Philippines election: Populism, celebrity and ugly realities

Summary: As the Philippines prepares for its fifth election since the "People Power" revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head asks whether any candidate can address the country's true problems.

If you want to understand the dynamics of this election look away from the flutter of posters, from the noisy campaign trucks and their jaunty songs, and from a bewildering selection of smiling candidates contesting thousands of elected posts. Look instead at the creaking infrastructure of Manila, the visible slums, the denuded mountainsides and scrappy farms. The Philippines stands out - in a region that was once a byword for crippling poverty - for its failure to match its neighbours' partial success in reducing inequality. Official statistics show that poverty has stayed at more or less the same level for the past decade, despite economic growth averaging 6%. Ask a motor tricycle driver or a day labourer how much the past four elections have changed their lives, and they will nearly all tell you: not one bit. If you look at how they live, you can believe them. On paper, outgoing President Benigno Aquino has performed well - better, certainly, than his two predecessors. Foreign direct investment has quadrupled, and the budget deficit has fallen. Spending has increased on infrastructure, schools and rural development. Middle-class Filipinos who have good jobs or businesses feel better off. The problem is that President Aquino started with the Philippines far behind its neighbours, and the changes he has brought are incremental, rather than revolutionary. Had the constitution allowed it, he might have been able to turn his modest successes into a story alluring enough to win another term of office. But in a reaction against the monopolisation of power by Marcos in the 1970s and 80s, Mr Aquino's mother, Corazon - who led the movement that overthrew Marcos - also oversaw a new constitution which limited presidents to a single term. So every six years there is an entirely new slate of contestants. Except they are not really new. The people go to the polls Voters hope for jobs at home and abroad Who will lead the Philippines? A beginner's guide to the Philippine elections The fizzy drink and bun presidential poll Filipino boxing youth and politician Pacquiao An anti-establishment backlash Mar Roxas, an ally of President Aquino's, is a former minister, a vice-presidential candidate in the last 2010 election, and also the grandson of a former president. By all accounts a decent and capable politician, he is nonetheless a quintessential establishment figure. Another candidate, Jejomar Binay, is the outgoing vice-president, and is a wealthy former mayor of Manila's financial district, Makati. Miriam Defensor Santiago ran for president as long ago as 1992, and has also been a tough-minded judge and senator. The only political novice in this contest is Grace Poe, a first-term senator who is best known for being the adopted daughter of popular actor Fernando Poe. Rodrigo Duterte is not new to politics either. But as the long-serving mayor of the southern city of Davao, he is an outsider in the cosy world of Manila political families. And his campaign style and language are certainly something very new. Mr Duterte has scarcely been able to make a campaign speech without threatening to kill someone. In fact he says openly that you need to be willing to kill to be president. He has talked about filling Manila Bay with the 100,000 criminals he says he will kill if he wins the top job, which opinion polls suggest is likely. His blunt, often offensive comments have won him legions of fans here. Perhaps they don't take his threats seriously. Perhaps they love the idea of a lone vigilante gun-slinging his way to justice as seen in the barilan shootout dramas that play all day on Filipino televisions. Mr Duterte's showcase is the city he has run for the best part of 30 years. Davao is the third largest city in the country, and, up until the late 1980s it also had one of the highest homicide rates in the world, thanks in large part to the conflict with the communist New People's Army. The local authorities began arming civilian militias to tackle to communist insurgents, and those militias morphed into shadowy death squads which targeted anyone seen as a threat to public order. Today, Davao is safe and law-abiding, with a prosperous business district and healthy crime statistics. At an impressive integrated emergency response centre there were housed state-of-the-art rescue vehicles and inside, a long wall covered in screens showing feeds from dozens of high-resolution security cameras around the city. Committing a crime and getting away with it is hard in Davao - and would you dare when the mayor has threatened to kill you? In a poorer part of town lives Clarita Aria, who runs a small market stall and lives in a cramped wooden shack behind it. She still weeps as she recalls how, over a period of six years four of her sons, all teenagers, were killed, after being warned by the police. The thought of Mayor Duterte winning the presidency fills her with sadness. But in much of the city he is celebrated as a hero. At the other end of the Philippines, in Iliocos Norte, Ferdinand Marcos is also feted as a hero and saviour, 30 years after he was overthrown in the first "people power" uprising. Back then, Marcos and his free-spending wife Imelda were vilified as symbols of greed, corruption and repression. But today, the Marcos museum in his home town of Batac, which glorifies his life and achievements, is crowded with visitors from all over the country. Many of them are young - more than half of those eligible to vote were not born when Marcos was overthrown. Some came out won over by the melodramatic representation of Marcos's sacrifices they had watched inside, and the viewing they had of his embalmed body lying in state next door. His daughter, Imee, is governor of the province. Even Imelda, who at 86 is in poor health, is running unopposed as a congresswoman. A host of other Marcoses and their relatives are contesting many of the 240 or so positions up for grabs in the election. And his son Ferdinand Jr, or "Bongbong", has been leading the polls to win the vice-presidency - running a slick social media campaign, which appeals to the young in particular. In vain have the victims of the older Marcos's martial law, in which thousands were imprisoned and tortured, cried warnings about forgetting the past. When I asked Bongbong how much of a problem his father's reputation was he laughed: "Quite the opposite - it's a boost", he said. If the polls are correct, Mr Duterte and Mr Marcos could end up running this country. No-one is sure how they will do it, nor in what state they will leave this country's fragile democracy when they are finished. But after holding out so much promise when it was born 30 years ago, that democracy has delivered little of substance to most Filipinos, and they cannot be expected to care too much if it is put at risk.

जैसा कि फिलीपींस 1986 में तानाशाह फर्डिनेंड मार्कोस को उखाड़ फेंकने वाली "पीपुल्स पावर" क्रांति के बाद से अपने पांचवें चुनाव की तैयारी कर रहा है, बीबीसी के दक्षिण पूर्व एशिया संवाददाता जोनाथन हेड पूछते हैं कि क्या कोई उम्मीदवार देश की वास्तविक समस्याओं का समाधान कर सकता है।


Anushka Sharma: Indian media defend actress after cricket loss

Summary: Papers, former players and pundits have criticised Twitter users for blaming cricketer Virat Kohli's girlfriend Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma for India's defeat against Australia in the World Cup semi-final match.

Australia powered into the World Cup final with a 95-run victory over defending champions India in Sydney on Thursday. Kohli, who is the team's vice captain, went out after making just one run. Indians follow cricket passionately and millions of fans were disappointed by his poor show. As India's chase hit roadblocks and it became clear that India was losing to Australia, many fans started to vent their anger on Twitter and some began to target Sharma, who was present in the stadium, watching the match. But this anger was met with strong resistance from others on Twitter who felt it was wrong to blame the actress for Kohli's "poor performance". Tweets supporting the duo soon outnumbered those who made jokes about Sharma's presence in the stadium. Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor, tennis star Sania Mirza, senior journalists and other users came to the defence of the couple. Former Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly also criticised those who blamed the actress for the team's defeat. "What wrong Anushka has done? She had only gone to see a cricket match like the families of other players. It is unfair to blame her for Kohli's performance. It is the immaturity of people," he told The Indian Express. Newspapers and websites have also published reports, criticising the "irrational behaviour by Indian fans". "Such extreme reactions only go on to show the misogynist character of Indian society where a woman is blamed for anything and everything that goes wrong with the man. Anushka just like millions of other Indians is a fan of cricket and her boyfriend is a star batsman in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team," writes Senha Thakur on the CNN-IBN website. In an interview with the NDTV earlier in the month, Sharma had said "it's primitive to call me his distraction and blame me for his performance". 'Sensational' coverage Meanwhile, leading news channel Times Now and its editor Arnab Goswami are also being criticised for their harsh review of India's performance. The channel ran its shows with headlines like "Team India mess it up", "Team India #ShamedinSydeny, and "India disgraced in Sydney". Some Twitter users criticised the channel for being "sensational" and tweeted with their own hashtag #ShameonTimesNow. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.

समाचार पत्रों, पूर्व खिलाड़ियों और पंडितों ने विश्व कप सेमीफाइनल मैच में ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ भारत की हार के लिए क्रिकेटर विराट कोहली की प्रेमिका बॉलीवुड अभिनेत्री अनुष्का शर्मा को दोषी ठहराने के लिए ट्विटर उपयोगकर्ताओं की आलोचना की है।


Politicians to give evidence

Summary: A new list of defence witnesses including prominent opposition politicians was submitted to the courts on Wednesday when the white flag case was taken before Trial-at-bar in Colombo.

The ten-member list of witnesses include Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, Deputy leader of the United National Party, Karu Jayasuriya, opposition MP Mangala Samaraweera, DNA MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, prominent academic Professor Ashley Halpe and Sunday Leader Journalist Raisha Wickramatunge. The defence lawyers also informed the courts a request for Hot water for Sarath Fonseka,that was granted by the courts was not honoured by the prison officials. large scale corruption Later, speaking to the media, Sarath Fonseka accused the government of exploiting development projects of the past. “They are putting up signs with their name on other people’s work” he said. He also accused the government of large scale corruption.

प्रमुख विपक्षी राजनेताओं सहित बचाव पक्ष के गवाहों की एक नई सूची बुधवार को अदालतों में प्रस्तुत की गई जब कोलंबो में ट्रायल-एट-बार के समक्ष सफेद झंडा मामला लिया गया।


Cumbria University appeal for new student landlords

Summary: A university is urging property owners to consider renting to students.

Cumbria University said it had inquiries from more than 100 undergraduates who had gained a place through Clearing but were struggling to find accommodation. Lucy Roberts, commercial services manager for the Carlisle campuses, said landlords could make hundreds of pounds a month. She also said landlords should not be put off by the student "reputation". Ms Roberts said: "As long as there is a good contract in place and deposits have been paid we have less reported problems than you might think. "We have had at least 100 inquiries from new students and are hoping to solve the accommodation problem through the private sector. She said those interested should contact the university for advice on how to register with the county council and meet health and safety requirements. "Renting to students is better than having an empty room," she added. She also said that landlords can make between £50 and £60 per student, per week.

एक विश्वविद्यालय संपत्ति मालिकों से छात्रों को किराए पर देने पर विचार करने का आग्रह कर रहा है।


Royal Cornwall Trust investigates swab incident

Summary: A hospital in Cornwall says it is investigating why a swab was left inside a woman while she was giving birth.

The Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust said it happened earlier in September after an assisted birth in a delivery suite. The trust says the woman involved is understood to be well and it is now working to make sure what they called a "Never Event" does not happen again. The trust said it would "ensure appropriate actions are taken".

कॉर्नवॉल के एक अस्पताल का कहना है कि वह इस बात की जांच कर रहा है कि एक महिला के जन्म देते समय उसके अंदर एक स्वाब क्यों छोड़ा गया था।


Fans descend on San Diego Comic-Con

Summary: Dust off your Wonder Woman suit. Leave your selfie stick at home. And if you must carry a sword, make sure it's tied securely to your costume as dangerous weapons will be checked at the door.

By Regan MorrisBBC News, San Diego Yes it's time for Comic-Con, the annual pop culture convention where the entertainment industry markets directly to its most die-hard fans. And the fans turn out in droves. Tens of thousands are expected to descend on the San Diego Convention Center this week, many dressed as their favourite superheroes. All will be hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite film, TV and video game stars, or sneak a peak at an upcoming film, show, comic book or video game. "Tales of San Diego Comic-Con are told in awe on every set around the known fantasy/sci-fi production world," said Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi, who is attending the convention for the first time. "It's become a fabled kingdom, one I am thrilled to find myself heading for. And to appear in the legendary Hall H is a further twist to the cosplay and comic madness I may never recover from." "Cosplay" is short for "costume play", or the fancy dress many choose to wear to such conventions, while Hall H is the massive room inside the convention centre where the biggest "panels" are held. No tents are allowed in the vast queue, but sleeping bags are allowed for the many who line up all night to guarantee themselves a place. Batman v Superman, X-Men, Hunger Games and Star Wars events look set to dominate Hall H. Yet some of Hollywood's biggest studios are skipping the con of cons this year. Marvel blamed "bad timing" for its absence, having already unveiled plans for the next phase of its superhero slate at a fan event last October. "I really have a belief: If you can't go to Comic-Con and over-deliver, then don't go," boss Kevin Feige explained. Without the Avengers to steal the show, the superheroes of Warner Bros and elsewhere have a chance to be the main attraction. Unless Star Wars upstages them all, of course... Fans are hoping to see Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill suited up as Batman and Superman. Jennifer Lawrence may be in town to promote the final instalment in the Hunger Games franchise. And there should be plenty of Wonder Women. Women are increasingly represented at comic conventions, so much so that there is a movement to prevent sexual harassment of women in costumes. Women often complain men grope and photograph them from behind at conventions, so a group called "Geeks for CONsent" has formed to remind crowds that cosplay does not equal consent to be manhandled or harassed. The fabled Hall H may be the most desired ticket, but there is plenty of other space for fans inside the 2.6 million sq ft (2.4 million hectare) convention centre. The San Diego Comic-Con is the largest and most star-studded of its kind, but there are dozens of similar events around the world that are becoming increasingly popular. While some big Hollywood studios may be skipping Comic-Con this year, big corporations outside of traditional entertainment are waking up to how they can advertise their products to pop culture fans. "Is Comic-Con becoming more corporate? Absolutely it is," said Jeetendr Sehdev, a marketing professor at the University of Southern California. "That's the nature of how business is going. I think the corporate brands are becoming more entertainment centric." Some fans may be annoyed at the presence of car company Lexus or insurers State Farm at comic conventions. But Sehdev said that is how pop culture is changing, and that younger fans are more receptive to the blurred lines between art and commerce. So how do Comic-Con fans themselves feel about their culture going mainstream? "I think it's great! The nerds won," said Matt Moore, a pop culture writer who has attended many Comic-Cons. "All the people who used to make fun of me in high school are there standing in line to watch Age of Ultron, or waiting for Batman v Superman. We won!" The 2015 Comic-Con International runs in San Diego California from 9 to 12 July.

अपने वंडर वुमन सूट को हटा दें। अपनी सेल्फी स्टिक को घर पर छोड़ दें। और अगर आपको तलवार ले जानी है, तो सुनिश्चित करें कि यह आपकी पोशाक से सुरक्षित रूप से बंधी हुई है क्योंकि दरवाजे पर खतरनाक हथियारों की जांच की जाएगी।


UK military deaths in Afghanistan: Full list

Summary: The UK's military role in Afghanistan since 2001 has brought with it a heavy human toll. Members of the Army, RAF, Royal Marines and special forces have lost their lives in the fight against the Taliban. Here, the BBC News website offers a look at who they were and how they died.

The number of deaths stands at 456 after two RAF personnel were among five people who died in a helicopter crash on 11 October 2015. Users of the app, click to view the full list of casualties. Select a photograph to find out more about each casualty. 2015 - total deaths 2014 - total deaths 2013 - total deaths 2012 - total deaths 2011 - total deaths 2010 - total deaths 2009 - total deaths 2008 - total deaths 2007 - total deaths 2006 - total deaths 2005 - total deaths 2004 - total deaths 2003 - total deaths 2002 - total deaths

2001 के बाद से अफगानिस्तान में ब्रिटेन की सैन्य भूमिका अपने साथ भारी मानव संख्या लेकर आई है। तालिबान के खिलाफ लड़ाई में सेना, आरएएफ, रॉयल मरीन और विशेष बलों के सदस्यों ने अपनी जान गंवाई है। यहाँ, बीबीसी समाचार वेबसाइट एक नज़र डालती है कि वे कौन थे और वे कैसे मारे गए।


Liverpool domestic abuser broke woman's bones

Summary: A man who beat a woman so much she had broken bones and a bleed on the brain has been jailed for nearly 10 years.

David Ellis, 50, from Liverpool, admitted the section 18 domestic assault of a 27-year-old woman he left with multiple injuries. Ellis, of Halewood Drive, Woolton, was given nine years and nine months, at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday. Det Insp Tracey Martin said the sentence sent a "strong message" of zero tolerance of abuse. Merseyside Police found the woman on 26 February. Det Insp Martin praised her bravery and said she hoped the woman's "courage inspires anyone else out there who may be a victim in this way, to seek help." She said there was help and support available for victims of domestic abuse.

एक आदमी जिसने एक महिला को इतना पीटा कि उसकी हड्डियाँ टूट गई थीं और मस्तिष्क पर खून बह रहा था, उसे लगभग 10 साल की जेल हुई है।


Congo's sapeurs pass their style on to a new generation

Summary: Some residents of the twin Congolese capitals of Brazzaville and Kinshasa have long been known for their love of stylish dressing - in particular members of the Society of Ambience-Makers and Elegant People (Sape). These photographs by Tariq Zaidi reveal a whole new generation of "sapeurs".

In the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa, the son of famous sapeur Fiston Mahata, eight-year-old Natan, represents the new generation of style. Across the River Congo in Brazzaville, 10-year-old Okili Nkoressa, middle, uses the dirt roads as his catwalk. "My favourite item of clothing is my Yves Saint Laurent suit which I am wearing today," he says. He is accompanied by veterans of the Sape scene, 52-year-old businesswoman Ntsimba Marie Jeanne, left, and 39-year-old policewoman Judith Nkoressa, right. Severin Mouyengo's father was also a sapeur. "I Sape every day. It makes me forget about everything," says the 62-year-old retired forester. "It brings peace and tranquillity to everyone... I don't see how anyone in La Sape could be violent or fight. Peace means a lot to us." Elie Fontaine, a 45-year old taxi-owner says he started dressing in suits as a child in 1982. "They used to tell us that Sape was just a form of 'juvenile delinquency'." They gained international fame in 2014 when their style was featured in a Guinness advert. "For me Sape is an art, Sape is a discipline, Sape is a job" says Maxime Pivot Mabanza, who has been a sapeur for 36 years. Perreira Franchisco, a 37-year-old computer consultant in Brazzaville, calls himself "the greatest sapeur". "I will now demonstrate, what is known as a clothing equation with 2 or 3 elements. So I will be wearing a Kenzo suit, made in Italy, with a backless vest by Jean Basinga, I'll wear a tie blue, white, red by Pierre Cardin and a pair of varnished tectonic shoes by John Foster. I love wearing my Kenzo suit - made in Italy!" More and more women are joining the dapper dressers, including 44-year-old businesswoman Ella Kiadi who started eight years ago. The women in the club are known as sapeuses. Some women started decades ago, including 52-year-old housewife Clementine Biniakoulou, who has been a sapeuse for 36 years. "It's like someone who has an incurable disease and must take medicine, that's what Sape is like," says Nino Valentino. Human resources manager Basile Gandzion, 51, has been a sapeur for 30 years. "Out of all my clothes my favourite item of clothing is my hat," says 58-year old bricklayer Yamea Bansimba. He has been a sapeur for 50 years. "Jika is here. The clothes inspector, I have arrived, all the labels are here. A Y3 skirt, Zara and other labels, crocodile shoes, 40 cm socks, do you feel me. I am here, Jika the Parisian," is how 28-year-old Serge Bakama Boke - aka Jika - introduces himself. At just five years old, Israell Mbona (right) has been a sapeur for three years. Even at his young age, his kilt is from Scotland and his shoes are Versace. Photographer Tariq Zaidi's book Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo is published this month. All photos by Tariq Zaidi

कांगो की जुड़वां राजधानियों ब्राज़ाविले और किन्शासा के कुछ निवासी लंबे समय से स्टाइलिश ड्रेसिंग के अपने प्यार के लिए जाने जाते हैं-विशेष रूप से सोसाइटी ऑफ एंबिएंस-मेकर्स एंड एलिगेंट पीपल (सेप) के सदस्य। तारिक जैदी की ये तस्वीरें "सेपर्स" की एक पूरी नई पीढ़ी को प्रकट करती हैं।


Johnstonebridge man reported over Neknomination video

Summary: A man is being reported to the procurator fiscal for dangerous driving after police viewed a piece of Neknomination video footage.

Police said a 42-year-old man from Johnstonebridge had been traced as a result. The incident is alleged to have happened in the area around Lockerbie. Police Scotland said it was aware of a number of other Neknomination acts which could result in further reports to the procurator fiscal. Neknomination involves filming yourself "necking" a drink, posting a video on social media and then nominating someone else to do the same.

पुलिस द्वारा नेकनॉमिनेशन वीडियो फुटेज का एक टुकड़ा देखने के बाद एक व्यक्ति को खतरनाक ड्राइविंग के लिए प्रोक्यूरेटर वित्तीय को सूचित किया जा रहा है।


Q&A: Is local government collective Cosla heading for a schism?

Summary: Is Scotland's local government umbrella body the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) heading for a schism? Two of Scotland's local councils - Dumfries and Galloway and Aberdeen - have said they are planning to leave and there's speculation a number in the west of Scotland will follow. So what are the issues?

By Jamie McIvorBBC Scotland local government correspondent 1. What is Cosla? Cosla represents the collective interests of all 32 councils in Scotland. Councils choose to join Cosla and pay a subscription because they think it is in their interests to do so. The organisation has its own staff and offices in Edinburgh. Its main role is to lobby on behalf of local government, represent the collective views of councils and deals with pay negotiations. But because it represents councils across the political spectrum it is rarely able to take a strong public stand on issues of controversy such as the council tax freeze. Well - at one level, it's one for the anoraks. Councils chose to join this organisation which works for their collective interests. If a council quits, it doesn't make any difference to local services, the terms and conditions of staff or how much you pay in council tax. What is more interesting are the reasons why some councils and councillors are wondering whether remaining in Cosla might be the right thing to do. Basically, this move exposes tensions in local government over funding - in particular over the way the Scottish government's money for councils is distributed between the 32 councils. Well there's been speculation for some time that some of the Labour councils in the west of Scotland - Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, South Lanarkshire - might decide to leave. At the root of it all is money - and the way government money is distributed to councils. As a general rule, about 80% of every council's budget is from central government - and there's a complicated formula that's used to calculate just how much each council gets. Some Labour councils have been pushing to get that formula changed. But not surprisingly, any move to change that formula would have both winners and losers and those who feel they'd lose out don't want change. The thinking among some Labour councillors who'd been pushing for change is that if Cosla agreed, if the whole of Scottish local government agreed, then it might happen. But if it doesn't happen and they pull out of Cosla they might have a freer hand to fight the Scottish government. This is one challenge. The Scottish government holds the reins - they give the cash. There would be no guarantee the funding deal would be any better for a particular council. But I think the feeling is more that some councillors feel membership of Cosla isn't value for money. Because Cosla represents all councils of all different political persuasions, it can rarely take a stance on controversial issues - it has been individual councils who have condemned, say, the terms of the council tax freeze. Now Glasgow City Council's likely to discuss whether to stay in Cosla between now and the end of March. One thing they'll be looking at is whether a number of councils in the west of Scotland might be able to work together, lobby for their interests with central government and the like, at a far lower cost - without supporting the staff or overheads of Cosla which has staff and a big office in Edinburgh. And there is the argument that four or five councils of a similar political persuasion may be more powerful lobbying collectively than one organisation having to say something all 32 basically agree on. Indeed. One important thing Cosla does is negotiate nationally set pay and conditions for council staff. Over time, without Cosla, might wider differences in pay and conditions emerge? Trade union Unison would rather Cosla stays together and fear breakaways simply weaken the message and encourages divide and rule. The other thing is there's been concern for years over alleged creeping centralisation in Scotland. In fact, Cosla's looking just now at how local government might be strengthened after the referendum. The fear would be that without one organisation representing councils, any process of centralisation might be harder to counter.

क्या स्कॉटलैंड की स्थानीय सरकार का छत्र निकाय कन्वेंशन ऑफ स्कॉटिश लोकल अथॉरिटीज (कोसला) एक मतभेद की ओर बढ़ रहा है? स्कॉटलैंड की दो स्थानीय परिषदों-डमफ्रीज़ और गैलोवे और एबरडीन-ने कहा है कि वे जाने की योजना बना रहे हैं और स्कॉटलैंड के पश्चिम में कई लोगों के आने की अटकलें हैं। तो क्या मुद्दे हैं?


Russian anger at parcel thefts goes viral

Summary: It's a long way from Siberia to London.

By Steve RosenbergBBC News, Moscow But when Sergei Lyapko from Akademgorodok saw an iPad going cheap in an online auction, he snapped it up. The Royal Mail duly despatched the item. But Russian Post failed to deliver it. "The package arrived," Sergei told me by phone from Siberia. "But instead of a tablet computer it contained five stones! "The weight of the parcel was almost the same as what it should have been with the computer, there was just 15 grams difference. I made an official complaint and now there are two investigations ongoing: one by Russian Post, the other by the police." Enraged by the rocks he received, Sergei started his own website called Post Office Thieves, a forum for other Russian victims of mail theft. He has been inundated with stories. Among the victims to make contact with him are: "I'm going to collect all these complaints," Sergei told me, "and take them to the Russian authorities, so that they see the need to carry out checks on Russian Post." 'Huge organisation' It's not only Sergei who wants to clean up Russian Post. At a rowdy press conference in Moscow this week, consumer protection official Alexei Samokhvalov clashed with representatives of Russian Post. He described the situation with parcel deliveries as "alarming" and "farcical". He also claimed the postal service had worked better in Soviet times. Russian Post admits that thefts do occur. But the company strongly defends its record. "Each year we receive, process and deliver more than 1.7 billion letters and 54 million parcels," says the service's spokesperson Raniya Yefimova. "Of those parcels, 6.5 million contain goods from abroad, mainly items from internet shopping sites. Normally, no more than 3% of them go missing." The Russian mail service says it does all it can to prevent such incidents and - when they happen - to investigate them. "Russia has 380,000 postal workers at 42,000 branches," Ms Yefimova points out. "It's a huge organisation and there are all kinds of people working there. But most of our staff are very honest people. "We don't like our staff being called thieves and bad words like that. Naturally we jump to their defence. Because we, more than anyone, work to prevent stealing."

यह साइबेरिया से लंदन तक एक लंबा रास्ता है।


Cuba's new constitution: What's in and what's out

Summary: A draft of an updated constitution for Cuba approved by the island's National Assembly on 22 July has made headlines as much for what was left out as what was put in. Here are highlights of what's in, what's out and what's staying in the proposed new Cuban constitution.

By Pascal FletcherBBC Monitoring, Miami Why the plans for a new constitution? The proposed 224-article new constitution will replace the 1976 national charter that enshrined one-party communism on the island following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Acknowledging that Cuba and the world had changed since 1976, newly-elected Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the new realities meant the constitution was "obliged" to be updated, and he called the reform "deep". Mr Díaz-Canel, who took over from Fidel Castro's brother Raúl on 19 April - the first time for decades Cuba's head of state has not carried the name Castro - said the new document would reflect "the now and the future of the nation". Proposed changes that recognise same-sex marriage, but drop a previously stated objective of constructing a "communist society" in Cuba, have drawn intense media attention. However, the Caribbean nation definitely will be keeping its one-party socialist political and economic system, ruled over by the Communist Party of Cuba. While it has already been approved "unanimously" by the 600-plus assembly deputies, Cuban officials said the document would be subjected to a process of "popular consultation" among the island's people, to gather comments and suggestions, before being submitted for final approval in a national referendum. In: Marriage 'between two persons' One alteration that attracted comment both inside and outside the island was the proposal to redefine the institution of marriage as being between "two persons" rather than "a man and a woman" - a change effectively opening the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriages. This was undoubtedly a novelty in a country where the communist authorities - in the name of "revolutionary morality" - had persecuted homosexuals as "scum" in the first few decades following the 1959 revolution, often dispatching them to work camps along with priests and other "anti-social" elements. Since the collapse of the Soviet bloc after 1989 which pushed Cuba to open up more to the outside world, official attitudes to both religion and homosexuality have eased. In the 21-22 July debate by the National Assembly on the revised constitution, Cuban media made a point of highlighting the support for the marriage re-definition expressed by "deputy Mariela Castro" - the 55-year-old daughter of Cuban Communist Party leader and former president Raúl Castro. Mariela Castro, who is the director of the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education (CENESEX), has gained prominence as a defender of LGBT rights. In: Role of the market While reaffirming the overriding principles of a "socialist" economy and central economic planning, the proposed new charter gives formal juridical recognition to the "the role of the market", and "private property" as one of a range of types of property existing in the Cuban economy. The "market" and "private ownership" are both key elements of Western capitalism which were long pilloried as corrupting generators of inequality by Cuba's Communist Party rulers. So the changes reflect the realities of Cuba's own experience, which saw the island forced to open itself up more to foreign tourism and investment after the disappearance of its Soviet benefactor, including allowing of private self-employed economic activities and enterprises for which more than half a million Cubans currently have licences. Observers saw the constitutional tweaks moving Cuba in the direction of - but still far from close to - the types of "market socialism" currently practised by political allies like China and Vietnam. However, unlike those countries, Cuban officials and state media were still expressing public aversion to the idea of excessive individual enrichment, and the revised constitution continues to prohibit private "concentration of property". In: Prime minister and governors The constitutional reform introduces proposed novelties in the organisation and hierarchy of the Cuban state. One is the creation of the post of prime minister, to lead the Council of Ministers (cabinet) in the day-to-day running of the country. This prime minister would be designated by the National Assembly at the proposal of the president. This reinstates a position that had existed in the early years of the Cuban revolution. Another change is a proposal to have governors ruling Cuba's 15 provinces - instead of the current presidents of provincial assemblies - but the new constitutional text also stresses the importance of "municipal autonomy". Out: Aiming for a 'communist society' The elimination of the phrase "to advance towards communist society" has generated the most attention and comment. The revised article retains the goal of "the construction of socialism". Some media jumped on this change. "Cuba renounces communism," was the excited headline carried by Cuban dissident website CiberCuba on 21 July. Even inside Cuba, the proposed alteration has produced debate, for example, on the curated readers' comments section of the official Communist Youth daily Juventud Rebelde on 22 July. Reader "Juan R Oro" wrote: "The majority of us Cubans are not in agreement with this project of a constitution nor with the fact that the word communism is eliminated from this." Another reader, "El Oriental" (The Easterner) had a different view: "Jose del Oro, if communism has been a failure in Europe and what it does is keep investors away, why keep insisting on an obsolete and demonstrably failed system which does not evolve, it simply disappears." Staying: Communist Party of Cuba and single-party system Cuban leaders and official media made very clear however the island was not giving up its one-party socialist system, or the pre-dominance of the ruling Communist Party, specifically defined as "Fidelist" and "Marxist-Leninist". Communist Party daily Granma declared on 23 July: "The [constitution] project reaffirms the socialist character of our political, economic and socialist system, as well as the directing role of the Communist Party of Cuba." In comments carried on state TV, Cuban National Assembly President Esteban Lazo assured viewers that "the ideology" was not being "lost" but updated to aim for "sovereign, independent, democratic, prosperous and sustainable socialism". Many Cuban exiles and anti-government dissidents were unimpressed by the proposed constitutional changes. In an apparently mocking reference to the continuation of the one-party state, Cuban dissident website 14yMedio carried a 22 July commentary headlined: "There will be no transition in Cuba... not even to communism". Some exile commentators were asking whether the alterations meant Cuba's schoolchildren, who start each day with a salute and the words "Pioneers for communism! We will be like Che [Guevara]!" would be changing their slogan now.

क्यूबा के लिए 22 जुलाई को द्वीप की नेशनल असेंबली द्वारा अनुमोदित एक अद्यतन संविधान के मसौदे ने सुर्खियां बटोरी हैं कि क्या छोड़ दिया गया था और क्या रखा गया था। यहाँ प्रस्तावित नए क्यूबा संविधान में क्या है, क्या बाहर है और क्या बचा हुआ है, इसकी मुख्य बातें दी गई हैं।


The Archers star reveals sacking secret after 60 years

Summary: Sixty years ago, ITV was born with a star-studded launch. But Britain's first commercial TV broadcast was overshadowed by a BBC radio soap - and the star at the centre of the plot has now revealed the truth about what happened.

By Ian YoungsArts reporter "Who killed Grace?" the Daily Express demanded on its front page on 23 September 1955. "AND WAS IT JUST COINCIDENCE IT HAPPENED ON ITV NIGHT?" Grace was Grace Archer, who had been heard perishing in a stable fire in BBC radio serial The Archers the previous night. The glamorous young wife of Phil Archer, played by Ysanne Churchman, was one of the soap's main characters. Eight million people heard her dramatic demise. Afterwards, distraught listeners flooded the BBC switchboard and vented their grief in newspaper letters pages. "The Archers are like members of the family," wrote Mrs D Hall of Burton-on-Trent to the Daily Mirror. "This 'death' has brought a sense of grief to me that not even the thought 'it's just a play' can quite erase." Mrs L Botterill from Kettering declared: "At first I couldn't believe my ears. 'Grace Archer dead?' I said to my husband. 'She mustn't be!' Then I felt quite cold and had to put my woolly on." And a correspondent identified as SW from Balham, south London, complained: "I thought I was in for a lively party when I was invited next door for the first night of ITV. "Instead it was like a house of mourning because Grace Archer had been 'killed off' in that radio serial at 7pm." That must have been music to the ears of the BBC top brass, for they had deliberately timed Grace's downfall to sabotage the launch of ITV. Fifteen minutes after Grace's shocking death, a sequence showing sweeping shots of London landmarks, accompanied by a rousing voice-over, went on air on TV's channel nine. This was the new ITV. The opening sequence was followed by live coverage of a seven-course banquet from London's Guildhall, then a variety show featuring Hughie Green and Elizabeth Allan. After that, there was drama performed by the leading actors and actresses in the land - The Importance of Being Earnest with Dame Edith Evans and Sir John Gielgud; and Baker's Dozen with Alec Guinness and Pamela Brown. Then there was boxing, a fashion show and more variety. The first night was only available to those with TV sets in London and surrounding areas, and around 100,000 were estimated to have tuned in. The coming of independent television was highly controversial. BBC founder Lord Reith was aghast at the breaking of the corporation's monopoly, and feared it would bring an invasion of an American-style commerciality. "Somebody introduced dog-racing into England," he said. "And somebody introduced smallpox, bubonic plague and the black death. "Somebody is minded now to introduce sponsored broadcasting into this country… Need we be ashamed of moral values, or of intellectual and ethical objectives? It is these that are here and now at stake." In public, the BBC denied it had intended to try to smother its new rival at birth. Official line The official explanation for Grace Archer's headline-grabbing death was that the show had too many characters and they needed to get rid of one. "We knew some major person must go out to leave other situations possible," Mr D Morris, head of BBC Midland regional programmes, told a press conference afterwards. But, as the Daily Express suggested, that was not the full story. Earlier that year, H Rooney Pelletier, controller of the BBC Light Programme, had written a memo saying: "The more I think about it, the more I believe that a death of a violent kind in The Archers, timed, if possible, to diminish interest in the opening of commercial television in London, is a good idea." And so there was a violent death on the night of ITV's launch, and Grace was the victim. But one question remained. Why Grace? Or - more to the point - why Ysanne Churchman? There were rumours that Churchman had been involved in a pay dispute with the corporation, and had brought in actors' union Equity. But no-one involved would confirm the story. "Was Grace Archer coldly and calmly murdered - to rid the Archers of Ysanne Churchman?" The Daily Mirror asked. "The BBC know the facts. So does Equity. And, of course, so does Ysanne Churchman. But, dead girls can tell no tales." Dead girls can tell no tales. That phrase has now been borrowed for the title of a BBC Radio 4 docudrama about these events, which was broadcast on Saturday. At the conclusion of Saturday's drama, Churchman herself - now aged 90 - spoke to finally resolve the mystery of why her character was killed off. It was "victimisation because I'd been to Equity to get my fees put right", she revealed. She wanted the same pay as her male co-stars, and for actors to be in the union. The Archers creator Godfrey Baseley wanted her out. "But don't feel too sorry for me," Churchman continued. "In some ways Godfrey Baseley may even have done me a favour. "They say that when one door shuts another opens. And on the very night Grace died, ITV started, and immediately needed people with just exactly my experience to voice the commercials. And so I was able to make a good living from voice-overs for years." Grace 'never really died' For ITV's 50th anniversary in 2005, Churchman sent a card of congratulations to the broadcaster's chairman, signed from Grace Archer. "I hope he appreciated the joke because I've sent another one this year too," she said. "For me, for The Archers and for so many listeners even today, Grace - the character, the sensation of her death, the claims and counter-claims, the myth-making - mean that she's never really died. A good story never does. "The legend of Grace will live on, and I must say that I really feel quite proud to have been part of it." Dead Girls Tell No Tales is available on the BBC Radio 4 website.

साठ साल पहले, आई. टी. वी. का जन्म एक सितारों से भरे प्रक्षेपण के साथ हुआ था। लेकिन ब्रिटेन का पहला व्यावसायिक टीवी प्रसारण बी. बी. सी. रेडियो साबुन से ढक गया था-और कथानक के केंद्र में मौजूद स्टार ने अब जो हुआ उसके बारे में सच्चाई का खुलासा कर दिया है।


The card aiming to end Nigeria's fraud problem

Summary: Nigeria has a bad reputation when it comes to fraud.

By Tom JacksonBusiness reporter "Dear Friend" emails originating from the country - also known as 419 scams - are among the most notorious in the world, with statistics from Ultrascan AGI suggesting losses from such schemes totalled $12.7bn (£8.2bn) in 2013. And the number of scams is growing by 5% each year. "Nigeria certainly has a problem," says Cormac Herley, principal researcher at Microsoft Research, who has looked in detail at 419 scams. "[The country has] become associated with a particular form of scam that's very visible and known to everyone who receives those emails." However, identity fraud is also a serious problem. Identity problems In May last year, 16 people were charged in the US for using stolen information to obtain money and goods and then shipping them to Nigeria. Those arrested, most of them Nigerian, were charged with taking over bank or stock brokerage accounts, removing all the money, and making purchases. They were eventually sentenced to seven years imprisonment. And it is not just foreigners who are targeted by such fraud. Nigeria's Inter-Bank Settlements Systems estimates the country's banks lost 159 billion naira ($800m; £515m) to electronic fraud between 2000 and 2013. Faced with its negative international reputation, and local banking losses, the Nigerian government is seeking to address the issue centrally. Last year, the National Electronic Identity (e-ID) Card was launched in collaboration with MasterCard, with President Goodluck Jonathan the first recipient. Ending impersonation The smart card's Match-On-Card technology matches a holder's fingerprint against a profile stored in the embedded chip. The card is also a travel document, conforming to the same standards as international passports. It contains electronic identification information, as well as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology that allows for document signing, non-repudiation and encryption. The National eID card is "capable of identifying two identical twins by the use of biometrics," says Chris Onyemenam, chief executive of Nigeria's National Identity Management Commission, which is handling the rollout of the cards. Part of the problem for Nigeria, which has a population of about 170 million, is that until now it has had no unified national system for recording identity data. Rooting out fraudsters The new card is "actually addressing the issue of multiple identities by some Nigerians," explains Mr Onyemenam. "It is addressing the issue of stolen identity. It is helping security agencies verify and fish out who the real culprit is." Aside from its identification features, the card offers can be used as a form of payment. Separated from the other services by a firewall, the payments function uses MasterCard's prepaid technology and is chip and pin certified. Daniel Monehin, division president for sub-Saharan Africa at MasterCard, says the fact the card has a computer chip embedded protects cardholders from fraud, and protects against the creation of counterfeit cards. The rollout of the payments-enabled e-ID card will also go some way to addressing another of Nigeria's major issues: lack of access to banking. Fully 70% of adult Nigerians do not have a formal bank account. "By giving every Nigerian of 16 and older an identity card with payments functionality, the government can effectively eliminate financial exclusion in Nigeria, and help citizens to improve their livelihoods," says Mr Monehin. "The broader economic impact of the card will be felt as the previously unbanked and under-banked are able to gain access to the mainstream economy and the visibility of their assets allows them to build a financial history and establish creditworthiness with financial institutions." This will be particularly helpful to small and medium-sized enterprises, Mr Monehin adds, which will now be able to access the financing that they need to grow their businesses. Privacy concerns The eID card has, however, caused some controversy. Civil liberties organisation Privacy International has raised concerns about the data integration, saying it would make it easy to link together pieces of information about a person. It is also concerned about the combination of the identity scheme with a strongly commercial initiative such as the bank card. Concerns were also expressed on popular Nigerian social networking site Nairaland. "The future of 170 million Nigerians sold to MasterCard," said one user, while others said they were worried about their personal data and how it would be used. MasterCard, however, has reiterated that the banking function is separate from the others and it does not have access to the identity information of any Nigerians. 'Time will tell' Nigeria is actually ahead of the game globally in terms of rolling out such identity cards, with identity analyst firm Acuity Market Intelligence forecasting half the world's population will have a chip-based National e-ID card in five years time. For Nigerians themselves, however, the proof will be in the pudding. Paul Adepoju, who lives in the city of Ibadan, says many Nigerians are not aware of the threat of identity theft due to the low level of education about e-banking. He added, however, that if the government could facilitate easier uptake of the cards, there was nothing to say this would not be successful. "At least they are doing something, and we have to be optimistic that something somewhere and somehow could, would and should work. "It could be this one - we will only know when every Nigerian has got it."

धोखाधड़ी के मामले में नाइजीरिया की प्रतिष्ठा खराब है।


Beginners' guide to Mo Yan

Summary: Chinese author Mo Yan has been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for literature. Michel Hockx, Professor of Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, part of the University of London, hosted a lecture by the author during the recent London Book Fair. Here, he offers a brief guide to the prolific 57-year-old novelist.

Who is Mo Yan? Mo Yan is a popular novelist living in China who has been producing a steady output of fiction since the 1980s. He is also one of the most translated Chinese novelists into English, certainly among living authors. What genre do his books fall into? He writes a mixture of realism and magical realism. Earlier works were more historical, but as his career has developed, the stories have become more elaborate, more complicated and more unusual. What does he write about? He writes about rural communities in China that seem to be very familiar, very ordinary - the sort of region where he grew up - but then all kinds of magical and unusual things start to happen. Who reads his books? He is a wonderful storyteller, and is someone who could appeal to anyone. The novels - especially the early ones - are quite easy to read. They are good, gripping stories. When he spoke at SOAS during the London Book Fair what I noticed was that a lot of the audience were not Chinese experts, they had just read his novels in translation and really liked them. They just wanted to see him and meet him, he has a strong international following. What is his best-known book? The earliest novel by him that was translated into English was Red Sorghum, which was also turned into a very famous movie by Zhang Yimou. It's actually a very complicated tale. It's a historical novel written from the perspective of a child growing up during up the second world war. I was in China when that film came out and I remember audiences going absolutely crazy for it. Is he political? Mo Yan was asked whether he was political when he was here at the London Book Fair. His response was: 'Of course I care about politics, and I write about things that I see that I think are wrong - but I also think that the writer should not just be a political activist, a writer should be a writer, first and foremost'. He has had his spats with the authorities, but nothing serious. Is he a good pick to win the Nobel Prize for literature? It's a good choice. He has been writing for decades. He has a very impressive oeuvre, a large readership and he addresses the human condition in a way in which the Nobel Committee likes to see.

चीनी लेखक मो यान को साहित्य के लिए 2012 के नोबेल पुरस्कार से सम्मानित किया गया है। लंदन विश्वविद्यालय के स्कूल ऑफ ओरिएंटल एंड अफ्रीकन स्टडीज में चीनी के प्रोफेसर मिशेल हॉक ने हाल ही में लंदन पुस्तक मेले के दौरान लेखक द्वारा एक व्याख्यान की मेजबानी की। यहाँ, वह 57 वर्षीय विपुल उपन्यासकार के लिए एक संक्षिप्त मार्गदर्शिका प्रस्तुत करते हैं।


Scottish Greens appoint Alison Johnstone as new co-leader

Summary: Alison Johnstone has been appointed as co-leader of the Scottish Greens' parliamentary group alongside Patrick Harvie.

Mr Harvie had previously held the role, which includes speaking at First Minister's Questions, on his own. Ms Johnstone said the Greens had gender balanced roles throughout the party, which also now applied to Holyrood. Maggie Chapman will remain a co-convenor of the party's national council. Related Internet Links Scottish Greens

एलिसन जॉनस्टोन को पैट्रिक हार्वी के साथ स्कॉटिश ग्रीन्स के संसदीय समूह का सह-नेता नियुक्त किया गया है।


Should homeless people be given tents?

Summary: Cheap, easy-to-assemble tents are being used to shelter those on the streets, with some charities and campaign groups encouraging donations. But in some places, authorities are clamping down on homeless camps.

By Justin ParkinsonBBC News Magazine "Loads of people on the streets swear by tents," says Steve, 27, who has been a rough sleeper since the age of 14. "I mean, they give you a bit of extra warmth, so it's a lot easier to stay out in the open than it is if you're just using a sleeping bag." The average age of death for a rough sleeper in England is just 47. Bad weather and fear of attack make life difficult and uncertain. Anecdotally, it appears it's becoming more common for homeless people to seek some shelter and degree of privacy in tents. While they "cannot begin to provide an adequate substitute for the roof, every person deserves over their head, any advantage a rough sleeper has against the elements could be the difference between life and death", says Jon Sparkes, chief executive of the homelessness charity Crisis. "There are loads more than there used to be," says Steve, who did not want to give his surname. He sleeps out in central London, having moved to the UK from Ireland. "People feel a bit safer in a tent. After all, it's harder to hurt someone by jumping on a tent than it is out in the open. Some people have been a bit stupid with where they're putting their tents and they get moved on, but most use their brains." The number of rough sleepers in England increased by 30% from 2014 to 2015, according to official figures. Many of those living outdoors in towns and cities have addictions and mental health problems. But not everyone thinks tents are a solution. Several camps formed in Manchester have been moved on over the past year, and the city's council has won an injunction against the pitching of tents on land it owns. Bristol Council has warned that charities and organisations urging the donation of tents to rough sleepers are encouraging anti-social behaviour and might be delaying those in need from seeking help. Rough sleeping in England It's become easier to pitch a tent. Instant or pop-up versions allow people to set up their overnight accommodation in just a few seconds. They are light and fold up into near-flat containers, with basic models retailing in the UK for less than £20. There's been a strong drive to provide more of these tents in the US, where the government estimates that more than 500,000 people are homeless. The charity Tents-4-Homeless was set up in Los Angeles to encourage the public to donate tents and money to supply them. These "at least provide temporary protection against inclement weather and provide a small measure of dignity and privacy", says founder and director Peter Schey. Without the construction of "several hundred thousand new housing units", the situation will not ease, he argues, adding: "Until then, more and more homeless people will have no option other than to live in tents lining the streets of the richest nation on earth." About 20 tents are currently standing on a plot of land next to London Road in Manchester. The camp is the successor of several others in the city that have been disbanded or moved on since the first started outside the town hall in April last year as part of an anti-austerity protest. "The use of tents by homeless people is a recent thing," says solicitor Ben Taylor, who has represented those involved in the camps during their disputes with Manchester City Council. "I've worked with homeless people for 20 years and I've never seen large-scale use of tents until last year. Before, people tended to sleep under a bridge or in a driveway or on a park bench. Spots next to air vents were popular too." At points during the encampments, organisations appealed via Facebook for the public to donate tents - a smaller-scale version of what Tents-4-Homeless is doing in the US. This provoked widespread "sympathy and empathy", says Taylor, with some people buying tents, as well as jumpers, blankets and underwear, from nearby shops and bringing them to the camp. "There's a practical reason," he says. "If you are sleeping in a tent and there are five other tents next to it, you are less likely to get beaten up. The problem is that people coming out of nightclubs sometimes kick people. "If there are a few of you in tents, you can leave your stuff inside and go to the loo or a shop and someone can keep an eye on it for you. If you leave it out on the street, then it's gone. With tents there's a bit more of a community situation going on." A sizeable proportion of the early Manchester tent-dwellers was made up of activists, rather than the genuinely homeless, says Taylor, but the London Road camp is "100% homeless". In Bristol, the council has threatened to remove tents erected by rough sleepers in sites including Castle Park and St James Park. Nick Hooper, the council's director of housing solutions and crime reduction, has said some of those involved "start causing nuisance, anti-social behaviour, littering". The authority warns that the use of tents could make it harder for charities and others looking to help the most needy. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said that even the organisation's own family tents, made to a higher specification than the most basic models, "are designed as a short-term shelter solution, particularly in support to emergency situations" and are "not a substitute for a more permanent shelter". One city where tents' use by the homeless has proved particularly controversial over a long period is Paris. In January 1954, Catholic priest and former MP Henri-Antoine Groues, better known as Abbe Pierre, launched an appeal for help after a homeless couple and a homeless single woman died of hypothermia. He sent an open letter to newspapers, saying: "Everyone can help those who are homeless. We need - tonight and, at the latest, tomorrow - 5,000 blankets, 300 big American tents, and 200 catalytic stoves." The appeal succeeded and Abbe Pierre had tents erected on the quays of the river Seine, partly a practical measure and partly for the propaganda effect. In 1956, a government minister said those involved should "go sleep under the bridges" of Paris instead, hidden from wider public view. Fifty years later, in 2006, another camp grew by the Saint-Martin canal in north-east Paris, the tents bearing the initials SDF, standing for "sans domicile fixe" ("without a fixed abode"). A group called the Children of Don Quixote set up around 100 tents, inviting people to come and spend time with the residents. The camp lasted for three months. An attempt to build a successor in December 2007 was stopped by police. The current Manchester camp is on ground owned by Manchester University, which says it has made "clear that we have not consented to this use of this land" and "reserves all rights to take appropriate steps to require vacation of the land". But it adds that it is a "large and inclusive institution, with a clear commitment to social responsibility". "We'll have to see what happens," says Steve, "but I know that until things get a lot better there'll be a lot of people using tents." What the law says Follow Justin Parkinson on Twitter @justparkinson Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

सड़कों पर रहने वालों को शरण देने के लिए सस्ते, आसानी से इकट्ठा होने वाले टेंटों का उपयोग किया जा रहा है, कुछ दान और अभियान समूह दान को प्रोत्साहित कर रहे हैं। लेकिन कुछ स्थानों पर, अधिकारी बेघर शिविरों पर शिकंजा कस रहे हैं।


Heathrow Airport compensation views in Berkshire wanted

Summary: People in Berkshire who think they should be compensated if Heathrow Airport is expanded are being urged to attend a series of exhibition events.

A proposed new runway north-west of the airport would affect residents living in and around Slough and Windsor. Slough Borough Council said it was important residents were compensated for an increase in noise and the impact on property values. Three events across Slough and Windsor will be held next month. The airport has already set aside £550m for compensation and said owners of 750 homes that would need to be demolished would be offered 25% above the market value of their properties. Slough council is also making copies of the consultation document available at a number of its public buildings, including all of the town's libraries. The Heathrow Airport consultation runs until 12 October.

बर्कशायर के लोग जो सोचते हैं कि हीथ्रो हवाई अड्डे का विस्तार होने पर उन्हें मुआवजा दिया जाना चाहिए, उनसे प्रदर्शनी कार्यक्रमों की एक श्रृंखला में भाग लेने का आग्रह किया जा रहा है।


Barcelona's Sagrada Familia agrees deal over lack of licence

Summary: The Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, one of Spain's most famous tourist sites, has agreed to pay $41m (£31m) to the city authorities after going without a building permit for more than 130 years.

The spectacular church designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, is a Unesco world heritage site and still under construction. Work began on the building in 1882. Barcelona's mayor said the deal was a historic agreement. The basilica will pay the money over 10 years to improve public transport and access to the monument and assist the local neighbourhood. In return its status should be regularised early next year, Mayor Ada Colau said. About 4.5 million people visit the Sagrada Familia each year, with a further 20 million people visiting the area to look at it. The main structure is due to be completed by 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.

स्पेन के सबसे प्रसिद्ध पर्यटन स्थलों में से एक, बार्सिलोना में सागराडा फैमिलिया बेसिलिका, 130 से अधिक वर्षों तक भवन परमिट के बिना रहने के बाद शहर के अधिकारियों को $41 मिलियन (£31 मिलियन) का भुगतान करने के लिए सहमत हो गया है।


Police Federation: Pulling it out of the past

Summary: Every year, there are two places where you will find a rowdy audience willing to boo and heckle. The first is the pantomime. The second is the Police Federation annual conference - as soon as a Home Secretary walks on stage.

Dominic CascianiHome affairs correspondent@BBCDomCon Twitter Notwithstanding the fact that Theresa May didn't get jeered this year (it was such a surprise, some newspapers thought the lack of boos to be newsworthy), the expectation of such a performance only serves to confirm to the Police Federation's critics that it is a dinosaur-like organisation stuck in the dark ages of industrial relations. Now a major report - commissioned by the federation's new leadership - has found the organisation wanting from top to bottom - just as critics have long suspected. The report, headed by former Home Office Permanent Secretary Sir David Normington, is withering in its criticism. His panel concluded that the federation is not only suffering a worrying loss of internal confidence and competence - but it has also lost influence or the ability to speak with one voice. The federation was born in the wake of walk-outs by police officers in 1918. Parliament banned the police from striking - but ministers recognised there still needed to be some way of hearing the voice of ordinary officers. The Police Federation of England and Wales was created to fill that role - and it was given a degree of state funding and largely guaranteed access to ministers. So for around a century, the federation has been at the centre of police industrial relations - and it has been able to present itself to ministers as an extremely powerful body, backed by tens of thousands of members. The problem is that two recent events - police reform and "plebgate" - have revealed how divided and weak the federation has actually become. Personal attacks The cracks began to emerge as the coalition pushed through a series of radical changes to policing: cuts to numbers, wide-ranging reforms to pay and conditions for those left behind, and the introduction of the controversial police and crime commissioners. The Fed's stance was to oppose and fight. There was an explosion of outrage from some officers on social media, including personal attacks against the twin architects of the reforms, Theresa May and Tom Winsor. The Fed lost. Completely. Today, Mrs May has implemented or is implementing most of the package - and she has even managed to consolidate it by appointing Mr Winsor as the chief inspector of constabulary. Then came "plebgate" - an affair that is far from over. One officer has been convicted after lying about the Downing Street incident. Others are facing either independent investigation or internal disciplinary hearings. The federation has played an important role in this saga and some branch figures orchestrated personal social media campaigns over the issue. Yet, again, it appears to have backfired; A BBC News poll found that in the wake of Plebgate more than a quarter of people were less likely to trust the police than before. Impartiality and Integrity The Normington report does not pull any punches, saying personal campaigns, including against federation members who held a different point of view, risked the police's reputation for "impartiality and integrity". "If the federation wants to be respected and listened to in the future, this has to stop," says the report. Steve Williams, the new chairman who commissioned the report, has his work cut out. Some of the branches don't even tell him how much money they have in the bank. So while Sir David's proposals require a complete rethink of the organisation - it is going to be a very tough road ahead. But perhaps most importantly, Sir David warns that no matter how successful the organisation is at reorganising its internal structures, it must face down a factionalist "powerful minority" who are more interested in political infighting and point-scoring than what's good for the country. "In terms of ethics, it's not what we want from our police officers," he says.

हर साल, ऐसी दो जगहें हैं जहाँ आपको उपद्रवी दर्शक हूटिंग करने के लिए तैयार होंगे। पहला पेंटोमाइम है। दूसरा पुलिस फेडरेशन का वार्षिक सम्मेलन है-जैसे ही गृह सचिव मंच पर चलता है।


Bloody Sunday commander Derek Wilford stands by soldiers

Summary: As January 1972 dawned, the month forever associated with the tragedy of Bloody Sunday, Lt Col Derek Wilford commander of the 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, was one of the British Army's rising stars.

By Peter TaylorBBC News He was tough, outspoken and charismatic, adored by his men whom he adored in turn. But Wilford was no ordinary Para. He was an accomplished artist and used to read Virgil's Trojan War saga, The Aeneid, in the original Latin outside his tent. In Belfast, where Wilford's battalion was based, the Paras had a fearsome reputation, used by General Frank Kitson, the controversial guru of counter-insurgency operations, as shock troops to deal with trouble whenever and wherever it arose. The battalion's Support Company, consisting of some the regiment's toughest and most battle-hardened soldiers, including veterans of Aden, became known as "Kitson's Private Army". According to Lord Saville, who conducted the 12 year inquiry into Bloody Sunday, Support Company was known for "using excessive physical violence". Following internment without trial in August 1971, Wilford's battalion, along with other Paras, was sent to deal with serious rioting in west Belfast's Ballymurphy estate, then home to Gerry Adams, where the army had swooped to arrest and intern IRA suspects. The operation ended with 10 people dead. Local people said the victims were all innocent civilians. The long delayed inquest is currently being held in Belfast. Just over five months later, Col Wilford's battalion was deployed to Londonderry to crack down on rioters, known to the army as the 'Derry Young Hooligans', who, local traders said, were ruining their business and getting ever closer to the town centre. In response, General Robert Ford, the operational head of the army in Northern Ireland, travelled to Derry to listen to the businessmen's concerns. He was given an earful. The situation was getting ever more serious with the result that General Ford wrote a chilling memorandum to his superior, General Sir Harry Tuzo. It said: "I am coming to the conclusion that the minimum force necessary to achieve a restoration of law and order is to shoot selected ringleaders amongst the DYH (Derry Young Hooligans) after clear warnings have been issued." Although Ford wasn't issuing a 'shoot to kill' instruction, his words do indicate the increasingly fraught climate of the time with more soldiers and police officers now being killed after internment and the allegations of "torture" by Army interrogators that followed in its wake. "Kitson's Private Army" was called in. Wilford had been outraged watching television images of soldiers in Derry being forced to retreat in the face of increasingly emboldened rioters. When I interviewed him on the 20th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 1992, he told me, "The soldiers just stood there like Aunt Sallys… I had actually said in public, my soldiers were not going to act as Aunt Sallys - ever." With the emphasis on the "ever". Wilford was a man of his word. Given the tensions of the time, there was a certain inevitability that trouble would break out before and during the march that had been called to protest against internment. Thousands took part. But no-one envisaged that 13 men would end up dead on what became known as Bloody Sunday. The soldiers said they had come under attack and were returning fire. Many too were injured. Today, 47 years after the event, Derek Wilford still maintains that his men did not act improperly. Almost a decade after the Saville Report, does he accept what the inquiry said? "No, I don't, because I was there," he said. "We were under attack and we will actually remain convinced of that actually to the end of our days." In my 1992 interview, Wilford described the option soldiers faced when they came under fire. "You can run away - certainly my battalion would never run away - take cover behind your shields or do what my battalion was trained to do, to move forward and seek out the enemy." Lord Saville makes it clear that the first shots were fired by the Paras, wounding Damien Donaghey who, according to Saville, was not posing any threat of death or injury. Shortly afterwards an Official IRA gunman fired a shot in their direction, it remains unclear whether that was in response to the Paras' first shots. After Support Company invaded the nationalist Bogside enclave into which the rioters had fled, now pursued by Wilford's soldiers, a Para officer fired a warning shot. Confusion and bloody chaos then reigned. It is possible that the Paras thought they were then coming under attack. Father Edward Daly who was an eye-witness on the ground, told me he saw a gunman against a wall and told him in unecclesiastical terms to get out. In the 30 minutes following Wilford's command to "Move! Move! Move!", Support Company had fired 108 rounds and made 30 arrests. I walked into the Bogside the following morning when the blood was still fresh on the ground and bunches of flowers had begun to appear where 13 men, young and old, had been shot dead the afternoon before. None of them had been carrying a firearm. I walked past the rubble of the barricade in Rossville Street in the vicinity of which six young men, mostly teenagers, were killed. One of them was John Kelly's brother, Michael, 17, who had been shot dead. John Kelly and families of other victims have fought incessantly for justice, culminating in the demand that soldiers be prosecuted for the killings. "You can't draw a line under murder," said John. "Justice has to be seen to be done, no matter how long ago it is." 'We were betrayed' Bloody Sunday has taken its own toll on Derek Wilford, debilitated by Parkinson's disease and age. Climbing the stairs, too narrow for his Zimmer frame, to his artist's studio, is a struggle. The multitude of paintings in oil and watercolour, of landscapes and portraits, are testimony to his more energetic and creative days. Now he can't even hold a paintbrush. He showed me his farewell present, a Parachute Regiment painted drum, resting on three rifle butts. But he remains steadfastly defiant, standing by his men until the end. He is appalled at the possibility of his soldiers facing prosecution. "I don't believe they were capable of that sort of indiscriminate shooting and killing," he said. "We were betrayed and bringing charges against soldiers is part of that betrayal." Would he apologise to the families of the victims? "I said that at the time and I've said it subsequently, he replied. "I see no point in repeating it because whatever I say will be discounted." I finally asked what Bloody Sunday had done to him. "I think it destroyed my world," he sighed. In a far more direct way, it also destroyed the world of the families whose loved ones were killed and wounded by his soldiers.

जैसे-जैसे जनवरी 1972 की शुरुआत हुई, वह महीना जो हमेशा के लिए खूनी रविवार की त्रासदी से जुड़ा रहा, पहली बटालियन, पैराशूट रेजिमेंट के लेफ्टिनेंट कर्नल डेरेक विल्फोर्ड, ब्रिटिश सेना के उभरते सितारों में से एक थे।


Middle East unrest: Silence broken in Syria

Summary: The silence has been broken in Syria.

By Lina SinjabBBC News A "day of rage" has now been held in several cities - Damascus, Homs, Banyas, and Deraa, south of Damascus. In Syria, it is not the Facebook generation that is taking to the streets. It is people who are tired of poverty and repression. The demonstrations in Deraa - where the police have reacted most brutally - started on Friday. Several families had gathered to demand the release of 15 school children who - influenced by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt - wrote the popular revolution slogan on the wall: "The people want the fall of the regime". Residents say the children's arrests in the tribal region deepened feelings of repression and helped fuel the protests in Deraa. Security forces opened fire on the protesters on Friday, killing three people. A fourth died from his wounds on Saturday, rights groups say. One YouTube video from Friday shows protesters chanting "Freedom, no fear after today". In another, people are carrying the bloodied body of Amer al-Jawabra, one of those killed. Before long, gunshots are heard, and the men are forced to run for cover. 'Rise up' Today, the police have used tear gas against thousands who were attending the funeral of two of the victims. Now, the slogans appear to be harsher. The mourners called for "revolution" - the boldest challenge to Syria's rulers since uprisings began sweeping the Arab world. "Revolution, revolution. Rise up Hauran," chanted the mourners in Deraa, administrative capital of the strategic Hauran plateau, as they marched behind simple wood coffins of Wissam Ayyash and Mahmoud al-Jawabra. "God, Syria, freedom. Whoever kills his own people is a traitor," they were quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that residents of Deraa were expecting more trouble in the coming days and hours. The communication lines appear to be down, and the security presence is high. Analyst and writer Louai al-Hussein said that the inevitable had happened. "Syria is now on the map of countries in the region with an uprising," he said. The al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the regime, says the authorities have decided to open a high-level investigation into the killings on Friday. They have also pledged to respond to people's demands in Deraa that the arrested school children be freed. Arrests The government has announced several measures to improve the situation in Syria in the wake of the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt that toppled the presidents of those countries. President Bashar al-Assad told the Wall Street Journal in January that Syria's leadership was "very closely linked to the beliefs of the people" and there was no mass discontent. Many in Syria say the hope was for the government to introduce real change, especially to improve their job prospects and living standards. Syria suffers similar problems to Egypt and Tunisia - poverty is high and the country has been under one-party rule for almost 50 years. But the margin of freedom is smaller in Syria. Syria has been under emergency law since 1963, and political freedoms are almost entirely absent. On Wednesday, the police arrested around 36 protesters who went to interior ministry calling for the release of political prisoners. Thirty-three of them, including women, were charged with weakening national morale and compromising the state. They are reported to have started a hunger strike, and Hirvin Orso, who stopped drinking water, is said to be in a critical condition. How things go now will depend on the government's response, says writer Louai al-Hussein. "They will either oppress it, and it will get worse, or [they can] allow peaceful demonstrations in Syria," he says.

सीरिया में सन्नाटा छा गया है।


States of Alderney to hold a census

Summary: The States of Alderney has agreed to hold a census in the island this year, with the questions "broadly similar to those asked in 2001."

The Policy Committee agreed to make arrangements to make sure the census is compulsory. The States said the census would be analysed off island to ensure confidentiality of information. Paul Arditti, chairman of the Policy Committee, said the final report was expected in the early part of June. He said: "It is quite clear that the people of Alderney want a census. "Time and time again when considering policy options we come up against the obstacle of not knowing how many people live here and this will settle that argument once and for all." At the last census in 2001, there were 2,294 people living in Alderney.

एल्डर्नी राज्यों ने इस वर्ष द्वीप में एक जनगणना आयोजित करने पर सहमति व्यक्त की है, जिसमें "मोटे तौर पर 2001 में पूछे गए प्रश्नों के समान" प्रश्न हैं।


Simon Smith: Mum recalls baby's murder 25 years on

Summary: Twenty-five years ago, Simon Smith killed his three-month-old daughter - sparking an investigation into the deaths of his two other children. As he is moved to an open prison after serving decades behind bars, his ex-partner Rachel Playfair tells the story of how he murdered their baby.

By Lisa WrightBBC News On Thursday 17 November 1994, Smith was looking after three-month-old Lauren on his own for the first time. At lunchtime, Rachel called home to check in, having returned to work as a physiotherapist. When there was no answer, she knew something was wrong. "Then I got the call to say that Lauren had been taken to hospital with breathing difficulties, but she was actually dead at that time. When I walked into Stafford Hospital there were a lot of police around which I couldn't understand, and they said she had died. My first words to Simon were 'what have you done to her?' "There was just something that didn't ring true. How my healthy, bouncy, smiling little girl that I left that morning could suddenly be dead." Mrs Playfair was 22 when she met Smith in 1993, and by her own admission, she was vulnerable. She had been admitted to St George's Hospital in Stafford with an eating disorder, while he was being treated for depression following the death of his baby, and the pair developed a friendship. "He was incredibly charming and seemed very sensitive," she remembers. "My self-esteem at the time was pretty low, I had just come out of a long-term relationship and I suppose in a way he groomed me. "He said all the right things and did all the right things and it wasn't until after I was discharged from hospital that we formed a relationship, but during that time I became aware of his issues." Smith was violent and an alcoholic, said Mrs Playfair, and shortly before Christmas of that year she made the decision to end things. But before she had the chance, the couple was involved in a car crash and a test at hospital revealed she was pregnant. "In the space of about three hours I had gone from someone who was going to end the relationship to somebody who was absolutely stuck." Lauren was born on 27 August 1994. Mrs Playfair was besotted, but Smith was only "playing the part" of a doting father. And as the family returned home to Stone, in Staffordshire, it became clear things were not right. "There were times he made it quite clear that Lauren was quite an inconvenience," said Mrs Playfair. "There were times during the 12 weeks of her life when he was physically abusive [to me]," she said, but added there "was never a time I thought he would harm Lauren". Her threats to leave would be countered by threats by Smith that she would never be able to keep her daughter due to her previous eating disorder. And at the time "domestic violence was not something that was talked about", so she "stayed put", she said. When Lauren was 11 weeks old, Mrs Playfair returned to work and her daughter was looked after by a childminder during the day. On a few occasions she came home and found Smith had left their daughter in her cot with the heating on high and wrapped in blankets. "If you know anything about cot deaths, you know the risks of overheating the baby," she said. "He knew all these risks of allowing her to get too hot." That same week, Smith was to look after Lauren on his own for the first time. She would not survive the day. Her death prompted police to investigate the deaths of his other children - Eleisha in 1989 and Jamie, who died in 1993. Smith, a trainee assistant in a care home, admitted to police he had suffocated Lauren but insisted his two other babies had suffered cot deaths. But police led an inquiry and brought expert witnesses to court, who said the infants could have been suffocated. He was convicted of all three murders and jailed in 1996. During her pregnancy Mrs Playfair and Smith had been in contact with social services under the "next infant scheme", due to the previous deaths of his children. While Lauren's family praised the police work, they say they were failed by authorities at the time and more should have been done to prevent her death. Mrs Playfair, who was not able to have any more children, said she believed "Lauren was here to get justice for Jamie and Eleisha". They felt it had been served when the judge recommended Smith's life sentence should mean life. However, at the time decisions on the minimum length of a life sentence were made by the home secretary. The responsibility was handed to judges when the Criminal Justice Act was implemented in 2003 and Smith was told he would serve at least 24 years. In October it was confirmed he had been moved to an open prison and his release on temporary licence would happen in the following weeks. "The goalposts have been moved," said Mrs Playfair, who now lives in Shropshire with her husband, Paul. Her father, Patrick, has since met the minister of state for justice to discuss the case and the Parole Board decision. He said he had been encouraged by the emphasis on public protection following the meeting. But the family said they have been told the Parole Board's decision is unlikely to be overturned, so they will continue fighting to keep Smith in a secure prison. "We just want somebody to say this is wrong, it's inconceivable that a man that killed three children should be released from prison and back into the community, regardless of what protections are put in place," said Mr Playfair. The Ministry of Justice says public protection is its priority and offenders are returned to closed prison "at the first sign of concern". A further parole hearing is expected to take place in the new year and Mrs Playfair aims to attend in person and read her victim impact statement. She says she fears for her own life and that of her family if Smith is released. They would also like to see laws around the sentencing of child killers looked at in the future. There is a "great disparity" between the fixed sentence given to convicted child killers and "the life sentence that's left with the victims", Mrs Playfair said. As she reflects on the anniversary of her daughter's death, she added: "This time of year for me is very difficult because the sight of the leaves changing, the smell of the autumn is so evocative. "One of my last memories I have of Lauren is of Remembrance Sunday, I took her to church and I walked down this footpath and the leaves were beautiful. "It was a bright, crisp, cold, sunny day and all the smells of autumn, and just having Lauren in her pram - it's such a vivid picture and it doesn't take a lot for that image, the smells, the feeling to come back. And it just catches you. "So for us there isn't any parole, there isn't any release, even on temporary licence. This is our reality."

पँचिश साल पहले, साइमन स्मिथ ने अपनी तीन महीने की बेटी की हत्या कर दी-जिससे उसके दो अन्य बच्चों की मौत की जांच शुरू हो गई। जब वह दशकों तक सलाखों के पीछे रहने के बाद एक खुली जेल में स्थानांतरित हो जाता है, तो उसकी पूर्व साथी राचेल प्लेफेयर कहानी बताती है कि कैसे उसने उनके बच्चे की हत्या कर दी।


Ethnic rifts overshadow Bosnia election

Summary: It nestles in a lush valley in southeastern Bosnia, a few streets winding up the surrounding hills to the houses dotted above. But the serene landscape around Foca belies the town's devastating past.

By Mark LowenBBC News, Bosnia-Hercegovina This was where some of the worst ethnic cleansing of Muslims - or Bosniaks - took place by Bosnian Serbs during the war of the 1990s. The town was renamed "Srbinje", or "Place of the Serbs". The central sports hall was transformed into a rape camp. But today, Foca is gaining a reputation for reconciliation and progressive politics. Its mayor, Zdravko Krsmanovic, has been in charge for six years and is now running for government in Sunday's election. He has encouraged Bosniaks to return to Foca, rebuilding many of the mosques destroyed during the war. Voice of tolerance Among Bosnian politicians, he is a rare voice - non-nationalistic and vehemently opposed to the ethnic divisions that still blight Bosnia today. Zdravko wanders through the main street of Foca, stopping to talk to several residents. "Foca should become an example for the whole of Bosnia: to expel the hatred and fear," he tells me. "My mission is to promote peace, dialogue, compromise and tolerance." Bosnia is a young state," he says, "and we can't allow this child to be killed before it can really live. The nationalists want to kill this child but if Bosnia is divided, it will only lead to new wars." But nationalism wins votes here. Foca is part of the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska: one of two semi-autonomous entities which, along with the Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia-Hercegovina, makes up the country's post-war political structure. Mistrust of 'the other' The Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has frequently called for his region to secede from Bosnia. In an interview earlier this year, he told me Bosnia was a "virtual, pointless country". And he is way ahead in the pre-election polls: his SNSD party is likely to strengthen its hold on power. Zdravko's liberal message provokes a mixed reaction in Foca. "We all live in one country and we have to work together," says Ana, a young businesswoman. But a taxi driver, Vaso, is against the mayor who, he believes, does not care for Serbs. "He just tries to support the Muslims to get their votes," he says. "Muslims are actually all Serbs. They just converted a few hundred years ago. Bosnia has always been a Serb land - we now have an autonomous Republika Srpska, but I would like Bosnia to be Serb again." That division - that mistrust of "the other" - is, many believe, driven by politicians such as Milorad Dodik and the Bosniak member of the country's presidency, Haris Silajdzic, who has labelled Republika Srpska a "genocidal creation". Political stalemate Under Bosnia's extraordinarily complex political system, voters elect MPs to their own entity governments - in other words, a Republika Srpska resident does not choose members of the entity parliament of the Federation of Bosnia-Hercegovina, and vice versa. The result is that politicians focus on shoring up their own core ethnic vote. And if that is difficult to grasp, just consider the figures: in Bosnia's 14 parliaments, there are five presidents, 13 prime ministers and 700 MPs - all for a population of just four million. The result is stalemate, with the different political parties failing to agree on any meaningful reform. And Bosnia is left in prolonged political crisis, far from its goal of European Union and Nato membership. "If we don't change the current system, what we'll have in a generation is people who socialise in isolation from other ethnic groups, so Bosnia might lose its meaning," warns political analyst Asim Mujkic. "Inflammatory speech is rising and I think these elections are bringing the country more and more towards instability and unrest," he says. "Political candidates are pointed towards radicalism.. If you start talking about multi-ethnicity and multi-culturalism, you'll end up with two hundred votes." Country at crossroads There are however some small signs of progress. The state parliament has just voted to send 45 soldiers to serve in Afghanistan this month: a step towards Bosnia joining Nato. I join them during their final training, a couple of hours' drive from Sarajevo. They simulate vehicle checks in which they find a car bomb and shoot the attacker. In the neighbouring forest, a dozen soldiers climb through the brambles before one comes under simulated fire: they huddle around him, applying emergency first aid. "Finally we can give somebody help, not just be a country receiving help and for us that is very important moment," says the commander, his name withheld for security reasons. "I'm proud that this unit is mixed with all nations in our country. The military is going towards Nato: just the political part has to follow." So as voters prepare to cast their ballots, Bosnia stands at a crossroads. Either the past is finally laid to rest, and the country is shaken out of its lethargy, or nationalist divisions deepen and the dream of European integration slips further from Bosnia's grasp. Politicians fomented conflict here in the 1990s. Fighting is unlikely to return but, 15 years on, the fear of a failed state in this corner of Europe is still real.

यह दक्षिण-पूर्वी बोस्निया में एक हरी-भरी घाटी में बसा हुआ है, कुछ सड़कें आसपास की पहाड़ियों से ऊपर के घरों तक घूमती हैं। लेकिन फोका के आसपास का शांत परिदृश्य शहर के विनाशकारी अतीत को नकारता है।


Allied Bakeries strike to hit hot cross buns baking

Summary: Workers at a Cardiff bakery plan to strike, affecting the production of some of the 900,000 hot cross buns produced there in the run-up to Easter.

The Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union said members voted for Wednesday's 24 hour walkout at Allied Bakeries after changes to holiday entitlements and shift patterns. Union representative John James said he hoped the issue could be resolved. The company said it was in discussions with unions. Mr James said 56 out of 70 workers who cast ballots voted for industrial action, timed to coincide with the lead-up to Easter. 'Working hard' Mike Auden, general manager at Allied Bakeries Wales, said: "We can confirm that we are in discussions with unions at our Cardiff bakery regarding a wage related matter. "We are listening to employees and working hard to maintain open and constructive dialogue with our workforce. "On that basis we hope that the strike action called for next week will not go ahead."

कार्डिफ बेकरी के श्रमिकों ने हड़ताल करने की योजना बनाई, जिससे ईस्टर से पहले वहां उत्पादित 900,000 गर्म क्रॉस बन्स में से कुछ का उत्पादन प्रभावित हुआ।


New MV Loch Seaforth makes first berth at Stornoway

Summary: A new ferry built to serve on the Ullapool to Stornoway route has berthed for the first time at Stornoway harbour.

The £42m MV Loch Seaforth has been doing berthing trials at pier number three ahead of its introduction to the route. The boat has already carried out trials at Ullpool. Last month, Transport Minister Derek Mackay said he was confident the ferry will be operating by the end of May. Related Internet Links Calmac Transport Scotland

उल्लापूल से स्टोर्नवे मार्ग पर सेवा के लिए बनाई गई एक नई नौका पहली बार स्टोर्नवे बंदरगाह पर खड़ी हुई है।


A493 death crash: Family pay tribute to man hit by van

Summary: A family have paid tribute to a man who was killed when he was hit by a van, saying he would be "missed immensely".

Anthony Brown, 38, from Wolverhampton, died on the A493 between Bryncrug and Tywyn, just before 21:45 BST on Saturday. He was "loved by all" and would be "missed immensely", his family said in a statement. North Wales Police asked for any witnesses, or anyone with dashcam footage or CCTV to contact them. The family said he was staying in north Wales after arriving by train. "We know he had enjoyed a night out in Tywyn on Friday evening and was looking forward to the rest of his weekend," they said. The vehicle involved was a grey Mercedes Vito, police said. Senior investigating officer Sgt Raymond Williams said the force's "thoughts" were with Mr Brown's family and friends.

एक परिवार ने एक व्यक्ति को श्रद्धांजलि दी है जो एक वैन की चपेट में आने से मारा गया था, यह कहते हुए कि उसे "बहुत याद किया जाएगा"।