New chief executive to 'transform' Powys council

Summary: A new acting chief executive has been drafted in to help transform services run by Powys council.

One of the key areas Dr Mohammed Mehmet will have to tackle is children's services following a damning report by Care Inspectorate Wales last October. The authority has made improvements in that area but the Welsh Government said more needed to be done. Dr Mehmet recently left his role as chief executive of Denbighshire council where he spent 10 years.

पॉव्स परिषद द्वारा संचालित सेवाओं को बदलने में मदद करने के लिए एक नए कार्यवाहक मुख्य कार्यकारी का मसौदा तैयार किया गया है।


The big ideas of 2014: Part IV

Summary: Among the big ideas being debated in 2014 were the constant intrusion of work emails, Serial and the audience as detective, and the idea of "conscious uncoupling".

By Tom de CastellaBBC News Magazine We have looked at 12 ideas in total. Part I, Part II and Part III can be seen here. 12. Constant intrusion - the work email plague Work email increasingly bookends an employee's waking hours. In many jobs there's nothing to stop emails arriving on one's smartphone throughout the evening, night and early morning. During 2014 worries about work email encroachment reached a new peak. In April, France toughened up its laws for workers in the digital and technology sectors. The deal signed between employers and unions said that workers would have to switch off phones and avoid looking at work email. Firms would not be allowed to pressure staff to check messages. Michel de La Force, chairman of the General Confederation of Managers said that "digital working time" would have to be measured. Some emailing outside office hours would be allowed but only in "exceptional circumstances". In August the German government looked to be following France's lead. The country's employment minister Andrea Nahles commissioned a report to look at whether a law to restrict work emails could be brought in. Some German employers already take the matter seriously. In 2011 Volkswagen announced its servers would stop sending emails 30 minutes after the end of shifts. In 2013 Germany's labour ministry banned managers from emailing staff out of hours. Germany forbids firms from contacting staff when on holiday. This year Daimler went further, announcing that staff could choose to have all holiday email deleted. An automated message would go out informing the sender their mail would not been read and to resend it when the person was back, if the matter was still important. The battle against intrusive work email has been centred in France and Germany - could the fight widen? Paul Sellers, TUC policy adviser, argued that the UK needs the same protections. People in modern office jobs are not being allowed to switch off. "Why are we expecting people to work at 8.30 at night?" The Working Time Regulations were drawn up in the 1990s. They needed to catch up with the changes that smartphones had made possible, he argued. Another view is that work and free time are blending for many professionals. Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway has written in the past about how modern business means checking emails on holiday. But this year Kellaway appeared to change tack slightly. She argued that the working day had become too long, mostly due to email. It was time for a return to the old fashioned nine to five, she wrote. "We start the daily email orgy before we get out of bed in the morning and then pass the hours till dusk in tiresome meetings and video conferences, only to continue to commune with our smartphones late into the night. Every day feels like a marathon, only by the end of it we have hardly covered any distance." More from the Magazine Could work emails be banned after 6pm? (April 2014) Why did offices become like the home? (August 2013) One way to achieve this might be what Google tried at its Dublin office. Workers were asked to hand in their electronic devices on clocking off. They could then spend the evening in peace. In a highly competitive business climate that approach might not work for everyone. Corporate lawyers, for instance, who are expected to nurse their clients through complex deals during day or night. But to many workers, handing over the smartphone at 5pm sounds like bliss. 11. Serial and the audience as detective Serial was the podcast of 2014. The 12-part investigation of a crime was downloaded millions of times and provoked frenzied discussions on forums. It was compared to the great box-set dramas. The Financial Times likened the twists and turns to the fictional whodunnit Twin Peaks: "If 25 years ago the gossip around the office water cooler was all about who killed Laura Palmer, today the talk is all about whether Adnan Syed killed Hae Min Lee." Hae Min Lee was a Baltimore teenager murdered in 1999. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of the murder and has been in jail for the past 15 years. Serial was crime reporter Sarah Koenig's attempt to find fresh answers. She revisited the case and looked at every angle anew, not just the facts but the stories and relationships surrounding it. Each episode was presented in minute detail. Audiences travelled with Koenig through the case, discovering each new lead and discovery in much the same order she did. It ran from the start of October to mid-December, with one new episode a week. The Telegraph called it the "Greatest Podcast Ever Made". "The decision to structure Serial as a realtime account of Koenig's detective work, instead of waiting until she's cracked the case to examine what went down, forces us to become detectives with her," wrote Eleanor Robertson in the Guardian. "This is what makes Serial so addictive, and so intellectually fascinating." Serial podcast stats Sources: Serial, Apple, iTunescharts.net It allowed journalism beyond mere facts. Koenig's narration let the listener in to how she was feeling about the case, her niggling doubts and thoughts about lines of inquiry. Reddit had a section devoted to Serial that attracted more than half a million users by December. Fans hunted for clues and travelled to some of the key locations in the case to try to dig up new evidence. After one witness on the podcast claimed to have seen the alleged killer just before a snowstorm, a Reddit user checked and discovered there was no snow on the day in question. For some, the idea of Serial fans touring locations connected with a murder was distasteful. And those who remembered Reddit users' role in attempting to "investigate" the Boston bombing watched their efforts in the Serial case with scepticism. There was direct criticism of serial. Many found it distasteful that a story with a real victim and a real grieving family was being enjoyed as entertainment. It was suggested that while much attention was given to the jailed ex-boyfriend, the victim was rather forgotten. And because Lee's family declined to be interviewed there was an argument that the show was unbalanced. There were also some allegations that race was not properly addressed in the show. Apart from the ethical issues thrown up, some were not convinced by the conclusion of the investigation. The final episode was "a frustrating hour of radio in which Ms Koenig hemmed and hawed and pored back over old evidence and asked, 'Did we just spend a year applying excessive scrutiny to a perfectly ordinary case?'" New York Times critic Dwight Garner wrote. But he admitted: "In Ms Koenig, an unlikely star has been born. The story she's intimately told over the course of 12 episodes has made plenty of us… feel the occasional tingle of campfire-narration awe." Serial is back for a second season soon. And a court is considering whether Syed received effective legal representation during his original trial. 10. Conscious uncoupling When Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow split in March a new phrase entered the idiom. In a joint statement on Paltrow's blog the couple said they'd "come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much, we will remain separate". It went on: "We hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner." "Conscious uncoupling" was seized on by social media users. And a chart from Google Trends shows the phrase spiking in March 2014. Source: Google Trends There were spoofs. There was some precedent for the term. The Oxford English Dictionary has a citation from 1942 for "uncoupling" to describe the end of relationships. Paltrow and Martin attributed the new formulation to "On Conscious Uncoupling", an essay written by Paltrow's spiritual advisers Dr Habib Sadeghi and Dr Sherry Sami. "Although it looks like everything is coming apart; it's actually all coming back together," they advise. Others said that it was actually the therapist Katherine Woodward Thomas who came up with it in 2011. The statement in full "It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate. We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate. "We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been. We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time. "We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner." While some viewed it as the epitome of celebrity spin, a few commentators saw it as part of a more grown-up attitude to relationships. Tammy Nelson, author of the New Monogamy, wrote in Huffington Post that marriage had changed. The idea that it was for life, and that divorce was wholly negative, was fading, she argued. "It helps to keep the children in caring shared custody arrangements. Things like 'conscious uncoupling,' or 'divorcing with integrity' are a possibility for any couple looking to end their marital contract with dignity and respect for their partner. It is not necessary to rewrite the whole history of your marriage to justify a divorce." In a surreal postscript, the term then took on a political context for the UK's sometimes awkward governing structure. Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs, said in relation to the coalition government that both the Conservatives and the Lib Dems would need to move apart in the months before the general election. "Whether it's a complete break, whether it is a planned disengagement - a conscious uncoupling, I think, is the modern term - it can come in any form as long as you allow the two parties to communicate separately." Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox

2014 में जिन बड़े विचारों पर बहस की जा रही थी, उनमें कार्य ईमेल की निरंतर घुसपैठ, धारावाहिक और जासूस के रूप में दर्शक, और "सचेत अनकपल" का विचार था।


Baltic states fearful of Trump's Nato views

Summary: Newt Gingrich may sound like a character in a Dr Seuss book, but he was once among Washington's most powerful politicians, Speaker of the House of Representatives for four years, during Bill Clinton's presidency.

By Shaun LeyPresenter, The World This Weekend In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump's election victory, it looked as though he might be in power again. In the Baltic states, the prospect of Mr Gingrich as the new secretary of state, the instrument of a President Trump's foreign policy, caused real alarm. This is the politician who, in July, had suggested he would be unwilling to confront Russia in order to defend the independence of one of those countries. "Estonia is in the suburbs of St Petersburg," he told CBS, "40% of Estonia is Russian… I'm not sure I would risk nuclear war over some place that is the suburb of St Petersburg." To be fair, in the course of that answer Mr Gingrich suggested that any Russian intervention was unlikely to be military. Rather, as in Crimea, Moscow would appear to be responding to calls for help from Russian-speaking Estonians themselves. That is what some in the Baltic fear, too. They recall the events of 27 February 2014, when masked soldiers - in unmarked uniforms, but thought to be Russian - occupied the building belonging to the Supreme Council of Crimea. Most now assume they were Russian special forces. Soon afterwards, the council announced a referendum on Crimea's status within Ukraine. A month later, it had become part of Russia. The Baltic countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, achieved their independence as a result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As members of Nato, they rely on Article 5, the mutual-defence clause of the organisation's treaty, which says if any member is attacked, all others will come to its defence. The Baltic countries, largely flat, would be difficult to defend. Even under Nato bombardment, it has been suggested, Russian troops could cross the border and be in Tallin, the Estonian capital, for example, in 36 hours. How, though, do you defend a country if no uninvited troops have crossed its border and no aerial bombardment has taken place? Indeed, in a situation like Crimea's, would Article 5 even apply? In 1961, US President John F Kennedy described America's commitment to support European countries vulnerable to Soviet domination as "our central and most important defensive alliance". Donald Trump may think differently. As long ago as 2000, in his book The America We Deserve, he suggested pulling back from Europe, writing: "Their conflicts are not worth American lives." During the course of this year's presidential election campaign, he seemed, at best, lukewarm about Nato. Since his victory, he has been more emollient; and President Barack Obama, undertaking a farewell tour of Europe in recent days, suggested the burden of office would temper that view. That assessment is echoed by Gen Lord Richards, formerly chief of the defence staff, the professional head of the British military. On BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, he described Mr Trump "as a pragmatic man, who wants to see a stable relationship with Russia and with Mr Putin". "That is in the interests of all Nato members," Gen Lord Richards said. "He wants to see Nato grow stronger." That last comment sounds optimistic. Gen Lord Richards, though, implied a reason why President Trump may change his view. "The reality of becoming president, of inheriting this great mantle of the defender of the western world and of leading Nato, will curb and impinge and direct much of what he is going to do," he said In other words, a politician with a well developed ego will enjoy the adulation. In Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, they are preparing just in case. Last year, Lithuania introduced conscription. Estonia has just formed a new coalition government, led by the Center Party, which enjoys the support of most of the country's Russian-speaking minority. Yana Toom MEP, who was involved in the coalition negotiations, says she wants better relations with Russia. Although she supports the idea of an EU-led European army, she is sceptical about anyone coming to Estonia's aid. "We have not to be so dependent on Nato," she told The World This Weekend. "We do not feel like somebody from outside is going to guarantee our independence." Senators from Mr Trump's party have invited parliamentarians from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Washington next month. Ojars Kalnins, who chairs Latvia's Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee and spent seven years in the United States as Latvian ambassador, hopes these traditional allies will be able to offer reassurance. "To have one of our countries dismissed simply as a suburb is questioning our very sovereign identity and nationhood," he says of Mr Gingrich's remarks. "Donald Trump is an unknown commodity," Mr Kalnins tells me. "There is a great deal of uncertainty of just what he will do. "Now he is starting to work with the Republican establishment, they have always been strong supporters of Nato and the Baltic states." Mr Kalnins has faith in the ability of the senators to temper Mr Trump's actions. "It's not one president who determines everything in Washington," he says. We will have to wait to find out what Mr Trump's policy is and indeed whether the promise o f Mr Gingrich to be involved in "strategic planning" for the new administration will give him any influence on foreign policy. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin has expressed the desire to restore Russia's "sphere of influence" and may hope his new buddy in the White House will leave him to it. One hundred years ago, a treaty obligation to the independence of another country, which dated back 70 years, led Britain to declare war on Germany. The Germans had calculated that the British would never fight over a "scrap of paper". They were wrong. Can Mr Putin really be sure that the new US administration sees Nato's treaty, and especially Article 5, as a mere scrap of paper?

न्यूट गिंगरिच डॉ. सिउस की किताब में एक चरित्र की तरह लग सकते हैं, लेकिन वे बिल क्लिंटन के राष्ट्रपति काल के दौरान चार साल तक वाशिंगटन के सबसे शक्तिशाली राजनेताओं, प्रतिनिधि सभा के अध्यक्ष थे।


Trump Kim summit: Full text of the signed statement

Summary: US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have signed a document following a landmark summit in Singapore - the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. Here is the full text of the statement:

Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit. President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018. President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following: 1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. 2. The United States and DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. 3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. Having acknowledged that the US-DPRK summit - the first in history - was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in the joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK summit. President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new US-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and the security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world. DONALD J. TRUMP President of the United States of America KIM JONG UN Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea June 12, 2018 Sentosa Island Singapore

अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प और उत्तर कोरियाई नेता किम जोंग-उन ने सिंगापुर में एक ऐतिहासिक शिखर सम्मेलन के बाद एक दस्तावेज़ पर हस्ताक्षर किए हैं-एक अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति और एक उत्तर कोरियाई नेता के बीच पहला। यहाँ बयान का पूरा पाठ हैः


Navigating the potentially murky world of online reviews

Summary: "Write Reviews Get Paid", screams the advert.

By Padraig BeltonBusiness reporter This might sound a theatre critic's dream, but Craigslist's "Get $5 for Yelp review" leaves less room for such notions. It's the seamy side of an online reviews industry which has enticed clickfarms in Bangladesh, lawyers in London, and New York's Attorney General. And now, the UK's Competitions and Market Authority (CMA) as well, which is opening an investigation using its consumer enforcement powers, and pondering further action. The CMA is also planning an international project on online reviews and endorsements, to coincide with Britain's year-long presidency of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network, which starts 1st July. It's big business, these new crowdsourced yellow pages of the internet. A hearty 62% of British consumers say they are likely to be affected by positive online reviews - with negative ones, that soars to 89%. Positive feedback Once upon a time, we kept our stiff upper lips, and we kept online opinions stoically to ourselves. Then along popped Amazon and eBay in 1994 and 1995, and with them our habit of scrawling online our joy or chagrin with each latest acquisition. We now measure ourselves and businesses against an economy of likes, follows, and stars. One in sixteen of the people online across the world visited TripAdvisor last July. The website gains 139 reviews each minute. Trustpilot's partnership with Google means it provides many of the ratings provided with the search engine's results. And Yelp's 77 million reviews pulled in 142 million visitors in the first three months of 2015. Restaurants which increase their ranking on the platform by one star raise revenue by 5-9%, according to Harvard Business School assistant professor Michael Luca. Likes mean lucre. Performance anxiety "Negative reviews are the most useful because they continue to challenge our methods, and teach us more about what our customers want," says Charlo Carabott, managing director of Mazuma Mobile, a Watford mobile phone recycling company. He says his company engaged with an early spate of negative reviewers, publicly answering their complaints, and now boasts a 9.8 out of 10 TrustScore on Trustpilot, with 100,000 reviews. But for every business like Mr Carabott's, there's another with a more negative reaction. Some will even turn around and sue their critic. Others pen fake reviews, then slate their competition. London-based Pimlico Plumbers sued Yelp in 2014 for "defamatory and disgusting" reviews. They were ultimately taken down as part of a settlement, says Vince Sollitto, Yelp's senior vice president. He says anonymous speech is better protected in America than in England and Wales, where websites can be required to hand over a reviewer's identity under the Defamation Act of 2013. "It never makes sense to sue your customers." A quarter of companies have taken legal action over online reviews. In nine-tenths of cases where a review is removed, it is because of a threatening legal letter, says Canadian home-improvement ratings site HomeStars. A feast for crows if you're a lawyer. HomeStars has introduced a bully warning for businesses that have sent it or reviewers legal letters. And New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced in September 2013 that 19 companies had agreed to cease posting fake reviews and pay penalties from $2,500 to $100,000 (£1,600-£64,000, €2,225-88,990 ). The companies ranged from a dentist, a cosmetic surgery, an adult entertainment chain, and the charter-coach giant US Coachways. A reviews racket "It would seem 10-30% of online reviews are fake, based on what I've seen," said a veteran of this investigation in the New York Attorney General's office, who did not wish to be named. The typical business leaving fake positive reviews - known as boosting - has either few reviews or a recent crop of negative reviews. Companies also write fake negative reviews - vandalising - attacking the competition. "At the moment, we will have around 3% of the reviews that are flagged, that's either proactively by users or by ourselves," says Trustpilot's James Westlake. By context, he adds, the website has one new review every five seconds. Independent businesses are more likely to post fake positive reviews than chains. "The reason is quite simple. When was the last time you checked a review of Burger King or McDonald's? Nobody does that," says Dr Georgios Zervas, assistant professor at Boston University, who studies internet markets. He says the number of reviews rejected as suspicious by Yelp, 16%, at present, has increased yearly. There are several telltale signs of fake reviews. They are often shorter, and more extreme, clustered at either end of the scale. Too many reviews, or from the same IP address, at the same time is another sign, says Jenny Sussin, an analyst with technology research firm Gartner. So are too many superlatives. And too many adverbs. TripAdvisor uses "approximately 50 filters", applied by automated systems, says Adam Medros, who heads its product development. Borderline cases go to human analysts, of whom there are about 300. "You have interconnectedness of attributes between people, devices, and locations that aren't normal, and they stand out against backdrop of normal behaviour," he says. Firms suspected of doctoring reviews receive a scarlet letter, a red badge alerting readers that reviews submitted for that business have raised suspicions. It's a cat and mouse game, says Mr Medros, which he confesses he finds geekily intriguing. "There's always going to be an arms race, a little bit, around the tech different people are using, and the ways we use to detect them," he says. "They're getting better, we're seeing this in past years," says Trustpilot's Mr Westlake. "We identify fraudulent activity and it morphs, like a cold virus." Book(ing) reviews Many scammers are recent computer science graduates from developing countries such as Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines. In the short term, it is easy for them to fake an IP address, but harder to manage this at scale without tripping alarms. Websites like Yelp have also engaged in more cloak-and-dagger ways to tease out illicit behaviour, posing as scammers, or businesses searching to hire them. If those caught cooperate, it is another source of intelligence into the other side's dark arts. "It turned out we were able to get people to admit they were fake," says the specialist from the New York Attorney General's office. "It was a combination of people coming clean, and the occasional email providing enough of a gotcha," he says. So why are companies engaging in this behaviour? Part of the reason, suggests Yelp's Mr Sollitto, could be local small businesses are the last part of the business world to be brought online. Most still spend nearly all their advertising budget in traditional ways, even as studies show consumers searching for and finding them online. "Partly, they get to control the message, the copy, the one-way advertising, even though the reality is that no longer works," he says. It will take some time for the small business market to come to accept "all these old-fashioned methods are worthless". "What really matters is online, and online you can't control a message. You can only earn a reputation."

विज्ञापन चिल्लाता है, "समीक्षा लिखें भुगतान प्राप्त करें।"


A reinvigorated anti-Taliban alliance?

Summary: After years of false starts, are we on the brink of a breakthrough in improving relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the Taliban and al-Qaeda on both sides of the border suffering an array of defeats and deaths?

By Ahmed RashidGuest columnist For years the Pakistani military has been accused by the Afghans, the Americans and Nato of playing a double game - helping the Nato-US coalition in Afghanistan on the one hand, but at the same time allowing al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban to seek refuge and garner logistical support in Pakistan. Even the killing of Osama Bin Laden by US special forces in Abbottabad, a military garrison town in Pakistan, did not push the military into changing its tune, which was always one of denial that it supported the Afghan Taliban. Many leaders of the Afghan Taliban have lived in Pakistan since 2001. These accusations dogged Pakistan's new army chief General Raheel Sharif when he visited Washington for 10 days last month - particularly that in the past six months of a military offensive in North Waziristan the Pakistan army had failed to capture or kill a single prominent militant leader. But now those assumptions may be changing and the complex three-way relationship between the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan could be on the cusp of undergoing a dramatic improvement. United against al-Qaeda For the first time in nearly 10 years the Pakistan army has killed a high-level leader of al-Qaeda. Adnan el Shukrijumah, a naturalised American citizen, was killed during a raid by Pakistani forces at a compound in the South Waziristan tribal agency close to the Afghan border on 6 December. He was accused of involvement in planning several failed attacks in the US and Britain nearly a decade ago and had been hiding in the tribal belt along the border ever since. The following day, reports said a US drone had killed Umer Farooq, another top al-Qaeda leader in the North Waziristan tribal agency. A Pakistani national, he was allegedly al-Qaeda's operational commander in charge of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Suddenly both Pakistan and the US appear to be collaborating to root out al-Qaeda in a manner not seen since 2002-2004 when the Pakistan army killed or captured many al-Qaeda operatives. The US has begun obliging Pakistan too. For the first time the US is targeting Pakistani Taliban insurgents who had earlier taken refuge in Afghanistan from where they carried out strikes into Pakistan. According to senior Afghan sources, they were clandestinely being supported by the government of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a tit-for-tat revenge game for Pakistan's support for the Afghan Taliban. A surprising repatriation The US has now begun targeting those Pakistani Taliban for the first time and significantly the Afghan authorities are not objecting. A US drone strike on 7 December killed nine suspected Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan's Kunar province. The dead included a senior Pakistani Taliban commander, police said An earlier US drone strike had tried to target Mullah Fazlullah, the current head of the Pakistani Taliban, who is also thought to be living in Kunar province. Pakistan has been asking the US and the Afghans to carry out such attacks for more than a year, but only now - after gaining Pakistani co-operation on other fronts - is Washington obliging Islamabad. Clearly, Washington is pleased the way the Pakistan army is reacting. Pakistan has been further rewarded by the US. On 7 December the US military confirmed that it had handed over three Pakistani Taliban, including Latif Mehsud to the Pakistani authorities. Latif Mehsud had been the second-in-command of the Pakistani Taliban under its previous leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike last year. Latif Mehsud was seized by US forces in October 2013 in eastern Afghanistan as he tried to broker deals between the Afghan authorities and the Pakistani Taliban living on Afghan territory. The Pakistani authorities view him as a danger to the country and have been insisting on his prompt return. His sudden repatriation - again with no objections from Kabul - is a signal of improved relations. So far, there is a change of direction and much greater co-operation on the ground in military terms between the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan. But will this bring about a real change in political attitudes? The Afghan government will now be waiting to see how the Pakistani military obliges Kabul. The Afghans will also be looking to see if the Pakistanis use their clout to try to rein in Taliban attacks in Kabul. The most important thing Islamabad can do is to allow Afghan negotiators to meet the Afghan Taliban leaders who are living in Pakistan. That could be the most significant move of all and start the long process of ending the war in Afghanistan. Ahmed Rashid

वर्षों की झूठी शुरुआत के बाद, क्या हम पाकिस्तान और अफगानिस्तान के बीच संबंधों को सुधारने में एक सफलता के कगार पर हैं, सीमा के दोनों ओर तालिबान और अल-कायदा को हार और मौतों का सामना करना पड़ रहा है?


My Money: 'My mum's advice saved me from lockdown anxiety'

Summary: My Money is a series looking at how people spend their money - and the sometimes tough decisions they have to make. Here, Lexy Oliver from Cheshire takes us through a week in her life during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lexy is 27 and lives in Cuddington, Cheshire, with her husband Jonny, also 27, and their cat Bobby. She is the fifth generation to work in her family business, a delicatessen owned by her father. Jonny works as a data scientist for a holiday lettings agency. Lexy says there are no better staff discounts than good food and holidays! The Covid-19 situation has certainly had an impact on their finances over the last few months. Lexy was furloughed for 10 weeks, and Jonny has just returned to work having been on furlough since April. During lockdown, when neither of them were in work, they were down over £1,000 a month in take-home pay. Lexy says from the age of 16 when she first started work, her mum always told her to put money away for a rainy day, and thankfully they had done just that. Making sure they have a six-month buffer is a rule they live by, and saved them a lot of anxiety during lockdown. Lexy and Jonny are now both back at work. Jonny is working from home, saving about £100 a month compared to when he was commuting to the office. Lexy works very closely with her father who has asthma, and he lives with her mum who has a blood condition called ITP, so she is doing her best to avoid going anywhere with lots of people. Over to Lexy... It's an early start on Mondays as I have to be in work at the deli for 07:30. I eat breakfast and lunch at work - quality food is a perk of the job! I start my day with a freshly ground coffee and some fruit before settling in to my usual Monday morning admin. We're on temporary hours at the moment due to the pandemic, closing at either 14:00 or 15:00 depending on the day, so the shifts really fly. After work I pop to the local card shop and pick up two cards, one for an upcoming birthday, and one for a friend who just got married (£2.09). Before I know it, I'm home again, where Jonny and I have our afternoon tea break and a quick daily catch-up, which has become a lovely tradition for us since the lockdown. Dinner is homemade fish and chips before the rain clouds disappear and the sun comes out. We throw on our trainers and head off for a little wander round the village. This turns into a one-hour explore down a previously undiscovered footpath. We thought we had found them all during lockdown but we keep finding more! Total spend: £2.09 My Money More blogs from the BBC's My Money Series: We're looking for more people to share what they spend their money on. If you're interested, please email my.money@bbc.co.uk or get in touch via our My Money (World) Facebook group, or if you live in the UK, please join our My Money (UK) Facebook group and we'll aim to contact you. It's an early start again today with a similar routine to yesterday. I eat some eggs and fruit washed down with a cappuccino when I get to work. I'm having a bit of a sort out this week and doing all the odd jobs I've been putting off. I also ring one of our main ambient food suppliers and place our Christmas order. I know it seems early but in food retail the deadlines are early! It makes me feel warm and fuzzy knowing that all the delicious chocolates, stollen and festive treats will be on their way to us in a few months. After work Jonny and I catch up on our days again over a nice cuppa before heading out for a quick walk between the rain showers. In the evening we head over to my parents' house for dinner. They only live a few miles down the road and it's great to catch up with them, particularly my mum and younger sister who I don't see every day like my dad. I can do a little happy dance today as I haven't spent anything! Total spend: £0 I pick up a few food bits in work today including some cheese for tonight's fajitas, and some sausages and eggs, which comes to £6.95 with my discount. After work I head to the supermarket round the corner and pick up the missing bits for dinner, some snacks for Jonny, and some strawberries and bananas for homemade smoothies (£11.15). I normally do a big supermarket shop out of town every two weeks or so, and then top it up with fresh bits from the deli and local shops throughout the week. In the evening we enjoy our homemade fajitas before playing online video games with our old housemates from university. Total spend: £18.10 Similar to the rest of the week, I get up early for work and come home just after four. After he's finished work, Jonny and I have our cup of tea in the garden and do a bit of clearing up and weeding round our patio. For dinner we have pasta bake, which is one of my favourite meals for using up all the odd ends of veg in the fridge before our next supermarket shop. In the evening we head out for a two-hour walk in the countryside during sunset. Today is also the big bills day! I'm constantly haggling and looking for better deals on all our bills so I'm happy with how low we have got some of our monthly payments: After all the essentials are paid, we have £500 automatically move into our investment account, which is effectively my pension, and I have a direct debit to move £100 a month into my premium bonds, which I use as a savings account for my next car. Normally the payment for my audiobook subscription comes out today. I enjoy listening to them on my commute to work but since I was off work and hence didn't drive for three months, I've racked up a stash of credits. Therefore I've paused my subscription while I catch up, which saves me £7.99 a month. Total spend: £1,392.60 Fridays are by far the busiest days of the week at work for me, and coupled with the warmer weather it's as busy as we imagined it would be! After work it's time for the fortnightly supermarket trip. I'm big on meal planning so we always go with a list and I've found it's massively reduced our food waste and our food bill over the last year or so. I stock up on everything we need, plus some other essentials like cat food for Bobby. We also get a couple of luxuries including smoked salmon and bagels for a fancy Sunday brunch. The total comes to £57.30. As all our main bills for the month have now been paid, we generally take some time around now to look at our spending over the last month and decide if we have any spare that we can put towards an overpayment on the mortgage. We've held off making overpayments while we were on furlough, but with us both back in work now we agree to make a £650 overpayment. We are quite committed to making mortgage overpayments where we can as the interest rate on our mortgage is higher than any savings rate the banks are offering at the moment, plus we kind of see it as saving for the deposit on our next home. This evening we have three of our friends round for some socially distanced beers in the garden. Two of them live with their parents who have been shielding because of underlying health conditions. Tonight is one of the first times they have been outside their own home since March, so it's so great to catch up with them. Total spend: £707.30 This weekend it's my turn to work on Saturday. Six-day working weeks are a bit gruelling but a lot of my summer and weekend plans have been disrupted by Covid-19, so I'm happy to make hay while the sun shines. I spend £10.80 at work on some nice bits for tonight's dinner, as well as some other food for the weekend. After work, Jonny and I head to our local garden centre. We did loads of work on the garden during lockdown - remodelling flower beds and borders, and planting new lawn. The hard work is mostly done and now it's time to do the "nice bit" and add the colour. We're also looking for some nice pots for our patio. I'm extremely happy to find the pots I had seen on the internet are now half price! We buy loads of lovely plants and flowers to fill our flower bed, as well as some other bits and bobs and the total comes to £186.91. However, we sign up for their membership club which saves us £5, and we use £80 of vouchers we had been given as birthday presents earlier in the year, so we only pay £101.96 cash. To celebrate it finally being the weekend we treat ourselves to a deli cheese and nibbles board and a bottle of nice red wine for dinner, before snuggling on the sofa with Bobby and a film. Total spend: £112.76 Sunday is spent almost entirely in the garden. We definitely have our parents to thank for our green thumbs! My mum is a florist, and both our sets of parents have immaculately kept, beautiful gardens. We set to work filling the flower beds and new pots with yesterday's garden centre haul. We literally spend seven hours gardening with a brief interlude for lunch. I am completely shattered by the end of the day but the garden is finally done, and now we can sit back and enjoy it for the rest of summer! Today is another day where we didn't spend a thing. Total spend: £0 Total spent this week: £2,232.85 How does Lexy feel about her week? This week's spending seems very high but it's relatively normal for this week of the month as it's when all our bills come out, plus we made a mortgage overpayment. £600 was also moved to other accounts rather than "spent". Most of our non-bill spending was food and plant pots. We'll likely spend only a couple of hundred pounds over the rest of the month!

माई मनी एक श्रृंखला है जिसमें देखा गया है कि लोग अपना पैसा कैसे खर्च करते हैं-और कभी-कभी उन्हें कठिन निर्णय लेने पड़ते हैं। यहाँ, चेशायर की लेक्सी ओलिवर हमें कोरोनावायरस महामारी के दौरान अपने जीवन में एक सप्ताह के माध्यम से ले जाती है।


Royal Papworth Hospital marks heart transplant anniversary

Summary: A hospital is marking 40 years since its first heart transplant operation.

That first procedure at the Royal Papworth Hospital, overseen by surgeon Sir Terence English, was carried out on a 44-year-old patient with heart disease on 14 January 1979. Since then, some 1,500 patients have undergone heart transplants at the Cambridge hospital. The unit is set to move later this year to the new Cambridge biomedical campus on the outskirts of the city. Only a handful of other centres in the world were carrying out the life-saving procedure when Papworth began performing heart transplants in 1979. The first heart transplant in the UK took place at the National Heart Hospital in May 1968 - and was unsuccessful. The first Papworth recipient died 17 days later, after developing a brain injury. However, the dramatic effect of providing a patient in terminal heart failure with a normal, functioning heart had been proven. Surgeons went on to carry out the world's first successful heart, lung and liver transplant at Papworth in 1986. The hospital has put much of its later current success rate down to the development of the Donation after Circulatory Death programme (DCD), which it says has enabled more than 50 patients to receive hearts from donors that would otherwise not have been used. Heart transplant expert Dr Clive Lewis said the 40-year milestone was a "fantastic achievement", "especially given the difficulties Sir Terence English encountered in those early days." "We should also remember the amazing gift of life given by so many donor families during the most difficult circumstances." The second heart transplant recipient at Papworth, Keith Castle, lived for more than five years after his operation, performed by Sir Terence in August 1979. Four of the first six patients went on to live for between three to eight years. Dr Lewis said the hospital "continues to be a centre of excellence with a pioneering spirit".

एक अस्पताल अपने पहले हृदय प्रत्यारोपण ऑपरेशन के 40 साल पूरे कर रहा है।


Doctor wins landscape photography top award

Summary: A doctor has won the overall prize in the latest Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.

Dr Kenny Muir took the top prize with a portfolio of images taken in Glen Affric in the Highlands and Isle of Harris. News of his win emerged as cases of coronavirus were beginning to rise in Scotland. Dr Muir works at Inverness' Raigmore Hospital, the largest hospital in the Highlands. He said: “As a hospital doctor I will be taking a break from photography to focus on current events, but really appreciate receiving the award.”

एक डॉक्टर ने नवीनतम स्कॉटिश लैंडस्केप फोटोग्राफर ऑफ द ईयर प्रतियोगिता में समग्र पुरस्कार जीता है।


Will Big Data DNA analysis herald new era in medicine?

Summary: Often, you are barely aware of it, but hop on a train, spend some time in the shops, watch a movie or a match or visit your GP, and the chances are you will have contributed to half a dozen collections of mass data.

By Susan WattsNewsnight Science editor, BBC News Government and companies now collect, store and analyse as much information as they can about the way we interact with them. Their goal is the pursuit of efficiency, and to find ways to save, or make, money. There is even a phrase for it - "big data". The idea is not just to collect this data, but to analyse it. Take healthcare. In December 2012, the government announced a big data plan for perhaps our most intimate of data, the DNA read-out of 100,000 people with rare diseases and cancer. kshire Police's new technology predicts cri It is a colossal sequencing effort. Not only does each patient have a unique DNA code, but so do their cancer tumours. And some patients will respond to certain drugs better than others, depending on the genetic variants they carry. The claim is that a mass DNA database could herald a new era in medicine, and make the nation richer too. Aside from highlighting British innovation and attracting investment, the initial focus is to help people who are already sick. For the rest of us, the argument goes, if enough people are on the database, trends will become clear. So we could be more confident that our personal DNA read-out can be checked against those trends and might warn us we are more at risk of certain diseases, and do something about it like changing our lifestyle of getting screened. We might also be able to avoid drugs known to be toxic in people that carry a similar genetic make-up to our own. Prof Sir John Bell is one of the government-appointed "champions" for the Life Sciences industry, and chair of the government's Human Genomics Strategy Group. He sees genomics in the NHS as a vital tool and said it is quite a "dramatic change in the way that medicine is likely to evolve". The big data at the heart of this is the DNA double-helix. It is made of four chemicals - essentially a code with four letters. The string of letters that spells out a human being is huge - it took about eight years and cost billions of dollars, to unravel the first human genome. But now, the computer technology that made that possible is far more powerful, and cheaper. These days, it takes a little over a day to unravel the DNA sequence of a single individual. And though it is not yet possible, there is talk of a £60 price tag. Aside from cheaper, more powerful technology, it is also scale that brings the real power. If the plan takes off, then the sheer numbers of patients involved will allow researchers, both public and private, to ask all sorts of questions of the dataset. The NHS already has big data projects in place, notably, a system that enables scientists to carry out research on our clinical information, once anonymised, and smaller scale genetics research databases, such as UK Biobank, but what is new is the idea of bringing all of this together. "The great thing about the UK, and particularly the English NHS, is 50 million people and it's at that scale that you're probably going to have the power to detect all kinds of things that are very powerful in terms of the management of disease, and have quite a profound impact," said Prof Bell. He said he does not stand to make any money from the project himself, though he told us he sits on the board of Roche and Genentech, pharmaceutical companies which may benefit from genomics being applied more widely in healthcare in the UK. There is some agreement that having genetic information from somebody who is already sick can help to find the best treatment for them. What is less clear is how much the entire genetic read-out of a healthy person can tell you about the illnesses they might get in the future. Just because someone carries a particular change in their genes, in most cases, it is far from definite that they will go on to become ill. We are into the realm of probability and risk, which are notoriously difficult to assess and convey. Identification by data There is also the issue of privacy. Professor of security engineering at University of Cambridge, Ross Anderson, has been asked by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics to join a team that will examine the pros and cons of big data and genomics in the NHS. The government says the information in the new database will be anonymised. But if it is linked to medical records, that will bring new risks, according to Prof Anderson. He said medical data is especially hard to protect because it is so rich in information and his primary concern is that individuals, and their data, could be identified by a process of triangulation: "If you look at the typical person's medical record they may have some things that are known to their friends and family, such as that you broke your leg on the 17 January 1991, and some things that you don't want all your friends and family to know, such as that you had a treatment for depression. "The problem is that if you make de-identified medical records available, then everyone from whom the subject wants privacy knows part of the record - namely the leg break, which is enough to identify that record out of many records - and they can therefore get access to the sensitive information, namely the treatment for depression." Prof Bell said there are already robust methods in place to protect people's privacy in medical research which rely in part on limiting access to the data to trusted research partners. "You probably can't get around the issue that no data in any setting is absolutely anonymised and secure," he said. "But I think the constraints in the system that have already been thought about for other types of clinical data are probably pretty secure." That is not enough for Prof Anderson, who wants the government to make details public. "What we actually need is for anonymisation mechanisms to be open to the public, so that we can work out for ourselves whether the protection is adequate. "I want to be able to test them. I want to be able to kick the tyres, and if the government's lying, I want to expose them, and embarrass them for it." Bioethicist Stuart Hogarth, of King's College London, said he is not sure people are ready: "The 'grand bargain' that the government is offering us is that if we give them our DNA then they are going to revolutionise healthcare. "Well it's not clear in fact that we need so much genomic data to understand the genetic basis of health and disease. "It's not clear that the government has the capacity to put in place the large-scale IT project of the sort that would be necessary to do this, and it's not clear that the British public is willing to accept that bargain."

अक्सर, आप इसके बारे में मुश्किल से जानते हैं, लेकिन ट्रेन में चढ़ते हैं, दुकानों में कुछ समय बिताते हैं, फिल्म या मैच देखते हैं या अपने जीपी के पास जाते हैं, और संभावना है कि आपने बड़े पैमाने पर डेटा के आधा दर्जन संग्रह में योगदान दिया होगा।


Scottish Enterprise: A head rolls, but why?

Summary: There's growing frustration and anger within Scottish business at the latest restrictions on commercial activity, and questions about the advice ministers are hearing. Some of that frustration is also apparent in the sudden resignation of the boss of Scottish Enterprise. Steve Dunlop says this is the "right time", but behind that lies prolonged attrition and a struggle to move forward on economic initiatives.

By Douglas FraserBusiness and economy editor, Scotland There's anger and frustration within the business community, and it extends into the Scottish government's lead agency on the economy. Business lobby groups say they understand the difficult balancing act that ministers have to perform in deciding on infection control measures. But their patience is wearing thin with the decisions being made. Health advice is coming at ministers from world-class experts. Ministers say they are trying to retain a bond between politicians and the public they represent, as key to the compliance they need. But who is speaking for business at the Scottish cabinet table? Maybe it is economy secretary Fiona Hyslop. Finance secretary Kate Forbes has a brief that crosses into economic issues. Veteran SNP figure and minister Fergus Ewing is responsible for links into the tourism sector, and was the key to the measures agreed on Friday for spending £40m to mitigate the new lockdown measures. But he's long been seen as a rare voice of the economic right of the SNP, and some distance from the First Minister's economic instincts. 'Fresh perspectives' How does this compare with the Downing Street cabinet? It seems that is the forum for a feistier exchange of views on striking the right balance, and that may be one reason the public message has seemed more muddled. Economic ministers are led by the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak. His team, which has been smart in positioning him as the man to beat if Boris Johnson has to quit, have let it be known this weekend that he took on the medical advisers on the quality of their evidence that pubs and restaurants are the source of infection spread. But it seems there's no-one in Scotland playing that role at the centre of power. Entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter suggested, as lockdown was first eased, that there's a need for a lead business adviser having as much access to decision-making as the medical and scientific team. Perhaps such a role could go to the leader of the Scottish government's economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise. You might think Steve Dunlop would be drawn into decision-making, and advising on how best to support the economy. You'd be wrong. Instead, he just quit. Only 45 minutes before the new restrictions were being set out at Holyrood last week, his bombshell landed in an emailed press release. It was a good moment to explode bad news. In the statement, Mr Dunlop said; "Throughout my career I've always prided myself on knowing when the time is right to move on and let new and fresh perspectives come to the fore. Now is that time." Think about that for a moment. Can you think of a worse time to be looking for new and fresh perspectives? Scotland has just been through the biggest shock to its economy in centuries, and within weeks, the company failures and job losses are expected to soar. 'Delivery frameworks' Mr Dunlop has been in post for less than three years. He isn't leaving immediately, but nor is he waiting for a successor to be appointed. Ministers and Scottish Enterprise chairman Lord (Robert) Smith knew this was coming a week before, but had not decided on an interim replacement. The chairman and Fiona Hyslop issued generous statements of gratitude for Steve Dunlop's work at the agency. These are sometimes a condition of a high-level departure without public rancour. And sure enough, Steve Dunlop isn't saying any more - not to me, anyway. But I've taken soundings, and found that this was every bit as unhappy a departure as the circumstances would suggest. The efforts of Scottish Enterprise to get traction or leverage in St Andrew's House have come to little. The push to drive forward a medium to long-term economic recovery plan was first handed to a committee led by banker Benny Higgins and then chipped into the long grass. Ministers and officials are busy on the short-term imperative of getting through the crisis, including the funds and schemes to mitigate the enforced closure of hospitality businesses. Scottish ministers, it seems, are more than willing to set up reviews, task forces and working parties. They will promise and announce "delivery frameworks". But implementing the framework? Well, that rubber is not hitting the road. When the agency has asked for clarity on the way many millions of pounds will be allocated with the creation of the Scottish National Investment Bank, the answer that came back: "Sort it out amongst yourselves, we're busy." Decluttering farce There wasn't a single flashpoint that led to the resignation this week, but instead prolonged attrition, and a weakening of the agency's autonomy. While ministers appeal to the Treasury in London to give them more advance notice of future budgets, similar appeals from the enterprise agency to St Andrew's House have gone unheeded. This is not new. The enterprise budget has long been a favourite target for ministerial raids. Under Nicola Sturgeon, and when Keith Brown was the minister responsible, there appeared to be an intention to declutter agencies, folding it into other economic quangos. But that turned to farce: instead of fewer agencies, we ended up with one more, for the south of Scotland, with a new board to oversee them all. Apparently, relations have not worked as well since Derek Mackay - both finance and economy secretary - was forced to quit his post in February, shamed by a personal scandal. A quiet U-turn Yet for all the thwarting of effort, Steve Dunlop leaves a significant legacy in Scottish Enterprise. Under his leadership, and against inevitable internal resistance, it pivoted back to a more wide-ranging role in supporting communities as well as businesses, with a clearer social dimension. When the SNP first took power, in 2007, it had moved away from that role to focus on a limited number of companies with high-growth potential. So we've seen a quiet but significant U-turn in the way the SNP handles the economy. I'm not picking up any indication that Scottish Enterprise is set for a further radical change. Attention now shifts to MSPs who oversee the enterprise agencies, and who may choose to challenge the official version of this resignation. It also shifts to Lord Smith, a formidable veteran of boardrooms, the Commonwealth Games, and of chairing the all-party group that led to more powers at Holyrood. He can expect to get more attention from government ministers and officials when he next hooks up to a Zoom call with St Andrew's House.

वाणिज्यिक गतिविधि पर नवीनतम प्रतिबंधों पर स्कॉटिश व्यवसाय के भीतर हताशा और गुस्सा बढ़ रहा है, और मंत्रियों की सलाह के बारे में सवाल सुन रहे हैं। इस निराशा में से कुछ स्कॉटिश एंटरप्राइज के बॉस के अचानक इस्तीफे से भी स्पष्ट है। स्टीव डनलप का कहना है कि यह "सही समय" है, लेकिन इसके पीछे लंबे समय तक काम करना और आर्थिक पहलों पर आगे बढ़ने के लिए संघर्ष है।


Wales' most-deprived area Lansbury Park 'fighting back'

Summary: In 2014 the Lansbury Park estate in Caerphilly was part of a community ranked as Wales' most deprived, despite millions of pounds of public money having being spent there. For a group of local women it was the last straw and they formed a campaign group, demanding more of a say in the future of their area. BBC One Wales' Week In Week Out has been following their efforts.

"We have been let down. Big time." Those are the words of Jan Crimmins, who has lived for 50 years on the Lansbury Park estate. Half its residents have no qualifications and some children on the estate "can't talk, can hardly walk," and still wear nappies when they start nursery. But Ms Crimmins is part of a group of women taking the fight to improve the area into their own hands. The St James 3 area, which includes the Lansbury Park estate, overtook Rhyl West 2 at the top of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation in November 2014. The areas were ranked on factors, including income, employment, education and health. In 2002, the Welsh Government set up Communities First - an initiative which aimed to "narrow the economic, education/skills and health gaps between our most deprived and more affluent areas" by providing extra support for councils. But Ms Crimmins's verdict on its success on the estate is withering: "Whether it be Communities First, the council or the government - we have been let down." Caerphilly council has vowed to improve the area, while the Welsh government said it had provided millions of pounds in funding to the local authority. The unofficial local response was born when mothers in the area banded together to form campaign group, Lansbury Matters, collecting hundreds of signatures demanding a derelict community centre be demolished and investment be poured into the area. Elaine Forehead, Caerphilly councillor for St James, helps to lead the women - whose fortunes are documented in BBC One Wales' Week In Week Out programme. "The community felt insulted by it [the ranking] because, to the people who live on Lansbury Park, this is their home," she said. 'Opportunities' "And I think they have also seen the deprivation levels as poverty, and very 1920s-style poverty, where children walk around with no shoes on their feet and so on and so forth. "And it's not like that. It's not about how your children are dressed, it's more about the opportunities for your children and the opportunities for yourself." She believes Communities First should be "run by the people" and, in that spirit, the group aims to "make a difference". Single mother Clare Masters, 47, lives at Lansbury Park with her 10-year-old twin girls and her 17-year-old daughter, Chantelle, who left school with few qualifications after falling pregnant aged 15. "Dole-wallers - that's what they normally label us. That's not the case - find me a job and I'll take it tomorrow. I can't live on benefits the rest of my life," she said. Meanwhile, head teacher Paul Samuel is trying to turn around standards at St James' Primary - the primary school on estate. "We get children coming into nursery who can't talk, some that can hardly walk - many are not self-toileting so still coming into school with nappies," he said. 'Not proud' "They certainly cannot read or write or hold a pen or pencil, so, really, they are starting well below where you would expect to a child to be in nursery or reception." Caerphilly council's corporate director of communities, Christina Harrhy, said the authority was "not proud of being number one on the deprivation list". "We want to change that and will change that," she said. "It does bother me, the council is not happy with that and there is a genuine will and commitment to take that forward and take Lansbury forward in a collaborative way." In response to criticism of Communities First, she said: "That's disappointing because Communities First has been prioritised and targeted to Lansbury Park and there have been a number of interventions and a number of work streams that we have been working with the community on. "But if the community is saying that it is not appropriate or what they need, then I am happy to have a conversation with them." She said that, if people in the community feel they are "forgotten people", the council had to "take notice of that". The Welsh Government said it had provided £6m to the council in housing-related support for Caerphilly's most vulnerable. "Our Communities First programme in Caerphilly has been supported by over £8m and runs a busy employment surgery and adult literacy and numeracy classes in the heart of Lansbury Park, while the local Lift team is helping long-term unemployed people living on the estate find a job or training opportunity," a spokesperson added. A further £16.3m has been invested in Flying Start services in Caerphilly - which aim to help children aged under four - with 2,500 children supported last year, according to the government. The spokesperson said: "We have also provided over £9.3m for Families First in Caerphilly, which last year helped over 8,600 local people with parenting support, employment advice as well as supporting victims of domestic abuse. "We are providing £100,000 to regenerate the area and remove the disused community centre on the estate, while we have also provided £52,600 to improve the entrance to the Lansbury Park shopping centre." Despite the hurdles facing Lansbury Park's children, mother-of-six, Annemarie Bridgeman, believes the resilience of her own will win out in the future. Her eight-year-old son Lee is bucking the trend and excelling in maths. "I reckon he could be the next prime minister because he is that clever in the head," she said. "But it is finding the right education around here for him."

2014 में कैर्फिली में लैंसबरी पार्क एस्टेट एक ऐसे समुदाय का हिस्सा था जिसे वेल्स के सबसे वंचित समुदाय के रूप में स्थान दिया गया था, इसके बावजूद कि वहां लाखों पाउंड सार्वजनिक धन खर्च किया जा रहा था। स्थानीय महिलाओं के एक समूह के लिए यह अंतिम पुआल था और उन्होंने एक अभियान समूह का गठन किया, जो अपने क्षेत्र के भविष्य में अधिक कहने की मांग कर रहा था। बीबीसी वन वेल्स का वीक इन वीक आउट उनके प्रयासों का पालन कर रहा है।


Park Geun-hye: Can the new president fix South Korea's economy?

Summary: Getting behind the wheels of an economy in a slide is a tough task at the best of times. Doing so when various growth engines are either sputtering or grinding to a halt, makes it even tougher.

By Puneet Pal SinghBusiness Reporter, BBC News, Singapore That is exactly the situation that South Korea's new President Park Geun-hye faces as she takes charge of Asia's fourth-largest economy. Admired and envied for years of economic expansion and the way it emerged from the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, South Korea's growth seems to be running out of fuel. The fact that in her first policy agenda for the next five years, unveiled last week, Ms Park did not set any specific growth target for the economy highlights just how complicated the task of reviving growth is likely to be. Slowing exports Amongst her biggest concerns - and one that she arguably has little control over - is the slowdown in exports, which accounts for more than half of South Korea's overall economic output. Contraction in key markets such as the US and the eurozone has hurt. Although there was a pick up in exports in January, analysts warn that global economic conditions continue to remain fragile and that shipments may be hit if the situation in any of the key markets deteriorates. There are now concerns that exports may also be undermined by the recent currency movements. The Japanese yen has weakened nearly 15% against the US since November, making Japanese goods cheaper for foreign buyers. Meanwhile, the Korean won has risen nearly 10% against the US dollar since May, making Korean goods more expensive. And with Korean and Japanese firms competing against each other in the same markets, there are fears that Korean goods may lose out due to affordability. 'Longer term strategy' However, there are some positive signs as well, not least from demand from within Asia, especially China. China has been trying to spur domestic consumption in an attempt to rebalance its own export-led economy. Some analysts say that rising demand from China in the coming years is likely to help drive up South Korean exports. "As demand from China rises, a part of that is going to be for South Korean products," says James Rooney chief executive of Market Force Company, a Seoul-based consultancy firm. "South Korea has engaged its economy quite well with China to take advantage of that." But others warn that China is facing its own set of challenges on both the domestic and global front, and that South Korea should not pin all its hopes on Chinese demand to sustain its exports sector. Some analysts say that the new government needs to introduce policies that encourage research and development, so that firms develop new products and create a niche market. "This could be in the green energy sector or even the services sector," says Kwon Young-sun, an economist with Nomura. However, Mr Kwon warns that such moves are unlikely to provide an immediate boost to exports. "It is more a longer term strategy and the results will take some time to seep through," he explains. Domestic conundrum The other big challenge for Ms Park is how to spur domestic demand in the country, where her policies are likely to be constrained by the ballooning household debt. Ironically, the problem has its roots in the way South Korea emerged from the Asian Financial Crisis in the 1990s - by boosting lending to families and individuals. Since the crisis, household debt in South Korea has grown by an average of 13% a year, almost twice as fast as the country's gross domestic product (GDP). It reached a record 959.4tn won ($880bn; £580bn) last quarter. That is equivalent to 164% of disposable income. That combined with the fact that the real estate market, where a lot of South Koreans have invested this debt, has almost stagnated has got policymakers worried. While so far there are no real fears of a property market crash, policymakers want to avoid reaching a situation where those fears becomes real. What that essentially means is that the new government cannot afford to lend its way to growth. Analysts say that with many households already having high levels of debt, any further borrowing may see a rise in defaults in the long run, especially when interest rates go up. "At some time in the near future, the economy will start to grow, demand will rise and we will see the inflation rates go up," says Nomura's Mr Kwon. "As a result, if interest rates need to be raised, the burden on South Korean's households will increase," he adds. According to some estimates, nearly 90% of loans in the country have a variable interest rate, which means that any rise in the cost of borrowing will impact majority of South Korean households. "As they pay more to service their debt, households are likely to cut back on spending which in turn will hurt the economy," Mr Kwon explains. Economic democracy However, the most sensitive challenge she faces is the call for reform in the way South Korea's big family owned businesses, also know as chaebols, are run. These businesses, which include names such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai, have been a key driver of the country's economic rise in the past years. They generate about half the country's gross domestic product But they are facing increased criticism over allegations that they have hurt the growth of smaller and medium sized firms in the country. The criticism is centred around various parts. To begin with, some analysts allege that the big business houses get favoured access to capital. "The chaebols may not always have the best ideas, or the best use of money, but it always comes to them first," says Mr Rooney of Market Force Company. At the same time, many of the smaller firms in South Korea supply goods to these big business groups. There are allegations that given their size and importance as a customer, these groups squeeze the smaller firms and hurt their growth and profits and some cases even cause job losses. "The smaller businesses do not have much cash left at the end of the day to invest towards expanding their business or give wage growth to their employees," says Mr Rooney. With a widening income gap, rising prices and slowing economic growth, calls for reforming the chaebols have also become a key political issue. During her election election campaign Ms Park had talked about so-called 'economic democracy'. "We haven't paid enough attention to fairness," she had remarked. "[Big companies] can invest and create jobs, but they also have some bad practices - they concentrate their business among their own groups, they snatch technology from small companies, and they enforce prices." But there are fears that a sharp slowdown in economic growth may see her hold back on any reforms on this front, to ensure that the big growth engines keep tugging along smoothly.

अर्थव्यवस्था के पहियों से पीछे हटना सबसे अच्छे समय में एक कठिन काम है। ऐसा तब किया जाता है जब विभिन्न विकास इंजन या तो टूट रहे होते हैं या रुकने के लिए पीस रहे होते हैं, तो यह और भी कठिन हो जाता है।


Saudi Arabia detentions: Living inside 'five-star prison'

Summary: Riyadh's palatial Ritz-Carlton hotel, branded as "a retreat for those who simply desire the royal treatment", now finds itself transformed into a nerve centre for an audacious manoeuvre by an ambitious crown prince.

Lyse DoucetChief international correspondent@bbclysedouceton Twitter It's not the treatment more than 200 of Saudi Arabia's richest and most powerful ever expected, and certainly never desired, when 32-year old Mohammed Bin Salman launched what was billed as an unprecedented drive against corruption and abuse of power and privilege in the kingdom. Three weeks on, Riyadh's most prestigious hotel is still the talk of the town. But since the midnight raids which snared at least 11 princes and some of the biggest Saudi billionaires, only snippets have surfaced. Rumours swirl around Riyadh and many capitals beyond about what's really happening inside this gilded prison. No one goes in or out of its swirling black metal gates now without official permission. Just past midnight last week, we were allowed to drive in under police escort, down a sweeping avenue towards the sprawling complex washed in golden light. As we alighted, we were greeted by some of the impeccable hotel staff still offering round the clock five star service. But there was a sterner reception from Saudi officials now involved in this crackdown: no faces to be filmed by our crew; no conversations recorded during a first visit by journalists. A stay lasting a few hours, surrounded by officials, could never yield a full account. But it provides glimpses of life inside. Even in the dead of night there are huddles of men, dressed in traditional white robes and red and white chequered headdress, speaking in hushed tones in dark corners of the cavernous lobby. Hardly anyone raises their eyes. Only an occasional tinkle of silver spoons on porcelain tea cups or glasses of foaming café lattes breaks an eerie silence. Who are the 'special guests'? The mood, around the same hour on 4 November, must have been starkly different when some of Saudi Arabia's most privileged elite were forcibly checked in. "They didn't believe what was happening," says an official who identifies himself as belonging to the "Special Committee" pursuing this anti-corruption operation. "They thought it was just a show which wouldn't last long." "Sure they were angry," he admits, with barely concealed satisfaction. "If you tell someone 'you are a thief', they get angry. Imagine if they are a VIP." We're sitting in one of the lobby's elegant clusters of sofas and plush chairs along with an official from the public prosecutor's office, and what's described as an independent human rights society. We're provided with a briefing, on the condition that no-one is quoted by name. Why bring them here? "We were afraid some people would have escaped so we had to keep them inside", is the explanation for this strange, if not shocking, fate for people they refer to as "special guests". There's been no official announcement of this Saudi 'who's who' list. But high profile names had surfaced quickly, including the well-known and wealthy Prince Alwaleed bin Talal who owns shares in everything from Twitter and Apple to the Four Seasons Hotel and London's Savoy. The crown prince's cousin Miteb bin Abdullah, who headed the elite National Guard, is now said to spend his nights in the Ritz too. And why these people, not others, which led to assertions that this was more of a ruthless move against royal rivals and critics? "Everyone here has a file," replies the sombre-faced official from the Public Prosecutor's Office. "Everything is documented." Over the past two years, under the crown prince's direction, a team has been compiling alleged evidence in great secrecy with some documents dating back decades. Then, once a new anti-corruption committee was announced by royal decree, the money hunters made their move. Questions about legality are met with references to Saudi law and the independence of the Public Prosecutor. The judicial official clarifies that this is still "a pre-investigation". "We're asking people who took the money to give it back," he says. "It's a friendly process," chimes in the anti-corruption official who says everyone was told "we'll show you the evidence and we'll solve the problem". Medical crises and mistreatment rumours An image is painted of a process taking place behind closed doors, mainly inside hotel rooms where 201 detainees are now said to spend most of their time. Most, we are told, want to avoid running into others. Most want to just focus on finding a way out of here. The mood now is described as "very serious". An official rattles off the Ritz-Carlton's new register of guests which includes experts from government ministries, the treasury, stock market, ex-bankers, specialists in money laundering, justice, as well as real estate. They're said to be on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help process these cases. Some stay in the hotel and some work from their own offices. Along with medical teams and security guards, more than 500 people are now registered as staying at Ritz-Carlton, at the Kingdom's expense. As of a few days ago, seven suspects had walked free. Accounts provided inside the hotel, and confirmed by sources outside, say they had been able to clarify what was in their file and prove their innocence. Official sources say 4% of the accused say they'll take their case to court. But 95% of people on the list are now reportedly ready to come to a deal. That would mean handing over significant amounts of cash or assets to the Saudi treasury in exchange for their freedom. A businessman in Riyadh, who has seen some of the documents, had told me 1,900 bank accounts, including ones belonging to family members of suspects, were frozen. I ask officials in the Ritz-Carlton about reports of cash and assets totalling 800 billion dollars. "Even if we get 100 billion back, that would be good," replies the official from the Special Committee. His zeal is palpable. "You see this," he says as he picks up a gold-rimmed coffee cup to explain his point. "It should cost 10 dollars. But with corruption, it costs 100 dollars." Then he cities examples from his files including unfinished schools, and hospitals which cost 100 million dollars whose price tag should have been less than a third of that. Outside this inner sanctum, rumours surface about mistreatment and medical crises. "Some guests are old, and some suffer from diabetes, heart problems, or other conditions," the human rights official explains in our briefing. He says a health centre is staffed around the clock by doctors and nurses, rooms are checked, and special medicines are brought from homes. It's not hard to imagine the extraordinary anger and stress which must also fill this hotel. Saudis who once held sway in the kingdom are now being held captive against their will. "If you do surgery, there will be pain," says the anti-corruption official matter-of-factly. "And some people outside are angry because their bosses, or their family members, are in here." But he insists that "when it comes to percentages, 99% of Saudis are happy". 'I stay in my room' It's hard to be scientific about public opinion here. But conversations outside the Ritz's metal gates underline there is broad support for tackling what is known to be rampant corruption. "It's like losing your watch and then you find it," a young real estate developer tells me. "It's your watch, so you want it back." "Our documents are going through government offices more quickly," remarks a prominent business executive who says no-one dares ask for bribes now. But there's anxiety too. "It's a nightmare," exclaims a Saudi doctor. " My son's boss is inside and we're all worried." She speaks of rumours of abuse during interrogations and of heart doctors being called in. In my Ritz briefing, we only hear of what are called "lifestyle problems". "They can have everything they want in this five star plus hotel," one official says. "But we can't bring special food from a special country," he adds. When I ask for more details, I'm told of a request for Russian caviar. Others are said to have asked for their own barber, their own masseuse. Saudis used to calling the shots have had their mobiles taken away. Now they can only make calls on what's described as a hotphone in their rooms. Lawyers and family members are being rung. There are also calls and visits from officials working in their own companies so they can keep business running. Visitors enter through back doors to guard their privacy. Emails can also be arranged. In the early hours of the morning, a few men are working out in the gym, a shimmering swimming pool is empty, and music blares in an empty bowling alley. I'm offered a meeting with a suspect chosen by our escorts. "I'm spending most of my time in my room with my lawyer focusing on my case," a Saudi man with a grey-flecked beard tells me as he sits next to a television broadcasting Premier League football. "I speak to my family on the phone every day but prefer not to have them visit me here." My escorts tell me not to ask about his case. In such conditions, surrounded by officials in charge of his fate, I don't ask many questions. As we leave, he quickly speaks up. "I'm sorry that I forgot our traditions," he says with an apologetic smile. "I should have offered you something to eat or drink." Until this Ritz-Carlton moment is over, a fuller truth about this extraordinary saga won't be known. Officials say they hope everyone will be checked out of this hotel by the end of this year or early January. "The crown prince has to close this chapter quickly," a prominent Saudi investor tells me in a whispered conversation in Riyadh. "If it drags on, questions will continue to be asked."

रियाद का भव्य रिट्ज-कार्लटन होटल, जिसे "उन लोगों के लिए एक रिट्रीट के रूप में ब्रांडेड किया गया है जो केवल शाही व्यवहार चाहते हैं", अब खुद को एक महत्वाकांक्षी क्राउन प्रिंस द्वारा एक दुस्साहसी पैंतरेबाज़ी के लिए एक तंत्रिका केंद्र में बदल जाता है।


Maybe Facebook will be punished after all

Summary: Many were left wholly unsatisfied by news that the punishment for Facebook's privacy misdeeds, from the US at least, would be set at $5bn - an amount the firm can well afford, and for which it had already mostly accounted.

Dave LeeNorth America technology reporter The mood among the network’s critics: Mark Zuckerberg has gotten away with it. But if there is to be a real punishment for Facebook, we may have seen it playing out in Washington DC this week. Facebook’s ambitions to launch a cryptocurrency represents the biggest project the company has undertaken since the dorm-room conception of Facebook itself. Over two congressional hearings this week, Facebook’s David Marcus repeated the potential benefits: easier money transfer around the world, and the chance to reach more than one billion “unbanked” people. But such is the animosity towards Facebook in Washington DC today, the firm may not be allowed to launch it at all. It would be a big blow to the company’s desire - and necessity - to diversify the way it makes its money, at a time when the relative freedom to gather personal data with the intent to sell advertising is coming under threat. As Facebook’s army of lobbyists will know, even in divided America, stifling the network’s power is apparently one of the few surviving bipartisan goals. Every move Facebook now makes will draw concern from lawmakers, even if the idea in isolation appears to be worth exploring. “Just because we may not fully understand a technology proposal,” remarked Republican Patrick McHenry, “does not mean we should immediately call for its prohibition. “But let’s face it. Let’s be honest… it’s Facebook.” 'We cannot accept a new currency' A draft bill entitled “Keep Big Tech Out of Finance”, seeks to ban any technology company with yearly revenues in excess of $25bn (£20bn) from entering the finance sector. Realistically, it’s too sweeping a measure to pass, but it does draw attention to a determination here to not let Facebook’s next moves go unchecked. And that’s a feeling which extends beyond the US. Just as hearings were taking place in Washington DC, finance ministers from the G7 countries were meeting in Chantilly, near Paris. Italy’s finance minister told reporters he would move to keep Facebook in check, seeing Facebook’s ambitions in this space as a move to “control what’s going on”. His French equivalent, Bruno Le Maire, was similarly concerned. You might even say incensed. "I would say this is first of all a question of sovereignty,” he told reporters. "You have states, the United States, France, Germany, Italy - all sovereign states with sovereign currencies: dollar, euro and so on and they are sticking to some very strong commitments, some very strong rules. “We cannot accept a new currency having the exact same kind of power, without the same kind of rules, without the same kind of commitments and without the same kind of obligations.” Like US lawmakers, he’s concerned about the use of Libra to fund terrorism, buy illegal goods, or launder money. It’s not hyperbole - many cryptocurrencies, most famously Bitcoin, have been used for such purposes. Mr Le Maire said: "How could we accept to have now a new currency which wouldn’t stick to the same kind of obligation?” 'Change is here' Facebook feels it will be able to build in sufficient protections to address the concern. For starters, those who use Facebook’s own wallet - Calibra - to trade the Libra currency, must upload a government ID, removing the anonymity afforded by other digital currencies. More broadly, David Marcus said, the Libra currency ultimately won’t be fully controlled by Facebook - it is one of dozens of companies and groups that have a say in how Libra will be set up, managed and secured. Facebook will have no dominant position (though as the biggest player, you could argue Facebook will command one, even if it isn’t technically in charge) Mr Marcus also, repeatedly over the two days, pressed the argument that if Facebook doesn’t do this - someone else will, implying China, where companies very much outside of US scrutiny and control could move into this space. “Whether Libra launches, or if it doesn’t launch, there will be other networks,” he said. "There are other networks.” This, more so than any other argument from Mr Marcus, will resonate. Appearing tough on Facebook is a vote-winning position for sure, but stifling American innovation in a way which boosts China would certainly take precedent. "The reality is that whether Facebook is involved or not, change is here,” said Senator McHenry. "Digital currencies exist. Blockchain technology is real, and Facebook’s entry into this world is just confirmation.” Facebook has said it won’t launch without regulatory approval. A spokeswoman at the firm would not say if the company would launch for users outside the US if was able to get approval elsewhere - a move that would upset regulators here immensely, you’d imagine. Either way, the company's stated aim of launching as soon as next year seems ambitious. And that’s a lot more painful than a $5bn fine. _____ Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC Do you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370

कई लोग इस खबर से पूरी तरह से असंतुष्ट रह गए कि फेसबुक के गोपनीयता संबंधी कुकर्मों के लिए सजा, कम से कम अमेरिका से, $5 बिलियन निर्धारित की जाएगी-एक ऐसी राशि जो फर्म अच्छी तरह से वहन कर सकती है, और जिसके लिए उसने पहले से ही ज्यादातर हिसाब रखा था।


Viewpoints: Experts comment on EU's Nobel award

Summary: The 2012 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the European Union for its work in promoting peace and stability in Europe. The award recognised the success of Franco-German reconciliation, the EU's eastward enlargement and peace efforts in the Balkans.

Here several experts on European affairs give their opinions on the award, which comes at a time of tension amid the eurozone debt crisis. Heather Grabbe, Open Society Institute, Brussels This is a big confidence boost for the EU at a moment when confidence is at a very low ebb because of the euro crisis. It's an important reminder that European integration is a peace project. In the Balkans reconciliation is all under the EU's auspices - were it not for the EU they wouldn't be where they are today. The EU is the only body able to bring a whole range of peace-building measures to such a troubled region - the US couldn't do that. France and Germany no longer go to war to resolve economic difficulties. In previous centuries they did, but now they negotiate through the European Council - much better. Reconciliation is about exorcising the ghosts of history. It's easy to forget that now, we take peace for granted. Nato is a different thing, it's a military alliance and doesn't do institution-building. There are still huge challenges - ensuring reconciliation and co-operation in the Balkans, having a much more constructive, integrated relationship with Turkey. In the EU's neighbourhood there are still major problems with democracy, incomplete transitions and economic nationalism. The EU needs to get back to its core business - trade and promoting reconciliation. It's important to move out of this crisis mode. Franco-German relations have had ups and downs - at the moment they're not as close as they used to be on economic policy, or the EU's future. But the populations are much closer now, there are many school exchanges and their trade is huge. Carl Bildt, Swedish Foreign Minister I think the award was highly deserved and I think we should congratulate 500 million Europeans who, in different ways, have all benefited from the integration, the stability, peace and also the prosperity that the European Union has given. We have not sorted out all of the problems, history has not come to its end, but great progress has been made. I think it was particularly important that the Nobel committee mentioned enlargement. They mentioned Turkey where we see, most concretely, how the integration process is making its contribution to peace. In Greece, Portugal and Spain, we should not forget the important role the EU played in stabilising democracy after the fall of the military dictatorships, as well as the hand it is now giving them with some significant economic problems. The progress that has been made through integration in the past few decades is mind-bogglingly successful. I am in the north of Europe, looking out at the Baltic states. Just a couple of decades ago, a hundred million people in the eastern and central parts of Europe were living under dictatorship and in despair. The contribution that European integration has made there to the rule of law, democracy and an element of prosperity is easily forgotten. When we are dealing with the problems of today, I think we all agree that it would be far more difficult to deal with them without the integration, the co-operation, the leaders sitting around a table and trying to find common solutions. Carl Bildt can be followed on Twitter Nigel Farage, UK Independence Party I think that the whole thing is a nonsense. If anyone is suggesting that a democratic, stable, post-war Germany would have invaded France again with the intention of smashing it to smithereens, I would suggest they are misreading history. I do not believe there was any prospect of war happening in Western Europe after 1945. Arguably, projects that take different nation states, force them together under a new identity, a new flag and a new anthem, doing so without the consent of the peoples - such projects can actually create war, as Yugoslavia has shown us. This prize baffles me because only recently we saw Angela Merkel going to Athens and there we saw swastikas being flown and Europe now being dominated by grief, violence and division. The Cold War was about Nato and the nuclear deterrent. The fact the Russians did not invade us had absolutely nothing to do with the EU which, after all, was not fully created until 1992. The EU today is about the destruction of nation-state democracy. Far from making the peoples of Europe love each other, the eurozone has divided Europe north to south and there are increasing enmities, violence in the streets. We are headed, I think, in a very dangerous direction. Just look at the lessons of the Balkans. Look at this crackpot idea that we had in 1920 of abolishing individual nations and putting them together under a Yugoslav flag. It led to disaster and the EU, sadly, is making the same tragic mistake. Nigel Farage can be followed on Twitter Mats Persson, Open Europe think tank It's good for the EU to have a bit of encouragement. But at the same time some people would consider it a bit strange that the EU gets this award at a time when the euro crisis is causing social unrest in some parts of Europe. The first people to be part of the big epic moments in European reconciliation were national politicans, not so much people in European institutions. Of course the EU has done positive things, like enlargement, extending stability in post-communist eastern Europe. With Franco-German relations you now have an institutionalised relationship between the two countries, designed to withstand crises and changes in governments - that's positive for Europe. But Europe is more than the Franco-German axis. The irony is that the euro, because it was premature, driven by ideology, risks driving some countries further apart. The euro is now to some extent negating the positive impact the EU has had. In Greece, Spain and Portugal the EU used to be seen as a counterweight to flaky domestic politics, but now the euro is associated with pain and outside interference, through the EU troika and European Commission. The EU's External Action Service (EAS) is always restricted to the lowest common denominator in Europe - it can't cut across a specific country's foreign policy interests. It has to reconcile 27 different foreign policies, so it's not a swift actor. The EAS has a mixed record - it has done some decent things, like the Iran sanctions, and in the Balkans. But in the Bosnia war the US had to step in, and in the Arab Spring the EU was initially on the wrong side. Turkey will be a huge issue - it'll be a big problem if it turns east rather than towards Europe. Charles Grant, Centre for European Reform The EU merits the peace prize. Its role in history is unique and positive, and much more important than the inability of the current bunch of leaders to resolve the eurozone's travails. One only has to travel to Asia to understand the EU's value. In South and East Asia several territorial disputes could easily erupt into war. Many Asians wish they had strong multilateral bodies like the EU, or Nato, that make war among their members inconceivable. If European states disagree they keep holding interminable summits until they find a compromise. And we should not forget that the EU's eastward enlargement has spread peace, democracy and security across much of the continent. True, the EU allowed the Balkan wars of the 1990s to fester for too long - but it learned the lesson and developed a peacekeeping capability that has done good work in the Balkans, parts of Africa and elsewhere. Charles Grant can be followed on Twitter Ulrike Guerot, European Council on Foreign Relations This is very positive. It reminds us what we forget during the discussion on the eurozone crisis - that this was a peace project and a political project. And this project has transformed Europe from authoritarian dictatorship into democratic, prosperous countries. Germany and France had very different reasons - Germany to overcome its dreadful history and France for protection from Germany - but still, they overcame a century of war through reconciliation. More than 60 years later we are still struggling with this project - but do not forget that there has not been 60 years of peace in Europe since 1410. When Barack Obama won the prize soon after his election there were the same sort of doubts. But there is a symbolic component to the award, and also a promotional and supportive component. It means a lot of attention and debate, and it reminds people, in these difficult hours, about what is at stake, and about the historic challenge we face. At the middle of its deepest crisis, are we going to destroy a 60-year-old project that is about the rule of law and human rights? Ulrike Guerot can be followed onTwitter

2012 का नोबेल शांति पुरस्कार यूरोपीय संघ को यूरोप में शांति और स्थिरता को बढ़ावा देने में उसके काम के लिए प्रदान किया गया है। यह पुरस्कार फ्रेंको-जर्मन सुलह, यूरोपीय संघ के पूर्व की ओर विस्तार और बाल्कन में शांति प्रयासों की सफलता को मान्यता देता है।