Reinventing China's abortion police

Summary: They caused heartache for millions but now some of China's hated population police - who for years enforced China's one-child policy, ordering families to have abortions or pay huge fines - have a new job.

By Lucy AshBBC News, China Two-year-old Liu Siqi is curled up on her grandmother's lap, complaining of a tummy ache. A man tries to divert her with a squeaky plastic duck. Gradually the toddler's mood brightens. She giggles and is persuaded to join him singing a nursery rhyme. The man she calls Uncle Li belongs to China's army of family planning officers. Stationed in every city, town and village in China, for the past 35 years their job has been to hunt down families suspected of violating the country's draconian rules on how many children couples can have. But with the end of the one-child policy at the beginning of this year, some, like Li Bo, are being retrained for a different role. Now he could even be mistaken for a Chinese Father Christmas visiting remote villages in the mountains of Shaanxi province with a bag full of toys and picture books. Along with 68 of his colleagues, Li is part of a pilot programme involving academics from Shaanxi Normal University and Stanford University's Rural Education Action Programme. His new job is to teach parents and grandparents how to develop toddlers' minds by talking, singing and reading to them. He works in Danfeng County, 700 miles (1,125km) south-west of Beijing, an impoverished area where more than half the adults of working age have left for jobs in the cities. Liu Siqi, like 61 million of her peers, is a "left-behind" child, being raised by her grandparents. Her mother works in a noodle factory four hours' drive away and cannot visit often. Her father, who has a job in a quarry, only makes it home twice a year. At first her grandmother, Chen Huafen, was sceptical about the value of reading to such a small child. "I thought it was a waste of time," she laughs. "But she likes the stories and I was surprised by how much she remembers about them." Chen was in her late teens when the one-child policy was introduced back in 1979. She seems relaxed with Li but I wonder about her own experience of family planning officers. When he steps out for a smoke, she tells me the whole village "distrusted and hated" the enforcers, who confiscated property if families couldn't afford the fines. "They used to come at night and take stuff away from families with more than one child," she says. "Bicycles, sewing machines whatever they could lay their hands on, even our cows and pigs." Chen has even greater cause to loathe the family planning workers, though. In many rural areas, couples were allowed to have a second baby if their first was a girl. But Chen's first child was a boy so when she conceived for a second time, she was made to have an abortion. When she got pregnant again she went into hiding and gave birth to a daughter. But she was so afraid of a crippling fine for breaking the rules, the little girl had to live under cover. If you didn't pay the fine, known as a social maintenance fee, your child didn't exist in the eyes of the state. In practical terms that meant no access to school, healthcare or even the right to buy a train ticket. "She stayed with my mother in the mountains for 12 years before we managed to get her registered," says Chen. Since the start of 2016, all Chinese couples have been allowed two children. But they can have no more than that unless they are from ethnic minorities - so Li Bo still spends some of his time working as a birth-control enforcer. In the town's health clinic he is busy screening local women. All women of childbearing age have check-ups four times a year to ensure they're healthy… and to see if they are pregnant. Until the start of this year if a couple wanted a baby, they had to seek official approval before trying to conceive. The woman's medical history is logged in a little red book. It lists the children she has, contraception she uses and any terminated pregnancies. After her ultrasound examination, I ask a woman holding the hand of small boy, if she is thinking about another baby. "Not yet!" she laughs. "My husband says it's too much financial pressure." When I am invited to Li's home to meet his wife and nine-year-old daughter, I ask the same question. He tells me his parents, especially his mother, had been urging him for years to have another child and pay the fine. "I would like another one," he chuckles, "even though we do worry about money." He has a playful side and says he relates well to children because he is really "just a big kid" himself. But Li is also a loyal Communist party official who believes the state knows best and society's needs are greater than those of individuals. So he is matter-of-fact about the unpleasant task of telling women who couldn't afford the fine to terminate their pregnancies. "China was facing serious problems with a large population," he says. "We also told couples that more children would lower their standard of living and it was not in their child's interest either." When I press him on the numbers of abortions he may have persuaded women to have, he says he doesn't know and looks increasingly awkward, twisting a tissue in his hand. In some villages people threw stones at family planning officers' cars. Li admits that in many places he was not a welcome guest. "People didn't swear at us but they probably did behind our backs," he says. "It's natural because we were carrying out the law and they were breaking it so it is just like the clash between a policeman and a thief." He adds that as long as restrictions are in place, such clashes will continue. Yet the rules and the amount levied in fines vary drastically from one place to another and from case to case. Authorities generally set them at between three times and 10 times the average annual salary. Within China, family planning officials' treatment of those who break the rules also varies. Shandong, a coastal province between Beijing and Shanghai, with a population of 96 million, has a reputation for being particularly harsh. In recent years a string of people accused of having unauthorised children have been illegally detained. Many are too scared to talk, but one family agreed to tell me about their experience. They are nervous and say it is too risky to go to their home so we meet in a restaurant owned by a friend. I am greeted by a couple in their 60s who farm corn and peanuts and their son, who works in a local factory. In 2013 the young man's wife conceived without permission - the couple already had a daughter. Despite the relaxation of rules in rural areas, they had been banned from having a second child because their first baby was born before the mother was 20 years old. So the family hid her from the prying eyes of the family planning officials until she was six months pregnant - at that point they believed the authorities would no longer be able to force her to have an abortion. They were wrong. Family planning officers and village leaders stopped the young man on his way home from work and asked him where his wife was. "I told them I didn't know," he says. "So they started beating me." The one-child policy in numbers Read more: Five numbers that sum up China's one-child policy He was bundled into a minivan and taken to a nearby hotel where the beatings continued. The wife's sister was also kept prisoner for three days to increase the pressure. She wasn't let out until the family handed over 10,000 yuan ($1,500; £1,060) - allegedly hotel expenses. Then the parents-in-law were locked up and shown how their son was being treated. They offered to pay an above average fine or social maintenance fee of 70,000 yuan ($10,700; £7,400) to keep the baby but to no avail. "They were kicking my son and slamming him against the floor," says the mother. "I just couldn't bear it any more so I called my daughter-in-law to say 'Let's give up the baby.'" As she wipes her eyes with her sleeve, her husband looks miserable and sheepish. Since the detention was unlawful, I ask the couple if they contacted the police. "I made a phone call to the local discipline inspection," says the father. "But I was told that they couldn't intervene in the work of family planning officers - those guys are so powerful they just do whatever they want." The family have contacted a lawyer, Wu Youshui, who has a track record of investigating abuses by family planning officers across China. They are hoping those responsible will be brought to justice and that they will be refunded some of the money they paid, but the young man says the family has been torn apart by what happened. It is of little solace to him or his wife that China now has a two-child policy. "The harm is there and there is no way to repair it," he says. The mother-in-law adds that she went to the hospital and saw the aborted foetus of her grandchild. Three years have gone by but her grief is still raw. "The baby was well-formed," she sobs. "You could even see his fingernails. He was a bit small, but very well-developed already." The one-child policy has a bitter legacy - it has caused heartache in millions of Chinese families. The supreme irony is that the country's problem today is not overpopulation, but a shrinking labour force that threatens future growth. James Liang, a billionaire internet entrepreneur has long argued that an aging workforce will stifle creativity within companies. "The Chinese government should be really worried," he says. "What it needs is a pro-fertility policy to encourage the people to have more kids, the more the better." As for family planning officer Li Bo, most of the time his focus is on the next generation. At a time when China may have too few young people to face the challenges ahead every individual counts. We meet at a new parenting centre in two-year-old Liu Siqi's village. It's part of the pilot project here in Shaanxi province designed to stimulate deprived rural children and give them the best start in life. He watches toddlers throwing balls into boxes and playing with wooden shapes. "This is a golden time for them to develop skills," he says. "I like this new job and I think my work is important, because what I am doing right now will probably influence what sort of people these children will become one day." On my way out of town I pass the old family planning office, a forbidding looking place behind high iron gates - it was closed down and the staff moved to become part of the local health service. Now the building is dusty and empty and there is a peeling mural on the wall outside of a mother, father, and their single child against an unnaturally blue sky. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

उन्होंने लाखों लोगों के लिए दुख पैदा किया लेकिन अब चीन की कुछ नफरत करने वाली जनसंख्या पुलिस-जिन्होंने वर्षों से चीन की एक-बच्चे की नीति को लागू किया, परिवारों को गर्भपात कराने या भारी जुर्माना देने का आदेश दिया-के पास एक नई नौकरी है।


'Helping makes you realise how lucky you are'

Summary: When coronavirus began to sweep across England, hundreds of Facebook groups were set up where people offered help to those living nearby. Here are some of the ways those groups co-ordinated their kindness to get communities through the pandemic.

"In the days before lockdown there was this strong desire to pull together survive and keep one another safe," said Marianne McNamara. She and many others rallied to get Marsden Help Facebook page up and running in Kirklees, Huddersfield. "We launched a resilience fund, a food bank and a next-day food and goods delivery service using volunteer drivers," she said. "Small businesses that had to close immediately brought us all their stock. They were running out of money themselves but they chose to do that. "We have worked alongside The Real Junk Food Project to feed families with hundreds of pounds worth of food that was destined to be waste. "We've had flowers donated to cheer people up and people have made facemasks and anxiety badges." "It's been a real education. You don't realise how lucky you are until you go to deliver a food parcel and you have to ask 'do you have a fridge or a freezer to put this in or something to cook on?' "Or when the children come running out to you and you can see in their faces that they're desperate for the food. We took some fresh fruit to a home and these kids were just devouring this punnet of strawberries before mum could even get them in the house." In Devon, Jack Dart set up Torbay Help Hub Facebook page and website to link people in need with those who wanted to help. "I initially started the Torbay Help Hub because of frustration that the government hadn't acted quick enough in the crucial, early stages of the outbreak," said Mr Dart, who is a Liberal Democrat on Torbay Council. One volunteer, 12-year-old Alfie Dean, set up the Babbacombe Pantry offering free food and essentials. Mr Dart said: "Alfie has consistently posted in the Help Hub throughout the pandemic and is well known locally for his efforts to help those in need." Another young volunteer was seven-year-old Miley Acreman, who set up a community pantry outside her house. Her mum Laura Acreman said: "The pantry was used a lot. No sooner it was full it was empty again. It got used a lot at night - I think people are embarrassed to be in need of food. "It's been great for Miley, while she's been missing school and her friends, it's kept her busy and made her feel like she's doing something good." Torbay Community Development Trust opened a phone line and hundreds of people left their details on a volunteer sheet. "So many have selflessly gone out of their way to ensure the at risk and vulnerable were looked after properly," said Mr Dart. "It was a genuine team effort, and it's made lockdown a much less dangerous, heartbreaking and nervous experience for a lot of us." Peter Dutch founded the Colchester Anti Loo Roll Brigade out of frustration at lockdown stockpilers. The group rallied to the aid of Tracy and Mark Booth whose uninsured house was gutted by fire. Mr Dutch called BBC Essex after hearing Mrs Booth tell BBC's Make a Difference campaign they were living in a tent in the garden with their three dogs. Within three hours, he had spoken to a group member who had offered the Booths and their pets free use of a house. Members of the community group offered them services including scaffolding, roofing, electrics and furniture free of charge. Mrs Booth said: "I have no words strong enough to say how grateful [I am] and how wonderful they have been. "People on the Anti Loo Roll Brigade page have been so amazing, they've sort of kept our spirits up all the time. It's really lovely." Kirsty Mellor is one of many core members of Portsmouth Coronavirus Support Group, which set up a helpline. "We've been able to help people with the day-to-day things you take for granted like picking up a prescription. "There's an elderly gentleman living in sheltered accommodation who could not leave his flat to use the laundry room as he was shielding, so I'm doing his washing," said Ms Mellor. "A man who has autism who wasn't confident on the phone contacted us via the page saying he wanted to get some birdseed. We delivered it to him and that was one of my favourite things that happened." She said the emotional support that people had provided for one another was "amazing". "Not everyone wants or knows how to ask the council for help, they might feel embarrassed," she said. "But there's something special about someone saying 'I can take care of that for you.' "Although it's been a tragic few months with the death toll we've had - and its been really difficult around mental health - I'm really thankful for this group. "This is about communities coming together and I think it'll be needed long after lockdown ends." Tom Moreton set up the Wolverhampton Covid-19 Mutual Aid Facebook page. "I saw these groups popping up across the country when at the time everything felt very frantic and uncertain," he said. "I thought 'here's something I can do to help', so I set up the group and it just grew. "People started posting on there what they needed and they were inundated with help. "A victim of domestic abuse had to move out of their home so a volunteer posted on the group 'have you got any furniture?' and that was sorted." City of Wolverhampton Labour councillor Obaida Ahmed arranged a call between group members and the authority's director of public health. The group partnered with Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council and created database of people who wanted to help. WV Active Aldersley leisure centre was transformed into a food distribution hub in just a few days," said Mr Moreton, a software developer and cub scout leader. "It was a case of problem solving rather than waiting for the government to do it. So much good and random acts of kindness have come from it. "The Facebook group is a community asset which didn't exist before which hopefully will continue after the pandemic."

जब कोरोनावायरस पूरे इंग्लैंड में फैलने लगा, तो सैकड़ों फेसबुक समूह बनाए गए जहाँ लोगों ने आस-पास रहने वालों को मदद की पेशकश की। यहाँ कुछ तरीके दिए गए हैं जिनसे उन समूहों ने महामारी के माध्यम से समुदायों को प्राप्त करने के लिए अपनी दयालुता का समन्वय किया।


Will Gompertz reviews Brexit: The Uncivil War starring Benedict Cumberbatch ★★★★☆

Summary: This week we are pulling up at the crossroads where art meets politics. It's not the latest Ai Weiwei installation, or a pro-Trump tweet from Kanye, but a TV movie called Brexit: The Uncivil War, a two-hour dramatised account of how Vote Leave won the EU Referendum on 23 June 2016.

Will GompertzArts editor@WillGompertzBBCon Twitter It's written by James Graham, the talented young playwright with a string of West End hits, among which is This House, his satirical take on the Labour government of 1974-79. Graham's work has a depth that goes beyond simply portraying British politics; he is questioning its foundations and structure. And so it is with Brexit: The Uncivil War, a TV movie that doesn't seek to retell a familiar story, but to ask an unfamiliar question: we know who won, but do we know how? Benedict Cumberbatch takes centre stage, swapping his handsome-yet-nerdy Sherlock Holmes persona for his baldy-and-even-more-nerdy Dominic Cummings, Vote Leave's real life campaign director and one-time special adviser to Michael Gove. Cumberbatch presents us with an intense, socially awkward, strategic mastermind with a gentle Durham accent and a penchant for hanging out in stationery cupboards at work. He is aided and abetted by Vote Leave's CEO, Matthew Elliot, played by John Heffernan, as a deferential fixer in King Cummings's court. Rory Kinnear provides the oppo in the shape of Craig Oliver, then No 10's director of communications. There are cameos for Michael Gove (Oliver Maltman), Boris Johnson (Richard Goulding), Nigel Farage (Paul Ryan), and Arron Banks (Lee Boardman): all are no more than glib caricature impersonations, but amusing in a Spitting Image-type way. David Cameron and George Osborne hardly feature at all beyond a second or two of archive footage and - in Cameron's case - as a disembodied voice on a conference call. The film is all about Cummings and how he beat the establishment he despises, while keeping Team Farage's alternative Leave campaign at arm's length. There's a face-off with the old guard Eurosceptic MPs, impromptu market research sessions in local pubs, a controversial red bus emblazed with the £350m-a-week NHS promise, and a park-bench meeting with a young physicist who persuades Cummings to allow his data science firm to use the referendum as an experiment in digital campaigning. And all the while there is the dramatic build-up to Cummings coining Vote Leave's campaign message -Take Back Control. The attention the film gives the slogan succeeds in reflecting its psychological power, and the central role it played in winning the campaign, but it doesn't make for compelling telly. The drama is delivered by Cumberbatch's portrayal of Cummings as an idealistic oddball on the mission of a lifetime. So compelling is the actor's performance, I took to the internet to find out more about the man he plays. I found a YouTube video of Dominic Cummings delivering a talk to a group of communications professionals explaining how Vote Leave won the referendum. It appears to have taken place about a year after the vote, during the 2017 general election. Unlike Graham's TV dramatisation, which will probably be watched by millions, fewer than 1,000 people (at the time of writing) have seen this 30-minute talk by Cummings, although it answers the same question with less make-up and in a fraction of the time. I thoroughly recommend watching it before seeing Brexit: The Uncivil War (Channel 4, Monday at 21:00 GMT). It not only gives you a "from the horse's mouth" version of what happened, but also an insight into Cummings's immediate post-vote plan for Boris Johnson that is missing from the film. Of course, it is impossible to tell the entire story in one TV movie. Graham has chosen a specific tale to tell about a character not as well known to the public as others involved, but who had a significant bearing on events. Given the subject it is likely to be contentious, but it is evidently well researched. Cumberbatch met Cummings and Graham credits journalist Tim Shipman and Craig Oliver - both of whom have written books on the referendum - as political consultants. The result is a very watchable TV movie that has a clear structure and a well-defined plot, which falls short because it ends up being a slightly-too-long biopic with an underdeveloped cast of supporting characters, rather than a revelatory edge-of-your seat political thriller that goes right down to the wire: a case maybe, of art failing to imitate life.

इस सप्ताह हम उस चौराहे पर जा रहे हैं जहाँ कला राजनीति से मिलती-जुलती है। यह नवीनतम आई वेईवेई इंस्टॉलेशन नहीं है, या कान्ये का ट्रम्प समर्थक ट्वीट नहीं है, बल्कि ब्रेक्सिटः द अनसिविल वॉर नामक एक टीवी फिल्म है, जो दो घंटे की नाटकीय कहानी है कि कैसे वोट लीव ने 23 जून 2016 को ईयू जनमत संग्रह जीता।


TV drama From There To Here revisits 'optimism' of 1996

Summary: On 15 June 1996, the IRA detonated a 3,300lb bomb in Manchester city centre. That afternoon, England played Scotland in the Euro 1996 football championship. That day was the dawn of a new era, a BBC TV drama suggests.

By Ian YoungsEntertainment reporter, BBC News Eighteen years ago, James Strong was training as a television director at Granada in Manchester. That Saturday morning, he was heading into the city centre to go shopping. "I think I might have been buying an England shirt to watch the game," he recalls. "I was walking down Deansgate and I remember a boom. Suddenly, I saw all the windows at the bottom end of Deansgate start to blow out. "Then I remember sort of falling over, and being on the floor, and thinking, 'How weird'. "I got up and it was really quiet. Then all the alarms [went off]. You could tell something had happened but I thought a building had collapsed or something." Strong turned around and went to a friend's flat, where he learned it was actually an IRA lorry bomb. It was the second biggest IRA bomb on the British mainland. A warning had been received, meaning no-one died, but 200 people were injured and it devastated the city centre. Now Strong has returned to the city to direct three-part BBC One drama From There To Here, which uses that day as its starting point. "To get the script 20 years later, I opened it up and read it and thought, 'Blimey, I've got a unique insight into this moment, and that period in Manchester,'" says the director, who also worked on Broadchurch. From There To Here, which begins on Thursday, stars Philip Glenister as a man who escapes unscathed from the blast - but finds his personal life wrenched in an unexpected direction as a result. Bernard Hill plays his father, who runs the struggling family sweet factory, and Steven Mackintosh plays brother Robbo, a ducker-diver who is in deep trouble with Manchester gangs. The story jumps in time as the mini-series goes on - from the summer of 1996 to the political shift of the 1997 general election and finally the post-millennial hangover of 2000. Creator Peter Bowker, whose past writing credits include Blackpool and the Bafta-winning Occupation, says he got the idea after concluding that the financial meltdown of 2008 marked the end of an era of optimism in British life. "So where did that period of optimism begin?" he says. "To my mind, anyway, that summer of '96 was the start of a kind of optimistic phase in British culture." Football "came home" as England hosted and reached the semi-finals of Euro '96. There was a confidence in British culture as Cool Britannia was in full swing and Blur and Oasis did battle in the charts. A new political era was dawning, with New Labour on the verge of sweeping away 18 years of Conservative government. Hope was in the air. "I realised there was almost an expectation," Bowker says. "They were expectations that one way or another weren't delivered on." The hopes that were invested in the footballers, the musicians and the politicians all eventually evaporated, he says. 'Turning points' As for the Manchester bomb, it wreaked havoc and destruction. But it was also the catalyst for the £1.2bn regeneration of the city, a regeneration that may not have happened on such a scale without the intervention of the IRA. "Over that summer, the event that we would think was the good thing was Euro '96," Bowker reflects. "And lo and behold, that expectation has not been met because England haven't done well in a major tournament since. "And the thing that we would say undoubtedly was the bad thing was the IRA bombing of Manchester. And yet its consequences, one would argue, have been fairly good. "It's only with hindsight we can work out which were the events which were turning points for good or bad." The Manchester bomb was also a turning point for another reason. It was the last IRA bomb of its size on the British mainland and the Irish peace process led to the Good Friday Agreement two years later. And as the threat of Irish republican terrorism receded after June 1996, dark clouds appeared on another horizon as the attacks on 11 September 2001 left the Western world fearing Islamist attacks and led to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Different age Bowker says: "Even the [IRA] bomb seems strangely old-fashioned compared with what we've encountered since from terrorism. "It was a bomb that seemed to be directed at buildings rather than people. It was very, very fortunate that it didn't kill people and that's no defence of it, but there seemed a slightly different tenor. So that alone... well, it's a different war." It has been 18 years since that day in 1996 and, watching the programme, it feels like a different age. "What the drama is getting at is whatever era we find ourselves in, we rush to judgement in the present," Bowker says. "It's only with hindsight that we can slowly start to unpick how we got there." From There To Here is on BBC One at 21:00 BST on Thursday 22 May.

15 जून 1996 को, आई. आर. ए. ने मैनचेस्टर शहर के केंद्र में 3,300 पाउंड के बम में विस्फोट किया। उस दोपहर, इंग्लैंड ने यूरो 1996 फुटबॉल चैंपियनशिप में स्कॉटलैंड से खेला। बीबीसी टीवी के एक नाटक से पता चलता है कि वह दिन एक नए युग की शुरुआत थी।


Two men arrested after rural Ayrshire drug seizure

Summary: Two men have been charged after police seized about £220,000 worth of drugs at a rural property in East Ayrshire.

A "significant quantity" of drugs and machinery were taken from the property near Dalmellington on Monday evening by officers with a search warrant. The men, aged 25 and 26, have been charged in relation to the alleged production of controlled drugs. Class C tablets, suspected to be benzodiazepines, and Class B drugs, thought to be cannabis, were recovered.

पुलिस द्वारा पूर्वी आयरशायर में एक ग्रामीण संपत्ति में लगभग 220,000 पाउंड मूल्य की नशीली दवाएं जब्त करने के बाद दो लोगों पर आरोप लगाया गया है।


Labour's battle with UKIP in Wales

Summary: The fight between Labour and UKIP is heading to Wales. Nigel Farage's party is challenging in seats where Labour traditionally dominate at the general election, and it could be on course for electoral success there within the year.

By Ross HawkinsPolitical correspondent Voters in Caerphilly have always elected Labour MPs. But on 7 May this was one of 120 constituencies where UKIP came second, and soon there will be another election here on terms likely to suit Nigel Farage's party. Professor Roger Scully, of Cardiff University, tells BBC Radio 4's the World at One that at the moment UKIP are on course to win six or seven seats in the Welsh Assembly next year. The campaign here will be one of the first jobs on the to-do list of a new Labour leader, and will pose a fundamental question: what should Labour do about the threat from UKIP? 'More organised' The voting system for the Assembly election next year combines first-past-the-post contests and proportional representation, giving smaller parties like UKIP a much better chance than in Westminster contests. Sam Gould was UKIP's candidate in Caerphilly at the general election, winning almost a fifth of the vote, its most improved result in Wales. A former Labour voter, he has only joined UKIP in the last year. A few months ago the party had no presence in the town. Showing me around the Lansbury Park estate there, he says: "We've only been organised as a party for a matter of three months and so for us to get to 20% of the vote after only organising ourselves and running a three month campaign is tremendous. So what can we do in a year?" There has never been a rush to vote Tory in much of south east Wales. The legacy of mines long since closed still marks the landscape, politics and cultural identity of the area. But Professor Scully says that doesn't guarantee an unchanging allegiance to the Labour party. 'Losing seats' He says: "There was an element of the Labour vote in the South Wales valleys, an element of sort of socially conservative working class voters in much of Wales, that was unenthusiastic Labour and that was ready and waiting you might say for UKIP to come along and try to attract them." You might think that a deeply worrying analysis for the Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones. Yet he appears far from panicked, instead suggesting other parties will suffer at UKIP's hands. He says: "All the opinion polls seem to suggest that the seats would come from other parties not from us, bearing in mind we have 30 out of the 60 seats and 28 of them are first past the post. "In terms of losing seats in the proportional representation section, actually it's other parties that would lose the seats other than ourselves." Labour's near-wipe-out in Scotland is recent, raw and devastating. It seemed unthinkable, until it happened. Scottish trauma Wales' politics are very different; neither UKIP nor the Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru have enjoyed an SNP-like surge. But after its Scottish trauma Labour must wonder whether the party in Wales - and its leader - accused by opponents of taking traditional support for granted and facing fresh threats, could suffer a similar fate. The Welsh First Minister says the possibility is "always there in the forefront of our minds". But he adds: "We wanted to make sure that people saw us as a party that would stand up for Wales, a party that was devolutionist in its outlook while at the same time not a party that supported independence and that was the basis for our success in 2011. "In Scotland I get the impression that Scottish Labour went the other way and left that contested ground to the SNP. It's not a mistake that we're going to make." He suggests Labour's leaders in Scotland made errors that he has already managed to avoid. His analysis will be tested by voters in Wales next May. With Scottish and London Mayoral and Assembly elections due on the same day, it could be a moment to help demonstrate whether Labour has learned how to win back voters, or whether it has been abandoned by some of its traditional supporters for good.

लेबर और यू. के. आई. पी. के बीच लड़ाई वेल्स की ओर बढ़ रही है। नाइजल फराज की पार्टी उन सीटों पर चुनौती दे रही है जहां आम चुनाव में लेबर पारंपरिक रूप से हावी है, और यह वर्ष के भीतर वहां चुनावी सफलता के लिए तैयार हो सकती है।


What caused the computer failure at Ulster Bank

Summary: Ulster Bank said on Monday it was making progress to deal with the backlog and delays in its payments systems caused by a technology problem at its RBS parent group. The BBC News website looks at how the computer failure happened and what the bank is doing to restore a full service.

How are transactions usually processed? Every evening RBS processes that day's transactions across its entire banking businesses, an average of 20m transactions. They are processed in batches through automated systems. In normal conditions the overnight processing is done before business resumes the following day. What caused the computer failure? RBS said a problem was created when maintenance on systems that are managed and operated by staff in Edinburgh caused an error. This error caused the automated processing to fail on the night of 19 June. Processing delays built up and staff had to intervene manually. They were unable to access the record of transactions that had been processed up to the point of failure. Finding out at what point processing had stopped delayed subsequent processing and created a backlog. As a result a significant number of customer account balances did not update as they should have from 19 June. What progress has the bank made to restore a full service? The backlog had to be cleared before the bank could begin to return the systems to normal. To restore a normal service, the batches had to be brought back into sequence. The bank said payments follow in sequence after those of NatWest and RBS. This is because of the way the technology was set up when the three banks were integrated. RBS said it regretted any confusion this might have caused. When will normal service resume for Ulster Bank customers? Staff are now working to catch up on the backlog. The bank said customers should see their balances updating during this week. Ulster Bank said normal service will take some further time as experience from dealing with the same issues in RBS and NatWest suggests that there may be "bumps along the road". How will customers be kept informed? Ulster Bank said it would issue a media update every day on its websites, via Twitter @UlsterBankGroup, in call centres and branches. Will there be an investigation? RBS said it would carry out a full and detailed independent investigation into the causes of the problem, once the critical system recovery tasks were completed. Will customers be compensated? Ulster Bank said it was committed to ensuring that no-one would be left permanently out of pocket as a result of the computer failures. Any customers affected should contact the bank.

अल्स्टर बैंक ने सोमवार को कहा कि वह अपने आरबीएस मूल समूह में एक प्रौद्योगिकी समस्या के कारण अपनी भुगतान प्रणालियों में बैकलॉग और देरी से निपटने के लिए प्रगति कर रहा है। बीबीसी न्यूज वेबसाइट यह देखती है कि कंप्यूटर की विफलता कैसे हुई और बैंक पूर्ण सेवा को बहाल करने के लिए क्या कर रहा है।


Gallery: Supermoon images from across Scotland to lift the spirit

Summary: Stargazers across Scotland captured some stunning images of a pink supermoon overnight.

Despite its name, there is not any noticeable colour difference to the full moon. It refers to a northern Native American reference to an early-blooming wildflower and is first seen across North America as spring begins. The lunar light show, which peaked at 03:55, was pictured by professionals and amateurs with spectacular results. All images copyrighted.

स्कॉटलैंड के स्टारगेज़रों ने रात भर गुलाबी सुपरमून की कुछ आश्चर्यजनक तस्वीरें खींची।


Hospital bug hits Royal Gwent, Nevill Hall and Aneurin Bevan wards

Summary: An "unexplained" outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting is affecting patients at three hospitals in south Wales.

District hospitals Royal Gwent at Newport and Nevill Hall, Abergavenny, have been affected along with Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan, Ebbw Vale. Aneurin Bevan University Health Board asked people with symptoms to stay away from hospitals for at least 48 hours. Officials have also restricted patients' visitors to two people to try to reduce the spread of the outbreak.

दस्त और उल्टी का एक "अस्पष्टीकृत" प्रकोप दक्षिण वेल्स के तीन अस्पतालों में रोगियों को प्रभावित कर रहा है।


A week in the life of a London trauma surgeon

Summary: Every 75 minutes, someone in London is admitted to hospital with traumatic injuries, according to the capital's ambulance service. In a week-long diary for the BBC, the London Trauma System's clinical director describes the moment he held a stabbed man's heart in his hands and how rising knife crime is "taking its toll" on the healthcare system.

By Sam FrancisBBC News Monday - Spleen removal Prof Karim Brohi is the clinical director of the London Trauma System, which oversees trauma care at 30 hospitals across the capital. He clocks in at the Royal London Hospital Major Trauma Centre - run by Barts Health NHS Trust - at 08:00 BST and is now its on-call trauma surgeon with overall responsibility for patients until the same time the following Monday. There are 42 patients on the trauma ward when he arrives, including an injured 15-year-old boy, eight stabbings and four gunshot wounds. Despite this, it's a relatively quiet day and he clocks off two hours late at 19:00. But within a couple of hours, he is called back to treat a teenager who has been stabbed multiple times. "A CT scan reveals severe injuries," Prof Brohi says. "We take him to surgery and open his abdomen. He has life-threatening injuries to his lung and spleen and has lost a significant amount of blood. "We have to resuscitate him as we proceed with surgery, before removing his spleen. Finally he stabilises and we are able to fix his other injuries." Tuesday - 50/50 chance The teenager from the previous evening is now "stable and doing well", despite losing his spleen. But overnight there are six new trauma patients, including two stabbing victims. During morning rounds a Code Red comes in - a man has has been hit by a car and has a severe pelvic fracture and bleeding. Specialist radiologists are called into perform a procedure known as an embolisation - where blood vessels are clogged with medical glue or tiny beads - to stop the bleeding. "The patient is taken to intensive care for further stabilisation, where specialist pelvic surgeons will take care of the next stage of his care," Prof Brohi explains. "Luckily he has no brain injury, but it's going to be a long rehabilitation process and I would expect there's only a 50/50 chance he ever returns to work." What happens during a Code Red? A Code Red is called in by paramedics when a patient may have only minutes to live. A team of specialists from around the hospital assemble in the major trauma unit and key staff are put on stand-by. An emergency operating theatre is put on hold and a CT scanner is held empty for the patient. Different types of blood are thawed and special components to help with procedures like embolisation are delivered. The patient arrives and a team of doctors and nurses have seconds to diagnose the problem and begin treatment. Wednesday - Keyhole surgery It's a quiet night, with only two new admissions. Monday's teenage stabbing victim is improving, despite being in a "fair bit of pain". Another teenager on the ward who was stabbed a week ago still has a large blood clot in his chest, which requires treatment. "I take him to surgery and we collapse his lung down and remove the clot using a keyhole surgery approach," says Prof Brohi. "About half a litre of blood and a clot is removed. He'll be sore tomorrow from the new drains we have placed but hopefully will now make a good recovery - physically anyway." The key facts about rising knife crime Thursday - Flashbacks and panic attacks A patient with very bad head injuries from an accident comes in overnight and the critical care team is brought in to support the "distraught" family. The prognosis is poor and "the next 24-hours will be critical," according to Prof Brohi. Elsewhere on the ward, four stabbing victims cannot be discharged because they are at risk of further violence if they return home. "Sometimes, despite our combined best efforts, people come back having been attacked again," the surgeon says. "Even for those who do go home, we know the level of post-traumatic stress for these people is extraordinarily high - many confine themselves to their own home, too afraid to go out. "They stop socialising or attending school or college. They have flashbacks and panic attacks. The stress on the family is immense." The hospital's trauma service works with St Giles Trust, which helps to steer people away from violent crime. Since joining forces with the charity, the hospital says it has seen a "substantial reduction in the proportion of people under 25 returning to hospital with further violent injuries", with fewer than 1% of cases returning to the trauma unit. But Prof Brohi believes the trust needs more support. "It is excellent in providing support for young people after they leave hospital, but their resources and reach is limited. We work hard to try to find a safe environment for these patients, but it can take time." What is the London Trauma System? The system encompasses four networks, each led by a major trauma centre at St Mary's, St George's, King's College, and Royal London hospitals. Between them they provide major trauma care to some 30 hospitals and health units across London and their resources are combined to ensure they provide care 24 hours a day. Since it was established in 2010, the London Trauma System says it has improved access to specialist trauma treatments and improved quality of care. It was the first system of its kind in the country and research by the Queen Mary Centre for Trauma Sciences shows death rates in the most critical patients have halved in 10 years. Friday - Hole in the heart Sadly, the prognosis of Thursday's head injury patient was accurate and she rapidly deteriorates and dies. She has no other medical problems and could be a potential organ donor, which "may be the only good that ever comes of such cases," Prof Brohi says. He spends the afternoon with the research team, which is conducting studies into improving survival rates from major trauma. Later, a Code Red brings the surgeon back to the hospital at 22:00 BST - a young man has been stabbed in the chest, and his vital signs are deteriorating. "The patient's blood pressure is falling rapidly. The trauma team has already started to resuscitate him and put him to sleep and my surgical registrar has started to open his chest, while I quickly gown up. "There is a massive blood clot around the heart stopping it beating which we rapidly remove, revealing a large laceration to the heart itself. "We control this with our hands while the team continue to resuscitate him and together we get his heart beating strongly again. My registrar then sews up the hole in his heart and we take him up to the operating room to complete the operation, closing his chest. "Just after midnight we go to speak to his family. I'm hopeful he will do well. But whatever the outcome, these conversations with a family in the relative's room in the middle of the night mark the beginning of a horrendous chapter in all their lives - from which some may never recover." Saturday - Dangerous amount of blood A young girl comes into the trauma ward losing a dangerous amount of blood after falling and cutting through the main artery in her arm. By the time she reaches hospital, paramedics have the bleeding temporarily controlled with a pressure bandage. "We whisk her up to the operating room to take a look while she is asleep under anaesthetic," says Prof Brohi. "Her artery is repaired and then our plastic surgeons do a great job of turning a horrible wound into a neat scar. She's transferred to the paediatric ward and her arm should hopefully be fine." A busy Saturday night sees nine further trauma patients admitted - four of which are stabbings. Two have injuries to their lungs, one to the liver. Luckily, none are serious enough to be operated on by Prof Brohi. Their acute injuries are managed and they are admitted for observation. Sunday - Pancreas in half Prof Brohi is at home playing Lego with his daughter when he gets a call that a man has been stabbed in the chest, back and legs. Although initially declared a Code Red, a CT scan reveals no major injuries and the surgeon is stood down and the registrar takes over. Later that evening there's another stabbing. This time, Prof Brohi is called straight to theatre. "We open his abdomen to find the knife has gone completely through his stomach and cut his pancreas in half. "We repair his stomach but need to remove half of his pancreas. He should have enough pancreas left so he is not rendered diabetic, but as always, time will tell. "He is at very high risk of infections and abscesses and it's possible he will need several more procedures after this." Prof Brohi says some of the violence he sees is "hard to even begin to comprehend". "There is no doubt that seeing these cases takes its toll on healthcare staff. But it can be nothing compared to being a teenager who is exposed to, and in fear of, this level of violence on a day-to-day basis. "The level of stress and anxiety on these kids, and their family, is unfathomable." The surgeon believes violence is increasing not just on London's streets, but across the country. "We do our best to save lives. But to really save a life - and make one that's worth living - takes a whole community. "We need to look again at our society, our culture and our values if we are to live in a world where children can be children, and mothers can be mothers, without ever having to sit in a hospital waiting room." The rest of the night is, thankfully, quiet. At 08.00 BST on Monday, Prof Brohi hands the service over to a colleague, and a new week on the trauma ward begins. You might also be interested in: Why are more and more adults wearing braces? The homeless teen who studied by candlelight 'I call my stem cell donor my sister'

राजधानी की एम्बुलेंस सेवा के अनुसार, हर 75 मिनट में, लंदन में किसी को दर्दनाक चोटों के साथ अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया जाता है। बीबीसी के लिए एक सप्ताह की लंबी डायरी में, लंदन ट्रॉमा सिस्टम के नैदानिक निदेशक ने उस क्षण का वर्णन किया है जब उन्होंने एक छुरा घोंपे गए व्यक्ति के दिल को अपने हाथों में लिया था और कैसे चाकू से बढ़ते अपराध स्वास्थ्य सेवा प्रणाली पर "अपना प्रभाव डाल रहे हैं"।


Tour de France: William, Kate and Harry to attend Grand Depart

Summary: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will attend the Tour De France Grand Depart in Yorkshire on 5 July, Kensington Palace has announced.

The first leg of the Tour de France, the world's biggest cycle race, will take riders from Leeds city centre to Harrogate. The second day of the race will start in York and end in Sheffield. Yorkshire beat off bids from Florence and Edinburgh to host the prestigious event. The race last visited the UK in 2007, when London hosted a prologue ahead of a road stage from the capital to Canterbury, attracting two million spectators. Leeds is hosting a festival of cycling and the arts to coincide with the arrival of the Tour.

केंसिंगटन पैलेस ने घोषणा की है कि ड्यूक और डचेस ऑफ कैम्ब्रिज और प्रिंस हैरी 5 जुलाई को यॉर्कशायर में टूर डी फ्रांस ग्रैंड डिपार्ट में भाग लेंगे।


Detectives and noxious locks take on bike thieves

Summary: Helena Maersk is on her first bike hunt.

By Nell MackenzieBusiness reporter, BBC News Normally, she sells electric bikes. But one night in July, while she partied in Camden, her bike was stolen. So she joined the reconnaissance team of her bike firm, VanMoof, to try to track down her lost set of wheels. Using her smartphone she zeros in on a beacon that pings the bike's location. The tracking system shows her the bike is somewhere in a set of buildings, so Helena and her partner stop to gather more information. Local shopkeepers and restaurant owners say they haven't seen the bicycle, but then a piece of luck. A bin man says he has spotted the unusual silver bike frame at a caravan park. At this stage, to give them a bit of authority the two put on company uniforms, with portable cameras attached, and head to the park. The gate is locked and there is no bell, so they yell "hello" through the gates. A lady appears and stares through the metal bars, clutching at her pink coat. "That's our bike, the silver one and we can either take it or we'll have to call the police," they say. She agrees to fetch her father, who emerges from one of the trailers, opens the gate and tells them to take it back. "Somebody left it there," he says. They unearth it from a pile of 30 other bikes. As they pedal back to the London shop front, they share a bag of Maltesers in celebration. Helena's bike was made by VanMoof, which builds anti-theft measures throughout the whole bike. If the frame number has been scrubbed away, its signature Bluetooth address is still traceable from a smartphone. The wheels are secured with special theft preventative nuts. It becomes useless as an electric bike the moment it is stolen. And, the bike is easily tracked. If the alarm or the flashing skull sign does not deter a would-be thief, VanMoof offers a £270, three-year service, that will send a team out to chase down your stolen bike. If they don't find it within two weeks the company will replace the bike for free. More Technology of Business "We want to prove to thieves that our bikes aren't worth stealing," says Leigh Richards, VanMoof's UK brand manager. Even if they are dissuaded from going after VanMoofs, there are still rich pickings for bicycle thieves. The coronavirus pandemic has seen a spike in bike sales, with Halfords reporting a 57% jump in revenues during the 13 weeks leading to 3 July. At the same time, bicycle thefts have also surged. According to BikeRegister UK. September alone saw a 57% increase on the same time last year Increasingly, consumers are looking for products that incorporate advanced security measures. Yerka, a Chilean bicycle company that sells its cycles globally, also has theft prevention at the heart of its design. The Yerka's frame separates into two parts. The seat detaches and slides through to the lower bar to lock. If the lock is cut, the bicycle and its seat are ruined. Like the VanMoof, Yerka's wheels are secured with specialised nuts. If the bike is stolen in the first two years, they will replace it for free. Last year, only two were taken. "We want thieves to think this bike will be too complicated to steal," says Andrés Roi, one of the company's three founders. Others have taken a more creative approach to bike security. Daniel Idzkowski's SkunkLock is branded "the lock that fights back", and is definitely meant to scare off a would-be bike poacher. Mr Idzkowski, who himself has had eight bikes taken in the last 15 years, was out to lunch with a friend whose bike was stolen. The cycle was well-locked with one of the most expensive D-locks on the market. "Why isn't there a lock that just blows up?" Mr Idzkowski said at the time, his temper exploding, before he realised he was on to a good idea. Using food-grade chemicals and the guidance of a team of scientists, Mr Idzkowski created a lock that, when cut into, emits a gas so foul smelling it induces vomiting. In a sign of his dedication to innovation, Mr Idzkowski tested the product himself. "I only had to experience it once myself to know, okay, we have something here that will work," he says. The San Francisco-based company has been active since 2016, but this October the first ever bike that was locked with a SkunkLock was stolen. To avoid the lock, the criminals destroyed the entire bike rack instead. Mr Idzkowski hopes this proves a more democratic solution for those that can't afford high-end bicycles. "If you had a $50 bike that you had since you were a kid, that meant the world to you, I wanted to make something that would protect that," he says. Over half of stolen bikes that are not abandoned or kept by the thieves, wind up on ecommerce sites like Ebay and Gumtree, according to a recent report from London's Metropolitan Police. A large number of those are being sold by organised crime groups involved in county lines drug dealing, with some even going abroad. Even if a stolen bike is recovered by police, there's no guarantee it will be reunited with its owner as relatively few bicycles are registered to the national cycling database, which is accessible to police. For £12-30, BikeRegister will either give you a serial number on a sticker or print a number which can only be detected by UV light. While many retailers maintain databases of owners - that also enable them to market to members - such records are not searchable by UK police forces. Superintendent Mark Cleland, the national lead for cycle crime, says if more people added their details to BikeRegister, it would not only aid in the recovery of many more bikes, but also begin to choke the thieves, reducing the ease with which criminals can shift stolen property. Regulation could help too, he adds. He suggests the government could make removing a product serial number an offence. "That would make it nigh on impossible to sell stuff on," he says.

हेलेना मार्स्क अपनी पहली बाइक शिकार पर है।


Hendon stabbing: Teenager charged with murder

Summary: A teenager has been charged with murdering a man who was stabbed to death in north-west London.

Asante Campbell, 24, died after he was found with stab wounds inside a car in Parson Street, Hendon, at 21:00 GMT on Saturday. The Metropolitan Police said 19-year-old Hafid Abdi Mohammed Omar, of Orange Hill Road, Edgware, had been charged with murder. He is due to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court later. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

एक किशोर पर उत्तर-पश्चिम लंदन में चाकू मारकर हत्या करने का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Bloodhound diary: A tale of two halves

Summary: RAF fighter pilot Andy Green intends to get behind the wheel of a car that is capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h). Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the Bloodhound car will mount an assault on the land speed record. Wing Cmdr Green is writing a diary for the BBC News Website about his experiences working on the Bloodhound SSC (SuperSonic Car) project and the team's efforts to inspire national interest in science and engineering.

By Andy GreenWorld Land Speed Record Holder GETTING IT RIGHT, FROM THE FRONT TO THE BACK There's so much going on at the moment that I don't know where to begin. Four months ago we were still wrestling with a five-tonne car that developed 10 tonnes of lift at 1,000mph (which, from my point of view as the driver, is really not a good thing). Solving this problem for a car travelling at over 1,000mph is described by our computer modelling genius, Ben Evans, as "finding the Holy Grail". After three years of cutting-edge aerodynamic research, he's right to be that excited. We've known for a while that we can do this astonishing 1,000 mph land speed record - now we know how. With this huge success behind us, the team continues to charge ahead with the detailed design of BLOODHOUND SSC. We're now signing up product sponsors to build big chunks of the car. A major UK aerospace company (can't tell you who just yet - they will announce it shortly) has agreed to make the whole back end of the car. Bloodhound divides neatly into two parts for manufacture. The carbon-fibre front end contains the hugely strong cockpit structure and the aerodynamic nose, which will endure aero loads of up to 12 tonnes per square metre at 1,000mph. The back end of the car is a steel frame, which has to take the nine tonnes of jet thrust from the EJ200, plus 12 tonnes of thrust from the Falcon hybrid rocket, plus the vibration and temperature from both jet and rocket, plus all the suspension loads. Then, right after the thrust stops, there's nine tonnes of brake chute drag to deal with. How hard can that be? I expect I'll find out, once I'm strapped into it - glad we've got someone really good to make the frame. We've agreed the brake chutes that we want: high-speed (over 600mph) for the desert running in South Africa and low-speed (250mph) for UK runway testing. The steering wheel design will be made by a process called "Additive Layer Manufacturing" (the shape is literally "grown" using a laser - it's like watching science fiction). The manufacturing list goes on - you can understand why we're excited about it. We're also hugely busy with a full programme of public shows this summer. This project is about education and public involvement - and that means getting out there to show people what we're doing. I work full-time for the Royal Air Force, so mostly I'm only let out to play at the weekends. I made it to a couple of events, including the MACH Show at the NEC, where HRH The Duke of York came to find out more about the education programme. July is going to be even busier - the Goodwood Festival of Speed (where we have bragging rights on speed), the F1 Grand Prix (where we have bragging rights on power - even our rocket pump motor has 800hp) and our biggest event this summer: Farnborough International Air Show. We will be unveiling our new, full-size (12.8m long) show car at Farnborough, which represents the final aerodynamic shape. Quite simply, it's stunning - the world has never seen a car like this before. Farnborough Airshow will also be the debut for our "Bloodhound Driving Experience". Based on a driving simulator, our IT partner Intel has helped us to build the first version of a Bloodhound test cockpit. It gives you (and me!) the first chance to see what it's like to drive 10 miles in 36 seconds, in a 1000mph jet-rocket car. I've been helping to develop the software and tried it again last night. It's remarkable. Fantastically quick. And a bit scary. Come and try it for yourself.

आरएएफ लड़ाकू पायलट एंडी ग्रीन एक कार के पहिये के पीछे जाने का इरादा रखता है जो 1,000 मील प्रति घंटे (1,610 किमी/घंटा) तक पहुंचने में सक्षम है। एक यूरोफाइटर-टाइफून जेट इंजन को बोल्ट किए गए रॉकेट द्वारा संचालित, ब्लडहाउंड कार भूमि की गति के रिकॉर्ड पर हमला करेगी। विंग कमांडर ग्रीन ब्लडहाउंड एसएससी (सुपरसोनिक कार) परियोजना पर काम करने के अपने अनुभवों और विज्ञान और इंजीनियरिंग में राष्ट्रीय हित को प्रेरित करने के लिए टीम के प्रयासों के बारे में बीबीसी समाचार वेबसाइट के लिए एक डायरी लिख रहा है।


Slovakia election: Liberal Caputova bucks Europe's populist trend

Summary: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," read a recent post on Zuzana Caputova's Facebook page, as she appealed to Slovakia's 4.4 million registered voters to back her in this weekend's presidential race.

By Rob CameronBBC News, Bratislava This political newcomer and front-runner has framed the contest as a battle between good and evil - and if she wins she will become the country's first female president. That famous quote might sound overblown for a largely ceremonial position with almost no executive power. But one year after the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, a killing that led to the fall of Slovakia's pugnacious Prime Minister Robert Fico, the election is being seen as a litmus test of how far Slovak society has changed. "If Caputova wins on Saturday, which is very likely, it could start a far-reaching political and generational change in Slovak politics after the long rule of Fico's populist Smer party," said analyst Milan Nic, a senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin. "Victory for Caputova would present a different face of Central and Eastern Europe, showing there's an alternative to illiberal forces and centralised political control developed in Hungary and Poland. "The Caputova scenario would also mean big encouragement for the opposition in Poland, which is trying to combine forces against the ruling Law and Justice party in the European parliament elections in May." Why rival has struggled against new face of politics Zuzana Caputova might have two decades of experience as a lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner, but her experience of government or diplomacy is dwarfed by that of her challenger Maros Sefcovic. Formerly head of Slovakia's mission to the European Union, he is now one of the six vice-presidents of the European Commission. But his presidential bid has been hampered by his association with Robert Fico and the Smer party that nominated him (although he is not a party member). Regularly at pains to distance himself from the former prime minister, Mr Sefcovic is still tarnished with the brush of a discredited political establishment. The 52-year-old diplomat is a graduate of the elite Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and applied to join the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in May 1989 - six months before the fall of the regime. In terms of perceptions, he is truly the political "old" to Zuzana Caputova's "new". "She is credible, independent from the establishment, and represents positive change. In a way she's shaping up to be the Slovak Macron," explained Milan Nic. "Electing a divorced single mother and civic activist from outside the political establishment as head of state would be a huge turning point, not just for Slovakia, but for the broader region as well," he went on. Caputova and a changing Slovakia Certainly the 45-year-old divorced mother-of-two is seen as closer to "ordinary" voters than the men in suits who have dominated Slovak politics, even though her liberal views on such issues as LGBT rights are likely to alienate her from some voters in this conservative and largely Catholic country. But perhaps the decisive factor in these elections will be the disgust and anger still felt at Kuciak's murder - an act that Zuzana Caputova says prompted her to enter politics. There is even a connection with the man who Slovak prosecutors believe ordered the killing, Marian Kocner. During her 14-year legal battle over an illegal landfill site in her home town of Pezinok, she crossed swords with Mr Kocner, who was representing the firm trying to expand the site. A wealthy businessman with connections to many Slovak politicians including Robert Fico, Mr Kocner is now in custody awaiting trial for murder. "If she wins, it will be proof that the majority of people in Slovakia care about their country and are fed up with the corrupt and criminal system of Mr Fico," said Matus Kostolny, editor-in-chief of the liberal daily Dennik N. "Ten years ago, a liberal woman [Prime Minister Iveta Radicova] was not able to persuade enough people of her policies. But Slovakia has changed."

ज़ुज़ाना कैपुटोवा के फ़ेसबुक पेज पर हाल ही में एक पोस्ट में उन्होंने स्लोवाकिया के 44 लाख पंजीकृत मतदाताओं से इस सप्ताहांत की राष्ट्रपति पद की दौड़ में उनका समर्थन करने की अपील करते हुए कहा, "बुराई की जीत के लिए केवल एक चीज आवश्यक है कि अच्छे लोग कुछ न करें।"


Coronavirus: 'I cut a carrot for the first time, aged 41'

Summary: Alia Akkam is a food and design writer from New York who now lives in Budapest. Diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 39, she says the pandemic forced her to confront one of her greatest fears and loves - cooking.

While others fawned over sourdough to alleviate their pandemic stress, I was grateful that the mandatory time indoors had forced me, aged 41, to cut-up a carrot for the first time. Restaurants had always fascinated me. When I lived in New York, I went out night after night and wrote about them. I devoured their menus, I listened to their chefs gush about ingredients. Some evenings I greedily planned two back-to-back dinners with friends, a martini the only transition. I wished that I could cook, but for 20 years it's something I told myself I couldn't do. So I didn't. In high school, I thought there was something wrong with me. I couldn't hit balls in gym class, I didn't know what to do with a video game joystick and that fed my shame and frustration. I thought cooking would be just as challenging, so I avoided it. But in March, when Budapest's restaurants closed, food delivery, in the face of a crisis, seemed an irresponsible way of feeding oneself. So this time, I went for it. I had learned a few years ago that my kitchen avoidance was actually a coping strategy. In April 2018, days before my 39th birthday, I sat across from a psychiatrist. He reviewed my responses to questions about childhood and the poor results of a motor-skills test where I clicked on triangles instead of circles. Then, he announced I had ADHD. I cried when I heard this diagnosis because for years I had suspected it. ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - affects attention and self-control. Characteristics can include impulsivity, struggles with multi-tasking, intensity, distraction and boredom. But we also have a knack for hyper-focus so I can spend hours writing without getting up which can be wonderfully productive. It was packing a box that sent me over the edge. I was consulting on a film set and my boss asked me to do the task, but I was paralysed by this request - where to start? How much bubble wrap to use? My colleagues laughed and I got angry at myself that such a simple task was so baffling. Less than a year later I went to the ADHD Centre. Little was mentioned of ADHD when I was growing up on Long Island in the 1980s. It was a term reserved for those trouble-making boys who couldn't sit still during lessons. That introverted girls with perfect ponytails reading at an advanced level could have it was unfathomable. But if one looked closer, that tell-tale restlessness lurked in other ways. I was a day-dreamer, staring out the window thinking of coffee ice cream, or scribbling lyrics on the back of an adverb worksheet. I played with my hair. I did anything but listen. Teachers' words floated in and out of my head like excerpts of dreams - I would read the textbook and catch up later. This limbo continued after school. Mundane tasks that are mechanical for most people felt insurmountable. It's hard for people with ADHD to do things they don't want to do and to do things when they are supposed to - taxes were paid a year late, my drying rack morphed into a closet because I couldn't bring myself to hang up my clothes. And, I was petrified of cooking. Any time I tried to chop an apple, I was left reaching for a band aid. Knives reminded me just how severely uncoordinated I am and time management can be a drag, which is a problem in the kitchen. When lockdown was on the horizon, I was on the tram and saw a woman with two bags of groceries. Wheat tortilla wraps peeked out and I thought how lovely that she was going home and making fajitas during the pandemic. I wanted to do the same. I began with crushing my first obstacle: the grocery store. Those with ADHD can easily be overwhelmed by choice, and as others effortlessly reach for pineapple juice, I stand there paralysed. It goes back to being overwhelmed and the fear of getting started. What do I actually need to buy? How much should I get? I persevered and became familiar with the aisles and soon, like my fellow mask-clad shoppers, I only grew frustrated when shelves were wiped clean of baking powder. Baking, as it happens, is pretty seamless for me. My wandering ADHD mind prefers the precision of it. Quarantine reinforced how much I relish stirring chocolate pudding and observing brownies heave their way from liquid to solid form. It was cooking that tripped me up. There are so many variables that confound me - how exactly does one blanch green beans? A visual learner, I relied on YouTube videos, watching how to make crispy tofu 10 times in a row - I wanted to ensure that I got the technique right. I tore spinach by hand and cut peppers with a butter knife until I felt comfortable enough to slowly and deliberately dissect that first carrot. A friend suggested I buy a chainmail glove so that I can cut with confidence in the future. There were many discouraging mistakes along the way, like the dried-out white bean quesadilla no amount of chipotle salsa could salvage, and the burnt peanuts that botched a stir fry. But there was also a fresh basil lasagne devoured in 24 hours and a zesty marinade I concocted on the fly. I learned how to make fluffy rice and, it turns out, I'm good at layering interesting flavours. There are numerous techniques I need to nail before I can consider myself an average cook. When a recipe says it will take an hour to prepare, I allot two. I have invested in enough glasses and bowls so that I can fully lay-out the ingredients before the cooking begins and I feel so much less anxious doing this. I know that for many people cooking is joyful because they get to be creative but I need the comfort of a recipe. Going through the steps in my mind beforehand helps tremendously. My diagnosis, which first felt like failure, is liberating. There is a freedom in knowing that my brain is wired differently. I overhauled the way I work - implementing colour coded to-do lists - and allow myself ample time to finish things. And now I have conquered the kitchen. Once Budapest begins to open up again I shall enjoy seeing friends at restaurants, but those hangout sessions will be interspersed with my newfound cooking rituals. I may go out for lunch, but there will be an Italian pasta salad chilling in the fridge for dinner. Maybe this is what balance looks like. If you have been affected by ADHD the organisations ADHD Foundation and ADHD Action may be able to help. For more disability news, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook and subscribe to the weekly podcast on BBC Sounds.

आलिया अक्कम न्यूयॉर्क की एक खाद्य और डिजाइन लेखिका हैं जो अब बुडापेस्ट में रहती हैं। 39 साल की उम्र में एडीएचडी से पीड़ित होने के बाद, उनका कहना है कि महामारी ने उन्हें अपने सबसे बड़े डर और प्यार-खाना पकाने का सामना करने के लिए मजबूर कर दिया।


Ex-coach 'Kit' Carson bailed in historical abuse probe

Summary: A former football coach and scout arrested as part of an investigation into allegations of abuse in the sport has been freed on bail.

Michael Sean Carson, 74, and known as Kit, from Cambridge, was detained on Friday on suspicion of indecency with children and indecent assault. He has worked for clubs including Peterborough United, Cambridge United and Norwich City. Police said a man in his 70s arrested on Friday was bailed until 6 March.

खेल में दुर्व्यवहार के आरोपों की जांच के तहत गिरफ्तार एक पूर्व फुटबॉल कोच और स्काउट को जमानत पर रिहा कर दिया गया है।


Work begins on Swindon town centre redevelopment

Summary: Work is set to start on the first phase of the £330m Union Square development in Swindon town centre.

An 850-space car park and a block of 45 apartments is to be built on the site of the former central police station. Developers Muse were granted planning permission for the scheme by Swindon Borough Council in November 2011. Chris Hitchings, of economic development company Forward Swindon, said that work beginning on the site was "welcome news".

स्विंडन टाउन सेंटर में 330 मिलियन पाउंड के यूनियन स्क्वायर विकास के पहले चरण पर काम शुरू होने के लिए तैयार है।


Can Thai peace talks with rebels succeed?

Summary: Ever since a dramatic raid on a Thai army base in January 2004 announced an aggressive new drive for a separate Islamic state in the far south of Thailand, a great deal about this insurgency has remained a puzzle.

By Jonathan HeadBBC News, South East Asia correspondent Who are its leaders? What exactly do they want? How many are there? Are they prepared to negotiate? It seems some of them are. Hassan Taib, from an older generation of campaigners who largely abandoned their armed struggle against the Thai state in the 1990s, has just signed an agreement with Lt-Gen Paradorn Pattanathabutr, secretary general of Thailand's National Security Council. It sets out a loose framework for talks between the two sides, due to start in two weeks. Official recognition That is significant progress. It commits the Thai government to recognise the insurgents as a negotiating partner with political demands that must be listened to. But who does Hassan Taib represent? He is from one of the many factions of PULO (Pattani United Liberation Organisation), which has had little role in the recent insurgency. Now he calls himself a leader of the BRN (Barisan Revolusi Nasional), another broad umbrella group with little influence over the fighters on the ground. Last year, he was involved in a previous attempt at peace talks with Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled former prime minister and sister of the current Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Those talks went nowhere. There was an uproar in Thailand when it was revealed that Mr Thaksin was involved. No demands The movement thought to be closer to the fighters, or juwae as they call themselves, is a more militant breakaway from the BRN, the BRN-C. But it has no clear leadership and is not thought to be involved in this latest initiative. Indeed, the young men who carry out the almost-daily attacks in Thailand's southernmost provinces have shown no signs of being ready to talk about anything. They do not speak to journalists or officials or make any demands. If there is one man who might be able to act as a bridge between the militants and those like Hassan Taib, who say they are negotiating for them, it is probably Sapae-ing Basor, says Don Pathan, who has been reporting the southern conflict for more than a decade. He is the former head of an Islamic school who is often referred to as a kind of spiritual leader for Malay Muslims in Thailand. But he has been in hiding since criminal charges were brought against him eight years ago. The Thai government has not indicated any willingness to reach out to him or offer him immunity. Why now? Nor has the Thai side expressed any readiness to discuss political concessions like autonomy, which might tempt some of the insurgents to support the talks. Yingluck Shinawatra did air the idea of autonomy in her election campaign of 2011, but swiftly dropped it after strong opposition from the army. The Thai military, which is the dominant force in the far south, is uneasy about any concessions which might give the insurgents greater legitimacy or threaten the integrity of the state. So why has this initiative been announced now, with such fanfare? The enthusiasm of the Malaysian government is one factor. Prime Minister Najib Razak must call an election within the next few weeks - success, or the appearance of it, in helping fellow Malays over the border might help bolster his sliding support. Ms Yingluck too would like to be able to show some progress, after a daring raid by the insurgents on an army base this month brought home to Thais how little has been done to end the conflict. Perhaps, once the talks get started, they may acquire enough momentum to attract the interest of some of the fighting groups on the ground. Only when they are involved, along with civil society groups with strong roots in the far south, is any meaningful progress likely to occur.

जब से जनवरी 2004 में थाई सेना के अड्डे पर एक नाटकीय छापे ने थाईलैंड के सुदूर दक्षिण में एक अलग इस्लामी राज्य के लिए एक आक्रामक नए अभियान की घोषणा की है, तब से इस विद्रोह के बारे में बहुत कुछ एक पहेली बना हुआ है।


Traditional Welsh Caerphilly cheese wins EU protected status

Summary: Wales' only native cheese has joined the ranks of Welsh lamb, Anglesey sea salt and Pembrokeshire early potatoes in being awarded a special status.

The name Traditional Welsh Caerphilly is protected from imitation, misuse and fraud under the European Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Gwynfor and Thelma Adams started making the cheese in 1987 when milk quotas were introduced. Thirty years on it is still made with the same original recipe. The EU protected food name scheme covers regional and traditional foods whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed. It recognises foods which are produced, processed and prepared in a specific region using recognised expertise. There are currently 84 protected food names in the UK. Mr and Mrs Adams' son, Carwyn runs the family business, Caws Cenarth based in Carmarthenshire. Welcoming the status, he said: "It's a guarantee of its quality and authenticity, and the skill and passion involved in the making".

वेल्स का एकमात्र देशी पनीर वेल्श लैम्ब, एंग्लेसी समुद्री नमक और पेम्ब्रोकेशायर के शुरुआती आलू की श्रेणी में शामिल हो गया है जिसे विशेष दर्जा दिया गया है।


Covid-19: Northern Ireland's major milestones

Summary: When a lockdown was announced in March, in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus, most of us thought it would be a few weeks of hunkering down - sticking together but staying apart.

By Amy StewartBBC News NI Christmas restrictions may not have been on our radars. But somewhere along the way, the reality kicked in that Covid-19 was here for the long haul - but hopefully not forever, with the approval of two vaccines in the UK. But how did we get here? We take a look at the major milestones in Northern Ireland's response to Covid-19. The first case in Northern Ireland The first case of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland was diagnosed in a woman on 27 February 2020. She had been in northern Italy and flew in to Dublin Airport before travelling on to Northern Ireland. By 19 March, the first coronavirus-related death in Northern Ireland was confirmed. Up to 29 December, a total of 1,311 deaths had been recorded by the Department of Health (DoH). Its daily figures are based on a positive test result having been recorded. By contrast, in the week ending 18 December, there were a total of 1,649 Covid-19-related deaths recorded by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (Nisra). Nisra's figures are based on mentions of the virus on death certificates, so people may or may not have previously tested positive for the virus. On 30 December, the DoH reported a record number of positive coronavirus cases in 24 hours. A dire warning The day the first death was announced, Health Minister Robin Swann described the scale of the impending surge as being "of biblical proportions". He said there could be 14,000 to 15,000 deaths, adding, "that is the nightmare, worst-case scenario". The executive's response and public health messaging did not go unchallenged on social media. However, in September Mr Swann hit out at what he called the "usual suspects" on "socially-distanced high horses". Closing the schools This proved to be another hot potato politically. Schools in the Republic of Ireland closed on 13 March, and subsequently the first sign of divisions appeared within the Northern Ireland Executive over its handling of the crisis. Twelve hours after the executive issued an agreed response to keep schools open, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill broke ranks and insisted that schools should close immediately. Schools in Northern Ireland closed a few days later and remained shut for five months. They were back for the new September term but closed for an extended half term break on 19 October as part of tighter Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the executive. Plans to reopen schools in the first week of January 2021 were also changed in response to "unprecedented levels of positive Covid-19 tests since Christmas". Locking down On 28 March, the executive announced an unprecedented set of emergency regulations that brought Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK. For the next few months people began a "new normal" - working from home if they could, no unnecessary journeys, no mixing with other households and many other restrictions on daily life. Many businesses were forced to close and faced fines if they opened. There was also a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as gloves, face masks and aprons. Health unions in particular voiced concerns about a lack of supplies and GPs warned the system was in crisis. A joint order between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland was not completed, despite Finance Minister Conor Murphy saying it had been agreed. Eventually it seemed the PPE problem was resolved with the health minister saying there was a "sufficient" amount in April. Almost 170m items of PPE were delivered in the first five months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Track and trace Northern Ireland was the first of the four UK administrations to roll out a contact-tracing programme, as part of its plans to tackle coronavirus. The system was initially carried out solely by telephone, with Public Health Agency staff talking to people who had tested positive, but from 9 October, the tracing service has been working on a "digital first" basis. Northern Ireland launched its Stop Covid app at the end of July - the first part of the UK to have an app in place. Help for businesses The pandemic has had a devastating effect on some businesses. Since lockdown was first announced in March, a range of financial measures has been introduced to help individuals and businesses but many firms felt they had fallen through the cracks. From the furlough scheme to grants, here is a full list of the support available. The biggest failure? Nursing homes emerged as one of the hidden stories of the Covid crisis. At the end of May, Nisra revealed that nursing home residents had accounted for more than half of Covid-19-related deaths in Northern Ireland. At the peak, 72 care homes experienced a Covid-19 outbreak. Trouble on the hill The public soon got used to Covid press briefings at Stormont with First and Deputy First Ministers Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill. However, there was a hiatus in the double act when, at the end of June, Michelle O'Neill attended the funeral of leading republican Bobby Storey. It was September before they started to appear again together. However, it was not just the two leaders who appeared at odds. In November, Stormont talks were deadlocked over lifting Covid restrictions. Face masks During the first lockdown, mask wearing was not mandatory but as society began to emerge from lockdown there was a move towards encouraging the public to wear them. The wearing of face coverings on most buses, trains and ferries then become mandatory in Northern Ireland from 10 July. In August, the executive announced face masks would become compulsory in shops and other enclosed public spaces. Ease, tighten and repeat The last nine months has been marked by a gradual easing and then tightening of restrictions. On 18 May, garden centres and recycling centres reopened, as part of a five-phase blueprint for lifting restrictions. Non-essential retailers opened on 10 June, with much of the hospitality sector and beauty industry on 6 in July. The Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which was put in place by Westminster, was a drive to boost the struggling hospitality industry. However, as the R rate and hospital admissions began to rise, by autumn there were localised lockdowns and eventually more strict rules were put in place again. Grades debacle With exams cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown, A-level results were calculated using a mixture of teacher-predicted scores and a Department of Education algorithm. Education Minister Peter Weir made a U-turn when more than a third of teacher-estimated grades were lowered in the final results issued on 13 August. Four days later, he announced that students would be awarded the highest grade either predicted by their teacher or awarded using the algorithm. The news the world waited for On 2 December, it was announced that the UK had become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. Margaret Keenan, 90, became the first person in the world to be given the Pfizer Covid-19 jab. The grandmother, originally from County Fermanagh, said it was the "best early birthday present". The first Covid-19 vaccine in Northern Ireland was then given to nurse Joanna Sloan on 8 December and is being rolled out throughout nursing homes. A vaccine from Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has also been approved for use in the UK. 'Tis the season to bubble? On 22 November, a UK-wide plan was backed to allow some household mixing "for a small number of days" over Christmas. The idea was that people from three households would be able to meet indoors over the Christmas period, from 23 to 27 December. With that in mind people booked flights and made plans. However, the news that a new coronavirus variant was spreading more rapidly changed everything. On 19 December, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the planned relaxation of Covid rules for Christmas had been scrapped for large parts of south-east England. A travel ban meant a change of plan for those hoping to spend the festive season in NI. The NI executive agreed to cut the "bubble" to just one day over Christmas. But unlike the Republic of Ireland, the executive did not enforce a travel ban on those coming in from GB. On 26 December, Northern Ireland went into a six-week lockdown, with a plan to review it after four weeks. The vaccination rollout continues - Covid-19 is not over yet, but the new year brings a new year of hope.

जब मार्च में कोरोनावायरस के प्रसार को सीमित करने के लिए लॉकडाउन की घोषणा की गई थी, तो हम में से अधिकांश ने सोचा था कि यह कुछ हफ्तों के लिए होगा-एक साथ रहना लेकिन अलग रहना।


Vietnam waterfall deaths: Three Britons killed at Datanla site

Summary: Three British tourists have been found dead near waterfalls in Vietnam.

One of the group has been named as Christian Sloan, from Kent, who was described by his family as a popular man who "lived for life". Two women aged 19 and 25, named in reports as half-sisters Izzy Squire and Beth Anderson, were also found near the Datanla falls, Lam Dong province. Early investigations suggest one of the group slipped while exploring the falls and inadvertently took the others down. Police have questioned a local man, but he has not been detained. Mr Sloan's family said: "Christian's death is a very sad loss to us. "He was a very popular young man, formerly in the Royal Navy, who had many, many friends not just locally but around the world." James McGlashan, who was travelling with Mr Sloan at the time, wrote on Facebook to say he was on his way to Ho Chi Minh City and thanked people for the messages that had been flooding in. "Thank you for all your support. Devastated RIP Sloan." 'No ropes' Nguyen Van Yen, deputy chairman of Lam Dong province, who was in charge of the operation to recover the bodies, told the BBC: "When we found the bodies, we found their helmets and safety jackets but no ropes. "According to our initial investigation, after visiting the Datanla waterfalls, they went to the forest to another area for canyoning. "On their way, they passed through a stream which flowed into a waterfall. Unfortunately a person slipped, taking the other two with them." The man who was with them was questioned by police but has not been detained, he said. Their bodies are being moved from from Lam Dong province to Ho Chi Minh City. According to local reports, emergency workers had to climb down a steep slope to recover the bodies. The deputy director of the tourist company which manages the falls, Vo Anh Tan, said visitors usually started at the top of the tiered waterfalls and climbed down. James McGlashan's father, Alan, from Deal in Kent, said his son had not gone on the tour because he had been ill and later had to identify the bodies at the hotel he had been staying in. He said the trip had been booked through the hotel with a tour company that had had excellent reviews. Safety concerns Simon Calder, travel editor at the Independent, told the BBC the area was extraordinarily popular on the backpacker trail, offering opportunities for canyoning, white water rafting and to climb or descend the waterfalls. The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head said the number of international visitors to Vietnam had risen rapidly in just a few years - and this would raise safety concerns. "As in much of the rest of South East Asia, law enforcement in Vietnam is weak, and a culture of accident prevention is almost non-existent," he said. The UK Foreign Office said: "We are providing support to the families of three British nationals following their deaths near Da Lat, Vietnam. "Our sympathies are with their families and friends at this difficult time. We are in close contact with local authorities in Vietnam on their behalf." Da Lat is the capital of Lam Dong province, in the country's central highlands.

वियतनाम में झरने के पास तीन ब्रिटिश पर्यटक मृत पाए गए हैं।