The 11-year-old film star with autism Charlie Lock

Summary: Charlie Lock is gearing up for the premiere of his new film.

By Lydia Rose StephensBBC News But the 11-year-old has not always dreamed of being an actor - in fact, he hated performing in school plays. The loud music and bright lights of musicals and nativities were too much for Charlie, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of four. Autism is a spectrum condition, which means that it affects people in different ways. Most people with autism see, hear and feel the world differently to others. "I don't like being overwhelmed, the lights, people, other people, more people, and then some more people. It was just too much for me," he said. Charlie has always struggled to find his niche. He does not like any of the sports they play at school, and unfortunately, the hills of his hometown Quakers Yard in Merthyr Tydfil aren't exactly the Austrian Alps, where he loves to ski. It was by chance that his mother Cerys Lock was sent an advert, a casting call for a child with blonde curly hair to be a TV extra; what followed for Charlie was a magical relationship with drama. Charlie fell in love with monologues, scripts and using his emotions. "I know exactly what is happening, that is my favourite thing," he said. For Charlie, there is no better way to educate people about the condition than to show them through acting. "I just want people to understand more about autistic children since they think wrong things about them, like you're autistic, you're disabled, it's over, and it's not." Charlie's big break came last year when he landed his dream role in a modern western film called Showdown. The tagline of the movie: "All the best cowboys have autism." For directors Kristian Kane and Lewis Carter, casting an actor with autism to play the role was high on their agenda; they only had to see one clip of Charlie to know they had the right boy. He plays Sam, a boy who is obsessed with western movies and has autism. Sam is a little bit misunderstood, and has a difficult relationship with his dad. "With autism, I know how it all feels and I realised now that some people don't understand how it feels so I have got to tell them," he said. "The part I play is very good for that." Charlie has become a role model for other children with autism, advising them to work hard to break any barriers in their way. "I just want to tell people that autistic children can succeed, like I have, and I want them to follow in my steps and do great things," said Charlie. Charlie cannot wait to attend the premiere in Cinema & Co, Swansea, on 24 May, where he is expecting "champagne and a red carpet."

चार्ली लॉक अपनी नई फिल्म के प्रीमियर के लिए तैयार हैं।


Saint Frances: Will Gompertz reviews film by first-time writer Kelly O'Sullivan ★★★★☆

Summary: It has taken me a while to figure out what I thought about Saint Frances, a gentle drama built around the life of Bridget (Kelly O'Sullivan), a 34-year-old waitress yet to find her purpose in life. There was something really unusual about it that kept nagging away at me that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Will GompertzArts editor@WillGompertzBBCon Twitter Was it the wry humour and andante tempo? Or was it Kelly O'Sullivan, the movie's writer and star, whose performance was so wonderfully understated and natural? Or, was it simply the novelty of seeing a new film instead of a lockdown re-run? I couldn't work it out. And then it dawned on me. It was none of the above. The overwhelming sensation it left me with was one of profound relief. In a world that has become increasingly loud and opinionated, where nuance has been flattened by a steam-roller of bile and bellicose rantings delivered from high offices and low lives; where social media is anything but, and dogma is the new democracy - here is a film that proves that we have not yet become totally and utterly deranged. O'Sullivan gives us a contemporary American story that explores subjects such as post-coital menstruation, interracial lesbian relationships, the physical and emotional complexities of abortion, post-natal depression, and conception, and treats them all in a most un-Hollywood-like fashion. They are not sensationalised, or sexualised, or judged: instead, the issues and themes are treated for what they are, which is normal. For this alone you could describe Saint Frances as being a quietly radical film, which refuses to be drawn into the headline-grabbing narrative of 21st Century communication and entertainment, and presents an alternative perspective; something that really needs fighting for: the telling of truths. Not home truths, or hidden truths, but every day, in plain sight, regular truths. Bridget is a bit lost. She hooks up with Jace (Max Lipchitz), who is eight years younger than her and has a millenial's capacity to be empathetic and emotionally intelligent, although his radar is not always reliable. He thinks they're dating, she doesn't. He keeps a diary in which to record his feelings, she doesn't. He serves tables, she does too. Until, that is, she takes a summer job as a nanny looking after Frances (played with virtuosic flair by Ramona Edith Williams), the mixed-raced six-year-old daughter of a well-to-do middle-aged lesbian couple, Maya (Charin Alvarez) and Annie (Lily Mojekwu). Frances is precocious and confident, Bridget is introverted and uncertain. What would be fairly familiar odd couple territory is given added texture by a series of well-drawn triangular relationships. There's the evolving friendship between Bridget, Frances and Maya - who is suffering from the blues having had a second child with whom she has not yet created a bond. And another, tinged with jealousy and guilt, between Bridget, Maya and her high-flying partner Annie. There are more, as you will discover when you watch the movie, which was directed by Alex Thompson, O'Sullivan's real-life partner. Between the two of them and their assembled actors they have created several genuinely memorable scenes. There's the touching one with Bridget and Frances in a confessional booth; and the "did-she-really-just-say-that" one when Bridget's mother graphically describes what she wanted to do to her dear daughter when she was a baby. And then there's the one where Maya is called-out for breast-feeding in public, and another one after Jace and Bridget have made out for the first time (remember the Cameron Diaz "hair gel" scene in There's Something About Mary? Well, this one is a companion piece with blood as the bodily fluid). The film's reserved tone is its greatest strength as well as its greatest weakness. It avoids the obvious pitfall of becoming sentimental or coy, but there are fleeting moments when the evenness of the story-telling verges on the monotonous. But, maybe that's intentional. Normal life can be monotonous. And this is a film about normalising the life choices of a loosely connected group of normal middle-class Americans, facing normal middle-class American problems. Where it could shame, it understands; where it could browbeat, it subtly admonishes. It is a well-constructed, deftly told story that acts as a counterpoint to our increasingly vulgar culture. An example of this is the way in which the movie deals with Bridget's choice not to go through with a pregnancy because she is not ready to have children, while at the same time developing a close relationship with Frances. Bridget is not presented as cold, or bitter, or desperate, which is often the case with thirty-something female characters who choose not to start a family. She is happy with her choice and also happy to enjoy loving a child without it been a surrogate or hers. That's normal. Saint Frances is smart and original and anti-sensationalist. It is also a very good film, which speaks to you but never shouts. Recent reviews by Will Gompertz Follow Will Gompertz on Twitter

मुझे यह समझने में थोड़ा समय लगा कि मैं सेंट फ्रांसेस के बारे में क्या सोचता हूं, ब्रिजेट (केली ओ 'सुलिवन) के जीवन के इर्द-गिर्द बनाया गया एक सौम्य नाटक, एक 34 वर्षीय वेट्रेस जो अभी तक जीवन में अपना उद्देश्य नहीं ढूंढ पाई है। इसमें कुछ ऐसा था जो वास्तव में असामान्य था जो मुझे परेशान करता रहा कि मैं अपनी उंगली नहीं उठा सका।


Greens control Brighton council after 'anti-Semitic' resignations

Summary: The Green Party has taken control of Brighton and Hove City Council.

During a virtual meeting the motion of transferring power was passed by 39 votes to 14 against. The Green Party pledged to collaborate with the other parties to "solve the city's problems". Two Labour councillors resigned this week following a row over anti-Semitism allegations, making the Green Party the largest party. The Conservatives said it was a "dark day for the city". 'Out of the crisis' Former leader Nancy Platts said it had been an "honour and a privilege" to lead the city she loves. The new leader of the council, Phélim Mac Cafferty, said it was time to "remember the 159 people who have died of Covid 19 in the city". He said the council owed it to their memory to work in "as unified a fashion as possible" as residents need a council which will "guide us out of the crisis" and "focus on people's livelihoods and their health". The "Green recovery", he said, stands behind initiatives such as the mass insulation of homes. The Conservatives opposed the transfer of power, due to "failures" in the Green Party's previous administration. They accused the party of "wrecking the city's finances", presiding over strikes, allowing rubbish to pile up in the streets, and abandoning a regeneration project "which cost the city 800 council homes". Conservative councillor and deputy mayor Mary Mears said: "The Greens then presided over chaos for four years and in many ways the City is still dealing with the aftermath of the problems they created." The Green Party has 19 seats, Labour, 18, Conservatives 13, and there are four independents. Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.

ग्रीन पार्टी ने ब्राइटन और होव सिटी काउंसिल पर नियंत्रण कर लिया है।


Letter from Africa: Nigeria - a young country for old men

Summary: In our series of letters from African journalists, editor-in-chief of Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper Mannir Dan Ali looks at why a country where more than half the population is under 35 looks set to get another septuagenarian president after next year's election.

On polling day, the two leading candidates in Nigeria's presidential election, President Muhammadu Buhari and opposition leader Atiku Abubakar, will have a combined age of 148. This seems a far cry from the burst of optimism that accompanied the passing of the "Not Too Young To Run" law in parliament in May, which lowered the minimum age to run for the highest office from 35 to 30. Perusing the list of more than 76 candidates, it is true that there are some who are at the more youthful end of the spectrum, like 46-year-old businessman Fela Durotoye, online news site Sahara Reporters publisher Omowale Sowore and newspaper columnist Tope Fasua, both of whom are 47. But we all know that come February, it will be a contest between Mr Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who is turning 76 in December, and Mr Abubakar, the flag-bearer of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), who will be 72 next month. The old political networks are too entrenched and the cost of running for president too high for a candidate from outside the two main parties to stand a chance. 'Fists full of dollars' More than half of Nigeria's registered voters are under 35 and when the Not Too Young To Run campaign was launched in April, it was hoped that it would encourage the peoples' representatives to look more like the people themselves. The campaigns, like previous ones, will be more about creating a carnival-like atmosphere than to debate key issues, like the high level of youth unemployment, or the money that will be needed to fund promises around, for example, the development of Nigeria's infrastructure. With the old guard still dominating, the joke doing the rounds these days revolve around the fact that you may not be "too young to run" but you are "too poor to make an impact" - rumours are rife that during party primaries, delegates walked away with fists full of dollars. 'Age brings wisdom' In the race to become the APC's candidate, President Buhari was the only person in the running. A 46-year-old former senator Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed did run to be the PDP's presidential candidate, but he got just five votes from the 3,000 delegates. More about Nigeria's elections: The two main candidates could have made a concession to younger voters by picking more youthful running mates. But Mr Buhari has stuck with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who is 61, while Mr Atiku has gone for former Anambra state governor Peter Obi, 57. The truth is that strong patronage networks have developed over the years in the two main parties, and powerbrokers are reluctant to take a risk with younger, untested candidates. And yet the youth risk their lives to defend the country, toil to pay taxes and seek to improve their skills so that they can be more productive citizens. Perhaps they can comfort themselves with the thought that age brings wisdom - or that some other countries have older presidents, like neighbouring Cameroon, where Paul Biya, 84, recently won a seventh term and Algeria where Abdellaziz Bouteflika, 81, is running for a fifth consecutive term. More from Mannir Dan Ali: Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

अफ्रीकी पत्रकारों के पत्रों की हमारी श्रृंखला में, नाइजीरिया के डेली ट्रस्ट समाचार पत्र के प्रधान संपादक मन्नीर डैन अली इस बात पर गौर करते हैं कि एक ऐसा देश जहां आधी से अधिक आबादी 35 वर्ष से कम है, अगले साल के चुनाव के बाद एक और सेप्टुआजेनेरियन राष्ट्रपति पाने के लिए तैयार है।


Polio in Syria: An outbreak that threatens the Middle East

Summary: As summer approaches, health agencies are warning of the risk of polio spreading across the Middle East from Syria - where now more than 100 children show symptoms of the disease - despite a massive campaign to vaccinate millions of children in surrounding countries.

By Tim WhewellBBC News In the back of a car parked outside a Turkish hospital, the shy woman in a long pink velvet dress starts sobbing as she talks about her baby, being treated in an isolation ward inside. "He started to get really sick. I tried to make him stand and use his feet, but it was quite impossible," she says. "Now he can't move them any more." Muhammad, aged five months, her only son, has just been diagnosed with polio. One of the most contagious and feared diseases of the 20th Century, it has paralysed thousands of children. A global vaccination campaign eradicated it almost everywhere, including in Syria, where Muhammad comes from. But now, because of the war there, it's back - sparking panic across the Middle East, and despair in Muhammad's family. His parents have brought him across the border to Turkey for tests. But they don't want their names used, for fear of angering the authorities. Turkey doesn't want it known that there are any polio victims in the country. "We know he is going to be paralysed his entire life; he is not going to be able to do anything," says his father, a desperately poor labourer from the north-western province of Idlib. Syria was declared free of polio in 1999. But the disease re-emerged last year, after two years of conflict. The World Health Organization (WHO) says there are now 25 laboratory-confirmed cases in the country, with another 13 confirmations pending. But Syrian doctors put the number of children with clinical symptoms of polio much higher, at at least 110. And for every victim, there are at least 200 people - some doctors say up to 1,000 - carrying and spreading the virus. "Suddenly to find a very old disease affecting children that we had only heard of on the news - we were completely in shock," says Dr Basel al-Khader of the charity hand in Hand for Syria that brought baby Muhammad to Turkey for the tests. "It's worse than shelling because it's a silent killer. It's not like an aeroplane overhead or an explosion you can avoid. It comes from the water." The polio virus lives in water, contaminated food and sewage. It was first rediscovered in one of Syria's least-developed provinces - Deir ez-Zor, in the east, where the infrastructure needed to provide electricity and clean water has been largely destroyed. Dr Bashir Taj al-Din, a Syrian doctor who shuttles back and forth across the border from Turkey says: "The people there live along the Euphrates river and they drink directly from it. There are no water treatment stations working, the sewage goes straight into the water." Vaccination rates in Syria fell from 91% of children before the war to an estimated 68% in 2012. But those are national figures. In rebel-held territory, where all the polio cases so far have occurred, immunisation levels are much lower. The Syrian government says it has continued to vaccinate across the country during the conflict - a claim supported by the WHO, but disputed by many Syrian doctors and foreign health experts. They believe the regime withheld vaccine from clinics in the rebel-held north as another means of waging war on civilians. Annie Sparrow, a US public health expert who travels regularly to monitor the outbreak, says: "Put together the attacks on doctors, the destruction of the health system, and the denial of vaccines to areas considered politically unsympathetic or areas outside government control, and here we have a man-made outbreak." She's accused the WHO of playing down the scale of the epidemic - and reacting too late. It only issued an international alert last October, though the first reports of a paralysed child in Aleppo had come in July - and the virus, from Pakistan, was first found in the Middle East - in Cairo - in December 2012. "It missed the outbreak for many, many months and has not been able to demonstrate that it has vaccinated kids effectively," she says. The WHO's assistant director-general Bruce Aylward describes that allegation as "absolute rubbish." He says: "There have been multiple immunisation campaigns in 2011, and again in 2012, recognising that immunisation rates were dropping." But he admits the WHO's "hands are tied in terms of direct cross-border support". As a UN agency, it must work with governments and is not allowed to deliver vaccine directly to rebel territory across the Turkish border. Now, since the outbreak, that task is being carried out by Turkish-based Syrian doctors, funded by the Turkish government. They have 8,500 volunteers, who aim to go door-to-door to vaccinate 1.5 million children. But it's dangerous work. Two vaccinators have been killed; another had her leg blown off. And there are 800,000 people living in areas cut off by fighting that the medical teams can't reach. All round the borders of Syria, governments and UN agencies have now mounted a massive campaign to immunise 22 to 23 million children, in an attempt to prevent polio being spread by the flood of refugees from Syria. Lebanon, with more than a million refugees, many unregistered, and a creaking health system, is perhaps most at risk. In the Beka'a valley, the UN children's agency Unicef is distributing vaccines in one of the "informal tented settlements" where most refugees live - groups of shacks thrown together from sheets of metal, polythene and wood, with no sanitation or running water. Dr Melhem Harmouche, in charge of the team, admits there's no list of all refugees. "We have no official border," he says. "They come and go as they like." He says "it's impossible to be sure" that all refugee children have been vaccinated. Meanwhile, a few miles away, amid another group of makeshift huts, children pull up dirty brown water from an unlined well that's just a few metres downhill from a pit latrine. They use it for washing and even, they claim, for drinking. "What is the point of vaccine if children don't have basic drinking water or a proper sewage system?" asks one refugee, Muhammad, from Damascus. Doctors recognise that vaccination - particularly if children receive fewer than the recommended six doses - may not be a 100% guarantee against infection if a child's immunity is lowered through malnourishment, living in overcrowded conditions, and using contaminated water. Meanwhile, summer is approaching - the season when polio usually peaks. The WHO has said there's a "very high risk" it will spread further within Syria, and across its borders. As well as Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan are also potentially at risk, and even Turkey, though most of its refugees are in organised camps and vaccination is well organised. Baby Muhammad and his parents have now returned to Syria, but not to their village. It's being shelled, so they've had to seek refuge in a displaced people's camp. Little Muhammad's had some physiotherapy. A little movement's returning to his arm. But his parents fear it's only temporary. The treatments that have helped children recover completely from polio in other countries aren't available in Syria now. His father believes the war has ruined the family's life for ever. "What future can I talk about?" he asks. "Probably I would say my son would have been my future. But now his future has ended, and that ended my future also." Listen to The Silent Enemy by Tim Whewell on BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents at 11:00 on Thursday 27 March, and on the BBC World Service Assignment programme Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

जैसे-जैसे गर्मी नजदीक आ रही है, स्वास्थ्य एजेंसियां सीरिया से मध्य पूर्व में पोलियो के फैलने के खतरे की चेतावनी दे रही हैं-जहाँ अब 100 से अधिक बच्चों में बीमारी के लक्षण दिखाई देते हैं-आसपास के देशों में लाखों बच्चों को टीका लगाने के बड़े पैमाने पर अभियान के बावजूद।


Your pictures of Scotland 6 - 13 November

Summary: A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 6 and 13 November. Send your photos to scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk. Please ensure you adhere to the BBC's rules regarding photographs which can be found here.

Please also ensure you follow current coronavirus guidelines and take your pictures safely and responsibly. Conditions of use: If you submit an image, you do so in accordance with the BBC's terms and conditions. Please ensure that the photograph you send is your own and if you are submitting photographs of children, we must have written permission from a parent or guardian of every child featured (a grandparent, auntie or friend will not suffice). In contributing to BBC News you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use the material in any way, including in any media worldwide. However, you will still own the copyright to everything you contribute to BBC News. At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe the law. You can find more information here. All photos are subject to copyright.

स्कॉटलैंड की अपनी तस्वीरों का चयन 6 और 13 नवंबर के बीच भेजा गया। अपनी तस्वीरें scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk पर भेजें। कृपया सुनिश्चित करें कि आप तस्वीरों के संबंध में बीबीसी के नियमों का पालन करते हैं जो यहां पाए जा सकते हैं।


Everton fan 'Speedo Mick' sets off for Wembley in trunks

Summary: A football fan who became a terrace favourite by wearing only swimming trunks at matches has begun walking to Wembley for Everton's FA Cup semi-final.

Toffees supporter Michael Cullen, known as Speedo Mick, has become a regular fixture at home and away games. The 50-year-old from Liverpool has set off from Goodison Park and will spend 11 days on the road. He is raising money for the Woodlands Hospice. Mr Cullen has already raised more than £30,000 for the charity after also swimming the English Channel. He said he hoped to raise up to £50,000 in total and would be walking more than 200 miles "as the crow flies". "I am crazy," he admitted. "I am going to be sleeping in hotels each night and carrying as little as possible". Everton will face either Manchester United or West Ham in the 23 April clash.

एक फुटबॉल प्रशंसक, जो मैचों में केवल तैराकी की चड्डी पहनकर छत पर पसंदीदा बन गया था, ने एवर्टन के एफ. ए. कप सेमीफाइनल के लिए वेम्बली की ओर चलना शुरू कर दिया है।


Scooter rider dies in Portsmouth crash

Summary: A man has died following a collision between the Vespa scooter he was riding and a car in a residential area of Portsmouth.

Hampshire police said the crash, involving a Mini Cooper, happened late on Tuesday on Copnor Road, close to the junction with Torrington Road. The rider of the scooter, who was in his 30s and from Portsmouth, died later in hospital. Officers have appealed for CCTV or dashcam footage. Related Internet Links Hampshire Constabulary

पोर्ट्समाउथ के एक आवासीय क्षेत्र में वेस्पा स्कूटर और एक कार के बीच टक्कर के बाद एक व्यक्ति की मौत हो गई है।


Southampton flat death: Murder arrest after man's body discovered

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an elderly man was found dead at a flat in Southampton.

The 70-year-old was pronounced dead after police were called to the property in Bursledon Road shortly after 21:00 GMT on Wednesday. His next of kin has been informed. Hampshire Constabulary said the 28-year-old arrested man, from Southampton, remains in custody. The force has appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

साउथेम्प्टन में एक फ्लैट में एक बुजुर्ग व्यक्ति के मृत पाए जाने के बाद हत्या के संदेह में एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?

Summary: Islamist militant group al-Shabab is battling the UN-backed government in Somalia, and has carried out a string of attacks across the region. The group, which is allied to al-Qaeda, has been pushed out of most of the main towns it once controlled, but it remains a potent threat.

Who are al-Shabab? Al-Shabab means The Youth in Arabic. It emerged as the radical youth wing of Somalia's now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu in 2006, before being forced out by Ethiopian forces. There are numerous reports of foreign jihadists going to Somalia to help al-Shabab, from neighbouring countries, as well as the US and Europe. It is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters. Al-Shabab advocates the Saudi-inspired Wahhabi version of Islam, while most Somalis are Sufis. It has imposed a strict version of Sharia in areas under its control, including stoning to death women accused of adultery and amputating the hands of thieves. What drives al-Shabab? What are its links to other jihadists? In a joint video released in February 2012, then al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane said he "pledged obedience" to al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri. There have also been numerous reports that al-Shabab may have formed some links with other militant groups in Africa, such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, based in the Sahara desert. Al-Shabab debated whether to switch allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group after it emerged in January 2014. It eventually rejected the idea, resulting in a small faction breaking away. Al-Shabab is currently led by Ahmad Umar, also known as Abu Ubaidah. The US has issued a $6m (£4.5m) reward for information leading to his capture. Al-Shabab wants IS to back off How dangerous is the group? Somalia's government blamed it for the killing of at least 500 people in a huge truck bombing in the capital Mogadishu in October 2017. It was East Africa's deadliest bombing. Al-Shabab, however, did not claim responsibility for it. It did confirm carrying out a massive attack on a Kenyan military base in Somalia's el-Ade town in January 2016, killing, according to Somalia's then-President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, about 180 soldiers. The Kenyan military disputed the number, but refused to give a death toll. It has also staged several attacks in Kenya, including the 2015 massacre at Kenya's Garissa University, near the border with Somalia. A total of 148 people died when gunmen stormed the university at dawn and targeted Christian students.. In 2013, its gunmen stormed the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, resulting in a siege which left at least 67 people dead. During the 2010 football World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands, it bombed a rugby club and a restaurant in Uganda's capital Kampala, killing 74 people watching the match. Al-Shabab cash targets disillusioned Kenyans The cleric who predicted he would be killed How much of Somalia does al-Shabab control? Although it has lost control of most towns and cities, it still dominates in many rural areas. It was forced out of the capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011 following an offensive spearheaded by about 22,000 African Union (AU) troops, and left the vital port of Kismayo in September 2012. The loss of Kismayo has hit al-Shabab's finances, as it used to earn money by taking a cut of the city's lucrative charcoal trade. The US has also carried out a wave of air strikes, which led to the killing of the group's leader, Aden Hashi Ayro, in 2008 and his successor, Ahmed Abdi Godane. In March 2017, US President Donald Trump approved a Pentagon plan to escalate operations against al-Shabab. The US has more than 500 troops in Somalia and conducted 30 airstrikes in 2017, more than four times the average number carried out in the previous seven years, according to The Washington Post. Although the military operations are weakening al-Shabab, the group is still able to carry out suicide attacks and has regained control of some towns. The AU is reducing its troop presence - about 1,000 have left and a further 1,000 are due to leave in 2018. This follows a cut in funding by the European Union (EU), amid allegations of corruption within the AU force, made up of troops from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. What is happening in Somalia? Somalia has not had an effective national government for more than 20 years, during which much of the country has been a war-zone. Al-Shabab gained support by promising people security. But its credibility was knocked when it rejected Western food aid to combat a 2011 drought and famine. With Mogadishu and other towns now under government control, there is a feeling of optimism and many Somalis have returned from exile, bringing their money and skills with them. Basic services such as street lighting, dry cleaning and rubbish collection have resumed in the capital. But Somalia is still too dangerous and divided to hold democratic elections - the last one was in 1969. So, its parliament and president are elected through a complex system, with clan elders playing an influential role in the process. Somalia's 'touch and feel' e-commerce hit Somalia's 'Mr Cheese' president has a lot on his plate

इस्लामी आतंकवादी समूह अल-शबाब सोमालिया में संयुक्त राष्ट्र समर्थित सरकार से लड़ रहा है, और पूरे क्षेत्र में हमलों की एक कड़ी को अंजाम दिया है। समूह, जो अल-कायदा से संबद्ध है, को अधिकांश मुख्य शहरों से बाहर कर दिया गया है जो कभी उसके नियंत्रण में थे, लेकिन यह एक शक्तिशाली खतरा बना हुआ है।


Dewsbury Road stabbing: Murder arrests after 40-year-old man dies

Summary: Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed outside a supermarket in Leeds.

The 40-year-old died in hospital after being found injured outside the Premier supermarket on Dewsbury Road, near Beeston, at 17:30 GMT on Thursday. Police said both men, aged 30 and 35, remain in custody. Another man has been detained over linked offences. The 36-year-old is in custody on suspicion of aggravated burglary and robbery. The A653 Dewsbury Road was closed as police investigated the scene, but has since reopened. Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact West Yorkshire Police.

लीड्स में एक सुपरमार्केट के बाहर एक व्यक्ति पर चाकू से हमला करने के बाद हत्या के संदेह में दो लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


'I fell in love and married a man with dwarfism'

Summary: Chloe Lusted and husband James are like any other newly married busy couple - they enjoy hanging out together and have recently bought a puppy. But when they first got together, Chloe, 23, faced opposition from her family because James, 29, suffered from a rare genetic condition which causes dwarfism. Here Chloe recounts how their relationship unfolded.

As the phone rang I was nervous. I was about to tell my mum about my new boyfriend and I knew she would be shocked, so I had left it until I was on my journey back to university, almost 200 miles (320km) away. I told her the name of my new boyfriend and her reaction was pretty instant. She said: "Why Jay, why Jay? Chloe, he is a dwarf, you're not suited." She couldn't understand what I saw in James, who everyone knows as Jay. She was in shock. Jay was born with diastrophic dysplasia - a rare genetic condition that causes dwarfism - despite both his parents Dawn and Dave being of average height. Jay stands at 3ft 7in (1.1m) tall while I am 5ft 7in (1.7m), and that was part of the reason I was so nervous about telling my mum. I was a bit angry at her at the time, why couldn't she just accept it? But looking back at it now she would have had reservations about any guy I got with. And because Jay was "different", I guess I can understand why she was so shocked and reacted like she did. Growing up, I was very much into boys from the age of 16, but I was always looking for a long-term partner. I have grown up in the church since I was five years old, so it has always been really important to me and I have always wanted to have a wedding and a marriage - I guess I am traditional in that way. Before Jay I had two long-term relationships and always wanted to settle down with someone, I didn't want to date just any guy. I was always asking myself - is this guy marriage material? And, if not, what am I doing with him? To be honest, when we first met, I didn't really think about Jay as a potential boyfriend. Because of who he is, and his condition I never really thought about him in that way. He was friends with friends of mine, and we were acquaintances, but we became friends on the day he carried the Olympic torch when it travelled through Wales in May 2012. He had been chosen to carry the flame because of his work encouraging others to become involved in disability sport. As the British Class 1 badminton champion within the Dwarf Sports Association for nine years and someone who had travelled to Beijing in 2008 as a British representative, he was a natural choice to have a turn carrying the torch. I went with some of his friends to watch him, and met him and his family properly for the first time. What I liked about him was that he was an all-round happy person, and positive person to be around. He always carried a conversation which is really important to me, and he just shone. But I was dating someone else at the time, so it wasn't until we broke up the following year that Jay asked me out. I was studying in Cardiff so he sent me a text message asking if I'd like to go on a date. I said yes, as I liked the fact he was so positive and outgoing. Our first date was at a bar in Betws-y-Coed, Gwynedd, in May 2013 and we just got on. But I had not long come out of my recent relationship and we were both very busy with our own lives. This meant we didn't see each other that regularly so we decided to keep it quiet for a while. And inside I was also having a bit of a struggle - sometimes I can get very caught up in what people think and say about me, mainly my mum, so I was worried about it going further. I was worried how people would react. But as I started to find out how well-known Jay was in the area, and how much appreciation he had, the worry about what people would think gradually disappeared. Diastrophic dysplasia Source: BBC I wasn't really 100% about it until, one day, my mum, me and my sister went shopping in Llandudno and we bumped into Jay. In that moment I had that feeling in my stomach that you get when you see someone and you know you really like them. I never go shy, but I was lost for words. When I went back to university that September we made our relationship public. My mum was a single mum and fiercely protective of me and my two sisters, but it didn't take her long before she changed her mind after her initial shock, and started to appreciate who Jay was and how he treated me. Now she just sees Jay, nothing else. Jay has had a few people comment on photos of us on social media in the past: "How on earth has Jay got this really beautiful girl?" But it is not just about looks, Jay is very attractive to me and vice-versa. Around a year after we made our relationship official Jay and I went back to where we had our first date in Betws-y-Coed for lunch. We then drove up to our favourite lake, Llyn Geirionydd, which is a beauty spot nearby. Jay was particularly quiet on the way up to the lake, which is not normally like him. We got to the jetty and I sat down, and before you know it he was behind me tapping me on the shoulder. I turned around and he was on one knee, and said: "What would you do if I asked you to marry me?" I said yes. Our wedding day last August was the happiest of my life, and I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with him. But what I didn't know as I teased him for crying at the altar was that the moment was loaded with emotion for him for many reasons, because he had spent part of his life believing he would never find love, let alone get married. Jay says he appreciates how I accept him for who he is and that I see him, not the condition. We work as a team and love and support each other. Since getting married we have moved into our house in Colwyn Bay and are busier than ever before. I am close to graduating from Bangor University after qualifying as a primary school teacher and Jay has just been elected a councillor on the local council. I have always wanted a family and I'm so excited for that, but I'm happy to wait a couple of years as I would like to be in full-time work. We have spoken to doctors about having children, and the possibility that ours will be born with the same condition as Jay, but because it is so rare, the likelihood is slim. All the same we are not bothered about being tested for it. If we do have a dwarf baby I wouldn't have any worries about it, and the same if it is an average-sized baby - I will love it just as much. Jay hadn't dated anyone before me so I always feel very blessed that I was his first love, and will be his last love too. He is someone who likes to dream big and have other people around him who are the same. I'm so lucky to have him in my life.

क्लो लस्टेड और पति जेम्स किसी भी अन्य नवविवाहित व्यस्त जोड़े की तरह हैं-वे एक साथ घूमने का आनंद लेते हैं और हाल ही में एक पिल्ला खरीदा है। लेकिन जब वे पहली बार एक साथ मिले, तो 23 वर्षीय क्लो को अपने परिवार के विरोध का सामना करना पड़ा क्योंकि जेम्स, 29, एक दुर्लभ आनुवंशिक स्थिति से पीड़ित था जो बौनापन का कारण बनता है। यहाँ क्लो ने बताया कि उनके रिश्ते कैसे सामने आए।


Things that could only happen in a Hong Kong protest

Summary: Tear gas, pepper spray, feelings of anger and betrayal, crowds forced to run from riot police... and yet the protests retain that uniquely Hong Kong character. Reporters and Hong Kong residents have shared their most surreal and charming experiences on the streets.

By Samanthi DissanayakeBBC News Doing your homework Perhaps it isn't actually anarchic but it is definitely one of the biggest protests in Hong Kong for years. And yet students - some of whom were at the vanguard of this movement - find time to sit down and do their homework. Richard Frost for Bloomberg News tweeted this picture of children doing just that. Apologising for the barricade you put up An entrance to the Causeway Bay MTR station was barricaded and emblazoned with signs shouting out for democracy. In the middle was a small cardboard sign - also written by the protesters: "Sorry for the inconvenience." Hong Kong resident Collier Nogues, who took the picture, said it is "characteristic of the feeling everywhere I went this afternoon. Generous, polite." Deploying ancient arts of self defence with an umbrella The humblest and most domestic of props became a protest icon after it was transformed into a shield against pepper spray and tear gas. The picture of a sole protester wielding his umbrella against the tear gas went viral online on Monday. And when it began to rain on Tuesday, it was put to its secondary use as protection in wet weather. Residents also tweeted that protesters were distributing raincoats in Mong Kok. Police say umbrellas were also used by some protesters to threaten officers during Sunday night's unrest. The BBC has explained how the humble umbrella became a HK protest symbol. Concern for how fragrant fellow protesters are Hong-Kong-based journalist Tom Grundy tweeted this picture of a protester proffering free shirt-fresheners. At times the temperature has been sweltering and amid the crowds things are bound to get a little bit sweaty. And while on the streets with the protesters, the BBC's Martin Yip witnessed volunteer armies spraying people with water to keep them cool and fresh. Keeping off the well cut grass lawn when asked by a cardboard sign A picture on the live page of the South China Morning Post showed a sea of protesters who it noted had parted for the grass courtyard where Hong Kong's cenotaph is located. Protesters still obeyed signs telling them to keep off the grass at the monument, putting the "civil" into civil disobedience. "Despite the crowds around the war memorial in Central, not one person is standing or sitting on the grass. There's a new cardboard sign over the usual sign telling people not to go on the grass," the Hong Kong-based paper wrote. Being the tidiest protesters on the block The BBC's Saira Asher reports on how diligently the protesters cleared up after themselves. "The morning is being spent mostly removing rubbish left over from last night's huge crowd. Students are picking up cigarette butts and plastic bottles, others are distributing breakfast buns. That is why those on the street are being called 'the politest protesters' by some on social media." Recycling has also been organised by those on the streets. Many agree that the world hasn't seen organised and tidy protests quite like this before. This is echoed by the South China Morning Post in its live page when it wrote of a bizarre incident in Causeway Bay where a man pelted protesters with rotten eggs, telling them to "go back to class and stop blocking the roads". Protesters reportedly responded by cleaning up the mess. Most witnesses agree that despite the clashes on Sunday night and the sheer anger at China's decision to restrict who can run to be Hong Kong's leader, the mood on the streets is largely peaceful and generous. There have been incidents of commuters and angry local residents exhorting protesters to give up and leave - a reminder that not all of Hong Kong's residents agree with the demonstrations. But for the moment it looks as if the Hong Kong protesters will keep on tidying up, creating lanes to enable smooth passage, doing their homework and of course making the demands they see as crucial to the future of Hong Kong.

आँसू गैस, काली मिर्च का छिड़काव, क्रोध और विश्वासघात की भावना, दंगा पुलिस से भागने के लिए मजबूर भीड़... और फिर भी विरोध प्रदर्शन हांगकांग के उस अद्वितीय चरित्र को बनाए रखते हैं। संवाददाताओं और हांगकांग के निवासियों ने सड़कों पर अपने सबसे असली और आकर्षक अनुभव साझा किए हैं।


James Bond: How the 007 films became a family business

Summary: Over the past 50 years, a remarkable network of families has worked behind the scenes on the James Bond films.

By Tim MastersEntertainment and arts correspondent, BBC News Crew members on the Sean Connery films in the 1960s now have second or third-generation family members working on the Daniel Craig adventures in the 21st Century. Right at the top of the Bond family tree are the Broccolis. At the time of the first Bond film - Dr No - the producers were Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Since 1995 the entire franchise has been in the hands of Cubby's daughter, Barbara, and his stepson, Michael G Wilson. But family connections permeate every aspect of production - such as the directors, stunt teams, accountants, legal advisers, art directors, modelmakers, hairstylists, costume teams and publicity departments. It even extends to the Bond actors themselves. The sons and daughter of Sir Roger Moore - the longest-standing 007 - were involved both behind and in front of the camera. Geoffrey Moore was third assistant director on his father's final Bond film, A View to a Kill. Christian Moore worked in the location department on Goldeneye, while daughter Deborah Moore appeared in Die Another Day. "She often says to me her small role as an air stewardess still prompts more mail than anything else that hits her doormat," says Sir Roger in his book Bond on Bond. Here are some of the stories of the people with family connections across the 50 years of the Bond films. MICHAEL G WILSON - PRODUCER AND SCREENWRITER "It gets so convoluted here!" says Michael G Wilson of the various family connections within Bond production company Eon. "Every department has parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren." Born in New York, Wilson was 17 when his mother Dana married Cubby Broccoli in 1959 - three years before the first Bond film. "I was brought up in Hollywood and both my parents were actors - my dad [Lewis Wilson] was the first Batman. "I felt the entertainment business was a very unstable environment. So I took a different route and went through engineering and then law school." Having established a career as a lawyer, he joined Eon's legal department in the early 1970s and later moved into the writing and production side. He co-produced three Bond films with Cubby in the 1980s, and has co-produced with his half-sister Barbara Broccoli from Goldeneye onwards. "I don't think people appreciate the commitment one makes to a film. It's like the circus. Circus families marry and are always on the road and that's what happens in the film business. "You are absent for long periods of time, sometimes you work 14-16 hour days, you might work weekends and holidays - nothing is sacred, except to get the job done. Unless you are brought up in that environment you really don't appreciate it. "That's why so many successful people in the business have come from film families, because they grow up with that." Both Michael G Wilson's sons - Gregg and David - have worked on several Bond films, with the latter in charge of Eon's global business strategy. What did Michael learn from his stepfather Cubby? "There are practical nuts and bolts things that you learn but it's more about a style of interacting with people and doing business," he explains. "Cubby always had good, close relationships with people. He was very straightforward and not afraid to be wrong." And what of Michael G Wilson's producing partnership with Barbara? "Like every relationship involving a woman they are always right," he laughs. "You just shut up and do what they tell you." EITHNE FENNELL - HAIRSTYLIST Hairstylist Eithne Fennell has worked with all the Bonds, except for George Lazenby. Most recently her combing and cutting skills have come into play on Skyfall and Quantum of Solace. Eithne is part of a large family network within the Bond franchise. Her father Jack Fennell was studio manager at Pinewood throughout the Cubby Broccoli years. "My whole childhood was the film industry," she recalls. "We had a house in the studio. Sean Connery used to come and have a cup of tea with my mum in the kitchen." Eithne's niece is Skyfall production manager Janine Modder, while her nephew Frazer Fennell-Ball was the film's second unit manager. (Janine's father Jimmy Lodge was a stuntman on many Bond films). Eithne's first brush with Bond was on the Goldfinger set with her aunt Elsa Fennell, who was wardrobe mistress. "I was about 16, and I was allowed to go and watch the make-up department painting Shirley Eaton gold. I remember they left a little space at the bottom of her spine to let the skin breathe. "I came into the industry when I was 18," says Eithne. "I'm 65 now and it's hard to leave it. It's like family. I've known Barbara Broccoli since she was tiny. I knew Cubby really well. "I remember we were on location in Egypt when something had gone wrong with the catering. Cubby got a big cauldron and cooked up a pasta for everybody." GREG AND GARY POWELL - STUNTS When it comes to stunts, the Powell family have been an almost constant presence on the 007 set. "Through the generations of the Bond films there's always been one of us there," says Gary Powell, stunt co-ordinator on the latest Bond film Skyfall. Gary has worked on the Bond films since Pierce Brosnan's Goldeneye. His Skyfall stunt team included older brother, Greg, as well as Greg's daughter, Tilly - a stunt driver on a chase scene in London's Whitehall. "When you're working with family as part of the stunt team, you don't treat them any differently," says Gary. "On these sort of films no-one gets a job because they are friends, it's because they can do a job." Three generations of Powells are associated with Bond. Gary and Greg's father is Fred "Nosher" Powell who worked on most of the Connery films, along with his brother Dinny. "They were among the first people down the ropes in the volcano scene in You Only Live Twice," says Gary. As a boy, he first visited a Bond set during the making of 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me. "It was the scene with the three submarines inside the supertanker. My brother, dad and Dinny were all working on it. I was about 14 and I used to bunk off school and gets teas for the stunt teams. "My reward for that was to collect the machine-guns off the stunt guys and fire them off round the back of the 007 stage. It was the greatest adventure park in the world." Gary's brother Greg Powell has worked on numerous Bond films dating back to the Roger Moore era. His first taste of 007 was as a schoolboy joining father Nosher on the From Russia With Love set at Pinewood Studios in 1963. "I can remember it like it was yesterday: Sean Connery, the two Gypsy girls fighting, and the big shootout. I used to go and fetch the guns from the armourer." Greg says he didn't try and put his daughter Tilly off a stunt career. "She's got really into it. I try and look after her, but she says, 'Dad, you're boring - I want to get into the action.' "I don't mind if that's what she wants to do, hopefully someone will spot her as a film star and she can get out of it!" PETER LAMONT - PRODUCTION DESIGNER Peter Lamont has a huge Bond history, having worked on 18 of the 23 films. He was production designer on nine films, most recently on 2006's Casino Royale. "It's not like a secret service with various departments," he says of Eon's family atmosphere. "Cubby's edict years ago was if you've got anything to say, say it." Peter worked with his son Neil (supervising art director) on Goldeneye's famous tank chase scene around St Petersburg, which was actually shot at Leavesden Studios. His first job on Bond was as a draughtsman on 1965's Goldfinger. He recalls working under legendary Bond production designer Ken Adam. "Ken came in with a great buff folder full of photos of Fort Knox and said, 'see what you can do with that.' "My brother also joined as a draughtsman - so while I drew Fort Knox, he did a lot of the drawings for the converted Aston Martin." Peter was Oscar-nominated for his work on The Spy Who Loved Me (he won an Oscar for best art direction on Titanic). Peter's brother, the late Michael Lamont, worked on the art direction on many Bond films, while his son Simon also has several Bond credits. CHRIS CORBOULD - SPECIAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR Oscar-winning Chris Corbould has been overseeing the special effects on Skyfall, though his relationship with the Bond films goes back to the 1970s. His three brothers, Ian, Paul and Neil, all have Bond connections. "It's in the blood," says Chris. "I was at school when my uncle - who was special effects supervisor on the film Tommy - asked me to go in and help. When I got there and saw what the work entailed I never went back!" Chris started out on Bond working for a company making gadgets for The Spy Who Loved Me. He went freelance on Moonraker and did the next 13 Bonds. On Skyfall he worked closely with brothers Paul and Ian on an explosive sequence involving Bond's Scottish ancestral home. "The whole family thing starts with Cubby Broccoli, Barbara and Michael - you get that feeling as soon as you go into Bond," he says. "When you're working on a film you get a real feeling that there's a lot of friends and family around you." Chris's wife Lynne has a key role in his work buying "every nut and bolt" of the equipment he needs. On Skyfall, his daughter Rachel also helped out. Chris, who won an Oscar in 2011 for his effects work on Inception, says he remains most proud of Goldeneye's tank chase scene. "It was my first film as special effects supervisor. I got called into the office with Barbara, Michael and director Martin Campbell who were worried that the motorcycle chase in the screenplay wasn't original enough. "I suggested that Bond could ride something else - 'He's in a military camp - why doesn't he take a tank?' We went with the logic that while a car has to stick to the roads, a tank can go straight through a building. So that's what we did!" JEANIE UDALL - UNIT NURSE As the unit nurse for the Bond films, Jeanie Udall flies all over the world with her medical kit looking after the cast and crew. On Quantum of Solace, Jeanie tended the sick on locations in Panama, Chile and Austria and Italy. "You're a bit like their mum when you're on location," she says. "Whether it's a toothache or headache you have to look after everyone because they're far away from home." On Skyfall, Jeanie's whole family was involved - husband John as cost accountant, their children Megan and Connor also in the accounts department and youngest daughter Penny as an extra in the crowd for a chase sequence in a London Tube station. "It is quite unusual to get so many families working on one production, but Bond is like one big family anyway." The 50th anniversary of the release of Dr No is on 5 October.

पिछले 50 वर्षों में, परिवारों के एक उल्लेखनीय नेटवर्क ने जेम्स बॉन्ड फिल्मों में पर्दे के पीछे काम किया है।


Qatar: A country of seemingly ironic contrasts

Summary: The Emir of Qatar did something almost unheard of this week when he abdicated in favour of his son. What kind of state has 33-year-old Sheikh Tamim Al-Thani - the Middle East's youngest ruler - inherited?

By Frank GardnerBBC News, Qatar "So let me get this straight," I said to Qatar's Prime Minister, at the start of our interview. "You disapprove of many of America's policies in the Middle East, yet you are hosting the Pentagon's biggest military base in the region?" There was a pause, and a slow smile. "It's true," he replied, "but we own the keys to the base." That conversation was over a decade ago and now Qatar has a new ruler and a new prime minister. The place has changed almost beyond recognition from the torpid Gulf backwater I first visited in the early 1990s. Steel and chrome skyscrapers have shot up where there used to be nothing but desert. Using its vast wealth from offshore gas deposits, the once sleepiest and slowest of all six Gulf Arab states has recently fast-tracked itself to become an economic powerhouse. All very impressive for a country with fewer than 500,000 Qatari citizens. So there is no mistaking, Qatar is rich. But it is also a country of seemingly illogical contrasts. Take the Taliban. Qatar generously offered to host their office for peace negotiations which opened amid confusion and recriminations from Kabul. Most of the fuss centred on the Taliban's flag that they were not supposed to put up. It was inside their perimeter walls but outside their office. After a rap on the knuckles from the Qataris the Taliban took it down, but then, when they thought no-one was looking, they put it back up again - this time on a shorter flagpole. I could see it clearly, flapping in the oven-hot breeze of early afternoon. After howls of protest from the Afghan government in Kabul it was taken down again. Now, the Taliban are a hardline Islamist movement, usually associated with Afghanistan's long-running insurgency and the disavowal of almost all earthly pleasures. Yet it turns out that its representatives have been in Qatar for quite some time and have adapted remarkably well to the lotus life in the Gulf. "You can see them any weekend," one local resident told me. "They go shopping in City Centre Mall. They have even had babies out here." Less than an hour's drive from the Taliban's smart new villa in Doha lies the giant US-run airbase of Al-Udaid. This is where most of the coalition's air operations in Afghanistan are co-ordinated from and it is strictly off limits to visitors. When a frontline combat unit on the ground in, say, Helmand province, radios its base for air support, the request then gets routed through Qatar. So just a short distance from the very building where Afghan peace talks may eventually get underway, coded signals are being dispatched that send Apache helicopter gunships or F16 jets into action against the Taliban. Then there is the question of Israel. As an Arab and Muslim nation, home to the satellite TV station Al-Jazeera, Qatar has played host to plenty of Israel's noisiest and most vitriolic detractors. And yet unknown to most people, Israel had a discreet trade office in Qatar that only closed as recently as 2009 after its military incursion into Gaza. The ironies do not end there. Of all the Gulf countries, Qatar is closest to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organisation that has swept to power in Egypt. It is home to its spiritual figurehead, the populist preacher Yousef Al-Qaradawi. Yet Qatar, which used to impose a strict ban on alcohol, does have some well-stocked bars if you know where to go. Steering a middle course between the demands of the country's more devout citizens, who oppose such creeping western immoralities, and those who want to open up this tiny country further to the outside world - will be one of the major challenges facing the new Emir. Sheikh Tamim Al-Thani may have only just turned 33, but he has spent the last 10 years training to take over from his father and Qataris have been quick to pledge their allegiance. He has been instrumental in helping the emirate punch above its weight on the international stage, supporting rebels first in Libya and then in Syria. This new-found clout, backed by fabulous wealth, is already making neighbouring states nervous. Some fear it may be over-reaching itself in helping to fuel a conflict with no end in sight. But Qatar has come a long way in a short time. Not that long ago I remember Egypt's now-deposed President Mubarak complaining, during a spat with Qatar's ruler: "Why should I pay attention to a country with the population of a small hotel?" People are certainly paying attention to it now. How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent: BBC Radio 4: Saturdays at 11:30 and some Thursdays at 11:00 Listen online or download the podcast. BBC World Service: Short editions Monday-Friday - see World Service programme schedule. You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook

कतर के अमीर ने इस सप्ताह कुछ ऐसा किया जो लगभग अनसुना था जब उन्होंने अपने बेटे के पक्ष में गद्दी छोड़ दी। मध्य पूर्व के सबसे कम उम्र के शासक 33 वर्षीय शेख तमीम अल-थानी को विरासत में किस तरह का राज्य मिला है?


Coronavirus: Thrifty Germany takes on debt to rescue arts

Summary: As evening sunshine ripples through a ripening pear tree, birds chatter above the distant hum of a lawnmower. Then, suddenly, the singers of Lübeck's rock and roll choir raise their voices.

By Jenny HillBBC Berlin correspondent Swaying and smiling, they run through their repertoire: classics like Jailhouse Rock and Ghost Riders in the Sky. Germany's cultural life is slowly coming back to life. The German government has set aside more than €1bn (£896m; $1.13bn) to protect the arts - in addition to a furlough scheme and grants for freelancers. The coronavirus outbreak silenced amateur choirs. Concerts are still forbidden and the rehearsal room remains out of bounds. But many are trying to find ways to safely sing again. For the Lübeck singers that means practice in their conductor's garden. "You come home with a smile after every time you sing with friends here. That was really missing," says one of the singers. House lights on as theatres return Galleries have reopened to (masked and distanced) visitors. So have some theatres - like the Theater Combinale in Lübeck, where they are preparing a new piece, written during the months when the house was forced to "go dark". On a stage cluttered with lighting equipment, two actors try out a scene before an empty auditorium which can seat 120 people. They will only be allowed to let 40 in to see their performance. Despite the disastrous impact on takings, Ulli Haussmann, who co-founded the private theatre, says they will survive for now. "We had a lot of support from our audiences - donations and emails telling us to stay strong. That made us feel we matter as artists in the city," he says. "The regional and national government also gave us the impression they want to keep the cultural infrastructure running." The national government intervened relatively early in the crisis and that appears to have secured the country's cultural institutions for now. But there are concerns about the future. 'Cultural landscape will change' As she slowly turns on bare feet, and swipes a thin-bowed piece of wood through the air, dancer Shiao Ing Oei looks as though she's battling an invisible enemy. She, like other freelancers in Lübeck, also had help from a local arts foundation. Even so, she says, some are struggling. "I think this is going to be a long fight. The cultural landscape will change. I personally will try to find an alternative source of income, so I'm not dependent on the arts." Arguably, Germany's cultural life was, compared with other countries, relatively well insulated against the corona crisis. Pandemic showed people 'can't live without culture' This is a rich country and the arts were highly valued and comparatively well-funded by national and regional governments. Although Prof Susanne Keuchel, from Germany's culture council, says there was a growing tendency to commercialise state-funded institutions. Nevertheless, she says, "I have the feeling that the pandemic has given culture in Germany more visibility. "Compared with other countries we have good cultural infrastructure, and it's nice to have that infrastructure, but everyone takes it for granted. "The pandemic showed that people can't live without culture, without concerts, without theatre. That gave us political support." How long will money last? The coronavirus crisis has led Germany into new territory. For the first time in years, its government is taking on new debt to keep the country going, and that includes its culture. Many in its theatres, museums, studios and galleries wonder what will happen to them in a few months' time, when the money that has kept them going thus far runs out. In the summer garden, reunited with their fellow singers, the rock and roll choir tries not to think about the autumn. For now, while the sun shines, Lübeck's artists and performers are doing what they can.

जैसे ही शाम की धूप एक पकते हुए नाशपाती के पेड़ के माध्यम से लहराती है, पक्षी एक घास काटने वाले की दूर की आवाज़ के ऊपर बकबक करते हैं। फिर, अचानक, ल्यूबेक के रॉक एंड रोल गाना बजाने वाले गायक अपनी आवाज़ उठाते हैं।


Murder arrest over body found in road near Ashford

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was found in a road near Ashford.

Kent Police said the body of a man, believed to be in his 40s, was found in Military Road, Appledore, on Saturday. His identity has not yet been released. A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of murder. A police spokeswoman said officers want to speak to anyone who saw people or parked vehicles in the area from Friday night to Saturday afternoon.

एशफोर्ड के पास सड़क पर एक शव मिलने के बाद हत्या के संदेह में एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


Bournemouth stabbing death: Murder accused in court

Summary: An 18-year-old man has appeared in court charged with murdering a man who was stabbed to death in Dorset.

Kai Archer, 20, from Bournemouth, was knifed in the chest in St Swithun's Road just after 22:00 GMT on Saturday. He died later in hospital. Jamie Higgs of Windsor Road, Bournemouth was remanded in custody following the hearing at Winchester Crown Court. He will return for a plea hearing on 18 December.

डोरसेट में चाकू मारकर हत्या करने के आरोप में एक 18 वर्षीय व्यक्ति अदालत में पेश हुआ है।


Leona Lewis confirms debut UK tour

Summary: Leona Lewis has confirmed details of her debut UK tour.

The singer, who played her first UK gig since winning X Factor in 2006 earlier this month in London, will play a string of arena gigs in summer 2010. The tour begins on 28 May in Sheffield before concluding in Dublin on 27 June. Tickets for the tour go on sale at 9.30am on Friday 27 November. In a statement issued with the announcement Lewis said: "Over the last few years I've had some amazing experiences and sung in some really interesting places but it's going to be great to be able to perform all my own material on my very own tour." Lewis is currently promoting new single Happy from her forthcoming second album Echo, released on 16 November. The dates in full are: Sheffield Arena - 28 May Liverpool Echo Arena - 31 May Nottingham Trent FM Arena - 2 June Manchester MEN Arena - 4 June Birmingham LG Arena - 8 June London O2 Arena - 12 and 14 June Glasgow SECC - 20 June Newcastle Metro Radio Arena - 24 June Dublin The O2 Arena - 27 June

लियोना लुईस ने अपने पहले यूके दौरे के विवरण की पुष्टि की है।


Neath RFC faces winding up order over council debt

Summary: Neath RFC faces a winding up order over £60,000 owed in outstanding business rates.

The action is being taken by Neath Port Talbot Council which says it has been granted a liability order over the long-standing debt. The council said it regretted having to take the action. Two years ago, the club fought off a winding up order from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over unpaid tax after settling the debt.

नीथ आर. एफ. सी. को बकाया व्यावसायिक दरों में 60,000 पाउंड से अधिक के समापन आदेश का सामना करना पड़ता है।


Sunken chest syndrome: 'I'm being strangled inside'

Summary: Kerry Van Der Merwe has sunken chest syndrome, a rare medical condition that leaves her struggling to breathe. In many cases the syndrome - a malformation of the chest wall caused by the breastbone sinking inwards - is seen as a cosmetic problem that doesn't warrant publicly funded surgery.

By Claire Gilbody-DickersonBBC News Ms Van Der Merwe has been speaking about her fight to get treatment for a condition that causes her pain and anguish. The hairdresser, 44, says she has seen at least 10 GPs to talk about her breathlessness and accelerated heartbeat, but "not one of them" was able to tell her these symptoms were caused by sunken chest syndrome, also known as pectus excavatum. "I couldn't even open a jar but they've never said 'let's investigate it'", said the mother of one, who lives in Devon. "It's actually me who has educated them about pectus." Since February, the NHS in England has not offered routine surgery for those with the condition as it says there is insufficient evidence the benefits of surgical treatment warrant funding. "There is absolutely no way I could live the way I am now because I'm being strangled inside. For them to say no is just absolutely disgusting," Ms Van Der Merwe said. "I have been on antidepressants all my life since my deformities started. "I can't do something as simple as running up the hill or stairs because with your heart pumping blood so fast it's really dangerous." Ms Van Der Merwe, who has a nine-year-old daughter, said she should have had the surgery 10 years ago, but GPs did not heed her requests for a specialist referral. "I've been trying to speak about my pectus to my GPs but I always feel like I get fobbed off, because no-one really has the knowledge about it." She therefore sought out thoracic surgeon Joel Dunning, from the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, for a specialist's insight. "She has never known what's it's like to be normal," said Mr Dunning, who added there was "no doubt" his patient's heart is being "squashed" by her sternum. He said it was "crazy" to deny "life-extending" surgery in cases like hers. "The man on the street could tell you that if you have a squashed heart because of your chest, if you take the squashing away it makes the breathing better." Thanks to the intervention of the surgeon, Hull-born Ms Van Der Merwe, who also has Poland syndrome, is due to have a procedure to insert up to three titanium bars to raise her chest to a normal position. Mr Dunning successfully argued she needed treatment after having poor surgery in South Africa, where she moved as a child. He said the "massive" psychological benefits of surgery, especially for young people, should be enough for the NHS to offer surgical treatment. "These are poor little teenagers trying to find their way in the world and they feel very introverted, they won't take their top off, they won't interact with people of the other gender." Pectus excavatum Katie Bruce was 21 when she fainted due to her sunken chest syndrome and was hit by a car. She lost four of her front teeth and suffered multiple facial fractures. One side of her jaw snapped off her skull and "never repaired". The Wolverhampton-based biochemistry graduate managed to get Nuss surgery in March, a year after first applying and being rejected. Because her chest dip was so deep, surgeons were only able to insert one metal bar. It ended up flipping on its side, and the 26-year-old was left bedridden while waiting for corrective surgery. "It just feels like I'm being repeatedly stabbed between my ribs. No painkillers can help that," she said. "I am 26, I have a degree and I can't do anything. I can't get a job, I can't think of starting a mortgage for a house or starting a family. My life feels like it's on hold." She is soon to undergo surgery to fix the flipped bar and have a second one inserted to distribute the pressure, in the hope this will reduce the pain. Ms Bruce said she would not be in the position she is in now had the operation happened 15 years ago, when her bone structure was still forming and the chances of flipping were lower. "If they were more aware of it in the first place and I'd been treated a long time ago I would never have been hit by the car and it would have cost the NHS a hell of a lot less in the long run." She said she too reported breathlessness and an accelerated heart rate but was not correctly diagnosed for years. "I am shocked at the amount of GPs I've seen and none of them have known anything about it." NHS England said in a statement that it no longer provides routine surgery for sunken chest syndrome as a "careful review of evidence suggests limited effectiveness". It said it "leads the world on innovation" and would "continue to test the most advanced procedures available, collecting real-world evidence to ensure NHS patients receive world-class care while delivering value for the taxpayers' pound". Meanwhile, Ms Van Der Merwe waits for the operation she hopes will make all the difference. She says she's nervous but knows she needs to have the surgery. "I am fearful, but I know deep down it's going to save my life."

केरी वैन डेर मर्वे को सनकेन चेस्ट सिंड्रोम है, एक दुर्लभ चिकित्सा स्थिति जो उसे सांस लेने के लिए संघर्ष करती है। कई मामलों में सिंड्रोम-छाती की हड्डी के अंदर की ओर डूबने के कारण छाती की दीवार की विकृति-को एक कॉस्मेटिक समस्या के रूप में देखा जाता है जो सार्वजनिक रूप से वित्त पोषित सर्जरी की गारंटी नहीं देता है।


Northern England's disused mills 'at risk'

Summary: There are regimented lines of workspaces beneath the beams and a thrum of machinery as over 1,250 workers go about their business in a Halifax mill. But this is not sooty Victorian England, rather the offices of a modern insurance firm with two million customers.

By Rebecca WearnBusiness reporter, BBC News In the 1840s, Crossley's Carpets built the enormous 22-acre (9ha) Dean Clough Mill site to spin and weave its yarns. In its heyday it was one of the biggest carpet manufacturers in the world. While the industrial decline was steady and final, there has been life in the old mill yet. "It's been about re-using elements one step at a time," explains chairman Jeremy Hall. He and his father have spent 30 years, a lot of cash and taken a leap of faith with the mammoth site. They've reduced the mill buildings, from about a million square feet to about 600,000, whilst waiting patiently for the right tenants to come forward to fill spaces. It's worked: today it is bustling. Dean Clough is one of almost 2,000 textile mills dotted across cities and towns in the Pennines. But research by Historic England shows well over a quarter of them are unused, and it that unless steps are taken to protect them, a significant part of the country's heritage will be lost forever. "They say everything about the North West and West Yorkshire; it's the buildings, it's the skylines that we all know," says Historic England's regional director, Catherine Dewar. Many of the 572 empty mills are often in the hearts of towns and well connected to local transport. They hold the potential for 120,000 homes or small business spaces without denting the greenbelt, in a region recently made big promises by the new Conservative government. But it's not all about potential economic prosperity. "They tell the story of the local area," Catherine enthuses; from the neat lines of mill workers' houses, still loved and lived in, to the grand old bank buildings in town centres like Oldham or Rochdale, once counting revenues from these businesses. "It's important to keep our heritage and everybody will benefit from that," she says. Others are trying, but almost 50 miles away, at Pagefield Mill in Wigan, regeneration feels a long way off. Once 1,300 workers span cotton here, now only pigeons circle the brickwork. The beautifully ornate chimneys loom over the fountains and pavilion in Mesnes Park as the West Coast mainline rushes by. The local college upped and left over a decade ago and hopes of redevelopment were dashed by a fire last year. "Part of the challenge is finding a use that is cost-effective," says Marie Bintley, Wigan council's assistant housing director. "Clearly this is not the South East, where we have high land values." The site is listed, and privately owned, but the council remains determined: "It's part of the fabric of the place, we want the community to celebrate this building," adds Ms Bintley. Years of neglect have taken their toll: many windows are broken or missing, sections of the roof have caved in and rain pours in, seeping from floor to floor. The council knows its time to rescue the building from demolition is running out: "We are in danger of coming to a tipping point where that becomes just too difficult," says Ms Bintley. There are developers willing to rise to the challenges, but they're not run of the mill. Adam Higgins co-founded developers Capital and Centric; and Crusader Mill in the heart of Manchester is one of a clutch of older buildings his firm has taken on. The reason is simple: "Arguably it's easier to build something from scratch. But it's quite difficult to put soul into a new block of flats, but you can do it quite easily in a building like this," he smiles. It's taken five years from purchasing the site to almost completing 123 apartments, regularly unearthing unexpected damage. Just to make the whole project trickier for himself, Adam insists that no building will be sold to an overseas investor: each will be owner-occupied to retain that community the mill once housed. That risk is worth taking, when you're within earshot of Manchester Piccadilly station. Trams hoot as they pass beneath the open window frames and the trendy bars of the city's Northern Quarter are but paces away. Adam knows that the values drop off quickly for property as you move out of the city centre but he's also an optimist. "This place wasn't viable 15 years ago. It won't take long, as the North grows, for these economic benefits to reach smaller towns." But it's time that's critical to save these historic sites: "I think [the] public sector does need to get involved, without it some buildings will just get worse and worse." So are the mills really worth it? Back in Halifax they think so. Dean Clough's renaissance has been a slow burner, but now it's home to 150 businesses big and small - from multinationals to cosy cafes - and has even been immortalised in Lego. Covea Insurance took on two mill buildings on the site in 2016, director Carol Geldard admits the business did see other office options - many of them cheaper - but says this wasn't a simple business decision: "We saw an opportunity to create a space that's fantastic for our people, but also to become part of a community doing something special, bringing a building back to life." Next door, local lad Philip Crowther used to play amongst the rubble of the old mill site when his gran worked here. When it came to picking a home for his flower business, his heart and head led him here: "There was a time when you could walk down to Dean Clough and get a job instantly. It's great now you're getting businesses, local and international, bringing new enterprise." All agree that the mills' story is not over. And there is plenty more space, if others have the energy - and cash.

एक हैलिफ़ैक्स मिल में 1,250 से अधिक कर्मचारी अपने व्यवसाय के लिए जाते हैं और बीम के नीचे कार्यस्थलों की व्यवस्थित पंक्तियाँ हैं। लेकिन यह विक्टोरियन इंग्लैंड नहीं है, बल्कि 20 लाख ग्राहकों के साथ एक आधुनिक बीमा कंपनी के कार्यालय हैं।


Man charged over Glasgow football pitches stabbings

Summary: A 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with two attempted murders and a serious assault in Glasgow.

Three men, two aged 21 and one aged 19, were stabbed in a car park at Greenfield Park football pitches on Duror Street at about 20:20 on Saturday, 27 February. All three men were taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary with serious injuries. The arrested man is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court later. Det Sgt Stephen Greenshields, of Shettleston CID, said: "We would like to thank the local community for helping us with our investigation and providing information."

ग्लासगो में दो हत्याओं के प्रयास और एक गंभीर हमले के सिलसिले में एक 19 वर्षीय व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है और उस पर आरोप लगाया गया है।


Santa Dash sees 189 Father Christmases run in Douglas

Summary: Almost 200 people dressed as Father Christmas have taken part in an annual Santa Dash on the Isle of Man, raising thousands of pounds for charity.

Jamie Newton beat 188 other Santas to win the one-mile (1.6km) race around Douglas for the first time. Mr Newton said he was delighted to win and would be donating his prize money to the Manx capital's Children's Centre. In 2014, nearly £15,000 was raised for 40 separate local charities. The event was first held in 2001, when only 10 Santas took part.

फादर क्रिसमस के रूप में तैयार लगभग 200 लोगों ने आइल ऑफ मैन पर एक वार्षिक सांता डैश में भाग लिया है, जिससे दान के लिए हजारों पाउंड जुटाए गए हैं।


Stonehenge protesters climbed on stones and set grass alight

Summary: Three people have been cautioned and a further three released without charge, after climbing on the stones and setting the grass alight at Stonehenge.

Four men and two women were arrested on suspicion of destroying or damaging the monument early on Wednesday. It is believed they were protesting over an alcohol ban and parking charges introduced for the Summer Solstice. English Heritage said a group of 14 entered the stone circle and doused the grass with paraffin and set it alight. Kate Davies, general manager at Stonehenge, said: "How can people who claim to honour the stones deliberately disrespect and damage them like this?"

स्टोनहेंज में पत्थरों पर चढ़ने और घास में आग लगाने के बाद तीन लोगों को चेतावनी दी गई है और तीन अन्य को बिना किसी आरोप के रिहा कर दिया गया है।


I had an abortion when money made the difference between life and death

Summary: Diane Munday had an abortion in 1961, six years before the Abortion Act - now 50 years old - made abortion legal in Britain. While she could afford a Harley Street operation, she knew her neighbours were facing backstreet procedures with knitting needles. Here she explains how this inspired a life-long campaign for reform.

It wasn't until I was about 21 years old that I first heard the word "abortion." In those days you had clothes made by a dressmaker and a local young married woman was making me a party dress; I went to her house for fittings. She had three young children and lived in a small post-war prefab house. I remember a very happy family. The father worked in a local factory and the children went to dancing lessons. One day when I came home from work - I was a research assistant at Barts Hospital - my mother told me the dressmaker had died. I discovered she had had a backstreet abortion that went wrong. I hadn't heard of this before - probably because the word was considered unmentionable. At that time a pregnant woman having an abortion and anyone who helped her could go to prison for it. I was so shocked by this that I mentioned it to colleagues at lunch the next day. The doctors I worked with said it was a common experience and invited me to "stay behind on Friday evening and we'll show you what the world is really like". I discovered then that all the London teaching hospitals set a few wards aside each Friday for women who were septic, bleeding or dying from having backstreet abortions. There would be a spate of cases on Friday because it was payday. They were often performed by people with some nursing experience using hot solutions and knitting needles or coat hanger hooks. A big problem was their inability to diagnose the stage of pregnancy accurately and the more advanced a pregnancy the more dangerous what they did became. I put the incident to the back of my mind and over the next few years got married and then had three children of my own (in less than four years - there was no "pill" back then). During my third pregnancy the doctor gave me a prescription for thalidomide because I had problems sleeping. I left it on the mantelpiece and did not take the drug. The thalidomide scandal broke shortly afterwards and I got to thinking that if I had been carrying a deformed foetus I would have wanted the option of ending the pregnancy. So I joined the Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRA) but initially did no more than pay my membership fee. This organisation had been founded in the 1930s but it wasn't really active as, post war, people preferred more polite social causes such as housing and education. Then I discovered I was pregnant again - my fourth in four years - and something in me just said: "I cannot, I will not have this child." My husband said he would much rather I continued the pregnancy but that it was my decision and he would support me whatever I decided. After much asking around I found my way to Harley Street where there was a semi-legal procedure. The gynaecologist sent me to a friend who was a psychiatrist who said my mental health was so damaged by the pregnancy that my life was endangered. This was an accepted reason for an abortion because of a recent court case called the Bourne Case. It was only available to those who could afford to pay. I was quoted £150 - which was thousands in 1961 - but the doctor later halved it. He arranged for me to go to a private nursing home in north London Abortion in the UK The procedure was done under general anaesthetic and I was in overnight. I found the nurses very unsympathetic - many of them disapproved because they were Roman Catholic. When I vomited due to the after effects of the anaesthetic, one nurse was extremely unpleasant. Coming round from the anaesthetic, I remembered the young dressmaker who had died and realised how similar our situations were; we were both young women with three young children but where we differed was that , because I had a chequebook, I was alive and because she had no spare money she was dead. This seemed totally and unacceptably wrong. At that moment I vowed to myself that I would do everything I could to prevent women dying because they were poor. So I went along to the next ALRA annual meeting, spoke to some people who had also joined because of the thalidomide scandal and within a year I was on the committee. That was when I started speaking out about abortion and that became my main role in the organisation. I gave talks to groups and, from the start, decided to be open about it and say, "I have had an abortion." I clearly remember an early Townswomen's Guild meeting when, in the tea interval, members came up to me one after the other and said words to the effect of "You know dear, I had an abortion in the 30s. My husband was out of work and we couldn't afford any more children." From then on this was a common experience and I realised abortion was an unmentionable but routine part of women's lives. I became infamous. I was boycotted by the grocers in the village because they said my money was tainted - that I had been doing backstreet abortions on my kitchen table. My sons were affected by comments at school when I was on TV and I think my husband found it difficult. But it needed to be done, the work was so important as women were desperate. They would try to self-induce by drinking gin, having scalding baths and moving heavy furniture around. Some travelled across the country and knocked on my front door as well as that of our secretary, Dilys Cossey, because her address was on the ALRA literature. Find out more Despite being shunned by some in the village, women would come to me themselves or with their daughters when they were unmarried and pregnant. I'd drive them to a clinic and hold their hand while their daughter's pregnancy was ended but next time I saw them they'd cross the road. Later when ALRA needed money for its campaigning (it was run by unpaid volunteers) I approached the doctor who performed my own abortion to ask for a donation. It seemed to me that many doctors had benefited over the years and they could put some money back to help women who couldn't afford fees. He agreed and also gave me names of other doctors who might contribute. I asked him why he performed abortions and he told me that, when he was a young doctor, a patient said she would kill herself if she didn't get an abortion. He told her the usual tale about loving the baby when it was born: that night she drowned herself and he felt that he had killed her. After much lobbying of MPs and a number of Bills in the Commons and the Lords the 1967 Abortion Act was passed. This was a great victory and a big step forward for women. But, for me, even then, it was not enough. I always believed that the only person qualified to make a decision about a pregnancy was the woman herself. We had had to make the concession that every abortion would be approved by two doctors. It was the price we paid for legalising any abortions at all. Nevertheless the beneficial effect was almost immediate with the numbers of women admitted to London hospitals for "septic miscarriages" dropping hugely within a year of the Act coming into effect. But still there were battles to fight. Particularly in areas of the country where medical opposition to legal abortion had been most ferocious, surgeons said they wouldn't perform abortions. I helped set up the Birmingham (later British) Pregnancy Advisory Service to help women where NHS doctors refused to comply with the Act. Initially it opened as a counselling service in someone's house. Women who could afford it were charged two shillings a visit and counselled and referred on to sympathetic doctors who would help them. This ensured that there was equitable treatment wherever somebody lived. Later, for 17 years, I worked for Bpas which had become a national organisation ensuring women were sympathetically and professionally treated wherever they lived and whatever the beliefs of local doctors. I'm proud of what I have done and of the benefits it has brought to so many women's lives. However, my concern now is the future. There's still a taboo around the subject making women reluctant to say: "I feel all right about having had an abortion." Half a century after reform we live in a very different world. Women's' rights have moved on. Medical technology has moved on. But we still require two doctors to sanction the termination of a pregnancy that the pregnant women herself has decided on. It's unbearable. We were among the first in Europe to allow abortion and now are almost the last to have stringent laws controlling it. I would like to think that, before I die, the job I helped to start is finished by abortion being taken out of the criminal law and the decision as to whether or not a pregnancy is to be ended is firmly placed where it belongs - in the hands of the pregnant woman. Diane Munday was interviewed by Claire Bates and Jane Garvey Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

डायने मुंडे का 1961 में गर्भपात हुआ था, गर्भपात अधिनियम से छह साल पहले-अब 50 साल की उम्र में-ब्रिटेन में गर्भपात को कानूनी बना दिया गया था। जबकि वह हार्ले स्ट्रीट ऑपरेशन का खर्च उठा सकती थी, वह जानती थी कि उसके पड़ोसियों को सुई बुनाई के साथ बैकस्ट्रीट प्रक्रियाओं का सामना करना पड़ रहा था। यहाँ वह बताती है कि इसने सुधार के लिए जीवन भर के अभियान को कैसे प्रेरित किया।


On the frontline of India's WhatsApp fake news war

Summary: Mobs have lynched at least 25 people across India after reading false rumours spread on WhatsApp. Now the authorities in one Indian state are fighting back - by teaching children about fake news. Soutik Biswas reports.

Soutik BiswasIndia correspondent In a state-run secondary school in the sticky coastal city of Kannur in the southern state of Kerala, some 40 students have thronged a classroom for an unusual lesson. As the uniformed boys and girls in separate rows slide into their seats, there's a question on the projection screen for them to answer: What is fake news? Students read the answer aloud from another slide. "Fake news is completely false information, photos or videos, intentionally created and spread, to confuse the public, spread mass panic, provoke violence and get attention." For a moment, it sounds similar to a rote-memorisation drill, common in rigid Indian schools. But teacher Bindhya M, a post-graduate in computer science, quickly joins in and gets down to brass tacks. "If you get a message on WhatsApp saying there will be an earthquake in Kannur tomorrow, would you believe it and share it with your friends?" "Yes," chime the students, weakly. Should it be shared? Ms Bindhya asks again, her voice rising. This time the children realise that there's something amiss. "No!" goes up a loud chorus. "You have to question and cross check what you receive on WhatsApp. Always," says Ms Bindhya. More than 1,500 students attend the school in Kannur, one of the last remaining Communist bastions in India. Although the place has gained some infamy for bloody fighting between the Communists and the right-wing Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteers' Organisation) - more than 200 people on both sides have been murdered since 1972 - it is one of India's most socially developed districts. Some 95% of its 2.5 million people are literate. More than half of them live in towns. On the face of it media literacy appears to be sturdy: the most widely read paper is the venerable Malayalam Manorama, which boasts a state-wide readership of 16 million, one of the highest in the world. Students leading morning assemblies in schools skim the pages of half-a-dozen newspapers and read out the headlines. Despite such levels of literacy and urbanisation however, Kannur has been in the grip of fake news and viral hoaxes travelling on WhatsApp in recent years. To combat this, district officials have now begun 40-minute-long fake news classes in 150 of its 600 government schools. Using an imaginative combination of words, images, videos, simple classroom lectures and skits on the dangers of remaining silent and forwarding things mindlessly, this initiative is the first of its kind in India. This is a war on disinformation from the trenches, and children are the foot soldiers. In Kannur, as elsewhere in India, WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned encrypted messaging service, is the main carrier of fake news and viral hoaxes. India has 300m smartphones, and more than 200m of them have WhatsApp, making the country the service's biggest market. WhatsApp claims 90% of the 65bn messages sent over the service every day in 60 languages are between two users. But in India, fake news and hoaxes are rashly spread through thousands of groups, each of which can have a maximum of 256 members and work as private chat rooms. (For an idea of the popularity of WhatsApp groups in India, consider this: last year, before the crucial state elections in Uttar Pradesh state, prime minister Narendra Modi's BJP alone created more than 6,600 WhatsApp groups to spread the party's message.) Messages circulating in WhatsApp groups in India range from jaunty good morning messages and all kinds of greetings to gossip, jokes, pornography and lots of fake news, hoaxes and rumours. When it comes to fake news and hoaxes, even well-meaning people believe messages forwarded by friends and relatives on WhatsApp because, as one parent told me, "how can people close to us be so wrong". Back in the classroom, the students are shown a bunch of slides about common fake news and messages that they have might have received or heard of in recent months. There's an image of two men on a motorcycle pulling up to a group of children with a message that people were kidnapping children in the area - this single message-fuelled rumour has led to the killing of at least 25 people in other parts of India since June. Another message saying Mahatma Gandhi, the independence hero, was a womaniser perplexes students. "I was shocked when I got it," says 17-year-old Amit P. "Is it true?" Then there are hoaxes that many students and their parents believed or fell for. Illustrated warnings about a popular cola spiked with HIV-infected blood; a photo-shopped image of a three-headed snake holding up traffic on a highway; the central bank offering money through a lottery; fake job adverts. Other popularly believed hoaxes include companies giving away free airline tickets and sneakers - all these messages are illustrated with pictures of brands and products. Another popular and recurring hoax on the service is a fake BBC News item announcing the "death" of actor Rowan Atkinson. "I got this message a few years ago," says one student. "How can he die so many times?" Two years ago, Kannur had a tryst with a viral fake audio message about child kidnappers. A man intoned that he was hiding in a hospital, and watching children being snatched from their beds by a group of men. The recordings sparked fears of child kidnapping gangs and some people suspected to be kidnappers were beaten up by mobs. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Things took a truly worrying turn last year. In winter, parents of more than 240,000 children in Kannur began refusing the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for their children after a fake message saying that the vaccine harmed children went viral. An immunisation drive stalled for nearly two months. The top official in the district, Mir Mohammed Ali, recorded Facebook videos explaining why the vaccine was critical for the health of the children. He even called in the parents, and admonished them. "What kind of message are you sending if you deny a vaccine to your children," he told them. "You want your child to become a doctor, and you don't vaccinate them?" It took a lot of work to undo the damage, and get children back for their shots. "I think the stalling of the vaccination drive was the turning point," Mr Ali told me. "This was fake news affecting every child's life." Then in May, nine people died in confirmed and suspected cases of the deadly Nipah virus in the neighbouring district of Kozhikode. There's no vaccination for the infection, which can be transmitted from animals to humans. Sure enough, a viral hoax declaring that 60% of the chicken supplies in the district were infected with the virus spread like wildfire in Kannur. People stopped buying chicken, sales plummeted and sellers went out of business. 'Spirit of inquiry' Mr Ali himself is active on social media and is member of more than 80 WhatsApp groups. He put together the lessons for the fake news classes in English, and the local Malayalam language. He put down the laws in place to crack down on offenders, and gave the example of a young man who was arrested in the city for recklessly forwarding the Nipah virus hoax message. "We decided to go teach the children because many of their parents appeared to believe everything they received on the phone was sacrosanct and the truth," Mr Ali said. "I believe that if we can infuse a spirit of enquiry in our children, we can win this battle against fake news." The classes are well-received. Children share their experiences openly. They mostly don't own smartphones yet, and usually borrow their mother's phone to check their WhatsApp groups, watch YouTube videos and surf while she keeps a watchful eye. Seventeen-year-old Ashiyan Ahmed is a rare student who has his own phone, a gift from his parents. He says he was a member of a dozen WhatsApp groups - family, friends, former friends, teachers. He said he would be on WhatsApp for 15 hours a day chatting, deluged by the real and the unreal. "You can't trust anything these days. Newspapers, TV, phones, Internet. It's a strange world," he said.

वॉट्सऐप पर फैली झूठी अफवाहों को पढ़ने के बाद भीड़ ने पूरे भारत में कम से कम 25 लोगों की पीट-पीटकर हत्या कर दी। अब एक भारतीय राज्य में अधिकारी लड़ रहे हैं-बच्चों को फर्जी खबरों के बारे में सिखाकर। सौतिक बिस्वास की रिपोर्ट।