Shinzo Abe and Jacinda Ardern, as well as Prince William and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Given the high profile of many of the attendees, security is understandably tight. There are snipers on every roof and a secure zone that you need the right pass to access. Every time you enter the main conference centre you have to remove your coat, scan your laptop and bag and then put it all on again. It's like constantly going through airport security without ever flying anywhere. 10. Everyone loves a free bobble hat The attendees may be wealthy heads of state and chief executives earning hundreds of thousands or even millions, but the lure of a free bobble hat is surprisingly irresistible. Every year Zurich Insurance provides bright blue knitted hats you can help yourself to from a hole in the wall. And almost everyone does. Months later if you see someone wearing one, you can nod at each other discreetly. You're part of the Davos set.

लगभग 50 वर्षों से हर जनवरी में, विश्व के नेता, दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी कंपनियों के मालिक और मशहूर हस्तियों का छिड़काव विश्व आर्थिक मंच के लिए दावोस नामक एक छोटे से स्विस पहाड़ी शहर में इकट्ठा होते हैं।

entertainment-arts-44643667

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44643667

Queer Eye host backs viewers on Netflix subtitle change

Karamo Brown, a host on the hugely successful makeover show Queer Eye, has added his voice to a social media debate urging Netflix to improve its subtitles for deaf and hard-of-hearing watchers.

By Kelly-Leigh CooperBBC News Fans of the show took to Twitter to complain about the service misrepresenting, censoring and simplifying dialogue from a variety of shows. Tweets by Rogan Shannon, a deaf Netflix fan, in which he demanded that the service explain why it was not captioning word for word, have been shared thousands of times in recent days. His tweets claim the subtitles censor profanity and edit dialogue for brevity. Others accused the service of failing to caption foreign language inserts and correcting distinct dialects into Standard English. Mr Brown, the Queer Eye cast member who focuses on culture, said reading fan comments had broken his heart. After the outpouring of social media complaints, Netflix thanked fans for raising concerns, and said on Twitter that it was looking at fixing some the issues raised - a move that was welcomed by Mr Brown. Subtitles are created in different ways by different broadcasters, with many employing outside subtitling firms. They can be written manually and time-coded to audio, or are generated using dictation software or audio recognition. Gemma Rayner-Jones, 31, from Canterbury in England, uses subtitles to help her to concentrate when watching shows online because of a cognitive impairment. Because she is able to hear and notice the differences, she has been tracking and complaining about inaccuracies in Netflix's subtitles for about two years. She estimates that she has submitted about 150 complaints in that time, and says she has not had a response. "Everyone should be getting the same experience," she told the BBC. "It seems a shame to have a system to report faults there to placate people, but they don't seem to be doing anything about it." She wants Netflix to be more transparent about how it handles complaints, so that users can check in whether action has been taken. Student Chrissy Marshall, 18, studies film at the University of California and runs a YouTube account trying to raise awareness about deaf culture, accessibility and sign language. She was one of many who took to Twitter to complain about inaccuracies in Queer Eye's subtitling. For her, online streaming still remains one of the best entertainment options available. "I don't watch cable or normal TV because captioning is always messed up or lagging. As for movie-going in theatres, the experience normally sucks," she told the BBC. "Netflix is what I use as a primary source for streaming because typically it is the most accessible, but even the most accessible has its issues. "Captioning as a job is not to 'clean up' language, it's to provide accessibility, full accessibility. "We don't care if it's a bad word, vulgar, or maybe inappropriate, if hearing people get to know what is being said, we deserve to know as well." This is not an issue isolated to Netflix itself. While regulations are in place for closed captioning (user-activated) subtitles on typical television services, many on-demand services still lag behind. One YouTube vlogger, Rikki Poynter, has dedicated years to working on accessibility on the platform, lobbying it to improve its automatic subtitle service using the hashtag #NoMoreCRAPtions. 'Second-class service' In the US, the Federal Communications Commission has strict regulations which specify that captions "must match the spoken words in the dialogue and convey background noises and other sounds to the fullest extent possible" - but it only requires the regulations on shows on television, which means that Netflix-exclusive original series may not qualify. The National Association of the Deaf sued and made a four-year agreement with Netflix in 2012, where it committed to ensuring all its programmes were subtitled. Although the four-year decree has now run out, on Thursday the group told the BBC it was "disappointed that Netflix appears not to be providing captioning at the level that was promised" and said it hoped it would ensure it was using verbatim and accurate captions. In the UK, Action on Hearing Loss has spent three years on a Subtitle It! campaign aiming to get the UK government to extend regulation to captioning of video-on-demand content. Dr Roger Wicks, the group's director of policy and campaigns, told the BBC that any attempt by providers to summarise or edit language on subtitles was a "very bad approach" which could lead to people who were deaf or hard-of-hearing feeling "alienated or patronised". "Subtitles are a replacement for speech, they're meant to be verbatim so people have full access," he told the BBC. "Any attempt to summarise is offering a second-class service. I think this is well-intentioned, but it's getting it wrong." He told the BBC his group intended to contact Netflix over the issue. Mr Shannon, whose widely-shared tweets helped spark the debate, wants the company to change and check the way it subtitles its shows. "I'd like to see more oversight on captioning agencies, more strict procedures for checking the captions," he told the BBC. "I'd also like to see those who are doing the hiring, such as Netflix, to check that all the files that they get are accurate, and not just assume they did everything right. "I'm aware that it's time consuming, but this will continue to be a problem if there are no checks and balances. Accessibility really matters." 'There's no reason to miss words out' - Nalina Eggert, BBC News Deaf and hard of hearing people have been saying for years that subtitles just aren't good enough - whether on traditional TV or streaming platforms like Netflix - and it's wonderful that the clamour for change has led to a commitment this time around. I'm hard of hearing and I watch all my on-screen entertainment with subtitles. In many ways streaming has made that easier - if I watched live TV I'd be missing loads of what was going on. If you've ever watched a news channel with the sound off in the gym, you'll know what I mean - whole sentences are missed, random words pop up... But when things are scripted and pre-packaged, in my view there's no reason to miss things out. An estimated nine million people in the UK have a hearing impairment of some kind - more than live in London. Many of us completely depend on the subtitlers to get the meaning across. And many hearing people watch subtitles on their phone when they have no headphones, or for all sorts of other reasons. Programme-makers must realise subtitle users are part of your audience - don't sell them short. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].

बेहद सफल मेकओवर शो क्वीर आई के मेजबान करामो ब्राउन ने एक सोशल मीडिया बहस में अपनी आवाज जोड़ते हुए नेटफ्लिक्स से बधिर और कठिन सुनने वालों के लिए अपने उपशीर्षक में सुधार करने का आग्रह किया है।

uk-wales-south-east-wales-32692220

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-32692220

First look inside Rhondda tunnel wanted for cycle route

The first photos from inside a disused Rhondda railway tunnel, which campaigners want to convert into a cycle route, have been released.

The Blaencwm tunnel, closed for nearly 50 years, could reopen after a campaign by the Rhondda Tunnel Society. The society wants to reopen the route, which runs for 3km (1.8 miles) to Blaengwynfi, Neath Port Talbot, for cyclists, walkers and tourists. The tunnel was closed during cutbacks of the UK railway network in the 1960s. In May this year, the Welsh government said it would commission a study to look at reopening the tunnel for tourism.

एक अप्रयुक्त रोंडा रेलवे सुरंग के अंदर की पहली तस्वीरें जारी की गई हैं, जिन्हें प्रचारक साइकिल मार्ग में बदलना चाहते हैं।

uk-wales-politics-40682805

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-40682805

First Welsh Supreme Court judge is appointed

The first Welsh member of the Supreme Court has been appointed.

Lord Justice Lloyd Jones - Sir David Lloyd Jones - has been a judge on the Wales circuit and was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2012. One of three new justices, he was born and brought up in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff. The concept of needing a Welsh member of the highest court in the UK had been rejected as "premature" by a former deputy high court judge in 2015. Lord Thomas of Gresford said that while Scotland and Northern Ireland had long-standing judicial systems, cases of Welsh law would "not be frequent" and did not require one of the 12 Supreme Court judges to be from Wales. However, the court's then chief executive Jenny Rowe said as the body of Welsh law increased due to devolution, appointing a justice with a Welsh background would have to be considered. On Friday, the Supreme Court said 65-year-old Lord Justice Lloyd Jones would begin work on a date to be agreed. The Supreme Court has handled rows over whether certain powers reside with UK or Welsh ministers. They involved a Welsh asbestos compensation bill in February 2015 and, in July 2014, moves by ministers in Cardiff to protect the wages of agricultural workers.

सुप्रीम कोर्ट के पहले वेल्श सदस्य को नियुक्त किया गया है।

uk-england-birmingham-55818984

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-55818984

Rayan Saab charged with disseminating terrorist publications

A man has been charged with multiple terrorism offences.

Rayan Saab, from Birmingham, has been charged with six counts of disseminating terrorist publications between 13 April 2019 and 31 December 2020, West Midlands Police said. The 21-year-old was arrested at a property in Bloomsbury Walk in the city on Wednesday. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, the force said. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected] Related Internet Links West Midlands Police

एक व्यक्ति पर कई आतंकवादी अपराधों का आरोप लगाया गया है।

entertainment-arts-30898823

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30898823

Manchester theatre stars nominated for awards

Actresses Maxine Peake and Suranne Jones will go head-to-head at this year's Manchester Theatre Awards, after both being nominated for gender-swapping performances.

Peake played a female Hamlet at the Royal Exchange, while Jones starred in the same theatre's adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando. Other stars on the list include Robert Lindsay, for his role in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Manchester's Opera House. The winners are announced on 13 March. A panel of 11 of the region's leading theatre critics has selected the nominees, which include several productions at Bolton's Octagon Theatre and The Lowry in Salford. Here are the main nominees: Best Actor Best Actress Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actress in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Visiting Production Best Actress in a Visiting Production Best Production Best Musical Related Internet Links Manchester Theatre Awards

अभिनेत्री मैक्सिन पीक और सुरैन जोन्स इस साल के मैनचेस्टर थिएटर अवार्ड्स में आमने-सामने होंगी, दोनों को लिंग-विनिमय प्रदर्शन के लिए नामांकित किया गया है।

uk-scotland-glasgow-west-41502824

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-41502824

EasyJet emergency landing after 'smoke smell'

An EasyJet flight from Glasgow to Berlin issued an emergency alert and landed early after reports of a smoke smell in the flight deck.

The firm said flight EZY6819, which left Glasgow Airport at 11:20, requested a priority landing at Berlin Schoenefeld Airport. Flight Info and Alerts' Twitter account noted it was descending at high speed. An EasyJet spokeswoman said the the aircraft was met by emergency services and passengers disembarked normally. She said engineers in Berlin were working to identify and resolve the issue. "The safety of its passengers and crew is easyjet's highest priority," she said. "We would like to apologise for any inconvenience experienced due to delays."

ग्लासगो से बर्लिन के लिए एक ईज़ीजेट उड़ान ने एक आपातकालीन चेतावनी जारी की और उड़ान डेक में धुएँ की गंध की रिपोर्ट के बाद जल्दी उतर गई।

uk-scotland-scotland-politics-52012145

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-52012145

Alex Salmond trial: What is the political fallout?

Alex Salmond has walked free from the High Court after being acquitted of charges of sexual assault - but he has made clear that this is far from the end of the matter. With a series of inquiries in the pipeline, what is going to come next?

By Philip SimBBC Scotland political reporter In the first instance, very little is going to happen. Politics is essentially on hold while the country is in the grip of the coronavirus crisis - there are frankly far more important things to be dealing with right now. But there is already much activity beneath the surface, with both opposition politicians and some within the SNP starting to pose questions. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she will answer many of them in due course. What did we learn during the trial which could give an indication of the political fallout from the case? To start at the end of the trial, what did Mr Salmond mean when he said outside court that there was "certain evidence I would have liked to have seen led in this trial" which had not come out? This almost certainly refers to the limits placed on the questions which can be asked of complainers in sexual offences trials. Primarily this refers to questioning about their sexual history, but it can also extend to other matters. There was much debate in pre-trial hearings - which could not be reported until after the trial itself - about what could be asked of the complainers. The defence wanted to press some of the women about later developments, around the judicial review process where Mr Salmond challenged the government over its handling of internal complaints against him. Lady Dorrian ruled that this would remove the focus of the trial to another matter - which took place a decade after some of the charges - and would distract the jury from the merits of the charges themselves. The defence actually tried to challenge this decision with another judge, but were rebuffed by Lady Stacey in similar terms. Why did the defence want to talk about the judicial review? Because they believed it was central to a politically-driven conspiracy against Mr Salmond. There was little direct talk of this in the trial itself, Gordon Jackson's assertions that "this stinks" in his closing speech aside. Mr Salmond said some allegations had been "deliberate fabrications for a political purpose", but the jury were never told why this might have been the case. To again look to the pre-trial hearings, here the defence were able to be much clearer. Mr Jackson said there had been "a great deal of egg on faces" in government over the "spectacular" collapse of its case in the judicial review. He said that after this, people working within the current administration turned their attention "very directly" to the criminal probe and "sought to influence that process to discredit the former first minister". Text messages were read out saying Mr Salmond's ire over the botched internal probe risked "bringing down Nicola on the way". Where might this evidence come out, then, if not in court? MSP Alex Neil has called for a "judge led public inquiry" - post-coronavirus - to find out if there was a "criminal" conspiracy to "do in Alex Salmond". However, a series of inquiries are already waiting in the wings, having been set up in 2019 before being put on ice after criminal charges were brought. A parliamentary inquiry is due to examine the role of Nicola Sturgeon and her advisors in the internal inquiry, which the government conceded had been unlawful shortly before Mr Salmond's legal challenge was to be heard at the Court of Session. Ms Sturgeon insisted at the time that the process was "completely robust" and had only fallen down in one "deeply regrettable" area in the case of Mr Salmond. However, one of the complainers in the trial also hit out at the government process, saying it was "flawed" and that she didn't want to be part of the internal inquiry because there was too much "risk" around it. This is almost certainly set to be the focus of much of the parliamentary inquiry - along with the questions posed repeatedly at Holyrood back in 2019, about what Ms Sturgeon knew and when. The first minister has also referred herself to a standards panel who will decide whether she broke the ministerial code during the government investigation of her predecessor. Ms Sturgeon told MSPs she had face-to-face meetings with Mr Salmond and spoke to him on the phone while the probe was ongoing, but insisted that she "acted appropriately and in good faith" at all times. Ms Sturgeon previously insisted that she first heard about complaints against Mr Salmond at a meeting at her house in Glasgow on 2 April, 2018. She has also said this meeting was party business, rather than that of the government - negating the need for official notes to be taken. This meeting was facilitated by Mr Salmond's former chief of staff, Geoff Aberdein. And while giving evidence under oath, Mr Aberdein said he had held an earlier meeting with Ms Sturgeon at her Holyrood office, on 29 March. The question eliciting this revelation appeared to be specifically prompted by Mr Salmond, who called his QC across for consultation before it was asked. Clearly, the former first minister thinks this a significant point. What actually happened at that meeting was not discussed in court, but the fact it was held sparks immediate questions. If it was in the first minister's parliamentary office, was it government business? And why did we only hear about it via testimony in court? And outside of government itself, there have also been questions asked about the role of the SNP. Mr Salmond's supporters were quick to comment on the verdict, with Kenny MacAskill calling for resignations - without specifying whose - and Joanna Cherry demanding an independent inquiry into the party's internal complaints procedure. One complainer, Woman H, said she had made a complaint to the SNP specifically so it would be on file for vetting purposes should Mr Salmond ever run for office again. The court heard she had received a text message from a party official saying "we'll sit on that and hope we never need to deploy it". Woman H was clear that this was at her request, but questions are sure to be asked about a process which saw a complaint of sexual assault effectively buried. What else might political parties be "sitting on"? Mr Salmond quit the party at the point he launched his judicial review. Will he now seek to rejoin it? Or has the rift with the current leadership grown too stark? Finally, while he has walked free from court acquitted on all counts, has Mr Salmond's reputation come through the trial intact? He will not mind that one verdict was "not proven" rather than not guilty - in practice, they mean the same thing, that he is innocent in the eyes of the law. He is free to return to normal life and society - albeit a society currently in lockdown - and will presumably keep his arm in the political debate while presenting his TV show on Russian channel RT. But the defence case readily admitted that he had not always behaved well. Mr Jackson said throughout that the "touchy-feely" Mr Salmond could certainly act inappropriately, and led witnesses who called him "extraordinarily pugnacious" and "extremely demanding". The QC said in his closing speech that the former first minister "could certainly have been a better man" - but that none of this made him a criminal, something the jury accepted. Mr Salmond admitted to having a "sleepy cuddle" with one complainer, and what Mr Jackson called "a bit of how's your father" with another - both members of his staff far younger than he, and neither of them his wife. The defence also never really attempted to dispel the slightly raucous image of Bute House drawn by the prosecution, of exotic liquors being poured late at night after celebrity dinners and staff being invited to do paperwork in the bedroom. To stress again, a jury has ruled that none of this was criminal conduct. But that does not mean nobody will question it. The SNP's equalities convener has already called elements of it "deeply inappropriate", although Mr Salmond is also sure to fight for his reputation in light of the verdict. While the trial may be over, the political fallout is only just beginning. This is a difficult moment for all concerned - ultimately, very few people may come out of this affair well.

एलेक्स सैल्मंड यौन उत्पीड़न के आरोपों से बरी होने के बाद उच्च न्यायालय से मुक्त हो गए हैं-लेकिन उन्होंने स्पष्ट कर दिया है कि यह मामले के अंत से बहुत दूर है। पूछताछ की एक श्रृंखला के साथ, आगे क्या होने वाला है?

uk-wales-51891777

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-51891777

Coronavirus: Swansea Bay health board restricts hospital visits

Patients in hospitals in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot are to be allowed visitors for just one hour a day in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Swansea Bay University Health Board said it was also introducing a one visitor at a time policy immediately. Visiting at all sites, including Morriston, Singleton and Neath Port Talbot hospitals, will run from 15:00 GMT. It said those with suspected COVID-19 could not have visitors. The health board said its measures include no child visitors. The rules "may be relaxed" for palliative care patients, the health board added. The restrictions apply to all sites, including community and mental health wards. It apologised for the inconvenience or distress caused by the restrictions. Powys Teaching Health Board has said it had no restrictions in place at the moment. Hywel Dda University Health Board advised families to restrict visiting to what is necessary and not visit if unwell.

स्वानसी और नीथ पोर्ट टैलबोट के अस्पतालों में रोगियों को कोरोनावायरस के प्रसार को रोकने के लिए दिन में केवल एक घंटे के लिए आगंतुकों की अनुमति दी जानी है।

uk-england-cambridgeshire-51490661

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-51490661

A16 Newborough: Pedestrian dies after he is hit by lorry

A man has died after being hit by a lorry.

The 21-year-old was hit by the truck on the A16 at Newborough, near Peterborough, at about 20:25 GMT on Thursday and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the lorry was not injured and has not been arrested, Cambridgeshire Police said. The road was initially closed, but has since reopened.

ट्रक की चपेट में आने से एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।

technology-26734469

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26734469

HTC's time to refocus

It was by common consent the standout smartphone of 2013. The HTC One, with its sleek steely looks and its zippy performance, won all kinds of awards. But what it didn't do was sell enough to pull HTC out of its downward spiral. So can the new version, the catchily named HTC One (M8), pull off the trick of delighting the critics and proving a massive sales hit?

Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter HTC certainly needs some good news. Last year it had just 2.2% of the smartphone market according to the analysts IDC - down from nearly 9% two years earlier. The company made its first ever quarterly loss last year, though it was in good company - apart from Samsung and Apple, everyone is struggling to make money in this business. I got a brief chance to try the new HTC One this morning in the company of the firm's co-founder Cher Wang. It's another good-looking, nice feeling, all-metal device with one standout feature - a camera that allows you to perform all kinds of tricks with a picture after it has been taken. The Duo camera enables you to change which area of the picture is in focus, so that those photos where you find you've focused on the building in the background rather than the person in front of it won't be such a problem in future. The phone also has excellent speakers, producing the kind of sound you used to expect from something much bigger, and it features the latest version of HTC Sense, the software overlay that provides a customised version of Android. A quick demo revealed an experience not unlike the Flipboard app, delivering news, weather and your social media comings and goings with a few swipes of a finger. Here's the problem. I've no doubt that for the kind of people who pore over the list of technical specs when choosing a new smartphone, the HTC One (M8) will prove a popular choice. But that's a minority. To most of us, these days just about every smartphone looks the same - an oblong pane of glass with some icons. I rather suspect that if you walked out on the street and showed this phone to a crowd, many would struggle to distinguish it from a Samsung Galaxy S5 or a Sony Xperia Z1 or an LG G2. So in the end it all comes down to marketing - how big a budget you have to make your phone stand out from the crowd. Cher Wang admits that this is a challenge for HTC. "We have to communicate better. If we go out and actually communicate with our customers, I think they will love it." It is hard to see how HTC can outspend the mighty Samsung, although Ms Wang contends her firm will win by spending its money more smartly. Some, however, may question whether the name HTC One (M8) is such a smart piece of branding. She made a brave prediction that HTC would increase its market share this year - "2014 is HTC's year", she told me. Right now, the firm is in 10th place in IDC's smartphone league - Samsung with 31%, and Apple with 15% are way ahead of the rest of the pack. Four Chinese firms, Huawei, Lenovo, Coolpad and ZTE, are all ahead of HTC, and they, too, are likely to have more to spend on marketing - and a bigger base in their home market - than the Taiwanese phone-maker. Then there's Nokia, which under the new ownership of Microsoft should also have quite a substantial war-chest. The smartphone business is beginning to look a bit like football's Premier League - only the richest have any chance of winning. The concern for HTC must be that it will continue to muddle along in the middle of the table - and that looks like a very unprofitable place to be.

यह आम सहमति से 2013 का उत्कृष्ट स्मार्टफोन था। एचटीसी वन, अपने स्लीक स्टीली लुक और अपने ज़िप्पी प्रदर्शन के साथ, सभी प्रकार के पुरस्कार जीता। लेकिन इसने जो किया वह एचटीसी को उसके नीचे की ओर खींचने के लिए पर्याप्त बिक्री नहीं थी। तो क्या नया संस्करण, आकर्षक रूप से एचटीसी वन (एम8), आलोचकों को प्रसन्न करने और भारी बिक्री हिट साबित करने की चाल चला सकता है?

uk-england-cornwall-50434664

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-50434664

Newquay reinvented: ‘You stopped finding knickers in your garden’

In the summer of 2009 Newquay's image was in tatters. The town was known as a hardcore party resort where anything went. Thousands of teenagers made post-exam pilgrimages to the Cornish coast to drink until they passed out, while gangs of stags and hens marauded through the streets, making the town a no-go area after dark for families and couples.

By Johanna CarrBBC News Then two teenagers died falling from cliffs, while a third was seriously injured - all in the space of a few days. Suddenly time was up on Newquay's days of dangerous debauchery. "I can't describe what it was like when the under-18s were coming," says Tracy Earnshaw, who was involved in campaigning to change the culture of the resort. "Indecent exposure was the norm. You used to ring Newquay police and not get much response." In 2009, Tracy lived with her young family in Newquay town centre. Life was pretty tough - they struggled to sleep at night due to the noise, were only able to drive "bangers" because of the number of times wing mirrors and wipers were snapped off, and were trying desperately to sell up and move away. Her campaigning took up a lot of time. "My focus was mostly the underage drinking and lap-dancing clubs which contributed to the antisocial behaviour," she says."They were just all feeding on one another and people were not being held accountable. There was a lot of vested interests and a lot of turning a blind eye." Now she is pleased nobody wanted to buy her home and is glad she still lives in the town. She becomes emotional talking about how things have changed. "It has been quite a phenomenal change, actually," she says. "The less stag groups that came, the less anti-social behaviour there was. You stopped finding knickers in your front garden." In the immediate aftermath of the deaths in July 2009, residents like Tracy rose up and marched on Newquay Town and Cornwall councils, demanding an end to the permissive culture in the town. Soon measures were brought in to try to ensure young people's safety. Newquay Safe - an award-winning partnership between the council, police and about 20 other agencies - was set up and schemes like a bar crawl code of conduct, Challenge 25 and alcohol-free under-18s club nights all aimed to tackle the resort's problems. At the time, Insp Dave Meredith was relatively new to the top policing job in Newquay. Tracy says Insp Meredith, who is retiring at the end of the month, was "instrumental" in changing the culture of the town. "He didn't really care who he upset by simply doing his job," she says. "I would say he was the first person who actually looked at the problem and decided something should happen. He wasn't shy about going into licensed premises and saying 'what is going on here?'" Insp Meredith says Newquay is "absolutely a different place" today. "It was sort of a Wild West town back then," he says. "It was just power drinking and fighting and all that… I knew it was going to be a really challenging job. It is great that we have moved forward in 10 years from something that was causing concern to a lot of people. It was 10 years or so of hard work." He describes himself as "very forthright" and says he was an advocate of "robust" action. He says one thing he looked at was the town's lap-dancing clubs. He found there was "compelling evidence showing issues with them". "That is why we decided to take them to licensing review," he says. "I think Newquay is a far safer place with the closure of these lap-dancing clubs." This summer for the first time in many years Newquay's nightclubs and campsites did not run any dry nights for under-18s because there were no longer enough coming to make it worthwhile. Insp Meredith says there is now a "very robust policy making sure that under-18s don't go into pubs and clubs". He says they work very closely with the licensees. "They realise it is not worth risking their business by letting these people in," he says. "These days we don't have a real problem with underage drinking." Another change has been what is acceptable for people to wear while out drinking in Newquay. A mankini ban has been credited with helping to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. Insp Meredith says this was never a police initiative but rather the venues banding together and deciding they no longer wanted customers dressed in that way. Inflatable genitalia and T-shirts bearing offensive slogans were also prohibited in a code of conduct for the Newquay Pubwatch scheme, meaning people wearing or carrying such items would not get into venues signed up to it. Robin Jones is one of the faces of the new Newquay - a town of upmarket cafes, wine bars and yoga studios. He owns a wine and tapas bar and says life and holidays here have become more family-orientated. Robin says he would not have wanted to live in Newquay in 2009 but moved to the town seven years ago and loves it. "It is such a beautiful place around the beaches and the coastline," he says. "I think it was massively let down by the town identity and the culture that went with it. House prices have risen dramatically and I think that is attracting a different sort of person to the town. There happened to be three wine bars all started up about the same time three years ago." He says he thinks their success is down to Newquay's new clientele wanting somewhere a bit more upmarket. The entrepreneur says there are fewer stag and hen dos now and those that do come and dress up tend to get turned away. "A lot of the businesses won't let them in any more," he says. "I feel a bit sorry for them because they are walking around with nowhere to go to. "All the people that come in the bar say what a different town it is and how much nicer and calmer it is." Tourism data from Visit Britain shows Newquay does not appear to have suffered a big drop in visitor numbers since the changes. The tourism survey indicates there were 526,000 visits to the town in 2009 and 441,000 in 2010. Between 2016 and 2018 there was an average of 487,000 visits each year. You may also be interested in: Debbie Anderson-Jones has also noticed how much calmer Newquay is. She started volunteering as a street pastor a decade ago and has seen the worst the nightlife had to offer. The street pastor scheme has now ended and these days she runs Pirans Angels, which offers a similar service on a reduced number of nights. Of the drinking culture, she says: "It started on a Saturday afternoon and [you used to think] if we are going to town we have got to get in and out before they start... by 10pm people were like 'you need to get off the streets because all hell will break loose'." She says they are now seeing far fewer people on the streets who have made themselves vulnerable through drink, and anyone who causes trouble is effectively instantly banned from all the other venues. "If someone is difficult in one club, door staff and the cameras work together to identify that person and that group and relay that message to every pub and restaurant," she says. "If you are kicked out of one place you are not getting in anywhere. We will say to them 'I just heard what you did, you are all on CCTV, you might as well go home now'." Debbie says the stag groups that still come are different from their predecessors and seem to want to do other activities as well as drinking. As for Tracy, she says her life has completely changed. Recounting incidents of being flashed at and meeting a 15-year-old girl wandering the streets after being raped, she says she can't quite believe how much is different, and credits the change to the right people being in the right places at the right time. "I think a lot of people will forever be grateful to Dave Meredith because he made a difference," she says. "These kids who were 15 and 16 were here to get hammered without any accountability... it was grim and we were made to feel guilty if you had a problem with it. "You had to be really resilient. We always knew we were right and what was happening was wrong. It was unacceptable and actually it was against the law."

2009 की गर्मियों में न्यूक्वे की छवि धूमिल हो गई थी। शहर को एक कट्टर पार्टी रिसॉर्ट के रूप में जाना जाता था जहां कुछ भी हो जाता था। हजारों किशोरों ने परीक्षा के बाद कोर्निश तट पर शराब पीने के लिए तीर्थयात्रा की, जब तक कि वे गुजर नहीं गए, जबकि हिरणों और मुर्गों के गिरोह सड़कों पर घूमते रहे, जिससे परिवार और जोड़ों के लिए अंधेरा होने के बाद शहर एक नो-गो क्षेत्र बन गया।

uk-england-sussex-20376778

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-20376778

East Sussex wildlife charity appeal response praised

A wildlife charity in East Sussex which launched an emergency appeal for help after its funds "plummeted" has praised the public's response.

The East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service said it has received over £4,500 in donations. Founder Trevor Weeks said the charity has been at full capacity since Easter, which has had an impact on its funds. He said: "Thanks to everyone's donations our bank balance is up enough for us to start rescuing again."

ईस्ट ससेक्स में एक वन्यजीव दान संस्था, जिसने अपने धन में "गिरावट" के बाद मदद के लिए एक आपातकालीन अपील शुरू की, ने जनता की प्रतिक्रिया की प्रशंसा की है।

blogs-ouch-30803004

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-ouch-30803004

'The year I lost my limbs was the most brilliant of my life'

In a few weeks Alex Lewis went from being the owner of a pub, to becoming critically ill and a quadruple amputee. Yet he still describes the past year as the best he's ever had.

By Kathleen HawkinsBBC News, Ouch "There are days when I wake up and I think gosh my shoulder hurts, or wow my stumps are sore, but I just keep on pushing forward," Alex Lewis explains. He's on speakerphone as he is unable to hold a phone now he has no hands. As well as losing his limbs, Lewis also lost his lips and nose. Surgeons have since grafted skin from his shoulder into lips leaving him, he jokes, looking like a Simpsons character and with a nose that constantly runs. The positivity 34-year-old Lewis, from Stockbridge, Hampshire, has found over the past year has been remarkable for those close to him, and he says he feels happier now than before his illness. Many would find it hard to believe, but he says that great things have come of it. "It's made me think differently about being a dad, a partner, a human being," he says, and a new charity set up in his name has given him a huge impetus to help others. Despite this positive attitude, he can't do a lot of the things he once loved, like cooking and playing golf. He and his partner Lucy have lost the pub they once ran. 'Survival chance of 5%' It was in November 2013 when Lewis thought he had "man flu", but when he spotted blood in his urine, followed by blotchy, bruised looking skin he knew something more serious was happening. It turned out to be a streptococcal infection (type A) and he was rushed into hospital in Winchester on 17 November 2013. The infection penetrated deep into his tissues and organs, and triggered blood poisoning, or sepsis, a life-threatening condition that causes multiple organ failure. The skin on his arms and legs, and part of his face had quickly turned black and gangrenous. For his family and friends, at his bedside every day while he was on a life support machine, it was shocking to see. But for his son Sam, just three at the time, it looked merely as though Daddy was covered in chocolate. Lewis's infected limbs were starting to poison his body and, as soon as he was off life support, he was told he would have to have his left arm amputated above the elbow. He says he felt no sadness or emotion at the news because the doctors were incredibly matter-of-fact. "It was a case of 'this arm is killing me so it has to go,'" he says. It was the second week of December and although he had lost an arm, he wasn't yet out of danger. His damaged legs were beginning to poison his body and, in quick succession he had two more operations to amputate first one leg, then the other, leaving him with just one limb - his right arm. "I processed every amputation individually," he says. "Part of me thought let's just get this process done so I can get out of hospital and home." But ultimately he says he didn't have much time to think. His right arm had been damaged too, but doctors thought there was a chance of saving it. It took 17-and-a-half hours in an operating theatre on Christmas Eve 2013 to rebuild it. Surgeons stripped the arm to scrape the dead tissue away. Then they took 16.5ins (42cm) of his left shoulder blade, along with the skin, muscle, nerves and tissue and grafted it on to his right arm. Having lost three limbs already, use of that remaining hand was seen as crucial by doctors and Lewis was desperate to do what he could to keep it. "I learned along the way that all the quadruple amputees I've met say the one thing they'd kill for is a hand," Lewis says. "It means you can still do your daily stuff, get a drink, write." But the damage proved to be too severe and, one night, while he was asleep, Lewis rolled over and snapped the arm in two. "My hand was dangling down by my elbow," he says. His partner Lucy was devastated, and imagined a far harder life for him now he had no limbs - but Lewis says he didn't care. "There is no point waiting for five years trying to get an arm working again," he says. "I think psychologically it would have been much more damaging to wait all that time and then lose it." With all four limbs amputated, Lewis had to learn how to go about his new life. He could no longer get himself up and washed and dressed in the morning, so had to get used to a carer coming in once a day - but first on his to-do list was learning to walk. He began a 10-week walking course at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton but after just two weeks he surprised everyone by successfully walking on devices called "rocker pylons" - prosthetics on a short pole, with a large rocking foot. He's been walking on them for almost three months now and says he is making great progress but still finds them awkward. "Going up stairs is difficult because of the shortness of them," he says, "and different terrains are hard." He has chosen to use prosthetic arms and currently uses ones with hooks. His attitude is: "I might as well try what is best and then make my mind up." The prosthetics let him do things like open a fridge, pick up a drink or open a bag of sweets, actions which aren't possible using his stumps. He says it still feels like he's living in a dream world and that it's all "a bit alien". Catching sight of himself in a mirror feels uncanny, he says, because the body he had become used to for 33 years has changed beyond his recognition. "It can be upsetting but I just think it is incredible what the human body is able to overcome," he says. Follow @BBCOuch on Twitter and on Facebook, and listen to our monthly talk show

कुछ ही हफ्तों में एलेक्स लुईस एक पब के मालिक से गंभीर रूप से बीमार और चार गुना विकलांग हो गए। फिर भी वे अभी भी पिछले वर्ष को अपने अब तक के सबसे अच्छे वर्ष के रूप में वर्णित करते हैं।

uk-england-29460621

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29460621

What happened to England's lost football grounds?

West Ham United are due to move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford from Upton Park in 2016 while Tottenham Hotspur, who have plans for a new stadium next to their current White Hart Lane ground, will have to find a temporary home venue for the 2017-18 season.

By Andrew DawkinsBBC News They are just the latest clubs to leave their long-established homes - a trend which began in the 1990s and which shows no signs of abating. So what became of England's lost football grounds? Arsenal: Highbury. Closed in 2006 There are hundreds of flats around the old Highbury pitch and John Jeans lives in one with a view of the famous turf from the old North Bank. However, while this is a dream for many Arsenal fans, Dr Jeans has slightly mixed feelings about it. He is a Chelsea fan. "I did say to my wife we'd never live at Highbury," he said. "But a year and a half later, because of the practicality (of it), we ended up moving there." "The Arsenal fans, they like to point out where (Thierry) Henry scored a free kick or (Dennis) Bergkamp scored that goal. "We're very lucky to live in the old stadium.... (But) you feel vaguely irritated by the scene." The North Bank and Clock End stands were demolished after Arsenal left in 2006, but the facades of the old East and West Stands were preserved, while the pitch became a garden. Dr Jeans, 30, a season ticket holder at Chelsea from 1997, said there had been "queues of people" at his gated community since he moved there last year. "Every home game at the Emirates (Arsenal's new stadium) there are people huddling at the four corners of the (old Highbury) ground. "When someone comes out, they pile in... You have stewards trying to take people out. "Before cup finals there are queues of people who come to kiss the old Highbury pitch." Oxford United: The Manor Ground. Closed in 2001 Oxford United now play in League Two but in the 1980s they were briefly a First Division club. Matthew Cavill was nine years old when the club put one over Sir Alex Ferguson in his first game in charge of Manchester United at the Manor Ground in 1986. "Myself and my brother were taken on a whistle-stop tour of the ground," he said. "(Sir Alex) went 'I'm sorry son, but we're going to ruin your day because we're going to win'. (But) I told him in the room we would win 2-0 and we did." However, it was the opposite emotion at the final game there against Port Vale in 2001 before the site became The Manor Hospital. "I was one of the last people to leave the ground. When you have spent so much of (your) life there and then it's gone and we've been relegated, I just felt very empty." Mr Cavill, 37, from supporters' trust OxVox, said the Manor Ground was "never very aesthetically pleasing, but it gave off an aura" which the new Kassam Stadium, the club's home since 2001, "has never had". "(The Manor Ground's) atmosphere was superb. Because it was a small, tiny ground, you felt like with a packed crowd you were about on top of the players and it had a slope which I never appreciated until I got older and played there for my school as a full back. "The (Kassam Stadium) capacity is over 12,000 and our ground average is about 5,500. It's got an open end, the car park end behind the goal... The noise gets lost." "The entrance for the London Road End where the main Oxford fans chanted, that's the same as one of the entrances to the hospital. It's a very weird feeling when you walk up there." Middlesbrough: Ayresome Park. Closed in 1995 After Middlesbrough's Ayresome Park ground closed, Robert Nichols, editor of the fanzine Fly Me To The Moon, decided to live in a house built on the site of the former ground. "I'm just off the pitch. I'm roughly where the Boys End was... where my schoolmates and me watched the matches," he said. "It cost us 50p to get in, which was our pocket money." Boro's old home is not forgotten, though. About 10 bronze sculptures were made to show where key parts of the ground were. In one front garden, a sculpture of a football shows where the penalty spot was. A jumper and a scarf signify two corner flags, while a set of football boots on one doorstep is in the middle of the old centre circle. "The lady in the house is really proud of them," Mr Nichols, 52, said. "The other penalty spot is under someone's front room carpet." Only the vandalised Holgate Wall behind the popular end survives at the site. He has had visitors from Scandinavia, North Korea and South Korea while giving tours of the site, "I wanted to live at Ayresome Park, but I chose the best house from my point of view. It's special enough living at Ayresome Park!" Stoke City: The Victoria Ground. Closed in 1997 "There were grown men who were crying, tears streaming down their faces." Ian Dodd, 72, remembers the day Sir Stanley Matthews returned to his hometown club in the 1960s, but he first went to the ground aged seven, when "the turnstile guy used to let us younger kids sneak under the barrier". "If you got there early enough you could sit on the wall which was right on the edge of the pitch, unless you got a particularly stroppy policeman who made you stand behind it," he said. Mr Dodd, from Clayton, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, also remembered when the Butler Street stand "blew down in a gale" and evidence of the Potteries' industrial heritage - a man "covered in clay, completely white from head to toe". "He would've come straight from the pot banks... You'd go home and you'd be dusting clay off you where the bloke had been squashed up against you in the stand." Now, though, 17 years after the last game, the site owned by developers St. Modwen is a fenced-off field awaiting planning permission for new housing. The former Stoke City social club opposite the ground's main entrance - at one time a scooter garage - is also derelict. "Shops suffered... Also the pub on the corner, The Victoria, that shut too. "It's sad that nothing's been done with the land... It's completely overgrown, there is fencing all around, there is rubbish, dogs running along and fouling, and it's sad to think what went on here years ago and what has happened to it." Bristol Rovers: Eastville Stadium. Demolished 1998 "I bought a square metre of turf. Me and my son used to play Subbuteo on that piece of grass, when he was growing up - we put it on a paved area on the patio." Mike Jay, 59, paid about £5 for his slice of Eastville history, while other Bristol Rovers fans bought bulbs from floodlights. After being inspired by England's World Cup triumph in 1966, he became a Rovers supporter in 1967 and remembers the smell of gas which gave fans the nickname of Gasheads. "The gas works was immediately behind the Tote End. It was just a whiff of gas... (But) certainly in the evenings you could smell it." Although Rovers relocated in 1986 and an Ikea store was later built at Eastville, Mr Jay said one floodlight remained near the M32 motorway for many years after the football club had left and the greyhound track around the pitch had gone. "In the centre of the store I've tried to visualise where the pitch would have been, but it's not that easy," he said. "The tills are where the North Enclosure was, where I spent most of my time watching. "You come down the steps to the entrance to Ikea (in the same place as) steps on the way down to where the turnstiles were. "We would go to a football match rather than go into a Swedish furniture store. It doesn't hold the same excitement for me as going to a football match!" Southampton: The Dell. Closed in 2001 Southampton left The Dell in 2001 and the site is now a mixture of houses and flats with apartment blocks named after former players, such as Le Tissier Court, after Matt. The development follows the shape of the ground, if not the size, with buildings being erected around a central open space, the Ugly Inside fanzine editor Nick Illingsworth, 53, said. However, the origin of the name Crossley Place, a social housing area where the ground's car park used to be, is unclear. "The only connection I can find is Matt Le Tissier's only penalty miss was against Nottingham Forest and the goalkeeper was Mark Crossley," said Mr Illingsworth. "Was someone in the developers a Nottingham Forest fan with a bit of a sense of humour?" Bolton Wanderers: Burnden Park. Closed in 1997 Anthony Rearden, a season ticket holder from the age of three, has lived in Bolton all his life. The telesales worker watched games from all four sides of the ground and now shops "every other day" at the Asda store where he once stood at the Railway Embankment end behind the goal. There are about 10 football photos by windows near the checkouts, including pictures of the ground "in its prime" in the 1950s when Nat Lofthouse was banging the goals in, but he feels "sad" going back to the area, he said. "The people who have never been there would not know there's been a football ground," the 44-year-old said. There are also stores on the old car park outside the former "Manny" (Manchester) Road stand and on the former Burnden Terrace behind the opposite touchline on the right of the photo. "It changed the geographical thing of Manchester Road. The pubs down there used to be packed every day. "(Of) three pubs, two are still there but not run as pubs... (However) the pie shop on Manchester Road is still there. You used to see the players coming out of the pie shop before and after the game." Additional reporting from Matt Lee

वेस्ट हैम यूनाइटेड को 2016 में अप्टन पार्क से स्ट्रैटफोर्ड के ओलंपिक स्टेडियम में स्थानांतरित किया जाना है, जबकि टोटेनहम हॉटस्पर, जिनके पास अपने वर्तमान व्हाइट हार्ट लेन मैदान के बगल में एक नए स्टेडियम की योजना है, को 2017-18 सीज़न के लिए एक अस्थायी घरेलू स्थल खोजना होगा।

entertainment-arts-22628484

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-22628484

Was Doctor Who rubbish in the 1980s?

Doctor Who is 50 this year and has plenty to celebrate. But just like chart-topping bands with albums they wish they had never released, the veteran sci-fi TV show has had its share of turkeys. Why is the 1980s the decade so many fans love to hate?

By Shaun LeyNewsnight It started well. John Nathan-Turner, the new producer, revamped the opening titles. He cast a new doctor, Peter Davison, and cut the jokey tone. Other changes were out of his hands. Doctor Who was evicted from its Saturday time slot, the itinerant Time Lord roaming the TV schedule in an increasingly desperate search for an audience. At the same time the big budget sci-fi cinema seen in films like The Empire Strikes Back was being emulated by US TV imports such as Battlestar Galactica. But what didn't change was the way Doctor Who was made. Complex special effects had to be conjured up in evening studio recordings, a way of producing TV more suited to courtroom drama or soaps. Sylvester McCoy, lead actor from 1987 until the programme was cancelled in 1989, laments that there was never enough time to do the special effects well - a Time Lord unable to turn back the clock. The case for the prosecution? Colin Baker, McCoy's predecessor forced to wear possibly the most distracting costume ever devised for a leading man, the casting of celebrities (including Beryl Reid, Richard Briers and Ken Dodd) as well as minor pop stars in guest roles, and forgettable baddies, like a green sea monster called The Myrka. The actors inside the costume had managed to give some character to the pantomime horse in the children's programme Rentaghost, but even they couldn't save The Myrka from plumbing the inky depths of TV special effects. The demise of the Myrka was played on Room 101 to illustrate Michael Grade's antipathy to 1980s Doctor Who. As Controller of BBC One, he suspended the show for 18 months in 1985. "I thought it was rubbish. I thought it was pathetic," Grade told the programme, "cardboard things probably clonking across the floor, trying to scare kids. You just sit and laugh at it." Hang on, though. 1980s Doctor Who doesn't have a monopoly on imaginative ideas that don't work. The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964) was apparently carried out by wobbling flying saucers which wouldn't have been out of place in the classic cinema flop Plan 9 From Outer Space. The Talons of Weng Chiang (1977), an evocative slice of life on the seedy side of Victorian London, is marred by a laughable giant rat costume. Years later, the costume designer, James Acheson, given more money and time on feature films like Dangerous Liaisons, deservedly won three Oscars. So why do stories from the 1980s routinely get such a hard time? Production techniques and effects budgets could not match feature films. Even video games made Doctor Who look dated. BBC bosses of the time now admit they did not know what to do with the programme, and rather hoped it would go away. John Nathan-Turner tried to keep Doctor Who in the public eye, with a series of bold attempts to generate publicity. In 1986, Bonnie Langford was cast as the Doctor's sidekick. She made headlines, though fans were appalled. At the start of the 1980s they had adored John Nathan-Turner, or JNT as he was known, and he enjoyed the adulation. But pleasing the fans and satisfying the casual viewer simultaneously was hard to pull off. At the end of the decade, though, having survived an 18 month suspension, Doctor Who was on the up. Effects may still have been hit and miss - contrast The Destroyer ("Battlefield") with the Cheetah People ("Survival") - but scripts were more sophisticated, exploring race and sexual identity, and passing critical comment on 1980s Britain. The performance of Sheila Hancock as Helen A in The Happiness Patrol was a homage, of sorts, to Mrs T. Too late to save it, though. As one former BBC insider told Richard Marson, author of a biography of JNT, to be published later this month, by putting it out at the same time as Coronation Street was airing on ITV, in 1989 Doctor Who was "scheduled to death". The 1980s are being re-lived at the British Film Institute right now, as part of the programme's anniversary celebrations. First, Russell T. Davies and now Steven Moffat have made the 21st Century version both a critical and popular success. The lesson of the 1980s, though, is not to take it for granted. A powerful producer can drive a programme forward, but in time can also become a barrier to change. Fans can buoy you up, but pleasing them can leave you deaf to the wider audience. Doctor Who in the 1980s may not have won awards, but behind the latex and laser guns, there were some bold ideas fighting to be heard. Watch Newsnight's Doctor Who film on Wednesday 29 May 2013 at 2230 on BBC Two, and then afterwards on the BBC iPlayer and Newsnight website.

डॉक्टर जो इस साल 50 साल के हो गए हैं और उनके पास जश्न मनाने के लिए बहुत कुछ है। लेकिन एल्बमों के साथ चार्ट-टॉपिंग बैंड की तरह वे चाहते हैं कि वे कभी रिलीज़ न हों, अनुभवी विज्ञान-फाई टीवी शो में टर्की का अपना हिस्सा रहा है। 1980 के दशक में इतने सारे प्रशंसक नफरत करना क्यों पसंद करते हैं?

world-europe-isle-of-man-39131434

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-39131434

Isle of Man weapons amnesty: More than 90 firearms surrendered

More than 90 firearms have been handed in during a month-long weapons amnesty in the Isle of Man.

Police said 92 firearms, along with dozens of knives and other weapons including a cross bow, were surrendered at police stations across the island. Firearms Officer Carl Woods said scale of the response was "surprising". The scheme, authorised by the Attorney General, meant people handing in items are exempt from prosecution. Similar surrenders have taken place in the UK.

आइल ऑफ मैन में एक महीने तक चलने वाली हथियारों की माफी के दौरान 90 से अधिक आग्नेयास्त्र सौंपे गए हैं।

health-52783865

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52783865

Coronavirus doctor's diary: A patient given hours to live, who proved us wrong

Many Covid-19 patients continue to need care at home, once they leave hospital. The story of Mary Blessington illustrates how the path to recovery can involve U-turns, writes Dr John Wright of Bradford Royal Infirmary.

We've already had our second spike - in care homes - and we know the third is waiting impatiently in the wings. Epidemics often have long and bumpy tails. If you catch Covid-19, your risk of death if you're over 80 is 15%. If you are under 50, it is less than 1%. We were late in protecting our care home residents and far too many have died far too early. But most of our older people live independently, many of them alone. Our new Covid-era NHS will have to adapt quickly to care for them, whenever possible keeping them out of hospitals, where the virus abounds, but also looking after them when they are discharged as survivors. In Bradford we are fortunate to have an innovative team called the Virtual Ward, who've been fulfilling this role for the last couple of years. It's almost as though they knew Covid was coming. It was a member of staff on the Virtual Ward that noticed all was not well with Mary Blessington, after she was discharged and returned to her loving husband, Michael. Mary and Michael were both admitted to hospital with Covid-19 on the same day, having most likely caught the virus at the funeral of one of their sons on 16 March. They have been together since the age of 13 and, coincidentally or not, it was when they were placed side by side on the same ward that they began to recover. (I wrote about this here.) Michael was discharged first, and the family was overjoyed when Mary was allowed home a few days later. But Elaine Martin, a trainee advanced clinical practitioner who visited Mary at home, noticed that she was still having difficulty breathing, and that she was deeply worried both about her husband's health and her own prospects of recovery. "She was still having symptoms, she still felt breathless and chest tightness but I think a lot of it was anxiety. She felt she was going to die, and her husband had recovered but has an underlying condition, so there was a lot of anxiety," Elaine says. The decision was taken to bring Mary back to hospital - which was fortunate, because that night her condition worsened. It was thought she might only have hours to live, so Michael and the couple's two surviving sons came to the hospital early in the morning, put on PPE and sat with her, saying their goodbyes. But I am glad to say Mary recovered again. She remains very poorly, and is receiving help for her anxiety, but we hope she is on the mend. Mary is only 67. We have had numerous older parents who have recovered on our wards from Covid-19, but there is a good reason for keeping older people out of hospital if we can and sending them home as soon as it is safe to do so. For elderly patients, every day in hospital leads to "deconditioning", a loss of physical and mental functioning. For some, the strange environment can cause delirium - a condition with symptoms ranging from drowsiness, confusion and rambling speech to hallucinations. The Virtual Ward allows elderly patients to remain instead in familiar surroundings, or to return to them quickly - perhaps enjoying the company of a spouse, children or friends - while also continuing to receive complex clinical care. Staff are on call 24/7, and patients remain the responsibility of the doctors who referred them. "There are really important clinical reasons for people to be in hospital, of course, but for multiple reasons, elderly people just do better at home," says Kate Moore, an occupational therapist trained to understand what equipment and adaptations frail people need at home after being discharged from hospital. "People get weaker when they're in hospital, there's incontinence, not eating and drinking, all those things seem to get worse for people when they're in a hospital bed, and especially in a world where people are wearing masks and they might feel very disorientated. So we try to replicate the care of the ward but in people's own homes." Front line diary Prof John Wright, a doctor and epidemiologist, is head of the Bradford Institute for Health Research, and a veteran of cholera, HIV and Ebola epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. He is writing this diary for BBC News and recording from the hospital wards for BBC Radio. With an ageing population in the UK, many living alone with chronic health problems, there are many people who need more help than local authorities currently provide - all of the political parties accept that. Reform has been promised for years. And now we have Covid to contend with as well. The virus has been disrupting the support networks that some frail and elderly people rely on, and increasing their isolation. "There's a huge problem and growing one around depression and loneliness, because people are doing less with family members. They probably aren't walking as far as they used to. People that we would normally refer to a group for group exercise aren't going to group exercises. So people are getting weaker. So we're going to see more falls," says Kate. One of her patients, 81-year-old Phyllis Holmes, fell and broke her wrist several weeks ago. More recently she developed a cough and diarrhoea and was admitted to hospital with suspected Covid-19 - two warning signs seen in many elderly patients - but her swab came back negative. So she is now back at home, but coping alone is hard. "I can't open my front door or turn on the taps properly - I tried turning them on and nearly flooded the place," she says. "I haven't been able to wash my hair since March. I can't open my pills because I can't get the grip on the bottle - my neighbours would help in the past but they're staying away because of Covid." Before the lockdown, Phyllis also got help from her daughter, but she too is now staying away in case she picks up the virus at the supermarket where she works. The rest of Phyllis's family are isolating for their own health reasons. Kate says she will practise some wrist exercises with Phyllis and help her to find ways of opening the door and getting out into the garden. Another patient on Kate's calling list is Vernon Fearing, who is in his late 80s. Vernon came to Bradford from Jamaica in the 1960s to work on the railways. He has diabetes, and recently had a minor stroke. A couple of weeks ago, when his blood sugars plummeted, he was taken to hospital by ambulance treated and discharged. A week later, when he developed a high temperature, he was admitted to hospital again with a suspected urine infection. But when he was tested, it turned out he had Covid-19. Vernon has been sent home to recover but he is still infectious and this has to be carefully managed. "What we're desperate to try and do for him is just make sure that he doesn't get any weaker than he already is. He's upstairs in his house. He can't come downstairs so I'm taking him a walker to see if that helps him at least get up from bed," Kate says. "I'm going to try to educate the family a little bit on exercises they can do, partly for physical stimulation, but also mental stimulation because obviously, with Covid sometimes people get a hypoactive delirium, which means they get less active, they become very, very drowsy." If that happens, there's then a risk that they will lose interest even in eating and drinking. The person who will help Vernon with his exercises is his granddaughter, Jodie. His wife, Carmen, is in her room, coughing - she is waiting for a test result that will reveal whether she is also Covid-positive. Vernon has trouble speaking. He says he wants to see the sun from his bedroom window so Kate helps him get up and suggests that he dresses each morning. She's going to try to get him re-tested to find out if he is still infectious - which is a concern for Jodie, who has a condition that requires her to take drugs to suppress her immune system. "I can just count my blessings because I know there's a lot of other families that are going through even worse, where they've actually lost members of their families," Jodie says. "And I've just got to be grateful. I'm thankful, even though it's not the best situation." Apart from the two days she spent at home, Mary Blessington has now been in hospital for six weeks. It's not only patients admitted to intensive care - like Mohammed Hussain - who need prolonged treatment for Covid-19. Mary is also not alone in having had return to hospital after being discharged. When Mary is feeling better she asks her son, Craig, to bring her food - a prawn salad, a fruit salad with melon, or crisps - which he leaves at the entrance of the hospital to be taken to the ward. I heard good news on Saturday morning that Craig was en route to the hospital with a big lunch order. When Mary eventually leaves hospital for the second and hopefully final time, she is likely to need further care at home for many more weeks. It will be the Virtual Ward that provides this, until her recovery is complete. Follow @docjohnwright and radio producer @SueM1tchell on Twitter

ब्रैडफोर्ड रॉयल इन्फर्मरी के डॉ. जॉन राइट लिखते हैं कि कई कोविड-19 रोगियों को अस्पताल से निकलने के बाद भी घर पर देखभाल की आवश्यकता होती है। मैरी ब्लेसिंगटन की कहानी बताती है कि कैसे ठीक होने के रास्ते में यू-टर्न शामिल हो सकते हैं।

business-31046887

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-31046887

Shell targets the Arctic

Ben van Beurden has entered the polar bears' den.

Kamal AhmedBusiness editor@bbckamalon Twitter After predictions that Shell might well give up on its Arctic adventure following a collapse in the oil price, endless legal challenges and operational headaches that saw one of their rigs catch fire and a drilling barge run aground - today the oil giant has announced it is restarting operations. Or at least it would like to. It still doesn't have the correct drilling permits and is facing court actions. But if these matters can be sorted out - and that's an IF probably worth writing in capitals - Shell's chief executive told me that the oil major hoped to start exploratory drilling again this summer. Two years ago the oil giant announced a "pause" in its operations in Alaska which were first given the go-ahead a decade ago. The decision came after a string of controversies which you can read about here. But it is now clear a pause did not mean the end of the project. "We didn't abandon all the infrastructure, you cannot, for such a large and complex operation, scale down and scale up whenever you want," Mr van Burden told me. "We have been preparing all this for a potential return." Simon Henry, Shell's chief financial officer, made the point with numbers. It will cost Shell just over $1bn to restart operations this year. And it will cost just under $1bn to keep the project approximately mothballed. "The potential in the Arctic is very, very significant," Mr van Beurden said. Some estimates suggest that there are as many as 24 billion barrels of oil under the Arctic, enough to satisfy America's thirst for hydrocarbons for more than three years. "We believe that the Arctic probably holds the largest yet to be discovered resource base," the Shell chief executive said. The oil major is clear. This is exploring for "potential oil" rather than actual reserves it knows are there. Shell has already discovered gas and the judgement is that there is likely to be a large oil rim around the field. The company believes there is a better than 50% chance of finding oil. Now, for something that is indisputably risky, some might see that as a pretty low percentage. Certainly, Greenpeace doesn't think it is worth it. "Despite announcing cuts [to other investments] Shell hasn't taken the opportunity to cut its most high-cost, high-risk project," Charlie Kronick from the pressure group said. "Shell is taking a massive risk doggedly chasing oil in the Arctic, not just with shareholder value, but with the pristine Arctic environment. "A spill there will be environmentally and financially catastrophic. It's time for investors to recognise that it's impossible for Shell to justify its continued pursuit of offshore Arctic oil." Of course, Mr van Beurden is not ignorant of the issues. "I am very much aware of these concerns. We share the concerns," he said, arguing that there would be "multiple lines of defence" for the environment. "We are as well prepared as any company can be, to mitigate the risks and to make sure we can deal with consequences if there is an issue. "But I know it is an issue that divides society. There is always going to be a difference of opinion about drilling in the Arctic. I don't think we will ever be able to convince everyone that this is the right thing to do." He then goes on to make a broader point. "It is however true that the world does need more hydrocarbons for many years to come. "The energy system is going to double again in its size in the first half of this century. We will need a significant amount of renewables and oil and gas to actually meet that demand. "Oil companies have been there for many, many years. Let's not think that the Arctic is untouched. There have been many activities there which have been very successful without any spills in many, many decades." Shell will need to be ready for a prolonged fight.

बेन वैन बेउर्डेन ध्रुवीय भालू की मांद में प्रवेश कर चुके हैं।

world-africa-51619623

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51619623

Nigeria: Video of manatee dragged along road sparks outrage

Nigeria's environment ministry has launched an investigation after a video emerged of an endangered manatee, also known as a sea cow, being dragged along a dusty road by a group of young men.

It is not clear when the footage was filmed. The animal has been tied in ropes and can be seen trying to get away. Deputy Environment Minister Sharon Ikeazor branded the video "very distressing", and said officials were trying to rescue the creature. Ms Ikeazor said the incident took place in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, and called for an awareness campaign "to educate our people to protect the manatee". Manatees are large marine mammals, which are mostly herbivorous. It is illegal to hunt them in Nigeria, but they are still killed for their meat, oil, and organs which are used in traditional medicine, the AFP news agency reports. Many people in the Niger Delta are poor, despite the region's oil wealth. Pressure group the Blue Planet Society, which campaigns to preserve ocean life, said it was shocking that a "supposedly protected West African manatee can be abused in such a public way". There are about 10,000 manatees along the coast of West Africa, AFP reports, but their numbers are in steep decline. Around the BBC Africa Today podcasts

नाइजीरिया के पर्यावरण मंत्रालय ने एक लुप्तप्राय मनाती, जिसे समुद्री गाय के रूप में भी जाना जाता है, को युवाओं के एक समूह द्वारा धूल भरी सड़क पर घसीटे जाने का एक वीडियो सामने आने के बाद जांच शुरू की है।

uk-england-birmingham-48760870

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-48760870

Birmingham Rep photos shine spotlight on backstage world

When the lights go down and curtain goes up, the eyes of the theatre audience are trained on the actors treading the boards.

But behind the scenes, a small army of rarely-seen people are central to bringing a production to life. Birmingham photographer Fraser McGee spent two months at the city's Rep theatre capturing their efforts, gathering more than 1,000 images in the process. Of those, he picked 100 black and white photographs for a new exhibition which opens this week. Production - Behind the Scenes at Birmingham Repertory Theatre runs from 27 June to 5 August 2019 at Medicine Bakery and Gallery, in New Street, Birmingham.

जब रोशनी कम हो जाती है और पर्दा ऊपर चला जाता है, तो थिएटर दर्शकों की नज़रों को बोर्डों पर चलने वाले अभिनेताओं पर प्रशिक्षित किया जाता है।

uk-england-norfolk-17231239

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-17231239

King's Lynn Mart petition handed in after child's death

A petition calling for roads in King's Lynn to be shut during a fair, after a three-year-old boy was killed by a car, is to be handed to the borough council.

Rio Bell, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, died on 15 February after he was hit on King Street during the annual Mart fair. The petition has now received more than 5,000 signatures. Campaigner Paul Macey, who sat in the road with Rio after he was hit, said the petition would hopefully ensure "another child doesn't lose his life". He said roads around the fair, based on the town's Tuesday Market Place, should be fully closed on Saturdays and on other days at about 17:30 GMT - the time when Rio was struck. The figure of 5,000 names means the petition will now need to be debated at a full council meeting. Norfolk Police's serious collision investigation team is appealing for witnesses to the crash. The two-week Mart finished at the end of February. Rio's funeral was held earlier at St Peter and St John's Church in Kirkley, near Lowestoft.

एक तीन वर्षीय लड़के की कार द्वारा हत्या के बाद, एक मेले के दौरान किंग्स लिन में सड़कों को बंद करने की मांग करने वाली एक याचिका, नगर परिषद को सौंपी जानी है।

business-40404852

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40404852

Can ice structures solve a Himalayan water crisis?

It's midnight at 3,500m (11,000ft) above sea level, the coldest time of the day, in one of the coldest places on the planet. In the middle of winter, temperatures here plunge to -30C (-22F).

By Shivaani KohokInnovators, BBC World Service A group of 10 volunteers are gathering; putting into place a plan to solve a water crisis in Ladakh, the northern most region of India, in the high Himalayas. They are building manmade ice structures, more than 30m tall, that they hope will melt early in the spring and give villagers and their farms the water they need. The ice structures are the brainchild of engineer Sonam Wangchuk. Born in Ladakh, he has worked for several years to find innovative solutions to everyday problems facing the local communities. "We tend to get the solutions created in New York or New Delhi, but they don't work for us here in the mountains. I believe mountain people have to find solutions for themselves," he says. Villagers in Ladakh face harsh living conditions. Road blockages in the winter months mean they are cut off from the rest of the country for most of winter. Mr Wangchuk says the effects of climate change are adding to the problem. He says there are signs that global warming is damaging the delicate climatic water balance in the Hindu Kush Himalayan range. "We can see that the glaciers are receding, to higher altitudes. There is less water in spring, but in the summer months we have experienced dangerous flooding. The water flow in the valley has become erratic," he explains. Mr Wangchuk was inspired by a fellow engineer working in the region, Chewang Norphel. Mr Norphel had created flat artificial glaciers at heights of 4,000m (13,123ft) and above. But the villagers were reluctant to climb up to those levels. Mr Wangchuk says he was crossing a bridge when the idea for his ice structures crystallised. "I saw that there was ice under the bridge, which at 3,000m (9,842ft) was the warmest and lowest altitude in the whole area," he recalls. "And this was in May. So I thought - direct sunlight makes the ice melt, but if we protect it from the sun, we can store ice right here." Ladakh And so, in 2013, he and his students from the Secmol Alternative School began to create prototypes of the ice structures near the village of Phyang. They call the structures "stupas" because they bear resemblance to Tibetan religious stupas - elegant hemispherical or conical structures with pointed tops that contain relics, such as the remains of Buddhist monks. The technology behind the ice structures is simple. Pipes are initially buried under the ground, below the frost line, before the final section of the pipe then rises vertically. Due to the difference in height, temperature, and the gravitational force, pressure builds up in the pipe. The stream water eventually flows up and out from the pipe's raised tip like a fountain. The sub-zero air freezes the water to gradually form a pyramid like structure. "We are freezing water that goes unused in winter and, because of the geometric shape it doesn't melt till late spring," says Mr Wangchuk. In late spring the artificial glacier starts to melt and water can be used for drip-irrigation of crops. The BBC's Innovators series reveals innovative solutions to major challenges across South Asia. Ever heard of the concept of "jugaad"? It's a Hindi term meaning cheap innovation. If you have created a life hack or innovation that you are proud of, or spotted one while out and about on your travels, then share your picture with us by emailing [email protected], use the hashtags #Jugaad and #BBCInnovators and share your picture with @BBCWorldService, or upload your submission here. Learn more about BBC Innovators. As the ice structures look like the familiar religious stupas, Mr Wangchuk believes that this leads to a better sense of ownership amongst the locals. After some initial success with one ice structures in 2014 the nearby Phyang Monastery got involved. The Buddhist monks asked the team to build 20 ice stupas. A successful crowd funding campaign raised $125,200 (£96,500). This money funded a 2.3km (1.43 mile) pipeline which brought water down to Phyang. Mr Wangchuk claims this pipeline can support at least 50 ice stupas. Mr Wangchuk is also now helping to build ice stupas near the winter sports resort town of St Moritz in Switzerland. After an initial prototype is built and tested, the Swiss want to expand the project to counter the phenomenon of fast-melting glaciers in the upper reaches of the Swiss mountains. "In exchange for the ice stupa technology, the Swiss will share their expertise and experience in sustainable tourism development with the people of Phyang, to revive the dying economy of the village," says Mr Wangchuk. But he feels positive about the future. "We want to train enthusiastic youth through our university, and eventually we are hoping to create a whole generation of ice or glacier entrepreneurs.''

यह आधी रात समुद्र तल से 3,500 मीटर (11,000 फीट) की ऊँचाई पर है, दिन का सबसे ठंडा समय, ग्रह पर सबसे ठंडे स्थानों में से एक में। सर्दियों के बीच में, यहाँ तापमान-30 डिग्री सेल्सियस (-22 डिग्री फ़ारेनहाइट) तक गिर जाता है।

uk-40061551

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40061551

Does military intervention increase the terror threat?

In a narrow sense, Jeremy Corbyn's assertion that Britain's recent military interventions have increased the risk of terror attacks in the UK is widely accepted. Many would say it's a statement of the blindingly obvious.

By James RobbinsBBC diplomatic correspondent Taken in isolation, most of Britain's security, defence and diplomatic community readily accept that an increased terror threat inside the UK follows after any military intervention in a predominantly Muslim country. We don't need to look far for the evidence of that. On the eve of Tony Blair's invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the government's Joint Intelligence Committee was blunt in its assessment of possible consequences of war with Iraq: an assessment which was then marked Top Secret but was declassified to allow its publication as part of the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry. "The threat from al-Qaeda will increase at the onset of any military action against Iraq. They will target Coalition forces and other Western interests in the Middle East. Attacks against Western interests elsewhere are also likely, especially in the US and UK, for maximum impact," it stated. "The worldwide threat from other Islamist terrorist groups and individuals will increase significantly. Al-Qaeda associates and sympathisers may well attempt chemical or biological terrorist attacks in the Gulf, including against UK civilian targets there, in the event of war with Iraq. While individual attacks are likely to be small-scale they may be numerous. Individual attacks might inflict relatively few casualties, but will cause significant alarm." In fact, the largest single terror attack in Britain took place on 7/7, in July 2005, of course. Few dispute that Britain's decision to join the invasion of Iraq was used by the 7/7 attackers and those who had radicalised them as part of their excuse for killing civilians in Britain. It is also true that subsequent British military action overseas - including in Libya - has been used by extremists to justify further massacre of innocents in the UK. But Jeremy Corbyn's critics say none of this necessarily means that Britain's military actions overseas were wrong, merely that they definitely had consequences. Separately, many of them argue that Mr Corbyn, even if he didn't intend it, has been "crass" and "insensitive" in his timing, and seems to be providing some sort of excuse for the Manchester bombing, however careful he was to deny that. So if the link between British military intervention and an increased risk of terror attacks in Britain is not seriously disputed, where did that history of intervention originate? Largely in the foreign policy pursued by Tony Blair, as prime minister, intervening first in Sierra Leone, then in Kosovo, with a large measure of public support, to protect civilian populations, including the Muslim majority in Kosovo, from mass murder. It was the same sort of motive, the responsibility to protect civilians at imminent risk, which was put forward by David Cameron and the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy, to explain their intervention against the regime of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya. The British public was divided over that, and even more so over the invasion of Iraq. The prime minister herself, of course, came close to repudiating the Blair doctrine of British military intervention and, by implication, David Cameron's action in Libya, in her United States speech last January. "This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. "We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests." Mrs May was not absolutely ruling out future British military action overseas, but she was recognising there had been failures. All of this said, extremism in the name of Islam, or in the name of an extremist interpretation of Islam, long predates any of Britain's modern military interventions in countries with Muslim majorities, particularly in Afghanistan, Iraq and in Libya. Al-Qaeda has been actively killing civilians since the mid-1990s, achieving global notoriety by killing hundreds of civilians in the 1998 bomb attacks in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. And you can trace a history of grievance in the Middle East against the major imperial powers, including Britain, far further back than that. Equally, not taking a frontline part in foreign wars is also no protection against Islamist terror. Neither Belgium nor Germany played any substantial fighting role in Afghanistan, Iraq, and still less Libya. Germany has been heavily criticised by some other EU countries for being too generous to migrants, the majority of them Muslims. That hasn't kept those countries safe. Both have suffered mass-casualty civilian attacks, just as Britain, France and others have done. The arguments provoked by Jeremy Corbyn are complex. He is accused of being selective and simplistic in his analysis. His critics fault his timing. At an acutely sensitive time, the speech has reopened debate about some of the most difficult issues of foreign policy which touch all of our lives - above all, perhaps, the question: how do we protect tolerance against the intolerant?

एक संकीर्ण अर्थ में, जेरेमी कॉर्बिन का यह दावा कि ब्रिटेन के हालिया सैन्य हस्तक्षेपों ने ब्रिटेन में आतंकवादी हमलों का खतरा बढ़ा दिया है, व्यापक रूप से स्वीकार किया जाता है। कई लोग कहेंगे कि यह स्पष्ट रूप से स्पष्ट बयान है।

uk-england-birmingham-34825818

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-34825818

Bishop of Birmingham holds candlelit vigil for Paris

Hundreds of people have taken part in a candlelit vigil led by the Bishop of Birmingham in sympathy with people affected by the attacks in Paris.

The gathering, outside the cathedral in St Philip's Square, included speeches from leaders of different faiths. The Right Reverend David Urquhart said it was for "people of all faiths and none to join together in solidarity and reflection". A minute's silence was also held as part of the ceremony. The bishop said: "At times like this, the different faiths in Birmingham are able to show that we are united in our condemnation of these attacks and in our determination not to let events like this damage the good relations we have here in Birmingham." Landmarks across the UK, including the Library of Birmingham, were illuminated in the colours of the French flag on Saturday night as a gesture of solidarity with those affected.

पेरिस में हमलों से प्रभावित लोगों के साथ सहानुभूति में बर्मिंघम के बिशप के नेतृत्व में सैकड़ों लोगों ने मोमबत्ती जलाने में भाग लिया है।

uk-wales-30275679

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-30275679

Christmas campaign to tackle drink and drug drivers launched

Police forces across Wales have launched an anti-drink driving campaign in the run-up to the Christmas period.

Over the next four weeks, thousands of motorists face being stopped at various locations and times across Wales. The campaign, involving all four police forces in Wales, includes advertising, social media and, in some cases, the naming and shaming of drivers. Led by Dyfed-Powys Police, the All Wales Winter Anti Drink and Drug Driving campaign runs until 1 January.

पूरे वेल्स में पुलिस बलों ने क्रिसमस की अवधि के लिए शराब पीकर गाड़ी चलाने के खिलाफ अभियान शुरू किया है।

science-environment-17191398

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-17191398

Oetzi the Iceman's nuclear genome gives new insights

New clues have emerged in what could be described as the world's oldest murder case: that of Oetzi the "Iceman", whose 5,300-year-old body was discovered frozen in the Italian Alps in 1991.

By Jason PalmerScience and technology reporter, BBC News Oetzi's full genome has now beenreported in Nature Communications. It reveals that he had brown eyes, "O" blood type, was lactose intolerant, and was predisposed to heart disease. They also show him to be the first documented case of infection by a Lyme disease bacterium. Analysis of series of anomalies in the Iceman's DNA also revealed him to be more closely related to modern inhabitants of Corsica and Sardinia than to populations in the Alps, where he was unearthed. 'Really exciting' The study reveals the fuller genetic picture as laid out in the nuclei of Oetzi's cells. This nuclear DNA is both rarer and typically less well-preserved than the DNA within mitochondria, the cell's "power plants", which also contain DNA. Oetzi's mitochondrial DNA had already revealed some hints of his origins when it was fully sequenced in 2008. Albert Zink, from the Eurac Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Bolzano, Italy, said the nuclear DNA study was a great leap forward in one of the most widely studied specimens in science. "We've been studying the Iceman for 20 years. We know so many things about him - where he lived, how he died - but very little was known about his genetics, the genetic information he was carrying around," he told BBC News. He was carrying around a "haplotype" that showed his ancestors most likely migrated from the Middle East as the practice of formal agriculture became more widespread. It is probably this period of transition to an agrarian society that explains Oetzi's lactose intolerance. Prof Zink said that next-generation "whole-genome" sequencing techniques made the analysis possible. "Whole-genome sequencing allows you to sequence the whole DNA out of one sample; that wasn't possible before in the same way. "This was really exciting and I think it's just the start for a longer study on this level. We still would like to learn more from this data - we've only just started to analyse it."

नए सुराग सामने आए हैं जिन्हें दुनिया के सबसे पुराने हत्या के मामले के रूप में वर्णित किया जा सकता हैः ओटज़ी द "आइसमैन" का, जिसका 5,300 साल पुराना शरीर 1991 में इतालवी आल्प्स में जमे हुए पाया गया था।

entertainment-arts-28428344

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28428344

Fiddler on the Roof's 50 years of musical success

It's exactly half a century since the premiere of Fiddler on the Roof - among the most successful stage musicals written to date. In 1964 Sheldon Harnick and his colleagues worried that the setting, a small Jewish township in eastern Europe in the early 1900s, might limit the show's appeal. But, says Harnick, the show's real subject is a universal one - family.

By Vincent DowdArts correspondent, BBC World Service Sheldon Harnick is 90 and in a long career he's seen a lot change in New York theatre. "Back in the Sixties," he recalls, "if you were producing a show you did backers' auditions to raise the money." "I remember one audition for Fiddler. As people left I heard someone say dismissively 'Oh once they run out of Hadassah benefits there'll be absolutely no audience for it'. At the time I feared maybe they were right." In America Hadassah is the main Jewish women's organisation. Fiddler on the Roof was the fifth show written by lyricist Harnick and composer Jerry Bock. The others had been flops or had modest financial success. The show's script was by Joseph Stein. Bock and Stein both died in 2010. "Years before, a friend sent me a novel called Wandering Star about a travelling Yiddish theatre group in eastern Europe. I loved it so I asked Joe Stein would it work as a musical. "Joe said it was too big and had too many characters but we dug out other pieces by the same author, Shalom Aleichem. We found a book of short stories called Teyve's Daughters: that's where Fiddler came from." Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit on July 27th 1964. On Broadway it would be the first musical to exceed 3,000 performances and in 1972 it became the longest running Broadway musical to date. (Several shows have overtaken it since.) Sheldon Harnick says ultimately he decided the play's setting was secondary. "People thought it was the great Jewish musical which obviously is thrilling. But I've been watching audiences react now for 50 years and at heart the story is about family. It's the most universal story there is." Every songwriting duo writes in a different way: Bock and Harnick's method was to be in different rooms. "Jerry would put the music onto tape as piano pieces. I'd get a reel of tape delivered which sometimes contained eight or ten pieces for my consideration. "I would listen and maybe in a couple of numbers something caught my attention and I'd get to work on a lyric. It could be a wonderful waltz or I might pick up on a little march theme. That was how a show came together. "People told us we were brave to be doing a very specifically Jewish show. I used to tell them I spent three years in World War II in the army fighting Hitler. Maybe that was brave: this was just Broadway." Fifty years ago it was the norm to open a musical well away from New York to give a chance to sort out problems. Harnick remembers the experience vividly. "Detroit was in the middle of a newspaper strike which meant we got no publicity. It was a five-week run and Harold Prince, the producer, told me we had no bookings after the third week and disaster loomed. "But you just get on with fixing the show. I remember the director Jerome Robbins telling the cast we would fix one thing a day with the script or the staging and that way we'd get to New York in good shape." When finally Fiddler on the Roof reached Broadway the critics were full of praise for the star Zero Mostel, who played the dairyman Tevye. The New York Times said his performance was "one of the most glowing creations in the history of the musical theatre". "Zero Mostel was a comedic genius," says Harnick. "He was extraordinarily inventive but unfortunately that inventiveness meant he wasn't suited to giving the same performance six times a week plus matinees. He got bored and a bored star can be problematic. "Zero would ad lib lines. Or he stood where he wasn't supposed to stand and destroyed other actors' cues. "He would create bits of stage business to delight the audience and stop the show. But that was the problem: he stopped the show. He had a real talent but he was also impossible." After nine months the central role of Tevye was recast. "I told Zero I was sorry to see him go. But he said you're just sorry to see the box-office grosses fall. Actually when he left the box-office didn't fall, which broke Zero's heart." In London, the role of Tevye was taken by Israeli actor Chaim Topol, who went on to star in the 1971 film. Harnick liked his performance but says the best Tevye ever was an actor little known outside America called Herschel Bernardi. Reaching the age of 40, Harnick found himself with the biggest hit on Broadway. Songs such as If I Were A Rich Man, Sunrise Sunset and Matchmaker were heard everywhere. "The early shows I did with Jerry more or less persuaded me I could have a career as a writer, though there were days when I doubted even that. "My first show had been a five-week flop and She Loves Me (1963) was what people politely term a 'succes d'estime' - meaning it got good reviews but didn't pay off the investors. So I think you could call Fiddler's success comforting for everyone concerned. I became financially secure and I was sought after as a lyricist." In 1970, Bock and Harnick returned to Broadway with The Rothschilds. But tensions arose and the writing team hailed as the new Rodgers and Hammerstein split up. Harnick later worked with composers including Michel Legrand. Today he's often asked to give advice to young would-be composers and lyricists. "My first advice to anyone who wants to write lyrics is simple - read widely. "You never know what your assignment is going to be. It's important to feel comfortable in most genres and different styles. So even in this online age, I tell everyone read, read, read. "A lyricist is a kind of playwright. You need to be able to write for character and situation. What would these characters speak like? How were they educated? Those are the questions you need answers to." At 90, Harnick still goes to almost every new musical on Broadway. "For one thing I'm a Tony voter so I'm required to see them and at today's prices that saves me thousands of dollars. But I'm not someone who complains about the state of musical theatre: there's real talent out there. A new staging of Fiddler on the Roof is due on Broadway next year. In the meantime Harnick still takes an interest in productions around the world. "I've been with my wife Margery to see it in Holland and Finland and Japan and many other places. I always listen for where the laughs come. There's sentiment in Fiddler, sure, and maybe a kind of nostalgia. But to hear an audience laugh at a show you wrote all those years ago - that's a thrill."

फिडलर ऑन द रूफ के प्रीमियर को ठीक आधी सदी हो चुकी है-अब तक लिखे गए सबसे सफल मंच संगीत में से एक। 1964 में शेल्डन हार्निक और उनके सहयोगियों को चिंता थी कि सेटिंग, 1900 के दशक की शुरुआत में पूर्वी यूरोप में एक छोटी यहूदी बस्ती, शो की अपील को सीमित कर सकती है। लेकिन, हार्निक कहते हैं, शो का वास्तविक विषय एक सार्वभौमिक है-परिवार।

uk-england-wiltshire-35605986

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-35605986

Did a ham sandwich cause Swindon to become a boomtown?

Swindon was a small agricultural holding before the arrival of Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his railway. But does the town owe its existence to the trajectory of a discarded ham sandwich?

By Daniel GarrettBBC News The Wiltshire town is marking the 175th anniversary of the decision to open a railway works - the catalyst that transformed it into a bustling industrial centre. But according to legend, the decision to build the works was inspired by a half-finished lunch. Brunel's Great Western Railway (GWR) needed a central repair works at the halfway point between London and Bristol. "He and his superintendent Daniel Gooch were driving along looking for this space to build the locomotive repair works," said GWR historian Felicity Jones. "They knew they needed somewhere along the London to Bristol line, but couldn't make a decision. "So, eating their lunch while they were on the move, Brunel apparently stood up with half a ham sandwich in his hand threw it out of the carriage and said: 'Wherever this sandwich lands we'll build our locomotive repair facility.' And it landed at Swindon." The origins of the story are lost and there appears no way to confirm - or disprove - its accuracy. Felicity said there were "sound reasons" for locating the works in Swindon, such as the availability of land and steep gradients that meant that locomotives on the Swindon to London line had to stop to load up on coal and water. But whether or not a half-finished lunch was involved, Brunel's decision resulted in a remarkable transformation. Swindon was surrounded by open farmland at the time and was home to a population of just 2,500. Within years of the railway works opening, it was employing more than 40,000 workers. Authorisation for the works was given on 25 February 1841. Construction began almost immediately and the 300-acre site became operational on 2 January 1843. Brunel also built a village of terraced stone houses near the works to accommodate his influx of workers. The Railway Village still stands today as a legacy of the great engineer's impact on the town. Swindon Heritage magazine's Graham Carter said: "Old Swindon which is the area we now call Old Town existed for centuries as an insignificant market town. "But when GWR arrived in 1841 and began building the Railway Village below the hill, they were literally creating a new town. This quickly became known as New Swindon. "Most of its inhabitants were skilled men who were 'imported' to work in the railway maintenance and servicing facility created by Gooch and Brunel. "The two Swindons were largely independent of each other until amalgamation in 1900. By then a sleepy Wiltshire rural community had transformed into a major industrial centre." Brunel's GWR Works transformed Swindon from a tiny hilltop settlement with a population of just 2,500 to a leading centre of industry. Graham said: "The population of New Swindon grew from zero in 1841 to around 2,500 in 1851- thus equalling Old Swindon in just 10 years. "By the time Old Town and New Swindon amalgamated as a new borough in 1900, the population was around 45,000, although Old Town had barely changed during this time. Swindon has been growing almost non-stop since 1841." Railway town - how Swindon developed The site thrived for more than 140 years as the national hub of engine building in the UK. As well as providing a world-class repair facility, it was also responsible for the construction of much-loved steam locomotives such as The Evening Star and the King George V. The works finally closed in 1986, shortly after the announcement that 1,500 jobs at British Rail Engineering Ltd would be cut. The First Great Western train operator rebranded itself as Great Western Railway (GWR) in September. GWR's Paul Gentleman said the original company's legacy to Swindon is "the growth of the railway since 1841 as it sits in the heart of our network on the main line serving London, Bristol and south Wales". The land occupied by GWR has long since been redeveloped, with the former workshops and buildings transformed into the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Village, Botellino's Italian Restaurant and the STEAM Museum. The town now boasts a population of more than 200,000 and is home to major companies such as Intel, WHSmith PLC and Honda.

विक्टोरियन इंजीनियर इसांबार्ड किंगडम ब्रुनेल और उनके रेलवे के आने से पहले स्विंडन एक छोटी सी कृषि भूमि थी। लेकिन क्या इस शहर का अस्तित्व एक फेंके हुए हैम सैंडविच के प्रक्षेपवक्र के कारण है?

world-africa-25578346

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-25578346

Analysis: South Sudan's bitter divide

Despite calls for a ceasefire and peace talks, fighting is continuing in South Sudan, the world's newest state. From the capital Juba, the BBC's James Copnall reports on the background to the conflict.

In the middle of a new camp for the scared and the desperate, made up of hundreds of makeshift shelters clustered around a road, I saw a familiar face. When I first interviewed David in 2011, he was in Khartoum. A southern Sudanese, he had fled the fighting in his home area, and was living in what was then still the capital of the united Sudan. At the time he was planning to go back home, to celebrate South Sudan's upcoming independence. A few months later, we met again in Juba. Life was hard, he said. There were not many jobs. But the euphoria of independence still glowed strong, whatever the challenges. Now David is displaced in his own country, one of tens of thousands seeking shelter at a UN base to escape the fighting which is devastating South Sudan. Military impulse The implosion has happened incredibly quickly. The clashes began on 15 December in the capital Juba, and within days spread to several other places around the country. The problems have deep roots. Some of them can be found in David's own story. At independence, South Sudan was extremely fragile. The new country had suffered through decades of conflict with Khartoum. South Sudan's leaders are all former rebels, and the step from a political problem to a military response is one that is made far too easily here. Those former rebels had also often fought each other, most notably after Riek Machar and others split away from the main rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M), in 1991. Ethnic nepotism The war also deepened ethnic tensions, in part because Khartoum armed some ethnic groups against others. At separation, South Sudan was one of the least developed places on Earth, the result of decades of neglect and the long war years. Millions like David had fled their homes. Any government would have struggled to overcome these sort of challenges. However, South Sudan's political class has failed the people. Corruption is widespread, as is regional and ethnic nepotism. This is what David, and many others, were complaining about after independence. In addition, a political rift within the SPLM grew wider. President Salva Kiir and his deputy, Mr Machar, who had been on opposite sides of the 1991 split, grew more and more antagonistic. In time, other influential figures, including ministers and SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum also began to criticise the president. He was accused of sacking state governors unconstitutionally, quashing dissent in the party and not allowing a democratic challenge to his rule. "You can't ignore the ethnic dimension in all this," one then-minister told me, suggesting that Mr Machar's fellow ethnic Nuers wanted power at the expense of Salva Kiir's Dinka community. Ethnic tensions were only part of the picture: this was a political squabble first and foremost, and many of President Kiir's critics were from his own ethnic group. That said, in South Sudan, politicians' political bases are often ethnic ones. In July, President Kiir sacked all his cabinet - and Mr Machar. Then came the events of 15 December, which will be debated for years. President Kiir says he warded off a coup - his critics say he simply tried to crush them. Outside the country, at least, President Kiir has not been able to convince that many people that this was, indeed, an attempted coup. Move to war Whatever the trigger, this quickly became a war, with Mr Machar leading rebel forces that have taken key towns like Bor and Bentiu, as well as oilfields. A political squabble has become a conflict - and one with nasty ethnic undertones. Both sides have been accused, by the UN and human rights groups, of ethnically motivated killings. David is convinced he and many other Nuer were targeted in Juba, while Dinkas have said the same in areas attacked by the mainly Nuer rebels. Already existing ethnic tensions have been exacerbated dramatically by this fighting. However, prominent Nuers like the army chief James Hoth Mai and the Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial have not joined the largely Nuer rebels, while Mabior Garang - a Dinka, and the son of South Sudan hero John Garang - is part of Mr Machar's team at the peace talks in Addis Ababa. The negotiations are a welcome positive step, but this crisis will not be resolved easily. The first step will be getting a cessation of hostilities that holds. Then comes a more difficult task still: resolving the political fractures that triggered the conflict. President Kiir has already told the BBC he will not contemplate power sharing, while Mr Machar wants the president to resign. Ultimately it may be possible to come to some sort of political deal, informed by whichever way the military pendulum swings. Yet even if that eventually happens, it would not resolve South Sudan's underlying problems. The political class will need to govern for the people, and not for their own self-interest. South Sudan must be weaned away from its reliance on destructive military solutions to political problems. Above all, a comprehensive national reconciliation programme will be needed. If all South Sudan's many ethnicities and interest groups do not manage to forge a genuine national identity, which puts the national interest first, the country's future looks bleak. David, and millions of others, deserve better.

युद्धविराम और शांति वार्ता के आह्वान के बावजूद, दुनिया के सबसे नए राज्य दक्षिण सूडान में लड़ाई जारी है। राजधानी जुबा से, बीबीसी के जेम्स कॉपनल संघर्ष की पृष्ठभूमि पर रिपोर्ट करते हैं।

uk-england-nottinghamshire-48030660

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-48030660

Boys arrested after 'threat' against Keyworth pupil

Two boys have been arrested after armed police were called to a school following reports of a threat against a pupil.

Officers were called to the South Wolds Academy and Sixth Form college in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, at about 14:30 BST. Two boys, aged 11 and 14, were later arrested and remain in police custody. A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said inquiries were ongoing. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. Related Internet Links Nottinghamshire Police -

एक छात्र के खिलाफ धमकी की रिपोर्ट के बाद एक स्कूल में सशस्त्र पुलिस को बुलाए जाने के बाद दो लड़कों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।

world-europe-guernsey-27294997

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-27294997

Guernsey hospital to use temporary surgical wards

Two surgical wards at Guernsey's main hospital could be replaced with a temporary structure for at least the next two years.

The health department already hoped to move patients from Giffard Ward, which has suffered from structural problems and leaks, into a temporary ward. Now it hopes to also move the patients from the De Saumarez Ward, if planners approve of the temporary building. A decision on future of the wards is due before the end of the year. The updated plans for the Princess Elizabeth Hospital site involve building a second storey on the temporary structure.

ग्वेर्नसे के मुख्य अस्पताल में दो शल्य चिकित्सा वार्डों को कम से कम अगले दो वर्षों के लिए एक अस्थायी संरचना के साथ बदला जा सकता है।

uk-england-birmingham-48124991

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-48124991

Baby loss: The hospital helping bereaved families

Losing a baby is devastating enough, without having to go through this experience just feet away from people giving birth. A hospital in the Midlands now hopes to take action by building a safe haven for families enduring the loss of their babies.

By Rebecca WoodsBBC News Lynette Parkes' pregnancy had been plain sailing. The customary scans at 12 and 20 weeks had shown a healthy baby boy. The home she shared with her husband Matt in Hagley, Worcestershire, was prepared for the child's arrival. The nursery was decorated, the crib ready and waiting for its first little occupant. But at seven months, Lynette went to hospital after spotting a "pinprick" of blood. Warning: This story contains a picture some people might find distressing The couple expected to be told all was well and sent home again. But instead of the sonographer quickly picking up a heartbeat, there was silence. A scan confirmed their worst fears; their baby had died. "It completely floored us," said Lynette. "There was no indication there was anything wrong." Distraught, the couple briefly went home to gather some belongings and returned to Birmingham Women's Hospital delivery unit. The following day, Lynette gave birth to their boy, who they named James. The feeling of loss was incalculable. But Lynette and Matt were not prepared for what came next - having to cope with the sounds of babies being born around them in neighbouring rooms. "When we were holding him, he looked so perfect that we didn't believe it," said Lynette. "It was like he was about to breathe, he could just open his eyes and start crying. "And so when you're looking at your child's face like that and you hear the babies crying, it's like an echo of what should have been. "It's like the cruellest joke you've ever heard. [I was thinking] open your eyes - you can do this as well, they've got to be wrong. It's harrowing." As the first, overwhelming waves of grief came, they could not escape the cries of joy reverberating around the hospital. "If you left that room you're then surrounded by the sound of live babies, of families coming and going about to have their baby, leaving with their child," said Lynette. "The pictures on the walls are of happy families, smiling babies - it's a constant reminder of what you're not going to get. "Walk through the corridors, pass all the families, pass neonatal - where you you know that, yes, those babies are very sick but they're alive." After leaving James for the final time, Lynette and Matt left by a back entrance. "We felt like we were scurrying away, we were ashamed of what we weren't taking home; ashamed of what we've been through. I felt like such a failure." Every day in the UK, women endure stillbirths in the same wards as those welcoming their healthy newborns into the world. One in every 238 births in 2017 was a stillbirth, figures from the Office of National Statistics show. In the same year, three in every 1,000 neonatal babies - those born after 24 weeks' gestation - died. More than one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, about a quarter of a million in the UK each year, according to the Miscarriage Association. Among them are those that have to take place on hospital delivery suites. Jo Tidman had excitedly told family friends about her second pregnancy when she passed the 12-week stage. But at a scan three weeks later, after experiencing some spotting, she received the news she dreaded. "We were quickly moved into a quiet room - passing expectant mothers waiting for scans - a toddler chatting to her mum about the baby in her tummy," she said. "I felt sick. I always think of that quiet room as the 'death room' - where they take you to deliver bad news - a sterile area with a wipe-clean sofa and leaflets about miscarriage on the walls." Jo, a BBC journalist in the West Midlands, had to take tablets to end the pregnancy. She was taken to a hospital in the Midlands when she miscarried her baby at home. "When I got there the maternity unit was full, so I was left on a trolley and pushed into a medical supplies cupboard," she said. "My dead baby was put in a plastic bag and left at the end of my bed. I was bleeding heavily but they were busy and so my husband and I were left alone for hours. "We could hear the cries of newborn babies from the medical cupboard we were in and it felt like torture." The bleak situation faced by these women has prompted Birmingham Women's Hospital to take action. It has begun fundraising for a standalone centre for families enduring the loss of their babies. Woodland House would be built on the hospital's grounds, to help the 2,000 women and their families they see every year who have suffered miscarriage, failed IVF, stillbirth or neonatal death. "Many of the places where we break the most awful news to families are not good enough and don't honour the horrible experience that our families are going through," Nicki Fitzmaurice, head of corporate nursing, said. "We talk to families that are heartbroken in tiny rooms where not even the mum and dad can sit down because there's such little space. There might not even be a window. "Outside you can hear the sound of babies crying and happy families, people have balloons, cards and there's lots of cheerfulness, and all you want to do is die a little bit inside. "We want to change that." A crowdfunding mission aims to raise £3.5m for Woodland House, which, if successful, will feature counselling rooms, a private garden, communal lounge for support groups and a family room. It will also have a "sensitive mortuary" which the hospital says will allow "families the opportunity to spend time with their loved ones in comfort and serenity". "Woodland is going to be about honouring loss," said Ms Fitzmaurice. "It's going to be a safe haven, here at the hospital where when terrible things have happened to you - you've had a miscarriage, you've had a stillbirth baby or you've just lost your newborn baby - we're going to build a beautiful place where you can spend time." For Lynette and Matt, holding fundraising events for the new centre is a way of remembering their first little boy. They plan to start by holding a ball. "I think every parent wants their child to have an impact in this world," said Lynette. "By me doing this, I think that's how I'm doing it in his name - it's James having a positive impact in this world." If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, the following organisations are on hand to help: Sands - Stillbirth and neonatal death charity: 0808 164 3332 or [email protected] Tommy's - miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth: 0800 014 7800 or [email protected] Miscarriage Association: 01924 200799 or [email protected] The Lullaby Trust - Sudden infant death syndrome charity: 0808 802 6868 or [email protected]

एक बच्चे को खोना काफी विनाशकारी है, जन्म देने वाले लोगों से कुछ ही फीट की दूरी पर इस अनुभव से गुजरे बिना। मिडलैंड्स में एक अस्पताल अब अपने बच्चों के नुकसान को सहन करने वाले परिवारों के लिए एक सुरक्षित आश्रय का निर्माण करके कार्रवाई करने की उम्मीद करता है।

uk-england-lancashire-46124027

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-46124027

Living next door to a fracking site

At the UK's first operational fracking facility near Blackpool the shale gas has begun to flow. However, a series of small earthquakes continue to disrupt production, and protests by environmentalists show no sign of abating. What is it like to live next door?

By Stewart WhittinghamBBC News Allan Wensley's farm at Little Plumpton does not just border the Cuadrilla site - the facility sits within it. However, since he decided to lease his field to the energy firm, his farmhouse home has been besieged by protesters and he and his family have had abuse shouted at them. "I've had lots of abuse screamed at me and a few abusive letters calling me 'money-grabbing' and a few names," the 56-year-old said. "The police have had to guard my home and my family have been subjected to unpleasant things on the internet. "However, despite it all, I don't regret a thing. I'm convinced fracking will be a good thing." In 2016 Mr Wensley took his own action when the actor Emma Thompson joined a Greenpeace anti-fracking demonstration on his land. Encouraged by his wife, he drove his tractor in circles around the double Oscar winner and Love Actually star, literally spraying her with manure. The protests have continued, but Mr Wensley believes people in the area are split 50-50 over fracking. "It will supply lots of jobs in the area and I believe it will bring a cleaner, green energy for the country," he said. "A lot of people here want it to supply jobs and money for the area." The roots of Geza Tarjanyi's determined opposition to fracking lie in the 2.3 quake that hit the Blackpool area in 2011, and which a report later said was probably caused by exploratory fracking in the area. The next day the children's entertainer found a 2ft crack in his wall and damage to his roof. It was a turning point and he started a long protest campaign which has resulted in many court appearances, a hunger strike and a 15-day walk to Downing Street. He even changed his surname to Frackman by deed poll and is now a full-time campaigner. "Fracking is just not safe and most local people are against," he insists. "The opposition to this has cost me everything but it's worth it. "I've had serious threats of violence - people threatening to break my legs - but I'll carry on." Rodney Knight runs a kennels just yards from the drilling site on Preston New Road - and the semi-permanent protest camp outside. "I didn't want fracking here - I don't think anyone around here does," he said. "But I believe that if it does take off then it will be good for the area, providing jobs and bringing money. "I hope what they say is true and it will provide a source of energy that is green and good for the environment - this country certainly needs that." He says his business has been adversely affected by the campaigners and calls the protest camp a "disgrace". A £2,000 payment given to him out of Cuadrilla's community fund has been spent on security cameras and a gate after he says he found protesters intruding on his property. "It's not the local protesters that I object to but the professional ones who just wander round the country and then move on," he added. Cuadrilla has donated £100,000 to local projects and given another £100,000 to the community, which voted to share it among those affected. People living within 0.6 miles of the site received £2,000 while those living further away received £150. Tom Stanley, a 73-year-old grandfather, said he was unimpressed by the offer. "I thought it was just a sweetener to keep us quiet," he said. "But it certainly didn't have that effect on me," as he then joked: "I think I took it down the pub a few times." As he walked near Mr Wensley's farm adjoining the fracking site, Mr Stanley added: "I'm not in favour of fracking. "I don't think it will bring the benefits they say and I'm convinced it will be bad for the environment. "There's been earthquakes and it seems to bring up toxic water." Barbara Cookson, 67, has lived at the protest camp for the past two years and only goes home to Liverpool at the weekend. "A lot of the locals used to shout abuse at us as they drove past. "But many have changed their tune since the latest earthquakes and apologised to us." Five miles away in Blackpool, shoppers did not express much optimism that fracking would provide a jobs bonanza or investment in the town, which is one of the most deprived in England. "I can't see any money comes here if there is any," said Eliza Bradley, 19, a shop assistant. "I don't think we'll see any benefits anyway - it will just go in someone's pockets. "I don't agree with it anyway - I think it's bad for the environment and won't really work anyway."

ब्लैकपूल के पास यू. के. की पहली ऑपरेशनल फ्रैकिंग सुविधा में शेल गैस का प्रवाह शुरू हो गया है। हालांकि, छोटे भूकंपों की एक श्रृंखला उत्पादन को बाधित करना जारी रखती है, और पर्यावरणविदों का विरोध कम होने का कोई संकेत नहीं दिखाता है। बगल में रहना कैसा लगता है?

uk-scotland-highlands-islands-23194908

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-23194908

Aye, robot: Scotland's rise of the machines

Robots are to be placed into the homes of people with dementia as part of a pilot on the Western Isles, but it is just one of many uses machines are being put to in Scotland amid a wider debate on robotics.

By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter NHS Western Isles is the first health board in Scotland to try out Giraff. The 1.5m (4ft 11in) tall, wheeled robots have a TV screen instead of a head. A relative or carer can call up the Giraff with a computer from any location. Their face will appear on the screen allowing them to chat to the other person. The operator can also drive the robot around the house to check that medication is being taken and that food is being eaten. Size and appearance of robots has been a matter of some debate among designers and engineers, as reported in BBC online's Magazine in March. It told how in 1970, the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori speculated that the more lifelike robots become, the more human beings feel familiarity and empathy with them - but that a robot too similar to a human provokes feelings of revulsion. Mori called this sudden dip in human beings' comfort levels the "uncanny valley". Child-sized robots are also thought to be less threatening than a large machine. Magazine also told how an EU-wide survey last year found that although most Europeans have a positive view of robots, they feel they should know their place. Eighty-eight per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that robots are "necessary as they can do jobs that are too hard or dangerous for people", such as space exploration, warfare and manufacturing. But 60% thought that robots had no place in the care of children, elderly people and those with disabilities. However, companies in Japan and South Korea are developing childcare robots. Korea has also trialled robot prison guards. Healthcare has emerged as a key area for the use of robots in Scotland. Three years ago, the new £300m Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Stirlingshire, became the first in the UK to use a fleet of robots to carry out day-to-day tasks. The robots carry clinical waste, deliver food, clean the operating theatre and dispense drugs. The machines have their own dedicated network of corridors underneath the hospital. Doctors and nurses training at the same hospital use robot patients to hone their skills. A family of seven special mannequins include Stan, who can respond to anaesthetic gases. Another robot simulator, Reg, has a heartbeat, can give blood and describe his symptoms. There is also a baby, two children and a pregnant woman robot. Dounreay, an experimental nuclear power plant in Caithness, has also been at the forefront in the use of robotics. The machines are being designed for, or have already been deployed in, sites too dangerous for humans to work in. A remotely-operated pipe crawler, a device described by its operators as a hi-tech worm, was used to probe the condition of a pipeline once used to discharge radioactive effluent from the site. The £100,000 machine beamed back images from inside the underground pipeline to the sea which was in use from 1957 to 1992. In 2009 it spent five days in the system, sending back video images and radioactivity readings. An underwater robot has recovered hundreds of radioactive particles from the seabed off Dounreay. Other proposed machines include the 75-tonne Reactorsaurus. It was put into development in 2009 to tear out the insides of the Prototype Fast Reactor with 16m-long arms fitted with diamond wire and disks, hydraulic shears, oxy/propane and plasma cutting gear. Designers added six radiation-tolerant cameras relay images and sound back to the control room. Meanwhile, a robotic crane is to be used to remove radioactive waste from a 65.4m pit dubbed the Shaft.

पश्चिमी द्वीपों पर एक पायलट के हिस्से के रूप में मनोभ्रंश से पीड़ित लोगों के घरों में रोबोट रखे जाने हैं, लेकिन रोबोटिक्स पर व्यापक बहस के बीच स्कॉटलैंड में यह कई उपयोग मशीनों में से एक है।

world-africa-37797911

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37797911

Letter from Africa: Why Nigerians need to learn their history

In our series of letters from African journalists, Sola Odunfa looks at why it is a good idea for Nigeria to reintroduce history as a school subject - a move recently backed by the country's senate.

When I was growing up, one of the subjects I learnt in both primary and secondary school was history - not only of Nigeria but also of Europe. The bare facts of the growth of nationalities might not have been interesting to my young mind but I grew up with the conviction that hardly anything could be more exciting than the study of the exploits of men and women who later became heroes - or villains - among their people as they shaped the course of history either in their local areas or in the world at large. A long ago, I read in history books of the conquest of the Ilorin people in the central Kwara State, by Fulani forces from Sokoto under Shehu Alimi following the betrayal of the Alafin of Oyo by his former warlord, Afonja. So now I understand clearly the never-ending undercurrent of ethnic restiveness between the Yoruba and the Fulani peoples in the Kwara state capital. Many other ethnic crises across the Nigerian nation are similarly rooted in historical events and they may be resolved only after excavating the root, but who has the tools? Conquered chauvinism Queen Amina of Zaria in the north, Moremi of Ife and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti of Abeokuta in the west were historical figures whose lives I studied in school. They were women who conquered the chauvinism of their times to lead their communities in war and in political emancipation. Their history is a study in equality of the sexes, each given the same opportunities. A government has to be retrogressive to discourage the studying of the lives of these great human beings by removing history as a subject from our school curricula. Sola Odunfa: "A person who does not know the history of his own family compound surely cannot seek to settle scores among other families in the clan" It was during the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida in the 1980s and early 1990s that the studying of history began to disappear from our schools and, in recent years, it has not been taught at all. The reason given then was that history did not add to the market value of students after graduation. Experience showed that the only employment open to history graduates was teaching, a vocation which had been degraded by the popular saying that the reward of teachers was in heaven rather than in good pay here on earth. No-one wanted to take a gamble of waiting to get to heaven before enjoying the good life. Many universities cleverly changed their Department of History to Department of History and International Relations and they awarded degrees in the latter subject. The Senate's vote to reintroduce history was prompted by Senator Shehu Sani, who had presented a motion calling for pan-Africanism to be taught in schools. A well-known activist, he appeared to have ignored the saying that charity begins at home. What the majority of lawmakers in the Senate have told him is that a person who does not know the history of his own family compound surely cannot seek to settle scores among other families in the clan. More from Sola Odunfa:

अफ्रीकी पत्रकारों के पत्रों की हमारी श्रृंखला में, सोला ओडुन्फा यह देखते हैं कि नाइजीरिया के लिए इतिहास को एक स्कूल विषय के रूप में फिर से पेश करना एक अच्छा विचार क्यों है-हाल ही में देश की सीनेट द्वारा समर्थित एक कदम।

uk-england-humber-44847925

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-44847925

Man appears in court over Scunthorpe death

A man has appeared in court charged with murder after a body was found in a disused building.

Raymond Ward, 51, was found dead in the building in Cliff Gardens in Scunthorpe on Tuesday. Dion Hendry, 24, of no fixed address, appeared at Grimsby and Cleethorpes Magistrates' Court. He will next appear at Hull Crown Court on 18 July. Another man, aged 36, has been released on bail over the death and a 47-year-old man is still being questioned. A fourth man, aged 37, was also arrested but has been released with no further action, Humberside Police said.

एक अप्रयुक्त इमारत में एक शव मिलने के बाद एक व्यक्ति हत्या के आरोप में अदालत में पेश हुआ है।

uk-england-dorset-19899202

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-19899202

Dorchester's retail projects in the spotlight

Two major retail schemes are set to attract more visitors to a Dorset town, but with doubts hanging over their future and limited parking in the area some residents are concerned they might not deliver what they have promised.

By Sue PazBBC News, Dorset The main square of the £100m Brewery Square development in Dorchester, which is set to include hotels, restaurants and a cinema, was supposed to open this month but has been delayed until next spring due to the wet and windy weather of the summer, which meant cranes were unable to operate. New council buildings, a library and adult learning centre are being built in Charles Street in the town in the first phase of its regeneration. However, there are concerns that the £60m plans for phase two, which were approved in 2010 and had been due to include a hotel and an underground public car park, are "not financially viable". The council's executive committee has now agreed a recommendation to fund up to £2m of preparatory work for phase two, including the relocation of a church from Acland Road to Trinity Street. This move prompted West Dorset Lib Dem councillor, Ros Kayes, to call for Robert Gould, leader of West Dorset District Council, to resign. She said there had been "great disquiet" over decisions made about phase two of the revamp. Mr Gould said the scheme was backed by all three political parties, a claim which Ms Kayes disputed. Ross Cumber, manager of Taste cafe bistro on Trinity Street, said both developments would "draw business away from the central and north areas of the town centre" and added the existing shopping area should have been redeveloped instead. Mr Gould said the current development sites offered a "great future" for Dorchester as they would enable it to "continue to grow and evolve". "At the moment people are going elsewhere to do their shopping," he said, "so if we don't have an attractive retail offer no-one will come here." Residents in Queen's Avenue and Cromwell Road have voiced concerns about parking in the town centre. One 66-year-old resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said Queen's Avenue had become "somewhere to park your car within convenient distance of work, the market, town or station", which had been exacerbated by recent parking restrictions in neighbouring streets. She added an "already bad situation" had been made worse by the closure of 72 short-stay car parking spaces at the Charles Street site. Jane Cowlishaw, 55, described parking in Dorchester as "pretty evil particularly on a Wednesday when it's market day". "No matter how attractive the promise of extra shops in the new developments are, the lack of parking in the town means visitors could be deterred from visiting in the first place," she added. In a letter to Dorchester Town Council, mother-of-two Hayley Gould said trying to find a car parking space on Cromwell Road had become "a daily nightmare". She added her "biggest concern" was Brewery Square because she anticipated more people would use Cromwell Road to park their cars in the future. Ashley Newman, 30, who works in the town, said both schemes looked "good on paper" but added the parking pressures as well the increasing population in Poundbury - Dorchester's urban extension - meant "the reality is years of struggle until everything is completed". Shané Garner, 56, moved to Poundbury with her husband from Lincolnshire in the spring. She said they decided to "take the plunge" after being impressed with neighbouring Dorchester on previous holidays to Dorset, and welcomed the developments. "Where other towns are very much in decline, it seems to be on the up here," she said. Dorchester town crier, Alistair Chisholm, said retail and shopping was "only part of what Dorchester is about". He added: "A huge amount of the future of this town rests in making more of its extraordinarily long and varied past and its unique literary and legal association - such as Thomas Hardy and the Tolpuddle Martyrs." Recommendations have been made by the town council to Dorset County Council for parking restrictions in Queen's Avenue for two or four hour maximum stays. Cromwell Road could also see the introduction of parking restrictions on the bend by the railway station, as well as diagonal parking and a one-way system. The county council said it had allocated its budget for this financial year so no works could be undertaken until 2013-14. Mr Gould said the current park and ride facility in the town was "at full capacity" but added it was something the council hoped to develop in the future. The recommendations made by West Dorset District Council's executive committee for phase two of the Charles Street development are subject to a full council vote on Thursday 25 October. Although the main square at Brewery Square is delayed until March 2013, Waterhouse Resolution Property said the overall project was "on target", but could not give a completion date because it is a "rolling programme".

दो प्रमुख खुदरा योजनाएं डॉर्सेट शहर में अधिक आगंतुकों को आकर्षित करने के लिए तैयार हैं, लेकिन उनके भविष्य और क्षेत्र में सीमित पार्किंग पर संदेह के साथ कुछ निवासियों को चिंता है कि वे जो वादा किया है उसे पूरा नहीं कर सकते हैं।

uk-wales-mid-wales-27624226

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-27624226

Hay-on-Wye: A town of books or festivals?

The annual festival of literature and the arts is taking place in Hay-on-Wye this week, but the event's success masks a struggle for survival among the second-hand bookshops that first made the town famous.

By Huw ThomasBBC Wales arts and media correspondent Several shops have closed in recent years, with the competition from online retailers and e-books forcing the remaining businesses to adapt in order to survive. For some it has meant diversifying their stock, for others it has involved embracing the internet to turn a profit. Richard Booth's Bookshop is the grandest and best-known of the bookshops that pepper the few small streets branching off from the town clock. But even this icon of well-thumbed novels and nearly-new autobiographies has had to introduce food and films to keep a healthy base of customers. Alongside thousands of books - not all of them second-hand - the shop also has a cinema and cafe, and offers workshops and events for visitors. Elizabeth Haycox, the American businesswoman who bought the bookshop from Richard Booth, said it would be pointless to attempt to undercut the online retailers. "I'm not trying to compete with the internet because you can't. The booksellers, who are no longer here, did. Piling them high and selling them cheap just doesn't work. "Richard [Booth's] vision was that Hay would become a town of booksellers, each experts in their own specific field." Selling books Mrs Haycox said the town was evolving thanks to the success of the festival. "Hay is a market town, and it's whatever the market will bear. At one time it was sheep, it was butter, it was cheese, it was books. And now maybe Hay is heading for the next thing, which could well be ideas. "The festival is what has made the change. We no longer have to be a town just about books, we can be a town about ideas." Anne Brichto, who runs Addyman's Books, said the festival period was like Christmas for her three shops in Hay - but selling her stock online had helped counter a fall in trade in the town for the rest of the year. "Not so many people actually come to the bookshops of Hay. Over festival time we are very busy but it's only ten days, and we have to spend the rest of the year selling books. "We're only closed Christmas day, Boxing day, and New Year's Day - the rest of the time we are selling books, and we would love to see people come in this quantity again, which they used to do." Mrs Brichto said the festival was "a mixed blessing" for Hay-on-Wye, with many visitors staying in the tented site on the edge of the town, rather than visiting the bookshops. But she said the event was still good for the town. "It still keeps Hay in the news, it is still a very interesting thing for a town that's the size of a large secondary school to have all these people come here. It's very exciting." Local author Jim Saunders has written about Hay-on-Wye and the other market towns dotted along the Welsh border. He said Hay remained the envy of many of the neighbouring towns. "I think if you took all the bookshops away tomorrow, Hay would still do quite well. It's in the Brecon Beacons National Park, it's got a reputation as an interesting place to go. It's got nice restaurants and pubs, so it's got a lot of things going for it apart from the bookshops." The Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts continues until 1 June. You can find more information, and watch some events live on the BBC Arts site.

साहित्य और कला का वार्षिक उत्सव इस सप्ताह हे-ऑन-वाई में हो रहा है, लेकिन इस कार्यक्रम की सफलता उन पुरानी किताबों की दुकानों के बीच अस्तित्व के लिए संघर्ष को दर्शाती है जिन्होंने पहली बार शहर को प्रसिद्ध बनाया था।

uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-36235367

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-36235367

Natalie Hemming: Man held on missing woman murder charge

A man charged with the murder of a 31-year-old woman missing for four days has been remanded in custody by magistrates in Milton Keynes.

Natalie Hemming was reported missing from her home in Newton Leys, Milton Keynes, on Tuesday by a relative. Paul Hemming, 42, of Alderney Avenue, Newton Leys, will next appear at Luton Crown Court on Monday. Mother-of-three Ms Hemming was last seen on Sunday afternoon in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

चार दिनों से लापता 31 वर्षीय महिला की हत्या के आरोप में एक व्यक्ति को मिल्टन कीन्स में मजिस्ट्रेटों द्वारा हिरासत में भेज दिया गया है।

uk-northern-ireland-34734204

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-34734204

Maghaberry Prison: Timeline of reports and inquiries

Inspectors said on Thursday that Northern Ireland's high security Maghaberry Prison is "unsafe and unstable" for prisoners and staff.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspectorate of Prisons in England and Wales, Nick Hardwick said: "This is the most dangerous prison I've been into throughout my time as Chief Inspector." The prison has faced criticism in a series of reports dating back to 2009: 31 July 2008 October 2008 9 January 2009 21 July 2009 August 2009 16 December 2009 1 February 2010 18 June 2010 8 December 2010 22 May 2011 25 June 2012 27 June 2012 15 October 2012 December 2012 17 December 2012 May 2013 10 April 2014 24 April 2015 5 November 2015 24 February 2016 September 2016 November 2016 August 2017 April 2018

निरीक्षकों ने गुरुवार को कहा कि उत्तरी आयरलैंड की उच्च सुरक्षा वाली माघबेरी जेल कैदियों और कर्मचारियों के लिए "असुरक्षित और अस्थिर" है।

uk-52363397

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52363397

Coronavirus: Advice issued for spending Ramadan in lockdown

The Muslim Council of Britain, the largest umbrella organisation for Muslims in Britain, has published online guidance to help millions cope with the restrictions of lockdown during the coming fasting month of Ramadan.

By Frank GardnerBBC News It says this year's Ramadan, which begins at the end of this week, will be "a very different experience for Muslims as we adapt to changing circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic". With lockdown continuing, there will be no congregational acts of worship outside the home, no Taraweeh prayers at the mosque and no iftars (usually a huge ritual meal marking the breaking of the fast after sundown) with friends and family to attend. Instead, the MCB is offering guidance on how to arrange virtual iftars online with loved ones and community members by using video chat. Plan your iftar menus in advance, it says, so as to avoid multiple shopping trips. It also suggests eating high-energy, slow-burning foods during the second meal of the night, the suhoor, which takes place just before dawn, to help maintain energy levels throughout the daylight fasting hours. The MCB advises Muslims to "honour your workplace duties with patience and good grace to those around you". But it also warns that a refusal by employers to allow flexibility in work timings for fasting employees without a legitimate business reason could amount to unlawful indirect discrimination. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is a special time for nearly two billion Muslims all over the world. In any normal year, it is a time of communal prayer, of daytime fasting, night-time feasting, extensive socialising and acts of profound generosity and charity as Muslims reaffirm their faith in God. For those living in the West, forsaking food and drink during daylight hours while the rest of the population is able to indulge publicly in cafes and restaurants has always been a testing time. But this year it will be very different. With lockdown continuing, most of those visible temptations on the streets will be absent as people stay at home. Yet individual isolation is completely counter-intuitive to most Muslims during the month of Ramadan. Usually, whole communities tend to pour onto the streets after dark to share and enjoy the communal experience with their relatives and neighbours. But Dr Emman El-Badawy, an expert on Islamic jurisprudence, believes the spirit of Ramadan will survive. "So much of the essence of Ramadan can be maintained during isolation. "The spiritual aspects may even be heightened for some of us, with less distractions than usual. "The communal practices will be missed under the restrictions, for sure, but there are already great initiatives being built to help with this." How will you be observing Ramadan where you are? Share your experiences by emailing [email protected]. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

ब्रिटेन में मुसलमानों के लिए सबसे बड़े छत्र संगठन, मुस्लिम काउंसिल ऑफ ब्रिटेन ने रमजान के आगामी उपवास महीने के दौरान लाखों लोगों को लॉकडाउन के प्रतिबंधों से निपटने में मदद करने के लिए ऑनलाइन मार्गदर्शन प्रकाशित किया है।

uk-scotland-30684665

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-30684665

Profile: Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey

Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey, who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone two years ago, is being investigated over claims she gave dishonest answers while being screened for the deadly disease when she returned to Heathrow Airport.

By Stuart NicolsonBBC News Scotland Ms Cafferkey, 39, spent several weeks in Royal Free Hospital in London in January 2015 after becoming the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the UK. She was later discharged after apparently making a full recovery - but later it was discovered that the virus is still present in her body. So what do we know about Ms Cafferkey? Pauline Cafferkey is said to have been inspired to join the NHS after watching the horror of the Ethiopian famine on television in the 1980s. So when an appeal was made for NHS staff who were willing to travel to west Africa to help tackle the Ebola outbreak, she felt compelled to volunteer. Ms Cafferkey - a nurse with 16 years of experience who was working at the Blantyre health centre in South Lanarkshire - was well aware of the risks she would face. But as she prepared to depart for Sierra Leone as part of a 30-strong NHS team in November 2014, she told BBC Scotland that she could not think of any reason not to go. She added: "I have experience in the past. I've done aid work, I've worked in Africa, so I didn't really think about it actually, I just did it." The NHS team - which included GPs, nurses, psychiatrists and emergency medicine consultants - had been specially selected from the 1,000 staff who volunteered to take part in the mercy mission to west Africa, where more than 7,000 people have been killed in the Ebola outbreak. They had undergone nine days of intensive training with the Ministry of Defence before being allowed to start work with patients at treatment centres across Sierra Leone. Colleagues who worked with her have spoken of Ms Cafferkey's dedication and enthusiasm for her role at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Kerry Town. And in extracts from her diary published by the Scotsman newspaper, she described how the work she was doing had quickly come to feel like a "normal part of life". She wrote: "My nice community nursing job in Blantyre is far removed from this but at the moment this seems a lot more real. The dreams that I do remember always seem to have an Ebola theme, it seems to be all consuming." During the third week of her diary, she described "an awful shift" during which she had to tell a young boy, whose father had died from Ebola, that the virus had also killed his mother and sister. "His mother had seen her daughter die in the bed across from her that morning and she died a few hours later," she wrote. "The sad thing is that this is a regular occurrence and we see and hear of whole families being wiped out by this awful disease." Ms Cafferkey returned to the UK on 28 December 2014 for a break as part of a rotation system. She was screened after arriving at Heathrow Airport, but no concerns were raised about her health. While waiting for a connecting flight to Glasgow, she complained about her temperature and had it checked a further six times, but was given the all clear. She arrived at Glasgow Airport at about 23:00 and took a taxi to her home in a block of flats in Cambuslang, on the south eastern outskirts of Glasgow. But a short time later she raised the alarm after feeling unwell, with neighbours waking to find a small fleet of ambulances and police cars sitting in the block's communal car park. She was taken to the specialist Brownlee Unit for Infectious Diseases on the Gartnavel Hospital campus in Glasgow, where she was put in isolation, before being flown on an RAF Hercules aircraft to the Royal Free Hospital in north London on 30 December. Medical staff who treated her there initially said she was "doing as well as can be expected". But on 3 January 2015, the hospital released a further statement saying her condition had "gradually deteriorated" over the previous two days, and her condition was "critical." Her condition was said to have stabilised by 5 January, and she was well enough to be discharged from hospital later that month, with doctors saying she had completely recovered and was not infectious in any way. But it was later discovered that the virus was still present in her body, and she was readmitted to the same hospital in October 2015. She again recovered, before being treated at the Royal Free for a third time in February of this year due to a further complication related to her initial Ebola infection. Ms Cafferkey, whose partner was said to have been among those tested for Ebola after coming into contact with her, had returned to work at the Blantyre health centre. In an interview with the BBC before her relapse, she described how Ebola was still affecting her health, but said she was hopeful of getting better. She said: "I do get joint pains - have done for two or three months now. To start with I had thyroid problems and then my hair fell out so it's taken me a good few months to recover from it. "And that's the thing you just don't know long-term-wise either. Hopefully this is it - that's the end of it." Ms Cafferkey won an award at the the Pride of Britain Awards in central London on 28 September 2015. The award was introduced by Prime Minister David Cameron and presented to her by comedian Lenny Henry. She met the Prime Minister's wife Samantha Cameron the following day at Downing Street, alongside other winners. The Daily Mirror awards recognise courage and achievement against the odds, with nominees voted by members of the public.

स्कॉटिश नर्स पॉलिन कैफरकी, जो दो साल पहले सिएरा लियोन में काम करते हुए इबोला से संक्रमित हुई थीं, उन दावों की जांच की जा रही है कि उन्होंने हीथ्रो हवाई अड्डे पर लौटने पर घातक बीमारी की जांच के दौरान बेईमान जवाब दिए थे।

world-latin-america-37206714

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37206714

Colombia Farc: The Norwegian who helped broker peace

A peace agreement for Colombia has finally been signed in Havana, after four years of negotiation presided over by hosts Cuba and Norway. The BBC's Will Grant in the Cuban capital met the Norwegian man who played a central role.

The relief in the room was palpable. As the former enemies walked in dressed in white, there were smiles and warm handshakes, even embraces ahead of the announcement that Colombians have spent decades waiting to hear: a final peace agreement between the Farc left-wing rebels and the Colombian government. First though, a symbolic moment of national unity. The entire room stood up and with one voice, leftist guerrillas and former generals, rebel commanders and career diplomats, all sang the Colombian national anthem. At one end of the main table, occupying a place he has filled for more than four years, was a slender, bald man with a well-groomed moustache. He listened respectfully to the anthem without singing along although by now he probably knows the words. But it is not his country's song. He is Dag Nylander, head of the Norwegian diplomatic team which - along with the hosts, Cuba - acted as guarantors for the Colombian peace process. For long-standing observers of Colombia's negotiations, Mr Nylander is a familiar sight. He has been a ubiquitous presence at every key moment over the past few years, reading out the details of the accords in his flawless but accented Spanish. At points of high tension or finger-pointing, he seemed to bring a calming presence to the proceedings, an external voice and a Norwegian sense of order to an entangled and bitter dispute. I caught up with him after the heady sense of elation of that night had subsided a little. "We did have a few Cuban cigars and some rum," he admits but more in "relief" at completing a job well done than with any sense of victory. Hardly surprising he and the other negotiators allowed themselves a little celebration. The peace talks are often said to have lasted around four years. In the case of Mr Nylander and other key participants, it was probably closer to six once the secret preparatory talks are included. "It's difficult to understand that this phase is really over," he tells me in a Havana hotel, not far from the one he has been based in for much of the past decade. "It has been very demanding, it has been the main occupation of my life. I've been spending 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round [on the peace process]. So it's been quite all-consuming." When formal talks in Havana started in November 2012, few would have predicted that they would take so long. In retrospect, did people underestimate the size of the task? "I remember one or even both parties having expectations that this would last months, not years," Mr Nylander recalls. "In hindsight, that was obviously not realistic. Could we have done it faster? Maybe. Did we get a solid, well thought-through peace agreement in the end? Absolutely. And I think that is the important thing." Reaching that point has not been plain sailing though, not by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed there were times when it looked like the entire process might collapse completely. "It was always external factors," says the Norwegian diplomat of the hardest moments. "The parties were negotiating during conflict. So the biggest crisis was when 11 government soldiers were killed in Colombia by the Farc. President Santos ordered aerial bombings to resume, resulting in a high number of Farc deaths, including people we knew who had been sitting at the negotiating table." Football and diplomacy Despite those challenges, it seems the two sides' shared concept of Colombia was ultimately stronger than their sharp differences. "These are Colombians, they have a joint history and a joint culture. Many of them had met before, both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table." There was even scope for the occasional light-hearted moment. "For example, at one of the first meetings one of the parties was watching a football game. Colombia versus Venezuela, if I'm not mistaken. And that was an important icebreaker." "Football always helps!" he jokes. He is fulsome in his praise of Cuba, too, for giving "huge support" to Colombia and hosting the talks with "the added value of having great credibility" with both the Colombian government and, especially, the Farc. As for Mr Nylander himself, he too had to adapt to Colombian idiosyncrasies. "If you ask my friends and family back in Norway, they'd say I have a couple of Colombian or Latin American elements in me now. Even to the point of turning up late for meetings which is permissible in Latin American culture but doesn't really work in Norway," he says, no longer wearing a watch on his wrist. "Still, if you ask the parties here, they'd probably say I'm a typical Norwegian!"

मेजबान क्यूबा और नॉर्वे की अध्यक्षता में चार साल की बातचीत के बाद कोलंबिया के लिए आखिरकार हवाना में एक शांति समझौते पर हस्ताक्षर किए गए हैं। क्यूबा की राजधानी में बीबीसी के विल ग्रांट ने नॉर्वे के उस व्यक्ति से मुलाकात की जिसने केंद्रीय भूमिका निभाई थी।

world-asia-china-34421427

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34421427

China's Communist Party theme park - and other unusual attractions

A Communist Party-themed amusement park has opened in Wuhan, China in time for the Golden Week holidays - but has failed to impress everyone. The BBC takes a look at the theme park designed to instil "socialist values" - and five other unusual tourist attractions in China.

Despite being dubbed central China's largest such park by the Wuhan Evening News, the Communist Party-themed amusement park has attracted criticism. Less party-minded online critics have ridiculed the park's rather plain appearance - and what they see as its attempt to "brainwash" visitors. The Communist Party theme park's exhibits include a Young Pioneers flag and an illuminated sculpture with the core values of the Party inscribed on it. It is hoped the park will help visitors better understand concepts like "socialism with Chinese characteristics" and the "outstanding contributions" made by key figures in the history of the Party. But while so-called "red tourism" is undergoing a resurgence, not everyone liked the idea. Commenting on social media, weibo user Fengjiangdepanqujiu said: "I've always thought that if you corralled all 8 million Communist Party members into a special zone, the Communist ideals would immediately be realised." Netizen H_Helios was even less complimentary: "Not complete; they also need to set up a few statues of corrupt officials for citizens to spit on." More capitalist-friendly leisure consumers may perhaps prefer to save their yuan for a trip to Universal Studios' planned theme park in Beijing - reportedly due to open in 2019, but with more input from Steven Spielberg than Chairman Mao. There's also the much-delayed Shanghai Disney Resort, currently due to open in 2016. But for those who prefer their attractions a little more left-of-field, if not quite as left-wing as Wuhan's park, there is no shortage of quirky tourist destinations in China. 1. Roast duck museum Wandering around museums can be hungry work, which is probably a good thing for the Quanjude restaurant chain behind Beijing's roast duck museum. The exhibits include clay models showing you how to prepare roast duck and pictures of famous people, including actor Charlie Chaplin, eating Peking duck. While it may seem like an odd subject for a museum, it is part of a boom in museums of all kinds, that has seen hundreds of museums created every year. 2. Watermelon museum But if you prefer healthier fare, the Beijing area has that covered too, with a watermelon museum in nearby Daxing. This shrine to many people's favourite fruit is packed with facts about their cultivation and history. Its location is not accidental - the area just south of the capital is famous for melon production. 3. Guerrilla life China's official Xinhua news agency reported last year on a cultural theme park in northern Shanxi province that "lets tourists sample life as a guerrilla" through stage shows of war stories and tours around Wuxiang County, which was host to many of China's older revolutionary heroes at various times. 4. Raising the Titanic Given its somewhat unfortunate record on sea-worthiness you might think it would not be such a good idea to recreate the Titanic, which sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912. But the Seven Star Energy Investment Group is apparently determined to make it the main attraction at their planned theme park in Daying, Sichuan Province. Said by the Global Times to have an estimated cost of around one billion yuan ($157m; £103m), the manager of the shipyard responsible admitted to local media that the project was "challenging" as the ship had to meet modern shipbuilding standards. Given the Titanic's history, that is probably just as well. 5. Crime and punishment Chinese President Xi Jinping has used his time in office to crack down on corruption and encourage public patriotism. So it should come as no surprise that along with the growth in "revolutionary tourism", people are increasingly visiting museums dedicated to (the evils of) corruption and crime too. Beijing's Police Museum incorporates both, offering displays on particularly nasty misdemeanours on their patch, as well as their involvement in operations against the nationalist Kuomintang forces in the Chinese Civil War. And with officials falling like flies in the face of corruption allegations, visiting displays of what happens when the powerful get greedy has become not just an entertaining pastime but a preventative measure too. One eastern Chinese city, Shiyan, made dozens of local officials and their partners tour a prison, as a warning against the temptations of corruption, and anti-graft "education centres" can be found across China. At one such centre in Beijing's Haidian District, gloomy prison doors contrast with hi-tech interactive displays, to better visualise the fate that befalls the corrupt.

स्वर्ण सप्ताह की छुट्टियों के लिए चीन के वूहान में एक कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी-थीम वाला मनोरंजन पार्क समय पर खोला गया है-लेकिन सभी को प्रभावित करने में विफल रहा है। बीबीसी "समाजवादी मूल्यों" को स्थापित करने के लिए डिज़ाइन किए गए थीम पार्क और चीन में पांच अन्य असामान्य पर्यटक आकर्षणों पर एक नज़र डालता है।

entertainment-arts-19325003

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-19325003

Museums Sheffield: After the cuts

When the organisation that runs Sheffield's main galleries and museums lost out on £1.4m of annual Arts Council funding earlier this year, it warned of "devastating" consequences. Can a big city's cultural institutions cope with being cut to the bone?

Kim Streets remembers the bad old days. The new chief executive of Museums Sheffield joined the organisation as a curator of social history during the last recession in the early 1990s. "I remember having to go to the then-director to ask for permission to get a colour laser copy for £1," she says. "It was tough times." Back in the '90s, the city's museums and galleries were hit hard as the city council was forced to slash its budget. "Our service clung on through that period, and we did some very exciting things with not very much," Streets recalls. Now the organisation is going through another tough time, with its budget down 43% in the last two years. Its annual grant from the city council is down 15% since last year to £2m, and the £800,000 a year it received from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has now ended. When the government abolished the MLA and transferred its grant-giving powers to the Arts Council, Museums Sheffield applied for £1.4m a year but was turned down. Regional museums across England applied for a total of £117m from the Arts Council - almost double the £60m available. Referring to the Sheffield bid, the Arts Council said the "museums offer in Yorkshire is particularly strong" - meaning "we couldn't fund them all". Derby, Nottingham and Leicester were among the other cities to lose out. But Sheffield kicked up the biggest stink, warning that the quality of its service would "decline significantly". Since then it has received short-term transitional funds from the Arts Council and city council and has also applied for another, lesser strand of regular Arts Council funding. This year 38 of the 108 jobs are being lost - including that of chief executive Nick Dodd, who was replaced by Streets. In recent years staff have taken pay cuts as debts built up. Despite the daunting circumstances, Streets is positive. "There's a feel-good factor about arts and museums and collections," she says. "It's that passion we want to be sharing and that carried us through that period of not having a great deal [in the early '90s]. "That's what will carry us through this period as well - having a strong sense of purpose and a strong sense of arts and museums being food for the soul. "That's what they are and that will drive us through it." So what will the cuts mean for visitors? The organisation, which runs the Graves art gallery, the Millennium Gallery and the Weston Park museum, will host fewer expensive touring exhibitions and instead make more use of works that are usually hidden in the vaults. That will be welcomed by some. On the other side of the Peak District, the Manchester Evening News ran a front page story last month about the "revelation" that Manchester's galleries owned thousands of art treasures that had been "locked away in storage for years". "We want to make sure we can do the best we can with what we have," Streets says. One element of the Manchester story concerned the question of selling some of those dusty artworks. In Sheffield, as in Manchester, that is not on the agenda. One idea that is being considered, though, is introducing entry fees. "I don't think we should be putting admission charges on our sites," Streets says. "Politically, I believe that people should have free access to what are their collections." Reluctantly, though, she adds: "I do think we should just look at it and analyse the financial implications. "At the moment we need to be finding ways to sustain the service in the longer term in this economic climate, and admission charges is an obvious thing to look at." Elsewhere, events will be cut and the education team is being chopped from 23 people to three. The phrase "quality over quantity" keeps cropping up in Streets' strategy. The Graves Gallery, which houses the city's visual arts collection, had been under threat. Its closure has now been ruled out, but its opening times have reduced to four days a week. Strangely, visitor numbers have gone up since the opening hours were cut - something Streets partly puts down to the allure of a current visiting exhibition of Andy Warhol self-portraits. So if the passionate staff can work wonders, and they can make the most of their collections, and visitor numbers have held up, does the organisation really need a higher level of funding after all? Streets' answer, unsurprisingly, is yes. The relatively generous amounts available during the heady days of the late 1990s and 2000s "made a massive difference to our sites", she insists. "We have a new Millennium Gallery, which opened in 2001, we have a refurbished Graves, we have Weston Park museum completely gutted and refurbished and reopened in 2006. "What we've done is develop a service which I think is very much of the moment, it's in tune and it's connecting with people." She points to one of her successors in the social history department who, thanks to pre-crash funding, has been able to work with young people and those with mental health problems. "It's not about just hiding in the store room and quietly curating the collection," Streets says. "Everything we do is for people. "That funding has made a difference in that way. It's expanded those horizons. But the harsh reality is that we are where we are. "It won't be the same level of service. If we had the funding, we would be more ambitious, we would be out there. It does make a difference."

जब शेफ़ील्ड की मुख्य दीर्घाओं और संग्रहालयों को चलाने वाले संगठन को इस साल की शुरुआत में वार्षिक कला परिषद के वित्त पोषण का 1.4 करोड़ पाउंड का नुकसान हुआ, तो उसने "विनाशकारी" परिणामों की चेतावनी दी। क्या एक बड़े शहर के सांस्कृतिक संस्थान हड्डी टूटने का सामना कर सकते हैं?

business-26980299

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-26980299

Foreign buyers dominate London's luxury housing market

As the celebrated architect Frank Gehry unveiled his contribution to redeveloping London's Battersea power station he felt it necessary to say, "I want to create a set of buildings people will want to live in," as if there were an alternative aspiration.

By Rob BroombyBritish Affairs Correspondent, BBC World Service He was addressing a concern that London's luxury new-build property market is becoming a repository for the wealth of the global super-rich. As such, many argue it is doing nothing to ease the city's acute housing crisis - especially if the new homes are left empty. Figures compiled by the global real estate consultancy Knight Frank show that for the two years to June 2013, 69% of new-build buyers in the prime central London market were not British. Almost half, 49%, were not resident in the UK - thus raising the fear that homes have been bought purely as an investment and may be left empty. Young buyers 'don't have a chance' In an earlier phase of the development of the Thames-side Battersea power station, half the apartments built in former power station's shell were sold outside the UK. The chief executive of the Battersea Power Station Development Company, Rob Tincknell, is aware that empty properties create a perception problem. "If this place doesn't work and there's nobody living here, it just won't function properly," he says. "It is essential we do what we can to make sure our homes are occupied, and we're doing everything possible". "You can't stop investors buying, but even if they do they're going to rent these properties out because people will want to live here - they will be great investments." Walking beneath One St George Wharf, another luxury tower development along the river from the Battersea site, I meet a woman walking her dog. "There's no way normal Londoners can live here, no way," she says. She agrees rich foreign buyers are squeezing out local people though she accepts it is "not their intention - it is just they have the money and the wherewithal." "It's out of most people's range," says a man eating a sandwich as he enjoys the new riverside walkway. "Youngsters coming on the market don't have a chance." 'Investment properties' Across London I meet Westminster councillor David Boothroyd outside one of London's most controversial new-build properties. One Hyde Park is a luxury development with, as the name implies, views of Hyde Park itself. "It is the most luxurious block of flats you could ever imagine in London and they sell for about £70m each." "It turns out there's almost no one actually living here," he says. The flats themselves are mostly investment properties and it is easier for the owners to keep them empty than have the hassle of renting them out, he says. "It is not contributing anything to the community because it is empty." He surveyed his central London borough, Westminster, and found that even though the number of homes had increased, the number of voters and council tax payers had fallen because so many properties were unoccupied. However, Grainne Gilmore, head of residential research at estate agents Knight Frank, argues that those who leave properties empty are few and far between. "It is a very small slice of the market. As you move up the value chain you have billionaires - globally wealthy people - who own homes all around the world and they spend a fraction of their time in each. "They are different from the investors, they want to keep their homes for their use only, but it really is at the top end of the market and it is a small fragment of homes in the capital." Despite anecdotal evidence of foreign buyers stoking house price inflation by purchasing normal residential properties, research by Knight Frank suggests that away from the prime central London locations, foreign non-resident buyers - at least of new-build homes - are less active. More than 79% of all new homes, even in inner London, are bought by UK residents and in outer London the figure is more than 93%, according to Knight Frank. "We do not have enough supply of homes in the capital and that has driven up pricing. Houses are not being built full stop," says Grainne Gilmore. Much of the building that is taking place is aimed at the top end of the market. According to the property consultancy EC Harri, the next decade will see 20,000 prime residential units completed in London, with a sales value of £50bn. Prof Tony Travers, who is local government expert at the London School of Economics, agrees and says that London's rapid house price inflation is more to do with the lack of building than with foreign buyers. "The population of London is growing by about 100,000 each year, but we're only building about 18-20,000 new homes." Development criticism Back at Battersea Power Station the modest plans for affordable homes, just 15% of the total, have drawn stiff criticism. And only half of those are expected to be social housing, accepts Rob Tincknell. So the homes ordinary Londoners can afford are simply not being built. Battersea Power Station stopped generating electricity in 1983 and since then differing development proposals have come and gone - but this one, backed by Malaysian money, looks likely to succeed. A much-loved building will have been given a new lease of life, yet most of the 3,444 new homes will be beyond ordinary Londoners' reach. For most, London will have gained another neighbourhood to look at rather than live in.

जैसा कि प्रसिद्ध वास्तुकार फ्रैंक गेहरी ने लंदन के बैटरसी पावर स्टेशन के पुनर्विकास में अपने योगदान का खुलासा किया, उन्होंने यह कहना आवश्यक महसूस किया, "मैं इमारतों का एक समूह बनाना चाहता हूं जिसमें लोग रहना चाहेंगे", जैसे कि एक वैकल्पिक आकांक्षा थी।

uk-england-surrey-11790256

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-11790256

Surrey man cleared over 1987 axe murder

A Surrey man accused of murdering a private investigator found dead with an axe in his head has been cleared after no evidence was offered against him.

Daniel Morgan, 37, of Monmouthshire, was found dead in March 1987 outside a pub in Sydenham, south-east London. James Cook, 55, of Tadworth, was formally found not guilty after prosecutors at the Old Bailey offered no evidence against him. Three other men remain accused of murder and are to go on trial in 2011. William Rees, 56, of Weybridge, Surrey, Glenn Vian, 52, of south Croydon, and Garry Vian, 50, of no fixed address, deny the charge. Mr Morgan, who was originally from the village of Llanfrechfa, jointly ran a security firm called Southern Investigations.

एक निजी जांचकर्ता की हत्या के आरोपी सरे के एक व्यक्ति को उसके खिलाफ कोई सबूत नहीं दिए जाने के बाद उसके सिर में कुल्हाड़ी के साथ मृत पाया गया है।

education-40814995

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-40814995

Transgender children: Preparing for puberty

For most parents, their child's move to secondary school is a big moment which requires planning, even more so for those with transgender children. The Victoria Derbyshire programme has been following two of the UK's youngest trans children for the last two-and-a-half years.

By Sarah BellVictoria Derbyshire programme "I won't mention it, but if it comes up I will be honest. I'm not going to say, 'Guess what, I'm trans', but if someone mentions it I will say I am, because I am," says Jessica. The 10-year-old's friends do not really mention the fact she has transitioned from living as male to female, a fact she prefers. She just wants to be treated "like a normal girl". We first met "Jessica" and "Lily", who is now nine, in January 2015. We are not using their real names. Jessica's stepfather "Alex" - who transitioned from living as female to male - says he is "taken aback, but quite proud" that she plans to be open when she moves to her next school in just over a year's time. While it is not without problems, he says that approach avoids having to worry about whether someone will find out, which can be stressful for both the child and siblings who could accidentally "out" them. "It's a big secret to keep. It just puts so much pressure on them. And so if somebody does feel that they can sort of be open about it, I personally I think that's a better way," he says. Find out more Watch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. Our first piece about Lily and Jessica can be found here. Our second piece can be read here. Transgender is a term used to describe a person who does not identify as the gender that was assigned to them at birth - they may wish to be seen as a different gender or no gender at all. The UK's only centre specialising in gender issues in under-18s is the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, which is based in London and has clinics across the UK. In the last two years, the number of children aged 10 or under who were referred to the NHS because they were unhappy with their biological gender has risen from 87 to 216, including 32 aged five or under over the last year. It is something psychologists at the trust admit surprised them. They say it is impossible to know for sure why so many more children are being referred, but that it is clear there is much greater awareness and acceptance in society for young people to be able to talk about questioning their gender. Lily's mum "Jen" says the search for the right secondary school began two years ago, before her older son started. She asked how it would support trans children, so she knew it could help both of her offspring. At the time, the school had not encountered any other transgender children, but said it was happy to build something into the curriculum to educate the other pupils. The school already has two children transitioning from male to female. "It's reassuring that they've got a bit of experience of it and getting their heads around it," she says. 'Old news really' Lily, who still has two years left at primary school, is "very happy and doing well", her mum says. "[She's] possibly more confident and just seems more relaxed in herself. At school it doesn't seem to be an issue any more, it's just a kind of old news really." But Lily says her fellow pupils are not always kind. "There was a person, they said, 'You won't be a very good woman, you should just be a man', and that really upset me." Jessica went through a more difficult period at the end of last year as hormones began to kick in, her parents said. "Occasionally she'll bring up, 'When I grow up I'm going to live alone, because no-one will want to live with me because I'm trans, I won't ever get a boyfriend'," says mum "Ella". "They should be children, they should just be allowed to get on with stuff. I just want everything to go smoothly and normal for her, as normal as life is," she adds. Jessica's parents say she felt much better after speaking to a consultant at the Tavistock clinic, who reassured her that the physical changes linked to puberty were some way off. Younger transgender children can receive treatment on the NHS, but at that age it takes the form of counselling and support sessions. Medical intervention is not considered until they approach puberty, when hormone blockers might be offered. Blockers pause the physical changes associated with puberty, giving the young person time to think for much longer about their gender identity. At around the age of 16, a patient can then take cross-sex hormones, which would mean they go through the puberty of the gender that they feel that they are. Ella says she worries about whether they will have the money to pay for private treatment if Jessica wants hormones earlier. "I've got friends whose children need it for their own mental health, their hormones earlier. So I am aware that Jessica may need them sooner." Jen adds: "It's hard being a teenager anyway, (let alone) to have to wait until you're 16 for your body to develop. It's upsetting to think all her peers are going to be talking about periods and developing breasts and wearing bras and things and she will be waiting - a really tough thing for her to go through." The most crucial thing for both sets of parents is to support their children as they grow up and ensure that they have the skills to handle the challenges ahead. "The research evidence shows that teenagers and young people who are trans who have had that support, had the treatment that they need, have the support from families and schools have got the same or better mental health than normal non-trans young people," says Jen. She says the families are fortunate that they are going through the experience now. "Even five years ago things were so different. There were no blockers, that must have been so hard for families going through what we're going through," she says. For more information and support: NHS page with general information. The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust - provides the only NHS gender identity service for under-18s. The Gender Identity Development Service - the official website for the service, offering information and resources Mermaids gives support for children, young people and their families Gendered Intelligence gives support to young people Gender Identity Research & Education Centre

अधिकांश माता-पिता के लिए, उनके बच्चे का माध्यमिक विद्यालय में जाना एक बड़ा क्षण है जिसके लिए योजना की आवश्यकता होती है, और भी अधिक ट्रांसजेंडर बच्चों वाले लोगों के लिए। विक्टोरिया डर्बीशायर कार्यक्रम पिछले ढाई वर्षों से यूके के सबसे छोटे ट्रांस बच्चों में से दो का अनुसरण कर रहा है।

uk-44462576

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44462576

Man held over 'Punish a Muslim' letters

A 35-year-old man has been arrested as part of a police investigation into letters calling for a day of violence against Muslims in the UK.

The man, from Lincoln, was arrested on suspicion of soliciting to murder by police investigating the so-called "Punish a Muslim Day" letters. He is also being held on suspicion of sending a hoax noxious substance and threatening letters. The anonymous letters called for a co-ordinated attack on Muslims. The man is in custody at a police station in West Yorkshire. In a statement, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said searches have taken place at a home in Lincoln and an office in the city centre. The letters, which proposed specific forms of attack, have been circulated online and received in communities across England - including West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Leicestershire and London.

ब्रिटेन में मुसलमानों के खिलाफ एक दिन की हिंसा का आह्वान करने वाले पत्रों की पुलिस जांच के हिस्से के रूप में एक 35 वर्षीय व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।

world-europe-39365281

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39365281

EU summit: My part in the Treaty of Rome signing

More than 20 European heads of state and government are gathering this weekend in the Italian capital to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome. Present on that day was David Willey, later to be one of the BBC's longest-serving foreign correspondents. At the time, he was a trainee reporter learning the rudiments of journalism.

By David WilleyBBC Vatican correspondent Newsreels of the event confirm my memory that it was raining cats and dogs on that March evening 60 years ago when the founding fathers of the six-nation European Economic Community (EEC) arrived at Michelangelo's great architectural masterpiece Palazzo dei Conservatori on Rome's Capitoline hill. They included the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer; Paul-Henri Spaak, the Belgian mover and shaker of the new European federal post-war dream; and Walter Hallstein, the German diplomat soon to be elected as the first president of the new community. They were there to put their signatures to what was to become known as the Treaty of Rome. The document promised what they hoped would be "an ever closer union". The symbolism was almost overpowering. They were gathered at the very hub of the ancient world where, 2,500 years ago, six centuries before Christ, the foundations were laid of Rome's first major temple, dedicated to Jupiter, king of the gods. That massive edifice disappeared many centuries ago, the victim of fire or earthquake, but you can still see its excavated foundations, layer upon layer of carefully piled blocks of greyish tufa, the local building material, near the cavernous frescoed room half the length of a football field, where the treaty signing actually took place. The fathers of the new Europe were overlooked by two enormous statues of 16th Century popes raised on plinths at either end, one in bronze, the other in marble. The colourful frescoes depict tales of the legendary heroes and founders of ancient Rome. The ministers and their black-suited advisers sat at long trestle tables and the signatories all said a few inspiring words in Italian, French or German. No-one spoke in English: Britain had been invited to join but had slightly huffily declined. Only four years later Prime Minister Harold Macmillan would reverse British government policy and make a formal application to join the new European club. I had been assigned to cover the signing ceremony by the local Reuters news agency bureau where I was a junior trainee reporter. The English media had shown little interest in the story and that was the reason why I was sent along. I recently checked the report in the following day's Times. It got only a third of a column on page eight. "Historic Date" was the brief headline. The Vatican newspaper of record L'Osservatore Romano was much more upbeat. It lyrically described the event as "the most illustrious and significant international political event in the modern history of Rome". Most of Europe's leaders in the mid-50s were Catholics, so the following day the ministers all trooped off for a private audience across the river Tiber with Pope Pius XII, the wartime pope still reigning at the Vatican. His strong attachment to Germany had been honed by long years spent as nuncio, or papal ambassador, in Berlin. Pius turned out to be more cautious than his newspaper's editorial about the prospects for changing the already successful European Coal and Steel Community into a full-blown political and customs union. "At the present time," he said, "many people are of the opinion that it will be a long while before the initial enthusiasm for [European] unification is revived." What we did not know on that day was that only the first and last pages of the Rome Treaty had actually reached the signatories. The bulky documents on the trestle tables were mostly composed of blank pages. There had been a last-minute mix-up in sending the final text from the chateau in the Brussels suburbs where ministers had been closeted for months arguing and haggling endlessly about such arcane matters as the shape of bananas to be sold in West Germany. The Germans liked long fat ones; the French wanted to sell the smaller sweeter ones from their former African colonies. It was all a foretaste of troubles to come.

20 से अधिक यूरोपीय राष्ट्राध्यक्ष और सरकार इस सप्ताह के अंत में इटली की राजधानी में रोम की संधि पर हस्ताक्षर की 60वीं वर्षगांठ मनाने के लिए इकट्ठा हो रहे हैं। उस दिन डेविड विली मौजूद थे, जो बाद में बीबीसी के सबसे लंबे समय तक सेवा करने वाले विदेशी संवाददाताओं में से एक थे। उस समय, वे पत्रकारिता के मूल सिद्धांतों को सीखने वाले एक प्रशिक्षु रिपोर्टर थे।

health-52506114

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52506114

Coronavirus doctor's diary: Take care when you clap for carers

The Thursday evening celebration of NHS workers causes a spike in arrivals at A&E, Dr John Wright of Bradford Royal Infirmary writes in his regular diary. And below he tells the story of one of those workers, a nurse who suffered badly from the virus but has been discharged just in time for her son's first birthday.

2 May 2020 The Thursday evening clap for carers gets louder and more joyous every week. It is a deeply moving tribute that captures the very essence of our communal spirit in these times of adversity. It is also the only time communities now come together and generates a rare feeling of release and togetherness, a faint memory of a previous era. But when people have gone out to clap we've seen interesting little peaks in accident rates that we weren't expecting. People might need to be a bit more cautious, especially if they've been sitting down all day and then get up to clap. It might be one of the only times older people come outside and so there is a risk of falling and I'd just remind people to take care. "The clap for carers has made us a little busier," says Richard Pilling, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Harrogate District Hospital. "It's very nice that everyone is very enthusiastic about showing support but it's escalated, so people are coming out banging pans and seeing who can clap the loudest, and therein accidents lie. "It's nice to walk on to your doorstep and show appreciation, it's a chance to see your neighbours, and it's lovely to see people sticking together during the lockdown. Just do it less vigorously - you don't have to be the loudest on the street." Clapping injury Ella Simkin, 23, went out with her parents to clap on Thursday at their house in south London, and decided to jump up on to a raised concrete flower bed to get a better view of all the neighbours. She missed her footing, and suddenly "there was this sharp pain," she says. "It sliced into my knee - I was wearing jeans and at first I didn't realise but it was bleeding a lot and we went to Accident and Emergency. "I was very embarrassed when we got there. When I went for the X-ray I was telling them I was out clapping when it happened. Everyone found it very funny and lots of people said my heart was in the right place." Richard points out that some people have been exercising more than usual during the lockdown, but others have stopped exercising, and problems can occur when they suddenly get up and clap. They may fall and break a bone, for example. Some people arrive at hospital immediately after the clap, others later in the evening, after trying and failing to get over their injury at home. "When you're trying to keep pressure off the NHS, it's adding to the workload at a time when we really want to avoid that happening," Richard says. "I think people need to be careful and just slow down a bit if they're going out into the street." Despite the precautions taken in our hospitals, health workers do sometimes catch Covid-19 - and even fit young people without previous health problems may find themselves needing hospital treatment. Palliative care nurse Kelly Ward, aged 35, had been looking after elderly Covid patients at a neighbouring Bradford hospital, when she began to feel out of breath at the end of a shift one day. By the time she got home she was feverish, and the following day she was brought into hospital by ambulance, hardly able to breathe. Front line diary Prof John Wright, a medical doctor and epidemiologist, is head of the Bradford Institute for Health Research, and a veteran of cholera, HIV and Ebola epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. He is writing this diary for BBC News and recording from the hospital wards for BBC Radio 4's The NHS Front Line She was put on a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which has been our secret weapon in the treatment of Covid-19. It blows air into the lungs, keeping them inflated, but the feeling is unpleasant - and the mask needed for machine to work can make people feel claustrophobic. Some of our patients just cannot tolerate it. "At first I panicked, I'm not going to lie," Kelly told me when I visited her on the ward 10 days ago. "I've never had anything like that before and I tolerated it for maybe about an hour or two, and I was fine. And then I told the doctors overnight that I wasn't having it on any more, it was so claustrophobic. It felt like I had no control over what was going into my lungs, even though I know it was helping me. I felt like I couldn't breathe. "And one of the doctors gave me strict talking to and said, 'You know, if you don't have it on you are going to go downhill.' So I had it on again." She got on fine with it for the rest of that day, but the following morning - the day we met - she started panicking again and rejected it. Fortunately, by this stage, Dr Paul Whitaker, a consultant in respiratory medicine, felt she had turned a corner, and could already start to be weaned off oxygen. Kelly agreed. She confessed that there had been a moment during her first 48 hours in hospital when she'd thought she might die, but that moment had passed. However, I witnessed Dr Whitaker talking to another patient, a woman in her early 70s who had tried CPAP and couldn't face it again. He asked her whether she would use it if it was a case of life or death. "No," was the answer. "It's not what my family would want but it isn't their decision," she said. Then she added: "I know I'm not giving you much chance to help me." She died a few days later. Kelly continued to improve, however. It was her objective to be home in time for her son's first birthday on Sunday 3 May, and I'm glad to say she was well enough to be discharged on Friday. In our experience it's taking people a long time to recover from Covid-19. Kelly is still breathless and told me she had to crawl up the stairs on her hands and knees. Once at the top she had to stop and draw breath, before continuing to her bedroom. "I'm breathless, exhausted but really overjoyed to be home," she says. "It's been much harder than I expected. I didn't expect to feel as weak as I do. It's really taken it out of me, it really has. I've been downstairs once and have spent the rest of the time in bed." Kelly's son is so young he may not have realised she'd been away. Her eight-year-old daughter, however, shed tears of joy to see her mother again. "My daughter knows I've been poorly and I'm getting better. She knows it will be a while until I'm back to full force, but she's not frightened," Kelly says. "When this all started I was very open with her and told her I was looking after very poorly people, as was everyone in the NHS. It's been tough and she's done very, very well." "Next Thursday, when everyone in the city comes out to clap, they will be clapping for you, Kelly," I told her. "I'll be clapping for every single person in the NHS," she replied. "Everyone has been unbelievable. My life has been saved and I'm so, so grateful." Two more patients have been discharged. A week ago I wrote about Michael and Mary Blessington, a couple in their 60s who have been together from the age of 13, and who were together in hospital with Covid-19. Mary was finally able to leave hospital today. Their son, Craig, says Michael stood at the gate waiting for her, after she rang to say she was leaving. Then, when it proved impossible to get the fish and chips she had been waiting for for so long, Michael made her scrambled egg. Another Covid-19 patient who is very pleased to be home - and who at one point thought it might never happen. Follow @docjohnwright on Twitter

ब्रैडफोर्ड रॉयल इन्फर्मरी के डॉ. जॉन राइट अपनी नियमित डायरी में लिखते हैं कि गुरुवार की शाम को एनएचएस कार्यकर्ताओं के उत्सव के कारण ए एंड ई में आगमन में वृद्धि होती है। और नीचे वह उन श्रमिकों में से एक की कहानी बताता है, एक नर्स जो वायरस से बुरी तरह पीड़ित थी लेकिन उसे अपने बेटे के पहले जन्मदिन के लिए समय पर छुट्टी दे दी गई थी।

uk-england-birmingham-54285315

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-54285315

From beats to eats: How nightclubs try to survive

A night out looks very different when compared to a few months ago. The ten o'clock curfew, the 'rule of six', sound limits on noise and music and the no dancing rule make it all a different experience. So what are nightclubs doing to adapt and how does a night out feel?

As soon as the lockdown was lifted, Birmingham club The Night Owl decided it would have to try and change the direction of its business. Gone are the times when club-goers would dance the night away on its sprung-wooden dance floor. Now, socially distanced tables are on the floor, food is served and there is no dancing - at least not much. The club's managers decided it made sense to expand its daytime attractions. It had previously hosted monthly food and music events but they have now become a weekly thing. Promoter and DJ Mazzy Snape said: "As well as a reggae cookout we have soul and funk, disco and Prince-themed brunches. "Our Britpop brunch is proving really popular." Customers can book a table at the venue from lunchtime up until closing time. Food and drink is ordered by app. "The whole ethos of the club before was so people could dance - so at first we had to keep reminding them they couldn't," she said. "Most people are understanding, and we do have a bit of chair dancing. "Throughout lockdown we supported people with live-streamed DJ sets, Northern Soul championships, and the like, to keep people occupied - and people appreciated it. "So when we reopened people were keen to support us. "People want us to be there in a year's time when hopefully we can dance again." The Jam House in Birmingham used to welcome more than 600 customers through its doors on a Saturday night - but now only has seating for 150. The live music venue would also regularly host big bands on its stage - but now, with social distancing, the most musicians it can hold is five. Before the curfew, there would be about three musical sets per evening. "But that's gone now," manager John Bunce said. "We've only got four hours to play with so there is some live action, a DJ working as a compere and a then a catalogue of previously recorded live shots from the Jam House of the past. "Then there is a live performance but then it's time to prepare to leave. "The curfew has been hard. We try to be as hospitable as we can but it's hard when given rules from an outside force." Like many other hospitality venues it has had to let staff go. "During lockdown we took advantage of the furlough system," Mr Bunce said "We had just under 50 (staff) in the roll call, unfortunately come this August we had to make a number of people redundant, staff roll about 30 now." Despite the challenges the venue wanted to continue hosting live music and try to continue to support musicians. "We didn't want to run as a pub and restaurant. "It's a big venue on several floors and we didn't think we could create the intimacy or a pub or a bar." Average takings were down to 20% when it reopened and then they suffered a further reduction to 14% when the curfew was introduced. And it could be more restrictions are on the way with pubs and clubs expected to close in some areas of England. "We can only really open Friday and Saturday nights - whereas previously we traded five nights a week." "We think we can hold on until past Christmas at the levels of loss we're experiencing," he added. But what are the changes like for the former nightclub-goers? Harriet Crossley, 19, from Dudley is a regular at Snobs nightclub in Birmingham. The second-year English student at Birmingham City University said since it reopened after lockdown she regularly goes with friends about twice a week. "No dancing is allowed, you have to be completely seated and can't really stand up," she said. "The bouncers are quite strict but also very understanding - everyone complies really well. "It does feel strange but it's like our local so to us it's still the same Snobs. "Everyone wants to support it and nobody wants it to close, so it's always full and there are never any spare tables. "It always used to be about music and dancing but now with the social distancing it's more about a club atmosphere with people your age, rather than going to a pub."

कुछ महीने पहले की तुलना में एक रात बाहर बिताना बहुत अलग दिखता है। दस बजे का कर्फ्यू, 'छह का नियम', शोर और संगीत पर ध्वनि सीमा और नृत्य नहीं करने का नियम इन सभी को एक अलग अनुभव बनाता है। तो नाइट क्लब अनुकूलन के लिए क्या कर रहे हैं और एक रात बाहर बिताना कैसा लगता है?

uk-england-bristol-46725968

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-46725968

Twelve crews sent to 'large fire' in Bristol

More than 40 firefighters have been tackling a blaze at an office block in Bristol.

There were small explosions in the fire, which broke out at the Strachan and Henshaw building in Foundry Lane in the Speedwell area, Avon Fire and Rescue Service said. Twelve crews from across the service area have been at the scene of the "large fire", it said. The service said crews had been "firefighting in difficult conditions". It urged people to avoid the area if possible.

40 से अधिक अग्निशामक ब्रिस्टल में एक कार्यालय ब्लॉक में लगी आग पर काबू पा रहे हैं।