'They are invaders': Brazil indigenous group takes on mining giant

Summary: As Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro seeks to authorise mining in indigenous reserves, a conflict with 12,000 members of the Mura indigenous group over a big potash mine in a remote area of the Amazon rainforest may forewarn troubles that lie ahead, report Sue Branford and Thaïs Borges from Autazes.

The company wanting to open the mine is Potássio do Brasil, a subsidiary of the Canadian conglomerate Forbes & Manhattan. Potash is an important fertiliser used heavily by agribusiness. In 2010 Potássio do Brasil discovered huge potash reserves in the municipal district of Autazes, 112km (70 miles) east of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state. It quickly announced its plan to open a vast $2.5bn (£3.25bn) potash mine. By a stroke of good luck for the mining company, the potash reserves are located beside the Madeira river, a waterway used to transport soya from Brazil's largest soya-producing state, Mato Grosso, to ports on the Amazon for transhipment on to China and Europe. "Instead of travelling empty back up the Madeira River [to the soya farms in Mato Grosso], as happens today, the barges could go stacked full of potash," explains Guilherme Jácome, project development director at Potássio do Brasil. This would make the mine highly cost-effective. Potássio do Brasil quickly obtained authorisation from Brazil's mining agency to drill exploratory wells and began prospecting in 2013. 'They are the invaders' But then the indigenous communities woke up to what was happening. Speaking beside one of the exploratory wells, located on what the Mura claim is ancestral land, Aldinélson Pavão, the leader of the village of Urucurituba, could not hide his indignation. "I am 47 years old," Mr Pavão said. "I was born here and brought up here. My parents and grandparents too. So I won't be told by Potássio, that comes from outside, that this land isn't ours. It is our land and they are the invaders." One of the by-products of potash mining is vast amounts of salt. The company insists it will prevent this salt leaching into aquifers and rivers. But the Mura remain concerned, given the region's high rainfall, extreme heat and its location on a flood plain. Many Mura are also fearful of the future. "In 20 or 30 years the company will leave," said Mr Pavão. "It'll be our children and grandchildren who will suffer, as they'll find there are no more animals to hunt." Project on ice The Mura mobilised and, represented by Brazil's public prosecutor's office, reached a court-approved deal with Potássio do Brasil in March 2017. You may also be interested in: This has halted the project until a "free, prior and informed consultation" has been carried out. The rules for such a consultation are set out by the International Labour Organization's Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, which Brazil has signed. This is the first time that an indigenous community in Brazil has ever won the right to carry out such a consultation. The Mura began the consultation process in November and members have three options: they can vote "no", "yes" or give conditional approval, meaning that they can agree to the mine going ahead, but only after certain conditions are met. After having called in experts to provide impartial evidence, the Mura are now carefully weighing their options. "The good part is that [the mine] will bring jobs,", said Francisco Oliveira, the leader of Taquara village. "The bad part is the impact it will have on the environment and on our people, because outsiders can bring in illness and prostitution." But one serious doubt hangs over the process: will the government accept the result of the indigenous consultation as binding or will it simply ignore it? The land where the company wants to locate the mine has not been demarcated as indigenous land, though the Mura claim it. For Potássio do Brasil, this means the mine can go ahead. Mr Jácome said: "All of the mine and the area where potash ore will be extracted lies outside indigenous land." But Carlos Marés, former president of Brazil's indigenous affairs agency, Funai, maintains that if any lands are permanently inhabited by indigenous groups then they are indigenous. "Indigenous land is indigenous, whether or not it has been demarcated, which is after all only an administrative act of marking out the limits," Mr Marés explains. What seems clear is that if the Mura turn down the mine, they will be on a collision course with the Bolsonaro administration which is reportedly already preparing legislation to permit large-scale mining on indigenous lands.

जैसा कि ब्राजील के दूर-दराज़ राष्ट्रपति जायर बोल्सोनारो स्वदेशी भंडारों में खनन को अधिकृत करना चाहते हैं, अमेज़ॅन वर्षावन के एक दूरदराज के क्षेत्र में एक बड़ी पोटाश खदान को लेकर मुरा स्वदेशी समूह के 12,000 सदस्यों के साथ एक संघर्ष आगे आने वाली परेशानियों को पूर्व चेतावनी दे सकता है, सू ब्रैनफोर्ड और ऑटाज़ेस के थाईस बोर्गेस की रिपोर्ट।


Ryanair flight from Edinburgh struck by lightning

Summary: A Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Alicante was forced to land at Glasgow Prestwick after being struck by lightning.

The incident happened shortly after the flight took off from Edinburgh at about 18:15. Following Ryanair procedure it was diverted to the nearest available airport. It was inspected by engineers and took off for Alicante after being given the all-clear. A Ryanair spokesman said: "We apologise to passengers affected by this short delay, however the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority."

एडिनबर्ग से एलिकांटे जाने वाली रयानएयर की उड़ान को बिजली गिरने के बाद ग्लासगो प्रेस्टविक में उतरने के लिए मजबूर होना पड़ा।


Saudi Arabia warms to Russia's embrace

Summary: Once it would have been almost unthinkable: a red carpet roll-out in Riyadh for a Russian leader. "Those Godless Communists" is how some of Saudi Arabia's more devout citizens once referred to the Soviets during the Cold War. How the world has changed since then.

By Frank GardnerBBC security correspondent This week has seen a full ceremonial 21-gun salute for President Vladimir Putin in the capital, an audience with the king and crown prince, a host of bilateral deals and a seismic strategic recalculation in the region as Saudi Arabia's US allies effectively abandon the Kurds to their fate in northern Syria. So how close is Saudi Arabia now drawing to Russia and why? What's happened? President Putin has made a rare but much-publicised visit to Saudi Arabia - his first in 12 years - accompanied by a sizable delegation of trade, security and defence officials. Bilateral deals worth more than $2bn (£1.6bn) and more than 20 agreements have been announced. The Saudis have also invited Russia to participate in the ongoing international investigation into the 14 September drone and missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Defence discussions have included the possible purchase and future deployment of Russia's formidable S-400 air defence missile system, which would be something of a diplomatic blow to Washington. The US recently cancelled Turkey's participation in its F35 fighter programme after Turkey went ahead with buying the S-400 from Russia. Bilateral trade deals between Riyadh and Moscow have been accelerating since a June 2018 agreement and recent co-operation to restrain global oil supplies to keep prices buoyant. Announcements by RDIF, Russia's Direct Investment Fund, to coincide with President Putin's visit include: All of this signals a significant warming of ties between the Saudis and a country whose enemies (the Afghan mujahideen) they once bankrolled in the 1980s. Why are ties growing? Put bluntly, the Saudis no longer trust the US and the West as much as they used to. That doesn't mean they necessarily trust Moscow either, but recent events in the Middle East have triggered a major rethink in Saudi court circles. The first big shock came with the Arab Spring protests of 2011. The Saudis - and other Gulf Arab monarchies - were appalled at the speed with which the West dumped its long-time ally, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. By contrast, they couldn't help noticing that Moscow stood by its beleaguered Middle East partner, Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad. The next shock came with President Barack Obama's support for the Iran nuclear deal in 2015, which left the Saudis feeling deeply uncomfortable. They suspected, rightly, that the Obama White House was losing interest in the region. When the newly elected President Donald Trump chose Riyadh for his first overseas presidential visit in 2017 the Saudis were ecstatic. Relations with Washington appeared back on track and billions of dollars' worth of deals were announced. But then came the murder by Saudi government agents of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 which resulted in massive condemnation in the world's free press. Suspicious of his involvement, Western leaders started to give Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman a wide berth, at least in public. At the G20 summit in Buenos Aires the following month he was largely shunned. By contrast, President Putin high-fived him. Although President Trump has lobbied in favour of good relations with the Saudi leadership, Saudi officials are still dismayed by his unpredictable and quixotic approach to the region. This week the Saudi Ambassador to UK, Prince Khalid Bin Bandar, described the Turkish incursion into northern Syria (triggered by Trump's decision to withdraw US troops there) as a "disaster". When asked about warming relations with Moscow, the ambassador replied that "Russia often understands the East better than the West does". Eight years on from the outbreak of the Syrian civil war and Russia has successfully helped save Assad's regime, showcasing its latest military hardware while simultaneously establishing a strategic foothold in the region. America under President Trump, meanwhile, appears to be heading for the exit, despite rushing extra troops to shore up Saudi Arabia's air defences after the equipment it had sold the Saudis failed to prevent the catastrophic attack on 14 September. Bottom line: the Saudis and their Gulf Arab allies are looking to diversify their partnerships away from a heavy dependence on the West. This is to hedge against any future upsets, be they incoming missile attacks they blame on Iran (which could in future risk killing Russian technicians) or diplomatic upsets like the Khashoggi incident. What happens next? All of this needs to be seen in perspective. Saudi Arabia's prime security partner has been, and continues to be, the United States. This dates back to 1945 when President Roosevelt met Saudi King Abdulaziz onboard a US warship. Over the ensuing years the Saudis guaranteed to keep the oil flowing, America promised them a security umbrella. That pact, while somewhat frayed at the edges, remains. The US military has substantial bases in all six Gulf Arab countries. The nuclear-capable US Navy's 5th Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, remains the most potent navy in the region. When Mr Trump came to Riyadh, more than $300bn worth of deals were announced; when Putin came this week, it was $2bn. But there is no question that the tectonic plates of alliances in the Middle East are shifting and diversifying. Expect to see more visits by Russian and Chinese delegates to Riyadh. America still has a prime seat at the Saudi table, but there are rather more guests sitting round it now.

एक बार यह लगभग अकल्पनीय थाः एक रूसी नेता के लिए रियाद में एक लाल कालीन रोल-आउट। "वे ईश्वरहीन कम्युनिस्ट" इस तरह से सऊदी अरब के कुछ अधिक भक्त नागरिकों ने एक बार शीत युद्ध के दौरान सोवियत संघ का उल्लेख किया था। तब से दुनिया कैसे बदल गई है।


Coach Ty Shaw taken ill during Worcester Wolves match

Summary: Worcester Wolves' boss Ty Shaw will be taking some time away from his duties after being taken to hospital during a match.

The basketball team coach and former player fell ill in Sheffield on Friday evening during his team's match with the Sheffield Sharks. Wolves' managing director Mick Donovan said Mr Shaw had been discharged from hospital on Saturday morning and will be taking some time to rest. Wolves lost the match 114 to 70. Fans and other teams have been sending in their best wishes and get well soon messages. Sharks coach Mike Tuck said it had been a "nightmare situation". "As a team to come out and finish off the second half, hats off to Worcester Wolves and their fans, it's a tough situation," he said.

वॉर्सेस्टर वुल्व्स के बॉस टाइ शॉ एक मैच के दौरान अस्पताल ले जाने के बाद अपने कर्तव्यों से कुछ समय दूर रहेंगे।


Emu missing in Thame: Police hunt white-beaked runaway

Summary: An emu with a "distinctive white mark" on her beak has gone missing in Oxfordshire, prompting a police hunt and a Rod Hull hashtag.

A Thames Valley officer has tweeted: "Emu Missing from the Wheatley Area, any sightings please call 101 #RodHull". Police now say the five-month-old emu could be in the Thame area. On Twitter one man asked runners to "look out for a big bird, doing 40 top speed". Others suggested the bird may have been found in Cambridgeshire where another emu was found wandering in a driveway near Newmarket on Monday. However, the emu in Cambridgeshire, Monty, has since been re-united with his owners.

उसकी चोंच पर एक "विशिष्ट सफेद निशान" वाला एक ईमू ऑक्सफोर्डशायर में लापता हो गया है, जिससे पुलिस की खोज और रॉड हल हैशटैग शुरू हो गया है।


Lu Na McKinney: Trial hears 999 recording from Lough Erne boat

Summary: The trial of a man accused of murdering his wife during a boating trip on Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, has heard a recording of the emergency call he made to police after she entered the water.

Stephen McKinney, 44, of Castletown Square in Fintona, County Fermanagh, is accused of murdering Lu Na McKinney on a date between 11 and 14 April 2017. The couple were on a family trip ahead of their wedding anniversary. They had hired a cruiser from Manor House Marine. They moored at Devenish Island for the night and it was there that Mrs McKinney entered the water. Mr McKinney denies murdering her. He says his wife went on deck to secure the mooring ropes after believing the boat had moved. The death was originally treated as a tragic drowning accident until a number of witnesses raised suspicions. Mr McKinney is adamant he tried to save his wife when she fell overboard, but the court heard he gave conflicting accounts on what occurred. Following intensive investigations, a murder inquiry was launched. The prosecution contends Mr McKinney is a controlling man who killed his wife after he tired of her but was unwilling to accept she might divorce him. A recording of the 999 call was played to Dungannon Crown Court, in which he pleaded with police to send help. 'I tried to help her' Gasping for breath and sobbing, he said: "My wife fell in the water and I can't see her." He said she had no lifejacket on as there were only two on the boat and he had given them to the children. "I want to go into the water to look for her," he said. "I'm going to back in the water to get her. I need to go in. I can't see her. I jumped in and tried to help her when she fell." The call handler asked how Mrs McKinney came to be in the water, to which Mr McKinney replied: "She thought the boat was moving. She went to check the ropes. And then she fell and I can't see her. I can't see her. Please come quickly." He confirmed the children were asleep on the boat, repeating: "I need to go and find her. I need to get my wife." The call handler discouraged Mr McKinney from going back into the water, telling him to be mindful of his children's safety and his need to remain calm for them. 'I had hold of her' He instructed Mr McKinney to go to the cabin and activate the radio, but Mr McKinney said he could not find it, nor could he find any flares. He said: "She fell in, so I jumped in. I caught hold of her and I tried to pull her up. "I got her up and she pulled me down. I had hold of her but she went down." The call handler told him to get warm clothes and put the lights of the boat on to assist search crews in locating him. McKinney later said he had found a flare and described Mrs McKinney as wearing a black coat "to keep her warm", T-shirt and trousers. The call handler instructed McKinney to set off the flare, but the police rescue boat came into sight before he did. Mr McKinney then said: "I see her. I see her. I see my wife in the water. I see her. She's in the water." His voice then became a coarse whisper and the call handler advised him to stay on the boat with his children, and speak with police. The call was terminated as police came aboard Mr McKinney's boat. The trial will resume on Tuesday.

लोफ एर्ने, काउंटी फर्मानाघ में नौका विहार यात्रा के दौरान अपनी पत्नी की हत्या के आरोपी एक व्यक्ति के मुकदमे में पानी में प्रवेश करने के बाद पुलिस को किए गए आपातकालीन कॉल की रिकॉर्डिंग सुनी गई है।


Teenager charged following cat killing in Surrey

Summary: A 19-year-old man has been charged after a cat was killed and others were badly injured in shootings in Surrey.

The injured pets needed amputations following air rifle attacks in Cranleigh, Guildford and Woking in March and April. Police said Franky Mills, of Long Gore in Farncombe, faces eight charges of criminal damage and eight of a firearms offence. A five-year-old cat called Ruby was shot in the spine and put down by vets. Another cat in Cranleigh survived but lost her eye. Police said Mr Mills had been released on bail and is due to appear before Guildford magistrates on 9 August.

सरे में गोलीबारी में एक बिल्ली के मारे जाने और अन्य बुरी तरह से घायल होने के बाद एक 19 वर्षीय व्यक्ति पर आरोप लगाया गया है।


Man charged with punching horse after World Cup defeat

Summary: A man has been charged with punching a police horse and assaulting an officer following England's World Cup defeat.

Scott Spurling is accused of assaulting an officer, assault by beating and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, on Wednesday night. The 23-year-old, from the town, is due to appear before North Somerset magistrates on 1 August. Police said both the officer and the horse, Quantock, had since recovered. England lost 2-1 to Croatia in the World Cup semi-final in Moscow on Wednesday.

इंग्लैंड की विश्व कप हार के बाद एक व्यक्ति पर पुलिस के घोड़े को घूंसा मारने और एक अधिकारी पर हमला करने का आरोप लगाया गया है।


The problem with e-fits

Summary: An e-fit of a burglary suspect that looks like he is wearing a lettuce on his head has caused much mirth in the media this week. Police say they had "technical issues" when doing it, but why is a good facial composite still so hard to do?

By Jon Kelly and Denise WintermanBBC News Magazine It has solved countless crimes and is an invaluable resource for the police. But e-fits - now the standard term for such identification technology - still have their limitations, as the appeal for the suspect now widely known as "lettuce man" demonstrates. The reason for this is straightforward: no technology can ever compensate for the possibility of human error. "If the witness tells you the suspect has green hair, then you just have to go with it," says psychologist Dr Jim Turner of the Open University, an expert in facial perception. E-fits are produced by an operator working under the direction of a witness. Police have to follow strict guidelines and can only respond in a way which is led by the witness, says Dr Chris Solomon, managing director of VisionMetric Ltd, which produces the E-FIT software used by 90% of police forces in the UK. Both parties are also required to sign a witness statement to the effect that the operator has not "led" the witness towards a particular likeness. It means the quality of the images cannot be altered by the operator without direction from the witness. They are often working from memory and sometimes in a distressed state. They also might not have seen the suspect's face for very long or be unable to recall a lot of detail. In the case of the lettuce e-fit, the victim was 85 years old. 'Hostage to ridicule' "For these reasons, results with e-fits can vary widely," says Dr Solomon. Ultimately, they can only be as good as the witness. The courts have long recognised the fallibility of onlookers' testimony. In 1976, the Devlin Committee's investigation of identification evidence found that many witnesses overstated their ability to single out the right person. A recent study involving the Open University, the BBC and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) tested the memories of 10 volunteers by mocking-up "crimes". It found the difference between what people though they'd witnessed and what had actually happened was "staggering". These are not the only potential problems. Witnesses and the acquaintances of the suspects whom police want to reach will be looking for very different things in an e-fit, says Dr Turner. "When you don't know someone - as will be the case with most witnesses who end up doing an e-fit - you tend to focus on their external features, such as their hair or the shape of their face," he says. "But when you do know someone, it's their internal features you notice, that's why you can still recognise someone when they get their hair cut. So there's a disconnect that you have to get over." Of course e-fit has been designed to mitigate against this. When creating an image, the operator will ask the witness to recall everything they can about the suspect. Great value The computer programme will generate a face that may not initially resemble the suspect, but as the shapes, sizes and positions of each feature are altered the picture will - hopefully - offer a more accurate representation. However, there are still more potential pitfalls. Professor Peter Hancock of Stirling University, who has been involved in the development of evoFIT, an alternative identification programme, believes use of colour is a distraction - and, in the "lettuce head" case, a hostage to ridicule. "If you get the hair right, for instance, it doesn't make a lot of difference," he says. "But if you get it wrong, it just looks stupid - as this case shows. That's why evoFIT is in black and white." With this system, users repeatedly select complete faces from screens of alternatives to allow a composite to "evolve". The approach has the potential to allow construction when a witness has seen the face, but cannot describe it in detail. What all those involved in the area agree is the relationship between the operator and the witness has to be right for the technique to work. Bruce Burn, 56, worked as an artist for Northumbria Police in the days before e-fit, but says the principles for coaxing a good image out of a witness are the same. "The biggest danger is that they defer to you because you're the artist or the police officer," he says. "You need to ensure that they can be hard on you and say 'no, that's rubbish' - otherwise it's not their recollection that you're capturing." Research suggests that such composites only have an accuracy rate of about 20%. But when you have nothing else to go on they can be good odds. "Composites images are often used when the police have no other means to attempt to identify a suspect," says Dr Solomon. "As such they perform a very important function and one often not well understood by the public."

चोरी के संदिग्ध का ई-फिट, जो ऐसा लगता है कि उसने अपने सिर पर सलाद पहना हुआ है, इस सप्ताह मीडिया में काफी चर्चा का विषय बना है। पुलिस का कहना है कि ऐसा करते समय उन्हें "तकनीकी समस्याएं" थीं, लेकिन चेहरे का एक अच्छा मिश्रण अभी भी इतना कठिन क्यों है?


The fear of being seen as racist

Summary: A fear of being viewed as racist has been cited as one of the reasons why child sexual exploitation in Rotherham was allowed to proliferate for 16 years. But how much of a factor is this fear in the day-to-day work of social workers and others working to prevent abuse?

By Dominic HowellBBC News Prof Alexis Jay's harrowing report revealed the abuse of more than 1,400 children - mainly by men of Pakistani heritage - and it criticised councillors for "downplaying" the issue of race, and "avoiding public discussion" on the topic. The report also made it clear that this nervousness around ethnicity was a top-down sentiment. While frontline staff themselves were not blamed, some social-care staff said they were "advised by their managers to be cautious about referring to the ethnicity". A fear to confront the subject of race ultimately stopped the council engaging with the wider Rotherham community about the problem, the report suggested. But does an anxiety of being labelled a racist really exist within councils? Former social worker Alastair Johnstone believes so. He worked with both adults and children for 18 years before retiring in 2004. While he says he was never pressured by managers to include or exclude any particular subject matter from his reports, he does agree that among some white councillors there was an undeniable fear and desire to not "upset the apple-cart". "In my opinion some white councillors were terrified of mentioning things to do with ethnicity. And I understand where it comes from, political correctness has left its mark on them, but it actually does a disservice to the wider community." He says that during his training as a social worker he was encouraged to understand and speak about ethnicity. "It's part of understanding the situation you are dealing with, and it absolutely shouldn't be ignored," he says. And this latter viewpoint is echoed by former social-worker-turned MP Emma Lewell-Buck, who spent seven years working in child protection for local authorities in both Sunderland and Newcastle, but has also served a councillor. She agrees that understanding racial backgrounds was a fundamental part of social workers' training, and she believes something had gone "seriously wrong in Rotherham". "I imagine in some institutions there is a fear of being accused of racism, and some people get jittery about political correctness. Obviously in Rotherham they were very jittery about it, and as a result no-one spoke up for those poor children. "But because of my training as a social worker I'm not afraid to mention the elephant in the room, whether it's ethnicity or anything else." For the councillors in Rotherham, Jay described their apparent reticence to come forward about race as "at best naive, and at worst ignoring a politically inconvenient truth". Ray Honeyford: Racist or right? Read more in this BBC article written when he died in 2012 However, former Nottingham social worker Shad Ali goes further and calls it "manipulation". Ali, who comes from a Pakistani background, says: "This is nothing to do with political correctness or anything else. This is men in power trying to protect their jobs and maintain the status quo. "I never experienced this fear of voicing concerns for being labelled a racist during my time in social work, and neither did I see that in my managers. To say that is what happened negates the truth." The Rotherham report also made clear that the issue of "downplaying" race as a factor applied to the police. There has a been a long battle to tackle institutional racism in British police forces, so could some senior officers have been left with a residual fear about ever highlighting race as a factor in any situation? The Times was reporting on the issue of gangs of Pakistani heritage targeting children from the beginning of 2011, sparked by a court case from the previous year. In September 2012, Times journalist Andrew Norfolk revealed the existence of a confidential 2010 police report that had warned thousands of such crimes were being committed in South Yorkshire each year by networks of Asian men. In October 2012, the council, South Yorkshire Police, and other agencies set up a Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) team to investigate the issues raised in the report, although South Yorkshire Police denied it had been reluctant to tackle child sexual abuse or that "ethnic origin had been a factor" in its decisions. But warning signs had been there almost a decade before. Jay's inquiry followed three others in Rotherham dating back to 2002. Jay said the first of these reports was "effectively suppressed" because senior police officers did not believe the data, while the other two were ignored. Away from South Yorkshire, is there an atmosphere in police forces that makes people wary of ethnicity as a factor in investigations? One former frontline police officer from Nottinghamshire, who did not want to be named, says officers were always imbued with an "awareness to be politically correct". "We used to go on courses for sexism and racism, we were told that it was something that we must get exactly right. I can't speak for other officers in higher positions, but they may have felt a greater pressure over race when it came to issues like stop and search for example." Police forces are still regularly criticised for failing to tackle racism, but now they - along with councils - will face greater scrutiny over the possibility of failing to act because of anxiety over appearing racist. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

नस्लवादी के रूप में देखे जाने के डर को एक कारण के रूप में उद्धृत किया गया है कि क्यों रोथरहैम में 16 वर्षों तक बाल यौन शोषण को बढ़ने दिया गया था। लेकिन दुर्व्यवहार को रोकने के लिए काम करने वाले सामाजिक कार्यकर्ताओं और अन्य लोगों के दिन-प्रतिदिन के काम में यह डर कितना कारक है?


Grumpy Old Men Bank

Summary: BBC business editor Robert Peston on a new retail bank for the UK

It might be called GOM Bank (for Grumpy Old Men Bank) or, more exotically, OMIAH Bank (for Old Men in a Hurry). Either way, one striking characteristic of the bank being created by Sir David Walker, Lord Levene, Lord McFall and Charlie McCreevy is their respective ages: 70, 68, 65, 60 (actually some biographies of McCreevy say he's 61). Another, of course, is that they're immensely distinguished and energetic. But none of them have ever actually run - or even worked in an executive capacity for - a retail bank, which is what they want to create. Walker: Bank of England and investment banking. Levene: Lloyd's insurance market and investment banking (and government). McFall: erstwhile chair of the Treasury Select Committee in the Commons and scourge of a failed generation of bankers. McCreevy: Irish politician, former EU internal market commissioner and accountant. So the FSA will have to risk asking them some seemingly impertinent questions before authorising them to own or run a bank: how will they get some genuine retail banking experience on to the board; isn't there a risk to the continuity of the business from their respective ages? And who's actually going to run the bank - in that they're all uber-grandees, non-executives par excellence, not in any sense dirty-hands executives? As for the future employees of GOM Bank, they'll have every moral right to demand that they too can work way beyond 65 - which would create an intriguing operational problem. Lots of you, however, will welcome their initiative, I am sure. Retail banking in the UK is dominated by an oligopoly not that dissimilar in structure or membership from the oligopoly that ran British banking in the 1930s. So a bit of competitive tension would suit most consumers, though the history of British banking is littered with failed initiatives to create such competitive tension. How does GOM Bank intend to become a serious player? Well it'll list itself as a shell company in the next few weeks. Endowed with £50m of cash from some investment institutions, it then hopes to buy a small bank and obtain a deposit-taking licence. So far, so pedestrian. But GOM would then want to be seen as a credible bidder for the retail banking business that the European Commission is forcing Lloyds to sell. Those 600 Lloyds branches, with a 4.6% share of the retail banking market and 19% of Lloyds' mortgage assets, is what GOM would most like to buy, rather than Northern Rock, the nationalised bank (which it sees as less appealing). As you can gather, there are quite a few hurdles for these grumpy old men to vault before they're giving HSBC and RBS a run for their money. But I've know all of them (apart from McCreevy) for more years than I choose to admit. And they're all gritty long-distance players who won't be put off by the odd obstacle. You can keep up with the latest from business editor Robert Peston by visiting his blog on the BBC News website.

ब्रिटेन के लिए एक नए खुदरा बैंक पर बीबीसी के व्यापार संपादक रॉबर्ट पेस्टन


MHKs meet chief minister over bus timetable concerns

Summary: Politicians who have criticised the Isle of Man's new bus timetables are to meet the island's chief minister later to discuss their concerns.

North Douglas MHKs John Houghton and Bill Henderson say pensioners, disabled users and commuters had been "hit hard" by timetables brought in this month. Mr Henderson said chief minister Tony Brown was taking it "very seriously". Trade and industry minister David Cretney has defended the changes saying they were in response to consultation.

जिन राजनेताओं ने आइल ऑफ मैन की नई बस समय सारिणी की आलोचना की है, वे अपनी चिंताओं पर चर्चा करने के लिए बाद में द्वीप के मुख्यमंत्री से मिलने वाले हैं।


A-levels: How did Gavin Williamson survive exams U-turn?

Summary: The career aspirations of many teenagers were delivered a blow last week when 40% of A level results in England were downgraded from teachers' assessments.

By Iain WatsonPolitical correspondent, BBC News So why are the career prospects of Gavin Williamson - the education secretary who presided over what even some usually supportive newspapers have described as a "farce" or a "humiliation" - not in tatters? It's not just some students, teachers and parents who are scratching their heads over this question - but some Conservative MPs too. One of them said to me: "Any minister who makes children cry is not in a good place." Another pointed out that he had plenty of time to prepare for how students should be assessed - exams were cancelled five months ago, on 18 March. Yet Downing Street maintains the prime minister has full confidence in Gavin Williamson. Why? One reason is that he has a "human shield," in the form of England's exam regulator, Ofqual. Right questions, wrong answers? The case for the Williamson defence is, essentially, that he was asking the right questions of the regulator but was getting the wrong answers. It should be said that it was the education secretary himself who decided in March that he did not want to see "grade inflation" as a result of teachers' assessments - and that this year's results would have to be "moderated" or "standardised". Mr Williamson claims that the principle of "moderation" was widely accepted - and that in more normal times there would always be pupils who failed to meet teachers' expectations in real exams. The Department for Education argues that there was also widespread consultation over the criteria Ofqual would deploy when standardising the grades. So the only issue was how that standardisation would be conducted rather than any debate over whether it was right in principle. Alarm bells Alarm bells about the effects of standardisation were loudly rung by the cross-party education committee - under the chairmanship of Conservative MP Rob Halfon - on 11 July. Committee members called for more transparency over the algorithm Ofqual was using to standardise grades - and demanded that it be published immediately to allow for proper scrutiny. The algorithm was not made public until last Thursday. The committee also warned that Ofqual's model "does not appear to include any mechanism to identify whether groups such as black and minority ethnic (BAME), free-school-meal-eligible pupils, children looked after, and pupils with special educational needs have been systematically disadvantaged by calculated grades". Gavin Williamson's allies say he took these concerns seriously. Schools minister Nick Gibb and education department officials met the senior figures at Ofqual on 16 July and pressed for clarification on how the algorithm would impact pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and from ethnic minority communities. Officials maintain that the correct questions were asked and that they received assurances that those from disadvantaged backgrounds would not be adversely affected. One insider said that the education secretary can probe Ofqual on its methods but can't, of course, design an algorithm himself. But Mr Williamson was aware that the algorithm's use was likely to throw up "hard cases" and "outliers" - rather than masses of students - who would not get the grades they deserved. So the education secretary focussed on improving the appeals system and, ultimately, ensuring that it was free to use, officials say. Ofqual have yet to respond to inquiries about the meeting. An appealing system? In its July report, the education committee said: 'We are extremely concerned that pupils will require evidence of bias or discrimination to raise a complaint about their grades. "It is unrealistic and unfair to put the onus on pupils to have, or to be able to gather, evidence of bias or discrimination. Such a system also favours more affluent pupils and families with resources and knowledge of the system." Education department insiders maintain that Mr Williamson - who went to a comprehensive school - was determined to inject fairness in to the system and create a robust (one of his favourite words) safety net to catch anyone caught out by the system. Indeed, there was still wrangling going on between Ofqual and the department as recently as last weekend over further changes to the process. Ofqual guidance on how to appeal was removed from its website around eight hours after it first appeared. And they say that it became apparent only in the past few days that the appeals system, however "robust", could not deal with the potential scale of the problem. Class conflict Last Tuesday, the Scottish government had to perform a U-turn under pressure. An analysis by Ofqual's Scottish equivalent - the SQA - showed that pupils from deprived backgrounds were subjected to higher rates of downgrading than those who were better-off. Scottish education secretary John Swinney insisted that the SQA standardisation model was fair - but that he was now moving to teacher assessments because of the "anguish" some pupils had experienced. Gavin Williamson's allies say that he sought assurances from Ofqual that the problems the Scottish system had highlighted would not affect England - and, once again, he received assurances that this was the case. Only when the results came out on Thursday did the outcome begin to look rather too familiar. Initially, it was assumed there were rather a lot of "outliers" and only subsequently was it established that the algorithm itself was flawed. Over the weekend, there was an internal debate at the DfE over whether the algorithm could be improved, or whether teachers' assessments would have to be accepted after all. Neither solution was ideal. What seems to have swung it is that fixing the algorithm would have led to a delay to this week's GCSE's results. This was not something Downing Street wanted to see. I'm told that by the time the education secretary and the prime minister spoke - by phone - on Monday morning, they were, metaphorically at least, "in the same place". It would have to be teacher assessments as the least worst option, and the announcement would be made later that day. The case for the prosecution What is frustrating some Conservative MPs is not the U-turn itself, but the time it took to put into action. Some privately accuse the education secretary of not being robust enough in interrogating Ofqual earlier in the process. Some wonder why offers from the Royal Statistical Society to help with the modelling in April weren't accepted. But what is agitating most of the education secretary's internal critics is that it took nearly a week for the U-turn in Scotland to be repeated in England. They feel Gavin Williamson dug himself in to a hole by denouncing so strongly the actions of the Scottish government, highlighting the "unfairness" of taking teachers' predictions solely as the basis for results. This was, arguably, a failure of the education secretary's political antennae. Even if the Ofqual algorithm did not discriminate against the most disadvantaged, it should have been possible, critics maintain, to anticipate that the protests and parades of disappointed students in Scotland would be repeated in England, given that a similar scale of downgrading was to take place. The perception that a government committed to "levelling up" the nation was downgrading bright students from underperforming schools was toxic. And some MPs are questioning why, in the Times, as recently as Saturday Gavin Williamson was praising what was "a fair and robust system for the overwhelming majority of students". And declaring there would be "no U-turn, no change". And on Sunday, when internal debates over accepting teachers' assessments and abandoning the option of fixing the algorithm were very active - why was he apparently defending "the calculated grade overseen by Ofqual", in the Express newspaper. A former minister with a background in education told me that because the education secretary had nailed his colours so firmly to a teetering mast, it was "inevitable" that he would have to go. But it seems nothing is inevitable in politics. Boris Johnson himself is not seen as devoid of blame by some of his own MPs. Last Thursday, the prime minister was also defending the "robust" system of assessment in England. As one MP put it, "the captain of the ship was too hands off". Indeed - for some - that captain changed direction as though he were on the bridge of an oil tanker, when what was required was the swift launching of the lifeboats. How safe is Williamson's job? One former Conservative minister said he fully expects Gavin Williamson to be moved in any autumn reshuffle - that he has been given a reprieve by Downing Street, not exoneration. He has to sort out the messy challenge of getting newly upgraded students in to universities then the tricky task of getting pupils in England back to school next month. The partial return prior to the summer wasn't exactly smooth. So if Mr Williamson's performance in those areas falls short, then his current job is not safe in the long term. But there are other reasons why he hasn't received a ministerial P45. This is not an administration which does resignations. Boris Johnson is loyal to those who are loyal and useful to him. The clamour amongst Conservative backbenchers for his adviser Dominic Cummings to go over his lockdown trip to Durham subsided as Downing St dug in its heels. The controversy over the Richard Desmond planning decision has not cost housing secretary Robert Jenrick his job. And Gavin Williamson has been helpful to Boris Johnson behind the scenes - as he was to Theresa May until he was sacked, and got behind Mr Johnson's leadership bid. A former chief whip, his reputation as a minister may have suffered but not his abilities as a fixer. No 10 may want to retain him inside the tent. But he also has some cover in the current controversy. He U-turned - but so too did the SNP administration in Edinburgh, the Labour-led administration in Cardiff and the power-sharing DUP/Sinn Fein executive in Belfast. As is important in times of personal crisis, he is not alone. The question is whether the exams saga has predominantly dented Mr Williamson's credibility - or that of the entire government. With a majority of eighty and probably four years until the next election, that's not a question to which Boris Johnson needs an immediate answer.

कई किशोरों की करियर की आकांक्षाओं को पिछले सप्ताह एक झटका लगा जब इंग्लैंड में ए स्तर के 40 प्रतिशत परिणामों को शिक्षकों के मूल्यांकन से डाउनग्रेड कर दिया गया।


Labour prepared to look at third bridge over River Don in Aberdeen

Summary: Labour councillors in Aberdeen have said they are prepared to look at the issue of a new road bridge over the River Don again.

The party has long been opposed to the route currently planned at Tillydrone. Following talks with their Conservative and independent coalition partners on administration priorities, the Labour group said it was prepared to reconsider the issue. Supporters of the project insisted the bridge would ease traffic congestion.

एबरडीन में श्रम पार्षदों ने कहा है कि वे डॉन नदी पर एक नए सड़क पुल के मुद्दे पर फिर से विचार करने के लिए तैयार हैं।


Morgan Stanley profits trump forecasts

Summary: US investment bank Morgan Stanley saw stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter profits, boosted by a jump in financial trading after Donald Trump's election.

The bank reported a $1.67bn profit for the period, compared with a $908m profit a year ago. Fixed-income sales and trading revenue for the quarter hit $1.5bn, almost three times the $550m achieved in the final three months of 2015. The bank's figures were in line with those reported by competitors. US banks benefited from a market rally in the wake of the November presidential election, beating Wall Street forecasts. Morgan Stanley shares have risen 61% in value over the past year.

अमेरिकी निवेश बैंक मॉर्गन स्टेनली ने चौथी तिमाही में उम्मीद से अधिक मजबूत लाभ देखा, जो डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प के चुनाव के बाद वित्तीय व्यापार में उछाल से बढ़ा।


The adventure that didn't quite go to plan

Summary: Mary Russell, a black woman with dwarfism, set off on a 21-day, 900-mile trip down the Ho Chi Minh trail with five other disabled people. She imagined it would be a unifying experience, but in fact she felt isolated among people she thought would be more like her.

By Beth RoseBBC News "What made it for me was the beautiful scenic views," she says. "How can you be miserable when you're looking at mountains?" But in fact, for some of the time at least, Russell would feel more isolated and different than she had done before as she filmed for the BBC One programme, Without Limits: Vietnam. Russell is used to her difference. She grew up as one of nine children, but the only one with achondroplasia - a common cause of dwarfism - and her skin-colour could also cause issue in 1970s Yorkshire when "awareness just wasn't there". For the journey through Vietnam, Russell, 48, travelled in a vehicle with Vicky Balch, who lost her leg in the Alton Towers rollercoaster accident and Steve Brown, a Paralympic wheelchair rugby player who's paralysed from the chest down. Louise Halvey, who has progressive hearing loss, travelled on a motorbike alongside Charlie Lewis, who opted for a right leg amputation after a snowboard accident, and Andy Slade who lost an arm in an industrial accident. But there was a new kind of difference here - Russell was the only one of the six to have always had a disability rather than having acquired it later in life. "The group had all gone through something quite traumatic and I had to try to figure out where I fit in with that," she says. The rest of the group were able to talk together about how they became disabled by accident or illness and how it made them feel but Mary felt left out because she had never had that experience. "It was hard because they weren't born this way, they lived most of their life mingling with society, and at times I felt like I needed a limb missing so I could feel part of the group." The team travelled from the north to the south of the country and spent up to seven hours a day in the car, which she describes as "really rough". As the others bonded over coming to terms with a new impairment, Russell became affected by what she acknowledges as her main disability - depression. "My mood dipped almost immediately," she says. The atmosphere in the car soured at times and arguments broke out. The group were often short on sleep and the travelling could be uncomfortable. "I've struggled with depression, which nobody really understands because they automatically think it's the dwarfism that holds me back, but at times, mental health is my biggest challenge." Russell says she identified the slump in her mood early on in the journey when she "felt like I was going out of control". She became fractious and tearful and with no one to confide in she told the whole group how she felt. "I didn't want people to think this was how I usually am," she says. "They said they were completely unaware I felt isolated but were grateful I had spoken and they became more inclusive." At home in London, Russell uses cycling as a "remedy" for her depression and when the group visited a village they spotted a boy with a bike. He was persuaded to lend it to her and she free-wheeled down the hill which gave her some relief. Russell says the group provoked intrigue wherever they went, but she felt she received a "double stare". "I stood out for sure," she says. "I have the condition and I'm of colour." Mary's short stature often prompted laughter from Vietnamese locals which she found overwhelming at times. "For some reason dwarfism as a disability always seems to be the butt of jokes and when they saw me they wanted to laugh, which is the battle we always have. "They wouldn't touch me ... but people were fascinated by the others and wanted to touch their prosthetic legs." But there was an unexpected moment of joy one day which made Russell confront her own judgements. "I met a guy, a dwarf, when we went shopping. He was stood outside his shop and at first I walked on by. "For a moment I slipped into 'old Mary' where I wasn't comfortable with seeing someone like myself, but I made myself go back and say 'hello' to him. "I immediately connected with him, we shook hands and hugged. It was the highlight of my trip." The group all completed the journey, weary but fulfilled. Russell remains close to Halvey and Slade who made her see her own prejudices. "They helped me and gave me support," she says. "They're both bikers so I didn't think I'd get on with them, but we hit it off and it made me realise you really can't judge anyone." Russell has taken part in reality TV before - in 2014 she appeared on the disability dating show, The Undateables. The positive response she got from that boosted her confidence and she was signed to model agency, Models of Diversity, which has led to numerous photo-shoots and a fashion runway in Japan. "From The Undateables onwards I started to find out things about myself - positive and negative," she says. "Even if it upsets me I'm emptying out all the hurt and developing as a person." Though the Vietnam trip brought unwanted attention to her differences, Russell says it has made her accept herself in a new way. "It made me realise that my limbs might be shorter, but they're functional and I can use them and should be grateful. "I want to go to more places where there are less people like me. Everyone needs to see that this is what's in the world." Mary Russell's roadtrip story is told on Without Limits: Vietnam. The second episode will be broadcast Thursday 21 September at 20:00 on BBC One, and will be available to watch via BBC iPlayer for 30 days afterwards. For more Disability News, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the weekly podcast.

मैरी रसेल, बौनापन वाली एक अश्वेत महिला, पांच अन्य विकलांग लोगों के साथ हो ची मिन्ह ट्रेल के नीचे 21-दिवसीय, 900-मील की यात्रा पर निकल पड़ी। उसने सोचा कि यह एक एकीकृत अनुभव होगा, लेकिन वास्तव में वह उन लोगों के बीच अलग-थलग महसूस करती थी जिन्हें वह सोचती थी कि वह उसके जैसी होगी।


Is bitcoin finally going mainstream in the Midlands?

Summary: Hanging around with bitcoin enthusiasts is intoxicating.

David Gregory-KumarScience, Environment & Rural Affairs Correspondent It's a seductive idea, free magic money from the internet. And while purchasing, trading and selling bitcoin once was a complex and technical process it's all about to become a lot simpler. But first if you want to understand more about bitcoin and other coins built on the same technology there's a BBC explainer here. In Coventry you can now buy and sell and even spend bitcoins. All thanks to a nightclub and one of the country's first bitcoin ATM machines newly installed in a shop in the city. Nestled next to the newspapers, the machine has a large touch screen and makes the process of buying and selling bitcoins pretty painless. You need a wallet app on your smartphone to download and store the bitcoins once you've bought them and there's a £10 fee for each transaction, but otherwise it's pretty simple. Clubbing Round the corner the S7EVEN nightclub is tweaking its tills so they can accept bitcoin. As the owner Kevin McCloskey (who also invests in the currency) explained to me, it's likely they'll start by accepting bitcoin for larger items first; so a booth booking with plenty of booze rather than a single pint of lager. But eventually staff with have T-shirts with scan-able codes so customers can tip in bitcoins directly. But all this does illustrate one of the problems of bitcoin in the real world. First of all, why spend it at all? The price may have plunged from the pre-Christmas highs but plenty of people believe it will climb again and so would rather hold on to it than spend it. Transaction limit There's also a technical limitation which isn't often discussed in the media. The Visa company behind your credit or bank card can process thousands of transactions a second. The technology that makes bitcoin so exciting also has a built in technical issue that means the upper limit of bitcoin transactions is about seven a second. That's not very useful for the future of money. And of course this is all unregulated, it's really the financial wild west. I've met people who've turned £500 into £200,000 but I've also talked to people who made and lost thousands too. If something goes wrong with a digital currency there's no-one to turn to. And mixed in with all this are people using these currencies to buy drugs, extort money and build scams and Ponzi schemes. But as I said at the start it's all extremely seductive as an investment idea, surely we can all be rich? Well maybe some people will get rich just as some people win the lottery. But to misquote the old lottery slogan, it probably won't be you. And you could lose everything.

बिटक्वाइन के शौकीनों के साथ घूमना मादक है।


Game of Thrones trees: White lines have people seeing red

Summary: They feature in Game of Thrones and are one of Northern Ireland's most famous natural landmarks, but fans of north Antrim's Dark Hedges are concerned that road markings painted by mistake have spoiled their look.

The iconic tunnel of trees on the Bregagh Road near Armoy features as the Kingsroad in the smash-hit HBO television series. However, the Department for Regional Development (DRD) has admitted that a contractor mistakenly painted white lines on the road under the trees. It is the second setback for the Dark Hedges in just over a week. At the end of January, Storm Gertrude ripped up two of the 200-year-old beeches that overhang the road and damaged a third. While nothing can be done to replace the trees, the DRD has promised to rectify the contractor's error. "Following completion of a small resurfacing scheme along a 200-metre stretch of the Bregagh Road at the Dark Hedges, the white lining at the junction with the Ballinlea Road was extended in error," a spokesperson said. "The contractor has since been instructed to remove the line, and we expect this to be completed by tomorrow [Wednesday]. "The white lining will be burned off by the contractor. Whilst there is the potential for some residual marking to the carriageway as a result of the removal, we are confident that, given the time of year and the number of vehicles using the Bregagh Road that any such marks will disappear soon. "DRD will continue to monitor the condition of the surface over the coming weeks, and will take further action to repair the road if necessary." Heather Morrison of the Dark Hedges Preservation Trust told the BBC: "I first saw the picture on Facebook - so I drove over to see it for myself on Sunday. "When I saw the white lines I nearly died." Amateur photographer Bob McCallion has been photographing the Dark Hedges for 20 years. He said the white lines were "sacrilege". "They've just considered the road to be more or less like any other road in the country," he said. Mr McCallion said while he was glad the lines were being removed, a wider strategy was needed to preserve the trees. "If you go there for the first time, you think they're still brilliant and they are. But if you have been following them [over time], you will see the deterioration in those trees," he said. "It's not Game of Thrones' fault, it's the lack of strategy or facilities to cope with those visitors. "There's a whole scenario that doesn't seem to improve year on year."

वे गेम ऑफ थ्रोन्स में दिखाई देते हैं और उत्तरी आयरलैंड के सबसे प्रसिद्ध प्राकृतिक स्थलों में से एक हैं, लेकिन उत्तरी एंट्रिम के डार्क हेजेज के प्रशंसकों को चिंता है कि गलती से चित्रित सड़क चिह्नों ने उनका रूप खराब कर दिया है।


Traffic delay warning at Download Festival

Summary: Organisers of a rock music festival in the East Midlands have warned motorists to expect traffic delays in the area.

The Download Festival at Donington Park in Leicestershire, which runs from 11-13 June, attracts thousands of fans. Major roads and motorways leading to Donington Park are likely to be busy until Monday, organisers said. People travelling from East Midlands Airport have been advised to arrive at least two hours prior to departure to allow for possible delays. A one-way traffic system will be in place from the Donington Park exit to the A453 and also to the A42 after the end of the festival. Signed diversion routes will be in place.

ईस्ट मिडलैंड्स में एक रॉक संगीत समारोह के आयोजकों ने मोटर चालकों को क्षेत्र में यातायात में देरी की आशंका जताने की चेतावनी दी है।


How safe is mouldy food to eat?

Summary: British families throw away about seven million tonnes of food and drink every year, enough to fill Wembley stadium to the brim. Most of it is beyond its sell-by date, but how much could be safely eaten, asks Michael Mosley.

I've agreed to feast on a range of foods that have gone beyond their prime, guided by mould expert, Dr Patrick Hickey. I realise it is going to be an unusual lunch when Hickey passes me a disposable contamination suit to wear. Before tucking in he also warns me that we will not be eating any foods that have passed their "use by" date. To do so would risk serious food poisoning. With "best before" or "sell by" things are more flexible. Our first course was some ageing cheddar. As he cuts away the mouldy part (being careful that the knife doesn't get contaminated by mould) he assures me the rest is safe to eat. Cheddar and parmesan are dry cheeses and because mould needs moisture to thrive, it doesn't normally penetrate far below the surface. Some cheeses, of course, are deliberately infected with fungi. Penicillium roqueforti gives blue cheeses such as stilton and roquefort their flavour. With most soft cheeses, however, unless the fungus has been deliberately introduced, the presence of mould suggests infection not just by unwelcome fungi but also harmful bacteria, such as listeria or salmonella. If that happens, throw it away. Next, he pulls out some bread covered in small bits of white-and-blue mould. He assures me that it will be fine, toasted, once the mouldy crusts have been cut off. "The moulds don't go deep," he says. "The time you really need to be worried about bread is when it has black bits on it." I decide to pass. Then he digs out some long-forgotten vegetables from the back of a fridge. The courgettes and carrots are covered in a horrible slime, which Hickey tells me is caused by bacterial colonies growing on the surface. Could I boil these up for soup? "If you did," he says, "you'd probably develop terrible stomach ache in a couple of hours, followed by stomach cramps and diarrhoea" So best thrown out. Leftovers from the Magazine Fruit normally lasts better than vegetables because the acid in fruit keeps harmful bacteria at bay. The moulds you find on jam, are fine - just scrape them off. There is, however, one fruit to be wary of. "Apples," he tells me, "will keep for ages, but if there's a puncture in the skin, fungi can get in. There have been serious outbreaks in the past, incidents of people being poisoned by drinking bad apple juice, which contains a toxin called patulin." Mouldy nuts are particularly dangerous because they harbour a fungus called Aspergillus flavus. "This fungus," says Hickey, "produces one of the most deadly toxins known to humankind. The toxin accumulates in the liver and can cause liver cancer. If there's no mould on the shell and the internal part is sealed and protected, which these are, then we should be fine." He is right. We eat them. We survive. Although most foods are best eaten fresh, some starchy foods, such as pasta, rice and potatoes, may actually be healthier when consumed as leftovers rather than freshly cooked. Certainly better than tipping in the bin. As I discovered in last week's episode of Trust Me I'm a Doctor, cooking starchy foods and then cooling them down changes their structure, so they become more resistant to the enzymes in our gut that break carbohydrates down. So if you eat cold pasta your body will absorb fewer calories, making this a dieter's dream. What's even more surprising is that if you take cold pasta and reheat it, then it becomes even more "resistant", producing a 50% lower rise in blood glucose than fresh pasta. Although we didn't test it, the same probably happens when you cool and heat other starchy foods like rice. You should never reheat cooked rice that has been left hanging around at room temperature for any length of time, because it can harbour toxins that will give you food poisoning. But if leftover rice goes straight into the fridge after a meal it will be fine for a couple of days. I often use leftover rice to make egg fried rice. The same applies to potatoes. Cold leftover potatoes, sliced and then lightly fried are a family favourite. Reducing food waste According to Wrap (Waste & Resources Action Programme) we throw away 24 million slices of bread, 1.5 million tomatoes and 1.4 million bananas every day. These are a few suggestions as to what you can do to reduce this waste: Trust Me I'm A Doctor continues on BBC 2 at 20:00 BST, 22 October, or catch up on iPlayer Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

ब्रिटिश परिवार हर साल लगभग 70 लाख टन भोजन और पेय फेंक देते हैं, जो वेम्बली स्टेडियम को भरने के लिए पर्याप्त है। माइकल मोस्ले पूछते हैं कि इसका अधिकांश हिस्सा अपनी बिक्री की तारीख से परे है, लेकिन कितना सुरक्षित रूप से खाया जा सकता है।


South Wales Police chief's last shift on patrol with son

Summary: A top police officer has spent one of his last shifts back on the beat with his own boy in blue.

Peter Vaughan is retiring as chief constable of South Wales Police after 33 years of service. On one of his last shifts, he patrolled the streets of Ely in Cardiff with his son Sgt Scott Vaughan. Peter Vaughan's career began policing Ferndale and Maerdy, Rhondda Cynon Taff, in 1984. Deputy Chief Constable Matt Jukes is taking over in January.

एक शीर्ष पुलिस अधिकारी ने अपनी अंतिम पाली में से एक को नीले रंग में अपने ही लड़के के साथ बीट पर बिताया है।


The local news site behind fake Biden ‘mafia plot’

Summary: A local news website spread false claims that a mafia boss was paid to forge 300,000 votes for Joe Biden - but it's not the first time that the site has published supposed scoops that weren't true.

By Alistair ColemanDisinformation specialist, BBC Monitoring The most recent story appeared this week in the Buffalo Chronicle, based in the city in western New York State. Despite the site's local focus, it claimed to have inside information into election wrongdoing in Philadelphia - a much larger city, nearly 400 miles away and in an entirely different state. The story claimed that reputed Philadelphia mob boss Joe Merlino - aka "Skinny Joey" - was paid $3m (£2.25m) to "steal the election" in Pennsylvania by dumping boxes of counterfeit ballots marked for Joe Biden at a counting centre. It cites "associates" of Mr Merlino and anonymous sources. Election officials in Philadelphia have dismissed the story as "fiction", fact-checking website Lead Stories reports. The story goes on to say that Mr Merlino might now be ready to "flip on Biden", exposing the alleged scam to hand Donald Trump victory in the battleground state in exchange for a presidential pardon. Provisional election results show Mr Biden ahead by 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania. Skinny Joey is real, even if the story is not. Mr Merlino is currently on supervised release in Florida after he accepted a plea deal on a racketeering charge in 2018. "My client categorically denies all the allegations and Joey would rather die than ever be a snitch," said his lawyer John Meringolo, in a statement reported by US media. Despite the denials and lack of evidence, the Buffalo Chronicle's publisher tells the BBC that he stands by the story. By some estimates, the story reached millions of potential readers. So how has a local news website with a history of unsubstantiated claims managed to get such a huge audience? Buffalo Chronicle and 'fake news' This isn't the first time that Buffalo Chronicle has been accused of spreading fake news. While it carries some accurate local news from Buffalo, the state capital Albany and New York state at large - along with opinion pieces - Buffalo Chronicle has previously been investigated for spreading right-wing conspiracy theories about US and Canadian politics. And it's those stories that have attracted the most attention. In 2019, it published several negative and unsubstantiated stories about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before federal elections in that country. They accused Mr Trudeau of involvement in a sex scandal and of censoring local media. According to a BBC analysis, the censorship story was shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook, despite being flagged by fact-checkers for being entirely without foundation. At the time, the website's publisher said it had run those stories in "good faith". The article about Skinny Joey was shared more than 17,000 times on Facebook to a potential audience of more than three million people, according to figures from social media analysis tool CrowdTangle. BBC Trending Publisher defends story News integrity website News Guard says Buffalo Chronicle "severely violates basic standards of credibility and transparency", while the site also features on Wikipedia's list of "fake news websites". And even Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who continues to make unproven allegations of widespread voter fraud in the election, considers the idea of mafia involvement in the Pennsylvania vote "far-fetched", according to an interview he gave to Fox News. Despite the denials, Buffalo Chronicle publisher Matthew Richiazzi stands by the story, without offering any further evidence for the claims made. "We would expect Mr Merlino's attorney to say precisely what he has said to date... until such time that President Donald J Trump issues a pardon for current offences," he told the BBC. Mr Richiazzi says he's not bothered by fake news accusations, because of what he considers "profuse and obvious bias" of mainstream sources such as CNN and The New York Times. He says he reports "from an outsider's posture". Larger pattern The Buffalo Chronicle story is just one of a large number of false and misleading stories that have gained traction among supporters of the president. With the Trump campaign emphasising the narrative of widespread election fraud before, during and after the vote, stories like this that fit the theme can find huge audiences online, even if they have no facts to back them up. According to BBC research, the Twitter hashtag #StoptheSteal, claiming voter fraud, has been used hundreds of thousands of times since the election. For those already convinced of a conspiracy to steal the election, the description of it as "the most secure in American history" by US election officials is unlikely to change their minds. Subscribe to the BBC Trending podcast or follow us on Twitter @BBCtrending or Facebook.

एक स्थानीय समाचार वेबसाइट ने झूठे दावे फैलाए कि एक माफिया बॉस को जो बाइडन के लिए 300,000 वोट बनाने के लिए भुगतान किया गया था-लेकिन यह पहली बार नहीं है जब साइट ने कथित स्कूप प्रकाशित किए हैं जो सच नहीं थे।


Ipswich: Death of man found at park entrance 'not suspicious'

Summary: The death of a man found near to a park entrance is not suspicious but still unexplained, police have said.

Officers were called at 05:50 BST by East of England Ambulance Service after the man was found unresponsive at Ellenbrook Open Space, Ipswich, by a member of the public. Despite that person's efforts, and those of the paramedics, the man, thought to be in his 40s, was declared dead at the scene. A cordon at the scene has been lifted. Related Internet Links East of England Ambulance Service Suffolk Constabulary

पुलिस ने कहा है कि पार्क के प्रवेश द्वार के पास पाए गए एक व्यक्ति की मौत संदिग्ध नहीं है, लेकिन अभी भी अस्पष्ट है।


Eurovision Song Contest: Will Gompertz reviews the new Netflix film ★★☆☆☆

Summary: You don't have to know loads about art to recognise a great piece when you see one. It hits you like a truck; like love-at-first sight. It doesn't occur often, but when it does, oh boy.

Will GompertzArts editor@WillGompertzBBCon Twitter It happened to me a few years ago on one rainy afternoon when I'd ducked into a gallery to avoid a downpour. The place was showing a nine-channel video, which sounds as dreary as these things usually are, but, I reasoned, was probably marginally less awful than getting soaked. Anyway, the shower looked as though it was passing, I reckoned I could leg it after a couple of minutes. I set my expectations a notch or two below those of a tailor at a nudist camp, and entered the room in which the 52-minute multi-screen epic was being shown. One hour later, the sun now shining, I was still standing in the middle of the gallery, surrounded by the nine huge video screens, growing increasingly impatient as I waited for the film to start all over again. What I had just seen was wonderful: a romantic work of art with the spirit of a Brontë novel; made by the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson and eight of his arty mates from Reykjavik. They were each stationed in a separate room of a down-at-heel mansion as they sang in sync a lament ("Once again I fall into my feminine ways") written by Ragnar's ex-wife, the poet Ásdis Sif Gunnarsdóttir. If the work is ever installed near you, check it out (you can watch it on YouTube but it's not the same). The piece is called The Visitors, a homage to Abba's last studio album by an artist who credits the band as an influence. He's not the only one. The fictional pop duo Lars Erickssong (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams) are also fans, as you quickly find out in Netflix's spoof rom-com, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Lars and Sigrit go back a long way. We first meet them as young children in 1974, with Lars sitting despondently on the stairs of his home, mourning the recent death of his mother. His father (Pierce Brosnan) is drowning his sorrows in front of the TV while watching the Eurovision Song Contest with a room-full of friends. Abba come on and start singing Waterloo. Lars perks up no end and starts dancing in front of the telly, transfixed by the Swedish fab four. He declares right there and then that one day he will win the contest for Iceland. Nobody is impressed or cares very much, other than Sigrit. Spool forward three decades to the small Icelandic town where Lars and Sigrit still live. By day he is a parking attendant, she, a primary school teacher. By night they are Fire Saga, one of the worst bands ever to set foot on a stage - and there have been some very bad bands stepping up over the years. The locals barely tolerate Lars and his immature dream of Eurovision fame, while being baffled by the much-smarter Sigrit's loyalty to him. They grudgingly allow Fire Saga to perform in the local pub but only as long as they stick to a strict one-song set-list consisting of Yah, Yah, Yah Ding Dong. This upsets Lars, who is keen to try out his latest material on them. Suffice it to say that with a little help from the local elves, his childhood dream begins to come true and Fire Saga find themselves on a plane heading for the Eurovision Song Contest in Edinburgh (suggesting Britain won the year before, which, even in this Will Ferrell co-created fictional world, is stretching credibility somewhat). You can see why the film got made. It has some tasty-looking ingredients such as Ferrell's track-record with spoof-comedies such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Then there's the global popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest and its loyal audience of many millions who have missed out on their annual kitsch-fest fix due to the pandemic. Add to that the Mamma Mia! phenomenon: a tongue-in-cheek, Abba-themed comedy that so knowingly, and cleverly meta-mocked itself into being a multi-million-dollar box office smash hit. It trod a fine line and didn't misplace a step. Unlike, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, which is misjudged and tedious. That thing about instinctively knowing a great work when you see one applies to the opposite end of the spectrum. You don't need to be a cinephile to know this film is dud. Mamma Mia! made you smile, The Story of Fire Saga makes you groan. The script is more predictable than a Swiss watch, accents slip in and out like the signal on a pirate radio station, and Ferrell's Lars is not nearly loveable enough to save the picture. Lazy clichés and tired stereotypes abound, from the camp show-runner to American tourists only interested in finding the nearest Starbucks. Worse, the depiction of Icelanders and their culture as an unsophisticated bunch of beer-drinking, whale-watching, knitted jumper-wearing innocents is tiresome and ignorant. Ragnar Kjartansson is not a one-off, an outlier who somehow managed to forge a career as an artist and therefore escape an inevitable life as a fisherman. Iceland has a vibrant artistic community, which has produced some brilliant writers, musicians, and fine artists. They didn't come from nowhere, they emerged from a rich seam of intellectuals that make the country such a magnet for artists of all kinds the world over. To be fair, the movie isn't all bad. Pierce Brosnan doesn't sing, Rachel McAdams is really good as Sigrit, and some of the production around the performances at the fictionalised Eurovision Song Contest are as slick and spectacular as the real thing. But, none of that masks what is ultimately a thin, lame film that had permission to be kitsch but not corny. It is a good idea badly executed; being neither funny nor clever. Deux points. Recent reviews by Will Gompertz Follow Will Gompertz on Twitter

जब आप किसी उत्कृष्ट कृति को देखते हैं तो उसे पहचानने के लिए आपको कला के बारे में बहुत कुछ जानने की आवश्यकता नहीं है। यह आपको एक ट्रक की तरह मारता है; जैसे पहली नजर में प्यार। यह अक्सर नहीं होता है, लेकिन जब ऐसा होता है, ओह लड़का।


'It was right to report rape even though my attacker was cleared'

Summary: When Sarah found the courage to tell police she had been raped by a man she knew, she cooperated with the authorities and gave evidence in court - only to see him cleared by a jury. He is innocent in the eyes of the law, but she maintains he attacked her. So where does this leave her now?

By Danny ShawHome affairs correspondent, BBC News Sarah - not her real name - describes what it was like to try to seek justice and, despite being disappointed by the outcome, why she feels it was the right thing to do. 'No-one tells you what to expect' "I was having panic attacks every single day. I couldn't open doors without being worried that he was going to be there. "I completely shut myself off. I wasn't eating, self-harming and I thought, enough is enough. I thought I have to tell someone because I don't know what I might do, so I needed to get it off my chest." Sarah was a young teenager when she was attacked. It took her some months before she felt she could tell the police. "I didn't know what to expect from reporting it because no-one ever tells you. They say: 'Oh, you should report as soon as it happened'. "I hadn't done that which made me even more worried, but no-one actually tells you how traumatic the process in itself is. I understand why that is, the way it is, but it causes so much trauma. "You have to re-live everything all over again and go through all that stress times 10, times-a-million. "You are in just a small room, sitting on a chair facing a police officer who you don't know and a red light is just staring at you. I had to take a lot of pauses and I was stumbling a lot. "You have to remember everything, you have to remember what position you were in, if you were bleeding, things like that, which to tell someone you've never met before is horrible. "And I can't even describe how embarrassing it is. You can't remember everything fluently, all at once... No-one realises what an impact the trauma has on you." Rape victims are being encouraged to have confidence in the police and justice system, and report their allegations. But there is no guarantee the person they have accused will be convicted. In England and Wales, in 2016-17, 42% of rape prosecutions were unsuccessful. 'There's no right way of telling your story' Sarah says she feels her lawyers in the case did the best they could, but she was still let down. "A lot of witnesses were never called, and he had a great defence. He got character witnesses. "I was there for one day and that was it - and no-one prepared me for that day, either. Yes, I got to look around the courts: I was told, 'you sit here, the judge sits there, the jury's here'. But it set me back months afterwards because no one prepared me for what it was going to be like and what questions I was going to be asked. "It's expected from the get-go for you to be able to speak so fluently, and so coherently, and in court you're seen to be making it up if it's staggered, but then if it's really fluent then it's prepared. "There's no right way of telling your story. It makes you feel like you're lying, when you know you're not. "I left court knowing that it was going to end up being a 'not guilty' verdict because no one had asked me the questions that I know would've helped put him behind bars." Sarah says after legal proceedings began she was subjected to a lot of negative comments online. "I think, especially when a minor is involved you cannot allow the public to comment. "Reading online, things like 'I hope she actually does get raped' and things like that is awful. To be told to kill yourself by people who don't know the whole story. "That was the one thing I had to keep in mind - that they don't know exactly what happened." Sarah says she still vividly remembers the call to tell her that her rapist had been found not guilty. "I just couldn't speak. I can't explain how soul-crushing it is, to know you've tried everything. "Just the fact that he's free to walk out again and do this again and nothing is there to stop him. "We met with the police a few days later to talk it through and I said, 'Well, is there any sort of protection? I'm really worried, I don't trust him'. "I was told 'no, unfortunately, we can't do anything unless he does something'. But that's not reassuring to someone who's underage, considering I still couldn't sleep, couldn't do anything without thinking he was there - and even now I still check every time I walk down the street - I think 'that's him'." 'At least I reported it' For months after the verdict Sarah says she blamed herself. "I was in a really bad place and I completely regretted it... but I don't know what I would have done by keeping that secret. "At least I notified them - I notified the police of his actions and I know if he does anything again at least they know that it's not out of the blue and maybe someone else will have a better chance of convicting him. "I know what happened, and he knows what happened - he knows what happened for sure. So it played on my conscience for not reporting… until I reported it. Surely it's got to play on his now." What support is there for victims? Rape Crisis runs a national free phone helpline on 0808 802 9999, which is open every day of the year. Alternatively, people affected by sexual violence can call the free, 24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247. For those worried about their mental or physical health after being the victim of a rape or sexual assault, the NHS has a comprehensive advice page. To find your nearest NHS rape and sexual assault referral centre, follow this link. Numerous voluntary organisations such as Women's Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Survivors UK (for male victims of sexual assault) offer support weeks, months and years after the crime took place. Police forces across the country also offer victim support from the point of reporting a crime through to preparing for a court case. Baroness Newlove, the victims' commissioner has called for a Victims' Law to be introduced to ensure support services are available to those affected by a crime. Illustrations by Emma Russell You can also listen to Sarah's story and an interview with Baroness Newlove, which was broadcast on Radio 5live.

जब सारा ने पुलिस को यह बताने का साहस पाया कि एक ऐसे व्यक्ति द्वारा उसका बलात्कार किया गया था जिसे वह जानती थी, तो उसने अधिकारियों के साथ सहयोग किया और अदालत में सबूत दिए-केवल उसे एक जूरी द्वारा बरी होते देखने के लिए। वह कानून की नजर में निर्दोष है, लेकिन वह कहती है कि उसने उस पर हमला किया। तो अब यह उसे कहाँ छोड़ता है?


Georgia: 'I'm a child of the UK rave scene'

Summary: Georgia Barnes was pretty much born on to the dancefloor.

By Paul GlynnEntertainment & arts reporter Not literally, of course, that would be a health and safety issue. But as the daughter of Neil Barnes from UK dance pioneers Leftfield, the 30-year-old spent her younger years soaking up electronic house beats at live gigs and festivals; while cultivating a love of synth-pop sounds and beyond from around the world. Now, after honing her craft as a drummer [for Kae Tempest], producer and singer, the former record shop assistant is living up to the family name. As a one-woman dance machine though, Georgia's place on the BBC Sound of 2020 longlist, and subsequent nomination for this year's Mercury Prize - for her euphoric second album Seeking Thrills - was all down to her own hard graft (albeit a labour of love). 'Witnessing dancefloor culture' "I went through a long process with this record after the first [self-titled 2015] record came out," says Georgia, who scored a major club hit last year with About Work The Dancefloor. "I felt like I needed to go back to the drawing board a little bit and then shut myself away and listen to lots of music, and particularly my roots of being a child of the UK rave scene. "I've always had a fascination with dance music and always gone to clubs since I was a young age, and that's the music that I felt really excites me - in that electronic world. "But I wanted to go back and discover its roots and really understand the form of music, and then I found the direction for the record," she adds. "A lot the lyrical content is inspired by just seeing people on dancefloors and witnessing dancefloor culture." With dancefloors having been cruelly vacated for most of 2020, due to Covid-19 concerns, Georgia has been spending her breakthrough year getting creative again at her home studio in north west London. Anyone who tuned in to see her perform at Radio 1's (virtual) Big Weekend will have seen the results, as she covered the room in aluminium foil and "tried to create like this outer world... like a live streaming strange spaceship". "I think people found it strange and intriguing going into people's world's in a different way," she notes, of the pandemic-era trend for replacement online gigs. "That's where I saw live streaming was really great - to give people that kind of escapist moment during what was a very tough time. It's still a tough time, but I think now towards the end [of lockdown] live streaming needs to sort of rethink. Maybe people don't want it as much anymore." 'Future is working collectively' What many people do want for sure is a return to the real live music experience, as soon as is safely possible. And Georgia notes that it's been a "devastating" time for some of the nation's most-loved venues, and the networks of people around them. The rising star had been booked to perform at this weekend's Reading and Leeds Festivals, which were cancelled along with other August bank holiday favourites, Creamfields and the Notting Hill Carnival. She says she was inspired to see the recent crowdfunding efforts which prevented her "favourite venue in the whole UK" - Sub Club in Glasgow, from going under. "It was amazing to see the whole dance community, even people outside the dance community, create this crowdfund and raise enough money for them to get over the first hurdle of this Covid journey. To see that gave me real optimism, like 'OK, we can make a real difference here'. "I think the future is working collectively more. I think it's about all coming together and helping one another; hopefully we can do that." Georgia worked with just a few other trusted producers/songwriters on Seeking Thrills, which arrived into the world in January (before the virus had reduced our thrill-seeking capacities) billed as "the first great album of the decade", by The Evening Standard's David Smyth. Pitchfork's Anna Gaca described the album as "the work of a budding pop mind finding her own space on the dancefloor", while Jordan Bassett of the NME opined that it "captures the push and pull of the club with a writerly eye". "On her second album, a rhythmic rush of club-pop, the London producer extols the merits of clean living and a clear head," wrote Kitty Empire in The Guardian. 'World has changed' Clean living is hardly something you would associate with the 90s, when Georgia's dad's electronic outfit were helping to soundtrack the nation's nightlife. Barnes senior was twice listed for the Mercury himself with Leftfield in 1995 and 2000. Sadly due to the virus, there will be no "outrageous night" - as Georgia's mum remembers the '95 event - to mark this year's prize. The Brit school graduate thinks her own generation of millennial artists, which includes fellow nominees Dua Lipa, Michael Kiwanuka and Stormzy, are less likely to be impressed by the "excesses" of that era anyway. "Obviously part of music is still hedonism and it's being a bit on the peripheries of society," says Georgia. "But I don't think it's really cool anymore to do what what they did in the 90s." "It would be pretty funny if you turned up on the table and there was an excess of champagne coming out, all sorts of drugs being consumed at the table and people having fights and winding each other up, and it's just like carnage," she continues. "But I don't think that's cool anymore, especially during this time [with a global pandemic and recession]. The world has changed." Former QPR and Arsenal youth team footballer, Georgia, says she will be forever grateful to her parents for teaching her the value of being self-sufficient. Like being able to produce her own music in her room, for example. "I've just been able to kind of steer my own ship, which is how I like it," she says. Her dad is never directly involved in her music per se, but he does offer "his honest opinion", when asked. In recent months, aside from re-mixing a Jessie Ware track; and fulfilling the childhood dream of appearing on a record alongside Gorillaz and New Order's Peter Hook, Georgia also began work on a family music project, featuring her mum and brother. In an ideal world, she'd love for her fans to be embracing her new tunes, and each other, while out on a dancefloor somewhere. In lieu of those right now, however, she offers the BBC an alternative listening suggestion instead. "I always love that scene in [US comedy-drama] Girls, where Lena Dunham has a bad day and then she puts [Robyn's track] Dancing On My Own on - it's like a headphones moment. "I just hope people stick their headphones on and feel like they can escape or they feel empowered to go and seek a thrill." Seeking Thrills is out now. Classic Reading + Leeds performances are available this weekend on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. The Mercury Prize winner will be revealed on 24 September, with coverage on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Four TV. Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

जॉर्जिया बार्न्स का जन्म डांस फ्लोर पर हुआ था।


Will today's children die earlier than their parents?

Summary: It's often said that today's children will have shorter average life spans than their parents, because so many suffer from obesity. But there is another view that says they will live longer - at the risk of spending their twilight years in poor health.

By Laura GrayBBC News The idea that children alive today will die younger than their parents has been popularised by Michelle Obama and Jamie Oliver - but the assertion that they "may on average, live less healthy and possibly even shorter lives than their parents" originates in scholarly research. Not all experts are convinced, however. It's true that the number of people who are obese now is higher than in the past. Figures published in the Lancet earlier this year put the figure at 2.1bn worldwide, up from 875 million in 1980. It's also true that obesity-related illnesses have been on the rise. It was reported this week that the UK is suffering a "national health emergency" because of the numbers being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, an illness which is often linked to obesity. But the risk of dying from heart attacks and strokes, both associated with obesity, is in fact lower than in previous decades, according to a leading expert in the field. "If you take Britain as an example, the probability of dying from the sorts of things caused by being overweight has gone down by a factor of four," says Sir Richard Peto, professor of medical statistics at Oxford University. "If you go back 30 years then the chance we would die from a heart attack or stroke and diseases like that in middle age was 16% whereas it was 4% in 2010." This trend is replicated in most parts of the world, in part because the treatment of heart problems is now much better than it used to be. But some people think that being fatter may actually lengthen rather than shorten life. Katherine Flegal, an epidemiologist at the National Centre for Health Statistics in Hyattsville Maryland, and her team analysed 97 studies into causes of death and concluded that people deemed "overweight" by international standards were 6% less likely to die than those of "normal" weight. People are considered overweight if they have a body mass index (BMI) over 25 and obese with a BMI over 30. Flegal's paper, published in the American Medical Journal in January last year, says it's possible that overweight people get better medical care - either because they show symptoms of disease earlier or because they're screened more regularly for chronic diseases, such as diabetes or heart disease. It drew a hostile response from some public health experts, who have been advising people for decades to watch their weight. A number of other researchers, on the other hand, have embraced Flegal's work and see it as the latest illustration of what is known as the Obesity Paradox - the notion that there is an inverse relationship between body fat and risk of death. At least one study has suggested that heavier people are more likely to survive certain operations. Fat or not, people around the world are likely to live longer than previous generations, says Peto. "If you're not in the middle of a war, HIV epidemic or drinking gallons of vodka then overall death rates are going down and they are going down very fast," he says. "The probability of dying before age 50 worldwide is half what it was 40 years ago." Of course there are differences between countries. Forty years ago more than 36% of people died before their 50th birthday in Iran, whereas now it's only 6%, Peto points out. On the other hand, in some countries of sub-Saharan Africa there has been very little change. There are a variety of different reasons for lengthening life expectancy, including better vaccination programmes and drugs, cleaner water, better trained midwives and people stopping smoking. But though we may live longer our quality of life may be low. According to research led by Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle, Americans often have to cope with a range of medical problems during those extra years of life. They are "not necessarily in good health", he told the Wall Street Journal. Obesity, diabetes, kidney disease and neurological conditions like Alzheimer's are all on the rise, both in the US and in much of the developed world. So while we can expect extra years, they may not necessarily be golden - which is itself a good reason to stay away from the pies. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

यह अक्सर कहा जाता है कि आज के बच्चों का औसत जीवनकाल उनके माता-पिता की तुलना में कम होगा, क्योंकि बहुत से लोग मोटापे से पीड़ित हैं। लेकिन एक और दृष्टिकोण है जो कहता है कि वे लंबे समय तक जीवित रहेंगे-खराब स्वास्थ्य में अपने गोधूलि वर्ष बिताने के जोखिम पर।