Analysis: Can Asia help Myanmar find a way out of coup crisis?

Summary: The arrival of the Myanmar junta-appointed foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in Bangkok on Wednesday for an unannounced meeting with his Thai and Indonesian counterparts marked the start of a daunting diplomatic undertaking for South East Asia.

By Jonathan HeadBBC News, South East Asia correspondent No details were released of what was discussed. This first official contact with a senior member of the junta was so delicate that, when asked about it, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was unwilling to confirm that it had even happened. In fact for every country with an interest in what happens in Myanmar, the crisis presents an unusually thorny challenge. The responses of the world's military and economic superpowers have inevitably drawn most attention; the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration in the United States, and those being prepared by the European Union. There was a predictably bland statement from China, merely urging all parties to settle their differences peacefully. But China did back a watered-down UN Security Council statement, which, while it failed to condemn the coup, did call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and a return to democratic norms, showing that China was not happy about the coup. But both the US and China have limited options over how they deal with the Myanmar crisis. The influence of the US is much diminished in this region, far lower than the last time it imposed wide-ranging economic sanctions in the 1990s. Yet even those sanctions, which helped cripple the Burmese economy, had little influence on the decisions made by the then-ruling junta. The more limited, targeted sanctions imposed now are intended to hit only those directly involved in the coup and the military's businesses, but will likewise do little to change minds in Nay Pyi Taw. The crisis has come very early in the Biden administration just as it was beginning to formulate a new approach to the Asia-Pacific region, one which is supposed to emphasise democratic values and also working in co-operation with regional partners like the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). But, like China, Asean will not sign up to an approach based on sanctions and condemnation of the junta. Beijing to tread carefully China looks like a winner from the coup, as the one superpower willing to engage with the new regime and keep supplying it with weapons and investment. However, it is no secret that China was more comfortable dealing with the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, under which relations had been getting warmer, than with an unpredictable military regime which has a deep historical mistrust of its larger neighbour's influence, especially over some armed insurgent groups on their common border. Yet the widespread belief in Myanmar that China is backing the junta is feeding growing anti-Chinese sentiment among the millions now protesting against the coup - so much so that Chinese officials have been forced to break their customary silence and come out to deny rumours that China is helping the military build an internet firewall, or bringing in special forces to help crush the protests. The passionate opposition to the coup also raises the spectre of longer-term instability in Myanmar, which threatens China's substantial economic and strategic interests there. For all these reasons Beijing will want to tread very carefully. The United Nations has an unhappy record of engagement in Myanmar - the failed missions of several special envoys to promote a democratic opening in the two decades after the 1988 uprising, the largely fruitless efforts of successive human rights rapporteurs, and controversy over the silence of resident UN agencies over the repression of Rohingya leading up to the atrocities and mass exodus of 2017. The current special envoy, Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener, has the unenviable task of finding the ingredients for a compromise which might lead Myanmar out of the present dangerous confrontation between the military and the people. She is seeking a meeting with representatives of the new government as a matter of urgency, but any such meeting would be conditional on her also being able to meet Aung San Suu Kyi, currently detained in an unknown location, and could not be seen to give any formal recognition to the junta. She will also be coming with a mandate from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has stated that the coup must be made to fail, which will make winning the trust of the generals difficult. Few believe the coup leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, is ready to discuss giving up the power he has seized. Some of his subordinates may disagree with the coup, and recognise the huge risks it poses to Myanmar, but the Tatmadaw rarely allows differences of opinion within its ranks to show. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose renowned intractability helped her weather 15 years of house arrest, may be no more inclined to compromise than the man who deposed her. Indonesia steps up The way the coup has poisoned the ground for any compromise was illustrated by the fate of Indonesia's efforts this week to start an Asean initiative on Myanmar. With Myanmar as a member, and bound by its customary consensus-based decision making and non-interference in each other's domestic affairs, Asean has particular challenges in addressing this crisis. But it must, as further confrontation and bloodshed in Myanmar would have serious repercussions for the stability and reputation of the association, and in particular for countries like Thailand which share long borders. Thai authorities are already making preparations for the possibility of large numbers of people fleeing across the border. Asean is not speaking with one voice on Myanmar. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and initially even the Philippines, once the most liberal member state on human rights and democracy, have all refused to criticise the coup, describing it as an internal matter. Singapore, the biggest foreign investor in Myanmar, has been stronger in its statements, expressing "grave concern" and describing the use of lethal force against protesters as "inexcusable". It is Indonesia, Asean's largest country with a past history of taking the leading role in resolving issues like the Cambodian conflict in the 1980s, which has stepped up to try to find a path out of the crisis in Myanmar. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, more than six years in the job, is among the most experienced in the region, and was active in seeking solutions to the Rohingya crisis four years ago. Indonesia is distant from Myanmar, sharing no borders nor holding any great economic or strategic stakes in what happens there. And as another large, multi-ethnic, post-colonial state in which the armed forces played a central role in nation-building, Indonesia has sometimes been viewed by the generals in Myanmar as something of a model. However, when Ms Marsudi began exploring the possibility of holding a special Asean meeting on Myanmar, details of the proposals being discussed with other member states were leaked - in particular the idea of holding the junta to its promise of a new election within a year, and insisting that Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD politicians be released and allowed to contest. As a compromise, that idea makes some sense. But it enraged anti-military protesters in Myanmar, who argue that last November's election overwhelmingly won by the NLD must be honoured, and that backing a new election rewards the military for overturning the results of the last one and will only encourage them to mount further coups. Ms Marsudi's planned trip to Nay Pyi Taw was quickly shelved. Fiendishly complex diplomatic game For all of its weaknesses, Asean remains the one forum where senior Burmese officials will be welcomed, and where channels of communication remain open. It may be best placed to facilitate passing messages to the generals from the rest of the world, and hearing back from them their thoughts on how to resolve the crisis. The sanctions applied by western countries will not move the generals much at this stage, but their removal could be used as the carrot to induce the Tatmadaw into moving away from confrontation and repression. Engagement by Myanmar's Asian neighbours will not move the notoriously xenophobic generals much either, but if well-coordinated with the pressure applied by the West, it might produce positive results. The military men who still dominate the government in Thailand have an opportunity here to show statesmanship, and to use their close personal ties to Min Aung Hlaing to explore possible openings. China's influence will also be critical. Will it sit back, and wait to see if the military crushes the protest movement, and then resume business as usual, or will it join the search for a negotiated way out? China has yet to reveal its hand in this fiendishly complex diplomatic game.

म्यांमार के जुंटा द्वारा नियुक्त विदेश मंत्री, वुन्ना माउंग ल्विन के अपने थाई और इंडोनेशियाई समकक्षों के साथ एक अघोषित बैठक के लिए बुधवार को बैंकॉक में आगमन ने दक्षिण पूर्व एशिया के लिए एक चुनौतीपूर्ण राजनयिक उपक्रम की शुरुआत को चिह्नित किया।


Eton appoints Su Wijeratna as first female deputy head

Summary: Eton College has appointed a female deputy head for the first time in its 576-year history.

The all-boys' independent school said Su Wijeratna, currently deputy head at St Paul's Girls' School in London, would start in September 2017. She will replace Dr Bob Stephenson, who has held the position at the Berkshire boarding school since 2003. The role will involve deputising for the headmaster when he is absent and managing pastoral care.

ईटन कॉलेज ने अपने 576 साल के इतिहास में पहली बार एक महिला उप प्रमुख की नियुक्ति की है।


Londonderry: Petrol bomb thrown at police vehicle

Summary: A petrol bomb was thrown at a police vehicle as officers attempted to disperse a crowd of about 40 people in Londonderry on Monday evening.

Police received reports of a number of people gathering at the Tullymore Road area of the city at about 19:20 GMT. Officers seized a number of items including wooden planks and iron bars during the incident. There were no reports of any injuries, police said. Insp Moore said some people are "disregarding repeated warnings". He said parents and guardians "have an important obligation" to keep young people safe by knowing where they are going and who they are with.

लंदनडेरी में सोमवार शाम को जब अधिकारियों ने लगभग 40 लोगों की भीड़ को तितर-बितर करने का प्रयास किया तो एक पुलिस वाहन पर पेट्रोल बम फेंका गया।


Cairn extends deadline for Vedanta deal

Summary: Oil and gas explorer, Cairn Energy, has extended its deadline for the sale of a majority stake in its Indian operation to Vedanta Resources.

It is the second time the closing date for the deal has been shifted while Edinburgh-based Cairn gets government approval for the sale. Cairn agreed to sell the stake to Vedanta, one of India's largest metals and mining companies last August. Approval has been delayed by a dispute about royalty payments. The deal has been referred to India's "Group of Ministers" who are expected to meet to discuss it later this month. The stake is expected to net Cairn about £6bn which the company said it would use for further exploration. Cairn has already started its Greenland drilling campaign and plans four exploration wells this year.

तेल और गैस खोजकर्ता, केयर्न एनर्जी ने अपने भारतीय परिचालन में अधिकांश हिस्सेदारी वेदांत रिसोर्सेज को बेचने की अपनी समय सीमा बढ़ा दी है।


Attacks are out of proportion, says Oxfam's Mark Goldring

Summary: Oxfam's chief executive, Mark Goldring, has said the scale and intensity of the criticism against his organisation in the wake of claims its workers used prostitutes in Haiti is out of proportion to its level of culpability.

He told the Guardian newspaper: "The intensity and the ferocity of the attack makes you wonder, what did we do? "We murdered babies in their cots?" Mr Goldring also suggested that critics are motivated by an anti-aid agenda. The charity boss said that "anything we say is being manipulated... even apologies only make matters worse." He acknowledged Oxfam could have acted faster but said "what I felt really clearly is many people haven't wanted to listen to explanations". Earlier this month, news reports said that during a humanitarian mission in Haiti in 2011, the charity's country director hired prostitutes at a villa paid for by Oxfam. The charity faced more criticism when it emerged that it had not shared details of the allegations with the Haitian government. Oxfam apologises in a full page advertisement in today's Guardian in which it says sorry to the people of Haiti and the charity's supporters. The ad, paid for by supporters rather than the charity, also sets out the actions the organisation plans to take, including tripling Oxfam's safeguarding capacity and establishing a review into improving its culture. Another charity - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - has now come under question as the president of Haiti called for an investigation into the activities of aid agencies working in his country. Jovenel Moise, asked why the medical charity MSF had repatriated 17 of its staff members. He told the Reuters news agency: "The Oxfam case is the visible part of the iceberg, "It is not only Oxfam, there are other NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in the same situation, but they hide the information internally." MSF said it took reports of staff misconduct seriously and was seeking to clarify questions raised by the president. 'A long way to go' Oxfam has agreed to stop bidding for UK government funding until it can show it meets the "high standards" required, ministers say. International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said the charity had "a long way to go" before regaining the trust of the public, its staff and the people it aims to help. The charity, which had a total income of £409m last year, received £31.7m from the government in 2016, accounting for about 8% of the charity's income. The amount also represents about a quarter of a percent of the government's annual foreign aid spending. Oxfam is setting up a commission to investigate past and present allegations of exploitation by staff. Other planned reforms include new funding for safeguarding measures and a crackdown on references issued to former staff. Do you have any information related to this story that you wish to share? Please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

ऑक्सफैम के मुख्य कार्यकारी, मार्क गोल्डरिंग ने कहा है कि हैती में उसके कर्मचारियों द्वारा वेश्याओं का इस्तेमाल करने के दावों के मद्देनजर उनके संगठन के खिलाफ आलोचना का पैमाना और तीव्रता इसके दोष के स्तर के अनुपात से बाहर है।


Inside Canada's decades-long lobster feud

Summary: A fight over indigenous fishing rights that's been decades in the making has come to a head in Nova Scotia, the epicentre of Canada's billion-dollar lobster industry.

By Robin Levinson-KingBBC News, Toronto In a small warehouse on the southern tip of Nova Scotia, near Yarmouth, two indigenous fishermen found themselves trapped with nowhere to go when an angry mob raided the lobster pound where they had stored their catch. Jason Marr, one of the indigenous fishermen stuck inside, said he had moved his lobster there that evening, because he heard there might be a raid at another location. All was quiet at first, but soon he says he was surrounded by about 200 men. "They were pounding on the door, screaming obscenities, 'give us the lobster'!" he told the BBC. There were also four non-indigenous men inside with them, who worked at the pound. The crowd cut the power and threw a rock through the window, while he called police, he says. Mr Marr says he saw men urinate on his car and slash his tires. A few hours earlier, a similar raid had been carried out at a lobster pound near New Edinburgh, where a car was burned. "I didn't know if they wanted to kill me or whatnot... they said they were going to give us until midnight or they were going to burn us out," Mr Marr said. The standoff ended when police forced him to leave, he says, and he watched as the men stormed the pound and took his catch, as well as others. Days later, early Saturday morning, the lobster pound burned to the ground in what police are calling a "suspicious" fire. Mr Marr accused police of standing by and letting the mob take his lobster. In both raids, police gathered outside but made no arrests on site. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged one man on Sunday with burning a car at the lobster pound near New Edinburgh. Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said more police officers would be sent to the area to "maintain the peace". This mayhem is the latest in an escalating feud between Mi'kmaq fishermen and non-indigenous commercial fishermen that began when the Sipekne'katik First Nation launched its own fishery in September, during the off-season. Non-indigenous commercial fishermen say the fishery should be shut down, while indigenous fishermen say it is their constitutional right. The roots of this discord go back over 250 years to the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1752, which promised Mi'kmaq the right to hunt and fish their lands and establish trade. For centuries, the treaty and others like it were ignored. But in 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a landmark ruling making it clear that the Mi'qmaq and Maliseet people had the right to not just sustain themselves by hunting and fishing, but to earn a "moderate livelihood", even in the off-season. The court defined "moderate livelihood" as a living that provided for "necessities" like food and shelter, but not the "accumulation of wealth". What that means practically was never addressed in the regulations, leaving a grey area that has yet to be resolved to this day. For decades, the Mi'kmaq say the government has failed to enforce that ruling. So after several years of failed negotiations, they are coming up with their own solution. Operating outside of the province's commercial lobster fishery, the Sipekne'katik First Nation plans to make their lobster fishery a test case, issuing just 11 licences, with the hopes of collecting data towards making the operation sustainable in the years to come. "It wasn't like we just came down and put traps in the water," Chief Michael Sack told the BBC. But Mr Sack says that shortly after launching the fishery, they became subject to threats and sabotage, which culminated in the raids on two lobster pounds this week. Mr Sack was assaulted last week and a man has been arrested. Derek Thomas, a commercial fisherman for over 25 years, condemns the violence. But he says the government needs to step in and enforce off-season rules for the sake of the lobster population. "I don't think anybody likes the violence, and I don't think anybody denies their rights. But enough is enough already," he told the BBC. "Regulations are designed to prevent over-harvesting and to maintain a sustainable fishery, it is all we want for our communities." The government does have the right to regulate indigenous fishing in order to protect conservation efforts. But the Supreme Court ruling in the R v Marshall case made it clear that the government must prove the restrictions are necessary. Mr Thomas says fishermen have "frustration boiling over" after years of deteriorating stocks. Between 2016-2018, lobster caches declined about 4% in the province, although there's no clear indication of why. The pandemic has also cut into lobster exports to the lucrative Chinese market. This is not the first time indigenous fishermen have clashed with non-indigenous commercial fishers. Shortly after the R v Marshall decision, many indigenous fishermen took to the water in the off-season and fights broke out along wharfs in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Like now, the non-indigenous fishermen said they were concerned about the effect that off-season fishing would have on the lobster population. In Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) only allows lobster fishing during distinct seasons, timed to coordinate with the lobster's molting schedules, which is when lobsters shed their shell and grow another one. During the molting, their shells are soft, and they are easily hurt and killed. But restricting lobster fishing during molting season is not the only way to protect the lobster population, says Robert Steneck, a professor of oceanography who researches lobster populations at the University of Maine's School of Marine Sciences. "Frankly I don't think it really makes a difference," he says. The scale of the fishery matters, Mr Steneck says, and the impact that a small fishery like the one organised by the Sipekne'katik First Nation would have limited effect on total populations. In LFA 34, the regulatory name for the body of water near St Mary's Bay, where the indigenous lobster fishery is located, there are 979 lobster licences, and each licence is allowed to carry about 375-400 traps during the season. The Sipekne'katik fishery has issued 11 licences, with the right to carry 50 traps each. "Really it would be trivial, in my view, by almost any standard," he says. A snapshot from 2018 $C1.4bn(£800m) caught 97,381metric tonnes 8,907lobster licences In Maine, the lobster capital of the US, there are no seasons, and soft-shelled lobsters are often preferred by diners for their easy-to-crack outer shell and sweeter taste. Hard-shell lobsters transport better, which means fishermen can sell more of them. "You do have more mortality of soft-shell lobsters if you're going to use them for distribution - but if it's for domestic consumption it doesn't matter that much," Mr Steneck say. Canada is the largest supplier of lobsters in the world, and Nova Scotia is responsible for harvesting about half of the country's C$1.4bn of lobster. ($1.05bn; £820m). The non-indigenous fishing industry has been a vital part of the province's economy since it was settled by British and French colonists in the 1600s. But the Mi'kmaw have been fishing the region's waters for centuries before. "We are so deeply connected to the land, the river, the water, the resources. It's not just how we survive; it becomes who we are," says Cheryl Maloney, an activist and political science professor at the University of Cape Breton who is the daughter of former chief Reginald Maloney. Before his death in 2014, her father fought for the community's fishing rights and witnessed the upheaval after R v Marshall. Between 2000-2007, the government spent C$354m on commercial fishing licences, fishing vessels, gear, and training to give to 32 First Nations that had signed individual agreements with them. But rather than implement their treaty rights, the agreements simply "cut off a little slice" of the commercial fishery, says indigenous law professor Naiomi Metallic, who teaches at Dalhousie University. The government promised the agreements would not replace their treaty rights, but negotiations on how to fully implement the Marshall decision have stalled for years, she says. Meanwhile, DFO continues to fine or arrest indigenous fishermen for fishing in the off-season. Ms Metallic notes that First Nations in the region have been asking the government to implement their rights for years and Canada has been "dragging its feet". "Prosecuting people and letting non-indigenous people cut traps and destroy boats - I don't think is a very effective way of addressing the situation," she says. If there's one thing both sides can agree on, it's that DFO is failing at its job. The commercial fishers believe DFO has the right to stop fishing in the off-season to protect the lobster stock. The Mi'kmaw believe the government needs to protect their rights and stop the commercial fishermen from sabotaging their traps. DFO says it is currently in talks with Sipekne'katik First Nation to come to an agreement over the fishery. "As discussions are ongoing, no further details can be offered at this time," a spokesperson for the DFO told the BBC in a statement. The department currently has negotiated three such agreements with other First Nations, the Elsipogtog and Esgenoôpetitj First Nations in New Brunswick and the Maliseet of Viger First Nation in Quebec. While these agreements give the nations a certain amount of autonomy, ultimately, DFO says that they are responsible for all fishery management in Canada. Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged both sides to keep the peace, but acknowledged the government needed to help resolve the issue fairly. "Twenty-one years is far too long to wait to see rights recognised," he said. Meanwhile, the Sipekne'katik have inspired other First Nations to start their own fisheries. Members of Potlotek First Nation launched their moderate-livelihood fishery on 1 October, which is known as Treaty Day. And while the Sipekne'katik continue to fish for lobster, they still can't legally sell it, as the province bans people from purchasing lobster from a fisherman without a DFO licence. "For this to resolve I think the federal government has to try and take this seriously," Ms Metallic says.

कनाडा के अरबों डॉलर के लॉबस्टर उद्योग के केंद्र, नोवा स्कोटिया में स्वदेशी मछली पकड़ने के अधिकारों पर एक लड़ाई जो दशकों से चल रही है, एक सिर पर आ गई है।


Coronavirus: 'We are not working in safe conditions'

Summary: "We don't feel the conditions we have to work under are safe, we weren't given any protection from the Post Office. No hand sanitiser, gloves, no aprons or anything, we had to source them ourselves."

By Daniel ThomasBusiness reporter, BBC News Jay Patel, 37, and his wife Nilam run a branch post office in Bournemouth and as "essential retailers" are staying open to serve their community. But they are among many workers in the UK complaining that they are not being adequately protected against the coronavirus, amid a lack of clarity from the government. The government has said anyone who cannot do their job from home should continue to go to work, as long as their employer follows Public Health England safety guidelines. Many firms "do not know whether to stay open or to close", the director general of the CBI business organisation Carolyn Fairbairn said. The Business committee said it had received more than 1,000 emails from staff who felt they should not be going into work but were too afraid to speak out for fear they would lose their jobs. "From the evidence we've received it's clear that many businesses are still not doing the right thing," said Rachel Reeves, chair of the committee. Post offices are among a small group of "essential retailers" the government says are allowed to stay open during the the coronavirus outbreak. However, from construction workers to front-line shop staff, many have expressed anger at being made to continue doing work that feels inessential or unsafe. On Wednesday, staff at the bicycle repair chain Halfords launched an online petition after the chain vowed to keep shops open, but was accused of having inadequate safety measures in place. Mr Patel says many customers are still using his post office for non-essential activities, such as returning clothes bought online. And while the Post Office, for which he works as a franchisee, did give him £50 towards safety items in the end, he says it came too late, when everything had sold out. The firm also told him he could not refuse any transaction, even inessential ones. "It means we are handling parcels we shouldn't, coming into close contact with the public, as well as doing the essential stuff like providing people's benefits which means handling dirty bank notes," Mr Patel says. "I tell customers not to come in unless they have to, to keep two-metres apart, but the message isn't getting through. It is putting lives at risk." A Post Office spokesman said its branches provided a vital lifeline for banking services as well as parcels and letters to be sent during the outbreak. He also said many Post Offices had floor markers and other information on posters to help customers stay two-metres apart, and that additional safety measures would be offered. Not essential? But James, who works at factory in London that makes high end components, says his firm is not sticking to the rules. "There is only one shared hand sanitiser, I have my own but many people don't. The canteen is often busy, there's no way people are two-metres apart. Even on the shop floor we cross each others paths. No one is wearing masks." He also believes that while some of what the factory does could be classed as essential, most of it is not, and yet his bosses are reluctant to scale back the 30-strong workforce. This is despite the fact that the government has agreed to pay 80% of payrolled employees' salaries, up to £2,500 a month, if they are furloughed. "People are worried, but the managers say they are following government guidelines, that manufacturing can stay open. I think they are worried they will lose business and that other factories will stay open. "The government would make it a lot easier if it just stopped all non-essential manufacturing." Staff payrises Acknowledging the concerns, retailers such as Next and Amazon have offered some staff pay rises to keep working on site or overtime. Next, whose High Street stores are all closed, said there were some items in its shops that had already been ordered and were promised to customers, so a small group of volunteers will pick them under "strict supervision and social distancing rules". However, some workers have had to take matters into their own hands. Jane, who works as a PA at construction firm, told the BBC that as of Monday this week, she and other administrative staff started working from home against the company's wishes. "My boss in particular is not happy about this and believes I should still be travelling into London by public transport. The building sites are also still open," she said. "I have been threatened with statutory sick pay if I do not come into the office, however I want to follow government guidelines and I also I live with someone who has an illness which makes them high risk. The company are currently looking at sacking staff or making staff redundant." A government spokesman said: "We've been clear that employers must make all efforts to help people to work from home." "We urge employers to listen to the concerns of their workforce and take socially responsible decisions."

"हमें नहीं लगता कि जिन परिस्थितियों में हमें काम करना है वे सुरक्षित हैं, हमें डाकघर से कोई सुरक्षा नहीं दी गई थी। कोई हैंड सैनिटाइज़र, दस्ताने, कोई एप्रन या कुछ भी नहीं, हमें उन्हें स्वयं प्राप्त करना पड़ा।"


Secondary league tables 2013: Best advanced academic results

Summary: This table lists the 100 schools and colleges in England with the best results in A-level and other advanced academic qualifications.

The schools are ranked on the average points scored per student. Ties have been broken on the number of students in the institution who took the relevant qualifications. Schools where the full-time equivalent of fewer than 30 pupils took the qualifications are not included. Best performing schools Average points score Average points per full-time equivalent academic student

इस तालिका में ए-स्तर और अन्य उन्नत शैक्षणिक योग्यताओं में सर्वश्रेष्ठ परिणामों के साथ इंग्लैंड के 100 स्कूलों और कॉलेजों को सूचीबद्ध किया गया है।


Warning issued over heavy rain for mid and south Wales

Summary: Heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning has been forecast for mid and south Wales on Saturday.

The Met Office has issued a yellow "be aware" warning to be in place until 23:00 BST but said some places would escape the heaviest downpours. It added that the showers and storms were likely to move slowly, with some areas receiving 15-20mm rain in an hour. A warning for localised flooding was also given.

शनिवार को मध्य और दक्षिण वेल्स में भारी बारिश, ओलावृष्टि, गरज और बिजली गिरने का पूर्वानुमान लगाया गया है।


Jersey RPI inflation rate drops by half in 2013

Summary: The rate of inflation in Jersey has fallen by half in 12 months, the latest retail price index (RPI) shows.

RPI was 1.5% for the first half of 2013. It was 3% at the same time in 2012. It remains well below the UK rate of 3.3% and has been below the UK in 12 of the past 15 quarters. The report on RPI found the fall in inflation was due to a drop in motoring costs, clothes and footwear. But food costs rose by 3% on average over the year to June, while fuel and light costs went up by 6%.

नवीनतम खुदरा मूल्य सूचकांक (आर. पी. आई.) से पता चलता है कि जर्सी में मुद्रास्फीति की दर 12 महीनों में आधी हो गई है।


Daily and Sunday Politics manifesto tracker: Immigration

Summary: Welcome to the Daily and Sunday Politics manifesto tracker. As the name suggests, it tracks the progress the government is making - or not - in achieving the promises made by the Conservatives in their 2015 general election manifesto and major policy announcements.

The traffic light scorecard above shows the current status of all of the policies. The tracker will be updated over the course of this parliament. The tracker has been broken down into policy areas, which can be explored by clicking on each of the links below. Manifesto tracker by theme This section deals with immigration. IMMIGRATION Maintain the level of skilled economic migration from outside the EU at 20,700 during the next Parliament - Manifesto, page 30 Keep our ambition of delivering annual net migration in the tens of thousands, not the hundreds of thousands - Manifesto, page 29 Extend "Deport first, appeal later" rule to all immigration appeals and judicial reviews, including where a so-called right to family life is involved, apart from asylum claims - Manifesto, page 30 EU migrants who want to claim tax credits and child benefit must live here and contribute to our country for a minimum of four years - Manifesto, page 30 Introduce a new residency requirement for social housing, so that EU migrants cannot even be considered for a council house unless they have been living in an area for at least four years - Manifesto, page 30 If an EU migrant's child is living abroad, then they should receive no child benefit or child tax credit - Manifesto, page 30 End the ability of EU jobseekers to claim any job-seeking benefits at all - Manifesto, page 30 If [EU] jobseekers have not found a job within six months, they will be required to leave the UK - Manifesto, page 30 Toughen requirements for non-EU spouses to join EU citizens, including with an income threshold and English language test - Manifesto, page 30 Implement the requirement for all landlords to check the immigration status of their tenants - Manifesto, page 30 We are taking unprecedented action to tackle health tourism and will recover up to £500m from migrants who use the NHS by the middle of the next Parliament - Manifesto, page 31 Introduce a new Controlling Migration Fund to ease pressure on services and to pay for additional immigration enforcement - Manifesto, page 31 Legislate to ensure that every public sector worker operating in a customer-facing role must speak fluent English - Manifesto, page 31

डेली एंड संडे पॉलिटिक्स मेनिफेस्टो ट्रैकर में आपका स्वागत है। जैसा कि नाम से पता चलता है, यह 2015 के आम चुनाव घोषणापत्र और प्रमुख नीतिगत घोषणाओं में कंजर्वेटिवों द्वारा किए गए वादों को पूरा करने में सरकार की प्रगति-या नहीं-पर नज़र रखता है।


Coronavirus: 'Thousands came to Bournemouth but the town was dead'

Summary: When Neelam Kumari heard that thousands of people were flocking to Bournemouth beach last month, she thought it could be good for business. Now, standing behind a Perspex screen in a phone accessories and repairs shop in the town centre, she shakes her head.

By Hazel ShearingBBC News "Half a million people turned up… but the town was dead," she says. Shops in the Dorset town's centre have spent years competing with online retailers and alternative shopping hubs with free parking. Bubble tea cafes and brunch spots have sprung up in place of some that have folded. Now, many shops, restaurants and bars find themselves grappling with the additional challenges posed by coronavirus - and there are fears it could be the "nail in the coffin" for some businesses. Neelam, keeping half an eye on the one customer perusing a display of iPad cases, says the shop is a lot quieter than it was this time last year. She thinks more people have become used to online shopping during lockdown, while students, who make up the majority of their trade, haven't been in since the university closed. People come to the high street for a day out, not to spend, she says. "A lot of them do say 'we're waiting to get back into work to get a proper wage to then have that money'. So we're hopeful… but it's a waiting game." The shutters on the jewellers opposite have been down since March. A few doors down, the windows of the M&S I was dragged around by my nan as a child have been boarded up for two years. It's a warm Saturday and there are lots of people about. But, if I think about it, not as many as there would usually be at this time of year. Outside Clarks, where I spent my weekends fitting kids' shoes as a teenager, taxi drivers Steve Cox and Phil Zamora are waiting for their next clients. It's around 3pm and Phil has only had three jobs all day. Steve says the station hasn't been much better. "It's about two to three hours waiting and when the trains are coming in there's nobody on them," he says. "It's not worth coming, we come out because that's what we do." Phil works day shifts but the closure of nightclubs has had a knock-on effect. "These guys that work nights, because there's no work, they come out in the daytime now. It now dilutes the work," he says. In the square, Laura Dickie is handing out flyers for her new discount designer clothing pop-up. She is upbeat, noting that the furlough scheme means weekdays are just as busy as weekends and discounts have become even more appealing. "Because people want that bargain, they're happy to spend the money. They still want the designer names and the designer brands," she shrugs. On the other side of town, Carol and Ben Coulston are sat on a bench in a newly-pedestrianised area outside Beales, which folded in March. They normally come to town to shop and socialise but many of their elderly friends are staying away because of coronavirus. Carol reckons around a dozen shops are empty on this street, while some businesses that collapsed have been replaced by lunch spots. A sushi shop and an ice-cream parlour opposite used to be Clintons Cards and Jones Bootmaker. "General shopping, there seems to be less and less," says Ben. "If you need to get a pair of boot laces you can't get them. You can get a sandwich anywhere." 'A tough fight' Bournemouth is reflective of a broader shift to hospitality in town centres, says Rod Cake, a director on the Bournemouth Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID). He believes that drinks venues, like his own sports bar, will see a resurgence in spending eventually - especially with the European Football Championship and World Cup not far off the horizon - but he's concerned for shops. According to the BID's most recent survey, just 13% of visitors thought the shops were "excellent" in 2018 - a fall from 27% in 2011. Yet 41% gave Bournemouth's restaurants the highest rating. The biggest turn-offs among visitors was the number people sleeping rough (64%) and the cost of parking (59%). There is a shopping centre a short drive away with free parking. To boost the town centre, the BID has launched a "spend local, stay local" campaign, and has promoted town centre gift cards but Rod Cake says it is hard to make plans amid the uncertainty. "It's going to be a tough fight. I think it was a tough industry before coronavirus," he says, adding that the pandemic will be a "final nail in the coffin" for some shops. But even some dining hubs are struggling. In the relatively new Bh2 complex, home to an Odeon cinema and a string of chain restaurants, a group of holidaymakers from Hastings are assessing their dinner options. Pizza Express? Closed. Handmade Burger Co.? Closed. Even the ice-cream stand is closed and it's 20°C outside. Those food venues that rely on office workers have been hit especially hard. Just outside of the town centre, in an Italian brasserie situated near several insurance companies, Hassan and Tracy Sefat say they would serve about 50 people on a weekday before the pandemic - but now it's just one or two. "We've got the outside area, but they're not here. They get the money on furlough and they say, 'I'm not taking a risk'," Hassan says, adding that bosses should ask employees to come back to the office. "They have to come out and… give to local people's businesses for them to survive." 'Hopefully we'll survive' The Sefats' restaurant has also been hit by a fall in wedding parties, as well as stag and hen dos. Clubbing is one of the things Bournemouth is best known for, after all. Outside a string of shuttered-up clubs and closed chicken shops, a group of men in their early 20s walk past reminiscing about pre-lockdown nights out. Usually, a few hours from now, this place would be heaving. But Alan Dove, another director on the BID, says late-night venues are "on their knees". "What they need is clarity, assistance with fixed costs and VAT relief when they open to rebuild business reserves and customer confidence. If these things don't happen they will close," he says. The drinking venues that have been able to reopen are having to adapt to survive. Peter Hector only opened his micro-pub on the outskirts of town three years ago, and was just starting to break even when the pandemic hit. Now he's buying in cans and bottles for takeaways, and has launched an app for customers to place orders. His takings on Friday night were down around 40% on this time last year - and extra precautions such as Perspex screens on tables have cost him hundreds. "Hopefully we will survive, but I don't know," he says. "I think when the winter comes that is going to be the test. If we do get a second spike it will finish off a lot of small businesses."

जब नीलम कुमारी ने सुना कि पिछले महीने हजारों लोग बोर्नमाउथ समुद्र तट पर आ रहे हैं, तो उन्होंने सोचा कि यह व्यापार के लिए अच्छा हो सकता है। अब, शहर के केंद्र में एक फोन एक्सेसरीज़ और मरम्मत की दुकान में पर्सपेक्स स्क्रीन के पीछे खड़ी होकर, वह अपना सिर हिलाती है।


Bloodhound diary: Planning the next steps

Summary: A British team is developing a car that will be capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h). Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the vehicle aims to show its potential by going progressively faster, year after year. Recent high-speed trials saw Bloodhound hit 628mph (1,010km/h). The next step would be to break the existing world land speed record (763mph; 1,228km/h). The racing is conducted on Hakskeen Pan in Northern Cape, South Africa.

Now that Bloodhound is back in the UK, we are busy planning for the next step of the adventure. With last year's hugely successful High Speed Test programme completed, we've got lots of data to work through. There's also a rocket system to fit, which will blast the car from last year's jet-powered 628mph to next year's 800+ mph target. First, though, we've got to secure the rest of the sponsorship for a new World Land Speed Record. The good news is that we've now got a really strong commercial case for potential backers. We can show that the car is fast - really fast - with plenty of performance next year to set a stunning new record. Just as importantly for any potential sponsor, we can show that there is a real global interest in this project. Our recent High Speed Testing generated almost £50m of something called "advertising value equivalent" (AVE). This is a measure of how much money you'd have to spend in adverts to achieve the same media coverage. Sponsors understandably want an AVE that is several times as big as their investment. Here's the good news - Bloodhound's testing generated a "return on investment" of between 10 and 15 times, which is a huge number for a sponsorship event. Of course, that's not counting the millions of Facebook/YouTube/Twitter followers (thank you all!), or the BBC's excellent 30-minute documentary which was shown over a dozen times during the Christmas period. There's also a one-hour documentary in production right now (details to follow). This is what success looks like - and this is only for testing. Just imagine the coverage next year, when sonic booms reverberate down our South African race track as we smash through 800mph. There must be someone out there who wants to share in this global adventure and, based on the commercial discussions we're having right now, we're going to find them! Once we've got the funding sorted, we can crack on with the rocket programme. Last year Bloodhound got to 628mph (1,010 km/h) using just the jet engine. Adding the rocket motor will give us another 75% increase in thrust. As our Chief Engineer Mark Chapman observed: "If you think it looks fast now, wait until you see the rocket fire." For next year's 800+ mph record runs, we are planning to use a monopropellant rocket, which uses a catalyst pack to decompose concentrated hydrogen peroxide (known as high-test peroxide, or HTP). Pumping the HTP over a silver-based catalyst will break the molecules down, releasing a huge amount of energy as it does so: H₂O₂ goes to H₂O plus O₂ plus lots of heat (the exhaust comes out at about 600C). The rocket exhaust blasts out at Mach 3, or 3 times the speed of sound, about 2,200mph. Blimey. As Mark said, "…just wait until you see the rocket fire…". The pumping system to make this happen is quite challenging. We need to generate 50-60 kN (5-6 tonnes) of thrust. That requires us to pump about 40kg of HTP per second, at about 70-80 Bar. This is the equivalent of filling your bath at home in three seconds, at 1,000psi. To deliver this kind of flow rate and pressure, the pump will need 500-600hp to run it. Fortunately, technology has finally caught up with our pump demands, so we're going to ditch the big petrol engine and go all-electric for the rocket system. Bloodhound is going to be the world's first plug-in hybrid Land Speed Record car, thanks to our "green" rocket system. The car will literally be blasted along on a high-pressure jet of steam and oxygen. The Nammo engineers who are building the rocket joined us out on Hakskeen Pan last year during our test runs. This gave them a chance to see how and where their rocket would operate, how we would refuel the vehicle, and so on. The extraordinary thing is how small the rocket motor will be (they explain it in more detail here). It's less than half a metre in diameter and about the same length. This will allow it to bolt directly on to the current "thrust plate" at the rear of the car. Installing the pump, electric motors, battery pack, control system and so on may be slightly more complicated, but nothing that Bloodhound LSR's remarkable engineering team can't deliver. For our 800mph runs, the other major change we need is to activate the airbrakes. We tested the airbrake panels last year, locking them out into the airflow to confirm the drag predictions. Turbulent high-speed airflow is pretty much impossible to model accurately, so testing is always advised. The airbrakes worked perfectly, giving almost exactly the expected structural loads and aerodynamic drag forces. With these panel loads confirmed, we now need to fit the actuation system, to force the huge carbon-fibre panels out into the airflow at 400-500mph. The airbrakes will easily stop the car before the end of our 12-mile track. However, the stopping bit of the run is one bit that we need to get right every single time. To guarantee that we can stop the car in the event of a systems failure, we will have three different options next year: the airbrakes, a backup brake parachute, and a second (backup-backup) brake chute. It's safety-critical, so you can never be too careful. Testing the brake chutes was another part of last year's success story. They worked perfectly, every single time, all the way up to 600mph. At this speed, the chute produces almost 60 kN (6 tonnes) of drag, giving a sudden 1G of extra deceleration as it deploys. I was always concentrating hard on controlling the car, so I didn't realise quite how "brisk" this deceleration was until I watched the 360-degree cockpit video after the run and saw how far my helmet was thrown forwards. Have a look here - the chute comes out at about 1:30. Sponsors to find, a rocket to fit, airbrakes to activate - we've got plenty to do over the next 12-18 months. On the plus side, we've got a great car, already proven to well over 600mph, and a great team to make it happen. Even better, we've got a ready-made audience of millions. Bloodhound is about showcasing the very best of science and technology - it's a global "Engineering Adventure" at supersonic speeds - and based on what we saw during last year's testing, it's going to deliver in spades.

एक ब्रिटिश टीम एक ऐसी कार विकसित कर रही है जो 1,000 मील प्रति घंटे (1,610 किमी/घंटा) तक पहुंचने में सक्षम होगी। एक यूरोफाइटर-टाइफून जेट इंजन को बोल्ट किए गए रॉकेट द्वारा संचालित, वाहन का उद्देश्य साल दर साल उत्तरोत्तर तेजी से अपनी क्षमता दिखाना है। हाल के उच्च गति परीक्षणों में ब्लडहाउंड ने 628 मील प्रति घंटे (1,010 किमी/घंटा) की रफ्तार पकड़ी है। अगला कदम मौजूदा विश्व भूमि गति रिकॉर्ड (763 मील प्रति घंटे; 1,228 किमी/घंटा) को तोड़ना होगा। रेसिंग उत्तरी केप, दक्षिण अफ्रीका में हक्सकीन पैन पर आयोजित की जाती है।


From cutbacks to haircuts for oil workers looking for change

Summary: It is difficult to imagine two more different worlds.

By Fiona StalkerBBC Scotland reporter The often harsh offshore conditions of an oil and gas industry life, and what might be regarded as the somewhat more pampered, hipster world of barbering. However that is the slick transition that some oil workers who have lost their jobs are making. And they seem to be loving it. Aberdeen hairdresser James Dun's House recently advertised for trainee barbers for a new salon they are opening up. Co-owner Dean Walker said he was surprised to get applications from former oil workers looking to change career. Three of them have now taken up the scissors and wax and are well on the way to becoming barbers. Mr Walker intends to set up a training centre at James Dun's House where former oil and gas workers can learn the barbering and hairdressing trade. 'Really cool' He said: "Surprisingly there was quite a lot of interest from the oil and gas sector, from guys looking to change the direction of their career. "We are used to getting people straight from school, so there's an element of maturity (with the oil and gas workers) and a willingness to learn. "They are really keen to get going. "Barbering's become a really cool thing, very trendy." One of the trainees, Alan Gibson, 34, worked in oil and gas for 17 years before being made redundant. He told the BBC Scotland news website: "I had a look around but there was not much out there. "Barbering is something that I have always quite fancied. "I am quite good with my hands and have a good eye for detail. New is always good." 'Stepping forward' Skills Development Scotland (SDS), which supports and advises oil workers who have lost their jobs or who are facing redundancy, told BBC Scotland that there is evidence that an increasing number of former oil and gas workers are being forced to seek careers outside the industry. Mike Duncan, director of Energy Skills Scotland - part of SDS - said: "Barbering is not something we initially thought of as a retraining opportunity, but I'm delighted to hear an Aberdeen business is stepping forward and teaching these guys the trade." The barbers are due to complete their training at the end of the summer and are looking forward to a new workplace, a new career and a new future.

दो और अलग-अलग दुनियाओं की कल्पना करना मुश्किल है।


Cher returns for another encore

Summary: Cher, one of the world's most enduring and versatile performers, is returning to the limelight after a decade-long break from recording. The legendary singer, known for her flamboyant outfits and ever-changing hair, is releasing a new album and planning to tour again.

By Peter Bowes BBC News, Los Angeles When we met in Santa Monica, California, Cher was as Cher-like as you could imagine - a classy three hours late and dressed to the nines. She was upbeat, introspective and as honest as they come. Closer To The Truth is Cher's first studio release since Living Proof in 2002. The first single, Woman's World, a dance track produced and co-written by DJ Paul Oakenfold, is already a club hit. But the singer's return to touring has come as a surprise. It is 11 years since she embarked on The Farewell Tour, a global extravaganza that was later renamed The Never Can Say Goodbye Tour, as it became clear that Cher was in no mood to give it up. The tour was extended several times and ended up completing a record breaking 326 dates. Looking back, the singer says she was convinced that it was a final farewell. "I really thought it was," she says. "It didn't seem like I had anything else to say." But, at the age of 67, she has had a change of heart. The new album features two songs written by Pink and is an eclectic mix of dance tracks, ballads and even country. The album's title, which Cher says she likes because it is "ambiguous," comes from one of Pink's songs, Walk Alone. But Cher says: "If I had thought about it longer, I would have called it, Dressed To Kill, because it seems more appropriate." The new music has persuaded Cher that she should hit the road again. "When you have something new to say or new to sing, then it makes the idea of going on tour more reasonable." But she is not relishing the prospect of travelling. "I did a tour for three-and-a-half years and it almost killed me," she says. "There's a finite amount of energy that I have. It's pretty boundless, but it's still not endless. "I know if I don't do it now, I'll never do it. I'm not going to do that many dates to begin with to see if I am still up for this." Cher's apparent reluctance to leap back into the spotlight, defines a performer who seems to have been more comfortable with her life as it was two decades ago. Today, she says, it is not as much fun. "It's fine, it's good, I can't complain," she says. But she adds: "I wish I was younger, it was a lot easier." Cher's career started when she was 17. She found fame in the 1960s as one half of the comedy and singing duo, Sonny and Cher. Married to Sonny Bono for 11 years, the pair enjoyed success with their own TV show and their signature song, I Got You Babe. "Working with him was probably one of the greatest experiences of my life. "Being married to him was not that fabulous, but working with him and being with him, we had so much fun. He was such an idiot and he made me laugh all the time. I think we shouldn't have been married, but it was endless fun." After the couple split in 1975, Cher moved on to a hugely successful solo career, with a string of hits, movies, and sell out shows around the world. "It was easier years ago for a number of reasons. I had a lot more freedom," she says. "There was no 24-hour news, there were no cell phones. You could come and go as you pleased and now it is much more difficult, because everyone has Instagram and Facebook and Twitter. "I could ride my motorcycle around and nobody would follow me or take pictures. I could go dancing and dance forever. Now I've just got to be prepared to have sweaty pictures [of me] everywhere. "Maybe I long for a time where everything wasn't a reality show and you had to do something to become famous. That's the old timer in me," she says. But Cher, who regularly tweets with her fans, admits social media has afforded her a new sense of freedom. "I enjoy it, it is fun," she says. "I'm old enough not to worry about how many people there are or if I say the wrong thing, because many times I say absolutely the wrong thing. But you know, I can just do it and I don't care." As for growing old, the singer says she does not pay much attention to the passing years and she puts the longevity of her career down to "luck". "I don't know how it feels to be old really. I asked my mom and she is 87 and she's not sure what it fees like either." As a mother herself, Cher says she is now on good terms with her transgendered son, Chaz. But it was a difficult process for the singer to accept her child's sexuality. "You wouldn't think it, but I think I knew Chaz was gay way before anybody else, when she was young. I think of Chaz in the past as a she. Chaz is now definitely a he. "I didn't take it well and I don't know why exactly, there were many reasons, but none of them were valid." The singer, who has legions of gay fans around the world, says it is "about time" that America finally embraced gay marriage. "Everyone is guaranteed the pursuit of happiness," she says. "In America you are supposed to be able to enjoy certain freedom and it doesn't infringe upon anything. And you can't tell people not to be who they are. If I have learned anything, and the thing with Chaz has made it much more definitive, people have got to be who they are, always." As she heads out on the road again, Cher is also definitive about the fact that this will be her last tour. "I won't be doing this forever for sure," she says. But the singer insists she will be around for a while - she has "a million" things she wants to do, including more acting. "I have dreams to fulfil that I haven't even dreamt yet - there's no end to ideas, there's no end to things you want to do. "I like creating and I can't see stopping creating." Closer To The Truth is released in the UK on 24 September.

दुनिया के सबसे स्थायी और बहुमुखी कलाकारों में से एक, चेर, रिकॉर्डिंग से एक दशक के लंबे ब्रेक के बाद सुर्खियों में लौट रही हैं। अपने तेजतर्रार परिधानों और हमेशा बदलते बालों के लिए जानी जाने वाली महान गायिका, एक नया एल्बम जारी कर रही हैं और फिर से दौरे की योजना बना रही हैं।


Syd Barrett: Cambridge honours its 'Crazy Diamond'

Summary: An artwork commemorating Pink Floyd legend Syd Barrett is being unveiled in his home city of Cambridge following years of campaigning by fans for a permanent memorial. Why has it taken so long for the city to fully honour its "Crazy Diamond"?

By Jodie HalfordBBC News "He wasn't in any way a pop star - he never understood celebrity." Rosemary Breen prefers to think of her late brother as Roger, a man who lived a quiet life in Cambridge and who was at his happiest when painting. But Roger, who died in 2006, had spent much of the early part of his life as someone else entirely: Syd Barrett. You might also like John Lennon letter to Queen valued at £60,000 Slippers saved from 1939 Wizard of Oz film The end for Essex Girls? Adored by fans across the globe, he was the principal songwriter and driving creative force in the early days of Pink Floyd, the band he was a founding member of and in which he sang and played guitar. But just when the band's career was taking off, Barrett's drug use and mental health issues resulted in increasingly erratic behaviour. It led to his departure from the band and his eventual return to Cambridge as a semi-recluse. Following his death from cancer in 2006, there were calls for the city where he had spent his formative years and later life to commemorate him in some way. Now, in a year that is both the 70th anniversary of his birth and the 10th anniversary of his death, the calls have been answered. Working alongside Barrett's family, arts and events charity Cambridge Live is unveiling a specially-designed artwork in memory of the former Cambridgeshire High School for Boys pupil. It will be installed in the foyer of the Cambridge Corn Exchange, the venue where Barrett played his last ever live gig, remembered for being a disastrous performance by a very different man than the bright, dynamic young performer he had once been. The commemorative events at the venue will also include a sold-out concert by Swedish band Men on the Border, who play cover versions of Barrett's solo work, accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra. The plans have been a year in the making and have been spearheaded by Cambridge Live's operations director Neil Jones, himself a big fan of Pink Floyd and its former star, Syd. "When I first moved here, I couldn't believe there was no memorial or legacy for the city's biggest musical export," he said. "Now it feels like the planets are aligned with the significance of the year, and it's all just come together." Barrett's sister Rosemary, 69, will be participating in the celebrations, but says if her brother were alive, he would probably have stayed at home. "He wouldn't have been interested in it - he wouldn't have turned up, and just let people get on with it," she said. "I'm proud of the fact he could have given so many people pleasure through his music, but I know he wasn't proud of himself - he was just having fun." Barrett's musical journey began in Cambridge in the 1950s where he won a piano duet competition with his sister, aged seven. At school he was friends with Roger Waters and David Gilmour - both of whom would later play in Pink Floyd - and in his teens he began adopting the nickname "Syd". After honing his craft in a few local bands and making a name for himself in the city, he attended the Camberwell College of Art at a time when London was the epicentre of the UK underground music scene. The band he joined there, which included Waters and Richard Wright as members, would later evolve into Pink Floyd - a name Barrett came up with. By 1967, the band had signed a record deal and released two singles - Arnold Layne and See Emily Play - both of which were written by Barrett. But their early success coincided with the onset of serious issues for Barrett, whose use of LSD and other psychedelic drugs was well-known. After erratic performances in the US and troubled behaviour in rehearsals he left the band in 1968 and moved back to Cambridge to live with his mother, Win, in her three-bedroom house in Cherry Hinton. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd continued without him, going on to pay tribute to their former bandmate in their 1975 composition Shine On You Crazy Diamond, and becoming one of the most successful and influential rock groups ever. Barrett embarked on a solo career which saw him perform at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1972 - the last live show he played. "It's no secret that it was far from the finest performance of his career," said Neil Jones of Cambridge Live. "Notoriously, it was shambolic, and from what we gather it was abandoned midway through". Jack Monck, a bass player who was on stage with Barrett that night, said: "It's become this iconic moment, but at the time it was the opposite. I didn't spend time regretting it, but I do regret we weren't more savvy and prepared." Mr Jones says unveiling a memorial at the venue would not involve "brushing what happened under the carpet". "The fact remains, it was his final ever live performance. It was a moment in history - and that's what we're remembering," he said. 'Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun' The artwork itself, named CODA and to be unveiled later, was chosen from a shortlist by Barrett's sister and her nephew. They picked it, she said, because it seemed "the right choice for what we were doing - very bright and sparkly, but quite basic". "It is what it is without any extra bits," she added, describing her brother - who reverted to the name Roger in the 1970s, and would answer the door to strangers by saying "Syd doesn't live here anymore" - as a "very straightforward, ordinary guy". "I would like him to be remembered for what he was - fun," she said. "He only got into that world because he enjoyed music - he didn't know why people were interested in him. "I've never liked or understood Pink Floyd, but I love his paintings and he was at his happiest when he was doing that," she said. As part of the tributes, previously unseen footage of Barrett was screened as part of the Cambridge Film Festival. The documentary film, "Get All That, Ant?", was put together by Anthony Stern, a former school friend of Barrett who worked as a professional photographer capturing images of London's 1960s counterculture scene. He remembers Barrett as "very charming, very bouncy, very youthful", and said he did not think the musician ever really grew up. "He was self expressive and didn't let go of the dreams, memories and affections of his childhood." Bass player Monck recalls the influence Barrett's home city had on a man he described as a "creative spark". "I think there's no doubt Cambridge had a profound effect on him. He was absolutely umbilically linked to the city," he said. "It's surprising there hasn't been a memorial as yet, but that's all going to change now."

पिंक फ़्लॉइड के दिग्गज सिड बैरेट की याद में उनके गृह शहर कैम्ब्रिज में एक कलाकृति का अनावरण किया जा रहा है, जो एक स्थायी स्मारक के लिए प्रशंसकों द्वारा वर्षों के अभियान के बाद है। शहर को अपने "क्रेज़ी डायमंड" को पूरी तरह से सम्मानित करने में इतना समय क्यों लगा है?


Brussels fears UK cabinet crisis may be a path to no-deal Brexit

Summary: David Davis's resignation was met with a collective shrug of the shoulders in Brussels on Monday. "How can we miss a man who was never here?", one EU source commented to me. The Brexit secretary made one visit to Brussels in the last four months.

Katya AdlerEurope editor@BBCkatyaadleron Twitter A far more familiar face here is Olly Robbins, the prime minister's Europe adviser. The EU is reassured that he's staying in his post - for now. But the mood in Brussels - especially after hearing this afternoon that Boris Johnson too was gone - is far from blasé. The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said Europe was deeply troubled not by British cabinet resignations, but by Brexit itself. "Politicians come and go," he said. "But the problems they have created for the people remain. The mess caused by Brexit is the biggest problem in the history of EU-UK relations. And it is still very far from being solved." A sense of unease hangs heavy. "Theresa May is respected in Europe," one contact told me. "But so many times since this Brexit process began, we've had to ask ourselves: will she stay or will she go? And now here we are again." Political uncertainty in Britain makes the possibility of a no-deal Brexit seem far more likely in the eyes of Brussels bureaucrats. Not because either side want it, but because time for EU-UK negotiations - as the European Commission never tires of repeating - is simply running out. And if the prime minister does indeed survive, what then? Most EU sources I spoke to believe she will. One compared the prime minister to Germany's Angela Merkel and said both women were consistently under-estimated. Listen to Theresa May's impassioned address to Parliament today - promising a return to UK sovereignty after Brexit, yet simultaneously keeping close ties to Europe (no country with an EU association agreement has so far avoided signing up to binding relations), with frictionless trade and a close customs relationship that is not a customs union (honest), while remaining free to strike the UK's own trade deals. The EU is holding fire for now on her plan. More from Katya Adler: Leaders are mindful of not wanting to further weaken Theresa May at home by rushing forward with their manifold objections - but it's just a matter of time. The next Brexit negotiating round is pencilled in for a week today. Now, Downing Street believes that the hot water the prime minister is in today will shock EU leaders into realising they need to start compromising themselves - not just perpetually demanding capitulations on the UK's red lines. Privately, key EU figures admit there will be some give from Brussels - eventually. But how much? Certainly not what would be needed to make Theresa May's proposed third way for Brexit work as she currently presents it. "On the one hand, it's true what Downing Street says," one EU source told me. "The UK is bigger than Norway and strategically, politically and economically more important to us than Switzerland, yes. But EU countries benefit more from keeping their club - the single market and customs union - intact, than they would do by compromising everything just for the sake of better bilateral relations with the UK after Brexit. You can forget it." The EU definitely expects more concessions from Theresa May in negotiations if she wants what she describes as a deep and special partnership post Brexit. But the bottom line in Brussels is: hard or soft, Brexit must be done in time. Whether Theresa May or another is at the helm in the UK, EU diplomats say they need a leader who has to power to make a deal in Brussels and see it through back home. Otherwise, they believe a disorderly no-deal Brexit beckons - with all the consequences they think that will have in the UK and across the EU.

डेविड डेविस के इस्तीफे का सामना सोमवार को ब्रुसेल्स में सामूहिक रूप से किया गया। "हम एक ऐसे व्यक्ति को कैसे याद कर सकते हैं जो कभी यहाँ नहीं था?", यूरोपीय संघ के एक सूत्र ने मुझसे टिप्पणी की। ब्रेक्सिट सचिव ने पिछले चार महीनों में ब्रुसेल्स की एक यात्रा की।


Changing the rules: Breaking transgender taboos at work

Summary: With an estimated 15 million transgender men and women in the world, according to the United Nations, the BBC is taking a look at how some are are breaking social barriers in the workplace and changing the world around them.

In the Indian state of Maharashtra, Matthew Wheeler and Priti Gupta spend time at a unique police checkpost. And in Thailand's capital Bangkok, Hoang Nguyen visits a model agency with a difference. The question is, what makes these two very different workplaces, which are so far apart, actually very similar? Working with India's police In the melee of honking horns and swerving wheels on a busy Indian road, a policeman with a whistle is easy to miss. But throw in two or three transgender inspectors in high visibility jackets and there's no problem stopping the traffic. By working together with these volunteers, the police in rural Thane, north-east of Mumbai gain extra help and a vital new source of information, while their transgender assistants gain credibility and respect. They are suddenly viewed in a position of authority by members of the public who had previously looked down upon them and mocked them. This particular scheme started when, at the end of last year, a group of transgender women stopped a thief who was being chased by a police patrol car. The force then invited the group to join what is known as the local "police mitra", or friends of the police. Their duties include crowd management at festivals, visiting slums and communities to advise on security, and offering a trusted point of contact for people concerned about crime in their area. Leading change In India attitudes to those whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex can often be negative, forcing many transgender men and women to live life on the margins of society. But it's hoped this scheme will lead to change across the country. Volunteer inspector Shreeshah is a graduate but despite her education, had found it hard to get a job. But working with the police has changed how others treat her. "I am not treated in an inhuman way as I was before. I can walk freely on the roads now," Rajesh Pradhan of the Maharashtra Police believes the scheme, which has seen around 50 people sign up, has been a great success and wants more volunteers. "Their potential for policing is tremendous," he says. Modelling in Bangkok It was down to foreign demand that Siwaporn Hotarapawanond started to see the potential in trans models. Ms Hotarapawanond, nicknamed Apple, said because there are many transgender people in Thailand, she just thought that there would be opportunities for them to work in the modelling industry. Since opening the world's first trans model division in October 2014, Apple Model Management Ltd has recruited around 50 transgender models - from Thailand, Russia, Spain, England, Sweden, the US and the Philippines. But while trans men and women are no longer pushed to the fringes of society, Apple says more needs to be done to make the business world more open-minded. "The minute that the clients know the girls are transgender, fewer than 50% get to the casting stage", she says. "They said that they don't want them to be presenters for the products because they're afraid about the image. In business it is like this." Changing the Rules How social entrepreneurs are tackling the world's problems Special Report: Changing the Rules Business leader This was partly why Nisjanaaj Sudlarphaar, who models using the name Sarina, left Thailand for New York four years ago. "When I worked as a model in New York, most people didn't know I was transgender. Two years ago, I came back here and things started to change. "They were happy to see one little girl who went to New York and worked with international people," she says. She believes her experience brings hope. Apple says that other agencies would represent the trans models as women, whereas now they could be open about their transgender status. In fact, others are now starting to copy her business model. "Of course they understand that the clients are going to refuse them. But we are showing them to the clients and explaining that they can work the same as anyone else. "The clients may not like them because of their looks, but we say don't judge them because of how they're born."

संयुक्त राष्ट्र के अनुसार, दुनिया में अनुमानित 15 मिलियन ट्रांसजेंडर पुरुषों और महिलाओं के साथ, बीबीसी इस बात पर एक नज़र डाल रहा है कि कैसे कुछ लोग कार्यस्थल में सामाजिक बाधाओं को तोड़ रहे हैं और अपने आसपास की दुनिया को बदल रहे हैं।


Justin Bieber's hair makes £25,000 in eBay charity sale

Summary: A lock of Justin Bieber's hair has been sold for $40,668 (£25,024) in a charity sale on Ebay.

Bieber gave the piece of hair to US talkshow host Ellen Degeneres, having changed his trademark swept style in February. There were 98 bids in total with bidding for the hair, which came in a signed box, closing on Thursday. The money raised will be go to a charity which rescues and rehabilitates animals. The star, whose film Never Say Never was released in February, turned 17 on 1 March. He recently was knocked off top spot in the US billboard chart by UK singer Adele.

जस्टिन बीबर के बालों का एक ताला ईबे पर एक चैरिटी सेल में $40,668 (£25,024) में बेचा गया है।


Treasury 'rumbled' on Scottish funding boost claims

Summary: The Institute of Fiscal Studies has rumbled the Treasury for obscuring its funding calculations in Rishi Sunak's summer statement. The gap between claim and counter-claim on what comes to Holyrood has rarely been bigger, so here's an attempt at clarity.

Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland We were told £800m was coming to Holyrood. The pledge came after the summer statement by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and appeared to be in lieu of a bundle of announcements to help the economy through the Covid-19 crisis. But "bundle" was the word. It lacked transparency. I sought to pick it apart with the limited information available on the day and in retrospect I didn't do too badly - I've done worse. As I noted, one key to understanding a Westminster budget, or even a summer statement, is to look at how much is released through the Barnett formula for spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The rhetoric and the next day's headlines are intended to big up the generosity and financial genius of a chancellor. The consequences for Holyrood etc are intended to limit the devolved administrations to no more than they deserve. There tends to be a large gap between rhetoric and the Barnett figure and this was the biggest ever. The Treasury said £800m and Scotland's finance secretary, Kate Forbes, said £21m. The Institute of Fiscal Studies has had more time than I did to figure this out, and reached the same conclusion: that the Treasury was obscuring much of what it should have made clear. Having published this conclusion in a blog on Thursday, it's been thrown into Scotland's constitutional battlefield and even more obscured in the fog of war. Old money So, from what we now know, here's an attempt at a bit more clarity. The £800m was for real, and largely made up of a Scottish share of spending for the NHS and for personal protection equipment to cope with Covid-19. This much had either been announced before, or it was expected, but the sum unknown. The Scottish government could spend that money elsewhere, but it's not likely to do so. Yet the chancellor had barely mentioned his boost to public spending, alongside his plan for jobs. You wouldn't know that a lot more was being spent on the former than on the latter. Nor would you know that money was being taken from other committed budgets to help pay for some of his plan for jobs. So when he said there would be a scheme to pay for English householders to make energy-efficient home improvements, that didn't come with any more for the devolved administrations. A boost to apprenticeship spending was half-funded from other budgets. The other half did result in an additional grant to Holyrood and that seems to have been where the £21m came from. Two days before the summer statement, £1.57bn of new funding was announced to help arts and culture. Scotland got £97m of that. Kate Forbes treated it as old money, though it was only 48 hours old. The IFS's David Phillips adds the £21m and £97m together to reach the sum of new funding for Holyrood as part of the plan for jobs. The Kickstart scheme, paying employers to take on young people for six months of work experience, is to spread across Britain (but not Northern Ireland). And, likewise, a very large part of Rishi Sunak's plan for jobs is direct spend on the whole of the UK, for instance via the jobs retention scheme which got a £1,000 per person bonus for employees retained until next February, and Eat-Out-To-Help-Out next month. The Westminster funding coming through Holyrood is a relatively small part of the bigger picture. And right there, in the bypassing of Holyrood, you have the starting point for a new dimension in the constitutional debate. Those City and Region Deals have been paving the way for several years, and it's surprising that more has not been made of them. Obscured calculations The bizarre bit of this £800m claim is that it should perhaps have been higher. It did not include the money heading for Holyrood in lieu of the cut in stamp duty/transaction tax in England. It's not yet known how much that will mean for Ms Forbes' Holyrood budget, or when it will become clearer. She is keen to point out that the lack of clarity makes it very difficult to budget. The IFS agrees with her on the lack of clarity, and calls for the Treasury to do better. So, before many other conclusions are drawn from this - and they have been, believe me, in the social media battleground - I humbly contend that the Treasury does itself no favours by obscuring its calculations, and over-claiming for its generosity. But this does not mean it is treating Scotland unfairly. For those engaged in the pitched political battles on this issue, when you come up for breath, it is worth considering that if you like what the IFS says this week, treat its expertise with due respect on occasions when it is less helpful to your cause. And please don't treat the current financial year as any guide to the future trajectory of public finances of either the UK or an independent Scotland, except to factor in higher debt for a long time to come. In every possible way, 2020-21 is exceptional. Let's hope so, anyway.

इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ फिस्कल स्टडीज ने ऋषि सुनक के ग्रीष्मकालीन बयान में अपने वित्तपोषण की गणना को अस्पष्ट करने के लिए कोषागार को फटकार लगाई है। होलीरूड में क्या आता है, इस पर दावे और जवाबी दावे के बीच का अंतर शायद ही कभी बड़ा रहा है, इसलिए यहाँ स्पष्टता का प्रयास किया गया है।


Serco says Cornwall calls to doctors back to normal

Summary: Calls to Cornwall's out-of-hours doctors service are back to normal after technical problems led to delays, according to service provider Serco.

Patients were delayed getting through to the service on Saturday. Serco said: "Following problems with the out-of-hours telephone system, the service is now operating as normal." Serco, which has run the service since 2006, added that people should continue to use the service for urgent medical assistance.

सेवा प्रदाता सेरको के अनुसार, तकनीकी समस्याओं के कारण देरी होने के बाद कॉर्नवाल की घंटों से बाहर की डॉक्टरों की सेवा के लिए कॉल सामान्य हो गए हैं।


Rail fares Q&A: Why are they going up again?

Summary: Rail tickets are about to go up again - by an average of 4.1% from January 2014.

By Richard WestcottTransport correspondent, BBC News That's 1% above inflation - and will apply to all regulated fares, including season tickets. The actual pounds and pence price hikes won't be revealed for a while yet, but why the seemingly inexorable rise?

रेल टिकट फिर से बढ़ने वाले हैं-जनवरी 2014 से औसतन 4.1%।


Hollie Gazzard killer Asher Maslin appeals jail term

Summary: A man convicted of stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death in her Gloucester salon has begun an appeal against his sentence.

Asher Maslin murdered 20-year-old Hollie Gazzard in her salon in February after she ended their relationship. Maslin's legal team submitted the appeal and the papers have now been sent to the Court of Appeal. During sentencing at Bristol Crown Court, Maslin was told he would serve life with a minimum of 24 years.

ग्लूसेस्टर सैलून में अपनी पूर्व प्रेमिका की चाकू मारकर हत्या करने के दोषी एक व्यक्ति ने अपनी सजा के खिलाफ अपील शुरू कर दी है।


Scafell Pike: Mountain Rescue warns walkers to prepare

Summary: Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England and a big magnet for walkers, but lives are being lost because too many are unprepared. Mountain Rescue teams are now repeating warnings for hikers to take care.

By Danny SavageNorth of England Correspondent, BBC News At more than 600m (2,000ft) above sea level, Mountain Rescue team member Richard Warren points out a junction on the path down from the summit of Scafell Pike. He agrees that if the fork was a road junction, it would have signs and bright paint all over it warning of the dangers. "We have so many problems here", Mr Warren said, adding: "Particularly in bad weather. "They want to go left down into Wasdale but they look at the junction, they're not sure and they go right". After going right, many walkers realise their mistake and backtrack, but others strike off along a less well-defined path they believe is an alternative route, and get into serious trouble. Some even die. The area known as Piers Gill has vertical drops into a stream far below. Mr Warren says last time he talked about retrieving the body of a 19-year-old from here, he broke down in tears. "Thousands of people come up here to climb England's highest mountain," he says. "But too many of them are ill-prepared, they get lost, they get into difficulty." He looks down sadly into the gully. "Too many rescues, too many fatalities, too many tragedies. We just have to do something." That something, rescuers suggest, is a signpost at the junction where people make that wrong turn. But putting signs on the high fells of Lakeland is very contentious. You will find public footpath signs aplenty in the valleys and car parks but not at altitude. Much of the Lake District National Park was gifted decades ago to the National Trust. They manage this beautiful landscape that is now a Unesco World Heritage Site. "Many people are passionately against signs in the Lake District on the high fells," says Sam Stalker, the senior ranger responsible for Scafell Pike, which stands at 978m (3,209ft). "To do that on Scafell Pike would have ramifications across the whole park. It is something that will have to be very carefully considered." So no early sign of a sign yet, then. What the rescuers are desperate to cut down on is what they define as "unnecessary call outs". These are often caused by people navigating using the map and compass built into their phones. "We have so many avoidable rescues," Mr Warren says. "People haven't prepared, they haven't got the right kit. If they'd thought just a little bit they would have prevented the team having to deal with the incident." You may also be interested in: It takes its toll on rescuers too. Funded by donations, the teams are made up of unpaid volunteers - people who love the hills and are motivated to help others. But it takes 16 of them to carry a stretcher down a mountain. With an average of 40 members in a team, people can soon get worn out. It can cause problems at home too. "Team members often feel guilty if they are leaving their families again, but equally guilty if they don't come, because they think they are letting the team down," Mr Warren says. In his home in south Wales, David Jones reflects that he was one of those who created an unnecessary call out. An experienced walker, he set off up Scafell Pike last year with his daughter and her partner. They knew bad weather was due, but were confident they could get up and back before it closed in. They reached the highest point in England but loitered at the top for too long. By the time they came to descend, visibility was poor. "This mountain isn't like many others, it's quite dangerous," says Mr Jones. "We had mobile phones with maps, but of course it uses mobile signal to communicate and that doesn't work very well when you're in a storm on a mountain." After struggling to find the right route, they dialled 999 and were put through to Mountain Rescue. The teams have the technology to send a text message to pinpoint your mobile phone. This accurate positioning, similar to a "find my phone" app, can allow lost walkers to be guided down without a team having to leave base. But Mr Jones found it was not quite that simple. "Whilst we thought we were going in the right direction, Mountain Rescue were telling me we were going the wrong way," he says. "They're saying 'you're not going the way we told you' and I'm saying 'we are' and they're saying, 'why do you say that?' "'Because our compasses say so!' "And they said 'you're not using proper compasses, you're using the one on your mobile phone. Don't rely on them, they don't work properly'." The Wasdale Mountain Rescue team then had to deploy to find Mr Jones. "We called them out, when in theory we really shouldn't have," he said. When he later worked out that the team had given 35 man hours to find him, he made a donation of £350 to say thank you. Across Cumbria, the Mountain Rescue teams say they had 186 avoidable call outs last year. They want people to enjoy the hills of the north, but they also want to stop walkers relying on their phones to navigate and learn how to use a map and compass. See more on this story on BBC Inside Out in the North East and North West at 19:30 on Monday 4 March on BBC One or catch up on the iPlayer.

स्केफेल पाइक इंग्लैंड का सबसे ऊँचा पर्वत है और पैदल चलने वालों के लिए एक बड़ा चुंबक है, लेकिन बहुत सारे तैयार नहीं होने के कारण लोगों की जान जा रही है। पर्वतीय बचाव दल अब पर्वतारोहियों को देखभाल करने के लिए चेतावनी दे रहे हैं।


Ramayana: An 'epic' controversy

Summary: "How many Ramayanas ? Three hundred? Three thousand? At the end of some Ramayanas, a question is sometimes asked: How many Ramayanas have there been?" wondered the late poet and scholar AK Ramanujan of the Indian epic in a compelling essay he wrote for a University of Pittsburgh conference in 1987.

Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent Twenty four years later, the essay, Three Hundred Ramayanas:Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation, finds itself at the centre of a fresh controversy. It has been dropped from the history syllabus of Delhi University after protests from hardline Hindu groups and a number of teachers. They believe the many versions recounted in the essay offend Hindu beliefs. As Dr Ramanujan tells the story, the number of versions of the epic which have existed in India and the rest of south-east Asia for the past 2,500 years or more is simply "astonishing". Though Valmiki's Sanskrit poem Ramayana is the most influential among Indians, Ram's story is available in at least 22 languages, including Chinese, Laotian, Thai and Tibetan. Many of these languages have more than one telling of the epic. Popular epic Twenty-five or more renditions of the epic in various genres - epics, poems, mythological stories - have been in Sanskrit alone, wrote Dr Ramanujan. There are sculptures, mask plays, puppet plays and shadow plays around the epic. One researcher, Camille Bulcke, counted 300 tellings of the epic. Millions of Indians have read and "watched" the epic in a popular comic book and a hit TV series. I remember the soap nearly shutting down India on Sunday mornings in the mid-1980s - streets would be deserted, shops would be closed and people would bathe and garland their TV sets before the serial began. Hindu groups first protested against the inclusion of Dr Ramanujan's essay in the syllabus in 2008. At that time, the head of Delhi University's history department was also assaulted by some hot heads. But the teachers had stuck to their guns and refused to drop the essay. Three years later, bowing to renewed pressure, the university's top academic body decided to take the essay out of the history syllabus, though, reportedly, a minority of teachers protested against the decision. One of them, Abha Dev Habib, described the decision as "very regressive and unfortunate". So why have the right-wing groups railed against Dr Ramanujan's essay? Journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju suggests that the groups love the "soap telling" of the epic poem which iconises Ram and "want the narrative to retain the structure and simplicity of a bedtime story so that you fall asleep in consent and total belief as you listen to it". Literary critic Nilanjana S Ray writes in her blog that this may "have been part of the general climate of intolerance and the battle over who had the right to tell the country's history and its myths that was part of the Indian landscape between the 1980s and the 2000s". She talks about how self-appointed censors wilfully scan texts for "offensive" phrases. Ms Ray is correct. Last year Mumbai University withdrew Rohinton Mistry's novel Such a Long Journey - shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1991 - from its curriculum after the nationalist Shiv Sena staged protests against its "derogatory" references to party members. Mr Mistry said the move was "a sorry spectacle of book-burning". Last year the state of Gujarat banned Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph Lelyveld's incisive Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India long before it had been released in India. Gujarat's ruling Hindu nationalist politicians had been told that the book sensationalised Gandhi's friendship with a German man, who may have been homosexual. All this was far from true, but the ban stayed. 'Humiliated' And everybody remembers how India swiftly banned Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses in 1988 because some clerics said it had insulted Islam. The Indian-born Rushdie had said he was "hurt and humiliated" by the decision. The attacks on freedom of expression by the right-wing fringe extend beyond India. This July, a screening of Sita Sings the Blues, an award-winning take on the epic by American animator Nina Paley, in New York was cancelled after a local Hindu group bombarded the organisers with hundreds of protest emails. A man attending a lecture by American Indologist Wendy Doniger in London in 2003 threw an egg at her. He was apparently incensed "by the sexual thrust of her paper on one of our most sacred epics". Salil Tripathi, who has written a book on Hindu nationalist attacks on free expression, finds Hindu groups engaging in "competitive intolerance" after realising that other faiths are able to "attract attention by challenging text, interpretations, films, books, music and imagery". Many would agree with this. But the ease with which attacks on free expression can be mounted in a country which never tires of calling itself the world's largest democracy betrays a weak and inffectual state, which often fails to respect and protect dissenters. That, many believe, means mischievous, trouble-making minorities can easily subdue and attack dissent.

"कितने रामायण? तीन सौ? तीन हजार? कुछ रामायणों के अंत में कभी-कभी एक सवाल पूछा जाता हैः कितने रामायण हुए हैं?" भारतीय महाकाव्य के दिवंगत कवि और विद्वान ए. के. रामानुजन ने 1987 में पिट्सबर्ग विश्वविद्यालय के सम्मेलन के लिए लिखे एक सम्मोहक निबंध में आश्चर्य व्यक्त किया।


Which country really has the cleverest students?

Summary: Higher education has a strong sense of hierarchy.

Sean CoughlanEducation correspondent And high-profile international league tables are a very public form of this pecking order. While these might measure a whole range of factors - from reputation and staff ratios to research output - what they do not compare is the ability of students who have been taught in these universities. But the OECD, in its annual Education at a Glance, has published test results comparing the ability of graduates in different countries. And it shows a very different map of higher education than the ranking tables, which are dominated by US and UK universities, such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge and UCL. The OECD tested literacy skills among graduates - and the high-flyers were not in the US or UK, but in Japan and Finland. These figures, based on test results rather than reputation, show a very different set of nationalities from the usual suspects. The OECD's top 10 highest performing graduates None of the countries in the top places make much of an appearance in conventional university rankings. But while the names of US Ivy League universities are familiar around the world, Norwegian and Australian universities seem to be turning out more capable graduates. In the QS World University Rankings, there were 32 US universities in the top 100, but only one from New Zealand. But graduates from New Zealand are higher achieving than their US counterparts. There is also the question of cost - and the return on investment in higher education for both students and taxpayers. The Dutch university system, with low fees, outperforms the United States and England, which charge much higher tuition fees. Scotland and Wales are not included in this OECD measure, but Northern Ireland is in 14th place. It casts a light too on how an efficient school system might not translate into success in higher education. South Korea and Singapore, both high achievers at school level, are below average in the graduate rankings. And what does it mean for the value of university degrees in countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece, who are languishing at the bottom of these graduate test results? Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's education director, says the results show ability levels can "vary hugely among people with similar qualifications". They might all have degrees, but "there are major differences in the quality of higher education". "When it comes to advanced literacy skills, you might be better off getting a high school degree in Japan, Finland or the Netherlands than getting a tertiary degree in Italy, Spain or Greece," says Mr Schleicher. These OECD test results may be completely different from conventional university rankings, but the two sets of findings are not incompatible, says Ben Sowter, director of the QS World University Rankings. While the OECD has compared standards across national higher education systems, the university rankings are focused on an elite group of individual universities. Mr Sowter says if every university in the US was measured in rankings, it would show "they have a share of the worst as well as the best". The US has a highly polarised education system, but that is not apparent from a ranking system that focuses only on the top. QS World University Rankings 2016-17 The success of a country such as Finland in the quality of its graduates could owe as much to its school system as its universities, Mr Sowter says. And it is likely to be "harder to run a bad university in Finland than in the US". But Mr Sowter says the OECD findings highlight a longstanding question about priorities for higher education. Should countries invest in making sure there is a good overall standard - or should they focus on cultivating a few world-leading institutions? There would be a good economic case for arguing for a consistently high standard across all universities rather than a landscape of peaks and valleys. More stories from the BBC's Global education series looking at education from an international perspective, and how to get in touch University rankings can highlight differences between individual institutions, but Mr Sowter says they cannot be used to evaluate how well a higher education system is performing. The OECD runs the Pisa tests, which compare standards in secondary schools in more than 70 countries. And there was an attempt by the think tank to set up a higher education version, so that comparisons could be made between individual universities. But universities, particularly in the US, were not at all keen, and there seems little imminent sign of university league tables based on the quality of the students they produce. Even though there might be scepticism about how international league tables are calculated, there is no avoiding their importance, when universities have to compete as much as brands as academic institutions. When Oxford was named for the first time this year at the top of the Times Higher Education world rankings, it was headline news. But according to the OECD tables, maybe the celebrations should be among graduates in Japan and Finland.

उच्च शिक्षा में पदानुक्रम की एक मजबूत भावना है।