Coronavirus and shielding: 'I've only left my home five times this year'

Summary: Within the month of September 2019 Michaela Hollywood flew across America eight times, such were the demands of a leadership programme she was on. Since coronavirus, however, she has only been able to leave her home five times.

By Beth RoseBBC Ouch In early 2020 Michaela was scrolling through the news when she found an article about a "weird virus in China". As someone with health difficulties, the 30-year-old immediately started making changes to her life. "I tried to stop touching any surfaces outside my home," she says. "If I'd waited until the extremely clinically vulnerable letter had come in, who knows what would have happened." Michaela, from Northern Ireland, has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic and degenerative condition which weakens muscles and impacts movement. She is a full-time wheelchair-user, is unable to sit-up unaided and her breathing muscles are paralysed. Michaela went about life cautiously but continued with cinema trips and bingo with her mum - until her final night of freedom, although she didn't know that when she went out. "It was big money night at bingo," she says. "My phone started flashing to say that we had community transmission in Northern Ireland, and I knew that would be it. I decided to shield." It was 12 March 2020 - one day after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. At this point there was no guidance offered in the UK. Friends who had previously been part of Michaela's medical team suggested she take "every precaution". She went from jet setting across America for her work in disability rights, to trying to settle into life at home under lockdown just six months later. She lives with her parents, while her sisters, brother-in-law, nieces and nephews live in the next house along. "I still had family around me, so I know I'm really privileged," she says. But the initial weeks and months of lockdown were taken up with solving problems. Michaela uses personal assistants to help with everyday tasks like washing and eating, but that became problematic when protective clothing, known as PPE, ran out because of high demand. There was one way around it. "Two of them moved in," she says. "We have a spare room, but it was full of junk. So we had a day where we emptied the room. I'm really thankful to them for making it happen." While this newly-formed bubble solved one problem there were others. Mastering the balance between having medication stocked at home and ordering new batches in time, while allowing for delays, was tricky. And food was a headache too. Michaela's condition affects her ability to swallow and so while she can eat solid food, it needs to be soft. For the first four months, securing online deliveries without food substituted for something she might not be able to eat was near-impossible and she relied on what she had stockpiled pre-lockdown. "I lived on beans and soup," she says. "Once I was able to get on to the register as a vulnerable person it wasn't too bad." Then there was the mundanity of lockdown everyone has faced for a year too. But for Michaela there was no possibility of a walk outside or meeting a friend, socially distanced. "I watched Star Wars for the first time, and I am still trying to watch every episode of The Simpsons. It's all those little things that sound nothing but actually keep you busy." Although stuck inside, technology did open up the world for some disabled people. "There was a sense of euphoria because all of a sudden there were events we could go to - there were concerts online, access to university," Michaela says. "I was looking at all these things and thinking how much better this is for our community. "That's not saying we would choose that every time, we wouldn't, but we would certainly need it sometimes." It wasn't being confined to the house which Michaela found most frustrating, but other people's behaviour, including those who could but refused to wear masks. "It's not straightforward to shield when you're also physically disabled," she says. "I have to bring people in from the community into my house every day - I can't stay in my room on my own." This was one reason why her PAs moved in, so she didn't have to deal with a variety of agency staff. Michaela also implemented her own rules - she wouldn't step on ground beyond the house boundary until community transmissions stopped. Come June, that possibility arrived when Northern Ireland recorded no new cases. "I made the most of that," she says. 'Liquid gold' Having got a new job to support disabled people with technology, Michaela hit the shops for new work clothes and managed to get a private cinema screening of Tenet, because no one else had booked. She only had three other trips outdoors, all for medical appointments - X-rays, blood tests and her first Covid vaccination. It still felt like freedom. "That was a period of grace for me and I still genuinely believe that it should have been two weeks for shielders to get out and have some respite," she says. Some European countries like Spain did implement a timetable to ensure everyone could enjoy time outside - something Michaela thinks the UK should think about next time. Non-shielders were banned from going out during certain hours to allow those shielding or the over 70s to go out safely. During the interview, Michaela's phone rings and she says she has to take it, but wants to keep me on Zoom. "You have just witnessed the greatest moment of my life," she beams, looking slightly shocked as she ends the call. "There's a drug for my condition called Risdiplam that has just become available in Northern Ireland - I can only call it liquid gold." Risdiplam helps the body produce the protein that people with SMA are missing, which causes muscle weakness. It can halt the progression of SMA and may encourage improvements. "For the first time ever, my speech should hopefully become clearer," she says. "Wow - I might be able to lift my hand up to my mouth again. "It's turned the worst year of my life into one of the most changing." With Michaela's first order arriving this week it brings hope that things are getting better. In England and Wales 1 April signals the end of shielding. In Northern Ireland shielders are advised to continue taking extra precautions until further notice. "I would need to know that community transmission has all but stopped before things change for me," Michaela says. But that doesn't stop her dreaming about that day. "There is an ice cream parlour, not far from here. It's by the seaside and they do the most incredible ice cream." For more disability news, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook and subscribe to the weekly podcast on BBC Sounds.

सितंबर 2019 के महीने के भीतर माइकेला हॉलीवुड ने आठ बार अमेरिका में उड़ान भरी, ऐसी एक नेतृत्व कार्यक्रम की मांग थी जिस पर वह थी। हालाँकि, कोरोनावायरस के बाद से, वह केवल पाँच बार अपना घर छोड़ पाई है।


Iraq protests: The women rising up on Baghdad's walls

Summary: Since October, a wave of anti-government protests has swept across Iraq. The protesters represent a cross-section of society and, unusually for a traditionally patriarchal country, women have taken a leading role.

Their prominence is celebrated in murals which have sprung up across the capital, Baghdad. Baghdad's Tahrir Square, epicentre of the protests, has been transformed into a hub of creative defiance. Murals paying tribute to the spirit and strength of Iraqi women have become an iconic visual representation of the protests. Often produced by women, the artwork highlights their increasingly active role in seeking to shape their future. The demonstrations and the murals have enabled women to create a collective community, reclaim their national identity and re-write their history. Despite facing disapproval from parents and husbands over fears for their safety - more than 400 people have been killed by security forces - women continue to join the demonstrations, sometimes secretly. For women, who have in the past been neglected by political movements, the absence of any political agenda behind the protests has spurred them to take part. And in a society where men and women have seldom protested side by side, the fact that they are working together in the interest of reaching a shared goal is a significant social achievement. All photographs subject to copyright.

अक्टूबर के बाद से पूरे इराक में सरकार विरोधी प्रदर्शनों की लहर दौड़ गई है। प्रदर्शनकारी समाज के विभिन्न वर्गों का प्रतिनिधित्व करते हैं और पारंपरिक रूप से पितृसत्तात्मक देश के लिए असामान्य रूप से महिलाओं ने अग्रणी भूमिका निभाई है।


Drogheda pub: Bomb found in toilet, say police

Summary: More than 30 people had to be moved from their homes after a bomb was found in a pub in County Louth on Tuesday night.

The device was found in a toilet in Sarsfields bar, Cord Road, in Drogheda at about 21:30 local time. Part of the street was also cordoned off as a precaution. An army bomb disposal team were on the scene before midnight and made the device safe. They left the scene at 01:05. "Following an assessment of the device, it was made safe at the scene and removed for further examination in a secure military location, where it was found to be viable," an army spokesman said. Residents were allowed back into their homes at about 01.30.

मंगलवार की रात काउंटी लूथ में एक पब में बम मिलने के बाद 30 से अधिक लोगों को उनके घरों से हटाना पड़ा।


'Why I'll cherish being part of 2012 opening ceremony'

Summary: Up to a billion people worldwide watched the London 2012 opening ceremony along with 80,000 in the Olympic Stadium. Here volunteer performer Neil Smith tells what it was like to be part of the Danny Boyle-directed spectacular.

It was an incredible feeling to walk out into the Olympic Stadium on 27 July knowing the world was watching. Yet I and the hundreds of others taking part in the Pandemonium section had a job to do and our minds were fixed upon it. In my case, that job was playing one of the Working Men and Women charged with tearing up England's "green and pleasant land" and erecting an industrial landscape in its place. Marching in time to a "click track" piped into our ears through in-ear monitors, we set about the task with gusto. To the casual observer, ripping up turf, removing fences and dragging off hedgerows might not seem sophisticated. Yet finding the most time-efficient way to "strike" our respective "counties" involved many hours of laborious trial and error. It was vital that scenery was removed quickly from trap doors beneath which chimney stacks and beam engines were waiting to emerge. We also had to deal with a rogue element - droppings left by animals involved in the 50-minute "pre-show" depicting bucolic country life. I am sure I was not the only participant grateful for the gloves and sturdy work boots we had all been assigned. The rest of my costume? A weathered shirt, hessian trousers, leather belt and cap. With my unshaven cheeks blackened with soot, I resembled how Gavroche from Les Miserables might have looked had he made it to middle age. The nervous tension was palpable as we waited behind curtains to make our entrance, shortly after 21:00 BST. Technical rehearsals held earlier that week had steeled us for appearing in front of an audience, but this was a different ball game. So much to remember, so much to forget - not least the choreography we had all been taught by Toby Sedgwick, "movement director" of War Horse and Boyle's production of Frankenstein. It was a swine to get right. When enacted en masse, though, it created a potent image of a digging, hammering army working in synchronous harmony. There were other factors to deal with. A Caribbean steel band. A cottage on castors. A papier-mache mock-up of the Windrush. There was also the spine-tingling "poppy moment", a brief hiatus of activity in tribute to those who have fallen on foreign fields. Small wonder that it all went by in a blur. Indeed, it was only when I saw a recording later that I realised I'd been caught on camera. The set-piece of our section was the "forging" of the Olympic rings that culminated in a pyrotechnic shower from the heavens. Being able to witness this astonishing moment of epic theatricality is something I will always cherish. We then soaked up the applause, took our bows and made a hasty exit up the aisles so the rest of the production could continue. As I walked back to our holding pen I passed the Athletes' Parade, a huge conga line that stretched across the Olympic Park as far as the eye could see. As I write this I feel an enormous sense of pride to have played a role, however small, in such a memorable and dazzling occasion. And if anybody ever doubts me, I have a certificate, my costume and my name in the programme to prove it. Yet what I will also take away from this experience is the camaraderie, commitment and enthusiasm displayed by everyone involved in this gargantuan enterprise. Together we put on one hell of a show.

ओलंपिक स्टेडियम में 80,000 लोगों के साथ दुनिया भर में एक अरब लोगों ने लंदन 2012 के उद्घाटन समारोह को देखा। यहाँ स्वयंसेवक कलाकार नील स्मिथ बताते हैं कि डैनी बॉयल द्वारा निर्देशित शानदार फिल्म का हिस्सा बनना कैसा था।


When were prime ministers banned from driving?

Summary: David Cameron revealed earlier that he hasn't driven a car in four and a half years. He's not really allowed to for security reasons, you see. So when did prime ministers stop getting behind the wheel?

By Pippa Simm and Brian WheelerPolitical reporters The official government car service came into being in 1946, but it was the declaration of war in 1939 that changed ministers' travel habits for good. Before this, it was only the home secretary, who was allocated a police car, that got an official motor. And for the other ministers? Well, they had to provide their own or take public transport. But, as the country went to war, it was decided that six 20-horsepower Austin chauffeur-driven cars should be permanently at the disposal of the War Cabinet, according to Geoffrey Dudley's History of the Government Car Service. On Her Majesty's Service Today, the car used by prime ministers is a rather James Bond-like Jaguar; although the parallels between PMs and the 007 agent probably end there. The leader of the opposition is the only MP entitled to an official chauffeur-driven government car who isn't a minister. But all former prime ministers are entitled to one, too. As is, perhaps surprisingly, the prime minister's spouse - since the days of Cherie Blair. In fact, there was a designated driver - Roy Gibbon - for the PM's other half. However, Samantha Cameron, while making use of the official perk, reportedly requested a female driver instead, as she was more comfortable with a woman taking her children to school, according to the Telegraph. Churchill's car assurance When Winston Churchill became prime minister in 1940, he reportedly decided that that his 23.5 horsepower Austin chauffeur-driven car - part of a pool of cars made available to the War Cabinet - was not fast enough. And so it was replaced with a speedier 28 horsepower model. By 1941, he had upgraded to a bullet-proof War Office Humber. Mr Churchill wasn't averse to getting in the driving seat, pictured above driving himself to the House of Commons for the State Opening of Parliament in November 1925. Since the 1950s, prime ministers have effectively been banned from driving while in office - for security reasons that have never been made entirely clear. For security reasons. Although the need to be accompanied everywhere by protection officers, trained in the art of driving out of trouble, will no doubt have something to do with it. Humble Humber? Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee assumes the role of passenger as his wife, Violet, takes the wheel of their splendid Humber Pullman, kick-starting a 1,000-mile election tour in February 1950. In previous campaigns, the famously modest Attlee used a little Hillman Minx. Do you think they argued over who should drive? Night of the long drives Private car ownership soared during Harold Macmillan's "never had it so good" era and he also widened the use of government cars by junior ministers. In this picture, the Tory PM finds himself in rather a tight squeeze, as he slots into a particularly small car on display at the 1957 Earls Court motor show, which he opened. More room on top? In his youth, Conservative Prime Minister John Major failed the bus conductor exam. Luckily for him, the minor setback didn't hamper his chances of reaching the highest office in the land. Fortunately he had a chauffeur-driven car service at his disposal. Buggy diplomacy Gordon Brown revealed in 2010 that, although he had a driving licence, he hadn't been behind the wheel since he was 21. In an interview with Piers Morgan, he said that after losing the sight in one of his eyes "your ability to judge distance is affected". Tony's travels There are remarkably few pictures of Tony Blair behind the wheel (that we can find). But here he is enjoying a spin in an open-air Team GB car at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. It was definitely the weather for it! No turning back Talk about one-upmanship. Margaret Thatcher left other prime ministers in the shade after her tank-driving display, during a visit to British forces in Fallingbostel, Germany. After all, why settle for a car when you can ride in the turret of a tank? And once you've driven a tank, getting behind the wheel of a bus is probably plain sailing. Here the Conservative prime minister is pictured at the wheel of the Tory battle bus during the 1987 election campaign.

डेविड कैमरन ने पहले खुलासा किया कि उन्होंने साढ़े चार साल से कार नहीं चलाई है। उन्हें वास्तव में सुरक्षा कारणों से अनुमति नहीं है, आप देखते हैं। तो प्रधानमंत्रियों ने कब गाड़ी चलाना बंद कर दिया?


Grimsby pub stabbing: Murder arrests over man's death

Summary: A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a man who was stabbed outside a pub.

Emergency services were called to reports of a stabbing outside the Freemans Arms on Freeman Street in Grimsby at about 20:10 BST on Saturday. Humberside Police said the family of the 36-year-old, who died a short time after arriving at hospital, had been informed and were being supported. A force spokesman said the stabbing was believed to be an "isolated incident". Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here. Related Internet Links Humberside Police

पब के बाहर चाकू से एक व्यक्ति की मौत के बाद हत्या के संदेह में एक पुरुष और एक महिला को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Ulster Bank: A tale of two cities

Summary: The half-year results for Ulster Bank show some improvement on the same period last year with losses reducing to £329m. But, as John Campbell reports, the company still has a big unresolved problem with mortgages in the Republic of Ireland.

By John CampbellBBC News In July, Ulster Bank's top managers held a presentation for investors at which they explained how they were going to create a "Really Good Bank". The presentation contained an unprecedented level of detail about the differing performance of the bank's businesses on either side of the Irish border. It showed that on almost every measurement the Dublin-based part of the bank is in a worse condition. It earned about 70% of the bank's income in 2012, but was responsible for about 90% of its £1bn losses. The Belfast-based bit of the bank had a conservative loan-to-deposit ratio of 80%. In Dublin, the ratio was 152%. Net interest margin is an expression of how much the bank earns from the basic business of lending money: in Belfast it was just over 3%, in Dublin it was just 1.6%. And the main reason for that divergence on the interest margin comes down to one financial product: tracker mortgages. These were very popular in the Republic of Ireland during the boom years - the interest rate is fixed at a certain level above the European Central Bank (ECB) base rate, often for the lifetime of the mortgage. Homeowners taking these mortgages were effectively betting that the ECB would keep rates low. That is a gamble that has paid off because the crisis in the Eurozone means the rate is at a rock bottom 0.5% and is unlikely to move up anytime soon. For the banks it has been a disaster; trackers are mostly loss-making as the interest charged is less than the banks' cost of funding. A whopping 65% of the Ulster's total mortgage book in the Republic consists of lifetime trackers. In total Ulster holds £13bn of tracker mortgages. That is £13bn of the bank's capital tied up in a business that basically makes no money. It is also nearly impossible to persuade - or force - people with trackers to come off them. Dublin 'woes' Or as the Ulster's chief financial officer put it in banker-speak: "The margin on that business is around 90 basis points so that constitutes a significant drag...It is also a drag that's relatively difficult to relieve and the mortgage book has a long life and it will take some time to roll off." But that is not the end of the Dublin-based mortgage woes. The analysts also heard that while 4.4% of Ulster's residential mortgages in Northern Ireland were "90 days or more past due" (i.e. had not been paid in three months) in the Republic, it was more like 16%. These diverging north/ south performances raise an intriguing possibility at a time when the whole shape of the bank's parent, RBS, is under review. Could the whole Dublin part of the bank, with its troublesome mortgages, be spun off into a "bad bank" while the Belfast bit remains in the RBS family? The bank insists it remains committed to all its customers across the island and sees opportunities for future growth. But whether those sentiments are shared by its main shareholder, the UK government, remains to be seen.

अल्स्टर बैंक के लिए अर्ध-वर्ष के परिणाम पिछले वर्ष की इसी अवधि की तुलना में कुछ सुधार दिखाते हैं और नुकसान घटकर 329 मिलियन पाउंड रह गया है। लेकिन, जैसा कि जॉन कैंपबेल ने बताया है, आयरलैंड गणराज्य में बंधक के साथ कंपनी की अभी भी एक बड़ी अनसुलझी समस्या है।


'Why I quit as a barrister to follow my dream job'

Summary: The BBC's weekly The Boss series profiles business leaders from around the world. This week we speak to 48-year-old Nisha Katona, founder of Mowgli Street Food - a contemporary Indian restaurant chain in the UK.

By Gaggan SabherwalBusiness reporter, BBC News When Nisha Katona decided to quit her successful career as a barrister after 20 years to open a restaurant, her friends and family thought she was having a mid-life crisis. Nisha knew the move would come with risks as she would be giving up a well paid job and had a mortgage to pay. But she had long had a dream to become a professional chef and it was starting to give her sleepless nights. So while she was still working full time in 2014, as a family and child law barrister in Liverpool, she decided to take the plunge and opened Mowgli. The Liverpool restaurant, which specialises in "authentic" Indian cuisine, quickly took off and has since grown into a UK-wide chain with sales of £10m. "Mowgli is a pet name I have for my two teenage girls which literally means feral child," Nisha says of the name, which is not, as some people think, linked to the famous Jungle Book character. "My daughters chose the logo and the restaurant was named after them." The daughter of Indians who emigrated to Lancashire in the 1960s, Nisha was always obsessed with Indian cuisine and even used to plan her holidays around trying new foods. She says she has taken cookery lessons all around the world, but never from professional chefs, only home cooks and "usually grandmothers". Before she launched Mowgli she gave cookery lessons herself, launching her own Youtube channel. And she did lots of market research - for instance, standing in the corner of restaurant kitchens at night to see how they operated. Nisha says Mowgli is about showing how Indians eat at home and on the streets, which is a "far cry" from what you find at traditional UK curry houses. She says her dishes, which are all based on family recipes, are "simple, fresh and delicate" while having a modern twist. "What I want is people to understand how my grandmother cooked. This is how we, as Indians, eat at home. We don't have a balti or a bhuna, and we don't have naan breads and poppadoms." Her passion for Indian cuisine has also led her to write three of her own cookbooks - Pimp My Rice, The Spice Tree and Mowgli Street Food. "I still remember when I wrote my first cook book. I'd never written a book in my life, so I thought how do I publish this? I looked in the Jamie Oliver cook book and Googled some of the names in his acknowledgments. "One was his agent and so I sent her my proposal, and within 10 minutes she wrote back to me and said 'can we meet on Monday'? And she signed me on." But despite her success, Nisha says starting her first restaurant wasn't easy. As a second-generation immigrant living in 1970s Britain, she had developed "a thick skin" early on in life, and she had been the first female Asian barrister in Liverpool. But she was still unprepared for the pressures she faced as a woman entering the male-dominated restaurant scene. More The Boss features: "As I was building Mowgli, at times I was met with disdain from friends and family as I threw myself into the business and had less time to spend with my daughters. "It struck me that if I were the husband, or simply the man, I wouldn't receive this criticism. And unfortunately, in this day and age, I still must fight my corner as a businesswoman." The fact there were so few female role models in the industry didn't help, she says, as she would have loved a woman to have "guided her or been a mentor". Today the entrepreneur runs seven successful Mowgli restaurants in cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Oxford. "The fact that Nisha has opened not one or two but seven restaurants in the UK, in just over four years, means she is definitely doing something right, especially in today's highly competitive food industry," says Mr Yawar Khan, head of the Asian Catering Federation. He also says giving up her job and starting a new career in her 40s took "courage and guts". "South Asian women need more role models like Nisha to encourage them to start restaurants and curry houses." Earlier this year Nisha achieved another milestone when she made The New Year Honours list and was awarded an MBE in recognition of her services to the British food industry. "It just felt like a blessing. It was almost as though we got royal assent for my mother's dhal," she says. "It was the most moving moment and what it meant to my mother, who came to England 50 years ago with nothing, is beyond words."

बीबीसी की साप्ताहिक द बॉस श्रृंखला दुनिया भर के व्यापारिक नेताओं की प्रोफाइल बनाती है। इस सप्ताह हम 48 वर्षीय निशा कटोना से बात करते हैं, जो यूके में एक समकालीन भारतीय रेस्तरां श्रृंखला-मोगली स्ट्रीट फूड की संस्थापक हैं।


How much is the Eden Project worth to the economy?

Summary: A row has erupted over a £1.8m loan to the Eden Project which was paid out of public money. The debt, which was paid by the now defunct South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) in 2008, has raised the question over how much public money the tourist attraction gets and how much it is worth to the local economy.

By Jonathan MorrisBBC News, Plymouth John Sinkins is a busy man as a partner in Lostwithiel-based textiles printing firm Lorna Wiles. But he admits that he would be less busy if not for the Eden Project, a major buyer of its products. The firm started supplying organically-produced tea towels more than five years ago and has now added deck chairs, oven gloves and aprons to the list. "We're really pleased to be working with Eden," he said. "Without their orders we would not have had the confidence to invest in organic raw materials for our tea towels and that's opened up a whole new global market for us." The tea towels are certified as organic by the Soil Association and the link with the Eden Project has resulted in Lorna Wiles products being stocked in Marks and Spencer and John Lewis. It is a long way from 2001 when the Eden Project was launched and invited local firms to do business with it. Now Eden spends more than £12m every year on products and services, many of which are supplied by businesses based in Cornwall and the South West. A total of 101 companies have been chosen as key suppliers for "providing a high level of service and quality, and a commitment to waste efficiency and maximising sustainable practise". 'Sense of pride' More than 50% of its supplies by value in 2009 were from within Cornwall, according to an independent report for the South West Regional Development Agency . Other firms that supply Eden include Sharp's Brewery at Rock, Cornish Orchards at Liskeard and bulb supplier Fentogallon near Truro. Andy Atkinson, of Cornish Orchards, said the Eden Project, along with other attractions such as the Lost Gardens of Heligan and restaurants such as Rick Stein's, had helped create a Cornwall "brand". He said: "Eden has been good for the county as a whole. It does not matter whether you supply them or not." Eden received more than £132m from 2001-2009 - £48.5m from the public sector and £56.4m from the Millennium Commission. But the report said that as well as attracting 10 million visitors from 2001 to 2009, more than 40% of visitors to Cornwall said that the Eden Project had influenced their decision. The report also said that the substantial number of staff - 420 in 2009 - and all the economic benefits combined meant that it had brought in an estimated £805m into the local economy over the six-and-a-half years leading up to 2009. 'Good bet' It also said there were other benefits to the local area through its support of communities, schools and other groups. It said: "The Eden Project has generated a sense of pride and an increase in the collective self-esteem as well as increased community cohesion." The report concluded that overall, Eden had "delivered very good value for money for a project of its type". Eden founder, Tim Smit, said the number of visitors to the attraction was rising. "We are on the up. We have 467 staff. We are in the top 20 employers in the South West," he said. "I would say that Cornwall, the RDA and Europe made a pretty good bet in betting on us."

ईडन परियोजना के लिए 18 लाख पाउंड के ऋण पर विवाद खड़ा हो गया है जिसका भुगतान सार्वजनिक धन से किया गया था। 2008 में अब बंद हो चुकी दक्षिण पश्चिम क्षेत्रीय विकास एजेंसी (आर. डी. ए.) द्वारा भुगतान किए गए ऋण ने यह सवाल उठाया है कि पर्यटक आकर्षण को कितना सार्वजनिक धन मिलता है और यह स्थानीय अर्थव्यवस्था के लिए कितना मूल्यवान है।


Dairy Crest Crudgington Creamery closure starts

Summary: Workers will leave Dairy Crest's Crudgington Creamery in Shropshire will go next month, the firm has told the USDAW union.

Plans to close the site, risking its 161 jobs, were revealed two years ago. Dairy Crest said the departure of "a proportion" of staff marks the start of the plant's closure, although it is has not said when it will completely shut. The move is part of a "drive to improve efficiency" and could see about 50 jobs transferring to Kirkby, in Liverpool. Dairy Crest transferred production of Clover butter from Crudgington to Kirkby in 2012, with the loss of about 90 jobs. In January it closed its Whitland dairy, in Carmarthenshire, blaming falling sales and rising costs. Thirty-one jobs were lost and milk production transferred to Stonehouse, near Stroud in Gloucestershire.

फर्म ने यूएसडीएडब्ल्यू यूनियन को बताया है कि श्रॉपशायर में डेयरी क्रेस्ट की क्रडिंगटन क्रीमरी के कर्मचारी अगले महीने चले जाएंगे।


Colombia Farc ceasefire: The man who photographed a little-pictured war

Summary: Colombians are deciding whether to sign up to a ceasefire with the Farc rebel group, and put an end to more than 50 years of war. One photographer - Jesus Abad Colorado Lopez - documented the violence in his images over many years, as his former colleague, the BBC's Juan Carlos Perez Salazar, explains.

Strangely, despite the Colombian war's longevity, there are very few defining images recording it. Jesus Abad Colorado Lopez is the photographer who has perhaps best captured the pain of the war over the past 25 years. But this story begins before his birth, with a photo that he didn't take. Find us on Facebook In 1960, his grandparents were living with their family in the town of San Carlos, Antioquia, in the middle of Colombia. It was the era that is referred to within the country now simply as La Violencia - The Violence. Sympathisers of the two main political parties - Liberal and Conservative - faced each other in a bloody war. His grandparents were Liberals in a Conservative town. One night the mob came into their house, killing the grandfather and slitting the throat of the smallest child - a little boy. The grandmother stopped eating and she died grief-stricken four months later. The family felt they had to escape to Medellin, the capital of Antioquia. But they hadn't escaped violence and found themselves again living with war from the 1970s through to the 1990s. In the black and white photograph of Colorado Lopez's grandparents, you can trace the roots of the current violence in Colombia. The bipartisan struggle that forced out the family was the origin of the Farc and of the war that has consumed Colombia over the past few decades. More on Colombia from the BBC Colorado Lopez took the vast majority of his photographs in black and white. "I think it is more respectful. Colour is too bombastic in violent situations. Black and white gives a more documentary feel, a more sorrowful one." His black and white images record the horror of war. Often he was the only journalist to have travelled to sites where a massacre had taken place. And he was almost always the last to leave. It was never so much the bare facts of what led up to the massacre that interested him, but rather the consequences. He wanted to explore the repercussions that follow every violent act, and that transform - or destroy - lives and societies. Colorado Lopez has always formed personal connections with people, allowing him to take intimate photos, such as the one of Aniceto, who watched his wife Ubertina bleed to death from a gunshot, while the army and the guerrillas stopped him from taking her to hospital. When they allowed him to, it was already too late. Colorado Lopez accompanied him as he took her body home again and recorded his profound sorrow. "If I give importance to a human being and he understands my solidarity, surely there is no problem in having this record. It's my duty to memory. I'm a witness," says the photographer. Colorado Lopez wanted to record the victims. He never exhibited photographs of commanders or generals, or those who held power. He showed only low-ranking fighters and civilians. And many of those were pictured in difficult circumstances, like the soldier who survived a guerrilla ambush on his convoy in September 1993, while his comrades lie dead around him on the road. Or this soldier who cries inconsolably because the guerrillas killed his 13-year-old sister. They had previously warned him that if he did not leave the army, they were going to kill his family. His superiors did not believe him when he told them about the threats. But his camera lens has above all focused on civilians, those who found themselves caught up in the crossfire and who had been the vast majority of the 220,000 violent deaths that are estimated to have happened over the past few decades in Colombia. So he managed to capture such incredible images as the boy fastening the shirt of his dead father, killed by paramilitaries in San Carlos in October 1998, the same town that, 38 years previously, Colorado Lopez's family had fled. Or the initials of the United Self-defence Forces of Colombia, the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), cut with a knife into the arm of a young woman of 18 by paramilitaries who kidnapped and raped her in one of the poor neighbourhoods of Medellin in November 2002. Or this almost biblical image of peasants leaving their village of San Jose de Apartado following a massacre by paramilitaries with the help of the army. But the wounds of war are to be found not only on bodies. They are also among landscapes and communities. Such as in El Aro, Antioquia, where the paramilitaries - with the complicity of the army - spent five days torturing and killing 15 people in the main square, while they forced the rest of the inhabitants to watch. They then looted and set fire to the town. When the paramilitaries left, the survivors also left El Aro en masse. Or the crater left by a bomb fired by the army during an operation against the guerrillas in Rio Sucio, Choco, in which they were accused of acting in conjunction with paramilitaries. The operation left at least 8,000 homeless. Or the bullet marks in a school that found itself caught in the crossfire. The menacing presence of war is almost always there in the photographs of "Chucho", as the photographer is known among his friends. Such as in this photo, in which a group of paramilitaries watch the city of Medellin, the capital of Antioquia, from the mountains above. Despite the fact that his family has continued to fall victim to the conflict (a cousin was disappeared by the army, another died kidnapped by the Farc) and that he himself has been kidnapped twice by guerrillas, another of his favourite themes is hope in the midst of sorrow. That is the message of this photograph, of a march by the inhabitants of Granada, calling for peace after a guerrilla operation left their town in ruins. At times they are intimate, not epic photographs, like this butterfly which landed on the ammunition of a paramilitary. He only reluctantly allowed his photo to be taken, as he thought his masculinity was being questioned. Or the father who returned with his daughter to his home town after being forcibly displaced for several months, while guerrillas and paramilitaries waged a bloody battle. Or this last photograph, with which we close this story and which, in some way, manages to encapsulate what Jesus Abad Colorado Lopez (referred to in Colombia as the "the witnesses' witness"), tries to achieve in all his work: "Don't forget, remember, mourn and find justice." And offer hope. Jesus Abad Colorado Lopez was born in Medellin, Colombia, and worked for the newspaper El Colombiano between 1992 and 2001. This picture of him was taken by a child who was escaping with his family from a paramilitary attack on their town. He is the author of Mirar De La Vida Profunda (A Gaze At Life Profound). Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

कोलंबियाई लोग तय कर रहे हैं कि क्या फार्क विद्रोही समूह के साथ युद्धविराम पर हस्ताक्षर करना है, और 50 से अधिक वर्षों के युद्ध को समाप्त करना है। एक फोटोग्राफर-जीसस अबाद कोलोराडो लोपेज-ने कई वर्षों में अपनी छवियों में हिंसा का दस्तावेजीकरण किया, जैसा कि उनके पूर्व सहयोगी, बीबीसी के जुआन कार्लोस पेरेज़ सालाज़ार बताते हैं।


Your pictures of Scotland 29 January - 5 February

Summary: A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 29 January and 5 February. Send your photos to scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk. Please ensure you adhere to the BBC's rules regarding photographs that can be found here.

Please also ensure you follow current coronavirus guidelines and take your pictures safely and responsibly. Conditions of use: If you submit an image, you do so in accordance with the BBC's terms and conditions. Please ensure that the photograph you send is your own and if you are submitting photographs of children, we must have written permission from a parent or guardian of every child featured (a grandparent, auntie or friend will not suffice). In contributing to BBC News you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use the material in any way, including in any media worldwide. However, you will still own the copyright to everything you contribute to BBC News. At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe the law. You can find more information here. All photos are subject to copyright.

29 जनवरी और 5 फरवरी के बीच भेजी गई स्कॉटलैंड की अपनी तस्वीरों का चयन करें। अपनी तस्वीरें scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk पर भेजें। कृपया सुनिश्चित करें कि आप यहाँ पाई जाने वाली तस्वीरों के संबंध में बीबीसी के नियमों का पालन करते हैं।


£500k to build Undercliff Drive landslip homes access

Summary: Isle of Wight Council is to decide whether to allocate £500,000 to re-establish access to a road which suffered a major landslide in February.

Residents of Undercliff Drive had to evacuate their homes when the road began to collapse following heavy rain. The authority is considering whether to build pedestrian access, a new access road to properties at the base of the cliff or a low-cost road from the west. Councillors will decide on Tuesday whether to approve the funding. The road, between Niton and St Lawrence, remains closed and a four-mile detour is in place. The landslide happened during reconstruction of the road and eight families are still living in rented accommodation.

आइल ऑफ वाइट काउंसिल को यह तय करना है कि फरवरी में एक बड़े भूस्खलन का सामना करने वाली सड़क तक पहुंच को फिर से स्थापित करने के लिए £500,000 आवंटित किया जाए या नहीं।


We fact-checked the Madonna film script

Summary: Not for the first time, Madonna is on the war path.

By Mark SavageBBC Music reporter The focus of her rage is Universal Pictures, who snapped up a script about the singer's early years in New York earlier this week. Madonna sought out a copy of the screenplay, called Blonde Ambition, and immediately declared it to be "all lies". "Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen," the 58-year-old fumed on Instagram. "Only I can tell my story. Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool. Looking for instant gratification without doing the work. This is a disease in our society." Penned by first-time writer Elyse Hollander, Blonde Ambition topped last year's Black List, Hollywood's annual chart of the best unproduced screenplays. The list has previously featured future Oscar-winners such as Spotlight, The Revenant, Argo and American Hustle - so it's no surprise that Universal nabbed the rights. Two major producers have already been attached to the project, Michael De Luca (The Social Network) and Brett Ratner (X-Men), who himself directed Madonna's Beautiful Stranger video in 1999. However, it's clear that the project doesn't have the star's approval. In theory, that's not a barrier to the film getting made, but the script relies heavily on Madonna's music, including Like A Virgin, Everybody and Lucky Star. If the singer vetoes their use, the project would essentially be dead in the water. But how inaccurate is Hollander's script? We read a publicly available draft to see how closely it stuck to Madonna's story. While the arc is broadly true, Hollander compresses and condenses events, even creating composite characters to keep up the momentum. Here's what's true, and what isn't. True: Madonna was in a band called The Emmys The first act of the script focuses on Madonna's pre-fame band The Emmys, which she formed with her boyfriend Dan Gilroy and childhood friend Stephen Bray, who went on to co-write Into The Groove, Express Yourself and True Blue. Their name derived from Madonna's childhood nickname, and video footage of their scrappy garage tunes can easily be found online. The film insists the group were a cheap knock-off of new wave pop band Blondie, but their sound was more indebted to Britain's ska and 2 Tone scenes. Madonna can even be heard adopting a British accent in some of their early demos. False: The Emmys were erased from history One of the script's biggest fabrications was that Madonna and The Emmys had a deal with Sire Records and cut an entire album before Madonna took the songs, erased Dan's vocals and launched herself as a solo artist. In reality, the band never got beyond making demo tapes; and many of the songs attributed to them in the film - including Borderline and Lucky Star - were written much later. Madonna even paid tribute to Dan Gilroy when she was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. "He lived in an abandoned synagogue in Queens," she recalled, "and he taught me how to play guitar. "I practised those four chords that Dan taught me over and over and over again." Partially true: Madonna worked in a Russian tea room At the start of Blonde Ambition, Madonna is seen waiting tables at New York's prestigious Russian Tea Room. While the star did work at the venue for two months, she was stationed in the cloakroom, and eventually let go for failing to adhere to the dress code. "She was a hard worker, conscientious," said restaurant manager Gregory Camillucci in 1991. "I got the impression that the one meal we fed her was the only food she was getting." True: She dated her producer, Jellybean Benitez Blonde Ambition's biggest sub-plot is Madonna's romance with dance producer John "Jellybean" Benitez, who produced her breakthrough single, Holiday, and remixed others, including Material Girl, Like A Virgin and Dress You Up. They first met at the influential New York club Fun House, where, according to one observer, Madonna "walked right up to the DJ booth, grabbed him and kissed him". After that, they dated for two years, during which time Madonna's career exploded - leading to inevitable tensions and the eventual breakdown of their relationship. However, it's unlikely that their courtship included the sort of "romantic" dialogue Hollander provides in her script. "You're the first Latin DJ to break out of genre in a heavily white industry and I'm a driven woman in [an] all boys club," says Madonna during one encounter. "We're both outsiders but I'm willing to work the system from within. Are you?" True: (Most of) the things she said Throughout the script, entire lines of dialogue are lifted verbatim from Madonna's interviews, including the pivotal quote: "It never occurred to me to get into this business and not be a huge success. I wanted the world to notice me, always have." In fact, Hollander's reliance on archive clips caught Madonna out during her Instagram rant. As an example of the script's inaccuracies, the singer singled out a line of dialogue on the first page, in which Madonna tells US TV personality Dick Clark: "I was born in Detroit. I'm a famed high school dropout." "I was born in Bay City, not Detroit. And I did not drop out of high school. In fact, I went to University of Michigan," Madonna said. But the interview Hollander quotes is available on YouTube - which might explain why Madonna later deleted her comments. However, some of her quotes have been placed in a new context. On page 58 of the script, Madonna tells Jellybean: "I always knew I was going to be a nun or a star. Spending six months in a convent cured me of the first one." This superb (and untrue) piece of hyperbole actually comes from a handwritten letter Madonna sent to film director Stephen Lewicki, requesting an audition for his movie A Certain Sacrifice. Partially true: She signed her record deal in hospital One of the most well-worn Madonna stories is that Seymour Stein signed her to Sire Records in hospital, hours after having heart surgery. In the script, this is all at Madonna's behest. So desperate is she to sign the deal that she storms into his ward and practically puts the pen in his hand. But Stein insists he was the one who summoned Madonna to him. "I was caught with dirty pyjamas with a slit up the back of my gown," he told Rolling Stone. "I needed a shave and a shower. But I got it together to meet with her. "When she walked in the room, I could tell she wouldn't have cared if I was like Sarah Bernhardt lying in a coffin. "All she cared about was that one of my arms moved, that I could sign a contract. "What I saw there was even more important than the one song I heard. "I saw a young woman who was so determined to be a star." Uncertain: The abortion In Blonde Ambition's final scene, backstage at the 1984 MTV Awards, Madonna coldly informs Jellybean that she has aborted their child. "I won't have to choose between my career and a family now," she says, not even deigning to make eye contact. "And that's how I want it." Madonna has never suggested she was pregnant in 1984, and Hollander's claim would appear to be based on Christopher Andersen's salacious 1992 biography Madonna: Unauthorized (you can read an excerpt here). However, Madonna has frequently spoken about having an abortion at the start of her career. "You always have regrets when you make those kind of decisions," she told Times Magazine in 1996, "but you have to look at your lifestyle and ask, 'Am I at a place in my life where I can devote a lot of time to being the really good parent I want to be?' "I think you have to be mentally prepared for it. If you're not, you're only doing the world a disservice by bringing up a child you don't want." (A group of New York Film Students have filmed Blonde Ambition's final scene, should you be interested in watching an am-dram version of the movie). True: The feud with Cher "I think Madonna's vulgar and tacky," says Cher on the 83rd page of Blonde Ambition. "She's a flash in the pan at best." Amazing though it may seem, the quote is real. Madonna even responded to the comment in a 1984 interview with her future biographer J Randy Taborelli, saying: "Who knows tacky better than Cher?" False: Madonna auditioned songwriters in a swimming pool Half-way through Blonde Ambition, Madonna is desperately seeking a final song to complete her debut album. So she and Jellybean hold an open audition in an indoor swimming pool at the YMCA. After a montage of dismal musicians playing dismal songs, funk duo Pure Energy walk through the double doors. Singer Lisa Stevens and bassist Curtis Hudson (bizarrely renamed Richard Curtis in Hollander's script) nervously set up their instruments before playing what will become Madonna's signature song, Holiday. Great story - but it never happened. The band originally submitted a cassette demo of the song to Mary Wilson, of The Supremes. When she rejected it, Holiday was passed on to Jellybean, who presented it to Madonna. "The song still generates money," Curtis told blogcritics in 2006 . "Can you live off of one hit? Yes, you can if you get the right hit. It can last you a lifetime. We've been living proof of that. If we did nothing else, the royalties from Holiday could support us." True: She fell over at the 1984 MTV Awards Madonna's most public mishap came at the 2015 Brit Awards, when she was yanked off stage by a cape. But it had happened once before - at the first MTV Awards in 1984, when she lost a stiletto while walking down a 17ft (5m) tall wedding cake in her wedding dress (it could happen to anyone). Although the incident plays a pivotal part in Blonde Ambition - has she lost the baby? - it was never as serious as the script makes out. "I thought, 'Well, I'll just pretend I meant to do this,'" Madonna later said. "So I dove on the floor and I rolled around. And, as I reached for the shoe, the dress went up. And [my] underpants were showing." The stumble-flash made television history and propelled Madonna to even greater heights. And that's where the film drops the curtain. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

पहली बार नहीं, मैडोना युद्ध के रास्ते पर है।


South Africa's election: Five things we've learnt

Summary: Plummeting voter turnout and big gains for fringe parties at either end of the political spectrum are arguably signs of South Africa's maturing democracy, however they could also be seen as evidence of a more divided society. The governing ANC has limped on with a reduced majority but some difficult challenges lie ahead.

By Pumza FihlaniBBC News, Johannesburg 1: The ANC lost ground - but is celebrating Many people are asking why the governing African National Congress (ANC) is happy after recording its worst performance since white minority rule ended in 1994 - 58% share of the vote. This is the first time the party that has led South Africa since 1994 has won less than 60% of votes, but for an organisation that is hugely divided, riddled by corruption and has had a decade of lethargic leadership, this result is seen as a boost for its new leader Cyril Ramaphosa. Many people see this as the ANC's last chance to redeem itself. Mr Ramaphosa took over the party in December 2017, after the ANC sacked Jacob Zuma, embroiled in corruption allegations, which he denies. One of its senior members, Fikile Mbalula, said the party's share of votes "would have probably dropped to 40%" had its leadership not changed. But the ANC shouldn't celebrate too soon. The people of South Africa may have given the ANC a mandate to lead, but it is not unconditional. The last decade has been damaging to the party's reputation and has alienated millions of South Africans who are desperate for their conditions to improve, and had trusted the ANC to do that, but instead they got worse. Growth has been slow here, millions are unemployed and society remains hugely unequal. Now begins a tough juggling act for Mr Ramaphosa - the act of restoring confidence in his government and more importantly delivering on his promise to fight corruption. The ANC has been accused of putting its own survival ahead of the interests of the country. How Mr Ramaphosa chooses his cabinet will be the first indication of whether that has changed. 2: The official opposition has an 'identity crisis' This has been a difficult result for the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) - a "bruising outcome", some have said. It's the first election in which the party's vote share has not grown. In fact, it lost some of its conservative supporters to the more radical Freedom Front Plus (VF+), a right-wing, mainly Afrikaner minority party. Some analysts have said the DA also failed to make inroads with South Africa's black population. This has partly been attributed to what some have called "an identity crisis". The DA is still seen within the black community as a white party, protecting white interests, something its black leader Mmusi Maimane has been working to disprove. Commenting on the outcome, Mr Maimane said the party needs to do some self-reflection, but added that the DA "refuse[s] to be a party for one race". Other senior members have been bolder, stating that the DA "is not a party for racists", alluding that it is better off without the support of those with deeply held racist sentiments. Still, the numbers matter, and this will be the big test for Mr Maimane's leadership. The DA is now looking ahead to the 2021 elections, hoping to redeem itself there. But having been accused by VF+ of "trying to be everything to everyone", the DA has some hard decisions to make - and will need to be clear about where it wants to focus its energies. The men who would be president: 3: Radical EFF gains support The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which wants to seize white-owned land without compensation and nationalise the huge mining industry, was one of the fastest-growing parties at this election, increasing its share of the vote from 6% to 10%. Crucially, it has also become the official opposition in three provinces. The EFF, with its "no-nonsense" leader Julius Malema, always talks a big game. On the campaign trail, representatives called themselves "the government-in-waiting". They are of course nowhere near that, judging by the huge margin between the EFF's support base and that of the ANC. But undeniably the EFF's message of being a party for the poor and working class has resonated, and it has found a support base with the disgruntled. The party has been accused of populism and divisive rhetoric by the more moderate parties in South Africa, so it will be interesting to see how the EFF maintains its support base over the next five years. 4: Rise of the Afrikaner nationalists One of the biggest surprises has been the growth of the Freedom Front Plus (VF+). The mainly Afrikaner party, which says it's fighting for the right of minority groups, has doubled its support, to about 2%, making it the fifth largest party nationwide, behind the mainly Zulu Inkatha Freedom Party. Five years ago, VF+ was lost in obscurity. So why did it grow and how? One theory is that the contentious issue of land expropriation without compensation, touted by the ANC and EFF, pushed some DA supporters towards this more hardline party because they feared the DA would not protect their interests. The debate on land expropriation also encouraged existing members of VF+ to go out and vote. Their message was simple - white Afrikaners are under siege and needed to protect their interests as a minority group in South Africa. 5: Plummeting voter turnout Hard lessons need to be learned by South Africa's political parties, with voter participation at its lowest since the dawn of democracy in 1994. What's more, about 1 in 4 people did not register, according to Africa Check. There are two ways to interpret this. Voter apathy is the first: a portion of the population has lost faith in the country's political leaders - all of them - and therefore chose to stay away. The second interpretation is that this is part and parcel of a maturing democracy. Perhaps the lesson is that leaders need new ways of appealing to voters - particularly South Africa's young people, 6 million of whom did not register to vote. It would be too simplistic to suggest that young people are not interested in politics or what is happening in the country. They are worst hit by soaring rates of unemployment and have been at the forefront of protests challenging the status quo. What this general election has shown us is that while South African youths are active in civil society, this is not translating to the formal process of voting. And that is a problem for all political parties.

मतदाताओं की संख्या में गिरावट और राजनीतिक स्पेक्ट्रम के दोनों छोर पर छोटे दलों के लिए बड़े लाभ यकीनन दक्षिण अफ्रीका के परिपक्व लोकतंत्र के संकेत हैं, हालांकि उन्हें अधिक विभाजित समाज के प्रमाण के रूप में भी देखा जा सकता है। सत्तारूढ़ एएनसी कम बहुमत के साथ आगे बढ़ी है लेकिन कुछ कठिन चुनौतियों का सामना करना पड़ रहा है।


From child bride to multi-millionaire in India

Summary: An Indian Dalit (formerly untouchable) woman, who once attempted suicide to escape discrimination, poverty and physical abuse, becomes the CEO of a multi-million dollar company. The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan in Mumbai captures Kalpana Saroj's journey - a symbol of the Dalit struggle to mark their arrival at the top.

Her life reads like the plot of a Bollywood film, with a narrative which has defied so many obstacles, to conclude with a happy ending. The "rags to riches" cliche can be overused, but it goes some way in describing the story of Kalpana Saroj, a woman who struggled on so many occasions on her way to the top. Born into a low-caste Dalit family, she was bullied at school, forced into marriage at the age of 12, fought social pressures to leave her husband, before she tried to take her own life. Today, she is a multi-millionaire. At the helm of a successful company, she rubs shoulders with prominent businessmen and has won awards for her professionalism. "The first time I came to Mumbai, I did not even know where to go. I was from such a small village. Today my company has two roads named after it in the city," she says, summing up the extent to which her life has transformed. India's caste system is an ancient social hierarchy, which places people into different categories by birth. Those born into the lower castes have historically faced discrimination. "Some of my friends' parents would not let me in their homes, and I was not even allowed to participate in some school activities because I was a Dalit," says the 52-year-old. "I used to get angry. I felt really nervous because I thought even I am a human being," she adds. Marital woes Even though her father allowed her to get an education, wider family pressures saw Kalpana become a bride at the age of 12. She moved to Mumbai to be with her husband who was 10 years older, but was shocked to find herself living in a slum. But that was not the only hardship she had to endure. "I was treated badly by my husband's elder brother and his wife. They would pull my hair and beat me, sometimes over little things. I felt broken with all the physical and verbal abuse," she says. Leaving a husband is widely frowned upon in Indian culture, but Kalpana was able to escape the violent relationship, thanks to her supportive father. When he visited her in Mumbai, he was shocked to see his daughter emaciated and wearing torn clothes and took her back home. Many villagers were suspicious of her return, viewing Kalpana as a failure. She tried to ignore the judgemental comments thrown at her, focusing instead on getting a job. She learnt tailoring as a way to make money. But, even with some degree of financial independence, the pressure became too much. "One day, I decided to end my life. I drank three bottles of insecticide, termite poison," she says, recalling her lowest moment. Kalpana was saved after her aunt walked into the room and found her frothing at the mouth and shaking uncontrollably. The big change It marked a watershed for her. "I decided to live my life, and do something big, and then die," she says. So, at the age of 16, she moved back to Mumbai to stay with an uncle and work as a tailor. She began by earning less than a dollar a month, but tirelessly learnt how to operate industrial sewing machines, and as a result saw her income rise. But the money she earned was not enough to pay for her sister's treatment which could have saved her life, a moment which defined Kalpana's entrepreneurial spirit. "I was highly disappointed and realised that money did matter in life, and that I needed to make more." She took a government loan to open a furniture business and expand her tailoring work. She worked 16 hours a day, a routine she has not managed to shake off to this day. In the following years, she remarried, this time to a fellow furniture businessman, and had two children. Her reputation led to her being asked to take over the running of a metal engineering company, Kamani Tubes, which was in massive debt. By restructuring the company, she turned things around. "I wanted to give justice to the people who were working there. I had to save the company. I could relate to the staff who needed to put food on the table for their family," she says of her motivations at the time. Now, Kamani Tubes is a growing business, worth more than $100m. Kalpana employs hundreds of people, from all backgrounds and castes. She has met prominent businessmen such as Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani, and in 2006 won a prestigious award for her entrepreneurial spirit. Kalpana regularly visits her home village and does charity work to help those in her community. As a Dalit and a woman, her story is all the more remarkable in a country where so few CEOs are from such a background. "If you give your heart and soul to your job and never give up, things can happen for you," she says. It is a mantra that has helped Kalpana through the worst of times and still rings true for her.

एक भारतीय दलित (पूर्व में अछूत) महिला, जिसने एक बार भेदभाव, गरीबी और शारीरिक शोषण से बचने के लिए आत्महत्या करने का प्रयास किया था, एक बहु-मिलियन डॉलर की कंपनी की सीईओ बन जाती है। मुंबई में बीबीसी की रजनी वैद्यनाथन कल्पना सरोज की यात्रा को दर्शाती है-जो शीर्ष पर उनके आगमन को चिह्नित करने के लिए दलित संघर्ष का प्रतीक है।


Who are Egypt's militant groups?

Summary: More than 200 people have died in an unprecedented attack targeting a Sunni mosque in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula during Friday prayers, highlighting the alarming threat posed by jihadist militants in the region.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest of its kind in the country. So-called Islamic State (IS) is the most prominent and violent of the militant groups in Sinai, with a record of targeting civilians in that area and in mainland Egypt. Other groups active in the country are mostly aligned with IS's arch jihadist rival, al-Qaeda. Sinai Province IS's Sinai affiliate, Sinai Province, has claimed responsibility for many deadly attacks, mostly targeting the army in Sinai. It also claimed the downing of a Russian airliner in October 2015. Formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the group first appeared in September 2011 and rebranded itself with an IS pledge of allegiance in November 2014. The group generally targets Egyptian security forces in northern Sinai, but has also claimed an attack on a tourist site in southern Sinai in April. In the first part of the year IS stepped up its rhetoric and attacks against Christians in Sinai and elsewhere in Egypt, claiming two deadly attacks on churches in Tanta and Alexandria on 9 April. IS started to scale up its attacks in Sinai since September, as it started losing territory in Iraq and Syria. On 24 November, IS boasted about attacks it had carried out earlier in the week targeting policemen in western Arish, the area of the attacked mosque. In addition to its attacks on Christians, IS has adopted a threatening tone against Sufi Muslims, whom it considers to be heretics. The head of IS's religious police in Sinai had previously said that Sufis who did not "repent" would be killed. IS has beheaded a number of Sufi men whom it accused of "sorcery". Jund al-Islam The propaganda and rhetoric of this low-profile group suggests alignment with al-Qaeda. Its rivalry with IS in Sinai surfaced in November when Jund al-Islam issued a threat to IS militants. In an audio message released on 11 November, Jund al-Islam claimed responsibility for an October attack on IS militants in Sinai, and vowed to crush the rival group "for committing crimes against Muslims" in the peninsula. A day later, Jund al-Islam issued another statement condemning the 9 November deadly attack on lorry drivers in northern Sinai, as well as blaming IS and the Egyptian government for the deaths. In both its recent messages, Jund al-Islam stressed that it did not target "innocent Muslims". Jund al-Islam's recent communiques follow a lengthy spell of media silence since 2015, and suggest the group is presenting itself as a challenger to IS in Sinai. The group emerged in September 2013 with a claim of a double suicide attack on the Egyptian military intelligence HQ in the northern Sinai town of Rafah, which borders the Gaza Strip. It stepped up its propaganda campaign in 2015, claiming rocket attacks on Israel and issuing a propaganda video that hinted at links with al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP). Al-Mourabitoun Not to be confused with the former Sahara-based jihadist group al-Mourabitoun, this Egyptian faction announced itself in 2015. However, since its formation, the group has not been observed to carry out any prominent attacks, and has mainly put out statements and threats. Given its lack of visible activity, it remains unclear where exactly al-Mourabitoun operates in Egypt. Its propaganda suggests an al-Qaeda orientation, and veteran jihadist media operatives have linked it to an al-Qaeda attempt to check the rise of IS in Egypt. Its leader, Abu-Umar al-Muhajir, alias Hisham Ashmawi, is a former Egyptian army officer and a senior figure in Ansar Beit al-Maqdis before it pledged allegiance to IS. In October 2015, Ashmawi called for the killing of Egyptian military officers, and for revenge in response to the deaths of Palestinians by Israel's security forces. Ashmawi reiterated that message in March 2016, and urged Muslim clerics to play an active role in encouraging young people to embrace jihad. Ansar al-Islam This new group, not to be confused with the veteran Ansar al-Islam in Iraq, emerged in November, when it claimed responsibility for a high-profile attack in Egypt's Western Desert. Ansar al-Islam described the attack, in which more than 50 security personnel died, as "the beginning of our jihad". The group's attack claim and its founding statement of 3 November was widely circulated by high-profile online supporters of al-Qaeda, which suggested a nod of approval. Its rhetoric and pledge to fight until the establishment of Islamic law suggest a jihadist orientation. Ansar al-Islam's statement urged Egyptians to join the jihad, or support the group through words or funds. Ajnad Misr Meaning "Soldiers of Egypt", this group appeared in January 2014, and carried out attacks in Cairo over the summer. It has possible al-Qaeda associations, in that the Yemeni and African branches of that network posted eulogies on the death of its leader in April 2015. It also coordinated attacks with Ansar Beit al-Maqdis before the latter joined IS. But Ajnad Misr has repeatedly said that it tries to avoid civilian casualties in its attacks. Many of the group's members are now thought to be in prison. In October 2017, the Egyptian authorities sought death sentences for 13 individuals with suspected links to the group. The individuals are accused of killing soldiers, police officers and civilians, with a verdict expected in December. Hasm The Hasm Movement surfaced in the summer of 2016 and has focused on attacking government and security personnel in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt. The Egyptian authorities and media have linked Hasm to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is outlawed in Egypt. The group's rhetoric is more Islamist and "pro-revolution" than jihadist. On 1 October Hasm targeted the Myanmar embassy in Cairo with an explosive device to express its solidarity with Rohingya Muslims, it said. Hasm released its first propaganda video in January in which it showcased its training camps and boasted about the range of attacks it had carried out on the Egyptian authorities. Slick production and the group's claim of organisation and structure in the video were clearly meant to indicate that Hasm was not a shadowy group, but rather a sophisticated force to be reckoned with. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.

मिस्र के सिनाई प्रायद्वीप में शुक्रवार की नमाज के दौरान एक सुन्नी मस्जिद को निशाना बनाकर किए गए एक अभूतपूर्व हमले में 200 से अधिक लोगों की मौत हो गई है, जो इस क्षेत्र में जिहादी आतंकवादियों द्वारा उत्पन्न खतरनाक खतरे को उजागर करता है।


Historic objects storage facilities 'need upgrade'

Summary: The States of Guernsey has been asked for a £1m over the next four years to improve storage for the island's historical objects.

The Culture and Leisure Department said the facilities at the Gibauderie Yard, Baubigny Arsenal and Little St John Street were no longer fit for purpose. Minister Mike O'Hara said it something had to be done to save the items. He said: "If we don't do this then I'm afraid the collection is going to deteriorate and no-one wants that." "We want to be able to say in a 100 years' time that all these objects, our culture and heritage identity, will be there for future generations," Deputy O'Hara added.

द्वीप की ऐतिहासिक वस्तुओं के भंडारण में सुधार के लिए अगले चार वर्षों में ग्वेर्नसे राज्यों से 1 मिलियन पाउंड की मांग की गई है।


Twinwoods business park fire: Crews remain at scene

Summary: An investigation is under way into the cause of a blaze which engulfed a polystyrene factory, causing nearby workers to flee the area.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue crews remain at the scene at Twinwood Business Park, in Milton Ernest, after being called at about midday on Friday. Three buildings caught fire and at its height 60 firefighters tackled the flames. Thick black smoke could be seen for miles around. Thurleigh Road remains closed but other roads, including the A6, have reopened, the fire service said. Water was pumped to the site from the River Ouse more than a mile away. Matthew Smith, who was evacuated from his work close by, said as it looked so "dangerous" they "ran out the area as quickly as we could". Bedfordshire Fire said "all people have been accounted for" and crews from Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire attended.

एक पॉलीस्टीरिन कारखाने में आग लगने के कारण की जांच चल रही है, जिससे आस-पास के श्रमिक इलाके से भाग गए।


'When I try to talk to my grandad words won't come out'

Summary: Nineteen-year-old Red is a student, a fan of metal music and aspiring make-up artist. As a child, she was chatty and full of life - but only when she was at home. When she left the house, everything changed.

By Naomi PallasBBC Stories At a secondary school open evening in Kettering, Northamptonshire, a teacher was playing a game with some prospective students and called over to a girl standing nearby to ask if she wanted to join in. Red Elizabeth Jolley shrugged "OK" and walked over. Her parents exchanged excited glances behind the 11-year-old's back. Red steadied herself and tried to stay cool, thinking, "You just did a normal person thing." Later, when Red's mum, Carrie, got home she updated her Facebook status to say how proud she was of her daughter. That little word "OK" represented a breakthrough, as for years Red had maintained almost complete silence outside the house. At first, her parents thought she was shy. At nursery school, the only time Red would speak to the teacher was when the other kids were playing outside, so no-one could overhear. But they realised it was more than this when a new teacher arrived, and complained that Red was now refusing to talk altogether. At home, she was a lively child. Her parents remember her as confident and relaxed, with a wicked sense of humour. They couldn't understand what might cause her to behave so differently at school. And they continued to hope that as time went on she would relax, and become her usual chatty self. After the first year, however, she still wasn't talking. It was a mystery. Now at university, Red speaks quietly but confidently and is quick to break into a smile. Growing up, she mostly remembers being jealous of other children. It seemed as though there was a glass wall separating them, leaving her feeling she was watching from the outside. Her frustration was overwhelming. Holding every word inside all day meant that they had to spill out somewhere. Red remembers coming home from primary school and screaming, crying and shouting. As soon as you leave the house, the world expects you to talk. "Communication with others is at the heart of our social functioning, enabling us to express ourselves, build and maintain relationships and get our needs met - all of which are important for our well-being and resilience," says Anita McKiernan, adviser on selective mutism for the The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT). But the expectation that she would talk made Red uncomfortable. An unfamiliar face or an unexpected question, were enough to trigger extreme anxiety. Eventually, she got a diagnosis of selective mutism. Often dismissed as naughty or rude in the past, children with selective mutism are now understood to have a severe form of anxiety which means they can only talk to certain people. Selective mutism As she grew up, Red was happy talking to her parents and a few family members, but if anyone else tried to talk to her, the words would get stuck in her throat and gag her. "I shrivel into myself and just freeze," she says. "My brain overthinks for a minute and then stops. Then it overthinks again." On repeat. The girl who couldn't speak joined the Brownies (the younger version of the Girl Guides) by recording her pledge at home and playing it in front of her troop. She easily picked up her sign language badge. But she never said a word out loud. Everyday tasks were surprisingly difficult, so the family came up with solutions. Red took laminated cards to her friends' houses, so she could tell their parents if she wanted a drink, had fallen over or wanted to go home. Flashing a "yes" or a "no", she could tell them if she wanted to drink orange juice or water. So that night at the school open evening was a turning point, a fresh start for Red. As her confidence gradually built up at secondary school, she answered teachers and built friendships. Both mother and daughter remember a time when Red was threatened with detention for talking in class. The family got a takeaway as a treat that night. Carrie jokes, "I'm probably the only parent that's ever been wishing that some teacher will phone me saying your child swore at me today. Brilliant! Well done: I'll reward her!" Although she still suffers from anxiety, Red spoke to me in a busy coffee shop in the centre of Birmingham, where she is a student. She has a good group of friends at university and has given talks in front of rooms full of people. But there are still a handful of people she's never spoken a word to. Her grandad is one of them. When Red's parents realised that she was selectively mute, they began researching the condition and looking for ways to help their daughter. They went to speech and language therapists, and to psychologists, and tried hypnotherapy and support groups. In 2009 the family invited a BBC crew into their home, in case it would help any other puzzled parents out there to understand their child's behaviour. The resulting documentary shows John, Red's grandad, trying to communicate with his granddaughter. A speech therapist suggests that he leaves voicemails which Red can respond to. As he listens to the first four words she has ever spoken to him through the tinny speaker of his phone, he grins. The family said they kept this up after the documentary, but it eventually petered out. Red now simply does not speak to her grandad. In messages on social media, people ask if she'd be able to speak to him on his deathbed, if she'd ever just tried to speak to him, if he'd upset her somehow. The answers are: no, yes, and no. "I want to speak. I would if I could. I am trying," she says, quietly. When she travels to his house, Red will chatter the whole way in the car and sing along to music. But as soon as they arrive and the minute the front door opens she is silent. "She'll start curling in, looking uncomfortable with her shoulders slumped, looking down a bit," says Carrie, her mum. "She will change completely. How she stands, how she walks. It's very dramatic." Where to get help Ispeak Finding our voices SM Space Cafe (Facebook) Although her grandad works extra hard to make her feel comfortable, Red's mouth will stay firmly shut while she is in the house. If they stay overnight, the most Red can manage is a loud whisper to say goodnight to her mum. She just can't relax until the car door slams and they get on the motorway. Carrie talks casually about how Red will simply nod or shake her head to get her point across, but it's clear that she finds it difficult that her only child has never spoken to her father. John himself has called it "heartbreaking". After the documentary aired, Red remembers with amusement a letter which the family received, in which a viewer said it was no wonder she was mute, with a name like Red Elizabeth Jolley. But in reality the cause of selective mutism is unknown. Traumatic mutism comes on after a negative experience and affects communication with everyone. But selective mutism only affects talking to certain people, and there is no logic to who is, or isn't, on the "list". Although she can now chat away, Red's anxiety has had one long lasting, irreversible effect. When she was 12 years old, Red was walking back from a netball game and slipped. She didn't cry much, or make a fuss, which Anita McKiernan says is typical of people with selective mutism. She has worked with children who have broken bones and not told anyone until they got home. Red had dislocated her knee. When it came to treatment, she was so anxious she didn't allow anybody to touch her leg. She would not communicate with doctors, and did not give consent for treatment. She would cry if somebody walked in the room too quickly, worrying they would move the air over her knee. Her anxiety meant she needed to be sedated for an MRI scan. The pressure on the family led to her dad signing off work from the stress. After missing five months of school, two major operations and physiotherapy, Red now walks with a limp. "All over a dislocated knee," her mum sighs. When she was growing up, there were about eight people who Red could talk to without struggling to get the words out. Over her teenage years, her anxiety lessened and she can now speak to new people. But just as with her grandad, there are a few aunts and uncles who she's never spoken to. Red thinks she'll never be able to overcome this. She says that her mum used to worry non-stop about her - how she would cope with a job interview, order food in a cafe, or go on holiday - but is now more relaxed. "She's fine," Red says. "She's like: 'You've got this.'" Carrie agrees. She's no longer worried. She knows Red is happy and studying hard. "Not having her at home, it's very quiet - ironically," she laughs. BBC Crossing Divides A season of stories about bringing people together in a fragmented world. You may also be interested in: Margot Noel has a condition called misophonia, which literally means "hatred of sound". It can be so disturbing that she has to wear headphones or ear plugs to protect herself. Read: 'The crunch of an apple makes me want to run away' Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

उन्नीस साल की रेड एक छात्रा है, धातु संगीत की शौकीन है और मेकअप कलाकार बनने की ख्वाहिश रखती है। बचपन में, वह चुटीली और जीवंत थी-लेकिन केवल जब वह घर पर थी। जब वह घर से निकली, तो सब कुछ बदल गया।


Belinda Carlisle: Still in Heaven?

Summary: "I have an original voice," says Belinda Carlisle,

By Mark SavageBBC Music reporter "It may not be the best voice but it's distinct and I think that's what has carried me through the years." She's being modest, of course. Without that foundation-quaking vibrato, there would be no Heaven Is A Place On Earth, no Circle In The Sand and no Summer Rain. And then there's her catalogue with The Go-Go's, the new wave girl band she formed in her teens. Hits like We Got The Beat and Our Lips Are Sealed sent their debut album to number one in America. To this day, Beauty and the Beat is still the only US chart-topper to be written and played by women. But through all of that success, Carlisle was harbouring a severe cocaine habit. Even fellow party animal Rod Stewart was shocked, writing in his autobiography that Carlisle "could snort the lacquer off a table". After two decades, though, the singer finally got clean after hearing a voice telling her: "You are going to be found dead in a hotel if you don't stop." That was in 2005. Now, aged 59, she's releasing her first album in a decade, Wilder Shores, which is built around the Kundalini yoga chants that helped her recovery. On the phone from Brighton, she told the BBC about that record, the 30th anniversary of the Heaven On Earth album and what it's like to be covered in spit at a punk show. Hi, Belinda! How's Brighton? I love Brighton! I've been coming here since the late 70s when it was just one fish-and-chip shop on the sea front. That would have been when The Go-Go's supported Madness on tour? Yes, exactly. It was my second trip to the UK - I think I was probably 19 and we opened for Madness on their tour, and it was mostly seaside towns. What were the audiences like at those gigs? Oh my God! Back then, the whole National Front thing was unfortunately involved with the ska movement - so there were lots of tattooed skinheads, and one of the things they would do is, if they liked you, they would gob on you. So we would be coming off stage covered in spit. We were just five girls from Southern California, so it was really scary. There were a lot of tears. But overall, even though we had no money and were covered in spit, we still had a good time. I'm always amazed that The Go-Go's are still the only all-female band to have written a number one album. It's like you battered down the door and no-one else came through. I don't know… I guess the Bangles came close. But they used a lot of co-writers.. Yeah, they did. Go figure. You'd think there would be more after us, but there weren't. I don't understand that at all. You can still see your legacy in other bands, like Haim or Hole or L7. It's just a shame no-one else has replicated the success. Well, I mean, good luck now, unless you're put together by a svengali. Something like The Go-Gos could never happen now. It was too authentic. And authenticity is really lacking in music. Was there a backlash when you went from punk-inspired sound of The Go-Gos to the pure pop of Heaven On Earth? Oh, I think so - and I can see why. But everything I've ever done has been true to myself. The albums Heaven On Earth and Runaway Horses and Live Your Life Be Free were harking back to when I was a young girl and listening to Californian radio - lush productions, complicated melodies, harmonies like the Beach Boys and the Mamas and Papas. That's what those albums remind me of. So they're all very dear to my heart. Except A Woman and a Man [Belinda's sixth album, released in 1996]. But even on that record you got to work with Brian Wilson. Well, gosh, that was one of the highlights - but, you know, at that point I was in a lot of personal turmoil… I guess there were a few good songs in there and California was one of them. Having Brian Wilson sing on my album was an unforgettable experience. What do you recall of making the Heaven On Earth album? I'll never forget the first time I heard Circle In The Sand; or I Get Weak, which [songwriter] Dianne Warren played on the piano and sang for me. I actually told her she should release it, because she has a great voice. And then hearing Heaven for the first time, I realised, and I think we all realised, that it had the potential to be a global hit. Which songs have you enjoyed revisiting on the tour? Should I Let You In - I'd totally forgotten about that one. And Fool For Love, which I started working into my set this last summer, people love it! It's just such a fun, powerful, pop song. You don't have any writing credits on Heaven On Earth but by your fifth album, Real, you were contributing to almost every song. What changed? For the first three albums, pretty much, I was just a voice - and I mean that in the best possible way. But on Real, I felt I needed to make a change. I've always known I could write. I have an ear for production and melody. It was just that in those early years, I let everyone do it for me. To be honest, I was a little lazy! Listening to Real now, it was ahead of its time, insofar as its sound and incorporating loops. And right after that, Alanis Morrisette came out with Jagged Little Pill, which had a similar approach. I mean, I'm not claiming that - there's not an original thought out there. It just happened to be a little ahead of its time. Fast-forward to 2017, and you've just performed a concert at a yoga class... That was really good fun. The yoga audience was pretty new for me, but what was funny was seeing fans who'd never done yoga before coming in with their mats and experiencing the mantra and singing along with it. How did you end up making an album of chants? I started chanting before I got sober, and chanting is really interesting, because it's a science and it definitely works. Way back at the beginning… I had made so many messes in my life and it had all come to a head. It would have been very easy for me to jump off a cliff but because of all the chanting I was doing, I was flying high. It was like a feeling of elation at the very beginning of my sobriety. It was very strange, so I know it's power. Then I started experimenting with repetitive mantra in a pop song format. And I think it works. And that's how you get Wilder Shores. Which of the mantras on the album has been the most useful to you personally? Ek Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad [roughly translated as, "There is one creator of all creation. All is a blessing of the one creator"]. It's one that, simply put, makes me feel pretty happy, instantaneously. Could you have got sober without it? Oh I probably could have, but there's no question that it made my transition into sobriety easier, no question. Will you be singing the mantras on tour? I do one chant at the very, very end of the show [but] it doesn't really work in the context of a full-on rock concert. The focus is really on the Heaven On Earth album. Your voice sounds stronger than ever on the record. What do you put that down to? Well, I always say it was 30 years of booze and cigarettes! Belinda Carlisle's new album, Wilder Shores, is out now; as is a three-disc anniversary edition of Heaven On Earth. She is currently on tour in the UK. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

बेलिंडा कार्लिस्ले कहती हैं, "मेरे पास एक मूल आवाज है।"


Council coalitions and party divisions

Summary: There are few certainties in electoral politics. One may presume baby-kissing. Further, it can be taken as read that candidates, on encountering the juvenile offspring of voters, will scarcely be able to avoid breaking into childish ditties, hummed or chanted according to choice.

Brian TaylorPolitical editor, Scotland However, there is one other element that is generally regarded as a constant. Voters, it can be presumed, tend not to favour parties which display elements of division. This is fairly logical, if you think about it. The sensible voter - and, despite occasional caricatures, that is most of them - will generally prefer to lend support to a party which appears to present a common front to the world, rather than a disparate offer. What, the sensible voter asks, are we getting for our cross on the ballot paper? Are we getting the version of this party presented by Leader A or the alternative scenario sketched out by would-be Leader B? Such division afflicts all parties at sundry points. It is customarily accompanied by zealous demands for internal unity. Unity under whom, customarily retort the combatants, gearing up for another squabble. There is something uniquely attractive to politicians about in-fighting. After all, the other lot are simply opponents. Those on your own side are potential enemies; rivals for advancement, jobs and the leader's favour. Now, that is rather a long and wordy preamble to chatting about a development which is rather lower league than the full-blown internal battles we have occasionally witnessed in the past. But which, nonetheless, is about disunity or internal disagreement. Scottish Labour is in a bit of a flap as a result of fall-out from the local elections earlier this month. Naturally, said flap is potentially - I stress, potentially - washing over into Labour's campaign for the UK general election. You will perhaps be already familiar with the basics. The Labour group in Aberdeen City Council has signed a coalition deal with the Conservatives and Independents, thus deftly cutting out the SNP, which is the largest party. Up with this Kezia Dugdale will not put. The party has issued a statement condemning the deal in strong terms, noting that Labour cannot reach any electoral accommodation if it would "result in further austerity being imposed on local communities". It adds that Labour councillors in the Granite City should stand down from this deal or face possible suspension from the party. A number of thoughts occur in fairly rapid succession. Labour's Scottish executive did not explicitly rule out deals with the Tories (the SNP did). Rather, Labour's prohibition was upon coalitions which promoted austerity, however defined. Today's statement re: Aberdeen, effectively, equates the Tories with a pro-austerity approach. Given that, perhaps they should have made the bar upon talking to the Tories more explicit - although one appreciates the dilemma between a nationwide approach and local democratic discretion. Secondly, there is that local v national factor. I worked as a journalist in Aberdeen as a youth and can well remember the attitude of the North-east towards the central belt. Aberdonians are proud people who dislike being told what to do by folk from Edinburgh or Glasgow. Thirdly, there is pragmatism v politics. Every mainland council ended up in No Overall Control as a consequence of this month's local elections. That means haggling. That means bargaining. Labour lost ground but retained sufficient clout and sufficient numbers to be significant players in several councils. So they are too small to govern on their own or in coalitions entirely of their own choosing. But they are too big to retreat entirely into the doctrinal purity of opposition. Does any of this matter? Well, it matters in Aberdeen where local governance is under challenge and contest. It matters elsewhere in Scotland where similar discussions are being held, if not with the same outcome. Does it matter in the UK general election? One must be careful not to overstate the issue. The majority of voters, arguably, will pay minimal heed to this controversy. Some may be impressed by Scottish Labour's determination seemingly to stand firm against the Tories. Others, though, may wonder what it says about Labour's deftness of touch. The party's statement today concludes by noting that "voters across Scotland have a chance to reject further austerity and a divisive second independence referendum by voting Labour on June 8." Will today's development help or hinder that prospect?

चुनावी राजनीति में कुछ निश्चितताएं हैं। कोई भी बच्चे को चूमना मान सकता है। इसके अलावा, यह पढ़ा जा सकता है कि उम्मीदवार, मतदाताओं की किशोर संतानों का सामना करने पर, शायद ही अपनी पसंद के अनुसार बचकानी हरकतों, गुनगुनाने या जप करने से बच पाएँगे।


German children fish WW2 ammunition from pond with magnet

Summary: Three children in eastern Germany have fished rusty World War Two shells and bullets out of a pond using a powerful magnet, without injuring themselves.

They called police when they made their discovery near the town of Ohrdruf. Police cordoned off the area, urging the public to report any such finds immediately and leave the munitions alone. It is not clear why the ammunition had been dumped in the pond. Unexploded WW2 bombs are often found in Germany, prompting mass evacuations. Germany was littered with explosives after the war because of the intensive air raids by British, US and Soviet bombers. Bomb disposal experts have to deal with the finds, as an old detonator can set off a bomb by itself. The discoveries are often made at construction sites. You may also find interesting:

पूर्वी जर्मनी में तीन बच्चों ने एक शक्तिशाली चुंबक का उपयोग करके एक तालाब से जंग लगे द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के गोले और गोलियों को बिना खुद को घायल किए पकड़ा है।