UK call to aid Malawi's economy

Summary: Britain is calling for urgent action to prevent a Greece-style financial crisis in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, where recent political turmoil, a suspension of foreign aid, and an abrupt currency devaluation have conspired to leave the new government with a gaping hole in its budget.

Andrew HardingAfrica correspondent@BBCAndrewHon Twitter "Malawi is at a crossroads today and action in three to six months may be too late," said Andrew Mitchell, UK Secretary of State for Development. The UK was among those which suspended direct aid to the government last year. Now it is scrambling to bring forward some £30m ($47m) - not due to be handed to the Malawian treasury until later in the year - in the next few weeks, and is urging other donors to do the same. "We need a lot of support, very quickly - in the region of $500m," acknowledged Joyce Banda, Malawi's new president, who grappled her way to power last month after her predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika died of a heart attack and his aides briefly attempted to subvert the constitution to keep her from taking over. "Look at me - I'm not panicking," said President Banda, in an interview at State House in Lilongwe. She argued that much of the cash has already been pledged by foreign donors, then suspended last year because of the increasingly autocratic behaviour of her predecessor, and could be released to Malawi swiftly once the IMF gives her new government's economic programme its blessing. "We have moved quickly. The situation was self-made therefore things can be corrected - and the good thing is that we know what to do," said President Banda, pointing out how swiftly her team has moved to restore diplomatic relations with Britain, and to invite the IMF back to Malawi. The 33% currency devaluation - although widely recommended by economists - has put huge strain on the treasury, and on many ordinary Malawians, as the price of imported goods has soared. Privately, western diplomats here are warning of the possibility of economic collapse, and a backlash against President Banda, if the situation isn't handled firmly and fast. "An inflationary spiral is a real threat - if the economy collapses, Banda will lose support and political instability could follow. The cost of rescuing Malawi will be much more expensive than supporting it now," said one diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

ब्रिटेन दुनिया के सबसे गरीब देशों में से एक मलावी में ग्रीस-शैली के वित्तीय संकट को रोकने के लिए तत्काल कार्रवाई का आह्वान कर रहा है, जहां हाल ही में राजनीतिक उथल-पुथल, विदेशी सहायता के निलंबन और मुद्रा के अचानक अवमूल्यन ने नई सरकार को अपने बजट में एक बड़े छेद के साथ छोड़ने की साजिश रची है।


'Intimacy plus': Is that what makes podcasts so popular?

Summary: If you mention the word "podcast" to people, many immediately come up with a list of "must listens". But this popularity is fairly recent. Why have podcasts taken so long to become visible, and does that mean you can make a living out of them?

By Philippa GoodrichTechnology of Business reporter It's easy to make a podcast. All you need is something you want to say, a microphone, a recording device (known as a tape recorder in the old days) and some editing software. For enthusiasts, part of the beauty of audio has always been that you don't have to be a technological wizard to create something magical. While podcasts have been around for a good decade and a half, they've emerged from their niche recently thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, podcast apps and voice-activated speakers in homes. Plus, their more informal, less "produced" style is proving popular with the much sought-after "millennial" generation, says Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism in New York. "What podcasting has is a youth audience that feels very passionately about the people that they listen to and that they engage with." And the old problem of visibility has largely been solved by distribution platforms from the likes of Apple, SoundCloud and Whooshkaa, although it's still true that old fashioned word-of-mouth is one of the most effective ways of getting your podcast noticed. Now there are more than 600,000 shows worldwide covering everything from sport, politics and music, to the thoughts of geeks in their bedrooms. The podcast has become fashionable. And not just in the West. South Korea tops the global rankings, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2018, with 58% of its population listening to a news podcast in the past month, compared with 33% in the US and 18% in the UK. Young people are now far more likely to listen to podcasts than to speech radio, Reuters says. "What distinguishes radio from TV is the intimacy. What distinguishes a podcast from radio is that it's intimacy plus, because you've chosen it and it's literally in your ears," explains Olly Mann, who's been co-hosting Answer me This since 2007 with comedian Helen Zaltzman, and now also produces The Modern Mann. "People tend to listen on headphones in their personal bubble." He describes the growth in podcasts as a "slow, gentle upward curve", but like others, acknowledges that there is one show responsible for propelling the genre into the mainstream: Serial. In October 2014, the team behind the successful public radio programme This American Life released the first episodes of their true crime story set in Baltimore County, Maryland. Serial broke the mould because it was a podcast first, not just a radio show uploaded to the internet after broadcast, as was typical at the time. Producer Julie Snyder says this meant that if the show flopped, they hadn't wasted too much time, money or reputation. But listeners were gripped by reporter Sarah Koenig's investigation into the murder of high school student Hae Min Lee and the conviction and imprisonment of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed. Now in its third season, Serial has been downloaded 420 million times in total. And it's testament to the influence of Season One that Syed has been granted a retrial. Five podcasts to look out for in 2019 Source: Wired, Global, Vulture Lists "A lot of people were not used to hearing non-fiction serialised storytelling that's as compelling as Serial was," says Ms Snyder. "And because the technological barriers had sort of come down, it was really easy to get at. For the first time a lot of people learned how to access a podcast." Its success encouraged many listeners to explore what else was out there, she believes. The sound of money But how do you make money from podcasting? Here's where it gets a little complicated. Once you've pressed Save on your programme, you need a hosting platform to which you can drag and drop your show. That platform creates an RSS ("rich site summary" or "really simple syndication") feed - the link between your audio file and the so-called pod catchers - programs that download and distribute the podcasts to your listening device. "It's a very fragmented marketplace," says Ross Adams, chief executive of Acast, the Stockholm-based podcasting platform that hosts 3,500 podcasters. Acast not only looks after the technical nuts and bolts, but also the advertising that gives podcasters a chance to monetise their content. In common with other digital platforms, Acast's global sales teams sells advertising on a "cost per mille" (CPM) basis. So if your podcast has 1,000 listeners and there are six ad slots, that adds up to a total of 6,000 impressions, or clicks, to sell. But podcast advertising doesn't come cheap. Airtime ads start at about £12 ($15) CPM, but some branded content may sell for as much as £100 ($126) CPM, says Mr Adams. More Technology of Business "It's the most expensive priced audio product in the marketplace," says Mr Adams, largely because podcast audiences tend to be affluent and audio ads are effective, particularly if they're read out by the programme host. "It's not a commercial radio audience that's listening, it's the Netflix subscriber, the Spotify premium subscriber," he says. "It's the very affluent audiences, which is why we can charge a lot higher." This sounds like good news for the impoverished podcaster, but bear in mind that as far as spending on digital advertising goes, audio is still the poor relation to video, where revenue is measured in billions, rather than hundreds of millions. Nevertheless, a report for the Interactive Advertising Bureau by consultants PWC predicts advertising revenues in the US digital audio sector will grow more than 110% to $659m (£521m) by 2020. It's that sort of upward trend that has convinced industry heavyweights like the UK radio company Global to launch a podcasting service on its global player app. Networks like Radiotopia and Gimlet Media, and platforms and apps like Acast and Global, help make the podcast visible to listeners and advertisers, and because they aggregate podcasters, even those with lower download figures stand a chance of attracting advertising. That said, the marketplace is still too crowded for many people to make serious money. "For anybody who wants to make a living on it there's nowhere near enough money," says Emily Bell. "I'm sure probably over 80% of the revenue goes to the top 20% of the podcasts." But audio has never been all about the money. It's a medium for enthusiasts produced by enthusiasts. And podcasts may have secured its future.

यदि आप लोगों को "पॉडकास्ट" शब्द का उल्लेख करते हैं, तो कई लोग तुरंत "अवश्य सुनें" की सूची के साथ आते हैं। लेकिन यह लोकप्रियता काफी हाल ही में है। पॉडकास्ट को दिखाई देने में इतना समय क्यों लगा है, और क्या इसका मतलब है कि आप उनसे अपना जीवन यापन कर सकते हैं?


Guernsey fill-cream milk sales down a quarter

Summary: A restructure of Guernsey's dairy industry may be needed after figures show full-cream milk sales were down by a quarter over the last decade.

Guernsey Dairy General Manager, Andrew Tabel, blames a desire for healthier diets on the sales slump. In 2002, about 900,000 litres of full-cream milk were sold, which had dropped to fewer than 690,000 in 2013. By law, the only fresh milk allowed to be sold in Guernsey is from Guernsey cows on the island. Mr Tabel said people were switching to the semi-skimmed product, but that it could also be a good thing for the company. "From a business perspective, the more people that consume lower fat products, the more cream we have to produce butter with," he said. "So our butter margins are increasing and the sales of butter products are increasing."

ग्वेर्नसे के डेयरी उद्योग के पुनर्गठन की आवश्यकता हो सकती है क्योंकि आंकड़े बताते हैं कि पिछले दशक में पूर्ण-क्रीम दूध की बिक्री में एक चौथाई की कमी आई थी।


Election 2019: Northern Ireland results

Summary: Use the links below to see details of who has been elected in the 2019 local elections in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland local elections 2019 - overall scoreboard Council breakdowns Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Ards and North Down Borough Council Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Belfast City Council Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Derry City and Strabane District Council Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Mid Ulster District Council Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

उत्तरी आयरलैंड में 2019 के स्थानीय चुनावों में किसे चुना गया है, इसका विवरण देखने के लिए नीचे दिए गए लिंक का उपयोग करें।


Swimmers brave cold sea in Porthcawl on Christmas Day

Summary: More than 1,300 swimmers braved icy sea waters during one of the UK's largest Christmas Day swims.

The Porthcawl Christmas morning swim is in its 54th year, and took place on Sandy Bay in Bridgend county. Among those taking a dip were swimmers from the warmer waters of Australia and Dubai, according to organisers. This year's chosen charity was Prostate Cymru and the theme superheroes. Secretary Lucy Jones said it was the biggest turnout in the event's history. "It was incredible - the weather was lovely, not too cold, not much wind," explained Ms Jones.

ब्रिटेन के सबसे बड़े क्रिसमस दिवस तैराकों में से एक के दौरान 1,300 से अधिक तैराकों ने बर्फीले समुद्र के पानी का सामना किया।


Optimism 'will win next election' says Guernsey deputy

Summary: Guernsey's next deputies election will be fought on "feel-good language" rather than policies, says one deputy.

2010 was mid-term for the current government with islanders next due to go to the polls in spring 2012. Deputy John Gollop topped the polls in the St Peter Port North district two years ago. He said manifestos that were optimist tended to be more successful than those that highlighted failings or outlined policies. Deputy Gollop has served as a deputy since 1997 and also topped the St Peter Port polls in 2000, during the last election based on the parish system rather than the district system.

एक डिप्टी का कहना है कि ग्वेर्नसे का अगला डिप्टी चुनाव नीतियों के बजाय "फील-गुड लैंग्वेज" पर लड़ा जाएगा।


'Horrid' smell from Didcot landfill blaze

Summary: A large fire at a landfill site in Oxfordshire is sending palls of smoke into the air.

Crews were called to the site at Appleford, near Didcot, at about 16:30 BST. Residents described a "horrid" smell emanating from the site and said smoke could be seen for miles around. Oxfordshire's fire and rescue service said crews from six stations were controlling the blaze and the incident was ongoing.

ऑक्सफोर्डशायर में एक लैंडफिल साइट पर एक बड़ी आग हवा में धुएँ के गुब्बारे भेज रही है।


Swimmer spotted in swollen River Nith

Summary: Police have urged the public not to put their lives at risk after a man was spotted swimming down a river during a spell of severe flooding.

He was seen in the River Nith, between Dumfries and Kingholm Quay, while it was in full spate at about 14:15. The man was later traced by police and found to be safe and well. A police spokesman said that while people might be confident of their own swimming ability, they should be aware of "hidden dangers" in the water. He asked them not to engage in activities "likely to endanger their lives and the lives of the emergency services who may be called upon to rescue them". Dumfries has been badly affected by flooding in the past week, with the River Nith overflowing onto the Whitesands on a number of occasions.

भीषण बाढ़ के दौरान एक व्यक्ति को नदी में तैरते हुए देखे जाने के बाद पुलिस ने जनता से अपनी जान जोखिम में न डालने का आग्रह किया है।


The perks and pitfalls of disabled travelling

Summary: Accomable is a new app to find accessible holiday rental properties. Set up by friends Srin Madipalli and Martyn Sibley, it was inspired by a joint wanderlust and some colourful experiences of disabled travel.

By Srin MadipalliGuest blogger I love travelling. I have had adventures all around Europe, the US, Southern Africa, Singapore and Indonesia. I have gone scuba diving in Bali, camped in the South African savannah and trekked through a snowy Yosemite National Park. I have Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and use a wheelchair. I need 24/7 personal care to help with everything from getting out of bed and getting ready, to help with washing and feeding and most daily physical tasks as I can't move my legs and have very little use of my arms. I always travel with a personal assistant. My disability makes travel much harder, but over the years I've found ways around it. Five years ago I was working as a corporate lawyer in the City. I was having a horrid time on many levels, and as is often the case with horrid periods, you can feel like you have nothing to lose and you become open to trying new things outside your comfort zone. I decided to take six months off to go travelling. It was the first time I had really attempted it, and while it was an amazing experience, it also opened my eyes to how difficult it is to travel as a disabled person. Prior to that I had never really travelled. I was terrified of things going wrong. I feared my wheelchair breaking down in a land far away. I feared accommodation being ill-suited on arrival. I feared transport not being sufficiently adapted and leaving me stranded. I feared problems arising with my personal assistants and being abandoned when I needed them the most. The list felt endless and I usually convinced myself to stay in my comfort zone and never try anything. While I had an amazing time on that trip and every adventure afterwards, pretty much all those fears I had about travel have actually come to fruition. But I found solutions. In Sydney, I arrived after a nine hour flight from Singapore to a smashed up wheelchair that apparently had been dropped while being unloaded. I was stranded in the middle of Sydney at night. Luckily, the airport staff were very supportive and found a workshop still open and a spare wheelchair to get me to a hotel. This mechanic also managed to patch up my wheelchair temporarily a couple of days later to allow me to get on with my trip. In Los Angeles, Martyn and I turned up to our hotel in the early hours of the morning to realise that there was a step into the bathroom, even though the hotel listing said it was step-free. We ended up having to work with the hotel porter to create a makeshift ramp to somehow get us in there and at least provide a temporary solution until the morning. In Bali, my wheelchair charger was broken and my wheelchair only had a few hours power remaining. I had to frantically phone around the manufacturer's offices in Germany looking for local suppliers who could help. After being passed on by about 10 different people, I ended up getting a kind recommendation of a small shop in Bali that sold replica Chinese made medical equipment on the cheap, which included a charger that seemed to work. I've had more extreme experiences too. Baboons have attack my van in South Africa (not much one can do apart from hit the accelerator), and in Las Vegas, while I was asleep, my personal assistant went for a drink and ended up getting into a drunken brawl and got arrested, leaving me stranded in my room. I was stuck in bed till late morning unable to reach my phone, forced to wait until he was released by hotel security and able to get me out. As with most fears and difficulties, you realise when they actually happen that there's usually a way to fix it, and I believe people are fundamentally decent and helpful when you are in need. But the travel experiences Martyn and I have had led us to thinking that travel shouldn't have to be a risk or a major leap into the unknown just because you have a disability or are elderly. We believe it is possible to create a platform to find and inspect accommodation before travelling, and to find providers of support and equipment around the world, so if things break down it never has to be a terrible nightmare. Moreover, if we can get more disabled people to travel, we believe airlines will become better at treating their equipment with care as it would become something very usual. Accomable now has properties in 18 countries and we are constantly searching for more. We are under no illusions that we have a long way to go, but we'll keep working hard to achieve our mission to make travel accessible to all. Because travelling is brilliant - angry baboons and all. For more Disability News, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the weekly podcast.

एक्सेमेबल एक नया ऐप है जो छुट्टियों के किराये की सुलभ संपत्तियों को ढूंढता है। इसे श्रीन मादीपल्ली और मार्टिन सिबली ने बनाया है, जो एक संयुक्त भटकने की इच्छा और विकलांग यात्रा के कुछ रंगीन अनुभवों से प्रेरित है।


Olympics closing ceremony: A long goodbye to the Games

Summary: The closing ceremony of the Olympic Games has a difficult task to perform. The less-loved younger sibling to the opening ceremony on which all the attention is lavished, it rarely supplies the memories that anyone takes away from an Olympiad.

By Jasper ReesArts journalist It falls between a celebration and a wake, a weird circus and a wonderful street carnival, with some Olympian bombast thrown in. For London 2012's valediction, it was all this and quite a lot more. Where two weekends ago Danny Boyle created a patchwork narrative of a multifaceted Britain at peace with its post-colonial heritage, there was less attempt here to string together a coherent story. If there was a theme to A Symphony of British Music beyond the chance to show off Team GB's global pop superstars and send out a small army of performers in wacky outfits, it was perhaps that, despite what you may have read about social mobility grinding to a halt, Britain is still on the move. Rather than walk on, most performers were delivered by some sort of symbolic conveyance. Ray Davies entered in a taxi, Madness on a lorry, Pet Shop Boys on rickshaws, One Direction on a truck, Annie Lennox on a giant black ship and Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs at the head of a fleet of mopeds. Russell Brand serenaded the stadium from the roof of a magical mystery tour bus. None of them moved across the track as fast as Usain Bolt on his own two legs. The gigawattage count was, as predicted, off the chart, with every era of the UK's post-war musical history showcased. Almost everybody could be there, and if they couldn't, they sent their holograms. John Lennon was represented by video and a giant piecemeal cast of his face, designed by his widow Yoko Ono, as children sang and signed "Imagine", while Freddie Mercury roused the crowd virtually with a call-and-response routine. David Bowie may not have been there, but as Fashion filled the stadium four iconic British supermodels including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell put on a fleeting floor show. Others had people sing for them. Ed Sheeran deputised for Dave Gilmour on Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" with Floyd's drummer Nick Mason for company. Jessie J and Tinie Tempah channelled the Bee Gees Dancing, while Brand treated us to his eccentric take on I Am the Walrus. In one notable substitution, Beady Eye sang Oasis's Wonderwall. But the more significant highlights came along whenever the big names showed off their own wares - Davies singing Waterloo Sunset, George Michael bossing the stadium with Freedom, the Spice Girls sashaying on in black cabs to sing Wannabe and Brian May doing some prodigious axe work. Eric Idle sang Always Look on the Bright Side of Life surrounded by multiple folk dancers and a game operatic star Susan Bullock. For all their efforts, the best singing of the night was choral - the gospel choir performing the National Anthem, and the combined London Welsh choirs who spiced up the Olympic anthem. The show featured a dazzling and sometimes befuddling parade of street theatre. There were tightrope walkers, dangling percussionists, bendy, bouncy acrobats, a human cannonball or two and a phalanx of cyclists who seem to have misinterpreted Bradley Wiggins' advice on bike helmets. It all took a long old while to get into the groove, not entirely because it takes a lot more than two songs by Elbow to get 10,000 athletes out onto the pitch to join the party. It began on the set of a mock-up London cityscape snarling with the hustle and bustle of traffic. Vehicles and citizenry were wrapped in newsprint, a message for the nabobs of China clearly legible - we operate a free press round these parts. The stage, forming the spokes of the Union Jack, was covered with quotations from the greats of our literature, among them were the torn-off words of Samuel Johnson: "A man who is tired of London is tired of life." Echoing the opening ceremony, we heard once again from Caliban, this time quoted by Timothy Spall playing Churchill, before the ceremony embarked on a long evening of music and dance. There was one other echo. As before, the loudest and longest cheers were reserved for the volunteers who more than anyone have made the Games happen. "When our time came, Britain," said Lord Coe, "we did it right." Once the formalities were done - the Brazilian section featuring samba and Pele, a last stab at flag-waving from the Mayor of London and the speechifying - all that was needed was some sort of finale. Take That ruled the world and Darcey Bussell flew in on a phoenix to dance with the Royal Ballet one last time. Thomas Heatherwick's spectacular flames were finally extinguished before the pension-age members of The Who sang us out with My Generation to a generation young enough to be their grandkids. Did it all work? Sometimes yes but, as often, not really. The lighting display across the raked seating look spectacular from the blimp camera prowling over the stadium, but the filigree details of circus performance and choreographed trickery were lost as the cameras, as is usual on these occasions, had no idea where to look. The audience was eventually battered into submission by the bloated sound and hectic fury of Britain's greatest hits, but three hours felt somewhat on the long side for a show that didn't quite know how to wave goodbye. But we know why. Bidding farewell to these games is not going to be easy. Jasper Rees is the author of Bred of Heaven: One Man's Quest to Reclaim His Welsh Roots

ओलंपिक खेलों के समापन समारोह में प्रदर्शन करना एक कठिन कार्य है। उद्घाटन समारोह के लिए कम प्यार करने वाला छोटा भाई-बहन जिस पर सारा ध्यान दिया जाता है, यह शायद ही कभी उन यादों को प्रदान करता है जिन्हें कोई ओलंपियाड से दूर ले जाता है।


Falkland Islands profile

Summary: The isolated and sparsely-populated Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina, who waged a brief but bitter war over the territory in 1982.

Argentine forces, who had landed on the Falklands to stake a territorial claim, were ejected by a British military task force. Argentina says it has a right to the islands, which it calls the Malvinas, because it inherited them from the Spanish crown in the early 1800s. It has also based its claim on the islands' proximity to the South American mainland. Britain rests its case on its long-term administration of the Falklands and on the principle of self-determination for the islanders, who are almost all of British descent. The windswept and almost-treeless territory is made up of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, as well as hundreds of smaller islands and islets. FACTS LEADERS Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor The islands are self-governing, although foreign affairs and defence matters are handled by the British government. There is no party-political activity on the islands. A new constitution to enhance the powers of the Executive Council came into force on 1 January 2009. MEDIA Coverage of local affairs is provided by a radio station and by the territory's sole newspaper, Penguin News. TIMELINE Some key dates in the history of the Falklands: 1690 - English captain makes first recorded landing on Falklands. 1764 - First settlement founded on East Falkland by French navigator. 1765 - British settle West Falkland. They are driven off by the Spanish in 1770 but return in 1771, only to withdraw again in 1774. 1820 - Independent Argentina proclaims sovereignty over the Falklands. 1831 - US warship destroys Argentine settlement in reprisal for the arrest of three US vessels hunting seals. 1833 - British force expels remaining Argentine officials from the island and installs a governor. Argentina continually protests against British occupation. 1965 - UN resolution invites Britain and Argentina to discuss ways of finding a peaceful solution to their dispute. 1982 - Argentina invades, prompting Falklands War. 1990 - Argentina and Britain restore diplomatic relations, severed in 1982. 2013 - Islanders vote to remain a British overseas territory.

अलग-थलग और कम आबादी वाला फ़ॉकलैंड द्वीप समूह, दक्षिण-पश्चिम अटलांटिक महासागर में एक ब्रिटिश विदेशी क्षेत्र, ब्रिटेन और अर्जेंटीना के बीच संप्रभुता विवाद का विषय बना हुआ है, जिन्होंने 1982 में इस क्षेत्र पर एक संक्षिप्त लेकिन कड़वा युद्ध छेड़ा था।


Wightlink ferry strike cancelled

Summary: A planned Christmas strike by workers on Wightlink Ferries between the Isle of Wight and the mainland has been called off.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union were due to walk out on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. The strike was planned due to a row over the sacking of a union representative. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the strike had been called off as Paul Kelly had secured a job elsewhere. Mr Kelly will continue to work in the shipping industry.

आइल ऑफ वाइट और मुख्य भूमि के बीच विटलिंक घाटों पर श्रमिकों द्वारा एक नियोजित क्रिसमस हड़ताल को रद्द कर दिया गया है।


Coronavirus: Recession? This is deeper and more challenging

Summary: Recession? We're already in something much deeper and more challenging. It is re-shaping relationships between businesses, with customers, and between the state and individuals as well as with firms. When it's over, the economy, government and work may look very different. The Scottish economy has special vulnerabilities, reflected in analysis from the Fraser of Allander Institute - and so do lower-income households without a rainy day fund.

Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland There's a quaint notion that the economy might be heading for recession. Let's get real: we're in one. Unless it's unusually long, we don't get confirmation of a recession until after it's over. Such is the nature of data gathering. With luck, this one won't last long. But it is deep. Anyway, it doesn't really matter if it's technically a recession or not. What we're currently experiencing deserves a new word to describe it - something that reflects the suddenness and sharpness of the shock. It's more like a coronary or stroke than merely a cyclical, temporary reversal of economic output. It comes with parallel crises of a health fear and huge social dislocation, and it does so with a global spread. There have been pandemics before, but not in an era of a highly integrated economy, financially leveraged and geared to continue at or close to full tilt. The economy is not designed to cope with lockdown. Nor has there been such a rampant infection in an era when medical science can track its course, and mobilise the resources and know-how to stamp it out. That knowledge gives the justification for lockdown. The economy and society are being forced to bend and buckle under the weight of medical statistics, so as to change the shape of a graphicised bell curve. It's a funny old world. What, then, does it mean for the economy? I've written in recent blogs about the impact on market confidence; of the need for rationing of scarce resources where money doesn't talk; of the re-shaping of relationships between supplier and customer, where businesses are forced into choosing priorities. At times like these, in transacting business, the question of trust becomes all the more important. But for now, financial survival may seem more important. Who needs a brand reputation if you don't have a business any more? And to that end, it's the government that's asking for our trust as never before. It is asking us to trust its science and scientists, and to trust that the NHS will be there for us. It is "throwing its arms around workers", in the prime minister's words. (Not a comforting image, in my opinion.) Or it's putting a safety net under companies. No longer is welfare for individuals and families facing hard times. It's for anyone affected, and that's everyone. The drive to get the deficit down over the past decade, so that debt could be reduced, while the reach of the state was rolled back, has been thrown hard into reverse. And by the Conservative Party. The money is being splurged by Rishi Sunak like the Tory caricature of Jeremy Corbyn. Pay now: worry about the bills later. There's a new social contract in which we - individuals, parents and employers - play our part, by accepting an unprecedented disruption to our social and work lives and to our liberty. Companies are being asked to step away from their focus on markets and profit, and to put down deeper roots in communities and society. With waning trust in business over recent years, some are grasping that as an opportunity. (Some, however, seize the opportunity for cheesy PR stunts, with giveaways galore to NHS workers.) And what, to come closer to home, about the Scottish economy? Some answers to that came, on Wednesday, from the economists at the Fraser of Allander Institute. They highlight the disproportionate vulnerabilities of "social spending" on tourism, cafes, restaurants and retail. After airlines, they were next to take the brunt of this, and they're particularly important to the Scottish economy, representing 13% of output and 19% of employment. The institute also points to the fragility of household finances. In China, they save and save - up to half of earnings. Here, many have no savings at all, or negative savings, better known as debt. The Strathclyde University finance experts cite figures showing 42% of Scottish households in the lowest-income 10th of the population cannot last a month without earnings. Around three quarters of households in that "bottom decile" would not have a sufficient buffer if there were no income for six months. And this publication of the regular Allander economic commentary takes a peer over the horizon, to ask what the long-term effects will be. Will this put us off the track of tackling climate change, for instance? With the familiarity we're fast gaining, will work from home become more of a norm, and video-conferencing replace much business travel? Will this be the point at which declining industries start to decline faster? Many shops that are now shut may not be open again, because of the structural change already under way. Oil and gas, with its prices deeply depressed, is shedding investment at a rapid rate worldwide. Some North Sea fields will become stranded as platforms are decommissioned, never to return to viability. If businesses collapse now, how much "scarring damage" will be done as others are set up, ask the Allander economists, and as people find new jobs? How much potential will be lost by the disruption to learning in schools and universities? Bear in mind that the most influential modelling of this pandemic points to another surge and potential lockdown in autumn, interrupting another school year. Says Graeme Roy, director of the Fraser of Allander: "The large scale mothballing of our economy in response to the public health emergency is unlike anything we have seen since World War Two." He suggests the hope of a limited hit to productive capacity is looking overly optimistic. "The scale of the shutdown in our economy is so large it will take months, if not years, to recover. Key now will be ensuring that long-term scarring effects of any recession can be mitigated as much as possible. "The economy that emerges from this, from the shops on our high street through to day-to-day working practices, is likely to look quite different." My hunch is that Professor Roy's forecast will come to look like an under-statement.

मंदी? हम पहले से ही कुछ अधिक गहरी और अधिक चुनौतीपूर्ण स्थिति में हैं। यह व्यवसायों के बीच, ग्राहकों के साथ, और राज्य और व्यक्तियों के साथ-साथ फर्मों के साथ संबंधों को फिर से आकार दे रहा है। जब यह समाप्त हो जाता है, तो अर्थव्यवस्था, सरकार और काम बहुत अलग दिख सकते हैं। स्कॉटिश अर्थव्यवस्था में विशेष कमजोरियां हैं, जो फ्रेजर ऑफ एलैंडर इंस्टीट्यूट के विश्लेषण में परिलक्षित होती हैं-और इसी तरह कम आय वाले परिवार बिना वर्षा दिवस निधि के हैं।


Devon and Somerset Fire Control could move to Exeter

Summary: The Devon and Somerset fire control rooms could merge and be based in Exeter, under plans being considered by the service.

The merger could happen before the lease on the control room in Hestercombe House, in Taunton, is due to expire in October 2012. A spokesperson said fewer staff would be needed, but no compulsory redundancies would be made. The consolidation will be discussed at a committee on 29 July. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Peter Smith said: "The current control rooms are in bad need of investment and the ideal and logical solution would be to have one control room." Plans to run the service from a regional control centre in Taunton were dropped by the government in December.

सेवा द्वारा विचार की जा रही योजनाओं के तहत, डेवोन और समरसेट अग्नि नियंत्रण कक्षों का विलय हो सकता है और ये एक्सेटर में स्थित हो सकते हैं।


New Nimrods at RAF Kinloss 'within weeks not months'

Summary: The new Nimrod MRA4 will be arriving at RAF Kinloss in Moray within weeks rather than months, the Ministry of Defence has said.

A delay until October was announced last week by the MoD in a parliamentary answer to local MP and SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson. However the MOD has told the BBC that the replacement Nimrods are still scheduled to arrive this summer. The aircraft is due to replace the 30-year-old MR2, grounded in March. Dozens of jobs have already been lost at RAF Kinloss due to the withdrawal of the MR2, which was taken out of service a year early.

रक्षा मंत्रालय ने कहा है कि नई निमरोद एम. आर. ए. 4 महीनों के बजाय हफ्तों के भीतर मोरे में आर. ए. एफ. किनलोस पहुंचेगी।


Gavin & Stacey: Bringing a crackin' Christmas back to Barry

Summary: Oh! What's occurring? Christmas on Barry Island, that's what. Ten years since we left the fab four - Gavin, Stacey, Nessa and Smithy - on the Welsh seafront, they're back with a festive special that will have you cackling over your Christmas pudding and blubbing into your Babycham. Probably at the same time.

By Emma SaundersEntertainment reporter We sat down with Ruth Jones, James Corden and the rest of the gang to find out how the episode came about a decade on, how our favourite Welsh/Essex couples are finding parenthood and if we'll ever find out what happened on THAT fishing trip. A logistical nightmare Geography - not to mention James's hugely successful US gig as the host of The Late, Late Show - was "a big problem in getting the show off the ground," explains Ruth, who plays Stacey's closest friend Nessa. "James and I live on different continents. We wanted to be sure if we did bring it back that it was good. Ever since it finished, James and I have always secretly texted each other lines for the characters." James, who plays Gavin's best friend Smithy, explains: "We'd send each other little things like, 'I just heard someone say this in the supermarket today and I think it's something Pam would say.' "There was very much a feeling of the time to do it is when you don't need to." But they still had to find that time. Ruth says: "James does a show every day so he had to double record the show - I went to LA for a long weekend and mapped the story, then had a week in LA in February, writing." However, even after sorting out the logistics, the writing didn't come easily at first. "We got to the end of the week and there were times when we thought: 'This isn't happening,'" she says. "We argue, we have a brother/sister relationship. [But] our friendship is so strong." Then there was just the small problem of getting the cast back together after a long hiatus. "We were so lucky, James gave up his summer holiday to come over, to find out if everyone was available - it was a miracle, we found a two-and-a-half week period. It felt like a good luck omen. "James and I contacted half the cast each. [They were] lovely phone calls to make! Thank God they said yes as we'd written the script by then!" Getting hold of the actors wasn't straightforward… Joanna Page, who plays Stacey, proved particularly elusive. "Ruth got in touch with me using every form [of communication] - and I'm not very good at getting back in touch. I didn't respond for a bit, I was busy with the kids. I'm the mother of three children! [When I saw the messages asking me to call her] I thought, 'This is either something really good or it will be dodgy photos but why would they go through Ruth?!'" Ruth's persistence finally paid off. "I was so excited waiting for the script," says Joanna. "I was sat in the car park reading it, emailing Ruth and James, quoting their lines back at them!" Robert Wilfort, who plays Stacey's brother Jason, was sceptical when he first got the call. "When James rang from LA, I thought it was a scam from some Nigerian prince!" he jokes. "I didn't even tell my mum. Everyone else was reorganising their schedules [for filming] but I was unemployed so was just pleased to have a job! James also had to call Melanie Walters, who plays Stacey's mother Gwen, four times as she also thought it was a scam: "I didn't recognise the number!" And then they all got the jitters… Larry Lamb, who plays Gavin's father Mick, says: "When James said what was to happen… I thought, can they carry this off? Then three months of not telling anyone, [just] lying! Now I've seen it I feel extraordinarily overcome with emotion. You turn up at rehearsal and you feel scared. But it's everything you hoped it would be and more." Joanna, who had taken time out to raise her children, says she asked herself, "Can I even act anymore?" while Matt Horne, who plays Gavin, also felt nervous at first. "Ruth asked me and my initial reaction was relief - I'm so glad James has got some work!," he jokes, referring to his cast mate's Stateside success. "Then the nerves kicked in. The script is brilliant. It's the best episode we've ever done, it's sensational. After day one, everything settled down and the nerves went. All the actors love each other, we have a great time and it comes across on screen. It's really easy to act around really great actors - Jo went to Rada!" Rob Brydon is chief minister of fun Ruth says: "We began rehearsing in June, it was like a family getting back together again. It went so smoothly and it was such fun. Rob Brydon is responsible for a lot of the fun. Rob, who plays Stacey's Uncle Bryn, has one abiding memory from filming, some of which took place during a heatwave. "It was so hot! Bryn's trousers and jumper are 100% polyester, the tie is 100% polyester, the shirt was the same and I was sweating! "It's the happiest job I've ever done. Joyous. I had tears in my eyes watching it back. I'm thrilled." That's lovely Rob but what ACTUALLY happened on that infamous fishing trip? "I don't know, they've never told me!" Grrrrr. Margaret is much missed Margaret John played Gwen's sweary elderly neighbour Doris in the original series but the actress sadly died in 2011. Melanie says: "The art department gave me a picture of Margaret and myself with huge orange coats on reading the paper and I put it on the table for the read-through so she was with us." Without giving too much away, Doris is very much gone not forgotten in the Christmas special. Ruth explains one particular scene: "Maggie was such a special woman, incredibly talented and we wanted to pay homage to her, to raise a glass and undercut it as Doris, as a character, was rude. I think Maggie would have loved it. "The biggest sadness was not having Doris there. She was an auntie to everyone." The pressures of parenting Neil the Baby isn't a baby anymore. And Gavin and Stacey have also become parents (let's just say there's a nod to Pam's love of the Royal Family in the baby names). Ruth says: "I absolutely adore Nessa. I feel brave and so at ease playing her. It's liberating playing her. "You can see how she's developed into a mother, a lovely mum [but] she's retained her Nessa-ness. "It would have been easy to make the young Neil a tough bad boy but we chose not to do this. We wanted to tap into Nessa's softer side." One of the key themes of the show is one many couples with children will be familiar with. How do you make time for each other, keep your relationship strong and maintain intimacy when raising young kids is so all-consuming? Ruth says: "Gavin and Stacey are the heart of this show, we wanted to tell their story 10 years on. There's one particular scene just featuring the couple which Ruth said she was particularly "chuffed with… every time I watch that scene, I cry, I get goosebumps". Joanna concurs: "It's so beautiful, the first time I read it, I cried… after that scene we just had fun and lots of gin." Having a family now herself, she jokes that: "It's art imitating life - this is what my life is like right now. But I do have a very healthy sex life!" Not enough room at the inn Sadly, you won't be seeing every character in the new episode - but there may be some new faces. "We were very lucky to have such a huge cast in the past but we had to think about what would work best for the storyline," explains Ruth. "But there was very little that we cut. Gavin and Stacey looking at photos of the kids in Nativity went. But the BBC were very kind, it was meant to be an hour, it's a little bit over but they said that's fine." Are they worried about the reaction? James says: "People might watch the special and think that was awful, why did you ruin it? And that's the pressure of it." But is this the final curtain? Ruth doesn't rule it out. "There are no plans but obviously there is room for it to move on, so who knows?" Gavin & Stacey is on BBC One on Christmas Day at 2030 GMT.

ओह! क्या हो रहा है? बैरी द्वीप पर क्रिसमस, इतना ही। दस साल बाद जब हमने फैब फोर-गेविन, स्टेसी, नेसा और स्मिथी-को वेल्श समुद्र तट पर छोड़ा, वे एक उत्सव विशेष के साथ वापस आ गए हैं जो आपको अपने क्रिसमस पुडिंग और अपने बेबीचैम में ब्लबिंग करने के लिए मजबूर करेगा। शायद उसी समय।


90-year-old man dies in Tamworth hit and run

Summary: A 90-year-old man has died after a hit and run close to a crossroads in Staffordshire.

The man, who has not yet been named, was knocked down in Watling Street, near the crossroads of Watling Street, Two Gates and Dosthill Road in Tamworth at about 22:45 GMT on Friday. Staffordshire Police said the man was hit by "a dark-coloured vehicle, possibly a people carrier". Officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

स्टैफोर्डशायर में एक चौराहे के पास एक हिट एंड रन के बाद एक 90 वर्षीय व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।


Scottish independence march held in Inverness

Summary: Thousands of people have joined a march in Inverness supporting calls for Scottish independence.

The Inverness Freedom March started at Walker Park at 13:00, following a route through the city centre before finishing on the banks of the River Ness. It was organised by a small team of local independence supporters. In 2018, thousands of people took part in a similar march through the city organised by All Under One Banner.

स्कॉटिश स्वतंत्रता के आह्वान का समर्थन करते हुए हजारों लोग इनवर्नेस में एक मार्च में शामिल हुए हैं।


London election 2012: Mayoral rivals pledge crime fight

Summary: "London is one of the safest capitals in the world."

By Andy DangerfieldBBC News, London It is a claim that might surprise some of the city's residents, but one that has been made by the current and former London mayors, as well as Scotland Yard. By comparing London's crime and murder rates with the likes of Washington DC, Bangkok and Guatemala City, the claim rings true. London had the 21st lowest homicide rate out of 112 of the biggest cities surveyed by the United Nations in 2009 - that is 1.6 murders per 100,000 people. Nevertheless, crime remains a concern for many Londoners and a key battleground in the mayoral election. During Conservative candidate Boris Johnson's past four years as mayor, total crime has fallen - by about 4.6%, but at a slower rate than under his predecessor, Labour's Ken Livingstone. The murder rate has dropped, with teenage deaths from gun and knife crime - a pivotal issue in the previous election - having almost halved since 2008. But reported burglaries, robberies and sexual offences have risen in the past year. Meanwhile, the number of police officers on the street has been a hot topic during the mayoral debates. Tackling gangs Mr Johnson says he has increased police numbers but Mr Livingstone says police numbers are down. So who is right? Looking at Met figures during Mr Livingstone's first two terms, there was a huge recruitment drive, the biggest in the force's history, from about 25,000 to more than 31,000 officers. In 2008, Mr Johnson was elected and police numbers continued to rise to more than 33,000 by the end of 2009. But the number fell to 32,129 by the end of March this year - lower than the number of officers at their peak but 761 officers more than Mr Johnson inherited. Looking forward, the main candidates are promising to either maintain or increase police numbers on the street. But London School of Economics criminologist Dr Janet Foster says it is a myth that more officers leads to safer streets. "It's far more important what police officers do and how they do it than how many of them there are," she said. However, Mr Livingstone maintained: "If kids grow up knowing a copper can come round the corner at any time, they're less likely to get into trouble." Mr Johnson said: "By detaching officers from other units, the commissioner believes we can have about 2,000 more police out there on front-line policing." So how else do the candidates propose to make the capital safer? Mr Johnson said work needed to be "intensified" to tackle domestic violence and rape. He said he would "establish a new pan-London approach to the provision of independent domestic violence advisers". "We can give women the confidence and help they need to bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. He also said he would "step up the war on gangs" through Operation Trident, which deals with gun crime in the capital. And he plans to "expand" his scheme for volunteers to mentor black boys thought to be at risk of becoming involved in crime. "I want to make sure that the kids who are now 11 are not caught up in gangs but are given better alternatives by the time they are 15," he said. Meanwhile, Mr Livingstone told BBC News: "I will appoint myself chairman of the mayor's office for policing and crime, and focus on rebuilding morale, getting police numbers up and turning things around." To support young people at risk of getting involved in gangs, he said: "We've got to be working with neighbourhood groups and churches." He said police practice on stop and search "needs to be targeted and a situation where only 6% are arrested and fewer charged is a complete waste of time". 'End kettling' The Labour candidate said to improve the relationship between the police and the black community "we need to make sure police we recruit look like Londoners". "About 10% of our force are black or Asian - we need to look towards 25%," he said. The Green Party's Jenny Jones said that the Met's use of stop-and-search powers displays a "poor record" on civil liberties. But there is an expectedly green hue to some of her other crime policies. "Get more police officers out of their cars and on to foot or bicycle, providing a visible presence on the streets," she said. She also promised to "improve enforcement of the rules of the road with safety cameras". And she said she would push to "end the use of kettling tactics" to contain lawful protest. Unsurprisingly, crime features prominently on policeman-turned-politician Brian Paddick's manifesto. The Liberal Democrat candidate has pledged to give extra powers to communities and to tackle gangs by "providing positive alternatives". "We're suggesting a £1-a-night tourist bed tax for London's four and five-star hotels," he told BBC News. "It's done in many cities around the world and we reckon on the first year we could raise £10m which we would put directly into youth provision." He also promised to end "racist stop and search" and to restore the relationship between the police and the black community, suggesting "there should be an inquiry into the black community's concerns into the lack of transparency around investigations into deaths in police custody". Londoners go to the polls on Thursday 3 May.

लंदन दुनिया की सबसे सुरक्षित राजधानियों में से एक है।


Would these five changes actually help cyclists?

Summary: Many cyclists believe improving culture among drivers and boosting infrastructure are the only meaningful ways to save lives. But how much effect would some of these smaller changes have?

By Tom HeydenBBC News Magazine Issues surrounding cycle safety are often divisive. Here are five of them. Should helmets be compulsory? Nothing polarises opinion in the cycle safety debate like the idea of making the wearing of helmets compulsory. Chris Boardman, ex-pro racer and policy adviser at British Cycling, was heavily criticised this week for deciding not to wear one. "You're as safe riding a bike as you are walking," he says. "It's not in the top 10 things you can do to keep safe." Brain injury charity Headway quickly expressed its "anger and disappointment", pointing out that Boardman himself had written an article in 1998 titled I Was Saved By My Helmet. "It is worrying that a leading figure in the world of cycling should be allowed to put across such a dangerous and irresponsible view," said chief executive Peter McCabe. In Australia, New Zealand and parts of the US, helmets are compulsory. So far the UK has resisted following suit, although the Highway Code does advise wearing them. And the British Medical Association calls for them to be mandatory. It certainly seems logical to try protecting your head - about three-quarters of cyclist deaths involve head trauma. Even Boardman said "there is absolutely nothing wrong with helmets". The controversy surrounds making them compulsory. In 2007 Dr Ian Walker, an expert in transport and traffic at the University of Bath, published research that demonstrated how helmets can have a disadvantageous effect on motorist behaviour. He found that drivers would afford cyclists about 8-9cm less space while overtaking if the rider was wearing a helmet. "The benefits of helmets are hugely exaggerated," says John Franklin, author of Cyclecraft and an expert in cycle safety and accidents. "To put emphasis on them as a major safety aid is considerably overstating the evidence." Helmets are designed for low-speed accidents, primarily without another vehicle present, explains Walker. They're typically only tested up to 14mph. "They shatter if you hit them too hard," adds Roger Geffen, from the CTC cycling charity. "People get very impressed when they see a shattered helmet and think 'My goodness, that could have been my skull' - but what it's showing is that helmets are actually quite flimsy." The evidence is mixed. The Department for Transport found that hospital-based studies tended to show a "significant protective effect" from cycle helmets but wider population studies tended to show "a lower, or no, effect". But it's easy to argue that some protection is an awful lot better than none. If you fall, anything that can absorb the shock and diminish the impact of a head collision could help. Others stress looking at the bigger picture, arguing that cycling's health benefits far outweigh its risks. Making helmets compulsory could stop some people riding. "Even in a hypothetical situation where they could save 100% of all head injuries, you'd still end up shortening more lives if [making] people wear them reduced cycle usage by 2-3%," says Geffen. The debate is far from conclusive. Walker's work did not focus on junctions, where 75% of accidents happen. And most objections are based more on prioritisation and not making them compulsory, rather than saying they have no value. Should high-vis gear be used in daytime? Some 44% of fatal cycling accidents are caused by drivers failing to look properly, according to independent research firm the Transport Research Laboratory. So it would appear to make sense for cyclists to be as visible as possible. Hordes of lycra-clad cyclists in high-vis colours indicate that many agree. Reflectors are already a requirement at night. And the government's Highway Code advises "light-coloured or fluorescent clothing which helps other road users to see you in daylight and poor light". But research by Dr Ian Garrard, of Brunel University, casts doubt on assumptions about high-vis. Dressed in various outfits - from casual clothes to professional high-vis gear - Garrard measured how much space 6,000 motorists gave him as they passed his bike. Clothing made almost no statistically significant difference - 1-2% of drivers always drove dangerously close. Only two outfits altered driver behaviour - one which said "police", and another with "polite". The latter is an intentional imitation popular with cyclists and horse riders. To stand out, what matters most is the contrast with your background, says Geffen. And since your background constantly changes, there's no "best" colour to wear. But it's important to note that this research was carried out in daytime conditions. Even though 80% of accidents occur in daylight, at night it's a different matter - anything that makes you visible is highly recommended. Reflectors are powerful attention-grabbing mechanisms, says Walker. "We're intrinsically attuned to notice the movement of living things - and pedal reflectors on bikes imitate the up-down motion [of walking]," he adds. Banning headphones Nearly 90% of people in a BBC poll wanted to ban cyclists from wearing headphones. About one in six cyclists admitted to using them at least occasionally. "In order to ride safely on the road, you need to be aware all the time of what's happening all around you - not just in front of you," Franklin says. Listening is an important aid for cyclists, more than other road users, he says. It's important to be able to hear sounds like the change in tone as a driver accelerates. "To be distracted in any way through headphones is a big mistake." But there's little empirical research. "It's probably so obvious that it's a silly thing to do that no-one will get research funding," suggests Garrard. Nobody would argue that headphones improve safety. But there are certainly objections to making them illegal for cyclists - at least partly because of what that implies for deaf riders. The Highway Code for cyclists The Highway Code gives rules for cycling in England, Scotland and Wales - and includes the following legal requirements: Highway Code for cyclists "There's nothing about British roads which says you have to rely on your ears," says Walker. "We have a very formulaic system about who has priority over whom, and that shouldn't actually involve your ears." Others point to motorists blaring out loud music from car stereos. A study by an Australian magazine found that cyclists listening to music could hear more ambient traffic noise than people in cars with the windows up - even with no music at all. Should cyclists ride in the middle of the lane? Cycling hazards are not just from moving traffic. Ride too close to the kerb and you risk drains, manhole covers and potentially disastrous doors swinging open from parked cars. "Positioning is by the far the biggest influence a cyclist can have on his or her own safety," says Franklin. "If I had to teach somebody one thing about cycling it would be that." The optimal position depends on the situation, although never hugging the kerb, he says. The absolute minimum is half a metre, says Franklin. Geffen suggests a metre from the kerb or line of parked cars is ideal. But both say that sometimes it's important to move to the middle of the lane, as cyclists are legally allowed to do. "If it's not safe for someone to pass then you take a dominant position to deter them from doing so," Franklin says. "[When] it's safe then you're courteous and allow them to pass." It's crucial to control when someone can overtake you, says Geffen. But it's also important how you do so, says Garrard. "Cars to some extent regard overtaking a bicycle as a right. If you look as if you are deliberately blocking them, you can cause more aggression." And Walker's research discovered that the further one ventures into the middle of the road, the less space will be given to the cyclist by an overtaking vehicle. So if you come out by 10cm, cars will compensate about 8cm, and increasingly get closer the further out, explains Garrard. Geffen recommends trying to make eye contact if you take the middle of the lane, so as to humanise the interaction. Flashing lights or steady lights? It's illegal to cycle on the road after dark without lights. But only since 2005 has it been legal to use only flashing lights. So which are safer? Much depends on context, says Chris Juden, technical officer at CTC. It's no coincidence that police cars, slow-moving vehicles and ambulances all use flashing lights, he says. They attract the attention of drivers. In highly urbanised situations with lots of light pollution, flashing lights probably work better than steady ones, Juden says. "What worries me about night-time visibility is how preposterously brightly-lit cars are becoming," adds Walker. Coupled with other dazzling, distracting city lights, it's harder to see cyclists and pedestrians, he says. More from the Magazine But in rural settings a steady lamp at the front might be more useful in illuminating the road ahead, says Juden. It's a thought echoed by the government's advice for areas without street lighting. One problem with flashing lights is that they are harder to track, he says. "[They] make it very difficult for someone to see precisely where you are," agrees Franklin. Motorists may know you're there but it's harder to judge how far away you are and how fast you're going, he adds. The wider debate Many advocates of cycle safety regard all of the above as a distraction from what they say are the main issues - that attitudes among drivers must change and the infrastructure must be improved. Most personal protective equipment - like helmets or high-vis - places the burden and cost of protection on the rider, they say. There's an ethical incongruence there, Walker says, as riders are effectively paying not to be killed by others. Most cycling advocates argue instead for deeper structural changes to improve safety - cycle highways or stricter laws. Boardman and British Cycling's "top 10 things to keep safe" features just one reference to personal protective equipment - and that's "removing advice to wear certain clothing when cycling". Personal protective equipment is the very last step in creating a safe system, says Walker. Take aviation, maritime and rail, he says. "The starting point for every aspect of that system is the driver will make mistakes. It's insane that we utterly ignore human fallibility [for cars and cycling]." "If we really are serious about trying to make cycling part of our culture, either the cars have to be tamed, or the cyclists have to be segregated," Franklin says. "A sensible cyclist - and there are some fools out there - has pretty much done all he or she can do for their safety," Garrard adds. But many motorists - and even generally pro-cycling London Mayor Boris Johnson - claim there are more than just "some" cycling fools. Johnson has even blamed risk-taking cyclists for causing many fatalities. It's clearly not just a one-sided issue. Cycle training courses would be useful for everyone, says Franklin. "They've moved on a long way since children cycling around bollards." But any changes will be gradual, and until then cyclists still have choices to make on the road. And any influence they have to limit the level of risk might be worth it. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

कई साइकिल चालकों का मानना है कि चालकों के बीच संस्कृति में सुधार और बुनियादी ढांचे को बढ़ावा देना ही जीवन बचाने का एकमात्र सार्थक तरीका है। लेकिन इनमें से कुछ छोटे परिवर्तनों का कितना प्रभाव पड़ेगा?


Gloucestershire Royal Hospital reopens helipad

Summary: Air ambulances will be able to land at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital's helipad for the first time in more than two years after it was reopened.

Crews have not used the landing site since construction on a nearby multi-storey car park began in April 2010. During the building work Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) safety regulations were changed and the flight path of the helicopters was no longer viable. The helipad had to be extended at a cost of £140,000 before reopening. The Helicopter Emergency Landing Pad (HELP) Appeal contributed £70,000 towards the work, which was matched by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Gloucestershire Royal Hospital said the reopened facility would dramatically reduce transfer times for critically ill and injured patients.

ग्लूस्टरशायर रॉयल अस्पताल के हेलीपैड को फिर से खोलने के दो साल से अधिक समय बाद पहली बार एयर एम्बुलेंस उतर पाएगी।


Pakistani militants return to roots with Lahore attack

Summary: A double suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in the Pakistani city of Lahore has been described as part of a growing trend of attacks on some of the country's minority Islamic sects. But as the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan reports, there is a long and bloody history of sectarian attacks in the country.

Rival sects have traditionally been the main targets for Punjabi jihadist organisations and their Taliban descendants. In particular, Pakistan's Shias have been in the cross hairs since the rise of jihadist Islam in Pakistan in the late 1980s. Hundreds of people, most of them Shia Muslims, died in the 1990s in attacks on mosques and processions. Most of the attacks were carried out by an organisation which is now regarded as the deadliest militant group in Pakistan - Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ). The group broke away to continue an armed struggle along the lines of its parent organisation, Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP). That group envisages Pakistan as a Deoband (a sect of Sunni Islam) state - in which all other Muslims sects are treated as minorities. In addition to Shias, those minorities include Sunni sects with roots in Sufi (mystical) Islam. The main argument between the Deobandis and the Sufis centres around worship at shrines, which for Sufis involves music and mystical dancing. The Deobandis, like the Wahhabi-inspired al-Qaeda, deem this to be heretical and a divergence from what they consider to be pure Islamic rituals. However, the SSP has always maintained that it has adopted a political and constitutional route to implement its vision. "We do not agree with anybody who takes up arms," Ahsan Farooqi, a SSP spokesman told me in Karachi recently. "Anyone who takes up arms is expelled from the organisation." Dangerous cadre In the initial years, the jihadists confined their attacks to the Shia and other minority communities. The primary reason was probably because Barelvi Islam - another Sunni sect - is practised by a majority of Pakistanis, although Deobandis have much state support. But this sectarian violence declined considerably after the 9/11 attacks - and the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The jihadis were chased out of their strongholds in Afghanistan - and were subsequently captured or killed by Pakistani security forces. In one blow the entire leadership was wiped out - but only for a younger and even more dangerous cadre to take charge. Men like Riaz Basra, the founder of LJ, were killed - while others like deputy head Akram Lahori were captured and imprisoned. But those who escaped were now beyond the control of their former masters in the Pakistani intelligence services. Their numbers rapidly gained strength after then-President Pervez Musharraf banned Sipah-e-Sahaba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Kashmir-based militant group, in 2002. "That was a landmark moment in the jihadist movement," a security official told me recently. "The decision had been taken in effect to withdraw all state support for them. But cutting them loose basically did away with any influence we had over them. "That they continued to be militants should have come as no surprise - they knew nothing else," the official said. "There should have been some sort of a rehabilitation programme or something to integrate these angry young men into society. Nothing however was done. "Even those who were locked up were eventually released - and they became our most virulent opponents. "Now we have no idea who they are - and what they are thinking." This fact is attested by the SSP's Ahsan Farooqi - who argues that it was the actions of the security agencies that helped create the new breed of militants. "The agencies pick up our boys and torture them. When they are released, all they can think about is revenge," he said. "We do not condone their activities - but after such treatment what can you expect?" Non-Deobands targeted Post-9/11 though, most of the ire was reserved for the security agencies, which came under attack. But the olds hatreds have remained - and now appear to have increased. While Shias have always been treated as the primary enemy - the attacks on Ahmadis and Barelvi are by no means unusual. In fact, one of the biggest attacks on a religious ceremony post-9/11 was on a Barelvi conference in Karachi in April 2006. Over 70 people died in that attack, which investigators later said was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Since then, almost all non-Deoband sects have been the target of suicide attacks. Thursday's attack is only the most recent in a series. Shrines have been blown up across Pakistan, especially in the northern Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province. Attacks on Shias, and other sects, have also increased across Punjab province. Dozens have been killed in attacks which continue in the southern port city of Karachi. In many ways it seems, the militants have come full circle. As rumours continue of a possible rapprochement with their old allies in the security forces, attacks on military installations have declined. Increasingly, Pakistan's jihadist militants have started returning to their roots. Flush with their new-found strength, the militants are turning their guns to their primary task - to fight the "heretics" within and purify the country.

पाकिस्तानी शहर लाहौर में एक सूफी दरगाह पर दोहरे आत्मघाती बम विस्फोट को देश के कुछ अल्पसंख्यक इस्लामी संप्रदायों पर हमलों की बढ़ती प्रवृत्ति के हिस्से के रूप में वर्णित किया गया है। लेकिन जैसा कि बीबीसी के सैयद शोएब हसन ने बताया है, देश में सांप्रदायिक हमलों का एक लंबा और खूनी इतिहास है।


Richard III: The people who want everyone to like the infamous king

Summary: King Richard III was painted by Shakespeare as an evil, hunchbacked and brutish man who plotted and murdered his way to the crown, but a society named after him is trying to restore his reputation. Why are they so upset about his portrayal?

By Melissa HogenboomBBC News Richard III only ruled England for two years, but it is his alleged role in the disappearance of his young nephews - the "princes in the tower" - that made him infamous. Many historians say he remains a likely candidate for their murder, but the Richard III Society believes that Tudor propaganda is to blame for his negative image. "We want to strip away the spin, the unfair innuendo, Tudor artistic shaping and the lazy acquiescence of later ages, and get at the truth," writes the society. "Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time / Into this breathing world, scarce half made up / And that so lamely and unfashionable / That dogs bark at me as I halt by them" So Shakespeare introduces his anti-hero to the stage, and the image of the king with a withered arm and crooked back has stuck. The Richard III Society hopes the skeleton recently discovered in Leicester, possibly that of the king, will "encourage an upsurge of interest" in him. Some people become members because they like the tale of mystery and intrigue, but the common thread, says Wendy Moorhen from the society, is a sense that Richard III has been unjustly tarnished through the ages. "The betrayal of Richard III has gone on for 400 years. He was a man who worked hard all his life, yet he has always been portrayed as evil. "We do not know who killed the princes but it would be out of character for Richard to murder two children in cold blood. We want to show he was a balanced, loyal man." It is the question of whether he plotted his way to the throne, and murdered those who got in his way, that lies at the heart of the society's frustration with how he has been painted. Despite vigorous campaigning from the society, many historians still maintain that history has not been completely rewritten. "The Richard III Society consists of some who contain an extreme and romantic view. They publish scholarly work in the belief that it will eventually exculpate Richard III, but it hasn't actually done so," says Michael Hicks, professor of medieval history at Winchester University. "No responsible historian would say the whole of Shakespeare's picture is wrong. His work was not just Tudor propaganda but based on the sources available at the time, some of which are still sources now." Most agree, Hicks adds, that the king illicitly seized the throne and was ultimately responsible for the murder of his nephews. Richard III's supporters believe anything written after his death was an attempt by the new Tudor king to butcher his reputation. But Hicks argues that any account of him would naturally be written after the events unfolded, and that he was not important enough during his short reign for his every movement to be extensively penned. Two influential chroniclers - Dominic Mancini and the Croyland Chronicle - written much earlier than the main Tudor sources which inspired Shakespeare's play, also paint a negative picture of him, says Hicks. Similar stories were later echoed by renowned Tudor scholar Sir Thomas More. A number of manuscripts belonging to Richard III, which include a prayer book, a guide on how to be a good king, and literary texts in three languages have survived. These books show him as a learned, devotional and cultured medieval monarch, says historian Michael Wood. He believes these texts are the only way of "getting behind the Tudor myth… When you look at the manuscripts you forget Shakespeare's legend of the hunchback which dominates everyone's imagination". "He was a legitimately crowned king so the Tudors had to portray themselves as successors delivering the country from a wicked tyrant. The image of him as wicked is entirely spawned by Tudor propaganda. "Sure he may have polished off the princes, he certainly executed some of his enemies but so did every king in the [earlier] Dark Ages." As for his rumoured hunchback - which at the time was widely believed to be a characteristic of the devil - archaeologists say the remains found beneath the Leicester car park show signs of a curvature of the spine. Hicks thinks this is an indication that some aspects of Tudor literature can be believed, albeit exaggerated. But Moorhen considers this as proof of Tudor slander, as such an impairment would only have given him uneven shoulders, and not a hunchback. Though the Richard III Society hopes the discovery of what might be his remains will take them one step closer to clearing his name, Hicks suspects it will "not make a great deal of difference about what we think about Richard III". Whatever the identity of the skeleton, the intrigue around the discovery has prompted a flurry of interest from those wishing to join the society. Richard III: Elsewhere on the web "Would Richard really have done away with the sons of a brother to whom he was demonstrably loyal, inviting scandal so early in his reign?" asks Ben Macintyre in The Times. "Others, including Henry Tudor, had ample reason to want the princes out of the way… If the murders cannot be pinned on Richard with any certainty, then the last English monarch to die in battle has surely been maligned by gossip, political manipulation, Victorian sentimentality and literary licence." In the Daily Mail, Simon Heffer suggests "there was much more to Richard than Shakespeare the pro-Tudor propagandist revealed. In fact, he had been a popular governor of his brother's northern provinces during the reign of Edward IV… Given the case against Richard III is far from proven, but there is much that we know of the good he did in a turbulent age, he deserves, with due ceremony, a decent burial." And Allan Massie of the Daily Telegraph says it is incontestable that Shakespeare's Richard is the product of Tudor propaganda. "Yet the historical Richard is a dim figure about whom even the most learned historians know very little for certain. He can't compete with the compelling vitality of Shakespeare's deformed villain. "We don't know whether Shakespeare swallowed [Thomas] More's version of Richard uncritically, or whether he merely thought it offered irresistible dramatic material, and was unconcerned about historical accuracy. What is undeniable is that it is Shakespeare's Richard who has imprinted himself on our imagination."

राजा रिचर्ड तृतीय को शेक्सपियर ने एक दुष्ट, कुबड़ा और क्रूर व्यक्ति के रूप में चित्रित किया था, जिसने ताज तक पहुंचने की साजिश रची और उसकी हत्या कर दी, लेकिन उसके नाम पर एक समाज उसकी प्रतिष्ठा को बहाल करने की कोशिश कर रहा है। वे उसके चित्रण से इतने परेशान क्यों हैं?


Watch how air pollution moves across Europe

Summary: This is what pollution looks like on a European scale.

By Jonathan AmosBBC Science Correspondent The animation shows the concentration and movement through the atmosphere of nitrogen dioxide. NO₂ is a problem gas that is produced primarily by vehicle exhausts and industrial activity via the burning of fossil fuels. The map covers a sample period from 5 to 10 January, and describes the behaviour of NO₂ at ground level on an hourly basis. The worst air quality peaks in the white. This fascinating insight was produced for the BBC by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), which is based at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Reading. To make this type of animation, CAMS incorporates satellite observations and surface measurements. But as extensive as these data-sets have now become, they don't give a complete, real-time picture. So, the scientists must also marry the sensor information with models - of how the atmosphere moves and what the weather is doing. One of the first things you'll notice in the animation is the prevalence of NO₂ emanating from the "usual suspects". "What you immediately see are the larger cities. You see Madrid, you see Paris, you see Moscow, you see London," explains Richard Engelen, the deputy head of CAMS. "Then you'll see more industrial areas, like Germany but also in the UK. You'll see too those areas where there are very dense traffic infrastructures, such as the Netherlands and Belgium where you have a lot of traffic from the two main ports at Rotterdam and Antwerp. These are the emission sources that always pop up," he told BBC News. Notice also the line of emissions streaming away from the Strait of Gibraltar as ships line up to navigate their passage into and out of the Mediterranean; and look at how the two great mountain ranges of Europe, the Pyrenees and the Alps, act as barriers to the movement of pollution. In northern Italy, the Alps works to trap NO₂ emissions generated in the Po Valley, giving the region among the dirtiest air in Europe. If the animation demonstrates one thing it is that pollution has no respect for national boundaries. CAMS' mission is to deliver a continuous flow of data on the quality of the air - and not just for NO₂, but a range of other pollutants (and greenhouse gases). The service's products will find their way into smartphone apps that the public and businesses can use. And, of course, all the information is made available to policy-makers so they can take steps to clean up the atmosphere. Vincent-Henri Peuch, the head of CAMS, commented: "We are unique in the world in terms of the observations that we acquire. To deliver the CAMS products, we build on top of all of the observations that are acquired for numerical weather prediction; and the amount of satellite and in-situ data that we get has no equivalent. "It's a very good example of pulling together resources at a European level in order to provide products that no single country on its own could develop." Copernicus is an initiative of the European Union. The British government has stated its desire to continue its involvement in the programme after Brexit. Under EU law, the average hourly level of NO₂ must not exceed 200 micrograms per cubic metre of air more than 18 times in a year; and the NO₂ annual mean value may must not exceed 40 micrograms per cubic metre. Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

यूरोपीय पैमाने पर प्रदूषण ऐसा ही दिखता है।


North Korea: What we know about the new missile

Summary: After two months without a missile test, North Korea has launched its highest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts say puts the US well within range. It says this is a new missile, known as a Hwasong-15. What can we tell about this missile from the latest test?

What is North Korea saying? The North says this intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is its most powerful yet and completes the country's "rocket weaponry system development set". It said the rocket was tipped with a "super-large heavy warhead" capable of hitting the whole of the mainland US. The rocket reached the highest altitude of any rocket tested by the North so far. What can experts tell from its trajectory? Last July North Korea tested the Hwasong-14 missile that demonstrated an altitude of 3,000km (1,865 miles) but there were still many voices doubting how far it would go with a warhead attached. This test showed serious advances, although experts say more details need to emerge for more certainty. There is speculation that the rocket was fuelled horizontally, before being placed on the launch pad, the New York Times reports. Such a development would make the North's missiles a harder target to hit in a pre-emptive attack by the US. North Korea says the rocket reached an altitude of 4,475km which would mean its range on a standard trajectory - as opposed to one that was fired as deliberately high - would be 13,000km. This would be "more than able to cover the continental United States, dependent on the weight of the mock warhead" likely to have been placed on it, Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at MIT, told the BBC. "There were the doubters on the range of Pyongyang's first two tests - and so they've improved it," he added. "They have extended the range now out to a point that it is hard to credibly argue that North Korea couldn't have the US eastern seaboard within its range." The only caveat would be the weight of the warhead. David Wright at the Union of Concerned Scientists points out in his blog that it is likely to have carried a very light mock warhead and that "means it would be incapable of carrying a nuclear warhead to this long distance, since such a warhead would be much heavier". But Mr Narang says the weight should not reduce range significantly - the missile should be able to handle a heavy warhead, being so heavy itself. He adds that it shows the missile programme is improving, testing is working and, whatever the shortcomings of the earlier test, they are finding ways to fix them. "To get this extended range in a such a short time is very impressive. They have gone from 9,500km to a 13,000km range - a technical feat." More reading on North Korea's missiles: What the North Korean Hwasong-15 missile launch pictures tell us Are Pyongyang's missiles a risk to planes? In graphics: North Korea's missile programme Why did the test take place at night? The test was unusual in that it took place when the region was in darkness but there are clear advantages to Pyongyang being able to master night-time launches. "It tests your unit's ability to fire a missile under cover of darkness and there is a concealment and readiness component to this," Mr Narang points out. "If you are worried about the US trying to target missiles, it gives you a slight advantage. It is just that bit easier to hide and move things at night." So a missile would be that little bit less vulnerable to US attack. Then there is the fact that missiles are harder to intercept at night. "At night there are certain phases of a warhead's flight that doesn't have the illumination of the Sun, so it's harder to pick up," he adds. It is certainly not impossible to intercept but a launch under cover of darkness marginally improves a missile's ability to evade missile defences. What is the message? It has long been North Korea's stated ambition to complete its nuclear arsenal of weapons and be able to have the continental United States within range. This launch is the North saying to the world that it believes it has achieved both those goals, Mr Narang says. There are some who doubt whether North Korea can miniaturise a warhead. And the country has yet to prove it has the re-entry technology needed to bring a warhead back through the Earth's atmosphere. But Mr Narang warns that with every doubt comes the determination to prove it wrong. "It worries me that we are daring Kim Jong-un to conduct what is known as the juche bird test," which is an atmospheric nuclear test - a highly risky test. "Those that still think a preventive war is an option, have to make the argument that North Korea doesn't have the ability to hit US with a warhead."

बिना किसी मिसाइल परीक्षण के दो महीने बाद, उत्तर कोरिया ने अपनी अब तक की सबसे ऊँची अंतरमहाद्वीपीय बैलिस्टिक मिसाइल का प्रक्षेपण किया है, जो विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि अमेरिका को सीमा के भीतर रखता है। यह कहता है कि यह एक नई मिसाइल है, जिसे ह्वासोंग-15 के नाम से जाना जाता है। हम नवीनतम परीक्षण से इस मिसाइल के बारे में क्या बता सकते हैं?


Yemen conflict: The view from the Saudi side

Summary: Tall, bearded and wearing a pained expression, an elderly Saudi man called Jaber stands before the ruins of his family house in the town of Najran, just north of the border with war-torn Yemen.

By Frank GardnerBBC security correspondent, Saudi-Yemen border The whitewashed walls of his house are pockmarked with blast marks and jagged holes gouged by flying shrapnel. "Yesterday at 5.15 in the afternoon," he told me, "came an explosion from Yemen. My family were sitting just over there," he pointed to an abandoned mattress on the ground. "Thank God they survived. In this house there are five families living here… There are children and women and old men here. What have they done to deserve this? It is not right." Shortly after we left, seven more missiles landed in the neighbourhood, injuring several people and reportedly killing two. Saudi Civil Defence workers say they were fired indiscriminately by Houthi rebels from across the border in Yemen. Read more: Maimed by shrapnel Saudi Arabia is at war. You wouldn't know it on the peaceful streets of its capital, Riyadh, but hundreds of miles to the south the civil war that has torn apart neighbouring Yemen is spilling over the border into Saudi towns and villages. Saudi officials say more than 500 of their citizens have been killed by the Yemen war, a number dwarfed by the thousands killed in Yemen itself, but still a shock for this otherwise tranquil kingdom that is home to the holiest sites in Islam and is also the world's biggest oil producer. We visited the ruins of a girls' elementary school in the village of Khawber, hit by a Houthi missile in the middle of the night. In the shattered classroom the school clock lay on the floor, its hands stopped at the moment the missile exploded. We met badly injured villagers, maimed by flying shrapnel when a Houthi rocket struck their mosque, and we were given rare access to a Saudi army Patriot anti-missile battery, placed in the desert facing Yemen, that has been intercepting ballistic missiles fired at Saudi Arabia's southern towns. These Soviet-era missiles are aimed at the towns of Najran, Abha, Gizan, Khamis Mushayt and even, according to the Saudis, at the holy city of Mecca. Cyrillic writing These ageing but still deadly Russian-made missiles belong to a stockpile amassed by the Yemeni army over the years and now taken over by the Houthis. The weapons include Scud B missiles with a payload of nearly one tonne of high explosives, and the smaller Tochka with a payload of 482kg of explosives. Saudi officers showed us the remnants of a downed Tochka, still bearing Cyrillic writing on its fuselage. Between 6 June 2015 and 26 November 2016 the Saudi authorities have recorded 37 ballistic missiles fired from Yemen across the border into Saudi airspace. Yet the damage to Saudi Arabia pales before the destruction next door in Yemen. The war there started in September 2014 when fighters from a minority group, the Houthis, formed an alliance with the ousted former President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who lent them the support of troops still loyal to him. The Houthis, who demanded an end to corruption in government and a fairer distribution of power, marched down from their northern mountain stronghold around the town of Saada, took over the capital, Sanaa, dissolved parliament and put the president under house arrest. Yemen, at the time, was just emerging from the chaos of the Arab Spring, a national dialogue had been completed, a new president chosen and there were high hopes for a peaceful, democratic future. Both sides blamed Those hopes were dashed. The country's President, Mansour Hadi, fled for his life to the southern port of Aden where the Houthis bombed him from the air in his palace. Yemen's legitimate, UN-recognised government, now in exile, appealed for help, and Saudi Arabia, alarmed - at what it saw as a takeover of Yemen by an Iranian proxy - stepped in. Spearheaded by their newly appointed and then still untested Defence Minister, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the Saudis put together a coalition of mainly Arab countries and began a massive air campaign in March 2015. They aimed to drive the Houthis back from territory they had seized and restore the legitimate government, backed by UN Security Council Resolution 2216. This has not worked. Today the Houthis remain in control of much of Yemen and the death toll keeps mounting. Both sides are accused of recklessly targeting civilians - but the UN has said the majority of casualties have been caused by coalition air strikes, a view disputed by both the Saudis and the Yemeni government. Coalition's 'war room' In a guest palace in Riyadh, where exiled members of the Yemeni government gather, I met Rajhi Badi, their spokesman. He was unequivocal as to where the blame lies. "There's only one reason for the destruction in Yemen. It's the Houthis and the forces of ex-President Saleh. "They seized the government's weapons and are using them against Yemeni civilians in built-up areas," Mr Badi said. But to hear first-hand how the Saudis account for so many civilian deaths, I went to the coalition headquarters in Riyadh to question the Saudi-led command on how they choose their targets, and - more importantly - what measures they take to avoid those civilian casualties. King Salman Air base is a huge, sprawling, well-guarded base on the edge of Riyadh. On one of its roundabouts a British-built Tornado jet is mounted, testimony to the multibillion pound ongoing defence sales relationship between Britain and the Royal Saudi Air Force. Inside the command and control centre there are flags from 11 nations, and uniformed staff and intelligence officers working, from several Arab countries - notably Egypt, the UAE and Jordan, as well as Saudi Arabia. A dynamic, digital map on the wall display shows the movement of every aircraft on or approaching Yemen. The coalition has complete air superiority in this war - the Houthis and their backers no longer have an air force. In a large chamber called the "War Room" a digital chart details the line-up of inbound combat aircraft heading for Yemen. This is the daily "Air Tasking Order Schedule". It shows which aircraft are in the air, from which country, their callsigns, and their intended targets (e.g. Egypt - F16 - Callsign Viper - Time on target 1600 - Killbox grid etc.). Wrong number? Senior Saudi officers inside the command and control centre insist that when choosing targets in Yemen the coalition abides by the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) and that every precaution is taken to avoid civilian casualties. Yet reports from the ground describe schools, hospitals, factories and social gatherings all being hit from the air. The worst single event was on 8 October 2016 when a double air strike by a coalition warplane hit a packed funeral hall in the capital Sanaa, killing 140 people, mostly civilians. The Saudi-led coalition has since admitted it was carried out in error and has offered compensation. I put it to Maj Gen Ahmed Al-Assiri, the coalition spokesman, that both international aid organisations and the UN blame air strikes for 60% of civilian casualties. He responded by accusing the UN of being effectively spoon-fed false statistics by the Houthi rebels. "I think it is a wrong number or it is an exaggerated number when they say 60% of the casualties in Yemen are due to the air strikes. "They are not on the ground, they are just in Sanaa and they write a report which the Houthis are giving to them." No-Strike list The Saudi officers went to great lengths to insist they comply with international Rules of Engagement (ROE) and the LOAC. They showed me their "No-Strike List" (NSL) which includes more than 30,000 sites all over Yemen, including refugee camps and hospitals. Those Rules of Engagement state clearly: They also explained their "Targeting Cycle", a circular chart detailing how air strikes are planned and executed, including a sign-off by a lawyer for every target chosen by the intelligence cell. "If we plan a target," a senior Saudi intelligence officer told me, "it's going to go through this cycle. If it's close to a mosque or a hospital then we don't hit it." But I pointed out this is exactly what has been happening, repeatedly, in Yemen, for the past 20 months. Coalition officers admit there have been some mistakes - but they reminded me that even the US Air Force, with its vast experience, has hit wrong targets in Afghanistan and recently at Deir Az-zour in Syria. "When you conduct a war in such circumstances," said Maj Gen al-Assiri referring to Yemen, "where the militias melt in with the civilians, it is too difficult. "Mistakes could happen, and we do what is necessary to protect the civilians. We are here to protect the civilians, we are not here to harm the civilians," he added. Britain's position So what is Britain's role exactly in this messy, seemingly unwinnable war in Yemen? Britain supplies Tornado and Typhoon aircraft and precision-guided munitions to the Saudi government under defence deals concluded before this war began. Since the air strikes started in March 2015, the UK has sold over £3.3bn ($4.1bn) worth of defence equipment to Saudi Arabia with more planned. This has prompted some campaigners to suggest that Britain is complicit in the carnage afflicting Yemen. The British government's position is that Saudi Arabia is an ally and that it supports its UN-backed actions to restore the legitimate Yemeni government to power. "This is a legitimate request by the Saudis and the coalition to respond to President Hadi and (UNSC) Resolution 2216 in support of the aggression by the Houthis," says the Foreign Office Minister responsible for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, MP. "But mistakes have been made, there's no doubt about that. Attacks have taken place which shouldn't have taken place, hitting targets on the ground, collateral damage taking place. They need to learn from this." Whitehall says RAF personnel placed inside coalition HQ are not involved in the targeting, that they are there to report back as well as to pass on to the Saudi-led coalition their expertise about best practice in avoiding civilian casualties. The Saudis told me that their air force "takes its Paveway 4 Collateral Damage Chart from the UK'. This is an interactive diagram composed of a series of questions that help planners decide whether or not a target is at risk of collateral damage (i.e. hitting civilians). Red line But regardless of whatever rules are followed in military planning cells in Riyadh, the fact remains that in Yemen, civilians are getting killed and injured by both sides. The UK government was concerned enough about the funeral bombing in October that the Prime Minister sent the FCO Minister down to Riyadh to press the Saudi and exiled Yemeni governments for a full explanation, which duly followed. From my several recent visits to Saudi Arabia I get the strong impression that the Saudis never expected the Houthis to hold out as long as they have. By now, they expected them to have effectively sued for peace, accepted a purely political role in a future Yemeni government and handed over their heavy weapons to the UN. That still hasn't happened, and for the Saudis this is a red line. Time and again they have said they will not allow an armed militia, backed by their rival Iran, to hold onto power illegally in Yemen. Until one side or the other backs down, this war shows no sign of ending.

लंबा, दाढ़ी वाला और दुखी भाव पहने, जाबेर नामक एक बुजुर्ग सऊदी व्यक्ति युद्धग्रस्त यमन की सीमा के ठीक उत्तर में नजरान शहर में अपने परिवार के घर के खंडहरों के सामने खड़ा है।