Why are Nike trainers washing up on beaches?

Summary: Over the past year, from Bermuda and the Bahamas to Ireland and Orkney, hundreds of pairs of unworn shoes have washed up on beaches. But how did they get there, and why are scientists so interested in where they are being found?

By Hamish MackayBBC News In September 2018, on Flores Island, in the remote Atlantic archipelago of the Azores, Gui Ribeiro began noticing strange items washing ashore. At first they appeared in small numbers and could be dismissed as ordinary artefacts lost by individuals - mere flotsam among the churn of man-made waste that inhabits the world's oceans. Soon, though, it became clear these Azorean arrivals were part of a greater group. Trainers, flip-flops and a selection of other footwear were appearing with a regularity that singled them out from the other tidal deposits. They were the same brands, in the same styles, and, for some of the trainers at least, the same production dates were printed on a label sewn into the tongue of each shoe. Moreover, every item of footwear appeared to have been unworn. In the months that followed, Mr Ribeiro retrieved about 60 Nike trainers, along with a host of other brands. News of the findings began to spread. Seven months later, and 1,400 miles (2,250km) away in Cornwall, UK, Tracey Williams started noticing a similar trend. "A friend in Ireland asked me if I had found any," says Ms Williams. "I went out the next day and found quite a few. "Beach cleaners or beach-combers tend to network, so if a certain item is washing up, we quickly find out about it and we're then on the lookout." As well as the Azores and south-west England, specimens of this scattered footwear flotilla have so far been found on beaches in Bermuda, the Bahamas, France, Ireland, Orkney and the Channel Islands. The source of all these shoes is believed to be a single ship. "Through the research I have done," Mr Ribeiro says, "everything indicates they may have been from some of the 70 to 76 containers that fell overboard from the Maersk Shanghai." In early spring last year, the Maersk Shanghai - a 324m (1,063ft) vessel capable of carrying more than 10,000 shipping containers - was travelling from Norfolk, Virginia, down the east coast of the US to Charleston, South Carolina. On the evening of 3 March - 17 miles from the Oregon Inlet, off the coast of North Carolina - it was caught in a storm. While battling high winds and rough seas, a stack of its cargo-laden containers toppled overboard. At the time, the maritime trade press reported that aircraft crews sent to locate the missing containers had found nine of them floating, but that seven had later sunk. It is not possible to say with certainty all the recovered footwear originated from the Maersk Shanghai - the vessel's operator Zodiac Maritime did not respond to BBC questions on the matter. Nike also chose not to comment when contacted. However, two footwear brands, Triangle and Great Wolf Lodge, confirmed the examples of their products that had been retrieved did originate from the ship. And Mr Ribeiro is not the only beach cleaner to be convinced they came from the Maersk Shanghai. Liam McNamara, from County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland, has found "well over 100" shoes - mostly Nike trainers - that in his opinion "most definitely" came from that vessel. "One company has admitted to losing stock from that shipment and another admitted losing stock at sea," he says. "They've been turning up all over the place." So what impact can events like this have? "Whatever it is - if it is sinking to the bottom or washing up on beaches - it's going to have a detrimental impact to the marine wildlife," says Lauren Eyles, from the Marine Conservation Society. "The shoes will be breaking down to micro-plastics over years, which will have huge impacts on the amazing wildlife we have both in the UK and worldwide." Estimates vary, but it is thought about 10 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans each year. Asked how big a role container spills play in that pollution, Ms Eyles says it is not fully understood. "I don't think there's enough data on it to draw proper conclusions," she explains. The World Shipping Council estimates that of the 218 million containers transported annually, just over 1,000 go overboard. But one oceanographer, who worked with Nike helping to clear up a spill of its shoes in the early 1990s, believes the real number is likely to be higher. "It's a number the industry likes to dispute," says Dr Curtis Ebbesmeyer. "I think it's in the thousands of containers annually. The question really is: what's in them?" It is at least possible in this case, Dr Ebbesmeyer says, to estimate the size of the spill. "A container can hold about 10,000 sneakers. So if you say 70 containers multiplied by 10,000, that gives you an upper limit [of 700,000 sneakers] that could be out there." Despite the environmental damage, scientists can salvage something from such incidents - a better understanding of our oceans and the currents that drive them. While many of the shoes from the Maersk Shanghai have been washing up on beaches, far more are likely to be doing laps of the North Atlantic ocean, stuck in a network of powerful currents. When and where the shoes appear, Dr Ebbesmeyer says, can tell us how fast the currents are moving. "If they've gone about halfway around [from North Carolina to the UK] in just over a year, then it takes about three years to go once around the North Atlantic. So that's the typical orbital period of the sneakers, but that hasn't been studied by oceanographers much at all." Even more enlightening, Dr Ebbesmeyer says, is how the shape of the shoes seems to dictate where they end up. "The left and the right sneakers float with different orientation to the wind," he explains. "So when the wind blows on them they will go to different places. So on some beaches you tend to get the left sneakers and on others you get the right." Despite the criticism of the commercial shipping industry, Dr Ebbesmeyer believes it has started to clean up its act. But he says more could be done. "It takes something like 30, 40, 50 years for the ocean to get rid of this stuff," he says. "I think companies that have spills think we will just forget about it - but it just keeps washing up. So how do we hold companies responsible? Right now there is no accountability." Part of the problem is that shipping companies only have to report lost containers if they could become a hazard for other vessels or if they include substances deemed "harmful to the marine environment", such as corrosive or toxic chemicals. While the Marine Conservation Society says products like trainers harm marine environments, they do not count as "harmful" for the purpose of reporting cargo lost at sea. The International Maritime Organization - the UN's shipping regulator - told the BBC it recognised "more needs to be done to identify and report lost containers" and it had "adopted an action plan to address marine plastic litter from ships". For Ms Williams, who goes down to clean beaches near her home in Newquay, Cornwall multiple times a day, there is no easy solution. "Nobody wants their goods spread across beaches and polluting the ocean," she says. "But I think it would be good if companies could be more open about cargo spills - if they could put their hands up and say: 'Yes there has been an incident.'" "These things are going to happen, but there doesn't seem to be any responsibility when they do," Mr McNamara adds. "The bottom line has to go back to the shipping companies; they're responsible for their cargo." All images subject to copyright.

पिछले एक साल में, बरमूडा और बहामास से लेकर आयरलैंड और ऑर्कनी तक, समुद्र तटों पर सैकड़ों जोड़ी बिना पहने हुए जूते बह गए हैं। लेकिन वे वहाँ कैसे पहुँचे, और वैज्ञानिक इस बात में इतनी दिलचस्पी क्यों ले रहे हैं कि वे कहाँ पाए जा रहे हैं?


Runcorn man charged over Cheshire and Derbyshire care home sex abuse claims

Summary: A man has been charged with historical sexual offences following allegations of abuse at two former care homes.

The charges relate to Taxal Edge children's home in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire between 1975 and 1978 and the former Kilrie children's home in Knutsford between 1980 and 1991. Bruce McClean, from Runcorn, is facing a total of 40 charges relating to eight alleged victims, Cheshire Police said. The 61-year-old is due before Stockport Magistrates' Court on 26 February.

दो पूर्व देखभाल गृहों में दुर्व्यवहार के आरोपों के बाद एक व्यक्ति पर ऐतिहासिक यौन अपराधों का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Talk of Brexit deal breakthrough: Handle with care

Summary: The mood music has suddenly changed again. There's oh so much Brexit speculation in the air. Will an EU-UK trade deal be announced early next week? The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier is expected to brief the 27 member states early Friday about the state of play. After months of often tortuous and circular negotiations - could this be it?

Katya AdlerEurope editor@BBCkatyaadleron Twitter Well, it could be. But "it" might still be a week or (not too much) more away. Frankly, "it" could have easily taken place yesterday or even a month or two ago. The main three sticking points in talks - fish, competition regulations and how to govern the deal if it is ever agreed - have been clear from the start. Each side knew compromises would inevitably be called for. But whether or not to make them, and who should move first? That's what we've been waiting for the two parties to decide. Of course, EU coastal states, like France, the Netherlands and Spain, have long known full well they'd need to reduce their catch in UK waters. But they haven't wanted to budge in negotiations until they saw UK government flexibility on another key issue: competition rules. No 10 no longer wants to be tied to Brussels' regulatory apron strings after Brexit. That's a given. But the EU has been waiting for the UK to accept that it won't offer tariff- and quota-free access to the single market to a serious competitor on its doorstep (the UK) unless that competitor signs up to commonly agreed standards on fair competition. Brussels also wants legal guarantees that those rules and standards will then be respected in practice. Mutual trust is in short supply. Which leads us back to the government's Internal Market Bill. The EU wants assurance that the UK government will remove or won't re-instate (depending on the date an EU-UK agreement is settled) clauses in the bill which contradict the Protocol on Northern Ireland, signed by Boris Johnson and EU leaders last year. The government insists those clauses are needed as a safety net to preserve trade links across the UK. The EU says they break an international treaty and threaten not only the integrity of the single market but also the Northern Ireland peace process. Something the government denies. Once UK and EU negotiators are finally clear which compromises the other is willing to make, then the hows and whens of announcing the deal come down to choreography and how to "sell" the deal. Both sides have to be able to come away from the negotiating table pronouncing this a win. Arguably this "PR drive" is particularly crucial for Boris Johnson. The deal will be a thin one. A pretty distant relationship to the EU - at least in terms of trade - means new costs and red tape for businesses. To be clear: in these last hours and days of talks, the choice facing the government is not between either a hard or a soft Brexit. That ship has already sailed. The UK is leaving the EU's customs union and single market. The government's choice now is between a hard Brexit with a deal, or no deal with the EU at all. Remember, whatever happens now - deal or no deal - this will in no way be the end of EU-UK relations talks. Neither financial services, nor pet travel have been part of these negotiations, for example. Finding agreement on those topics and others, such as easing the flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, will likely be easier if this deal is agreed. It should smooth bilateral relations - or at least, not sour them any further. For now though, handle all talk about an imminent trade deal announcement with care. It's true, there's little time left to negotiate. There are only six weeks till the end of the transition period. Not only must the deal be agreed by then, it also needs to have been signed off by parliament in the UK and the European parliament too. But - until we know for sure that on those tough political compromises, the UK and EU have simultaneously held their nose and jumped - all the rumours and whispers you hear are just smoke and mirrors.

मूड संगीत अचानक फिर से बदल गया है। हवा में ब्रेक्सिट की इतनी अटकलें हैं। क्या अगले सप्ताह की शुरुआत में ईयू-यूके व्यापार सौदे की घोषणा की जाएगी? ईयू के मुख्य वार्ताकार मिशेल बार्नियर से शुक्रवार की शुरुआत में 27 सदस्य राज्यों को खेल की स्थिति के बारे में जानकारी देने की उम्मीद है। महीनों की अक्सर कठिन और परिपत्र वार्ताओं के बाद-क्या यह हो सकता है?


Northern lights display captured over England

Summary: The Aurora Borealis - better known as the Northern Lights - has been giving rare and spectacular displays over parts of England.

The light show, which is caused by electrically charged particles from the Sun entering the Earth's atmosphere, was visible as the Earth moves into a new alignment with the Sun. The display was spotted across the North East, Yorkshire and Cumbria. Here are some of the images that were captured. Aurora hunting in the UK iWonder: How can I see the Northern Lights in the UK?

ऑरोरा बोरेलिस-जिसे नॉर्दर्न लाइट्स के नाम से जाना जाता है-इंग्लैंड के कुछ हिस्सों में दुर्लभ और शानदार प्रदर्शन दे रहा है।


Guernsey population policy to be voted on again

Summary: Changes to Guernsey's population policy, which were agreed in January, will be debated by the new States before being put into action.

Deputies agreed to start work on a system of short, medium and long-term employment permits to replace the current housing licence system. Housing Minister Dave Jones said it had taken three years of work to get to this point. He said it was vital to have the full support of new members. "The majority of them will not have studied that document in depth," he said. "It's pointless doing huge amounts of work if the majority of the new States members say 'actually we don't agree with [it]'." He said the chief minister was trying to find dates when the strategy could be presented to all States members so the work could move forward.

ग्वेर्नसे की जनसंख्या नीति में परिवर्तन, जिस पर जनवरी में सहमति बनी थी, को लागू करने से पहले नए राज्यों द्वारा बहस की जाएगी।


Bloodhound diary: An F1 boost

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 COSWORTH POWER COMES ON BOARD The end of the year is getting closer and work continues flat-out to finish the chassis design, before manufacture starts in the New Year. There is growing interest in the project from sponsors both here and abroad, and although things are a bit hand-to-mouth right now, major deals are now coming in. On Wednesday, we announced that F1 engine supplier Cosworth was coming on board, and we'll be signing up another great name in just a few weeks (I promised this back in August, but it really is close now!). These will help a lot. We are still on track to have the car built by the end of next year and test-running on a runway in the UK in early 2012. Meanwhile, we are going to do a pressure-fed rocket test at full power in the near future, to prove the catalyst pack under maximum load. The catalyst pack needs to cope with over 900 litres of HTP (concentrated hydrogen peroxide) being forced through it at over 1300 pounds per square inch (76 Bar). To produce this pressure and flow rate, the pump is driven at 11,000 revs per minute and needs up to 700 hp to turn it. That's where Cosworth come in. We've now got one of their latest F1 engine (yes, really) as our Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) just to turn it. The evolution of the external shape continues, with a look at the T-tail configuration. Having the rear winglet right at the top is good for the aerodynamics, but not for structural rigidity, so we're looking at moving it half-way down the fin for extra strength. The aerodynamic testing is being done right now, so we can confirm this change soon. Meanwhile, the Fin continues to fill up with names (the Union Flag is made up from thousands of names of our supporters) - now's the time to get your name on the fin before it's full! Ron Ayers, our enduringly brilliant aerodynamics and performance expert, has developed a model of the V-shaped wheel interaction with the desert. His figures indicate that the drag will be much lower than our previous estimates, as the wheel "planes" on the surface at high speed, like a boat hull. Is he right? I don't know - but history indicates that he usually is. The reduction in drag means that we can widen the rear-wheel track still further, from its original 1.8m out to 2.2m, increasing the car's stability by nearly a fifth - which gets my vote! Another advantage of the V-shaped wheels is that they will be much more aerodynamic than the previous square-edged designs, which might allow us to reduce or even remove the rear wheel fairings. This will avoid any problems of damage from the huge vibration and heat from the jet and rocket. October has seen some supply-chain successes. As well as our APU above, we've found a couple of possible suppliers for the carbon-carbon disc brakes that the car will use at "slow" speed - below 250mph. With new sources for the carbon discs, we've decided not to use a surface drag brake like the one used on the Craig Breedlove/Steve Fossett car. By the way, the Fossett car is up for sale, so if they can find a buyer with a few million dollars, then we might have some 800+ mph competition by next year. I really hope they do - it will make the race to 1,000 mph that much more exciting if there are other challengers for the Land Speed Record. Other cars to study and compare will also add another element to our education programme, which has now reached over 4,000 schools and colleges. If your school isn't studying Bloodhound science yet, now's the time to sign up! I think we've also found our ideal chute supplier. After two years of looking, I went to talk to Survival Equipment Services. They've got everything that we need for both the runway testing and the high-speed running, and they are keen to help. Stopping the car is important (acceleration is optional as I can always throttle back, but when we hit 1,000 mph, slowing down becomes compulsory!). The airbrake design is also coming on. The problem with modelling airbrake airflow is that they create a lot of turbulence - in other words, the flow is unstable. This is a very complex problem for a computer and needs a huge amount of computing power. Hence we're running the problem on a computer called HECToR - one of the most powerful supercomputers in the UK (500 million million calculations per second). Answers to follow shortly... Bloodhound has been out to meet the public, with our first visit to London. The exclusive bank Coutts hosted the show car in its front window on the Strand, generating great interest from passers-by and some fun photographs when we arrived. Bloodhound was also a major part of the Land Speed Record weekend at Coventry Transport Museum. Thrust 2 took the record from the Americans back in October 1983 and Thrust SSC broke that record (and the sound barrier) in October 1997 - so the UK has now held the record for a total of 27 years. It was interesting to compare Bloodhound SSC with the current record holder, Thrust SSC, which set the current record with 763mph. Bloodhound SSC will have more power than Thrust SSC, but only half the weight and less than half the drag - which is why it's so much faster. From a standing start, Bloodhound will be stationary 10 miles away in 100 seconds. That's what I call performance. The 10 miles in question is of course in the Northern Cape of South Africa. Great news from there also: we have now got all of the environmental clearances in place and can start work on the desert. Now there's just the small matter of clearing the 24 million square metres of desert surface that Bloodhound will need to run. Our friends at the Northern Cape are fired up about creating the world's fastest race track - so a huge thank you to them in advance - and I'll tell you more about this epic piece of activity month.

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।


Portrait Salon 2014

Summary: Portrait Salon is perhaps unique in the world of photographic exhibitions as it comprises material rejected from another show. This is the fourth year that material submitted to, and rejected by, the Taylor Wessing National Portrait Gallery Photographic Portrait Prize has been brought together.

Phil CoomesPicture editor This year Christiane Monarchi (editor of Photomonitor), Emma Taylor (Creative Advice Network) and photographer Martin Usbourne (Hoxton Mini Press) selected 70 portraits from 1,184 submissions. Emma Taylor notes that the judges had to follow their "gut instincts" when selecting images, due to limited time to assess each entry, though she feels that "there's something rather liberating about this, something pure". She adds the chosen pictures are "images that made us smile, images that made us question, images so beautiful we unanimously cheered their submission". As you would expect, the work is engaging and diverse. It carries on the tradition of past shows and feels like one put together by photographers for photographers. The pictures are what is important, and the viewer will find much to delight. Portrait Salon was founded by Carole Evans and James O Jenkins in 2011, and this year the show opens at Four Corners, London on 6 November. It will then tour to Fuse Art Space in Bradford, Oriel Colwyn Gallery in Clwyd, Napier University in Edinburgh as well as Birmingham, and Bristol. Further details can be found on the Portrait Salon website. Here is a selection of the pictures in the exhibition.

पोर्ट्रेट सैलून शायद फोटोग्राफिक प्रदर्शनियों की दुनिया में अद्वितीय है क्योंकि इसमें किसी अन्य शो से अस्वीकृत सामग्री शामिल है। यह चौथा वर्ष है जब टेलर वेसिंग नेशनल पोर्ट्रेट गैलरी फोटोग्राफिक पोर्ट्रेट पुरस्कार को प्रस्तुत और अस्वीकार की गई सामग्री को एक साथ लाया गया है।


Iran protests: Videos reveal crackdown regime tried to hide from world

Summary: One video filmed through a doorway appears to show a woman looking at a teenage boy lying in a pool of blood on a pavement, as a riot policeman swings a baton at people running past him.

By Jiyar GolBBC Persian Another from the southern city of Shiraz shows a crowd trying to help a motionless man on the ground, as other people retreat along a smoke-filled street amid the sounds of shouting, screaming and gunfire. In a third. taken from inside a moving car in the capital, Tehran, a woman can be heard screaming as plainclothes security personnel or militiamen detain a man. It was the fear of such footage reaching the outside world that prompted the authorities in Iran to shut down access to the internet for more than eight days earlier this month, as protests against a sharp rise in the price of petrol spread across the country. Now the internet has been partially restored, videos have been appearing on social media that paint a picture of a government crackdown more brutal and bloodier than many had feared. The identities and stories of the protesters who lost their lives have also emerged. Conflicting narratives The Iranian authorities have not released any official figures about casualties, but Amnesty International has received what it considers credible reports that at least 143 protesters were killed after the protests erupted on 15 November. The human rights group says the deaths resulted almost entirely from the intentional use of firearms by the security forces - though one man was reported to have died after inhaling tear gas and another after being beaten. Amnesty believes the death toll is significantly higher, and activists and official sources inside Iran have told BBC Persian that it exceeds 200. An Iranian diplomat dismissed such figures as "speculative" last week and accused "Western entities" of making "baseless allegations", while President Hassan Rouhani blamed the protests on "subversive elements" acting on a plan hatched by Iran's foreign enemies. However, the videos filmed by Iranians on their smartphones - many of them graphic and difficult to watch - have cast doubt on the government's claims. The footage appears to show security personnel and members of the paramilitary Basij force, which is frequently used to help suppress dissent, beating up unarmed protesters in the streets and firing live round into crowds at close range. 'Thousands injured or detained' Continuing calls for donations of blood by Iranian health officials also suggest that thousands of people have been injured in the crackdown. Hospital staff have told BBC Persian that security officers are going to hospitals to look for wounded protesters. One doctor said the officers were removing bandages to check whether they were covering bullet wounds and arresting anyone who had them. The judiciary said on Friday that about 100 "leaders, heads and main figures of the unrest" have been arrested by the Revolutionary Guards, and that a large number of people who had taken part in protests but not caused any damage had been released. But sources inside Iran have told BBC Persian that the number of detainees is in the thousands. In some cities, military barracks, sports venues and schools have been converted to detention centres. A video from a person living in a high-rise building near one school appeared to show detainees being manhandled by security officers. Despite the assertion by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the protesters had "roots outside of the country", the Ministry of Intelligence told parliament that most of those held were unemployed youths from poor families. 'We live like beggars' Journalists based in Iran were limited in their ability to report on the protests or were too afraid to do so, and those based elsewhere were hampered by the internet shutdown. But BBC Persian, which is banned from Iran, was able to get in touch by telephone and other means with citizen journalists, activists and other trusted sources on the ground. Despite the judiciary warning people that circulating videos of the unrest was a criminal offence, we received footage from locations all over the country. The videos showed the protesters targeting symbols of the government, the clerical establishment and the security forces, as well as banks and petrol stations. The epicentres of the protests were predominantly Kurdish towns on the western border with Iraq, as well as areas on the outskirts of major cities like Tehran, Karaj and Shiraz. All are places with among the highest levels of unemployment in the country. "The price of petrol is rising, we are poorer," protesters in Shiraz chanted in one video. "The supreme leader lives like a God. We, the people live like beggars," said people in Malard, near Tehran in another. "No to Gaza, no to Lebanon. We sacrifice our lives for Iran" was a chant heard in Isfahan. Clearly, there is disquiet about Iran's activities in the Middle East. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has spent billions of dollars arming, training and paying militias in the region, saying that if the force does not fight Iran's enemies beyond its borders then it will have to face them on the streets of Tehran. But the protesters in the streets believe the money should have been invested in their country and their future. US sanctions reinstated by President Donald Trump last year when he abandoned a nuclear deal with Iran have targeted the country's oil and banking sectors. The sanctions, combined with corruption and mismanagement, have pushed the Iranian economy to the brink of collapse. But the crisis has not persuaded the government to change its policies. Victims' stories State media and newspapers close to the security forces depicted the protesters as hooligans, who they said were seeking to loot and vandalise public property. But the stories BBC Persian has heard from the families of those killed paint a different picture. Fatima, a 40-year-old mother of two, was one of the demonstrators killed near Tehran. Her family said she went out to protest against unemployment and inflation. Another victim was Armin Qaderi, a 10-year-old boy, from Kermanshah. He died after going out to buy bread, according to his family. Many families told BBC Persian that their relatives went out to express their anger at the economic crisis but that the authorities answered them with bullets.

एक दरवाजे से फिल्माए गए एक वीडियो में एक महिला को फुटपाथ पर खून से लथपथ एक किशोर लड़के को देखते हुए दिखाया गया है, जब एक दंगा पुलिसकर्मी उसके पीछे से भाग रहे लोगों पर लाठी उछाल रहा है।


Rail fare rises: Your stories

Summary: Rail passengers are facing fare increases from January.

In England some rail fares will rise by 6.2% or double the rate of inflation, but for other areas the rise may be higher. Scotland will see ticket prices rise by 4.2%, while Wales has still to set a figure. Commuters across the country have been sending in their reaction. Here is some of what they had to say. Martin Belk, Edinburgh and London I live in Edinburgh and London so have experienced rail services on both sides of the border, and travel regularly between Glasgow, Edinburgh and London. The services are already shambolic in Scotland, and the fares have already gone up. They spend thousands for unnecessary ticket barriers and ticket attendants to catch the lone one or two fare cheaters, but cannot even put enough coaches to services the customers who paid full price for a seat. On the rush hour trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow there are only three carriages so everyone stands and the services are almost always late. This industry needs to be overhauled and regulated. To commute between Glasgow and Edinburgh every day is £14. It is a disgraceful ripoff and just seems like a mis-managed mess. I've been travelling by train in England now for two months and the number of carriages aren't as much as a problem and the fares aren't as high for the distances travelled. The staff are also much friendlier and more helpful. I can't believe the problems in the Scottish rail service aren't being addressed. Dan Smith, Garforth, West Yorkshire The price rise is meaningless to me as I've already been priced out of using public transport. It costs me around £5.50 a day to drive into York and back, whereas the 15 minute train journey is £15. Even if I got a season ticket it still works out cheaper to drive, so I now drive from Garforth to my job in York. I am lucky as there is free parking at work, otherwise the cost would be very high. Rail companies seem intent on increasing revenue by raising prices without considering that they could raise revenue by attracting more passengers by offering realistic prices. Parimal Kumar, Walton on Thames I'm a commuter travelling from Walton on Thames to Waterloo. This time last year there was a 6% rise in ticket prices - judging by the news I'm expecting a similar rise again. Genuine competition on each line is needed. A free market needs competition and proper regulation. We should not be in a position that South West Trains is the only supplier of services to south west of England. This could be implemented similarly to landing slots at major airports. One train company runs the 0715, for example, and another the 0730 - with price incentives if you always take the same train. Unless you have plurality of choice, there will be no competition and hence rail users (be they commuters or others) will be screwed. Reform of season tickets will be helpful as well - bringing out a carnet system where you buy a series of tickets in advance and use them when you need them, rather than fixed weekly, monthly or annual tickets. This will help people who don't commute every day. Dominic Topham, Teddington I am expecting an increase in the fares. Currently rail tickets constitute about 8% of my salary. I work in Canary Wharf, but also travel to see my daughter in Sheffield. The increase will carry on because we have private companies running the railways. Private companies quite rightly want to make a profit and have their shares increase in value, but who pays for it? Recently my family went to the south of France by train and it's amazing how the French get everything right. Here it just seems to be short term profits. We need to set it up as a whole company and that means everything including Network Rail. Not nationalised per se, but independent and so profits can be re-invested into the whole network. How does the government get money back? Simple, tax the railway as a normal company. I think we can all agree it isn't working as it should. Money isn't being reinvested in the railways the way things stand. Iain Paton, Linlithgow To travel to my job in Glasgow, I pay £16 a day. This works out at 13% of my salary, increasing to 15% over the next couple of years if these rises continue, and that's even with just 1% above inflation in Scotland. The operator - First Group - raises fares by a higher amount on the commuter routes, balanced by lower rises elsewhere. The standard of service in Scotland is abysmal. Trains are frequently cut short, half-length during the peak period. They are often late, although not counted as late due to the strange monitoring regime that allows exceptions and five minutes delay to be counted as "on time". The ticket office in my town is usually closed due to "staff shortages". If the weather is slightly inclement, this invariably results in cancellations and delays which are inexcusable in our foreseeably wet climate and during cold winters. One of the reasons for train delays and overcrowding is a lack of rolling stock which I believe is down to poor maintenance and an unwillingness to invest. On one route, we had a slam-door carriage train and we were crammed into the guard's van on a particular occasion. To add insult to potential injury, there is an attitude of hostility to passengers on the part of ScotRail, with flexi-pass holders being subjected to additional draconian checks and a cosmetic ban on alcohol induced anti social behaviour. Craig Anderson-Jones, Southampton I earn an average wage - not great, but not minimal, yet I pay 8.5% of my pre tax wage on train travel alone. That's £1784 a year. Put on top of that the cost of childcare (nearly £600 per month) and my bills to get to work are nearly £1600 per month. To some not much, to me a lot. I can't even afford to get on the property ladder, so I have to rent. I don't actually think I could afford to get to work if this keeps going on! It's a never-ending circle. The thinking seems to be: let's get people into work but pay them more if they stay on benefits, let's shake up the economy by increasing fuel and public transport costs. I enjoy working, but more and more I question why I'm working when I see a lot more people with a better standard of life than me. I do not want to claim beneifts and want to earn my own living. Ultimately I will be forced to move to a closer location. The cost of driving to work and parking all day makes it even more expensive to get to work. Personally I think people who do travel distances to work should be able to claim it back or get tax break if they can prove the expenditure.

रेल यात्रियों को जनवरी से किराया वृद्धि का सामना करना पड़ रहा है।


Trump and the media - Is it war or love?

Summary: For the past week I have been in New York and Washington, talking to key players in the media here. By that, I don't just mean the hated mainstream media, whatever that phrase means. I've also spoken to conservative talk radio hosts who think of Donald Trump as an emissary from the promised land.

Amol RajanMedia editor And I've come closer to understanding Trump's highly coherent media strategy. In short, his "war with" the media ought to be updated to "marriage to" - or "affair with". It turns out, as I argued some weeks back, that the man alleged to be at war with the media is threatening to create a golden age for it. Whether liberal, conservative or neither; print, television, radio or web, this former reality TV star is boosting subscribers, traffic, ratings and revenues all over the shop. Some people think Trump's pronouncements are not so much a media strategy as pure madness. Perhaps so. Yet - like Polonius - I detect method in it. Three principles, simple and wholly unoriginal each, have coagulated to create it. In their variety and efficacy, they contain lessons not just on the psychology of this remarkable leader, but also the nature of modern media. A dead cat on a table First, Trump evinces a disarming fondness for dead cats. Not literally, you understand. I mean the dead cats that Lynton Crosby specialised in. You may recall that the Australian strategist, one of the most effective campaign managers and manipulators of media in modern history, had a habit of throwing 'dead cats' into the national conversation. The technique is simple. If you and I were having a conversation, and then suddenly someone threw a dead cat onto a table, we'd stop talking about whatever riveting subject had heretofore detained us, and talk about the dead cat instead. Dead cats appearing out of nowhere are more interesting than most subjects of daily conversation. Trump's tweet about his predecessor wire-tapping his phones is probably the most lively dead cat in our time. One simple claim - for which many US media say he lacks robust evidence, and that could not be substantiated by spokesman Sean Spicer - has dominated the news agenda for a week, and taken the sting out of stories about Trump's relationship with Russia. Second, use digital media to speak directly to the base, without the filter of journalistic judgement and interpretation. Trump notoriously uses social media to cut journalists out of the picture. Why bother being interviewed by a pesky hack, when you have 26.3 million followers on Twitter? But because journalists are so fond of Twitter - it's a personalised news feed, after all - there can be a tendency to ignore Facebook, where Trump also has more than 20 million followers, who between them have social networks with hundreds of millions of people. And so too talk radio, which is a bigger phenomenon in the US than Britain. Trump often speaks to the likes of Rush Limbaugh. Andrew Wilkow presents The Wilkow Majority on Sirius XM's The Patriot Channel, which boasts 31.3 million subscribers ("We're Right. They're Wrong"). He told me that conservative talk radio hosts have been uniquely effective in exploiting the opportunities of digital media. He said American journalism had for years been a "closed guild", but that had now been smashed open. Third, favour conservative and even conspiratorial media outlets in press briefings. We know that Spicer, whose Spicer Doctrine asserts that it is the role of government to hold the media to account, has sometimes cut traditional media out of briefings. A marriage of convenience? We know that the most powerful voice in Trump's ear is that of Stephen Bannon, the anti-globalist who used to run Breitbart News. And we know from his courting of Fox News that Trump will unashamedly focus his limited time for interviews on sympathetic outlets. He has also given plenty of time, for instance, to Alex Jones of Infowars. I interviewed Mark Thompson, the former Director-General of the BBC who is now President and CEO of the New York Times. They have seen subscriber numbers soar. When I asked if Trump's war with media was a marriage of convenience, Thompson told me that he certainly didn't think of his company as being in partnership with Trump - but there have been very sharp increases in willingness to pay for news. The year-on-year increase in Times subscribers has added several million dollars in net revenue. They might have grown had Trump never run for office. But this much? No way. It is, then, an abiding irony of our age that the sustenance of decent and often liberal journalism owes so much to a man who is instinctively suspicious of reporters and popularised the term "fake news". Dean Baquet, the Executive Editor of the New York Times, said Trump had helped his team to "clarify their mission". After a decade of soul-searching, he added, the news industry has found that its new mission turns out to be similar to the old one: dig deep, find stuff out, and report it fairly. When, a few weeks ago, this blog pointed out that far from being an enemy of the press, Trump is in fact its saviour, I wondered if comrades in the trade would be offended at the suggestion. To my surprise, many were sympathetic. Trump is a journalistic challenge in so many ways. How do you reconcile presidential falsehoods with the duty of impartiality? Should you really hang on his every tweet? What does political journalism look like when you get no access to the top? Aside from all that, however, is another quandary. They might find him unappealing. He might seem hostile to all their most sacred principles. But Trump has put journalists - and journalism - in a debt to him that will never be fully serviced.

पिछले एक हफ्ते से मैं न्यूयॉर्क और वाशिंगटन में मीडिया के प्रमुख खिलाड़ियों से बात कर रहा हूं। इससे मेरा मतलब सिर्फ नफरत करने वाले मुख्यधारा के मीडिया से नहीं है, चाहे इस वाक्यांश का जो भी मतलब हो। मैंने रूढ़िवादी टॉक रेडियो होस्ट से भी बात की है जो डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प को वादा किए गए देश से एक दूत के रूप में मानते हैं।


#towerlives Haifa Shamsan: High-fashion hijabi

Summary: #towerlives is a week-long festival of storytelling and music, on air and on the ground, around the council estate tower blocks of Butetown in Cardiff. BBC Wales, 1XTRA, Radio 2 and News Online are collaborating all week with documentaries, news reports, features, comedy, spoken word and music. Haifa Shamsan, who lives in the tower blocks, is part of the rapidly growing Muslim fashion industry and has set her sights on the big time.

By Delyth LloydBBC News Haifa Shamsan is a proud "hijabi"- a Muslim woman who chooses to wear the hijab, or head scarf, as a symbol of modesty and faith. She is also a fashion designer who believes passionately that religious beliefs do not have to cramp a woman's style. "I love to wear colours and I feel like being a hijabi and being modest doesn't just mean wearing black," she says. "Being modest really just means not showing any flesh. You can show your hands, your feet and your face but you can't show your body. Your clothes should be loose-fitting so if you're wearing trousers they can't be too tight and it's better if you have a longer top. "Basically you need to make sure you are covering everything that might be appealing to a guy." But within those parameters, anything goes. Patterns, textures, shapes, it is all up for grabs in Haifa's designs. "I love to mix vintage and I love to mix heritage pieces," she adds. "I was brought up in Wales but my family are from Yemen so when I go there, I get fabrics that are really different and that are known to the Yemeni culture. I like to make western styles with them and in that way really mix the two cultures." Haifa, 27, runs her business - Maysmode - from her flat on the top floor of a tower block in Butetown, Cardiff. "I started off making clothes for myself because I wanted to be unique in what I wear. People loved my clothes, I started taking part in fashion shows and it went from there. "Maysmode is known for its single bespoke outfits. Every piece is unique and every piece makes its own statement. Right now, the label is small but Haifa is thinking big: "I would love to have my own boutique and see my clothes on the high street. I want it to be a massive fashion house - in ten years time, maybe." The Muslim fashion market is booming. According to the 2015-16 State of the Global Islamic Economy Report, it will be worth £226 billion by 2020 - a projection duly noted by both the big fashion houses and the high street. In January, Dolce & Gabanna joined the likes of Oscar de la Renta and Tommy Hilfiger in launching a modest-wear range. House of Fraser has started selling sports hijabs, Uniqlo stocks a range by Muslim designer Hana Tajima and last year H&M released an advert featuring a Muslim model in a hijab. A growing number of hijabi fashionistas also showcase their personal style on Instagram and YouTube, often racking up hundreds of thousands of followers and views - a far cry from the stereotype of Muslim women as repressed figures, unable to express themselves through the way they look. "I think it's great because they are spreading positivity to non-Muslims," says Haifa. "They show how we are and how we do things and that we like to be fashionable and take care of how we look. "This generation has not only had it difficult with being pre-judged but also having to prove to others what we are really like and I guess it's why so many of us have taken on a big role in modest fashion. "To us hijabis, I feel we make more of an effort to be well-dressed and trendy, so that we aren't stereotyped."

#towerlives कार्डिफ में ब्यूटाउन के काउंसिल एस्टेट टावर ब्लॉकों के आसपास, हवा में और जमीन पर कहानी कहने और संगीत का एक सप्ताह तक चलने वाला त्योहार है। बीबीसी वेल्स, 1XTRA, रेडियो 2 और न्यूज ऑनलाइन पूरे सप्ताह वृत्तचित्रों, समाचार रिपोर्टों, विशेषताओं, कॉमेडी, बोले जाने वाले शब्दों और संगीत के साथ सहयोग कर रहे हैं। टावर ब्लॉकों में रहने वाली हाइफा शमन, तेजी से बढ़ते मुस्लिम फैशन उद्योग का हिस्सा हैं और उन्होंने बड़े समय पर अपनी दृष्टि स्थापित की है।


Q&A: What is Brent Delta?

Summary: One of the first major decommissioning projects in the North Sea has been completed with the removal of the Brent Delta platform from its legs. Shell hopes to be able to leave the legs in the sea - a move that has caused concern among environmental groups.

By Kevin KeaneBBC Scotland's environment correspondent What is Brent Delta? Brent Delta was one of the first platforms to be built in the very early days of Britain's oil and gas industry. It sits about 115 miles (185km) north-east of Shetland in a cluster of four platforms which make up the Brent field. Its sister, Brent Bravo, produced its first oil in 1976. At its peak, in 1982, the four platforms were producing more than half a million barrels of oil a day. Being one of the first, it is now at the end of its life and has to be removed but that is not as easy as you would think. Unusually for a platform, the legs of Brent Delta are made of concrete which makes it much more difficult to decommission than one with steel legs. Although the "topside" has now been removed - that's the bit where all the work happens - the legs will remain in place. How significant a moment is the decommissioning of Brent Delta? Brent Delta is one of the first major pieces of infrastructure to be decommissioned in the North Sea and so all eyes are on it. In fact, because our oil and gas industry is reaching maturity it is one of the first significant decommissioning projects in the world. On top of that, the Brent field is iconic because traders the world over deal in so-called "Brent Crude". The North Sea is rapidly entering its decommissioning phase. More than 100 platforms are forecast to be completely or partially removed over the next decade in the waters of the UK and Norway. What's going to happen to the platform? The platform was removed from its legs by the huge double-hulled ship Pioneering Spirit. Over the next few days it will begin the long journey towards its final resting place in Teesside. Just outside the harbour, it will be transferred onto a smaller barge to be dragged into position. A new quay has been built at Able UK's yard to receive the platform and the workforce is on standby to begin dismantling it. It's estimated that 97% of the structure will be recycled and the work will take 12 months. Is it controversial? Not this bit. The Brent field is being decommissioned in two stages, the first of which is the removal of everything but the legs of Brent Delta. Stage two is everything else and that is the controversial bit. Shell has proposed leaving the concrete legs in the sea and allowing them to be subjected to the mercies of the elements. Their argument is that this is much safer option than trying to remove them and that the impact on the environment, when they do eventually crumble, will be minimal. But environmental groups are unconvinced and suggest Shell's plans could breach international law. The company has lodged its plans with the UK government and it is up to them to decide whether to let Shell go ahead.

उत्तरी सागर में पहली प्रमुख विघटन परियोजनाओं में से एक को ब्रेंट डेल्टा प्लेटफॉर्म को उसके पैरों से हटाने के साथ पूरा किया गया है। शेल को समुद्र में पैर छोड़ने में सक्षम होने की उम्मीद है-एक ऐसा कदम जिसने पर्यावरण समूहों के बीच चिंता पैदा कर दी है।


Somalia warns of return to piracy

Summary: In northern Somalia, government officials are warning of a revival of piracy, unless foreign nations - and the naval armada patrolling the coast - do more to help create jobs and security ashore, and to combat illegal fishing at sea.

Andrew HardingAfrica correspondent@BBCAndrewHon Twitter At first glance, the ramshackle fishing port of Eyl looked much like it did in 2009, when I first drove down a narrow canyon from the surrounding plateau, accompanied by armed security guards, and walked across the white sands towards the sea. But this time, the hijacked vessels moored offshore were gone - so too were the conspicuously expensive 4 x 4 vehicles with tinted windows that we had seen racing past us. "We knew it was wrong. But we did it anyway," said Farah, a man in his 30s, who walked across the beach to show me his fishing boat. He admitted he had been a shore-based pirate leader in Eyl, running a crew of 23 men who had hijacked a Turkish fishing boat and a South Korean cargo vessel in 2008. "They dropped the ransoms from a small plane into the sea," he explained - $1.8m and $2m (£1.3m) in turn. "We spent it, or gave it away. The religious leaders and the government persuaded us to stop. I would never become a pirate again. I am just an ordinary fisherman now," he said, although that seemed at odds with his noticeably expensive clothes. As we spoke, local officials at the edge of the village were marshalling a crowd. They started to chant slogans - mostly aimed at foreign fishing trawlers, which they said were plundering Somalia's coastal resources, and making it impossible for them to make a living from fishing. If the protest seemed a little contrived, the frustrations in Eyl are certainly not. I joined a group of men in the local teashop, who bitterly condemned the lack of development, and employment. "If I don't get a job soon, then yeah, sure, maybe I can go back to piracy. Anything can happen. All these people can be pirates," said unemployed teacher Daoud Ali Mohamed, 28, gesturing around the room. For years it has been an accepted truth that in the long term, Somali piracy can only be conclusively dealt with onshore. The foreign warships patrolling off the coast - and the armed guards now present on many vessels - have been effective, but the pirates "are not dead, but dormant now, so they will come definitely... straight away, no question about it [as soon as the warships leave]," said Puntland's Counter-Piracy Minister Abdalla Jama Saleh. Puntland at a glance: Find out more about Puntland Four hours drive away from Eyl, in Puntland's capital, Garowe, a brand new prison is the most visible sign of the outside world's attempt to fight piracy ashore. The UK is among a group of European nations that paid for its construction. "It's already reduced piracy. It helped young people to see that other colleagues are in prison... for long, long sentences. It's a warning signal. And it is to rehabilitate inmates," said Abdirizak Jama, from the United Nation's Office on Drugs and Crime. But although the prison looks clean and impressively secure - a particularly important advantage in a region where prisons raids and escapes are commonplace - the 17 convicted pirates I saw all appeared to be "foot soldiers" rather than pirate leaders. "I do not deserve to be here," said 20-year-old Yusuf Galgal, who'd been caught at sea and put on trial in the Seychelles. "I was underage when I was sentenced." The cells also contained a number of convicted members of the militant group al-Shabab, including Aweil Ali Farah, 27, who was sentenced to death. "I was a school teacher. Someone had a grudge against me and told the police. I'm not in al-Shabab. They're terrorists, fundamentalists, Islamists. I'm waiting for the death penalty. I'm worried," he said, showing where he'd written: "There is no justice here," on his red prison uniform. In his heavily guarded compound on a nearby hilltop, Puntland's President Abdiweli Ali Gaas urged the international community to do much more, both onshore and at sea. Accusing the west of "double standards," the president said foreign navies were only concerned about stopping Somali piracy - which more or less halted in 2012 - and were doing nothing to tackle the "highway robbery" of foreign fishing trawlers [largely Iranian] plundering Somalia's natural resources. "This may rekindle the issue of piracy," President Abdiweli warned. But the issue is complicated. After decades of internal conflict, Somalia is still struggling to negotiate the terms of its reintegration as a nation-state. Different administrations have been issuing fishing licenses, and while Puntland believes it is currently being cheated of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues, there are deep concerns about corruption. "There's uncertainty between the federal government [of Somalia] and regions [like Puntland] for fishing companies regarding the validity of licenses and who to buy from," said Alan Cole, who heads the UNODC's anti-piracy programme in East Africa. Puntland now has its own well-trained Maritime Police Force, funded by the UAE. But it is far too small to patrol even a portion of Somalia's coastline - the longest on the continent.

उत्तरी सोमालिया में, सरकारी अधिकारी समुद्री डकैती के पुनरुद्धार की चेतावनी दे रहे हैं, जब तक कि विदेशी राष्ट्र-और तट पर गश्त करने वाले नौसैनिक पोत-रोजगार पैदा करने और तट पर सुरक्षा बनाने में मदद करने और समुद्र में अवैध मछली पकड़ने से निपटने के लिए और अधिक न करें।


Tour de France: Cyclist Neil Sutcliffe recalls challenge of L'Étape

Summary: As the route is announced for the Yorkshire section of next year's Tour de France, a keen amateur cyclist from the county gives a first-hand account of what it is like to take on cycling's greatest challenge.

By Trevor GibbonsBBC News, Yorkshire "On a descent I have shot past a couple of riders lying bloodied in the gutter and the crashes looked really nasty but at almost 50mph I couldn't stop." Neil Sutcliffe, 49, has twice ridden his bike for a day's cycling along the same route the professionals tackle in the Tour de France. L'Étape du Tour, as it is called, is a chance for thousands of cyclists to pit themselves for a day against the same lung-busting mountainous terrain of the tour as ridden by champions like Bradley Wiggins. Of course cyclists like Sutcliffe are not doing it for money - and he has to bear that in mind on the mountain descents. 'Tyres could explode' "I don't go hell for leather... I want to get down in one piece," he said "Some tour descents last 30 minutes and you can't go down with the cycle's brakes full on as the wheel rims would heat up and the tyres could explode," Sutcliffe explained. He rode L'Etape in 2003 and 2004. The second time he cycled from Limoges to St Flour, a distance of 148 miles (237km), the longest stage in that year's tour. Sutcliffe said: "I got up nice and early at 5am and tried to stuff my face full of food. "You need thousands of calories because you know it's going to be a tough day." And the pressure is on because following the riders will be the dreaded "broom wagon" whose job is to sweep up those who cannot keep the pace. Tactics also play a part in the day's riding. Filthy looks Sutcliffe explained: "By riding in a group you can get the benefits of drafting and share the workload. It makes it easier to get through the day." The pack of riders, known as the peloton, take advantage of aerodynamics. If you can tuck in behind the rider in front you can gain an advantage. Although Sutcliffe says there is a price to pay: "You've got to do your time at the front. Nobody likes a wheel-sucker." That is the pack's name for a selfish rider sitting at the back who doesn't do his or her share of the work. Anyone trying to dodge their share will get filthy looks from the rest of the peloton. If a rider does not eat plenty of food at breakfast and at the food stations along the route they will sometimes "bonk" - a cyclist's way of describing going through a rough patch. To keep himself going through these periods, Sutcliffe falls back on his own internal sound system. "It's murder sometimes on the climbs but you've just got to keep going. 'Dead man's click' "I don't like to stop so you just dig in and I've often got a tune going round in my head, usually by the Jam, and often their song Private Hell." Sometimes when climbing there is a far less welcome sound as Sutcliffe hears what he describes as the "dead man's click". It is his name for clicking the gears on his handlebar and realising there are no more gears to help as he is already in the lowest gear possible. "You've just got to go with what you've got." There is a real sense of occasion when L'Étape passes by; local villagers come out and encourage the cyclists with cries of "allez, allez!" The support of thousands of spectators at the finish was almost too much for Sutcliffe. He recalled: "I managed a sprint finish with the adrenalin flowing. "It was emotional and I cried after the finish, I can't really explain it," he said. The experience provided an insight into the tour for Sutcliffe and one fact made a huge impression on him. "In the tour the pros get back in the saddle the next day and do it all again."

जैसे ही अगले साल के टूर डी फ्रांस के यॉर्कशायर खंड के लिए मार्ग की घोषणा की जाती है, काउंटी का एक उत्सुक शौकिया साइकिल चालक इस बात का प्रत्यक्ष विवरण देता है कि साइकिल चलाने की सबसे बड़ी चुनौती का सामना करना कैसा होता है।


Northampton Greyfriars bus station to be recycled

Summary: The remains of a Brutalist bus station that dominated the Northampton skyline for nearly four decades are to be recycled at the town centre site.

Dubbed the "mouth of hell", the building was reduced to about 22,000 tonnes of rubble using more than 2,000 individual explosive charges in March. Contractors are anticipating recycling about 97% of the materials, a borough council spokesman said. Stone, concrete and bricks will now be re-used on the site as hard-standing. The materials will be "crushed and processed on the site" as part of the demolition, which has cost upwards of £4m, the council said. Excess material will be removed from site and re-used within the construction industry for applications such as hard-standings, paths and roads. The site is due to be cleared and levelled at the end of July. It is being considered for retail and leisure schemes.

एक क्रूर बस स्टेशन के अवशेष जो लगभग चार दशकों तक नॉर्थम्प्टन क्षितिज पर हावी रहे, उन्हें शहर के केंद्र स्थल पर पुनर्नवीनीकरण किया जाना है।


Isabelle Dinoire: Life after the world's first face transplant

Summary: Seven years ago Isabelle Dinoire became the first-ever person to have a face transplant. In a rare interview, she describes how she copes with the stares, and her yearning to meet the family of the woman whose face became her own.

By Mike LanchinBBC World Service, Amiens "The most difficult thing is to find myself again, as the person I was, with the face I had before the accident. But I know that's not possible," says the 45-year-old mother of two from northern France. "When I look in the mirror, I see a mixture of the two [of us]. The donor is always with me." After a moment, she adds: "She saved my life." Dinoire regularly turns down media requests and rarely agrees to be photographed. She comes across as relaxed and self-assured, but her traumatic ordeal has left its mark, physically and mentally. She still has a visible scar running from above her nose to down under her chin where specialist doctors at Amiens University Hospital in northern France, spent 15 hours sewing the donor's face on to hers. One of her eyes is slightly drooping. Speaking with a slight impediment - and with almost alarming simplicity - she recounts how, in a fit of depression in May 2005, she took an overdose of sleeping pills in an attempt to end her life. She awoke to find herself at home, lying beside a pool of blood, with her pet Labrador at her side. The dog had apparently found her unconscious, and desperate to rouse her, had gnawed away at her face. "I couldn't even begin to imagine it was my face or my blood - or that the dog had chewed my face," she says. The injuries to her mouth, nose and chin were so extreme that doctors immediately ruled out a routine face reconstruction. Instead they proposed a ground-breaking face transplant. "From the first time I saw myself in the mirror after the operation I knew it was a victory. It didn't look that good because of all the bandages, but I had a nose, I had a mouth - it was fantastic," she says. "I could see in the eyes of the nurses that it was a success." Unable to speak properly due to a tracheotomy done for the operation, all she could murmur was a simple, "Thank you." Dinoire's delight at her new face, however, quickly turned sour. She was completely unprepared for the attention her case brought her. Pursued by the media, harassed by passers-by and curious onlookers, Dinoire spent months after the operation hidden away at home, not daring to venture out. "It was excruciating. I live in a small town and so everyone knew my story. It wasn't easy at the beginning. Children would laugh at me and everyone would say, 'Look it's her, it's her.'" She felt like "a circus animal". Nowadays, people still recognise her around town, but the attention is "not as brutal" as before, she says. "With time I have got used to my own face. This is what I look like, what I am like, who I am. If people stare at me insistently, I don't care any more, I just stare back!" she says, with a hint of a smile. But has her personality changed as well as her outward appearance? "No" she replies quickly, "I am the same, just with a different face." According to Prof Sylvie Testelin, one of the team that operated on Dinoire in Amiens, not every patient with severe facial injuries can be offered the chance of a transplant. In 2005 no-one was really sure of the long-term effects on patients of taking a cocktail of drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent their body rejecting the new tissue. But in the case of Dinoire - and the two other people in France who have had successful transplants since then - the benefits have far outweighed the risks. "Nobody can imagine what it's like to live without a face. She [Isabelle] can. But we must be sure it is right for the patient," says Testelin. Worldwide there have been a dozen or so successful operations - in the US, Spain, Turkey and China. "You cannot imagine the number of people who have wanted transplants, but it's not a game or a race to do more and more," she says. One day Dinoire will have to face up to the possibility of a major rejection by her body, says Testelin. As her doctor, she too has to be prepared for this - though she hopes that day never comes. Dinoire is more sanguine about her future. "I tell myself it will be all right. If I take my drugs everything should go well," she says. She spends her days visiting a few close friends and walking her new pet dog - she was devastated that the Labrador she had in 2005 was put down. Still prone to bouts of depression, she says she constantly thinks about the dead woman whose face she was given. Right after the operation she would surf the internet in search of details of the anonymous donor - whose identity French law will never allow her to know. "When I feel down, or depressed, I look at myself in the mirror again and think of her. And I tell myself, I'm not allowed to give up. She gives me hope." One day Dinoire would even like to be able to meet the woman's family, to thank them for what she describes as their "magical donation". Mike Lanchin's interview with Isabelle Dinoire was broadcast on the BBC World Service's Witness programme. You can download a podcast of the programme or browse the archive. You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook

सात साल पहले इसाबेल डिनोयर चेहरा प्रत्यारोपण कराने वाली पहली व्यक्ति बनीं। एक दुर्लभ साक्षात्कार में, वह बताती हैं कि कैसे वह घूरने से निपटती हैं, और उस महिला के परिवार से मिलने की उनकी लालसा, जिसका चेहरा उनका अपना बन गया था।


Reading Borough councillors approve £60m HQ move

Summary: A £60m plan to move Reading Borough Council's offices from its current home in the Civic Centre to Plaza West in Bridge Street has been approved.

Shopkeepers near the Civic Centre had expressed concern that the move would result in a loss of trade. The council, which approved the plan on Tuesday, said it would oversee the regeneration of the civic area. A public consultation is under way for ideas to regenerate the area once the council moves next year. The leader of the Lib Dems in Reading, Daisy Benson, supported the move to Plaza West. But she said: "... The council must not sign a blank cheque. With public finances under huge pressure at the moment in Reading the council needs to keep a tight rein on costs for the civic relocation project to ensure that an extra burden is not placed on local taxpayers."

रीडिंग बरो काउंसिल के कार्यालयों को सिविक सेंटर में अपने वर्तमान घर से ब्रिज स्ट्रीट में प्लाजा वेस्ट में स्थानांतरित करने की 60 मिलियन पाउंड की योजना को मंजूरी दी गई है।


Ghana's 100-year-old imam who went to church

Summary: Ghana's chief imam is a man of few words, but the 100-year-old Muslim cleric certainly knows how to make waves - by attending a Catholic Church service as part of his birthday celebrations.

By Favour NunooBBC Pidgin, Accra Pictures of Sheikh Osman Sharubutu, sitting attentively in the pews of Accra's Christ the King Catholic Church for an Easter service, went viral on social media. The grand mufti, leader of Ghana's minority Muslim community, wants to ensure that his legacy is peace - the fruit of inter-faith harmony. His church attendance was given even more resonance as on the day he was being pictured alongside parish priest Father Andrew Campbell, Islamist suicide bombers unleashed attacks in Sri Lanka, killing more than 250 people at churches and hotels. Those on social media championing the imam's approach described him as a light shining in the darkness. Not everyone was happy - some critics condemned his actions as an abomination, for a Muslim to participate in Christian worship. But Sheikh Sharubutu insisted he was not worshipping but moving the relationship between Muslims and Christians from mere tolerance to engagement. "The chief imam is changing the narrative about Islam from a religion of wickedness, a religion of conflict, a religion of hate for others, to a religion whose mission is rooted in the virtues of love, peace and forgiveness," his spokesperson Aremeyao Shaibu told the BBC. The priest who befriended an imam By Elizabeth Ohene, Accra Unlike Ghana's chief imam, Father Andrew Campbell, the parish priest of Christ the King Catholic Church, is certainly not a man of few words and it is fair to say he likes to stir things up a bit. The 73-year-old was born in Ireland and arrived in Ghana in 1971 to work as a missionary. Over 48 years he has become a champion of unpopular and unfashionable causes. He has adopted the cause of lepers in particular and campaigns for them not to be stigmatised and to be treated with dignity. His church is situated across the road from Jubilee House, the seat of Ghana's presidency. A few months ago, he was made parish priest for Jubilee House. The cleric has stated his support for some government policies, but it is accepted he will be equally vocal when he feels the need to criticise, no matter that he might be designated the in-house priest for the presidency. He has acquired full Ghanaian citizenship - however, he has refused to adopt some local habits. He insists on keeping to time. Not too long ago, I attended a wedding ceremony and he started the service despite the absence of the bride. Half-way through the published programme, the bridal procession could be seen trying to make an entrance from the back door. Fr Campbell rushed down, leading the groom and stopped the bride in the middle of the aisle, where he conducted a hurried marriage ceremony and walked back to the altar to continued from where he had left off before the bride appeared. But the combination of the peaceful Muslim cleric of few words and the trouble stirring loquacious Irish-Ghanaian priest make an unpredictable and beautiful cocktail. Sheikh Sharubutu has been Ghana's top Muslim cleric for 26 years, and has always insisted the key tenets of Islam are rooted in peace and love, as his weekly sermons at Friday prayers at the Central Mosque in the capital attest. Another favourite theme of his is a call to shun materialism, saying it only brings greed. At his residence in the poor neighbourhood of Fadama, he has insisted that the gates remain open. For years now, hundreds of township residents troop in each morning to fetch fresh water from taps at the property while others visit at night with bowls to be served hot meals for free. It is the nature of Islamic leaders to give to charity, but his supporters say the scale of his work stands out. He has personally sponsored hundreds of students in their education at home and abroad and has also established an educational trust fund to support talented but needy pupils. Ghana, where Muslims make up 18% of the population in the mainly Christian country, has no history of religious warfare. But relations can be fractious - and the imam has sought to douse any flare-ups. He is a member of the National Peace Council, made up of 13 mainly religious leaders - but he is also known to intervene personally to resolve tensions. Cemetery disputes Earlier this year, he reprimanded a group of young Muslim men who attacked a church in Accra after its pastor predicted his death in the coming 12 months. He told those who had been armed with machetes to forgive the preacher and managed to defuse the tension, something that earned him the thanks of the police chief. When gunshots reverberated through the streets of Old Tafo in Kumasi in a row over a cemetery in 2016, he immediately made a trip to the Ashanti regional capital. A curfew had been imposed after one person died in clashes. Traditional leaders wanted proof that the Muslim community owned a section of land in the graveyard to bury their dead. The situation nearly degenerated into all-out war after rampaging Muslim youths slapped the traditional leader of the Tafo community. The slapping of a chief constitutes a desecration of his office, a taboo in Ghana which requires war to be waged - something that could have spread to other communities. According to Mr Shaibu, the chief imam went to the palace of the Tafo chief, and without even speaking a word, he calmed the situation by the humility and meekness of his presence, preventing further unrest. It was the second time that he had interceded in a fallout over a cemetery. In 2012, the corpse of an imam in the Volta Region was exhumed and dumped by the roadside by a community who felt Muslims should not bury their dead in that graveyard. Sheikh Sharubutu flew into the south-eastern region and negotiated a peace deal - saving the state from using force to quell the riots. 'I read without gadgets' He puts his peaceful philosophy down to his favourite Koranic verse, which says people should be fair with each other to help achieve a harmonious society: "Allah does not forbid you from showing kindness, and dealing justly with those who have not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes. Allah loves just dealers." As a young man, he made this the central message of his lessons as a Muslim teacher in Accra - going on to become one of the country's most erudite Islamic scholars. Sheikh Sharubutu's record at 100: He then made history when he was appointed chief imam in 1993, at the age of 74, as until then Ghana had not had a national Muslim leader. There is some trepidation about finding a successor who can follow in his footsteps, given that he has become so central to sustaining religious peace. But his serene nature seems to be key to his continued longevity, something those who come after him may want to emulate. "I am old, strong and vital. I can see, [am] able to read and write without the support of any gadgets. I am able to walk on my own - God has not tested me with weakness," his spokesman quoted him as saying. "I am in perfect control of my mind, I have not grown senile. Placing God at the centre of my life gives me calmness and inner peace in life."

घाना के प्रमुख इमाम थोड़े शब्दों वाले व्यक्ति हैं, लेकिन 100 वर्षीय मुस्लिम मौलवी निश्चित रूप से जानते हैं कि कैसे लहरें बनाना है-अपने जन्मदिन समारोह के हिस्से के रूप में कैथोलिक चर्च की सेवा में भाग लेकर।


Coronavirus: The businesses crowdfunding to survive

Summary: "Running a small business is touch and go at the best of times," says Rachel Ho, director of an independent coffee shop in Tottenham, north London. And these, it seems fair to say, are far from the best of times.

By Hamish MackayBBC News Ahead of warnings the UK's economy could shrink by 35%, the Treasury set aside billions to keep businesses afloat during the coronavirus lockdown. But for many, access to that funding is proving too difficult or too slow - and fewer than 2% of the 300,000 inquiries to the government's loan scheme are thought to have reached fruition so far. After being told she was not eligible for a grant because she pays business rates via her landlord, and after getting "nowhere" with her insurance claim, Ms Ho decided to set up a crowdfunding page for Craving Coffee, which she owns with her husband Matt. Within 24 hours, they had raised two thirds of their £25,000 target. The team at the coffee shop were "blown away", Ms Ho tells the BBC. Without this money, which will go towards rent, loan repayments, suppliers and utility bills, the business was set to "go under", she says. "We were prepared to go bankrupt. We knew the lockdown would outlast any reserves we had." When the lockdown announcement came, they told their staff there were no more shifts and sold off as much stock as possible to recoup what they could. "That was a very emotional and stressful day." But in the end, Ms Ho says, it was the local community that saved them - with donations ranging from £5 to £1,000. "Tottenham is really good like that. It's an area where people really get behind things," she says. "I'm not surprised by the passion but I'm a little bit overwhelmed by the amounts people have given." And Craving Coffee is not the only business taking this approach. US crowdfunding website GoFundMe says it has seen a 246% rise in British business campaigns compared with the same time last year, while UK-based Crowdfunder has also seen a spike, as well as a doubling of its daily website traffic. It is important to note some crowdfunded businesses fail even in normal times, and for those investing money through crowdfunding, there is a risk of losing that money if the business goes under. However, those considering their contribution a donation may be less concerned about the risk. One new scheme from Crowdfunder, to help those affected by the virus, encourages businesses to offer rewards - rather than equity - in exchange for donations. At Craving Coffee, offerings ranged from drinks, food and clothing, to invitations to a reopening party. And businesses using different platforms have taken a similar approach. Ricky Fox runs a children's entertainment company in Uxbridge. The business - Captain Fantastic - employed five full-time staff and 40 entertainers before coronavirus. It was putting on about 200 children's parties a month. Social distancing changed that. "People starting postponing their parties," he says. "We had 200 bookings a month, then it started to drop, then everyone started postponing, then they cancelled. We went down to zero." It had taken 10 years for Mr Fox and co-founder Tommy Balaam to build up a business that ground to a halt in a matter of days. They furloughed some staff, but that is where government support ended. The business operates from home offices, so they are not eligible for a grant, and both founders took dividends rather than salaries. Realising they needed to offer something different, Mr Fox and Mr Balaam launched free online entertainment videos for children, and asked for donations in return via GoFundMe and PayPal. More than 6,000 people tuned in to their first live video, and their followers on Facebook soon rose from 3,000 to more than 50,000. Captain Fantastic now does 30 live sessions a week, with the donations split between the entertainers involved in each video. "It's not much at all but it pays for the staff that are left and it gives our entertainers something to pay their rent with," says Mr Fox. "It keeps us afloat and that is what we wanted. At the moment, we can survive." The Treasury told the BBC that local authorities were working to ensure "eligible ratepayers" receive the grants they are entitled to, adding that those that are not entitled to grants can still receive "other measures". But even those who are entitled to other support are struggling to access it, or finding it is not enough. Dave Grant is the managing director of Fierce Beer, an Aberdeen-based craft brewery that has seen its sales drop by 75% due to the lockdown. The company used the government furlough scheme for some of its staff and got business rate relief - but still needed cash to survive. Mr Grant applied for one of the government-backed loans announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last month - but was turned down by the bank after being told his company was "not a viable business". In the end, he turned to crowdfunding, offering people a 50% return on their pledge - "Spend 50 quid to get 75 quid's worth of beer... it's easy for people to recognise what they're going to get." Fierce Beer raised £156,000 in a day. "We couldn't honestly believe it," says Mr Grant. "We were constantly refreshing the total and it was unbelievable. It was so nice to think so many people wanted to help us out." So what is it that inspires such generosity, is it simply the promise of free goods or services? "I think people are starting to realise that we're going to have to work together to get through this," says Ms Ho. "I think everyone's feeling so helpless, they just want to help where they can... and they want the business to be here when they get back."

उत्तरी लंदन के टोटेनहैम में एक स्वतंत्र कॉफी शॉप की निदेशक राचेल हो कहती हैं, "एक छोटा व्यवसाय चलाना स्पर्श करना है और सबसे अच्छे समय पर जाना है। और ये, यह कहना उचित लगता है, सबसे अच्छे समय से बहुत दूर हैं।"


How the NHS locks away its secrets

Summary: On setting up the NHS, its founder Nye Bevan is reported to have said if a bedpan was dropped on a ward of a hospital, the noise would reverberate all the way to the corridors of power in Westminster.

Nick TriggleHealth correspondent That may be so, but the level of control and secrecy in the NHS means the clanging sound is muffled from the public. Ministers talk a lot about making the NHS transparent and open. But it appears nothing could be further from the truth - as the debate over gagging orders prompted by the Gary Walker case demonstrates. Mr Walker has told the BBC he had no choice but to sign an agreement linked to a confidentiality clause in April 2011 after being sacked as chief executive of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust This issue is nothing new. It has been going on for years. In 1998, the government of the day tried to stamp it out through the Public Interest Disclosure Act. It is known as the UK's whistle-blowing law as it gives employees protection if they raise concerns. 'Isolated and fearful' But as the years have gone by it has become apparent that within the health service it has not quite had the intended effect as the culture of secrecy has continued. Staff who worked at Stafford Hospital, the trust at the centre of the scandal subject to a public inquiry, have complained of being bullied and silenced after trying to raise the alarm. Another high-profile case involved the nurse, Margaret Haywood, who was struck off in 2009, after filming examples of neglect at Brighton's Royal Sussex Hospital for a BBC Panorama programme. She too complained of a lack of support from bosses. Evidence from the British Medical Journal from 2010 showed that while most trusts do have whistle-blowing policies, many were written in a way that did not do enough to encourage staff to come forward. Some stressed the threat of disciplinary action, while others did not even mention that staff would be protected if they came forward. On top of that there is the issue of gagging clauses. By their very nature it is impossible to know just how many are in place. British Medical Association leader Dr Mark Porter says part of the problem is that while the law is clear, in practice people can feel isolated and fearful. "Lawyers may be involved and they are facing this big organisation and feel they can't speak out. We have to change that." Stephen Dorrell, a former health secretary and the current chairman of the House of Commons' Health Select Committee, agrees there is a "core problem" which shows the "culture of the health service is wrong". To be fair, the Department of Health has attempted to counter such secrecy. Just over a year ago a free helpline for whistleblowers was launched, while the need for staff to report concerns and employers to act on them was written into the NHS Constitution. And, of course, last week the public inquiry into the Stafford Hospital failings recommended a duty of candour to get staff to be open about mistakes, while with-holding information from regulators should become a criminal offence. But it goes much wider than this. Many compare the openness - or lack of it - in the NHS with what happens in local government. The power devolved to councils and the presence of councillors willing to talk out means much more uncomfortable information tends to leak out of the system. Over the years ministers have often talked about making the NHS more transparent by publishing more and more information. And, yes, a whole mountain of statistics are now published on the NHS each month from waiting times to how many patients are kept on mixed-sex wards. But the complex nature of the NHS means only half the picture emerges. For example, while each hospital submits how it is doing against the four-hour A&E target that masks what is happening around the emergency department. Ambulances can be queuing outside and delays can be experienced once a patient is admitted into the hospital. But none of this is properly reflected in the official statistics. All this helps create a system that encourages silence rather than noise.

एनएचएस की स्थापना पर, इसके संस्थापक न्ये बेवन ने कहा है कि अगर अस्पताल के एक वार्ड पर एक बिस्तर गिराया जाता है, तो शोर वेस्टमिंस्टर में सत्ता के गलियारों तक गूंजता है।


'Leonard's Labour leadership just wasn't working'

Summary: Richard Leonard's leadership of Scottish Labour was not working.

By Glenn CampbellPolitical Editor, BBC Scotland The party went backwards in national elections on his watch, losing both its Scottish seats in the last European elections and all but one of its Scottish MPs in the 2019 UK general election. After three years in charge, he did not appear to be widely known or appreciated by the public according to opinion polls. The same surveys have tended to suggest Labour - once the dominant force in Scottish politics - continues to trail the Conservatives in third place. That his supporters say internal party critics have constantly undermined his leadership does not change the party's standing. There was a glimmer of hope for them this week when a Sevanta/Comres poll of more than 1,000 adults for the Scotsman suggested Labour could be on 18% support in Holyrood constituency voting intentions, just one point behind the Tories. That came too late. According to Mr Leonard himself, continuing speculation about his leadership had become a "distraction" and after careful consideration over Christmas he decided to step down. That struck me as odd because this is the same Richard Leonard who has until now doggedly resisted all attempts to oust him. 'Reluctant to get involved' When several of his own MSPs called on him to quit four months ago he stood firm and insisted he would lead the party into the Holyrood elections due in May. Some of his critics had come to accept that he was staying put. Others hoped for an intervention by the UK leader, Sir Keir Starmer. While I am told by one Labour source that Sir Keir was very reluctant to get involved in the Scottish party leadership, another said he had "showed real steel" this week in effecting change. I am told he spoke with Richard Leonard earlier this week. The Times reports that Sir Keir told Mr Leonard he no longer had confidence in him. The UK party leader's office has declined to comment. What we do know is that Richard Leonard remains his party's lead candidate for the Scottish Parliament on the Central Scotland list, which almost guarantees his return to Holyrood. Two sources have told me that was part of an agreement reached with the help of trade unions including Mr Leonard's own - the GMB - to allow him a "dignified" departure from the leadership. A source close to Mr Leonard said that was "not accurate" without issuing a complete denial. The former Labour MP Gemma Doyle said any such deal "reeks of elite privilege" and could be challenged by the Scottish party's ruling body. 'Likely frontrunner' That the UK party was frustrated with Scottish Labour's performance, upon which their own ambitions to form a UK government depend, is not in doubt. At Westminster, some were particularly unimpressed when the Scottish party released a statement in Richard Leonard's name which appeared to undermine Sir Keir's decision to support the post-Brexit trade deal. On that occasion, Anas Sarwar - the party's constitution spokesperson - issued a clarification. He is now considered a likely frontrunner in any contest to succeed Mr Leonard, having lost out to him last time, when Mr Leonard's ally Jeremy Corbyn was the UK party leader. Both Mr Sarwar and the party's health spokesperson, Monica Lennon, are understood to be considering standing. Ms Lennon told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme that she had been having discussions with colleagues but was "ruling nothing in and ruling nothing out" at this stage. There is not an obvious candidate from the Campaign for Socialism group of MSPs at Holyrood. Jeremy Corbyn's former political secretary, Katy Clark, is seeking election to Holyrood but would be ineligible to stand, should she be interested, at this stage. Any contest is likely to be swift given how close the Holyrood elections are. The new leader will have very little time to turn the party's fortunes around and their success or lack of it could have a bearing on the future of the UK. There are Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians who think a stronger Labour party is essential, if the SNP and its plans for another independence referendum are to be effectively countered. As for Mr Leonard, he can justifiably take some credit for persuading the Scottish government to back Labour's policy of a national care service. He may also take some comfort from knowing that even some of his harshest critics, within and beyond Scottish Labour, do not dislike him personally. However much they disagree with his politics, they tend to respect him for approaching his work with a decency that is not universal among those we elect.

रिचर्ड लियोनार्ड का स्कॉटिश लेबर का नेतृत्व काम नहीं कर रहा था।


Minari: Oscar favourite sees Korean family chase the American Dream

Summary: Parasite, last year's Oscar winner from South Korea, dented assumptions that English-speaking audiences are wary of any film with subtitles. Now another Korean-language film is making waves. Minari is a very different story set in rural America. But there's buzz about its chances in April's Academy Awards.

By Vincent DowdArts correspondent Minari is Lee Isaac Chung's fourth feature film. For the first time, he's tried to capture on screen the lives of South Koreans in the US. Chung is 42 and was born into a Korean family in Denver, Colorado. While he was editing his film, he says he was very aware of the acclaim building around the dark comedy Parasite. Bong Joon-ho's film went on to win four Oscars last year, including best picture. It's taken more than $250m (£177m) at the box office. "Obviously I wanted to see this subtitled South Korean movie everyone was talking about," he remembers. "But I decided I'd resist until Minari was edited: I didn't want it to influence me at all. "When I finally watched Parasite, I asked myself how I could ever make anything so good. So it was both encouraging and discouraging at the same time." In fact, Minari has had excellent reviews since opening last year at the Sundance festival. Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson said the film "is one of the highlights of the season". Robbie Collin of The Telegraph described it as a "finely-observed portrait of family relations and rural American values". Minari's warm story of the Yi family moving in the 1980s from California to Arkansas is utterly unlike Parasite's sharp social satire. The father, Jacob, plans a better living for his wife and two young children farming Korean vegetables and selling them to wholesalers and restaurants. His wife Monica is less convinced and eventually they bring her eccentric mother over from South Korea to help look after the farm and the children. It's an engaging and at times moving blend of family drama and comedy. There are moments when it seems tragedy may strike... so will Jacob's faith in the American Dream prove misplaced? A lot of detail came from Chung's own family background. "We lived on a farm and our grandmother was with us. As in the film, it was her decision to grow minari down by a stream - a vegetable you'll find in many Asian countries. The truth is, when I was five or six, I really didn't like eating it but it's a hardy crop which can flourish where other things won't grow. "So although mainly I associate minari with my love for my grandmother and her wisdom, there's maybe also a metaphor about thriving in a new home. "The process of writing the film made me understand my father a lot better and the stresses he was working through at the time I was growing up." Chung graduated with a biology degree and had planned to become a doctor. But in his final year at Yale he decided to become a film-maker. "My parents were very surprised and worried for me and my welfare. They thought I was making a huge mistake after college but within a few years they'd become more supportive of what I was doing. But I had such a visceral need to make films that ultimately the important thing was not if they approved. I knew I just had to do it." Minari looks great on screen. Like another of this year's leading Oscar contenders, Nomadland, it draws strength and beauty from the landscape of America. Chung says Hollywood films which influenced him included John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and movies of the 1950s and early '60s from the likes of Elia Kazan, William Wyler and George Stevens. "Those directors made films about the land and about exploring frontiers and working out your hopes and dreams in America." He and the producers discussed trying to emulate the CinemaScope look of some of those movies. But they decided it wouldn't work, as too many scenes were to be shot in the family's small trailer home. The dialogue is mainly in Korean and, while making it, Chung could never have guessed how successful Parasite was about to become. So did he ever consider making more of the film in English to dodge the subtitling issue? He says there was always a second version of the screenplay standing by, just in case, and mainly in English. "Honestly that was for if I just couldn't get financing for a Korean-language film set in Arkansas. I did have those thoughts. "But it's better to remain true to the movie and to people's lives. In most Korean-American families at that time people would definitely have spoken Korean at home." The crucial moment came when the production company Plan B (co-owned by Brad Pitt) entered the scene. "They were all great and from the beginning Plan B just said go ahead make the movie as you see it. The producer there Christina Oh is also Korean American and she really fought to ensure we had the ability to shoot in Korean." There's been criticism that this year's Golden Globes wouldn't consider Minari in the best drama film category because the dialogue isn't primarily in English. The film was nominated for best foreign language film. Chung won't be drawn into the specifics of the debate. "But what would happen, for instance, if someone made a film set in the US and it was mainly in Native American languages? Would that count at the Globes as a foreign film?" The Globes take place this Sunday. The Academy Awards have no equivalent restriction. Oscar nominations will be announced on 15 March. Suddenly Chung is hot property in Hollywood. His next film is to be a love story set between America and Hong Kong. Does he think the way different races and traditions and cultures negotiate their differences and explore a common past will become a staple of post-pandemic cinema? "I admire the writers and thinkers who feel like you can't really go forward unless you're also going backwards at the same time. "You can't move into the future without contending with what's happened before. You have to make sure we unearth every part of history if you really really want to become something better in the future. That's a process we have to be faithful towards - to mine that history and set things right." Minari is released in the UK and Ireland on 19 March by Altitude Film.

दक्षिण कोरिया से पिछले साल के ऑस्कर विजेता पैरासाइट ने इस धारणा को दरकिनार कर दिया कि अंग्रेजी बोलने वाले दर्शक उपशीर्षक वाली किसी भी फिल्म से सावधान रहते हैं। अब एक और कोरियाई भाषा की फिल्म धूम मचा रही है। मिनारी ग्रामीण अमेरिका में स्थापित एक बहुत ही अलग कहानी है। लेकिन अप्रैल के अकादमी पुरस्कारों में इसकी संभावनाओं के बारे में चर्चा है।