Royal wedding: In quotes

Summary: The royal wedding has taken place at Westminster Abbey.

Some 1,900 guests were there to see the couple exchange their vows in person, and many millions watched the event on televisions around the world. Below are the reactions of some of those who attended the ceremony, plus the thoughts of key commentators. Prime Minister David Cameron "We're quite a reserved lot, the British. But when we go for it, we really go for it." David and Victoria Beckham "Today's ceremony was beautiful and heartfelt. Catherine looked wonderfully elegant, and we were honoured to be part of such a special, historical day for our country. "We wish Catherine and William much love and happiness for the future." Earl Spencer, William's uncle "It was incredibly beautiful wasn't it? Very moving. The only downside on a perfect day was Diana not being there. But what a wonderful day, such a celebration." Boris Johnson, London Mayor "The bride looked amazing, I think these pictures are going to go around the world and provide a very positive and encouraging image of our country. I thought it was just fantastic. I was sitting somewhere back there in the nave, and everyone was watching on screens on either side of the walls. The real moment for me was when the archbishop had done his stuff, and then suddenly in the silence of the abbey you could hear the cheering outside. It was a very moving thing to hear the popular impact of that. If it made people feel romantic then that can't be a bad thing." Robert Hardman, Royal expert and author "It was one of those enchanting moments really. You just felt a huge great sense of privilege that you were there. It's got the build up of almost of a family wedding, everyone milling around... everybody waving at each other. And then suddenly in comes Prince William and Prince Harry, and suddenly there's a sense of here we are, we are watching history. And from then on in I'm afraid I'm going to have to use a word I have heard all day - sensational." Wing Cdr Steve Bentley, RAF "It was a little surreal actually. It was great, great ceremony. It was quite an informal atmosphere to begin with when people were milling around waiting. Then a beautiful ceremony, it went very well." Wing Cdr Bentley is a search and rescue colleague of the prince at RAF Valley in Anglesey. Harold Tillman, chairman of the British Fashion Council "She is so stunningly beautiful, it's so regal. It's such understatement that I think it's just perfection. Everybody is starstruck with her gown." Harry Meade, a friend of the couple "It was amazing, particularly the whole atmosphere, the music and seeing all the foreign dignitaries arrive. William and Kate were looking so happy, and it was incredible being able to hear the roar of the crowds at the key points. There was so much attention on them, and it was good being able to see them taking it all in their stride." Ian Thorpe, Olympic medal-winning Australian swimmer "It was amazing being inside, and being able to hear the crowds at the key moments. Kate looked great coming down the aisle, she seemed nervous at first but in the end it was so beautiful." Socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson "I'm glad I was wearing waterproof mascara. It was absolutely spellbinding. It makes you very patriotic, and very, very proud. I think she filled the abbey with her dress." James Hopkins, a friend of William and Catherine "They looked amazing. It's just such a happy occasion for everyone in the country and around the world. I thought the whole thing was absolutely marvellous. The flowers and trees looked incredible." Fashion writer Robb Young "There's absolutely no doubt that Kate's dress will be a trend-setter. It's sleek, understated, flattering, thoroughly modern and romantic, which, ultimately, I think is probably what most brides today are looking for." Historian Simon Schama "The genius of an event like this... is its simplicity, it's simultaneously magnificent and very simple. And if the monarchy's going to survive, which in my view it will, it has to have that cleverness about a simple connection with everybody in the country. However distressed and difficult the economic times are, it's essentially this mix between the informality and the public duty of the monarchy." Jennie Bond, former BBC Royal correspondent "It's such a shame and so poignant that [Diana] missed out on her boy's big day. I think William deliberately included his mother in the day with the music."

शाही शादी वेस्टमिंस्टर एब्बे में हुई है।


Reality Check: Would EU exit prompt 10-year uncertainty?

Summary: "A vote to leave the EU... could lead to up to a decade or more of uncertainty." So claimed page eight of a 23-page document published by the government setting out what it sees as the process for withdrawing from the European Union.

By Chris MasonPolitical correspondent, BBC News This is not the first and will not be the last such government document - and it is worth remembering the government is not impartial: it is committed to making the case for the UK to stay in the European Union and so will frame its arguments accordingly. For a start, the opening sentence of the executive summary of the paper is contestable: "The result of the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union will be final," it says. Well, the government would say that, wouldn't it? The former Conservative leader, Lord Howard, is one of a number of figures to suggest this might not actually prove to the case. The government's case is based on another sentence early on in this document: "the only lawful way to withdraw from the EU" is "set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union". It turns out that is contested too: but we'll come back to that. Precedents? Let us first take a look at Article 50. It is the mechanism set out in the EU rule book, the Lisbon Treaty, for countries that want to leave. It says that negotiations would last two years and after that the UK would cease to be a member of the EU, unless the other 27 states unanimously decided to extend the negotiations. So, has it ever been triggered before? The short answer is "no". Which allows pro-EU types to indulge in no end of speculation about what triggering it might mean - without anyone being able to flatly and categorically contradict them. The slightly longer answer is there is a precedent - sort of. Greenland voted to withdraw from the European Community, the organisation that preceded the EU, in 1982. Bear with me on this one. Having gained a high level of autonomy from Denmark in 1979, Greenlanders had a referendum to decide whether to stick with Brussels or reject it - and they rejected it. A deal was reached three years later, after difficult and protracted negotiations, mainly over fisheries. If that last sentence does not sate your interest in Greenlandic politics, you can read more from Carolyn Quinn's trip there for BBC Radio 4. Another way? Those in government might argue that if it took Greenland three years, which is not much more than a big block of ice and not many people, imagine how long it might take the UK? A deal for the UK, on the face of it, could be infinitely more complicated and the negotiations much, much lengthier, especially if it wanted to retain full access to the single market. The other 27 EU countries would be in charge of the timetable and a new deal for the UK would have to be approved by the European Parliament and the remaining 27 EU countries by Qualified Majority Voting. But, the UK would remain a member of the EU, under the current terms, for as long as the negotiations are ongoing. Still with me? Thank you for your stamina. Here comes a twist: do you actually need to trigger Article 50 if you want to leave? The flip side of it never having been triggered is do we know, absolutely definitively, it would have to be? 'Article 50 unnecessary' READ MORE: The truth behind claims in the EU debate A Vote Leave briefing note sets out that a Leave vote would not create a legal obligation to trigger Article 50. They point to a decision by the UK Supreme Court in relation to the Scottish independence referendum, which set out that a Yes vote in that contest would not itself have triggered independence, that would have been a decision for the UK parliament to endorse in light of the Yes vote. You can read more about that here. They argue the same would apply after the EU referendum. The briefing note then adds: "There is no need for negotiations to take place within the framework of Article 50. The UK can negotiate its withdrawal with other EU member states at any time without triggering Article 50." And it concludes, that as so often in the EU, what would actually happen would be driven by the political reality of the outcome of the referendum, rather than documents drawn up years earlier anticipating hypothetical events in the future. So where does all this leave us? Alas, just where we are so often with this Reality Check series on the EU Referendum. It is something of a mug's game: so many apparent "facts" and "statistics" are contestable and many are unprovable until after the referendum. Put on your statistical tin hat: there are plenty more coming your way before June.

"यूरोपीय संघ को छोड़ने के लिए एक वोट... एक दशक या उससे अधिक अनिश्चितता का कारण बन सकता है।" इसलिए सरकार द्वारा प्रकाशित 23-पृष्ठ के दस्तावेज़ के आठवें पृष्ठ पर दावा किया गया है कि वह यूरोपीय संघ से बाहर निकलने की प्रक्रिया के रूप में क्या देखता है।


The India village 'on the verge of extinction'

Summary: When India's Supreme Court banned iron ore mining in the western state of Goa in February 2018, many villages in the state had already been ravaged by decades of mining. Journalist Supriya Vohra visited Sonshi, one such village that is struggling to survive.

"We were literally eating dust," says 45-year-old Kusum Gawade. The dozens of trucks going to and from the village's mining pits used to pass by Ms Gawade's house regularly. Nearly everyone who lives in Sonshi belongs to an indigenous tribe that has a common last name, Gawade. "I had to clean my house at least three times a day," Ms Gawade adds. "The dust was everywhere. It entered our rooms, sat on our utensils, went inside our food, our water. It was a part and parcel of our lives." The Goa high court ordered the trucks to use an alternative route after a local non-profit filed a case in April 2017 citing damage to the environment and health due to mining. Bright green nylon sheets, which were meant to absorb the clouds of dust, now flank the roads in Sonshi. But the mines have been closed since February this year when the Supreme Court cancelled all mining permits in the state, saying that new licenses were needed for the mining to resume. The court shut down all 90 mines, once a thriving source of jobs in the region. Between 2010 and 2012 alone, Goa exported 55 million tonnes of iron ore annually. Sonshi is a tiny, dusty speck on Goa's eastern mining belt. It has approximately 60 households, a government-run primary school where the attendance has gradually decreased over the years, a defunct dispensary and a playground. Nearly everyone in Sonshi says their family once owned fields of paddy and cashew. But over the years they all came to depend on the mining industry. "All of this used to be quite green," said Sandeep Gawade, 41, a former truck driver who lives in Sonshi. "We used to have cashew plantations where you now see these hills of dumps." The "dumps" are mounds of soil that was once covering the mineral but was dug up and cast aside to reach the ore. This is typical of open pit mining, which is practised in Goa. Many locals say their agricultural fields were "taken over" by mining companies and used for excavation or as a site for "dumps". Sonshi, like the rest of eastern Goa, has soil that is rich in minerals, especially iron ore. It is unclear how many people voluntarily leased their lands to mining companies. According to local environmentalists, many of the agreements were signed when Goa was a Portuguese colony. They believe only 10 mining leases have been granted since the state became a part of India in 1961. State officials did not respond to requests by the BBC for comment. Activists say most of the mining has been carried out in ecologically sensitive areas, many of which are inhabited by tribal communities. "The transportation has spread noise, dust, destruction and death through the interiors of Goa, affecting health, agriculture and livelihoods," says Abhijeet Prabhudesai, a Goa-based environmentalist. He added that the deposits from the mines were also polluting the underground water that "feeds springs and sustains all life in Goa". Since most wells and streams have dried up, locals say they began to depend on mining companies and the state for regular supply of water. They say it is not potable and that they have to use their own methods to filter it. In September 2015, a national scheme was introduced to provide for the welfare of mining-affected areas across India, using funds generated through contributions from mining companies - the fund for Goa alone amounted to about $26m (£19.2m). A senior official familiar with the matter told the BBC that the fund had not been utilised yet and that the court was monitoring the matter. Activists say that villages like Sonshi have been coerced into becoming dependent on iron ore mining, which was a major contributor to Goa's economy. But since the Supreme Court shut down the mines, these villages have been struggling. The roads are still dotted with trucks that carried iron ore from the mines to a processing plant nearby. Most of them are owned by locals who drove them to transport iron ore and earned up to 2000 rupees ($29.8) a day. Chandrakant Gawade, 53, runs a hotel in his house, where employees of mining companies would rent rooms. Ever since mining stopped, business has gone down. He lives in the house with his wife, three children, a dog and a cat. He says he sells buffalo milk for a living now. Most families in Sonshi have a similar story to tell. Locals worked as security guards, drove trucks that transported the ore, worked in mines or docks to load and unload the ore, ran machines in the mines or ran hotels for visiting executives or rented rooms to non-locals who worked in the industry. "Sonshi is on a verge of extinction," says Ravindra Velip, a local activist. "The land is destroyed. A lot of people have already migrated to cities. There is no water. There is nothing left for the village folk. What do you call such a place?"

जब फरवरी 2018 में भारत के सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने पश्चिमी राज्य गोवा में लौह अयस्क खनन पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया था, तो राज्य के कई गाँव दशकों के खनन से पहले ही तबाह हो चुके थे। पत्रकार सुप्रिया वोहरा ने सोनशी का दौरा किया, जो एक ऐसा गाँव है जो जीवित रहने के लिए संघर्ष कर रहा है।


What next for libraries as scores are shut and out-sourced

Summary: One in three of Wales' libraries has closed or changed hands in the last seven years due to budget cuts. So why is the rest of the UK looking to Wales for inspiration as libraries seek to reinvent themselves in order to survive?

By Lucy BallingerBBC News In the last seven years one in six of all Wales' libraries have closed. A further 62 have changed hands and are now run either by outside organisations or with support from volunteers. Campaigners warn services have "been savaged" by local authority budgetary cuts as almost one in 10 libraries in Wales are run solely by volunteers in the communities they serve. Research by BBC Wales has found: Alan Wylie, from Speak up for Libraries, said: "We are coming to the crisis point for libraries. They have been savaged. There are libraries closing every day and being handed to volunteers. "There really needs to be some action, they are a statutory service and they have to be protected." But local authorities say they are doing their best to keep a comprehensive service in the face of cuts. Rob Whiteman, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPFA), said: "The cuts in funding levels for libraries in Wales come at a time when councils are facing significant budgetary pressures. "Local authorities are having to make tough decisions on services and unfortunately libraries are often bearing the brunt. "Despite the challenges, though, many libraries in Wales are continuing to innovate and adapt to changing visitor habits." Cardiff council has moved some of its libraries into "hubs" along with housing and benefit advice. Cabinet member for community development, co-operatives and social enterprise, councillor Peter Bradbury, said: "We now have 11 facilities offering extended and improved services, with more in the pipeline for development. "In many areas and as a result of the co-location of services, the additional footfall in our hubs - up by 32% so far this year - has had a positive impact on the uptake of library services." In Denbighshire, seven of the nine libraries have been turned into one-stop shops where council services such as housing benefit and bin collection information can be accessed, council tax paid and parking permits issued. Meanwhile, Flintshire council is establishing an employee-led mutual to deliver run its library and leisure services, with two libraries moved into leisure centres already. Ian Bancroft, chief executive officer at Flintshire council said: "To survive in the modern world, a library has to be either on the high street, so someone can go shopping and also go to the library, or it has to be co-located with another building. So the logic with libraries is, you've got to be part of a visit, you can't be a one-off place to go." He said the new library at Deeside leisure centre, which merged three smaller libraries, has seen a huge increase in footfall, as has the newly-merged library and leisure centre in Holywell. More cafe than library Llanelli library was recently named as lending the third highest amount of books and other items in the UK by CIPFA. The top three libraries over the last year were: Llanelli library's building was completely renovated in 2012 and reinvented as "more of a coffee shop" than an austere library. Carmarthenshire county library services manager, Mark Jewel said: "Where it was perceived as 'shhh' and 'quiet please' there is now a juke box, occasional guest choirs singing, background music, coffee corners and sounds from children's chatter. "Yet we are still able to maintain a quiet area for serious study in the reference department." But the chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Nick Poole, said he was concerned that merging services was not sustainable. "If you have got evidence of need, people who need health information and council services alongside library services, we think it can be a positive thing. "But where it is of concern is where it is a cost-cutting measure and other services are just moved in with the library services to reduce the number of buildings that are paid for. "I think this is just not sustainable. The library is doing lots of things and it confuses library users when they walk in as to what that place is." Three local authorities - Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent and Bridgend - have outsourced their library services to charitable trusts run outside the council. Mr Poole said: "It is very early days for a lot of these models. The only thing that we do know is changing the governance like this could effectively remove the statutory responsibility from councils. "We are concerned this is a method by stealth of moving libraries outside of the statutory service. "None of this makes any long-term sense." But he added that across Wales a number of initiatives had been introduced to try to keep the service sustainable. "A lot of the country are looking to Wales as they are doing brilliant work" said Mr Poole. "They have started a joined-up library system so it is easy to find and get books from across the country. "There is electronic magazine access which is proving really popular and means you are really introducing services properly out of hours." The new library system involves every branch having the same IT system installed so they have access to information about books across the country. There are also plans to give users one card which could be used in any library in Wales after 2018. The Welsh Government, which has partly subsidised access to e-books and electronic magazines, confirmed the funding was currently only allocated until March 2018. Economy and Infrastructure Secretary, Ken Skates, said: "This concerted effort to maintain public libraries and promote reading and engagement with digital learning opportunities has resulted in Wales seeing the largest increase of all UK regions in the number of digital and audio-visual downloads and issues - up by five percent on the previous year. "This is very encouraging and shows our investment in a national digital library and new and innovative ways of encouraging more people to explore their local libraries is paying off."

बजट में कटौती के कारण पिछले सात वर्षों में वेल्स के तीन में से एक पुस्तकालय ने बंद कर दिया है या हाथ बदल लिए हैं। तो फिर शेष यू. के. प्रेरणा के लिए वेल्स की ओर क्यों देख रहा है क्योंकि पुस्तकालय जीवित रहने के लिए खुद को फिर से स्थापित करना चाहते हैं?


Biting back: Taking the sting out of spider venom

Summary: Brown recluse spiders bite more than 7,000 people in Brazil every year causing serious skin lesions and even death. The anti-venom used as treatment comes at the expense of many animal lives. But could a breakthrough in synthetic spider venom lead to a more humane solution?

By Ben TavenerSão Paulo, Brazil "The first time I was bitten, I nearly died," says Adelaide Fabienski Maia, a school assistant from Curitiba. "I put my shorts on in the morning and felt a bite but didn't realise what it was. It wasn't until the evening that my face started burning up. I looked at the bite area and it was red." Adelaide was soon rushed to hospital with the classic target-shaped lesion caused by the venom eating away at her skin. It was only thanks to a dose of anti-venom that she's still around to tell the tale. But the anti-venom currently available comes with its own risks - mostly to the animals involved in the production process. Venom is milked from thousands of brown spiders before being injected into horses. This triggers an immune response that creates life-saving anti-venom for humans - while drastically reducing the horses' own lifespan. Now scientists in Brazil have come up with a synthetic venom alternative that could save many of those lives. Not so incy-wincy The Loxosceles family of venomous brown and recluse spiders is found in North and South America, Africa, Australia and some parts of Europe. At 6-20mm long, they are by no means the world's biggest spiders. Even their bite is almost painless. But their venom can cause large sores and lesions through dermo-necrosis - literally "death of the skin". It is the only family of spiders in the world to cause the skin to die in this way. Scientists have linked it to a rare enzyme in the venom called sphingomyelinase D, which damages and kills skin tissue. In a small percentage of cases where anti-venom is not administered quickly enough, people can die through organ failure. But many more deaths - of spiders and horses - are caused through the anti-venom production itself. "We milk the spiders once a month for three to four months," says Dr Samuel Guizze, a biologist at the Butantan Institute, Sao Paulo's pioneering centre for anti-venom production. It involves one technician gingerly picking up a spider and giving it an electric shock while a second scientist rushes to draw the venom into a syringe. As only a tiny squirt of venom is surrendered each time, it means that tens of thousands of individuals must be bred for milking. "The amount of venom obtained per spider is very small," says Dr Guizze. "We then inject the venom into horses and after 40 days the horses are bled and the antibodies [anti-venom] separated from the blood." Unsurprisingly, being injected with brown spider venom has an effect on the horses' health over time. Their lifespan is reduced from around 20 years to just three or four. Sadly, the spiders fare even worse - dying after just three or four venom extractions. Alternatives to animals Six hundred miles away at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, a breakthrough in venom technology promises to greatly reduce the anti-venom industry's reliance on animals. Dr Carlos Chavez-Olortegui is a senior biologist and spider venom specialist. "We identified the parts of the venom responsible for creating antibodies, and we made a protein chain containing only these parts," he told the BBC. By making a man-made copy of the active venom ingredient, it means that real spiders could soon be completely superfluous to the process, And, although horses will still be needed for the foreseeable future, the synthetic venom is non-toxic. This means that horses will still make the right anti-venom in their blood but without experiencing the poisoning effects of being injected with real venom. Dr Chavez-Olortegui says this new technique will enable horses to be retired after a few years and go on to live a full life Indeed in the future, he hopes animals can be removed from the process altogether. A vaccine for the future? But the study has also shown tantalising possibilities for creating a vaccine. Trials have shown that animals injected with synthetic spider venom start to produce antibodies that protect them from the effects of real brown spider bites. Chavez-Olortegui hopes that these results could eventually pave the way for a human vaccine. "More tests are required to see if the level of immunisation is maintained long-term, but we believe we are on the right path to making a human vaccine soon," says Chavez-Orortegui. The potential vaccine is seen as a major breakthrough for science but could have only limited applications in the real world - as the cost of developing the vaccine is weighed against the chance of being bitten. But in a country where 26,000 spider bites were reported in 2012 alone - 7,000 of which involved brown spiders - there could well prove to be quite a demand. Adelaide Fabienski Maia, who has the dubious honour of living in the "brown spider capital" of Brazil, has since been bitten a second time. Although they're not naturally aggressive, brown spiders have a nasty habit of sleeping inside people's clothes. Unsurprisingly, Adelaide doesn't fancy taking any more chances. "If there were a vaccine, I'd take the whole family today."

ब्राज़ील में हर साल 7,000 से अधिक लोगों को काटते हुए ब्राउन रिक्यूज मकड़ियां गंभीर त्वचा घावों और यहाँ तक कि मौत का कारण बनती हैं। उपचार के रूप में उपयोग किया जाने वाला एंटी-वेनम कई जानवरों के जीवन की कीमत पर आता है। लेकिन क्या सिंथेटिक मकड़ी के जहर में एक सफलता अधिक मानवीय समाधान की ओर ले जा सकती है?


Derek Mackay: Who is Scotland's former finance secretary?

Summary: Derek Mackay has resigned as Scottish finance secretary with immediate effect, on the day he was set to deliver his budget speech. His sudden exit - prompted by allegations he messaged a 16-year-old-boy on social media - cuts short a meteoric rise through Scottish politics.

By Philip SimBBC Scotland News Raised in Renfrewshire, Derek Mackay attended Renfrew High School and the University of Glasgow. His family briefly became homeless during his early teens, an experience he said shaped his outlook - as did the campaign against a new incinerator in the area. The young Mr Mackay studied social work, but always had his eye on a career in politics - he joined the SNP at 16, and served as national convener of the party's youth wing. He was elected to his local Renfrewshire Council in 1999 at the age of 21 - the youngest male councillor in the country at the time. He went on to lead the council between 2007 and 2011. Mr Mackay became MSP for the newly-created constituency of Renfrewshire North and West in 2011, beating Labour with a majority of 5.7%. Before the year was out he was local government minister, with Alex Salmond drafting him into government in a December reshuffle. When Nicola Sturgeon took office in 2015 he became transport minister, with responsibility for major projects such as the construction of the Queenferry Crossing. He faced down a crisis when the Forth Road Bridge had to be closed in December that year due to structural damage, later saying the closure was a "make or break, do or die" moment for him as a minister. After the 2016 Holyrood election - which saw him increase his majority to a very comfortable 24% - he was promoted to finance secretary. He initially shared the economy brief with Keith Brown, but absorbed the full role in the next reshuffle. The role saw him drawing up the Scottish budget each year - deciding the fate of £30bn of funding. Mr Mackay admitted occasionally feeling "imposter syndrome" at the top of politics. He told Holyrood Magazine: "I don't think it's a bad thing to admit that there are times when I don't think I'm good enough to do the job". But he quickly added that "having met my so-called Imperial Masters [at the Treasury], I am feeling perfectly apt and perfectly up to the job". The 42-year-old also became a major figure in the SNP, serving as business convener for seven years between 2011 and 2018 - a period when the party's membership exploded in size. This role saw him oversee management of the party via its National Executive Committee, and he became a popular figure with the quickly-growing membership while chairing conferences. Mr Mackay came out as gay in 2013 and separated from his wife, with whom he has two sons. Having served at the top of Ms Sturgeon's government, many bookmakers had tipped Mr Mackay as the favourite to succeed her some day. But his downfall has been even swifter than his rise through the ranks at Holyrood. After the Scottish Sun published transcripts of hundreds of text messages he had allegedly sent to a 16-year-old boy over a six-month period, he tendered his resignation to Ms Sturgeon "with immediate effect". He said he had "behaved foolishly" and was "sorry to have let colleagues and supporters down". His exit has come on the very day he was due to set out his latest tax and spending plans at Holyrood. He will now see the budget delivered by another rising star of the SNP, his junior minister Kate Forbes.

डेरेक मैके ने तत्काल प्रभाव से स्कॉटिश वित्त सचिव के रूप में इस्तीफा दे दिया है, जिस दिन वह अपना बजट भाषण देने के लिए तैयार थे। उनका अचानक बाहर निकलना-सोशल मीडिया पर एक 16 वर्षीय लड़के को संदेश भेजने के आरोपों से प्रेरित-स्कॉटिश राजनीति के माध्यम से एक उल्कापिंड वृद्धि को कम करता है।


Spitfire funds: The 'whip-round' that won the war?

Summary: The power and the glamour of the Spitfire would make the aircraft a firm favourite from almost the moment it first flew, in March 1936. Eighty years on, the Spitfire remains one of the most admired of all fighter aircraft, but the story of its unique connection with the British public - who dug into their own pockets to pay for its production - is less well-known.

By Greig WatsonBBC News "When my mummy has taken me out and I have wanted to use a public convenience she has had to pay a penny. So I thought if we did the same at home it would help your fund." So wrote eight-year-old Patricia Boncey to Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production, to accompany her postal order for 15 shillings. "The Spitfire funds were a home front phenomenon," says aviation historian Paul Beaver. "The aircraft, and the idea of buying one, seemed to hit the national psyche. "Britain wanted to believe in something and the Spitfire, that combination of beauty and power, was the great saviour." Almost from the moment it took to the air in 1936, the Spitfire inspired movie star-style attention, overshadowing the contemporary Hurricane fighter. This ability to amaze and inspire was embodied by the fund movement, which obsessed much of Britain and beyond. Donations ranging from pocket money pennies to king's ransoms eventually raised about £13m (£650m at modern values). But the story behind this generosity was one of crisis, improvisation and a pushy Canadian. War is an expensive business and 1914-18, coupled with the Great Depression of the 1920s, had left Britain saddled with huge debts. The policy of avoiding war by making concessions to Hitler - known as appeasement - was in part prompted by a national bank balance firmly in the red. Spitfire fact file Why do we love Spitfires? But as the ambitions of Nazi Germany became clear, there was a scramble to rebuild the neglected armed forces. In early 1940 Lord Beaverbrook - the Anglo-Canadian media tycoon Max Aitken - came into government to speed up aircraft production. Beaverbrook pushed the idea of public appeals, for example to source raw materials and to encourage thrifty shopping, in a bid to help with the war effort. Breathless press coverage of the Spitfire brought unsolicited enquiries about helping get more planes in the air. The two ideas came together. In May 1940, Spitfire funds took off. The aircraft were priced at an entirely theoretical £5,000. Within weeks funds were set up by councils, businesses, voluntary organisations and individuals. Fired by the sight of German planes overhead during the Battle of Britain, more than 1,400 appeals were set up. Many were co-ordinated by local newspapers, which carried lists of individual donations: "From all at No.15 Station Lane", "My week's pocket money - Fred Smith aged 7″, "My first week's old age pension - 10 shillings towards our Spitfire". Matt Brosnan from the Imperial War Museum says: "Quite quickly the BBC was listing the latest successful funds and major donations at the end of news bulletins and takings were averaging over £1m a month. "Almost every big town in Britain came to have its name on a Spitfire by the end. Even anti-aircraft batteries and aircraft factories contributed. The miners of Durham contributed two Spitfires, even though suffering with heavy unemployment." To encourage the idea every penny counted, a components price list was published, included a wing for £2,000, a gun at £200, down to a spark plug at 8 shillings, or a rivet at sixpence. Imagination and dedication led to countless fund-raising ideas. Everyone could "do their bit". A Kent farmer charged people sixpence "to see the only field in Kent without a German aircraft in it". During an air raid, the manager of a London cinema pushed a wheelbarrow up and down the aisle, asking for donations: "The more you give, the less raids there will be". There were table-top sales, auctions and raffles. The Wiltshire village of Market Lavington drew the outline of a Spitfire in the square and challenged residents to fill it with coins. The task was completed within days. In Liverpool, it was reported a "lady of the night" left £3 at the police station "for the Spitfire Fund", this amount being the standard fine for soliciting. Another part of the magic mix of the Spitfire funds was contributors could have a dedication of their choice put on the Spitfire. This would be commemorated with a plaque and photograph of the named Spitfire. The results veered between the mundane, hilarious and downright mysterious. Those cinema donations resulted in no less than four "Miss ABCs". The Kennel Club called its Spitfire 'The Dog Fighter', while Woolworths named "Nix Six Primus" and "Nix Six Secundus" after its pre-war policy of keeping prices below sixpence. Remarkably, even prisoners of war got in on the act. Inmates of Oflag VIB donated a month's pay and, via the Red Cross, it went to "Unshackled Spirit". It was truly a global appeal. Spitfire "Dorothy of Great Britain and Empire" was paid for by a fund made up entirely of women and girls of that name. Uruguay, diplomatically neutral, funded 17. Many countries donated enough for entire squadrons to bear their name, including No.74 (Trinidad), No.167 (Gold Coast) and No.114 (Hong Kong). Some stories are more poignant. The small communities of Holmesfield, Derbyshire and St Michel-le-Pit in south Wales somehow raised the money to pay for Spitfires named 'Shepley' and 'Norman Merrett' in honour of bereaved local families. Spitfire "Fun of the Fair" was named after an appeal by various circuses, fairgrounds and carnivals, set up in a bid to counter accusations the travelling community was shirking war duties. Not everyone took the scheme in the intended spirit. In August 1940 a building worker from Ilford was jailed for running fake Spitfire funds. Local rivalries ran deep. One councillor Arnold Ingham warned colleagues "If we should have a dogfight over Lytham St Annes let us have a Spitfire of our own to deal with it and not have to send to Fleetwood or Blackpool to borrow theirs." The funds raised enough for about 2,600 Spitfires but incomplete records mean fewer than 1,600 can be traced. The RAF had about 300 Spitfires fighting in the Battle of Britain at any one time, with total combat losses estimated at about 260. By the end of 1940, factories were turning out up to 350 a month. But did the funds make a difference to the war? Mark Harrison, professor of economics at the University of Warwick, says the answer has echoes in the present. "Only after ensuring the supply of Spitfires did the government worry about how to pay for them. "The funds were like today's 'sponsor a panda' and 'buy a metre of rainforest' appeals. In any immediate sense these make no difference to the number of pandas or the amount of rainforest. "Spitfire funds did not pay for Spitfires, but they were still an essential part of the war effort. "Without them the war would eventually have gone less well in one aspect or another. There would have been a cost."

स्पिटफायर की शक्ति और आकर्षण ने मार्च 1936 में पहली बार उड़ान भरने के लगभग उसी क्षण से विमान को एक दृढ़ पसंदीदा बना दिया था। अस्सी साल बाद, स्पिटफायर सभी लड़ाकू विमानों में सबसे अधिक प्रशंसित विमानों में से एक बना हुआ है, लेकिन ब्रिटिश जनता के साथ इसके अद्वितीय संबंध की कहानी-जिन्होंने इसके उत्पादन के लिए भुगतान करने के लिए अपनी जेब में खुदाई की-कम प्रसिद्ध है।


Lifeguards rescue girl, 14, from sea at Newquay

Summary: A 14-year-old girl has been rescued from the sea after getting into difficulties at a beach in Cornwall, coastguards have said.

She was discovered unconscious in the water at Fistral beach at about 1150 BST and was brought back to the beach by RNLI lifeguards. She was drifting in and out of consciousness while being given first aid on the beach. She was then taken to hospital by air ambulance. Her condition is not known. The lifeguards were alerted to the situation by the surf school the girl was having a lesson with on the beach. Coastguards said she had probably got into difficulties because of an existing medical condition.

तटरक्षकों ने कहा है कि कॉर्नवाल के एक समुद्र तट पर कठिनाइयों में पड़ने के बाद एक 14 वर्षीय लड़की को समुद्र से बचाया गया है।


Emergency services in Leicester see major investment

Summary: Some £2.4m is to be spent improving emergency services at Leicester Royal Infirmary after urgent measures were agreed on to improve facilities.

A total of £1.5m will be spent on refurbishment to expand space in the department. More than £900,000 will go towards recruiting new medical staff. Patients numbers have risen over the last decade by about a third to more than 160,000, making it one of the busiest A&E units in the UK. Plans also include diverting some patients to the GP-led urgent care facility on the LRI site. Helen Mather of University Hospitals of Leicester said: "The key to us is getting the patient to the right service at the right time, first time - and that is sometimes hospital, but not always hospital."

सुविधाओं में सुधार के लिए तत्काल उपायों पर सहमति बनने के बाद लीसेस्टर रॉयल इन्फर्मरी में आपातकालीन सेवाओं में सुधार के लिए लगभग 2.4 करोड़ पाउंड खर्च किए जाने हैं।


Building society in Birmingham ram-raided

Summary: A building society has been the target of ram-raiders with debris of glass and metal left spilling onto the street.

The branch of Nationwide on Coventry Road in the Small Heath area of Birmingham was targeted during the early hours. A group of men are believed to have driven a white van into the window. They fled the scene in an Audi car after their attempts at removing a cash machine failed, police said. No-one has yet been arrested. The road was closed while West Midlands Police carried out inquiries. Tweeting about the raid, West Midlands Police force response said an investigation has been launched. Related Internet Links West Midlands Police

एक बिल्डिंग सोसाइटी सड़क पर कांच और धातु के मलबे के साथ राम-हमलावरों का निशाना रही है।


Suffolk solar power scheme unveiled

Summary: A £25m scheme to build a solar power park on a 95 acre site in Suffolk, which could provide power for 6,000 homes, has been unveiled.

Hive Energy has put forward the plans to erect solar panels on land between Tattingstone to Holbrook close to the Alton Reservoir. Giles Redpath, of Hive Energy, said the site would produce 20 MW. "Compared with other forms of renewable energy (such as wind farms) it has a much lower impact," he said. The plans have been submitted to Babergh District Council and will be looked at at a later date.

सफ़ोक में 95 एकड़ की जगह पर एक सौर ऊर्जा पार्क बनाने के लिए 25 मिलियन पाउंड की योजना का अनावरण किया गया है, जो 6,000 घरों को बिजली प्रदान कर सकती है।


Barnsley house evacuated after snow collapse

Summary: A family has been forced to leave their home in South Yorkshire after a part of it collapsed under the weight of the snow, the fire service has said.

Firefighters were called to the house on Wood Street, Barnsley, at 04:00 GMT on Saturday and found the gable end of the building had fallen down. The fire service said nobody was injured and the couple and their four young children had been rehoused. Several centimetres of snow had covered Yorkshire overnight. The children's grandmother Julie told Radio Sheffield it was a frightening experience that had left the family shocked and upset. She said: "[My daughter] rang me this morning and she was in hysterics really. She said it was like an earthquake. "It's a really shocking experience. You wouldn't think snow would do this would you? I mean it is bad."

अग्निशमन सेवा ने कहा है कि दक्षिण यॉर्कशायर में एक परिवार को बर्फ के भार के नीचे अपना घर छोड़ने के लिए मजबूर होना पड़ा है।


Prince of small talk - Harry's chat during Edinburgh walkabout

Summary: The Edinburgh Castle esplanade crowds waited hours to get up-close and personal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their first official visit to Scotland. So, what is the chat between a prince and the public? I joined the throngs to find out.

By Angie BrownBBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporter The crowds surged forward as soon as the pair stopped to say hello, shake hands and receive presents. At one point Harry said to a woman he feared the barrier may topple over because the crowd was pushing at her from behind. 'If you like trains, get on a sleeper - they're very good' Nine-year-old Oliver Clews, from Northampton, chatted with Harry about the Royal train. Oliver told BBC Scotland: "He shook my hand and it was amazing and exciting and it made my holiday. "Nobody in my class will have met Royalty before." 'Nice to meet you and thank you for coming' Prince Harry's wife-to-be Meghan, who is on her fourth official visit since her engagement to the prince in November, was considered "polite" by those I spoke to. But it was the prince, used to the glare of the Royal spotlight since he was a child, who took time to look people "straight in the eye" and make each feel special. Catherine Piel, 21, from Connecticut in the USA, said she went "weak at the knees" when Harry shook her hand. She said: "He looked me dead in the eyes, I'll never forget it, and said 'Nice to meet you and thank you for coming'. "I didn't think I would get to touch him. I thought I was going to cry. I'm still shaking and my heart is pounding." 'That's one great beard' Martin Harris, 29, from Manchester, said Harry complemented him on his ginger beard. His girlfriend, Roseanne Aspin, 30, from Blackburn, said: "Martin's mum had only just yesterday been telling him to shave his beard off so I'm going to be calling her up today to tell her it has to stay now that his beard has Royal approval." 'What lovely warm hands' When the prince met Anne Brown, from Glasgow, he told her she had "lovely warm hands, the warmest he had felt that day". She said: "It made my day, I was very fortunate to meet him." 'That's a very nice jacket' Daniel Pearn, 30, from Cornwall, who waited two and a half hours to see the couple, said Harry told him he had "a very nice jacket and that it must be warm". Klaus Rasmussen, 48, from Denmark, said he thought Meghan was "very friendly" when she came to speak to him in the crowd. He said: "She asked what my name was and where was I from. "She was a very nice woman and it was very exciting for my wife, she was happy about it." 'It's a bit chilly today' Ashley Kremer, 35, from Canada, said: "It was really lovely to meet Harry and to shake his hand, which was very unexpected. "He was joking about the weather with us and saying it was a bit chilly." Katherine Baker, 21, from Essex, said she travelled to Edinburgh especially for the Royal visit. "I wanted to see if they had chemistry together and they absolutely do. "They are so cute. She's very reserved and seems very polite. "He seemed very personable and I loved how he was patting the horse."

एडिनबर्ग कैसल एस्प्लेनेड भीड़ ने स्कॉटलैंड की अपनी पहली आधिकारिक यात्रा पर प्रिंस हैरी और मेघन मार्कल के करीब और व्यक्तिगत होने के लिए घंटों इंतजार किया। तो, एक राजकुमार और जनता के बीच बातचीत क्या है? मैं यह जानने के लिए भीड़ में शामिल हो गया।


What now after Nigeria's Boko Haram ceasefire fiasco?

Summary: The latest Boko Haram video in which its leader Abubakar Shekau denies any ceasefire talks between his group and Nigerian officials will come as a huge embarrassment to the government, reports the BBC's Africa Security Correspondent Tomi Oladipo.

The militant leader has directly contradicted government claims that the ceasefire would set the stage for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted in April from Chibok town. With the presidential elections just three months away, any chances of having a peaceful vote in north-eastern Nigeria are unlikely. Analysts now suggest it might be time to rethink any diplomatic solution to the crisis and instead concentrate efforts on restoring the stability of the nation. 'Married off' Shekau's defiance in the video did not come as a surprise to many. In fact it was the government's announcement of a truce that provoked scepticism among Nigerians, even if some of the Chibok community said they were "cautiously optimistic". Much of the handling of the crisis over the last six months has hinged on securing the release of the schoolgirls. While Shekau says the girls have now converted to Islam and been "married off", there might still be the possibility of a swap for Boko Haram members in custody of the government. The insurgent group has long demanded the release of its men from prison. So far, attempts at dialogue have not led to any cessation of violence. Only a few weeks ago, Nigerian government officials seemed certain they had agreed a truce but Boko Haram militants and Nigerian security forces clashed shortly after the announcement. 'Mixed signals' So where does the government go from here? Veteran diplomat Bolaji Akinyemi suggests that the government needs to rethink its strategy. "We can accept this latest [Boko Haram] video at face value that this group is not willing to talk," he says. "The government needs to stop sending mixed signals about the possibilities and now consider that maybe the solution is a military one. Unfortunately we have to accept that the loss of lives is inevitable and maybe we need to prepare ourselves for that." Mr Akinyemi was part of a presidential committee tasked to come up with recommendations for a solution to the insecurity. One of its findings was that security agencies needed improved training and equipment to stand up to the Boko Haram challenge. Who are Boko Haram? Who are Boko Haram? Profile: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau If any changes have since been made, they have not stopped Boko Haram on its territorial quest. Nigeria's general elections are expected to be held in February and there is every indication that the process will be bloody if it goes ahead in the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, where Boko Haram has its strongholds. It is also unlikely that civilians there will be convinced to cast their votes in a democratic system that is antithetical to Boko Haram's central objective - to instil its radical form of Islamic rule. Nigerian journalist Ahmad Salkida - who has recently had rare access to the group - says that the sect believes its "brand of Sharia is superior to the [Nigerian] constitution". Fleeing soldiers It appears the government is now fighting not just for the territorial integrity of the nation but also for the very existence of the Nigerian state. Mr Akinyemi thinks there are few other options. "Even if you ask Boko Haram to hold on to the territory they have, it would not restrain them." The latest major town to fall to the militants is Mubi in Adamawa State. Military sources say the soldiers there would have been well equipped to repel any rampaging Boko Haram fighters but, not for the first time, the soldiers fled alongside residents as the attackers arrived. They left behind resources, including military hardware, that could sustain the insurgents for much longer. It is a trend that should deeply trouble the authorities. A tenuous possibility is that the military has not gone on the offensive because of the ceasefire order, although a recent statement from the defence headquarters said that a "highly coordinated air bombardment is already yielding required results in the mission to repel the unwarranted attacks on citizens" in the north-east. Desertions in the face of battle Such teamwork between the air force and ground troops was successful when the military prevented Boko Haram from taking over Konduga, near Maiduguri, to public acclaim in September. The belief that Boko Haram informants have infiltrated certain army units appears to have damaged morale among soldiers on the frontline, who now fear that their own brave efforts could be wasted. Hence the common desertions in the face of battle. "Any cases of infiltration, if any, would not be significant enough to undermine the combat efficiency of the military and its capacity to bring the military campaign to a successful conclusion," asserts Major Lancelot Anyanya (Retired), a security analyst. "Where the issue is radicalisation, you have to look to fight long-term with arms and counter-ideology. Build up the military but also consider and address what drives people into these groups." In the meantime Boko Haram has taken over several towns and seeks to control more. The government, on the other hand, is hoping to reassert Nigeria's sovereignty. A new phase looms in this bloody conflict.

बीबीसी के अफ्रीका सुरक्षा संवाददाता टोमी ओलादीपो की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, नवीनतम बोको हराम वीडियो जिसमें इसके नेता अबुबकर शेकाउ अपने समूह और नाइजीरियाई अधिकारियों के बीच किसी भी युद्धविराम वार्ता से इनकार करते हैं, सरकार के लिए एक बड़ी शर्मिंदगी के रूप में आएगा।


Cardiff to Bridgend services back to normal after train death

Summary: Rail services in south Wales have been disrupted after a person was struck and killed by a train near Cardiff.

Emergency services were called to an incident near a level crossing at St George's-super-Ely at 10:45 BST on Thursday. British Transport Police said there were no suspicious circumstances. Following delays to trains on the main line between Cardiff and Bridgend, services have returned to normal, Arriva said. A British Transport Police spokesman said the incident was not being treated as suspicious and a file would be prepared for the coroner.

कार्डिफ के पास एक ट्रेन की चपेट में आने से एक व्यक्ति की मौत के बाद दक्षिण वेल्स में रेल सेवा बाधित हो गई है।


More than 100 BT jobs at risk in Aberdeen

Summary: More than 100 jobs are at risk at BT in Aberdeen.

The communications firm is proposing to close its New Telecom House base in the city. BT said it only used about 10% of the building and the lease renewal was "costly". About 140 staff work at the base, and a 90-day consultation is under way. BT said it would try to avoid job losses by exploring alternative opportunities for staff elsewhere. A BT Group spokesman said: "We've started to consult with a small number of office-based colleagues and their union representatives on the proposed closure of New Telecom House. "No decision has been made but, if the closure goes ahead as we propose, we'll look at all options including helping colleagues find roles within BT Group sites, such as Dundee. "There's no impact to customers and plans to extend Aberdeen's full-fibre network are not affected."

एबरडीन में बी. टी. में 100 से अधिक नौकरियां खतरे में हैं।


Derby man stabbed brother to death during row

Summary: A man has been found guilty of stabbing his brother to death during a row at a house in Derby.

Marcin Woznicki was arrested in Leveret Close, Chellaston, on 21 July last year, after Mateusz Woznicki, 27, was found fatally injured at the address. Marcin, of St Clare's Close, Derby, had denied murder but a jury at Leicester Crown Court found him guilty of manslaughter on Friday. The 23-year-old is due to be sentenced on Wednesday. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

डर्बी में एक व्यक्ति को अपने भाई की चाकू मारकर हत्या करने का दोषी पाया गया है।


Former Avon area councils bid for transport funds

Summary: The four councils that span the former Avon area have joined forces to bid for £250m of government funding for transport improvements.

Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils are to submit five bids in September. The proposed schemes include tackling congestion in Bath, and "rapid transit" bus routes in Bristol. There are also plans for traffic improvements in Weston-super-Mare. The county of Avon was abolished in 1996 and replaced with the four unitary authorities. The five schemes are: Brian Allinson, South Gloucestershire councillor and chairman of the Joint Transport Executive Committee, said the result of the bid was expected in December. Details of the schemes can be seen on the Travel Plus website.

पूर्व एवन क्षेत्र में फैली चार परिषदों ने परिवहन सुधार के लिए £250m सरकारी धन के लिए बोली लगाने के लिए सेना में शामिल हो गए हैं।


Could the ladybird plague of 1976 happen again?

Summary: The hot summer of 1976 saw swarms of ladybirds infesting towns and cities across the UK, with many people reporting being bitten by them. In the 40 years since there hasn't been a repeat, but could it happen again this summer?

By Justin ParkinsonBBC News Magazine The drought of 1976 was unprecedented in its severity. Reservoirs dried up, as families queued to use standpipes to access drinking water. To titters worthy of a 1970s sitcom, Minister for Drought Denis Howell suggested people take baths with a friend. And, with Milton Abbas, Dorset, and Teignmouth, Devon, having no rain for 45 straight days, the government warned some industries might have to close down because of water shortages. But the heat wasn't the only seemingly apocalyptic event to hit Britain that summer. A plague of starving seven-spotted ladybirds besieged villages, towns and cities. The British Entomological and Natural History Society has estimated that 23.65 billion of them were swarming on the southern and eastern coasts of England by late July. Brenda Madgwick, who spent some of the summer on holiday on Kent's Isle of Sheppey, remembered that "everywhere one put one's foot, it was thick with ladybirds. The posts along the sea-front holding up the chains were completely smothered.'' The ladybird population explosion happened at locations nationwide. "They were all over the place, on every pavement, and at times it was impossible to take a step without treading on them," recalled Frank Haiste of Leeds. The pool at Ruislip Lido in Middlesex was covered with dead ladybirds, deterring all but the hardiest swimmers. The bugs, usually liked by gardeners because they eat aphids, a class of plant-sapping pests that includes greenfly, became briefly hated. They reportedly started biting humans, particularly by the seaside. Simon Leather, professor of entomology at Harper Adams University, thinks changes to cereal production in the 1970s could have encouraged an increase in aphids, particularly the release of Maris Huntsman wheat - which they liked eating - in 1972. The main concern among agricultural scientists at the time was to prevent crops being ruined by fungi - not potential destruction by insects - he says, adding: "These days, people are much more aware of the importance of insect-resistance." In 1976 a warmer than average spring saw larger than usual populations of aphids, creating more food for ladybirds. But the hot, dry summer meant plants matured and dried early, leaving the aphids without food. Their population collapsed in late June and early July. So hungry ladybirds moved on in their billions, searching for nutrition. Swarms built up in coastal resorts as they got stuck by the sea, says Helen Roy, of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. When well-fed, ladybirds are able to travel up to 120km (75 miles), flying at altitudes of more than 1,000m above sea level, allowing them to travel abroad. But by now they were too hungry and tired to go any further. The attacks on humans happened as thirsty ladybirds tried to rehydrate using holidaymakers' sweat, says Roy. "They were also said to be attracted by people's ice creams," Roy, who co-runs the UK Ladybird Survey, adds, "because they would have provided a much-needed source of energy in the sugar they contained." But Ian Rotherham, professor of environmental geography at Sheffield Hallam University, says it's "unlikely" the swarms went from inland Britain to the coast. "They don't tend, on a hot summer's day, to decide they want to go to Bridlington, or wherever, to cool off for a bit," he adds. Rotherham thinks the migration was more likely to have been by ladybirds coming north from continental Europe, who landed on the beaches of southern England. Whatever the cause, after the swarms subsided, New Scientist magazine predicted that another fine, warm spring and summer the next year could mean "two or three times as many" as the year before. But April, May, June, July and August 1977 were cooler than in 1976 and the ladybirds - known as ladybugs in the US - didn't come. Explosions in populations typically happened "about once every 15 years" during the 20th Century, according to the British Entomological and Natural History Society, but not after 1976. By 1996 it reported the "longest period without an explosion this century". The year 1990 had provided conducive weather conditions, but a parasite destroyed many ladybird pupae - the stage of the bug's development between larva and adult. The plague still hasn't returned, at least not nationally, although surges in aphids in Norfolk in 1979 and 2009 saw outbreaks of ladybirds. More on ladybirds So is there any chance of a repeat this year of what happened in 1976? "Never say never," says Leather. "Ladybird populations do seem to be in decline, but it depends on what farmers and gardeners grow, what parasites might kill them and how many aphids they can get to eat." Ladybirds tend to thrive after a consistently cold winter, says Roy. This is because warmer temperatures, and particularly fluctuations, cause their metabolic rate to rise, burning off more stored fat and causing more deaths. The mild winter so far this year tends to suggest no 1976-style population explosion is imminent. "It's very difficult to predict populations," says Roy. "It relies on a sort of perfect storm, with the weather conditions, including a cool winter and a hot, dry summer, and food sources being aligned." In the UK, native species of ladybirds have come under threat in recent years, with the invasion from France by the harlequin ladybird, which eats them as well as aphids. But the seven-spotted variety, which tends to settle on plants, is one of the less vulnerable, as harlequins prefer to live on or near trees. During another ladybird boom, in 1869, the Times reported that accumulations by the marketplace in Ramsgate, Kent, had resulted in men "shovelling them down the large grating into the sewer. So thickly were they spread over the ground that the streets seemed covered with red sand." It's enough to make the flesh creep for those old enough to remember what happened in 1976, but it must be remembered that ladybirds are an important part of protecting the UK's food supply. "Whatever happens, we should acknowledge that ladybirds aren't a pest but a hugely efficient way of reducing pests," says Roy. "They can eat up to 60 aphids a day, which is a real boon to gardeners and farmers. They're really quite marvellous creatures." Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

1976 की गर्म गर्मी में पूरे ब्रिटेन के कस्बों और शहरों में मादा पक्षियों के झुंड देखे गए, जिसमें कई लोगों ने उनके द्वारा काटे जाने की सूचना दी। पिछले 40 वर्षों में ऐसा नहीं हुआ है, लेकिन क्या यह इस गर्मी में फिर से हो सकता है?


Barnbow Canaries: Telling the stories of WW1 munitions workers

Summary: In 1916, an explosion in a Leeds munitions factory caused what is claimed to be one of the UK's single largest loss of female life in World War One, yet wartime conditions meant the deaths of 35 women were barely reported. A century on and the story of the devastation and consequences of the blast at Barnbow munitions factory is being revealed in a new play at the city's West Yorkshire Playhouse.

By Chris LongArts and entertainment reporter Barnbow Canaries is playwright Alice Nutter's tribute to not just those who lost their lives, but the thousands of others who worked there in dangerous conditions - though she says it is "not a sentimental tribute". "The thing I'm interested in with these women is that sense of what happened - it was an absolute tragedy but a tragedy is not a drama. "I realised that the story was bigger than the disaster. "While it wasn't the first time that women were working, it was the first time they were earning proper money, men's money. "The women who worked in the Barnbow danger rooms, some of them went from earning two shillings and sixpence in domestic service to three pounds a week. Men didn't earn that. It is really good money. "They had money to spend on going out and a social life that wasn't controlled by their husbands, brothers or fathers and they did skilled work. "But rather than this being seen as women being capable and claiming their freedom, it was seen as a blip. "After the war, women were expected to go back to exactly where they were before - when I realised that, I thought 'I want to write this play'." 'Political perspective' Nutter was asked to find a drama in the history by the Playhouse's artistic director James Brining, who had lived with the story since hearing it from his grandfather. He says he decided he wanted to put it on stage while researching local stories, but was far more interested in telling a story of social change, than commemorating a centenary. That desire drove him to ask Nutter to come on board, as he "wanted a woman to tell the story and her mixture of political perspective and interest in social justice made her the obvious choice". The playwright says she was never tempted to make the play solely a historical piece and drew on her own experiences to find the theatre within it. "Historical research is not a play and knowing which soap they used is not a drama. "Once I started writing, I realised this wasn't just a play about the First World War and munitions workers, it was about two sisters and what happens when you lose somebody you love - how they stay with you and shape the things you do. "I could write about that because my sister died in 2010 - as a dramatist, you do all the research and then you write a drama on the muscle of what you know and what you feel. "The play has to come from your mind and your heart." Researching the disaster saw Nutter speaking to the families of those it impacted upon, including David Wilcox, whose grandmother Eliza and great aunts Lizzie and Annie only escaped the explosion by luck. After getting jobs at the factory, he says "they met up in Hut 42, where the explosion happened", but crucially, a month before the disaster, "Grandma was upgraded to overlooker and was moved to an adjacent block". "Lizzie and Annie got a transfer to the same block. On the night of the explosion, they were all on night shift when a huge explosion rocked the factory. "Annie used to say 'if it weren't for our Li, we wouldn't be here now', but Grandma would never speak about it. The story is that she went in to retrieve people and do what she could." 'Casual sexism' Nutter says the women who worked in the factory were "soldiers, because they worked in really dangerous conditions". "All munitions workers knew they were being poisoned. "Not that they'd been told, but once you got the symptoms - turning bright yellow with stomach, eye and throat problems - you're not stupid, you know it's because you're working with bright yellow powder. "But they accepted it in the same way that men at the front accepted the dangers - partly because they were being paid well, but also because they thought it was their patriotic duty. "Yet after the war, they weren't treated like soldiers. When the men came back, women were expected to relinquish their jobs. "There was a real return to the status quo and women believed they would be seen as selfish if they acted against it." Barnbow and the Canaries Find out more: WW1 at Home - The Factory Disaster that Killed 35 Women The production features a community chorus alongside its professional cast - 17-year-old Anna Keat lives in Cross Gates, a stone's throw from where the disaster happened. She says the play has given her "an insight into the women that worked there". "There are scenes where we're doing the jobs that they would have done and it amazes you how hard they would have worked. "It does scare me, because it could have been me and probably would have been me." She says it is an important story to tell "because it was so hidden by the government". "After the war, they wanted to keep it on the down-low because they wanted women to go back to their houses and work there, so nobody got to know the real story about what happened." Nutter says that was something that drove her to want to tell the story, as despite living in Leeds since 1982, she had "never heard" of Barnbow. "I don't think it was any sort of conspiracy. I think it's more casual sexism - soldiers were commemorated but women were almost swept under the carpet. "When the explosion happened, I can fully understand why they couldn't publicise it, because they didn't want the Germans to know where the factory was - zeppelins were flying over, it's absolutely understandable. "After the war, that didn't apply any more, but I genuinely think that the male status quo didn't think women's lives were that important. "It had happened and it wasn't news. It wasn't a conspiracy, it just wasn't deemed as something they needed to commemorate." Wilcox agrees, saying that women "were always put on the back burner, they never got praise for anything". "This showed that women could do the work of men, but they were never recognised as such. "What this play shows is that everybody was important, whoever they were." Barnbow Canaries is at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds until 9 July.

1916 में, लीड्स के एक गोला-बारूद कारखाने में एक विस्फोट के कारण प्रथम विश्व युद्ध में ब्रिटेन की महिलाओं की सबसे बड़ी मौतों में से एक होने का दावा किया जाता है, फिर भी युद्ध की स्थितियों का मतलब था कि 35 महिलाओं की मौत मुश्किल से हुई थी। एक सदी बाद और शहर के वेस्ट यॉर्कशायर प्लेहाउस में एक नए नाटक में बार्नबो युद्ध सामग्री कारखाने में हुए विस्फोट की तबाही और परिणामों की कहानी का खुलासा किया जा रहा है।


Christmas at the White House: What do you say to Obama?

Summary: Congratulations, you're one of thousands of people invited to a Christmas party at the White House. If you're lucky you'll have 30 seconds on the receiving line with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. What do you say?

By Daniel NasawBBC News Magazine, Washington This is it - for many, the only time in their lives they'll be face to face with the president of the United States. Should you push your pet cause? Thank him for reforming healthcare? Ask for a pardon for your brother-in-law? Tell him you wish Mitt Romney had won? "I had plans to tell Michelle that I too went to Princeton and Harvard law. I figured we could then be friends, grab a coffee," quipped Millet Israeli, a general counsel of political website publisher TPM Media LLC. "Instead, I was totally star-struck and tongue-tied. I think I squeaked out a 'nice to meet you'." This season, the White House is expected to have as many as two dozen holiday parties, welcoming everyone from journalists and clergymen to big-money Democratic donors to stand in a long queue, shake the Obamas' hands and pose for a photograph. About 14,000 people will attend White House receptions or parties this year, say officials. Experienced White House visitors know to cut short the schmoozing, snacking and drinking and head early to the queue to get a good spot. "Everybody who is on that line is thinking what's the one thing to say," says Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, who has been to more than a dozen White House receptions. "Sometimes people have an issue that they want to bring up with the president and try to figure out how to reduce it to a phrase. Sometimes it's personal greetings, sometimes a word of encouragement. "Part of it depends on how well you know the president and how much you know what's going on beyond the public life." The line snakes forward, one couple at a time, until an aide - sometimes in military uniform - beckons the couple at the front forward and directs them to stand by the president and first lady. The couple spend a matter of seconds in their presence, enough for a brief exchange of greetings, a handshake, smiles (genuine or forced) and a photograph. Most visitors are awed by the experience, but one person's presidential handshake of a lifetime is Obama's 700th of the night. "Think about the leader of our country going from tackling serious problems to suddenly turning on the charm with a mega-watt smile and being affable, couple after couple, for three hours," muses Sally Chadbourn, a Virginia teacher who attended a White House reception this month. "That flexibility would be the hallmark of a very unique individual." The seemingly tedious task also requires stamina - and facial muscles and a hand of iron. In one marathon reception in December 1996, Bill Clinton and then-First Lady Hillary Clinton welcomed about 1,200 guests over three hours, with a 90-minute break upstairs in the middle, according to an archive of White House schedules kept by the William J Clinton Presidential Library. That averages one handshake and photograph every 18 seconds. The Clintons played host to at least 19 gatherings that year, spanning private parties in the White House living quarters to formal black-tie dinners with a sit-down meal and dancing. "They were energised by seeing everybody," says Sarah Farnsworth, an executive with the San Diego Padres baseball team and a former aide to Hillary Clinton. "It was the one time of year when so many friends or people they've met along the way or people they've heard of came through the house. The disappointment was they only had a few seconds." With only a moment to chat, guests should avoid bending the president's ear on policy or political matters, says Daniel Post Senning, author and spokesman for storied US etiquette arbiter Emily Post Institute. "I would say something to the effect of 'Mr President, it is an honour and a privilege to meet you, thank you so much for inviting us or me'," he says. "I would save a critique or a difficult thought for a more appropriate or private time." Chadbourn, the Virginia teacher, rehearsed a greeting ahead of time lest she bungle her lines and embarrass her daughter, a journalist who invited her along. "'Mrs Obama, I'm the reading teacher at Hollin Meadows elementary, and the last time I saw you, you came to our school to help harvest lettuce from our school gardens, and when I saw you you were doling out oranges on the cafeteria trays.' "And she said to me, 'Oh, I do that really well.' "I just brought it up in the hopes that she might remember it, and I had nothing to lose. A blink of an eye, and it was done."

बधाई हो, आप व्हाइट हाउस में क्रिसमस पार्टी में आमंत्रित हजारों लोगों में से एक हैं। अगर आप भाग्यशाली हैं तो आपको राष्ट्रपति बराक ओबामा और प्रथम महिला मिशेल ओबामा के साथ रिसीविंग लाइन पर 30 सेकंड का समय मिलेगा। आप क्या कहते हैं?


Search for missing hillwalker Eric Cyl resumes

Summary: Mountain rescue teams have been making fresh searches for a hillwalker missing in the north west Highlands since the weekend.

Eric Cyl, 62, was last seen heading off into the Mamore mountain range near Fort William on Saturday morning. Police were contacted on Sunday when he failed to return. Lochaber and Glencoe Mountain Rescue teams have been searching in an area known as Ring of Steall and Steall Falls. Mr Cyl, from England, who was walking alone, was last seen wearing a light grey jacket and dark trousers and was carrying two walking poles. Searches on Monday had to be stood down because of bad weather.

पर्वतीय बचाव दल सप्ताहांत से उत्तर पश्चिम हाइलैंड्स में लापता एक पहाड़ी पैदल यात्री की तलाश कर रहे हैं।


20th Century architecture: Is it the end of our 'concrete jungles'?

Summary: Some of the 20th Century's best-known "concrete cities", such as Birmingham, Hull, Portsmouth and Coventry, are embarking on major regeneration work. But as the bulldozers move in, what is being lost?

By Jenny ScottBBC News Concrete was the building material beloved by councils as they embarked on post-World War Two development. But it is fair to say many people were never quite as taken with grey skyscrapers and suspended walkways. Now several of the cities defined by concrete - Birmingham, Coventry, Hull and Portsmouth - are undergoing multimillion-pound makeovers. But what are they losing in their quest to be the "modern cities" of the 21st - rather than the 20th - Century? Portsmouth From the window of her office, Kathy Wadsworth, Portsmouth Council's strategic director of regeneration, can see a 1960s shopping centre and a block of flats. "It's concrete, concrete, concrete," said Ms Wadsworth, who has been in her job for six years. Now she and the council are in the process of "beautifying" Portsmouth - one of several heavily-bombed English cities with what some regard as an "unfortunate" post World War Two legacy. "There was an old car park and shopping centre here called the Tricorn Centre which was voted one of the ugliest buildings in the UK - it was hideous," said Ms Wadsworth. The Tricorn, a concrete construction from the mid-60s which was described by Prince Charles as "a mildewed lump of elephant droppings", was demolished in 2004. "I would have been leading the charge to knock it down," said Ms Wadsworth. Nearly £2bn of investment is being pumped into Portsmouth over the next few years. Brutalism is out. Plate glass is in. Where the Tricorn once stood, a £300m shopping and housing development called the Northern Quarter is springing up. But in the rush to change Portsmouth's image, is something being lost along the way? Owen Luder, the architect behind the Tricorn Centre, believes it is. "There's a historical witch-hunt going on," he said. "We are in danger of destroying the best of the '60s and early-'70s architecture under the assumption it was all bad. They are buildings of their time and if we destroy them, there won't be a record." However, Ms Wadsworth is unrepentant. "We have beautiful old buildings here that we wouldn't change a brick of," she said. "So I can empathise with people who want to keep things. But I wouldn't let that stand in the way of redevelopment." Birmingham Birmingham's journey from "concrete jungle" to futuristic metropolis began more than a decade ago, with its radical reworking of landmarks such as the Bullring Shopping Centre. It continues to this day, with the replacement of its central library and major transport redevelopments, such as the £650m work on New Street Station, due to be completed in 2015, and a new HS2 station. Shopping and leisure quarters, such as Paradise Circus and Centenary Square are also being reworked. Casualties include what many call the "old" Central Library, designed by architect John Madin, who died in 2012. And "old" is perhaps not an accurate description as the building only went up in 1974. John Glenday is the secretary of The Rubble Club - a society for bereaved architects who have seen their creations destroyed in their lifetimes. "Architects are seeing their pride and joy reduced to rubble before their eyes," Mr Glenday said. "Everyone has a different idea of what beauty is. For some, it might be a thatched cottage but there are other aspects of beauty found in concrete, brutalist buildings. "The Madin library is a concrete masterpiece and a striking landmark in Birmingham. "The new library is a fantastic building. But it seems a shame to build one good building and lose another. There's a argument refurbishment might have been more sensible." English Heritage battled unsuccessfully to get Madin's library a Grade II listing. "We believe many local people will be disappointed to see it lost," a spokesperson said. "Birmingham was a real success story in the post-war world. It was challenging London and was a dominant player in the UK economy," said Mr Glenday. "It should be celebrating and building on that legacy and I'm not sure demolishing the buildings from that period is the best way to do that." Some might argue there is a pleasing justice in seeing the buildings that replaced Birmingham's fondly-remembered Victorian architecture - such as JH Chamberlain's 1882 library - torn down themselves. But Mr Glenday said: "Just because we made that mistake once doesn't mean we should make it again." Coventry Coventry was the original concrete wonderland. Rising out of the rubble of World War Two, where the Blitz and 1930s town planning had laid waste to its tangle of medieval lanes, the all-new Coventry was the brainchild of town planner Sir Donald Gibson. "Gibson did some excellent work," said Colin Walker, vice chairman of civic group the Coventry Society. "Coventry at that time was a bomb site and anything was better than that. But I don't think Coventry works as well as it did 60 years ago." He added the city's famously innovative ring road had created a kind of "rotten doughnut" in the city centre. "Today most people prefer to shop in Solihull. It's very sad," he said. Take a walk around Coventry's precincts and plazas and you will come across a plaque celebrating Gibson, containing his famous quote: "If you cannot put up buildings of your own time, you might as well forget it." Today, that philosophy could threaten Gibson's own vision for Coventry, as the city plans £900m of investment in its buildings and roads. "We want to make the city centre as logical and inviting as it can be," said David Cockcroft, assistant director for city centre development services. "You have to get the retailers in and that means plate glass shop fronts and streets retailers recognise." But Mr Walker says councils' failure to employ architects has left town planning at the mercy of big corporations who do "what's most profitable for them". He is concerned buildings of "superb character" - such as the elephant-shaped Fairfax Street leisure centre - could be lost in the changes. "If it goes, it will be sad," he said, "but what will probably be more sad is what will replace it." Hull "The City of Culture? Hull?" was the sniffy reaction of some to the news it had been awarded the prestigious title. "Everybody in Hull detected that feeling but I wonder how many of the people saying it had actually been to Hull," said artist and photographer Andrew Reid Wildman. Mr Reid Wildman is Hull born-and-bred and the city lies at the heart of his work. "I'm very passionate about Hull's post-war architecture," he said. "I grew up with it so it reminds me of my childhood. Hull was very badly bombed during the war and its 1940s city centre gives it a very special feel." He has meticulously recorded what he sees as period masterpieces, now sorely neglected. "The old Hammonds department store - now House of Fraser - is pure 1950s," he said. "It has such an optimistic feeling. You can almost feel the energy of that time - the war was over and they were building something new." Hull is set to invest £25m in a public realm programme as part of its 2017 city of culture preparations. Mr Reid Wildman is concerned that could mean some post-war buildings are under threat. "I hope Hull gets lots of nice new buildings, but on wasteland and other sites so it does not destroy what is left of the post-war stuff," he said. For many, the concrete facades of the '60s simply do not work in modern cities. Stefan Kruczkowski, a senior lecturer in urban design at Nottingham Trent University, said: "One of the problems with brutalist architecture is that a lot of it was built with cars in mind and completely ignored pedestrians. "Some of these buildings bear no relation to their surroundings. "It's a risk to say, 'It's concrete, so pull it down'. But if it's a big, inward-looking beast, it can suck the life out of a city centre." But for Adrian Jones, a former planning director at Nottingham City Council who now writes about urban design, the term "concrete jungle" is part of the problem. "It gets in the way of how we evaluate our towns and cities," he said. "The danger to me of seeing everything from the '60s as a concrete monstrosity worthy of demolition is that it airbrushes out a whole period of history and architecture." Mr Glenday of the Rubble Club agrees. "Cities like Coventry and Hull wear their history on their sleeves," he said. "If we start meddling in that, the sense of history starts to fade."

20वीं सदी के कुछ सबसे प्रसिद्ध "कंक्रीट शहर" जैसे बर्मिंघम, हल, पोर्ट्समाउथ और कोवेंट्री बड़े पुनर्जनन कार्य शुरू कर रहे हैं। लेकिन जैसे-जैसे बुलडोजर आगे बढ़ रहे हैं, क्या खो रहा है?


Dutch man cleared of smuggling cocaine into Newlyn

Summary: A man has been cleared of helping to smuggle cocaine with a street value of £130m into Cornwall on a yacht.

The Dutch registered Marcia was escorted into Newlyn harbour by UK Border Force last July. Dutchman Emile Schoemaker was not told about the drugs onboard and knew nothing of the smuggling plot, his trial at Bristol Crown Court heard. The boat's owner, Maarten Pieterse, previously admitted smuggling charges and will be sentenced in August. Officers found more than two tonnes of the Class A drug when they intercepted the SY Marcia in the English Channel. Related Internet Links HM Courts and Tribunals

एक व्यक्ति को एक नौका पर कॉर्नवाल में 130 मिलियन पाउंड के सड़क मूल्य के साथ कोकीन की तस्करी करने में मदद करने से मुक्त कर दिया गया है।


Welsh language school in Cardiff opens

Summary: A new Welsh language primary school has opened in the Caerau area of Cardiff, with places for up to 210 children.

Ysgol Nant Caerau has opened in the school building previously occupied by Caerau Infant Schol. That school, along with Caerau Nursery School and Cwrt yr Ala Junior have merged to form the English-language Pencaerau Primary in a new building. However, three classes from Caerau Infant school still use their old premises. Those classes will be reduced at a rate of one a year until December 2012 when they will all be transferred to the new building, which is on the site of the former Cwrt yr Ala school.

कार्डिफ के कैराओ क्षेत्र में एक नया वेल्श भाषा का प्राथमिक विद्यालय खोला गया है, जिसमें 210 बच्चों के लिए जगह है।


Fire-hit Oxfordshire councils move into temporary home

Summary: Staff from two councils who were left without an office after a major fire, will move into new premises later.

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse offices in Crowmarsh Gifford were gutted by a fire on 15 January. A four-year lease has been signed for a building at Milton Park in Abingdon, where around 100 workers will initially move in. Andrew Main, 47, from Rokemarsh, has admitted starting the fire and two other blazes. The new offices at Milton Park will not open to the public until the end of June.

दो परिषदों के कर्मचारी जो एक बड़ी आग के बाद कार्यालय के बिना रह गए थे, बाद में नए परिसर में चले जाएंगे।


Premier Inn to hail Isle of Man 'tourism renaissance'

Summary: The opening of the first hotel run by an established budget accommodation chain on the Isle of Man could hail a "tourism renaissance", the enterprise minister has said.

Laurence Skelly MHK said Douglas's new Premier Inn could boost visitor numbers. It is the first hotel of its kind on the island, which is populated with older bed and breakfast-style rooms. Mr Skelly said it would "generate business in its own right". He added: "I truly believe this is the arrival of our visitor economy and tourism renaissance." The six-storey 85-room development would "complement" what the island already has, Mr Skelly said. Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan said he was "delighted" that such a "significant name in the hotel industry" had opened. The "strong marketing pull" of the chain could also "benefit other hoteliers", he added.

उद्यम मंत्री ने कहा है कि आइल ऑफ मैन पर एक स्थापित बजट आवास श्रृंखला द्वारा संचालित पहले होटल का उद्घाटन "पर्यटन पुनर्जागरण" की जय-जयकार कर सकता है।


Two killed as car and bus crash near Newton Purcell

Summary: A man and a woman have died in a crash involving a car and a bus in an Oxfordshire village.

A black Vauxhall Insignia and a bus were involved in the crash on the A4421, near Newton Purcell, at about 20:45 GMT on Saturday. The driver and passenger in the car, a man aged 42 and a woman aged 34, were pronounced dead at the scene. The bus driver sustained minor injuries. The bus is not thought to have been carrying passengers. Anyone with information has been asked to contact Thames Valley Police.

ऑक्सफोर्डशायर गाँव में एक कार और बस की दुर्घटना में एक पुरुष और एक महिला की मौत हो गई है।


Student dies after falling down Plymouth stairwell

Summary: A student has been found dead with a fatal head injury at the bottom of a stairwell in Plymouth.

The 19-year-old man is understood to have "fallen a number of floors" in a communal stairway at around 02:30 GMT on Sunday. Police officers confirmed the man was from south Wales and next of kin have been informed. Police said the man's death is not being treated as suspicious.

प्लाईमाउथ में एक सीढ़ी के नीचे सिर में घातक चोट के साथ एक छात्र मृत पाया गया है।


Travellers leave Anglesey Show site

Summary: Organisers of the Anglesey Show say a group of travellers who had parked on part of the site have now left.

The travellers arrived on the Mona Industrial Estate on Thursday, just hours before the organisers of next week's show were due to prepare it for use as a park-and-ride area. Anglesey council obtained a warrant to evict them. The annual two-day show, which attracts 60,000 visitors, starts on Tuesday.

एंग्लेसी शो के आयोजकों का कहना है कि साइट के एक हिस्से में खड़े यात्रियों का एक समूह अब चला गया है।


Mariah Carey's husband Nick Cannon rushed to hospital

Summary: Mariah Carey's husband, Nick Cannon, has been taken to hospital suffering from what she described as "mild kidney failure".

The couple are on holiday in the ski resort of Aspen, Colorado. The singer tweeted a picture of herself next to Cannon being treated on a hospital bed. Mariah Carey wrote on Twitter: "Please pray for Nick as he's fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure. #mybraveman." She later called it a "serious moment that's very tough on all of us". The pair, who married in 2008, became parents last year of non-identical twins Monroe and Moroccan.

मारिया कैरी के पति, निक कैनन को अस्पताल ले जाया गया है, जिसे उन्होंने "हल्के गुर्दे की विफलता" के रूप में वर्णित किया है।


Winsford murder arrests: Two more teenagers held by police

Summary: Two boys aged 15 and 17 have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a man who died after a "disturbance" in the street, police have said.

Keagan Crimes, 27, was fatally injured in Cheviot Square, Winsford, at 22:30 BST on Sunday, Cheshire Police said. Two other men, aged 26 and 36, were also seriously injured in the incident. Mr Crimes' relatives have urged anyone with information to come forward after his death "left a massive hole in our family". "We thank everyone for their kind and sincere words. It does mean a lot to us," his family added. The teenagers remain in police custody along with three 16-year-old boys, who were arrested earlier in the week on suspicion of murder. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk

पुलिस ने कहा है कि 15 और 17 साल के दो लड़कों को सड़क पर "अशांति" के बाद मारे गए एक व्यक्ति की हत्या के संदेह में गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


The man protecting China's elephants

Summary: Prince William kept the best for last. After two days of diplomatic pleasantries and ribbon cutting, his third and final day of engagements in China included delivering a basket of carrots to a 13-year-old Asian elephant called Ran Ran.

Carrie GracieChina editor@BBCCarrieon Twitter The prince does a lot of charity work to highlight elephant poaching and the trade in ivory. At the elephant sanctuary in southwest Yunnan province, he heard about the dangers to China's remaining 250 wild elephants. Ran Ran herself was found in 2005 with her leg in an iron trap. But as Prince William heard from local conservationists and forestry police, the greatest threat to China's wild elephants is no longer poaching but habitat destruction. It's the same story I heard when I spent three days with Chang Zongbo of the forestry police, a man who has spent his life trying to protect what remains of Yunnan's rainforest and its wildlife. "It's war." Chang Zongbo turns round in the driver's seat to make his point. He does that a lot. And when he does, he's not looking at the road ahead. Which is disconcerting. A couple of times we drift into the path of oncoming traffic and as Officer Chang is passionate about most of his points, he's looking backwards more often than forwards. Our police jeep slows to elephant walking pace. "Stop talking to the driver if you want to arrive alive," says my cameraman. He has a point. I take a vow of silence and turn my attention to the view. Rubber trees as far as the eye can see, like infantry marching the hillsides in stiff lines each with a camouflage helmet of red leaves. Where is the legendary Yunnan rainforest that I've heard so much about? Home to the elephants as well as nearly three quarters of China's protected animal species and all the exotic species of trees and flowers that have brought plant hunters across the globe for centuries? Before I know it, another question has popped out of my mouth and Chang Zongbo is turning around again to explain that rubber is lucrative for the farmer but a daunting enemy for anyone interested in biodiversity or wildlife. "Rubber plantations are a dead zone. The trees sucks up all the water. "Nothing can grow near rubber. It kills biodiversity and erodes the soil," he says, pointing up to the cap of rich green forest crowning the highest peaks. "Rubber can't grow on the mountaintops so they leave that for the elephants." In all his 27 years with China's forestry police, Chang Zongbo has climbed every one of these mountains, tracking poachers and loggers. "A bag of rice, a lighter, salt and a knife. That's all I need to set off with," he says. "We eat fruit and berries. Or we catch fish. We go for days, following the poachers and then waiting till they're asleep at night. That's the safest time to arrest them." Mr Chang said he's been involved in 400 arrests. And even has scars to show from the ones that got rough. Killing an elephant carries the death penalty in China, a powerful reason for the poacher to resist arrest. Chang Zongbo can name you the five men executed during his career. This is clearly personal. And that part, at least, has worked. The combination of intensive public education and fear of the death penalty mean that while the Chinese market may be hungry for ivory, it's the African elephant and not the Asian elephant which is dying to provide it. Ironically, China is probably one of the safest place to be for an elephant these days, at least in terms of poacher risk. The problem in China is the disappearing forest. The remaining elephants' habitat is under relentless pressure. Uninvited guests "The forest is God. That's what my dad used to say." Chang Zongbo's dad belonged to the Dai ethnic minority who revere the rainforest as sacred. The son has inherited his father's passion but after six hours of driving through rubber plantations, I'm only too grimly aware of the scale of his battle. Today's small frontline is to be built of concrete - a wall to protect the people from the elephants and vice versa. The fact is that the elephants are marauding. There's no polite word for it. But it's hardly their fault. Once their reserves were surrounded by natural forest in which they could roam. Now the reserves are islands, completely cut off from each other by rubber plantations. And so the elephants break out and go down to the villages to see what they can steal. They gorge on bananas and sugar cane. Occasionally they trample farmers to death. In one village, Mr Chang shows me the remains of the pumpkin harvest. A herd of elephants has been through, leaving a pulpy mess and some giant footprints at the scene of their feast. "Elephants are so clever. Build an electric fence and they get a branch and break it. Plastic sheeting, they'll smash right through it. Trenches, they fill them with mud. And when they come back, they bring their friends," he says. "These farmers try everything to fend them off…. firecrackers, gongs. It's a difficult situation." Mr Chang is here to protect the elephants but he's also sympathetic to the plight of the farmers. The government does pay compensation for their crops but not enough to cover the cost of the damage. "I see this over and over. When the elephants first come, the villagers are excited and curious. But when they don't leave, that's when the trouble starts." It's like a visit from Tudor royalty. At first, the hosts feel honoured but as weeks go by, with the court carousing at their expense and fouling their castle, the welcome wears thin. Hence the concrete wall. Mr Chang is supervising the delivery of the cement. As we arrive, the village loudspeaker is blaring out a warning about the penalties for clearing forest and planting rubber illegally. Rubber is king here as in every other town and village we've passed through. For one thing, unlike bananas and sugar cane, elephants can't eat it. And it pays for progress. Concrete homes are springing up alongside the old-style wooden stilt houses. There are adverts for air conditioners on village walls and a van is blaring out an irritating mobile phone jingle, competing with the loudspeaker of the forestry police. We do the six-hour drive back mostly in silence. At one point, Mr Chang waves at a hillside and frowns. "We had a protection order on that land but then the farmers got an education, read up on the law and went to court to claim it back," he says. "They won and we had to give it up. Look at it now. All rubber." So is he losing his war? "Every patch of forest, I work to save it. Every elephant, I work to save it. So when I look my grandchildren in the eye, I can tell them I did my best. I think I can be proud of that." It's a message Prince William would echo. Just before leaving Yunnan for London, he told a group of young forest rangers: "The future of these animals is down to your generation. You are the ones that are going to have to speak up."

राजकुमार विलियम ने आखिरी के लिए सर्वश्रेष्ठ रखा। दो दिनों की राजनयिक खुशियों और रिबन काटने के बाद, चीन में उनके तीसरे और अंतिम दिन की व्यस्तताओं में रान रान नामक एक 13 वर्षीय एशियाई हाथी को गाजर की एक टोकरी देना शामिल था।


Keelan Wilson stabbing: Man arrested on suspicion of murder

Summary: A further arrest has been made by police investigating the death of a 15-year-old boy in Wolverhampton.

Keelan Wilson was found with stab wounds following reports of a disorder in Merry Hill in May 2018. Three men charged with his murder have already been remanded in custody ahead of a trial this year. A 19-year-old man has now been arrested by West Midlands Police and is being questioned on suspicion of murder. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

वोल्वरहैम्प्टन में एक 15 वर्षीय लड़के की मौत की जांच कर रही पुलिस द्वारा एक और गिरफ्तारी की गई है।