Why much of the internet is closed off to blind people

Summary: As our everyday world moves increasingly online, the digital landscape presents new challenges for ensuring accessibility for the blind. A recent court challenge against Domino's pizza may be a watershed case guiding the rights of disabled people on the internet, writes James Jeffrey.

Each swipe 17-year-old Maysie Gonzales makes on her smart phone is accompanied by what sounds like the famous Stephen Hawking voice barking out orders at a relentless pace. "Sometimes I speed it up to 350 words a minute, it depends what mood I am in," says Ms Gonzales, who lost her sight when she was two years old through retinal cancer. Screen readers translate on-screen information into speech or Braille. They have broken open the internet for people who are blind or visually impaired, and for those with other disabilities. But the device only works effectively on websites that are compatible. "Sometimes it can be horrible, it depends on how the website has been set up," says Ms Gonzales. If a website's digital infrastructure hasn't been correctly labelled, a blind person can be met with a barrage of "button! - button! - button!" or "link 1,752! - link 1,752! - link 1,752!" from that hyperactive mechanical-sounding voice. Hence the case Guillermo Robles, who is blind, brought against Domino's Pizza after he was unable to use his screen reader to use the company's website and mobile app. A federal court agreed with him, and now Domino's has petitioned the Supreme Court to hear Robles' case, in what could prove a landmark battle over the rights of disabled people on the internet. "This isn't just about ordering the likes of pizza or surfing Amazon," says Chris Danielson, a representative with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). "People are doing everything online nowadays, so it's about blind people being able to access the likes of online banking, applying for employment and doing the necessary online tests, accessing cloud-based tools in the workplace, and all the rest." It's estimated that 7,600,000 Americans are technically blind - about 2.4% of the population - according to the NFB. "We've even been told by businesses before that they understand, but the fact is blind people are not a very big market," Mr Danielson says. "That's what we are dealing with." Nowadays signs designating access for shoppers with disabilities - from parking spaces to restrooms to dressing rooms - are a ubiquitous part of the retail landscape. This is thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the 29-year-old federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. But ADA requirements that are relatively clear when applied to physical stores - such as determining where ramps should go and what height grab bars should be - become much more difficult to discern with a website. "The online environment was never intended to be covered by the ADA," says Stephanie Martz, senior vice-president and general counsel for the National Retail Federation (NRF), which along with other business groups like the Chamber of Commerce and the Restaurant Law Center has come out supporting Domino's. "The ADA took effect before the internet as we know it today existed, and more than 25 years later there is no clear objective guidance on what constitutes an 'accessible' website. There's not enough clarity in the law to know what is accountable." But advocates like Mr Danielson counter that if one follows that logic then the whole US Constitution could be undermined. "If a 30-year-old law is deemed out of date and not applicable then that applies to a whole lot of laws." As e-commerce has grown, retailers are increasingly faced with ADA lawsuits over lack of accessibility, particularly for the blind or visually impaired. Website accessibility lawsuits hit a record high in 2018, with retail being the most frequently targeted industry. More lawsuits were filed in court in the first six months of 2018 (1,053) than in all of 2017 (814), according to the NRF. The likes of Visa and Target have lost such lawsuits, and earlier this year a class-action was filed against Beyoncé's official website, alleging that Beyonce.com violates the ADA by denying visually impaired users equal access to its products and services. "To be fair to businesses," Mr Danielson says, "there are lawyers taking advantage of the situation, but cutting the legs from under the ADA is an overcorrection… and stops the flow of legitimate plaintiffs." Ultimately, those pushing for digital accessibility argue that businesses have no excuse for dragging their feet over it. "It's not hard to do, it should just be part of best practice, not an additional line item, just like making sure a website loads quickly is," says Laura Kalbag, a website designer and author of Accessibility for Everyone. "It basically just involves HTML coding, which even a blogger can do. If it is a huge website, it might take some time, but the work itself is not complicated." She adds it is a myth that making a website accessible makes it ugly, there is no correlation - you can still have snazzy images and graphics. Ms Gonzales says that because she is also gluten intolerant, she likes to use Domino's as it offers gluten-free pizzas, and she has managed to use its online site. But selecting toppings is tricky - and sometimes she has had to get her mother to step in. That the courts are also stepping in is part of the problem, Ms Martz explains. "This should be dealt with by government and Congress amending the ADA." Any discussion of accessibility should look at the whole picture - a blind person can always ring Domino's toll-free number and order that way, she adds. "As a teacher who has to speak all day, sometimes, like everyone else, I don't want to get into another conversation and just want to do it online," Jeff Molzow, a blind instructor at the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center which trains blind people to compete in the work force, says about why that toll-free number doesn't always appeal. "Also, I want time to peruse the menu and make up my mind - you can't do that if you are speaking to someone on the phone." The Domino's case is symptomatic, say many working with the blind, of the wider problem of how blind people, or anyone with a disability, are still not fully on society's radar. "All the info is out there about digital accessibility. Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the internet, was discussing it in the mid-90s, and we have pushed it for years," says Jim Allan, an accessibility coordinator at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. "But people still have low expectations of what blind people can do and don't use their imaginations about the possibilities - until they are hit with the fire hose of info from the likes of us, after which they get it." The awareness of businesses and companies is improving but still slowly, says Mr Allan, noting that only federal and state websites are mandated to be fully accessible by all users. This despite digital accessibility being required by a much larger segment of society, especially as people age and start to lose sight and hearing. "We treat disabled people as if they are different but that isn't the case, as digital accessibility affects all of us," says Ms Kalbag. "If nothing else, you should see it in a selfish way, as one day you will probably need this type of accessibility." It is the same in the physical realm, where the likes of wheelchair access ramps are gladly embraced by mothers with prams and cyclists. But even when digital accessibility is achieved, challenges remain for blind people that are familiar to all. "Sometimes I worry about using social media too much, like everyone else," Ms Gonzalez says. "But without my phone I would be very lost - I wouldn't be able to do much and would be very dependent on others, when I prefer to do it on my own."

जैसे-जैसे हमारी रोजमर्रा की दुनिया तेजी से ऑनलाइन होती जा रही है, डिजिटल परिदृश्य नेत्रहीनों के लिए पहुंच सुनिश्चित करने के लिए नई चुनौतियों को प्रस्तुत करता है। हाल ही में डोमिनोज़ पिज्जा के खिलाफ एक अदालती चुनौती इंटरनेट पर विकलांग लोगों के अधिकारों का मार्गदर्शन करने वाला एक वाटरशेड मामला हो सकता है, जेम्स जेफरी लिखते हैं।


When Muhammad Ali took on Superman

Summary: The year is 1978 and Muhammad Ali is about to take on the most powerful man on Earth. In the audience is a stellar cast - everyone from The Beatles to Pele to Andy Warhol to Batman. Muhammad Ali is in the boxing ring with Superman.

By BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why The iconic cover of Superman vs Muhammad Ali has become one of the most shared images on social media since the death of the boxing legend, but the tale of how it came to be reveals a lot about Muhammad Ali's America. "When young comic book artists Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster took their creation Superman, initially drawn as a villain, to DC Comics they had no idea that within three months, the tales of the superhero would sell a million copies. America wanted Superheroes," artist Neal Adams, who drew the iconic cover and co-wrote the story, told BBC Trending. Cut to few decades later when Julius (Julie) Schwartz, an editor of DC Comics, pitched a new story idea. "One day at a meeting, Julie said: 'Why don't we have Superman fight Muhammad Ali?'" says Adams. "We all said: 'you're crazy!' but Julie felt that a real-life hero fighting a fantasy hero would be something special." The comic's plot was that an alien race called the Scrub wanted to pit their champion against the greatest fighter on Earth. If he lost, Earth would be destroyed. Superman was a likely choice but Ali suggested he would be a better representative, as a human rather than an exile from the planet Krypton. So the two entered a qualifying bout. We won't give away the ending, but at one point, this happens: In the real world, Muhammad Ali's prowess in the ring had been proved many times, (although at the time of publication, in February 1978, Leon Spinks was the world heavyweight champion; Ali went on to regain the title in September of that year). But Ali was not considered a hero by all in America. Ali had made made clear his stance as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. He had been convicted of draft evasion on 28 June 1967, for refusing induction into the army. In reality, Ali could have been a poster boy for the US Army, and it was unlikely that he would have been made to physically step on to a battlefield. But Ali didn't want a "sweetheart deal". He declared that he "had no quarrel with the Vietcong". The remarks, which were made a year before the first significant anti-Vietnam protests, were especially controversial at the time, considering he had converted to Islam. And although that was almost a decade earlier than the comic's release, the decision made by DC Comics for Ali to fight the most powerful white superman in myth was still a particularly daring act for the time, says Adams. "DC Comics had a lot of liberal New York young Jewish men working for them at the time, who understood prejudice," says Adams. "And to depict Ali as on par with a white mythical Superman, was a subtle political act," says Adams. "The pen is mightier than the sword." The process of collaborating with Ali's team over his image came with some challenges. They initially weren't happy with the first cover as drawn by DC's Joe Kubert, finding it too "crude", says Adams. He was drafted in to "soften" Kubert's initial vision. Adams's cover won the approval of Ali's team. There have been rumours that Ali insisted that a plot point was included where he learned Superman's true identity (Clark Kent). Adams says that if this conversation happened, he was not privy to it. However, Ali did make one request. He had fully embraced the religion of Islam, and he wanted the DC Comics team to fly to Chicago to get the seal of approval of his spiritual leader Elijah Muhammad. When Ali beat Leon Spinks in News Orleans on 15 September 1978 to regain the world heavyweight boxing title, he encouraged the world at his press conference to buy Superman vs Muhammad Ali. They duly obliged. "The comic would be published in every free country in the world," says Adams. "It meant so much to so many people," Adams says. "To this day, I have African Americans come up to me at comic book conventions with their old weathered copy of Superman vs Muhammad Ali for me to sign. It's still extremely emotional." Adams told us that that he wasn't close to Ali, although he did hear that the boxer loved the comic and would proudly show his friends his own copy when they visited his home. But the moment that stands out for Adams was the press conference after Ali beat Spinks in New Orleans. "I fought my way through the crowd to Ali's side for a photograph," Adams says, "I put my hand on his shoulder and it felt like stone. He radiated power and strength." Blog by Megha Mohan Next story Why women are uber annoyed in Saudi Saudi Arabia's $3.5bn investment in Uber taxi service reignites women's driving rights debate. READ MORE You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

साल 1978 है और मुहम्मद अली पृथ्वी पर सबसे शक्तिशाली व्यक्ति से मुकाबला करने वाले हैं। दर्शकों में एक तारकीय कलाकार है-द बीटल्स से लेकर पेले से लेकर एंडी वारहोल से लेकर बैटमैन तक। मुहम्मद अली सुपरमैन के साथ बॉक्सिंग रिंग में हैं।


BAA boss regrets passengers' pain over snow chaos

Summary: As financial analysts pick over the details of BAA's latest annual results, memories of last year's snow chaos at Heathrow Airport loom large. In his first full account of the crisis, the BAA chief executive admits deficiencies in the way the company dealt with the bad weather.

By Julian O'HalloranFile on 4, BBC Radio 4 As head of Britain's biggest airport operator, Colin Matthews knows the scenes of snowbound runways and stranded passengers pictured in the weeks before Christmas are not something people will quickly forget. The closure of both runways at Heathrow wrecked the holidays and business trips of hundreds of thousands of people and left airline companies incensed. "I felt terrible about the situation that passengers were in," he said. "In retrospect we should have been prepared for more. We must prepare for intense snow in the future." His position now, with hindsight, is very different to the confident accounts of BAA snow plans issued by the company in November. Boasting of highly trained staff and more than 60 high-tech snow-fighting machines, the BAA statement is titled "Heathrow's army of snow ploughs stretch their wings as the snow bites". "I regret that statement, but we were confident because we had dealt with three quite severe snow incidents quite successfully in 2009 and 2010," Mr Matthews said. 'Angry passengers' "What happened in December was a much bigger event." The BAA chief spoke to File on 4 in advance of the outcome of an inquiry the company set up into the Heathrow events. It is expected to report before the end of March. He also revealed the thinking which led him to give up his bonus of just under £1m in the wake of the Christmas chaos. He said: "If someone loses a flight, a business flight, you get really angry, but when it's your Christmas holiday that you are losing, it's really infuriating. "I didn't think it was appropriate to make complicated explanations or to blame someone else, but I do understand how angry passengers were. "I didn't spend all that week, that weekend, thinking about what my bonus would be. "But the question was put to me by the press, and I was really keen that our focus should be on the passengers and that's why I took the step I did." BAA also told the BBC it was doubling its fleet of snow clearance vehicles to over 100, and more than tripling the number of staff trained to operate the equipment. Before Christmas 60 staff were available, but by next winter the operator says there will be around 200. 'Monopoly-owned' airports BAA has also come under fierce attack from one of the major airlines using Heathrow. The chief executive of Virgin Atlantic Airways, Steve Ridgway, made it clear his company is deeply unhappy over BAA's performance in December. He said the airport should have been closed for no more than 24 hours. "We're extremely angry and frustrated, because Heathrow should not have been closed as long as it was," he said. Virgin Atlantic, which believes it lost £10m as a result of the disruption, announced in January that it would withhold airport fees from BAA in protest at its alleged lack of preparedness. "Our reaction was around the frustration and lack of recourse that we airlines have with a monopoly-owned airport like BAA; in terms of what happened to passengers, how much it cost us, and how much it cost passengers." The airline eventually backed down from the threat in the face of a risk that BAA might seize its planes, Mr Ridgway explained. "Ultimately we do not want to put our flying and our customers at risk," he told the BBC. The Virgin Atlantic chief executive also alleged that, despite snow problems in the previous two winters, airlines had not been fully consulted by BAA over its snow plan in the months leading up to this winter. "The only engagement we had with the snow plan in 2010 was an exercise in October to look at some aspects of the communication plan. So there was no formal go-through with us in terms of the detail of the plan." 'Urgent' need for reform Despite the severe criticism the company has faced, Transport secretary Philip Hammond admitted to the BBC that there is little the regulator or the government can do to discipline or punish BAA in the short term. He acknowledges the need for reform is pressing: "It is urgent. It has been urgent for some time," said Mr Hammond. He said the government planned to bring in a bill which would allow airport operators to be held accountable to a much greater degree. "It can be a regime based on regulatory interventions through fines or licence penalties," he added. "But much more powerful is to get the regime based on economic incentives." However Mr Hammond appeared to suggest that two further winters may elapse before tougher regulatory measures are in place: "I'm afraid it'll be a couple of years before the regime is fully effective." File on 4 is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 22 February at 2000 GMT and Sunday 27 February at 1700 GMT. Listen again via the BBC iPlayer or download the podcast.

जैसे ही वित्तीय विश्लेषक बी. ए. ए. के नवीनतम वार्षिक परिणामों का विवरण चुनते हैं, हीथ्रो हवाई अड्डे पर पिछले साल की बर्फ की अराजकता की यादें बड़ी होती हैं। संकट के अपने पहले पूर्ण विवरण में, बी. ए. ए. के मुख्य कार्यकारी ने कंपनी के खराब मौसम से निपटने के तरीके में कमियों को स्वीकार किया।


The Gaslight Anthem join Hard Rock Calling line-up

Summary: New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem have been added to the line-up for this summer's Hard Rock Calling festival.

Other acts joining headliners Pearl Jam on Saturday 25 June will be Ben Harper And Relentless7 and The Hives. The Gaslight Anthem played at last year's event, which is held in London's Hyde Park, and also dueted with headliner Bruce Springsteen. They're also working on their next album American Slang, which is released on 14 June. The three-day festival takes place on the same weekend as Glastonbury with bands still to be announced for the other two days.

न्यू जर्सी रॉकर्स द गैसलाइट एंथम को इस गर्मी के हार्ड रॉक कॉलिंग उत्सव के लिए लाइन-अप में जोड़ा गया है।


Amy Winehouse hologram to tour worldwide next year

Summary: A hologram of Amy Winehouse will tour the world next year.

The hologram, which will use her original voice recordings, will be projected onto a stage in front of a live band, say its creators. The singer's dad Mitch is on board, saying: "Our daughter's music touched the lives of millions of people and it means everything that her legacy will continue." Amy Winehouse died in 2011 aged 27 after drinking too much alcohol. Amy had the most incredible soul voice - but also had a history of drug use and spoke about self-harm and having an eating disorder. She only released two albums, Frank and Back to Black, during her life. Both have been certified triple platinum in the UK, selling over one million copies each. Her most famous songs include Rehab, Tears Dry On Their Own and Valerie, with Mark Ronson. In her short career, the singer won six Grammies (one after her death), a Brit award and a Mobo award. In 2013, she was the first artist to be nominated for a Brit award after their death. But she became as famous for her personal issues and relationships being in the tabloids as she was for her music. Analysis by Steve Holden, Radio 1 Newsbeat music reporter Is a hologram the right way of paying tribute to one of the most celebrated singers of modern times or does it feel a bit tacky and inappropriate? Musical holograms are nothing new with the likes of Michael Jackson and Tupac Shakur appearing 'on stage' posthumously. And seven years since her death, the prospect of seeing Amy Winehouse perform once again (or even for the first time) will be too good to miss for some. Despite concert proceeds going towards the singer's foundation, others will be dubious about resurrecting an icon in a digital form. The hologram may have the backing of Amy's father, Mitch Winehouse, but he's been criticised in the past for some of the decisions he's made as part of Amy's career. His influence on her career was hinted at in the 2015 documentary, Amy, but he objected to his portrayal claiming the film was unbalanced and "tainted". It's not yet clear which countries the tour will go to, but Base Hologram, which is producing the concerts, says it will start in autumn 2019. Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here.

एमी वाइनहाउस का एक होलोग्राम अगले साल दुनिया का दौरा करेगा।


Venezuela crisis: Will the US target oil exports?

Summary: In its battle against the rule of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the United States has been trying to cripple the government's ability to secure funds and run the country - with sanctions that target officials, some sectors of the economy and its official cryptocurrency .

By Daniel GallasSouth America Business Correspondent But so far it has not yet used what many call "the nuclear option" - a full oil embargo, targeting the industry that is responsible for 90% of the government's revenues. Despite the rhetoric between Nicolás Maduro and President Donald Trump, refineries in the US are still buying Venezuelan petroleum. Venezuela's state company PDVSA even owns refineries in Texas through a subsidiary called CITGO. But with the crisis escalating after Washington backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó's claim to the presidency last week, a new round of sanctions is expected in the coming days. On Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to secure backing from the United Nations Security Council against Venezuela, as China and Russia are close Maduro allies. President Maduro backed down from his demand that US diplomats leave the country and said both countries now have a 30-day window to negotiate the new terms of their relationship. Markets are watching now for what the US will do next. Despite its failure in the Security Council, the Trump administration has support from big regional players such as Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. If it does finally move against Venezuelan oil, could that be the nail in the coffin of the country's oil industry, which has been in a crisis of its own for years? And what effect could that have for the rest of the world? Markets nervous A boom in US shale production has helped slash crude prices over the past four years, although they have recovered slightly. But 2019 is shaping up to be a very challenging year for the commodity, and there is no clear indication on which way prices will move. Oil is never a predictable affair, however, and there are many situations that could cause prices to spike. Production is very volatile in Nigeria and Libya. Iran is under a heavy US embargo. Russia and Saudi Arabia are cutting production. Finally there are fears of a global slowdown in the economy which could see prices fall due to a drop in demand. The crisis in Venezuela is another scenario watched closely by oil analysts. There is a general sense in markets that Nicolás Maduro will not be removed from power in the near future and that tensions will keep on rising. Also most analysts discard the full "nuclear option", as that would have a devastating impact on the people of Venezuela, instead of just hitting the government. One of the most likely scenarios discussed is a partial restriction of how much oil the US can buy from Venezuela. That would hurt consumers in America and in the rest of the world. Prices would rise as refineries would have to buy their share of oil from more expensive sources. American refineries that buy from Venezuela would also be negatively affected. But US restrictions would benefit Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Iraq - countries that also produce the same variety of heavy crude oil (Canada also produces heavy crude but it does not have logistic capability to increase its exports). These countries have been eating into Venezuela's market share for years. World's largest reserves Venezuela would be the biggest loser of all, of course. The country has the world's largest proven oil reserves - even bigger than Saudi Arabia - but it is rapidly running out of money to prospect for crude and pump it out of the ground. In the late 1990s, Venezuela was producing more than three million barrels of oil per day. Output today is hovering above the one million mark, according to experts. Even without any international sanctions Venezuela's oil production will decline dramatically this year because of the lack of investment. The rate of decline in production has been more intense in recent months. Helima Croft, from RBC Capital Markets, forecasts that output this year will drop by 300,000 to 500,000 barrels per day without any sanctions. Restrictions from Washington would accelerate the decline. Venezuela would be able to re-route part of its production to other buying nations, like China, but it wouldn't be able to pass on all of its excess oil to markets not aligned with the US. 'Fleeing in droves' Venezuela is still seen as an oil powerhouse, especially because it is a producer of heavy crude, which is a variety not widely available in the world. But the severity of its economic crisis may be changing that. "It will require billions in investment to repair the infrastructure and kick start a recovery. The talented technocrats that once made PDVSA one of the premier national oil companies continue to flee in droves," she told the BBC. "Even if a reformist government comes to power, the international community will have to launch a major reconstruction and rehabilitation effort to get the country back up on its feet." The IMF now publishes separate indicators for Venezuela in its Latin American analysis. The economy there has become such an outlier that it makes no sense to compare it to other countries. This year Venezuela's GDP is expected to reach a new low: the economy will be half the size of what it was in 2013. Last year the government tried again to use oil to solve its economic woes. It ended subsidies, raised the price of fuel domestically and ramped up its campaign to use a cryptocurrency allegedly pegged to barrels of oil. Still it failed to contain inflation, which is thought to have crossed the million per cent mark, and did not end its shortages of food and medicine. It's hard to imagine life getting any harder for people in Venezuela. Now with fresh sanctions on the cards, it just may.

वेनेजुएला के राष्ट्रपति निकोलस मादुरो के शासन के खिलाफ अपनी लड़ाई में, संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका धन सुरक्षित करने और देश को चलाने की सरकार की क्षमता को पंगु बनाने की कोशिश कर रहा है-प्रतिबंधों के साथ जो अधिकारियों, अर्थव्यवस्था के कुछ क्षेत्रों और इसकी आधिकारिक क्रिप्टोक्यूरेंसी को लक्षित करते हैं।


The malevolent culture at Deepcut barracks

Summary: The menacing atmosphere at Deepcut barracks was the setting for physical, sexual and racial abuse, according to those who served there. In a BBC Two documentary, former trainee soldiers speak publicly about their experiences at the base.

By June Kelly and Jane MacSorleyBBC News Like Cheryl James they were there in the mid-90s. Deepcut has become synonymous with bullying, brutality and sexual harassment. During the inquest the Army acknowledged there was an abuse and misuse of power by some of those in charge of the mainly teenage trainees. Dan Griffiths, now 38, joined up on the same day as Cheryl James in 1995. They were both 17 and did their 10 weeks basic training at Pirbright in Surrey. He says: "I'd always been that little Action Man as a kid and always wanted to join the Army." He describes the regime at Pirbright as "hard at the time but good fun." After passing out, the recruits moved on to Deepcut barracks next door, headquarters of the Royal Logistic Corps. In contrast to the packed days at Pirbright, Dan Griffiths, like other rookie soldiers, found Deepcut an immediate disappointment. He remembers a camp with no structure. Instructors were mainly non-commissioned officers, corporals and sergeants. And some exuded fear and violence. Dan Griffiths was small for his age, he weighed under nine stone. And he describes how one morning in the middle of a room inspection he was singled out by one NCO who used a broom handle to beat him unconscious. "He just came straight towards me. He didn't push me over with his hands, he just pushed me over with his body. You could see that he was angry and we didn't know why. He then stormed back out. Thirty seconds or so later he came back in with a broom handle. I felt the one hit, he broke my fingers and then he swung against my head and that's the last I remember really of that." Find out more You can watch Deepcut: The Army's Shame on Friday 3 June on BBC Two, at 21:00, or catch up afterwards on iPlayer. He was later told by his roommates that the attack had continued while he lay unconscious. "I then learned that he'd gone into the broom cupboard and got the other half of the broom handle and come back in and then carried on, whilst I was unconscious, to beat me." When he came round his attacker was gone and he was in agony with a large lump on his head, bruises all over his body and three broken fingers. "I remember walking to the medical centre in a lot of pain. It hurt. I remember not having the confidence to say what had actually gone on. So I just said that I fell down the stairs." He says the culture at Deepcut was so intimidating that he wouldn't have contemplated reporting the attack. And despite his injuries he carried on with physical training. "If you can imagine training with logs, doing lots of runs, lots of press-ups when your whole body is aching and there is nobody you can go to." The next day he saw his attacker. "It was as if it didn't happen. It was just another day for him." All the former Deepcut soldiers who have spoken to the BBC say that such behaviour went unpunished. They felt they couldn't report it to those instructors who were in charge of their welfare because they - or those close to them - were the bullies. In the 1990s women had just begun training alongside men for the first time. At Deepcut this was said to have led to a predatory environment where sexual harassment was routine and for some there was worse. One female former trainee, anonymous in the programme and known only by the pseudonym Suzanne, says she was hooded and then raped by men who had come into the female accommodation block. "I was like half asleep and then the next thing is I felt something being put over my head. I couldn't breathe and I started getting punched at first and I was getting held down." Sobbing, she goes on. "I know there were definitely two of them. I was forced on and it just seemed to last for ages. I couldn't breathe. I tried to fight at first to get them off me but I couldn't. I was trying to tell them to stop but I couldn't because I was just held down." Like Dan Griffiths, Suzanne, didn't report the attack. "I didn't tell anyone. I was too frightened to. I was just scared because I didn't know who it was and you couldn't talk to anyone. I could have been going to tell somebody who'd been in that room. I still haven't been able to talk about if for the last 20 years." For further information and support Julia Boulton was one of the few female non-commissioned officers, NCOs, at Deepcut in the mid-90s. She believes the base was out of control and she says of her fellow instructors: "A lot of them were actually put there because nobody else wanted them. It sort of had a bit of a reputation of being a dumping ground to get rid of unwanted NCOs." At 22, Dawn Benjamin was slightly older than most of her fellow recruits when she joined up in 1995. She says as the only black woman in her troop she was subject to racist abuse from one NCO at Deepcut. And she describes being targeted during her basic training at Pirbright by an instructor who had eaten a banana. "I was told to take the banana peel and 'put it in my pouch you monkey'. So I took the banana peel and put it in my pouch." Dawn, now 44, says someone else reported this and the instructor was made to apologise. But the episode made her begin to question Army culture. "I was quite wary and confused but I didn't want to give up." She stayed in the Army for eight years and says throughout her career she suffered abuse because of her colour. Other female recruits tell of how instructors at Pirbright carried out serious sexual assaults on them. One says she was singled out on the day of her passing our parade while her family were on the base. She didn't tell them or anyone else. In a statement the Army said: "We cannot comment on the allegations now being made by individuals who were at Training Establishments during this time, some or all of which may have previously been considered as part of civilian and military police inquiries. We would strongly encourage anyone who has not reported alleged criminal behaviour to contact the police." Stressing that the Army has taken steps in the last twenty years to improve training facilities it added: "We care deeply about our recruits and take our responsibility for their welfare extremely seriously. All Armed Forces training sites are now subject to independent scrutiny by Ofsted inspectors and their assessments help us to drive continuous improvement. Ofsted recently found all establishments to be either good or excellent. "The Chief of the General Staff has been clear that creating a diverse, inclusive Army that treats all its soldiers with respect is one of its highest priorities and that the Army will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour in any form." Contact us Do you have a story or information about Deepcut or other military bases which you want to share with the production team who made the film? If you would like to speak to a member of the production team, you can send an email to: deepcut@bbc.co.uk

वहाँ सेवा करने वालों के अनुसार, दीपकट बैरकों में खतरनाक वातावरण शारीरिक, यौन और नस्लीय दुर्व्यवहार के लिए सेटिंग था। एक बीबीसी टू वृत्तचित्र में, पूर्व प्रशिक्षु सैनिकों ने बेस पर अपने अनुभवों के बारे में सार्वजनिक रूप से बात की।


Kirby Misperton water monitoring wells approved

Summary: Plans to drill boreholes at a site where a company wants to frack for shale gas have been approved by county councillors.

The five boreholes, at Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire, would be used to monitor groundwater. Third Energy has applied to fracture a well at the site to test if shale gas could be extracted commercially. Results from the boreholes would be used as a baseline to check for water contamination. Fracking is a technique for extracting gas or oil trapped between layers of rock by forcing the layers open using water under high pressure. Third Energy's application to frack at the site was submitted in May and a public consultation is currently underway. North Yorkshire County Council said the approval of the boreholes did not "predetermine" any future decisions with regard the company's fracking application.

एक ऐसी जगह पर बोरहोल ड्रिल करने की योजना जहां एक कंपनी शेल गैस के लिए फ्रैक्स करना चाहती है, काउंटी पार्षदों द्वारा अनुमोदित की गई है।


CES 2016: The moment I nearly threw up at a VR demo

Summary: Tech demos don't always go to plan.

By Zoe KleinmanTechnology reporter, BBC News Today it was my turn, as a virtual reality demo here at the CES tech show went badly wrong. It started well. In an elegant hotel suite at the top of the famous strip, gaming chip-maker Nvidia gave a slick presentation about its Shield product - an Android-based TV connected device that offers a host of high quality entertainment options, including VR. Then, it was time to try some new VR titles. 'Mind blowing' Overall, I've been quietly impressed with VR. I've tried various headsets in various stages of development and seen some amazing virtual sights. At home, I'm starting to think my family members are growing Google Cardboards out of their foreheads - although I know some VR aficionados say they don't count. The day's first experience was mind blowing. Inside a small empty room, wearing an HTC Vive, I climbed Mount Everest. The graphics were superb - actual footage provided by the makers of the movie Everest. And wherever I looked - up down, around - there I was in the Himalayas. Even a glitch, when my hands went through the mountain, didn't dampen the moment - that's how intense it was. I recorded my first impressions for our radio show Tech Tent as I stumbled tentatively around the mountain, teetering over vast ice chasms on tiny bridges and climbing a vertical ladder up a sheer face known as Death Falls. Emotional ascent Listening back to the recording, my voice actually cracked with emotion when I reached the top. Everest duly conquered, it was time to take a trip into outer space with a demo of another new game called Adr1ft. The Rift VR headset applied, I was given an Xbox controller. Now, I'm familiar enough with them but not to the extent that they are like an extra hand - and of course with the headset on you can't actually see it. Suddenly, I was floating inside a glass windowed dome above earth not dissimilar to the cupola on board the International Space Station. Various bits of debris surrounded me. It was powerful - but the constrictions of being inside a virtual space helmet gave the visuals a tighter window than I had expected. The developer, Adam Orth, is passionate about VR. He started to tell me that Adr1ft was based on personal experience. Space quest "Have you been into space?" I asked, as I sat through the tuition video - although I have to admit by the time it had finished I'd already forgotten which buttons did what, and I was also distracted by trying to explain what was around me for the radio show. "No. It was… metaphorical," he answered. But before I could find out what he meant, suddenly, I found I just couldn't move. Nothing responded as I expected. I couldn't even get to the space ship hatch to get outside and start my mission. I started to feel very hot and very disorientated. I was tumbling around, bumping into walls and debris and no longer knew which way was up. My virtual space helmet visor was cracking. Within about 30 seconds I wanted to rip the helmet off and run to the bathroom. I asked to stop. Adam was totally thrown. "Let me just get you out of the ship…." he said, taking the control from my hands. But it was too much - I had to remove the headset. He looked genuinely crushed and I felt terrible. "We've never had this reaction before," he said. He started pressing buttons and his face lit up. "The controller is configured wrong!" he said. "No wonder you couldn't do it." Broken illusion I'm not sure whether this was a polite ruse to save my dignity. "I still don't think I feel very confident about continuing," I said sadly. There was a long pause. "I'm sorry…" I tried. "Would you tell me about your inspiration for the game?" He didn't respond. I sensed my time was up. After some small talk we said a polite goodbye and Mr Orth did ask if I wanted to continue, but I think we both knew the moment had passed. And I was seriously worried about throwing up. I left the suite, immediately took a wrong turn and found myself totally lost in the labyrinth that is the average Las Vegas hotel. When I finally did get outside, I walked the wrong way up the strip in the pouring rain. The disorientation stayed with me for about half an hour afterwards, and I felt too nauseous to get in a taxi. Now - it could be that I'm just not cut out for VR gaming. It could also be that I'm nursing a winter cold and I'm not fighting fit for space travel. But now I have experienced first-hand the weirdness that VR can induce - seemingly very suddenly - and I didn't like it. I am in a very small minority, I am told, and I hadn't felt it before. "There's always going to be a small percentage of the population that gets motion sickness, there's no way around that," said Brian Blau from the tech research firm Gartner. "But for most people, it usually won't be a problem. "For the most part, when there's motion sickness it's caused by the app. Developers have to work hard to avoid types of situations that cause the problem. "Making VR is not easy, it will take time and experience." My experience hasn't put me off virtual reality, but it has made me cautious. And I guess my future career as an astronaut is dead in the water. Read more of our CES articles and follow the BBC team covering the show on Twitter.

तकनीकी प्रदर्शन हमेशा योजना के अनुसार नहीं होते हैं।


International Women's Day: Trail-blazing women of Kew

Summary: London in 1896, and a curious turn of history.

By Helen BriggsBBC News, Science and Environment Women gardeners were employed for the first time at Kew, and on equal pay, decades before women gained the vote. Made to wear the same garb as male gardeners so as not to distract their colleagues, their brown woollen bloomers soon made the news. As the satirical magazine, Punch, put it, "They gardened in bloomers the newspapers said. So to Kew without waiting all Londoners sped." After a blaze of publicity, the powers that be changed their minds and skirts were reinstated. Now, more than a century on, Kiri Ross-Jones, archivist and records manager at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, reflects on the trail blazers of Kew. She says it's incredible that at this point in time, women were in horticultural employment. "They worked long days, there was a lot of physical work involved in it - and also the studying side of it as well - these women were studying in organic chemistry and physics as well as botany and horticulture. "And I think it's just amazing that at this point in time these women were doing that here at Kew." Annie Gulvin, Alice Hutchings, Gertrude Cope and Eleanor Morland, who trained together at Swanley Horticultural College, became the first female gardeners at Kew. Their days were long, digging in the dirt from 6am to 6pm in the summer months. They were expected to spend their evenings attending lectures or studying in the library. "As far as we can tell, the women were employed on exactly the same terms as the men - and they appear to have been paid the same salary - it was quite a low salary for that day - but it was, as far as we can tell, exactly the same as the male gardeners," says Kiri Ross-Jones. Dr Catherine Horwood, a writer and social historian on women's horticultural history, says the appointments were enormously significant. Until then, the only women on the payroll at Kew were caretakers and a pot-washer in the tropical department. "Although women at that time could pay to learn about horticulture, this was the first time they could earn a wage while honing their horticultural skills," she says. The writers of the Journal of the Kew Guild for 1896 had mixed feelings about the employment of female gardeners: "Some of the work seems too laborious for them but this is their affair… Given fair play and no favour we do not object to anyone competing in the field of horticulture, be it prince or peer, retired army officer or young lady. The pity it is that in the case of women, marriage would terminate their gardening career." As it turned out, the experiment was to last only a few years. By 1898, Alice Hutchins had been promoted to sub-foreman, Annie Gulvin had left, and a small number of other women had joined the gardens. Kiri Ross-Jones says it was normal for students to be employed at Kew only for a couple of years and then to move on to better paid positions. "Pleasingly, looking at our records that does appear to be what seemed to happen to these women," she says. "They generally moved on to roles as head gardeners in some cases at other large gardens." Although it was a challenge for women to find jobs, Gertrude Cope went on to work with another pioneering female gardener, Miss Harrison, at gardens near Birmingham owned by George Cadbury. After 1902, there were no more female gardeners at Kew until the First World War came along, and women were needed to replace the men who had gone to fight. Women were recruited once again during the Second World War, but it was only in the 1970s when their number increased to become equal with male students. Eli Biondi who supervises the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew says gardeners there today are united by a common interest and passion in plants. The early women were heroic, she says. "It's thanks to them that I'm here and I've got a a very exciting and interesting job in one of the most famous botanic gardens in the world." Follow Helen on Twitter.

1896 में लंदन, और इतिहास का एक जिज्ञासु मोड़।


Were police too quick to believe historical sex abuse claims?

Summary: Carl Beech - the paedophile whose false claims of abuse against public figures were once described as "credible and true" by police - has been sentenced to 18 years for perverting the course of justice. In the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal, were police too quick to believe historical sex abuse allegations?

By Jim ReedReporter, Victoria Derbyshire programme Simon Warr was a teacher at boarding schools in Suffolk for most of his career, taking language classes and rugby with older pupils. He was 59 when his life changed, with a bang on the door one day at 07:15. "Four police officers swept past me, pushing me on to the cabinets, and the fifth one read me my rights," he tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. A former pupil had alleged he had been touched inappropriately after a PE lesson 30 years earlier. "I said to the police, 'I don't teach PE, I don't teach 12-year-olds games'," he says, "but they just wouldn't listen." 'Not properly investigated' His arrest took place in 2012, just months after the Jimmy Savile scandal. Since then, 6,617 suspects have been identified by detectives investigating historical child abuse allegations. Operation Hydrant was set up in 2014 to oversee claims of "non-recent" abuse in institutions or by people of public prominence. Some 7,396 possible crimes on its database have now had a final outcome. Of those 2,043 - or 29% - ended in a conviction. But faced with a huge increase in allegations, critics say police and prosecutors were often too quick to believe victims' accounts before they could be properly investigated. In Mr Warr's case, details of his arrest were broadcast on the BBC that evening. His diary, photos, computer and phone were confiscated and, he says, used by officers to contact "numerous" former pupils. "The police tried desperately for others to come forward. "When they went to see former pupils... it was made quite clear I was going to be prosecuted and they were looking for people strong enough to say I'd done similar things to them. "They had no intention of getting to the bottom of what happened. It certainly turns the whole edict of 'innocent until proven guilty' on its head." Improving victims' rights In the past it had been very difficult for victims of historical abuse to get any form of justice. A series of changes was brought in to improve that. From 1988, those accused lost an automatic right to anonymity. A crucial ruling in 1990 meant separate allegations no longer needed to be "strikingly similar" to be considered together at trial. In 2014, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) issued guidance which said, when a crime is recorded, "the presumption that a victim should always be believed should be institutionalised". The University of Oxford's Dr Ros Burnett says there is a real danger the "pendulum" of proof in historical cases has shifted too far. "The trouble with removing all those barriers and making it easier for genuine victims is that you also make it easier for people who, for one reason or another, are accusing the wrong people," she says. "The possibility of false allegations has almost been airbrushed away. And so there is a sort of complete neglect of the presumption of innocence." On Friday, Beech was sentenced after inventing claims he was abused by senior politicians - allegations that police once described as "credible and true". It triggered a £2m investigation that ended without a single arrest being made and led to a controversial call, by then Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, to change their approach, and not automatically believe the complainant. At the time, the NSPCC said in response it was "deeply disturbed" by his comments. "Telling those who have been sexually abused they will no longer be automatically believed seems to be a panic measure," said a spokesman. "Police officers should have an open mind and execute the normal tests and investigations." 'I was a wreck' The wider scale of false allegations is very difficult to measure. Rape Crisis said earlier this month that false allegations of rape, sexual abuse and other sexual offences were rare but had "disproportionate media focus". Those representing the accused say even a small number of false allegations can have huge consequences. Six months after Mr Warr was arrested, he was told a second former pupil had come forward alleging he was abused. Both complainants were old classmates and friends. Both had already been awarded compensation in a different abuse case at the same school. Mr Warr says he received threatening emails. A Facebook post said if he killed himself it would be the "best Christmas present ever". By that stage, Mr Warr adds: "I wasn't eating, I wasn't sleeping. I was a wreck." It took almost two years for his case to come to trial. His barrister told the jury he had never taught a single PE lesson. A complainant and a witness both changed key details of their stories. More than 20 ex-pupils, parents and teachers gave evidence in his defence. It took the jury only 40 minutes to find him not guilty on all seven charges. Mr Warr cried with relief. "I'll never get those years back," he says. "But it's not just the fact my life could have been ruined. "One of the biggest tragedies of cases like mine is that it makes it more difficult for people who have actually been abused to be believed." 'Tied to claims forever' In a statement, Suffolk Police said: "We collated the available evidence and presented it to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who made the decision to charge [Mr Warr]." "The [CPS] lawyer decided that there was sufficient evidence to progress to the courts and that it was in the public interest to prosecute." The College of Policing has now written to the Home Office to suggest guidance should be changed to say any investigation should be taken forward by police with "an open mind". Simon Warr left teaching after his trial, saying the publicity made it difficult to get another job. In recent weeks, the singer Sir Cliff Richard and BBC radio DJ Paul Gambaccini have led calls for the accused to remain anonymous until they are charged. Last year, the BBC was ordered to pay damages over its reporting of a police raid on Sir Cliff's home during an investigation into historical child sex allegations. He was never arrested or charged. Mr Warr wants the law to go further. Since 2012, teaching staff in England and Wales cannot be named until they are charged - but he is campaigning for anonymity until conviction. "If you are accused of child abuse, you will be inextricably tied to that forever," he says. "It stays with you for the rest of your life."

कार्ल बीच-एक बाल अपराधी जिसके सार्वजनिक हस्तियों के खिलाफ दुर्व्यवहार के झूठे दावों को कभी पुलिस द्वारा "विश्वसनीय और सच" के रूप में वर्णित किया गया था-को न्याय के मार्ग को विकृत करने के लिए 18 साल की सजा सुनाई गई है। जिमी सेविले घोटाले के बाद, क्या पुलिस ऐतिहासिक यौन शोषण के आरोपों पर विश्वास करने में इतनी जल्दी थी?


Cargo ship in difficulty in high winds off Rum

Summary: A rescue operation has been launched to save a cargo ship that has got into difficulty off the south west side of Rum in gale force winds.

The Red Duchess is carrying coal supplies to Stornoway on Lewis but suffered engine failure just after midday. Mallaig lifeboat has been keeping the vessel in position. A Maritime and Coastguard Agency tug - Anglian Prince - has been sent to the scene to tow the ship to safety.

एक मालवाहक जहाज को बचाने के लिए बचाव अभियान शुरू किया गया है जो तूफानी हवाओं में रम के दक्षिण पश्चिम की ओर मुश्किल में पड़ गया है।


What in the world: Is Michael Sam being 'selfish'?

Summary: A review of the best commentary on and around the world...

By What in the world?Pieces of global opinion Today's must-read On Monday we covered the announcement by pro-football prospect Michael Sam that he is gay, offering the possibility that he will become the first openly homosexual player in the National Football League. We noted that "all of the commentary that has been published on the Sam story so far has praised the player for his bravery". That has since changed. Talk radio host Michael Brown in his Tuesday column on the conservative website Townhall asks: "This is something to be celebrated? Announcing you are same-sex attracted is a major media event?" He wonders whether players will be able to be as "physical and free with a homosexual teammate". He calls Sam's announcement selfish: Sam has now put his own desires - wanting to be out and proud - above the good of the team, saying to everyone else, "Whether you're uncomfortable or not, and whether this helps the team's synergy or not, this is who I am." He should have just kept his "private life private", he concludes. Meanwhile, Jennifer Leclaire, editor of the Christian website Charisma News, writes that she is praying for Sam, "who the radical gay agenda will use as its poster child". She also agrees that Sam should have kept the news to himself. "There have been many professional sports players who were gay and didn't go to great lengths to hide it - but didn't feel the need to sit with major media and discuss it, either," she writes. Switzerland Immigration quotas reveal Swiss lack of identity - David Nauer writes in Der Spiegel that the Swiss identity "is based on a rejection of neighbouring Italy, Germany and France." By voting in favour of immigration limits, he writes, the Swiss are showing that they don't want to share the one thing that makes them unique - their riches - with new arrivals. By doing so, however, they may precipitate their economic decline. Roman Catholic Church UN report on molesting priests misses the mark - The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child "blundered" by criticising the Vatican for its contraception, homosexuality and abortion policies, writes the Tablet editor Paul Vallely, instead of targeting its investigation of the Catholic Church solely on the cover-up of sex abuse by priests. "The focus on child abuse has been lost in the row, with Vatican apologists tweeting about the Holy See being ambushed by a kangaroo court," he writes. France Hollande abandons socialism - French President Francois Hollande has dropped the "socialist" label and is calling himself a "social democrat". His move to continue austerity shows he is "enshrouded in an ideological fog", writes Peter Gumbel for Bloomberg View. Mr Hollande "will have to demonstrate to his jaded and skeptical fellow citizens that he really has a plan, and that his latest shift isn't merely more obfuscation". India Social inequality and joblessness a ticking time bomb - Sanjoy Narayan writes in the Hindustan Times that underemployed and disillusioned youth could someday become angry mobs. "For the safely cocooned well-heeled classes, including those such as this writer, inequality is an uncomfortable matter better swept under the carpet, as if it is an issue that is visible yet unseen," he writes. "For how long, though?" Thailand Elections bring no resolution to crisis - The BBC's Jonathan Head writes that while the 2 February elections were not marred by "serious violence", protests were disruptive enough to force further voting to reach required participation levels. Both the government and the opposition still think they will prevail in the end, he writes, and it seems that a compromise will be necessary if the standoff is to be resolved. He cautions, however: "If there is a deal, a grand bargain, on the horizon, to end Thailand's crisis, it is not visible yet." Nato Missile defence gives Europe and the US a new mission - Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen writes that Nato must focus on a missile defence of the European continent. "Where once we lined up tanks along borders, we are now building a complex system that requires a range of high-tech contributions from many allies - on land, at sea, and in the air," he writes. "Nato's missile-defense system is what transatlantic teamwork looks like in the twenty-first century." Japan A city dying of old age - Le Monde's Philippe Mesmer profiles a town in Japan where nearly half the residents are over the age of 65. Although the town is an extreme example, he writes, all of Japan is facing the challenge of an aging population. "Authorities are not doing much, especially not for the declining birth rates," he writes. "And Japan remains hostile to immigration, except when it comes to compensating immediate and specific needs." BBC Monitoring quote of the day Pakistan-Taliban peace talks: "The US must keep its word and halt drone attacks during the talks. If it fails to take account of the sensitivity of the situation, people would be right to believe that the US is not a friend anyone." - Editorial in Wahdat, a Peshawar-based pro-Islamist Pashto daily widely read in north-west Pakistan and Afghanistan One more thing… Giraffe death an indictment of zoos - When the Copenhagen Zoo euthanized a giraffe due to fears of inbreeding, it made world headlines and prompted a public outcry. If you're really upset about the story, Mimi Bekhechi writes in the Independent, you should stop going to zoos, which are "incarcerating intelligent animals for profit". She continues: "We wouldn't go to a prison to learn about typical human society, so it makes no sense to observe imprisoned animals in order to learn about them." Have you found an interesting opinion piece about global issues that we missed? Share it with us via email at echochambers (at) bbc.co.uk.

दुनिया भर में सर्वश्रेष्ठ टिप्पणियों की समीक्षा...


Arrests over car fires at HMP Nottingham and Lowdham Grange

Summary: A man and woman have been arrested on suspicion of arson after cars belonging to staff at two prisons were set on fire.

Several cars were destroyed when they were set alight at HMP Nottingham on 11 May and HMP Lowdham Grange on 14 May. Nottinghamshire Police said the man and woman, both aged 20, were arrested and released while officers continue to investigate. Cars at Lincoln Prison have also been set alight in two separate attacks. However, police have said these arson attacks are not linked to the ones in Nottinghamshire. Nobody was hurt in any of the fires. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

दो जेलों में कर्मचारियों की कारों में आग लगाने के संदेह में एक पुरुष और महिला को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Who is 'Mrs M&S'?

Summary: Marks and Spencer boss Steve Rowe says he is determined to revive the High Street giant by getting back in touch with the core female customers he has labelled "Mrs M&S". But who exactly is he talking about?

By Emma AtkinsonBBC News According to Mr Rowe this apparently married woman wants "stylish contemporary clothing". He adds: "We need to cherish and celebrate her and make sure we're giving her exactly what she needs at the right time." The company confirms that it sees the "loyal" - or perhaps of late, not so loyal - Mrs M&S as a woman in her 50s who shops with them around 18 times a year. But is this marketing mantra really going to attract a set of stylish and contemporary women? Social media reaction seems to suggest not. So it has not been a hit with the Twittersphere. But what about other customers? In a bid to assess whether this is a move in the right direction I spoke to one stylish 60-something woman that I know was once an avid Marks and Spencer customer - my mum Liz. "It sounds very patronising," she says. "And also very old fashioned. Nobody wants to be thought of as 'Mrs' anything really - let alone Mrs M&S. "I want to dress in a modern style that complements me so hearing they want to be 'stylish and contemporary' sounds good. But really I'd like them to bring back good quality clothing in the right sizes," she adds. Catherine Harper, professor of textiles at the University of Portsmouth, agrees. "I'm 51 and have been trying to be a loyal M&S shopper for a long time but if they are going down the route of 'Mrs M&S' then I think it's very much the wrong track," she says. "A lot of women like myself are already feeling disenfranchised and this doesn't help. It's not how we want to be seen. We are crying out for contemporary clothes that are sexy with a good fit and a good finish and that are reasonably priced." She adds: "As shoppers we are really attached to the brand and I hope they will listen to us." Core shoppers Kirsty McGregor, from fashion industry publication Drapers, says that unfortunately for Marks and Spencer it has got itself into a position "where they are damned if they do and damned if they don't". "Perhaps Steve Rowe could have chosen a more modern way of referring to this set of customers, but the 50-plus woman is the core target market for M&S and his decision to focus on them makes sense. "He has also acknowledged that 42% of M&S customers are men and 22% are under 35, and is looking at how to better serve these groups. But increasing its appeal to that core base of older women is one area where M&S can really make a difference to sales." Mr Rowe has talked about this being exactly the brand's new focus - cutting back on fashion-focused clothing in favour of plans to "re-establish our style authority", with an emphasis on quality wardrobe essentials. He has also pledged to reduce promotions and clearance sales and invest in lower everyday prices - a trend that is taking hold more widely across the retail industry in response to consumer demand. But the move to woo back the 50-something clientele is something of an about-turn for Marks and Spencer, coming hot on the heels of a new fashion collection from 32-year-old model and presenter Alexa Chung. She recently delved into the M&S archives to produce a mix of heritage style designs with shorter hemlines. Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of the Centre for Brand Analysis, says the historic chain still resonated among young people. Last year, M&S came 18th in the annual Superbrands survey - which ranks British brands based on the views of marketing experts, business professionals and consumers - beating companies such as Microsoft and Amazon. More than half of 26 to 35-year-olds who took part in the survey identified M&S as a "superbrand". Mr Cheliotis says High Street brands that lose sight of their target shoppers can "float around and eventually die". However, he also warns there was a risk of alienating potential customers by focusing on a certain type of person. "I think narrowing it down by age is not the way to go for somewhere like Marks and Spencer. They should instead be saying what we stand for, what we offer and how we help you."

मार्क्स एंड स्पेंसर के मालिक स्टीव रो का कहना है कि वह उन मुख्य महिला ग्राहकों के संपर्क में वापस आकर हाई स्ट्रीट की दिग्गज कंपनी को पुनर्जीवित करने के लिए दृढ़ हैं जिन्हें उन्होंने "मिसेज एम एंड एस" कहा है। लेकिन वे वास्तव में किसके बारे में बात कर रहे हैं?


Rod Stewart to headline 2017 Isle of Wight Festival

Summary: Sir Rod Stewart has been revealed as the Sunday night headliner for the Isle of Wight Festival next year.

He is the second act announced for the festival, which was under threat of being cancelled. The 71-year-old singer will be closing the festival, with Arcade Fire playing on the Saturday night. Previous headliners at the festival include Queen and The Who. The four-day festival at Seaclose Park, Newport will run from 8-11 June 2017.

सर रॉड स्टीवर्ट को अगले साल आइल ऑफ वाइट महोत्सव के लिए रविवार की रात के प्रमुख के रूप में प्रकट किया गया है।


Why doesn't Australia have an indigenous treaty?

Summary: The future of Australia's relationship with its indigenous peoples could be significantly influenced by a meeting at Uluru this week. It will discuss changing the constitution, but may also include support for a treaty. Australia does not have one, unlike many nations, reports Trevor Marshallsea.

In 1832, the governor of Van Diemen's Land reflected ruefully on his colonial administration's chaotic - and bloody - relationship with the island's indigenous population. Amid a period of great conflict between white colonists and Aborigines known as the Black War, Governor George Arthur said it was "a fatal error" a treaty had not been entered into with the Aboriginal people of what's now the Australian state of Tasmania, after white settlement had commenced some 30 years earlier. The absence of a treaty was cited by Mr Arthur as a crucial and aggravating factor in relations with the first inhabitants of the island, the scene of some of the worst treatment inflicted on Aborigines by British colonists. Almost 200 years later, Australia remains the only Commonwealth country to have never signed a treaty with its indigenous people. While treaties were established early on in other British dominions such as New Zealand, Canada and in the United States, the situation in Australia has been, often notoriously, different. Fifty years ago this Saturday, a landmark referendum voted for the country's constitution to be changed to allow Aborigines to be counted among all Australians (whereas they had previously been excluded from the national census), and to shift power to legislate on indigenous affairs from the states to the federal government. A few years earlier, Aborigines had been given the right to vote in national and state elections. In 1988, then Prime Minister Bob Hawke was presented with "the Barunga Statement", named after an Aboriginal community. Written on bark, it called for a treaty. The cause had been thrust forcefully into the public consciousness in the late 1980s in various ways. One was rock band Midnight Oil's 1987 hit "Beds Are Burning", which implored white Australia to "pay the rent, to pay our share". Part-Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi had an international hit with "Treaty" a few years later. On receiving the Barunga Statement, which he had hung on a wall in Canberra's Parliament House, Mr Hawke vowed there would be a treaty by 1990. In 1992, Prime Minister Paul Keating made a now-famous speech in the Aboriginal-centric Sydney suburb of Redfern, addressing harsh truths about the often brutal and murderous "dispossessing" of the country's traditional owners. A year later came the watershed Native Title act, which threw out the historical view that Australia before European settlement in 1788 essentially belonged to no-one. And in 2008 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a long-awaited apology to Australia's indigenous peoples, for policies that had inflicted suffering on them. Despite these words, acts and gestures, there is still no treaty. Also, there remain contentious sections of the nation's constitution which are race-based, although two significant others were removed in the 1967 referendum. Section 25 still says states can disqualify people from voting in elections on account of their race. Section 51 (xxvi) empowers the government to legislate for "the people of any race for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws". This week, marking the referendum's 50th anniversary, an Aboriginal leaders' summit at Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock) is hopeful of reaching consensus on whether - and how - the constitution should be changed. But some delegations are expected to make statements about the need for a treaty, and financial compensation. The meeting will also shine a light on white Australia's troubled, and peculiar, historical attitude to the country's first inhabitants. Australia's distinct problem, historians say, took root from reports delivered back in England by the first white men to land on the east coast in 1770. "Captain James Cook and (botanist) Joseph Banks reported the Aborigines were few in number and were just wandering around the place," says University of Sydney history professor Mark McKenna. "The perception was they had no recognisable agricultural system, and they were basically savages." Thus when Admiral Arthur Phillip led the first fleet to begin the colony of New South Wales in 1788, Mr McKenna says, "there was no expectation any treaty with the locals would have to be signed. The way Australia was settled was in fact quite extraordinary." Tasmanian Aboriginal writer and activist Michael Mansell told the BBC the English were deceived by their perceptions of Australian indigenous culture, including that they lived in small groups, by contrast to the large and seemingly more organised tribes of North America. "To them, the Australian Aborigines didn't display any of the trappings of a so-called noble culture," Mr Mansell says. "They weren't riding horses like the native North Americans. They didn't have permanent dwellings. It was harder to discern who their leaders were. So they were regarded as a vulgar and backward people who could be treated as the invaders liked. "In 1840 colonial officials in New Zealand were sitting down with the Maoris to sign the Treaty of Waitangi. At the same time in Australia, Aborigines were being hunted down, shot and slaughtered. "All of this fostered a deeply entrenched cultural bias against Aboriginal people which, ever since, has been very hard to shake, both in attitudes and in a substantive way." While provision was made for indigenous people in Canada's constitution in 1867, Mr Mansell points out that "the only mention of Aborigines in Australia's constitution of 1901 was to exclude us". At that time, Australia's first prime minister, Edmund Barton, said race-based clauses in the constitution allowed his government to "regulate the affairs of the people of coloured or inferior races who are in the Commonwealth". Little changed in attitudes in the ensuing years. This, Mr Mansell says, was partly due to a widespread belief that the Aboriginal race would simply die out, and be bred in amongst the European community, and because of the country's so-called "White Australia" policy on immigration. Existing in various forms from 1901 until 1973, the policy, though aimed at immigrants, did little to promote acceptance and cultural sensitivity. While the 1980s and early 1990s brought attitudinal change, the plight of Aborigines was set back, Mr McKenna and Mr Mansell agree, under the conservative John Howard government of 1996-2007. Contrasting Mr Keating's Redfern Speech, Mr Howard said he would not take a "black armband" view of Australia's history on Aboriginal relations. In 2000 he said a country "does not make a treaty with itself". And in 2004 he announced the abolition of the peak government body handling indigenous issues, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), following corruption investigations. "John Howard shut the Aboriginal movement down completely," Mr Mansell says. "ATSIC had its problems, but it was a sound moral concept. There's been plenty of crooked MPs, but they don't shut down parliament." Still, despite Australia's troubled past on indigenous matters, and fears from government and business on the implications of a treaty, of financial compensation, or of official recognition of Aboriginal sovereignty over Australian lands, Mr Mansell is "very optimistic" substantive change can be sparked by this week's summit. "What we need is a clear plan capable of being adopted by governments which will not interfere with the rest of Australia but will give empowerment to Aborigines, and give land back to those who can't get it under the Native Title Act," Mr Mansell said. With Australia's constitution difficult to change, many agree a more pressing need is the establishment of a national representative body allowing Aborigines to make their own decisions on matters affecting them, rather than have decisions forced on them from Canberra. "A treaty would break the 200-year-old cycle of governments not negotiating with the Aboriginal people," says Mr McKenna, adding it would provide a framework for how negotiations are held on indigenous issues such as welfare, employment, education, health and land ownership. "It would say 'we're no longer just going to do things to them', but that they're included and empowered."

ऑस्ट्रेलिया के मूल निवासियों के साथ उसके संबंधों का भविष्य इस सप्ताह उलुरु में एक बैठक से काफी प्रभावित हो सकता है। इसमें संविधान को बदलने पर चर्चा होगी, लेकिन इसमें एक संधि के लिए समर्थन भी शामिल हो सकता है। ट्रेवर मार्शलसी की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, कई देशों के विपरीत, ऑस्ट्रेलिया के पास ऐसा नहीं है।


Jersey Post to sell its Broad Street post office

Summary: Jersey Post will sell its main St Helier post office in the future because the site is not used efficiently, says its chief executive.

Kevin Keen said its Broad Street post office site was under-used with the company only using about a quarter of the site. But he told the BBC he wanted to reassure customers the firm would keep a town centre base. He said Jersey Post planned to raise more cash through its assets. Mr Keen said last year's profit before tax of £1.2m was a substantial improvement on the £111,000 the year before. But the pension deficit had risen to £9.4m after what the annual report described as poor investment performance.

इसके मुख्य कार्यकारी का कहना है कि जर्सी पोस्ट भविष्य में अपने मुख्य सेंट हेलियर डाकघर को बेच देगा क्योंकि साइट का कुशलता से उपयोग नहीं किया जाता है।


Two men carry out handgun heist at Reading Betfred

Summary: Two men robbed a bookmakers after one of them brandished a handgun and threatened a staff member.

Thames Valley Police said the robbers stole a "quantity of cash" from the Betfred shop in Oxford Road, Reading, at about 08:30 GMT on Thursday. Det Ch Insp Matt Stone said the robbery was a "terrifying experience" for the victim, who was not injured. Both men have been described as white, about 30 and officers are appealing for witnesses.

दो लोगों ने एक सट्टेबाज को लूट लिया जब उनमें से एक ने एक हैंडगन लहरा दी और एक कर्मचारी को धमकी दी।


Swansea launches drop-in centre for LGBT hate crime victims

Summary: A new evening drop-in centre for victims of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender hate crime is being launched in Swansea.

Police officers and staff from the Unity Group will be on hand to discuss LGBT issues. Unity chief executive Andrew Davies said the aim was to build trust between the police and the LGBT community. The fortnightly sessions will take place at the Unity Centre in High Street. Mr Davies said: "We are trying to break down barriers so that people in the LGBT community feel able to talk to the police about their experiences. "The only way we can tackle hate crime is if it is reported and if we provide a neutral space hopefully victims will feel more confident about coming forward." The first evening session takes place from 19:00-21:00 GMT on Thursday 17 March.

स्वानसी में समलैंगिक, समलैंगिक, उभयलिंगी और ट्रांसजेंडर घृणा अपराध के पीड़ितों के लिए एक नया शाम ड्रॉप-इन केंद्र शुरू किया जा रहा है।


Is the time finally right for a Friends reboot?

Summary: The one where they all come back and make another series.

Friends fans have been calling for it since the final episode aired in 2004 but now we hear the cast have all met up at Courtney Cox's house. Add to that the fact that for a second year it's the most streamed show in the UK. And Friends merchandise is selling in big numbers in high-street stores. Does this mean it's time for a comeback? There is no denying there could be a market for a Friends reboot right now. We have just had the 25th anniversary and Netflix's hosting of the series has brought it to a whole new audience. Hello to those who were too young get the jokes first time round. Even the fact that certain aspects of the show haven't aged so well, hasn't done much to dent its enduring popularity. In the UK it gets more streams than any other show, and earlier this year a British survey named it as the most popular programme for young people. Scott Bryan, TV critic and co-host of BBC Sounds Must Watch podcast, says there is a huge appetite for it. "The timing can't be any more right," he says. "The multi-million pound deal Netflix signed for it showed just how much interest there is." But Warner Brothers TV studios who made Friends told Radio 1 Newsbeat "this isn't really a revival for us" as "the show's been consistently on air in the UK, first with Channel 4 and E4, then with Comedy Central". 'A big seller' So if the viewing figures aren't enough to convince the producers, how about the sales of Friends merchandise? On the high street you can hardly move for How You Doin? hoodies or The One Where It Seemed Like A Good Idea To Buy This T-shirt t-shirts. H&M is the latest in a long line of fashion chains selling Friends-branded clothing. They told us it's been a "big seller" for them. Chloe Collins is a retail analyst at Global data. Her job is to look at what is trending in clothes shops. She says a lot of retailers are jumping on the trend for all things Friends. "H&M do it, I think Topshop has done it, ASOS has also done stuff before." "People still watch it every day. It shows that it doesn't really age." A rare reunion So, the big question is - might the cast be up for it? Hopes were raised when Courtney Cox shared a picture of of herself on Sunday with Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc, alongside the caption: "A rare night and I love it." The excitement peaked when Jennifer Aniston revealed the next day in an interview with US radio legend Howard Stern that actually all six of them had met up. "We just had dinner this week, on Saturday night," she said. "The whole gang. Everyone was there." Could it BE anymore exciting? Turns out yes it probably could. Jennifer Aniston went on to downplay the idea that the reunion could mean a reboot. "It's just Schwimmer was in town," the actress explained, "and we all happened to have a window of time so we all got together." Asked directly if she would be prepared to do a reunion show where everyone is older, she quickly dismissed it. "I really think there is an idea that if there is a reboot of a show it wouldn't be even close to being as good at what it was... It would ruin it." To be fair it wasn't a straight-up "no" but TV critic Scott Bryan thinks it is still unlikely to happen: "The biggest issue is the stars," he says. "They have spent their careers trying to move on. You never want to be known as a one trick pony." He also thinks a reboot would be a big risk. "If a show returns, it can't survive on nostalgia alone. That will dry up pretty quick. It has to have storylines and characters that reflect 2019." Ultimately it is down to the creators of the show to decide whether they make any new episodes and it seems they haven't been persuaded by this Friends revival. When Marta Kauffman and David Crane were asked their thoughts at the Tribeca TV festival in September the answer was still the same. "We will not be doing a reunion show, we will not be doing a reboot." Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

वह जहाँ वे सभी वापस आते हैं और एक और श्रृंखला बनाते हैं।


Christmas trees: Real or fake?

Summary: It's the time of year when Christmas trees go up, becoming the centrepiece of our family festivities. We will adorn their branches with twinkling lights and colourful baubles and place our lovingly wrapped gifts underneath. As such a focal point in our celebrations, getting the tree right is important. But what are the pros and cons of choosing a real or artificial tree? Our BBC News elves asked some experts.

This weekend many families will be heading up to the loft or to a Christmas tree farm to find their perfect pine. It's been a tradition since the Victorian era but today we are spoiled for choice. From cost to carbon footprint what should you consider when choosing your tree? Are these Britain's worst Christmas trees? For more stories about Christmas trees and decorations follow us on Pinterest Dr John Kazer, at the Carbon Trust, says an average artificial tree was made of plastic which comes from oil. This accounts for two thirds of its carbon footprint. Another quarter of its environmental impact comes from the industrial emissions produced when the tree is manufactured. He said a 2m artificial tree has a carbon footprint equivalent to 40kg of greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than twice that of a real tree that ends its life in landfill - and more than 10 times that of real trees that are burnt. "So if you have an artificial tree at home you would need to reuse it for at least 10 Christmases to keep its environmental impact lower than that of a real tree," he said. Mr Kazer said the way in which a real tree is disposed of was "much more significant than where it comes from". The Carbon Trust estimates that for a two metre real Christmas tree with no roots, the carbon footprint is equivalent to 16kg of greenhouse gas emissions if it ends up in landfill. This is because the tree decomposes and produces methane gas, which is 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, according to the trust. "If you burn your Christmas tree on the bonfire, plant it or have it chipped to spread on the garden, that significantly reduces the carbon footprint by up to 80% or around 3.5kg CO2e (greenhouse gas emissions)." Burning the tree emits the carbon dioxide that it stored up when it was growing so there would be no net increase, he said. So real trees have much lower carbon footprints than artificial Christmas trees. But what else is there to consider? Stephen Evans, managing director of Christmas Tree World based in Wigan, sells both real and artificial trees. His artificial trees can be found in airports, universities, stately homes and hospitals. "Our artificial trees are flame retardant which is a major thing for big public buildings," he said. "When real trees dry out they become quite flammable." He said hospitals use artificial trees because some patients have allergies. The company also supplies Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. House manager Kate Ballenger said: "Whilst we do grow our own trees on the estate, it's important that we also use artificial trees to limit the risk of insects being bought in that would damage the collection inside the palace." Artificial trees have some benefits for large buildings but what about the average household? One of the greatest benefits of an artificial tree is the cost, said Mr Evans. "You can use them year after year so the money saving is enormous," he said. "You can bring it out of the loft each year instead of the hassle of going out and getting a real one. "Artificial trees have improved so much that they actually fool people into thinking they're real. "Pre-lit trees are increasing in popularity. The lights are put on better that you could ever do it at home. "Also artificial trees don't drop needles all over the floor." But for Harry Brightwell, secretary of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, there is something about a real tree that cannot be replicated. "It's the look, texture and smell of the real tree that makes it so special," he said. "Just like us, each one is unique. "The process of buying a real tree, going out with your loved ones, friends and neighbours and selecting the perfect size, shape and colour for your home creates the most wonderful memories." The answer lies in the tree's carbon footprint, how many times it is reused and how it is disposed of. Other factors to consider when choosing a tree include cost, effort required, fire safety, allergies and insects. This story was prompted by Kathie Walters who used Your Questions to ask: "Is my artificial Christmas tree good for the environment or are real trees better?"

यह साल का वह समय होता है जब क्रिसमस के पेड़ उगते हैं, जो हमारे परिवार के उत्सवों का केंद्र बिंदु बन जाते हैं। हम उनकी शाखाओं को चमकती रोशनी और रंगीन गुब्बारों से सजाते हैं और अपने प्यार से लिपटे उपहारों को नीचे रखते हैं। हमारे उत्सवों में इस तरह के केंद्र बिंदु के रूप में, पेड़ को सही करना महत्वपूर्ण है। लेकिन एक वास्तविक या कृत्रिम पेड़ चुनने के फायदे और नुकसान क्या हैं? हमारे बीबीसी समाचार कल्पित बौने ने कुछ विशेषज्ञों से पूछा।


The party that didn't quite change UK politics

Summary: For a few weeks in the spring, a small group of ex-Labour and ex-Tory politicians - The Independent Group - was rarely out of the headlines. After two name changes and more than half its MPs leaving, it barely registers today.

By Peter SnowdonPresenter of Radio 4's Splitters When the The Independent Group was launched, the plan was to force a major realignment in British politics and entice others away from the main parties. "This isn't some sideshow," insisted Anna Soubry, the most prominent of the three Conservatives to join the group. "This is serious. We need a new political party and it's absolutely got to be done." The announcement of the new group in February came as a surprise, but preparations had begun in the autumn of 2017. Gavin Shuker organised trips for up to 20 fellow Labour MPs unhappy with Jeremy Corbyn's leadership to meet in a Sussex farmhouse, where they discussed and plotted a breakaway. "I managed to get them out of London on crowded trains without anyone noticing," he said. Mr Shuker became the convenor of what was to become The Independent Group. Alongside other Labour MPs Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie, he persuaded a small number of colleagues to make the leap in February. The plan was for many more to follow. All was going well, but then came a dramatic intervention by Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson, who set up a grouping to rival TIG - but staying within the Parliamentary Labour Party. The aim was to keep people inside Labour, which it effectively did, starving TIG of new recruits. Too much too soon? Despite the initial bonhomie among the 11 TIG MPs and encouraging poll ratings, it soon became clear that they lacked the organisational firepower to build momentum. "We're overstretched and being treated as one of the principals on the field of play," Mr Umunna said a few weeks after the group formed. "That's exciting, but we're also absolutely exhausted." What really held the MPs back, though, was indecision over who would be leader. Most wanted Mr Umunna, the most prominent of the Labour politicians inside the group, to take on the role, but some resisted. He argued they wait until the autumn to elect a permanent leader. It was agreed that Heidi Allen, one of the former Conservatives, relatively unknown outside Parliament, would become interim leader. "It was a messy compromise," recalls Mr Shuker. You can listen to Splitters, presented by Peter Snowdon, on BBC Sounds. Without properly settling the leadership question, the group's voice struggled to be heard as events took an unexpected turn. Following the third defeat for Theresa May's attempts to pass her Brexit deal through Parliament, the UK's participation in the European elections became inevitable. TIG had all along planned to register itself as a political party, but the onset of the elections hastened key decisions. "There was quite a well developed idea that we could actually act as a power broker to bring the other Remain parties together," says Mr Shuker. "But we chose to stand 70 candidates and that forced registration with the Electoral Commission. "At that moment, I felt there was something of that project that was open and hopeful that was just dying because the bigger realignment that we all thought we were contesting for cannot come about through 11 people setting up one political party." The group registered under the party name Change UK and fought the campaign, but disagreements over its fundamental purpose would not be resolved. It was increasingly hard to distinguish the party's anti-Brexit message from that of the Liberal Democrats. Ms Allen, who argued for co-operation with the other pro-Remain parties, attempted to quit as leader a few days before the election. "I tried to express how deeply uncomfortable I felt and maybe it would be better if I resigned," she says, "but the shared view was that it wasn't the right time to do it." A series of mistakes and mishaps exacerbated divisions among the 11 MPs. The party's new name, Change UK, a last-minute choice after the Electoral Commission rejected the acronym TIG, became a source of ridicule. More seriously, its number-one candidate in Scotland defected to the Liberal Democrats and another candidate in the South West, Rachel Johnson, openly questioned the campaign strategy. Elections calamity The European elections were a triumph for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, topping the poll, and a success for the Liberal Democrats, who came second. But they were disastrous for the two main parties. For Change UK, the elections were calamitous. It secured only 3% of the vote and failed to win any MEPs. Breaking up was only a question of time, according to Mr Shuker. "We met a few days after those results were out. Everyone laid their cards on the table. There was huge contempt around the table, very sadly, and I just felt coming out of that meeting, this is not coming back. "I had hoped for an amicable settlement, but those of us who had really invested most in The Independent Group were cast as splitters." When the split came, Ms Allen, Mr Umunna, Mr Shuker and three others quit the party, while Ms Soubry went on to lead the remaining five MPs. She pinned the blame on naive and inconsistent leadership, while Mr Umunna, who a few weeks later joined the Liberal Democrats, admitted it had "proved very hard to start something new from scratch". He reflected: "In a parliamentary system it's far better to work with the tremendous assets, people and forces that there are already are in the centre ground... "Things didn't turn out in the way we thought they would and that's very difficult to accept." For Ms Allen, it had been a worthwhile exercise. "When politics students are studying this in 10 years from now, they will see all these little jigsaw pieces as having clicked into place at the right time to enable us to get what I hope will be from this desperate paralysis we have from Brexit. "Yes, of course it's disappointing on a personal level, but you are not in this job to make friends." In June, Change UK had to take a on a new name, after the petitions website Change.org raised concerns. It became The Independent Group for Change. What had begun in the spirit of friendship and co-operation ended in acrimony and division. The motivation to split away and form a new political force was deeply felt by this small group of politicians, but their traumatic experience may well serve as a lesson to others in the future.

वसंत में कुछ हफ्तों के लिए, पूर्व-श्रमिक और पूर्व-टोरी राजनेताओं का एक छोटा समूह-द इंडिपेंडेंट ग्रुप-शायद ही कभी सुर्खियों से बाहर था। दो नाम परिवर्तन और इसके आधे से अधिक सांसदों के जाने के बाद, यह आज मुश्किल से पंजीकरण करता है।


Guernsey private jet hangar plan approved

Summary: An application to build a hangar for large executive private jets next to Guernsey Airport has been approved by the Environment Department.

EGJB Hangarage put forward plans to build the hangar with a taxi-way, apron and car parking to the west of existing Guernsey Aero Club hangar. Fourteen objections were lodged to the plans, including concerns the hangar would be used for smaller planes. The political board of Environment voted 4-1 in favour of the proposals. Guernsey Airport authorities supported the development as they wanted to diversify the airport's economy by attracting corporate jets and bringing business to the island. Seven applications to build a hangar for smaller aircraft on the site have been turned down in the past.

ग्वेर्नसे हवाई अड्डे के बगल में बड़े कार्यकारी निजी जेट विमानों के लिए एक हैंगर बनाने के लिए एक आवेदन को पर्यावरण विभाग द्वारा मंजूरी दी गई है।


Can you ever trust a dog around children?

Summary: Can a dog ever be trusted around children? A three-year-old boy has died from dog bite injuries. He's just one of a number of young victims killed by a family pet. These aren't necessarily animals known to be dangerous and on the banned list , or cases of children caught up in a dogfight in the park.

So can any dog - no matter how docile - "turn" and injure or kill a child? It would seem so. In 2014, six-day-old Eliza-Mae Mullane died from head injuries after she was bitten by the family's Alaskan Malamute - a dog which had never shown any signs of aggression. In Eliza-Mae's case, the coroner later said the incident "could not possibly have been foreseen". Harry Harper, who was eight days old, died in hospital in 2013 after being bitten by his grandparents' dog in Telford. The investigating police officer said the family "had an unblemished history of caring for and controlling many dogs over a period of many years". Chillingly, Det Insp Phil Shakesheff of West Mercia Police added: "There is no evidence to suggest that the death of Harry is anything other than a tragic incident that can't be ruled out from occurring in any other dog-owning household where children are present". Four-year-old Lexi Branston was killed in 2013 by a rescue dog who'd previously been "very sweet natured" with a "lovely temperament". Yet despite dog attacks like these making headline news, a recent survey suggests nearly half of parents would leave a child under the age of 11 alone with a dog, and 12% would leave a child under five alone with a dog. More than half of children questioned "thought a growling dog was 'smiling'". Dog bites to children are so dangerous because they're most likely to be to the head and face, according to research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Bleeding to death after the carotid artery [in the neck] is severed is the most common reason for child dog attack fatalities. Dogs Trust education officer Anna Baatz says children "must understand that a dog is not a toy". "Simply understanding when a dog says 'enough' can be the difference between a bite or not." Adrian Burder from the charity says: "Pulling his tail, sitting on him, disturbing his sleep and kissing his nose are just some of the antagonising ways children act around dogs. The simple fact is that all dogs have teeth and any dog can bite or snap if worried, scared or hurt. "There is no escaping the hard fact that dog attacks are on the rise and, worryingly, the rate of hospital admissions for dog bites is highest among the 0-9 age group. 1,160 children were hospitalised during 2013-2014". Why has there been an increase? Although figures for the specific breeds responsible for each hospital admission are not available, police in Nottinghamshire, where the seizure of banned breeds and dangerous legal breeds has increased eightfold in the past three years, say they believe it's largely due to "irresponsible backstreet breeding". There are more dangerous dogs in the country - therefore there will be more attacks. So how can attacks on children be prevented? "You can educate children so they don't annoy dogs," says animal behaviourist Ed Adams. "Dogs are living creatures that think, feel and get frightened just like us. If they're scared or worried or feel trapped in a corner it can be a trigger". Mr Adams suggests "getting a dog used to the idea" when parents are expecting a baby, for example by gradually introducing new equipment to the home and buying a CD of baby sounds. "Owning a dog is wonderful and rewarding, but remember even the smallest, cutest and cuddliest dog can bite if they feel they have no other options or are provoked. "The majority of bites happen in the home with family dogs or with dogs that are well known. Even though you might know a dog, and think that they would never hurt anyone, you still need to take steps to ensure that your children are safe. "Never ever leave a child alone with a dog. Ever."

क्या एक कुत्ते पर कभी बच्चों के आसपास भरोसा किया जा सकता है? एक तीन साल के लड़के की कुत्ते के काटने की चोटों से मौत हो गई है। वह केवल एक परिवार के पालतू जानवर द्वारा मारे गए कई युवा पीड़ितों में से एक है। जरूरी नहीं कि ये जानवर खतरनाक होने के लिए जाने जाते हैं और प्रतिबंधित सूची में हैं, या पार्क में कुत्ते की लड़ाई में पकड़े गए बच्चों के मामले हैं।