NZ election: The people left behind in Ardern's 'kind' New Zealand

Summary: Throughout her tempestuous first term as New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern has maintained a message of kindness. But as she seeks another term in power, critics say that it will take more than kindness and charisma to get the economy on its feet and lift tens of thousands of people out of poverty, writes the BBC's Shaimaa Khalil.

"Where I come from, there's no kindness happening," says Agnes Magele, a Pacifica-origin single mother of three who lives in South Auckland, the poorest area in New Zealand's biggest city. The phrase "be strong, be kind" became a trademark of Ms Ardern's leadership at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. Ms Magele also says she doesn't feel like she's part of the "team of five million"- another phrase coined by Ms Ardern when referring to the population of New Zealand. "Is it kind when people don't have enough money to buy basic essentials, such as food, for their children? Is it kind when parents have to skip meals so their kids have a bigger portion?" she asks. Ms Magele and her family have struggled for years. She lost her job as a TV extra two weeks before the first Covid-19 lockdown. She's now on the job-seeker benefits of 250 New Zealand dollars (£127; $164) a week. She says that doesn't even cover half her rent. Jacinda Ardern has captured the world's imagination and been widely praised for her strong and compassionate leadership as she steered the country through turbulent times including a terrorist attack in Christchurch, a natural disaster when the White Island, or Whakaari, volcano erupted, and a global pandemic. But critics say her government has failed to tackle child poverty - one of her key promises when she came to power in 2017. An annual report card released by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), in early September, compared the performances of 41 high-income countries on child welfare issues, from suicide rates to childhood obesity, education and environment. New Zealand is at the bottom third in 35th place. The prime minister countered that the Unicef report had not taken into consideration the NZ$5.5bn Families Package which she said has lifted 18,400 children out of poverty. But the government doesn't fare much better even by its own statistics. The latest data has shown only small changes. The plight of Maori and Pacifica citizens Under the Child Poverty Reduction Act, Stats NZ is required to annually report on nine different measures for child poverty. Material hardship is one of the most prominent measures which includes not eating fresh fruit and vegetables, putting off a visit to the doctor, or not being able to pay bills on time. For June 2018 to June 2019 there was no significant change to the percentage of children living in material hardship, compared to the previous year. The figure remains at about 13% - that's 151,700 or one in eight of New Zealand's children. Children living "in material hardship" 13%of all children in New Zealand 23.3%of Maori children 28.6%of Pacific Islander children Poverty is remarkably high in Maori and Pacifica households, with nearly 1 in 4 (23.3%) of Maori children and nearly 1 in 3 (28.6%) of Pacific children living in material hardship. These are sobering numbers and in many ways jar with New Zealand's global image of prosperity and general stability. "European/white New Zealanders have a very different life experience to our Maori or Pacifica citizens," says Unicef NZ executive director Vivien Maidaborn. Ms Maidaborn adds that the white experience in New Zealand, which is predominantly much more financially stable, is taken as the mainstream when actually it's very different from many other parts of the population. Ms Magele, who volunteers with Auckland Action Against Poverty, an organisation that advocates for low-income families to help them navigate the welfare system, has seen this in the families she helps. She says that in her poor neighbourhood of Otara in South Auckland with a large Maori and Pacifica population, many people have been forced into homelessness because their income or benefits don't cover their rent. She said the combination of low benefits and high rent has made it impossible for thousands of families, like hers, to make ends meet. "Sometimes my kids don't like going to school because they're not in the correct school uniform and they don't have enough lunch to go to school with. That really does a lot to children's mental well-being," Ms Magele says. "New Zealand has now approached a tipping point when it comes to housing," says Brad Olsen, a senior economist with Infometrics, an economics analysis think tank. Mr Olsen says that the number of people trying to get into government funded housing went from 4,000 between 2014-2016 to 20,000 in the years that followed. "That highlights how precarious and under how much pressure these families are," he explains. He adds that it's not only a lack of houses but the fact that those which already exist are substandard. "A lot of the time the housing quality is poor. That reinforces some of the issues with poverty: people with healthcare [problems] not able to stay warm and dry or feed the kids because they're trying to put more money into heating or to take the children to the doctor." Mr Olsen said the housing crisis adds to the complexity of poverty in New Zealand. Auckland Action Against Poverty says that another indicator of how bad things have become is the increase in demand for food parcels. It adds that three years ago, 100,000 food grants were handed out by Work and Income (New Zealand's welfare system) in the three months of winter. Right now that number is up to at least 500,000 - a fivefold increase in a period of three years. And that was even before Covid-19 hit. Like many families in her area, Ms Magele gets by on food grants. She says sometimes families go without meals for days while they wait for government assistance. This has happened to her and her children repeatedly, she says. "I've had to reach out to family and friends for a little bit of help but it's hard because they're also in the same predicament as me. It's like asking the poor to help the poor," she says. Pandemic 'might entrench inequality' The situation has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. Ms Maidaborn praised the government's response to Covid-19 but said it did little to alleviate the pressure on poor families. "The subsidies at the welfare level have been quite focused on business. What we may have done is entrench the inequality between people who are already struggling and people who have wealth or assets but in terms of cash flow now are struggling," she says. But Mr Olsen points out that the problem of poverty has been going on for years and will take a long time to solve, though he thinks it hasn't been tackled with enough urgency. "I don't think there's any government in recent times that has made enough headway on poverty. I'm reluctant to say that any one has failed because as a country we have failed. This requires more than a three-year term," he says. He added that as the country deals with the fallout from the pandemic, the government should do more to close the gap on inequality. "When we develop changes because of Covid-19 we need to make sure that we're not making changes back to the status quo. We need to go further than that and support a much wider body of people." On Saturday, Jacinda Ardern is widely expected to win a second term in office - one that will have to tackle a recession, an on-going housing crisis and a nation that has lost a huge chunk of its income with tourism and trade at a standstill. "The biggest lever that the government has, in terms of ending child poverty, is income to the poorest families… it makes the most difference the fastest," says Ms Maidaborn. "It will be harder and harder to do [with the] economic recession but that is what will really change the lives of New Zealand's children," she explains. Meanwhile Ms Magele has a simple message for the government. "Increase our benefits. Stop speaking of kindness and start doing something about it." 9 November 2020 clarification: The usual benefit amount available to sole parents in New Zealand is 375 New Zealand dollars per week.

न्यूजीलैंड की प्रधान मंत्री के रूप में अपने तूफानी पहले कार्यकाल के दौरान, जैसिंडा अर्डर्न ने दयालुता का संदेश बनाए रखा है। लेकिन जब वह सत्ता में एक और कार्यकाल चाहती हैं, तो आलोचकों का कहना है कि अर्थव्यवस्था को अपने पैरों पर खड़ा करने और हजारों लोगों को गरीबी से बाहर निकालने के लिए दयालुता और करिश्मे से अधिक की आवश्यकता होगी, बीबीसी की शैमा खलील लिखती हैं।


Emergency nursery set up in Indonesian town amid hazardous haze

Summary: As a thick haze caused by forest fires continues to blanket parts of Indonesia, with Nasa data showing it could be one of the worst on record, one badly-affected town has started a shelter for babies out of the mayor's office. Pekanbaru is in Sumatra's Riau province, which has declared a state of emergency amid hazardous levels of pollution. Sari Indriwhy speaks to mothers in Pekanbaru.

In an air-conditioned room on the third floor of the Pekanbaru mayor's office, 35-year-old Apriyani watches over her sleeping four-month-old baby Gibran. She is one of four mothers who have moved into this emergency nursery set up by the local government this week. Offered to all needy mothers in town, it is an attempt to protect babies from the toxic haze caused by forest fires that has covered the city for months. "My baby is free from the haze here. It's not like at home," said Apriyani, who like many Indonesians goes by only her first name. "At home my baby just coughs and coughs. Here the room is sealed and there is an air purifier - at home we don't have anything like that." Air pollution levels in Pekanbaru, in Sumatra's Riau province have been recorded at almost 1000 on the Pollutants Standards Index (PSI). A reading above 100 is classified as unhealthy and anything above 300 is hazardous. The forest fires are the result of land clearing for palm oil and rubber plantations. "Babies are suffering the most," says Apriyani. There are rented cribs, milk and baby food in the shelter as well as oxygen tanks but Apriyani says she doesn't want to stay long. "I want the government to work harder to make the haze go away so our children don't have trouble breathing all the time. It's really bad for their health isn't it?" Dr Helda Suryani, the head of the local health service in Pekanbaru says the shelter is for poorer families who are especially at risk. "Richer people can afford air conditioners and they can evacuate. This is for poor people whose houses we have seen are filled all day with the very dangerous haze." When asked why it took so long for the government to create this small shelter, she laughs nervously. "Why a long time? We have been praying for rain and when the military came there were two days of clear weather. But now it's come back. So it keeps going on like this." But the baby shelter has come too late for at least one young mother. Desi is sitting beside her one-year-old in Santa Maria hospital. He has been diagnosed with a serious lung infection. "I have kept my child indoors the whole time. I have not been going anywhere because of the toxic haze but still my child has a lung infection. Why hasn't the government done something, anything?" she asks. "Is the government waiting for all our children to die from the haze?"

जैसे-जैसे जंगल की आग के कारण इंडोनेशिया के कुछ हिस्सों में घना कोहरा छाया हुआ है, नासा के आंकड़ों से पता चलता है कि यह रिकॉर्ड पर सबसे खराब में से एक हो सकता है, एक बुरी तरह से प्रभावित शहर ने मेयर के कार्यालय से बच्चों के लिए एक आश्रय शुरू किया है। पेकनबारु सुमात्रा के रियाउ प्रांत में है, जिसने प्रदूषण के खतरनाक स्तर के बीच आपातकाल की स्थिति घोषित कर दी है। साड़ी इंद्रीवी पेकनबारु में माताओं से बात करती है।


Are US police too quick to shoot knife-wielding suspects?

Summary: The shooting of a student at Georgia Tech has raised questions over when and why police resort to deadly force. In some cities, including one of America's poorest and most violent, officers are trying a different approach.

By Joel GunterBBC News, Washington DC On 17 November 2015, Sergeant Mickey White was driving home in his patrol car, his shift over, when a call went out about a man harassing customers at Jerry's Country Meat and Catering, a local grocery store in Arlington, Georgia. The employee who dialled 911 said the man was behaving oddly, accosting people and singing a hymn - "Great is Thy Faithfulness" - as he walked up and down the aisles. Sgt White took the call. When he arrived, the man was outside sitting in his car, the door open and hazard lights on. He was Derry Eugene Touchtone, a 58-year old white man from Headland, just over the state border in Alabama. He was unarmed. As Sgt White pulled up behind Touchtone, the dashboard camera in his patrol car was recording. In the video, the officer can be heard telling Touchtone to leave the vehicle. Touchtone complies but then ignores repeated instructions to put his hands on the car. Instead he walks slowly out of shot, towards White, and begins to sing. Sgt White fires his Taser but it fails to stop Touchtone. Off camera, a tussle can be heard, followed by two gunshots. Thirty-five seconds after Sgt White had arrived, Touchtone was dead. The dashcam kept recording as other officers arrived on the scene, and it overheard Sgt White talking to another deputy. "You know the bad thing about it, Brent?" White says, "I could've fought him." "Don't second guess yourself," Brent replies. "You did what Mickey had to do." Two years later, and 200 miles north, another controversial police shooting in Georgia has raised questions over exactly what officers have to do to protect themselves against suspects who threaten them with fists, knives, bats or other non-firearm weapons. Scout Schultz, a 21-year-old Georgia Tech student who had battled depression, was reported to police on Sunday after being seen on campus with a knife. When officers arrived on scene, Schultz approached them holding the knife - in reality a multi-tool with a small blade, which a family lawyer says was closed. In an amateur video of the incident, Schultz can be heard saying "Shoot me!" while walking towards the officers. "Drop the knife, man, come on," a police officer responds. "Nobody wants to hurt you," another officer says. Schultz ignores repeated requests to drop the knife, then takes a few steps towards one of the officers. The officer opens fire, hitting Schultz in the chest. The student was transported to the Grady Memorial Hospital but died from the gunshot wound. At a press conference, Schultz's father was asked what he would like to say to the officer who pulled the trigger. "Why did you have to shoot?" Bill Schultz said. "That's the question, I mean that's the only question that matters right now. Why did you kill my son?" It's question that goes to the heart of a shift in policing tactics that is taking place in some parts of the country - an attempted move away from the use of deadly force and towards de-escalation. A series of highly publicised police shootings have drawn national attention to so-called officer-involved shootings, but the vast majority of police officers in the US still have little or no training in how to recognise and engage with a suspect suffering from a mental health crisis, or de-escalate a threat from a knife without resorting to a gun. 'Slow it down' On 9 November 2015, about a week before Sgt Mickey White pulled up at Jerry's Country Meat, a 48-year-old man walked into a Crown Fried Chicken in Camden City, New Jersey, and pulled out a steak knife. High on PCP, and with a history of mental health problems, he was acting wildly, threatening customers. Outside, he jabbed the knife in the direction of two police deputies before setting off down the street. He was soon surrounded by a dozen or so officers, but he continued to swing the knife and move forward. At this point, the situation could so easily have played out the way it did at Georgia Tech on Sunday. The officers could have stood their ground, as they had the right to do. They could have followed a decades-old policing rule that anyone with a knife within 21ft presents an immediate threat to life. They could have shot him dead. But in Camden, one of the poorest and most violent cities in the country, police have for the past few years been taking a new approach. "We stress to our officers that you do not have to rush in and rapidly resolve every scenario," said Lieutenant Kevin Lutz, who has overseen the shift in tactics. "It's OK to slow down, it's OK to take a step back. Sometimes the best thing is to holster your weapon and talk." The Camden officers following the knife-wielding suspect slowed down. They formed a loose group around the man, clearing the street ahead and walking alongside him. One spoke to him, periodically asking him to drop the knife. They waited. Most of the officers had their guns holstered, a few held them subtly at their sides. About 45 minutes after police arrived they were able to Taser the man, and he was arrested. "Those officers would 100% have been legally justified to use deadly force," said Lt Lutz. "Had they stood their ground a deadly encounter would have been forced at that point. By allowing it to unfold, it ended with an arrest and the suspect is alive. Five or 10 years ago, he wouldn't be." But the Georgia Tech shooting on Sunday shows that similar incidents still end fatally today. Of the 40,000 or so serving police officers in the state, about 10,000 have received some kind of mental health and de-escalation training over the past decade, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The gold standard is a 40-hour course run in conjunction with the National Alliance for Mental Illness, but the majority of those 10,000 officers - and the vast majority of police officers across the country - will have received significantly less than that. And a proportion of those 10,000 officers have retired or moved on to desk jobs, leaving no clear picture of how many current frontline officers in Georgia have had some form of de-escalation training. It is not known whether the officers that confronted Scout Schultz had had any. According to a 2015 national survey by the Police Executive Research Forum (Perf), police officers received on average 58 hours of firearms training, 49 hours on defensive tactics, and just eight hours on mental health and de-escalation. There are no states which mandate de-escalation training. Lessons from the UK Camden police worked closely with Perf in developing its new approach. Perf in turn took inspiration from officers in Scotland. In late 2014 - shortly after the police shooting of Michael Brown sparked violent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri - Perf director Chuck Wexler was in Scotland for a leadership training programme. Looking around him at a graduation ceremony, Mr Wexler was struck by the fact that none of the officers were carrying guns. "What hit me was the fact that these officers deal with similar knife situations that we deal with," he said. "A knife in Glasgow is the same as a knife in downtown Washington DC, so why are they able to do it without shooting?" Mr Wexler returned to the US armed with the UK's National Decision Model - a framework that emphasises communication, patience, and minimal force. He took note of interesting tactics, like a police officer removing his hat to appear more open and less confrontational. Perf now works with police departments across the country to train officers in looking for alternatives to firing their gun. Those alternatives can present themselves in any number of small decisions before a final, momentous one, said Greg Ridgeway, a statistician at the University of Pennsylvania who has studied police shootings. "Often you look at the three seconds before the shooting and it looks like a good shoot," he said. "Suspect comes at officer with knife, officer shoots. Fine. But step back five minutes, even a minute, and you start questioning how the officer got themselves into that situation where they had no option but to shoot. And you see that a little bit of patience, a little bit of distance, could have resolved some of those incidents peacefully." The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) declined to comment on the incident at Georgia Tech, but the video suggests that crisis intervention tactics - and the kind of patience exhibited by the officers in Camden County - might have resolved that incident peacefully. GBI director Vernon Keenan acknowledged that the amount of mental health and de-escalation training currently given to most officers was "minimal". He said the state was in the process of reviewing the amount of training on offer and recruiting 12 new permanent staff to oversee more. Even those who bang the drum loudest for a rethink over the use of deadly force acknowledge that it is still sometimes the only option, and the 300 million or so guns in America put it in a vastly different position to countries like Scotland. "Make no mistake, there are times when force is going to be immediate and required," said Lt Lutz. But in places like Camden, they are trying to shift the emphasis. Officers are taught to put an "absolute value on the life of the person they encounter, regardless of what behaviour they are exhibiting at the time," said Lt Lutz. "If our officers value life, and they are morally sound, and they are responding to the call and thinking through why they are there, then we believe some of the more controversial shootings that have taken place across the country, right or wrong, can be avoided." Read more

जॉर्जिया टेक में एक छात्र की गोलीबारी ने सवाल उठाए हैं कि पुलिस कब और क्यों घातक बल का सहारा लेती है। अमेरिका के सबसे गरीब और सबसे हिंसक शहरों में से एक सहित कुछ शहरों में, अधिकारी एक अलग दृष्टिकोण अपनाने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं।


Skipton school bus roof ripped off in bridge crash

Summary: The roof of a double-decker school bus was ripped off when it hit a railway bridge in North Yorkshire.

No pupils were on the bus when it crashed into the bridge on Skipton Road, Embsay, Skipton, shortly after 16:00 GMT on Tuesday. A spokeswoman said: "No children were on board. The bus was empty and the driver was not injured." Police believe the school bus had finished operating for the day. The road is blocked with debris. Network Rail said the bridge was used by freight trains, so no passenger services were affected. One freight train had to stop its journey while the bridge was inspected. But there was found to be no damage to the structure so freight trains were running as normal on Tuesday evening.

उत्तरी यॉर्कशायर में एक रेलवे पुल से टकराने पर एक डबल डेकर स्कूल बस की छत उखड़ गई।


Motorcyclist dies in crash with car in Oxfordshire

Summary: A motorcyclist has died in a crash involving a car in Oxfordshire.

The 50-year-old man, from the county, was pronounced dead at the scene after the collision on the B4437 near Shipton-under-Wychwood. The crash at about 13:00 BST on Monday involved the man's Kawasaki motorbike and a black Mercedes. The car's driver was not injured. PC Sandra Terry, of Thames Valley Police, has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

ऑक्सफोर्डशायर में एक कार की दुर्घटना में एक मोटरसाइकिल सवार की मौत हो गई है।


Menstruation adverts deemed too racy for NYC's metro

Summary: Adverts for Thinx, a brand of pants designed to absorb menstrual blood, have been deemed too racy from the New York City subway.

BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why Outfront Media, the company that advises the New York city subway on advertising, took issue with the suggestive nature of their imagery and the use of the word "period." Are the ads more offensive than other images that have appeared on the subway, or is this a case of sexism? A debate has been raging online. Video by Olivia Lace-Evans For more videos subscribe to BBC Trending's YouTube channel.

न्यूयॉर्क शहर के सबवे से मासिक धर्म के रक्त को अवशोषित करने के लिए डिज़ाइन की गई पैंट के एक ब्रांड थिनक्स के विज्ञापनों को बहुत रसीला माना गया है।


Starting gun fired on RBS reprivatisation

Summary: The settling of the outstanding penalty for RBS' role in the financial crisis was the last obstacle standing in the way of selling the government's enormous 71% stake back to the private sector in what will be the biggest privatisation in UK history.

Simon JackBusiness editor@BBCSimonJackon Twitter Its not often that a $4.9bn fine is actually good news but this fine is a LOT lower than many had feared. RBS was the biggest bank in the world on some measures at the time the financial crisis hit and was very active in selling the risky mortgages that played such a destructive role in the meltdown. Profits and dividends The bank and its shareholders will be mighty relieved to settle this decade-long case with the US Department of Justice for a sum less than half the amount some of its investors were expecting to fork out. The even better news for RBS is that it had already set aside $3.5bn to pay this and will only have to take an additional hit of $1.4bn - or just over £1bn. That's about three months' worth of profit, which means that RBS should make a full-year profit for only the second time in 10 years. The bank has enough shock-absorbing capital to start paying some of those profits out in dividends, which will make the bank easier to sell back to the private sector, which is helpful as the government owns over £20bn worth of shares. That is a colossal amount to sell and will take several years. The first sales will be at a loss, but the government will hope that over time, as the huge overhang of shares to sell dwindles and profits continue to rise, the public may get more money back. The public though are unlikely to ever recoup the £45bn poured into the biggest banking debacle in UK corporate history.

वित्तीय संकट में आरबीएस की भूमिका के लिए बकाया दंड का निपटान सरकार की विशाल 71 प्रतिशत हिस्सेदारी को निजी क्षेत्र को वापस बेचने के रास्ते में आखिरी बाधा थी, जो यूके के इतिहास में सबसे बड़ा निजीकरण होगा।


Decision time for the furlough scheme

Summary: The furlough scheme is coming to a close, but how it ends has a big impact on the future path of redundancies. Flexibilities could include support for part-time work, for some industries and not others and for different parts of the country. Boosting demand will be an important part of the return to work, where customers are cautious about going out and about spending.

By Douglas FraserBusiness and economy editor, Scotland The furlough scheme was easy to introduce, though eye-wateringly expensive to pay for 6.4 million people to do no work. It'll be much more difficult to withdraw, and the costs won't go away quickly. And for the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who announces his plans for the future of the furlough scheme later today, withdrawing support for the economy will have to be aligned with support for boosting demand as the economy is allowed to reopen. Furlough covers the four months from the start of March to the end of June, at 80% of normal pay, up to £2,500 per month. It's estimated by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development that an absence of a furlough scheme would have increased unemployment by four million. But given that the scheme has helped people get through the worst four months of the crisis, KPMG estimates there could be 1.2m people moving from furlough to redundancy. That would be by the end of this year. It won't all happen at once. A decision is required soon. If the furlough scheme ends in June, as currently planned, employers of more than 100 people intending to make staff redundant from 1 July would have to start the statutory 45-day consultation period by 16 May. For a firm with fewer than 100 employees, the 30-day consultation would have to start by the end of May. That explains why the National Trust for Scotland, with 70% of its staff currently furloughed, is starting the consultation on Friday for redundancy for 429 people, and perhaps up to 500 "at risk" - more than half its workforce. It expects to lose half its income this year - £28m. That's the same amount it has available in cash reserves. With 88 properties, it plans to open 28 of them when it can, and to mothball the others. Festive season The simple way of phasing out furlough, "easing" people back into work as the chancellor says he wants to do, is to reduce the percentage. So it could be at 60% through September, or it could be stepped down each month to different percentages. A more complex concession to challenges facing different parts of the economy would be to continue it, at bigger percentages, for some sectors that find it more difficult to return to work. The hospitality industry wants to see the furlough scheme continue until the end of the year, helping it get through the vital festive season. One factor on which every business group is agreed is that there has to be a change to the rule that no-one is allowed to do any part-time work while on furlough, at least for their employer. (They can take on another job though.) This blocks people from being able to work part-time to prepare a business for reopening. And when it has reopened, there will be a need for many businesses to take people back part-time, so the furlough scheme could be adjusted to pay for part of the week for which there isn't sufficient work. Repairing the economy And that points to the other big challenge that Rishi Sunak, as well as other ministers and other governments, will have to do to boost demand in the economy, while it adjusts the supply of labour. Take restaurants, for instance. If they can only open with a two-metre distance between tables, they can have far fewer customers. But restaurant managers are not able to cut their kitchen staff and overheads by the same proportion. For most such businesses, social distancing simply won't be financially viable, so there's a strong case for maintaining support for such firms to operate at limited capacity. There's a lot more that the chancellor will have to do to repair the economy, because it's not just going to spring back to life as soon as people are allowed into shops and restaurants - people will need incentives to go out in public spaces, such as shops. Businesses are going to be reluctant to place new orders from other firms in their supply chain until they've secured cash flow for that. Incentives to employ So there will have to be some clever moves by the chancellor, on tax as well as spending. One idea from Germany is to cut tax temporarily on restaurant meals, to get people back through the doors. The clever bit is that it's been signalled this month, so that people book their meals for the point when the tax break is introduced in July. Another idea from the United States, is that the loans now being made to companies with government guarantees come with incentives to retain workers. So if a company retains the same number of workers for three years, the loan becomes a grant. In Britain, we've got no incentive for firms to avoid redundancy. And the example of P&O ferries, announcing 1,100 job losses on Monday, shows the problem of a company taking furlough payments from the taxpayer when they then get rid of the staff rather than revert to paying them. That makes the company look cynical, and the government look like it's wasted public money on protecting jobs that were doomed anyway.

फर्लो योजना समाप्त हो रही है, लेकिन यह कैसे समाप्त होती है, इसका भविष्य के अतिरेक के रास्ते पर बड़ा प्रभाव पड़ता है। लचीलेपन में कुछ उद्योगों के लिए और अन्य के लिए नहीं बल्कि देश के विभिन्न हिस्सों के लिए अंशकालिक काम के लिए समर्थन शामिल हो सकता है। मांग को बढ़ावा देना काम पर लौटने का एक महत्वपूर्ण हिस्सा होगा, जहां ग्राहक बाहर जाने और खर्च करने के बारे में सतर्क हैं।


Bitcoin's life-or-death moment

Summary: Like many, I am gripped by the concept of Bitcoin.

Robert PestonEconomics editor I am not talking about the value of the individual bits of the new virtual currency, which has had a somewhat volatile history and is currently spiralling down. What excites is the development, by Bitcoin enthusiasts, known as miners, of a super-efficient money transmission network on the internet, that bypasses the official banking and money transmission systems - or at least it is a hermetically sealed monetary world until holders of the virtual currency want to buy a hamburger or motor car and endeavour to convert their Bitcoins into dollars, pounds or other forms of legal tender. However, Bitcoin probably represents the first seriously existential threat to conventional banks, burdened with their massive running costs, in living memory. In theory, at least, Bitcoin is their Amazon. Bitcoin also poses something of an issue for central banks like the Bank of England or US Federal Reserve, which appear to have no ability to influence the value of Bitcoins. So Bitcoin represents a challenge to their duties of monetary stewardship. And it is not at all clear whether the writ of financial regulators runs to the Bitcoin world. So depending on your point of view, Bitcoin is either a wonderfully liberating new financial system, freed of the costs and poisonous history of the old banking and monetary world, or it is the dangerous and wacky Wild West, where law-abiding folk should fear to tread. Which is it? Well we may be about to find out, following the disappearance from the internet of MtGox, one of the biggest Bitcoin exchanges - amidst rumours of all sorts of shenanigans and allegations that vast quantities of the currency have gone walkies. The point is that Bitcoin's strength - that it has grown in an organic, slightly anarchic and devolved way, with no central oversight or control - is also its weakness. There is no central authority to step in and give any kind of guidance to Mt Gox customers whether their money is safe or gone. And there's no compensation safety net. Bitcoin has been set up on the basis of pure caveat emptor. If its participants take any losses in their stride, and learn the lessons, it can go from strength to strength. If they are unable to develop any kind of governance system that provides confidence that Bitcoins are where they are supposed to be, then it will disintegrate into fringe territory for loons and wild-eyed monetary anarchists.

कई लोगों की तरह, मैं भी बिटक्वाइन की अवधारणा से प्रभावित हूं।


Arrests after men hit by truck in Crossway Green

Summary: Five people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a truck was reportedly driven the wrong way on a road and hit three men.

West Mercia Police said three men, aged 18, 21 and 48, were arrested alongside a 21-year-old woman on Monday. A fourth man, 27, was arrested on Wednesday, the force said. The victims were taken to hospital with leg injuries after the crash on Friday at about 22:45 GMT in Crossway Green, Worcestershire on the A449. The force said it was keen to speak to a motorist who stopped to help. All four people arrested on Monday have bailed, police said, while the fifth remains in custody. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

सड़क पर एक ट्रक को कथित तौर पर गलत रास्ते से चलाने और तीन लोगों को टक्कर मारने के बाद हत्या के प्रयास के संदेह में पांच लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Kristin Scott Thomas on the joy of being evil

Summary: She has a reputation as one of the most upper-crust of British actresses, thanks to roles in The English Patient, Gosford Park and Four Weddings and a Funeral. But Kristin Scott Thomas is about to destroy those preconceptions with her latest role.

By Emma JonesEntertainment reporter, BBC News In Only God Forgives, made by Danish film-maker Nicolas Winding Refn, Scott Thomas plays foul-mouthed peroxide blonde American matriarch Crystal, who she describes "as a cross between Lady Macbeth and Donatella Versace." She adds: "I wanted her long blonde hair." According to the director, the actress had to "turn on a bitch switch" to play Crystal, who runs a drugs empire and has a relationship riddled with Oedipus overtones with her son Julian, played by Ryan Gosling. However, it is the film's extreme violence that has divided critics. When Only God Forgives premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last week, its grisly torture scenes prompted booing and walk outs. Other critics loved it, with The Guardian describing the film as "a glitteringly strange, mesmeric and mad film set among American criminal expatriates in Bangkok". Movie blog Indiewire, however, said of it: "As empty, soulless, frenziedly art-directed viewing experiences go, Only God Forgives is one of the better examples." "I'm glad it's polarising," says Scott Thomas. "You want people to be shaken up, you don't want them to come out at the end of a film and say, 'Oh that was nice.' "Either you want the audience to be angry or enamoured of it. At least it's getting a reaction." One aspect of the film that critics agree upon, however, is the strength of the 53-year-old actress' performance, with The New York Observer describing it as "the saving grace" of the movie. "She's a Shakespearian character," observes Scott Thomas of Crystal. "She is much larger than life, she is actually unimaginably bad, and that is what drew me to the project. She is just beastly. "To be honest, when my agent first sent the script to me, I sent it right back to him with a bit of a shirty note telling him to control his emails because this was clearly not meant for me, but another client. "Then he said, 'No, no, it really is meant for you,' and I was quite excited. It's nice to be asked to do something with the underworld and not in a country house or to sit weeping in my kitchen. "I am asked to do a lot of the same things, particularly in English-language films, and this was just refreshing." Scott Thomas, who lives in Paris and acts in both English and French, says she also wanted to work with 42-year-old Winding Refn, who has become one of Europe's most celebrated arthouse film-makers after winning best director at Cannes in 2011 for Drive. That movie was also another ultra-violent collaboration with Ryan Gosling. "I just thought how interesting it would be to play this wild, savage person and work with Nicolas and Ryan," Scott Thomas continues. "I think he wanted me because I am his mother's favourite actress. I really need to ask her if I still am now that she's seen the film." Winding Refn has described himself as having "a fetish for violence". According to the actress, "his favourite saying is, 'Taste is the enemy of creativity.' "So you can go as far as you like, and together as a cast we just went further and further. We developed the script and scenes together during shooting. Some of the scenes were written in a classically evil way, but we just said, 'Oh why don't we just make it worse? Why don't we make it unthinkably bad?' "So Nicolas just breaks down all these barriers, he deals with all these things that people don't want to think about. Certainly as far as their mothers are concerned." Scott Thomas does, however, confess that she had a problem with the swearing in the script. "It took me eight takes to get some words out," she says. "And also, in real life I am not a fan of violence at all. I can't actually watch. But I actually loved finding out how violence is made on screen and how it works. There was so much blood and gore, and at some stages, I have to be covered in it. "You do it all with pumps. But if I found the mechanics of the whole thing exciting, you should have seen the men on set running round like 10-year-old boys. "Everything about me in this film is over the top - from the nails to the hair to being so unimaginably vile as a person and a mother. It's been a wonderful experience." Only God Forgives is released in the UK on 19 July.

द इंग्लिश पेशेंट, गोस्फोर्ड पार्क और फोर वेडिंग्स एंड ए फ्यूनरल में भूमिकाओं की बदौलत उन्हें ब्रिटिश अभिनेत्रियों की सबसे उच्च श्रेणी में से एक के रूप में जाना जाता है। लेकिन क्रिस्टिन स्कॉट थॉमस अपनी नवीनतम भूमिका के साथ उन पूर्वधारणाओं को नष्ट करने वाली हैं।


Sheffield party stabbing: Teen in court charged with murder

Summary: A 17-year-old has appeared in court charged with murdering a man who was stabbed at a house party in Sheffield.

Marcus Ramsay, 35, was injured in what police called a large-scale disturbance at a house in Horninglow Road, Firth Park, in the early hours of 8 August. The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court. He was further remanded in custody and a date for his trial was set for 1 February 2021. The teenager is also due to appear before the same court on 16 November to enter a plea. More stories from around Yorkshire Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk

शेफ़ील्ड में एक हाउस पार्टी में चाकू मारकर हत्या करने के आरोप में एक 17 वर्षीय युवक अदालत में पेश हुआ है।


Cardiff Arms Park: 149 years of the ugly stadium and the beautiful game

Summary: When Isambard Kingdom Brunel diverted the River Taff in order to drain the bog which had sat on the site of Cardiff Central train station, little did he know that he had taken the first step on the road of creating the legend which would become Cardiff Arms Park.

By Neil PriorBBC News Although the name would become synonymous with rugby the world over, the first sportsmen to venture onto this reclaimed land were in fact cricketers, in 1848 - almost 30 years before a rugby ball was ever kicked there. It was to remain at the heart of Welsh sport for almost 150 years, until making way for the Millennium Stadium in 1999. But even today the Millennium Stadium's North Stand is a relic of the Arms Park's final incarnation as the National Stadium. Its stories are retold each year in songs of the Grand Slams and Triple Crowns; the 1905 victory over the unbeatable All-Blacks and "That Try" by Gareth Edwards in 1973. But now Emyr Young and Bill O'Keefe, who met in their day job guiding tourists around the hallowed turf, have collected together some of the lesser-known gems for their new book, The Arms Park: Heart of a Rugby Nation. "Our book came about almost by accident," said Mr O'Keefe. "Emyr and I talked for years about how we ought to write down all the stories we'd heard over the years, but with one thing and another, it's taken us five years to complete it. "As luck would have it, we've finished on the centenary of the Arms Park's first major redevelopment, when it began to take shape in a form which people alive today may recognise." "In fact it's quite appropriate, as like the book, the ground itself almost happened by accident, but worked out for the best in the end." The area took its name from the Arms Park Hotel, which had stood on the site since at least the 17th Century. Long before a rugby ball was ever kicked there, it had played host to both the ancestors of Cardiff City and Glamorgan County Cricket Club: Riverside FC and Cardiff Cricket Club respectively. The first record of its use as a venue for paying spectators came in 1872, when crowds were invited to enjoy a day of athletics and acrobatics to celebrate the marriage of the 3rd Marquess of Bute, who owned the land. An ugly affair The first stand cost £50 and held just 300 women and children. Men were expected to stand in the mud. In just 30 years the capacity had mushroomed to 25,000, and such had become the hodgepodge of terraces and temporary stands, the Marquess of Bute ordered the building of Westgate Street, so that he no longer had to look at the stadium. But even though the Arms Park itself was an ugly affair at the start of the 20th Century, the same could not be said of the rugby teams who made it their home. In 1884, Cardiff RFC revolutionised the game when they included Frank Hancock as an extra three-quarter, setting the modern trend of teams playing with seven backs. But arguably Wales' October 1905 victory over the seemingly invincible New Zealanders had an even bigger impact on the future of sport. "Most people know the story of how Wales defeated New Zealand for the first time, but what's less well known is how that match set a tradition for every single international sporting event, all over the world," said Mr Young. "In response to the fearsome Haka, the Welsh players began to sing Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, and the crowd joined in spontaneously. "That's why the anthem is sung before events from the FA Cup final to the Super Bowl. "And that's a key theme in the book really. Events shaped the stadium, but the stadium also shaped events, and helped to define the modern sense of Welsh identity." A grandstand was designed by Archibald Leitch in 1912, also behind football stadium architecture at many grounds including Highbury, Ibrox and Villa Park, as the capacity increased to 43,000. After World War II the ground developments continued, with room for 60,000 fans by the mid 1950s. 'Missed a trick' The book is published 15 years after the old National Stadium made way for the Millennium Stadium, at a time when the future of the last piece of the old Arms Park is under debate. Cardiff Rugby Club's 1960s ground, just to the north of the Millennium Stadium, still bears the Arms Park name, but with the Blues having moved away to Cardiff City Stadium, its future has now been questioned, despite them returning for recent games. "It's important for Cardiff to still have an Arms Park, in whatever form," says Mr O'Keefe. "I think the WRU have missed a trick in not using the Arms Park brand to market the Millennium Stadium. "Writing the book has shown me that over the last 130 years, every Welsh generation has looked nostalgically at the previous one as having been the golden era. "Whilst I don't want to live in the past, I think that sort of history is something we should really be celebrating and capitalising on to get people into Cardiff."

जब इसांबार्ड किंगडम ब्रूनल ने कार्डिफ सेंट्रल ट्रेन स्टेशन की साइट पर बैठे दलदल को निकालने के लिए टैफ नदी को मोड़ दिया, तो उन्हें बहुत कम पता था कि उन्होंने कार्डिफ आर्म्स पार्क बनने वाली किंवदंती बनाने के लिए पहला कदम उठाया था।


Bradford shooting: Attempted murder arrest

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman was shot in Bradford.

West Yorkshire Police were called to an address in Barkerend Road after reports of shots being fired at 23:30 BST on Sunday. The victim, in her 50s, was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition, officers say. A 30-year-old man from Huddersfield was detained on Tuesday and remains in police custody. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.

ब्रैडफोर्ड में एक महिला को गोली मारने के बाद हत्या के प्रयास के संदेह में एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Durham Tees Valley airshow plan under threat

Summary: A funding shortfall looks likely to end plans to hold the first airshow at Durham Tees Valley Airport in more than 20 years.

Supporters of the airport have raised £35,000 towards the event but need a further £30,000 investment. Colin Granton, chair of the Friends of Durham Tees Valley Airport group, said potential funding had not materialised and the airshow was now in doubt. "We're making a last ditch attempt," he said. Mr Granton said a final call would be made in coming days because the Civil Aviation Authority and local councils needed to be made aware of the decision. Related Internet Links Durham Tees Valley Airport Friends of Durham Tees Valley Airport

धन की कमी से 20 से अधिक वर्षों में डरहम टीज़ वैली हवाई अड्डे पर पहला एयरशो आयोजित करने की योजना समाप्त होने की संभावना है।


Cannabis haul found after police follow scent in Ramsey

Summary: A nose for drug dealers paid off on Sunday when a police patrol followed a scent and discovered what they called "devil's lettuce" worth £45,000.

An officer caught the whiff of cannabis in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. "A quick hunt, a size 10 key and a huge amount of the drug ready for sale were discovered. Two stolen trailers were also seized," police said. There were more than 40 plants, nicknamed devil's lettuce by police, found at Middle Drove, Ramsey Heights. As well as the plants they found containers of the drugs which had already been harvested. An investigation is ongoing but no arrests have been made. Police have appealed for information.

रविवार को नशीली दवाओं के विक्रेताओं के लिए एक नाक बंद हो गई जब एक पुलिस गश्ती दल ने एक सुगंध का पालन किया और पाया कि वे जिसे "डेविल्स लेट्यूस" कहते हैं, जिसकी कीमत 45,000 पाउंड है।


Pacific grim: Australia torn between US and China

Summary: In a recent Australian-made TV political thriller called Secret City, a cyber-attack paralyses the country's air traffic control system. Authorities immediately (and incorrectly) point the finger at Chinese hackers.

By Kathy MarksSydney, Australia It's a storyline that's telling about Australia's attitude to Asia's pre-eminent power. On the one hand, China is the country's biggest trading partner, but it also poses a potential regional military threat that's drawing the attention of the US, Australia's closest defence ally. China, for its part, appears keenly aware of Australia's apparent reluctance to embrace it fully. In recent months, a series of bilateral irritations have sent relations between the two countries plunging to their lowest point for nearly a decade. China has rebuked Australia for opposing its military build-up in the South China Sea. Australia has blocked Chinese investment bids, ostensibly on national security grounds. A Chinese newspaper denounced Australia as a "paper cat that won't last". Even the countries' Olympians are fighting with one another. Troubled relationship When Australia's census website crashed this month, throwing the national survey into chaos, speculation about a Chinese cyber-attack ran rife. Peter Cai, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, says it is another illustration of the "troubled state of the relationship", While the US has been Australia's main ally in the Asia-Pacific since World War Two, China has been central to the country's prosperity and its weathering of two global recessions. But the balancing act which Australia has managed to perform has grown increasingly tricky of late. The US has switched its focus to the Asia-Pacific just as China asserts sovereignty over much of the South China Sea. Last month, Beijing accused the US, Australia and Japan of "fanning the flames" of regional tensions, after the three issued a forthright statement urging China to respect an international court ruling rejecting those claims. Tensions have spilled out beyond the diplomatic world. During the Rio Olympics, thousands of Chinese took to social media to lambast Australian swimmer Mack Horton, who branded China's Sun Yang a "drug cheat" after the latter splashed him during a training session. Power games And then there's the issue of direct Chinese investment in Australia. Treasurer Scott Morrison has rebuffed two foreign investment bids - one from Chinese government-owned State Grid, the other from Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Infrastructure - for a 50.4% stake in Ausgrid, which operates the electricity network in New South Wales state. Mr Morrison insists domestic political considerations played no part in his decision, which followed his earlier rejection of a Chinese bid for the massive Kidman cattle station. However, some have noted that following the federal election in July the Senate contains seven pro-protectionist crossbenchers. And although Australia signed a free trade agreement with China last year, there is growing popular antipathy to Chinese ownership of Australian agricultural land and real estate. Mr Morrison declined to spell out the security concerns behind the Ausgrid decision, which left some observers scratching their heads - not least because the two Chinese companies already own parts of the power grid in other states. As the news website Crikey observed, in relation to State Grid: "If it's a national security risk, as Morrison claims it is, then we're already screwed." Toxic mindset China's official Xinhua news agency warned in an English-language editorial that the Ausgrid knockback could lead to "a toxic mindset of China-phobia", adding: "To suggest that China would try to kidnap the country's electricity network for ulterior motives is absurd and almost comical." Australian-Chinese relations have not yet plumbed the depths to which they fell in 2009, when Australian businessman Stern Hu was arrested in China on spying charges. But Mr Cai believes they could deteriorate further if, for instance, Australia joins the US in freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea. Professor Richard Rigby, a veteran China-watcher at the Australian National University, notes that Australia has two China narratives: the economic one, which saw two-way trade increase ten-fold to A$100bn (£58bn) between 2002 and 2012, and the national security narrative. "But we've not been good at all at bridging them," he said.

सीक्रेट सिटी नामक एक हालिया ऑस्ट्रेलियाई निर्मित टीवी राजनीतिक थ्रिलर में, एक साइबर हमला देश की हवाई यातायात नियंत्रण प्रणाली को पंगु बना देता है। अधिकारी तुरंत (और गलत तरीके से) चीनी हैकरों पर उंगली उठाते हैं।


Richard Clarke death: Inquest opened

Summary: An inquest into the death of a pensioner who was attacked outside his home in Suffolk has been adjourned pending further inquiries.

Richard Clarke, 73, of Cranley Green Road, Eye, was discovered with severe head injuries in the early hours of 22 August 2009 and later died. Suffolk Police said he was assaulted after returning home from a nearby pub. Norfolk Coroner's Court in Norwich opened the inquest but no date for its resumption has been set. Police arrested a man soon after the pensioner's death but he was later released without charge. No further arrests have been made. Mr Clarke's family and Crimestoppers have offered a £10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the attacker.

सफोक में अपने घर के बाहर हमला किए गए एक पेंशनभोगी की मौत की जांच आगे की जांच के लिए स्थगित कर दी गई है।


Why republican Australia warms to Prince William

Summary: As Prince William arrives in Australia, to visit areas ravaged by the recent cyclone and flooding, he finds a country that is hotly anticipating his forthcoming wedding to Kate Middleton, despite many Australians' republican sympathies, reports the BBC's Nick Bryant.

In a country still of majestic coinage, crown prosecutions, Royal commissions and Her Majesty's ships, prisons and war planes - where the Queen still adorns bank notes and a public holiday marks her birthday - the royal wedding is arguably the biggest event this year on Australia's national and media calendar. Not since the wedding of the actress Nicole Kidman to the country singer Keith Urban in 2006 has a wedding been lavished with so much attention. Yet the Kidman bash was fairly small beer compared with the vintage Krug of the royal nuptials. All the main television stations here are planning blanket, prime time coverage, even though the ceremony clashes with the regular Friday night rugby league and Aussie Rules matches. The leading Australian women's magazines are bringing out special commemorative issues, just as they did following the announcement of the royal engagement. And Aussie jewellers have been rushing out celebratory rings, beads and pendants, seemingly regarding the royal couple as a kind of regal stimulus package at a time when retail here is experiencing the blues. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has also been invited to the wedding, though her confirmation was not immediately forthcoming. Admittedly, it was a tricky RSVP for the Welsh-born leader, a republican who believes that Australia should have a home-grown head of state though not during Queen Elizabeth's lifetime. The wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981 remains the third most-watched telecast in Australian history, beaten only by the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics, and the funeral of Diana, which ranks first. The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is sure to deliver another ratings bonanza, and likely to become the most-watched event of the past 10 years. Monarchists are planning celebratory lunches and dinners on 29 April, and Professor David Flint of the Australians for Constitutional Monarchy believes the wedding is a blow for the republican movement. In a referendum held in 1999, Australians opted to preserve the status quo, with the Queen remaining as the head of state - although the republican movement was split between those who wanted an elected president and those who preferred a parliamentary appointee. Honeymoon hopes "We never campaigned on the magic of the monarchy," says Professor Flint, "but the wedding does have an effect. People here approve of William and he's very popular. It disadvantages the republican cause because people compare William with an Australian president." At the beginning of 2010, Prince William made what was widely deemed to have been a successful visit to Australia where he met Aboriginal elders, visited survivors of the Victorian bush fires, raced across Sydney harbour in a speed boat, enjoyed a traditional Aussie barbecue and turned up in the VIP box at the Rod Laver Arena to watch a few sets of Australian Open tennis action. Aussies seemed to warm to his down-to-earth style and he was thought to have had such a good time that it fuelled speculation that he might end up honeymooning in Australia. He will also win points this week for visiting the victims of the Queensland floods, after his stop in New Zealand to meet residents hit by the Pike River Mine disaster and the Christchurch earthquake. Professor Flint thinks the wedding of two regal twenty-somethings will buttress support for the monarchy among the young. "I think they'll identify with them," says Professor Flint. "But young people seem disinterested with the question of a republic." Here there is a paradox. Australia is fiercely patriotic. It is strongly egalitarian. It rails against hereditary privilege. It is a country where everyone is a "commoner," to use a word that many Australians would find completely meaningless. And yet the monarchy survives, and will continue to do for at least the duration of Queen Elizabeth's reign and possibly even longer. More than a decade after the failed referendum, the republican movement is in the doldrums. Prime Minister Gillard has ruled out a second referendum while Queen Elizabeth is still alive. The conservative opposition is also lead by Tony Abbott, an arch royalist who used to be the executive director of the Australians for constitutional monarchy. Small 'r' republicans He took over the leadership of the Liberal Party from Malcolm Turnbull, the former head of the republican movement. In a country long resistant to constitutional change, republicanism simply is not considered an urgent national priority. The ranks of the monarchists are boosted by what might be called Australian Elizabethans: "small-r" republicans who think it is downright rude to make an 84-year-old monarch the subject of a divisive national debate. In February, "The End of the Windsors?" was the cover story for the Monthly magazine, a journal of Australian politics, society and culture. But much to the chagrin of Australian republicans, the question is often met with public apathy and indifference. "We take the long view," says David Donovan of the Australian Republican Movement. "Australia is heading in the direction of a republic and the royal wedding will have no effect on that. "The focus in on William right now, but the reality is that we are going to get Charles. Charles is more relevant to Australia than William and our polling shows he is not that popular. "And the idea that Australia has no one of the calibre of the Windsors to be head of state is anti-Australian," he says. "We utterly reject it." If anything, the fact that the wedding is receiving so much attention says more about the ascendancy of celebrity culture in Australia rather than the endurance of a royal culture. Perhaps people here simply look on William and Kate as the hot celebrities of the moment rather than a future King and Queen of Australia. Nick Bryant is the BBC's Sydney correspondent and author of the blog Nick Bryant's Australia.

बीबीसी के निक ब्रायंट की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, जैसे ही प्रिंस विलियम हाल के चक्रवात और बाढ़ से तबाह हुए क्षेत्रों का दौरा करने के लिए ऑस्ट्रेलिया पहुंचते हैं, उन्हें एक ऐसा देश मिलता है जो कई ऑस्ट्रेलियाई गणराज्यों की सहानुभूति के बावजूद केट मिडलटन के साथ अपनी आगामी शादी का बेसब्री से इंतजार कर रहा है।


How clean is the air in your office?

Summary: Raefer Wallis is a man very much in demand.

By Natalie LisbonaBusiness reporter An unassuming Canadian, he is widely regarded as a leading global expert on healthier buildings, and specifically, the quality of their interior air. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, he says he has seen requests for his services from around the world soar tenfold this year. "Since Covid the rush for indoor air quality improvements has gone through the roof," says Mr Wallis, who is also a practising architect. Prior to coronavirus turning us into home workers, many of us worked in modern office buildings that don't have windows that open. Instead, the flow of fresh air is determined by a centrally controlled heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. As the Covid-19 vaccines continue to be rolled out in the months ahead, more and more of us are going to be returning to working in such offices in 2021, at least some of the time, whether we like it or not. For firms and their employees, this means an increased focus on the HVAC system in their buildings, not just in terms of the virus that causes Covid-19, but the common cold and other airborne bugs that might be being blown around on the ventilation system's jet streams. Does your office building have any technologies in place to monitor and filter out these and other contaminants? And is enough fresh air being pulled into the building from outside? "The more unknown something is, the scarier it gets, so air quality is like the monster in the closet," says Mr Wallis, who is the founder of air quality monitoring business Reset. "But the more you learn, the less scary it gets. Once you know what the problems are, you can apply the right solutions." His business tests and certifies sensor-based systems that enable firms to monitor the air quality in their offices, both in terms of viruses and other pollutants, but also carbon dioxide levels. We all breathe out CO2, but if amounts are even slightly raised, numerous studies show that it can impair a person's thinking and decision making. "Imagine three people sitting in a mid-sized conference room," says Mr Wallis. "[Without proper ventilation] it can take 45 minutes for CO2 to reach a level whereby the brain starts to be impaired. "And if at least one of those people are sick, it could take between five and 30 minutes for them to produce enough virus particles to contaminate the other two." New Tech Economy is a series exploring how technological innovation is set to shape the new emerging economic landscape. Mr Wallis adds that most HVAC systems are designed to replace all the air in a building every 20 to 30 minutes, pumping used air outside, and pulling in fresh. However, he says that with Covid the recommendation is to increase that to every 10 to 15 minutes. Christian Weeks, boss of US air purification business enVerid, says they have seen "unprecedented amounts of enquiries" this year. His says that his firm's technology, which attaches to a building's HVAC system, removes viruses and other contaminants using "sophisticated sorbents [absorbent materials] to scrub the air... at the molecular level". Danny Bluestone, the founder of UK website design business Cyber-Duck, says he is increasingly aware of the need to ensure his staff have the best possible air quality when they start to return to working in the office next year. "We employ about 60 to 70 people, across two buildings, plus some working overseas," he says. "As most staff have been working at home this year, I have been in one of the offices pretty much on my own since March. "And since then I haven't been ill once. I have not been around anyone with germs, so it really does make you focus more on the air quality in the office." He says that the firm recently installed better HVAC systems for summers, and has ensured that windows can be opened at other times of the year, to allow more natural ventilation. But what should a company, or building owner, do if there is air pollution outside? Israeli-founded firm ClimaCell sells software systems that track such pollution, and can be used to inform HVAC systems to increase the purification of air being brought into the building. "We're now having more conversations about air quality, and we know that Covid is a factor," says ClimaCell director Ayala Rudoy. "People are generally more aware of their surroundings, and what they're breathing in." Psychotherapist Danielle Sandler says that with many people nervous about having to return to the office, employers have to take any concerns about air quality seriously. "Never before have we seen so much anxiety... and many employees haven't been back to the office for more than eight months," she says. "So it's really important that firms are sensitive... when we do eventually transition back to the workplace."

रेफर वालिस की बहुत मांग है।


A new US strategy in the fight against so-called Islamic State?

Summary: A little under a week ago the new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met his counterparts from a variety of countries and organisations which make up the wide-ranging coalition set against so-called Islamic State (IS). He told them that defeating IS remained Washington's "number one goal in the region".

Jonathan MarcusDiplomatic correspondent@Diplo1on Twitter But three months into the Trump administration, and in the wake of a full-scale review of the strategy deployed against IS, it is hard to see a substantial difference between the new president's approach and that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. Rather, the most significant shift may be that Mr Trump is applying the Obama recipe with more punch, more resources and greater flexibility. 'Obama Plus' Additional US troops and fire-power have been despatched to Syria, and US forces have taken a much greater part in facilitating the operations of their allies. A good example of the Trump administration's "Obama Plus" approach was the recent air assault on the Tabqa dam, part of the effort to cut off and isolate Raqqa. Here, the US flew in hundreds of anti-IS fighters and supported the operation with US Army apache helicopter gunships, along with artillery fire from the US Marines, as well as conventional air power. More generally, US advisers seem to be closer to the front line - drone strikes against militant leaders are more active than ever across the region, and some 2,500 additional troops from the 82nd Airborne Division are being staged to Kuwait to provide, in effect, an operational reserve that could be deployed at short-notice to either Syria or Iraq. All the signs are that military commanders are being given greater autonomy in pushing forward the operation, whether it be freeing up the Pentagon from the micro-management of the White House and National Security Council, or greater leeway to local US commanders in Iraq to call in air strikes. Inevitably, this has led to problems. Reports suggest the civilian death toll is growing markedly, although it is not clear if this is due to strikes hitting the wrong targets - because of the increasing tempo of the operations - or because this final phase of the Mosul battle, in a populated built-up area, was inevitably going to be more brutal. US spokesmen insist there have been no recent changes in operational procedures for approving airstrikes - although Iraqi officials suggest otherwise. A US coalition spokesman has acknowledged "delegated approval authority for certain strikes" has been given "to battlefield commanders to provide better responsiveness to the Iraqi Security Forces when and where they needed it on the battlefield". Read more: US forces are now much more intimately involved in the fighting in both Iraq and Syria, though there are still the ritual denials that they are actually in the front line. US forces are heavily engaged in logistical and combat support, as well as in the training effort. So on the military front at least, the Obama Plus approach seems to be paying off. The final battle for Mosul will be unpleasant - so too will that for Raqqa when it is finally joined. But there is little doubt that IS will suffer a grave setback with the eventual loss of both cities and the collapse of its so-called caliphate. But what of the overall regional strategy guiding the operation? Or more to the point is there one? The Trump administration has so far shown little original thinking. Here too it seems to be broadly following the approach of its predecessor. One difference is that the Obama administration was dead set against establishing safe zones in Syria. In contrast, Secretary of State Tillerson has spoken in vague terms about "interim zones of stability", perhaps in the border areas near Turkey and Jordan. But since Turkish troops and their Syrian allies already occupy a significant swathe of Syrian territory, this may well be an issue decided more by Ankara than by Washington. What is lacking, just as it was under Mr Obama, is any clear and comprehensive strategy for the future of Syria and, indeed, Iraq. So many questions remain unanswered: This struggle, of course, is not just a military and diplomatic one. It also has a crucial ideological dimension - mobilising Muslim hearts and minds against the poisonous ideas of IS. Here too there have been early stumbles by the Trump administration. Its travel bans and security measures directed largely at the Muslim world have been poorly explained, and of questionable legality. It is early days yet, but global conflict makes no concessions to the steep learning curve required for any new US administration. That is also what makes the Trump team's slowness in making key appointments so worrying. The US seems to be intensifying its military campaign against IS without any real equivalent diplomatic surge.

एक सप्ताह से थोड़ा पहले अमेरिका के नए विदेश मंत्री रेक्स टिलरसन ने तथाकथित इस्लामिक स्टेट (आईएस) के खिलाफ व्यापक गठबंधन बनाने वाले विभिन्न देशों और संगठनों के अपने समकक्षों से मुलाकात की। उन्होंने उन्हें बताया कि आईएस को हराना वाशिंगटन का "क्षेत्र में नंबर एक लक्ष्य" बना हुआ है।


In pictures: Zimbabwe election protesters clash with police

Summary: The army and police have clashed with supporters of Zimbabwe's opposition MDC Alliance who took to the streets amid allegations that the ruling Zanu-PF party rigged Monday's presidential and parliamentary vote.

On Wednesday, parliamentary results indicated that President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF was heading for a big majority, while the presidential result still remained to be declared. The MDC Alliance says its presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa, won Monday's election. Local residents dispersed as opposition MDC supporters started fires in the streets of Zimbabwe's capital Harare. Riot police used water cannon and tear gas to control chaotic scenes as crowds burned tyres and pelted police vans with stones. Police with shields and batons initially contained the protesters but as the situation turned violent they began chasing people through the streets. Truckloads of anti-riot officers were called in to help clear the streets as tensions escalated. More on post-Mugabe Zimbabwe All pictures subject to copyright.

जिम्बाब्वे के विपक्षी एम. डी. सी. गठबंधन के समर्थकों के साथ सेना और पुलिस की झड़प हुई है, जो सत्तारूढ़ ज़ानू-पी. एफ. पार्टी द्वारा सोमवार के राष्ट्रपति और संसदीय चुनाव में धांधली के आरोपों के बीच सड़कों पर उतर आए।


Airbus Broughton factory unaffected by Dubai order cancellation

Summary: Production at the Airbus wing-making factory in Flintshire will not be hit by a decision by Dubai's Emirates Airline to cancel an order for 70 A350 jets.

A Broughton factory spokesperson said Airbus still has 742 orders for the plane on its books. In 2007, Emirates placed 50 orders for the A350-900 and 20 for the A350-1000, with deliveries due from 2019. UK engine maker Rolls-Royce said the cancellation would cost it £2.6bn. In 2011, Airbus opened a £400m plant at Broughton making carbon-fibre wings for the A350.

फ्लिन्टशायर में एयरबस विंग बनाने वाले कारखाने में उत्पादन दुबई की अमीरात एयरलाइन द्वारा 70 ए 350 जेट के ऑर्डर को रद्द करने के निर्णय से प्रभावित नहीं होगा।


Man critically injured in park stabbing in Hebden Bridge

Summary: A man stabbed in the chest in a West Yorkshire park is in a critical condition in hospital, police said.

The 20-year-old victim was stabbed in Calder Holmes Park, Hebden Bridge, at about 17:30 BST on Saturday. He was taken by air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary with a single stab wound, West Yorkshire Police said. Two teenagers, aged 18 and 19, have been arrested and are currently in custody, officers said. Any witnesses are asked to contact the force.

पुलिस ने कहा कि वेस्ट यॉर्कशायर पार्क में सीने में छुरा घोंपे गए एक व्यक्ति की हालत गंभीर है और उसे अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया है।


Coronavirus: Can 'excess deaths' figures show pandemic's true extent?

Summary: How many people in Wales are dying because of coronavirus?

By Daniel DaviesBBC Wales Social Affairs Correspondent According to Public Health Wales figures, at least 983 people to date have died with Covid-19 in Wales. While the Office for National Statistics - which counts deaths at home, in care homes and in hospices, not just hospitals - had already put the figure at over 1,000 by 28 April. BBC Wales' Social Affairs Correspondent Daniel Davies looks at whether the country's 'excess deaths' figures could help show the true extent of the pandemic. The true extent of Covid-19 deaths will be higher than the daily tally of lives lost in hospitals. Victims of the virus might not have been tested to confirm they had it, especially those who die at home or in a care home. That is why it is worth paying attention to how many more people have died - from all causes - than we would normally expect. Increases in deaths above the average for the last five years are known as 'excess deaths' - and they have risen sharply. It is a traditional indicator of the severity of pandemics, as well as other dangerous events such as heatwaves and harsh winters. The figures Office from the National Statistics (ONS) look at all registered deaths, including people who died in the community, not just in hospital. Wales and England saw an unprecedented increase in deaths in the week ending 17 April. In Wales, 1,169 people died - that's 77% higher than the five-year average of 661. But the overall increase is greater than the 409 deaths where Covid-19 was a factor. Causes of death are given by a doctor who completes a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD). The rules on completing them have been relaxed, so doctors don't have to spend so much time away from patients during the pandemic. "With the practice of death certification, a lot of clinical judgement necessarily comes into play," said Dr Roland Salmon, a former director of Public Health Wales' communicable disease surveillance centre. "Is it caused by the disease that's circulating? Is it caused by another disease that an elderly person might have? Is it caused by some other circumstances?" In some cases people may not have obvious symptoms or the doctor may not be convinced Covid-19 was a factor. "There's always this element of judgement that necessarily comes in just to reflect the way that doctors have to practice," Dr Salmon said. The "latitude" that doctors have, as Dr Salmon puts it, could help explain why excess deaths are higher than the death toll directly attributed to Covid-19. Even where coronavirus has played a role, a doctor completing the certificate might not feel it was the main cause. Some deaths could be recorded as being due to pneumonia or other lung conditions. High levels of excess deaths could also be a sign that people are missing out on healthcare as a result of the pandemic. A modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection are required to view this interactive. How many cases and deaths in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out A similar picture has emerged across Europe. Deaths have shot up in many countries recently. At the start of the outbreak, the NHS's worst-case scenario for coronavirus estimated it could cause up to 35,000 excess deaths in Wales - more than double the number of deaths in a normal year. Dr Salmon said we could have a better idea of how we are faring in June. Meanwhile, the daily updates on what is happening in hospitals help us understand the spread of the disease - and will be crucial in determining when to lift the lockdown. But it will be some time before we get a full picture of how severe coronavirus has been and just how many people have died while it has been circulating.

कोरोनावायरस के कारण वेल्स में कितने लोग मर रहे हैं?


'Distressing' cards sent to Oxfordshire woman investigated

Summary: A police investigation is under way to identify the handwriting of a mystery person who has been harassing a woman with a succession of cards.

The 76-year-old recipient, from Farmoor, Oxfordshire, has received anonymous messages in the post for the past year. Investigating officer PC Ian Dring said the "ongoing harassment" was "causing great distress to the victim". Thames Valley Police has released images of the handwriting. A Christmas card received included the message: "Hope you have a rotten time." PC Dring said: "We believe that all the cards are being sent by the same person, as the handwriting on all of them appears to be the same." Anyone with any information has been urged to contact police. Related Internet Links Thames Valley Police

एक रहस्यमय व्यक्ति की लिखावट की पहचान करने के लिए एक पुलिस जांच चल रही है जो एक महिला को लगातार कार्डों से परेशान कर रहा है।


Pakistani corruption case hinges on a font

Summary: Doubt has been cast on a key document at the centre of a corruption inquiry in Pakistan because of the use of a particular typeface. And Twitter users are poking fun at Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz using the hashtag #FontGate.

By Secunder KermaniBBC Trending The social media campaign is just the latest twist in a story that has gripped Pakistanis. The ongoing corruption inquiry is part of the fallout from last year's Panama Paper leaks, which has consistently been one of the most discussed topics online in Pakistan. It could end with the disqualification of the prime minister, although he has claimed the allegations are politically motivated. Documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists last year revealed details about offshore companies connected to a number of high profile political figures - including Sharif. He wasn't actually named himself in the leaks - but a number of his children were linked to offshore firms that owned four luxury central London flats. Opposition figures in Pakistan allege the money used to buy the flats was earned through corruption and a team of investigators including members of the country's intelligence services and financial regulators have been looking into the allegations. One key line has been to establish who was the "beneficial owner" of the companies holding the central London flats - in other words, who they really belonged to. Documents from the Panama Papers suggested the beneficial owner was the Prime Minister's daughter Maryam Nawaz - who is widely seen as her father's political successor. However, she has claimed she was only a trustee - and that her brother was the beneficial owner. While Maryam Nawaz is considered a possible future Prime Minister, her brother is a businessman with no apparent political ambitions. To prove her point, she produced a trust deed signed by both her and her brother dated February 2006. But the team investigating the case say they have spoken to a British forensic expert who says the document was typed in the Calibri font - despite the fact that Calibri wasn't commercially available until 2007. As a result they allege the document is "fake" or "falsified" and submitting it was a "criminal offence" by Maryam Nawaz. Maryam Nawaz has denied any wrongdoing. But that, of course, didn't stop Pakistanis on Twitter from going on the offensive: Typography expert Thomas Phinney, who has testified in a number of cases relating to forged documents, told the BBC that while a beta version of Windows 2007 containing Calibri was technically publicly available from 2004, it was "highly unlikely" that it would be downloaded by ordinary computer users. It's unclear if Calibri was included as part of any pre-2007 beta releases of Microsoft Office which were more widely disseminated - but Phinney says that using "pre-released software is not the kind of thing your average person does". Lucas de Groot, the inventor of the Calibri font, agreed. He says over the years he has been asked for information about when the font was released in relation to more than a dozen cases of alleged fraud. He told the BBC that beta versions were generally only used by "tech geeks" rather than normal companies or government officials. Nevertheless, the claim that the font proves the document is false could well be contested by Maryam Nawaz. Adding to the mystery, Twitter users noticed that the Wikipedia entry for "Calibri" has apparently been repeatedly edited following the revelations. The Prime Minister, Maryam Nawaz, and her brothers have consistently denied the allegations against them. Maryam Nawaz tweeted: "report rejected. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in SC [Supreme Court]". A panel of three Pakistani Supreme Court judges will begin deciding what action to take based on the investigation's report from next week. Blog by Secunder Kermani You can find BBC Trending on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @BBCtrending. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

एक विशेष टाइपफेस के उपयोग के कारण पाकिस्तान में भ्रष्टाचार की जांच के केंद्र में एक प्रमुख दस्तावेज पर संदेह व्यक्त किया गया है। और ट्विटर उपयोगकर्ता हैशटैग #FontGate का उपयोग करके प्रधानमंत्री नवाज शरीफ और उनकी बेटी मरियम नवाज का मजाक उड़ा रहे हैं।


Liverpool City Council opens first care home in 25 years

Summary: Liverpool has opened its first council care home in over 25 years.

The £8m Brushwood care home in Speke has been built to meet growing demands for dementia care services, said a Liverpool City Council spokesman. The 60-bed home on South Parade has 48 beds for long term residential care and 12 for assessment. It is the first two new local authority-built homes in the city, with the second, Millvina House, opening in Everton in November. Kathleen Doyle, 89 is one of Brushwood's first residents. Her daughter Carol said she was relieved to have mother living in an area "she is familiar with". Having regular contact with family and friends and being in an area she knows "makes so much difference", she added. 'Significant challenge' The city council spends almost £50m a year on residential and nursing care, plus a further £11m on dementia and memory loss services. It has borrowed money to build the two centres, with the repayments covered by income from the leases on each site. Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said an increasing elderly population means the council is facing "a significant challenge" to ensure the social care system meets peoples needs. He said: "The decision to invest in these two new purpose-built care homes that will offer residential and nursing dementia beds and carer respite is part of our invest to save strategy and will help ease pressure on other, more costly parts of the health service such as hospital beds, and save the public purse money." Brushwood is a joint partnership between Liverpool City Council and Shaw healthcare who will be delivering care. Geraint Evans, Commercial and Development Director for Shaw healthcare said the home "provides state-of-the-art accommodation", adding: "The team at Brushwood will take a person-centred approach to care to achieve the best outcomes for residents. Our goal is to deliver the type of care that we would want for our own loved ones."

लिवरपूल ने 25 से अधिक वर्षों में अपना पहला काउंसिल केयर होम खोला है।


Shropshire local elections 2013: Tories retain control

Summary: The Conservatives have retained control of Shropshire Council.

The party claimed 48 of the 74 seats with its majority cut by just three seats. All wards were up for election on the unitary authority, which has been controlled by the Tories since it was created in 2009. The Bagley ward in Shrewsbury was one of the closest results, with the Conservatives winning it from the Liberal Democrats by just eight votes. BBC Shropshire political reporter Liz Roberts said the Conservatives always looked to be fairly comfortable, despite losing the Monkmoor seat to Labour early on. Council leader Keith Barrow said he was "delighted" by the result and that the local party had "bucked the national trend". "Our manifesto set out a clear plan of what we're planning to do for the next four years and I see that we've been given an endorsement," he said. No other single party had fielded enough candidates to claim an overall majority, although Shropshire County Council had been through many years of no overall control before the Conservatives took power in the run up to it becoming a unitary authority. In Bridgnorth, the Conservatives also successfully held off a challenge from UKIP. All the party group leaders retained their seats with comfortable majorities. The biggest casualty was cabinet member Martin Taylor Smith who lost his Ludlow South seat to the Lib Democrats. The Conservatives won 48 seats, Liberal Democrats 12 and Labour nine. Five independents also claimed seats. Counts across the country are expected to be declared by 18:00 BST.

कंजर्वेटिवों ने श्रॉपशायर परिषद पर नियंत्रण बनाए रखा है।


Coronavirus: NI jobs outlook 'heading back to 1980s'

Summary: Northern Ireland in the 1980s could be a grim place.

By John CampbellBBC News NI Economics & Business Editor Sectarian murders were still an every day horror and a political solution to the Troubles seemed almost impossible. The jobs market was in terrible shape, too. Between the end of 1982 and the end of 1989, there were never less than 100,000 people claiming unemployment benefits. Before the pandemic the unemployment claimant count this year was well below 30,000. But now Stormont's Department for the Economy is warning that the labour market is rapidly heading back to the 1980s. This week, the department published a detailed analysis of how the pandemic has damaged the economy. It noted that the claimant count has more than doubled in two months with more job losses to come. "Given that the claimant count currently stands at 65,151 in Northern Ireland, this scenario of job losses, and upcoming outflow of education leavers, would mean that the claimant count could plausibly exceed 100,000 before the end of 2020 or shortly afterwards. "By way of context, anything above 106,000 has not been witnessed since the 1980s." There is a caveat, that changes to the benefits system since the 1980s makes it harder to get a fully comparable claimant count. Unlike the "dole" in the 1980s, Universal Credit is paid to both those out of work and those employed on low pay, though statisticians adjust for this difference to make as close a comparison as possible. And there is no doubt the claimant count is steadily ticking up. This week, about 50 local workers lost their jobs as the Harvey's furniture chain collapsed into administration. One of those who lost his job was William Bell, who had worked at the firm for 12 years. 'Devastated' Along with his colleagues, he found out by recorded message at lunchtime on Tuesday. "We thought there should have been some type of consultation with us. There was nothing," he said. "All we got was the recorded message which, I think, is absolutely disgraceful. "There has been no respect shown, they have treated us like pure dirt." His colleague, Raymond Lowry, had been with the firm for 17 years. "We came back to work thinking our jobs were safe," he said. "Just to get a phone call and you're redundant, it's a disgrace. "Everybody's devastated." Joint administrator Zelf Hussain of PwC said that it was "regrettably necessary" to make redundancies, adding that the businesses would continue to trade in administration while all options were explored. "We will make every effort to help those affected at this difficult time by liaising with the Redundancy Payments Service and Job Centre Plus," he said. However, the week ended with some better economic news in Northern Ireland as restaurants, pubs and hotels were able to reopen. That follows the reopening of retail, with leisure businesses still to come. It is certain this will mean that short-term economic output figures will move into positive territory as those sectors bounce off rock bottom. But the Department for the Economy warns that a rapid jobs recovery is not so certain. It points to the evidence from previous recessions where job losses continued for a time, even as output stabilised. There is also the tendency for firms to be risk averse about rehiring staff leading to a slow recovery in the jobs market. And the department also cautioned that things could get much worse. "An additional risk is a more extreme scenario, of a chain reaction of wave after wave of job losses, with a potential further slump in demand and consumer confidence in the form of a negative feedback loop. "This is perhaps less likely than the first two risks, but still a possibility."

1980 के दशक में उत्तरी आयरलैंड एक भयावह जगह हो सकती है।


Local election results 2018: Parties must break out of comfort zones

Summary: They seem stuck with each other - so close, in fact, that our projected national share of the vote from the results would mean that, in a hypothetical general election tomorrow, the two main Westminster parties would receive exactly the same levels of public support.

Laura KuenssbergPolitical editor@bbclaurakon Twitter For reasons we've discussed at length overnight and in recent days, we have to be careful about directly transposing what happened on Thursday into a theoretical nationwide election. But while in one sense not very much happened in the local election - not very many councils and seats changed hands and neither of the main parties have (with a couple of hours to go) made dramatic strides - something important did happen. Voters opted again for roughly the status quo, underlining the trends that we saw developing at the general election as the political parties grappled with a new landscape after the referendum. Labour piled up support in big urban areas, but struggled to show advances in towns or areas where there used to be big industries, which are often - inconveniently for them - the kinds of places that have Westminster constituencies that swing the election. And notably, in part due to the grim row over anti-Semitism not being tackled in the Labour Party quickly enough, Labour did not make the kinds of additional gains in London boroughs they had suggested, even though in some of those critical parts of the metropolis, they ran the Tories extremely close. The comfort zone problem Almost in a mirror image, the Tories have struggled to get voters in big cities on side, even though, as above, they held back what would have been totemic losses in London. But they nibbled away in some of those kinds of places where Labour lost some of their appeal. Just as at the general election, we saw that outside London the Conservatives inched forward, and inside London, Labour took some small steps. There were of course many other interesting results, and you can read about them here. However, broadly speaking, both of the main Westminster parties maintained their comfort zone, but showed little evidence of pushing out of it. At this stage of the electoral cycle, that is a significant problem for the Labour Party. To demonstrate to the public, and to their own foot soldiers, they are banging on the door of No 10, they were eager to show more striking advances that did not come to pass. Some of their own MPs have been candid enough to admit that, in the last few hours, and to confront the geographical divide in their vote. But for the Tories too, there is a sense of relief, rather than a feeling of hope. They held off challenges more effectively than they expected to, but again, they showed little sign of having much to offer to voters in what's alien territory for them. Just as in June last year, we saw broadly Tory v Labour, Towns v Cities, Young v Old, and Leave v Remain. Of course it's not as simple as that. The Lib Dems had a better night than expected and UKIP pretty much disappeared. But the fault lines which the Referendum exposed are deeper still. And here is the conundrum for Labour and the Tories - they both are perhaps digging deeper into their holes. Warnings within For the Tories, in the traditional context, this can fairly be described as a pretty decent performance after eight years in government, which traditionally see parties get hammered as voters get fed up with them over the years. It would be perfectly easy for them therefore to say, move on, nothing to see here, let's carry on as we are, not least because the Tories are divided, and have faced drama after drama. But there's caution too. One senior Conservative warns that in London Councils they held on "in spite of the Westminster government and not because of it". They added: "The big risk is that the national party kicks the reform can down the road because we are trundling along. Just because the wheels didn't fall off, doesn't mean the early warning lights aren't flashing faster than ever." For Labour, the results don't suggest confident strides towards Number 10, but neither are they so bad that the party is likely to re-examine their approach. One shadow minister told the BBC it was "very serious to be going backwards" in some Midlands areas. Another said in frustration that there was "no strategy", but said nothing will change in their view, because "we've got 500,000 people who think this guy walks on water". For real majorities, rather than hung politics, parties have to achieve beyond their comfort zones. Until either of them can do that, perhaps Mr Corbyn can't truly beat Mrs May, but nor will Mrs May be able to see off Mr Corbyn.

वे एक-दूसरे के साथ अटके हुए प्रतीत होते हैं-वास्तव में, इतने करीब, कि परिणामों से वोट के हमारे अनुमानित राष्ट्रीय हिस्से का मतलब यह होगा कि, कल एक काल्पनिक आम चुनाव में, दो मुख्य वेस्टमिंस्टर दलों को बिल्कुल समान स्तर का सार्वजनिक समर्थन प्राप्त होगा।