The New Epochalists

Summary: Announcing the recent launch of his Day One Fund to support pre-school pupils and defeat homelessness, Jeff Bezos used a word not often deployed by global CEOs. "In addition to Amazon," he said, "my areas of focus so far have included investment in the future of our planet and…" - wait for it - "civilisation" .

Amol RajanMedia editor@amolrajanon Twitter Civilisation is a word Bezos keeps coming back to. "Humans are now technologically advanced enough that we can create not only extraordinary wonders but also civilisation-scale problems", he wrote in a blog post this year. "We are likely to need more long-term thinking". That blog post was about a remarkable clock that Bezos has built. One hundred and fifty metres tall, costing $42m, powered by geothermal energy and housed inside a mountain in Texas, the clock is designed to keep the time for 10,000 years. The world's richest man, whose fabled Day One thinking is so ingrained that Amazon's headquarters are in a Day One building, has a very different relationship with time from most corporate leaders. He is mortal of course, but he thinks in epochal terms, situating his daily actions and company growth as much within the grand sweep of human history as the quarterly reporting rotas of public companies. In this, he resembles other tech visionaries. Elon Musk of Tesla, with his investments in electric cars and space exploration, and gloomy - perhaps prophetic - warnings about the coming age of artificial intelligence, is another epochalist. No surprise, then, that he is a fan of the c-word. In fact, not only is Musk a regular player of the computer game known as Civilisation, which is all about husbanding resources to build an epic human community, but that word peppers his public utterances. "We must preserve the light of consciousness," he tweeted in June, "by becoming a space-faring civilisation and extending life to other planets." In a recent profile for the New Yorker, Mark Zuckerberg got in on the act, declaring his reverence for the Roman Emperor Augustus. "Through a really harsh approach," the Facebook CEO told the magazine, "he established two hundred years of world peace. What are the trade-offs in that? On the one hand, world peace is a long-term goal that people talk about today. Two hundred years feels unattainable." By thinking not in days or decades but centuries, the New Epochalists channel their utopian instincts and find common ground with many non-Western and non-democratic leaders. The best example is China's Xi Jinping. At last October's Congress of the Communist Party, Xi talked about a "new era… that sees China moving centre stage and making greater contributions to mankind." Chen Daoyin, an academic in Shanghai, told The Guardian that Xi was ushering in a third great epoch since the communists took power in 1949: first Mao, then Deng Xiaoping, and now Xi. The sentiment emanating from China is: you can have a bad 300 years, but you might then have a good 300 years. Maybe Xi is a Chinese Augustus. We are, as I have pointed out before here, experiencing an epochal shift today. Many of the main elements of the post-1945 world order - from convergence toward democracy and free trade, to American leadership and the sanctity of the UN - are unstable. It may be that, as Nicholas Wright argued recently in the journal Foreign Affairs, that the coming competition for global dominance will be between liberal democracy and digital authoritarianism. A sincere question for technology companies such as Facebook is: if this battle does transpire, which side are you on? Naturally, Zuckerberg and his senior colleagues want to think of themselves as a benefit and boon to democracy, but in creating filter bubbles which limit exposure to heterodox views, and inadvertently facilitating abuse of the platform by the likes of Russia, it's not actually clear which side of the divide they are on. Democracy itself has virtues aplenty, but long-term thinking isn't one of them. Epochal cycles and electoral cycles have very little in common. The four-year cycle in America is pretty regular; but the five-year cycle in Britain has been radically sped up by the offer of referenda on Scottish independence and membership of the European Union - and the whim of prime ministers in search of a big majority, of course. And there are profound questions for journalism too. The news cycle used to be to elections roughly what elections were to epochs - a kind of daily noise. But in the age of social media, the news cycle has sped up, almost infinitely. Yet the most powerful people in today's world are thinking big, slow and long. People in my trade should learn from them. As news speeds up, maybe journalism should slow down. If you're interested in issues such as these, you can follow me on Twitter or Facebook; and subscribe to The Media Show podcast from Radio 4.

प्री-स्कूल छात्रों का समर्थन करने और बेघरता को हराने के लिए अपने डे वन फंड के हालिया लॉन्च की घोषणा करते हुए, जेफ बेजोस ने एक ऐसे शब्द का इस्तेमाल किया जिसे अक्सर वैश्विक सीईओ द्वारा लागू नहीं किया जाता है। "अमेज़ॅन के अलावा", उन्होंने कहा, "अब तक मेरे ध्यान के क्षेत्रों में हमारे ग्रह के भविष्य में निवेश शामिल है और"...-इसके लिए प्रतीक्षा करें-"सभ्यता"।


Ferry services between the Isle of Man and Lancashire resume

Summary: Ferry services between the Isle of Man and Lancashire have resumed following disruption caused by strong winds.

The morning's sailing from Douglas to Heysham departed slightly later than scheduled at 08:50 GMT, an Isle of Man Steam Packet Company spokesman said. Monday's evening crossing of the Ben-my-Chree and its overnight return were scrapped due to adverse weather. As a result of the cancellation, no newspapers were delivered to the island on Tuesday. Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk

तेज़ हवाओं के कारण हुए व्यवधान के बाद आइल ऑफ मैन और लंकाशायर के बीच नौका सेवाएँ फिर से शुरू हो गई हैं।


Finland's Down's model Maija Mattila makes strides on catwalk

Summary: When a mixed-race girl with Down's syndrome sat down to watch Finland's Next Top Model, it might have seemed a distant world. But for Maija Mattila, it started the dream that changed her life.

By Naima MohamudBBC Africa Maija watched in awe as the tall, dark, aspiring model walked in front of judges of the reality TV show and posed for the camera. This was Polina Hiekkala, and she was doing everything Maija wanted to do. Maija's hazel brown eyes light up when she talks about modelling. The young Finnish-Nigerian woman explains how she has watched countless hours of catwalk videos on YouTube since being inspired by Hiekkala in 2012. "I started practising my walk at home, in front of the mirror," she says. Maija, who was born with Down's syndrome and is now 20, leans gently against her mother and laughs shyly when recalling her early steps towards a modelling career. Her mother, Anna-Erika Mattila, admits it was difficult to support her daughter's dream in the beginning. "I wanted her to have more realistic ambitions," she says. Viral video At school, Maija was bullied because of the colour of her skin. Maija's father is from Nigeria. Her mum is Finnish. "And then there's Down's syndrome on top of that," says her mother. Despite significant hurdles, Maija has pursued her dream. All the way, she has had support from friends and family. For her 18th birthday, a family friend gave Maija a gift voucher for a professional photo shoot. It became another life-changing moment. The shoot was held at the Finnish Broadcasting Company, where the team behind a youth-focused news programme caught wind of it. They liked her story, so they filmed her photo shoot and put together a package for their online show. It went viral. Shortly afterwards, Maija was doing radio and magazine interviews - and more photo shoots. "My biggest campaign so far has been for Kalevala Koru," says Maija, name-checking a well-known Helsinki jeweller. "I loved doing the catwalk at African Fashion Festival Helsinki," she adds. Life without pudding It has not all been straightforward, though. Fashion industry rules apply to her, like anyone else. "The hardest thing about modelling has been losing weight," she says. Her mother adds that Maija has lost 15kg (2st 5lb) over a couple of years. Naturally enough, the sacrifices have been tough. Last summer Maija gave up ice cream, chocolate and all sweets. Life without pudding is hard, she says, but the desire to become a model trumps her sweet tooth. You may also like: Though there are very few models in the world with Down's syndrome, Maija's mum believes their time is coming, suggesting there is room for more diversity in the modelling industry. She speaks about Madeline Stuart, an Australian model with Down's syndrome, who recently landed a contract. "It would be great if Maija and Madeline could do a shoot together one day, it would be like chocolate and vanilla," she says. African roots When walking around town, says Anna-Erika Mattila, "people often ask me where I have adopted Maija". She is not offended by this, more amused. People are naturally curious, she says, referring to Maija's darker complexion and her Down's syndrome. Skin colour also interests Maija. When she was younger she had difficulty understanding why her mother's colour was different to hers. And although Maija's father has not been in her life, she has taken a keen interest in Africa. "I want to go [to Nigeria], to just holiday and bathe in the sun," she says, adding how much she loves Nigerian singer Yemi Alade. She also hopes her journey will inspire others. "I want to be an example to others and encourage everybody to pursue their dreams and be proud of their skin colour."

जब डाउन सिंड्रोम से पीड़ित एक मिश्रित नस्ल की लड़की फिनलैंड के नेक्स्ट टॉप मॉडल को देखने के लिए बैठी, तो शायद यह एक दूर की दुनिया लग रही थी। लेकिन मैजा मटिला के लिए, इसने उस सपने की शुरुआत की जिसने उसका जीवन बदल दिया।


Little Mix: 'We don't need to act sexy to sell records'

Summary: Click onto YouTube and you can see Beyonce writhing on a pole, Nicki Minaj shaking her ample derriere, and Miley Cyrus straddling a giant wrecking ball, naked as the day she was born.

By Mark SavageEntertainment reporter But one band is boycotting the nudity and sexual choreography. And that band is Little Mix. "There's no need to do that kind of dancing," protests Jade Thirlwall. "Obviously, sometimes we do do a bit of sexy dancing but it's more empowering." "Yeah, it's sassy," agrees her bandmate Perrie Edwards. "Not gyrating on the floor thrusting our vaginas." Sex may sell - but Little Mix prove modesty is marketable. The quartet have sold 7.5 million records in four years, even scoring a top 10 album in the US with the clattering R&B of their second record, Salute. But surely they must come under pressure to show skin and sing suggestively? "Do you know what? I think it's different for girl bands," says Jesy Nelson. "Fans can find it intimidating if you're being sexy. "I think that's why, a lot of the time, girl bands haven't really worked - because it's too sexy and girls are like, 'mmm… no, I'm a bit worried you're going to steal my boyfriend off me'. I think that's why we have done quite well." Perrie chips in: "We're not about that anyway. We're in our own lane, we know what we stand for. We want to inspire people. "If we're a bit sexy, we're a bit sexy, if we're not, we don't really care. We don't feel like we have to have really skimpy outfits. We do whatever the heck we want. " Incredibly for a "manufactured" pop group, that statement contains a kernel of truth. Little Mix have just spent a year recording their third album - an aeon in the quick turnover world of girlbands - after they scrapped the first draft. "We wrote 100 or 200 songs," says Jesy. "We thought we had an album, and we sat down together as a group and we listened to them and we were like, 'They're very mismatched. It doesn't work together as an album.'" Crucially, they lacked a killer single - a problem that became increasingly urgent as time went on. "Without a single what are you going to do?" asks Leigh-Anne Pinnock. "We had so many deadlines we kept missing. We didn't want to get to a time where everyone forgot about us. It was really scary." So the band set up writing camps in the hope of finding a lead track. "We gave out all our concepts, lyric ideas, where we are in our lives, what we want to talk about," says Perrie. "But then," Leigh-Anne says, "Black Magic came and everything just fell into place." The single, out this week, is an instant classic: Effervescent, 80s-inspired pop with more hooks than a butchers, it is directly inspired by Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want To Have Fun. "When we got it we all cried," Jesy admits. The only sticking point for the band was their lack of involvement. "We've always written all our singles," says Leigh-Anne. "It's the first time we've been handed a single and asked 'do you want it?'" "But we just knew," adds Jade. "You can't deny it's a hit song." With the single selected, the rest of the album coalesced around a late-80s, early-90s sassy pop sound. They finally finished recording sessions last week. "I'm not going to lie, we are very happy to see the back of it," laughs Jesy. X Factor foundation Little Mix were formed, somewhat reluctantly, after auditioning as solo artists for the 2011 series of X Factor. "We got put together at boot camp," explains Perrie. "They based it on our height, but it just so happened we all loved each other." "They literally could not have picked three better girls." Luckily, they found their voices worked as a quartet, Jesy's tremulous vibrato complementing Perrie's three octave ad-libs, while Jade and Leigh-Anne took the lead lines. "We've all got such different voices, but the first time we sang together we all went 'wow'," says Leigh-Anne. "We practice over and over," adds Perrie. "Then we record it on our phones so that when we go to sleep we can listen to it in bed." But things nearly fell apart three weeks into the X Factor live shows when the band were forced to change their name after it was discovered a charity was already using their chosen moniker, Rhythmix. "We were so upset," says Perrie. "We weren't really seen that much, anyway, on the show. Nobody knew who we were. So when we had to change our name we just thought, 'oh great we may as well just go home now.'" Jesy adds: "I can never imagine being Rhythmix now. It just doesn't feel like us at all. It feels a bit boyish." "And it sounds too much like the Eurythmics," laughs Jade. They went on to win the show - and remain the only band ever to do so. Their winner's single, a cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball, has been airbrushed from history. On their arena tour last year, they introduced its follow-up, Wings, as "our very first record." That song - a juddering, multi-layered girl power anthem - set the Little Mix template; while the lyrics, about overcoming bullies, spoke directly to their teenage fanbase, known as Mixers, who the girls have been careful to cultivate. They are all over social media, setting challenges, recording video messages and even, for the Black Magic promotional campaign, performing a series of illusions. "We know how important it is, especially for our kind of fanbase," says Jade. "It's important that they always feel special." "They love knowing what we're up to and they love feeling involved," adds Perrie. "But we do it because we want to." The band's online presence has helped them crack the rest of the world, too. While Take That and Girls Aloud struggled in the States, Little Mix were already a known quantity by the time they released a single in America, thanks to their presence on YouTube and Twitter. Perrie explains: "It's really hard to find the balance between everyone in Japan or Australia and America. That's why social media is so powerful, because it helps." Their popularity isn't just about marketing, though. Little Mix are the first girl group since the Spice Girls who have that un-fakeable air of camaraderie. The band finish each other's sentences, whisper secrets and happily digress into discussions about toilet seat etiquette and she-wees ("It'd be great when we're on the road on tour," says Jade. "Instead of having to stop for a toilet break we could just do it out the window.") But there's a downside to their activity on social media. "Back in the Spice Girls era, you never had to see those negative comments," says Jade. "Anyone can say whatever they want." As Zayn Malik's fiance, Perrie gets the bulk of the abuse, but Jesy has been left in tears by trolls criticising her weight. "People just hide behind the computer," she says. "They'd never say it to your face. If you went up to them and said, 'tell us what you said on Twitter to my face' they'd be like, 'I'm sorry'." So if they really could practice Black Magic, who would they cast a spell on? "I've got a good one," says Leigh-Anne. "You know all the evil Daily Mail commenters? The disgusting people that sit there and spew out awful things about everyone? I would make them fart all the time. All the time, they would just fart." "I feel like you could have a better punishment than that," taunts Jesy. "Make them have no fingers so they can't type." Sensing the tone is shifting, Jade attempts to play peacemaker. "I'd mix a potion to make everyone positive. No more negativity," she says. "The ingredients would be the sound of laughter, a bit of kindness, a bit of compassion... And a lot of vodka." Black Magic is out now on Sony Records

यूट्यूब पर क्लिक करें और आप देख सकते हैं कि बियॉन्से एक खंभे पर लड़खड़ा रही है, निकी मिनाज अपने विशाल डेरियर को हिला रही है, और माइली साइरस एक विशाल विध्वंसक गेंद को फैला रही है, जिस दिन वह पैदा हुई थी।


Boko Haram crisis: Why it is hard to know the truth in Nigeria

Summary: It is not easy to find out the truth in Nigeria.

By Will RossBBC News, Lagos The Baga killings last week are a case in point, with politicians and government officials offering vastly different information - from 150 dead to 2,000. News of another attack by Islamist militants from Boko Haram often starts as a vague one-liner as was the case on 3 January: "Attack on Baga. Loud gunfire heard." This first bit of information often comes via social media. The challenge now is to find out the details and there are plenty of obstacles in the way of getting to the truth. First up there has been no mobile phone connection in Baga for many months after the jihadists attacked mobile phone masts in the north-east. There are of course the officials whose job it is to tell the world what is going on. But for the first few days of the Baga crisis both the military spokesmen and government officials were silent or not picking up calls. Then, often with help from colleagues from the BBC's Hausa service, the goal is to get through to people who have witnessed the violence. Fleeing On 4 January we spoke to a man who had walked for two days through the bush, eventually getting a lift to the relative safety of the biggest city in the area, Maiduguri, on a lorry. "There was shooting from every corner of the headquarters of the multinational task force," he tells me, adding that the exchange of fire lasted hours. Then there are more testimonies from witnesses who say the military base was overpowered and then the gunmen started killing civilians in Baga town. But every witness we speak to is fleeing for their life. They are not hanging around Baga to check exactly what's happening so it is hard to be sure we are getting facts. Then a local politician from the area weighs in with more accounts of people being shot in Baga and others dying as they fled, their boats capsizing on Lake Chad. "I don't know how many people have been killed," says Senator Maina Maaji Lawan, who represents Borno North. "But at least 70% of the area I represent is in Boko Haram hands." Four days after the attack and there is still silence from the government and the military. Totally untrue Then some journalists manage to meet the chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh. It is not an organised news conference but a hurried exchange in a car park. He is asked about the attack on the military base in Baga. Boko Haram at a glance Who are Boko Haram? Profile: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau Why Nigeria has not defeated Boko Haram "Of course there was an attack," he shoots back. "But don't worry we are at work." Can we retake Baga? Mr Badeh is asked. "Why not?" is the short reply. Seconds later he ducks into his car and is driven off. It is an unusual way for the capture of Baga to be confirmed officially although it is worth noting this is the same very senior military official who told us a few months ago that a ceasefire deal had been reached with Boko Haram which turned out to be totally untrue. More eyewitnesses fleeing Baga are telling the BBC about hundreds of bodies on the streets of Baga. Another local politician says 2,000 are dead. But he is not there to count them - nobody is because it is far too dangerous - so it is hard to believe him. Election focus Meanwhile in Paris news breaks of, initially at least, 12 people being shot dead by gunmen. Within minutes President Francois Hollande is speaking to the world's media offering some clarity and leadership. "This is an act of exceptional barbarism," he begins and says security measures are in place to apprehend the perpetrators. Ten days since Baga was first attacked and there have also been several suicide bombings. But we have not heard a word from Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan - except for a statement condemning the Paris attacks. The finance minister also appears keener to comment on events far away that have killed far less people. "Terrible incident. Our deepest sympathies to the journalists and their families. We are one with France in mourning," tweets Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala with the hash tag #JeSuisCharlie. Meanwhile local TV stations follow every twist and turn of the presidential election campaign - some are lengthy programmes sponsored by rival political parties. The media seem far more focused on the Valentine's Day vote. That seems to be where the politicians are focused too. On Monday evening the government put out a statement saying "the number of people who lost their lives during the Baga attack has so far not exceeded about 150". But we may never know how many have died in and around Baga. We know there will never be an investigation that will reveal the truth. It won't be the first time we are not sure if 150, 300, 500 or even 2,000 people were killed in a massacre in Nigeria.

नाइजीरिया में सच्चाई का पता लगाना आसान नहीं है।


Cyclone Idai devastation in pictures

Summary: Cyclone Idai has ravaged parts of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in what the UN says could be the worst weather-related disaster ever to hit the southern hemisphere. Millions of people were in the direct path of the cyclone, with the port city of Beira in Mozambique bearing the brunt.

The death toll in Mozambique is currently 200 but President Filipe Nyusi fears it could be far higher. Some 100,000 people need to be rescued from the port city of Beira (above), according to Mozambique's government. With hundreds still missing, people are searching through the rubble for their loved ones. In Zimbabwe (below), victims are carried in wooden coffins by barefoot family members along a makeshift path on the River Ngangu. Relatives cleared space for a mass burial site: On the Umvumvu River, below, locals watch in disbelief at the empty space where a bridge stood just days before. A UN World Food Programme worker said of the damage in Beira (above): "There is no power. There is no telecommunications. The streets are littered with fallen electricity lines." With every building in the city damaged in some way, people are left unsheltered against tough weather conditions. Some homes were stripped bare as walls and roofs were destroyed by the extreme wind and rain. The road between Beira and Chimoio has been damaged, leaving aid agencies cut off, unable to deliver supplies. Students at St Charles Luanga school in Zimbabwe, above, had to be rescued by the military. They navigated their way through a mudslide that had covered a major road, blocking their way out of the school. People who have had their entire livelihoods destroyed await handouts from aid agencies. Aerial photos show the far-reaching extent of the flooding, destroying crops, homes and lives: All photos copyright.

चक्रवात इडाई ने मोजाम्बिक, मलावी और जिम्बाब्वे के कुछ हिस्सों को तबाह कर दिया है, जिसे संयुक्त राष्ट्र का कहना है कि दक्षिणी गोलार्ध में अब तक की सबसे खराब मौसम संबंधी आपदा हो सकती है। लाखों लोग चक्रवात के सीधे रास्ते पर थे, जिसका खामियाजा मोजाम्बिक के बंदरगाह शहर बीरा को भुगतना पड़ा।


Sex Education: 'I wish I knew sex could be fun growing up'

Summary: You might remember a condom on a banana, or just a general sense that if you have sex, you'll either get A) pregnant or B) a disease. We're talking about sex education at school.

By Kirsty GrantNewsbeat reporter The messy corners of growing-up were tiptoed around by teachers who couldn't even bring themselves to say "penis". So when the TV show Sex Education - which centres around two students who set up a sex clinic in their school - first debuted on Netflix last year, it was a breath of fresh air. The first series boldly tackled topics including slut-shaming, abortion, virginity and masturbation - which Aimee Lou Wood, who plays Aimee Gibbs, told Radio 1 Newsbeat she "thought was only a boy thing". Growing up, Aimee thought she was a "weirdo" for wanting to masturbate. And when filming the series the 24-year-old found that other people felt the same. "When I filmed a masturbation scene, extras were asking me, 'What do you mean you had a scene like that? That's only for boys'." Chatting to some of the show's cast at the season two premiere it became obvious that lots of them feel they didn't learn enough about the realities of sex growing up. "Food, jobs, sex... it's a very key part of life and we don't know enough about it," Aimee said. "I wish I knew it was normal to want sex for pleasure, and not just to make babies." The character Aimee plays has one of the most talked about storylines of the series. She is sexually assaulted and the series sees her coming to terms with what happened. The storyline received huge reaction online. Aimee says her storyline had a "huge impact" on her. "I had to go back to when I was that age and how trusting I was. A lot of girls will relate to it." 'Everyone can learn something' Emma Mackey, who plays the show's female lead Maeve, agrees that the programme is important in challenging taboos. "The show makes you feel less lonely; I wish it existed when I was at school to make me feel more normal," she told us. When asked what they'd learnt during filming, the word "vaginismus" was quick to leave almost all cast members' mouths. The NHS says: "Vaginismus is when the vagina suddenly tightens up just as you try to insert something into it." Tanya Reynolds, whose character Lily has vaginismus, said: "I didn't even know it had a name. So many women will watch this and realised there's not something wrong with them." What are schools teaching about sex? As of spring 2020, it will be compulsory for all primary schools in England to teach "relationships education", which looks at friendship and emotions. Sex education in primary schools is not compulsory. English secondary schools must teach relationship and sex education (RSE) lessons. Parents can specifically request for their children not to be involved in sex education lessons, but not relationship lessons. The government's new requirements for secondary sex education include STIs, pregnancy, contraception and miscarriages. Scotland announced plans to review RSE lessons last year, to include things like sexual harassment and consent. Wales will be introducing a new compulsory RSE curriculum in 2022. Northern Irish schools must teach RSE lessons, but individual schools can decide the content. The programme has been commended for showing sex in a more realistic way than most. It replaces your average lowly-lit romantic sex scenes with clumsy, awkward ones where the teenage characters mostly have no idea what they're doing. This meant the cast had to be comfortable during the filming process. Patricia Allison, who plays Otis's new girlfriend Ola, said: "There was a sex director on set. They sent us a list before we had even read the script to ask how we felt about certain things. "Even if you said you were OK with something, you can change your mind and say I'm not comfortable with it today. And that's OK." She says filming the series taught her the "importance of saying no". 'Setting the bar high' The first season of Sex Education was one of two programmes that Netflix released viewing figures for. It was reportedly watched by more than 40 million households in its initial weeks. (That's people who watched 70% or more of an episode). The series has been highly praised for its diversity and representation in its casting and plot, which Emma says "shouldn't be a big deal". "We're setting the bar high in that regard, but it's about time. It should be normal." Otis' sexually-liberated best friend, Eric, struggles with homophobia and the relationship between sexuality and religion. Ncuti Gatwa, who plays Eric, said: "I love that this gay, black kid is not apologising for being who he is." The teaching of "LGBT content" in schools hasn't always been accepted. Last year there were ongoing protests outside a primary school in Birmingham which taught pupils about same-sex relationships as part of a teaching scheme called No Outsiders. Some parents said it contradicted their Islamic faith and was not "age appropriate". The school compromised, with a new equality programme after consulting with parents. The government says it encourages secondary schools to include LGBT issues in sex education. Ncuti said: "Representation matters, to educate kids about all the different types of people in the world so that when they encounter them they're not afraid." Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

आपको केले पर लगा कंडोम याद हो सकता है, या सिर्फ एक सामान्य भावना हो सकती है कि यदि आप यौन संबंध बनाते हैं, तो आपको या तो ए) गर्भवती होगी या बी) एक बीमारी होगी। हम स्कूल में यौन शिक्षा के बारे में बात कर रहे हैं।


How a community project aims to remember a 'loveable, caring little boy'

Summary: In February, eight-year-old Hamish Hey died in his mother's arms following a battle against cancer. Now in his home town of Nairn a major effort has begun in his name to create a beach-front community feature.

By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter Hamish had a happy, but tough life, says his mum Susan. When he was two-years-old in 2011 he was diagnosed with a metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma - a rare and aggressive soft tissue cancer. Months of intensive treatment followed, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Hamish also had pioneering surgery called rotationplasty which resulted in him having a prosthetic limb. "For three years after that you would not have known there was anything wrong with Hamish," says Susan. "He went to school. He did everything a child his age would do. He would run around playing with his older sister Lily." Then in March 2016, Hamish was diagnosed with a DIPG, an aggressive, inoperable tumour within the brainstem. It was unconnected to his earlier cancer, and there was no cure. The diagnosis came when Susan was receiving treatment herself for breast cancer. She says: "Hamish's final diagnosis came as the biggest blow. It is something myself and my husband, Sam, will never ever get over." The couple decided not to tell Hamish, then seven, or Lily, who was 10 at the time, that the cancer this time was incurable. "Sam and I knew what the outcome would be for Hamish," says Susan. "That he wouldn't survive. "But for Hamish and Lily we wanted them to have some kind of level of normality." Susan says Hamish, who endured a second round of cancer care with his usual smile, "was happy right to the end". She adds: "That final week, in terms of his health, he deteriorated very quickly. "His last words were: 'I love my life. I'm going to spend the rest of it in my bed'." Nine months after Hamish died, Susan was told her cancer had returned. "It is in my chest and lungs," she says. "I know they say there is no cure, but I am going to explore everything that is open to me. "I have to fight it. "I have to fight it for my wonderful husband and my beautiful daughter, and I need to be here for TeamHamish and what we want to achieve through the campaign." The family first started as fundraising to support charities that helped Hamish with his treatment and care. Then in May this year following Hamish's death TeamHamish was formed. The campaign is leading an effort to create a large-scale community feature at Nairn's beachfront. "While it would be something to remember Hamish by, we want it to be a place for everyone in Nairn - for children, teenagers and older people," says Susan. "Our family has had so much support from the local community. We want to give something back." Discussions have already begun with Highland Council and Nairn Community Improvement Enterprise (Nice). Susan, an art teacher and Sam, an architect, have also been looking locally and globally for inspiration for what the new area might include, such as play park apparatus, water features and sculptures. While the couple say they are itching to show the community their ideas, they are holding back to allow for early planning processes to be worked through. These include a scoping study looking at how the area involved could be developed in a way sensitive to the natural environment and other local interests. But one feature Susan hopes the area might include is a rainbow bridge. Susan says: "Without a shadow of a lie, when Hamish died in February there was a rainbow in the sky every day for two weeks. The rainbow is now part of our TeamHamish logo. "People told us one could be seen on the day of his funeral. People say it is Hamish watching us and we embraced that." Asked to try and sum up her son's personality, Susan says: "I know it sounds a bit clichéd, but Hamish's smile would light up a room. "He was a very lovable, caring little boy with a wonderful sense of humour, which he shared and he was loved by all in the community and beyond." Related Internet Links Nice

फरवरी में, आठ वर्षीय हामिश हे की कैंसर के खिलाफ लड़ाई के बाद उसकी माँ की गोद में मृत्यु हो गई। अब उसके गृह नगर नायरन में एक बीच-फ्रंट सामुदायिक सुविधा बनाने के लिए उसके नाम पर एक बड़ा प्रयास शुरू हो गया है।


'Unprecedented' rain sparks A59 Kex Gill landslip work

Summary: Two years of "unprecedented" rainfall mean a road in North Yorkshire must undergo £200,000 of work to protect it from landslips, a council has said.

Work on the A59 at Kex Gill is due to start later this week, just two years after it was last resurfaced and nearby banks were strengthened. North Yorkshire County Council said recent heavy rain had revealed the need for extra drainage at the site. The work is expected to last for about six weeks, the council said. The stretch of road at Kex Gill, near Blubberhouses, on the A59 between Skipton and Harrogate, runs across very high ground between even higher moorland, a council spokesman said. It had been affected by landslips in the past due to rainfall, he added.

एक परिषद ने कहा है कि दो साल की "अभूतपूर्व" वर्षा का मतलब है कि उत्तरी यॉर्कशायर में एक सड़क को भूस्खलन से बचाने के लिए 200,000 पाउंड का काम करना होगा।


Malaysian jet MH370: Refined analysis drives new search area

Summary: As expected, and reported by the BBC last week , the search for MH370 is going to shift hundreds of kilometres to the south of where an Australian defence vessel thought, mistakenly, it had detected signals from the jet’s submerged flight recorders.

Jonathan AmosScience correspondent@BBCAmoson Twitter The new region is a consequence of further, refined analysis of the brief, automated satellite communications with the plane in its last hours. This search area focuses on the so-called “7th arc” – a line through which the analysis suggests the jet had to have crossed as it made a final connection with ground systems. The interpretation of the data is that this last electronic “handshake” was prompted by a power interruption on board MH370 as its fuel ran down to exhaustion and its engines “flamed out”. The final connection is the jet trying to log back into the satellite network after the interruption, made possible perhaps by an auxiliary power source firing up. But there are very strong indications that MH370 crashed soon after. And here’s why. 'Spiralling downwards' Examination of the data shows there was another interruption and logon request from the plane much earlier in the flight. Such interruptions can occur for a number of reasons, including software glitches. But the sequence that follows a logon is telling. About 90 seconds after the satellite link is re-established, the entertainment system onboard the plane should also try to reconnect with the ground network. All this can be seen in the data for a handshake that occurs at 18:25 GMT, three minutes after the last radar sighting of the jet. But this entertainment reconnection does not occur following the 7th arc handshake at 00:19 GMT, almost five hours later. The hypothesis then is that MH370 cannot make such a request because by that stage it is spiralling rapidly downwards or has already even hit the water. This all means the wreckage should be very close to the 7th arc. But where precisely is dependent on a number of variables that include such aspects as the plane’s performance on that day and even the wind conditions. A model has been produced that takes account of all these features, and several teams within the investigation have been running the numbers; this is not the sole work of the satellite system’s operator, Inmarsat. What is more, these teams have run the numbers independently of each other. However, the collected view has arrived at a zone of highest priority covering some 60,000 sq km (23,200 sq miles). It is a strip running for about 650km (400 miles) with a width of 93km. Its northern end is a good 800km from where the ADV Ocean Shield’s towed pinger locator device detected those possible pulses from submerged flight recorders. These detections, it turns out, were not what one would have expected from properly functioning beacons, but only damaged ones. Nonetheless, it was determined that an underwater search using an autonomous sub should take place. As we all know now, it was fruitless, and the location has been ruled out as a final resting place for MH370. Two ships – the Chinese survey vessel Zhu Kezhen and the Australian-contracted Fugro Equator - are now busy mapping the ocean floor in the new search area. Once they have a detailed map of the shape and depth of the sea bed, the investigation team can then summon the best – and also the most appropriate - submersibles in the world to go hunt for sunken wreckage. The Australian authorities have laid out much of the analysis, and their reasons to go with the new search area, in a 55-page report. While no-one yet can presume they know what happened on MH370, it is clear from reading this document that investigators are working on the idea that the crew was unconscious for the larger part of the flight. Everything we know about MH370, and everything we've learned from previous accidents, would seem to point to the jet ending its flight after having spent a long time on autopilot. But quite how it could have got into this situation, eventually crashing into the southern Indian Ocean, is for now pure speculation.

जैसा कि अपेक्षित था, और बी. बी. सी. द्वारा पिछले सप्ताह बताया गया था, एम. एच. 370 की खोज सैकड़ों किलोमीटर दक्षिण की ओर स्थानांतरित होने जा रही है जहाँ एक ऑस्ट्रेलियाई रक्षा पोत ने सोचा था, गलती से, उसने जेट के जलमग्न उड़ान रिकॉर्डर से संकेतों का पता लगा लिया था।


Les Beaucamps High School rebuild may start in 2010

Summary: The rebuilding of Les Beaucamps High School, a £37m project, could start before the end of the year if the States of Guernsey agree.

The island's government is due to vote on funding for the two-year build in November. Peter Le Cheminant, who has been the head teacher for 18 years, said the problems had just got worse. He said: "There's always been problems with the building... they've been fixed up and then the problems start again." Built in the 1950s, Les Beaucamps is the oldest of the three secondary schools built after World War II and currently has more than 500 pupils.

लेस ब्यूकैम्प्स हाई स्कूल का पुनर्निर्माण, एक 37 मिलियन पाउंड की परियोजना, वर्ष के अंत से पहले शुरू हो सकती है यदि ग्वेर्नसे के राज्य सहमत हों।


Brexit: Why is the customs union so important?

Summary: We won't be staying in the EU's customs union, and we won't be joining a new customs union either - so says the government. But just in case you've got a bit lost in the weeds of what the, or indeed "a" customs union is, BBC Reality Check's Chris Morris explains the issues.

By Chris MorrisReality Check correspondent, BBC News So the customs union is back in the news… Haven't we talked about this before? We have, but like a fine wine some things get better with age. So remind me, what is the customs union? All members of the European Union are automatically members of the EU customs union (so is Monaco, but we're not going there). It means there are no internal tariffs (that is, taxes) on goods that are transported between them. That's a big advantage for businesses like those in the car industry that rely on complex manufacturing supply chains. They can move stuff from one country to another throughout the EU without added costs or delays. What about goods imported from elsewhere in the world? Members of the customs union impose what's known as a common external tariff. That means they all charge exactly the same tariffs on goods brought into customs union territory from other countries. The benefit of that is that once the common tariff has been paid, no-one has to prove where all the parts in their products originally come from (known as rules of origin) - something that can be time-consuming and expensive. But there's a but? There's always a but, and this one has become really important in the Brexit debate. In the customs union you don't get to negotiate your own trade deals on goods around the world. All that has to be done at the EU level, because that is the only way to maintain the consistency of the common external tariff. But the government insists that the UK must have the freedom to negotiate its own trade deals after Brexit, in order to deliver on the demand to "take back control". That raises a question though - will any trade deals we do with other countries make up for what we could lose in trade with the EU outside the single market and the customs union? Most economists say they won't. Could we negotiate a new customs union? We could try - this is what the Labour Party now advocates. Turkey has a customs union with the EU for most manufactured goods (it doesn't include agriculture, though) so there are precedents. But Turkey is still bound by the trade agreements the EU does around the world, and when new EU deals open up the Turkish market to companies from other countries, Turkey doesn't automatically get reciprocal rights for its companies. There are still long delays at Turkey's land border with the EU as well, because Turkey is not in the single market. Labour argues that the UK is a much bigger economy that could get a much better deal than Turkey, but there's no sign that the EU would allow the UK to continue to negotiate all its own trade agreements if such a deal was to be done. So what are the government's alternative solutions? The first one is a proposal that has emerged in Whitehall for a new customs partnership, in which the UK would collect the EU's tariffs on goods coming from other countries on the EU's behalf. If those goods didn't leave the UK and UK tariffs were lower, companies could then claim back the difference. Business doesn't like the fact that this could mean far more bureaucracy and cost; and anyway there are plenty of people, both within the government and outside, who simply don't think the system will work. It has never been done anywhere in the world on the kind of scale proposed. Many supporters of Brexit are also suspicious of the proposal for a customs partnership. They fear it is a deliberately impractical ruse, designed to keep the UK in the customs union by default. What's the second option? The second proposal has the catchy title of a "highly streamlined customs arrangement". The idea is that it would minimise checks rather than getting rid of them altogether, by using new technologies and things like trusted trader schemes, which could allow companies to pay duties in bulk every few months rather than every time their goods cross a border. The trouble with this idea is that it rubs up against one of the trickiest issues in the Brexit process… Let me guess - Ireland? Yes, both the EU and the UK have committed to keeping the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all but invisible, with no checks or infrastructure. Option two doesn't achieve that - in Whitehall-speak it is "maximum facilitation" (or max-fac) rather than no border at all. But even staying in the customs union wouldn't solve the problem on the Irish border entirely, because the UK would still be outside the single market and some checks would be needed to make sure goods complied with EU rules and regulations. Is there a solution out there? There are plenty of clever people working on it. Some supporters of Brexit accuse the EU of exaggerating the problem in order to back the UK into a corner. But the EU has insisted for some time that the UK's proposals won't work in Ireland. So it's not surprising that customs and the Irish border have now become a litmus test of how successful the Brexit negotiations may prove to be over the coming months. And there is a series of parliamentary tests ahead for the government that will keep all these issues in the news. In a symbolic vote on 26 April, the House of Commons approved a non-binding motion calling on the government to include the option of establishing "an effective customs union" as an objective in the Brexit negotiations. But more significant tests lie ahead in amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill and in particular to the Trade Bill - the latter calls explicitly for the UK to be part of a customs union. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter

हम यूरोपीय संघ के सीमा शुल्क संघ में नहीं रहेंगे, और न ही हम एक नए सीमा शुल्क संघ में शामिल होंगे-ऐसा ही सरकार कहती है। लेकिन अगर आप कुछ हद तक, या वास्तव में "ए" सीमा शुल्क संघ के खरपतवारों में खो गए हैं, तो बीबीसी रियलिटी चेक के क्रिस मॉरिस मुद्दों को समझाते हैं।


Quiz of the Week: Which gallery is hanging stolen art?

Summary: It's the weekly news quiz - have you been paying attention to what's been going on in the world during the past seven days?

If you cannot see the quiz, click here. Why not test yourself on our 2018 Quiz of the Year? 2018 Quiz of the Year 1: Jan - Mar 2018 Quiz of the Year 2: Apr - Jun 2018 Quiz of the Year 3: Jul - Sep 2018 Quiz of the Year 4: Oct - Dec Picture credits: Getty Images Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

यह साप्ताहिक समाचार प्रश्नोत्तरी है-क्या आप इस बात पर ध्यान दे रहे हैं कि पिछले सात दिनों से दुनिया में क्या हो रहा है?


Remploy staff in Aberdeen are told to end production

Summary: Staff at a factory which employs disabled workers in Aberdeen have been told they will end production on Thursday, BBC Scotland has learned.

Remploy in St Machar Road employs 15 workers, 14 of whom are disabled. A case to develop a social enterprise hub in its place was rejected and Remploy is expected to close next week. The workers will spend the remaining days clearing up the premises. It is understood the building will then be put up for sale. Remploy earlier said it was planning to close 36 of its 54 factories.

बीबीसी स्कॉटलैंड को पता चला है कि एबरडीन में विकलांग श्रमिकों को काम पर रखने वाले एक कारखाने के कर्मचारियों को बताया गया है कि वे गुरुवार को उत्पादन बंद कर देंगे।


Two badger snares seized by Cornwall wildlife police

Summary: Two illegal snares have been seized next to a badger sett entrance, by police in west Cornwall.

A wildlife crime officer for Devon and Cornwall Police reported finding the snares on Thursday night. Each of the snares had been fitted with two large fishing hooks, the officer said. The force said it was believed the illegal snares and hooks were likely to be used to "capture live animals for baiting". Badgers are protected under UK law, and also under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

पश्चिमी कॉर्नवाल में पुलिस ने एक बैजर बस्ती के प्रवेश द्वार के बगल में दो अवैध फंदे जब्त किए हैं।


Coronavirus briefing: UK 'six months from normal' and US extends restrictions

Summary: If you want to get this briefing by email, sign up here

By Victoria KingBBC News PM praises UK response The prime minister may be in isolation with coronavirus, but he tried to rally the country on Sunday night in his latest message to the nation. It came after two days in which the UK death toll jumped significantly to 1,228, including two NHS doctors. Citing the 20,000 former NHS staff who have returned to work and the 750,000 members of the public who have volunteered to help the most vulnerable, a croaky-sounding Boris Johnson said it was proof his Conservative predecessor Margaret Thatcher was wrong when she famously declared "there is no such thing as society". The PM also said the majority of people appeared to be obeying social distancing restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the virus, despite some eye-catching exceptions. Earlier, England's deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries warned it could be six months before life in the UK returned to normal - although she stressed that didn't mean "complete lockdown" for all that time. Instead, restrictions will most likely be eased gradually over the next three to six months. Lifting restrictions too early could be dangerous, she added. We're all becoming very familiar with the need to keep at least two metres away from other people - health correspondent Laura Foster helps explain the best ways to do that. You can also meet some of the "shielded" - those enduring 12 weeks of total isolation - and watch the impact of the "stay at home" message on London's usually clogged streets in this striking timelapse video. Global picture Donald Trump had said he believed the US could get back to something approaching normal by Easter, but on Sunday night, the president appeared to abandon that hope. He said social distancing measures would be extended across the US until at least 30 April. The death toll in the US has reached almost 2,500, and earlier, White House medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci warned the virus could eventually kill up to 200,000 Americans. Elsewhere in the world, Australia has tightened restrictions on public life designed to tackle the disease, while India's prime minister has apologised for the impact of similar curbs. Narendra Modi has been criticised over the lack of planning ahead of India's shutdown, which has left many citizens jobless and hungry. Globally, there have been more than 720,000 infections and almost 34,000 deaths. Italy remains by far the worst hit country, with more than 10,000 fatalities, followed by Spain and then China. Our visual guide shows how coronavirus has spread around the world - or if you're in the UK, find out the picture at a local level here. Follow all the latest updates via our live page. Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning Readying the NHS We know a surge in coronavirus cases is coming and that means a huge increase in pressure on the NHS. Our health correspondent Nick Triggle looks at what it has been doing to prepare. One step has been to create a big field hospital in east London and we've learned that thousands of cabin crew left without work due to the crisis have been offered jobs there. Supply of equipment will also be crucial as things intensify, and in a piece of good news this morning, a breathing aid which can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care has been created in under a week. Up to 1,000 of the CPAP machines can be produced per day, and creators say they will save lives by ensuring ventilators are kept available for only the most seriously ill. Why are ventilators so vital? Here we explain. Why are people stealing hospital supplies? By Dr John Wright, Bradford Royal Infirmary Following the UK-wide lockdown the hospital followed suit, in a bid to limit transmission of the coronavirus. Eighteen entrances across the 26-acre site were sealed off and everyone is now funnelled through one main door. But on Thursday night, as millions of people across the UK stepped out of their houses and applauded NHS workers, one man carefully dressed in doctor's scrubs. He even completed his disguise with a stethoscope. He then attempted to bluff his way past the security guard demanding to see his pass, and when he was exposed he made a run for it. Read the full article One thing not to miss today From Spiderman artist to drawing teacher Listen up On the latest Coronavirus Newscast, the team talk to special guest Nigella Lawson about your isolation dinner dilemmas. And in From Our Own Correspondent, BBC colleagues from Singapore, Germany and elsewhere report on the fight against the disease where they are. What the papers say Most papers highlight the warning that life in Britain will not return to normal for six months. The Times says it's "almost inevitable" the current restrictions will be extended beyond the three weeks initially announced. The Daily Telegraph feels the rising death toll "will convince the country that more time is needed", but people "need to be told something more than things are going to get worse if we are to get through this". A number of papers feature an image of Amged El-Hawrani - one of the first British doctors to die with the virus. According to the Guardian, his death - and that of another doctor, Adil El Tayar - has "intensified pressure" on ministers to accelerate the supply of protective equipment to staff. The Daily Mirror says doctors are "pleading", and the Daily Mail thinks Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick "faced a rough ride" over No 10's handling of the pandemic on Sunday. From elsewhere How to deal if everyone's anxiety is piling onto yours (Huffington Post) The fate of the news in the age of the coronavirus (New Yorker) 'He spat on his credit card': Retail workers fear shoppers behaving badly (Sydney Morning Herald) How supply chains jumped from business school and into our lives (Bloomberg) Sign up for a morning briefing direct to your phone Need something different? Who is really in control of your mind? BBC Ideas explains why the answer isn't quite as straightforward as you probably think. As the final episode of the BBC's gripping podcast Girl Taken is released, we speak to ex-soldier-turned-good-Samaritan Rob Lawrie who was drawn into a web of lies and life-changing events. Finally, read about why the BBC's Justin Rowlatt found a trip to Antarctica made him emotional, and ultimately hopeful. The piece also includes some truly stunning photographs of a barely-visited land.

यदि आप ईमेल द्वारा यह जानकारी प्राप्त करना चाहते हैं, तो यहां साइन अप करें


Seaside railway posters go under hammer in New York

Summary: A collection of vintage railway posters is expected to fetch £9,000 when it goes under the hammer in New York on Tuesday.

Northampton-born Henry George Gawthorn was one of the artists who created the five pre-war posters to promote East Anglia's seaside resorts. The artworks, produced between 1923 and 1947, will be sold at Swann Galleries. The colourful posters were commissioned by rail companies and displayed on station platforms and waiting rooms. In recent years the artworks have become increasingly fashionable, auctioneers said. In 2002, a poster produced by Henry George Gawthorn for the London and North Eastern Railway featuring St Andrews in Scotland, sold for more than £21,000, three times its top estimate.

मंगलवार को न्यूयॉर्क में पुराने रेलवे पोस्टरों के संग्रह से 9,000 पाउंड मिलने की उम्मीद है।


Walsall Manor Hospital ward closed to visitors over bug

Summary: One ward remains closed to visitors at a West Midlands hospital after an outbreak of the norovirus bug.

Walsall Manor Hospital said it reopened nearly all of its wards to visitors on Wednesday. But the visiting restriction remains on ward 4, as this still has some patients affected with the virus. The hospital urged visitors to stay away for at least 48 hours if they are, or have been, recently affected by vomiting and diarrhoea. It added if members of the public had been with a friend or family member who had shown symptoms either of vomiting or diarrhoea, they should not visit the hospital.

नोरोवायरस बग के प्रकोप के बाद वेस्ट मिडलैंड्स अस्पताल में एक वार्ड आगंतुकों के लिए बंद रहता है।


National Parks competition won by Peak District photo

Summary: A stunning shot of the Peak District has been announced as the winner of a photography competition celebrating the 70th anniversary of UK National Parks.

Graphic designer Kieran Metcalfe, who lives in Cheshire, was crowned the winner among almost 1,500 entries with his photograph of Chrome Hill, in Derbyshire, looking towards Parkhouse Hill. He said: "I was thrilled to hear the image had been shortlisted, but I'm completely bowled over at it being selected by the judges as the overall winner." Here are a selection of other picturesque places that made the shortlist. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

पीक डिस्ट्रिक्ट के एक आश्चर्यजनक दृश्य को यू. के. राष्ट्रीय उद्यानों की 70वीं वर्षगांठ मनाते हुए एक फोटोग्राफी प्रतियोगिता के विजेता के रूप में घोषित किया गया है।


Indyref2: The economic questions

Summary: The indyref2 campaign is already under way. Did it ever stop? Will it ever stop?

By Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland The arguments now are political and constitutional. But what about the economic part of the debate? It mattered a lot last time. It will matter a lot if there's to be a next time. The sound of battle will be familiar, but significant parts of the weaponry have changed. If the combatants have any sense - by no means guaranteed - they'll have learned what worked in 2014, what risks being overworked, and what to avoid next time round. As a consequence, my hunch is that economics will play a lower profile role. The pro-union side will surely want to stick with the familiar, but the battleground that the pro-indy side is more likely to choose is: Finance and economy, however, is what I cover. So mindful that it is only one of the debating battlegrounds in play, what has changed? Trade Way back in 2014, it was assumed an independent Scotland would wish to stay in the European Union. If it did, it would have access to the single market with the other 28 countries, including the rest of the UK. There were disputes as to how easily an indy Scotland would secure EU membership. But apart from that, the proposition then seems relatively simple now. The question now is how fast an independent Scotland would get back into the European Union, or if it would prefer to settle for Norway-style access to the single market without membership - for a price. Supposing it did, then it could sell into that market of nearly 450 million Europeans, while making use of the EU's trading relationships around the world. But it currently sells four times more to the rest of the UK than it sells to the rest of Europe. The access it would have to the market across the Cheviots would depend on the deal struck between Downing Street and the Berlaymont. The European Commission would revert to speaking for Scotland on trade. So there could be a hard border between Scotland/Europe and England - not an impenetrable barrier, but an obstacle which brings hindrances, checks, paperwork, delays and perhaps tariffs. That probably wouldn't be the choice of the government in Edinburgh, but would result from decisions made by political leaders in Brussels or London. ("Probably"? Yes, it's a risky word to use. We simply don't know what would happen. As in the past two referendums, the choice ahead is between different varieties of uncertain future.) Currency The question of Scotland's currency is going to sound familiar. Using the pound, the euro, or a new Scottish currency? What seems to have gone quiet is talk of sharing control of sterling. That was the main target for pro-union attacks three years ago. Whoever was right, the focus on it didn't much help the pro-indy cause. This time, I'm hearing more talk about shadowing sterling, or firmly pegging a Scottish currency to sterling through a so-called currency board. It would keep transactions cheap and remove exchange rate uncertainty, but would leave Scotland's interest rates and the exchange value of its currency at the mercy of the Bank of England. As such, what would the European Union members make of it? EU rules require new members to prepare for euro membership. That requires them to run their own currency for at least two years, and have all the institutions that go with it, including a central bank. Could an independent Scotland simply ignore those rules, sign up without any intention of following through, or have its currency run from London, outside the European Union? EU members' deficits, meanwhile - and even outside the euro - should be under 3% of national output. This month's budget shows the UK budget has reached that level, but only after seven years of austerity. Scotland's most recent deficit figure, for 2015-16, was 9.5% of total output. Recent, very painful experience has made Europeans wary of those who flout such rules. If the euro project is to be sustained, the next phase will surely require firmer rules and tighter integration. Oil So how about that deficit? The most recent Gers figures - government expenditure and revenue, estimated by the Scottish government - show that 9.5% 2015-16 deficit is a shortfall of £15 billion. That may be affordable in the short run, if that money can be borrowed, possibly at a premium interest rate. But without superlative economic growth, it's not sustainable. To be clear, that is a measure of how much spending is out of kilter with revenue. What it's not is a measure of Scotland's economic strength or weakness. Much of it is a transfer, not from the Treasury, but from the bond markets, where the Treasury also depends on borrowing big. Or looked at another way, it's a transfer from future taxpayers. Nor is it a position that would remain fixed in an independent Scotland. Having built the independence case on Gers figures in 2014, true believers now seek to undermine them. They might be the starting point, it is conceded, but imagine what might follow. Indeed. Imagine. The deficit would force choices - of higher tax or lower spending, or whatever it would take to grow the economy a lot faster. A lot of these numbers have to do with oil. Scotland's public finances have looked more sustainable when offshore tax from beneath its seabed has been factored in. The 2014 prospectus for independence highlighted preceding years of bumper oil tax revenue, at more than £10 billion. The one-year snapshot for the an independent Scotland's first year, 2016-17, put offshore revenues at between £6.8bn and £7.9bn. The reality, with the oil price more than halved, is that tax revenues have gone slightly negative. Net, they're tax allowances. This year, the oil price has firmed up. UK production is rising, following heavy investment. But it's not expected to be accompanied by much of an uplift in tax revenue - not with lower tax rates, more tax breaks, and more still being urged by the Scottish National Party. Annual take might reach £1bn in each of the next five years, says the Office for Budget Responsibility, but the days when oil was a gusher of tax revenue are in the past now. Growth So how will the pro-independence cause handle those fiscal gaps (apart from focussing instead on identity, values and democracy)? Without tax increases or spending cuts which Labour describes as "turbo-charged austerity", the only alternative is growth. It wasn't clearly spelled out in 2014 how growth would be boosted. If there is a transmission mechanism from "more powers" to making the right policy decisions, implementing them effectively and achieving a turbo-charged growth rate, then it wasn't revealed. It might be easier to achieve if there weren't competing priorities, such as increased public spending commitments or reducing inequality. The growth commission set up by Nicola Sturgeon and led by former MSP and economist Andrew Wilson is trying to figure out a way through this. It was Wilson who admitted recently that the "oil is a bonus" argument in 2014 was untrue. Those oil revenues were "baked in" to the Scottish government's figures, he said. In that same interview, with my BBC colleague Sarah Smith, Andrew Wilson gave some other broad hints about his direction of travel. It is towards honesty and candour about choices, and the difficulties an independent Scotland would face, at least initially. If Nicola Sturgeon is to choose a referendum, he said, "she wants it to be on the basis of an exposition which is honest, transparent, full of content". "We can be absolutely certain that when people come to choose, they'll have more certainty, more information, more of a sense of what the future might hold than probably in any other vote that they've had," says Wilson. "What's also true is that the world is an uncertain place, so one of the great judgements we all have to make is in the face of such uncertainty, such tumult in the world at present, what do we do to look after ourselves and how do we protect our interests and secure ourselves? And that probably will be the core tone of any vote, should it come to it." Campaign rhetoric His comments reflect one of the challenges now facing the pro-independence campaign in the wake of a Brexit and a Trump campaigns. In those, wild, unsubstantiated and deliberately misleading claims were made. For both Brexiteers and the new US president, reality is now biting. Voters can see what happens when campaign rhetoric about getting easy results from future negotiations meets the harsh reality of well-prepared negotiating adversaries. So "the Mexicans will pay for the wall", "Germans will do anything to ensure they can still sell Brits BMWs" and "Westminster will give Scotland whatever we ask" all meet scepticism. Wilson reckons the Scottish electorate will now demand a higher quality prospectus. Yet there are plenty who think that a prospectus with far less detail than the 'Scotland's Future' white paper would serve the cause better. That's an interesting campaign dilemma. Uncertainty All this is to suggest that the campaign will be defined by the pro-independence cause, and the question marks over its prospectus. Of course, it won't. And what has changed most from 2014 is that the pro-union side is also offering an uncertain future, located somewhere in the political and economic unknown. If there's to be a second independence referendum, it will not offer voters the choice of the status quo, but of Scotland either out of the EU, or out of the UK, or perhaps out of both. Thus, when pro-union campaigners challenge nationalists on their future trading arrangements, the UK has even less clarity. When they challenge on currency, that's after the Brexit vote pushed sterling over a cliff, fuelling import-driven inflation. When they challenge on the fiscal black hole, that's with the UK government having repeatedly broken its own fiscal rules, and running up a debt now heading for £2 trillion. And when the Prime Minister says the Scottish government has "tunnel vision", that it's treating politics like a game, that a referendum will be divisive and create uncertainty, and that Holyrood ministers should get back to improving public services… well, all the same criticisms could be levelled at the Westminster government and Brexit. Related Internet Links Scottish Government

इंडिरेफ2 अभियान पहले से ही चल रहा है। क्या यह कभी रुका? क्या यह कभी रुका?


No-deal Brexit 'threatens' UK science industry, says Wellcome Trust

Summary: The head of the UK's biggest charitable funder of scientific research has written to the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson backing his vision of a thriving science sector, but warning that leaving the EU without a deal is a "threat to that".

By Faisal IslamEconomics editor In a letter, seen by the BBC, chairwoman of the Wellcome Trust Lady Eliza Manningham-Buller, asks the new PM to up investment spending in science to German levels, and to ensure that immigration policy was "more welcoming" to top scientists. The Wellcome Trust is responsible for £1bn of funding a year, and should be a key part of Boris Johnson's vision of the UK as a "science superpower". Its chairwoman told the BBC that while she agrees that there is a great prize to be grasped she is anxious about the damage she says Brexit has done to recruiting scientists. "While we do collaborative work of course with the US and areas outside Europe, Australia, Singapore, other countries - and those matter - the vast bulk of the collaborations are with Europe. "And if we amputate them, or make those collaborations difficult or harder to do - we will be the loser," she said. She pointed specifically to a 50% drop in applicants from the European Union to study at the Sanger Institute in Cambridge, the institute that mapped a third of the human genome. 'Tipping point' In the letter sent to the prime minister, Lady Manningham-Buller specifically addressed the issue of a no-deal Brexit: "Wellcome spends around £1bn a year to support research, and most of our money is spent in the UK because it has a thriving sector. "Leaving the EU without a deal is a threat to that. I am afraid that some damage has already been done, with loss of researchers, and influence," she wrote. Lady Manningham-Buller - a former director general of MI5 - said that Brexit may offer an opportunity for the UK to set global standards in new emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and genomic medicine, but her central message to the new prime minister was that his vision of global science leadership was difficult to reconcile with a no-deal Brexit. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she warned the UK's position as a "scientific superpower" could be threatened. Lady Manningham-Buller said: "We have an opportunity to build the science base here, to spend the sort of money our competitors are doing, to do a whole range of things. "But we are at a tipping point. If we don't do some of those things, if we make the UK unfriendly to scientists overseas, the damage that has already been done in the last three years by the uncertainty of Brexit will be compounded." Sir Paul Nurse, director of the Crick Institute partly funded by the Wellcome Trust, and a Nobel Prize winner, predicted to the BBC that Mr Johnson would see that his ambition for a thriving science sector was not coherent with no-deal Brexit. "They are not compatible. And when Boris looks, he will increasingly be aware, if he listens to the people who do know about this it is not compatible. "His speech was great, we welcome it. What he is trying to do though is the complete opposite. He, over coming months, will learn to recognise that, not only for science but for the economy and I think he will change his position." Downing Street said the prime minister was committed to supporting the UK's science sector so it can take advantage of opportunities outside the EU. A spokesperson said Mr Johnson wanted to see the UK offer the "best environment for cutting edge scientific research", and "welcome brilliant scientific talent". They added: "He has also been clear that we will continue to attract the brightest and best people from around the world."

ब्रिटेन के वैज्ञानिक अनुसंधान के सबसे बड़े धर्मार्थ वित्तदाता के प्रमुख ने नए प्रधान मंत्री बोरिस जॉनसन को एक संपन्न विज्ञान क्षेत्र के अपने दृष्टिकोण का समर्थन करते हुए लिखा है, लेकिन चेतावनी दी है कि बिना किसी सौदे के यूरोपीय संघ को छोड़ना "उसके लिए खतरा" है।


Work on environment centre near Basildon starts

Summary: Construction of a new £1.2m environment centre and visitor attraction at the Wat Tyler Country Park near Basildon has started.

The work to renovate half of the existing Motorboat Museum to turn it into a new Green Centre should be completed by next spring. The theme of the centre will be sustainability in the Basildon area. It will include the geological and social history of the district. The project will be financed with £1m from the government's Thames Gateway Parklands scheme. The scheme has also received £200,000 from the Veolia Pitsea Marshes Trust.

बेसिल्डन के पास वाट टायलर कंट्री पार्क में एक नए 12 लाख पाउंड के पर्यावरण केंद्र और आगंतुकों के आकर्षण का निर्माण शुरू हो गया है।


"Stop violence" - urge Londoners

Summary: Two sides were separated only by a thin line

Section of Tamil and Sinhala diaspora gathered at a London street on Tuesday called upon the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to stop violence while President Mahinda Rajapakse was attending the Conference of Commonwealth Heads of State. The protests were coincided with the Conference of Commonwealth Heads of State which met at the Marlborough House to discuss reform of World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The protest ‘Sri Lankans Against Terrorism’ led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) against the LTTE and its acts of terrorism was held opposite the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. A Parallel protest was held jointly by Tamil, and International organizations calling Sri Lanka government to stop the war in the same venue. The two protests held side by side on the Pall Mall were peaceful and lasted for about two hours amidst police presence. Sri Lankans Against Terrorism comprising of Sri Lanka Peace Forum, Tamil Peace Foundation, Sri Lanka, Muslim Forum Actions Group of Sri Lanka, Tamil Sangam-UK, Sri Lankans Without Borders call upon the friends in the UK and the Commonwealth to assist in bringing democracy to Northern Province still under the clutches of the Tamil Tigers and support democracy in Sri Lanka challenged by Tamil Tiger Terrorism. They also called upon them to exert pressure on the Tamil Tigers to disarm and enter the democratic process and prevent them from raising funds on British and Commonwealth countries. While asking concerted action against Tamil Tiger front organisations they call upon Commonwealth Heads of Government to support Rajapakse government’s commitment to the strengthening of democracy and finding a political solution. The protest against the Sri Lankan government was organised by the British Tamils Forum, Nava Sama Samaja Party (UK), International Socialist Group Socialist Party, Tamil Youth Organization, South Asia Solidarity Group and Solidarity for Peace. They called upon the government to stop the war, recognise Tamils’ self-determination, and create a ‘Safe Haven’ to protect innocent Tamil civilians from indiscriminate aerial bombardment. Impose International arms embargo, and economic sanctions (Do not grant GSP +) and force Sri Lanka to cut war budget and feed the masses were among their demands from the Commonwealth Heads of government.

दो पक्षों को केवल एक पतली रेखा द्वारा अलग किया गया था


Egypt River Nile ferry accident 'kills at least 17'

Summary: A minibus carrying some 32 mourners to a funeral fell off a ferry on the River Nile in Egypt, killing at least 17 people, officials say.

Ten of the passengers survived, but five people are still missing, after the accident in Beni Suef region, they said. The state news agency had put the death toll at 43, but then revised it to 22. Transport accidents are common in Egypt, often blamed on poor maintenance and a lack of regulation. A security official told the Associated Press that the minibus had slid off the ferry because the emergency brake was not on. Another report said the bus fell off the ferry after it crashed into the shore. Rescuers were sent to the scene, some 70 miles (110km) south of Cairo.

अधिकारियों का कहना है कि मिस्र में नील नदी पर एक नौका से 32 शोकाकुल लोगों को ले जा रही एक मिनी बस गिर गई, जिसमें कम से कम 17 लोगों की मौत हो गई।


The sign language lawyer who became a social media star

Summary: When a lawyer posted a video in sign language about the danger of Ponzi schemes, his post went viral and hundreds of deaf people got in touch with their legal troubles, from fraud to domestic violence. He had uncovered a huge community in need of help.

By Paul Harrison and Kerry AllenBBC News Tang Shuai was simply trying to improve legal knowledge among the deaf community when he posted the video on China's WeChat messaging app in February. It was an instant hit. Mr Tang was flooded with so many friend requests that he had to ask WeChat to boost the friend limit from 5,000 to 10,000. So why did it strike such a chord? The answer goes way beyond legal difficulties and into the complex world of sign language in China. Language barriers There are two types of sign language in the country. Chinese Sign Language (CSL) is taught in schools and used by most interpreters and instructors. It is the standardised version of the language, tied closely to the written language. But day-to-day, many deaf people also use natural sign language. The language has grown and evolved over time, and changes from region to region. This has led to misunderstandings in courtrooms - and some dire consequences for deaf people - which Mr Tang is well placed to understand. He was born to deaf parents in Chongqing in south-west China, and can understand both forms of sign language. But he tells the BBC that his parents were initially hesitant about him learning. "My parents didn't like me studying sign language at first," Mr Tang says. "I had no choice but to quietly sneak into my parents' factory, to learn with the deaf ladies and gentlemen there," explaining that many of the workers were deaf themselves. He picked up more skills by visiting the popular Chaotianmen tourist area. "Many deaf people from outside of the city come there. It was possible for me to learn many different versions of sign language," he says. Lost in translation Before becoming a lawyer, Mr Tang worked for six years as a sign language interpreter in Chinese courts. He studied law after realising many deaf people knew little about their legal rights. He tells of one notable case, where he defended a man suspected of theft. "When I went to the city detention centre to meet [my client] I used natural sign language. He was surprised to see that I could communicate with him...then he told me, 'I can't understand much of the sign language used by the [police] interpreters'." Mr Tang said additional sign language lawyers were brought in to assess mistakes in the translation of evidence given earlier in the case, and the court ruled his client was innocent of one of the original charges. After the case, the judge told Mr Tang the case highlighted the "many problems, where deaf people are involved, in the translation of sign language." You might also like: Defending the voiceless Mr Tang wanted to do more to help the deaf community. Despite a significant expansion in access to education, some deaf Chinese are still targeted by financial scam organisers. Stories of deaf people who lost fortunes in scams prompted Mr Tang to launch the video series that shot him to social media fame. Financial scams are thriving in many parts of China as organisers target vulnerable communities with the promise of employment or lucrative returns for direct sales. Victims are promised rewards if they recruit more investors into the operation. The schemes operate by attracting new investors, with some of the funds paid back to early joiners. Experts say the Chinese schemes are different to Western versions due to the lack of sophistication of the investors involved. Mr Tang outlined the pitfalls of Ponzi schemes by telling the story of a wolf that cheats rabbits by promising to give them high returns on their investments - for every 10 carrots they invested each month, he would give them four carrots as profit. When word got out, more rabbits would give their carrots to the wolf but in the end, the wolf conned them all by running away with their carrots. Mr Tang's video was praised not only by deaf people in China, but netizens and even the national media. He became an online celebrity almost overnight, with many outlets dubbing him the spokesperson for "those in the world that are voiceless". Now he uses his expertise to promote legal awareness among the deaf community, alongside his full-time job as a lawyer. He set up a public WeChat account for his video series to provide education on key legal issues. He also set up a legal welfare service to give face-to-face consultations using video calls. After being inundated with requests for legal assistance - and because of the lack of signing lawyers in China - he started training sessions for deaf people who want to forge a career in law. According to media reports, Mr Tang has hired five deaf graduates from a local university and is training them to provide legal guidance to deaf people. Deaf people aren't the only ones empowered by his videos. Mr Tang has inspired thousands of hearing people, with many saying they now want to learn sign language. "I hope that sign language can be as important as a foreign language in our national education system," one Weibo user says.

जब एक वकील ने पोंजी योजनाओं के खतरे के बारे में सांकेतिक भाषा में एक वीडियो पोस्ट किया, तो उसकी पोस्ट वायरल हो गई और सैकड़ों बधिर लोग धोखाधड़ी से लेकर घरेलू हिंसा तक अपनी कानूनी परेशानियों के संपर्क में आ गए। उसने मदद की जरूरत वाले एक बड़े समुदाय का खुलासा किया था।


HMP Woodhill prisoner death: Man named as Taras Nykolyn

Summary: A prisoner who was killed in jail after an "altercation" between four men has been named.

Police said the victim was 49-year-old Taras Nykolyn, died at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes on 5 June. A preliminary port-mortem investigation found he died from head and facial injuries. Three men, aged 32, 33 and 36, were arrested on suspicion of murder and have been released under investigation back into the prison system. Thames Valley Police said its investigations were continuing. Woodhill is a Category A jail which has about 800 prisoners.

चार लोगों के बीच "विवाद" के बाद जेल में मारे गए एक कैदी का नाम लिया गया है।


Anura meets President

Summary: Former National Heritage minister, Anura Bandaranaike, has met President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an attempt to reconcile after the latest developments.

The meeting was arranged by Western Province Governor, Alavi Moulana, a senior leader of ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Bandaranaike and two other ministers were sacked by the President Rajapaksa on Friday. The former minister strongly criticised the Rajapaksa government after he was sacked. He was happy not to be a part of 'hellish' government led by Rajapaksa, Bandaranaike told BBC Sandeshaya. Rajapaksa told a special SLFP Ex-co meeting that a group of dissidents conspired to assassinate him.

पूर्व राष्ट्रीय विरासत मंत्री अनुरा भंडारनायके ने नवीनतम घटनाक्रमों के बाद सुलह करने के प्रयास में राष्ट्रपति महिंदा राजपक्षे से मुलाकात की है।


Comey 'confused' by order to refer to Clinton email probe as a 'matter'

Summary: Former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch ordered the then head of the FBI to refer to the inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails as a "matter" rather than an investigation, he has said.

James Comey told a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that he was "confused and concerned" by the remark. He said it was one of the reasons he felt compelled to announce his findings into the case. The email controversy dogged Mrs Clinton's presidential campaign. Some say it was responsible for her election defeat. Mr Comey announced last July that an investigation into Mrs Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state would be closed without prosecution. "At one point the attorney general directed me not to call it an investigation but instead to call it a matter, which confused me and concerned me," Mr Comey told senators. Donald Trump has alleged that Mrs Lynch agreed to let Mrs Clinton off the hook in return for the promise that she would keep her job if the Democrat won the election and became president.

उन्होंने कहा है कि अमेरिका की पूर्व अटॉर्नी जनरल लोरेटा लिंच ने तत्कालीन एफबीआई प्रमुख को आदेश दिया था कि वे हिलेरी क्लिंटन के ईमेल की जांच को जांच के बजाय "मामले" के रूप में देखें।


Secret Cinema founder 'working tirelessly'

Summary: Fabien Riggall, the founder of Secret Cinema has spoken exclusively to the BBC News website on the "failure to meet technical requirements" which has caused the ongoing cancellation of an immersive screening of 1985 sci-fi film Back To The Future.

Why have the shows been cancelled? What's happened is that we've been dong these events for the last 10 years [and this time] I think we've pushed it into the next phase of what Secret Cinema is. The ambition is great for this show and even though we were able to get the site ready in terms of of overall build, we've not been able to get to the point that we've needed to satisfy various parties. Who are the various parties? The local authority. Basically we're working with our landlords and the local council, which is Newham. Secret Cinema is a very different kind of experience to a normal concert or show, and it has taken longer to demonstrate to them so they are happy. Was the situation that you tried to get permission every day, and every day the council would come back late in the day and say "no"? I've got nothing against the local authority, I know they just want to really understand the show and we're really close to that. They're being incredibly helpful and constructive. But it's difficult, it's challenging, when you're doing something new for them to understand. There were reports of health and safety issues. What can you say about that? The allegations and stories going around online - I appreciate how unbelievably disappointed and frustrated people must feel. It's absolutely heartbreaking, but we've built a town in east London [and] the requirements that were placed on us... We've never had a problem in the past but we are working tirelessly to get this show running. Will Saturday night's event go ahead? I've made a decision that we're going to cancel all this weekend's shows. I believe we could open tomorrow, absolutely, but I don't want to give any more false promises. I would like to compensate that audience in terms of refunding their tickets or moving their tickets over. Why have you left it so late to give notice of the cancellations? It's not always nice working in live events and creating theatre shows out in the open. I've been close to the wire before - it's pretty much always close to the wire. We had thunderstorms for three or four nights last week [but] we believed we were going to open tonight, we believed we were going to open last night and we were working all the way up to the last point we could. Will you refund people who've paid for train tickets and hotels to attend the show? We are able to give refunds to those that want refunds and we are dealing with a case-by-case scenario to those who have travelled from overseas.

सीक्रेट सिनेमा के संस्थापक फैबियन रिगल ने "तकनीकी आवश्यकताओं को पूरा करने में विफलता" पर बीबीसी न्यूज वेबसाइट से विशेष रूप से बात की है, जिसके कारण 1985 की विज्ञान-कथा फिल्म बैक टू द फ्यूचर की एक इमर्सिव स्क्रीनिंग को रद्द कर दिया गया है।


Man pulled from sea near Clacton Pier dies

Summary: A man has died after being pulled from the sea near Clacton Pier.

Emergency services were called to Marine Parade in Clacton-on-Sea at about 10:30 BST after a man in his 60s was spotted in the water. Paramedics and an air ambulance arrived but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Essex Police confirmed it was investigating and said officers were "treating this as unexplained but not suspicious at this stage".

क्लैक्टन पियर के पास समुद्र से निकाले जाने के बाद एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।


The Expendables tops UK box office chart

Summary: Sylvester Stallone's action movie The Expendables has, in its first week, ended Toy Story 3's reign at the top of the UK box office chart.

The film, which also stars Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, took £3.9m in its opening weekend. Angelina Jolie's Salt went straight into second place with takings of £2.1m, followed by Toy Story. The week's other new releases - Piranha 3D and Marmaduke - were in fourth and fifth places respectively. Inception fell five places this week from number two down to sixth place. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz's action movie Knight And Day was at number seven in its third week and The Last Airbender followed in eighth place. Step Up 3D and The Sorcerer's Apprentice rounded off this week's top 10.

सिल्वेस्टर स्टेलोन की एक्शन फिल्म द एक्सपेंडेबल्स ने अपने पहले सप्ताह में यूके बॉक्स ऑफिस चार्ट में शीर्ष पर टॉय स्टोरी 3 के शासन को समाप्त कर दिया है।


D-Day's 'forgotten' sand samplers

Summary: Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy 68 years ago today. The amphibious assault followed years of planning that included collecting soil and sand samples from potential landing sites by a select band of men. Their stories remain largely untold.

By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter Donald McColville's peace-time work can be found across north east Scotland. The engineer, who died in 1978, was involved in the planning and construction of secondary schools in Elgin, Forres and Nairn. He was also involved in building Glenlatterach Reservoir, which has supplied water to Elgin since 1957, and a refurbish of Royal Naval Air Station Lossiemouth. But it was a hard fought for legacy. A Royal Engineer during World War II, Mr McColville returned home from Germany in 1946 seriously ill and spent three years in hospital before lifesaving surgery in London. Despite the procedure, which took five months to complete and without drugs that would later become available, he continued to have problems breathing but refused to let his health stop him from working. Born in Yorkshire, Mr McColville grew up in Scotland and Wales. His father had been a sapper in World War I and after the outbreak of World War II he followed his example by becoming a soldier in an engineering unit. Posted to Findhorn on the Moray coast, he served as a corporal before being told to undertake officer training. Mr McColville twice resisted the order, preferring instead to remain in the ranks and the hands on work of building Bailey Bridges at Findhorn Bay. When he was given no choice but to train as an officer, he excelled in the tests and eventually rose to the rank of major. Visits to Elgin while based in Findhorn led him to meet local garage owner's daughter, Margaret McIntosh. Love blossomed and they were married in Elgin in 1943. Mrs McColville served as an Army driver in London, Aberdeen and Glasgow, drawing on years of experience of being behind the wheel having driven cars since she was 14. Now 89 and living in Nairn, near Inverness, she has clear memories of life on the home front and after the war. However, much of her husband's war-time work remains a mystery. It was years after the war before Mrs McColville learned of her husband's work collecting soil samples from beaches along the French coast. He spoke of having to make his way to shore from a boat unaided and having never previously swam. Evidence of expeditions to Normandy were carefully covered up, but left at Pas-de-Calais to trick the Germans. Mrs McColville said: "I can't really remember how it came out that he had gone over the Channel to collect samples of sand. "Even when he did mention it he did not say much about it. But I imagine it would have been very dangerous work." Mrs McColville added: "You couldn't talk about these things during the war - it was very hush, hush. After the war the men did not talk much about what had happened. "Also, you were caught up with other things, raising a family and working." For Mrs McColville, the focus after the war was her family and working as school secretary. She was also organiser for a hospital car service. With 22 volunteer drivers from Speyside to the Moray coast, it complemented the ambulance service by taking patients to hospitals in Inverness and Aberdeen. Mr McColville needed two years to recuperate from his operation. Doctors told him he would never work again and he faced a future of sitting at home on a pension of just £21 a month. His wife said: "Thanks to sympathetic employers he was able to return to work. Donald had always been determined to do so. "The doctors told him that he would never work again and to go home and live the life of a retired gent." Andrew Whitmarsh, development officer at the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth, said the operations carried out by men such as Donald were among the less well-known elements of the D-Day preparations. He said: "The planning for D-Day was extensive and the gathering of information started years before the landings. "It included an appeal put out on the BBC for people to send in holiday postcards and photographs of the French coast, so the Allied commanders could find exits off the beaches. "The Allies also needed to know the consistency of the beaches. It was important that they checked that the sand could take the weight of tanks and other vehicles. "The troops had to get off the beaches as quickly as possible and could not become bogged down and stall the landings." Several beaches were targeted by the samplers, both in an effort to find suitable sites and also to confuse German commanders about where landings might happen. Mr Whitmarsh said: "They would approach the shore in small boats with silenced engines, before swimming or going in a canoe over the final distance. "To take the samples they would turn an auger screw into the beach and put sand into pots, and then head back to England." He added: "It was dangerous. Hitler had executed the commando order several years earlier. "It meant men captured working alone were treated as spies and executed and not taken prisoner." Mrs McColville believes her husband took the risks in his stride. She said: "Donald loved being a soldier. I think there were few times when he was happier."

मित्र देशों की सेनाओं ने आज से 68 साल पहले नॉरमैंडी के समुद्र तटों पर धावा बोल दिया था। कई वर्षों की योजना के बाद उभयचर हमला किया गया था जिसमें पुरुषों के एक चुनिंदा समूह द्वारा संभावित लैंडिंग स्थलों से मिट्टी और रेत के नमूने एकत्र करना शामिल था। उनकी कहानियाँ काफी हद तक अनकही हैं।