'I helped test a wonder drug - then I was denied it'

Summary: Because of rare illness, Louise Moorhouse is on a special diet of pills or foul-tasting shakes. There's a drug that would allow her to eat like anyone else - she took it for three years during a clinical trial. But the NHS won't pay for it, reports the BBC's Deborah Cohen - and the drug company stopped giving it to her once the trial was over.

Imagine having to take more than 80 pills a day or drink shakes to replace everyday foods you can't eat. That's the reality for Louise Moorhouse, a 35-year-old teacher from Birmingham, who has a rare genetic condition called phenylketonuria or PKU. The pills are "huge", she says. "They're quite tricky to swallow. I think the most I have managed to do in one go is four. Any more than that and they come out my nose." The shakes are preferable, but attempts to give them a fruity taste have not succeeded in masking their "stomach-turning" acidity. From time to time her stomach starts to reject them, Louise says. In which case, she goes back on the pills. People with PKU can't properly digest the amino acid phenylalanine. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are broken down by the body to make our own proteins. But in people with PKU the levels build up, and can cause brain damage. Louise says she has to completely avoid 80% of normal food, and the protein in her diet has to be severely restricted - which may mean weighing it on scales before eating it. "I basically live on fruits and vegetables," she says. Dinner dates are best avoided, she has learned. "I avoid socialising with food if there's people there who I don't know," Louise says. "They may notice that sometimes I have to get my scales out and sometimes I have to send food back or it takes me a long time to choose food." But for three years, in her early 20s, Louise was able to eat like anyone else. That's because she took part in trials for a drug now called Kuvan (sapropterin hydrochloride) that was being developed by US biotech company, BioMarin. Find out more Watch Deborah Cohen's report on Louise Moorhouse for Newsnight "I took part in the trial because I just thought, 'Wow, if this works it's just going to change lives,'" she says. And for Louise it did. "Kuvan allowed me to eat a completely normal diet. And it was it was almost like someone had opened curtains on my life and I could see everything in Technicolor," she says. "It just freed me up so much." The dietician who had treated Louise as a child, Prof Anita MacDonald of Birmingham Children's Hospital, was one of the scientists involved. With help from her and Louise, BioMarin gathered enough evidence to show Kuvan reduced the levels of phenylalanine in many people with PKU. In 2007, it became the only licensed drug for the condition in the US; its European licence followed in 2008. "Because the trial had gone so well and because it made such a difference, I was convinced that it would only be a matter of time before this drug - that we had proved worked - would be available to everyone who responded to it," Louise says. But for NHS patients it wasn't. BioMarin put a £70,000 price tag on it, per adult per year - and the NHS thought it wasn't worth that. "The drug was too expensive and the NHS decided that there wasn't enough evidence of efficacy of that drug at that time and so they said no to prescribing it," says Anita MacDonald. It was a blow for Louise, who had to return to the pills and shakes. "It was a massive shock to my system," she says. "I had to relearn almost everything. It had a massive effect on my concentration, my mood, my focus at work, my relationship." The hope of an effective treatment for PKU had appeared on the horizon in the 1990s. A simple compound developed in a Swiss laboratory had been found to enable people with PKU to digest phenylalanine. It was then researched with public money and used unlicensed by many doctors. The trouble was, PKU is quite a rare disease. In England it is estimated that between one in 10,000 and one in 14,000 people have PKU. So there was little financial incentive for a pharmaceutical company to turn the compound into a licensed drug. Then in 2000, the European Commission introduced incentives to encourage the production of "orphan drugs" for people with rare conditions, ruling that companies would enjoy up to 12 years of market exclusivity. The cost of orphan drugs According to Dyfrig Hughes, professor of pharmacoeconomics at Bangor University, more than 165 orphan drugs have now been approved - and that in fact 50% of all drugs approved last year were for rare diseases. Companies find them profitable. But critics say the profitability - and the high price - of orphan drugs does not reflect the amount of effort companies have had to make to generate them. "We did one piece of work where we identified that 40% of orphan drugs are actually repurposed. That is they've been previously used for other purposes before they were granted orphan status," Dyfrig Hughes says. With governments across Europe struggling with the price of drugs used to treat rare conditions, the BBC is aware that the European Commission is reviewing the incentives scheme. In 2004, BioMarin - which specialises in drugs for rare conditions - bought the data from the early development of the compound to treat PKU. This meant that while it had to fund trials it didn't have to meet the costs of searching for an entirely novel chemical compound. When Kuvan was licensed a few years later and the NHS refused to pay the hefty price, patients were stuck in the middle. This remains the case, even now that the NHS has come to recognise the efficacy of the drug. "BioMarin have been asked to drop the price on many occasions but at the moment they have a patent," Anita Macdonald says. "They've got no competition." BioMarin told the BBC the NHS has asked for an 80% discount. "BioMarin is disappointed that the NHS England has not recognised the value of treating PKU patients with Kuvan, despite more than a decade of positive patient outcomes across 26 countries in Europe, Russia and Turkey," a spokesperson said. An NHS England spokesperson said: "The NHS does not offer a blank cheque to pharmaceutical companies, instead the NHS works hard to strike deals which give people access to the most clinically effective and innovative medicines, and at a price which is fair and affordable, which is exactly what our patients and the country's taxpayers would expect us to do." Most disappointed by the outcome were the people like Louise, who had taken part in the trial and identified Kuvan as what Louise calls "the holy grail for us". The BBC is aware of seven others. "You want your patients to gain any benefit from the work that they've done. They've entered the trial in good heart. We as scientists enter the trial in good heart," says Anita Macdonald. "I don't think it is ethical for patients to be involved in a trial and not continue with a treatment. Those patients put a lot of trust in the drug company and it's the least that could have been done for them to continue with that treatment longer term." Indeed, there is a global medical ethics agreement for research, called the Declaration of Helsinki, which says provisions should be made "for all participants who still need an intervention identified as beneficial in the trial". When the BBC pointed this out to BioMarin, the company said: "To the best of our knowledge, BioMarin is treating all known ex-trial patients. If there are any ex-trial patients who are not being treated and would like to be treated, they should talk to their treating physician and apply for treatment." For Louise, who for 10 years since the end of the trial has had to maintain her diet of pills or shakes, this came as startling news. She burst into tears. It had taken her years to conceive because of the difficulty getting her blood levels of phenylalanine down, she said. "A lot has happened that didn't have to happen. All these years I could have been on Kuvan and I wouldn't have had so many issues. "I feel so emotional - it's like winning the lottery." Update 1 November 2019:Louise Moorhouse has now been receiving Kuvan for several months. You may also be interested in: British teenager Shauna Davison was given an experimental transplant in 2012, in the hope of prolonging her life. Her mother says she was told in advance about two patients who had survived a similar operation - but not about others who had died. Was Shauna, who died after two weeks, a casualty of the rush to develop stem cell technology? Shauna Davison: 'I might have had her for a bit longer' Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

दुर्लभ बीमारी के कारण, लुईस मूरहाउस गोलियों या खराब स्वाद वाले शेक के विशेष आहार पर है। एक दवा है जो उसे किसी और की तरह खाने की अनुमति देती है-उसने इसे नैदानिक परीक्षण के दौरान तीन साल तक लिया। लेकिन एन. एच. एस. इसके लिए भुगतान नहीं करेगा, बीबीसी की डेबोरा कोहेन की रिपोर्ट है-और परीक्षण समाप्त होने के बाद दवा कंपनी ने उसे देना बंद कर दिया।


Family of gang rape accused 'made infamous' in home village

Summary: A court in India has ruled that one of the six people accused of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi last month is a minor. BBC Hindi's Shalu Yadav visited the village of this 17-year-old juvenile at the centre of a case that has shocked India.

Miles away from India's capital, Delhi, villagers have gathered around a small house of mud and hay. Inside, a sick woman lies on a makeshift bed on the mud floor. She is unable to move and lets out cries of pain. Her five children try to comfort her as she shivers. "She hasn't been well since she heard the news about her eldest son," says her daughter. She had thought him dead until police came knocking on her door last month and told her he was one of the accused in the brutal gang rape case. "There weren't many job opportunities in the village. At the age of 11, he asked for my permission to move to Delhi for a job. We last spoke to each other just before he boarded the bus to the city. He told me to take care of myself and not to worry about him," says the distraught mother who cannot be named for legal reasons. Shattered hopes The family of seven is possibly the poorest in the village. The father is mentally disabled and cannot take care of the children, say the villagers. Their only income comes from the two teenage daughters in the family, who work all day in the field to earn $2 (£1.30) a day. "My sister and I don't have a permanent job. We are called by the field owners to work in their fields. But that doesn't happen every day," says one of the daughters. There are two rooms in the house, one of which is reserved to the lean buffalo they bought with a neighbour. "We are waiting for the day she is fit enough to produce milk. We can then sell her for a good price. Till then, feeding her is a challenge as we ourselves don't get regular meals," says the daughter. The mother says the family has not had a proper meal for the last two days. "I sent my eldest son to work in Delhi, in the hope that he would earn well and bring us out of poverty. But that hope was short-lived. He sent us money for a few years and then disappeared. I was angry with him and later thought he was dead." She can hardly recollect how he looks and struggles to describe him. But she insists he was a docile boy and could not commit such a heinous crime. "The news made me angry, but I was heart-broken as well. I couldn't believe what the police told me. He was a very sensitive child and would be scared to confront anybody in the village. I'm sure he fell into bad company in Delhi and was led into committing this shameful act," she says, teary-eyed. "I'm not sure if I can forgive him. If he has committed this crime, he should be given a harsh punishment. He made us infamous in the entire village. My heart sinks when I think about the future of my daughters. Who will marry them now?" She says she has decided against sending her other three sons to Delhi as a result of the incident. Big-city dreams Millions of children in India migrate from villages to cities every year, in search of job opportunities. Campaigners say poor migrant children live without any emotional support and some of them often become involved in criminal activities. The accused juvenile in the gang rape case, having left his village at the age of 11, lived his formative years alone, doing menial jobs in Delhi. His crime has sparked a debate across India about juvenile laws, which call for a lesser punishment for youths under 18 years of age. The court may have pronounced him a juvenile, based on the documents from his school, but the school headmaster in the village is not sure whether he is actually a minor. "We can't really be sure of his age, but according to the school admission records, he is 17 years and six months. He could be older than this, but he is not younger for sure." He says the admission process in India's villages is often basic. "In villages, parents bring their children to the school for admission, without any certificate that confirms the child's age. We just have to trust the parents with the age of the child and admit him/her to the school," says the headmaster, who cannot be named for legal reasons. For the accused's siblings though, the immediate concern is finding a proper meal rather than worrying about their brother, who they do not even remember growing up with. The youngest in the family looks out and waits for his eldest sister to come back. "I'm very hungry. If my sister brings money, we will have our next meal and mother can possibly afford a doctor as well."

भारत की एक अदालत ने फैसला सुनाया है कि पिछले महीने दिल्ली में एक 23 वर्षीय महिला के सामूहिक बलात्कार और हत्या के आरोपी छह लोगों में से एक नाबालिग है। बीबीसी हिंदी की शालू यादव ने एक मामले के केंद्र में इस 17 वर्षीय किशोर के गांव का दौरा किया जिसने भारत को चौंका दिया है।


Light shed on Victorian St Kilda

Summary: Rare slides of life on the remote island archipelago of St Kilda 125 years ago are to be displayed in Aberdeen using a Victorian projector.

The collection of pictures were taken by photographers George Washington Wilson and Norman Macleod. Known as lantern slides, the images were coloured by hand. The slide show will be held on Wednesday at the Waterstone's Union Bridge branch as part of the University of Aberdeen's Cafe Scientifique series. Aberdeen photographers Wilson and Macleod visited St Kilda, 41 miles off the Western Isles, during a journey from Oban in 1886. Author and historian Mark Butterworth will host the slideshow. The University of Aberdeen said the images give a glimpse of Victorian life on the archipelago.

125 साल पहले सेंट किल्डा के दूरस्थ द्वीप द्वीपसमूह पर जीवन की दुर्लभ स्लाइडों को विक्टोरियन प्रोजेक्टर का उपयोग करके एबरडीन में प्रदर्शित किया जाना है।


Coronavirus: 'Despicable' men lick hands and wipe supermarket food

Summary: Two "despicable" men who licked their hands before wiping them over meat, vegetables and fridge handles in a supermarket are wanted by police.

The pair walked into Sainsbury's in Morecambe, Lancashire, on Saturday afternoon. Staff were forced to thoroughly disinfect the Lancaster Road store and destroy products, police said. Lancashire Police has now released CCTV images of two suspects and appealed for information. Insp James Martin, described the incident "utterly despicable". He said: "That anyone could think this sort of behaviour is appropriate or amusing, even in normal times, is beyond me. "But at this time of crisis when many people have been faced with empty shelves in shops it is flabbergasting." Insp Martin called on the men to come forward, adding: "You must surely know that what you have done is wrong."

दो "घृणित" लोग जो एक सुपरमार्केट में मांस, सब्जियों और फ्रिज के हैंडल को पोंछने से पहले अपने हाथ चाटते थे, पुलिस द्वारा वांछित हैं।


Inside Siberia’s isolated community of forgotten women

Summary: In the remote village of Yar-Sale, in Northern Siberia, lives a group of elderly women. Once part of a nomadic community of reindeer herders, in their old age they spend most of their days in seclusion, isolated from the world they loved.

While the men are encouraged to remain within the migrating community and maintain their social roles, the women are often ostracised and left to face the struggles of old age alone. Photographer Oded Wagenstein took the long journey to meet these 'forgotten' women. "It took a flight, a sixty-hour train ride from Moscow, and a seven-hour bone-breaking drive across a frozen river to meet them," says Oded. "I was surprised by the warmth with which they welcomed me to their homes and for days - over many cups of tea - we sat together as they shared their stories, lullabies, and longings with me: distant memories of white landscapes and reindeer herds, longings for their gone parents and partners, along with great frustration over the feeling of being 'purposeless'." Angelina Serotetto, born 1942 Part of a family of shaman women, Angelina's mother taught her to read the future using sacred objects from nature. "Yes! I miss those days in the past but I try to remain optimistic. I view everything with a loving eye. I think you learn it as you get older." Autipana Audi, born 1941 During her lifetime, Autipana experienced many sad losses. She lost her husband, son and daughter to diseases, and a few years ago her entire reindeer herd perished due to starvation during a cold spell. Almost unable to walk, she spends her days mostly limited to her bed, aware that she will never be able to wander again. "I miss summers, when we used to fish. I miss my family and the reindeer, but the thing I miss the most is walking. Walking in the snow." Zinaida Evay, born 1946 Married for many years, Zinaida recalls how her husband had "a wonderful bond, full of love and laughter, right to his last day." Now, she is living in the small apartment alone with their cats. "But now they are old too," she says. "All that is left are the lullabies I sing to myself." Pudani Audi, born 1948 Like her ancestors, who have wandered the frozen landscape of Northern Siberia for thousands of years, Pudani was born in the tundra and roamed since birth. During her adulthood, she was a leading herder, taking the precious herds through one of the most extreme environments on Earth. She still hopes to wander again, but without her community's support, it is unlikely this longing will be realised. "I miss the feeling of freedom and the outdoors but I feel that my part is over - that I am no longer needed there." Liliya Yamkina, born 1944 As a child in the tundra, Liliya was the only one in her clan who knew how to read. She still remembers how important she felt when she read everyone their letters and formal documents. However, the importance of her reading skills to the clan was also the reason that her father prevented her from going to college to become a teacher. Now, in her apartment, she writes love songs about the tundra and her dream is to publish them in a magazine. "I did not fully understand the importance of tradition and family when I was young. I argued so much with my parents. I wanted to escape from my roots. I remember how much I liked it when they told me folk tales around the bonfire…I miss them so much." Photographs and interviews by Oded Wagenstein.

उत्तरी साइबेरिया में यार-सेल के दूरदराज के गाँव में बुजुर्ग महिलाओं का एक समूह रहता है। कभी बारहसिंगा चरवाहों के एक खानाबदोश समुदाय का हिस्सा थे, अपने बुढ़ापे में वे अपने अधिकांश दिन एकांत में बिताते हैं, उस दुनिया से अलग हो जाते हैं जिससे वे प्यार करते थे।


Three teenagers charged over Stratford Centre stabbing

Summary: Three teenagers arrested over the fatal stabbing of Beniamin Pieknyi at a shopping centre have been charged.

Kevin Duarte, 18, Alexis Gabriel Da Costa Varela, 19 and Mario Zvavamwe, 18, all from Newham, are accused of manslaughter and violent disorder. Mr Pieknyi, 21, from Milton Keynes, was stabbed to death at the Stratford Centre on 20 March. The three accused men are scheduled to appear before Thames Magistrates' Court later. A fourth man, Vladyslav Yakymchuck, 22, was charged on 25 March with murder, robbery and theft.

एक शॉपिंग सेंटर में बेनियामिन पीकनयी की घातक चाकू मारकर हत्या करने के आरोप में तीन किशोरों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Jury discharged in Ipswich kidnap trial

Summary: The jury in a trial of a gang accused of locking an Ipswich woman in a loft as part of a blackmail plot has been discharged.

Louie Charles, 19, of Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, and Tye Parker, 20, of Burr Close, Harwich, deny charges of false imprisonment, kidnap and blackmail. Two other men, who deny charges of false imprisonment, were also standing trial at Ipswich Crown Court. Jurors were discharged on 20 September and a retrial is due next year. The other two defendants facing the false imprisonment charges only are Cuthbert Charles, 58, of Whitegreave Court, Wolverhampton, and Mubarak Jaye, 18 of Seward Street, Clerkenwell, London. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

ब्लैकमेल प्लॉट के हिस्से के रूप में एक इप्सविच महिला को लॉफ्ट में बंद करने के आरोपी गिरोह के मुकदमे में जूरी को बरी कर दिया गया है।


#SaveDippy - but why do we care?

Summary: Dippy the diplodocus is being removed from the entrance of the Natural History Museum, an announcement which has prompted a Twitter storm of grief. While the dinosaur's days in the spotlight are numbered, the question arises - why do we care?

By Lauren PottsBBC News The London museum has revealed it will be replacing the much-loved dino display with a 25m-long skeleton of a blue whale to "increase the wow factor" for visitors. But their decision has proven very unpopular. Within hours of the announcement the hashtag #SaveDippy was trending on Twitter and newspaper Metro had launched an online petition for Dippy's reinstatement, which gathered thousands of signatures. "Are the Natural History Museum out of their minds?? My four year old is about to take part in her first protest," tweeted Dippy supporter Jane Merrick. "Removing Dippy from the @NHM_London is like removing the Eiffel Tower from Paris #savedippy," said another dinosaur fan, Ruaridh Arrow. But why are people upset about the removal of a replica dinosaur skeleton? Probably, it is due to the loss of a collective symbol of childhood memories. "I grew up crazy about dinosaurs and [Dippy] was a big part of my childhood," said children's author and illustrator, James Mayhew. "One of the significant moments for kids going to the museum was seeing Dippy. I think its incredulous that anyone would make the decision to remove something so iconic and so extraordinary." Childhood memories Have you had your photograph taken with Dippy, a Beefeater or Mickey Mouse? Send your favourite childhood photographs to england@bbc.co.uk "This is perhaps something to do with feeling nostalgia," said Prof Tamara Ansons from the University of Warwick. "Seeing Dippy in the entrance is probably a very memorable experience for most people and they are distressed that this distinctive feature is being removed [because] a part of their childhood is being removed. "People remember those [moments] when they're old and they want to share that with their children and grandchildren and they're sad about the loss of that." A comparison can be drawn with other milestone moments throughout childhood which are captured through the eye of a camera lens; the photos taken with Father Christmas, Mickey Mouse or a Beefeater at the Tower of London. "A photo with Dippy may have been something families did as an annual event, like [having] pictures with Santa," said Prof Ansons. "That's a very strong cue to childhood memories, it's not only a reminder of your experience, but a reminder of that great day you had or the visit or the people you were with." Dippy the diplodocus How do you pronounce diplodocus? Museum director Sir Michael Dixon called the move a "necessary change" to reflect the best in cutting-edge science. After all, Dippy is "just a copy", he said. But the fact the prehistoric statue is a replica has proved irrelevant to hoards of his heartbroken fans. Is the outcry over his retirement justified? Kitty Ross, from Leeds Museums and Galleries, said exhibits took on a life of their own for many visitors, particularly when they became a character or mascot like Dippy. But, she added, it is unusual for an exhibit to last as long as the diplodocus has. "People get very emotionally attached to what's there, particularly if it's something they visited as a child. Museum visits for children can form an image in their mind and they expect to see it again. "You get that reaction when you make changes to things that people have fond memories of," she added. Though Dippy's days of greeting generations of visitors may be numbered come 2017, it is not the end of the road for the dinosaur, who could find himself on tour raising the profile of regional museums in the UK. "After inspiring millions of visitors over 35 years, it's no surprise to me that some want to keep the diplodocus centre stage. We love Dippy too," said Sir Michael. "Once it leaves Hintze Hall, taking the diplodocus on tour would inspire many more millions of people and, given the public response, we will now see how we can involve people in making this tour happen."

प्राकृतिक इतिहास संग्रहालय के प्रवेश द्वार से डिप्लोडोकस डिप्पी को हटाया जा रहा है, एक ऐसी घोषणा जिसने ट्विटर पर शोक का तूफान खड़ा कर दिया है। जबकि डायनासोर के दिन सुर्खियों में हैं, सवाल उठता है-हम परवाह क्यों करते हैं?


Will tuition fees be scrapped or saved by university review?

Summary: The launch of a "major review" of university tuition fees is expected in the next few weeks - despite speculation that it was going to disappear into the political black hole of a minority government consumed by Brexit.

Sean CoughlanEducation correspondent It will set out the terms of reference for a re-examination of one of the most controversial and combustible areas of policy, which has proved a thorn in the side of all three major political parties in England. Prime Minister Theresa May, under pressure to respond to Labour's promise to scrap fees, announced a review of "university funding and student financing" at her party conference. The government might have wanted to reconnect with younger voters, but it seemed to kindle little enthusiasm within its own Department for Education - and the fees overhaul was talked down until it seemed to be disappearing. 'Putting money back' But it now seems to be back on the agenda - as a big idea on the domestic front, for a government pegged down by interminable Brexit negotiations. "We have listened and we have learned," Mrs May told her party, with a promise to freeze fees in England at £9,250 a year while the review was taking place. There was also an increase in the amount that graduates could earn before having to repay loans, rising from £21,000 to £25,000 a year. The intention, said Mrs May, was "putting money back into the pockets of graduates with high levels of debt". And there are precedents for such big reviews of fees going ahead at times of political fragility. The last two big policy reviews of university funding were begun ahead of general elections in 1997 and 2010 and were completed after changes of government and prime minister. So what will be the options under scrutiny from the review? The prospect of average student debt rising above £50,000 sent a shiver down the spine of middle England. There were newspaper reports suggesting that the government was considering lowering them to £7,000 a year. And there will be great political pressure to do something to reduce the headline price. 'Buy back debt' On the sale of debt, Estelle Clarke, former City lawyer and adviser to the Intergenerational Foundation think tank, has an idea that puts cat among the pigeons. She has called for a "right to buy" for graduates to be able to buy back their own student loans at the same reduced price at which they will be sold to investors. The argument, in a paper for the Finance and Society journal, is that if the government can sell student debt to private investors, why not offer the same terms to the student, who will have to spend decades paying off the debt? "That the government is prepared to sell student loans to wealthy investors for a price that reflects a fraction of their value shows a profound disconnect between government and the people," says Ms Clarke. The radical idea has been backed by Professor Sir Keith Burnett, vice-chancellor, of the University of Sheffield. "Education feels to many like a burden as well as a liberation," says Sir Keith. "Higher education is now the subject of fierce party-political debate, and some believe it could decide the outcome of the next election," he says. 'Dramatic increase in investment' But there will be voices calling to keep the current system in place - and the Department for Education will be unlikely to provide any propulsion for change. A report this week from the Centre for Global Higher Education, based at the UCL Institute of Education in London, said that the introduction of tuition fees had made the system better funded and able to expand to provide places for more students. The study said that fees had meant a "dramatic increase in investment" in per-student funding - with university budgets no longer having to depend on governments with more pressing priorities. Dr Gill Wyness, co-author of the study, said the current fees and loan system "keeps university free at the point of entry, and provides students with comparatively generous assistance for living expenses, while protecting low-earning graduates from the risk of high repayments". But the study highlights that this is as much about perception as economics, and "the system is still poorly understood by students". The OECD's influential education chief, Andreas Schleicher, is also an advocate of England's fee system. Speaking at the Education Policy Institute in London this month, he said that it provided sustainable funding for universities, in contrast to many European systems where expansion was being held back by underfunding. Mr Schleicher said the system of fees and loans was "years ahead" of other major economies. Ahead of its time? Or a fee that has run out of time? The debate is about to begin again.

अगले कुछ हफ्तों में विश्वविद्यालय शिक्षण शुल्क की "बड़ी समीक्षा" शुरू होने की उम्मीद है-इस अटकलों के बावजूद कि यह ब्रेक्सिट द्वारा उपभोग की जाने वाली अल्पसंख्यक सरकार के राजनीतिक ब्लैक होल में गायब होने वाला था।


SLMM 'corrects' killings charge

Summary: International truce monitors in Sri Lanka have issued a clarification of a press release from Saturday in which they had accused government armed forces of extrajudicial killings.

The ri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) had said they believed that security forces were involved in extra-judicial killings of civilians in the north and east of the island, based on their own observation and enquiries on the ground. In a new statement issued on Tuesday the SLMM said that the Sri Lankan government had told that the government was not aware of any such activities, and that the SLMM believed the government was sincere in this respect. The SLMM also says it was not their intention to generalise about the Sri Lanka armed forces and police. The head of the the SLMM, Ulf Henricsson, was summoned to a meeting at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

श्रीलंका में अंतर्राष्ट्रीय युद्धविराम पर्यवेक्षकों ने शनिवार से एक प्रेस विज्ञप्ति का स्पष्टीकरण जारी किया है जिसमें उन्होंने सरकारी सशस्त्र बलों पर न्यायेतर हत्याओं का आरोप लगाया था।


Two boys in need of a home, two parents mourning lost children

Summary: Two children who walked into a village in the north-west of the Central African Republic earlier this year, after a long trek through forest and savannah, are symbolic of a growing problem: after years of civil war, thousands of children in the country have been orphaned. Could recruiting large numbers of foster parents be the answer?

By Jack LoshBossangoa, Central African Republic Late one morning at the height of the dry season, Henriette Idjara was heading home to her village when she spotted two boys slumped by a parched riverbed. Clothes torn, caked in dust, the teenagers were in dire need. Henriette couldn't turn away. As a mother who had lost five of her own children, the 53-year-old felt a strong maternal instinct telling her to help. "What are you doing here?" she asked. The brothers, Guy and Nelson, told her that rebel soldiers had raided their village and executed their father in cold blood, several months earlier. Their mother had left long ago. Living in fear of further attacks and unable to make ends meet, the boys eventually decided to leave, setting off on foot to find work. By the time Henriette found them, a week later, they had walked about 150 miles. "They were trying to get to a gold mine," says Henriette. "I told them, 'Listen, that place is dangerous. There is much violence there.'" Instead, she took them back to her home. It was a moment for which she and her husband, Jean-Philippe, were prepared. The couple have a son and three daughters, but five other children had succumbed to fatal bouts of malaria, meningitis and other diseases. In the wake of these tragic deaths, they had registered last year as foster parents and were waiting to be assigned children. "This is our calling," says Jean-Philippe, a church deacon. "All children should be cared for, so they can grow up and build a better society than the one we have now." The Central African Republic was plunged into chaos in 2013 when Muslim rebels of the Seleka alliance seized power, triggering the mobilisation of mostly Christian "anti-balaka" militias. Hundreds of thousands were displaced in the violence that followed and an unknown number of children orphaned or separated from their parents. Chaotic attacks have continued across the country ever since. A peace deal agreed in February has raised hopes of a permanent end to the conflict, but it has not always translated into a palpable sense of security on the ground. Guy and Nelson set off on their journey weeks after it was signed. Henriette and Jean-Philippe learned more of the horrors they had endured in the days after the meeting on the riverbank. According to the boys, militants armed with grenades and AK47s stormed their quiet village by motorbike, shooting civilians indiscriminately and setting fire to houses. Some of the inhabitants fled into the bush but their father stayed to defend their home. He shot three of the attackers with a hunting rifle but was eventually captured and hacked to death with a machete. Guy and Nelson escaped capture by hiding in a bush. "We saw everything," says Guy, the younger of the two. Afterwards, once the militants had dispersed, leaving the village in smouldering ruins, they emerged from their hiding place and buried their father's body. Since taking the boys under their wing, Henriette and Jean-Philippe have been employing a combination of love and discipline to create the semblance of a normal childhood. "We support them as much as possible," says Henriette. "We tell them that they should not think too much about what has happened, that so many people here have experienced tragedy, that life is full of difficulties. We remind them about the importance of education and we give them rules: not to go out late or misbehave with their friends." So far this year a handful of humanitarian organisations, under the leadership of the UN children's agency, Unicef, have registered and supported 1,500 orphaned or separated children. The goal is to reach more than 4,000 by the end of December. But only 1,000 families nationwide are registered as foster carers, so an urgent search is on for more. Word is spread via community leaders, social workers, town-hall-style meetings and radio broadcasts. Carers must be at least 25 years old, have experience of raising children and live in a secure community as the head of a household. If not enough can be found, the risk is that a volatile underclass will find itself at the mercy of armed groups, which still control most of the country. "Family-based care is essential to promote the wellbeing of those vulnerable children traumatised by the conflict," says Therese Mansan, a Unicef child protection specialist in CAR. When Henriette and Jean-Philippe first registered last year as would-be foster parents, the humanitarian organisation SOS Children's Villages gave them training in children's rights and the responsibilities of carers. Then, when they took Guy and Nelson in, it sent child psychologists to assess the teenagers. Like other foster parents, Henriette and Jean-Philippe signed a contract and will now be subject to unannounced visits to ensure the boys are cared for properly. The family is also receiving help to ease the pressure of taking on more dependants. SOS Children's Villages provides useful household items, such as foam mattresses and mosquito nets, toothbrushes and towels, clothing, cutlery and soap. Separated children at risk Young people who have been separated from their parents and informally absorbed into other families on the move can face high levels of abuse, exploitation and neglect. Poverty and desperation can drive caregivers to prioritise their biological children and regard adopted ones as a free source of labour. "The international community needs to give more thought to the ways in which it can sufficiently track and monitor separated and orphaned children during times of conflict," says Sophie Bray-Watkins, who oversees youth advocacy at War Child UK. "These are huge challenges but they really are priorities in terms of protection." Having seen much violence since 2013, the area around Bossangoa is now calm but some children have been deeply affected says Melly Gael, a child psychologist with SOS Children's Villages. "Some of them have become violent as this is all they've known," she says. Not far from Guy and Nelson's new home, the charity runs a "child-friendly space" where children affected by the war can enjoy drawing, learning and playing. As children aged between four and five burst into song beneath a tin roof, on mats covering the bare earth, the faces of some light up with beaming, toothy smiles, but others remain withdrawn. The most traumatised children are easily upset and may lash out at others; there is a child psychologist in the next room ready to assist. "This place helps the children forget what they have experienced," says Narcisse Ngalibele, a child-protection specialist. "It helps them to be children again." For Guy and Nelson that opportunity may have passed. Pain remains etched on the boys' faces. Guy, the younger of the two, often looks sad and lost, while Nelson appears to be smouldering with anger. Both have regular nightmares. "We never want to go back," says Guy, staring at the ground. But under Henriette and Jean-Philippe's care, they are beginning to look towards the future. Guy wants to become a mechanic. Nelson is keen to return to school and finish his studies. Staff from SOS Children's Villages continue to search for their missing mother in the hope of one day reuniting them. "I often see my father in my dreams," says Nelson. "He tells me not to go back to our village. This is my home now. We have to start a new life. Follow Jack Losh on Twitter @jacklosh You may also be interested in:

दो बच्चे जो इस साल की शुरुआत में मध्य अफ्रीकी गणराज्य के उत्तर-पश्चिम में एक गाँव में जंगल और सवाना के माध्यम से एक लंबी यात्रा के बाद आए थे, एक बढ़ती समस्या के प्रतीक हैंः वर्षों के गृहयुद्ध के बाद, देश में हजारों बच्चे अनाथ हो गए हैं। क्या बड़ी संख्या में पालक माता-पिता की भर्ती करना जवाब हो सकता है?


Arctic convoy veteran Herbert MacNeil hopes for recognition

Summary: For the Arctic convoys of World War II that took supplies to the Soviet Union - braving 70ft (21m) waves and temperatures as low as -50C - the weather and seas were just as deadly as the U-boats.

By Paul BurnellBBC News, Manchester "I was more scared of the weather than the enemy," said 86-year-old veteran Herbert MacNeil, from Manchester. Yet most of the medals adorning Mr MacNeil's crisp blue blazer as he stands at the Middleton war memorial on Remembrance Day have been awarded by the former USSR and the Russian Federation. He has been honoured four times by the Russians in 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2010. Winston Churchill said the convoys carried out "the most dangerous journey in the world". Yet veterans believe they have received scant recognition from the British government for their sacrifices and the enormous risks they ran. Chipping ice The Arctic sailors received the same medal as those who served on the Atlantic convoys. "The Arctic was totally different to the Atlantic - somebody needs to tell them in Whitehall," said Mr MacNeil. "They gave us an Atlantic medal it was like giving us something from a corn flake packet." Mr MacNeil, who joined the Royal Navy in 1941 age 16, served as an anti-aircraft gunner but a lot of his time was spent battling the elements. "If you didn't shift the ice the ship could capsize, it was in danger of overturning," he said. "We had to try and chip it off with hammers and scrapers - anything you could lay your hands on. "They were terrible conditions. You daren't touch any metal rail on deck as your hand would stick to it. "When the bows [of the ship] went into a wave you thought they were never going to come out again, you would breathe a sigh of relief and say that's it until the next comes. It was shocking, you did four hours on deck unless it was action stations." Frozen clothes He added: "When you got down below, it was mayhem. All the asbestos had come off the deck heads - the floors were swamped, everything was wet. "You had no dry clothing and hoped the first lot you had worn had dried out but it never did it stayed wet all the time. You daren't go on the upper deck as it would have frozen to you." Prime Minister David Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday he had "every sympathy" with the case of the Arctic convoy veterans. He said a review would look at the general issue of medals, with the Arctic convoys "probably the most pressing". Mr MacNeil and other veterans believe the Cold War was responsible for their lack of recognition. "It was a political thing because of the Cold War. We were all for the Russians during the war," he said. The unspoken hope is that the honour will not be posthumous for those surviving vets. He added: "It's about time them at the top took their fingers out and did what was right and give us what we're due. "All it needs is somebody with a bit of common sense to say the Russians have recognised their men it's time for us to recognise our men. "It would be thanks for a job well done."

द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के आर्कटिक काफिले के लिए जो सोवियत संघ को आपूर्ति करते थे-70 फीट (21 मीटर) लहरों और-50 डिग्री सेल्सियस के रूप में कम तापमान का सामना करते हुए-मौसम और समुद्र यू-नौकाओं की तरह ही घातक थे।


Audio slideshow: Across the two Sudans

Summary: Border clashes and rows about oil wealth cloud the relationship between South Sudan and Sudan eight months after the south seceded, with some fearing a new outbreak of open warfare.

One man with a rare insight into the two countries is photographer Tim McKulka. He spent five years travelling to every state in the united Sudan - then Africa's biggest country - to produce a book We'll Make Our Homes Here: Sudan at the Referendum, which will soon be available for free on iTunes. He explains why he decided to undertake such an ambitious project. Photography by Tim McKulka, interview by James Copnall.Slideshow production by Emma Lynch. Publication date 13 March 2012. More audio slideshows: Audio slideshow: Sudan's love of cows undefined undefined

दक्षिण सूडान के अलग होने के आठ महीने बाद तेल संपत्ति के बारे में सीमा संघर्ष और पंक्तियाँ दक्षिण सूडान और सूडान के बीच संबंधों को प्रभावित करती हैं, जिनमें से कुछ को खुले युद्ध के एक नए प्रकोप का डर है।


Is Ivory Coast ready for presidential elections?

Summary: Voters in Ivory Coast go to the polls on Sunday 25 October to elect a new president, five years after the world's largest cocoa producer descended into post-election violence that left more than 3,000 people dead and thousands more displaced.

Mistrust is still part of the political scene with three candidates - the latest, Charles Konan Banny, on Friday - withdrawing from the contest, citing concerns about the election process as their reason for doing so. Other candidates have predicted massive vote rigging. Who are the main candidates? Incumbent President Alassane Ouattara: A trained economist and former International Monetary Fund executive, Mr Ouattara is the candidate of the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace coalition. He once served as prime minister, and before that as governor of the Central Bank of West African States. Aged 73, he has promised not to seek a third term if re-elected. He has also promised lower taxes and to "lighten the social burden". Pascal Affi N'Guessan is the candidate for Mr Gbagbo's opposition Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), and was prime minister from 2000 to 2003. The 62-year-old telecommunications engineer is under fire from an FPI faction which wants Mr Gbagbo as their candidate despite him awaiting trial for alleged crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Mr N'Guessan's campaign message has been that Mr Gbagbo should be released, and analysts feel that calling for this at every turn strengthens his position with the party faithful. Kouadio Konan Bertin, 47, is an MP and was once youth leader in the former ruling Democratic Party of Ivory Coast. He has pledged to bring home thousands of Ivorian political dissidents living in exile "so that we can wash our dirty linen at home". Who will win? Mr Ouattara seems likely to win. Ivorian newspaper Fraternite Matin suggests his development programmes will work in his favour and that "the opposition can be considered fractured". Satirical Ivorian newspaper Gbich believes Mr Ouattara will win because his campaign machine has covered the entire country, unlike his rivals' efforts. How does the system work? The election will be overseen by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), chaired by Youssouf Bakayoko, a former foreign minister, despite calls from the opposition for him to be dismissed for alleged bias. The CEI says it has registered more than 6.3 million voters out of a population of slightly more than 22 million. All Ivorians over 18 may vote, including expatriates. The president is elected by an absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed. What are the security issues? Insecurity remains a serious threat partly because some former rebels did not surrender their weapons, and partly because of the widespread availability of illegal firearms. The government says about 10,000 firearms have been recovered from civilians since November 2011, but the number still in circulation is unknown. Another worry is the threat of Islamist terror attacks in the wake of raids in June on the Malian villages of Fakola and Misseni, which border Ivory Coast to the north. Ansar Dine, which along with other al-Qaeda-linked groups took over control of northern Mali for several months in 2012 and 2013, said it was behind the attacks. Will the election be credible? Kouadio Konan Bertin has accused the government of planning "massive rigging" and of preparing a tailor-made voters' roll to register its supporters. However, President Ouattara has pledged a "peaceful, democratic and transparent" poll. "Ivory Coast would like to set an example after the (2010) post-electoral crisis," he has said, but Ivorians must overcome their voter apathy first. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.

आइवरी कोस्ट में मतदाता रविवार 25 अक्टूबर को एक नए राष्ट्रपति का चुनाव करने के लिए मतदान करते हैं, दुनिया के सबसे बड़े कोको उत्पादक के चुनाव के बाद की हिंसा में उतरने के पांच साल बाद, जिसमें 3,000 से अधिक लोग मारे गए और हजारों लोग विस्थापित हो गए।


Why Admiral's 'flashy' England strip now commands respect

Summary: It is 40 years since England's footballers first took to the field in Admiral's colourful reinterpretation of the national kit. Derided as garish and tacky, and almost abandoned after just a handful of games, how has it become one of the most-loved football strips?

By Simon ArmstrongBBC News As 90,000 flag-waving fans roared Land of Hope and Glory, the two teams marched on to the lush Wembley turf in a match the press had billed as "the Ten Million Dollar Kid meets Mighty Mouse". With teenage prodigy Diego Maradona in their ranks, reigning world champions Argentina were the home side's opponents on 13 May 1980 as Kevin Keegan once again donned the captain's armband. "England tonight unveiling their new strip," announced BBC commentator Barry Davies. "Though quite why the England shirt should have the colours of the union jack remains a mystery." The erudite man with the microphone was far from alone in his opinion, as the distinctive red, white and blue bands across the chest were a clear break from the all-white shirts the team had sported for close to a century. The ensuing story of the strip - and of kit-maker Admiral - would mirror the national side's boom-and-bust fortunes and include a financial disaster which almost saw it shown the red card that very summer. Much of the powerful Fleet Street media immediately showed disdain for the kit, which was the result of a £1m deal inked in 1979 between the Football Association and the Leicester-based firm. When news of its impending launch broke in the Daily Mirror in January 1980, the pun-loving paper screamed "Strip off" and accused the company of "taking commercialism too far". Springing to its defence in the Daily Express, Admiral owner Bert Patrick was adamant. "England will be the best-dressed international team in the world," he declared. Chosen from 60 subtly different designs, it had been the result of 12 weeks' work by a four-strong creative team, and The Sun splashed the first photographs across its front and centre pages at the end of February. Keen to play up its exclusive, the publication reported the "shinier" strips were intended to impress under floodlights and on TV. Those features would not be enough to placate Nottingham Forest boss Brian Clough, though. In a column for Match magazine, he bemoaned: "The wraps are off England's new kit - and I'm saying now I don't like it. It has the looks of one of my mother's old pinnies!" The media furore was nothing new to Patrick. Revolutionising the kit market in 1973 when Leeds United became the first professional team in the country to wear a strip bearing a manufacturer's logo, his company had long faced accusations of profiteering. In 1974 Admiral penned its first deal to provide outfits for the whole England team at an initial cost of £15,000 a year or a 10% royalty. The addition of the firm's badge as well as shoulder stripes, trims and a switch to lighter blue shorts on that first strip did not go unnoticed. "The FA's International Committee didn't really know what they were stepping into," Patrick says today. "They agreed we could supply not only the kit but things like tracksuits and the medical bags, which had 'Admiral' right across the front. "It had incredible publicity - I would say most of it bad - because the press thought an England team going out advertising a product was terrible. "But it was like water off a duck's back. Those stories just helped create more sales." Capitalising on the emergence of colour TV and young fans' desire to buy reproductions of their heroes' strips, the family-run former underwear firm landed deals to supply about 100 clubs as the decade progressed and kick-started today's multibillion-pound replica industry. In the days before teams developed structured commercial operations, Patrick and the game's leading managers talked business over a glass of white wine from the comfort of his basement sauna. Soon after the launch of England's 1980 kit, though, disaster stuck. Days on from the side succumbing at that summer's European Championship in Italy, the Mirror made known: "Soccer kit firm's crisis". Admiral, Patrick admits, "overstretched financially" in the face of fierce competition from rivals which had switched to cut-price Far Eastern labour. "I was with the England team in Italy when FA secretary Ted Croker phoned me and said he'd had a call from one of our directors. "They asked the FA to let me know the bank wanted us to call in the receivers and would I get back to Leicester as quickly as possible." As England prepared to take on Norway in September, the same paper disclosed the team would "wear the controversial Admiral strip for the last time at Wembley tonight". The kit had been shown off in fewer than 10 internationals across five months, but the FA was now free to find a replacement supplier following the firm's collapse. "We were under attack all the time," says Peter Hockenhull, a businessman friend of Patrick who acquired the rights to the company's UK operations and fought "a huge battle" to reassure clubs, the FA and retailers it remained a going concern. "Everybody wanted the flagship [England deal]. It was hard work getting the credibility back at the very beginning. "I remember numerous times sales staff from another company used to tell retailers they were getting the contract. We had unbelievable pressure from Umbro, etc." Among those to question his decision was BBC Two's The Money Programme. "They wanted to know why I had taken this company out of receivership," he says. "I suppose it was the magic. The magic of the brand and the magic of England." Where Patrick's Admiral had employed hundreds of people at its factories in Leicestershire and Ireland, Hockenhull outsourced manufacturing to other UK-based operations. In a qualifying campaign marred by terrace violence, England eventually secured their place at the 1982 World Cup by defeating Hungary in their final match. The nervous new Admiral chief, without experience in the textiles industry, had an estimated £4m in sales riding on the result after paying hundreds of thousands of pounds for the rights to market themed merchandise. "Because we were still in the embryonic stage of building the company back up, I genuinely wanted to pick the team," he says, a degree of tension detectable in his voice. Shirt sales boomed on the back of the following summer's Spanish sojourn and expectations rose as Bryan Robson netted just 27 seconds into England's opening game against France for what was then the third-quickest goal in World Cup finals history. While it would end in heartache as a squad featuring Peter Shilton, Trevor Francis and an injury-hit Keegan crashed out in the second group stage despite an unbeaten record, Hockenhull was enjoying a "Boy's Own Annual adventure", flying out a last-minute lightweight replacement kit and residing with the squad. The following year, after selling his ownership of the rights, that thrilling ride was over. The strip, worn for the final time in November 1983 during an ill-fated European Championship qualification fixture in Luxembourg, received an ignominious send-off. Now led by Bobby Robson, England's hopes of reaching the tournament had already been dashed by table-toppers Denmark and once more hooliganism came to the fore. Media opinion was still firmly against Admiral's efforts. "FA get £1.5m to turn the clock back," read a Mirror headline in January 1984 as it explained the deal to produce "the current flashy strip" would be brought to an end, with World Cup winner Alan Ball weighing in to explain there was "no comparison" with the plain white jerseys of yesteryear. When Umbro's replacement effort was unveiled the following month, The Sun excitedly told its readers the side were "reverting to a more traditional strip, throwing out the unpopular red, white and blue shirts". "I still felt it was very England," an indignant Hockenhull says of the 1980-83 kit. "I never really understood why the newspapers were completely against it. "They said it wasn't accepted very well by the FA, but it's not true. They embraced it. Ted Croker was happy with it, [then-manager] Ron Greenwood was happy with it and the players were happy with it. "At the end of the day it was retailers who were going to promote it and sell it, and it was well received." Having been mocked, today the strip is widely viewed as one of the team's best, alongside the plain red jersey worn at Wembley on 30 July 1966 and the diamond-patterned top of Italia 90. Two years ago, current kit-maker Nike even introduced a warm-up shirt markedly influenced by Admiral's design. So what led to such a dramatic reversal of fortune? Simon Shakeshaft, a curator of the National Football Shirt Collection who is penning an FA-backed book on England shirts, argues attitudes softened as kit changes became an accepted occurrence at club and international level. He believes the "individuality" of the design, combined with England's achievement of qualifying for a first World Cup in 12 years and nostalgia for Admiral's "groundbreaking" efforts, elevates its status to that of a "classic". "It's definitely a clean-looking strip. It dropped the wide collar [of the previous kit], was the first England shirt made from shiny material and had a very dynamic appearance. It was also bespoke. No other team wore that style. "Anyone who grew up after the Admiral period may not understand what all the fuss is about, but the company's designers weren't tied to football history and tradition. They were instructed to create kits using certain colours but told it was more about the look. "At one end you had the older traditionalists who despised it and said it was disrespectful, yet the children having it bought for them absolutely loved it. When you look back through Shoot and Match magazines the letters pages are filled with kids raving about it." For a young Gareth Southgate, it would be his first England kit and helped create an abiding bond with the national side he now manages. "I can vividly remember wearing it for football at school, football training on Sundays, in the garden and down the park," he says fondly. "I chose it as a birthday present rather than toy cars or whatever else." Such is the love for the strip now, and with an ever-growing collectors' market, vintage replicas are priced at £250 while players' match-worn World Cup tops can fetch £1,500. A jersey worn by captain Bryan Robson and autographed by his team-mates sold at auction for nearly £10,000 in March. "When it comes to sought-after shirts, it's right up there with some of the best ever - the German shirt from 1990 and the Dutch one from 1988," Shakeshaft says. "They don't come up very often, they really don't. But when they do they're in demand. "The design was very much of its time and it's probably the England shirt with the least amount of white, yet it would top a lot of polls as their greatest of all time."

यह 40 साल हो गए हैं जब इंग्लैंड के फुटबॉलर पहली बार एडमिरल की राष्ट्रीय किट की रंगीन पुनर्व्याख्या में मैदान पर उतरे थे। बेशर्म और पेचीदा के रूप में उपहासित, और कुछ ही खेलों के बाद लगभग छोड़ दिया गया, यह कैसे सबसे पसंदीदा फुटबॉल स्ट्रिप्स में से एक बन गया है?


The Italian prisoners who found 'escape' in football

Summary: Coriolano "Gino" Caprara is the last surviving Italian prisoner of war to have been held in the Orkney Islands during World War Two. Now aged 100, he has been recalling how football came to play an important role in camp life.

By Daniel BennettBBC Scotland "I played for the Camp 34 team against the soldiers. We always played tournaments - and we always lost!" Gino was a prisoner on the island of Burray from 1942 until 1945. He arrived on Orkney at the age of 25 after being captured in North Africa. Italy surrendered to the Allied forces in 1943, but the 1,000 men being held in the two camps in Orkney could not be returned to their native country because of Nazi Germany's influence in the region. That meant the prisoners had to stay in the camps until the end of the war. Author Donald S Murray said their presence was troubling for many Orcadians, whose relatives were themselves being held in prisoner of war camps. "I was told stories of them being attacked in the street," he recalled. As relationships improved between the military leaders and prominent figures among the prisoners, a degree more freedom was granted - the freedom to work, to socialise, and eventually to host leisure activities in the camps. Local farmers received help in gathering crops, something Donald says the prisoners "loved" doing. "There was a prisoner who worked on a farm and ended up weeping after he had a meal in their house. He started saying 'like my family, I am people again'," he said. In April 1944 the prisoners formed what was known as an Italian Labour Battalion. They were no longer escorted by armed British guards, and were given free time in the evenings and Sundays off. The prisoners helped to build the Churchill Barriers, a series of sea defences, as well as creating the Italian Chapel. This ornate chapel was fashioned from two Nissen Huts and a concrete facade. As the PoWs became more ingrained in everyday Orkney life, sport became an increasingly important part of life in the camps. In August 1944 the Italians organised a sports day at Camp 60, and a delegation was allowed to travel from Camp 34 to take part. Gino said he came first in the high jump. There was also a football match, which the weekly POW newspaper, Notiziario Dai Campi, described as a contest "for the not-so-young". The players were described as demonstrating "the speed of snails, internal pains, and feet in the air" which got "healthy laughter from the spectators". The match ended with a 2-0 win for the Rossi over the Verdi. The prisoners also played against local teams. Speaking in 1992, local man John Rosie recalled being impressed at the Italians' presence on the pitch when he played against them. "They were very good footballers - naturally I don't remember names now, but the ones you remember best are the ones that kicked you hardest. "The first time I saw an overhead kick was by the Italians, that's how it was introduced to Orkney. "Good players, but a bit quick in the temper too." When asked about the football team, Gino said they had some "fantastic" players. "One of our forwards was really clever. He was against a British soldier, who was very fast, in a match. "So the British soldier ran past him and our striker says (in Italian) 'Oh basta'!" The game was stopped because the soldiers thought he had sworn at them in a show of disrespect. "But what he actually said in Italian was 'Oh, enough!" Gino laughed. "We explained what happened, but we were shaking." Donald S Murray believes that playing football and building the chapel were important forms of escapism for the prisoners. "If you're imprisoned, artistry of any kind provides that means of escape from reality," he said. "It's the right to dream expressed on the football field, pretending to be your footballing hero for five minutes." Gino said the chapel and football had also provided emotional connections to his home while he was in the camp. He has returned to Orkney a number of times to visit the Italian Chapel and the friends he has made in the intervening years. And a number of Orcadians were represented at his 100th birthday celebrations earlier this year.

कोरियोलानो "गिनो" काप्रारा द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के दौरान ऑर्कनी द्वीप समूह में रखे गए युद्ध के अंतिम जीवित इतालवी कैदी हैं। अब 100 साल की उम्र में, वे याद कर रहे हैं कि कैसे फुटबॉल शिविर जीवन में एक महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाने के लिए आया था।


University of Brighton's air quality station starts work

Summary: An advanced air quality monitoring station dedicated to the detection of harmful nano-sized particles has begun work in Brighton.

It will be used by the University of Brighton to investigate a range of modern day air pollutants including so called "ultrafine particles". These are said to be capable of penetrating deep inside the human body. The station was opened by Brighton's Green MP Caroline Lucas earlier. She said: "One of the lessons I have learned is that although air pollution quite often is invisible it really is a massive problem. "It is responsible for literally thousands of premature deaths." The station is based at the university's Falmer campus.

हानिकारक नैनो-आकार के कणों का पता लगाने के लिए समर्पित एक उन्नत वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी केंद्र ने ब्राइटन में काम शुरू कर दिया है।


Bliss to break-up: Samantha Barks's marriage breakdown stage role

Summary: It's eight years since Samantha Barks made her name on the TV talent show I'd Do Anything. It launched a screen career which has included a role in the movie version of Les Miserables. Jonathan Bailey is building a TV reputation with everything from sitcom to intense drama. But they're both happy to be back on stage in composer Jason Robert Brown's intimate two-hander about love gone wrong in Manhattan.

By Vincent DowdArts reporter, BBC News Brown says for him The Last Five Years has always been a highly personal show. When in 2001 it premiered in Chicago, his inspiration had been the end of his first marriage. "Unlike Jamie in the musical, I'm not a novelist. Nor was I married to an aspiring actress, which is what the other character Cathy is. But the show's take on a relationship going painfully wrong - that was definitely from my life as it then was. "But perspectives change. I used to think the story was pretty much a tragedy but these days I'm more prone to think Jamie and Cathy will get over what happens to them and maybe they'll even grow stronger. But that would be another show." Brown is directing his own show in London. "No one who knows me will be surprised if I say I enjoy the control which comes from directing a musical I also wrote," he says. "But one of the great things about being a composer is that a lot of the time you don't have much to do with anyone else. I don't think I like people enough to direct often. "But it's a cast of only two. So a lot depends on how the audience reacts to your Jamie and Cathy and that's not something any director can dictate." Barks says she's known The Last Five Years all her professional life and leapt at the chance to perform in it. "Obviously it's a smaller show than something epic like Oliver or Les Mis[erables]. But you approach every character from what's written and you make it work. There aren't massive resources on stage but there are big, emotional numbers. And there are fun moments too.' Brown played an unusual trick with the show's structure. Jamie's story proceeds in the normal way but Cathy's story unfolds in reverse. We meet her when the relationship is already over and then we work back step by step to its origins. "So I'm the one who comes out of the theatre skipping," Barks says. "There are moments of extreme bliss like the moment they fall in love - even if it does end with a break-up." Barks and Bailey have known each other since they worked on the Disney Channel series Groove High a few years ago. "It's great working with a friend like Jonathan because there's a short-hand between you. So if you experiment with something vocally in rehearsal and it doesn't work there's no one judging you." Compared to his co-star, Bailey has less of a track-record in musicals. "I did American Psycho at the Almeida but it's true I haven't really regarded myself as a singer and I stand in awe of someone like Sam. "I know actors always say they love a challenge but with this show there really is nowhere to hide - most of the numbers are solos. It's a big sing. You need to be an athlete for it but it works because Jason's songs are full of thoughts and intelligence and that gets you through." The London production retains the original setting of America in 1993. Bailey says the story wouldn't work if updated to a world where everyone carries a phone around all the time. "You need the pressure of Jamie and Cathy being in the same apartment waiting for calls from their agent or whatever - and then his career takes off when he gets a book published. "It's important we get the New York setting right. There's a real pace to New York life which in reality London doesn't match. And I always have to really work at accents - though Jason's been on hand to ensure I'm not falling into a cliched sort of speech pattern which isn't convincing." In their twenties, both he and Barks have built up impressive experience on both big and small screens. Bailey was seen this year in Channel 4's hospital-share comedy Crashing and he says it's "distinctly possible" we'll be seeing the W1A team back next year on BBC television. Also in 2017 he'll appear with Colin Firth in The Mercy, the feature film about lone yachtsman Donald Crowhurst. "When I left school I did far more theatre than anything else and it was exciting. So though I enjoy being on screen, theatre is something I definitely miss. "Being on stage is a real call to arms - especially in something as exposing as this. It re-sets everything for the actor and your instincts come to the surface again in a way they don't always when you're filming." The BBC's I'd Do Anything gave Barks a profile she might otherwise have taken years to build, even if she didn't win the contest to find a new Nancy to play in Oliver on stage. "I'll always be grateful to TV and to that show in particular: for a 17 year-old it was a brilliant start. At the time it was criticised by some in the profession. "But music theatre is now on the map in Britain in a way it wasn't when I was growing up. Other series like Any Dream Will Do and Glee - and big films like Les Mis[erables] - mean there's been a change of attitude, especially in the younger generation." In fact Barks's next two films are dramas - Interlude in Prague and Bitter Harvest, which is set in Ukraine in the 1930s. "But for now it's great to be back on stage in a musical: there's a public hunger for them." As if to prove the point, after our interview it's announced that The Last Five Years will be the penultimate show at the St James Theatre, which earlier this year was bought by Andrew Lloyd Webber. From February he's renaming the venue The Other Palace and plans to make it "the home of new musical theatre". The Last Five Years plays at the St James Theatre in London from 28 October. Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

सामंथा बार्क्स ने टीवी टैलेंट शो आईड डू एनीथिंग में अपना नाम बनाए हुए आठ साल हो गए हैं। इसने एक स्क्रीन करियर की शुरुआत की है जिसमें लेस मिजरेबल्स के फिल्म संस्करण में एक भूमिका शामिल है। जोनाथन बेली सिटकॉम से लेकर इंटेंस ड्रामा तक हर चीज के साथ एक टीवी प्रतिष्ठा बना रहे हैं। लेकिन वे दोनों संगीतकार जेसन रॉबर्ट ब्राउन के मैनहट्टन में प्यार के गलत होने के बारे में अंतरंग दो-हस्तियों में मंच पर वापस आकर खुश हैं।


Newmarket Academy fire damages classes at school

Summary: About 30 firefighters tackled a blaze at a secondary school which may have been caused by a lightning strike, a fire service spokesman said.

Fire broke out at Newmarket Academy in the Suffolk town at about 22:30 BST on Monday, damaging some art classrooms. Station Commander Henry Griffin said the fire was mainly "contained to the external part of the building". He said an investigation was ongoing and both lightning and arson were "possible" causes. "There was an electrical storm in the area," he said. Mr Griffin said a plastic playground cover and a large number of plastic picnic tables had been damaged at the school on Exning Road, as well as several classrooms which had damaged windows. However he said "swift action" by the initial crews meant they did "a fantastic job of stopping the fire spreading into that building". He said the school would be open after half-term and a number of pieces of artwork "had been salvaged".

अग्निशमन सेवा के एक प्रवक्ता ने कहा कि लगभग 30 अग्निशामकों ने एक माध्यमिक विद्यालय में लगी आग पर काबू पाया, जो बिजली गिरने से लगी हो सकती है।


South Yorkshire Police unable to retrieve River Don body

Summary: A man's body has been found in the River Don in South Yorkshire but police said they cannot retrieve it because of dangerous conditions.

South Yorkshire Police said they were called at about 20:00 BST on Sunday after a body was spotted in the river. The force said the high waters and strong current had meant they were unable to enter the river. They also said debris being carried down the river near Sprotborough had made conditions extremely difficult.

दक्षिण यॉर्कशायर में डॉन नदी में एक व्यक्ति का शव मिला है, लेकिन पुलिस ने कहा कि वे खतरनाक परिस्थितियों के कारण इसे बरामद नहीं कर सकते हैं।


Man summonsed to court over Bristol toddler's death

Summary: A man is to be prosecuted for manslaughter following the death of a three-year-old boy in Bristol.

Freddie Hussey died in hospital after being hit by a Land Rover pulling a trailer, on Hastings Road, Bedminster, on 27 January. Tony Davies, 37, from Hallen, was served with a summons to court for manslaughter and causing death by dangerous driving, police said. Mr Davies is due to appear before Bristol Magistrates on 15 August.

ब्रिस्टल में तीन साल के लड़के की मौत के बाद एक व्यक्ति पर हत्या का मुकदमा चलाया जाना है।


Why David Cameron set Tina Fey a secret mission to change British TV

Summary: It's not unusual for TV fans to wish that their favourite shows would carry on (Fleabag anyone?) . But it seems viewers who long for more have an unlikely ally - former UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

By Alex TaylorBBC News Speaking on David Tennant's podcast, US writer and actress Tina Fey revealed that, while leader, Mr Cameron implored her to lobby the British TV industry to churn out as many episodes as US shows do. "Come and convince our showrunners that they can't just make six episodes of things. Like you guys, they should make 200 episodes," she recalled him saying. Fey rejected the request, however, explaining that US writers were, in fact, jealous of the less-is-more British approach. UK shows tend to be authored by one writer - be that Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge or Derry Girls' Lisa McGee - and hold shorter runs of between six to eight episodes per series as a result. In the US, meanwhile, scriptwriting is synonymous with the writers' room, in which a team of scribes - led by the showrunner - work together to produce up to 22 episodes a season. Each writer will generally get to pen their own episode as part of the overall narrative arc. But, according to scriptwriter Gareth McLean, the showrunner always has the chance to "overwrite to add a consistency of tone". Production timeframes also differ. Unlike the UK, where series are completed well ahead of time, writers of US shows often write from episode to episode. The closest we come to this in Britain is a soap, where multiple instalments are churned out per week. There are also more eyeballs to reach, and therefore more money, in the US market. Bigger ratings make the US industry more lucrative for advertisers, says Ant Boys, a Bafta-nominated writer and editor with credits on both UK political satire The Thick of It and its stateside equivalent Veep. "The biggest difference is that the US industry just has far more money pumped into it, and can afford to pay a room full or writers. The UK industry just can't," he says. "In the early days of The Thick of It, we were making episodes for £80,000, but for the early episodes of Veep, we were looking at $3m (£2.3m) an episode," "When you have that disparity, the ability to hire more writers and produce more episodes is clear." Less is more? Having more money, writers and episodes doesn't necessarily mean the calibre of writing is any better or worse, of course. But McLean says shorter runs can allow more succinct writing, authored in a way that can assure clarity of vision. "Confident" writers like Waller-Bridge use the brevity to great effect. "In the case of Fleabag it was very much a case of, 'I've got a story to tell, I can tell it really clearly in the way I want to tell it.'" The Office is an example of how the approaches can differ - Ricky Gervais and co-writer Stephen Merchant wrote 12 episodes, plus two Christmas specials, for the UK, whereas Greg Daniels' US adaptation turned it into into a 201-episode behemoth over nine seasons. Fawlty Towers, which was recently named the best British sitcom ever by Radio Times, was 12 episodes long, while Peter Kay's Car Share recently concluded, also after 12 instalments. Even long-running shows like Only Fools and Horses (64 episodes) and Blackadder (27) can't keep up with most hit US shows. Tina Fey's 30 Rock lasted for 138 episodes over seven seasons. A room full of writers' heads can be better than one, but there are also clear commercial reasons for this expansion, as shows can go on to make big money through syndication once their original runs conclude. US sitcom Seinfeld hit the headlines in 2013 after reportedly generating $3.1bn (£2.05bn) in repeat fees since its final episode 15 years earlier. Show me the money! The UK TV industry similarly benefits from lucrative overseas sales. British producers earned more than £900m from selling their shows abroad in 2016/17. The contribution they make to the economy is likely to be the main reason David Cameron approached Fey, rather than his love of The Office or 30 Rock. Commercial success "often means looking for ways to stretch something out even when it's not really feasible", says Guardian TV critic Hannah Davies. While US shows can be churned out quickly, she says "super-long US shows such as Supernatural can become generally disjointed", particularly in the glare of union-led writers' strikes. And this dominance of financial interests can strengthen further in syndication, with Seinfeld episodes "made shorter to free up more time per episode for adverts, increasing network revenue", says Sarah O'Connell, a YouTube host and film critic. "Of course, watering down content ultimately affects its overall quality and enjoyment, so it's a fine balance." Binge rules? So, what of Cameron's suggestion? Given the differences in funding levels between the traditional UK and US scriptwriting models, it would seem unrealistic. But in the current age of streaming and binge-watching, normal rules don't apply. Shows like The Sopranos and The Wire changed perceptions, according to culture journalist Manu Ekanayake, meaning "length is now practically expected". Stories are "deeper, characterisation more complex and sub-plots can unfold over a matter of years, rather than a season of six episodes". Streaming services can also take more creative risks - dropping and commissioning shows throughout the year and producing award-winning original programming - at a pace that traditional broadcasters are unable to match. But, in the carnage of what McLean describes as the "age of disruption", a middle ground is emerging in audience expectations. Both Boys and McLean say the models are overlapping. British series like No Offence have used a writers' room, while such set-ups in the US are shrinking. Davies says viewers are starting to become "more selective" to navigate the increasingly crowded TV marketplace. Over the past year, Netflix and Amazon have signed up writers to exclusivity contracts, suggesting the divide may not be over quantity, but quality. Waller-Bridge's decision to end Fleabag as it peaked in popularity reflects this. "I think people were surprised to hear it was apparently finishing after two series," says Davies. "But doing so let it end on a high. "Often you get the sense that some series, in particular US series, don't know quite when to stop." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

टीवी प्रशंसकों के लिए यह कामना करना असामान्य नहीं है कि उनके पसंदीदा शो जारी रहें (किसी को भी फ्लिबैग करें?)। लेकिन ऐसा लगता है कि जो दर्शक अधिक चाहते हैं, उनके पास एक असंभव सहयोगी है-ब्रिटेन के पूर्व प्रधान मंत्री डेविड कैमरन।


Saudi king visits Indonesia with 'cars and entourage'

Summary: Saudi Arabia's king is visiting Indonesia for the first time in 47 years. And while his official business in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation is receiving a lot of attention, so is the holiday to Bali and the luxury goods going with him.

King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud is in Jakarta from Wednesday as part of a month-long Asia tour that includes Malaysia, Brunei, Japan, China and the Maldives. BBC Indonesian's Christine Franciska takes a look at why people are fascinated by the royal visit. He's bringing luxury cars and a huge entourage King Salman will come to Indonesia with 459 tonnes of equipment, including two Mercedes-Benz S600s and two electric lifts, Indonesian media reports said. Airfreight firm PT Jasa Angkasa Semesta, which said it had been appointed to handle the king's cargo, told Antara news agency that 63 tonnes would be unloaded in Jakarta and 396 tonnes would be brought to Bali. There will be 620 people coming as part of his entourage as well as 800 delegates, including 10 ministers and 25 princes. It will take 27 flights to transport them all to Jakarta and nine flights to get them to Bali, the freight firm said. Although it's quite common for monarchs and heads of states to travel with luxury goods and a huge numbers of people, for some Indonesians it's all quite lavish. "A lot of Indonesian feel proud of King Salman and his luxurious lifestyle. I am more proud with our President Jokowi and his modesty," said one user on Twitter, referring to President Joko Widodo's famous man-of-the-people style. He doesn't come very often The last time a Saudi king went to Indonesia was in 1970, when King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz met President Suharto on his state visit to Jakarta. King Salman's visit comes after President Widodo visited Saudi Arabia in 2015 to promote Indonesia as an investment destination. "This is a very close, tight, and friendly relation," Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told reporters last week. King Salman started the multi-nation tour on Monday in Malaysia, which his predecessor had visited more recently, in 2006. And he took a diplomatic selfie with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. The visit comes with big money The Indonesian government has said the country will see about $25bn (£20bn) worth of investment during King Salman's visit. The deals that will be signed include an investment of $6bn by Saudi's oil company Aramco. On Tuesday, Aramco signed a deal to invest $7bn into a Malaysian oil company. King Salman's holiday trip to Bali island is also expected to boost national tourism. "It is an extraordinary visit from Indonesian perspective," Zuhairi Misrawi, Middle East observer and a member of Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama told the BBC. "They will discuss many things from economy, culture, and tourism. What we need to see is how serious their commitment is to invest in Indonesia." Read more on: Why does Saudi Arabia invest in South East Asia? But there could be strings attached While it may bring a lot of economic benefit to Indonesia, analysts say the Saudis are getting a lot out of it too. As part of a diversification strategy, which is aimed at moving the kingdom away from its dependence on oil, Saudi Arabia has started to focus on pilgrimage services, which has now become the country's second most important industry after oil and gas. "Indonesia has already become the biggest income contributor for both the annual Hajj and the lesser rite of Umrah. Saudi Arabia has increased visa fees for Islamic pilgrims, but I don't think it will discourage Indonesians from going there," Zuhairi Misrawi explained. Some Indonesians have also been expressing concern over Saudi Arabia's increasing religious influence on Muslim countries in the region. Mr Misrawi echoed that sentiment. "From Indonesia's perspective, we need to be careful not to swallow their concept of 'moderate Muslim' wholly, because what's considered moderate for Saudi is different from Indonesia. "The Indonesian government needs to anticipate this. We need them to be firm to say to Saudi: Don't intervene in our ideology."

सऊदी अरब के राजा 47 वर्षों में पहली बार इंडोनेशिया की यात्रा कर रहे हैं। और जहां दुनिया के सबसे बड़े मुस्लिम बहुल देश में उनके आधिकारिक व्यवसाय पर बहुत ध्यान दिया जा रहा है, वहीं बाली की छुट्टी और उनके साथ जाने वाले विलासिता के सामान पर भी बहुत ध्यान दिया जा रहा है।


Wrexham's Waterworld leisure centre demolition not likely

Summary: A plan to demolish Wrexham's Waterworld leisure centre and replace it with a £12m state-of-the-art facility looks set be abandoned.

Councillors on a scrutiny committee voted not to go ahead with the project and said the existing centre should be handed over to a leisure trust. The decision will go before the council's executive board next Tuesday for final approval. In February council officials advised the project was "no longer affordable". A condition survey found the Waterworld centre could be maintained in its present state up until 2035, but it would be "very tired" after 20 years. The leisure complex was opened by the Queen in 1998 after a major refurbishment of the the town's swimming baths.

रेक्सहैम के वाटरवर्ल्ड अवकाश केंद्र को ध्वस्त करने और इसे 12 मिलियन पाउंड की अत्याधुनिक सुविधा के साथ बदलने की योजना को छोड़ दिया गया है।


£15m Pontypridd sports park to open despite mine discovery

Summary: A £15m sports park in Pontypridd will open before the end of the year despite delays when a network of mines was discovered.

Work began on the facility at the University of Wales' campus in Rhydyfelin last year. But the project, home to the first full-sized indoor 4G pitch in Wales, faced setbacks after "historic mine workings" were discovered. Developers Pick Everard said the work would be complete by November. The plans will see a new academic building and training facility, with offices. Rob Cleaver, regional director at Pick Everard, said the discovery of the mines led to extensive investigations and additional ground works to make it suitable for construction works to begin.

खदानों के नेटवर्क की खोज में देरी के बावजूद पोंटीप्रिड में 15 मिलियन पाउंड का एक खेल उद्यान वर्ष के अंत से पहले खुल जाएगा।


Censoring Facebook: Social network's violent video dilemma

Summary: Facebook's decision to remove videos showing people being decapitated leaves the firm in a quandary: should or shouldn't it impose a wider censorship policy?

By Leo KelionTechnology reporter Originally the social network rejected calls from users to delete the clips saying that it wanted to "preserve people's rights to describe, depict and comment on the world". But after the BBC revealed that one of its own safety advisers - the head of the Family Online Safety Institute - had criticised its decision, the firm announced a U-turn, saying it would remove clips showing beheadings while it re-evaluated its rules. That potentially opens a can of worms. Since publishing the article, readers have contacted the BBC to complain about other videos, including: In all cases they said the network had refused their requests to remove the material. A spokeswoman for Facebook confirmed its policy had only been amended in regard to decapitations. But imposing stricter controls would open the firm up to other criticism. Before his death, internet freedom campaigner Aaron Swartz warned of the dangers of privately owned parts of the net limiting what was posted onto their sites. He called this "corporate tyranny" and named Facebook as a specific concern. The social network could not provide a date for when its review would be complete. The following range of opinions suggest it will struggle to please everyone. Richard Allan, Facebook More than a billion people express themselves and comment on the world in which we live through Facebook and most of the time this is entirely without problem. On occasions, there are concerns about some of the content that is being shared and we have put in place a reporting system so that people can tell us about this. The reported content is evaluated against our community standards and appropriate action is taken where our rules have been breached. When drawing up and enforcing our approach to acceptable behaviour and content on Facebook, we aim to strike the right balance between enabling people to share information, news and content - and protecting the community as a whole. This is a complex challenge as Facebook is a large, diverse community and we are continually presented with novel situations. While we freely admit that we do not always get it right, the trouble-free daily experience of the vast majority of Facebook users demonstrates that our systems are working well in all but the most exceptional cases and that they are improving over time. As we said last week, we are reviewing our rules related to content showing graphic violence. In doing so we are clear that there are situations where it is important for people to be able to share content through Facebook even if this can at times be quite shocking. For example, people caught up in violent incidents such as the recent Boston bombings or the ongoing conflict in Syria want to be able to report on their experiences and may use quite graphic content to do this. This illustrates the kind of challenge that our highly experienced team deals with on a daily basis as we strive to offer a space for sharing that is mindful of everyone's expectations. Celia Mellow, petition organiser As a person who holds a strong sense of justice, I had no hesitation in setting up a petition for the removal of the sickening decapitation video I was shocked to find on my Facebook news feed. What shocked me even more was the fact that I had to actually make a petition in any hope for the video to be removed. No matter how many times my friends and I reported it, we all received the same message, stating that "it doesn't violate Facebook's community standard on graphic violence, which includes depicting harm to someone or something". How does a video of an innocent woman being brutally murdered not "violate" this? I can only hope that there is a criminal investigation that will bring her justice. As a loyal Facebook fan, I understand that Facebook is only allowing people to have freedom of speech. However, I think it is about time they drew a line between what is and isn't appropriate for the public. Facebook's audience starts from children aged 13 - what I feared the most was that my younger sister could easily have witnessed that disgusting video. No-one should be exposed to such graphic horror. Sadly, that video isn't the only inappropriate content to have wandered onto Facebook recently. I have heard of others showing extreme violence and cruelty to both humans and animals. It's time that new stricter regulations are made by Facebook in order to remove these vile videos for good so that it might return to being the safe social network it used to be. Jeremie Zimmermann, La Quadrature du Net Any intervention by Facebook to remove or block access to content beyond what a court might order - while respecting basic fundamental rights and the principle of proportionality - would in practice amount to privatised censorship, and nobody has an interest in going there. A dominant, centralised actor such as Facebook would be incentivised to spend as little money as possible determining which content would be lawful or not, suitable or not, etc. This would raise the question of what criteria would be used. Opening such a breach would ensure that any government could pressure Facebook to consider their own criteria, whether for political, religious or other reasons. Under such conditions we can be sure that the fundamental right to freedom of speech or the right to a fair trial would not be respected. As surely as we cannot trust giant centralised corporations to defend our fundamental freedoms, we cannot ask them to become the judges and enforcers of what information should be shared online. Protecting children on the net is a responsibility of their parents in the first place. It cannot be outsourced to Facebook. It is a matter of educating them about the difference between between privacy, publicity and a circle of trust. Since Facebook collects and stores so much information it should be able to determine when one of its members is a minor and is about to be exposed to content that has been reported as unsuitable, and display a warning message. Users would then be free to choose to take that advice, or make a conscious choice to access the content. Stephen Balkam, Family Online Safety Institute (Fosi) Facebook, and most other social media sites, have explicit terms of service about what is and what is not acceptable to be hosted on their websites. Some go further and have created what are known as community standards. These more clearly state the rules about what kinds of content will be removed. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have robust reporting mechanisms so that ordinary users can flag inappropriate or abusive content for review. What is challenging for these companies is how and where to draw the line. This will help them determine when to invoke the "public interest" principle in keeping material - such as images from the Boston Marathon bombing - up on their site, even though they depict graphic violence. This is new territory for us all as we navigate the rules, ethics and standards of user-generated content sites. Andrew McDiarmid, Center for Democracy & Technology The controversy over Facebook's treatment of shocking videos of beheadings is the latest illustration of the enormous complexity at work when it comes to promoting the exercise of human rights online. Billions of people rely on internet platforms to speak and access information in the networked public sphere, but the platforms are controlled by private companies, whose terms of service in large part determine the contours of free expression. In one sense, platform operators are themselves speakers that have the right to determine their own policies. At the same time, these "digital sovereigns" - to borrow a phrase from Rebecca MacKinnon - effectively govern their users' exercise of free expression rights. Platforms have a responsibility, particularly as they grow to Facebook-scale, to consider the human rights impact of their policies and to minimise restrictions on free expression. This is especially true with respect to government restrictions. It would be troubling indeed if government pressure precipitated the video's removal in this case. A key step in carrying out this responsibility is ensuring that content policies are clearly communicated and fairly applied. The horrific beheading video and Facebook's reported reaction demonstrate the challenges that arise when trying to develop and apply clear, consistent standards in the complex and multi-faceted realm of online communication. Context matters a great deal. Different companies might draw the line in different places, and just because something is offensive or disturbing does not mean it necessarily violates a particular term. And it certainly does not make it illegal. Because of this complexity, systems for assessing content require constant refinement to ensure that free expression is protected. Advocates, too, must remain vigilant that the private players that provide so much public value online are meeting their responsibilities to users. Is it complicated and prone to mistakes and close calls? Yes, but the alternative - mandated content policies and individual governments vying for control over the global internet - is untenable and fraught with risk for free expression. Dr Lynne Jordan, British Psychological Society The main concern, as an experienced psychologist, in working with the effects of actual and vicarious violence is a lack of awareness of violation of choice. Material is posted on news feeds and "liked" indiscriminately without thought as to the rights of under-aged youngsters and others who may view it. People, whether young or old, can be negatively affected by witnessing violence either on screen or in reality. Effects include trauma responses such as replaying the images, feeling scared and vulnerable, ashamed, invaded or violated and confused, as well as angry and helpless, which is reinforced via the news feed as these things pop up uninvited. Ethical codes are there for safety and to preserve the right to choose what is viewed when users are considered of age or able to understand the implications. Social media sites are mostly not obliged to adhere to such codes which creates a problem, particularly if they issue their own vague inadequate guidelines. Social networks' news feeds allow material to arrive on people's pages that might never be sought by choice. Extensive "friendship lists" develop with people who may not be actual friends but through casual contact get "befriended", perhaps out of obligation or a need to fit in, be liked etc. The material is often posted supposedly to prevent the spread of violent crime or other violations, but in fact it can inadvertently escalate it by sidestepping the consent of the people accessing the feeds. This is reminiscent of the "ban smoking in public places" debate with the concern of whose rights we are protecting. In that debate it was largely about public physical health. This debate concerns public mental health and wellbeing.

लोगों के सिर काटने वाले वीडियो को हटाने के फेसबुक के फैसले ने फर्म को एक दुविधा में डाल दिया हैः क्या उसे व्यापक सेंसरशिप नीति लागू करनी चाहिए या नहीं?


Bath's Dorchester Street bus lane trial begins

Summary: A bus lane trial has begun in Bath city centre in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion.

All vehicles, except buses and taxis, are now banned from using the eastbound side of Dorchester Street. Bath and North East Somerset Council said the changes would "create a safer, more welcoming environment for people on foot and who use bicycles". Previously critics said the plan was "poorly thought through" and would "cause chaos" in the area.

यातायात की भीड़ को कम करने के प्रयास में बाथ शहर के केंद्र में एक बस लेन का परीक्षण शुरू हो गया है।