Covid in Scotland: What's the state of the epidemic?

Summary: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has set out Scotland's "cautious" route out of lockdown and her approach over the next few months will be guided by six tests, including evidence that the epidemic in Scotland is controlled.

By Christopher SleightBBC Scotland news Using a system outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO), what can we tell about the state of Scotland's Covid-19 epidemic? When it comes to judging the level of Covid-19 transmission within a community, the WHO uses a seven tier scale ranging from "no active cases", all the way up to a "very high incidence of locally-acquired cases" that are also "widely dispersed". The Scottish government has previously indicated it wants to get a "moderate" level of community transmission before significantly relaxing any restrictions. So how far away is Scotland from this goal? Cases per 100,000 still indicate 'high' levels of transmission The WHO advises governments to look at their weekly confirmed cases per 100,000 people and then average the figure out over a 14-day period. By this measure, Scotland had a rate of 105 cases per 100,000 on 24 February. This puts the country firmly in the middle of the WHO's CT3 level - a high incidence of community transmission - and well above the "moderate" threshold. There's been a sustained fall in this figure since the middle of January, but the decline does now appear to be slowing. The last time Scotland was below 50 cases per 100,000 was at the beginning of October. It's difficult to compare this rate with the first outbreak in the spring as there was no mass testing earlier in the pandemic. The percentage of positive tests has almost reached 'moderate' levels The Scottish government measures the positivity rate by dividing the number of positive tests per day by the total number of tests carried out. The 14-day average on 24 February was 5.2% - still in the "high incidence" category, but only just above the 5% threshold for "moderate" incidence. It's worth pointing out that WHO's preferred way of measuring positivity is through "sentinel surveillance", or random community testing, which is not how the Scottish government measures it. However, the organisation lists overall test positivity as an additional measure if a comprehensive testing system is in place. Death rate shows sharp decline The WHO says governments should look at the number of weekly deaths "attributed" to Covid-19 per 100,000 people and average them out over 14 days. According to this measure, Scotland experienced "very high" levels of community transmission from 15 January. The rate reached a peak on 3 February and has now gone below the threshold that indicates a "high" incidence of transmission. A death rate of two per 100,000 people or less needs to be achieved to indicate "moderate" levels. This chart counts deaths in Scotland within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19. If the wider definition of all death certificates mentioning the virus were used, the rate would be slightly higher. The full lockdown in the spring ended on 28 May, although the easing of restrictions was phased over several weeks during the summer. Hospital admissions are also dropping steeply Figures on Covid-19 hospital admissions are currently available up to 18 February, when the 14-day average of weekly admissions was 11.4. This figure has more than halved over the last month. The rate is still in the WHO's "high" level, but it's close to the threshold of 10 cases per 100,00, indicating a "moderate" level of transmission. What's the risk level in Scotland? The WHO use a risk uses something called a "risk matrix" which factors in both the state of an epidemic in a country and the local capacity to respond to the outbreak. So for instance, if Covid transmission is at a moderate level, but there is very limited testing or hospital capacity, then the risk may still be high. At the highest level, the WHO considers the epidemic "uncontrolled", with an overwhelmed healthcare system and deaths spiralling. If Scotland's response can currently be judged as "adequate" that would put the country in roughly the middle of the risk scale. This is where the organisation recommends that schools and businesses can open up, with limits remaining on social and mass gatherings and home working still encouraged. But given the recent high case and death rates, it's likely Scotland was closer to the top end of the risk scale in January and early February. With signs that the decline in cases is now slowing, this may have helped persuade the first minister to choose a slow and cautious route out of lockdown. What about vaccinations? So far, 1,515,980 people in Scotland have received their first dose of either the Pfizer or Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which is about a third of the population aged 16 and over. And the good news is there are early signs that even just receiving the first dose has a significant impact on preventing serious illness. Ms Sturgeon says the aim is to have everyone in this group offered a first dose of the vaccine by the end of July. But crucially good progress is also being made vaccinating the highest risk groups in Scotland - those who are most likely to become seriously ill or die with Covid-19. The priority groups were set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The virus was suppressed to low levels in the summer entirely through public health and social restrictions because there was no vaccine. This time the vaccine could be a useful tool if the Scottish government does want to take more risks and begin to open the country up faster. But for now there's every sign the government will stay on its "deliberately cautious" path, allowing the level of risk to drop to the lower end of the WHO's scale.

प्रथम मंत्री निकोला स्टर्जन ने स्कॉटलैंड के लॉकडाउन से बाहर निकलने का "सतर्क" मार्ग निर्धारित किया है और अगले कुछ महीनों में उनका दृष्टिकोण छह परीक्षणों द्वारा निर्देशित किया जाएगा, जिसमें इस बात के प्रमाण भी शामिल हैं कि स्कॉटलैंड में महामारी नियंत्रित है।


St Austell residents 'exasperated' with open heroin use

Summary: Open drug use and increasing anti-social behaviour have left residents of St Austell "exasperated". Graphic photos on social media have led to a petition being set up to "formally address the heroin problem". We went to Cornwall's largest town to talk to people about the situation.

By Johnny O'SheaBBC News There are "shoplifters and drug addicts everywhere", according to a retail worker in the high street, and extra police have been drafted in. The local MP has claimed St Austell has had a "disproportionate" number of people with drug and alcohol addictions housed in the town. Cornwall Council has disputed this but, working with the police and the Safer St Austell Partnership, is a fortnight into a six-week programme targeting the problems. And there are signs there have already been improvements. When the BBC visited, the town centre was relatively busy with shoppers visiting national chain stores, phone shops, charity shops and bargain stores - and walking past several empty ones. Beside Holy Trinity Church at one end of Fore Street, a group was sitting on the granite stones and grass beside the war memorial. When they got up to leave, the ground was left littered with needles. Jodie Richards, 27, set up the petition after seeing images of people using needles "500 yards from my front door" and feeling compelled to take action. "The town is in a terrible place and everyone is exasperated," she said. "It's so sad and there has been a significant increase in the last six months. "Nobody is taking ownership of the issue and I just want the right people with the skills and experience to take action, before the wrong people do." The petition has been signed by more than 6,000 people in a week. "It's not even daily, it's hourly," a shop worker who did not want to be named said, describing the shoplifting and anti-social behaviour she has seen. She recalled her horror when her four-year-old son told her he had seen a man injecting himself in the churchyard, and the frequent examples of people shouting abuse at passers by. "Everyone is petrified. One hundred million percent it is getting worse," she said. "Nobody is standing up to them." It had been hoped the creation of the £75m White River Place shopping centre in 2009 would regenerate the town but it has failed to attract high-end retail names. The nearby Eden Project would normally attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the area but, in line so many other tourist attractions, it was closed for more than two months because of the coronavirus pandemic and, even though it has since reopened, announced more than 200 job losses earlier in July. Debbie and David Delara run Daisy Dukes, a Community Interest Company, a shop that is now also running a community larder near the church. Debbie said that, during the coronavirus outbreak, many of the people who came for help "have been left to their own devices and are now at their lowest point". Their business had never been involved with food before but they said they found "during the pandemic we had people knocking on our doors saying they were hungry". St Austell MP Steve Double has blamed the council for housing a "disproportionate" number of people in the town with drug and alcohol dependencies. He has held meetings in the past week to address "the current unacceptable situation and demanded urgent action be taken, as well as the need to address the underlying issue regarding the number of people with complex needs that Cornwall Council place in the town". During the lockdown many rough sleepers with addictions in Cornwall were housed in holiday parks but since resorts have reopened they have begun to be placed in towns where they have connections. The council said four people had been taken to St Austell from the decommissioned holiday parks, and all were put into supported accommodation. It has also found 12 additional beds in the town for rough sleepers since the pandemic started and has specialist outreach workers who have been targeting those who were not in treatment. However, the council said those services have been "particularly stretched throughout the emergency Covid pandemic response". Eighteen months ago, under pressure to make savings, the council's drug and alcohol action base in St Austell was closed down. Kim Hager, joint commissioning manager with the Safer Cornwall Partnership and Cornwall Council, said: "There has been a perfect storm and St Austell is not the only area impacted. "There has been very aggressive targeting by organised crime groups, and a marketing of crack cocaine and other new dangerous drugs that can really destabilise those receiving treatment. "Many of those targeted by the gangs are vulnerable people who did not do well in isolation during lockdown. Public injecting is a new problem, and people being threatened and exploited by organised crime groups. "Our efforts are not being helped by people having their pictures published. It exposes them to greater risk and makes it harder to engage in help. "Drug supply did not stop during lockdown, it just became more creative. "The geography of St Austell means often people come into the town from outside, which can make them more difficult to engage with than in towns like Penzance and Truro." Jay, 58, is one person who has found himself back on the streets, having been in a shelter in St Austell during lockdown. "Tonight is my last night at the shelter, but Dave and Debbie (from Daisy Dukes) have given me a tent and sleeping bag so I have got something," he said. "I've got an idea where I will go but it's not a good thing just moving around because someone is kicking you away." Harbour Housing operates eight properties in and around St Austell, with space for 80 residents who would otherwise be homeless and are often living with addictions. As well as the facilities that offer round the clock support, there are also a number of independent halfway houses. These include pubs in the centre of the town in which people can be housed when they have nowhere else to go but do not need the same level of tailored care. Two of the pubs are on either side of a churchyard where many of the problems with open drug use and anti-social behaviour have been reported. Percy, 58, has been placed in a room above the Queens Head pub for several months and said his life was in "limbo". His partner has been one of the people taken off the streets and given a bed in shared accommodation during the pandemic. "I'm not allowed to visit her, and she's not allowed to visit me," Percy said. "I'm trying to sort my life out but I'm in limbo. I really really don't know what to do." Cornwall Council said there were more than 2,500 opiate and crack cocaine users in Cornwall, with more than 60% in treatment. This compared favourably with a national figure of 46% engagement, according to Public Health England. The Safer St Austell partnership is carrying out an "intensive six week response" to problems in the town centre, and providing two additional needle bins. It also wants to open a building in the town where people can get "confidential advice, information, support and treatment for drug and alcohol problems". Extra Devon and Cornwall Police officers have been visiting the town since receiving "reports of groups congregating and fighting, assaults, public drug use, shoplifting and people defecating in public places", Supt Sharon Donald said. A number of arrests have been made in the past week, and from the start of August an officer will be dedicated to the town centre. "I've been here 20 minutes and three members of the public have come to me and said they hope we can sort it all out," PC Jim Stein said as he patrolled with a St Austell based PCSO with local knowledge of the streets and individuals. "People were restricted in their movements under Covid lockdown and lots of homeless were put up in holiday parks. "Now it's been lifted they are spreading their wings again and congregating in town." The extra police patrols appear to have helped bring about improvements in the town already - but some locals would say improvement is definitely needed. Ivor Stone, 51, is being housed in a room in the White Hart, having himself been homeless. "I've been here 50 years and I've never seen it this bad," he said. He said one day he returned to his room to find somebody had left their excrement all over the outside steps with needles alongside. "The other day there was a bloke off his head throwing parsnips at people on Fore Street. It's never ending," he added. "It's always been known as St Awful but it's beyond that now."

खुले तौर पर नशीली दवाओं के उपयोग और बढ़ते असामाजिक व्यवहार ने सेंट ऑस्टेल के निवासियों को "हतोत्साहित" कर दिया है। सोशल मीडिया पर ग्राफिक तस्वीरों के कारण "हेरोइन की समस्या को औपचारिक रूप से संबोधित करने" के लिए एक याचिका दायर की गई है। हम स्थिति के बारे में लोगों से बात करने के लिए कॉर्नवाल के सबसे बड़े शहर गए।


The man with no-one to mourn him

Summary: Stewart Cooney, a 95-year-old war veteran, outlived his wife and son He was set for a "lonely funeral" attended only by a carer and a social worker An appeal to give him a good send-off was made on Facebook and in a local paper

By Claire BatesBBC News Magazine When Stewart Cooney died at a nursing home in Leeds, only a handful of carers and a social worker took notice. But Dougie Eastwood, a trainer for the care service running Stewart's nursing home, was upset to think he would not be mourned. "We're in the world for such a short time, no-one deserves to go to the grave without being recognised," he says. "I asked one of the nurses about Stewart and she told me he had been in World War Two. He was in the Royal Artillery and served in Egypt and Sicily. It didn't feel right someone who served his country should pass by unnoticed." Cooney, described by carers as "lovely" and "cheeky", was 95 when he died. His wife Betty passed away in 2008 and the couple's adopted son died in 2014. "He would talk about his wife a lot, he called her Barnsley Betty, as that was where she was from," says Janine, a carer who worked with Cooney from 2012 to 2014. "He had dementia so he would sometimes get a little confused and think he had been out doing things with them. "He was always pleasant and loved to sing. He would sing whole Frank Sinatra songs and get us to join in." He was moved to a nursing home in March this year, and died three months later. Who was Stewart Cooney? According to the National Association of Funeral Directors, only a tiny proportion of funerals - no more than 1% - are attended by no family or friends. "However, there are occasions when someone dies without family or friends to mourn them", says the NAFD's Deborah Smith. "The funeral director will often attend in these instances, together with someone such as a social worker or carer." Funeral celebrant Lynda Gomersall thinks the number of such services is rising on account of Britain's rapidly ageing population. "Funeral directors I work with say they are becoming more common because people are living longer and are outliving their families," she says. "It also becomes harder to track down friends and relatives if the person suffers from dementia later in life." Dr Rebecca Nowland, from Bolton University, who has studied the impact of loneliness in Britain, notes that older people "can get forgotten". "I think this is partly due to our modern lifestyle. We are so busy now and don't have the cross-generational connections we used to have," she says. She thinks the reason people feel deeply uncomfortable about the idea of a "lonely funeral" is because - rightly or wrongly - we often judge our own worth by our value to others. "As a social species recognition by others is important to us: it is something we seek out and crave. We value other people's opinions of us greatly as it helps us to feel connected to others. In addition, the absence of this or the rejection by other people is a very uncomfortable state to be in." This helps explain the coda to Stewart Cooney's story. Dougie Eastwood got in touch with the 269 Royal Artillery battery, who researched his military background and put a call-out for people to attend his service. Eastwood also spoke to the local newspaper and appealed for people to attend via social media. He was amazed by the response, with 40 phone calls offering support from flowers to military escorts. "I'm humbled by how the army family and local community have come together," he says. One of Stewart's former carers Janine, decided to go after finding out about the funeral on Facebook. "I think he would have really liked it, especially with the military people coming," she says. "He would have liked to have chatted with them - he was so proud of his time in the army." Lynda Gomersall offered her services after seeing the appeal on Facebook. She spoke to Cooney's carers and looked through old records to write the eulogy. "I don't think anybody should go without recognition, especially soldiers," she says. Originally around three people were expected at Stewart Cooney's funeral. Instead, more than 200 turned up and those who didn't fit in the crematorium watched on screens outside. The coffin was piped into the crematorium by a Scottish piper, in homage to Cooney's Scottish roots. Soldiers from a number of regiments were present and the Last Post was played. "There were at least nine standards and three buglers who were in their thick red ceremonial uniforms with pointed helmets. Four Territorial Army soldiers flanked the coffin," Gomersall says. "Some long lost relatives even turned up including his sister." The coffin left the crematorium to Frank Sinatra's My Way and was placed in the hearse alongside a floral wreath depicting his army number. The cortege to Pudsey Cemetery in West Yorkshire included 66 motorbikes from the Royal British Legion Riders. "It was a wonderful day. I hope we did Stewart proud." Find out more Follow Claire Bates on Twitter @batesybates Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

95 वर्षीय युद्ध के दिग्गज, स्टीवर्ट कूनी, अपनी पत्नी और बेटे से अधिक समय तक जीवित रहे। उन्हें एक "अकेले अंतिम संस्कार" के लिए तैयार किया गया था, जिसमें केवल एक देखभाल करने वाले और एक सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता ने भाग लिया था। उन्हें एक अच्छी विदाई देने की अपील फेसबुक और एक स्थानीय समाचार पत्र में की गई थी।


Guernsey job losses due to LVCR 'unclear'

Summary: The full impact of the end of LVCR on Guernsey's unemployment levels cannot yet be accurately estimated, the chief officer of Social Security has said.

Low Value Consignment Relief, which allowed low value items to be sent to the UK tax free, ended on 1 April. Its ending has led to some mail order companies announcing redundancies. Malcolm Nutley said the department had already been contacted by some of those losing their job and he expected more to come forward in the coming months. He said measures were being put in place to deal with the expected rise. Unemployment figures for Guernsey at the end of March, which would not include any of those made redundant due to the end of LVCR, were down by 16 on the February figures. There were 416 people out of work at the end of last month, representing 1.3% of the working population, a rise of 115 compared with the same month in 2011. In Alderney there were 21 people registered as unemployed.

सामाजिक सुरक्षा के मुख्य अधिकारी ने कहा है कि ग्वेर्नसे के बेरोजगारी के स्तर पर एलवीसीआर के अंत के पूर्ण प्रभाव का अभी तक सटीक अनुमान नहीं लगाया जा सकता है।


Swanage Railway steam trains face busy weekend

Summary: Extra steam trains will run on the Swanage historic railway this weekend during a busy three days of events.

A revised timetable will operate between Norden park-and-ride, Corfe Castle, Harman's Cross and Swanage from Friday evening. The Swanage Jazz Festival and the Purbeck Youth Festival are expected to attract a surge in visitors. On Friday lunchtime, the Olympic torch passes through Corfe Castle and Swanage. Diesel and steam services will alternate every 40 minutes, with the enhanced service starting from Friday afternoon. The last service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday leaves Swanage at 23:15 BST and Corfe Castle at 23:40.

तीन दिनों के व्यस्त कार्यक्रमों के दौरान इस सप्ताह के अंत में स्वानज ऐतिहासिक रेलवे पर अतिरिक्त भाप ट्रेनें चलेंगी।


The Leonardo hidden from Hitler in case it gave him magic powers

Summary: One of the world's most famous self-portraits is going on rare public display in the northern Italian city of Turin. Very little is known about the 500-year-old, fragile, fading red chalk drawing of Leonardo da Vinci but some believe it has mystical powers.

By Dany MitzmanTurin There is a myth in Turin that the gaze of Leonardo da Vinci in this self-portrait is so intense that those who observe it are imbued with great strength. Some say it was this magical power, not the cultural and economic value of the drawing, that led to it being secretly moved from Turin and taken to Rome during World War Two - heaven forbid it should ever fall into Hitler's hands and give him more power. Whatever the reason, this was the only work from the entire collection of precious drawings and manuscripts to be removed from the Royal Library in Turin at the time. The library's current director, Giovanni Saccani, says nobody even knows exactly where it was hidden. "To prevent the Nazis from taking it, an intelligence operation saw it transported in absolute anonymity to Rome." Under such difficult circumstances, preservation was not properly considered, "nor did they have the same knowledge and techniques back then," says Saccani. "Naturally, this did not do its condition any good." Inside the Royal Library a pristine red carpet lines the stairs - we follow the steps down to a secure underground vault with reinforced doors. This purpose built caveau has been the home of Leonard's Self-Portrait, and thousands of other priceless drawings and manuscripts, since 1998. The picture's treatment today could not contrast more strikingly with the neglect it suffered during the first half of the 20th Century. The lighting is exclusively fibre optic - no natural light can enter this room - and the temperature is kept at a constant 20 degrees Celsius, the humidity at 55 per cent. The display cases are made of a type of glass which Saccani describes as "anti-everything", and the whole area is fitted with alarms and security cameras. Using a special preservation torch, Saccani shines some light onto the drawing's surface to demonstrate the extent of the damage known as foxing, when small reddish-brown spots or marks appear on ancient paper. "This case is particularly bad," he sighs - 200 years ago the foxing was less obvious. "On the bottom left of the drawing there was a red chalk inscription in Latin which said Leonardus Vincius, which has now completely disappeared." Since the damage is so extensive and the paper so fragile, restoration would be extremely complex. Exhaustive analysis and discussion by world experts in restoration has led to "the decision to maintain the status quo," says Saccani. And since coming to the caveau in 1998, the condition of the drawing has not deteriorated any further. "This comforts us because we know we are getting it right now. You have to remember it's a good 500 years old. The pictures we drew at school probably don't exist anymore and this was a drawing done on ordinary paper, so I think it's pretty extraordinary that we can still display such a masterpiece today." Equally extraordinary is the story of how this self-portrait ended up in Turin. It was part of a vast collection purchased in 1839 by King Carlo Alberto of Savoy. A passionate collector, he bought it from Giovanni Volpato, an art dealer and curator who had travelled extensively throughout Europe. How he came upon Leonardo's drawings is a mystery but it is known that he asked the king for the sum of 70,000 Piedmontese lire for the collection. "A doctor earned 1,000 lire a year at the time so it was an astronomical figure," smiles Saccani. "The king managed to get him down to 50,000 but it still took him eight years to pay for it in instalments." But Saccani says Volpato was not the ruthless businessman he might sound. "Volpato's aim wasn't simply financial because, in exchange for agreeing to give the king a discount, he asked to be allowed to become the unpaid curator of drawings in the Royal Library." And since then Turin has remained the home of the red chalk Self-Portrait. Is it really a self-portrait? Generally dated around 1515, some experts believe the picture corresponds more with Leonardo's style in the 1490s, yet the subject of the drawing is an old man. "He wasn't terribly keen on the idea of self-portraiture full stop," says James Hall, author of The Self-Portrait: a Cultural History - he doesn't believe the portrait was drawn by Leonardo. "He didn't much like the idea that the art work should be a portrayal of the artist. He wanted the art work to represent an ideal." Hall thinks this drawing has become famous at least partly because of the sheer lack of self-portraits by Leonardo. "People have latched onto this like the philosopher's stone and clung to it." But others are less sceptical. "I'm quite happy to believe it is a self-portrait but I think it's for each person to decide when they see the real object," says Liz Rideal, the author of two books on self-portraits and a lecturer at the National Portrait Gallery in London and Slade School of Fine Art. She says most people want to believe it is a genuine Leonardo "because he has this superman status… I think we are in awe of genius and therefore, if this is the self-portrait of a genius, then we want to see what he looked like." As director of the Royal Library, Giovanni Saccani is in no doubt: "It is a self-portrait… anyone who finds themselves standing in front of this drawing is struck dumb. The first thing they say when they recover is 'this is giving me the shivers'. The expressive power of this face is absolutely connected to an emotion and an ability that only Leonardo could possess." Leonardo's Self-Portrait is considered so valuable that it is subject to a state decree of immovability. It can only be moved with ministerial permission. In 2011 it was taken to the Reggia di Venaria Reale just outside Turin for an exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. "Transportation involved a special 'clima box' able to maintain the same air conditioning systems present here in the caveau," says Saccani. "This 'clima box' was then put inside a case, which was in turn placed in an outer casing, all of which was able to avoid vibration." The package was then driven with an armed escort and constantly monitored using remote technology. An extraordinarily complex, delicate and expensive undertaking, unlikely to be repeated very often in the future. Over the coming weeks, 50 people will be allowed into the Royal Library's caveau every hour from 09:00 to 18:00 to see the self-portrait - the temperature of the vault has been lowered slightly to compensate for the body heat that people will give off. Although there are more than 80 masterpieces on display in the King's Treasures exhibition - including further works by Leonardo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Perugino and Van Dyck - for most visitors, the highlight will be the rare chance to behold the face of the great Renaissance polymath. And they might also bear one final myth in mind - it is said that just before taking an exam, students would do their last-minute revision in the Royal Library above the vault. Legend has it that studying near Leonardo's genius can somehow rub off. Photographs courtesy of the Regional Management for the cultural and landscape heritage of Piedmont Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

दुनिया के सबसे प्रसिद्ध स्व-चित्रों में से एक उत्तरी इतालवी शहर ट्यूरिन में दुर्लभ सार्वजनिक प्रदर्शन पर चल रहा है। लियोनार्डो दा विंची के 500 साल पुराने, नाजुक, लुप्तप्राय लाल चाक ड्राइंग के बारे में बहुत कम जानकारी है लेकिन कुछ लोगों का मानना है कि इसमें रहस्यमय शक्तियां हैं।


Boko Haram battle: On combat patrol with Nigeria’s army

Summary: Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari won elections in March partly on a promise to crush the militant Islamist group Boko Haram - and gave his military chiefs until the end of the year to beat the insurgents. Ahead of the deadline, the BBC's Martin Patience joined the army on patrol in the combat zone.

With the end-of-year deadline fast approaching, the Nigerian army was keen to show that progress was being made on the ground. We left the city of Maiduguri - the birthplace of the militants - in a convoy, heading towards some of the most dangerous territory on earth. Army jeeps mounted with heavy machine guns were at both the back and front of the convoy. Until a few months ago, travelling along the 25km (15-mile) road from Maiduguri to the town of Konduga would almost certainly invite attack. Now, it seemed relatively secure. But as one soldier told me: "It may look safe but that doesn't actually mean it is safe." We weaved along the paved road avoiding potholes that were in fact craters created by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). I saw ghost village after ghost village where mud-brick houses had been set on fire, their tin roofs pulled off. Many of the buildings were ridden with bullets. This is classic Boko Haram scorched-earth tactics. The insurgents raid villages - mostly at night or just before dawn - and then kill, rape, kidnap and loot before withdrawing. After half an hour of driving, we pulled into the small military base in Konduga. As we arrived, a handful of soldiers were posing for a quick group photograph. One of them was kneeling on the ground with his rifle pointing into the distance. Ali Mohammed, a fisherman near Konduga military base "You can't guarantee safety here, but you get used to it. There's nothing else we can do" I met Brigadier General Mohammed Aliyu, a jovial man. In the 1980s, he was training as a doctor. But, inspired by Gen Buhari - who briefly was a military ruler in Nigeria during the period - he quit medical school and signed up to the military. Thirty years later, his enthusiasm and respect for the now democratically elected leader were still palpable. Like many officers, Gen Aliyu believes President Buhari is intent on rebuilding the army, which was previously brought low by corruption and by what many saw as poor leadership. 'Casualties downplayed' In a report this year, the campaign group Amnesty International accused the military of carrying out atrocities. It said that 7,000 men and boys had died in military custody during the conflict. The army rejected the allegations as "spurious". Since the start of 2015, a large-scale military operation has pushed Boko Haram from a string of towns and villages. Hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa reportedly played a crucial role in the fighting. Gen Aliyu admitted there had been problems in the past. "I think earlier we were not giving them [Boko Haram] the significance we are giving them now," he said. "We thought there were small miscreants trying to do something and then they ended up surprising us. "But now we know who Boko Haram are and we're taking them by their horns." While the top brass are keen to put a positive spin on the progress, some of those in the lower ranks question the momentum. One soldier told me privately that the army was still seriously under-equipped and that officers were downplaying the army's casualties in the field. Boko Haram at a glance: Using football to tackle Boko Haram Why Boko Haram remains a threat Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists? Following a short classified military briefing, the army took us to what should have been a bustling market, just a few hundred metres from the base. Apart from a handful of people, it was deserted. Dozens of shops had been burnt and looted. A mosque had been shot up, and on the main road lay the mangled metal carcass of a van that had been laden with explosives in a Boko Haram suicide attack. The attack was foiled by soldiers who managed to shoot dead the bomber before he rammed their checkpoint. There were a few signs of reconstruction: piles of cinder blocks were sitting beside the road. Some of the government buildings were getting new roofs. But the town was a long way from being inhabitable once again. The military then took us on a further 20-minute drive along the road to the village of Kawuri. We saw more devastation and wreckage. And it, too, was deserted. Until this year, the village had been under Boko Haram control. It had been the scene of a massacre in 2014 in which dozens were killed. "God is Great" was scrawled in graffiti on some of the buildings. This is a common Islamic saying but in this part of the world it has been co-opted by Boko Haram as a tagline. Forest stronghold The soldiers then picked up a metal traffic sign lying on the side of the road. It read: "Sambisa Forest." This is one of the areas where the militant group retreated after being pushed out of towns it once controlled. We were just a few kilometres from their stronghold. The forest is where the army are currently carrying out most of their operations to try and clear out the insurgents. But access is difficult and ambushes are frequent. For Boko Haram, it is a fall-back position. Despite being on the defensive, the militants can still launch attacks. Increasingly, the group is using suicide bombers to blow up checkpoints and markets in nearby cities. Until Boko Haram is cleared out of the forest - and from other remote areas - it is very difficult to see how this insurgency will end. Back on the base, Gen Aliyu acknowledged the challenges of the campaign. He has studied the insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq. I asked him how he would define victory. "When Boko Haram are significantly degraded and normal commercial and administrative activities are taking place," he said. How far away are you from that, I asked. "Not too far. Where you are standing now used to be the battlefront," he replied. 'Living in constant fear' But that did not mean where I was standing was necessarily safe. Not far from the base, the army took us to meet a group of fishermen bringing in their latest catch down by the river. One of the fishermen, Ali Mohammed, told me he lived in constant fear of being attacked. "You can't guarantee safety here, but you get used to it. There's nothing else we can do," he said. It is clear that the Nigerian army has made gains but that does not mean the insurgency is over. The nature of this conflict is changing, particularly with the use of suicide bombers. Wars do not subscribe to deadlines and in this part of Nigeria, Boko Haram remains a deadly threat.

नाइजीरिया के राष्ट्रपति मुहम्मदु बुहारी ने मार्च में आतंकवादी इस्लामी समूह बोको हराम को कुचलने के वादे पर आंशिक रूप से चुनाव जीते-और विद्रोहियों को हराने के लिए अपने सैन्य प्रमुखों को वर्ष के अंत तक का समय दिया। समय सीमा से पहले, बीबीसी के मार्टिन धैर्य युद्ध क्षेत्र में गश्त पर सेना में शामिल हो गए।


Anne Boleyn's final days re-enacted in London

Summary: The last moments of Anne Boleyn who was the first English queen to be executed have been re-enacted.

The launch of the Last Days of Anne Boleyn saw her journey from Greenwich to the Tower of London, where she was imprisoned, brought back to life. The play at the Tower follows the final 17 days of her life from her imprisonment and interrogation, through to her trial and execution in 1536. The wife of Henry VIII had been accused of adultery and witchcraft.

ऐनी बोलिन, जिन्हें फांसी दी गई थी, के अंतिम क्षणों को फिर से लागू किया गया है।


Deer stalking demand and prices high, say Savills

Summary: Both demand and prices for deer stalking on Scottish sporting estates managed by Savills have risen, according to the property firm.

The company said the pursuit was continuing to be popular even in times of economic troubles. Over the last five years, prices for taking red deer on estates deemed easy to reach had risen by 5%. On one estate the price for a stag was now £400. On more remote estates, Savills said there had been a 21% rise in prices. The firm, which manages 500,000 acres (202,343ha) in Scotland, said demand for deer stalking from overseas clients, and also women, was high.

प्रॉपर्टी फर्म के अनुसार, सेविल्स द्वारा प्रबंधित स्कॉटिश खेल संपदाओं पर हिरणों का पीछा करने की मांग और कीमतें दोनों बढ़ गई हैं।


How Africa boycotted the 1966 World Cup

Summary: The 1966 World Cup is the only World Cup to have been boycotted by an entire continent. But it is better known for England's victory, a controversial goal in the final and the glorious displays of both Eusebio and North Korea. BBC Focus on Africa's Piers Edwards takes up the story of a little-known boycott that changed football's greatest competition forever.

Ghana's Osei Kofi was once described as being the equal of the legendary George Best by Gordon Banks, a World Cup winner in 1966. Given the Northern Irishman's status as one of football's greatest ever players, that was some claim. But the odds are you've never heard of Kofi, who put four goals past Banks when they met in two club friendlies. This would largely be because a player nicknamed "One Man Symphony Orchestra" or, less poetically, "Wizard Dribbler" never got to unfurl his wing play at a World Cup. He was denied the chance when Africa dramatically boycotted the 1966 finals. At the time, Ghana's "Black Stars" were back-to-back African champions, having won in 1963 and 1965. "We had the 'Black Stars' proper in those days," Kofi, now a church minister, told the BBC in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. "We had the men, those who were strong and those who were intelligent. "That's why we could have got to the World Cup at any given time." But at the peak of their powers, the "Black Stars" were pushed down a black hole. In January 1964, Fifa decided that the line-up for the 16-team finals would include 10 teams from Europe, including hosts England, four from Latin America and one from the Central American and Caribbean region. That left just one place to be fought for by three continents: Africa, Asia and Oceania. Within a month, Ghana's Director of Sport Ohene Djan, who was also a member of Fifa's Executive Committee, was crying foul. "Registering strong objection to unfair World Cup arrangement for Afro-Asian countries STOP," he complained in a telegram to Fifa. "Afro-Asian countries struggling through painful expensive qualifying series for ultimate one finalist representation is pathetic and unsound STOP At the worst, Africa should have one finalist STOP Urgent - reconsider" Djan's bullish tone stemmed from Kwame Nkrumah, the president of Ghana which had become, in 1957, the first sub-Saharan nation to achieve independence. Nkrumah wanted to use football to unite Africa and had told his appointee Djan to do whatever was necessary to put African football on the world map. The late Djan was also a member of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) where he emerged as one of two main figureheads in the World Cup fight - the other being an Ethiopian called Tessema Yidnekatchew. The pair assembled a convincing argument why the Fifa decision, which Tessema labelled "a mockery of economics, politics and geography", was so unfair. Firstly, they argued that Africa's standard of play had significantly improved in the preceding years. Then they pointed out that the costs of arranging a play-off between Africa's top teams and their counterparts from Asia and Oceania were "onerously" expensive. Then there was the politics - for the situation was complicated by Caf's bitter row with Fifa over apartheid South Africa. Politics and the pitch Following its founding in 1957, Caf was the only pan-African organisation in existence - preceding the creation of what is today the African Union by six years - meaning that, on the South Africa issue at least, it assumed a geo-political role. Based in Cairo, Caf became the world's first sporting organisation to expel South Africa as a result of the government's apartheid policy, in 1960. "As soon as an African country became independent, it joined the United Nations and then Caf - there was no other organisation," recalls Fikrou Kidane, a long-term colleague of Tessema, who died in 1987. Football historian Alan Tomlinson says: "Right from the very beginning, this was a story about cultural politics in the post-colonial period." Having initially suspended South Africa a year after Caf, Fifa then readmitted the country in 1963, in part because of its pledge to send an all-white team to the 1966 World Cup and an all-black one to the 1970 finals. "The first time I encountered that solution, I just laughed," said Tomlinson, who is currently working on a biography of then Fifa President Stanley Rous. "But in terms of a form of gradualism, which fitted a model of development, Rous actually believed that could happen. He truly believed that football could bring people of different kinds together." For the 1966 World Cup, Fifa placed South Africa - a pariah state on its continent - in an Asian qualifying group in order to avoid playing an African rival but the designated African/Asian/Oceania play-off group meant a meeting could happen. "That was not acceptable and complicated things for sure," said Kidane, who attended Fifa congresses in the 1960s as an Ethiopian delegate. In July 1964, Caf decided to boycott the 1966 World Cup unless Africa was given a place of its own. With only Egypt having ever played at a World Cup before, back in 1934, this was no small gesture. Fifa, though, was not playing ball. "As the decisions of the Organising Committee are final, I do not think that for the prestige of Fifa it would be a good solution to alter the decisions even if some of Tessema's arguments appear reasonable," Fifa Secretary General Helmut Kaser wrote to Rous in 1964. The Englishman saw no reason to disagree. So in October 1964, on a weekend when Caf successfully lobbied for another Fifa suspension for South Africa, Africa carried out its threat - with its 15 then-eligible teams all pulling out. "It was not a difficult decision," said Kidane, who now advises the current Caf president. "It was a matter of prestige. Most of the continent was fighting for its own independence - and Caf had to defend the interest and dignity of Africa." 'We would have won it' Despite being denied his shot at the limelight, Osei Kofi professes to have no bitterness. "We should have regretted not playing in the World Cup but it was a cheat," he said. "It was not fair. And it hurt Fifa for Africa to do this." Many feel differently. "I don't know any of us who will say he didn't regret it," Kofi Pare, another Ghana international in the 1960s, told the BBC. "After we had been watching the World Cup, we knew we could have done better. I think we were one of the greatest teams." "If we had played at the World Cup, we would have gone to the final - or won it - honestly." Over 100 teams in Africa, Asia and Oceania contested the last World Cup qualifiers but for 1966, there were just two (with some Asian nations having withdrawn for economic reasons). A meticulously-prepared North Korea side thumped Australia 9-2 to secure a major propagandist boost for their government and reach their first finals, which they then lit up. They stunned Italy before taking a 3-0 lead against Portugal in the quarter-finals - only for Eusebio to answer with four goals in an unforgettable 5-3 win. His performances were laden with irony. For like captain Mario Coluna and two other mainstays of the Portugal team that finished a best-ever third, Eusebio was effectively African. All four were born in Mozambique, which was then a Portuguese colony. With minnows punching above their weight and an "African" finishing as the tournament's top scorer, the winds of change were blowing through the World Cup. Fifa finally reacted. Two years after the finals, it unanimously voted to give Africa a World Cup place all of its own. Asia got one too. The boycott had worked. "I think it was absolutely pivotal," says football historian Tomlinson. "If Fifa had proved obstructionist about that, world football might have gone in a different direction." Today, Africa has five places at the 32-team World Cup and briefly, when South Africa became the first African country to host in 2010, once had six. It still wants more. But one goal has been more than achieved. Since boycotting the 1966 edition, Africa has been present at every World Cup. So the legacy of Djan and Tessema lives on as Roger Milla, Asamoah Gyan et al continue the theme of Africa's greatest World Cup strikers - this time on the pitch. Listen to the full World Service documentary here

1966 विश्व कप एकमात्र विश्व कप है जिसका पूरे महाद्वीप द्वारा बहिष्कार किया गया था। लेकिन यह इंग्लैंड की जीत, फाइनल में एक विवादास्पद गोल और यूसेबियो और उत्तर कोरिया दोनों के शानदार प्रदर्शन के लिए बेहतर जाना जाता है। अफ्रीका के पियर्स एडवर्ड्स पर बीबीसी फोकस एक अल्प-ज्ञात बहिष्कार की कहानी को उठाता है जिसने फुटबॉल की सबसे बड़ी प्रतियोगिता को हमेशा के लिए बदल दिया।


'There are boats floating above my head in Times Square'

Summary: Augmented reality (AR) - adding a digital overlay to a real-world image - is giving artists and galleries opportunities to create more interactive artworks and exhibitions, providing more exciting experiences and reaching new audiences. But until AR headsets become widespread - and fashionable - will this remain a niche technology?

By Nicola K SmithTechnology of Business reporter Imagine holding your mobile phone up in front of Pablo Picasso's Woman with Green Hat and seeing the portrait transform into a photo of the muse who inspired the painting. Or admiring one of Claude Monet's many famous depictions of water lilies, only to see the image morph into video footage of the artist's real flower garden in Giverny, the inspiration for this series of paintings. It is how visitors to Vienna's Albertina Museum can experience its current Monet to Picasso - The Batliner Collection exhibition. AR is changing the art world, allowing artists to fuse physical art with digital content. New work is being created and existing work re-imagined. "Trying to learn about art and its history can be intimidating because of its complexity," says Codin Popescu, chief executive and founder of Artivive, the firm behind Albertina Museum's AR experience. "For our projects with museums, we decided to offer visitors additional information - sometimes in a playful way through an animation or by showing historical footage of the time." In February, Manchester Central Library hosted AR fine artists Scarlett Raven and Marc Marot who used AR to weave poetry, animation and music into an exhibition about World War One. "Many of the oil paintings were quite vibrant, which gave them an uplifting feel at first glance, but as soon as the AR came to life I realised that the scenes before me were where past horrors had taken place," says Fiona White, a visitor to the exhibition. "The AR wasn't just visual, there were voiceovers, music and storytelling that gave a whole history to the artwork that would otherwise go unknown." The tech has great educational potential, especially for the smartphone generation, believes Manon Slome, co-founder of No Longer Empty, a New York-based exhibitions curator. "You are using a language and medium with which many more people are comfortable, and you don't need an art history degree to apprehend the work," she says. In a current installation, which runs until 5 September in New York's Times Square, the city's Queens Museum collaborated with No Longer Empty and Times Square Arts to create Wake and Unmoored, a two-part AR installation aiming to educate the public about climate change. Designed by artist Mel Chin, the installation makes visitors feel like they are under the ocean. "Unmoored looks to a future where climate change has gone unchecked and [the city] is underwater due to rising sea levels," says Ms Slome. "What better way to imaginatively capture this projected reality than through a technology of the future? Seeing ships floating over one's head really puts such a future into visual but engaging terms." And last year, San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), in partnership with frog design, launched a Magritte Interpretative Gallery as part of its exhibition on surrealist artist René Magritte. The gallery houses six AR interactions, enabling visitors to investigate Magritte's themes through a series of altered and augmented windows. One of the installations involves a video likeness of the viewer being transmitted from one glass window to another. "Friends and strangers will joyfully run over and show the unsuspecting subjects where their images have popped up," says Chad Coerver, SFMOMA's chief content officer. "It's a gentle, fun reminder that nothing is what it seems in a Magritte exhibition." But the unwieldiness of AR tech has been an obstacle for both artists and consumers, and some believe this will always limit its potential. "For a start, having to install a new app to be granted the full experience of an art gallery is a barrier many may not cross," says Tom Ffiske, editor of immersive technology website Virtual Perceptions. "Why fiddle with new tech when most people can just enter an art gallery and use their own eyes?" Despite this, AR is stealthily creeping into our everyday lives. "Since Snapchat and Messenger introduced their AR facial recognition, millions of people around the world have been experimenting with AR pop art before even knowing the term 'augmented reality'," says Sutu, artist and co-founder of EyeJack, an app and platform for the curation and distribution of augmented art. Long-awaited AR glasses, being developed by the likes of Intel, Magic Leap, Lumus and Osterhaut Design Group, could make for a more seamless experience. For artists, the need for technical nous has presented challenges. "Much of the work that artists will look to produce will require a knowledge of 3D design programs such as Unity, so that's a barrier to entry," says Alex Poulson, chief executive of London-based AR firm Inde. "AR on mobile devices is beginning to see some adoption, but the technology itself is still in its infancy." But things are changing fast. The recent release of AR developer platforms by Google and Apple is enabling the creation of new apps for Android and Apple devices, potentially making it easier for artists to create their own AR art. And tools like Artivive help overcome the knowledge barrier. "For artists to create art in augmented reality they previously had to build their own isolated solutions, which required technical skills and resources. But with Artivive, those artists can focus on their creative work," says Sutu. AR is also opening up new revenue streams for artists. One artist sold an AR artwork with the agreement to supply the buyer with a new digital layer every six months for four years, says Artivive's Mr Popescu. More Technology of Business "The artist basically sold the buyer a digital art subscription model along with the physical artwork." AR opens up commercial opportunities for museums and galleries too, allowing them to hold concurrent exhibitions in one physical space, using digital reinterpretations of the same artworks. While Mr Ffiske "cannot see [AR] becoming anything more than a niche art form that pushes boundaries", Ms Slome is more forthright. "Once you've glimpsed the future, there's no turning back. Get used to it."

ऑगमेंटेड रियलिटी (ए. आर.)-एक वास्तविक दुनिया की छवि में एक डिजिटल ओवरले जोड़ना-कलाकारों और दीर्घाओं को अधिक इंटरैक्टिव कलाकृतियों और प्रदर्शनियों को बनाने, अधिक रोमांचक अनुभव प्रदान करने और नए दर्शकों तक पहुंचने के अवसर दे रहा है। लेकिन जब तक ए. आर. हेडसेट व्यापक और फैशनेबल नहीं हो जाते-क्या यह एक विशिष्ट तकनीक बनी रहेगी?


Introducing…The Vaccines

Summary: The Vaccines are trying to keep their heads level.

By Greg CochraneNewsbeat music reporter Two months ago they were just another east London garage-rock band honing their craft in a rehearsal studio. Now, due to the hype-machine's habit of fast-tracking, they've already bagged an appearance on Later…with Jools Holland and been awarded the prized 'opening slot' on the annual NME Awards tour. Pretty impressive considering the fuzz-rock four-piece haven't even released their debut single yet. 'Happy accident' "We've been going since June I guess full-time," says lead singer Justin Young, speaking from their tour van halfway through their first ever UK tour. "We all met because we were all doing music before playing in different outfits. "A friend actually started The Vaccines and then he quit, so it's a happy accident the four of us are in a band together." Some might say, a very "happy accident" considering the high-hopes the band seem to be creating. The quartet (Anri Hjorvar - bass, Freddie Cowan - guitar, Pete Robertson - drums) have only played 15 gigs but have already been heralded as the band to breath life back into British guitar music. Indeed, their arrival, apparently from nowhere, seemed all the more attractive since no-one could find any information about them at all online. No MySpace, no facebook, no Last FM - at that point. "Basically, we put a song up and it might have looked like a PR stunt but we genuinely didn't expect anyone to care so we didn't have anything in place to deal with the fact some people liked it," says Young. "I think some people thought we were trying to be secretive with the blog." Either way, it's all out there now. Along with their online presence the band are already "three-quarters" of the way through completing their as yet untitled debut album set for release in March 2011. "They're just fun pop songs played with passion," explains Young, when talking about debut split single Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) and Blow It Up. Notably, Wreckin' Bar checks in at a breezy brief one and a half minutes long. "Sometimes it takes five minutes for what you want to say what you want to say and sometimes a minute and a half. We're not going to make it longer for the sake of it." As for the immediate future they're just up for the "challenge" of rising to the task of matching all the 'talk'. "It's a clichéd answer but we want to make an album we're proud or none of it will be worth it," says Young signing off. "We want to be playing to rooms of people who really like it and feel excited by it."

टीके अपने सिर के स्तर को बनाए रखने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं।


Ofcom chooses consortium to run Sheffield TV station

Summary: A consortium involving two Sheffield universities, film-makers and festival organisers has been chosen to run a local TV station in the city.

Sheffield Local Television Ltd was awarded a 12-year licence to provide the digital terrestrial TV (DTT) service by industry regulator Ofcom. The channel will be called SLTV and is due to launch in October 2013. The two bidders to lose out were Metro8 Sheffield and YourTV Sheffield. In May, Ofcom invited applications to run local TV services in 21 areas as part of a government project part-funded by the BBC. SLTV's bid set out plans to broadcast at least four hours of original local content every day, including one hour of local news. Ofcom said it would set out the reasons behind its choice at a later date.

शहर में एक स्थानीय टीवी स्टेशन चलाने के लिए दो शेफ़ील्ड विश्वविद्यालयों, फिल्म निर्माताओं और महोत्सव आयोजकों के एक संघ को चुना गया है।


Manx railway cable theft 'crime against heritage'

Summary: Thieves stole a substantial length of copper cable from overhead power lines on the Manx Electric Railway.

Police said the cable was cut down and removed from a remote section of the line between Ballagawne Road and Baldrine Road, Baldrine. Officers believe a vehicle was used to remove the cable between midday on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. They described it as a "crime against the national heritage of the Isle of Man" and appealed for witnesses.

चोरों ने मैनक्स इलेक्ट्रिक रेलवे पर बिजली की तारों से तांबे की तार की एक बड़ी लंबाई चुरा ली।


Isle of Man filmmakers given chance to shine

Summary: Fledgling movie directors on the Isle of Man are being given a chance to shine with the launch of the ninth Young Film Maker of Mann competition.

It is open to people under the age of 23 and categories include best comedy, best animation and best documentary. All short-listed entries will be screened at the newly established Isle of Man Film Festival on 15 September. Category winners are awarded £100 and the overall winner receives a trophy and £200. More information and application forms can be found online.

आइल ऑफ मैन पर चल रहे फिल्म निर्देशकों को नौवीं यंग फिल्म मेकर ऑफ मान प्रतियोगिता के शुभारंभ के साथ चमकने का मौका दिया जा रहा है।


TN collects aid for Sri Lanka

Summary: The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, has said that TN government would also collect relief material for the welfare of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

These would include cash, clothing, medicines and food materials, he said. The materials thus collected from throughout TN would be distributed through the ICRC and UN agencies with the approval of the central government, a government press release said. Karunanidhi has himself donated one million Indian rupees. The press release also said that so far relief worth 2.5 million Indian rupees has been collected. However, it is not clear whether the relief materials collected by the TN government is in addition to the assured aid offer of 800 tonnes by the Indian government or is part of it.

तमिलनाडु के मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा है कि तमिलनाडु सरकार श्रीलंकाई तमिलों के कल्याण के लिए राहत सामग्री भी एकत्र करेगी।


Princess Anne opens Ballavartyn equestrian centre

Summary: Having a new equestrian centre opened by the Princess Royal was a "wonderful way to begin the New Year", a stable owner has said.

Princess Anne opened the centre at Ballavartyn stables in Santon during her first visit to the Isle of Man since 2008. Owner Saskia Blaymire said she was "thrilled and honoured" by the visit. The princess also visited the Manx prison and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture. She has visited the Isle of Man on a number of occasions since the 1970s.

एक स्थिर मालिक ने कहा है कि राजकुमारी शाही द्वारा खोला गया एक नया घुड़सवार केंद्र "नए साल की शुरुआत करने का एक अद्भुत तरीका" था।


Logan Paul: Radio 1 won't play interview with YouTuber

Summary: Radio 1 has pulled an interview with YouTuber Logan Paul.

There had been a lot of criticism when it was announced he was going to appear on Charlie Sloth's show on Thursday night. Logan Paul caused controversy earlier this year by filming the body of an apparent suicide victim for one of his vlogs, and has since apologised. Radio 1 tweeted: "After listening back to the interview we don't feel it's right." Some people responded to the tweet saying they thought it was a good call not to run the interview. Charlie Sloth spoke about the issue on his show last night. "We've listened back to the interview we did with Logan and even though it was only part of a wider piece, we don't feel it's right. "So we've decided we are not going to run it." When Radio 1 shared a teaser clip from the interview there was a lot of backlash on social media. Charlie Sloth previously criticised the American YouTuber for posting the video, from Aokigahara forest in Japan, which is known to be a frequent site of suicides. In January the DJ chose him as 'Wally of the Week' on his Radio 1/ 1Xtra show The 8th. "Millions and millions of people around the world look up to Logan Paul, including loads of youngsters. "My children are some of those youngsters - they look up to Logan Paul like a superstar," he said. "Fam, let's face it, you are an absolute wally." The YouTuber apologised again later in January by posting a video about suicide awareness, and pledging to donate $1m (£700,000) to prevention groups. Some social media users say he should be forgiven. Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here.

रेडियो 1 ने यूट्यूबर लोगान पॉल के साथ एक साक्षात्कार लिया है।


Princess Royal to attend 1953 flood service in Chelmsford

Summary: The Princess Royal is to attend a service at Chelmsford Cathedral to mark the 60th anniversary of floods which killed 95 people in Essex.

Residents of Canvey Island and Jaywick died as a result of the North Sea flooding on 31 January 1953. The Reverend Canon Simon Pothen said it was important to mark the event before it "fades into obscurity". "It probably represents the final time that people will be in living memory of it," he said. Mr Pothen said the service on 31 January would be invitation only but said he hoped it would be relayed for "people outside who wish to join in".

राजकुमारी शाही एसेक्स में बाढ़ की 60वीं वर्षगांठ को चिह्नित करने के लिए चेम्सफोर्ड कैथेड्रल में एक सेवा में भाग लेने वाली हैं, जिसमें 95 लोग मारे गए थे।


Margate warehouse fire put out after 25 days

Summary: A fire at a warehouse in Westwood near Margate has finally been extinguished 25 days after it started, Kent Fire and Rescue has said.

At its height about 80 firefighters were tackling the blaze which broke out at about 06:30 BST on 15 September. Part of the building collapsed and demolition experts were brought in to allow firefighters better access. A boy and two girls, all aged 12, and a 13-year-old girl, all from Margate, were arrested on suspicion of arson. They were released while investigations continue, Kent Police said. The fire service says the fire has now been fully extinguished and the the firefighting part of the operation has come to a close. "Duty of care will then be handed to the land owner, and Thanet District Council will be the facilitators to the recovery process," a spokesman said.

केंट फायर एंड रेस्क्यू ने कहा है कि मार्गेट के पास वेस्टवुड में एक गोदाम में लगी आग शुरू होने के 25 दिन बाद आखिरकार बुझा दी गई है।


Wood Group agrees to buy Infinity Group for $150m

Summary: Aberdeen-based oil services giant Wood Group has agreed to buy American company Infinity Group for $150m (£100m).

Infinity is a family-owned Texas-based industrial construction and maintenance contractor serving the petrochemical, refining and gas processing sectors. Wood Group said the acquisition would provide an "excellent platform" for growth. The deal is still subject to a number of conditions. Infinity was established in 1952 and is headquartered in Clute. The existing management team will continue to lead the business, which has about 2,500 personnel. Wood Group chief executive officer Dave Stewart said: "Their 60-year history is a testament to the relationships they have built that we look forward to continuing and growing."

एबरडीन स्थित तेल सेवाओं की दिग्गज कंपनी वुड ग्रुप ने अमेरिकी कंपनी इन्फिनिटी ग्रुप को 150 मिलियन डॉलर (100 मिलियन पाउंड) में खरीदने पर सहमति व्यक्त की है।


Ezekiel Foster admits Sashana Roberts bath killing

Summary: A man charged with murdering a young mother who was found stabbed and strangled in her bathroom has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Ezekiel Foster, 42, of Twybridge Way, Brent, north London, has denied murder but admitted manslaughter, which the prosecution does not accept. Sashana Roberts, 24, was found dead at her terraced home in Cricklewood, north London, on 12 September. The plea was entered at the start of his trial at the Old Bailey for murder.

एक युवा माँ की हत्या के आरोप में एक व्यक्ति, जिसे उसके बाथरूम में चाकू मारकर गला घोंटकर मार दिया गया था, ने हत्या का अपराध स्वीकार कर लिया है।


Mablethorpe £95,000 beach hut plan approved by council

Summary: A £95,000 project to build new beach huts and restore others on the seafront of a resort in Lincolnshire has been approved.

East Lindsey District Council is building four new huts near Queen's Garden Square in Mablethorpe. It is also removing 15 chalets on the South Promenade which are in poor condition and selling off the plots to the public with a 20-year lease. All other council-owned beach huts in the town will be repainted. The scheme was approved by the district council's planning committee. Councillor Craig Leyland, portfolio holder for the economy, said: "Beach huts remain an important part of the seaside experience on our coast and the investment we're making in the new huts will mean they remain so for many years to come."

लिंकनशायर में एक रिसॉर्ट के समुद्र तट पर नई समुद्र तट झोपड़ियों के निर्माण और अन्य को बहाल करने के लिए £95,000 की परियोजना को मंजूरी दी गई है।


IPCC investigates death of detained man in Nottingham

Summary: The police watchdog is investigating the death of a man who fell ill while being detained.

The man was held when Nottinghamshire Police attended a crash on Southdale Road in Carlton, Nottingham at 21:00 GMT on Friday. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said he "became unwell" when he was being transferred to custody. He was taken to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham but died, the IPCC said. A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said the force was "co-operating fully" with the watchdog.

पुलिस प्रहरी हिरासत में लिए जाने के दौरान बीमार पड़े एक व्यक्ति की मौत की जांच कर रहा है।


Wolverhampton crash: Pedestrian dies in suspected hit-and-run

Summary: A pedestrian has died in a suspected hit-and-run crash in Wolverhampton.

The 63-year-old man was found with serious injuries in Evans Street, Whitmore Reans, just after 22:00 BST on Saturday and died at the scene. Police said a silver Mercedes was found nearby and a man, 48, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Officers are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.

वोल्वरहैम्प्टन में एक संदिग्ध हिट-एंड-रन दुर्घटना में एक पैदल यात्री की मौत हो गई है।


Thailand tiger farms: Hunting the traffickers

Summary: When the Thai authorities moved in to shut down a tiger zoo in a temple at the end of May, they exposed a lot more than just the various irregularities in that one facility. The macabre sight of tiger foetuses preserved in bottles, and the shrivelled, frozen remains of other cubs, suddenly cast the popular tourist attraction into a more sinister light. Was this evidence of illegal trade in tiger parts?

By Jonathan HeadSouth East Asia correspondent As it happens, few experts believe the cub carcasses have much value. The bones, skin, teeth, claws and meat of adult tigers are where the money is made. Officials of Thailand's Department of National Parks, who closed the temple zoo and removed its 147 tigers, did find some evidence of trafficking: amulets containing tiger claws, and a truck attempting to leave the temple with two skins and other small parts. At least three adult tigers had gone missing two years earlier. This, said DNP Deputy Director Adisorn Noochdumrong, suggested continuous involvement in small-scale illegal trafficking by the temple's managers. But his bigger concern is the criminal networks he believes have been encouraging the trade, from this and other so-called "tiger farms". There are at least 30 such farms in Thailand, where intensive breeding takes place. They are not illegal but the lack of records in the temple zoo illustrates the weak regulation of these places and allows the possibility of tiger trafficking. "I am quite certain there is a network behind what he have discovered at the temple," said Adisorn. "The temple would not run this alone but tiger trading is hard to verify. The networks are sophisticated and hard to monitor. Influential people are involved." Adisorn and his team have tried to trace the origins of the impounded tigers through their DNA. He believes there are seven original parent animals, two Siberian tigers, one Malayan tiger and four that died some years ago, for which he has no information. All tigers must be registered with the DNP under Thai law and agreements upheld by Cites, an international treaty to protect endangered species from irresponsible trading. All deaths, births and transfers must also be recorded. But this was not happening. Any argument that breeding these particular tigers was to help in their conservation makes no sense, as they are a mix of different subspecies. International pressure Thailand is a hub for the illegal wildlife trade, funnelling endangered animals from Africa and other parts of Asia through neighbouring Laos, where law enforcement is especially weak, and on to Vietnam and China, where the demand is. International pressure has pushed the Thai authorities to become more active in intercepting contraband wildlife shipments but little is being done to break up the syndicates running the trade. Very few arrests have been made. Campaigners monitoring the trade say "farmed" tigers are brought into trafficking all too easily because of the lack of regulation and enforcement. It is difficult to tell whether a carcass belongs to a wild or captive tiger but Thai officials believe at least 30% of those being trafficked come from a captive origin. Often they will be drowned in special submersion cages to avoid damaging the valuable skin. Traffickers then "float" the wrapped carcasses in the Mekong river from the Thai side and have them picked up by smugglers on the Laotian side. Thai Tiger Temple's long history of controversy Edwin Wiek, who runs an NGO trying to protect threatened wildlife in Thailand, explains why trading captive tigers matters so much to conservationists: "To stop the trade, these tiger farms need to be closed down - not only the tiger temple but all the other ones as well. "So that we can say that when tigers are being traded, that we are absolutely sure they are from the wild, and we can do something about it. Breeding a tiger, caring for a tiger until it is an adult costs a lot of money." He estimates the cost of a farm tiger at $7,000 to $8,000 (£5,600-£6,500). "When a poacher goes into the jungle he can kill a tiger with one or two bullets, which will be a lot cheaper," he says. "So there is a big chance the wild populations are being touched for the same market as captive animals." The population of captive tigers in Thailand is now estimated to be around 1,500. When the growing numbers being kept in Laos, Vietnam and China are added, the total captive population in this region exceeds the entire world population of wild tigers, which is around 3,800. Big profits from big animals The economics of tiger farming are baffling and inevitably raise suspicions that some captive animals must be siphoned off for slaughter, in violation of Cites rules. An adult tiger consumes between four and eight kilos of meat a day (9 to 17 lb). An internal Laotian government report, seen by the BBC, openly acknowledges that a tiger farm near the Laotian border town of Thakhek was, until recently, killing 100 tigers a year for commercial use. At Thailand's biggest tiger zoo, Sri Racha, south of Bangkok, the tiger population reached 447 at one point, falling to 323 today. The management there argues that the ideal population is 350. Only a fraction of those can be seen by visitors, via performing tiger shows and - the most popular activity - feeding tiger cubs, which helps explain the huge populations. Tiger produce found on sale in Myanmar Tanya Erzinclioglu is a British volunteer who worked at the tiger temple for six years, becoming a self-taught expert on the animals and, she says, trying to ensure their welfare was protected. She believes they were well-treated there, and that any involvement in trafficking was small-scale. But the breeding, she says, was out of control. "I hated it," she recalls. "When I first arrived there were 70. By the time we left I'd known 150-plus tigers. That's a double increase in six years, it's ridiculous. We could change a lot of things there, but this was one of the hardest because they thought they made so much money from the cub-feeding, and tourists want the cute babies. And they would come, and the babies were already 10 months old, and then they don't think it's cute, and they write bad reviews. So the management would ask 'why aren't there any cubs?'" Adisorn Noochdumrong and his colleagues at the Department of National Parks are now compiling a database of all captive tigers in Thailand, recording their DNA profiles and distinctive stripe patterns, so that they can be properly traced if they go missing. But there are growing calls now from international groups like the WWF to end tiger farming altogether. The Laotian government has already promised to do this, although whether that actually happens is still in question, given the record there of official tolerance for trafficking. If other countries like Thailand follow suit - and there are officials here now openly arguing for the farms to shut, and just zoos, with mixed animal populations to remain open - that would close one loophole through which the trade in endangered species is able to continue.

जब थाई अधिकारियों ने मई के अंत में एक मंदिर में एक बाघ चिड़ियाघर को बंद करने के लिए कदम रखा, तो उन्होंने उस एक सुविधा में विभिन्न अनियमितताओं के अलावा और भी बहुत कुछ उजागर किया। बोतलों में संरक्षित बाघ भ्रूण और अन्य शावकों के सिकुड़े, जमे हुए अवशेषों के भयावह दृश्य ने अचानक लोकप्रिय पर्यटक आकर्षण को और अधिक भयावह प्रकाश में डाल दिया। क्या यह बाघ के अंगों में अवैध व्यापार का प्रमाण था?


Old Basford attack: Arrest after woman 'stabbed and drugged'

Summary: A woman has been stabbed in the back and arm and was believed to have been drugged during an attack.

Officers were called to Heathfield Road, Old Basford, in Nottingham, following a report that a 28-year-old woman had been stabbed. The force said she remains in hospital with injuries which are not currently believed to be life-threatening. A 48-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and poisoning. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. Related Internet Links Nottinghamshire Police

एक महिला की पीठ और बांह पर चाकू से वार किया गया है और माना जा रहा है कि हमले के दौरान उसे नशीली दवा दी गई थी।


Who are the US militia at the Mexico border?

Summary: With tensions mounting at the US-Mexico border, US militias - groups of armed civilians - have been making headlines for their efforts to patrol the border and seize asylum-seekers. But who are these militia men, what do they believe and is what they're doing legal?

What are US militia groups? The term has a complex history. The Militia Act of 1903 created the National Guard as a reserve for the Army, managed by each state with federal funding, and defined the "unorganised militia" as men between 17 and 45 years of age who were not part of the military or guard. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) defines current US militia groups as the armed subset of the anti-government movement. These groups engage in military exercises and gun training, and generally believe in conspiracies regarding the federal government. They focus on protecting second amendment rights - or the right to bear arms granted by the US constitution. Heidi Beirich, director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project, describes the militia movement as "American, born and bred". Many of these militia groups hold a "romanticised" view of the US revolutionary era, she told the BBC, with notions that they, like the colonists who fought British rule, are "the ultimate protectors of the nation". The III% Security Force militia group describes themselves in such a way - a coalition "intended for the defence of the populace from enemies foreign and domestic". "At such a point as the government intends to use the physical power granted it by those who implemented it against them, it then becomes the responsibility of the people themselves to defend their country from its government," the militia's website states. While there are militia-type formations in other countries, Ms Beirich says the revolutionary past of the groups in the US has made them more unique when it comes to movements with "conspiratorial ideas of an evil federal government". What exactly do they believe? "Their number one issue, no matter what, is about protecting the second amendment," says Ms Beirich. "These are organisations that believe there are conspiracies afoot to take away their weapons." Militia are not the same as the white supremacy movement or the alt-right movement, she emphasises. They are not advocating white rule, for example, though they do share some beliefs with these movements. Two of the biggest militia incidents in recent years were the Bunkerville standoff - when militia ran federal officials off a rancher's land, believing the government was there to seize cattle - and a similar standoff in Oregon, where militia took over a wildlife refuge in protest of government "interference" in ranchers' lives. But what's novel about the militia movement recently, Ms Beirich says, is a shift towards more explicitly anti-immigration and anti-Muslim views. "They view immigrants as invaders, destroying the country, undermining the Trump administration." She notes that those ideas predated Donald Trump's presidency, but his election win emboldened the movement. "Although these groups have always hated the federal government, they're pretty big fans of Donald Trump, so they're in an awkward position where they support Trump but believe there's a deep state conspiracy against him." In addition, militias have begun to work openly with white supremacists, which was rare in the past, Ms Beirich says. Members of the III% militia, for example, turned up at the far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2016. "That's a toxic brew we have to be concerned about." How many militia groups are there? Whenever there is talk of gun control on Capitol Hill, membership rises in militias nationwide. In 2018, the SPLC found 216 militia groups with at least 15 confirmed members were active in the US, though given how secretive these organisations can be, that figure is likely an undercount. "The number of these groups skyrocketed in the Obama era," Ms Beirich says. "Obama never moved on gun control, barely spoke on it, but they viewed him as an existential threat." A similar situation happened under Democratic President Bill Clinton, she notes. The militia movement views Republicans as a party that is protective of gun rights, unlike Democrats. In 2008, the last year of Republican President George W Bush's term, the SPLC reported 149 anti-government groups. The next year, under Democratic President Obama, that number jumped to 512, reaching a peak of 1,360 in 2012. Is this legal? Yes, depending on the state in which a militia is located. All states have laws barring private military activity, but it varies when it comes to paramilitary or militia organising. "There are very few rules in the US about what people with guns," Ms Beirich says. "Many of them frame holding military training exercises as their right with the second amendment, exercising their right to bear arms." According to a 2018 report by Georgetown University, 25 states criminalise kinds of paramilitary activity, making it illegal to teach firearm or explosive use or assemble to train with such devices with the intent to use such knowledge "in furtherance of a civil disorder". Twenty-eight states have statutes prohibiting private militias without the prior authorisation of the state government. "Not all militias are involved in the same kinds of activities," Ms Beirich notes. "If people are engaged in exercising their constitutional rights under the second amendment in states that don't ban the kinds of activities they undertake, they have every right to engage." What about the groups at the border? Militias have been present at the southern border before. In the 2000s, a group called the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, was rounding up migrants for years before eventually dissolving. But the way groups like the United Constitutional Patriots, whose leader was arrested by the FBI on Monday, have been publicising their efforts is new, Ms Beirich says. The "explicitly anti-immigrant framing" she says is novel, compared to the Minutemen, who would have argued they were merely protecting the border. "The United Constitutional Patriots leader - he's been on record saying pretty terrible things about immigrants. That seems like a bit of a shift."

अमेरिका-मेक्सिको सीमा पर बढ़ते तनाव के साथ, अमेरिकी मिलिशिया-सशस्त्र नागरिकों के समूह-सीमा पर गश्त करने और शरण चाहने वालों को जब्त करने के अपने प्रयासों के लिए सुर्खियां बटोर रहे हैं। लेकिन ये मिलिशिया पुरुष कौन हैं, वे क्या मानते हैं और क्या वे जो कर रहे हैं वह कानूनी है?


Lives put in danger by 'reckless antics' on Devon cliffs

Summary: People's "reckless antics on North Devon cliffs" are putting lives in danger, police said.

Devon and Cornwall Police tweeted pictures of people climbing on outcrops on the county's northern coast over the weekend at the start of August. One picture showed a man taking pictures with his phone at the edge of a waterfall at least 40ft (12m) high. Officers said no photograph was "worth the risk". The tweet continued: "Your actions put not only your life in danger, but those who have to attempt to rescue you, or in some cases recover your body."

पुलिस ने कहा कि लोगों की "उत्तरी डेवोन की चट्टानों पर लापरवाह हरकतें" जीवन को खतरे में डाल रही हैं।


Europe's Galileo: Britain's blast-off

Summary: The battle of Brexit has been raging at Westminster this week. But one of the subjects that's infuriating Brexiteers is going far over our heads. And if you've got a smart phone, or sat-nav in your car, you may already be dependent on it.

Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland We often call this GPS - global positioning system. But increasingly, we should call it Galileo. That's because GPS is controlled from the Pentagon in Washington. It's an American military-based satellite system. The European Union has been putting together Galileo as its own network of satellites. It's full of British expertise, but Brexit Britain looks like losing its privileged access to Galileo's secret inner workings. I've been finding more about it, from those who have co-ordinated the commissioning from Brussels and from Professor Malcolm MacDonald, an expert in satellite technology and space policy at the University of Strathclyde. How does this technology work? The systems are all similar in concept, requiring a minimum of 24 satellites in quite a high orbit to get the maximum reach over the earth's surface. These send out very, very accurate time signals. Wherever you are, your phone or satnav picks up signals from at least three different satellites, which orbit the earth on different axes - something like those illustrations of an atom where electrons spin around a nucleus. Put the three together, compare the different lengths of time it has taken for the signals to reach your mobile phone, and it can compute where you are. A recently bought phone, or one with updated software, will be Galileo-compliant, so it will draw on GPS signals plus Galileo and possibly also from a Russian satellite network. They interact, and the more signals, the more accuracy you should get. How accurate is Galileo? GPS is accurate to within about 20 metres. Galileo is designed to improve that, to around one metre. The restricted system, for use by governments, should be able to reduce that to around 25cm. Does that give it more uses than GPS? The satellites don't monitor which devices are using the signal, but there is part of system that can pick up search and rescue signals. So that's of use for maritime search, or remote mountains, or if a car crashes off the road. Every new car model launched in Europe is required to have a Galileo-linked beacon, which should be activated as soon as an air bag is inflated. Emergency services will instantly know where an accident has taken place. The estimated time of getting to a maritime Mayday call can be sharply reduced. The uses for autonomous vehicles have yet to be developed, but it's clear that satellite technology will be an important part of future road transport - both to guide cars and to manage traffic systems. It also has potential for road pricing. Malcolm MacDonald says the crucial difference is that we can trust Galileo better than GPS, even to land a plane where there's no ground radar. That element of its capability is being used by 350 airports in Europe, and also deployed in less developed areas of the world, where communications are poor. Already, GPS and Galileo have become a vital part of finance. In trading, it matters a lot that there is an electronic record of when transactions have taken place. The electronic date-stamp from the satellite navigation system is recognised by all parties to contracts as the reliable industry standard. Then there's agriculture. Another European Union network, called Copernicus, provides earth surveillance. It can tell a farmer about different growing conditions across a field. It can, for instance, highlight an area that needs a higher level of fertiliser or pesticide than others. Satellite navigation can then be used to direct farm equipment - in some cases, autonomously - to the point of need, saving on cost and environmental impact. How close is Galileo to completion? The first satellites were put into orbit from 2013. There are now 22 in orbit, and 18 of them have become operational. That gives it around 80% global coverage. Another four satellites are being prepared for a rocket launch from French Guiana next month. Once they have been fully deployed, from 2020 the system should be complete, and there will be two spare satellites in case others run into technical difficulties. From around 2023, a replacement programme will start. Due to stresses of heat and cold, the satellites have an estimated 10-year lifespan. Haven't the British done some good business out of this project? Almost all the payload - the brains of the satellite - are built in Britain, which is a world leader in small satellites. Glasgow's got a good chunk of that market but not for Galileo. The other big spend is on the components - the solar panels, the casing, the rocket systems, where the Germans, French and Dutch have done well. But if we go back to 2002 into 2004, when Galileo was first being discussed, the British - backed up by Germany and the Netherlands - were strenuously arguing against it. They argued it was a classic, daft, Euro-waste of money and, literally, of space. With encouragement from Washington, the British were asking why Europe couldn't simply rely on the American GPS system. They didn't realise then how quickly people and the economy would become dependent on satellite navigation, on how widespread its applications could be, or on how positive the satellite sector could become for the British economy. Nor did they foresee that Donald Trump would become US President and could switch off GPS on a whim. When the programme was first discussed, there was talk of it being privately financed. That didn't happen, as providing a free service doesn't produce an income stream. There were discussions with Russia and China about working on this network with the European Union. But in Moscow and Beijing, they decided to go and make their own, military-led systems. Given the change of tone from the Kremlin, and concerns about China's acquisition of technology, it's hard to imagine those partnerships working smoothly now. So the European Union is happy with the system it has bought? The European Commission certainly sounds that way. It has spent around 10 billion euros so far, on satellites, launches, and building ground stations (the British and French have some helpful far-flung outposts and former colonies that can be used for that). And they're so happy with it that they announced this month that they intend to spend a further 16 billion euros from 2021 to 2027. That's as much as they have spent from 2005 to 2020. The absence of the UK from paying into the budget isn't going to slow them up. That money sustains the Galileo systems, paying for some replacement satellites as they wear out. It also supports the Copernicus network of satellites, which provides earth surveillance - of farming, land planning and pollution monitoring, and it has uses in handling natural disasters. The commission reckons that 80% of new phones on the market are Galileo-enabled. Just two years ago, there was one manufacturer linking with it, a small one in Spain. That did not take regulation. It's in the manufacturers' interests to deploy the technology. It did, however, require legislation to force car manufacturers to adopt the locator beacon technology as standard. And once on board all cars, it's an important step towards a satellite-based system for smart traffic management and autonomous cars. Britain's being denied access to at least part of this satellite system. Why? The UK is being denied on two grounds. One is the restricted part of the system, of particular interest for military uses. Britain has a lot of them. Think missile targeting. That element of Galileo is only for EU members, and when Britain is not an EU member, it will have to negotiate a special deal to use the system. Norway and America are already in talks to do that, and the talks have been under way for more than two years. I was in Brussels earlier this month, asking around about this, and I was told this makes the British - Brexiteers and remainers alike - more incensed than almost anything else in the negotiations. (So far.) Britain helped pay for it. It's been important to building it: "So be reasonable, chaps." In Brussels, they're saying: we're governed by rules, and look at the words - non-EU members, or "third countries" don't get automatic access to the high security functions. The other dispute is the ban on Britain being able to bid for work on the secure aspects of future EU satellites. So SSTL, the Surrey-based subsidiary of Airbus that makes most Galileo satellite payloads, is reported to be planning a move of its production to the continent. The UK government has tabled a proposal to share the system post-Brexit, but the other 27 members this week chose to continue while cutting the UK out of procurement. That brought a warning that the British could seek to frustrate the process and increase its costs. Could the UK have its own satellite network? That was being urged on ministers in the House of Commons this week. It would be an expensive option. It could be cheaper to do this on a one-country basis, and some lessons have been learned from the Galileo process. But it's not expected to leave much change from £10 billion. The British clearly have the know-how. At a price, it can hitch a ride on another country's rocket. Japan and India have their own regional systems, with satellites positioned above those countries, so that might be an option. But it looks like we might have spending pressures closer to home.

इस सप्ताह वेस्टमिंस्टर में ब्रेक्सिट की लड़ाई तेज हो रही है। लेकिन ब्रेक्साइटरों को क्रोधित करने वाले विषयों में से एक हमारे सिर पर बहुत अधिक जा रहा है। और यदि आपके पास स्मार्ट फोन है, या आपकी कार में सैट-नेव है, तो आप पहले से ही इस पर निर्भर हो सकते हैं।


The crack in Gambia's smile

Summary: The Gambia is known to tourists as "the smiling coast of West Africa", but this masks something more troubling. On his last trip before his untimely death this week, journalist Chris Simpson navigated the different worlds that exist in the small country.

I had been in The Gambian capital, Banjul, less than an hour and here I was, car pulled over, explaining my business to a group of men in uniform. A thrillingly sinister start to a week-long holiday? Not quite. I had fallen into the clutches of the tourist police, identity badges to the fore, courteous to a fault. "Are you lost?" they asked. They had guessed right. A 12-hour journey from neighbouring Senegal had taken its toll and I had lost patience with my taxi driver's wearing "welcome to Africa" banter and general cluelessness. Sheepishly, I agreed to a police escort. The commander jumped in next to the somewhat nonplussed man at the wheel and me, the slightly fake out-of-season tourist. We tracked down the pre-booked hotel. I checked in, but not before a semi-stern warning from my new friend: "Only ride in the green taxis designated for tourists; watch yourself, there are lots of cheats and chancers about." Yes, the con artists, hard-luck stories and fake friends are out there. Open your heart and your wallet if you must, but show some discrimination. And be mindful that ordinary Gambians have considerably more to fear than you do, never more so than now. The man they are on the run from, sometimes literally, is President Yahya Jammeh. He was less than 30 when he took power in 1994, ousting his predecessor, the much older Dawda Jawara. The president is now 51, but middle age has not mellowed him. Gambian friends told me not to make the common outsider's mistake of treating their leader as a maverick or eccentric - "tyrant" was nearer the mark, they said. "Every day we think about the president's health... and hope it is getting worse," a Gambian back from long stints abroad remarked. Diplomats, both western and African, see The Gambia in freefall. The torture testimonies and accounts of citizens gone missing are too widespread and well-documented to be ignored. Huge numbers of Gambians are discreetly leaving, which has become known as "taking the back way". The last time I had been in Banjul, Gambian journalists had talked openly to me about rough rebukes from the president. They had tried to work out when the threats were serious, and when they were just scare tactics. This time, I proceeded more cautiously. A young reporter at an independent paper agreed to an office rendezvous. He steered me into a side room and talked shyly but candidly about the state of the nation and the fear which truth-tellers had to put up with. For sure, he said, his phone was tapped. His friends often urged each other to soften messages on social media as the security forces are reading, and they do not take kindly to jokes about the leader. From Our Own Correspondent has insight and analysis from BBC journalists, correspondents and writers from around the world Opposition activists, once loyal to Mr Jammeh, were more bullish. They told me of the president's petty jealousy, his willingness to turn friends into foes. They said the people would get rid of him, maybe at the elections in December. But I could not share their confidence. But how did all this play out in the enclaves patrolled by my friends from the tourist police? The smallest country on mainland Africa has prided itself on the welcome it extends to visitors. Revenues from tourism account for close to 20% of GDP. The same package has worked for a long time: Sun-baked beaches, mangrove forests for the more intrepid, the drumming and exotic birdlife. It is a cut-price paradise; a newly declared Islamic Republic where beer is cheap and sex is openly available to both male and female tourists. Same-sex relationships, though, are not part of the scene. President Jammeh has volunteered to slit the throats of homosexuals. On earlier visits, I snobbishly wrote off the tourist belt as toytown Africa, dispiritingly subservient and banal, geared towards clients who are uncurious about the country they were staying in. This time I tried harder. Resisting the freelance blandishments of chancers promising a glimpse of the real Africa, I signed up for a day tour with the official tourism authorities. My guides knew their country. Patient, good humoured and informative, they stayed off politics but were no starry-eyed propagandists. The tour took us from ancient artefacts and historic photographs, to friendly crocodiles and hard-up wood carvers, to an impoverished primary school and an upmarket beach bar. The sky had more grey than blue and it all felt a little like hard work, as if The Gambia was clinging on to an image everyone knows to be an illusion, while a darker, meaner reality now intrudes. Chris Simpson died unexpectedly on Wednesday at the age of 53. He had been a correspondent for the BBC in Angola, Rwanda, Senegal and the Central African Republic.

गाम्बिया पर्यटकों के लिए "पश्चिम अफ्रीका के मुस्कुराते हुए तट" के रूप में जाना जाता है, लेकिन यह कुछ और अधिक परेशान करने वाला है। इस सप्ताह अपनी असामयिक मृत्यु से पहले अपनी अंतिम यात्रा पर, पत्रकार क्रिस सिम्पसन ने छोटे से देश में मौजूद विभिन्न दुनियाओं को नेविगेट किया।