How serious is the IS threat to the UK?

Summary: I've been covering terrorism and security stories for almost a decade for BBC News - and there is one question that's really difficult to answer: How severe is the threat to the UK posed by so-called Islamic State (IS)?

By Dominic CascianiHome affairs correspondent, BBC News Reporters don't have access to counter-terrorism case files, which is probably just as well, given that our trade relies on us opening our mouths, rather than keeping them shut. But there is enough information out there - alongside the lessons of history - to provide a good idea of what is going on without resorting to scare stories that will leave people afraid to come out of their homes. And the short answer is that the current situation is deeply worrying. It is also, fundamentally, part of a larger terror threat that didn't go away simply because it stopped being front page news. And, in a twist to the tale, it may be a moment of opportunity to confront violent ideology in a way that it has never been confronted before. Since August, the official UK threat level has been "severe". This means that security and intelligence chiefs have concluded that a terrorism-related attack is highly likely. In October the mood cranked up a notch again. The Met's commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the "drumbeat" around terrorism had become more intense thanks to Syria and Iraq. Police officers were told to be vigilant because the threat to them had been "heightened". The news has been full of reports of Syria-related trials - including the extraordinary story of Mashudur Choudary from Portsmouth. New threat But the difficulty in assessing the true level of the threat is working out what is new and what is simply a continuation of an existing danger. In the wake of 9/11, there was a great deal of fear that the Western world would see wave after wave of attempted mass-casualty attacks. While few of those threats turned into actual attacks, they existed. I and other colleagues across the British media have spent long hours in court listening to detailed evidence, year after year, of serious plots and dangerous men. Some of the earliest British recruits to violent jihadist/Al-Qaeda ideology were drawn in because of specific grievances: the ringleader of the 7/7 attacks had his first taste of radical political causes when he shook charity buckets for the Kashmir conflict. And although Al-Qaeda's leadership has been decimated, the jihadi ideology has continued to have a life of its own. That ideology is a strange brew of utopianism, political anger and religiosity. And it is now, arguably, reaching a new peak in Syria and Iraq because of three factors well-known to experts who have studied how radical social and political movements develop: The first European Muslims going to the Syrian conflict were either delivering aid or, to a lesser extent, volunteering to help rebels defend Syrian civilians. Their motivation was comparable to those who went to Bosnia some 20 years ago. Jihadist flood As Syria became more chaotic, jihadists seized upon the first of those factors: the window of opportunity. They immediately understood that Syria was the new land of jihad - the new opportunity to build an Islamic State where their predecessors have failed to do so in Pakistan and Somalia. The second factor, resources and capability, immediately came into play: recruits, weapons, experienced fighters and functioning organisations capable of taking military or political control of some of its targets. One of the earliest British recruits - Iftekar Jaman from Portsmouth - tweeted and blogged how the Syrian warzone was some kind of land of milk and honey. He's now thought to be dead - but not before his message enticed others to follow him. This is where the third factor - a compelling message or narrative - has played an instrumental role. Jaman's successors (those who aren't dead) seem to be more motivated by the temptation of living in a surreal fantasy land of fighting, rather than building a peaceful state. More than one Muslim involved in de-radicalisation has described this to me as the "Call of Duty" mentality - a reference to the popular video game. What's their call of duty? To the "Islamic state" - a caliphate of a conquering army. These recruits are overwhelmed by the belief in this state as something that all Muslims should aspire to and the sword is their only route to its creation. They seem to include men like Nasser Muthana from Cardiff. He appeared in an IS recruitment video, posted pictures online of crude bombs he claimed to have made and, possibly, appears in an stomach-turning video in which Syrian soldiers are killed. What's more, many of these recruits seem to believe that Syria - or more precisely the IS-held town of Dabiq - is at the heart of an apocalyptic prophecy in which Muslims and their enemies will meet one final time. Liberating people from an evil dictator? That's not really on the agenda anymore when you have a group trying to goad its global enemies into an end-of-the-world confrontation. And its amid this chaos and carnage that the real security issue for the UK reveals itself. Deeply motivated Security chiefs believe that the recruitment pipeline to Syria's many factions has been narrowed. But that means that those who are making it out there are singularly motivated by IS's message to join the fighting or, in the case of women, to support the men who do. Not all of them will get their wish to die a martyr's death on a battlefield. If they don't come back, then they will continue to use the internet and social media to propagate a worldview that is carefully packaged to appeal to Western audiences. They have created direct connections to would-be recruits in a way that has been seen in no previous conflict. Some of them will come back - and a smaller number of them will have a very clear idea of who IS thinks the enemy is - and their role in attacking that enemy. This is what security services call "blowback". Secondly, IS knows it cannot draw in everyone that it would wish - so its leaders want to radicalise those who can't make the journey. It urges them to see Muslims as victims of the West - with one of its clerics having issued a fatwa calling on followers in the West to launch attacks at home. So what kind of threat will they pose? The last few years has shown that, by and large, the British security and intelligence agencies have become adept at disrupting large plots that take months to plan. Today, security chiefs are just as likely to be concerned that there will be another attack similar to the killing of Lee Rigby in Woolwich - one or two individuals, no warning, no chatter. Self-destruction This all sounds like utterly appalling bad news. But, here's the twist. There is credible evidence to suggest that the IS group could ultimately begin to destroy itself. The Soufan Group, an influential American security organisation, argues that the IS video released to mark the murder of Peter Kassig shows the group at "its most desperate and least triumphant". The shocking events are also spurring Muslims across the West to challenge the extremist narrative. The toxicity of IS's creed is far removed from the gentle piety and community-building that forms the heart of your average Muslim community. Unlike previous threats, this one is unavoidable. And while there have been many British Muslims who have spent years quietly challenging extremism - the noise from IS is forcing them to be more vocal. There is still a huge gulf of trust between many Muslim communities and the UK government - not least because of accusations that the British don't want to challenge Israel over Gaza. But nobody is in any doubt anymore that there is a real threat from IS and somehow it has to be stopped.

मैं बी. बी. सी. न्यूज के लिए लगभग एक दशक से आतंकवाद और सुरक्षा कहानियों को कवर कर रहा हूं-और एक सवाल है जिसका जवाब देना वास्तव में मुश्किल हैः तथाकथित इस्लामिक स्टेट (आई. एस.) द्वारा ब्रिटेन के लिए कितना गंभीर खतरा है?


Brecon: Investigation after war memorial plaque stolen

Summary: A war memorial plaque has been stolen from a plinth on a summit in the Brecon Beacons.

The plaque, engraved with lines from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen, was removed from a trig point in Glan Dulais, Felinfach. It was taken at some point between Sunday 6 December and Saturday 12 December, Dyfed Powys Police said. Anyone with any information about the plaque has been asked to contact the force.

ब्रेकन बीकन में एक शिखर पर एक स्तंभ से एक युद्ध स्मारक पट्टिका चोरी हो गई है।


Newton Abbot: School bus crashes into wall

Summary: Police are appealing for witnesses after a school bus crashed into a wall.

The grey single decker coach went into the wall on Exeter Road, Newton Abbot on Thursday at about 15:40. None of the children on board were injured and they were evacuated from the bus along with the 40-year-old male driver. The road was closed while emergency services removed the vehicle and made the area safe. The children were returned to school.

एक स्कूल बस के दीवार से टकराने के बाद पुलिस गवाहों के लिए अपील कर रही है।


Covid travel: Why Instagram is still full of celebrities 'on holiday'

Summary: If you're a reality television fan who follows your favourite stars online, chances are you have seen some of them jetting off to luxury destinations in recent weeks - despite rising infection rates and restrictions across the UK.

By Kelly-Leigh CooperBBC News With much of England first plunged into tier four and now lockdown, many seem to be wondering how all of these glamorous breaks have been able to go ahead at a time when millions are being told to stay at home. From a Love Island star facing charges for alleged Covid breaches in Barbados, to the Celtic football team drawing Scottish government criticism for travelling to Dubai for training - tabloids and social media have been full of scrutiny of these trips in recent days. So, what is going on and what do the rules say? Before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced strict new restrictions starting on 5 January, England was under a tier system across different regions. The reality is that some of the stars posting their travel on social media in recent weeks may have left the country for their winter breaks when their local area was still under tiers two or three - when the advice about travelling was less strict. Guidance urged people to stay local and carefully consider whether they must fly abroad, but did not ban trips explicitly. The rules were stronger for those who were plunged into the very highest tier four - which was first announced for London and parts of the south east on 19 December before being extended to millions elsewhere last week. In those areas, people were instructed to stay at home by law unless they had a reasonable and legal excuse to leave including for work, shopping or caring responsibilities. Guidance said people living under tier four could only travel internationally - or indeed elsewhere in the UK - if they first qualified under one of the strictly defined legally permitted reasons to leave home. Some influencers and celebrities have been tagging brands and talent agencies in their posts - indicating their content shared abroad is sponsored or paid work. And travelling overseas was permitted for work reasons under tier four, when your job could not be done at home. Trending Travel is a holiday company that specialises in using celebrities to promote trips which customers can then book and experience for themselves. CEO Keith Herman launched the company last year and points out that this period - December to March - is a key time for those in the hard-hit travel industry to market summer holidays. "Travel agents and Tour Operators alike are all in the same boat, we need to get through these tough times and especially the next few months which is a critical sales period," he told the BBC. And it's not just his firm and influencers promoting bookings - summer holiday marketing is rife across the industry, including Ryanair marketing flights with slogans such as "jab and go" and "vaccines are coming". Mr Herman's company had well-known figures, including Love Island stars with over 1m followers, sharing posts from the Maldives and Dubai in recent days - but he's now asked them to stop tagging the firm in new posts in light of the lockdown. "We will just have to be creative and find new ways of promoting ourselves for the next couple of months," he said on Tuesday. Why these destinations? TikTok and other social media platforms have been filled with people mocking the number of reality stars visiting Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, in particular. A glance at comments on their pages in recent weeks shows the backlash some have received from followers stuck dealing with restrictions at home. Some commenters accused celebrities of being out of touch with their fans or trying to exploit loopholes in the rules. But with commercial flights still flying, it's not just high-profile influencers who have been going abroad. One British holidaymaker told the BBC she and her partner were able to fly out to Dubai last Friday, following negative tests as per UAE entrance conditions, without being asked about their reasons for leaving tier four. She had booked the trip at short notice and described the flight as busy. At the time of writing, a quick check online shows tickets still available for flights departing from the UK to Dubai in the next couple of days for just a few hundred pounds. Asked by the BBC about people who have broken tier four rules for non-essential travel, a government spokesman said: "No one is above the law and those who are breaking the rules are putting friends, family and the wider public at serious risk." They pointed to rules that state all travellers must fill out a Passenger Locator Form or be liable for a fine, and said that anyone returning from countries not on the travel corridor list must self-isolate for 10 days. "Our measures are designed to keep us all safe and we are looking at what additional measures should be taken as we start the vaccination programme to keep people safe," he added. Both the UAE and the Maldives currently remain on the travel corridor list, meaning people travelling home from there currently do not have to quarantine. The UAE was added to the list in November, which is why we may have all seen an uptick in holiday pictures from there on our social media timelines since. And although many places severed travel links to the UK following growing international concern about a new virus variant spreading here in December, a number of luxury destinations popular with influencers and celebrities never did. While other countries dissuaded visitors with measures like mandatory quarantines and other strict rules in place for arrivals, Dubai has been trying to court tourists back since the summer. Sameer Hashmi, a BBC business reporter based there, points out that travel and tourism contributes more than 11% to Dubai's GDP. He says that safety measures in place and the relative ease of travel there has been a "big driver for tourists". "When they began the Visit Dubai campaign in July, Dubai Tourism got down a lot of top influencers to promote the campaign," he says. "I think that also helped in attracting a lot of younger travellers. They have also spent a lot on the global marketing campaign, which I am sure has worked at some level." A couple of weeks ago former X-Factor pop duo Jedward hit out at the upsurge of celebrities promoting travel to the emirate. In spite of its growing popularity as a tourist destination, the UAE continues to face criticism for its human rights record. The rapid rise of development in Dubai, where luxury resorts and attractions are a key draw for tourists, has been fuelled by a workforce made up mostly of migrant workers. Human rights groups say the kafala (visa-sponsorship) system they work under - which sees visas tied to employment - leaves many vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. "Those who leave their employers without permission faced punishment for 'absconding' including fines, prison, and deportation," Human Rights Watch said of the UAE in their World Report 2020. "Many low-paid migrant workers remain acutely vulnerable to forced labour." What will happen now? Social media has been rife with speculation that the latest lockdown could leave reality stars and celebrities stuck abroad if flights get cancelled - but (based on their posts) some seem in no rush to return. In their lockdown guidance for England, the government says UK residents currently abroad do not need to fly back immediately - but urges people to check with their travel operator for arrangements. British Airways, in a statement to the BBC on Tuesday, confirmed they were reviewing their current flight schedule in light of the national lockdown restrictions and urged travellers to check their website for the latest flight information. The government has confirmed it is considering bringing in new measures on travel in the days ahead - including possibly requiring negative coronavirus tests from travellers entering the UK from abroad.

यदि आप एक वास्तविकता टेलीविजन प्रशंसक हैं जो अपने पसंदीदा सितारों को ऑनलाइन फॉलो करते हैं, तो संभावना है कि आपने हाल के हफ्तों में उनमें से कुछ को यूके में बढ़ती संक्रमण दर और प्रतिबंधों के बावजूद लक्जरी गंतव्यों पर जाते देखा होगा।


Unemployment in Guernsey falls to 401

Summary: The number of people who are unemployed in Guernsey has fallen, according to figures from the island's Social Security department.

At the end of May there were 401 people unemployed in Guernsey, which was 54 fewer than in April. However a spokesman for the department said the figure was similar to the same time last year, when it was was 407. In Alderney, eight people were registered as unemployed at the end of May, down from nine in April.

द्वीप के सामाजिक सुरक्षा विभाग के आंकड़ों के अनुसार, ग्वेर्नसे में बेरोजगार लोगों की संख्या में गिरावट आई है।


What Syria reveals about the new world order

Summary: The Syrian civil war seems intractable, interminable, a torrent resulting from various polluted streams of histories - from the poorly thought-through Iraq invasion to the withered Arab Spring, from 14 centuries of sectarian conflict to the end of the Cold War.

Mark MardellPresenter, The World This Weekend@BBCMarkMardellon Twitter But does it point the way to the future - perhaps not a future we might welcome, but a sign of the way the world is heading? Syria has become a bear pit - the terrible destructiveness of any civil war (they last on average seven years) compounded by the self-interest of other international actors. In a recent special edition of The World at One devoted to the conflict, most of the participants expressed a deep gloom about the prospects for an early end to the war - indeed to any end. I can't remember who said it so I can't credit them for their wise words, but someone recently observed that one of the problems with this civil war is that, even if some of the nations involved actually desire peace, it is not their first priority. The United States and the rest of the West want the destruction of the so-called Islamic State, and would like President Assad to be replaced by a democratic opposition. Turkey worries about refugees and a Kurdish state and seems ambivalent towards Sunni movements. For Iran and Saudi Arabia, it is another front in a struggle to be the main regional superpower - itself refracted through a sectarian conflict being fought in many of the nearby nations, where Sunni and Shia identities have become sharper and harsher. But it is Russia that is the key and the core. There's quite a debate about what President Putin wants. Some say a warm-water port, some that he can't lose an ally, others that he wants to defeat a "colour" revolution. Or that it is about projecting Russian power in the world - and some who agree with that add that such a project is really all about burnishing his image at home. The Cold War may have ended more than a quarter of a century ago, but the global rebalancing that followed is still happening. The United States is still the world's foremost superpower but the brief time when it was the unquestioned heir to the end of history has long gone. Some will argue its moral self-confidence was squandered in the sands of Iraq - others that it is a lack of will on the part of the current president. It's true that President Obama has absolutely no appetite for such confrontation, nor for wading knee-deep into another unwinnable occupation of an Arab country. But don't hold your breath for a big change after the election. Hillary Clinton might step up military intervention, while Donald Trump is more difficult to read - friendly towards Russia, against intervention, but pledged to destroy IS. But whatever the campaign rhetoric, I would hazard a guess the next president will only be different on the margins to the current one. It is fashionable to castigate President Obama for flaccidly allowing Assad off the hook. It's a point of view many politicians, military people and diplomats share, so we hear it often. But it is at least arguable that President Obama not only understands the mood of the American population, but the limits of what even a determined superpower can actually achieve, having examined the evidence of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. There's no better take on Obama's world view than Jeff Goldberg's masterful discussion highlighting in particular his scorn for the "playbook in Washington that presidents are supposed to follow", which dictates a military solution to every crisis. The president adds in his interview: "What I think is not smart, is the idea that every time there is a problem, we send in our military to impose order. We just can't do that." But this leaves the "liberal interventionism" which followed Rwanda and Bosnia in abeyance. This is not just about will. It is about a changing world, a rebalanced world, where East versus West is not the only game in town. Syria is a sign of not just a world where the US has lost its appetite and its confidence to play sheriff to the world, but one that is increasingly multipolar. The Philippines' recent hesitation about patrolling the South China Seas alongside the US navy indicates that it wants a good relationship with the growing superpower on its doorstep. While China may project more regional power in nearby waters than it used to, it is still averse to projecting military power to interfere with other nations' internal affairs. It does not burn with a universalist's desire to right wrongs. Russia only occasionally attempts the same moral pretensions that always seem to go with US military action and is rarely believed when it does. But it is every bit as assertive as the US once was. Perhaps creating disorder is easier than imposing order. Probing along the borders of Nato and the European Union, occupying the Crimea, preventing the westernisation of the "near abroad", Syria is simply the latest manifestation of Putin's projection of military power. Beyond the actual cost of the operation, he has few fears. We talk glibly of the "global community" but it is hard to see what it means. The UN becomes a cockpit for angry accusations, and forlorn hopes, rather than resolution. Not quite in the league of the League of Nations, but certainly where heads butt, rather than get banged together. On the Security Council, China and the United States have most of the guns and much of the financial clout. But it is Russia - dreaming of the power and the glory of the Soviet Union era - which is determined to recreate some simulation of that empire's reach and influence, provocative and short-term, with no clear strategic aims. (The UK and France may still fitfully dream of past imperial grandeur, but merely provide a bit more muscle to America's lost causes.) No-one I have spoken to can explain to me why Russia will not get its way in Syria and, by extension, how President Assad could be removed from power, unless President Putin wills it. This may not be a desirable state of affairs but, unless I am missing something profound, it is the state of the world in which we live.

सीरियाई गृहयुद्ध दुर्गम, अंतहीन प्रतीत होता है, इतिहास की विभिन्न प्रदूषित धाराओं के परिणामस्वरूप एक धार-इराक आक्रमण से लेकर सूखे अरब स्प्रिंग तक, 14 शताब्दियों के सांप्रदायिक संघर्ष से लेकर शीत युद्ध के अंत तक।


How Cousteau inspired my love of the oceans

Summary: Jacques Cousteau co-invented the aqua-lung, which brought diving to the masses, he pioneered underwater camera techniques, and he was the godfather of the modern conservation movement. But 100 years since his birth, Cousteau remains somewhat of an enigma.

By Bridget NichollsArt fellow, London Zoo Growing up, I remember Saturday mornings vividly. As soon as we heard that distinctive epic theme music trill out, my brother and I knew there was three seconds to don our red caps (pulled down at a jaunty French angle) and jump in front of the TV for the next instalment of Cousteau's underwater adventures. Who didn't want to be a member of Jacques Cousteau's Calypso crew? The Calypso, as it set sail into the next conservation adventure, was the most exciting place to be on the planet. So in his anniversary year, I set out to find the man behind the French accent. What drove him to his impossible challenges and, when he died in 1997, who took on the Cousteau cap? As ocean conservation becomes one of the biggest challenges of our time, what can we learn from Cousteau to take forward in communicating the intrinsic value of the oceans today - and to help a whole new generation fall in love with the sea? As Cousteau said: "People protect what they love. A lot of people attack the sea, I make love to it." But Cousteau was not always a conservationist. He was born in an era when blowing things up (including habitats and other species) for the sake of science and exploration were far more the norm. Yet as the world became more and more connected with modern technologies and with the birth of TV, he soon began to realise the devastating effects of human impact on our planet. Turning this new media to his advantage, Cousteau realised the red cap could be his iconic symbol and TV his powerful international communication tool. Soon, Cousteau became the most important spokesperson for the world's health. Motivating generations to protect the oceans, from Sylvia Earle, the famous diver, to Wes Anderson the director of the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (a film inspired by Cousteau), his work has touched many people. But his legacy is more complicated. 'Exhilarating' Whilst his family, including his son Jean-Michael and his grandchildren, have all devoted their lives to the ocean, the mantel of the Calypso or red cap seems more illusive. The crew members of the Calypso have carried on with Cousteau's work and I was eager to meet them and get a sense of what life was like onboard the great ship. So on a sunny September day, I found myself standing at the Harbour Key in Marseilles with Albert Falco, former captain of the Calypso, and Denis Martin-Laval, former ship's doctor. These were men well into their 80s whose lives on the ocean had left them far younger in every way than many half their age. (Readers take note.) To meet them was an exhilarating experience, especially when I was invited to go back to Denis' house for lunch and to take a tour of his handmade model of the Calypso. Denis talked me through his experience on the ship, as he peeled back layer after layer of the exact replica. You could see not only how important this boat had been to the conservation movement, but also how it has been a giant chapter in these men's lives - Albert Falco was captain for 40 years. A feeling of excitement and camaraderie of long days at sea and a sense of purpose also overwhelmed me. I could almost smell the salt air. Back at the quay side in Marseilles, I thought about the anticipation there must have been as the Calypso prepared to set sail on its next high seas adventure. It was these people coming together to do great things, seemingly impossible things, that created a conservation legacy worth remembering. It was certainly this magic that we need to hold onto to encourage new conservationists into the world. As Cousteau said: "The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat." You can listen again to The Impossible Life of Jacques Cousteau from the BBC World Service here. You can also download this programme, and previous documentaries, as a podcast.

जैक्स कौस्ट्यू ने एक्वा-लंग का सह-आविष्कार किया, जो लोगों के लिए गोताखोरी लाया, उन्होंने पानी के नीचे कैमरा तकनीकों का बीड़ा उठाया, और वे आधुनिक संरक्षण आंदोलन के गॉडफादर थे। लेकिन उनके जन्म के 100 साल बाद से, कौस्ट्यू कुछ हद तक एक पहेली बने हुए हैं।


Coronavirus: First death confirmed in NI

Summary: The first coronavirus-related death in Northern Ireland has been confirmed.

The patient was male, elderly, had an underlying medical condition and was being treated in a hospital in the greater Belfast area. The patient was among the 77 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland. On Thursday, the Department of Health said that in the case of an 80% infection rate, the NI death toll could be in the region of 14,000. Health Minister Robin Swann described the scale of the impending surge as being "of biblical proportions". "Our health service is already fast becoming unrecognisable before our very eyes." Speaking later on the BBC's The View programme, Mr Swann said: "I don't want to be alarmist... if we take an 80% infection rate of the population of Northern Ireland, and we take a 1% mortality rate out of that, we're looking at in the region of between 14,000 and 15,000 deaths. That is nightmare, worst-case scenario." As of Thursday at 14:00, 1,646 tests had been carried out in Northern Ireland, with 77 confirmed cases and one death. There are now 557 confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland after 191 new cases were announced on Thursday, with a further death being recorded, bringing the total to three deaths associated with COVID-19. Outlining plans to deal with a surge, Mr Swann earlier said testing capacity would be expanded to about 800 Covid-19 tests per day. His department is considering bringing in private suppliers at the beginning of next week. Mr Swann announced that third-year nursing and midwifery students due to qualify within six months would be redeployed to clinical care duties. "This will happen within the next 14 days and will provide support of up to 800 senior nursing and midwifery students," he said. Meanwhile, about 230 final year medical students at Queen's University will join the medical register four months earlier than originally envisaged. Stressing the importance of "social responsibility" in terms of following government advice regarding precautions, Mr Swann said: "These aren't light requests, these are things that will pull down [the number of deaths] significantly." On The View, he added: "You may think you're going to be fine. Think about your father. Think about your mother. Think about your grandfather. Think about your next door neighbour, because your actions today will have an adverse effect in a fortnight's time on those individuals. So be responsible." 'These measures come at a cost' Mr Swann said if social distancing and other measures were properly implemented, they could reduce the peak by some 50% and reduce deaths by up to a third. He said planning assumptions indicated 8% of infected people would need hospital treatment, 0.7% would require critical care, and 1% would die. However he added the figures would vary highly depending on age and other health factors. "There is no doubt that these measures come at a cost," he said. "They will be difficult for people to stick to. They will have significant social and economic impacts. But they will save lives." Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill paid tribute to the "amazing health workers who are doing everything they can to provide the best possible care for people in the most difficult circumstances". More information on surge plans In other developments: On Thursday afternoon, Belfast City Council announced that the chapel at Roselawn crematorium will close from Monday "in order to protect the staff who have to undertake [cremations], and also to protect grieving families and friends from the growing transmission of Covid-19". Cremations will continue to be carried out, but no family can attend them. "We understand that families may wish to make alternative arrangements to hold a service or ceremony elsewhere," it said in a statement.

उत्तरी आयरलैंड में कोरोना वायरस से पहली मौत की पुष्टि हुई है।


Tottenham stabbing: Boy, 15, charged with minicab driver's murder

Summary: A 15-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a minicab driver found dead inside a car in north London.

Gabriel Bringye, 37, was found unresponsive and with stab wounds in Jarrow Road, Tottenham at about 19:20 GMT on Wednesday. The boy, who was arrested on Friday, has since been charged with murder and handling stolen property. He appeared at Highbury Magistrates' Court on Saturday and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service - GOV.UK

उत्तरी लंदन में एक कार के अंदर मृत पाए गए एक मिनी कैब चालक की हत्या का आरोप एक 15 वर्षीय लड़के पर लगाया गया है।


Met Police officers seize machine pistols in Chiswick

Summary: Two Scorpion machine guns and 40 rounds of ammunition have been seized after Met officers arrested a 19-year-old man near Chiswick Park Tube station.

The man was arrested earlier on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. He was taken to a west London police station. Det Ch Supt Craig Turner said: "[The guns] could have undoubtedly led to the loss of life had they not been recovered." He added: "Anyone who believes they can walk the streets with horrific weapons in their possession should think again." The arrest was part of an operation by the Met's Specialist Crime Command and Specialist Firearms Command. Related Internet Links Metropolitan Police Service

मौसम अधिकारियों द्वारा चिसविक पार्क ट्यूब स्टेशन के पास एक 19 वर्षीय व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार करने के बाद दो बिच्छू मशीनगन और 40 राउंड गोला-बारूद जब्त किए गए हैं।


'Hedgehog rescuer' rescued by firefighters in Lincoln

Summary: A man who climbed down a wall at the side of a waterway to rescue a stranded hedgehog had to be rescued himself after getting stuck.

Fire crews were called just before noon after the man became trapped on a ledge along Sincil Dike in Lincoln. Both he and the hedgehog were unharmed and were helped to the surface by firefighters using a ladder and net. Officials are reminding people not to put themselves at risk and call the RSPCA if an animal is in need of help.

एक आदमी जो एक फंसे हुए हेजहोग को बचाने के लिए जलमार्ग के किनारे एक दीवार से नीचे चढ़ गया था, उसे फंसने के बाद खुद को बचाना पड़ा।


Gender gap: Will men ever live as long as women?

Summary: It has long been accepted that women outlive men.

By Smitha MundasadHealth reporter But new research from Imperial College London suggests the gender gap between men and women's life expectancies is narrowing. It predicts in 2030 men in England and Wales can expect to live on average to 85.7 years - just two years fewer than women. In 1981 on the other hand, men were likely to die six years before women on average. But why does this gender gap exist and will it ever close? Has there always been a gap? In 1909 women tended to outlive men by just 2.5 years, Prof Les Mayhew at Cass Business School says. At this point infections were the most common cause of death and they affected men and women equally in many respects. But most adults were dead by their early fifties - and many lives would have ended much earlier through childhood illness. As living standards improved and antibiotics were developed to help fight off major killers, life expectancy increased. But despite these gains, the gap between men and women began to widen in the second half of the century. Why does the gap exist? Smoking is widely recognised as one of the main reasons behind the gender gap. And quitting is seen by many as the main reason it is now narrowed. Records show men took up tobacco earlier than women and more of them picked up the habit - meaning their epidemic had a greater and long-lasting impact on their life spans. By 1948 estimates suggest 80% of men were using some form of tobacco. Inevitably many died of smoking related ailments such as heart attacks and lung cancer. And this stamped out many of the gains in life expectancy men may otherwise have enjoyed. Women on the other hand took up smoking a generation later on average. But the female habit never reached the same proportions that male smoking did. By the 1960S and 1970s doctors and government officials had started to take the link between tobacco and death more seriously. And gradually smoking rates began to decline. Many of the benefits are being reaped today - and because more men smoked, they now enjoy a greater share in these longevity gains. Prof Sir Richard Peto, from Oxford University says: "About half of all smokers are killed by tobacco if they continue to smoke. "But stopping works amazingly well. "Those who stop before the age of 40 - preferably well before then - avoid more than 90% of the risks." Improvements in prevention and treatment of heart disease have contributed too. And others suggest many men are involved in less dangerous jobs now. For example, a million men were employed in dangerous mining in the 1920s putting them at risk of lung disease. Do women have a biological advantage over men? Prof Les Mayhew of Cass Business school argues this is unlikely. In a study published last year he says: "It would be hard to justify these differences on biological grounds since the gender gap varies so much and is different in each country, and therefore it is more likely to be societal in origin." But others say biological differences probably play a part. Projections indicate when comparing non-smoking men and non-smoking women, life expectancy remains higher in women. No one has pinned down exactly what this biological advantage would be, if it exists at all. But experts suggest it could be partly due to hormones protecting women from heart disease. Whatever is protecting women, their advantage over men has been hugely aggravated by smoking patterns, Prof Peto says. What theories are there about female longevity? Many theories on the male shortfall in life expectancy are still open to debate and yet to be proven definitively. Some studies suggest females enjoy a longer life partly because their immune systems age more slowly. So in older age they are able to fight off illnesses, while men grow more susceptible to disease. Others argue there is an ancient, evolutionary answer to the gap - seen in other species too. One theory suggests males' competitive natures- arising from a desire to attract mates - encourages them to engage in more risky and ultimately more fatal behaviours. Others believe women may be needed for longer, to make sure their offspring are well cared for into the future. Will it ever close? Official figures show the gap has been closing gradually. And Office of National Statistics estimates put the gap at around three years by 2037. Prof Mayhew on the other hand, in work published in 2014, estimates men and women could expect to live as long as each other in 2030. But others call that an implausible claim. Predictions are uncertain - many things could change in the years to come. In the tricky world of modelling the future, there is some consensus on at least one thing. Both men and women are likely to continue living longer and according to some - healthier - lives for many years to come.

यह लंबे समय से स्वीकार किया गया है कि महिलाएं पुरुषों से अधिक जीवित रहती हैं।


Time Warner shares fall on deal doubts

Summary: Shares in Time Warner closed down on reports that the US Department of Justice will sue AT&T to stop its takeover of the media giant.

Time Warner's stock finished down 1.1% at $87.71 while AT&T ended marginally higher at $34.64. Both Reuters and Bloomberg, citing sources, claim that the Department of Justice will file a lawsuit later on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 72.09 points higher at 23,430.33. The S&P 500 finished 3.29 points up at 2,582.14 while the Nasdaq ended 7.92 points ahead at 6,790.71. Oil prices fell with Brent crude down 0.9% at $62.15 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate off 0.6% at $56.36.

टाइम वार्नर के शेयर इस खबर पर बंद हो गए कि अमेरिकी न्याय विभाग मीडिया दिग्गज के अधिग्रहण को रोकने के लिए एटी एंड टी पर मुकदमा करेगा।


Why Indian author Perumal Murugan quit writing

Summary: "Perumal Murugan, the writer is dead. As he is no God, he is not going to resurrect himself. He has no faith in rebirth. As an ordinary teacher, he will live as P Murugan. Leave him alone."

Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent With these dramatic words on his Facebook page, the well-known writer in the Tamil language announced his decision to give up writing forever. The provocation: wrathful protests against his novel Madhorubhagan by local Hindu and caste-based groups. Murugan also asked his publishers not to print and sell his work and promised to compensate them for the unsold books. He implored his readers to burn his books, and said he would stop attending literary festivals. Madhorubhagan, first published in 2010, is set a century ago, It's a gripping fictional account of a poor, childless couple, and how the wife, who wants to conceive, takes part in an ancient Hindu chariot festival where, on one night, consensual sex between any man and woman is allowed. Murugan explores the tyranny of caste and pathologies of a community in tearing the couple apart and destroying their marriage. There is "no historical evidence", says the writer, that such a mating ritual ever existed and only stories about it were passed on orally. The temple has 11 festivals every year and the chariot festival seems to be still continuing, going by the temple website pictures. Murugan says in the book that during his research he found people who were referred to as "god-given child" and "god's child". He writes: "I had presumed that they were called so simply because they had been born after prayers to the god. But during my search I chanced upon the connection between the temple festival and god's children." One critic said the novel "lays bare with unsparing clarity a relationship caught between the dictates of social conventions and the tug of personal anxieties". Fellow writers lauded Murugan's stark and shocking imagery and his "sensitive portrait" of the couple. "Childless couples, especially the women in these marriages, suffer untold humiliation even today. If anything deserves to be banned, it is this control over women's sexuality," says Murugan's translator Aniruddhan Vasudevan. India has a long and chequered history of banning books - usually for allegedly offending religious and community sentiments, misrepresenting the country or perceived obscenity - but such a drastic reaction by a writer who has been clearly intimidated is unprecedented. Things reportedly came to a head at a so-called "peace meeting" on Monday between Murugan and the groups opposed to him. The author has not spoken about the meeting - the groups had demanded that he offer an unconditional apology, delete the controversial portions, take back unsold copies and stop writing on "controversial subjects that hurt the sentiments of the people". It is also not entirely clear why the groups got worked up over a novel published in Tamil four years ago. Murugan reckons the English translation One Part Woman, which was published last year by Penguin, is probably the reason, and that "somebody who read it could have instigated the local organisations". He believes caste groups, incensed by some characters in his novel, and pro-Hindu organisations ganged up to force his hand. In December, the right-wing Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS, National Volunteers' Organisation) burnt copies of the book, prompting his publishers and writers to issue a strong statement that cultural vigilantes "have all too often bullied writers and publishers, attacking our fundamental rights and freedoms of speech and expression". None of the political parties - regional or national - have spoken in support of Murugan. Many say this conspiracy of silence among India's political parties when it comes to freedom of speech bodes ill for the world's largest democracy. Murugan is one of the finest writers of his generation in the Tamil language. His novels are rooted in the western region of Tamil Nadu where he was born. His stories are peopled by characters caught up in the whirligig of maddening change, struggling peasants, a child bonded to work in an upper caste home to repay the loan taken by his father. He has been outspoken about the evil practice of caste discrimination. A vivid memoir recounts the experience of his farmer father running a soda stall in a cinema to keep the home fires burning. He's "versatile, sensitive to history and conscious of his responsibilities as a writer", says author and translator N Kalyan Raman in a glowing appraisal of Murugan's work. "The silencing of Perumal Murugan," says historian Ramachandra Guha, "is a sad day for Tamil Nadu and for India." He and others believe that if Murugan does not return to writing in India's disturbing climate of increasing intolerance of freedom of speech, it will be a tragedy. One newspaper sharply reminded that the "spirit of orthodoxy and heterodoxy have coexisted" in the Indian intellectual traditions from ancient times. An online petition is already drumming up support for Murugan's right to free speech. "Right now Murugan does not need a pep talk," says Vasudevan his translator. "Perhaps he should be allowed to feel the exhaustion while we speak, write, march and read. Hopefully, after allowing himself to fully feel the sadness and exhaustion, he will emerge."

"पेरुमल मुरुगन, लेखक मर चुका है। क्योंकि वह कोई भगवान नहीं है, वह खुद को पुनर्जीवित करने वाला नहीं है। उसे पुनर्जन्म में कोई विश्वास नहीं है। एक साधारण शिक्षक के रूप में, वह पी मुरुगन के रूप में जीवित रहेगा। उसे अकेला छोड़ दें।"


Why some Japanese pensioners want to go to jail

Summary: Japan is in the grip of an elderly crime wave - the proportion of crimes committed by people over the age of 65 has been steadily increasing for 20 years. The BBC's Ed Butler asks why.

At a halfway house in Hiroshima - for criminals who are being released from jail back into the community - 69-year-old Toshio Takata tells me he broke the law because he was poor. He wanted somewhere to live free of charge, even if it was behind bars. "I reached pension age and then I ran out of money. So it occurred to me - perhaps I could live for free if I lived in jail," he says. "So I took a bicycle and rode it to the police station and told the guy there: 'Look, I took this.'" The plan worked. This was Toshio's first offence, committed when he was 62, but Japanese courts treat petty theft seriously, so it was enough to get him a one-year sentence. Small, slender, and with a tendency to giggle, Toshio looks nothing like a habitual criminal, much less someone who'd threaten women with knives. But after he was released from his first sentence, that's exactly what he did. "I went to a park and just threatened them. I wasn't intending to do any harm. I just showed the knife to them hoping one of them would call the police. One did." Altogether, Toshio has spent half of the last eight years in jail. I ask him if he likes being in prison, and he points out an additional financial upside - his pension continues to be paid even while he's inside. "It's not that I like it but I can stay there for free," he says. "And when I get out I have saved some money. So it is not that painful." Toshio represents a striking trend in Japanese crime. In a remarkably law-abiding society, a rapidly growing proportion of crimes is carried about by over-65s. In 1997 this age group accounted for about one in 20 convictions but 20 years later the figure had grown to more than one in five - a rate that far outstrips the growth of the over-65s as a proportion of the population (though they now make up more than a quarter of the total). And like Toshio, many of these elderly lawbreakers are repeat offenders. Of the 2,500 over-65s convicted in 2016, more than a third had more than five previous convictions. Another example is Keiko (not her real name). Seventy years old, small, and neatly presented, she also tells me that it was poverty that was her undoing. "I couldn't get along with my husband. I had nowhere to live and no place to stay. So it became my only choice: to steal," she says. "Even women in their 80s who can't properly walk are committing crime. It's because they can't find food, money." We spoke some months ago in an ex-offender's hostel. I've been told she's since been re-arrested, and is now serving another jail-term for shoplifting. Find out more Japan's Elderly Crime Wave can be heard on Assignment on the BBC World Service from Thursday 31 January - click here for transmission times Or listen now online Theft, principally shoplifting, is overwhelmingly the biggest crime committed by elderly offenders. They mostly steal food worth less than 3,000 yen (£20) from a shop they visit regularly. Michael Newman, an Australian-born demographer with the Tokyo-based research house, Custom Products Research Group points out that the "measly" basic state pension in Japan is very hard to live on. In a paper published in 2016 he calculates that the costs of rent, food and healthcare alone will leave recipients in debt if they have no other income - and that's before they've paid for heating or clothes. In the past it was traditional for children to look after their parents, but in the provinces a lack of economic opportunities has led many younger people to move away, leaving their parents to fend for themselves. "The pensioners don't want to be a burden to their children, and feel that if they can't survive on the state pension then pretty much the only way not to be a burden is to shuffle themselves away into prison," he says. The repeat offending is a way "to get back into prison" where there are three square meals a day and no bills, he says. "It's almost as though you're rolled out, so you roll yourself back in." Newman points out that suicide is also becoming more common among the elderly - another way for them to fulfil what he they may regard as "their duty to bow out". The director of "With Hiroshima", the rehabilitation centre where I met Toshio Takata, also thinks changes in Japanese families have contributed to the elderly crime wave, but he emphasises the psychological consequences not the financial ones. "Ultimately the relationship among people has changed. People have become more isolated. They don't find a place to be in this society. They cannot put up with their loneliness," says Kanichi Yamada, an 85-year-old who as a child was pulled out of the rubble of his home when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. "Among the elderly who commit crimes a number have this turning point in their middle life. There is some trigger. They lose a wife or children and they just can't cope with that... Usually people don't commit crime if they have people to look after them and provide them with support." Toshio's story about being driven to crime as a result of poverty is just an "excuse", Kanichi Yamada suggests. The core of the problem is his loneliness. And one factor that may have prompted him to reoffend, he speculates, was the promise of company in jail. It's true that Toshio is alone in the world. His parents are dead, and he has lost contact with two older brothers, who don't answer his calls. He has also lost contact with his two ex-wives, both of whom he divorced, and his three children. I ask him if he thinks things would have turned out differently if he'd had a wife and family. He says they would. "If they had been around to support me I wouldn't have done this," he says. Michael Newman has watched as the Japanese government has expanded prison capacity, and recruited additional female prison guards (the number of elderly women criminals is rising particularly fast, though from a low base). He's also noted the steeply rising bill for medical treatment of people in prison. You might also be interested in... The plight of Japan's modern hermits I hire a man to pretend to be my daughter's dad - and she doesn't know The Japanese men who prefer virtual girlfriends to sex There have been other changes too, as I see for myself at a prison in Fuchu, outside Tokyo, where nearly a third of the inmates are now over 60. There's a lot of marching inside Japanese prisons - marching and shouting. But here the military drill seems to be getting harder to enforce. I see a couple of grey-haired inmates at the back of one platoon struggling to keep up. One is on crutches. "We have had to improve the facilities here," Masatsugu Yazawa, the prison's head of education tells me. "We've put in handrails, special toilets. There are classes for older offenders." He takes me to watch one of them. It begins with a karaoke rendition of a popular song, The Reason I was Born, all about the meaning of life. The inmates are encouraged to sing along. Some look quite moved. "We sing to show them that the real life is outside prison, and that happiness is there," Yazawa says. "But still they think the life in prison is better and many come back." Michael Newman argues that it would be far better - and much cheaper - to look after the elderly without the expense of court proceedings and incarceration. "We actually costed a model to build an industrial complex retirement village where people would forfeit half their pension but get free food, free board and healthcare and so on, and get to play karaoke or gate-ball with the other residents and have a relative amount of freedom. It would cost way less than what the government's spending at the moment," he says. But he also suggests that the tendency for Japanese courts to hand down custodial sentences for petty theft "is slightly bizarre, in terms of the punishment actually fitting the crime". "The theft of a 200-yen (£1.40) sandwich could lead to an 8.4m-yen (£58,000) tax bill to provide for a two-year sentence," he writes in his 2016 report. That may be a hypothetical example, but I met one elderly jailbird whose experience was almost identical. He'd been given a two-year jail term for only his second offence: stealing a bottle of peppers worth £2.50. And I heard from Morio Mochizuki, who provides security for some 3,000 retail outlets in Japan, that if anything the courts are getting tougher on shoplifters. "Even if they only stole one piece of bread," says Masayuki Sho of Japan's Prison Service, "it was decided at trial that it is appropriate for them to go to prison, therefore we need to teach them the way: how to live in society without committing crime." I don't know whether the prison service has taught Toshio Takata this lesson, but when I ask him if he is already planning his next crime, he denies it. "No, actually this is it," he says. "I don't want to do this again, and I will soon be 70 and I will be old and frail the next time. I won't do that again." More from BBC Stories: Just over a year ago, Greek pilot Vasileios Vasileiou checked into a luxury hilltop hotel in Kabul. The Intercontinental was popular with foreign visitors - which is why, on 20 January, Taliban gunmen stormed it, killing at least 40 people. Vasileios explains how he survived. 'The bed that saved me from the Taliban' Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

जापान एक बुजुर्ग अपराध लहर की चपेट में है-65 वर्ष से अधिक उम्र के लोगों द्वारा किए गए अपराधों का अनुपात 20 वर्षों से लगातार बढ़ रहा है। बीबीसी के एड बटलर पूछते हैं कि क्यों।


Congenital analgesia: The agony of feeling no pain

Summary: Steven Pete and his brother were born with the rare genetic disorder congenital analgesia. They grew up - in Washington state, US - with a sense of touch but, as he explains in his own words, without ever feeling pain.

It first became apparent to my parents that something was wrong when I was four or five months old. I began chewing on my tongue while teething. They took me to a paediatrician where I underwent a series of tests. At first they put a cigarette lighter underneath my foot and waited for my skin to blister. Once they saw that I had no response to that then they began running needles up and down my spine. And since I had no response to either of those tests they came to the conclusion that I had what I have - congenital analgesia. By which point, I had chewed off about a quarter of my tongue through teething. We grew up on a farm. My mum and dad tried to be protective without stifling my brother and me. But when you're out in the country, especially if you're a boy, you're going to go out and explore and get in a little mischief. So during my early childhood I was absent from school a lot due to injury and illness. There was one time, at the roller-skating rink. I can't recall all of the details, but I know that I broke my leg. People were pointing at me because my pants were just covered in blood from where the bone came out. After that, I wasn't allowed to roller skate until I was much older. When I was five or six years old, I was taken away from my home by child protective services. Someone had reported my parents for child abuse. I was in the state's care for, I believe, two months. And during that time I broke my leg before they finally realised that my parents and the paediatrician were telling the truth about my condition. At school, a lot of children would have questions about my condition. They would ask: "Why do you have a cast on?" Most of the time I was in a cast, until I was around 11 or 12. I was involved in fights quite frequently. Whenever a new kid came to school, the children would try to get that person to come and pick a fight with me, as a kind of introduction to the school. They would say: "If you can't feel pain, you will once I'm done with you." Nowadays, I am not a particularly reckless person. I believe I'm actually more vigilant than most people because I know that if I were to injure myself I wouldn't know how severe it would be. Internal injuries are the ones I fear the most. Appendicitis is what really scares me. Usually whenever I have any type of stomach issues or a fever I go to the hospital just to get it checked out. The last time I had a broken bone, my wife actually noticed before I did. My foot was swollen, black and blue, so I went to the doctor and had an X-ray and they told me that I had broken two of my toes and they wanted to put a cast on it. I had to go to work the next day. If had a cast on I wasn't going to be able to work for quite some time so I just told them I'd take care of myself. I went home and took some duct tape, taped it up, put my boots on and went to work that next morning. One of the things I'm going to have to face soon is the fact that I won't have my left leg anymore. I've had quite a bit of surgery on my left knee in the past and it's got to the point where my doctors have told me to wait until it gives out completely. Once that occurs they're just going to have to amputate. I really try not to think about it. I try not to let it get to me. But I can't help thinking congenital analgesia was partly why my brother chose to take his own life. His back was getting progressively worse. He was pretty close to graduating from a local college and the doctors told him that probably in the next year, year-and-a-half, he would be in a wheelchair. He was an "outdoors man" - he liked to be outside, to fish and to hunt. But he tried to see about getting some sort of financial disability assistance once this would all happen. And pretty much what the judge told him was: "If you're not in pain then you have no reason to be on any type of assistance." The thing is, with our condition, a lot of people see us and they might assume that we're healthy. But they have no idea that my body could give out at any time, that I ache all over. I have severe arthritis in my joints. It's not painful - I don't feel pain - but it's hard to move around sometimes. It feels like a compression, a throbbing compressed feeling in my joints. On a bad day it makes me very cranky when I have that feeling all day, because it's just a nuisance. It limits your mobility and your joint isn't able to move as much as it should. As for doctors, I think they understand the condition. They just don't understand the human component of it - the psychology of what can happen when you grow up not being able to experience pain. Steven Pete spoke to Outlook for the BBC World Service. Here is a selection of your comments. Twenty-five years ago when working at a children's hospital, I was the social worker for two little Pakistani boys who suffered from it. The parents were first cousins and there had been much close relationship marriage in their histories. The paediatricians thought this was probably a contributing factor. As in this article, the injuries to the boys' tongues and limbs were horrendous. Both boys were fearless and the very young parents quite unable to control them, as the boys leapt from the top of wardrobes, held their hands over flames and chewed through their tongues. These children were only four and six when I knew them and I always wondered how long they would survive as I left the hospital to work elsewhere and never knew what happened to them. Susan King, Farnham, UK My four-year-old son suffers from this condition. It's ironic you have done this article today as it's his birthday. He was diagnosed at nine months after fracturing his skull. We and my partner were also investigated for child abuse and he was put under social services care whilst on the hospital ward for three weeks. The investigation was just after the Baby P case, so tension was high and we felt very let down by the hospital staff, police and social services as we were guilty in all their eyes and they certainly let us know. They suddenly changed their views after it was confirmed he had this condition. Life with him is a daily struggle. Richard, UK I do not suffer from this particular condition but do have fibromyalgia, Raynaud's and erythromelalgia. All these conditions are the polar opposite of the condition mentioned above yet I can relate to the comments regarding medical professionals. I am in constant pain, cannot control my body temperature and have to use a wheelchair to get around. I am fortunate to have found a sympathetic doctor who has experience treating this condition but there are many health professionals who treat it like a joke. They think you are making things up and are reluctant to give you the medication you need to just get through the day. Medical professionals need to realise that there are conditions out there that are essentially invisible but can still be extremely distressing and painful. Boris, Somerset, UK I have always had a hign pain threshold and did not experience childbirth as painful at all. In recent years, though, I have a mysterious condition that means I did not react when a freshly made hot water bottle split over my feet and when doctors stick needles all over my legs. I am aware that they are doing it but feel no pain. I am learning to be careful and they have no idea what it might be. I am getting in touch to make sure you are aware of the spectrum of the 'analgesia' phenomenon. Caroline Davies, Welshpool, Wales

स्टीवन पीट और उनके भाई दुर्लभ आनुवंशिक विकार जन्मजात एनाल्जेसिया के साथ पैदा हुए थे। वे बड़े हुए-वाशिंगटन राज्य, यू. एस. में-स्पर्श की भावना के साथ लेकिन, जैसा कि वे अपने शब्दों में बताते हैं, बिना कभी दर्द महसूस किए।


Lifeboat named in memory of coxswain Robert Wright

Summary: A new lifeboat has been named in memory of a coxswain who died after he collapsed during a rescue operation.

Robert Wright had a suspected heart attack just after the Pwllheli all-weather lifeboat was called to aid a yacht in September 2015. He had been a crew member since 1970 and coxswain at Pwllheli from 1992 until 2013. The D-class lifeboat was formally named Robert J Wright during a ceremony after £48,000 was raised to fund it. Mr Wright became an MBE in 2008 for his services to the RNLI and the community, and his father and grandfather both served before him. The boat was named by Pwllheli resident Mary Jones who has spent a lifetime supporting the station.

एक नई लाइफबोट का नाम एक कॉक्सस्वेन की याद में रखा गया है, जो एक बचाव अभियान के दौरान गिरने से मर गया था।


Sexual abuser 'still has parental rights' over his children

Summary: A man jailed for sexually abusing his own children has tried to stop them from going on holiday with their mother. The convicted abuser tried to stop the children going on a break to Menorca, saying he did not give his permission as their father. Here the mother of the children explains why she is trying to change the law to stop other parents convicted of the sexual abuse of their children from maintaining their parental rights.

When my husband was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for sexually abusing our children, I thought he would be out of our lives for good. He was also put on the sex offenders register for life and banned from ever having any contact with our children. Despite this, he still retained his parental rights over them - this means, despite being behind bars, he has a right to a voice in every little decision I make over the children. He can technically have a say on what school I send them to. He can also, if he wished, ask to have access to their medical records or school reports. If this is not unfathomable enough, worse is the way in which he has exerted and abused this power from behind bars. Each time the children and I have tried to move on with our lives, we have been thwarted. In the summer, I booked a two-week holiday for us to finally have some enjoyment. But somehow he must have found out about it, because I received a letter from his solicitor accusing me of "taking the children out of the country without seeking their father's permission". It also asked where we were going and who we were going with - I felt completely distraught, but more than this, I felt it was a violation of the court order. He is not supposed to have any contact with the children, either direct or indirect, so why should he be allowed to know where we were going? I spoke to probation and the National Crime Agency, who all felt it was completely inappropriate, but he was just exercising his parental rights. Ultimately, we all went on holiday and nothing happened, but it made the trip an incredibly stressful and painful experience. Sadly, that is just one example of him exerting his power. When my children decided to change their surname so they could disassociate from him, I had to go through a six-month battle in court, before he eventually agreed they could. He has also blocked me from selling the family home that we owned together. His name is on the mortgage so I need his signature to sell it. And even though he will never be able to live in it again due to the crime prevention order, he still will not sign. Due to the fact the abuse took place there, my children and I have left that home and live elsewhere. Yet I now have two mortgages to cover and without the help of family and friends, would be in a terrible situation. As it is, the financial impact on me has been devastating, I am not entitled to legal aid and have spent roughly £10,000 on court proceedings. Beyond the financial stress, though, has been the unjust impact of this upon myself and my children. Because of what my husband did to my children, they have lost so much control over their lives yet they continue to have no control and, as such, cannot heal. His rights have continually trumped theirs and he has a level of control that is grotesque and horrifically unfair. I could enter another court battle to have his parental rights removed, but I no longer have the money and courts very rarely agree to it. That's why I have asked Welsh MPs to get involved. I want them to tell my story before Parliament, show how morally and ethically wrong this is and get some action on this. Until then, my children and I live at the whim of a convicted sexual abuser.

अपने ही बच्चों के यौन शोषण के लिए जेल में बंद एक व्यक्ति ने उन्हें अपनी मां के साथ छुट्टी पर जाने से रोकने की कोशिश की। दोषी दुर्व्यवहार करने वाले ने बच्चों को मेनोर्का जाने से रोकने की कोशिश की, यह कहते हुए कि उसने उनके पिता के रूप में अपनी अनुमति नहीं दी थी। यहाँ बच्चों की मां बताती है कि वह अपने बच्चों के यौन शोषण के दोषी अन्य माता-पिता को अपने माता-पिता के अधिकारों को बनाए रखने से रोकने के लिए कानून में बदलाव करने की कोशिश क्यों कर रही है।


Call centre to bring 300 jobs to Londonderry

Summary: Almost 300 new jobs are to be created in Londonderry.

Waterford-based firm Rigney Dolphin, which provides customer service centres for other companies, will initially be based near Altnagelvin Hospital. The company has received £1.2m from Invest NI, and is expected to generate over £4m annually over the next three years. Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said the announcement was "good news at a challenging time for the economy." "Rigney Dolphin will offer new employment and career development opportunities and deliver a considerable contribution to the local economy. "The project is the latest in a series of inward investment successes that Invest NI has secured, and it further reinforces our growing reputation as a high quality, cost-competitive location for global businesses." The Chief Executive of Rigney Dolphin, Celine Fitzgerald, said Derry offered "great potential" for the company. "Establishing this customer service centre allows us to more closely service our Northern Ireland clients and is an important strategic development for us as we seek to expand our customer base into the UK. "We are confident that the new operation will enhance our ability to deliver the highest level of customer care while retaining a sharp focus on growth." Sinn Fein MLA Martina Anderson said the announcement was good news for the city. "I have been quite critical of Invest NI's role in the north west and in Derry, and I have been on their case and rightly so, but I do acknowledge the role they have played in bringing about this announcement. "This will bring 300 jobs to the city, and there are a lot of people who will welcome this opportunity to find employment. "It's also going to bring disposable income into our town centre and our night-time economy." Rigney Dolphin currently employs more than 1,200 people in Waterford, Dublin and Dundalk. Its clients include BMW, Carphone Warehouse, Meteor and Airtricity. The Derry office is expected to move to a permanent location in the city centre as soon as possible.

लंदनडेरी में लगभग 300 नई नौकरियों का सृजन किया जाना है।


Police chase in Barnsley: Man found injured in street

Summary: A man found with life-threatening injuries on a road in Barnsley is thought to have been hit by a car that had been involved in a police chase.

The 25-year-old was found on Wood Street, Barnsley, late on Sunday night. Officers had started to follow a black Audi that failed to stop on Park Road at about 23:30 BST, South Yorkshire Police said. The injured man was found during a search of the area following the pursuit, said the force. Officers lost sight of the Audi as it turned on to Wood Street and the pursuit was abandoned. Police are appealing for information and witnesses. Related Internet Links South Yorkshire Police

बार्नस्ले में एक सड़क पर जानलेवा चोटों के साथ पाए गए एक व्यक्ति के बारे में माना जाता है कि उसे एक कार ने टक्कर मार दी थी जो पुलिस के पीछा में शामिल थी।


Kim Philby: The spy who went into the cold

Summary: Fifty years ago one of Britain's most infamous spies, Kim Philby, defected to the Soviet Union. The unresolved questions surrounding his defection reveal blind spots in the British ruling class that made it vulnerable to KGB penetration.

By George CareyDirector, The Spy Who Went Into The Cold On a stormy night in January 1963, Kim Philby skipped a dinner party in Beirut and boarded a freighter bound for the Soviet Union. He had been working for the communists since he was 22, but instead of a hero's welcome, he was shut away in a flat near Moscow city centre and allowed nowhere near the organisation he had served for so long. Even the Russians were suspicious that he had got away scot-free. At the time, his defection made little news in Britain. On the face of it, a middle-aged journalist with a tendency to drink too much had simply gone missing. In a letter to the Foreign Office, the British ambassador in Beirut hazarded a guess that he had gone off on what he politely called a "lost weekend". Six weeks passed before his own newspaper, the Observer, even mentioned his absence. But when the news did break in the summer it started a slow-burning bonfire of recrimination over the way British intelligence was run. Philby was a leading member of the so-called Cambridge spy ring, a group of well-educated young men who all joined the Soviet cause in the 1930s. At the height of his clandestine career, he was both working for the KGB and in charge of MI6 operations against the Soviet Union. He did come under suspicion after Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean defected in 1951, and had to resign from his job. But the spy-catchers in MI5 failed to pin anything on him, so his friends in MI6 rallied round to find him work as a journalist in Beirut and even re-employ him as an occasional secret agent. Beirut was a city awash with spies when he arrived there after the Suez crisis of 1956, and it was not long before Philby was back in business as a double agent. Parties and drink played a large part in his life. Whether he was picking up information for his editors or his spymasters, he never seemed to be far from a bar. His favourite - Joe's Bar - was a few yards from what was then the British embassy. In those days the Foreign Office paid their staff a special allowance for renting an extra home in the hills to escape the heat of the afternoon. Just before lunch, diplomats would emerge from the embassy "for a few stiff ones" at Joe's Bar before setting off for the hills. Philby was always at a table near the back, one of them told me, apparently speechless with alcohol but listening carefully to all the gossip. In 1960 one of Philby's best friends in MI6, Nicholas Elliott, was sent to Beirut as head of station. Elliott was an Old Etonian with a penchant for risque stories. When he arrived, he called the young embassy press officer in and told him Philby was a man who could be trusted with information. For a couple of years, Kim seemed to be back in the fold, rumours about his treachery forgotten. But in London a storm was brewing. It had started with a chance conversation in Tel Aviv. A reliable source had revealed that she had once been approached by Philby to spy for the Russians. That was passed on to a tiny cabal of MI6 and MI5 top brass who concluded they now had enough evidence to extract a confession from him. But instead of sending a professional interrogator from MI5 they decided at the last moment to ask Philby's old pal Nicholas Elliott to handle it. The confrontation was in the middle of January 1963. A few days later, on 23 January, Philby disappeared. When it was revealed he was in Moscow, "sources" quickly let it be known that before he fled he had confessed, verbally and in writing, as though in some way the fact that he had not been arrested was of less material importance. But as the years rolled by, journalists and historians unearthed a different story. Yes, there had been a confrontation, but the recording of the confession was apparently drowned out by traffic noise. And the written confession was apparently not worth much either. In other words, the operation had been bungled. One possibility of course was that they had wanted him to run to avoid more embarrassment back home, but whether that is true or not, what haunted the intelligence services was that he had obviously been tipped off in advance. Who else among them was a spy? - they asked for decades afterwards. My theory is that the tip-off could have come from Anthony Blunt, who was later revealed to be a traitor but was then a confidant of at least two members of the small group who knew what was going on. In December 1962, he went on a private trip to Beirut to stay with his friend, the British ambassador. He said he had come to find a frog orchid. But the orchid expert at Kew Gardens told me frog orchids do not grow in Lebanon, so he must have been lying. I cannot prove that theory, any more than other spy hunters can prove theirs. The definitive answers may lie in the files of MI6. But even after 50 years they have not been made public. Why? For reasons of "national security". They would say that, wouldn't they? Watch Storyville: The Spy Who Went Into The Cold on BBC Four at 22:00 GMT on Monday 18 November or catch it later on iPlayer.

पचास साल पहले ब्रिटेन के सबसे कुख्यात जासूसों में से एक, किम फिल्बी, सोवियत संघ में चले गए थे। उनके दलबदल के आसपास के अनसुलझे प्रश्नों से ब्रिटिश शासक वर्ग में अंधे धब्बे सामने आते हैं जिन्होंने इसे के. जी. बी. के प्रवेश के लिए असुरक्षित बना दिया था।


Five African inventions to look out for in 2017

Summary: Here are five African inventions which may take off in 2017.

By Clare SpencerBBC News An electricity grid for the whole village Problem: A total of 1.3 billion people worldwide currently don't have electricity, according to Yale Environment 360. Getting people in rural areas on to the national grid is proving too difficult and traditional solar panels generate meagre amounts of energy. Solution: Steamaco makes solar and battery micro-grids which can work for a whole village. They are small electricity generation and distribution systems that operate independently of larger grids. How it works: Micro-grids are nothing new. The new part is that Steamaco's technology automates the regulation of electricity. So, if the system detects there will be a surge in demand for electricity, for example on a Saturday night when people want to start playing music for a party, or they see a dip in supply, like when the sun has gone down and so the grid is not collecting solar energy, then the grid automatically stops electricity for people it won't affect too badly. The system sends an automatic text to all customers on the grid saying that the electricity in houses is about to be cut off so that the hospital can keep on going. Who is talking about this? In October they featured in the Global Cleantech 100 Ones to Watch list. A jacket that detects pneumonia Problem: Pneumonia kills 27,000 Ugandan children under the age of five every year. Most of these cases are due to pneumonia being misdiagnosed as malaria. Solution: Ugandan engineer Brian Turyabagye has designed a biomedical "smart jacket" to quickly and accurately diagnose pneumonia. The Mamaope jacket measures a sick child's temperature and breathing rate. It can diagnose pneumonia three to four times faster than a doctor and eliminates most possibility for human error. How it works: A modified stethoscope is put in a vest. It is linked to a mobile phone app that records the audio of the patient's chest. Analysis of that audio can detect lung crackles and can lead to preliminary diagnoses. Who is talking about this: It is shortlisted for the 2017 Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize. A tablet that monitors your heart Problem: It is difficult for people in rural areas to travel to the cities to see heart specialists. There are just 50 cardiologists in Cameroon, which has a population of 20 million people. Solution: Arthur Zang invented the Cardio Pad - a handheld medical computer tablet which healthcare workers in rural areas use to send the results of cardiac tests to specialists via a mobile phone connection. How it works: Cardiopads are distributed to hospitals and clinics in Cameroon free of charge, and patients pay $29 (£20) yearly subscriptions. It takes a digitised reading of the patient's heart function. In a few seconds the results of a heart test are sent to a specialist clinic in the capital. Who is talking about this: It won the Royal Academy of Engineering award for African engineering in 2016 and the Rolex award for Entreprise in 2014. But Mr Zang told BBC Africa that these things take time to develop and it only got approval from the Cameroon authorities in October 2016. So, it is more likely that people will actually see it in their clinics in 2017. An app for hair inspiration Problem: A lack of accurate information about how to achieve certain hairstyles and where to find a high-quality stylist. Solution: Three software engineers - Priscilla Hazel, Esther Olatunde and Cassandra Sarfo - invented Tress, an app to share ideas about hairstyles. How it works: It is described by Okay Africa as a kind of Pinterest or Instagram for hair. Once you have downloaded the app, you can follow other people who are sharing their hairstyle. You can search specifically by place, price range and the type of hairstyle your want, from relaxed hair to cornrow. You can then scroll until your heart's content through people who have uploaded pictures of themselves with that style, tell them how much you like their style, ask how long it took, and even arrange to meet up with someone to style your hair. Who is talking about this: The three software engineers behind this are graduates of the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Accra, Ghana. They were then selected for the Y Combinator eight-week fellowship programme for start-up companies. Y Combinator is prestigious - business news website Fast company called it "the world's most powerful start-up incubator". In other words, the school is thought of as really good at finding the next Mark Zuckerberg. A currency for paying online workers Problem: There are online workers, specifically web developers, in Africa who people outside the continent would like to employ but it is difficult or prohibitively expensive to get their wages to them. Some don't have passports, and so don't have bank accounts either. Solution: Bitpesa uses Bitcoin to significantly lower the time and cost of remittances and business payments to and from sub-Saharan Africa. How it works: Bitpesa uses the crypto-currency bitcoin as a medium to transfer cash across borders. Bitcoin is a system of digitally created and traded tokens and people keep their tokens in online wallets. It then takes the Bitcoin tokens and exchanges them into money in mobile money wallets - a popular way of paying for things in places like Kenya and Tanzania. BitPesa is already used to pay online workers - a company called Tunga is using it as a way of getting wages from clients abroad to web developers in Uganda. Who is talking about it: It won an award for the best apps across Africa in November. Read more about technology in Africa How African governments block social media Africa's top Twitter moments of the past decade What difference will Obama's plan to bring power to Africa make? World's first commercial regular drone delivery service launches in Rwanda

यहाँ पाँच अफ्रीकी आविष्कार हैं जो 2017 में शुरू हो सकते हैं।


Darnall park rape: Four teenage boys arrested

Summary: Four teenage boys have been arrested on suspicion of rape after a 21-year-old woman was attacked in a city park.

The woman was subjected to the sex attack by four males in High Hazels Park in the Darnall area of Sheffield about 18:00 GMT on 23 November, South Yorkshire Police said. The force executed two warrants in the city as part of their inquiries and arrested the four boys. They are aged 13, 14, 15 and 16 and remain in custody. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.

शहर के एक पार्क में 21 वर्षीय महिला पर हमले के बाद बलात्कार के संदेह में चार किशोर लड़कों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


How climate change will acidify the oceans

Summary: Off the remote eastern tip of Papua New Guinea a natural phenomenon offers an alarming glimpse into the future of the oceans, as increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere make sea water more acidic.

By Roger HarrabinBBC environment analyst, Normanby Island Streams of volcanic CO2 bubbles emerge from deep under the seabed here, like a giant jacuzzi. As the bubbles of carbon dioxide dissolve into the water, carbonic acid is formed. The site hints at the possible fate of the world's seas as 24 million tonnes of CO2 from industrial society is absorbed every day into the sea. Humans are turning whole oceans more acidic. We're changing ocean chemistry faster than it's changed for tens - maybe hundreds - of millions of years. Our Newsnight team joined an international research boat on an expedition to the far tip of Papua New Guinea. I tug on my wetsuit, 3mm thick. I'm about to see the effects of CO2 for myself. They say I only need a stinger suit - a hooded nylon onesie - to shield me from the deadly box jellyfish. But I feel the cold. I flop into the lukewarm water from the platform at the back of the boat, and fin slowly towards the volcanic CO2 vents. The sea bed is a wondrous sight. The afternoon sun illuminates the bubbles as they race towards the surface, encasing them in globules of radiant light. It's like swimming in a sea of lemonade. I run a hand through a column of bubbles as it shoots from the sand, half expecting it to hurt. It doesn't harm me, of course - the bubbles are only CO2. But their acidity is inarguably hurting the local sea life. Only tough old boulder corals can survive here. The beautiful branching corals which adorn a nearby uncontaminated reef can't cope. It's a huge loss because the branching corals play a vital role in the reef ecosystem, protecting the young fish needed to help feed a hungry world population. Research at the volcanic vents shows that between 30-50% of coral types won't be able to cope with the CO2 levels expected for the world's oceans this century. The lead scientist, Katharina Fabricius from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, tells me: "There will be winners and losers as ocean acidity increases. Seaweed and seagrass are thriving under higher CO2 levels. But many species lose out. "We are very concerned because the baby corals find it very hard to survive in high CO2 so reefs won't be able to repair themselves. It's very, very serious." Our cameras capture one experiment revealing a startling disparity in the number of species between the normal CO2 area and the high CO2 vents. There's no comparable place to assess how reef creatures are affected by increasing CO2 so there's sharp competition for places on the research vessel, The Chertan. It's just 18m (59ft) long and while there are nine scientists there are only seven beds. Volunteers sleep on the floor. It's a fast-expanding area of science, and Fabricius is one of several researchers working in laboratories to see how creatures deal with high CO2 and the elevated temperatures predicted to accompany it. Terry Hughes, director of the Centre for Reef Studies at James Cook University in Australia says acidification is the latest threat to reefs. "We've already lost a third of coral reefs thanks primarily to pollution and overfishing - both are accelerating. Now there's the added impost (sic) of global warming and in future, ocean acidification. "I'm very worried about acidification. Some coral species will substitute for others, but if you lose table corals and tall branching corals, most of nooks and crannies - the hiding places for juvenile fish - will disappear. And it'll directly affect humans being because fish stocks will be affected." Research on acidification is now spreading from corals to fish. One group of scientists at the university is chasing fish in a barrel to see if their athleticism is compromised by water that could be 170% more acidic than pre-industrial times by the century's end (although still alkaline overall). Already tests show acidification makes some fish lose their sense of smell and behave recklessly in the presence of predators. A draft UN report also warns that mass extinctions happened in the past, when CO2 levels changed more slowly than they are changing now. "The changes we're making are irreversible for tens of thousands of years," Fabricius tells me as the sun sets over the dugout canoes heading home after a day's fishing. "We can protect reefs from over-fishing and local pollution if there's a will. But with the atmosphere and oceans it's completely different - there's nothing to remove the effects of CO2 from the system. It's terrible." Follow Roger on Twitter @RHarrabin Watch Roger's report on Newsnight at 22:30 GMT on BBC Two on Thursday 27 March (camera Matt Leiper, producer Nick Blakemore) Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

पापुआ न्यू गिनी के सुदूर पूर्वी छोर से दूर एक प्राकृतिक घटना महासागरों के भविष्य में एक खतरनाक झलक पेश करती है, क्योंकि वायुमंडल में CO2 की बढ़ती सांद्रता समुद्र के पानी को अधिक अम्लीय बनाती है।


3D planetarium for At-Bristol centre

Summary: A Bristol science centre is revamping its planetarium to offer stargazers a 3D experience.

The upgrade at At-Bristol involves a a 360-degree digital projection system, with shows viewed in ultra-high definition and surround sound. At-Bristol has received funding from the government and Bristol City Council for the work. The upgrade will also allow the planetarium to also be used for work such as real-time weather forecasting. The planetarium will close on 16 February while the work is carried out and is due to reopen 24 April.

ब्रिस्टल का एक विज्ञान केंद्र स्टारगेज़रों को 3डी अनुभव प्रदान करने के लिए अपने तारामंडल को नया रूप दे रहा है।


Heavy fighting in Pudukudiyirippu

Summary: The military authorities in Sri Lanka say there's been more heavy fighting in the far north of the country.

The defence ministry said the forces continued their all-out offensive on the bases of rebel Tamil Tigers. The authorities say they've recovered the bodies of five rebels, and that rebel forces are now surrounded in a narrow strip of land near Pudukudiyirippu. There's no independent confirmation of the figures, and the Sri Lankan military gave no details of its own casualties.

श्रीलंका में सैन्य अधिकारियों का कहना है कि देश के सुदूर उत्तर में और अधिक भारी लड़ाई हुई है।


The apps promising to improve your sex life

Summary: This article discusses adult issues involving sex and relationships.

By Suzanne Bearne Technology of Business reporter When Sachin Raoul, 27, encountered a sexual issue following a break-up three years ago, it led to him feeling "distressed". "It was frustrating not to have control over my body. I really wanted it to behave in a certain way but it was difficult," he adds. While Mr Raoul sought help through therapy, he admits that at around £100 per session it was tough on the wallet. However, it did push the entrepreneur to try and find a way to make therapy more accessible, leading him to partner with therapist Dr Katherine Hertlein and co-found Blueheart, a free app designed to help individuals and couples combat sex-related issues. It uses a mixture of audio and text-based sessions focused on areas such as building a positive relationship with your body and communication. "We want to eradicate the stigma associated with sexual dysfunction by providing an app which acts as a safe space for people to address the issues they are having," says Mr Raoul, who is based in London. "I could only dream of something like Blueheart existing three years ago. I was willing to jump into anything I could find." From erectile problems to low libido, many people are unhappy with their sexual wellbeing. A 2017 survey by counselling organisation Relate found that only a third (34%) of UK adults are satisfied with their sex lives, while 32% have experienced a sexual problem. Erectile dysfunction (ED) remains a major issue, with research reporting that more than 322 million men are expected to suffer from ED by 2025. While there's been a proliferation of apps emerging in areas such as mental health and fitness, sexual wellness has long been ignored despite so many people feeling dissatisfied with their sex life. However, a rising number of start-ups are looking to change this. Last year Dr Britney Blair, a clinical psychologist and behavioural medicine expert, co-founded sexual wellness app Lover. It describes itself as a science-based app for addressing sexual concerns, increasing pleasure and improving skills in the bedroom. It looks to take on such areas by a series of practical exercises such as orgasm exercises, mindfulness and games through a mix of audio and video content. One of its courses focuses on erections - a 23-day programme featuring a variety of different exercises and techniques. The company found that 62% of the 600 men who took part in a three-week trial reported improvements in their erections. Through her clinic in San Francisco, Dr Blair treats clients with issues such as the inability to climax, painful sex, erectile dysfunction and low desire. More Technology of Business "Therapy can change people's lives," she says. "Sexual health is very important and I see relationships changed and lives changed through the work I do [face to face]. Now we have tech as a digital intervention." The tech means they can reach more people. "The grand plan is we help people to optimise their sexual life and make sure sex stays alive. Sexual disconnection is a reason couples get divorced." Lover is free but you can pay a monthly or annual subscription for additional premium content. Another app making waves is Ferly, an audio app and guide to mindful sex, launched by founders Billie Quinlan and Dr Anna Hushlak last year. The app brings together audio erotic stories, guided practices and personalised programmes to help women explore pleasure in a more mindful way and overcome sexual issues. Ms Quinlan says the founders wanted to create a platform that would "tackle a taboo topic". She adds: "It's not about the sexualisation of sex or sex toys. It's about sexual wellness. Sexual health is another really critical pillar of health that's often neglected until it needs confronting." The app takes users through different programmes addressing issues such as lack of body confidence, low libido, and the inability to have an orgasm. "We use a mindful cognitive behavioural therapy approach," explains Ms Quinlan. "Many sexual issues are because there's a physiological barrier. You can't take a pharma approach... you have to take a holistic approach." Like Lover, Ferly is free but charges for premium content. One user, based in Edinburgh, turned to the app after her sister recommended it. "I was assaulted when I was a teenager and I didn't have a good relationship around female pleasure. I found it kind of stressful and upsetting for various reasons," she says. She used the app while also seeking therapy. "I held back a bit during therapy but the app gave me my own space to reflect. It helped me recognise a lot of emotions and it was good for the healing process. It also made me feel better about what I would feel comfortable asking or expecting from a partner. It gave me more confidence." Like many mental health and fitness apps, the start-ups reported an increase in visits during lockdown. "It showed us that people were starting to evaluate their health and that sexual wellness is an important part of that," says Ms Quinlan. Blueheart's Sachin Raoul echoes one of the positive knock-on effects of Covid-19. "Lockdown pronounced parts of people's lives and made people take care of their mental health," he says. Silva Neves, a psychosexual and relationship psychotherapist and couples therapist, says he is really "pro-technology" and can reel off the benefits of such apps, especially for those who can't afford therapy, but he warns people to do their research before downloading. "Some platforms are better than others," he advises. "Don't just go to Google and find anything. It's good to be directed by others. Some apps will have just sprinted to market and offer a poor service. Look at the names and backgrounds of the people behind the apps. You want people who are experts in sexology and have qualifications." With the digitalisation of the sector, can the apps replace human intervention with a sex therapist? "There's a place for both," says Mr Raoul."People have different preferences. Some people are extremely shy and would never talk about their sexual issues with someone. Plus not everyone can afford therapy." Lover's Dr Britney Blair adds there will be always be a place for doctors working with patients in the office. "We are not going to create an app that is the same as talking in the office. We are not trying to. "People talk about sleep and mental health but no-one is talking about sex. About 20% of people [with sexual issues] actually need intervention with a sex therapist but if we can help 80% with their sexual problems, then I'll take it."

इस लेख में यौन संबंध और संबंधों से जुड़े वयस्क मुद्दों पर चर्चा की गई है।