Viewpoint: Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi's death could create regional turmoil

Summary: The death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has thrown the populous Horn of Africa giant into a period of deep uncertainty and created a serious leadership vacuum in the region with profound geopolitical implications.

By Rashid AbdiReligious editor, Kenya's Daily Nation Concern is mounting about the potential of a vicious power struggle in Addis Ababa, triggering a negative chain reaction across the region. For many of Ethiopia's Horn allies, the death has come at an awkward moment, not least because a delicate political transition in Somalia is incomplete and under serious strain, and a stand-off between South Sudan and Sudan risks dragging the region into a new armed conflagration. Mr Meles was a complex figure, hard to pigeon-hole, much less force into a one-dimensional portrait frame. A mystique has over the years grown around his personality and politics, making the task to objectively assess his legacy difficult and highly fraught. To use a Churchillian phrase, the man was a riddle and a mystery inside an enigma, and by extension so too the secretive state he presided over. But he was the one African leader who was impossible to ignore. 'Increasingly intolerant' The diminutive ex-guerilla leader was a towering figure whose austere, unsmiling and understated public persona often belied his great influence and charisma. Since 1991 he has been the undisputed and pre-eminent key player in the Horn - a formidable strategist whose role remained indispensable in the regional efforts to resolve deadly conflicts and contain militant Islamism. Domestically, his legacy is contested. To his ardent fans, he was a true revolutionary impelled by a great sense of mission to overturn the residual feudal and Stalinist structures of the ancient regime. He was the outsider whose genius led to the overthrow of an entrenched and deeply loathed dictatorship. His message of social justice and modernisation resonated with many in the homeland, especially the marginalised "lowlanders" in Oromia and Ogadenia. His concept of revolutionary democracy and ethnic federalism promised to create a fairer and inclusive order. Measured against these lofty and progressive ideals, his record has, at best, been patchy and rather uninspiring. The much-vaunted ambitious economic modernisation and liberalisation programme has created a new middle class, attracted huge foreign investment, spawned massive infrastructure projects, spurred economic growth and generally transformed the skylines of the major cities such as Addis Ababa and Mekele. But it has not tackled the deep structural and systemic problems and inefficiencies that have hampered real growth. The Stalinist land tenure system and the complex bureaucratic system are still intact, and the vast majority remain trapped in poverty. The democratisation and political reform process, which Mr Meles himself termed "work in progress", has long stalled. Since the disputed May 2005 polls, the regime has increasingly become intolerant and autocratic, using a raft of new legislation to stifle and criminalise dissent and lock up opponents. 'Discreet purge' A plethora of old and new armed ethnic factions continue to wage low-level insurgencies in the periphery. The new policy of engagement and piecemeal peace pacts with a select few has so far only succeeded in managing the problem and buying the regime more time. Feeling vulnerable and insecure, Mr Meles has in the last few years become a leader whose overriding domestic political manoeuvres and calculations are driven by one instinct: regime survival. He orchestrated a discreet purge of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the administration, demoting, sidelining or reassigning key potential rivals and opponents. His death has certainly created a leadership vacuum at the top and with no clear figure groomed to succeed him, the battle for succession could prove destabilising. That said, the prospect of a large-scale upheaval, as some fear, is highly unlikely, partly because the country has a powerful, highly disciplined and cohesive army and security apparatus. The opposition can, in theory, capitalise on the disarray within the ruling party to advance its goals and press for an early poll, but that looks difficult given the narrow factionalism and disorganisation within its ranks, not to mention the fact most of the influential opposition figures are either in exile or locked up. Mr Meles has continued to enjoy good press in the region and across much of Africa, even as his stature diminished domestically. He is hugely admired and many seem prepared to overlook his personal frailties and forgive his leadership shortcomings for one simple reason: no other African leader has in recent times deployed such great intellectual energy and firepower and used his diplomatic talent and influence to articulate the continent's key priorities and demands at global forums. He did put Africa on the map, and as a skilled and effective negotiator and spokesman he certainly forced leaders in the developed world to listen. But whether this feat alone qualifies him to join the pantheon of the continent's great visionaries, like Kwame Nkrumah and Nelson Mandela, remains debatable. Not in contention though is the fact that the late prime minister - almost single-handedly - transformed Ethiopia from a deeply conflicted and war-wracked peripheral Horn of Africa state into a supremely self-assured African diplomatic and military powerhouse. From the mid-1990s and up until 2005, Ethiopia was a key stop for high-level Western dignitaries visiting the continent, and Mr Meles the must-see African leader whose advice and counsel was sought. Many embraced him as a reformer and an elite member of the so-called "new breed" of African leaders. The Ethiopian leader cultivated the new friendship and used it to forge strategic partnerships to raise his country's profile and advance its geopolitical and strategic national interests. He swiftly rebuilt and modernised the army, initially in a bid to achieve parity with Sudan and negotiate a detente from a position of strength, but subsequently to "tame" a belligerent Eritrea, with whom relations had began to dramatically deteriorate a few years after its independence in 1991. The two countries have since fought two bloody and costly border wars beginning from 1998. A peace pact and a border arbitration treaty brokered by international mediators failed to end to conflict permanently, partly because Addis Ababa refused to fully abide by the terms of the accords and to return the tiny barren piece of land awarded to Eritrea. Somali anxieties Hostilities have continued to simmer ever since, and periodic flare-ups are common along the volatile border. It is plausible the death of Mr Meles may - far from creating opportunities for dialogue - spur Eritrea into escalating the tension. That would be a disastrous and risky gamble which Eritrea must be dissuaded from taking. It is unlikely this is a course of action that would help it secure its perceived legitimate rights, much less win it friends in the region and beyond. In Somalia, Ethiopia's military presence in the past year has been instrumental in putting the pressure on the militant group al-Shabab. Thousands of Ethiopian troops now control a number of key strategic areas in south-central Somalia. The death of Mr Meles has raised new anxieties among the regional allies with troops in Somalia. There are growing fears a destabilising succession battle and power struggle in Addis could potentially complicate matters and jeopardise the whole mission. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said as much in a recent radio interview. Such fears are understandable, considering Ethiopia's history and political fragility. However, there is hope too the country has achieved a level of maturity and that it has the institutional mechanisms and the structural resilience to weather the current storm and ensure a smooth transition that allows for policy continuity in Somalia.

इथियोपियाई प्रधान मंत्री मेलेस ज़ेनावी की मृत्यु ने आबादी वाले हॉर्न ऑफ अफ्रीका के दिग्गज को गहरी अनिश्चितता के दौर में डाल दिया है और इस क्षेत्र में गहरे भू-राजनीतिक निहितार्थ के साथ एक गंभीर नेतृत्व शून्य पैदा कर दिया है।


Streatham attack: Will terror sentence changes stop offences?

Summary: The government wants to end the automatic early release from prison of terror offenders, following two attacks by men convicted of terror offences in recent months. But what legal challenges could ministers face and how effective might the changes be?

By Clive ColemanLegal correspondent, BBC News There are critical questions for the government that arise in relation to the proposals to end the automatic early release of offenders convicted of terrorism offences. The first is what legal challenges the government might face. The bigger question is whether the proposed changes will have the effect of stopping the kind of attack we saw in Streatham at the weekend. Legal challenges Every judge who sentences a convicted defendant is under a statutory duty to explain the sentence that is being passed. So, offenders like Sudesh Amman are told by the judge in open court that they are being sentenced for a fixed period, known as a "determinate" sentence. They are told that they will be automatically released at the half-way point and serve the remainder of their sentence on licence in the community. That means that they have a "legitimate expectation" of being released at the half-way point. Indeed, some offenders will have pleaded guilty on the basis that they will be given a "determinate" sentence with automatic early release at the half-way point. Changing the release date retrospectively to the two-thirds point would inevitably lead to legal challenge that the offender's "legitimate expectation" of automatic "half-way" release had been unlawfully tampered with. That argument for terrorism offenders would have little if any public support. The government would argue that they are simply changing the way in which the fixed-term sentence is administered and that is entirely lawful. There is support for that position in existing case law. Other legal challenges could be brought on human rights grounds. Under Article 7 of the Human Rights Act, "No Punishment Without Law", it can be argued that an offender cannot be given a heavier punishment than was available to the court at the time they were sentenced. It could also be argued that to do so interferes with the right to a fair trial - Article 6. Would the changes work? In cases like Sudesh Amman, moving the early release date from the half-way point to the two-thirds point would make a difference of six months. Many argue that is merely a stop-gap measure and would only protect the public for a short additional period. If, as the government proposes, release at the two-thirds point is not automatic but subject to an assessment by the Parole Board, that would certainly provide an additional layer of protection for the public. The board would make an independent assessment as to whether the offender posed a risk and could prevent release - meaning that entire sentence is served. However, that additional period - the remaining third - may itself only be a matter of months. It would also have the consequence of reducing or extinguishing any period served on licence. That would reduce the chance to supervise the offender once they are released. Are there any alternatives? Many senior legal figures believe that the only truly effective way of dealing with the problem is to re-introduce Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection or IPPs, which came into force in 2005. Under these a judge passed a tariff, or minimum sentence which the offender had to serve in prison. It reflected the seriousness of the crime. Once it was served, the offender had to apply to the parole board for release. The board would not release the prisoner if it considered that they still posed a risk. However, IPPs, which became known as the "new or de-facto" life sentences, were incredibly controversial. They were meant for a hardcore of dangerous offenders but thousands were passed, some with minimum terms of months not years, and thousands languished in prison unable to satisfy the Parole Board that they were no longer a risk to the public. This was sometimes because, for instance, it was almost impossible for an offender with a borderline personality disorder, to satisfy the Parole Board that they had changed. Tackling the risk posed by those convicted of terrorism offences, especially those at the lower end serving short sentences, is complex. There is a desperate need for action to prevent attacks, but no easy answers.

हाल के महीनों में आतंकवादी अपराधों के दोषी व्यक्तियों द्वारा किए गए दो हमलों के बाद सरकार आतंकवादी अपराधियों की जेल से स्वतः शीघ्र रिहाई को समाप्त करना चाहती है। लेकिन मंत्रियों को किन कानूनी चुनौतियों का सामना करना पड़ सकता है और परिवर्तन कितने प्रभावी हो सकते हैं?


Port Talbot steelworks to build power plant

Summary: Port Talbot steelworks has been granted permission to build a new gas-fired power plant to help generate its energy needs.

It will use gases produced by the steelmaking process to generate power. The Department for Energy and Climate Change confirmed the project had been approved on Tuesday. In its community newspaper in September, bosses said the new plant would make the "works nearly self-sufficient in energy" once complete. Last year, they partly blamed "uncompetitive" energy costs as a reason for 400 job losses at the Neath Port Talbot plant. A Tata spokesman said the development still has a long way to go but it could play an important part in securing the future of Port Talbot.

पोर्ट टैलबोट स्टीलवर्क्स को अपनी ऊर्जा आवश्यकताओं को उत्पन्न करने में मदद करने के लिए एक नए गैस से चलने वाले बिजली संयंत्र के निर्माण की अनुमति दी गई है।


Isle of Man pigeon 'shot with homemade blow dart'

Summary: A pigeon on the Isle of Man has been found impaled with a large spike thought to have been a homemade blow dart.

The bird survived after it was found by a passer-by with the spike in its wing in Pulrose, Douglas, on Sunday. Manx Wild Bird Aid said the pigeon was "traumatised" but "doing well". The Manx Wildlife Trust said it was "saddened" by the incident while police said killing or injuring birds was a criminal offence. A spokesman for the Isle of Man Constabulary said possession of a blow pipe in a public place was also illegal. Anyone with information is asked to contact officers.

आइल ऑफ मैन पर एक कबूतर को एक बड़े स्पाइक के साथ सूली पर लटका हुआ पाया गया है जिसे घर में बनाया गया झटका माना जाता है।


Coronavirus: Man accused of 'coughing coronavirus' on officers

Summary: A man who is accused of coughing on two police officers after claiming to have coronavirus has been charged with assault.

The incident happened after police were called to a disturbance in Colchester, Essex, on Wednesday evening. The man in his 20s will appear before Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. Essex Police said the officers "have taken the appropriate precautions in line with force and national guidance". As well two counts of assault on an emergency worker, the man has also been charged with breaching of a restraining order and possession of a Class B drug.

एक व्यक्ति जिस पर कोरोनावायरस होने का दावा करने के बाद दो पुलिस अधिकारियों पर खांसने का आरोप है, उस पर हमला करने का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Stephen Fry steps down as Bafta Film Awards host

Summary: Stephen Fry is to step down as host of the Bafta Film Awards.

Fry, who has fronted the ceremony 12 times, said it was "only right to stand down and let others take the Baftas on to new heights and greater glories". He added: "What fun it will be to watch Bafta 2018 without my heart hammering, mouth drying and knees trembling." Bafta thanked him for making the awards "such memorable and joyous occasions". A replacement will be named on Tuesday, when this year's nominees are revealed. Fry first hosted the awards in 2001, the year Gladiator won best picture, and has become a much-loved fixture thanks to his affectionate and occasionally risque ribbing of celebrity guests. He had a break from hosting duties between 2007-11. Who could take over from Stephen Fry? You might also like: Fry's memorable Bafta moments This year's ceremony will take place at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 18 February. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

स्टीफन फ्राय बाफ्टा फिल्म अवार्ड्स के मेजबान के रूप में पद छोड़ने वाले हैं।


Free school meals: Thousands delivered across Blaenau Gwent

Summary: "Without this, some of our children would not have been fed."

This was the view of Tredegar Comprehensive's headmistress after volunteers delivered their 5,000th food package to families in the area. Footballer Marcus Rashford has spearheaded a campaign, with one million people signing a petition calling for free school meals during holidays in England. They are already provided in Wales, but volunteers have gone further. "Despite people getting the subsidy from the government, many families still struggled throughout the pandemic," said Kevin Phillips who helped launch the scheme. "With children being at home, more electric and gas is being used and household bills are skyrocketing, so the food bags were a very welcome relief for families. "The other thing is that it helped people avoid going out and potentially putting their health in jeopardy." When the first coronavirus lockdown begun in March, Mr Phillips and other local people set up a taskforce to pick up and deliver medicine and shopping for vulnerable people shielding, as well as packed lunches for children. However, from doing this, school governor and local councillor John Morgan realised even with this help, some families were still struggling. From working with Tredegar Comprehensive, the group started raising funds and taking in donations to make sure they could provide a bag of shopping to these each week. They have now given 5,000 food packages to families and in all have made 10,000 trips to help out vulnerable people in Blaenau Gwent. Tredegar Comprehensive headmistress Charlotte Leaves said: "Without them, some of our children would not have been fed. "They have been superb, turning up everyday and delivering. It's been a real team effort." In total, 45 volunteers make about 140 deliveries a day, with fundraising to pay for shopping as well as 300 loaves donated by Braces Bakery each week, and food collected by local churches and given by shops. "It has been a lifesaver. Every week I've been delivered the essentials, milk, bread and treats for the children. Everything I need to survive," said one mother. She has three children under 15 and said there was always something in the package that gets the children excited, adding: "During lockdown (in March), it also kept us safe. Meaning we didn't have to go out."

"इसके बिना, हमारे कुछ बच्चों को खाना नहीं दिया जाता।"


Profile: Mohamed ElBaradei

Summary: Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate and former head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, emerged as a key political player in Egypt's post-Mubarak - and then the post-Morsi - era.

As the announcement was made that President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected leader, was being ousted after barely a year in power, Mr ElBaradei was standing near the head of the armed forces. As co-ordinator of the main alliance of liberal and left-wing parties and youth groups, the National Salvation Front, he was seen as a potential leader of the transitional government. But his candidacy as prime minister failed when the hardline Salafist Nour party objected, and he was instead named interim vice president in July. He resigned from that position on 14 August after Egyptian security forces led a bloody crackdown on supporters of Mr Morsi. Hundreds of people died when police and the army moved in to clear two protest camps in the capital Cairo. "I cannot continue in shouldering the responsibility for decisions I do not agree with and I fear their consequences," Mr ElBaradei said in a statement. "I cannot shoulder the responsibility for a single drop of blood." In 2012 he had been set to stand as a liberal, secular candidate in the presidential elections, but withdrew his bid in January of that year citing concerns about the undemocratic way the military was governing Egypt. Mr ElBaradei had wanted a new constitution to be drawn up from scratch before any elections took place. In April 2012, he took to Twitter calling the transition to democracy "bungled" and criticising the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' (Scaf) approach to writing a new constitution. Although he stepped out of the presidential race, Mr ElBaradei had set his sights on gaining power in 2016 after forming a new political party in April 2012. Diplomatic career Born in Egypt in 1942, Mr ElBaradei studied law at the University of Cairo. He began his career in the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1964, and worked in Egypt's permanent mission to the UN both in New York and in Geneva. He holds a doctorate in international law from New York University's law school. In 1980 he became a senior fellow in charge of the International Law Programme at the UN's Institute for Training and Research. Mr ElBaradei is married to Aida Elkachef, a teacher, with whom he has two children. He joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1984 and worked his way up to director general 13 years later. Nuclear disagreements Mr ElBaradei agreed with the administration of US President George W Bush on a number of key nuclear-related issues, but he was not afraid to speak his mind. He particularly lambasted what he saw as double standards on the part of countries that have nuclear weapons but which seek to prevent others from procuring them. "We must abandon the unworkable notion that it is morally reprehensible for some countries to pursue weapons of mass destruction, yet morally acceptable for others to rely on them for security - and indeed to continue to refine their capacities and postulate plans for their use," he once declared. After taking over from Swedish diplomat Hans Blix in 1997, he employed diplomacy to deal with other nuclear rows in North Korea and Iran. He insisted progress could be made even in the most difficult situations. Mr ElBaradei earned political credibility in the Middle East when he questioned the claims about weapons of mass destruction that were being used to justify the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. His approach to Iran was perceived as not tough enough, by the Bush administration and its allies in the European Union. Despite this, Mr ElBaradei won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for his efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation. Difficult homecoming When he left the IAEA in November 2009, hundreds of his admirers defied warnings from Egyptian security forces three months later not to welcome him home at Cairo airport. For some Egyptians, Mr ElBaradei's appeal lay in the fact that he is a civilian - Egypt had been ruled by the military since the monarchy was overthrown more than 50 years ago - and that he is untainted by corruption allegations. But critics, back in 2012, suggested he was out of touch with the reality of Egypt and lacking in political experience. Analysts said Mr ElBaradei was unlikely to win the presidential election even if he had run. Although he played a prominent role in the Egyptian uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak's regime and is a vocal critic of the Scaf's policies, his left-leaning politics have been eclipsed by the leading Islamist parties. In April 2012, Mr ElBaradei launched a new political party which he said would be above ideology. The Constitution Party came too late to field a candidate in the 2012 presidential election, but Mr ElBaradei said the aim was to take power in 2016, with Egyptians united behind democracy. He openly criticised the transition of power to the new government and a new president in June 2012. "You will have a president with imperial powers, he is going to be the legislator, he is going to be the executive, which is a total mess," he said. "Theoretically he would have more power than Mr Mubarak... whoever is going to be elected is going to be a person with unchecked authority, and that is very frightening." After Egyptians' protests over Mr Morsi's leadership escalated and eventually led to his demise, Mr ElBaradei said that he hoped a new plan to return the country to a democratically-elected government was "the beginning of a new launch for the 25 January revolution [of 2011]".

नोबेल शांति पुरस्कार विजेता और संयुक्त राष्ट्र के परमाणु प्रहरी के पूर्व प्रमुख मोहम्मद अल बरादेई, मिस्र के मुबारक के बाद और फिर मुर्सी के बाद के युग में एक प्रमुख राजनीतिक खिलाड़ी के रूप में उभरे।


Acting to transform theatre's future

Summary: Regional theatres have been warned that they risk irrelevance unless they reinvent themselves with a more radical approach. The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds is hoping to lead the way - but with less money, it will not be easy.

By Ian YoungsArts reporter, BBC News A bored office worker tap dances on her desk. A social worker vents his anger at the government through the medium of jazz trombone. A painter and decorator pays tribute to his mum using humour and a few buckets of paint. They were among nine real people who worked with professional directors and designers to put their stories on stage in a show called 9 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse at the weekend. The resulting journeys inside the minds of these ordinary people were inventive, joyful and just about as enjoyable as any piece of "proper" theatre. Twenty-three-year-old Oliver Scarth, the painter and decorator, got involved after his wife stuck an article about the show from the local paper to their fridge, accompanied by the words: "Apply now!" Scarth, who was born with a cleft lip and palate, says his segment was "my way of showing my mum my appreciation for all her support over the past 23 years, when she could have broken down in tears". On Sunday, after the nine stepped back out of the spotlight, two writers and directors from opposite ends of Europe - Chris Thorpe from Manchester and Nikolai Khalezin from Belarus - went into a rehearsal room with six performers and no script. "All we know is that at the end of the week they'll go out onto the stage and do something," says West Yorkshire Playhouse associate producer Amy Letman. "We know it will be brilliant because of who they are. But we don't know much else about it yet." And next weekend, if you wish, you can run through the bowels of the building, following clues and meeting strange characters in an interactive and immersive production. It is a far cry from the Playhouse's staple diet of classics, revivals and comparatively safe new plays. The theatre has just staged William Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, and Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing will be next. But for these two weeks, with a festival titled Transform, the theatre is ripping up the rule book and testing some radical ideas. Letman says the current shows have been created in ways that are "totally different" from the usual formula, explaining: "None of them began with a script." The Playhouse is not the only established British theatre to think about its future in an era when an new generation of theatre-makers is creating plays in innovative ways or performing in unusual locations. Chris Goode made his name staging shows in sitting rooms and has become one of Britain's most lauded theatre mavericks. He was enlisted by the West Yorkshire Playhouse to direct 9, and believes regional theatres must reinvent themselves. "Theatre has changed a lot, even in the time that I've been making it," he says. "The agenda now is much more about a kind of fluidity, it's not just about a big institution that makes decisions behind closed doors about what the programme's going to be, and then putting that work in front of an audience and counting on that audience to come back and back." The way people consume culture has changed and the more nimble organisations are the ones that are thriving, he says. "It's about making different kinds of connections in different places in different ways. Organisations that don't do that will fail." This is the second year of Transform, part of a wider Arts Council-funded project in which the Leeds theatre is re-examining every part of its organisation - from shows to ticket prices and staff structures. "It doesn't mean by any means that you'll never see us do another Tom Stoppard or William Shakespeare production here," says Playhouse chief executive Sheena Wrigley. "But it means that, where those [new] ideas are very exciting, we can potentially put more resources in the hands of those artists, and they might produce some very striking pieces of larger-scale work." Of four new productions tested during a parallel experimental season dubbed Furnace, Wrigley says three "have excited us enough to think that there might be full-scale projects coming off them". Wrigley also points to a forthcoming stage adaptation of Benjamin Zephaniah's novel Refugee Boy, which has taken lessons from the theatre's cutting-edge collaborators. "The way that we're looking at developing that project mirrors much more the development process that somebody like Chris Goode might use than it does the traditional West Yorkshire Playhouse methodology," she says. "I think what you'll get over time is this blurring of the distinction between this 'very strange weird stuff' and this stuff that's developed in a traditional way." However, in the four years since the Playhouse first planned to get involved with this "very strange weird stuff", the funding landscape has changed markedly. The theatre has lost about £400,000 of annual Arts Council and local council funding in the last couple of years - or 20% of its total public subsidy - Wrigley says. 'More commercial' As a result, the theatre's mainstream, main stage work will have to be "more commercially orientated" and they are likely to make fewer shows, she says. So there is a conundrum. To remain relevant, the theatre must be more artistically adventurous. But the radical new methods appear less likely to throw up a major commercial hit. Wrigley insists that the theatre would "cease to be artistically exciting" if it simply chased the bottom line. The more commercial shows will help subsidise experimental work, she says. Incoming artistic director James Brining will also have a big say, of course. "We have no desire to be a museum theatre," Wrigley continues. "Part of this is about absolutely ensuring that we're not. "The trick is trying to balance the two. That is not easy but I have to continue to believe that it's possible, otherwise we don't have a viable future."

क्षेत्रीय थिएटरों को चेतावनी दी गई है कि वे अप्रासंगिकता का जोखिम उठाते हैं जब तक कि वे अधिक कट्टरपंथी दृष्टिकोण के साथ खुद को फिर से स्थापित नहीं करते हैं। लीड्स में वेस्ट यॉर्कशायर प्लेहाउस नेतृत्व करने की उम्मीद कर रहा है-लेकिन कम पैसे के साथ, यह आसान नहीं होगा।


Familiar tale of tragedy as record numbers tackle Everest

Summary: Update 20 July 2017: This story originally reported that four bodies had been found in a tent, taking the year's death toll to 10 instead of six. However, Nepalese officials later confirmed that this information was incorrect and that no climbers had been reported as missing. This year's climbing season on Mount Everest has seen record numbers trying to reach the summit.

But among the record-breaking attempts, there has been the familiar tally of casualties. The death toll so far this season stands at six, including an Australian, Francesco Marchetti; an Indian, Ravi Kumar, whose body was found on Monday; and 85-year-old Min Bahadur Sherchan, who died attempting to reclaim his title as the world's oldest person to reach the top. World-renowned Swiss climber Ueli Steck also died during an acclimatisation climb at the end of April. Meanwhile, a 29-year-old Spaniard is being hailed as having reached the summit in the fastest-ever time, without rope or extra oxygen. Kilian Jornet reached the top, from the Tibetan side, in just 26 hours, his team said on Tuesday. The record cannot be verified until he returns. An Indian woman, Anshu Jamsenpa, is also believed to have set the new woman's record for the fastest double ascent, having climbed the mountain twice in one week. She will now have to approach Guinness World Records to register her climbs after they have been certified by Nepal's ministry of tourism. The Everest main climbing season is a short window of a few weeks, ending in early June with the arrival of the monsoon. Most climbers head up in May, although there is also a shorter opportunity later in the year. More than 382 climbers have successfully reached the summit from the south side so far this season, with at least 120 doing so from the Tibet side, according to Reuters news agency. How dangerous is it to climb Mount Everest? More than 200 people have died on Everest since 1920, with the vast majority of those deaths taking place since 1980. In fact, to find the last year without any known deaths, you have to go back to 1977. The deadliest season in the mountain's history was 2015 when 24 people died, mostly as a result of avalanches. Last year, five people died on Everest itself. However, the numbers of people attempting the climb have also skyrocketed since 1990, when the Nepalese government withdrew restrictions on how many teams were allowed on to the mountain - which means the percentage of climbers who die has actually dropped. How are climbers killed? Mountaineers on Everest die for a number of reasons - more than 20% are killed by exposure or acute mountain sickness. But according to statistics given to the BBC by the Himalaya Database in 2015, by far the highest number of people who died did so because of avalanches (29%), with falls being the next largest cause of death (23%). What happens to their bodies? The problem of what to do with those who lose their lives in remote or difficult locations is one that plagues the mountain. Bodies which can be retrieved are brought back down the mountain, but others are left on the snowy slopes and crevasses. Some bodies have been known to reappear as glaciers move. There are a number of notable corpses, including Francys Arsentiev, the woman who became known as "Sleeping Beauty". She lay where she died, wrapped in her purple jacket next to the main route, from 1998 until 2007, when her body was lowered down the side of the mountain and out of sight. There is more information about the so-called "graveyard in the clouds" here.

अद्यतन 20 जुलाई 2017: यह कहानी मूल रूप से बताती है कि एक तम्बू में चार शव पाए गए थे, जिससे वर्ष में मरने वालों की संख्या छह के बजाय 10 हो गई। हालाँकि, नेपाली अधिकारियों ने बाद में पुष्टि की कि यह जानकारी गलत थी और किसी भी पर्वतारोही के लापता होने की सूचना नहीं थी। इस वर्ष माउंट एवरेस्ट पर चढ़ाई के मौसम में शिखर तक पहुँचने की कोशिश करने वाली रिकॉर्ड संख्या देखी गई है।


West Bromwich roundabout crash suspect charged with drink-driving

Summary: A man has been charged by police after a van crashed through a barrier on an elevated roundabout and landed near a subway below.

Amarvir Powar was detained after the DPD van was left on its side at Albion Roundabout, in West Bromwich. Mr Powar, 26 and of Coton Road, Wolverhampton, appeared before Dudley Magistrates' Court earlier, charged with a drink-driving offence. Emergency crews were called at about 20:30 BST on Friday. West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews from West Bromwich and Tipton were called to the scene to make the vehicle safe. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

एक वैन के एक ऊँचे गोल चक्कर पर एक अवरोध से टकराने और नीचे एक सबवे के पास उतरने के बाद पुलिस ने एक व्यक्ति पर आरोप लगाया है।


Hong Kong protests: China police bar BBC from artists' event

Summary: China's authorities are adamant that Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests must not spread to the Chinese mainland. Our BBC team learned that the hard way, after scores of Beijing police pushed us and confiscated our journalist cards.

By Celia HattonBBC News, Beijing The whole incident started with a hasty invitation. A group of 20 artists was planning an event to support the Hong Kong protests, complete with poetry readings and music. It was a rare chance to meet people who had been inspired by events in Hong Kong, the people who are making Beijing very nervous. We drove for an hour outside Beijing to a dusty village. As we approached the village centre, where the event was supposed to take place, a large group of police and local Communist Party officials blocked our path. The police were "doing things" down the street, they told us. "Go away. There is nothing for you here." No-one smiled. They asked to see our press cards, the pieces of identification proving we are fully accredited with the government. And we were being watched: the whole interaction was being filmed on hand-held video cameras. All the police also had miniature video cameras pinned to their uniforms. I questioned the police in Chinese. What had happened to the artists? I asked. The artists had invited us to attend their event. Why wouldn't the police allow us to venture near the village centre? "The villagers don't want foreigners here," we were told. "You're disrupting their quiet way of life." After several minutes of arguing, the police screamed at us to leave. We started walking towards our car. Then, one officer grabbed my arm and began pushing me. "Walk faster!" he yelled, clearly desperate for us to go. We stopped short of the car, asking questions again. As accredited journalists in China, why couldn't we conduct any interviews? During this confrontation, some of the people watching from the sidelines were approached by police and also dragged away. We never had a chance to talk to them, but it's fair to assume they were the artists we were trying to meet. Minutes later, our press cards were taken away, preventing us from conducting interviews. We'll have to wait for the Beijing police to call us before we can get them back. Then the pushing and shoving started again, all the way to our car doors. I have bruises on my arms from the police, but I'm certain anyone planning an event supporting the Hong Kong protesters can expect much more serious treatment. We don't know what has happened to the artists. Since we left the village, they haven't answered our calls.

चीन के अधिकारी इस बात पर अड़े हुए हैं कि हांगकांग के लोकतंत्र समर्थक विरोध प्रदर्शन चीनी मुख्य भूमि तक नहीं फैलने चाहिए। हमारी बीबीसी टीम को पता चला कि कठिन रास्ता, बीजिंग पुलिस के सैकड़ों लोगों द्वारा हमें धक्का देने और हमारे पत्रकार कार्ड जब्त करने के बाद।


Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: Facing down rebellion

Summary: President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has confounded many observers by holding on to power for more than nine years in the face of a rebellion by a large part of the population.

Unlike his former counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt, he gave orders to crush the dissent, rather than tolerate it, after protests against him and his government began in 2011. The brutal crackdown by the security forces did not, however, stop the protests and eventually triggered an armed conflict that activists say has left more than 380,000 people dead, displaced 11 million others, destroyed cities and drawn in other countries. Russia and Iran have helped turn the tide of the war decisively in Mr Assad's favour since 2015, helping his forces defeat rebel and jihadist fighters in most areas or drive them mainly into the north-western province of Idlib, along with three million civilians. An unplanned president Born on 11 September 1965, Bashar al-Assad was not always destined for the highest office. As the second son of President Hafez al-Assad, he was largely left to follow his own interests. He graduated from the College of Medicine of the University of Damascus in 1988 and then specialised in ophthalmology. In 1992, he went to London to pursue further studies. After the death of his older brother Basil in a high-speed car crash in 1994, Mr Assad was hastily recalled from the UK and thrust into the spotlight. He soon entered the Syrian military academy at Homs, and rose through the ranks to become an army colonel in 1999. In the last years of his father's life, Mr Assad emerged as an advocate of modernisation and the internet. He was also put in charge of a domestic anti-corruption drive. Flirtation with reform When his father died in June 2000 after more than a quarter of a century in power, Mr Assad's path to the presidency was assured by loyalists in the security forces, military, ruling Baath Party and his minority Alawite sect. He was appointed commander of the armed forces and secretary general of the Baath Party, before a referendum confirmed him as president. Mr Assad promised wide-ranging reforms, including modernising the economy, fighting corruption and launching "our own democratic experience". It was not long before the authorities released hundreds of political prisoners and allowed the first independent newspapers for more than three decades to begin publishing. Intellectuals pressing for reforms were even permitted to hold public political meetings. But the "Damascus Spring", as it became known, was short-lived. By early 2001, the intellectuals' meetings began to be closed down, several leading opposition figures were arrested, and limits on the freedom of the press were put back in place. For the rest of the decade, emergency rule remained in effect and what economic liberalisation there was appeared to benefit the elite and its allies. In May 2007, Mr Assad won another referendum with 97% of the vote - criticised as a sham by opposition groups - extending his term for another seven years. Hardline diplomacy In foreign policy, Bashar al-Assad continued his father's hardline policy towards Syria's historic foe Israel, which has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Middle East war. President Assad has insisted there will be no peace with Israel until occupied land is returned "in full" and has supported militant groups opposed to the Jewish state. His vocal opposition to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, and the Syrian authorities' tacit support of Iraqi insurgent groups, angered Washington, but it was popular in Syria and the wider region. Syria's already tense ties with the US soured in the wake of a February 2005 bomb attack in Beirut that killed Lebanon's former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri. The finger of suspicion was immediately pointed at President Assad, the Syrian security services, which dominated Lebanon, and the allied militant Lebanese Shia Islamist movement Hezbollah. Despite Mr Assad's denials of involvement, international outrage at the killing forced Syrian troops to withdraw from Lebanon that April, ending a 29-year military presence. 'External conspiracy' When anti-government protests erupted in the southern Syrian city of Deraa in mid-March 2011, President Assad appeared unsure how to respond. At first, he insisted that calls for reform and economic grievances had been overshadowed by saboteurs who were part of an external conspiracy to undermine Syria's stability and unity. The following month, Mr Assad lifted the hated Emergency Law that had been in place since 1963. But the crackdown against protesters was also stepped up, with soldiers and tanks sent into restive towns and cities to combat "armed criminal gangs". Despite the security forces' efforts and pledges of reforms by President Assad, the uprising continued unabated in almost every part of the country. Opposition supporters began to take up arms, first to defend themselves and then to oust loyalist forces from their areas. In January 2012, Mr Assad vowed to crush what he called "terrorism" with an "iron fist". Mr Assad pressed ahead with holding a referendum on a new constitution which dropped an article giving the Baath Party unique status as the "leader of the state and society" and allowed new parties to be formed. But the charter was rejected by the opposition. Over the next few months, pressure built on the president as rebels seized control of large parts of the north and east of the country, and the opposition National Coalition was recognised as "the legitimate representative" of the Syrian people by more than 100 countries. By the end of the year, as the death toll passed 60,000, Mr Assad had ruled out any peace talks with the rebels, whom he denounced as "enemies of God and puppets of the West". Chemical weapons In early 2013, pro-government forces launched offensives to recover territory in southern and western Syria. They also received a major boost when the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah began sending members of its military wing to fight the rebels. That August, Mr Assad was forced on the defensive after his supporters were blamed for a chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of Damascus. Hundreds of people died after rockets containing the nerve agent Sarin were fired at rebel-held towns in the Ghouta region. The US, UK and France concluded that the attack could only have been carried out by government forces, but the president blamed rebel fighters. Although the Western powers did not carry out their threats to launch punitive air strikes, they did compel Mr Assad to allow the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to destroy Syria's declared chemical arsenal. The disarmament process ended in June 2014, the same month that Mr Assad ran for a third term in office, winning 88.7% of votes cast in areas under his control. Other candidates were allowed on the ballot for the first time in decades, but many dismissed the election as a farce. That summer also saw international attention largely shift away from the war between the Syrian government and opposition towards the threat posed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), which had overrun large swathes of Syria and Iraq and proclaimed the creation of a "caliphate". Russian intervention In the first half of 2015, the government suffered a string of defeats, losing control of the northern provincial city of Idlib to rebel factions and more territory in the east to IS. Worried by his ally's precarious position, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the start of a major air campaign in support of Mr Assad that September. The Russian military said its strikes would only target "terrorists", but activists said they repeatedly hit mainstream rebel groups and civilian areas. The intervention swung the conflict heavily in Mr Assad's favour. Intense Russian air and missile strikes were decisive in the battles for the besieged rebel strongholds of eastern Aleppo in late 2016 and the Eastern Ghouta in early 2018. UN human rights investigators accused government and Russian forces of committing war crimes during the offensives, which reportedly left hundreds of civilians dead and led to the forced displacement of tens of thousands. The government was also accused by a joint UN-OPCW mission of being behind a Sarin attack on the rebel-held northern town of Khan Sheikhoun in April 2017, which opposition health officials say killed more than 80 people, and accused by Western powers of an attack allegedly involving the toxic chemical chlorine in the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma in April 2018 that rescue workers said left 40 dead. The latter prompted the US, UK and France to conduct air strikes that they said targeted facilities associated with the "Syrian regime's chemical weapons programme". Mr Assad and the Russian military denied committing war crimes, and said the incidents in Khan Sheikhoun and Douma were "staged" by the opposition and their Western backers. Battle for Idlib After recapturing the Eastern Ghouta, pro-government forces set their sights on the last three opposition bastions. They retook an enclave north of Homs in May 2018 and regained full control of Deraa province two months later. They then declared their intention to "liberate" Idlib province. The UN warned there would be a "bloodbath" if the government launched an all-out assault on an area home to about three million civilians, half of them displaced from other parts of Syria. Mr Assad was not deterred, but the offensive was halted that September by an agreement between Russia and Turkey, which called for a "demilitarised buffer zone" along the front line and the withdrawal from it of the jihadist fighters that dominate Idlib. However, the deal was never fully implemented, and fighting on the ground and air strikes continued. In late 2019, Mr Assad's forces resumed their offensive. Hundreds of people were killed and almost a million fled their homes before Turkey and Russia agreed another ceasefire in March 2020. The president was then forced to turn his attention to dealing with an economic crisis that triggered angry protests in territory under his control for the first time since the start of the uprising. Mr Assad has weathered the war but the cost of the conflict will mark Syria for years, if not decades, to come.

सीरिया के राष्ट्रपति बशर अल-असद ने आबादी के एक बड़े हिस्से द्वारा विद्रोह का सामना करते हुए नौ साल से अधिक समय तक सत्ता पर बने रहकर कई पर्यवेक्षकों को भ्रमित कर दिया है।


Bloodhound diary: A giant leap in 2010

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

By Andy GreenWorld Land Speed Record Holder COSWORTH POWER COMES ON BOARD The engineering team remains hugely busy with the detailed design of the car. We are still on course to start manufacturing the chassis next month, so there's a real buzz in the Bloodhound Technical Centre down in Bristol. Last month, we announced that we'd be using a Cosworth F1 engine to drive the pump for our Falcon hybrid rocket. The engine will be mounted "backwards" in the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (when compared with a Formula 1 car), so it will have to produce 700hp to drive the rocket pump under high G loads in the "wrong" direction. One more technical challenge to add to the list - but at least we've got Cosworth's expertise to help with solving this one. The Cosworth engine will pump a tonne of HTP (the oxidiser) into the rocket in just 20 seconds, while accelerating Bloodhound SSC from 350 to 1,000 mph - it's going to be quite a ride! If you haven't seen the Falcon rocket in operation yet, have a look at the video of the rocket test firing. Our education team continues to work hard, with more schools signing up to our education programme every week. I was able to join in last month, giving the Sir Isaac Newton Annual Schools Lecture at the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell. I think Newton would have liked the physics of the Land Speed Record. Jet and rocket cars work using Newton's third law of motion: "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction" - in other words, the jet/rocket blast from the back of the car pushes it forwards, and more jet blast equals more speed. Slowing the car down is Newton's first law: "A vehicle continues in a straight line at constant speed unless acted on by an external force" - so we need airbrakes and drag chutes to provide enough "external force", to stop the car running off the end of the track. The airbrake design is coming on well - the results from last month's computer modelling showed that the "perforated" airbrakes give more drag and less vibration than solid panels - so this is what we'll use. The picture also shows the lower tailplane and larger fin shapes that we're testing. We need the larger fin to give the car enough directional stability - the problem is that with a bigger fin, the loads at the back end of the car increase. Hence the chassis needs to be stronger and heavier at the back, which moves the centre of gravity back - and means that we need an even bigger fin… This vicious circle is our current aerodynamic problem, but we've solved bigger problems than this, so I'm not too worried. And there is one obvious advantage to a bigger fin - more room for you to put your name on the fin of Bloodhound SSC. Now's your last chance to buy a unique present for Christmas 2010! We had a very special visitor at the Bloodhound Technical Centre in Bristol last month - Neil Armstrong. Our engineering team gave Neil and his party a detailed brief on the car and its technology. At the end of the brief, Neil gave us a fascinating insight into his test pilot and astronaut experiences - and I'm delighted to say that he fully supported our step-by-step development approach with Bloodhound SSC. Neil also gave us a perfect summary of Bloodhound's engineering approach, in the form of a famous school-room question. "Two students, a young man and a young woman, are standing 10m apart. Every 15 seconds, the young man halves the distance between him and the young woman - so how long will it take for them to get together?" The mathematician in the class immediately answers 'Never - it's an infinite series and they never actually meet'. The engineer in the class thinks for a moment and then comes up with a different answer: 'Two and a half minutes'. Why? 'Because after two-and-a-half minutes, they will be close enough for all practical purposes!'" This has to be the aim of Bloodhound's engineering solutions - not perfect, but "close enough for all practical purposes". Our huge thanks to Neil for his time and his encouragement in our race to 1,000 mph. Great news from South Africa - the Northern Cape team has started work on the world's fastest race track. The huge task of clearing 24 million square metres by hand, plus removing the soil causeway at the northern end of Hakskeen Pan, will take several months. In order to help them as much as possible, we advertised for some extra help in The Times last month. "People wanted to clear desert track for 1,000mph racing car. No wages, constant heat, tough work in beautiful but remote Hakskeen Pan, Northern Cape, South Africa. Scorpions may be present. Inspiring next generation of engineers the reward." We've already had over 100 volunteers, with more still applying to come out with us early in 2011 to help clear the desert - come along and join us! Alternatively join our Supporters' Club and come out to see the car run in 2012. There's never been anything like this before - ever. Despite all the effort to clear the desert, there is always the chance of the car hitting small stones. If the front wheels throw up a stone, then it will hit the rear wheels with an impact speed of 1,000 mph - the speed of a bullet. To find out what this would do, last month we used a gas gun to fire lumps of stone from Hakskeen Pan into samples of aluminium alloy. The bad news is that the aluminium is not "bullet-proof" - but that's OK, as we can fit steel "mudguards" in front of the rear wheels to protect them. Another problem solved; one step closer to 1,000 mph. Looking back, it's been an amazing year. The major achievement of 2010 must be finding the aerodynamic solution that will get us to 1,000mph. On top of that, we signed up major product sponsors to make the chassis and to supply our F1 engines, and we launched our full-sized show car at Farnborough. The wheel profiles were agreed and tested, the vehicle technical specification was published on the Bloodhound website. We also now have well over 4,000 schools and colleges signed up for our education programme. In South Africa, work has started on the world's fastest race track. We've achieved a huge amount in 2010, as the major design effort draws to a close. It's almost 2011 - the year that we build the world's fastest Car. Meanwhile, here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and Supersonic New Year!

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


Why don't people talk more about stillbirths?

Summary: Nine babies are stillborn every day in the UK, on average Emma Beck's second child was stillborn after eight months of pregnancy Lingering questions about her daughter's death led her on a quest to find out more about stillbirth and the taboo that surrounds it

It happens all too often - in the park, at the supermarket checkout, at the school gate. But every time I'm asked the question, "How many children do you have?" I feel a flush of panic. I want to reply: "Three, but my second child died. She was stillborn." But that's usually too much for people to cope with. Sometimes I do tell the truth, other times, I just fudge it. Often I say nothing. Then I feel a stab of guilt that I've denied Mary and betrayed her memory. Stillbirth - the death of a baby after 24 weeks of pregnancy or during birth - is not common in the UK. But it is more common than many people think. Find out more Emma Beck's documentary, We Need To Talk About Stillbirth, is on BBC Radio 4 at 11:00 BST, 22 July - catch up on BBC iPlayer Radio On average, nine babies are stillborn every day in the UK. A third of stillbirths occur at term - 37 weeks of pregnancy. Ever since my experience of it six years ago, I've felt frustrated by the silence around stillbirth. I also wanted to find out more about why my daughter died. Her death was "unexplained". I set out to make a radio programme, speaking to other parents and clinicians trying to prevent it. I discovered there is some promising work going on to reduce numbers, but we need to get better at identifying babies at risk. There are known risk factors. Mothers who are obese, who smoke, or suffer social deprivation are at higher risk. But most stillbirths happen to healthy women who have no prior medical condition. About one in three are, like my stillbirth, unexplained. And of mothers who are "at risk", the sense of fatalism - that it's just one of those things - can be misplaced. Many stillbirths are potentially preventable. One of the biggest problems surrounding the issue is the fact no-one really talks about it. I hope sharing my experience will not only raise awareness but encourage a conversation that will go a long way to supporting bereaved parents. I was happily and healthily pregnant for eight months before I knew anything was wrong. It was the summer of 2010 and I was 34. My first child, Arthur, had been born nearly three years earlier, weighing a whopping 9lb 6oz (4.25kg). He had been overdue and was delivered by emergency c-section. I was invited to the hospital for a weight scan to see if my second baby was likely to be big, too. My husband and I took Arthur with us to see his baby sister on the ultrasound screen. The sonographer couldn't find a heartbeat. I find it so hard to think back to that moment. I recall no other feeling but desolate sadness. I have a clear recollection of hugging my bewildered son and flimsily trying to reassure him that it was all going to be OK. With stillbirth, a mother is encouraged nevertheless to go through with labour and give birth naturally. A Caesarean is a major operation with risks of its own. I was given medication to begin the process of induction and my husband and I were sent home to return to the hospital the following day. I recall sitting around the dinner table that evening in this hideous limbo - looking pregnant, but knowing my daughter had already died. The following morning, at the hospital, we were shown to a delivery room. Heartbreakingly, we could hear the wooshing sound of other live babies' heartbeats being monitored as we waited for my contractions to start. It was that morning we met Jane Laking, the bereavement support midwife. She answered frankly and kindly all the questions we had about the birth. Her support was invaluable, but not all maternity units have a specialist midwife. She asked if we wanted to meet Mary, hold her and take photographs. It all seemed so morbid. All I could think was I wanted the whole horrific event over with. Now, I'm so grateful to Jane for persuading us to do these things. Those precious hours we had with Mary after she was born were the building blocks of our memories of her. Yet my recollections of Mary's birth are not wholly sad. I feel a huge sense of pride when I think of that day. When I delivered Mary and saw her for the first time I felt exactly the same rush of love for her as I did for my son. The moment I had seen that blue line on the pregnancy stick eight months earlier, like all mums to-be, I imagined Mary's future. Unlike other deaths where there are shared memories, stillbirth is different. When a child is stillborn, those shared memories often don't exist, so you are robbed of the opportunity to talk about and remember your child. In the early days, when I mentioned Mary, other people's awkwardness made me angry. I empathise much more now. Death is hard to discuss - particularly the death of a baby before it is even born. However, I feel strongly we need to challenge ourselves and be more comfortable talking about stillbirth. Many people - understandably - assumed I didn't want to talk about my daughter. Some crossed the street to avoid speaking to me. I felt thrilled and enormously grateful to friends who referred to Mary by name, asked what she weighed or if she looked like me or her dad. I found people not mentioning her the hardest thing of all. Stillbirths Source: Sands, Tommy's and MBRRACE-UK Talking about her made me cry. Sometimes it still does. But people asking about her was a comfort because, in some way, it justified my grief. Ignoring Mary's stillbirth made me feel like she didn't matter. All stillborn babies have to be registered. When we went to do this for Mary the receptionist kindly ushered my husband and I quickly into the registrar's office to save us waiting among the proud parents and their newborns. Some hospitals now arrange for the registrar to visit the hospital to register the birth/death and save families this distress. These thoughtful but simple changes can make a real difference. Stillborn babies must, by law, be formally buried or cremated. Mary is buried around a children's tree at a woodland burial park. It has four big trunks stretching up into the sky. It gives me great comfort to know she is somewhere so beautiful. She has a simple wooden plaque marked with a single date - her birth and death. There is something about that I find particularly tragic. Like half of women who have a stillbirth, I was pregnant again within 12 months. But while many friends seemed relieved it was nine months of torment and fear. I had no confidence in my body to deliver my baby alive and worried constantly. Not knowing why Mary had died compounded this anxiety and it's this long-term impact of stillbirth that is rarely discussed. I don't want to be defined by Mary's death or for people to pity me. I have a happy life with a loving family. I don't want the lives of Edie - who was born 14 months later - or Arthur to be overshadowed by their sister's death. But I do want others to understand Mary was my second child and her death has changed me as a person and a mum. It has not all been negative. The experience has given me emotional insight and a greater sense of compassion, but it has also left me at times feeling out of step with my peers. My view of pregnancy has shifted. I don't want to attend friends' baby showers and I worry when they go over their due dates. It's not because I think it will happen to them, but my experience means that I know that it can. That gives me a different perspective. Meeting other parents who lost a baby this way was comforting. There is a shared knowledge and understanding which helps normalise these feelings. When your baby is stillborn it changes you profoundly. During my research I met Ruth Rodgers who, after her daughter Scarlett was stillborn, gave up her high-flying City job and is now training to become a midwife. Many of the experts and clinicians I met speak passionately about the need for us all to talk about stillbirth - the impact it has on families and the effects of shrouding it in silence. Not talking about stillbirth has arguably held back advances to prevent it. How can we change something we don't acknowledge? We Need To Talk About Stillbirth is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11:00 BST, 22 July - catch up on BBC iPlayer Radio Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

यू. के. में हर दिन नौ बच्चे मृत पैदा होते हैं, औसतन एम्मा बेक का दूसरा बच्चा आठ महीने की गर्भावस्था के बाद मृत पैदा हुआ था उसकी बेटी की मृत्यु के बारे में अनिश्चित प्रश्नों ने उसे मृत जन्म और उसके आसपास की वर्जना के बारे में अधिक जानने के लिए प्रेरित किया।


Did my children die because I married my cousin?

Summary: Ruba and Saqib both carry a gene for an incurable condition, which means their children have a one-in-four chance of dying in early childhood. They've already lost three. Ruba now wants IVF, to select a healthy embryo. Saqib is putting his trust in Allah. And some relatives want them to separate and remarry.

By Sue MitchellBBC News, Bradford Ruba Bibi had not wanted to marry so young. She had planned to do A-levels and go to university, but before she had finished her GCSEs her parents arranged for her to marry Saqib Mehmood, her cousin, in Pakistan. Born and brought up in Bradford, Ruba had visited Pakistan twice before the wedding - once when she was four and once when she was 12. She couldn't really remember the man she was now engaged to and had never spent time alone with him. He was 27 and worked as a driver. She was 17. "I was really nervous because I didn't really know him," she remembers. "I was really shy, I couldn't talk much and I hadn't ever had any interest in boys or anything like that. I was scared and asked my parents to delay things to let me finish school, but they couldn't." After three months in Pakistan she was pregnant. She returned to Bradford two months later, shocked to be having a baby so soon. But also happy. When their son, Hassam, was born in 2007 she excitedly called Saqib to tell him that all was well, although the baby seemed to sleep a lot and had trouble feeding. "I just thought it was normal," Ruba says. Find out more Listen to Born in Bradford on Radio 4 at 11:00 on Friday 14 December Click here for earlier Born in Bradford programmes, with Winifred Robinson, dating back to 2012 A few weeks later she went for a check-up, and as the GP watched Hassam moving she noted that his hip seemed stiff. "She said she was going to refer him, but I thought it was something minor. They did some tests and then I got a call saying I had to come to the children's ward for his results," Ruba says. "When I went in, the doctor told me it was very bad news. She gave me a leaflet and said he has this condition and it's very rare. It was too much for me to take in and I was just crying. I came home and rang my husband in Pakistan, who tried to calm me down. He told me that everyone goes through problems and that we would get through this together." Ruba had no idea that both she and her cousin carried the recessive gene for I-cell, a rare inherited condition that prevents a child growing and developing properly. Seven months later Saqib received a visa to live in the UK, and was able to hold his son for the first time. "He said he looked like normal baby. He wasn't sitting or crawling, but my husband said some children were just slow," Ruba says. She, however, could see a big difference between her son and other babies the same age. Hassam was growing slowly, and was in and out of hospital with chest infections. And as he got older his head increased in size. When their next child, Alishbah, was born in 2010 tests confirmed immediately that she, too, had I-cell disease. She died at the age of three, towards the end of 2013 - just over a year after her elder brother. Before getting pregnant a third time, Ruba consulted Mufti Zubair Butt, the Muslim chaplain at Leeds Teaching Hospital, to ask what her religion would make of screening during pregnancy - and termination if I-cell was confirmed. He told her that it would be an acceptable course of action, but advised her to think very carefully. "If you have this condition where the child is going to die in any case, or even if it doesn't die soon, it will have debilitating illness, that's sufficient reason to terminate before the soul enters the body, based on the sayings of the prophet," he said. But he also said that she shouldn't do this just because she had a green light to do so, as it was something she would have to live with for the rest of her life. And he advised her to consider the views of those in her community, many of whom were likely to oppose termination. "To overcome that, on a personal level, that's a great challenge as well," he said. Born in Bradford Ruba decided she would not want to terminate a pregnancy. So when she got pregnant with her third child, Inara, in 2015, she refused the medical scans she was offered and turned down repeated requests from doctors to be screened. "I wanted them to treat it like a normal pregnancy. I didn't want them to put the doubt in my head. I wasn't going to have an abortion, so I wanted to enjoy the pregnancy," she says. "I used to say to my husband there could be a chance this baby is ill as well, but he said, 'It's fine.' I think I had a lot of doubt - I knew the odds were the same as for the other two." But Inara too was born with I-cell disorder. "I was really happy that I had a baby, but when we saw her we kind of knew," says Ruba. "I was sad and upset that we went through all the pregnancy and we really wanted a healthy baby. I didn't know how much pain she would go through - but my husband was happy. He said, 'Just be grateful.'" Inara died almost exactly a year ago, at the age of two. She fell ill with a chest infection last December and her condition deteriorated quickly. She was taken from the Bradford Royal Infirmary to York. "The doctors in York were trying to do 100% to keep her alive, I did have that hope but I could see she was in pain. She was sedated until she passed away. I had her in my arms for most of the time, then I lay down beside her. My husband realised she was taking her last breaths." Ruba says she has no idea how they have all endured the pain of losing three children and of suffering six miscarriages, the last just weeks after Inara's death. "I didn't even know I was pregnant at that time and I miscarried after the funeral," she says. She says it was Inara's death that made her accept a link between her children's misfortunes and cousin marriage. For a long time she just did not believe it, in part because she saw other ill and disabled children at the hospice and it was clear that not all of them were conceived by married cousins. Some were from the white community. "My husband still doesn't believe it," she says. "I believe it now because it's happened three times, so there must be something in what they're saying. It must be true." Cousin marriage After Inara's death, some of Ruba and Saqib's relatives, both in the UK and in Pakistan, came to the conclusion that they were unlikely to have a healthy child - and argued that the marriage should therefore end in a "happy separation". This would allow both partners to remarry and have healthy children with someone else. "We both said no," Ruba says. "My husband says: 'If God is going to give me kids, then he can give me them from you. He's given me kids from you and he can give me healthy kids from you. If it's written, it's written for you. I'm not going to get married again and neither can you get married again, we are both going to try together.'" And although Ruba was reluctant to marry in 2007, after 10 years of married life she doesn't want to part. "Relatives wanted us to be happily separated for the kids, so that I can have healthy kids with someone else and so could he. But what if I do have healthy kids with someone, they might not make me feel like he makes me feel? I might have kids but not a happy marriage. It might not be successful marriage, and I don't want to bring kids up as a single parent. I have heard about people doing this but it's not for us." But what options does this leave them? One possibility is to have IVF. This would enable doctors to screen embryos, rejecting those with I-cell disease, and selecting a healthy embryo to implant in Ruba's womb. Saqib is not enthusiastic about this, Ruba says. "He just says that whatever Allah is going to give us is meant to be - if we're destined to have a child like this then we can have it in any circumstances," she says. For her part, Ruba would like to try IVF - but the length of the waiting list is a drawback. "I want it to happen quickly. If you wait for something for a long time then it's more tempting to try naturally," she says. Her husband has been to appointments with her but it's hard for him to take time off from the bakery where he works and he doesn't speak much English. "He sits there not knowing what they're saying," she says. "He isn't keen, but says it's up to me." Ruba says she cannot predict what will happen, but is concerned about what any naturally conceived child may have to endure. "I thought the first time, when Hassam was diagnosed, that I couldn't do this, but I've done it three times so I'm not sure," she says. "But it isn't fair for the child to go through so much pain." The three children The couple's experiences have led others in the family, including Ruba's brother, to reject cousin marriage. "We never use to think about the risks - up to my children we've never thought it was wrong to marry in the family, but because I've been through it my other relatives do think twice about going in the family," Ruba says. "Ten years ago I just accepted what my parents said, but now our cousins have been given a choice and they're saying no to that. Our younger generation have been given a choice and if they don't like it they can speak up about it." As well as losing three children, Ruba has also suffered six miscarriages, the last just weeks after Inara's death. She hadn't realised she was pregnant at the time, but miscarried after the funeral, when Inara was buried alongside her brother and sister. She is sustained by her religion and supported by her parents. "God only burdens a person with how much they can take. Sometimes I think people are so lucky, they don't have to try hard and they get a healthy child, but sometimes those children bring trouble when grow up and so those tests placed on them are different," Ruba says. "In this life I'm the unluckiest person, but in the next life I will be the luckiest because they were innocent children. And those children help you in the next life, because you will be with them." You may also be interested in: Elle Wright lost her son Teddy soon after he was born and wants to challenge the idea that a person can only be considered a parent if they have a living child. Read: My baby died. Please ask me his name Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

रूबा और साकिब दोनों में एक लाइलाज स्थिति के लिए एक जीन होता है, जिसका अर्थ है कि उनके बच्चों के बचपन में मरने की चार में से एक संभावना होती है। वे पहले ही तीन खो चुके हैं। रूबा अब आईवीएफ चाहता है, एक स्वस्थ भ्रूण का चयन करने के लिए। साकिब अल्लाह पर भरोसा कर रहा है। और कुछ रिश्तेदार चाहते हैं कि वे अलग हो जाएं और फिर से शादी कर लें।


Coronavirus: How are hospices coping during the pandemic?

Summary: They care for dying patients in their final days, but having to shut their charity shops and cancel fundraising events has put UK hospices in financial peril. How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting their staff and the families of the dying?

By Laurence CawleyBBC News Once upon a time - say, two weeks ago - families could arrive en-masse to visit a dying loved one. But stringent restrictions are now in place here at St Helena Hospice, in Colchester. Each patient can now only have one visitor at a time. If more than one relative arrives, they must observe a one-in-one-out system, with the other visitors having to wait outside the main building. And elderly visitors, unless they are next-of-kin, are being asked not to visit at all. Even the hospice's chief executive is currently barred from the in-patient ward. On Monday night, 82-year-old Patricia Pelham died here. Her daughter, Louisa Brewster, believes her mother waited until after her last visit before she did. Diagnosed with cancer in January, Mrs Pelham - a once-expert jive dancer and a lover of family, laughter and Elton John - spent her last five weeks at St Helena. Her daughter, a former nurse, saw first hand the change in infection control measures being introduced at the hospice. "Five weeks ago the world was a very different place," says Mrs Brewster. "You could go in whenever you wanted, with whoever you wanted. "I wanted everybody to see mum - siblings, cousins - we had plans for all of mum's friends to visit." First came the hand sanitiser stations, then the restricted visiting hours, then the markers on the floor to guide social distancing, she says. "When you were really upset, nobody could cuddle you. That was the hardest thing, I think, and then came the one visitor rule." Mrs Pelham's friends, because of their age, could no longer visit. "Then it was just me, as next of kin. It was very lonely and nobody could cuddle me. "I understand all of the measures as an ex-nurse, and I know it was very tough for the staff." Yet for all of the restrictions in place, Mrs Brewster remains hugely grateful for everything the hospice did in her mother's final weeks. "Mum had what I could call a really good death. The staff were absolutely amazing - it felt like you were leaving her with family, really. "They have made life and death so much easier." What are hospices? The aim of hospice care is to improve the lives of people with an incurable illness. Across the UK there are more than 200 hospices. Together, they care for more than 200,000 adults and children each year. According to the NHS, hospices aim to "feel more like a home than hospitals do". "We are in uncertain days," says the matron, Sue O'Neill. There's the faintest hint of a smile accompanying her words. She knows it is an understatement. Like all hospices, about two-thirds of St Helena's income comes from its network of charity shops, fundraising events and donations from members of the public. At present, all of its shops are closed and all charitable events are on hold. This, says hospice chief executive Mark Jarman-Howe, has had an "immediate and dramatic impact" on cash flow. The situation is so bad, he says, that the hospice might have to scale back some of the care it delivers to thousands of people each year. Already, the hospice's day therapy centres in Colchester and Clacton have been closed because of the coronavirus, while its bereavement and counselling support is currently being run by telephone rather than in person. The current restrictions on visitors, says Mrs O'Neill, are "very hard" on patients and their families. But having to impose such draconian measures is also very hard on staff. Social distancing rules have affected not just how staff can relate to patients and their families, but how staff relate to each other. Conversations about a patient's treatment used to held between staff in hushed tones in a corridor. Not now. Such discussions now demand an element of planning. Colleagues need to find somewhere private and that lets them remain 2m (6ft) apart. Remaining fit and able to come to work has also come at a cost to some hospice workers. "We have staff self-isolating from their own children so that they can be at work," says Mrs O'Neill. "That's a huge sacrifice." And amid the visiting restrictions, staff falling ill and the drop in income comes a fourth challenge - an increase in demand. The hospice is expecting to take in a number of NHS patients in the weeks ahead, to ease the burden on hospitals. Such patients - who are currently being identified by hospital staff - are likely to include people recovering from operations, those who have had a stroke or those who cannot recuperate at home, the hospice said. The hospice dining area has been turned into an additional ward in anticipation of the incoming NHS patients and its 'virtual ward' - in which the hospice sends staff out to care for patients at home - has also been expanded. "None of us have ever faced this before," says Jo Tonkin, director of care. Clinical staff have been asked to cancel their annual leave. "We are expecting peak of activity around Easter," she says. "A number of staff are finding themselves working in completely different roles, with longer hours and different shift patterns. "They know that they're needed, they know that they're valued." Does she feel hospices are sometimes overlooked? "There is that feeling," she says. "NHS staff do need all the help they can get during this time, but hospices are pooling their resources with each other, the NHS and others, to do our bit in this effort because we cannot do it on our own. "We are small organisations with small teams. I do think that sometimes hospices are not heard in the big scheme of things." In the past two weeks, the hospice's call centre has seen a significant rise in the number of calls from both patients and their families. The hospice says they are becoming "progressively more distressed and concerned about their welfare" and about how they will be able to access services "with the lockdown in place". Like all care services, the hospice also faces growing uncertainty over the availability of vital pieces of equipment. Mr Jarman-Howe says they are just about managing in terms of protective equipment, such as goggles and face masks. But he says he is concerned about the future availability of such equipment, and especially certain technical items such as the small battery-powered machines that gradually administer pain relief to patients, called syringe drivers. And just as the BBC was leaving, we witnessed first hand the importance of hospices to those affected by them. A man carrying a brown box walked into the hospice, emerging once again a few seconds later. He was followed soon after by a female member of staff. "I just wanted to say thank you so much for that," she says. The man, Steve Wright, had just delivered a box full of protective masks. Mr Wright, who runs an engineering company, seems a little embarrassed to be collared by a reporter while carrying out a small and quiet act of kindness. Nine years ago his mother was a hospice patient. He heard the hospice was short of protective equipment and wanted them to have his own supply, and others he had managed to get from similar businesses in the town. "We've all got to play our part, haven't we," he says.

वे अपने अंतिम दिनों में मरने वाले रोगियों की देखभाल करते हैं, लेकिन अपनी चैरिटी की दुकानों को बंद करने और धन उगाहने के कार्यक्रमों को रद्द करने से ब्रिटेन के धर्मशालाओं को वित्तीय खतरे में डाल दिया है। कोरोनावायरस महामारी उनके कर्मचारियों और मरने वालों के परिवारों को कैसे प्रभावित कर रही है?


Flybe in talks on sale of London Gatwick-Inverness slots

Summary: An airline has confirmed talks have taken place on the possible sale of its arrival and departure slots at Gatwick which provide links with Inverness.

Flybe said the discussions "may or may not" lead to a transaction. It said further announcements may follow later. The company operates a three times a day service connecting Inverness Airport with Gatwick. Inverness Chamber of Commerce has raised concerns a sale could lead to an end of the service. Easyjet flies between Inverness and Gatwick and also to Luton.

एक एयरलाइन ने पुष्टि की है कि गैटविक में अपने आगमन और प्रस्थान स्लॉट की संभावित बिक्री पर बातचीत हुई है जो इनवर्नेस के साथ लिंक प्रदान करते हैं।


Conner Marshall murder: Offender deemed 'low risk'

Summary: A man who murdered a teenager was on probation after being classed as a low-risk offender, a pre-inquest hearing has been told.

David Braddon was being monitored by officials at the time he killed Conner Marshall, 18, from Barry, after mistaking him for someone else. He was on probation for drugs offences and attacking a police officer. Mr Marshall died days after the attack at Trecco Bay caravan park in Porthcawl in March 2015. The inquest heard the National Probation Service in Wales had sub-contracted out rehabilitation services for Braddon because he was a "low risk offender". Assistant coroner Nadim Bashir said a week-long inquest in Pontypridd would take place in December. Nadine and Richard Marshall previously said they "want answers" over their son's killing. Braddon from Caerphilly, admitted murder and was jailed for life at Cardiff Crown Court in June 2015.

एक किशोर की हत्या करने वाला व्यक्ति कम जोखिम वाले अपराधी के रूप में वर्गीकृत किए जाने के बाद परिवीक्षा पर था, एक पूर्व-पूछताछ सुनवाई को बताया गया है।


Murder probe after teenager found stabbed in Coventry

Summary: A body, believed to be that of a teenage boy, has been found with multiple stab wounds in Coventry.

A member of the public discovered the collapsed youth near Petitor Crescent, Wood End, at about 19:00 GMT, West Midlands Police said. He had suffered multiple stab wounds to his torso and was declared dead at the scene by emergency crews. Police have launched a murder investigation and urged anyone with information to contact them. Inquiries are under way to identify the victim and understand what led to his death, the force said. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.

एक शव, जिसे एक किशोर लड़के का माना जाता है, कोवेंट्री में चाकू के कई घावों के साथ पाया गया है।


Birmingham driver had pint of Guinness in cup holder

Summary: A driver spotted with a half-full pint of Guinness in his car's cup holder has been arrested.

Several cans of stout were found in the car in Acocks Green, Birmingham, West Midlands Police said, as well as a quantity of drugs. "This man is going to have a headache in interview this morning!" a tweet from Acocks Green police said. Police said the 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of "drink drive and possession with intent to supply". He has been released pending further investigation. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.

अपनी कार के कप होल्डर में आधा पिंट गिनीज के साथ देखे गए एक ड्राइवर को गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया है।


Manx boy accused of having knife on school grounds

Summary: A teenage boy has appeared in court accused of having a knife on school grounds on the Isle of Man.

Manx Police were called to a school on Wednesday. A force spokesman previously said no-one was injured. The 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with affray and possession of a bladed article within school grounds. No pleas were entered at Douglas Courthouse and he was remanded to appear again on 19 February. Related Internet Links Isle of Man Courts of Justice

आइल ऑफ मैन पर स्कूल के मैदान में चाकू रखने के आरोप में एक किशोर लड़का अदालत में पेश हुआ है।


'We'd just begun our careers - and then the pandemic hit'

Summary: The sudden lockdown in March this year turned the world of work upside down. Millions were sent home to refashion their living rooms into a place to do business. For many that was a challenge, but imagine what it was like for those of us only just beginning our working lives.

By Laura HuttonBBC Scotland news I joined the BBC in September last year as a digital journalism apprentice working to a clear timetable in a number of departments. The on-the-job experience is combined with a college course that leads to a recognised professional qualification. Modern apprenticeships like mine are based on something quite simple - they allow you to earn while you learn. But how much can you learn while working from home during a pandemic? From 18 March my home became my office and thankfully I have coped better than I expected. It has pushed me to ask more questions and encouraged me to make the most of the time I have remaining in this role. However, remote working has left me worried that people might forget the face that matches the name in the email. Was this a worry only for me, or have my fellow apprentices felt the same? 'I'm supported, but it's lonely' Chloe Mulheron is an apprentice in the financial services department of Glasgow City Council. The 19-year-old started eight months before lockdown and she believes if she had not had that time behind her she would have struggled. She told me: "I find it hard sometimes to talk to new people and to get myself across, but they [colleagues] have been really helpful and they have been checking up on me and have been really supportive but sometimes you do feel really lonely. "With the apprenticeship, it's all about communication and with working from home, it's very hard to communicate with others because you're just by yourself." Chloe reflects on the resilience she has found: "Now I've settled in - and I know nothing's going to change soon - I do have different skills now and I can say, 'I can work from home myself and I'm good working in an environment where there's not a lot of people' so I feel it has advantaged me a wee bit." The director of national training programmes at Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Katie Hutton, said it was important to remember that "first and foremost, apprentices are employees". She added: "They are also learners too, and right across education - whether it be further and higher education activity - I think everyone is grappling with what do you do about people who are missing out on the student experience." 'It's been challenging, but I've got used to it' Toni Durning from Cumbernauld is on a digital marketing apprenticeship with NHS 24 and has been working from home since March. The team the 20-year-old belongs to is in charge of updating coronavirus information on the Inform website of the health service. Toni's job is clearly an important one, but can she switch off and escape? She explained that she and others in her team have put in extra hours to keep things going. Toni added: "We've also taken on extra roles to do 'on-call' for our track and trace team for our internal team in case one of our staff test positive. It's a lot but it keeps your mind going when you're stuck indoors." The apprentice said she was making steady progress before the pandemic and learning new skills, but that she had found that working from home gets in the way of smooth communication. Toni said her contract has been extended until March which should allow her to go back into the office to gain the kind of experience she will need to apply for jobs. "It's hard to learn when you're doing the learning over Zoom or Teams; doing the work and also going on training courses. It has been challenging, but as time has gone on, I've just got used to it." 'You've got to stay positive' For Ashley Broadfoot there was a nice reward after working months from home through the pandemic. The 26-year-old had been a business administration apprentice at Aberdeen City Council and has now secured a full-time job with the local authority. She reflected on her experience of working remotely for seven months: "When you're in a position of learning and training it can be a little bit harder because you can't always access what you need from home." But Ashley compliments her colleagues, saying communication was good and the right support was in place to study for her qualification at home. She said she remained consistently optimistic throughout: "I mean, that's how we get through these things really, you've got to stay positive and have a good attitude and it definitely helps get through situations like these." Skills Development Scotland boss, Ms Hutton, recognised that employers were trying different ways to engage apprentices and provide them with the wellbeing support they needed. They have also had to adapt their assessment strategy including delivering learning online and being more observational about what apprentices are able to do. Ms Hutton said: "It's down to the individual circumstances of the firm about what the continued employment status is like. Traditionally we've had very high rates of continued employment and if you look at the survey data, post apprenticeships are extremely high."

इस साल मार्च में अचानक लगे लॉकडाउन ने काम की दुनिया को उल्टा कर दिया। लाखों लोगों को अपने रहने वाले कमरों को व्यवसाय करने के लिए एक जगह में बदलने के लिए घर भेज दिया गया। कई लोगों के लिए यह एक चुनौती थी, लेकिन कल्पना करें कि हम में से उन लोगों के लिए यह कैसा था जो अभी-अभी अपने कामकाजी जीवन की शुरुआत कर रहे थे।


Hamlet: The play Stalin hated

Summary: Behind the Iron Curtain, Shakespeare's plays were a way to send secret messages about Soviet society to theatre audiences. Now a Lithuanian staging of Hamlet - designed to make Stalin, who hated the play, turn in his grave - will be performed in the UK. Why do these 400-year-old plays resonate in the former Eastern Bloc?

By David SillitoArts Correspondent When Lithuania's biggest rock star, Andrius Mamontovas, was offered the role of Hamlet in 1996, he was rather surprised, but agreed to have a go. He has now played the prince for 15 years, and will soon perform the role in London as part of the UK's cultural festival to mark the Olympics. There were nine months of rehearsals for a play that was at the beginning seven-and-a-half hours long, and even today lasts nearly four hours (there is also a cut-down version of just over two). What has kept him going is Eimuntas Nekrosius, one of Europe's most renowned theatre directors, and the special prestige Shakespeare holds in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In Soviet-era Lithuania, there were productions of Shakespeare for which people queued through the night for tickets. Shakespeare was culture with official approval, but as one of the few alternatives to tales about earnest Soviet heroes, it was also a way for theatre directors to symbolically address forbidden issues. Going to the theatre had an excitement it perhaps lacks nowadays, says Mamontovas. "I miss those secret messages... there were always little secret messages from the artist to the audience. But there's no need for that now because you can say what you want openly - it's more entertainment now." Another appeal of staging Shakespeare was its soundtrack. Rock music was sometimes smuggled into productions in an era when many Western acts were banned - and the list of such acts was long and varied. "ACDC, Tina Turner - she was banned for her sexuality - the Stranglers, the Clash, they were one of my favourites. And there was Julio Iglesias," says Mamontovas. The artistic director of Lithuania's National Theare, Audronis Liuga, recalls a landmark musical staging of Romeo and Juliet in 1982. "It was a spirit of freedom, it was very youthful, very joyful, based on a lot of improvisation, very recognisable for this generation of people who were listening to the Beatles, Jesus Christ Superstar - this kind of music but not of course legally." This new Lithuanian production is full of music, but no rock - although it's far from conventional, with not a doublet or hose in sight, and a coconut taking the place of Yorick's skull. Then there is the history of Hamlet in the Soviet Union. An early landmark of Lithuania's professional theatre was a production of Hamlet by Mikhail Chekhov, nephew of the playwright Anton. But Hamlet then fell out of favour. Stalin, it was understood, had turned against the indecisive Prince of Denmark. The uncomfortable comparisons between the setting of Hamlet, the dark world of Elsinore and the Kremlin, was perhaps too close. Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, had usurped the throne, depriving the young Hamlet himself, and there were parallels - for those who wished to see them - in Stalin's seizure of Lenin's leading role and his demolition of rivals such as Trotsky. There was also another layer of symbolism. Stalin, a keen theatregoer, took against the renowned director Vsevolod Meyerhold and had him arrested and tortured, and executed. Meyerhold dreamed all his life of staging Hamlet, his favourite play, but somehow never managed it. He was renowned for having said, with bitter irony, that he wanted his tombstone to read: "Here lies a man who never played or directed Hamlet". From the day he was killed in 1940, Hamlet and the death of Meyerhold became intertwined in the public imagination. Stalin's death in 1953 prompted a series of new Hamlet productions that tested the boundaries of how far the post-Stalin thaw had gone, and so the play gained a symbolic status of freedom of expression. The director of the Globe Shakespeare Festival, Tom Bird, says this resonance is echoed across the region. "There's a feeling in the former Soviet Union that Shakespeare was never censored. So he becomes in a lot of these places not just a writer but almost a freedom fighter, almost a saint. "If you go in to the countryside in Armenia you meet people with the name Shakespeare - their first names are Shakespeare. "The most famous footballer in Armenia is Henrikh Mkhitaryan and his middle name is Hamlet. And no, Hamlet isn't Armenian for Hamish; it's Hamlet, the Dane. It's incredible it's seeped in to everything." But there is also a sense that something has passed. They do not miss the fear, but the privileged position of high culture and Shakespeare has slipped. Tina Turner and Julio Iglesias may have been banned, but there was a deep reverence for Shakespeare. Fifteen years on, Mamontovas is still eager to carry on playing the Danish prince for a few more years. But he knows the clock is ticking. "I am very happy and very lucky to be here, this play has opened a lot of doors for me. I took this on when I was Hamlet's age, around 29, it would be strange if I was still being Hamlet when I'm 50." Hamlet will be performed at London's Globe Theatre 2-3 June as part of the Globe to Globe festival .

लोहे के पर्दे के पीछे, शेक्सपियर के नाटक थिएटर दर्शकों को सोवियत समाज के बारे में गुप्त संदेश भेजने का एक तरीका थे। अब हैमलेट का एक लिथुआनियाई मंचन-जिसे स्टालिन, जो नाटक से नफरत करते थे, को उनकी कब्र में घुमाने के लिए डिज़ाइन किया गया था-यूके में प्रदर्शित किया जाएगा। ये 400 साल पुराने नाटक पूर्व पूर्वी ब्लॉक में क्यों प्रतिध्वनित होते हैं?