'Our parents ran a secret gay porn empire'

Summary: It wasn't the most obvious career choice for Karen and Barry Mason, and not one they could talk about openly. But for years the couple ran LA's best-known gay porn shop, and distributed adult material across the US.

By Jaja MuhammadBBC Stories Outwardly they were a respectable family. Karen had been a journalist on well-known newspapers in Chicago and Cincinnati. Barry had worked as a special effects engineer in the film industry, including Star Trek and 2001 Space Odyssey. They had met at a Jewish singles night and their three children went to Shabbat services, prayer meetings and studied hard at school. Working as an inventor in the mid-1970s, Barry developed a safety device for kidney dialysis machines - but the company he was about to sell it to asked for insurance policies he couldn't afford, and the project suddenly collapsed, leaving the family in urgent need of cash. It was then that Karen spotted a job advert in the LA Times - for someone to distribute Hustler magazine and other merchandise produced by porn magnate Larry Flynt. And so the Masons entered the porn industry. They turned out to be good businesspeople. Within the first few weeks, and with very little effort, Karen and Barry received 5,000 orders, driving all over LA by car to deliver them. Though Hustler was a straight porn magazine, Flynt soon took over some failing gay porn publications and these too became part of the Masons' portfolio. A few years later, when the owner of LA's most famous gay porn bookshop, Book Circus in West Hollywood, got into financial trouble, they were in a position to take it over. It was 1982 and the shop, which Barry and Karen renamed Circus of Books, was more than just a hardcore porn store, it was a refuge and a meeting place for LA's gay community. The children, Micah, Rachel and Josh, were given strict instructions, when they visited the shop, never to look at or touch any of the products. They also had it drummed into them never to tell their friends the shop's name. "We didn't want them to know what we did at all. 'We don't talk about the family business - we own a book store, and that's what we tell people,'" says Karen. But these measures weren't completely successful. Micah, the oldest child, stumbled across a porn video in the boot of Karen's car (he was disappointed to find that the Betamax tape would not play on the family's VHS machine). Rachel was actually told the family secret by friends, at the age of 14, when she still had little idea what porn was. She was shocked. Her dad, Barry, was quite laid back and easygoing, but her mum was very religious and moralistic. Rachel regarded them as ordinary small business owners - just a family that ran a shop. "The thought that they of all people were doing anything countercultural was the opposite of who my parents really were, to me," Rachel says. "There's a level of conventionality in our family," Josh adds. "We were striving for the perfect family look." Under Karen and Barry's management Circus of Books was a commercial success, and before long they opened a second branch in the Silverlake area of the city. They also began producing gay porn videos, starring Jeff Stryker (later described as "the Cary Grant of porno"). And alongside this they continued the porn distribution business - which almost led to disaster. President Ronald Reagan had made clear his opposition to pornography, referring to it as a "form of pollution". He ordered his Attorney General, Edwin Meese, to investigate the industry, resulting in the publication of the 2,000-page Meese Report in 1986. At the same time new prosecution tactics were introduced, which put the Masons' business under pressure. For some time afterwards it was only safe for distributors to sell material to people they knew. But one day a member of staff made a mistake. A customer had called to order three films, to be posted to "Joe's video store". The employee entered the information into the shop's database and shipped them out. In fact the customer was the FBI. The shop was raided in true Hollywood style. Agents rushed in with guns cocked and the Masons were charged with illegal transportation of obscene material across state lines. The children didn't know it, but Barry was facing a possible five-year prison sentence and heavy fines. It seemed likely the shop would have to close. The Masons' lawyer didn't give in, though. He argued that they were protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, and emphasised the serious effect this stiff penalty would have on the family. Eventually, Barry entered a guilty plea, and was let off without having to go to prison. And the shop stayed open. During the Aids epidemic, Karen and Barry were model employers. Barry would visit employees who became ill or who were taken to hospices with HIV, which was then a fatal illness. Staff who became ill with Aids were supposed not to work - if they did they would lose their health insurance. But Karen would allow them to work on days they felt well enough, and would keep quiet about it. "I let them come to work and paid them cash, which was illegal, but there was no reason that they should lose who they were. I have always felt that work is important," she says. Many of the staff had no family to support them, but their families would call Karen and Barry after their children had died, asking for information. Despite their long involvement with LA's gay community, conversations about sexuality never occurred in the Mason home. Secretly though, the middle child, Rachel, began to live a queer lifestyle, sneaking out without her parents' knowledge. Find out more "I went to gay clubs, I had an underage ID, so I could go to drag shows, I was totally excited about all of that," she says. Though she never formally came out, Rachel had always been artistic and rebellious, so it was no major surprise when she took a girl to the high school prom. But Josh, the youngest child - a high-achiever who carried on his shoulders all his mother's expectations - was battling privately with a secret. "I absorbed the most of mom's ambition towards perfection, I wanted to be perfect," Josh says. One night before he was due to go back to college, it became too much. "I just started scribbling on the Post-it note, 'I'm gay'. I flung the pen and paper on the table." Before doing this, he had made preparations to leave home, fearing that he would be thrown out. "I made sure I had my flight booked and paid for, because it wasn't an impossible thought," he says. Karen's response was one that will stay with both of them forever. "I said, 'Are you sure? Why are you doing this? God must be punishing me!'" Karen recounts. "I was fine with anybody who was gay, as far as I was concerned, but I really wasn't prepared to have a gay child." Karen later realised that her reaction had hurt Josh, but she also found it difficult to talk to him about his sexuality and decided she needed help to handle her feelings. "I needed to understand what it was to be a parent of somebody who was gay," she says. "I joined this organisation called PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). I had to get OK with it, and [accept that] parents often have expectations for their children that really reflect more on the parents than on the children. "When it came to my own son, I realised I had some thoughts about gay people that needed to change." Later, both Barry and Karen became ambassadors for PFLAG helping other people understand the sexuality and gender variations of their children. When the internet became widely available, around the turn of the century, Circus of Books - a community-driven store where people would meet and access exclusive content - began to go into decline. The Silverlake branch closed in 2016; the West Hollywood shop closed in February this year. "When that store closed it was unbelievable, the kind of reaction. People walked in and just burst into tears. I mean, people walked in through the front door, and we're just crying," Rachel says. Many veteran customers and former staff members mourned the loss of what had once been one of their only safe spaces - and a part of LA's gay history. But Karen says that by the end, she was no longer the kind of employer she wanted to be. As business tailed off, she couldn't provide staff with the benefits they had received in the past. "I had worked with these people just as long as I could, to see that they got enrolled into education programmes, or at least had another part-time job," she says. "And I was fine with closing it." A documentary, Circus of Books, directed by Rachel Mason and produced by Ryan Murphy, will be available on Netflix in spring 2020 You may also be interested in: Margo Perin was 13 when her father summoned her to the living room of their home in Glasgow's West End, and asked if she'd like to look prettier. He sat facing her, smoking with a shiny black cigarette holder, his gold lighter and onyx ashtray by his side. "They can do remarkable things these days," he said. A bewildering upbringing: Why Margo Perin was made to have a nose job at 13

करेन और बैरी मेसन के लिए यह सबसे स्पष्ट कैरियर विकल्प नहीं था, और न ही इसके बारे में वे खुले तौर पर बात कर सकते थे। लेकिन वर्षों तक इस जोड़े ने एल. ए. की सबसे प्रसिद्ध समलैंगिक अश्लील दुकान चलाई, और पूरे अमेरिका में वयस्क सामग्री वितरित की।


Brown Clee Hill: 'Soaking wet' killer asked stranger to call police

Summary: A killer who stabbed a 70-year-old man on a remote hilltop was soaking wet when he called at the door of a stranger to tell her that he had "committed a crime", a court has heard.

Moses Christensen, 22, appeared to have "walked through a stream" when he was detained by police at a property near Shropshire's B4363. Richard Hall, of Perton, Staffordshire, was found dead on 14 August. The defendant, who is on trial at Stafford Crown Court, denies murder. Mr Hall told his wife he was going for a walk and would be back in time for something to eat, the court heard, but he was later attacked near the summit of Brown Clee Hill, Shropshire. Jurors were told Mr Christensen, of Corser Street, Stourbridge, was said by friends and family members to have appeared depressed and suicidal in the weeks leading up to the attack, after abandoning plans to kayak around the UK. PC Sam Bertie said the 22-year-old was taken to hospital after being found by officers outside the home of a woman who had called police. The officer, whose bodycam footage was played to the court, said: "From my observations it appeared as though he had walked through a stream. "It was as if he had sat in a bath - they (his clothes) were completely soaked." The officer said Mr Christensen made "numerous comments about having murdered someone" and was able to describe the knife used. The trial also heard from a resident who contacted police after Mr Christensen rang her doorbell. The woman told the court Mr Christensen had politely asked her to call the police for him, saying he had committed a crime that he would like to admit. During the conversation, the woman said, Mr Christensen had seemed OK and was "very respectful". The crown alleges the defendant was able to understand the nature of his own conduct, formed rational judgments and killed Mr Hall "because that is exactly what he wanted to do". Mr Christensen, who is said to have autism spectrum disorder and had previously spent periods of time living rough in the countryside, denies murder by reason of diminished responsibility. Jurors have been told they must decide whether the unlawful killing Mr Hall was murder or manslaughter. The trial continues. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

एक अदालत ने सुना है कि एक 70 वर्षीय व्यक्ति को एक दूरदराज की पहाड़ी की चोटी पर चाकू मारने वाला एक हत्यारा गीले हो रहा था जब उसने एक अजनबी के दरवाजे पर फोन करके उसे बताया कि उसने "अपराध किया है"।


Sheffield stab death: Woman to face murder trial

Summary: A woman charged with murdering a 55-year-old who was stabbed to death is due to stand trial.

Simone Hancock was found with fatal stab wounds in Ravenscroft Place, Richmond in Sheffield, on Saturday night. Ms Hancock was taken to hospital where she later died. Kerry Taylor, 41, of Ravenscroft Place, did not enter a plea at Sheffield Crown Court. She was remanded in custody for a trial on 11 January 2021. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.

एक 55 वर्षीय वृद्ध की हत्या के आरोप में एक महिला, जिसकी चाकू मारकर हत्या कर दी गई थी, उस पर मुकदमा चलाया जाना है।


Oil clean-up pledge divides Nigerians

Summary: The Nigerian government has launched an unprecedented $1bn (£750m) operation to clean up the environmental damage caused by the oil industry, and it will be paid for by the polluters. But will it work? The BBC's Stephanie Hegarty reports from the Niger Delta.

The mangroves that used to stretch across the creeks of Kegbara Dere, Ogoniland, are now dead - their naked, rotten trunks stick out of the water, like skeletons coated in a layer of black. This is the price that has been paid for the discovery of oil. Erabanabari Kobah, an environmental campaigner who grew up on these creeks, used to fish here during his school holidays to make a little money to pay for his school books. But he says children cannot do that anymore. "This used to be a very flourishing mangrove forest full of diversity but as a result of the continuous oil spills the fish are all dead," he says, as he navigates a creek in a small wooden canoe. "People can no longer do their fishing here. It's sad to see it like this." Kogbara Dere was a fishing village in which life revolved around the creek. Oil was discovered here in the 1950s but by the 1990s the wider Ogoniland community pushed the oil company operating in the area, Shell, out of the creek. For many years afterwards the abandoned oil wells leaked until they were capped in 2010, but by then the damage was done. 'Cancer-causing' pollution In 2011, the Nigerian government called on the UN Environment Programme to do an independent report on the damage in Ogoniland. Researchers found that oil had penetrated far deeper into the soil than anyone expected and said the clean-up could take up to 30 years. They said the people of Ogoniland were exposed to extreme health hazards from air and water pollution. In some cases, cancer-causing compounds in crude oil - like benzene - could be found in drinking water at more than 900 times the safe level. Despite the damage some communities are opposed to a clean-up fearing that the money spent on it could end up in the wrong hands. The experience of what has happened in Bodo, just down the coast from Kogbara Dere, may shed some light on the difficulties ahead. It was once a quiet fishing town but became famous last year when Shell paid out almost $80m in compensation for two major oil spills. That money was split between 15,600 local people, with each getting about $3,000, and the rest was earmarked for the community as a whole, but that has also now been distributed to individuals. It was a huge windfall for people who were until then living hand to mouth. The money physically transformed the town with concrete houses popping up everywhere replacing mud and corrugated tin huts. It also bitterly divided the community. Part of the 2015 deal said Shell must clean up the mess, but that surprisingly is not what many people want. Siitu Emmanuel, fisherman "I believe the money earmarked is for the clean-up. This is for [the benefit of] the community therefore money should be paid to them" Fisherman Siitu Emmanuel was one of the beneficiaries of the pay-out and spent it building houses for his children. He says he is not in support of Shell doing the clean-up - instead he wants the money that was going to pay for it to be split amongst the community. "I believe the money earmarked is for the clean-up. This is for [the benefit of] the community therefore money should be paid to them," he says. And most people in Bodo agree with him, they would rather have money in their pockets than see the environmental problems sorted out. The damage to the creeks has been so profound that many cannot even imagine returning to the life they had as fishermen before. How clean is clean? Clean-ups in places like Kogbara Dere have been attempted in the past but according to some residents they have not worked. Comfort Gbode's farm is beside a pipeline which spilled oil in 2012 destroying much of her land. Mrs Gbode and her husband still farm the land but the crops are stunted. A clean-up was done but had little effect. "They said they were cleaning the soil, I saw tippers coming in to dump new soil on top," she says. "But it's not clean, we still can't farm the land." A core of activists is still arguing for the clean-up to happen. One of them, Sylvester Kogbara, had his home attacked by local youths opposed to it. The conflict got so violent that in February four people were killed in clashes. Father Abel Agbulu, Bodo's Catholic priest, was called in to stop the violence and understands better than most why it happened. "They don't really trust any kind of negotiations or negotiators from the community," he says. This is the land that has made many Nigerians super rich and yet he says many of his parishioners are surviving on one meal a day. People here are used to seeing oil money go into the wrong hands. Likewise, they believe the money spent by Shell to sort out the environmental damage will end up with corrupt local politicians and contractors. For its part Shell is committed to undertake a clean-up operation but says it is too dangerous to begin work until the Bodo people are ready to welcome them. They have been in talks with various groups for three years to get the work started. But those talks have stalled repeatedly. Dutch ambassador John Groffen acts as a mediator and explains why the process has been so difficult. "We wanted to make sure that it wasn't happening in the old ways where contracts were being given out to contractors in an underhanded way," he says. "In the end some parties, some contractors, some youths felt they were left out of the process and there was a push back from those groups." Until the allocation of those contracts is sorted out, the creeks continue to rot. Bodo is just one community, there are thousands like it in the Niger Delta. The task of cleaning up is mammoth. But the Nigerian government says it is determined that its own plans will work. Environment Minister Amina Mohamed is aware of the murky local politics at play. "A lot of the [issues involve] transparency," she says. "It's not about sharing money. It's about contracting people to do work that needs to be done to clean up the Niger Delta." But even if this does happen, it could be 30 years before these creeks are clean again.

नाइजीरियाई सरकार ने तेल उद्योग से होने वाले पर्यावरणीय नुकसान को साफ करने के लिए एक अभूतपूर्व $1bn (£750m) ऑपरेशन शुरू किया है, और इसका भुगतान प्रदूषकों द्वारा किया जाएगा। लेकिन क्या यह काम करेगा? नाइजर डेल्टा से बीबीसी की स्टेफ़नी हेगार्टी रिपोर्ट करती है।


What would happen if Greece quits the euro?

Summary: Neither the Greek government nor its eurozone partners want to see Greece leaving the eurozone - or a "Grexit" as it has become known. But if they cannot agree a way forward it could come to that.

To state the obvious, no country has left before. There is no formal process in which a country can exit the eurozone so much of it would be improvisation. On Monday night, Greece rejected a plan to extend its €240bn (£178bn) bailout, describing it as "absurd". Greece is likely to run out of money if a deal is not reached before the end of February. "We should extend the credit programme by a few months to have enough stability so that we can negotiate a new agreement between Greece and Europe," Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told Germany's ZDF. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble dismissed the Greek proposal, telling broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday evening: "It's not about extending a credit programme but about whether this bailout programme will be fulfilled, yes or no." So what would the consequences of a Grexit be? What would happen to Greece? The previous Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, warned that living standards could fall by 80% within a few weeks of exit. Unable to borrow from anyone (not even other European governments), the Greek government would simply run out of euros. It would have to pay social benefits and civil servants' wages in IOUs (if it pays them at all) until a new non-euro currency can be introduced. The government would not be able to repay its debts, which now amount to a total of about €320bn (£237bn), most of it owed to European governments and agencies and the International Monetary Fund. The government would have to impose a freeze on withdrawals and on people taking money out of the country. This could lead to queues of ordinary Greeks trying to empty their bank accounts before they get converted into a new currency worth substantially less than the previous one. In the longer run, Greece's economy should benefit from having a much more competitive exchange rate. But the devaluation would not solve underlying problems in the economy, including poor tax collection and a struggle to control government spending. There is also a real possibility of a surge in inflation. Tax receipts would probably fall as the economy contracted, so the government might finance spending by printing money. The likely currency depreciation would also be inflationary. It would make imported goods - which in Greece includes a lot of its food and medicine - more expensive. What would happen to the wider eurozone? There is a danger that a Greek departure from the euro might do wider economic damage, but the risk is generally thought to be much reduced since 2012, the last time such speculation was rife. Actions by the European Central Bank are a key element behind this change. First of all, there is the ECB's commitment to do "whatever it takes to preserve the euro". That promise, made by the ECB's President Mario Draghi in July 2012, was later fleshed out to include a commitment to buy the debts of governments whose borrowing costs were affected by fears of them leaving the euro. The ECB has not acted on that promise, but its existence was enough to calm eurozone financial markets. And the ECB could use this initiative if the fears were to re-emerge in the wake of a Greek exit. There is also quantitative easing, the programme of buying government debt across the eurozone, announced by the ECB in January. The scheme does not target financially vulnerable countries, but the expectation has already reduced government borrowing costs, which have stayed quite low for all eurozone countries (as implied by the bond market) except Greece. Having said all that, if Greece really does go, financial contagion cannot be ruled out. Nervous depositors in other struggling eurozone countries, such as Spain or Italy, may also move their money to the safety of a German bank account, sparking a banking crisis in southern Europe. Confidence in other banks that have lent heavily to southern Europe - such as the French banks - could also be affected. The banking crisis could conceivably spread worldwide, just as it did in 2008. What does it mean for businesses? Greek businesses would face a legal and financial disaster. Some contracts governed by Greek law would be converted into a new currency, while other foreign law contracts would remain in euros. Many contracts could end up in legal disputes over whether they should be converted or not. Greek companies who still owe big debts in euros to foreign lenders, but whose main sources of income are converted to a devalued non-euro currency, would be unable to repay their debts. Many businesses would be left insolvent - their debts worth more than the value of everything they own - and would be facing bankruptcy. Foreign lenders and business partners of Greek companies would be looking at big losses. In the wider eurozone, businesses, afraid for the euro's future, may cut investment. Faced with a barrage of bad news in the press, ordinary people may cut back their own spending. All of this could push the eurozone into recession. The euro could lose value in the currency markets, providing some relief for the eurozone by making its exports more competitive in international trade. But the flipside is that imports from the rest of the world would become more expensive - especially the US, UK and Japan. What about political consequences? If Greece leaves, it undermines the idea that the euro project is irreversible and could give a boost to anti-euro and anti-European Union political forces in other countries. In Spain, the left-wing anti-austerity party Podemos is already gaining ground, ahead of elections later this year. In Portugal, there is growing fatigue with austerity, and it also goes to the polls this year. Under European law as it stands, abandoning the euro probably also means leaving the European Union. A lawyer at the European Central Bank wrote in 2009 that "withdrawal from EMU without a parallel withdrawal from the EU would be legally impossible". But there would be a political aspect to the decision so perhaps some way of keeping Greece in the EU would be found, if all countries involved wanted it enough.

न तो ग्रीक सरकार और न ही उसके यूरोज़ोन भागीदार ग्रीस को यूरोज़ोन से बाहर निकलते हुए देखना चाहते हैं-या एक "ग्रेक्सिट" जैसा कि यह जाना जाता है। लेकिन अगर वे आगे बढ़ने के लिए सहमत नहीं हो सकते हैं तो यह उस पर आ सकता है।


Four charged after swans are shot in Haverfordwest

Summary: Four people have been charged following an investigation into the shooting of three swans in Pembrokeshire.

Dyfed-Powys Police received reports that two swans had been shot dead at Withybush Woods, Haverfordwest on 22 October 2016. A cygnet was also injured and had to be put down. Three men, aged 32, 23 and 19, and a 13-year-old, have been charged with firearms offences and offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. They will appear before magistrates.

पेम्ब्रोकेशायर में तीन हंसों की गोलीबारी की जांच के बाद चार लोगों पर आरोप लगाया गया है।


Covid-19: The drive-in events keeping Christmas shows on the road

Summary: From Christmas performances to carol services, Santa's grotto and light displays, organisers of festive events have had to find imaginative ways to contend with Covid-19 rules. This has seen a rise in drive-in - and drive-through - alternatives. So how are four-wheeled solutions being used to help keep Christmas shows on the road?

By Katy LewisBBC News Online The show where laughter is replaced by car horns The Birmingham Stage Company would normally be touring the UK and playing to packed theatre audiences. This year, it has produce a drive-in version of Horrible Christmas - and it has proved to be a hit. Shows this weekend, in Chelmsford, Essex and Duxford, Cambridgeshire, were sold out within 48 hours. Actor and director, Neal Foster, said it was proof that people needed to see a show - even if it was from their cars. With the stage on a lorry and the action broadcast on big screen, sound is transmitted directly to vehicles through the car radio. The production, a seasonal take on the Horrible Histories series and ironically about a boy trying to save Christmas, is "fundamentally the same" as its indoor version, Mr Foster said, but shorter and without an interval. Challenges include scenes being reframed to work on a screen and actors not being able to hear any laughter from an audience, who beep car horns to show appreciation. "That's the only way we know they are with us," he said, "so you have to have the confidence to keep going and know that the audience is getting it." Cast and crew are in a bubble of 12 and will not have contact with anyone else for five weeks, including over Christmas. "Many people involved in the show haven't had a job since March so they are willing to make those sacrifices," Mr Foster said. "We're doing it for ourselves, for our industry and for audiences, because for a lot of people, a show is an integral part of Christmas." The drive-through Christmas grotto Visitors to Aldenham Country Park, near Elstree in Hertfordshire, are met with "elf and safety" checks when they arrive at the Christmas drive-through grotto. After making their way around a decorated festive field on the 100-acre site, they get to Father Christmas' living room. Usually, children sit down for a face-to-face chats - not in 2020. Events manager, Callen Flynn, said the team looked at what they could do within the regulations so it was not just a grotto where people wear masks. Families stay in their car for a festive performance, before children choose a Covid-safe present. "They play on the theme a bit, such as the elves can't get too near Santa and they throw the present into the car after sanitising their hands," Mr Flynn said. "It's fun and playful but it was important to us to have a message explaining why the children can't see Santa in the normal way this year." As a not-for-profit organisation, he said it was "quite a big risk". "It would have been easier not to do anything but we thought let's not take the easy route," he said. "We've definitely done the right thing - everyone has absolutely loved it." Christmas lights from the 'comfort' of cars For the first time in 27 years, the public was invited to drive through the pedestrianised streets of Ipswich town centre. The free tickets were all quickly snapped up for the Ipswich Borough Council scheme, which is normally only available to Blue Badge holders. The authority organised a virtual light switch-on in November, but Sunday evening's event saw vehicles drive slowly from Major's Corner to Museum Street in pre-booked 30-minute slots. Councillor Sarah Barber said this year had "been a really challenging time for everyone" and the council was "pleased to be able to bring some festive cheer to people". "We know that due to Covid-19 there are lots of people who have spent time shielding and self-isolating throughout the year and are still trying to limit their contact with other people," she said. "By opening the event up to all, we are able to offer some of those people a chance to experience an Ipswich Christmas from the comfort of their own vehicles." A 'fun and festive' drive-in carol service On a wet Sunday afternoon, a free drive-in carol service saw about 300 vehicles turn up at Chelmsford City Racecourse to support the farming community, one that has been particularly hit by the isolation of lockdowns. Cars were directed to a measured-out space facing a stage formed by two lorries with a backdrop of decorated tractors and a life-sized nativity scene. Carols led by singer Nancy May were relayed directly to cars and people could either sing in their vehicles or outside, as long as they stayed socially-distanced in their bubble. The Rev Janet Nicholls, from the Diocese of Chelmsford, said she wanted to make things "fun and festive" with some "very special holy moments" and the service had been "extremely well-received". "I was amazed that, even with everyone in their cars, an atmosphere of Christmas joy and hope absolutely filled Chelmsford City Racecourse," she said. "It was a delight to lead a service that lifted spirits in such challenging times. "You have to have a vision of what you want to offer people and then look at what the rules are and find a way of working safely to offer that." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk

क्रिसमस के प्रदर्शन से लेकर कैरोल सेवाओं, सांता के ग्रोटो और लाइट डिस्प्ले तक, उत्सव के आयोजनों के आयोजकों को कोविड-19 नियमों का सामना करने के लिए कल्पनाशील तरीके खोजने पड़े हैं। इससे ड्राइव-इन और ड्राइव-थ्रू विकल्पों में वृद्धि देखी गई है। तो क्रिसमस शो को सड़क पर रखने में मदद करने के लिए चार पहियों वाले समाधानों का उपयोग कैसे किया जा रहा है?


The 'Belsen boys' who moved to Ascot

Summary: Shortly after the end of World War Two a group of young Holocaust survivors was flown to the UK to recuperate. Thirty of them were housed in the Berkshire town of Ascot, famous for the pomp of the Royal Ascot horse races, where they made an incongruous sight, writes Rosie Whitehouse.

Margaret Nutley remembers her first meeting with a group of unfamiliar boys on the Ascot racecourse. It was autumn 1945, and they were playing football, wearing striped jackets from a concentration camp. "The course was not fenced off as it is today and us local children used it as a playground. One day I went up with my friends to muck about and there they were. They were just there, playing like the rest of us. "The boys showed us their tattoos and talked about what had happened to them, but not boastfully." Nutley, now 85, noticed that they were "happy people", despite what they had been through. "People don't understand. They were not downtrodden and broken but proud that they had survived, and not shy to say so," she says. "They were very friendly, chatty… They were the lucky boys." When Nutley recently shared her memories in a group chat on Facebook, she was ridiculed for suggesting that three boys had been wearing their striped camp outfits. But her recall is sharp, and in fact many concentration camp survivors kept items of clothing as proof of what they had endured. They were proud of the jackets and trousers that symbolised their survival and it seems likely that they wore them to identify their team when they played against local boys. Two of the teenagers may well have been 13-year-old Ivor Perl and his 15-year-old brother, Alec. Born in the small town of Mako in southern Hungary, they had survived Auschwitz and a death march to Dachau. Then, in the autumn of 1945, they had been flown to Southampton and brought to recuperate in Ascot. Perl, who now lives in Essex, remembers that he met some girls on Ascot racecourse and "took a fancy" to them, but he cannot remember their names. The brothers were among several hundred children, mostly boys, who were offered a helping hand by the Central British Fund (CBF), the same organisation that had arranged the Kindertransport bringing 10,000 predominantly Jewish children to Britain in the months before World War Two. At least 1.5 million Jewish children had been murdered in the Holocaust, but after the war the CBF lobbied the government to grant visas to the few thousand who had survived. The Home Office agreed to allow 732 into Britain for two years' rehabilitation - but only on the condition that they would not cost the taxpayer a penny. The money to care for the teenagers was raised by the Jewish community. After liberation at Dachau in April 1945, Perl was skin and bones and close to death from typhus. Once he had recovered, he and his brother prepared to go home to see if their parents and seven siblings had survived. But when informed by the Red Cross that they were the sole survivors of their family, they thought again and decided instead to go to Palestine, which was then under British control. There was a problem with this plan too, though. "The authorities caring for us in Germany explained that the British were blocking immigration to Palestine and we should apply for visas to the UK," Perl says. He jumped at the idea. "England was like the golden land," he says. And it was an opportunity to get out of Germany. The boys were flown from Munich in Stirling bombers and taken to Woodcote House, a large manor opposite Ascot racecourse with large gardens full of rhododendron bushes. It belonged to a member of the local council and had been used to house Jewish evacuees during the war. In charge of the 30 boys there was Manny Silver, a 22-year-old Jew from Leeds. Silver, whose father had been born in Poland, found the boys little different from himself except that the 21 miles of the English Channel had saved him from their fate. Silver had no training and no assistance from psychologists but in his team were young German Jews who had arrived on the Kindertransport several years earlier. Rehabilitation started with the basics. The boys had to be taught table manners. Their experiences meant that every mealtime they sneaked slices of bread from the table to hide in their pockets and under the pillows of their beds, and they had to be persuaded that they did not need to do this. The emphasis was on the future and providing them with the skills to build a new life. The languages used in Woodcote House were German and Yiddish but the boys were issued with English textbooks donated by the British Council. Silver recalled, many years later, that they "had a devouring need to learn". For Perl, life in England was very different from his upbringing in an Orthodox religious family. "We did not know what life was really about. I had not seen double decker buses and traffic lights. It was all new!" he says. "Religion is about restrictions and the lack of someone to tell us what to do was also liberating." He remembers that they went on trips to the cinema and were given bikes to explore the locality. One of the letters he keeps in a file that is clearly precious to him describes him as "a cheeky boy." After Woodcote closed in 1947, some of the boys, including Perl and his brother, remained in the UK. But nearly all wanted to go to Palestine, Silver recalled, and when war broke out in 1948 many did, to fight for the new state of Israel. Perl also considered signing up but was persuaded not to risk his life by one of his teachers. "I thought 'Palestine can wait' as, above anything, I wanted to taste life," he says. Eighty-five-year-old Irene Baldock's mother, Martha Turner, worked at Woodcote. The family were from London's East End and they had settled in Ascot when their shop in Hackney was destroyed in the Blitz. Her younger sister, Dorrie, spent a lot of time at the hostel playing table tennis with the boys. Sammy Diamond was one of them, Baldock says, and he was "sweet on Dorrie and spent a lot of time at our home". Both were 18 in the winter of 1945/46, Diamond having lied about his age in order to get one of the visas to the UK, which were intended for under-16s. He had been in the camps of Buchenwald and Theresienstadt and had flown to the UK from Prague in August 1945 with 300 other young survivors. According to Baldock Diamond was "very exuberant and had a good sense of humour. He had short dark curly hair and a happy face." He had been born Samuel Diament in the industrial city of Lodz, now in central Poland, and Baldock says his upbringing was similar to hers. "Our family was much as his had been and we made him welcome. My mother had worked for a Jewish tailor and we had lots of Jewish friends and neighbours in Hackney. "He once came back from America where he became a tailor as he wanted to see my mother. He had been separated from his mother in the camp." Baldock says she would love to know what happened to him and if he had a family. As children, she and Nutley were both taken by their mothers to see the shocking newsreels of the liberation of Belsen, which led to the Woodcote boys becoming known locally as the "Belsen Boys". Today both women say they are concerned about history repeating itself. Baldock says she knows children now learn a lot about World War One but fears they are not taught enough about World War Two. If they were, she thinks, it would help them understand the contemporary world, and enable them to see the danger of intolerance. For his part, Ivor Perl, who has spoken widely about his experiences in schools, is concerned that understanding of the Holocaust in Britain is too narrow. "People always ask me if I hate Germans, but it was the Hungarian boys I used to play football with in my home town who rounded us up into the ghetto with sticks," he says. One person who was fascinated to read Nutley's post about the Woodcote boys, is Elizabeth Yates, clerk of Ascot's parish council - who moved to the area from Mill Hill in North London 18 years ago. "This is not an area normally associated with this kind of tale," she says. "People are always surprised when they discover I am Jewish and often say, 'I didn't think we had people like you in the area!'" She is keen for the story to be used in local schools, partly because her own children's Holocaust education - which began with the two of them being invited up on to the stage at a school assembly along with two German boys - left room for improvement. "The teacher gave a brief outline of the Holocaust, and as a result one of the German boys was beaten up in the playground," she says. "I think we can and should improve on that in Ascot. "The rediscovery of this story offers us a unique opportunity that should not be missed. Ascot offered the boys hope and a new life. That is a positive message to get across in the present climate." Photographs by Rachel Judah, unless otherwise indicated UPDATE, October 2018: : This publication of this story helped give rise to the Ascot Holocaust Education Project, which aims to promote understanding of the Holocaust through the story of the 30 survivors cared for at Woodcote House. More on this subject After World War Two, the BBC attempted to find relatives of children who had survived the Holocaust - they had lost their parents but it was believed they might have family in Britain. "Captive Children, an appeal from Germany," the radio broadcast begins. One by one, for five minutes, the presenter asks relatives of 12 children to come forward. With each name comes a short but devastating summary of the child's ordeal under the Nazis. Read: Tracing the children of the Holocaust Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के अंत के कुछ ही समय बाद होलोकॉस्ट से बचे युवा लोगों के एक समूह को ठीक होने के लिए ब्रिटेन ले जाया गया। उनमें से तीस को बर्कशायर शहर एस्कॉट में रखा गया था, जो रॉयल एस्कॉट घुड़दौड़ की धूमधाम के लिए प्रसिद्ध था, जहाँ उन्होंने एक असंगत दृश्य बनाया, रोज़ी व्हाइटहाउस लिखते हैं।


Is a gender recognition certificate crucial or cruel?

Summary: A transgender woman has died in a men's jail, just weeks after another successfully argued to be moved to an all-female prison. A gender recognition certificate could have prevented either prisoner being in a men's jail but the process of applying for it has been called humiliating. So does the document protect trans rights or infringe them?

By Jennifer MeierhansBBC News Online Vicky Thompson, 21, was found dead at Armley jail in Leeds just weeks after a campaign saw 26-year-old Tara Hudson moved out of HMP Bristol Prison. Although both women had identified as female for many years, neither held a gender recognition certificate. The decision on which prison to send a person to is currently based on legal gender determined by a birth certificate or a gender recognition certificate. According to Luke Anderson, who was born Laura and began transitioning aged 27, the certificate should be scrapped. The chef from Cheshire won TV reality show Big Brother in 2012 and married wife Jamie-Lee two years later. They are now undergoing IVF and hope to become parents. He said: "Being trans doesn't define me and I don't need a scrap of paper to say I'm a man. "My wife and I want to have children. If we are lucky enough to have a child I will be the father because I love and cherish them. "Although my name will be on the birth certificate I don't need that piece of paper to prove I'm the father. "So why should I and others go begging cap in hand to a panel of judges who don't know us and request that they grant us a gender recognition certificate? "No-one has the right to tell you who you are. "In these days of gender fluidity, people should live the lives they wish to lead, without being suppressed by a meaningless scrap of official paper." Jackie Jessiman, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives who specialises in transgender cases, says the certificate provides all the rights appropriate to a gender - such as the right to retire and receive state benefits at a certain age - and says for that reason the government needs to be informed of a change of gender. "By obtaining a gender recognition certificate, you are entitled to a new birth certificate, which in many situations is required to be produced," said Ms Jessiman. Stephanie Booth is a trans woman who is firmly in favour of the certificate, as she believes it "makes life so much easier". Stephanie was a wealthy businessman and a married father-of-three named Keith before she underwent transgender surgery in 1983. She does not have a gender recognition certificate because it did not exist at the time - instead she got a new birth certificate. She believes she was the first trans woman in the UK to be jailed, when in 1989 she was sentenced to 12 weeks for a video licensing offence. "I was sent to Askham Grange women's prison near York in 1989 so Vicky Thompson and Tara Hudson being sent to men's prisons seemed very odd," said Ms Booth. "Legally I am a woman, but I am proud to identify myself publicly as a trans woman, but there are those that would not wish to do so. "For those that need to completely hide their past, amending your birth certificate would offer certainty. "The amended birth certificate makes life so much easier. You are even assigned to a special tax office that handles MI5 operatives but the staff cannot access your details." Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the government to allow people to self-define their gender - as permitted through the Republic of Ireland's Gender Recognition Act, passed in July . But former West Midlands MEP Nikki Sinclaire said she did not think people should be able to self-define their gender. "I transitioned more than 25 years ago so the law was different, there was no legal definition at all. So when the Gender Recognition Act came in I welcomed it," said Ms Sinclaire. "Looking at it now I do feel some of the hoops you have to jump through can seem excessive. "Before my surgery I had to live as a woman for two years and that's what you have to do before you can get a certificate. "But I've known people who have changed their mind in that two years. "I've known someone who bypassed that by going abroad for surgery and ended up regretting it. "The gender recognition certificate is an understanding that someone was born in the wrong body and they have taken steps to match their body with their mind. "The system of getting a certificate needs to be a little more streamlined but I don't believe you should self define." The government has announced it is re-examining its policy on transgender prisoners following Vicky Thompson's death. The certificate was previously debated at the Transgender Equality Inquiry in the House of Commons on 28 October. Jo Churchill, member of the Women and Equalities committee, asked minister Caroline Dinenage: "The process of applying for a gender recognition certificate has been described as protracted, bureaucratic, costly and humiliating. Do you agree?" Mrs Dinenage, minister for women, equalities and family justice, said: "We were quite groundbreaking internationally in introducing this form of legislation. "Since then, we have seen other countries around the world - most recently Ireland - come up with legislation that differs from ours, in the sense that people can self refer, people do not have to wait two years and there are also discussions around ages. These are all really important experiences for us to learn from." A campaign saw Tara Hudson moved to a female prison within days, but the inquiry heard there were about 100 trans prisoners in the UK whose rights were at risk. Mrs Dinenage said: "We want to do more on this, which is why there is prison service guidance at the moment, but that is being updated to take into consideration everything we already know and everything we are learning about the trans population in our prisons. That new guidance is in draft form at the moment and will be issued, hopefully, before Christmas." For Vicky Thompson the new guidance will come too late. Alex Kaye, from SafeT, which represents transgender people, said he hoped her death would bring about a change in the law. "Any woman would not be happy to be in a male prison regardless of any gender identity history," he said. Ms Booth said: "Vicky told friends she would commit suicide if she was sent to a men's jail. This to me means that the law handed out a virtual death sentence. "I was sent to Askham women's prison but had I been sent to a male jail I think I would have probably done the same thing. "That our justice system in 2015 be so callous is very troubling. "Today is the Transgender Day Of Remembrance when internationally we remember all trans people who have lost their lives as a result of war, violence and suicide. How ironic." And Mr Anderson said: "The gender recognition certificate is outdated. We all have a basic human rights, transgender or not. "Trans people go through rigorous psychiatric scrutiny when beginning their journey to make sure it's the correct path to take, this surely is gender recognition enough. "To continue ignoring the rights of transgender people by putting them in the opposite sex's prisons is barbaric and very ignorant. "Recently Vicky Thompson was a victim of this stupidity, she lost her life. Please let this be the end of the law defining your gender... Before we lose more." The standard route to apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate Applicants must: Other routes apply to those who are married or in a legal partnership, or who have documents to prove their gender has been legally accepted in some other countries. The application is assessed by a gender recognition panel which can ask for further proof or information. If a certificate is granted, the successful applicant can apply for new birth, marriage or civil partnership certificates. If the certificate is refused it may be possible to appeal to the courts.

एक ट्रांसजेंडर महिला की पुरुषों की जेल में मृत्यु हो गई है, कुछ ही हफ्तों बाद एक अन्य ने सफलतापूर्वक तर्क दिया कि उसे पूरी तरह से महिला जेल में स्थानांतरित कर दिया गया है। एक लिंग मान्यता प्रमाण पत्र या तो कैदी को पुरुषों की जेल में रहने से रोक सकता था, लेकिन इसके लिए आवेदन करने की प्रक्रिया को अपमानजनक कहा गया है। तो क्या दस्तावेज़ ट्रांस अधिकारों की रक्षा करता है या उनका उल्लंघन करता है?


Wives wanted in the Faroe Islands

Summary: There's a shortage of women in the Faroe Islands. So local men are increasingly seeking wives from further afield - Thailand and the Philippines in particular. But what's it like for the brides who swap the tropics for this windswept archipelago?

By Tim EcottTorshavn When Athaya Slaetalid first moved from Thailand to the Faroe Islands, where winter lasts six months, she would sit next to the heater all day: "People told me to go outside because the sun was shining but I just said: 'No! Leave me alone, I'm very cold.'" Moving here six years ago was tough for Athaya at first, she admits. She'd met her husband Jan when he was working with a Faroese friend who had started a business in Thailand. Jan knew in advance that bringing his wife to this very different culture, weather and landscape would be challenging. Find out more "I had my concerns, because everything she was leaving and everything she was coming to were opposites," he admits. "But knowing Athaya, I knew she would cope." There are now more than 300 women from Thailand and Philippines living in the Faroes. It doesn't sound like a lot, but in a population of just 50,000 people they now make up the largest ethnic minority in these 18 islands, located between Norway and Iceland. In recent years the Faroes have experienced population decline, with young people leaving, often in search of education, and not returning. Women have proved more likely to settle abroad. As a result, according to Prime Minister Axel Johannesen, the Faroes have a "gender deficit" with approximately 2,000 fewer women than men. This, in turn, has lead Faroese men to look beyond the islands for romance. Many, though not all, of the Asian women met their husbands online, some through commercial dating websites. Others have made connections through social media networks or existing Asian-Faroese couples. For the new arrivals, the culture shock can be dramatic. Officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroes have their own language (derived from Old Norse) and a very distinctive culture - especially when it comes to food. Fermented mutton, dried cod and occasional whale meat and blubber are typical of the strong flavours here, with none of the traditional herbs and spices of Asian cooking. And, although it never gets as cold as neighbouring Iceland, the wet, cool climate is a challenge for many people. A good summer's day would see the temperature reach 16°C. Athaya is a confident woman with a ready smile who now works in the restaurant business in Torshavn, the Faroese capital. She and Jan share a cosy cottage on the banks of a fjord surrounded by dramatic mountains. But she's honest about how difficult swapping countries was at first. "When our son Jacob was a baby, I was at home all day with no-one to talk to," she says. "The other villagers are older people and mostly don't speak English. People our age were out at work and there were no children for Jacob to play with. I was really alone. When you stay at home here, you really stay at home. I can say I was depressed. But I knew it would be like that for two or three years." Then, when Jacob started kindergarten, she began working in catering and met other Thai women. "That was important because it gave me a network. And it gave me a taste of home again." Krongrak Jokladal felt isolated at first, too, when she arrived from Thailand. Her husband Trondur is a sailor and works away from home for several months at a time. She started her own Thai massage salon in the centre of Torshavn. "You can't work regular hours with a baby, and although my parents-in-law help out with childcare, running the business myself means I can choose my hours," she says. It's a far cry from Krongrak's previous job as head of an accountancy division in Thai local government. But she is unusual in that she runs her own business. Even for many highly educated Asian women in the Faroes, the language barrier means they have to take lower-level work. Axel Johannesen, the prime minister, says helping the newcomers overcome this is something the government takes seriously. "The Asian women who have come in are very active in the labour market, which is good," he says. "One of our priorities is to help them learn Faroese, and there are government programmes offering free language classes." Kristjan Arnason recalls the effort his Thai wife Bunlom, who arrived in the Faroes in 2002, put into learning the language. "After a long day at work she would sit reading the English-Faeroese dictionary," he says. "She was extraordinarily dedicated." "I was lucky," Bunlom adds. "I told Kristjan that if I was moving here he had to find me a job. And he did, and I was working with Faeroese people in a hotel so I had to learn how to talk to them." In an age when immigration has become such a sensitive topic in many parts of Europe, Faeroes society seems remarkably accepting of foreign incomers. "I think it helps that the immigrants we have seen so far are mostly women," says local politician Magni Arge, who also sits in the Danish parliament, "They come and they work and they don't cause any social problems. "But we've seen problems when you have people coming from other cultures into places like the UK, in Sweden and in other parts of Europe - even Denmark. That's why we need to work hard at government level to make sure we don't isolate people and have some kind of sub-culture developing." But Antonette Egholm, originally from the Philippines, hasn't encountered any anti-immigrant sentiment. I met her and her husband as they moved into a new flat in Torshavn. "People here are friendly, she explains, "and I've never experienced any negative reactions to my being a foreigner. I lived in metro Manila and there we worried about traffic and pollution and crime. Here we don't need to worry about locking the house, and things like healthcare and education are free. At home we have to pay. And here you can just call spontaneously at someone's house, it's not formal. For me, it feels like the Philippines in that way." Likewise, her husband Regin believes increasing diversity is something that should be welcomed not feared. "We actually need fresh blood here," he adds, "I like seeing so many children now who have mixed parentage. Our gene pool is very restricted, and it's got to be a good thing that we welcome outsiders who can have families." He acknowledges that he's had occasional ribbing from some male friends who jokingly ask if he pressed "enter" on his computer to order a wife. But he denies he and Antonette have encountered any serious prejudice as a result of their relationship. Athaya Slaetalid tells me that some of her Thai friends have asked why she doesn't leave her small hamlet, and move to the capital, where almost 40% of Faroe Islanders now live. They say Jacob would have more friends there. "No, I don't need to do that," she says. "I'm happy here now, not just surviving but making a life for our family. "Look," she says, as we step into the garden overlooking the fjord. "Jacob plays next to the beach. He is surrounded by hills covered in sheep and exposed to nature. And his grandparents live just up the road. There is no pollution and no crime. Not many kids have that these days. This could be the last paradise on earth." Tim Ecott is the author of Stealing Water, Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World and Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Luscious Substance. Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

फारो द्वीप समूह में महिलाओं की कमी है। इसलिए स्थानीय पुरुष तेजी से दूर से पत्नियों की तलाश कर रहे हैं-विशेष रूप से थाईलैंड और फिलीपींस। लेकिन उन दुल्हनों के लिए यह कैसा है जो इस हवा से घिरे द्वीपसमूह के लिए उष्णकटिबंधीय क्षेत्रों की अदला-बदली करते हैं?


Michaela McAreavey murder trial hears police officer 'lying'

Summary: The trial of two men charged with murdering Michaela McAreavey is continuing to hear evidence from a police officer who arrested one of the accused the day after the killing.

Mrs McAreavey, a 27-year-old teacher, was found dead during her honeymoon at the Legends Hotel in January 2011. Hotel workers Avinash Treebhoowoon, 30, and Sandip Moneea, 42, deny murder. On Tuesday, an officer who accompanied Mr Treebhoowoon from the hotel to a police station was accused of "lying". He denied this. During Monday's hearing at the Supreme Court in Mauritius, the officer was robustly questioned about why a journey from the hotel with Mr Treebhoowoon had taken up to three hours when it should have only taken 30 mintes. The court once again heard a complaint from the 30-year-old accused recorded the day after his arrest in which he claimed to have been tortured by the police.

माइकल मैकएरेवी की हत्या के आरोप में दो लोगों के मुकदमे में एक पुलिस अधिकारी से सबूत सुनना जारी है, जिसने हत्या के अगले दिन एक आरोपी को गिरफ्तार किया था।


Hong Kong protests: Chinese army releases anti-riot video seen as warning

Summary: China's army in Hong Kong has released a three-minute video showing troops carrying out "anti-riot" exercises, in what is being seen as a thinly veiled warning to pro-democracy protesters.

The video, posted to social media, begins with a soldier shouting: "All consequences are at your own risk." Tensions are high in Hong Kong after weeks of anti-government protests. On Wednesday, more than 40 activists appeared in court charged with rioting, after Sunday's protest turned violent. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison. Hong Kong, a former British colony, is part of China but enjoys unique freedoms not seen on the mainland. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has so far stayed out of the protests that have gone on for eight consecutive weekends and brought parts of central Hong Kong to a standstill - leaving the territory's police to deal with the unrest. But at a reception to mark the 92nd anniversary of the PLA on Wednesday, the commander of the Chinese army's garrison in Hong Kong said the protests had "seriously threatened the life and safety of Hong Kong citizens, and violated the bottom line of 'one country, two systems'. "This should not be tolerated and we express our strong condemnation," Chen Daoxiang said, in comments reported by the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper. The army video, posted to the Chinese social media site Weibo, shows lines of troops carrying shields and batons performing anti-riot drills. It showcases tanks, rocket launchers, water cannon and barbed wire before featuring heavily armed troops descending from helicopters and shooting their way through the streets and into people's homes. Protesters can also be seen being arrested and walked, with their arms tied behind their backs, to "detention points". Observers believe the video was likely to have been filmed in Hong Kong because the local Cantonese dialect is spoken, and it features a Hong Kong taxi and a flag almost identical to one used by Hong Kong police. The BBC's Celia Hatton, in Beijing, says earlier posts from the Chinese garrison in Hong Kong showed patriotic images of smiling soldiers. The increasingly aggressive posturing featured in the latest video will fuel concerns that China could eventually use military force to end violent protests. But the Chinese government is still refusing to answer such concerns directly, our correspondent notes. When asked about the video, the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing said only that the military would be able to interpret its message. The demonstrations in Hong Kong began in March over a controversial bill that would have enabled extraditions to mainland China. The government has since suspended the bill, but protesters want it withdrawn completely. The demonstrations have also broadened into a wider movement, with activists demanding democratic reform and an independent inquiry into police violence. Violent clashes erupted on Sunday as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters. In a rare intervention on Monday, China's top policy office in Hong Kong condemned the "horrendous incidents" that have caused "serious damage to the rule of law". A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the territory's "top priority" was to "restore social order".

हांगकांग में चीन की सेना ने तीन मिनट का एक वीडियो जारी किया है जिसमें सैनिकों को "दंगा-रोधी" अभ्यास करते हुए दिखाया गया है, जिसे लोकतंत्र समर्थक प्रदर्शनकारियों के लिए एक छोटी सी चेतावनी के रूप में देखा जा रहा है।


Former Wales rugby forward Gareth Williams dies aged 63

Summary: Former Wales and British & Irish Lions rugby player Gareth Williams has died aged 63 after a battle with a rare nervous system disorder.

The death of Williams, who had been suffering with multiple system atrophy since 2012, was confirmed by his former club Bridgend Ravens. Williams won five Wales caps between 1980 and 1982 and appeared on the Lions tour to South Africa in 1980. Bridgend Ravens paid tribute to their former captain as a "true club legend". A back-row forward, Williams helped Bridgend win two Welsh Cups during their four successive finals appearances between 1979 and 1982. He had been bed-bound since January 2017.

पूर्व वेल्स और ब्रिटिश और आयरिश लायंस रग्बी खिलाड़ी गैरेथ विलियम्स का 63 वर्ष की आयु में एक दुर्लभ तंत्रिका तंत्र विकार के साथ लड़ाई के बाद निधन हो गया है।


Indian man pushes birthday present BMW into river

Summary: An Indian man apparently angered at getting a BMW for his birthday - instead of a Jaguar - pushed the new vehicle into a river.

Video posted on social media shows it floating away on the river in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It later got stuck on a bank of tall grass and the man, said to be the son of a local landlord, tried to rescue it. Police are investigating the incident, local media report. BMW cars cost around 3.5m rupees (£41,400; $49,000) locally, with Jaguars costing about 4-5m rupees. You may also like:

अपने जन्मदिन पर जगुआर के बजाय बीएमडब्ल्यू लेने से नाराज एक भारतीय व्यक्ति ने नए वाहन को नदी में धकेल दिया।


Motorcyclist killed in Warminster van crash

Summary: A motorcyclist aged in his 60s has died in a crash with a van.

The bike collided with a Ford Transit on the A36 near Warminster at about 10:30 GMT on Monday The victim, from the Westbury area, was pronounced dead at the scene between the Crockerton and Heytesbury roundabouts. Wiltshire Police, who have appealed for witnesses, said the male driver of the van was uninjured. Related Internet Links Wiltshire Police

60 वर्ष की आयु के एक मोटरसाइकिल सवार की वैन के साथ दुर्घटना में मृत्यु हो गई है।


Steve Scalise shooting: What we know about Virginia attack

Summary: Top US Republican Steve Scalise and four other people have been shot and wounded while Republican lawmakers were practising for a congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington DC. A suspect who was wounded in a shootout with police was taken into custody and President Donald Trump later said he had died. He was named by US media as James T Hodgkinson, 66, of Illinois.

What happened? House of Representatives Majority Whip Steve Scalise and a group of Republican colleagues from both the House and the Senate were practising for Thursday's annual congressional ballgame against the Democrats. Their practice game was being held at the YMCA baseball fields, near Alexandria's Eugene Simpson Stadium Park. Witnesses said the players scattered from the field as 50-100 shots were fired at about 06:30 (10:30 GMT). Rep Scalise, who was fielding at second base at the time, was shot in the hip. Colleagues tended to him, using a belt as a tourniquet to stop his bleeding. A gunfight ensued between the gunman and Mr Scalise's police security detail. Two police officers were also wounded, along with a congressional staffer and a lobbyist. The attacker was said to have been armed with a rifle and a pistol, using a dugout for protection. Democrats were practising on a different field at the time. Latest updates What do we know about the attacker? US media quoting officials named the suspect as James T Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois. Mr Trump in a TV address said the "assailant has now died from his injuries". Hodgkinson's Facebook page contained posts with anti-Republican and anti-Trump rhetoric, and also strong praise for Democratic former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. The Belleville News-Democrat newspaper also carried a 2012 photograph of him holding a placard outside a post office saying: "Tax the rich." Mr Sanders strongly condemned the shooting, saying: "I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society." Hodgkinson was listed as the owner of a home inspection business, according to the Washington Post, although his business licence expired last year. Online records show he faced charges of battery and aiding damage to a motor vehicle in St Clair County, Illinois, in April 2006, but the charges were dismissed, the Post reports. No motive has been given for the attack. Rep Brooks said the Republican baseball team was well known in the area and their practices were "no secret". The attacker was "going after elected officials", he said. James T Hodgkinson: What we know Who was present, and who was shot? Representative Scalise, 51, from the state of Louisiana, is the third-highest ranking Republican in the House, and as whip has the task of keeping order in the party and making sure representatives come to vote. He is currently in a stable condition in hospital. Up to 25 other lawmakers were at the game with their staff, among them: former presidential hopeful Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona; Representatives Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, Mike Bishop of Michigan, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina; and Representatives Joe Barton, Kevin Brady, Mike Conaway and Roger Williams, all of Texas. None are thought to have been injured. Rep Scalise has a security detail, members of which engaged with the attacker. Two of them were shot. Senator Flake described how one of them had returned fire despite a leg wound - and might have brought down the attacker. Rep Williams said one of his staffers was wounded. The staffer, named as Zack Barth, later said he was in hospital but okay. The fifth person wounded was Matthew Mika, a lobbyist and former staffer for two former Republican representatives. His employer, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, confirmed he was in hospital and said it was awaiting news of his condition.

शीर्ष अमेरिकी रिपब्लिकन स्टीव स्कैलिस और चार अन्य लोग गोली मारकर घायल हो गए हैं, जबकि रिपब्लिकन सांसद अलेक्जेंड्रिया, वर्जीनिया, वाशिंगटन डी. सी. के एक उपनगर में कांग्रेस के बेसबॉल खेल के लिए अभ्यास कर रहे थे। एक संदिग्ध जो पुलिस के साथ गोलीबारी में घायल हो गया था, उसे हिरासत में ले लिया गया और राष्ट्रपति डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प ने बाद में कहा कि वह मर गया था। अमेरिकी मीडिया ने इलिनोइस के 66 वर्षीय जेम्स टी हॉजकिन्सन के रूप में उसका नाम लिया था।


Man in coma after 'Annihilation' street collapse in Rochdale

Summary: A man has been placed in an induced coma after being found collapsed in the street having taken the legal high 'Annihilation', police have said.

The 33-year-old was found in Drake Street, Rochdale, on Friday morning. He was taken to hospital and is in an induced coma. His friends told officers he had been taking the legal high. Police issued an urgent warning after a second man, aged 39, was also found collapsed in Drake Street several hours later. The man is also believed to have taken a legal high and was treated by medics at the scene before leaving. Det Insp Andy Butterworth, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "The use of legal highs is a worrying trend and has ended with a man in hospital in intensive care. "I want to remind people about the potentially life-threatening consequences of legal highs - they may not be illegal but they definitely are not safe."

पुलिस ने कहा है कि एक व्यक्ति को कानूनी रूप से उच्च 'विनाश' लेने के बाद सड़क पर गिरते हुए पाए जाने के बाद कोमा में डाल दिया गया है।


All hues or some shades in North Waziristan?

Summary: The BBC has obtained exclusive footage of the aftermath of Pakistani air strikes against the Taliban in North Waziristan - but some say it's still protecting certain militants it has supported in the past.

Andrew NorthSouth Asia correspondent@NorthAndrewon Twitter Major General Asim Bajwa painted a clear picture. "We are going after terrorists of all hue and colour," he told journalists at a briefing on the Pakistani army's operation against militant havens in North Waziristan. Conjuring visions of the Stalingrad "kettle" in World War Two, he said Pakistani troops now had the whole area surrounded: "They cannot escape." But many reports, as well as footage obtained by the BBC, suggest some militants at least got away and some shades of "terrorist" may still be safe. 'Militant warehouse' This is the operation many inside and outside Pakistan say should have begun long ago, as North Waziristan was allowed to become a veritable warehouse for all brands of Islamic militancy. It's from there that the Pakistani Taliban have been mounting their deadly suicide offensive for the past seven years, killing thousands of people across Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban are the chief target of Operation Zarb-e-Azb - named after the sword of the Prophet Muhammad. But also thought to be in the army's crosshairs are al-Qaeda, and Uzbek militants who claimed to have carried out last month's deadly attack on Karachi airport. As those devastating images flashed around the world, the operation in North Waziristan finally got the go-ahead after years of stalling. The delay has done severe damage to Pakistan "both internally and internationally", says former army spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas. Hundreds of thousands of people have now been displaced from North Waziristan by the army offensive. But there are also widespread reports many militants escaped, or were alerted beforehand - including members of the Haqqani network, blamed for a string of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan. Rare access It's almost impossible to find out what is happening inside the tribal area now. Difficult for outsiders to enter at any time, the army has barred all access. But the BBC has obtained footage from a professional cameraman who got into North Waziristan with help from the Taliban, as the campaign began. He spent a week travelling there, filming the aftermath of several Pakistani strikes - although he admits he was not allowed to record everything he saw. We can't identify him for his own security. At one point, he met a local Taliban commander who was escaping across the border to Afghanistan in his pick-up, just a short drive down the road. But underlining fears of a potential backlash, the commander vowed to take revenge on Pakistan "until doomsday". Militants were killed in some strikes, people in the border village of Gorbaz told the cameraman, but claimed civilians had perished too. Uzbek militants had reportedly been using the same border area as a base. Staying loyal The Pakistani army says it is only targeting "terrorist sanctuaries" and in his briefing Maj-Gen Bajwa said they had killed 376 "terrorists" so far. He also released pictures of suspected bomb-making factories found by ground troops - which were churning out explosive devices for suicide attacks. But pressed on the identities of those killed, he was less forthcoming. And what about "the Haqqanis", journalists asked. Were they classified as "terrorists" too? Many say the carnage of the past few years is the inevitable consequence of Pakistan co-opting militant groups to pursue its strategic goals. It's the military's powerful intelligence agency, the ISI, who have overseen this policy - and the Haqqani network based in North Waziristan is widely seen as one of their best clients. But unlike many other groups, it has stayed loyal. Haqqani fighters are thought to be behind a string of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan on US and Indian targets - allegedly carried out with Pakistani backing. And it was clear none of the officials at the briefing wanted to disavow them. But "we don't want any terrorist, Haqqani or not Haqqani, on Pakistani soil", said Abdul Qadir Baloch, the minister responsible for the tribal areas. So the message from North Waziristan seems to be that the hand that has been bitten is now biting back. But not all militants will feel the same pain.

बीबीसी ने उत्तरी वजीरिस्तान में तालिबान के खिलाफ पाकिस्तानी हवाई हमलों के बाद के विशेष फुटेज प्राप्त किए हैं-लेकिन कुछ का कहना है कि यह अभी भी कुछ आतंकवादियों की रक्षा कर रहा है जिन्हें उसने अतीत में समर्थन दिया है।


Bombs made safe on Drogheda housing estate

Summary: Two home-made bombs have been made safe by the Irish army at a housing estate in Drogheda, County Louth.

The bomb disposal team was called to the Moneymore estate at about 22:30 local time. Component parts for a third device were also found. The devices were made safe at the scene and taken away for further examination to a military facility. The scene was declared safe at about 23:40.

काउंटी लूथ के द्रोगेडा में एक आवासीय संपत्ति में आयरिश सेना द्वारा दो घर में बने बमों को सुरक्षित कर लिया गया है।


Hinchingbrooke Park stab murder: Two charged

Summary: Two people re-arrested on suspicion of murdering a Huntingdon man have been charged with his murder.

Sam Mechelewski, 20, was found dead with a stab wound in the town's Hinchingbrooke Park on 1 February. Jordan Shepherd, 23, from Chatteris, and Ashley White, 20, from Brampton, will appear at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. A man in his late teens, arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, has been released on bail until 10 July. White has also been charged with possession of cannabis. Related Internet Links Cambridgeshire Constabulary

हंटिंगडन के एक व्यक्ति की हत्या के संदेह में दो लोगों को फिर से गिरफ्तार किया गया है और उन पर उसकी हत्या का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Vote for Britain's best new building: City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus

Summary: City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus is one of six UK buildings up for the 2016 Riba Stirling Prize for architecture. A select line-up of judges will decide the winner, but the BBC, in partnership with Riba, is inviting you to vote for your favourite. Find out about the other buildings here .

If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app, tap here to vote. What is it and where? A campus on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow for more than 3,000 maritime and engineering students. Designed by Michael Laird Architects and Reiach & Hall Architects and completed in August 2015, the facility has specialised study areas including 360-degree shipping simulation facilities and a working ship's engine room, as well as 198 beds of student accommodation. How much did it cost? £66m. What was the vision? The architects say the campus acts as a "gatekeeper" at Albert Bridge, a major crossing-point over the Clyde. The buildings themselves are organised around two civic spaces - a cloistered garden and a grand hall - which give onto the teaching areas. The intention is to avoid "silos" and ensure that students and staff from different disciplines come into frequent contact with each other. What have people said about it? "It's one of the few recent projects in the city that actually acknowledges the river, using the buildings to frame two handsome new civic spaces." Oliver Wainwright, Guardian, July 2016 "A sober, rather puritan affair, a nod to the classic, minimal, commercial architecture of mid-century Chicago and New York." Edwin Heathcote, Financial Times, July 2016 "A tough building... that trains young people to be naval engineers. It's real. Gritty. Like Taggart." Rory Olcayto, Archinect, July 2016 Explore the other buildings on the shortlist BBC Riba Stirling home page Find out more about the BBC Riba Stirling Prize partnership Credits: Video by Richard Kenny and Dave O'Neill. Stills image by Ham II / Wikimedia Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

सिटी ऑफ ग्लासगो कॉलेज, रिवरसाइड कैम्पस वास्तुकला के लिए 2016 के रिबा स्टर्लिंग पुरस्कार के लिए ब्रिटेन की छह इमारतों में से एक है। निर्णायकों की एक चुनिंदा पंक्ति विजेता का फैसला करेगी, लेकिन रिबा के साथ साझेदारी में बीबीसी आपको अपने पसंदीदा के लिए मतदान करने के लिए आमंत्रित कर रहा है। यहाँ अन्य इमारतों के बारे में पता करें।


Take That and JLS hold off The Beatles in chart battle

Summary: Take That and JLS are on course to dominate this weekend's singles and album charts, holding off a download surge expected from The Beatles.

This week the fab four's entire catalogue was made available to download for the first time. Take That's new album The Promise has already sold more than 300,000 copies and is on course to be one of the biggest first week sales totals ever. It's the biggest first day sales in 13 years, since Oasis's Be Here Now. In the Official Singles Chart JLS are well ahead with this year's Children In Need single, Love You More. However the Official Charts Company is expecting several of the Beatles singles and albums to appear in the charts by Sunday.

टेक दैट और जे. एल. एस. इस सप्ताहांत के एकल और एल्बम चार्ट पर हावी होने के लिए तैयार हैं, द बीटल्स से अपेक्षित डाउनलोड उछाल को रोकते हुए।


In pictures: Cardiff Half Marathon 2019

Summary: A record 27,500 runners have taken on the third biggest running event in the UK.

For the first time in the event's 17 year-history, more women than men lined up at the start line of the Cardiff Half Marathon. Leonard Langat won the Cardiff Half men's race in a course record of 59:29, and Lucy Cheruiyot won the women's race in 01:08:19. Female runners made up 51% of the total entry this year.

एक रिकॉर्ड 27,500 धावकों ने यू. के. में तीसरी सबसे बड़ी दौड़ प्रतियोगिता में भाग लिया है।


VE Day 2020: England prepares for lockdown celebrations

Summary: Towns and cities around England had planned parades and street parties to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day but with events cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, how are people getting ready to mark the day?

Victory in Europe (VE) Day on 8 May 1945 saw Britain and its Allies formally accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender after almost six years of war. With the day falling on a Friday this year, the early May bank holiday was moved so that people could celebrate with many towns planning public events to mark the occasion. Due to lockdown these events have been cancelled but councils, neighbours and families have found different ways to celebrate. Take a look at some of the preparations people have been making around England.

इंग्लैंड के आसपास के कस्बों और शहरों ने वी. ई. दिवस की 75वीं वर्षगांठ मनाने के लिए परेड और स्ट्रीट पार्टियों की योजना बनाई थी, लेकिन कोरोनावायरस महामारी के कारण कार्यक्रम रद्द हो गए, लोग इस दिन को मनाने के लिए कैसे तैयार हो रहे हैं?


Coronavirus: Could gaming be good for you during lockdown?

Summary: For gamers around the country, lockdown might appear to be an ideal opportunity to hone your skills in pretty much every waking moment. But how much should we be playing online? And could it offer some benefits at a time of social isolation?

According to Dr Dayna Galloway, who heads of the division of games and arts at Abertay University, the main message - as in all things - is not to overdo it. "Screentime guidance varies for age groups - but the key is to ensure a healthy balance across activities," he said. "It's important for individuals to ensure a mix of physical activity, sedentary behaviour such as reading and screen time, and, of course, a good night's sleep. "Isolation and lockdown in different circumstances will of course skew this, but it's important for people to try to maintain as much balance as possible." Happy chapping? There are a range of activities aimed at trying to persuade young people in particular to take a screen break. In Dumfries and Galloway, the council's youth work team has sent out isolation packs which include old-school games like dominoes and playing cards. The Wigtown Book Festival recently launched a writing competition for children from eight to 18. The Scottish Book Trust is also encouraging us to get our pens out and contribute stories to a publication planned on the theme of "future". In addition, fitness classes have gone online and are proving particularly successful. No man is an island A recent festival in Dumfries highlighted the positive aspects of gaming and these could be particularly relevant while confined to your home for large parts of the day. Dr Galloway said online gameplay allowed for "communication and collaboration" to achieve goals or compete with others. "It easily replaces some of the activities that are no longer feasible due to social distancing and isolation," he said. "It's very important for mental well-being to maintain relationships and contact with friends and family, and online games are an excellent method for facilitating this. "The games themselves also create emergent outcomes and scenarios that create positive shared experiences, and memories for those engaged with them." He said that meant they could have more impact than a video call and were "a good replacement in the current circumstances" for other forms of social interaction. "Entertainment such as games and streaming services also help us pass the time and, more importantly, stay indoors - so this aspect is particularly helpful in the situation we are in," he added. Be board There are different potential benefits attached, according to the type of game being played. Minecraft, Sea of Thieves or Fortnite can help maintain social activity and encourage contact with your peer-group. Dr Galloway said they boosted "communication, creativity and collaboration". Other games encourage physical activity, which is something we are being encouraged to maintain. "It may be a good opportunity to dust off the Nintendo Wii for some Wii Sports," suggested Dr Galloway. Pokemon Go, with social distancing, could be used on a daily exercise walk. But it might also be time to go retro - but using technology to give it a twist. "Raid the cupboard or pick up some traditional board games to have some fun with whoever you are under lockdown with," suggested Dr Galloway. "Some games can also be played over video chats - if you are creative and promise not to cheat." But above all, the recommendation is moderation for however long lockdown may continue.

देश भर के गेमर्स के लिए, लॉकडाउन जागने के लगभग हर पल में अपने कौशल को निखारने का एक आदर्श अवसर प्रतीत हो सकता है। लेकिन हमें ऑनलाइन कितना खेलना चाहिए? और क्या यह सामाजिक अलगाव के समय कुछ लाभ प्रदान कर सकता है?


The punk who returned from the dead - and handed himself in

Summary: A trial begins on Wednesday 6 June in the southern French city of Toulouse involving a bank heist, the punk music movement that swept Europe in the early 1980s and a man who came back from the dead. Chris Bockman reports on an unlikely comeback.

One of France's most well-known criminal lawyers, Christian Etelin, was sitting at his desk late at night last November contemplating retirement, when he received a phone call that stunned him. First of all, because the caller had been declared dead years ago - and secondly, because it involved a brash armed robbery that occurred nearly 30 years ago. The voice on the other end of the phone was that of Gilles Bertin - a one-time nihilist punk singer with a Bordeaux Group called Camera Silens with a heavy following amongst anarchists and extreme left-wing youths who thought there was no future, for them at least. Britain had Sid Vicious and the Sex Pistols - Gilles Bertin was France's equivalent. In the late 1980s the group and their hangers-on were destitute, despite their success, and addicted to drugs. Several had been infected with the HIV virus after sharing contaminated heroin syringes. They figured they didn't have long to live, so they decided to go out with a bang, mount a massive armed robbery and then blow it all before they died. And that's exactly what some of the band members did - they stole 12 million francs (nearly 2 million euros) from a Brinks deposit in Toulouse - a small fortune at the time. They even - apparently - called the local newspaper afterwards boasting of their feat. No-one was injured in the robbery and the police quickly realised they were dealing with amateurs. All were caught within a year except one suspect, Gilles Bertin. Hardly any of the money was retrieved and some of the anarchist robbers, already very sick, died from AIDS-related symptoms. The others, after spending a brief time in jail, returned to obscurity and nine-to-five jobs. Gilles Bertin received a 10-year sentence in his absence and as the years passed, the robbery and punk movement faded from view. The singer/convicted armed robber was declared dead. His family - including his son born during those wild years in Bordeaux - had never heard from him again. And yet he is very much alive when I meet him at a crowded ancient brasserie called the Cafe de la Concorde for lunch in the heart of Toulouse. Tall with shaggy hair and blind in one eye - a consequence of hepatitis caused by drug use - he is incredibly polite and shy. He tells me a little about those 28 years on the run and why he has returned. After the robbery, he was literally carrying bags of banknotes and he headed to Portugal, where he opened a record store - all paid for in cash, of course. Occasionally a travelling French music fan would recognise him but he would deny it was him. Every time he saw a car with French number plates outside the store he was convinced he was being monitored or followed. After 10 years of running the shop he thought the French police were really on his tracks this time and he headed to Barcelona with his Spanish girlfriend. Her family ran a bar and he became the barman. They had a child. Only his girlfriend knew about his background - to everyone else he was a man with no past. Find out more But he told me that when he was close to death with hepatitis and was saved by hospital staff in Barcelona free of charge, no questions asked, because he had no documents, it was the turning point - time to confront his past and be honest with his son. His life had been saved, while he had provided nothing for society. "I realised I had to tell the truth and come clean about my past," he says. Hence that phone call to the lawyer. He crossed the border by train to Toulouse and, with his lawyer, turned himself in at police headquarters. While he admits he is nervous with the court date looming, he nevertheless feels a burden has been lifted. "This is the final stage of a long ordeal that I have to go through," he says. "However, I am anxious, it gives me vertigo thinking about it especially as I know I risk a 20-year prison sentence. "But I am really doing this for my seven-year-old son. He still doesn't really understand what I did during my nearly 30 years on the run - but he needs to know." Expecting to be jailed immediately, to his complete surprise he found he could remain free until his trial - where he will plead guilty. He says the decision not to imprison him has made him even more angry with himself for what he did. But if some people think his past is romantic he wants to make it clear he would never want to have the life he had again. "There was nothing romantic about what I did," he says. "In hiding, unable to talk about yourself or to people from your past, including my son, constantly on the look-out in case the authorities find you - and on top of that I was seriously ill." For three decades, he says, he lived a lie, with shame. He constantly felt like a hunted animal, living in permanent paranoia. As he awaits trial he's writing about his experience on the run and has even reunited with his other son, now 30 years old. He hopes he can convince the judge that he has changed. "Back in the late 70s and early 80s I was an angry young man, a nihilist, an anarchist on a destructive path and in revolt against society. You have to understand the context back then," he says. "I made mistakes but I am not that same person now - at 57 I am more mature and have nothing to do with that period in my life." Since his return from the dead, Bertin has re-established contact with some of the ex-band members (and Brinks robbery associates) who are still alive - many aren't. One now drives a bus, another is an orderly on a hospital ward. Does he still listen to his old music? He winces and says his music back then was appalling - these days he listens to soul. If he avoids a jail sentence he will return to Barcelona, but no longer live undercover. "Hopefully I will be able to explain to my son the choices that I made back then." He admits he finds the media interest in his life "a little overwhelming". When it comes to the Brinks money, he insists he spent it all a very long time ago. As for his 74-year-old lawyer Christian Etelin, who has defended convicted far-left terrorists, Islamic fanatics and gangsters all his life - he decided to put off retirement. This was a case he just couldn't let go. More from the BBC He was a skinhead and the poster boy for one of the 1980s' most notorious far-right movements. But Nicky Crane was secretly gay. Then his precarious dual existence fell dramatically apart. The secret double life of a gay neo-Nazi (December 2013) Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

दक्षिणी फ्रांसीसी शहर टूलूज़ में बुधवार 6 जून को एक मुकदमा शुरू होता है जिसमें एक बैंक डकैती, पंक संगीत आंदोलन जो 1980 के दशक की शुरुआत में यूरोप में फैल गया था और एक आदमी जो मृतकों में से वापस आया था। क्रिस बॉकमैन एक अप्रत्याशित वापसी पर रिपोर्ट करते हैं।


Isle of Man minimum wage increase considered

Summary: The Isle of Man government is to consider proposals to increase the minimum wage from October.

The move, which would see the amount increased from £6.20 to £6.40 an hour, has been put forward after a review by the department of economic development. The changes would apply to Isle of Man workers over the age of 18. Economic development minister, John Shimmin said he hopes the changes "will providing an incentive to those who are able to work to seek employment". Related Internet Links Economic Development Tynwald

आइल ऑफ मैन सरकार अक्टूबर से न्यूनतम मजदूरी बढ़ाने के प्रस्तावों पर विचार करने वाली है।


Coronavirus: Coping with grief during a lockdown

Summary: As the UK adjusts to life under coronavirus lockdown, those who have recently lost a loved one can find being stuck at home, unable to get out and reach friends and family, extremely difficult. So how are they coping behind closed doors?

By Phil Shepka and Rob EnglandBBC News "Fifty-eight, widowed, lonely, locked-down, straitened, and fat - but NO ONE can take my kippers." That was the message from broadcaster and former pop star Rev Richard Coles as he marked his birthday with a picture of his breakfast on Twitter. Messages of support have been pouring in for the Reverend, who lost his partner, David, in December. Coles was the keyboard player in the 80s band The Communards and is now vicar of Finedon, Northamptonshire. Charities say bereavement is often an "extremely lonely and isolating time", but Linda Magistris, from The Good Grief Trust, said the grief of those who are self-isolating may be made worse because of the stress and anxiety brought on by the pandemic. Several people who lost loved ones spoke to the BBC about their own coping mechanisms. 'Trying to occupy my mind' Shelly Daniels recently moved to Weymouth, Dorset, from Brighton to be closer to her family after her 28-year-old son James died "suddenly and unexpectedly" in November. Ms Daniels, 54, said the lockdown meant she found herself alone after being separated geographically from her partner, who still lives in Brighton, and her daughter, who is self-isolating because of a serious health condition. "It's changed my whole normal routine of what I've been doing," she said. "[I'm] trying to do something each minute of the day to keep occupied and keep [my] mind focused, and although it's difficult I try not to dwell on what's happened and happening." Ms Daniels said video calls with her partner several times a day had helped. "Thank heavens for technology," she said. "We've got all sorts of things we wouldn't have had if this had been 10 or 20 years ago." Technology is not only helping to maintain connections with loved ones, but also linking people with support networks for bereaved people. Through the hospice that helped her husband Darren until his death in July, Natasha Cable has become part of a WhatsApp group made up of 25 widowed people. Mrs Cable, 45, from Ashtead, Surrey, said the group had become a lifeline for her. She said members exchanged messages "throughout the day, just checking in on each other, any advice, some jokes to break the day up with a little bit of humour". She said there was "no pussyfooting around", giving people freedom to speak openly, and she urged others in a similar position to find similar groups. Mrs Cable is now self-isolating alongside their 13-year-old daughter Annalise following the government's advice to remain at home. She added: "People are moaning about their husbands at home driving them mad and this and that - but for me I would do anything to have Darren here driving me mad." A spokesman for charity Widowed and Young (WAY), said many of the recently bereaved people in its community network had turned to video call meet-ups for support. "Some of our members have set up a virtual pub, the Widows' Arms, and they are holding a pub quiz tomorrow night," a spokeswoman said. "Our members are telling us: we've got through worse than this and we are still standing. "We will get through this too, with each other's help." 'Time to concentrate' Jannine Silver, from Midgham in Berkshire, said she had "already faced the worst time" of her life after losing her husband, Howie, 57. "I'm using this downtime to concentrate on clearing and cleaning my house, changing things around, basically doing what I've put off for 13 months," the 47-year-old said. After her husband's death, Mrs Silver said she isolated herself from normal life even before the lockdown, but the online groups she had found through the charity had offered her "constant support". Suzanne Elvidge, from Tideswell in the Peak District, said being widowed and having no children meant the lockdown showed her "the true meaning of being completely alone". The 52-year-old's husband, Tim, died in 2018 from heart complications caused by type 2 diabetes. However, she said she had found many "coping strategies" to fall back on during the lockdown. "Writing, Netflix, knitting, reading, running errands for a friend in total isolation, and talking to my neighbours over the wall," she said. She said she'd also turned her hand to baking, and "lowered home-baked chocolate cake over the wall on string" to hungry neighbours. "Be kind to yourself, accept that you will get overwhelmed because you're dealing with both grief and an unprecedented situation." If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can contact the BBC Action Line.

जैसे-जैसे ब्रिटेन कोरोनावायरस लॉकडाउन के तहत जीवन को समायोजित कर रहा है, जिन लोगों ने हाल ही में किसी प्रियजन को खो दिया है, वे घर पर फंसे हुए पाए जा सकते हैं, बाहर निकलने और दोस्तों और परिवार तक पहुंचने में असमर्थ हैं। तो वे बंद दरवाजों के पीछे कैसे सामना कर रहे हैं?


Woman arrested in Sweden over prostitution and human trafficking in Northern Ireland

Summary: A 30-year-old woman has been arrested in Sweden as part of a investigation into prostitution and human trafficking in Northern Ireland.

Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have travelled to Sweden to extradite her. The woman, a Romanian, was detained under a European arrest warrant. Det Insp Mark Bell said she is due in court in Belfast on Thursday to face charges including human trafficking and controlling prostitution. The alleged offences date back three years and the investigation is being carried out by the PSNI's human trafficking unit.

उत्तरी आयरलैंड में वेश्यावृत्ति और मानव तस्करी की जांच के तहत स्वीडन में एक 30 वर्षीय महिला को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।