Coronavirus: Japan's mysteriously low virus death rate

Summary: Why haven't more people in Japan died from Covid-19? It is a macabre question that has spawned dozens of theories, from Japanese manners to claims that the Japanese have superior immunity.

By Rupert Wingfield-HayesBBC News, Tokyo Japan does not have the lowest death rate for Covid-19 - in the region, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam can all boast lower mortality. But in the early part of 2020, Japan saw fewer deaths than average. This is despite the fact that in April, Tokyo saw about 1,000 "excess deaths' - perhaps due to Covid. Yet, for the year as a whole, it is possible that overall deaths will be down on 2019. This is particularly striking because Japan has many of the conditions that make it vulnerable to Covid-19, but it never adopted the energetic approach to tackling the virus that some of its neighbours did. What happened in Japan? At the height of the outbreak in Wuhan in February, when the city's hospitals were overwhelmed and the world put up walls to Chinese travellers, Japan kept borders open. As the virus spread, it quickly became clear that Covid is a disease that primarily kills the elderly and is massively amplified by crowds or prolonged close contact. Per capita, Japan has more elderly than any other country. Japan's population is also densely packed into huge cities. Greater Tokyo has a mind-boggling 37 million people and for most of them, the only way to get around is on the city's notoriously packed trains. Then there is Japan's refusal to heed the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) to "test, test, test". Even now, total PCR tests stand at just 348,000, or 0.27% of Japan's population. Nor has Japan had a lockdown on the scale or severity of Europe. In early April, the government ordered a state of emergency. But the stay-at-home request was voluntary. Non-essential businesses were asked to close, but there was no legal penalty for refusing. Many paragons of Covid strategy, such as New Zealand and Vietnam, used tough measures including closing borders, tight lockdowns, large-scale testing and strict quarantines - but Japan did none of that. Yet, five months after the first Covid case was reported here, Japan has fewer than 20,000 confirmed cases and fewer than 1,000 deaths. The state of emergency has been lifted, and life is rapidly returning to normal. There is also growing scientific evidence that Japan really has contained the spread of the disease - so far. Telecom giant Softbank carried out antibody testing on 40,000 employees, which showed that just 0.24% had been exposed to the virus. Randomised testing of 8,000 people in Tokyo and two other prefectures has shown even lower levels of exposure. In Tokyo just 0.1% came back positive. As he announced the lifting of the state of emergency late last month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke proudly of the "Japan Model", intimating that other countries should learn from Japan. Is there something special about Japan? If you were to listen to Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, it is down to the "superior quality" of Japanese people. In a now notorious comment, Mr Aso said he had been asked by leaders of other countries to explain Japan's success. "I told these people: 'Between your country and our country, mindo (the level of people) is different.' And that made them speechless and quiet." Literally translated, mindo means "people's level", although some have translated it as meaning "cultural level". It is a concept dating back to Japan's imperial era and denotes a sense of racial superiority and cultural chauvinism. Mr Aso has been roundly condemned for using it. But there is no doubt that many Japanese, and some scientists, think there is something about Japan that is different - a so called "Factor X" that is protecting the population from Covid-19. It is possibly relevant that some aspects of Japanese mores - few hugs and kisses on greeting - have in-built social distancing, but nobody thinks that is the answer. Does Japan have special immunity? Tokyo University professor Tatsuhiko Kodama - who studies how Japanese patients react to the virus - believes Japan may have had Covid before. Not Covid-19, but something similar that could have left behind "historical immunity". This is how he explains it: When a virus enters the human body, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the invading pathogen. There are two types of antibody - IGM and IGG. How they respond can show whether someone has been exposed to the virus before, or something similar. "In a primary (novel) viral infection the IGM response usually comes first," he tells me. "Then the IGG response appears later. But in secondary cases (previous exposure) the lymphocyte already has memory, and so only the IGG response increases rapidly." So, what happened with his patients? "When we looked at the tests we were astonished... in all patients the IGG response came quickly, and the IGM response was later and weak. It looked like they had been previously exposed to a very similar virus." He thinks it is possible a Sars-like virus has circulated in the region before, which may account for the low death rate, not just in Japan, but in much of China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South East Asia. This has been met with some scepticism. "I am not sure how such a virus could be restricted to Asia," says Professor Kenji Shibuya, director of Public Health at Kings College, London and a former senior adviser to the government. Professor Shibuya does not discount the possibility of regional differences in immunity or genetic susceptibility to Covid. But he is suspicious of the idea of a "Factor X" that explains the mortality differences. He thinks countries that have done well in the fight against Covid, have done so for the same reason - they succeeded in dramatically reducing transmission. Japanese people began wearing face masks more than 100 years ago during the 1919 flu pandemic and they've never really stopped. If you get a cough or a cold here it is expected that you will don a mask to protect those around you. "I think it (a mask) acts as a physical barrier. But it also serves as a reminder to everybody to be mindful. That we still have to be careful around each other," says Keiji Fukuda, an influenza specialist and director of the School of Public Health at Hong Kong University. Japan's track and trace system also goes back to the 1950s when it battled a wave of tuberculosis. The government set up a nationwide network of public health centres to identify new infections and report them to the health ministry. If community transmission is suspected, a specialist team is dispatched to track the infections, relying on meticulous human contact tracing and isolation. Japan discovered the Three Cs early Japan also discovered two significant patterns early in the pandemic. Dr Kazuaki Jindai, a medical researcher at Kyoto university and member of the cluster-suppression taskforce, said data showed over a third of infections originated in very similar places. "Our figures... showed many infected people had visited music venues where there is screaming and singing... we knew that those were the places people needed to avoid." The team identified "heavy breathing in close proximity" including "singing at karaoke parlours, parties, cheering at clubs, conversations in bars and exercising in gyms" as the highest-risk activities. Second, the team found that the infection's spread was down to a small percentage of those carrying the virus. An early study found around 80% of those with Sars-CoV-2 did not infect others - while 20% were highly infectious. These discoveries led to the government launching a nationwide campaign warning people to avoid the "Three Cs". "I think that probably worked better than just telling people to stay at home," Dr Jindai says. Although workplaces were left off the list, it was hoped the "Three Cs" campaign would slow the spread enough to avoid lockdown - and fewer infections means fewer deaths. For a while it did - but then in mid-March infections in Tokyo jumped and the city looked like it was on the path to exponential growth, like Milan, London and New York. At this point Japan either got smart or got lucky. The jury is still out on which. Timing, timing Professor Kenji Shibuya thinks the lessons from Japan are not so different from elsewhere: "To me, it was a timing lesson." Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered a - non-enforceable - state of emergency on 7 April, asking people to stay at home "if possible". "If such measures were delayed, we might have experienced a similar situation like New York or London. The death rate (in Japan) is low. "But a recent study by Columbia University suggests that if New York had implemented lockdown measure two weeks earlier, it would have prevented tens of thousands of deaths," Prof Shibuya notes. A recent report by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found people with underlying medical conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes are six times more likely to be hospitalised if they get Covid-19 and 12 times more likely to die. Japan has the lowest rates of coronary heart disease and obesity in the developed world. Still, scientists insist such vital signs do not explain everything. "Those kinds of physical differences may have some effect but I think the other areas are more important. We've learned from Covid that there is no simple explanation for any of the phenomena that we're seeing. It's a lot of factors contributing to the final outcome," says Prof Fukuda. The government asked, people listened To go back to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's boast of the "Japan Model" - is there a lesson to be learned? Does the fact that Japan has, so far, succeeded in keeping infections and deaths low, without shutting down or ordering people to stay at home, show a way forward? The answer is yes and no. There is no "Factor X" - like everywhere else it has depended on the same thing - breaking the chain of transmission. In Japan, though, the government can count on the public to comply. Despite not ordering people to stay at home, on the whole, they did. "It was lucky but also surprising," Prof Shibuya says. "Japan's mild lockdowns seems to have had a real lockdown effect. Japanese people complied despite the lack of draconian measures." "How do you reduce contact between infected and uninfected people...? You need a certain kind of response from the public, which I don't think is going to be so easily replicated in other countries," adds Prof Fukuda. Japan asked people to take care, stay away from crowded places, wear masks and wash their hands - and by and large, that is exactly what most people have done.

जापान में कोविड-19 से अधिक लोगों की मृत्यु क्यों नहीं हुई? यह एक भयावह सवाल है जिसने जापानी शिष्टाचार से लेकर इस दावे तक कि जापानियों में बेहतर प्रतिरक्षा है, दर्जनों सिद्धांतों को जन्म दिया है।


Jaguar XE moves to Castle Bromwich plant in £100m investment

Summary: Jaguar has announced that its XE sports car will be built at the Castle Bromwich plant as part of a £100m investment.

Production of the XE will gradually transfer from its current home at Solihull. It means the return of all Jaguar sports and saloon car manufacturing to the Birmingham site. The move takes the total invested in the Castle Bromwich site to more than £500m over the last two years. The XF, F-TYPE and XJ are also built at the plant. Jaguar Land Rover said in August that sales stood at 85,726 for the year, an increase of 72% on 2015.

जगुआर ने घोषणा की है कि उसकी एक्सई स्पोर्ट्स कार को 100 मिलियन पाउंड के निवेश के हिस्से के रूप में कैसल ब्रोमविच संयंत्र में बनाया जाएगा।


Pregnant and depressed: 'I feared they'd take my child if I admitted how I felt'

Summary: When journalist Anna Ceesay was pregnant with her second child she began to feel depressed and anxious, but kept it a secret from everyone, including her husband, the actor Babou Ceesay. She is now determined to help other parents look after their mental wellbeing.

By Lucy WallisBBC Stories As any parent of young children will tell you, there are very few moments in the day that you get to yourself, but any moment of stillness can bring with it time to think and time to feel. "When I woke up I felt it the most," says 33-year-old Anna Ceesay, who had a three-year-old daughter and was six months pregnant with her second child when her problems began. "It was at those moments, early in the morning, I would feel it physically. I literally felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. "Sometimes it would go away and sometimes it wouldn't, so some days were better than others," she says. Along with the sinking feeling came anxiety - she was anxious about things she wouldn't usually be anxious about - but she put it all down to the fact that there was a lot going on. She was solo-parenting because her husband was away, working, and their home in Bromley, south London, was being renovated. The symptoms remained, though, even after the renovations were finished. "I would get incredibly anxious about things like cooking," says Anna. "I became convinced that I was going to give everyone food poisoning every time I cooked a roast chicken, even though I did that every weekend. I would obsessively Google how long I needed to cook the chicken for according to the weight, even though I always brought the same size chicken every week. "I'd just convince myself that I'm going to get it wrong and I'm going to give everyone food poisoning - someone's going to die." Anna managed to hide her mental health problems from everyone around her - including her husband, parents and friends. She didn't even "really admit it" to herself, she says. "I think probably I'm not alone, in the sense that when you start to think something's not right, you tend to push it to the back of your mind, just carry on with life and just carry on with the day to day. "When you've got young kids you have to keep going. So you just put yourself last and keep going on the treadmill of life. It did take me a couple of months to actually think, 'You know what? I can't do this on my own, and I do need to get help,' and when I did that, it was incredibly scary." Having dropped her daughter off at pre-school one day, Anna sat in her car staring at the number of the Pandas helpline, which gives support to people coping with pre- and post-natal mental illness. Making the call felt like trying to cross a "terrifying chasm", she says. Now eight months pregnant, she had been looking at the number for over a week, but that day had decided to pluck up the courage to call. "The first time I actually said anything out loud was when I called the Pandas helpline and that was incredibly difficult. I remember sobbing on the phone," she says. "Just admitting that I needed some support was quite a difficult step for me, because I'm someone who's always taken pride in being really independent and very strong, so to reach out for help is something that I've never really done before." The woman on the helpline was reassuring. She told Anna she'd had postnatal depression herself, that there was hope and that she would recover. And she urged her to speak to her GP. "When I put the phone down from her, I then called my husband and that was when I told him and he was actually in America at the time," Anna says. "I think he was a little bit taken aback and worried because he was away, so I think he felt powerless. I was obviously going through something and he wasn't there." Babou says their busy lifestyles had prevented them from seeing the storm brewing. "First of all there's this person who I've always looked up to, admired - and suddenly I'm going, 'Wow you are under a huge amount of stress.' I felt an immense amount of sadness. I immediately started thinking of ways to get on a plane and get home as soon as possible," he says. He describes it as one of the first times in their relationship that he actually went quiet and just listened to what Anna had to say. "I'm in the house living everyday with her," he says. "So it was a shock, how she could keep how she really felt to herself - and it wasn't an attempt to cover it up, she wasn't even fully aware, because it's gradual - until she suddenly reached that point where she realised, 'I'm not myself.'" Further help and advice: NHS: Mental health problems and pregnancy PANDAS Foundation UK Mind: Perinatal mental health Royal College of Psychiatrists: Mental health in pregnancy Anna made an appointment with her GP. But before she told her GP everything - that she was waking up with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that she was getting very anxious about everyday things and that she was feeling low - she spoke to her about her biggest fear. She was terrified about the possible consequences of asking for help. "I said, 'I'm really scared that if I actually tell you how I'm feeling you're going to take my daughter away,'" says Anna. "It's quite scary when you've already got children to turn up to the doctor and be like, 'I don't think I'm mentally well.' I've spoken to a lot of women who've told me that that concerns them, that they don't want to go to the doctor because they're worried about the implications for their family and their children." The doctor looked straight at Anna and told her she had done the right thing and that no-one was going to take her daughter away. Anna was referred to a local NHS talking therapy team and within two weeks of her GP appointment had received her first therapy session with a perinatal psychotherapist. Mental health during and after pregnancy Prof Lorraine Sherr, a clinical psychologist and head of the Health Psychology Unit at University College London, says pregnancy can trigger mental heath problems and exacerbate existing ones. Symptoms can include tearfulness, lethargy, sleep disturbances and sometimes physical health symptoms. She says the most important thing to do if you do experience any mental health issue in the perinatal period is to not suffer alone - talk to those around you, to your midwife and healthcare professionals and your GP. You would not hesitate to seek help if you had a physical illness, she says, so the same should apply to mental health. By her second therapy session, Anna was almost nine months pregnant. "My therapist said, 'OK, how's your week been?'" says Anna. "And I said I've just found out I've got to have a C-section - and I was devastated about that, because with my first pregnancy, I had a water birth, I didn't have any pain relief. I was very proud of that, very smug, went round telling everyone, 'Isn't that wonderful,' and I wanted to have the same experience again. "So then to find out that I had to have an elective C-section, obviously the complete opposite of a 'natural birth', that triggered all sorts of anxious thoughts and feelings, because I then felt like, 'Oh I'm already a failure as a mother to this baby, because I can't even give birth to it in a natural way. This is not how it happened last time, I can't cope with it being different.'" Anna says she talked it through with her therapist who asked her what she would say to a friend who had just found out she had to have a caesarean. "I said, 'Well as long as the baby's healthy that's fine, it doesn't matter.'" She says she then realised some of the language we use around birth can be unhelpful and that now, a couple of years down the line, how her son got here is irrelevant. Anna says talking it through at the time made her relax and eased her anxiety about having a caesarean. Anna took a break from therapy when her son was born, but then went back when he was six weeks old and received therapy until he was six months. She says there were ups and downs, but the experience was life-changing. "It taught me that my thoughts don't need to control me, that I might have anxious thoughts or I might suddenly be affected by low mood, but actually that's not me, that's just thoughts that I can control and I can learn how to manage them. "It absolutely doesn't make it go away, not for me anyway, and I think most people who have had mental health problems would say the same. It's not the same as a physical injury where, let's say you break your leg and then everything is better in a few months' time. It's not like that, but what it does do is give you the tools to be able to manage it and to be able to feel empowered and say, 'You know what, I sought help, I've got the tools now, if I start to feel anxious and low again I know what I can do,' and that gives you more confidence." Babou says he did feel helpless at first but soon realised that he just needed to be there for his wife. "I realised very quickly that apart from just being present, there wasn't anything I could do. She would have to walk the walk and I walk beside her, or even slightly behind. She has to lead the way completely." Anna says that, throughout everything, Babou has been incredibly supportive and understanding. She says there is still a massive stigma around mental health. "It's fashionable at the moment to talk about mental health, it's kind of in vogue, but in reality, I think a lot of people still don't necessarily reach out for help when they need it," she says. This is one reason why she decided to set up Motherdom, a mental well-being magazine for parents of children under five. "When I was at the darkest point, I did feel completely alone. And that is ridiculous. I wasn't completely alone, but that's how I felt, and anyone will tell you the nature of any kind of depressive illness is that it makes you feel isolated and I really wished there were more resources out there," she says. "A lot of women think that's a normal part of life when you become a mum, that you're just going to feel awful and I think, 'No, you absolutely don't have to accept that.'" Maybe in those rare periods of stillness, if and when they arise, parents should take time to ensure they are taking care of their own mental well-being, she suggests. "I don't know any better way other than talking about it more," says Babou. "Communicating, reading about it, getting to know each other better - I think we'd have a much happier world, frankly." Motherdom is available quarterly online and in print. You may also be interested in: Catherine Benfield wasn't diagnosed with OCD until she was 31, after she had her first child. She recovered with the help of therapy - and by creating a character who personifies her obsessive-compulsive behaviour. Read: 'I call my OCD Olivia'

जब पत्रकार एना सीसे अपने दूसरे बच्चे के साथ गर्भवती थीं, तो उन्होंने उदास और चिंतित महसूस करना शुरू कर दिया, लेकिन इसे अपने पति, अभिनेता बाबू सीसे सहित सभी से गुप्त रखा। अब वह अन्य माता-पिता की मानसिक भलाई की देखभाल करने में मदद करने के लिए दृढ़ हैं।


Indian foreign minister meets Ranil

Summary: The Indian foreign minister, K. Natwar Singh, has held talks in Colombo with the Sri Lankan opposition leader, Ranil Wickremasinghe on the country's future.

A spokesman for Wickremasinghe said the two men discussed the current political crisis in the country and the peace process. On Friday Singh met with the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar to finalise the details of a defence cooperation agreement. At a joint press conference, Kadirgamar said Sri Lanka had agreed to accept an Indian air defence system. The indian foreign minister Singh, who is on a two day visit to Colombo, will co-chair the latest meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission, which overseas political, trade and defence co-operation between the two countries, before returning to India.

भारतीय विदेश मंत्री के. नटवर सिंह ने कोलंबो में श्रीलंका के विपक्षी नेता रानिल विक्रमसिंघे के साथ देश के भविष्य पर बातचीत की है।


Forex scandal: How to rig the market

Summary: The foreign exchange market is not easy to manipulate.

By Sebastian Chrispin Business reporter, BBC News But it is still possible for traders to change the value of a currency in order to make a profit. As it is a 24-hour market, it is not easy to see how much the market is worth on a given day. Institutions find it useful to take a snapshot of how much is being bought and sold. Until February, this happened every day in the 30 seconds before and after 16:00 in London and the result is known as the 4pm fix, or just the fix. Since these violations came to light, the window has been changed to five minutes to make it harder to manipulate. The fix is very important, as it is the peg on which many other financial markets depend. So how do you make currency prices change in the way you want? Traders can affect market prices by submitting a rush of orders during the window when the fix is set. This can skew the market's impression of supply and demand, so changing the price. This might be where traders obtain confidential information about something that is about to happen and could change prices. For example, some traders shared internal information about their clients' orders and trading positions. The traders could then place their own orders or sales in order to profit from the subsequent movement in prices. This can relate to the 4pm fix, with a trader placing a trade before 4pm because he knows something will happen at around 4pm. It is easier to move prices if several market participants work together. By agreeing to place orders at a certain time or sharing confidential information, it is possible to move prices more sharply. That could result in traders making more profits. Collusion can be "active", with traders speaking to each other on the phone or on internet chatrooms. It can also be "implicit", where traders don't need to speak to each other but are still aware of what other people in the market are planning to do. 'Hooray nice teamwork' Last November, the UK's financial watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) gave some examples of how traders at banks calling themselves names such as "the players", "the 3 musketeers", "1 team, 1 dream" and "the A-team" attempted to manipulate foreign exchange markets. In one example, it said traders at HSBC had colluded with traders from at least three other firms to attempt to drive the fix for the sterling-dollar rate lower. It said traders had shared confidential information about client orders prior to the fix, and then used this information to attempt to manipulate the fix downwards. The sterling/dollar exchange rate fix fell from £1.6044 to £1.6009 in this particular example, making HSBC a $162,000 profit. Afterwards, traders congratulated themselves, saying: "Loved that mate... worked lovely... pity we couldn't get it below the 00", "there you go.. go early, move it, hold it, push it", "nice works gents..I don my hat" and "Hooray nice teamwork". In another example, the FCA said Citi traders had attempted to drive the euro/dollar fix upwards by sharing information on its buy orders with traders at other firms. Traders at these firms then transferred their buy orders to Citi, giving it more influence on the market Ultimately, the euro/dollar fix rose and Citi's profit for the trade reached $99,000. After the trade was completed, traders shared congratulatory messages such as "lovely", "yeah worked ok" and "cn't teach that". Who gets hurt? The price movements arising from the manipulation are so small that holidaymakers are unlikely to notice a big difference when buying foreign currency. The biggest losers are companies found guilty of manipulation. Even for big banks £2bn is a lot of money. The regulators say that some of the banks' clients could have suffered from the market being skewed. That could affect the value of pension funds and investments. This kind of manipulation also further undermines trust in the financial system, which has been through a series of scandals.

विदेशी मुद्रा बाजार में हेरफेर करना आसान नहीं है।


Colin Pitchfork parole hearing: How to assess a killer's risk

Summary: Thirty years ago, brutal child killer Colin Pitchfork became the first person to be convicted using DNA profiling. The rapes and murders of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, both 15, were all the more shocking because Pitchfork led an apparently normal family life. Now a parole board is due to consider whether he should be released from prison. So how do you decide a sadistic killer is no long a danger to society?

"He didn't just take Lynda's life, he took mine as well. He mustn't be allowed to do it again and he will if he is allowed freedom," said Lynda's mum Kath Eastwood. "There's no remorse - what he did proves what kind of a killer he is and he won't change." On a cold November day in 1983, Colin Pitchfork left his baby son sleeping in the back of his car and raped Lynda as she made her way to a friend's house in the Leicestershire village of Narborough. He then strangled her with her own scarf, drove home and put his son to bed. Three years later, less than a mile from the spot where Lynda died, he raped and murdered Dawn Ashworth. The pathologist who examined her body described it as a "brutal sexual assault". She too was then strangled. The police investigation initially led to the wrong man, although he falsely confessed to one of the killings, and it was only thanks to the development of DNA fingerprinting at the University of Leicester that Pitchfork was eventually caught. He confessed to the murders, two further separate indecent assaults and admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice - after persuading a colleague to give a sample on his behalf. At Pitchfork's sentencing it was heard he had a "personality disorder of psychopathic type accompanied by serious psycho sexual pathology", was a serious danger to women and should not be released until it could be shown he was no longer a risk. But, in the 28 years since, he has been described as a model prisoner who has educated himself to degree level and become an expert in transcribing music into Braille. He consequently had his 30-year minimum term reduced by two years. Now aged 55, he has a parole hearing. The panel, usually made up of three members, will consider a raft of paperwork and evidence of Pitchfork's conduct and progress through the prison system. Part of the process involves a statistical risk assessment based on sex offenders' treatment programmes but Prof Kevin Browne, a forensic psychologist with the University of Nottingham, recently published a report condemning the process. "The risk assessment tool used in prisons for sex offenders does not predict re-offending beyond chance and the parole board may as well go by the colour of their shirt," he said. How DNA caught Colin Pitchfork The police turned to The University of Leicester's Dr Alex Jeffreys for help in cracking the case. With DNA profiling, originally used in paternity disputes, experts proved a 17-year-old boy's innocence before carrying out a mass screening of 5,000 men. Even then, Pitchfork evaded justice by persuading a colleague to take the test for him, going so far as to replace his passport photograph. But he was overheard boasting about the case in the pub and was eventually arrested. His DNA profile ultimately led to his guilty plea and 30-year jail term. Added to this, Pitchfork is in a very small group of sex attackers who kill. In a study of more than 7,000 sex offenders, it was estimated only 3% murdered their victims, 1% of whom were children. Prof Browne said this made it even harder to assess if Pitchfork's treatment had been a success because there was nothing to compare him to. Added to that, he has spent 30 years in prison in which he may well have been fantasising as a way to occupy his mind. "There's no telling what that was about," Prof Browne said. "Yes he has served his time but the basis for his release is 'is he still a risk to the community?' On balance, that's a difficult one to judge." But judge it the parole board must. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice would not comment on Pitchfork's case but said the parole board was legally obliged to consider releasing a prisoner once their jail term was served. 'Focus on danger' At this point, they would no longer be held in prison as a punishment and could only remain in prison if considered a risk to the public. "Public protection is our top priority. We use a series of robust measures, including a comprehensive risk assessment, to ensure all offenders are safely managed in the community," he said. If a prisoner on a life sentence was released, they would remain on licence and may be subject to restrictions, including banning from certain areas, and if these were breached they would be recalled to jail. The parole board said it was "not legally permitted to consider whether the prisoner has been punished enough, instead it must focus solely on how dangerous the prisoner is". It takes into account the nature of the offence, the prisoner's offending history and their progress in prison. The board also considers victim statements, psychologist reports, probation and prison officer reports, and risk assessments. Another option open to the panel is to begin Pitchfork's rehabilitation in an open prison. There are thousands of people who believe he should be locked away for good and have signed a petition urging the panel to do just that. The families of his victims have written heartfelt letters, pleading for him to be kept in jail. Ms Eastwood, who moved her family because of the fear her daughter's murderer would strike again, said she was terrified at the thought Pitchfork could one day be free. "He isn't a man, he can't be to do what he did," she said. "To have his baby boy in the back of his car, to stop his car and then kill my Lindy, get back into his car, and take the baby to bed after what he had done. "For a man to act that way just after he had killed a girl - there's a missing link inside his head. There's something wrong permanently. "There's no feeling there at all, no remorse. " And she firmly believes he would do it again. "His attacks were so horrific, so abnormal it's beyond description. People don't need to know exactly what he did - there's much more to it that will never come out in public." The Parole Board will hold its hearing this month. Watch Inside Out at 19:30 BST on Monday on BBC One in the East Midlands to see the full interview with Ms Eastwood.

तीस साल पहले, क्रूर बाल हत्यारा कॉलिन पिचफोर्क डीएनए प्रोफाइलिंग का उपयोग करके दोषी ठहराए जाने वाले पहले व्यक्ति बन गए। लिंडा मान और डॉन एशवर्थ, दोनों 15, के बलात्कार और हत्याएं और भी चौंकाने वाली थीं क्योंकि पिचफोर्क एक सामान्य पारिवारिक जीवन जीते थे। अब एक पैरोल बोर्ड इस बात पर विचार करने वाला है कि क्या उसे जेल से रिहा किया जाना चाहिए। तो आप कैसे तय करते हैं कि एक परपीड़क हत्यारा लंबे समय तक समाज के लिए खतरा नहीं है?


What Supreme Court's Daca ruling means for Trump and Dreamers

Summary: Once again the Supreme Court has ruled that a controversial action by the Trump administration is illegal. And once again the biggest stumbling block for the White House isn't that their officials lacked the power to do what they want, it's that they went about it the wrong way.

Anthony ZurcherNorth America reporter@awzurcheron Twitter The Justice Department's attempt to rescind Daca, the Obama-era programme that provides normalised immigration status to some undocumented immigrants who entered the US as children, was "arbitrary and capricious", the court held, in a way prohibited by federal law. That mirror's the court's conclusion in a decision last year blocking the Trump administration's efforts to include a citizenship question on the decennial US census. Both opinions were written by Chief Justice John Roberts, whose technicality-minded devotion to a 1946 federal law unglamorously called the Administrative Procedures Act, is presenting an imposing obstacle to the administration's policy objectives. "We do not decide whether Daca or its rescission are sound policies," Roberts wrote, noting that the administration simply did not provide proper legal justifications or make appropriate considerations when it tried to act. Lower courts have cited the procedures act to throw up similar roadblocks to other Trump administration moves, particularly in the realm of environmental policy. The president's political opponents have found that an executive branch not always meticulous about the details has presented plentiful legal lines of attack. What does it mean for the election? While the Trump administration waged a lengthy court battle to have its Daca order upheld, there may be a few sighs of relief from the president's campaign over this ruling. A Trump win would have pushed hundreds of thousands of Daca recipients into the economic shadows or onto deportation rolls just months before the election. It would have put a sympathetic human face on the targets of administration's hard-line immigration policies. Instead, this becomes another somewhat theoretical campaign issue. What does it mean for 'Dreamers'? A re-elected Trump could make another run at Daca in his second term, putting the programme once again at risk. With four years under their belt, Trump officials may have learned a bit more about how to navigate the treacherous waters of administrative procedure. The president says the ultimate goal is to eventually provide Daca-like protections, but only as part of reform that accomplishes his larger objectives of limiting undocumented migration and restructuring the US immigration system. Meanwhile a President Joe Biden would have four years to further establish the programme - and push for Congress to come up with the permanent legislative solution that eluded his former boss, Barack Obama. In the meantime, the Supreme Court has given Daca recipients a reprieve, albeit on a technicality, leaving their ultimate fate still far from certain.

एक बार फिर सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने फैसला सुनाया है कि ट्रम्प प्रशासन की एक विवादास्पद कार्रवाई अवैध है। और एक बार फिर व्हाइट हाउस के लिए सबसे बड़ी अड़चन यह नहीं है कि उनके अधिकारियों के पास वह करने की शक्ति नहीं है जो वे चाहते हैं, यह है कि उन्होंने इसे गलत तरीके से किया।


Robin Hood: What happened to Nottingham castle?

Summary: The Robin Hood legend brings millions of tourists to Nottingham every year but visitors expecting to find a medieval castle are often disappointed when faced with a grand stately home. So what happened to the original fortress?

By Sandish ShokerBBC News, Nottingham In Hollywood's adaptation of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves the hero and his men dressed in hooded overalls and disguises sneak into the grounds of a medieval castle to disrupt an execution. And in the BBC TV series, Robin is often seen duping castle guards to get into the grand hall or wreak havoc on the grounds. All of these have led people to naturally assume the city has a traditional castle - when in fact it was demolished more than 350 years ago. In fact it comes as a shock to many tourists when they realise it is no longer there. "I was expecting it to be more medieval looking so I was a bit taken aback," says Wayne Horne, 25, from Northamptonshire. "It was smaller than what you see in the films and I thought it would be mysterious and frightening, but it wasn't, it was quite a modern building," says another visitor, 18-year-old Veronika Khanova, from Russia. Managing expectations and changing the castle's image is now part of a bid by the local authority to turn it into a "world class heritage attraction". Cal Warren, from Nottingham City Council, is trying to obtain lottery funding for the project. "Tourists come from all over the world for a medieval castle and they come here for Robin Hood, both of which we can't give them," she says. "What we can do though is give them the experience and enjoyment of what we do have and give them the knowledge of its past." The original castle was torn down following the English civil war in the 17th Century and was replaced with a palace for the Duke of Newcastle a few years later. This was burnt down by rioters in the 19th Century and lay derelict for years until it was restored and reopened as a museum in the late 19th Century. "People have a perception of what a castle should be like and some actually suggest we should build a new one, but we can't change our history," says Dr Richard Gaunt, from University of Nottingham's School of History. "In medieval times there were no theme parks and no National Trust so it is difficult to know what might have been had it not been knocked down." "The castle has been gone for nearly 400 years but somewhere in their minds people think it should still be there," says local historian Dr Trevor Foulds. "Everybody imagines their own version of Nottingham castle. Maybe it is because of the films, but nowhere else does this happen. "It's a shame the castle has gone but this is what we are left with and we just have to deal with that."

रॉबिन हुड किंवदंती हर साल लाखों पर्यटकों को नॉटिंघम लाती है लेकिन मध्ययुगीन महल की उम्मीद करने वाले आगंतुक अक्सर एक भव्य आलीशान घर का सामना करने पर निराश होते हैं। तो मूल किले का क्या हुआ?


Why are there wasps in my bathroom?

Summary: In the past week there's been a 1,000% rise in the number of people searching Google to find out when UK wasps will die, while scores of Twitter users have shared tales of emerging from the shower to find themselves surrounded by the pesky buzzers. What's going on?

By Bethan BellBBC News Being in the same room as a wasp can be a worrying experience - especially if that room is the bathroom, where you're often exposing tender flesh all the more susceptible to an unpleasant sting. It's one thing to beware of wasps outside the home, as a poor woman from West Sussex found out when she was bombarded after her dog disturbed a nest. But wasps are also keen on building their nests inside, according to Wasp Removal UK. "Wasps will build nests in wall cavities, loft spaces and just about any other suitable void they find," the organisation says. They can enter the house easily through an open door or window - or more cunningly through a vent, such as the type you find in bathrooms. Householders tend to notice the ones that come through in obvious ways - but the ones which have built a home in a vent often won't be spotted until they're flying about. Fruity shower gels Paul Hetherington, from insect charity Buglife, says there are actually fewer wasps around this year compared with last year. "It was a very bad winter for both wasps and bees, because it didn't get cold enough for them to hibernate. That means they weren't able to conserve their energy and died off. "It's just this year, we're noticing them a lot later in the year. It's usually in the middle of summer when there are a lot of sweet things like blackberries about. "But wasps which can't get to blackberries tend to venture into houses where there are sweet things." The wasps we see in bathrooms are likely to be worker wasps. Their job is to feed nectar to the queen wasps. When they do that, they "get rewarded by the wasp equivalent of honey", Mr Hetherington explains. When the queen has had enough sustenance to last the winter, she leaves the nest and goes off to hibernate - leaving the workers both out of a job and addicted to sweet things. That's when they venture into bathrooms, lured by the scent of sweet shampoos and soaps. So if you're busy cleaning yourself with a fruity shower gel, you're also sending delicious aromas to wasps. Worker wasps don't last the winter - they die off every year. Wasps are also attracted to bright lights, like the ones you get in bathrooms. This means while you're singing in the shower, the striped marauders could be waking up and buzzing toward the lights. At this time of year there's an additional hazard - "drunk" wasps. Paul Bates, from pest-control firm Cleankill Environmental Services, says wasps become "drunk" on fermenting fruit and tipsy wasps are extra-bold. What should you do? Mr Bates issued a chilling warning - if you try to swat a solitary wasp, it could "call for back-up" (a pheromone is released which attracts nearby wasps) and you could end up being attacked by a swarm. So try not to swipe at them - like in many aggressive situations, it's better to walk away. Often if you close the doors and turn the lights out in a room and leave the window open, the wasps will leave of their own volition - unless there's a live nest in your vents, of course. In that case, it's best to call a pest control specialist. In the UK, most wasp nests "die" in the autumn. Occasionally a very large nest will continue if the winter is mild and there is a local food source. And wasps are profligate creatures - they won't reuse a nest the following year, so if you find a dead nest it's safe to chuck away. The queen, though, will emerge ready to lead her entourage the following year.

पिछले सप्ताह में यह पता लगाने के लिए कि ब्रिटेन के ततैया कब मरेंगे, गूगल पर खोज करने वाले लोगों की संख्या में 1,000% की वृद्धि हुई है, जबकि कई ट्विटर उपयोगकर्ताओं ने शॉवर से बाहर निकलने की कहानियों को साझा किया है ताकि वे खुद को परेशान करने वाले बजर्स से घेर सकें। क्या हो रहा है?


Frozen 2: Five questions from the trailer we just can't let go

Summary: The first trailer for Disney's Frozen 2 has arrived.

By Rachel FoleyEntertainment reporter The film, which will be released in November, is a sequel to 2013's Frozen, which became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. The original told the story of sisters Anna and Elsa and was loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen. Disney aren't giving much away about the plot in the trailer, which clocks in at just under two minutes long. Disney announced they would be making a sequel in 2015 and work began on it in September 2017. The first trailer appeared online on Wednesday. It's left us with a lot of burning questions. 1. What's with the dark new tone? It's a beautiful autumn in the kingdom of Arendelle, but ominous music signals that all is not well. Kristen Bell's Anna tries to cross dangerous looking rocks, and her sister Elsa (Idina Menzel) uses her icy powers to try to cross a stormy sea. Later, Elsa and magical snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) are surrounded by flames. Anna's fiance Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) races through the forest on his reindeer Sven, flanked by other reindeer. In the final shot, Anna grabs Kristoff's sword and lunges at the audience. Who or what is threatening the kingdom? The trailer doesn't show us, but the internet is excited anyway. 2. Is climate change causing trouble in Arendelle? The trailer opens with a 40 second sequence of Elsa trying to cross a raging sea. All those wild waves have spawned some an even wilder theory amongst some Frozen fans that the sequel is actually about... climate change! 3. Could one of these new characters be Elsa's girlfriend? Two new characters were fleetingly revealed in the trailer, prompting a lot of speculation about their identities. They are a woman with red hair, and a blond figure who emerges, floating from a pile of leaves. One of these characters may be voiced by Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood, who is attached to the film in an unknown role. Perhaps these new characters could be the villains of the piece, but some fans are hoping otherwise. Frozen's writer and co-director Jennifer Lee has reportedly been considering giving Elsa a female love interest. Elsa's sexuality was not made clear in the first film, but many fans signed a petition calling for her to come out as gay. Lee has previously said there have been "tons of conversations" about whether Elsa will become the first Disney princess to have a girlfriend. So perhaps one of these characters could be a love interest for our heroine? 4. What's the significance of the floating diamonds? Strange floating diamonds are seen hovering outside the castle, as Anna watches, in a short section of the trailer, prompting speculation. Sharp-eyed fans have also noticed that the newly-released poster for the film features connecting diamonds which all contain different patterns. Can we assume the diamonds are going to play a major part in the film? It certainly looks that way. 5. Why have Anna and Elsa changed their looks? Actually, this one is probably easy to guess. Dolls based on the Frozen sisters have been flying off the shelves since the original film's release. Anna and Elsa both sported new outfits in the previous Frozen short animations released after the original film, Frozen Fever and Olaf's Frozen Adventure, and merchandise featured the new outfits. With that in mind, perhaps it's no surprise that Elsa is sporting a new icy blue ensemble and Anna has ditched her trademark braids for a new half-up, half-down hairdo. We'll have to wait until the film is released in November to find out if Frozen 2 will be as successful as its predecessor. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

डिज्नी की फ्रोजन 2 का पहला ट्रेलर आ गया है।


Wallaby loose in the Norfolk countryside

Summary: A wallaby is on the loose in the Norfolk countryside after escaping from a wildlife centre.

Motorists reported seeing the animal on Monday night on the Fakenham Road near Great Witchingham. Police tried to capture the animal, which had suffered a leg injury, but it made off into a nearby field. Drivers are being asked to be careful as the distressed creature may stray into the road. Officers said it should not be approached or chased.

एक वन्यजीव केंद्र से भागने के बाद नॉरफ़ॉक ग्रामीण इलाकों में एक दीवार खुली हुई है।


Mustafa Dawood: Brother's questions after immigration raid death

Summary: In June 2018, Mustafa Dawood died after falling through a factory roof while running away from immigration officers. It was a brutal end to a short life - one that had already seen him flee war in Sudan and make a perilous journey across Europe eventually settling in south Wales. So why did Mustafa die, and why are politicians and campaign groups now clamouring for justice?

By Jordan Davies & Gwyneth ReesBBC News It was early morning at the Shaftesbury Hand Car Wash in Newport and already a queue was forming. Drivers eager to get back on the road stood around drinking coffee and chatting as a team of workers cleaned and jet-washed their vehicles. But according to a witness, at half past nine, the banal scene came to an abrupt halt with the loud screech of tyres as a marked white van spun into the compound. The Home Office said their immigration enforcement "acted on intelligence". As it came to a stop, the doors were flung open and a team of immigration officers emerged. The car wash staff scattered in all directions. One of them was Mustafa Dawood, working illegally while awaiting a decision on his asylum application. Panicked, he dropped his tools and ran. Scrambling up a ladder, he climbed on to the roof of a neighbouring factory. Seconds later, a loud crash and Mustafa fell. He plummeted 40ft or so to the ground beneath. The Home Office said they then promptly suspended their operation. Horrified onlookers watched while immigration officers made frantic attempts to save him. He was rushed by ambulance to Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales. But it was to no avail. This was Saturday, 30 June 2018. And at the age of 23, Mustafa was dead. It was a life that ended roughly 3,000 miles (4,800km) away from his birth place in Al-Fashir, a small city and the capital of the North Darfur state in Sudan. A dry, dusty place, and one without many opportunities compared with the Western world, still it provided a happy home for Mustafa's childhood. Brought up by his parents, the middle of six children - four brothers and two sisters - from a young age he worked with his father, helping out in his shop and riding in the back of his lorry. But his main passion was football, leading to the nickname Casillas after a Real Madrid goalkeeper. His brother Ahmed Dawood said: "Mustafa liked to play soccer, and he had a lot of friends. "If you see his Facebook page, he has a thousand or more friends. "He was a happy child, full of happiness. And he was loved by everybody." But in February 2003, war came to Darfur, with the Sudan Liberation Army and Justice Equality Movement fighting the government, which they accused of oppressing the black African, non-Arab population. The government began a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Darfur's non-Arabs, including those of the Zaghawa tribe, to which Mustafa's family belonged. Ahmed said: "Everyone left. "People tried to come to Europe. A lot of people came. "Mustafa left because of the war. He wasn't happy, his future wasn't there. "He was looking for a safe place, he was looking for his future." Ahmed himself left Darfur in 2011, but it took Mustafa a few years to follow, setting out as a teenager. It is believed he made the difficult journey north to Egypt, then across the perilous Mediterranean Sea to Italy, France, then through Calais to the UK. Arriving in early 2015, he claimed asylum and set about beginning his new life in Southampton where his cousin Abdalaziz Osman already lived. Abdalaziz had been granted asylum in 2001, and had subsequently set up a security firm employing more than 100 people. He said: "Mustafa wasn't allowed to work, but friends gave him money. "He was such a friendly, likeable man, willing to live and learn. "He improved his English. He never drank, never smoked, never went to nightclubs. "He was a very special guy. I have never seen a young adult like that." Despite his family members already being granted asylum, Mustafa's case was not straightforward. The Home Office did not believe he was from the Zaghawa tribe and his asylum application was rejected. Abdalaziz said: "When his case was rejected, I went to court. I attended as a witness with another three people from the community. "We told them he is from Sudan and our community and tribe." Still Mustafa's case was rejected. Abdalaziz added: "We went to another solicitor and waited to get access to an expert to prove he was from Darfur. "Mustafa waited almost two years for this expert to write a report, and still the Home Office rejected it. "The expert wrote to the Home Office telling them they were wrong and asking them to look again at their position. "The Home Office was still considering his case. They put it on hold and had not made a final decision. Then he died." Mustafa was worried about how long the application process was taking, his family say. Abdalaziz said: "I always said to him, 'calm down, don't worry about waiting'. "People who try to come to the UK often spend 10, 15 years. "His mum told me to look after him. She told me young guys do silly things." Six months before his death, Mustafa was moved to the Allt-Yr-Yn suburb of Newport, where he was given a room in a shared house run by a private firm for the Home Office. He was living there while his final application was considered. Like the roughly 500 other asylum seekers in Newport, he waited. But he also made friends with people at a local charity, The Sanctuary, which supports local migrants. There he helped translate for other asylum applicants and worked on the centre's allotment, digging vegetables in his distinctive white trousers. Project manager Sarah Croft said: "We had only known Mustafa for six months, but he made a lasting impression on us. He was just the nicest, nicest young man. "So helpful, so respectful, always positive. He integrated with all cultures and was willing to help anyone. He is very sorely missed at the moment. We're heartbroken." Still, neither Mustafa's cousin, brother nor friends, had any idea he was working illegally. Abdalaziz said: "I always asked if he had money. "He said he had money but he didn't tell me he was working. "He was willing to help people. The last word he spoke to his mum was on the Friday and he asked her if she had a microwave or not. "He was going to try and send the money. He tried to help her." Abdalaziz said: "On the Saturday, I rang and rang him but his phone was off. "I wanted to book a ticket for him to attend my graduation. "On Sunday, I sent another Zaghawa person to see him because we are so many here. "He went to his house but his room was locked. But on the Monday morning, he found out from a housemate." The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation, saying that during the early stage there was "no indication that anyone serving with Immigration Enforcement may have breached the standards of professional behaviour". The Home Office will not comment on the immigration status of Mustafa or whether any criminal proceedings will be launched against the car wash. But they did say their immigration enforcement "acted on intelligence" and attended Shaftesbury Hand Car Wash. "During the course of the operation a 23-year-old Sudanese man fell from height and the operation was suspended," said a Home Office spokesperson. "Officers at the scene performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The man was transferred by ambulance to hospital, where he later died. Our thoughts are with his family. "As is the case with any death during the course of a law enforcement operation, the police have been informed and the matter referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which is investigating. "It would be inappropriate to comment while this investigation is ongoing." A coroner has said an inquest will be opened "at some point" in the future. But politicians and campaign groups have reacted angrily. On 9 July, around 60 people attended the Justice for Mustafa protest, organised by detainee support group SDS outside the Home Office in London. Bethan Sayed, Plaid Cymru Assembly member for South West Wales, said: "I think it's appalling that someone died in this way. "Obviously, asylum seekers are not allowed to work, but if officers knew he was working, they could have approached this in an entirely more humane way. "I know refugees in the Swansea area and some of them are waiting six, seven years for the Home Office to make a decision." Eyewitness Lyndon Saunders, 70, from Newport, who was waiting for his van to be cleaned, too has a view. He said: "If it had been handled differently, maybe he'd still be alive. It was very heavy-handed and dramatic, like something from Starsky & Hutch. "I feel so, so sorry for the boy and his family." The owner of Shaftesbury Hand Car Wash in Newport has refused to comment and the business remains open. Now it is left to Mustafa's friends and family to rebuild their lives without him. Yet they too are angry. Abdalaziz said: "It's unbelievable. "If this was Sudan, you would expect this to happen, but not here." Ahmed added: "When everyone was told he was dead, no one believed it. "Everyone cried. My mother is still crying. "It's very hard to have the loss of a young brother - only 23. I feel so sad. "I have a lot of questions. "Something wrong [has] happened."

जून 2018 में, मुस्तफा दाऊद की मृत्यु आप्रवासन अधिकारियों से भागते हुए एक कारखाने की छत से गिरने के बाद हो गई। यह एक छोटे से जीवन का क्रूर अंत था-जिसने पहले ही उसे सूडान में युद्ध से भागते हुए और पूरे यूरोप में एक खतरनाक यात्रा करते हुए अंततः दक्षिण वेल्स में बसते हुए देखा था। तो मुस्तफा की मृत्यु क्यों हुई, और राजनेता और अभियान समूह अब न्याय के लिए क्यों गुहार लगा रहे हैं?


German shepherd gets police commendation for 280 arrests

Summary: A police dog which helped arrest more than 280 people has won the highest honour his constabulary can bestow.

German shepherd Kaiser is about to retire after four years paired with Essex PC Andy Kemp. The commendation from Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh was for "unstinting devotion, loyalty and an outstanding police career". A force spokesman said it was very rare for police dogs to receive the honour. Chigwell-based PC Kemp said: "Kaiser is a brilliant police dog, my loyal companion and guardian and I'll miss him very much."

280 से अधिक लोगों को गिरफ्तार करने में मदद करने वाले एक पुलिस कुत्ते ने अपने सिपाही को दिया जाने वाला सर्वोच्च सम्मान जीता है।


Geoffrey Dickens: Tea dances and dossiers

Summary: The Today programme's James Naughtie, who was a parliamentary lobby correspondent in the 1970s and 80s, remembers Geoffrey Dickens, the colourful Conservative MP whose dossier on an alleged paedophile network is now the focus of a new inquiry.

By James NaughtieToday programme No-one can be certain if it was all Geoffrey Dickens's fault that he was not often taken seriously. He certainly made it difficult for himself, apparently enjoying the persona of parliamentary buffoon while pursuing campaigns on serious questions. One of them, as everyone now knows, on child sexual abuse. The trouble with twinkle-toed Dickens, who enjoyed telling tales of his exploits at tea dances in Leicester Square, that he never seemed to be quite sure of the difference between the trivial and the serious. And he had a gift for farce. The press conference at which he announced that he was going to pull out a skeleton from his own closet (in the form of a glamorous partner from one of the tea dances) turned into a famous Westminster occasion when he asked the reporters summoned to hear his confession - if they could hold back the news for a short time. Unaware that a number had already left the room to phone their news desk, and Mrs Dickens, he admitted he had wanted a little time because he called the press conference and rattled the skeleton in public without having taken the trouble to tell his wife first. The picture of a cheery bumbler was complete. He was much mocked, and much liked, perhaps because there was an evident authenticity in his working class Tory style, despite his habit at Question Time of sounding as if he was auditioning for an end of the pier show ("Mr Speaker, I want to do a favour for every woman in this country"). But when he started to talk about having assembled a dossier that named names and told a story of paedophile networks in high places, was it not surprising that everyone had a tremor of doubt? Was it more of a performance than a serious investigation? The question was natural, because Geoffrey was Geoffrey. Now the dossier is back, though the MP who compiled it never seemed to have kept a copy himself, and long years passed after his initial accusations in the early 1980s with little progress on his part. His naming in the Commons of a former diplomat, Sir Peter Hayman, as a member of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) turned out to be an arrow accurately aimed, but of others we heard nothing. The reason may have as much to do with the atmosphere of the time as with Dickens himself. There was little of the public concern with paedophilia at the time, almost as if a kind of innocence still attended the subject: many people were simply unwilling to imagine acts that are now discussed openly, and there was no welter of internet comment and campaign on the subject. Indeed, a sense of disbelief still swirled around the subject. And the trouble was that Dickens, well known as a rent-a-quote MP with a colourful opinion ready to be pulled out of his hat at a moment's notice, was the worst person to dispel it. He was no methodical campaigner, pursuing his leads and building his case, but a slash and burn man ready to speak about dark conspiracies (he pointed to burglaries at his home and threats against him after speaking about paedophilia), but without a steady hand on the tiller. In the end, it was Geoffrey and people would shrug their shoulders. Listeners who heard the rebroadcast comments of Tim Fortescue, a former Conservative whip from the Heath-era speaking in a documentary years after, will get the real sense of the times. A chap - it was usually a chap - would come to the whips, and confess his trouble. Sex, money, drink. A brush with the law. You name it. And what happened? They helped out quietly. That was the tenor of the time. It was the same in all the whips' offices, and everyone knew it. No doubt it still goes on, but I would venture to say that it is less brazen. And whether we will ever see the Dickens dossier, who knows? If we did, I imagine we would find that there were some nuggets in there, but quite a lot of fools' gold too. He was probably the wrong man, though he remained a popular figure, especially in the last illness (he died in 1995) which he handled with great courage. And perhaps his dossier died with him. Whatever we may make of his credentials as a campaigner, that may be a pity.

आज के कार्यक्रम के जेम्स नौटी, जो 1970 और 80 के दशक में एक संसदीय लॉबी संवाददाता थे, रंगीन कंजर्वेटिव सांसद जेफ्री डिकेंस को याद करते हैं, जिनका एक कथित पीडोफाइल नेटवर्क पर डोजियर अब एक नई जांच का केंद्र है।


Watson 'deplores' Labour's response to anti-Semitism claims

Summary: Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson has said he "deplored" his party's response to claims that some of Jeremy Corbyn's closest allies tried to interfere in disciplinary processes involving allegations of anti-Semitism.

Labour has insisted the claims in Wednesday's Panorama were inaccurate and made by "disaffected" former staff. But Mr Watson said dismissing the testimony of the staff was "wrong". And Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the leadership was "directly complicit". But shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the "serious charges" were being "hotly contested", and the process of dealing with complaints in the party had been "improved dramatically". 'Harrowing' testimony Labour's disputes team is supposed to operate independently from the party's political structures, including the leader's office. BBC Panorama spoke to former party officials, who alleged they had to deal with a huge increase in anti-Semitism complaints since Mr Corbyn became Labour leader in 2015. Some of the staff spoke to the programme despite having signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) when they left. Eight former officials who worked in the team and dealt with anti-Semitism cases claimed to the BBC that: Labour has rejected claims of interference and described the programme as "seriously inaccurate" and "politically one-sided". Mr McDonnell - a close ally of Mr Corbyn - said current staff had put in complaints to the BBC about the accusations made in the Panorama programme. "I have always said from the very beginning [the process of dealing with complaints] was too slow and not ruthless enough, but it has improved dramatically now," he said. "I think it is important that we listen to what has been said and look ourselves at what is happening, but what we've got now is two groups of staff challenging the accuracy of [the accusations] so we will have to look at that." But Labour's shadow women and equalities minister Dawn Butler - who is a supporter of Mr Corbyn - said the party "must acknowledge the deep hurt caused to our Jewish brothers and sisters". Three Labour MPs - Ruth Smeeth, Margaret Hodge and Louise Ellman - have written to Mr Corbyn, saying there is "no justifiable reason for your continuing failure to act". They added: "The ongoing inaction and tolerance of anti-Semitism has made a mockery of the party's core values of anti-racism and promoting equality. By ignoring this issue, you are turning a blind eye to anti-Jewish racism in the party". Mr Watson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the party needed new measures to tackle anti-Semitism - including automatic expulsion of members. "In the last four years since Jeremy and I were elected leader and deputy leader of the party, there is a growing belief that there is a sickness in our party, that this kind of abuse has been in some way allowed, that there is almost a permissive culture that people can use anti-Jewish racist language... that we have failed to address adequately," he said. Asked if he thought Mr Corbyn had what it takes to fix the party, Mr Watson said: "Not only do I think he can fix it, I think he is the only one who can fix it." He added: "I am not going to turn a blind eye to anti-Jewish racism. I am going to call it out, day in, day out, until action is taken. "That might cause great difficulty for my colleagues in the shadow cabinet who are also collectively responsible for this, but until we have dealt with it, until we have actually changed our rules, until we have actually attacked the culture at its root cause, then I am not going to resile." Chief Rabbi Mirvis tweeted a statement after Panorama aired, saying the programme "must be a watershed moment in this agonising saga". He added: "This is no longer a question of the leadership's inability to deal with the scourge of anti-Semitism, but of its direct complicity in it. "The cloud of hatred and acrimony that this creates must be lifted from our politics and from our society. "Quite simply, we cannot go on like this." In May, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) launched a formal investigation to look into whether Labour had "unlawfully discriminated against, harassed or victimised people because they are Jewish". The Jewish Labour Movement said on Thursday that more than 30 whistleblowers, including current Labour staff, would submit evidence to the inquiry. Other MPs and peers in the party also offered their support to the former staff in the Panorama documentary, adding that it showed Labour was failing to effectively tackle anti-Semitism in its ranks. Labour peer Lord Falconer said the leadership had to "change gear" over the issue. Fellow Labour peer Lord Levy, a former party fundraiser under ex-PM Tony Blair and a leading voice in the British Jewish community, said the party should feel ashamed of what was going on. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the Panorama programme added weight to the group's suspicion that the issue of anti-Semitism had been "treated with disdain". Labour has been engulfed in a long-running dispute over anti-Semitism within its ranks, which has led nine MPs and three peers to leave the party. The leadership has been accused of failing to get to grips with the problem, with allegations of hundreds of complaints against members remaining unresolved. But Labour said it "completely" rejected any claims it was anti-Semitic. It accused the Panorama programme of being a "seriously inaccurate, politically one-sided polemic, which breached basic journalistic standards, invented quotes and edited emails to change their meaning". The party said that "no proper and serious attempt was made to understand our current procedures for dealing with anti-Semitism, which is clearly essential to reach a fair and balanced judgement". It added: "Since Jennie Formby became general secretary the rate at which anti-Semitism cases have been dealt with has increased more than fourfold. "We will build on the improvements to our procedures made under Jennie Formby, and continue to act against this repugnant form of racism."

लेबर पार्टी के उप नेता टॉम वॉटसन ने कहा है कि उन्होंने इस दावे पर अपनी पार्टी की प्रतिक्रिया की "निंदा" की है कि जेरेमी कॉर्बिन के कुछ करीबी सहयोगियों ने यहूदी-विरोधी आरोपों से जुड़ी अनुशासनात्मक प्रक्रियाओं में हस्तक्षेप करने की कोशिश की थी।


How rich is the Queen?

Summary: News that the Crown Estate returned record profits of £285m last year means the Queen is expected to receive a further £2m in public funding next year. But just how rich is the Queen and where does her wealth come from?

By Alex TherrienBBC News Online Despite the fact that many details of the Queen's income are released publicly, her exact wealth is not known. That is because the Queen is not required to reveal her private finances. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, her estimated fortune is £340m, up £10m from last year. What is known about the Queen's wealth can be broadly divided between her private income and funding given to her, as the reigning monarch, by the government. The Crown Estate The main source of the Queen's public income comes from the Sovereign Grant - a fixed percentage of the profits made by the Crown Estate. The Crown Estate dates back to 1760 when George III reached an agreement with the government that surplus revenue from the crown's lands would go to the Treasury. In return for this, the King had no longer to pay for the cost of civil government and debts accrued by previous monarchs and would receive a fixed annual payment. Since then, every succeeding monarch has renewed the arrangement. Today the Crown Estate is an independent commercial property business, with one of the largest property portfolios in the UK and a capital value at a historic high of £11.5bn - up 16.1% on 2014. The majority of the portfolio's assets are in London, but the estate also owns property in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Holdings include Windsor Great Park and Ascot racecourse, but the majority of the portfolio is made up of residential property, commercial offices, shops and business and retail parks, and includes almost all of Regent Street in London's West End. Under the current funding arrangement, all profits from the estate are paid to the Treasury and 15% of this money is then given to the Queen. This funding is known as the Sovereign Grant and is used to support the Queen in her official duties. Last year the Sovereign Grant was £37.9m - of which the Queen spent £35.7m. That money pays for staffing costs, property maintenance, travel, utilities and housekeeping, among other things. Technically the Crown Estate belongs to the reigning monarch for the duration of their reign, but in practice it cannot be sold by them. Privy purse The privy purse is a private income for the Queen, which is primarily used to pay for expenses incurred by other members of the Royal Family. Funds for the privy purse come mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster, a portfolio of land, property and assets owned by the Queen which is managed separately from the Crown Estate. The portfolio consists of 18,454 hectares of land in England and Wales and comprises commercial, agricultural and residential property. Though it is classed as the Queen's private estate and is inherited, it cannot be sold by her. Like the Crown Estate, the profits from the Duchy of Lancaster go to the Treasury, which then give funds to the Queen to provide for expenses not covered by the Sovereign Grant. This year the Queen's private income was £13.3m, of which the main contributor was the Duchy of Lancaster portfolio. There is even a government role, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whose duties include the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster. That post is currently filled by Oliver Letwin, the MP for West Dorset who also has overall responsibility for the Cabinet Office. Separately, income from the Duchy of Cornwall funds the private and official expenditure of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Both have been made exempt from paying corporation tax by the government because they are Crown bodies. The Queen's investments The extent of the Queen's private income is less well known. According to the Sunday Times, she has an investment portfolio consisting largely of shares in blue-chip British companies, which it valued at £110m. The Queen also owns personal property including Sandringham House in Norfolk, Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire and other smaller houses. Other personal goods include the royal stamp collection, art, jewels, cars, horses and the Queen Mother's legacy, which all add to her personal fortune. Separate to goods owned by the Queen is the Royal Collection, which includes the Crown Jewels and works of art. It contains more than a million objects and is worth £10bn, but it is not included in the Queen's wealth because it is held in trust for her successors and the country. It includes old master prints, historical photographs, furniture, books and other works of art. It is kept in a number of locations, including Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle.

यह खबर कि क्राउन एस्टेट ने पिछले साल 285 मिलियन पाउंड का रिकॉर्ड मुनाफा वापस किया, इसका मतलब है कि रानी को अगले साल सार्वजनिक धन में और 2 मिलियन पाउंड मिलने की उम्मीद है। लेकिन रानी कितनी अमीर है और उसकी संपत्ति कहाँ से आती है?


London fire: 'Outrageous' lack of help for Grenfell tower victims

Summary: There are many things fuelling the anger felt here.

By Matthew PriceChief correspondent, BBC Radio 4 Today, in North Kensington The catastrophic loss of life is the primary factor, of course. But there is also the fact that people are finding it very difficult to get any information. There does not appear to be any central official point here on the ground where people can go to get answers and support. No marquee with "help centre" written on the side. No officials with lanyards guiding confused and desperate people to counsellors. There has been a huge voluntary response, with local churches and others helping people. Donations have flooded in - too many now - such is the public response. And unseen officials are caring for those in hospital and working to find empty accommodation in which to house those left homeless. And yet on the ground people speak of a total lack of coordination from the government and Kensington and Chelsea council. Local residents' association representatives say some families are still sleeping on floors in centres around the Grenfell Tower four days after the fire. 'Absolute chaos' They talk of absolute chaos. And they say what they regard as the inability of the local council to respond to their needs and concerns is "symptomatic of why we had this disaster". Such is the total and utter lack of trust between residents and the officials in charge. One of the things fuelling the anger here - perhaps the main thing - is the lack of a central point of contact for answers. Crisis management at disasters around the world swings into action at varying speeds. But even in remote areas, international bodies have normally set up obvious local centres of support fairly soon after the event. It has not happened in North Kensington. Twenty-four hours after the 2010 Haitian earthquake, I arrived to find no international response to speak of. But within another 24 hours that response was arriving and was significant there three days after the disaster - teams from around the world flying in, crisis centres and the United Nations in control of feeding points and housing solutions. Yes, there were problems. There always are. But the centralised and visible response was in place days later in a relatively remote area. That is what appears to be missing in the richest borough in one of the world's leading cities. Kensington and Chelsea council's website refers to a "Family and Friends Reception" at the Westway Sports Centre, staffed by police. People need visible and accessible emotional psychological and physical help and right now they say they are not getting it. Many people here believe an affluent Conservative council failed to look after its poorest residents. But one angry former resident of the tower, who moved out in October, said: "Right now the residents need housing and taking care of. The council have failed to do so. "This is not about politics. It is about getting people what they need and deserve. It is an outrage." There has been little trust between residents and the council over the years. They say their concerns about safety in the Grenfell Tower were not listened to - not acted upon. Right now that lack of trust is deepening. And so is the anger. First Secretary of State Damian Green told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Kensington council are absolutely doing their best. "People want answers, people want someone on the ground. The new recovery taskforce that the prime minister is chairing has people from central government as well as from the council on the ground to answer all those perfectly reasonable questions. "It was decided to do it yesterday, it is happening today," he added. Matthew Price reports for the Today programme on BBC Radio 4.

यहाँ महसूस किए गए गुस्से को बढ़ावा देने वाली कई चीजें हैं।


North Korea: Defectors adjust to life abroad

Summary: Life inside North Korea's closed borders is hard to imagine. One of the only insights into how ordinary people live, beyond the official line of the regime, comes from those who have escaped. Two defectors, Chanyang Joo and Yu-sung Kim, who left North Korea in 2011, tell their story.

By Stephanie HegartyBBC World Service "I heard that people sold and ate human flesh," says Chanyang Joo. "I heard they were killing other family's babies and selling the flesh after burying the head and fingers." Ms Joo says she ignored the rumours until the parents-in-law of a man she knew were publicly executed. They were butchers and the crime, people said, was selling human meat. Rumours like this have surfaced in the testimony of several defectors coming from North Korea. Whether they are true or not - and we may never know - the fact that they circulate and are believed illustrates the level of hunger, deprivation and fear in parts of the country that marked the Great Famine. Fellow defector Yu-sung Kim heard these rumours too and believes there may be some truth in them. "When I was in university that had happened," he says. "It's due to hallucination caused by severe hunger, people don't even realise the act as murder and eat the flesh. But that is very, very rare." The rumours started during the Great Famine, from 1994 to 1998, when grain shortages in China meant food aid was drastically reduced. Sober estimates say that 600,000 to one million people died during the famine - about three to five per cent of the population of the country. "It was the most destructive famine of the 20th century," says Marcus Nolan, author of Famine in North Korea. "The idea that people are sufficiently desperate and unhinged is not surprising." Chanyang Joo was just a toddler when her family moved from a city to the rural village where she grew up. It was during the famine, when markets closed and transportation failed. Many in the cities died of starvation, she says, but in the countryside her family survived on vegetables and shrubs. After the famine they were still very deprived. "We couldn't get any medicine," she says. "Very rarely some medicine was brought from China. Doctors sometimes performed surgery without anaesthesia. I saw some emergency patients dying." But some North Koreans like Yu-sung Kim and his family were entirely unaffected by the famine. His parents earned money by trading illegally with China and South Korea and arranging for separated families to reunite across the Korean border. He grew up in a government-owned high rise apartment, watching movies and playing video games that were smuggled across the border from the South. As children, both Kim and Joo learned to worship the regime and its founder Kim il Sung. "The first sentence we learn as a child is 'Great father Kim Il Sung, thank you.' and 'Dear leader Kim Jong Il, thank you,'" says Joo. "We have to thank the leaders for everything. Every school, every classroom, even the train cars have the pictures of leader Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on display." From preschool to university this is the most important subject for a young North Korean. "You can fail everything as long as you know about the history of the Kim family," says Joo. But she had happy memories too. "Until North Korea's brainwashing education takes effect, children are children," she says. "When I was little and unaffected by politics, I had the most fun playing with my friends." Though his childhood was privileged and the illegal trading of his parents was overlooked by the regime, Yu-sung Kim and his family knew they had to toe the line when it came to certain rules. They couldn't watch any news from outside Korea and any criticism of the regime was forbidden. He could discuss politics with his family but not with anyone else. "There is always a government spy in a group of people more than three," he says. "You could end up in a political prison camp." Joo's family had first-hand experience of these camps. Her grandfather spent nine years in one. He had criticised the regime while with a group of friends but there was a spy in the group and he was arrested. "It was a simple slip of the tongue," she says. He told his grand-daughter of horrifying conditions at the prison camp, of people eating rats and digging grain from animal faeces to survive. He said prisoners were attacked by dogs as punishment and dead bodies were left to rot where they fell. Her grandfather's experience had a profound effect on the entire family, though not in the way the regime intended. At the camp he interacted with prisoners from the elite classes and learnt of the inequality in North Korea and of life outside the country. "My grandfather had always told us we had to leave for freedom," says Joo. "He said 'Dream big' and that if we wanted to live in the real world, we had to leave." "Since I was little, I strongly felt the need to leave. I've never touched a computer but I was really curious about them. I loved studying and was good at it so I wanted to learn as much as I wanted in a free country." For seven years, her family plotted to leave North Korea. They listened to radio broadcasts from the South. When this came to the attention of the authorities in 2008 it was time to go. Her father left first through China and Laos to the South Korean embassy in Bangkok. He saved to pay brokers to help the rest of the family escape. Ms Joo was the last to defect and when authorities found out that her father was missing, she was put under investigation. She told them he had died in a fishing accident. "That is common in North Korea," she says. She practised swimming and trained physically for her escape. Three years later she crossed the border to China where she was arrested. China doesn't recognise North Korean refugees and its official policy is to send them back. But defecting is a very serious crime and repatriation means imprisonment, torture or even death. A religious group, which she cannot name, helped release her from jail. For Yu-sung Kim and his family, the decision to leave North Korea came suddenly. His father's business came to light in a South Korean newspaper in 2011, fearing the government reaction they fled. They left behind his younger sister who was ill. He later found out that she was told her family had been captured and killed while attempting to escape. She later died in North Korea. Though he appreciates his freedom Mr Kim says life in Seoul is difficult. He faces prejudice from South Korean society which often considers North Koreans, with their archaic dialect and strange accent, as ignorant and backward. "In my university when I tell people where I'm from they see me as strange, like an alien from the Moon," he says. There are more than 24,000 North Korean defectors living in South Korea. When they arrive many lack the basic skills to live and work in a modern society - operating a cash machine, driving a car, using a phone or a computer. They find it hard to get work and some resort to petty crime which has given the community a bad name. "I sometimes think living in South Korea is fortune and misfortune at the same time," Mr Kim says. Chanyang Joo refuses to let prejudice bother her. But she says freedom has its own problems. "There are too many things to do here and I have to plan my own life and it's stressful," she says. "But when I think about the difficulty of living in a free society, I realise I'm working and getting tired for myself and for my future so I feel happy." Chanyang Joo and Yu-sun Kim spoke to World Have Your Say on the BBC World Service. Listen to the programme here.

उत्तर कोरिया की बंद सीमाओं के अंदर जीवन की कल्पना करना मुश्किल है। शासन की आधिकारिक रेखा से परे, आम लोग कैसे रहते हैं, इस बारे में एकमात्र अंतर्दृष्टि उन लोगों से आती है जो भाग गए हैं। दो दलबदलू, चानयांग जू और यू-सुंग किम, जिन्होंने 2011 में उत्तर कोरिया छोड़ दिया, अपनी कहानी बताते हैं।


Do butterflies hold the answer to life's mysteries?

Summary: Throughout history, butterflies have been seen as symbols of many things - not only transformation and purity, but also death and sin. Today though, scientists study them to see what they can tell us about our changing planet, writes Mary Colwell.

Butterflies seem to distil out of warm summer air. Their fleeting, fragile appearance has inspired poets, authors and musicians through time. They were "flowers that fly and all but sing" to the American poet Robert Frost, but took on a more tragic hue for Victor Hugo. In his poem, The Genesis of Butterflies, they "Are but torn love-letters, that through the skies / Flutter, and float, and change to butterflies." Bitter or sweet, ethereal or sinister, the delicate wings of butterflies have borne the burden of our hopes and fears for centuries. In his new book, Rainbow Dust: Three Centuries of Delight in British Butterflies, Peter Marren traces the many beliefs that have been held about these creatures. He believes their journey from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to winged beauty has evoked stories that resonate with the mysteries of the soul, life and death. For some, these transitions are symbols of hope, a sign that the human soul can break from earthly ties, darkness and confinement to fly into the light. The ancient Greeks were transfixed by this notion, identifying the butterfly with the essence of our being - and Psyche, the goddess of the soul, is often depicted with butterfly wings. For the ancient Greeks, "The butterfly was telling us about our own lives," says Peter Marren. Through time, some butterflies took on different meanings. The bright fire-colours of the red admiral, with its velvet black wings slashed with crimson, inspired images of an inferno. "This became the butterfly from hell," says Marren. The imagery was used by 17th Century Dutch artist Jan van Huysum - in one of his paintings a white butterfly, a sign of hope, feeds on a vase of full flowers - but sitting on a sickly bloom in the shadows is a red admiral. Death and sin are ever present - a painted lady can be seen in Durer's Madonna with the Iris, where it symbolises the crucifixion. The white butterflies on the other hand represent purity and hope. Less colourful, even dowdy, butterflies are also used in art to reflect our fears. In Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights, butterflies, or at least devils with the wings of meadow browns and small tortoiseshells, are part of the throngs of hell, involved in all kinds of unpleasantness towards people. These are far from fluttering beauties from an ethereal realm. Find out more Eyespots on a butterfly's wings were not always seen as a deterrent designed to scare off hungry predators, but a means of watching our behaviour from the hedgerow. Butterflies became moral spies, sent by God, to a world where it is all too easy to slip up. They watched us, not the other way round. But today we are watching them - intensely, as modern portents of doom, already affected by climate change. In the UK, some butterflies have had to find new habitats. The comma, for example, has moved 137 miles northwards from central England to Edinburgh in two decades. Over the same period the mountain ringlet has moved 490ft higher, becoming extinct at lower altitudes. The brown argus has widened the area in which it lives and can now be found not only in most of southern and eastern England but as far north as Yorkshire too. The speckled wood has been spreading northwards since 1940. We look to the sensitive butterfly for visible effects of a warming world - what we find is a world in flux and our interest in what butterflies are telling us increases. In the Americas there has been a precipitous decline in the population of the monarch butterfly. This beauty, often described as shards of stained glass falling through sunlight, can be found along a 2,500-mile (4,000km) migration route between Canada and Mexico. In 2004 an estimated 550 million arrived at their usual wintering ground. But 10 years later, in 2014 there were just 50 million - a decline of about 90%. Today, butterflies' flutterings make us sit up and take notice of what is happening around us - they are both harbingers and victims of climate change and we are studying them for what they can tell us about the future prospects of life on earth. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

पूरे इतिहास में, तितलियों को कई चीजों के प्रतीक के रूप में देखा गया है-न केवल परिवर्तन और शुद्धता, बल्कि मृत्यु और पाप भी। लेकिन आज, वैज्ञानिक उनका अध्ययन यह देखने के लिए करते हैं कि वे हमारे बदलते ग्रह के बारे में हमें क्या बता सकते हैं, मैरी कोलवेल लिखती हैं।


Coronavirus: Send us the last 'normal' photo on your phone

Summary: A lot has changed since the world went into lockdown, and if you're anything like us, you'll have looked back on your phones to the time before everything was different.

We want to profile the last image you have on your phone from before everything changed. What's the story behind the photo? What does it signify? Did you know what was about to happen? Please send in your photo either by using the form in this page or by emailing it to yourpics@bbc.co.uk and please let us know where it was taken and on which date. We'll profile a selection of the photos on a future date.

दुनिया के लॉकडाउन में जाने के बाद से बहुत कुछ बदल गया है, और अगर आप हमारे जैसे कुछ भी हैं, तो आपने अपने फोन पर उस समय तक पीछे मुड़कर देखा होगा जब सब कुछ अलग था।