Economic cost of coronavirus lockdown keeps on rising

Summary: Holes are being plugged in business and job support schemes, but it's taking several efforts to get them right, and a long time for them to start paying out. The scale of effort internationally is staggering - so far totalling $7.8 trillion - and as the lockdown continues and spreads the costs will rise further.

Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland The easy thing to do might be a basic income for everyone. Abolish the starting rate for income tax, ensure everyone has a minimum, and work from there. Easy in one sense, but in another sense, difficult to achieve without destroying work incentives. And very expensive. The Reform Scotland think tank recently published a retread of an idea it backed some years back, gaining a nod of approval from the first minister. It's a bumper time to be thinking radically. There has been a pilot running in Scotland, which was due to lead to a report by the end of March, but BBC Scotland now learns it's been delayed by more pressure concerns. So until such a system can be figured out, ministers in Westminster and Holyrood are still trying to plug the gaps in the business and income support schemes of their own devising. Scottish government changes to the Small Business Grant scheme were to plug a gaping hole where chains of outlets had been left a long way short of both what many need and what they'd get in England. The changes were cautiously welcomed by business, as a sign at least that they've been listened to. A full grant for the first property and 75% for each of the next ones could be a life-saver for chains of pubs, restaurants, grocers and bakers. That 75% is an improvement on zero. But some won't be satisfied until it gets to the 100% grant for each property, as in England. Others are waiting for the small print, or just waiting. The speed at which grants come through is putting strains on those without much cash in hand. While that is costed at £120m, another £100m has been found in the magic money forest for those who have fallen through the cracks in other schemes. At the front of that queue are people who are self-employed, but haven't been in that position long enough to have a track record of filing tax returns. It should be a safety net for others who have felt left out: those who run businesses without any buildings - hence, no rateable value - such as those running marine tourism ventures, or those who operate out of something classified as a yard. This is being disbursed through councils and enterprise agencies, and is sufficiently vague and free of conditions that it ought to avoid too many holes for future plugging. The choice of the council channel could be a principled move to attune and adapt the scheme to local needs. It could be recognition that central government isn't geared up to run a small grants scheme. It could also be cover for the Scottish government when people come calling, saying they haven't got the grant they think they need or deserve. What's worth noting here is that the finance secretary, Kate Forbes, said before Wednesday that choices had been made not to give anything to any properties in chains of outlets, beyond the first one. Instead of England's system, she said she had opted to find special funds for aviation, seafood processing and sea fishing. But it's a tough job being a finance minister these days, when the usual discipline of finite amounts of money keeps being undermined by more money being found. She added a pleading note which is either naive or in tune with more altruistic times: please don't tap this fund if you don't really need it, as if companies seek funds the way shoppers seek out toilet roll. That plea would work for individuals - I'm interested to find out how it works for companies. But it seems all fiscal discipline has gone, in this country and many others. The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday said direct fiscal costs have reached $3.3 trillion globally. Public sector loans, including injections of equity into companies, are so far at $1.8 trillion. Loan guarantees and other contingent liabilities, which is the biggest part of the UK approach, stretches to $2.7 trillion. Total: $7,800,000,000,000. As the lockdown of much of the economy stretches into May, we're looking at an expensive extension of these UK and Scottish schemes, initially designed to end by the start of June. Through these weeks, more and more companies are going to be reaching the end of their cash reserves. Rishi Sunak has also been taking a walk in the magic money woods, with an extension of the Job Retention Scheme. That's the furloughing scheme, that puts employees on 80% of pay up to £2,500 per month. That was due to include those on the payroll, and registered with HMRC, by 28 February. But it left out those whose seasonal employment, such as those in tourism, were not employed so early in the year. The tourism sector said Is true of about one in 20 of its workers. Back comes the Chancellor with bags more cash, to say that the cut-off deadline will be 19 March, the day before he announced the scheme. The Treasury calculates that should bring 200,000 people into the scheme. This is his first effort to get the scheme right, each revision plugging holes. One of his concerns - and it's an understandable one - is to avoid fraud, and not to pay out for those who might try to jump on the furlough bandwagon after it set off. However, even 19 March is unlikely to catch everyone in the Scottish tourism industry, for whom Easter is often the starting point for employment. Those people may be applying for those grants from their council or enterprise agency. We've yet to see the Jobs Retention Scheme in action. Estimates of the demand for funds from it are far higher than the government first imagined. It should be possible to make claims from next week. With the bureaucratic apparatus involved, set up at pace, what could possibly go wrong!? What's clearly not going right is the effort to push loans out to businesses, which is the main plank of support to those above the rateable value threshold for grants. Today, we got approval figures for loan applications, and it's not looking good. Six thousand approvals, averaging £185,000. The British Council of Chambers reckon only 2% of firms have been successful in getting backing from the government loan schemes. In those circumstances, it doesn't much matter that it's worth up to £330 billion. The obstacles are many. One condition of the government-backed loans is that the Treasury will only back 80%. The other 20% is to ensure banks aren't too reckless. Yet they seem to be behaving as if they were on the hook for all that money. The paperwork continues to take a lot of time. Banks continue to score applications with a heavy pen. The support for jobs and small business may be getting there at last. But sustaining the finances of middle-sized companies, by relying on loans, is a bigger challenge to sustain employment in the medium to long term.

व्यापार और नौकरी सहायता योजनाओं में खामियां भरी जा रही हैं, लेकिन उन्हें ठीक करने के लिए कई प्रयास किए जा रहे हैं, और उन्हें भुगतान शुरू करने में लंबा समय लग रहा है। अंतरराष्ट्रीय स्तर पर प्रयास का पैमाना चौंका देने वाला है-अब तक कुल $7.8 खरब-और जैसे-जैसे लॉकडाउन जारी रहेगा और फैलता जाएगा लागत और बढ़ जाएगी।


Twelve charged over Birmingham and Solihull 'ride out'

Summary: Twelve men have been charged with causing public nuisance in connection with a "ride out" event in the West Midlands.

The men are accused of taking part in an illegal rally through Solihull and Birmingham on 26 June 2016. The men, aged between 18 and 39, are due to appear before magistrates in Birmingham on 18 January. Six other men and a teenager have already appeared in court on the same charge.

वेस्ट मिडलैंड्स में एक "राइड आउट" कार्यक्रम के संबंध में बारह लोगों पर सार्वजनिक उपद्रव करने का आरोप लगाया गया है।


Covid in sport: Joe Jacobson's wife on living with a footballer in a pandemic

Summary: Headlines about footballers and Covid have been hard to miss lately - with questions about dressing room distancing, off-pitch partying and all those post-goal hugs. But what's football in lockdown actually like for players and their families? BBC Newsbeat investigates.

By Manish Pandey and Betty GloverNewsbeat reporters "Be safe, be careful." That's what Wycombe Wanderers footballer Joe Jacobson hears every time he leaves the house. His wife Louise says she had safety concerns about Joe interacting with people when football restarted. "I was nervous, probably over-cleaning in the house and asking him to shower when he came home," she says. Joe says he's doing "everything he can" to make sure he doesn't take the virus home and feels comfortable with the strict protocols in place around the game. There are questionnaires to fill in, regular Covid testing, social distancing and, of course, masks. Players are even banned from eating breakfast at the training ground. There are far more precautions than Louise anticipated but she admits she still has a bit of a sneaky clean when he comes home. "He'll go up and shower straight away. And I'm probably, without him knowing, wiping down some of the light switches that he's touched when he's walked in," she says. Joe says players are frequently reminded by the doctors, physios and the club's manager Gareth Ainsworth to follow the rules. "He said something the other day, that there's the health issue side of things, but also you don't let your team-mates down by missing a game which could cost us," Joe says. But even with precautions, outbreaks can still happen, with Joe's club having their game against QPR last Saturday cancelled because of an outbreak of Covid in the squad. And their upcoming match away to Sheffield Wednesday is also off amid an outbreak in the home side's team. There's been lots of controversy around goal celebrations, with players being told not to hug one another. "You don't know sometimes how to react," Joe says. "Celebrations are a lot more muted than they have been just because they haven't got quite a crowd to bounce off. "It's so difficult to do because the elation is so high that all you want to do is go and hug someone." Louise says it's important to trust the players to make sensible decisions. "You've got to give people the independence to manage it themselves," she says. "If those players know that they've interacted with somebody, they need to be cautious when they're meeting somebody else outside." One of the downsides of empty stadiums, Joe admits, is not being able to use crowd noise as an excuse for ignoring the manager. "If you've done something wrong, now you can hear the manager and everyone can hear him having a go at you. So there's no hiding place," Joe says. But while there may be no fans the ground, Joe is determined to continue playing for those following at home. "It helps them look forward to something on the weekend. If they haven't got much to do, they can spend a few hours listening or watching to games when they're available." He adds: "Whenever I'm feeling like I'm down I think I'm in a very fortunate position to still live a relatively normal life." Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

फुटबॉलरों और कोविड के बारे में हेडलाइनों को हाल ही में याद करना मुश्किल हो गया है-ड्रेसिंग रूम की दूरी, ऑफ-पिच पार्टी और गोल के बाद के उन सभी गले लगाने के बारे में सवाल। लेकिन लॉकडाउन में फुटबॉल वास्तव में खिलाड़ियों और उनके परिवारों के लिए क्या पसंद है? बीबीसी न्यूज़बीट जांच करता है।


Organ donation: 'Thanks for your loved one's liver'

Summary: Ellie Lacey was just hours from death, desperately needing an urgent liver transplant. Two years on, the 32-year-old from Cardiff is a new mum and has written to her organ donor's family to express her joy at life while acknowledging their terrible loss.

It was seven long months after finding out I was pregnant, that I finally mustered the courage to sit down and write. I had been putting it off, not because I didn't want to write, but because I didn't know how. I was so happy about my news, I knew how blessed and fortunate I'd been, but as I began to scratch out the words, an enormous wave of emotion and sadness hit me. Regardless, I began… To my dear donor's family… It has been nearly two years since my liver transplant and I have something to tell you… But then I stopped, my pen down, my head in my hands. For as much as I wanted to let them know that their loved one's liver had not only allowed me to live, but had allowed me to bring new life into the world, I also knew hearing from me must be so bittersweet. The brutal truth of the situation was that I was only alive because their loved one had died. Yet how could I not keep thanking them, and letting them know how much they are in my hearts? It wasn't the first letter I had written to them. Just after my operation, when I was on a massive high at having cheated death, I wrote, gushing with excitement. I had hoped my joy might be a silver lining to their sadness. I never got a reply and I'm not surprised. I was so insensitive and blind to their loss. I wrote again last Christmas, a very short letter to say I never stopped thinking about them - and now this. Of course, like every young person, I never expected to be in the position where I would need a donor organ in my body. I had been very fit and healthy, newly married and looking forward to life. I worked in marketing and spent weekends competing around the UK in wild, windy fell races. Then, out of nowhere and for no discernible reason, in January 2017, my liver failed and I needed a transplant. I began to get very ill, turning yellow and ending up in intensive care. Over a matter of days, my body had collapsed. Eventually, I was in and out of consciousness, connected to machines and wires with a team of doctors rushing around me. My family members weren't compatible donors, so I was put at the very top of the worldwide donor list for my blood type O. Doctors told my family that a liver would likely be found for me that night. In the end, it took three days, coming in at the point I had just hours to live. During that time, I had said goodbye to the world. Yes, I wanted to live - to have more time with my loved ones and one day start a family, but I was also at peace. I knew I had loved and been loved, and I knew - after setting up a marathon in Uganda - that I had also made a difference in the world. Then, amazingly, an organ was found. It came in late at night to a hospital in the Midlands. It was transported down, then I was operated on the following day. When I woke up, although I was incredibly weak, to the point I couldn't walk, I was also euphoric. How many other terminally ill people get a chance to live again? Of course, the euphoria was eventually replaced by a huge low as I came to terms with everything. But as I struggled to get back to normal, there was barely a moment I didn't think about my donor. I was told she was a woman in her sixties who had died from a stroke. And I was told I was allowed to write to her family, via the hospital, if I didn't reveal my full name. I can't explain how much I wanted to write to thank them. It was down to them that I was able to live. I also wanted to tell them about the pregnancy and how much it meant to me. You see, trying for a baby had not been an easy decision to make. Because of my transplant, I was high risk. There was a 10% chance my body might reject the liver. There was also a bigger risk of pre-eclampsia - a condition caused by high blood pressure - and having a premature baby. First and foremost, I did not want to be a burden on the NHS again - or to need a new organ. But I had also vowed to myself, after coming so close to death, that I would live life to the full, not just for me but for my donor too - so that's what I and my husband Paul, who's 33, decided to do. Thankfully, all went smoothly. And my beautiful boy, Otto Lacey, was born on 21 December 2018, weighing 7lb 8oz (3,5kg) and becoming our best Christmas present ever. He really is perfect in every way. Eventually, I did finish and send my letter to the family, explaining that while nothing will bring their loved one back to them, she has left a lifelong legacy within our family and that she's our hero. Whether they reply or not, I will have to wait and see. Either way, my boy will now grow up knowing about this lady who saved my life. He will know there are good people in the world who think of others. And he will know what it means to be kind and selfless.

एली लेसी को मृत्यु के कुछ ही घंटों बाद, एक तत्काल यकृत प्रत्यारोपण की सख्त आवश्यकता थी। दो साल बाद, कार्डिफ की 32 वर्षीय एक नई माँ बन गई है और उसने अपने अंग दाता के परिवार को उनके भयानक नुकसान को स्वीकार करते हुए जीवन में अपनी खुशी व्यक्त करने के लिए लिखा है।


What A Carve Up!: How an all-star lockdown hit is redefining theatre

Summary: Before the pandemic, theatres in Huddersfield, Ipswich or Cirencester would not have dreamed of casting stars like Stephen Fry or Sir Derek Jacobi, or getting glowing reviews in the New York Times.

By Ian YoungsEntertainment & arts reporter But streaming has levelled the playing field and changed what a theatre show can be. The day Huddersfield's Lawrence Batley Theatre (LBT) closed for the first lockdown in March, the venue's management held a crisis meeting. They had enough money to pay salaries for one more month. They decided they "weren't going to stop creating work", though. "If we were going to go down, we were going to go down in a blaze of creative glory," says artistic director and chief executive Henry Filloux-Bennett. In truth his 450-seat venue, in a former Methodist chapel, has always been mainly a stop-off for mid-scale touring productions, rather than a hothouse for home-grown shows. But like many theatres, when the pandemic began, it decided to shift its focus to streaming. Eight months on, it has been more successful than most and recently released an innovative, star-studded and lucrative online production that was made on a shoestring budget. The adaptation of Jonathan Coe's 1994 novel What A Carve Up! features Fry, Jacobi, Alfred Enoch, Rebecca Front, Celia Imrie and Griff Rhys Jones. It's a cast Filloux-Bennett could never have assembled for a real-life run in West Yorkshire. Yet they were up for an online version - which, for most, involved recording their lines at home. Before that, Filloux-Bennett's adaption of cookery writer Nigel Slater's memoir Toast was streamed. So was his version of David Nicholls' novel The Understudy, which starred Fry, Mina Anwar, Emily Atack and Russell Tovey. Those two were essentially radio plays with animations adding "a nice backdrop to every scene". The Understudy raised funds for three theatre charities and will be performed live in the West End with a cast including Fry and James Norton for two nights in December, assuming the English lockdown isn't extended. Fry was the last to come on board for the online original, after Filloux-Bennett decided to pitch it to his agent days before they were due to announce the line-up. "We'd had such success with the rest of the casting. I just Googled who Stephen Fry's agent was," he says. Within two hours, the actor had signed up. "He has just been the most extraordinarily generous person with his time," says Filloux-Bennett. Fry then returned to provide the voice of publisher Patrick Mills in What A Carve Up!. "We assumed we'd have one bite of the Fry cherry," Filloux-Bennett says. "But I sent it over to him and he came back again almost immediately and said, 'Of course.' He's been amazing." What A Carve Up! goes a step further with the visuals - Harry Potter and How to Get Away with Murder actor Enoch is seen on screen. So is Tamzin Outhwaite, playing an Emily Maitlis-style interviewer grilling a Paris Hilton-meets-Katie Hopkins character played by Fiona Button. The other actors' voiceovers are overlaid with a collage of animations, graphics and archive footage, cleverly coming together to relay Coe's combination of murder mystery and scathing social satire. It's a co-production between the LBT, the Barn in Cirencester and the New Wolsey in Ipswich and is directed by Tamara Harvey of Theatr Clwyd in Mold, north Wales. The result is "murderously enjoyable" according to the Daily Telegraph's five-star review, "ingenious and gripping" according to the Guardian, and "a dizzying, inventive adaptation" according to the i newspaper. The New York Times headline declared it "wonderful" before adding: "But Is It Theatre?" The newspaper's critic, Alexis Soloski, said the show was "more like a true-crime podcast made fictional and visual through a series of tricky, starry YouTube videos with impressive literary pedigree". Other reviewers also asked if the show should be described as theatre. "Maybe not," wrote Quentin Letts in the Sunday Times. But the three collaborating venues "haven't half shown up many bigger houses" with their "nimble, witty" efforts, he went on. With live performances either difficult or impossible since March, many other agile theatre-makers have also been experimenting with recorded audio and video works that blur the traditional boundaries. And now the "bigger houses" are catching up. 'Breaking new ground' The National Theatre is turning one of its stages into a film set for a screen version of Romeo and Juliet starring Jessie Buckley and Josh O'Connor. Artistic director Rufus Norris told the Guardian it was "very much a new form that we're discovering by the day" and that it was "great to be breaking a bit of new ground". The question of whether such projects qualify as theatre bemuses Filloux-Bennett. "We're baffled by that need to pigeonhole stuff quite that much," he says. "The way I see it, our job is to tell stories. That's what you do in theatre. And we're just telling a story in a different medium because that's the only medium available to us at the moment. Is it theatre? Not probably in the definition of most people's understanding. But we didn't say it was." What A Carve Up! is "definitely not a film" either, he adds. "It's more like its own thing, and that's what we've been really excited about - creating something which is slightly not theatre, slightly not film, slightly not a radio play, slightly not really anything." With a budget just over £15,000 and a two-month turnaround from starting the script to finishing the edit, it's certainly much cheaper and quicker than film or TV. "That's what this situation has shown," says Filloux-Bennett. "When you collaborate with amazing people, and you don't have much time or money, you can still create a pretty decent thing." Standard tickets cost £12 and the show earned more than £40,000 in its first week, giving the LBT and its two sister theatres a welcome financial fillip. With funding from Arts Council England and Kirklees Council plus almost £250,000 from the government's Culture Recovery Fund, Filloux-Bennett says his venue has avoided having to lay off any of its 35 staff, has continued paying its 60 to 70 casual employees, and can stay afloat "easily through to the next financial year". In the future, Filloux-Bennett believes streaming and real-life shows can go hand-in-hand. "We've managed to make as much as we can of a really terrible situation, and that has been to the benefit of our reputation as a theatre," he says. The past eight months have also made him rethink the role of a regional theatre. The schedule of touring productions may not return until 2022 or 2023, he thinks, so his venue will make more shows - live and online - with and for the local community. "We're just going to have to be responsive and be quite scrappy and ambitious in terms of creating our own work," he says. Smaller theatres have shown themselves to be more adaptable in a crisis than major venues, he says. "The thing that lockdown has shown is that the bigger you are, the slower you are able to respond to stuff, and I think that is a really valuable lesson for a lot of places. "Because we can be a bit more fleet of foot, we're the ones who have shown what we can do." What A Carve Up! is available to stream until 29 November. The Understudy is due to be performed in a semi-staged rehearsed reading at the Palace Theatre in London on 7 and 8 December. Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

महामारी से पहले, हडर्सफील्ड, इप्सविच या सिरेंसेस्टर के सिनेमाघरों ने स्टीफन फ्राई या सर डेरेक जैकोबी जैसे सितारों को लेने या न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स में शानदार समीक्षा प्राप्त करने का सपना नहीं देखा होगा।


US football fans joyous then deflated

Summary: The heartbreak was etched on the faces of USA football fans as a last-gasp equaliser by Portugal denied them a place in the last 16 of the World Cup.

The game finished 2-2 as Portugal's Silvestre Varela scored in the final seconds of the game. "It was a thriller," said US coach Jurgen Klinsmann. "Everybody who had a chance to be today in Manaus will talk about this game for a long time." The US now need at least a draw against Germany in Recife on Thursday to be guaranteed of progression to the knock-out stages, but could even lose and still qualify if the Ghana-Portugal result favours them.

यू. एस. ए. फुटबॉल प्रशंसकों के चेहरों पर दिल का दौरा पड़ा क्योंकि पुर्तगाल ने उन्हें विश्व कप के अंतिम 16 में जगह देने से इनकार कर दिया।


RSPB agrees long-term deal for 12,000-acre Ty-Llwyd Farm

Summary: RSPB Cymru has signed a deal for a 12,000-acre farm in Powys.

It signed the agreement with owner Severn Trent Water for Ty-Llwyd Farm, which includes land within the Lake Vyrnwy estate. The charity can now work with Natural Resources Wales to develop sustainable grazing and farming methods. RSPB Cymru director Katie-jo Luxton said the charity will "ensure this beautiful landscape remains looked after for wildlife to live and thrive".

आर. एस. पी. बी. साइमरू ने पॉव्स में 12,000 एकड़ के खेत के लिए एक समझौते पर हस्ताक्षर किए हैं।


'Harassment' drives Afghan refugees from Pakistan

Summary: A campaign of arbitrary arrests and harassment is driving Afghan refugees out of Pakistan, according to testimony gathered by the BBC. Families who have lived in Pakistan for decades say the intimidation started soon after the deadly Taliban attack on an army school in Peshawar in December.

Abdul Samad recently got married, but for him and his wife there is no honeymoon. Together with five other relatives, they have crossed the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan with just a few household utensils, clothes and mattresses. They are among several thousand Afghan refugees who have been passing through the busy Torkham border crossing on the Khyber pass every day since the start of the year. And like many others, Abdul Samad's family say they did not leave of their own free will. "I was asleep at home with my wife; my brother and mother were also sleeping in their rooms," he says. "That night the police came. They jumped over the wall of our house and came in asking how many of us were in the house." Abdul says the police asked for identity cards and when it turned out he was Afghan, he was taken away. "They beat me a lot that night. The next evening, we paid 35,000 Pakistani rupees for my release," Abdul recalls. "When bomb blasts happen in Peshawar, Karachi or any other place in the country, they would accuse Afghans, saying all of them are Taliban." Once he was out of custody, Abdul and his family decided to leave. 'We've suffered' The BBC heard similar claims from other refugees at Torkham, most arriving in overloaded pick-up trucks and buses. They described a pattern where male members of a family were being detained and sometimes mistreated in order to encourage them to leave the country. One man, Ghulam Nabi, said he had been held for over a week: "I was imprisoned for eight days. Afterwards I went back for my family and belongings and passed through the border." Another Afghan, Ghulam Sakhi, said constant harassment made him want to leave. "We're either arrested in the bazaar or they came for us at home," he said. "We've suffered. We haven't gone out to work for more than a month. We hope the government will help us in Kabul, give us a tent and some food as we have nothing. We've only got enough money for the bus fare to Kabul." Afghan officials told the BBC that between 150 and 300 families have been returning to Afghanistan every day since the Peshawar attack, in which Taliban gunmen killed more than 150 people, most of them children. Before that the number of returnees stood at around 15 families a day. Precise figures are hard to come by, but aid agencies working in the region have seen the same trend. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported more than 33,000 Afghans returning since January, one-and-a half times more than during all of 2014. The IOM said it was currently only able to assist about 10% of the most needy. "Some of the returnees have cited harassment, arrests, detentions and evictions as the reasons for their return during interviews with UNHCR staff," UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said. 'Militant hideouts' The Pakistani government denies there is any campaign to systematically expel Afghan refugees. But following the 16 December attack on the army-run school in Peshawar, police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been conducting special "strike and search" operations, trying to flush out militants, but also arresting many people they say are illegal refugees. The government of the province which has traditionally hosted most of the refugees, called for unregistered Afghans to be repatriated. A spokeswoman for the Pakistan foreign ministry, Tasnim Aslam has said the authorities needed to take action because militants were hiding among unregistered refugees, knowing that those staying illegally would not go to the police. "There are indications that wherever they are concentrated, those places are being used as terrorist hideouts, and we have to take action on that," Tasnim Aslam said, according to Reuters news agency. Meanwhile, the Afghan authorities have declared themselves overwhelmed. Minister for refugees and repatriation Said Hussain Alimi Balkhi is due to visit Pakistan on 1 March. He told the BBC he would to ask for more time so shelter and aid can be prepared. "The expulsion of Afghan refugees by our Pakistani brothers is an unfair and a very rapid decision," Mr Balkhi said. "We don't have any preparations in place, but we welcome our refugees." Many of those returning have lived in Pakistan for decades; many were born there. Pakistan hosts more than 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees, the largest refugee population in the world, according to the UN. Many more reside in the country illegally. But those having to leave with little warning face the loss of livelihoods, with some having to sell up just to cover the transport fare. Some of the families told the BBC they were hoping to live with family members in Afghanistan. Others said they had no place to go to. One woman, her face covered, said she had no idea what was ahead: "I am very worried, I don't know whether we will have any work. We have very young children. That's why I'm unhappy about our earnings and the children and whether we will find a solution to our problems." Reporting by Harun Najafizada and Hafizullah Maroof

बी. बी. सी. द्वारा एकत्र की गई गवाही के अनुसार, मनमानी गिरफ्तारी और उत्पीड़न का अभियान अफगान शरणार्थियों को पाकिस्तान से बाहर निकाल रहा है। दशकों से पाकिस्तान में रहने वाले परिवारों का कहना है कि दिसंबर में पेशावर में एक सैन्य स्कूल पर घातक तालिबान हमले के तुरंत बाद धमकी शुरू हो गई थी।


Trump and Obama: Two characters in search of a legacy

Summary: So the pendulum swings again. They are polar opposites, inversions, thesis and antithesis, from the skinny kid with the funny name to the old guy with the funny hair, chalk to his cheese. It says a lot about the Disunited States of America that two such different brands are its best-selling political products.

Mark MardellPresenter, The World This Weekend@BBCMarkMardellon Twitter In his final week, President Barack Obama's many admirers are determined to behave with the brittle exaggerated optimism of mourners at a wake, determined to celebrate the achievements of a dear friend, rather than wail over his absence. They may even convince you it is hope that makes their eyes glisten so brightly. Their love - not too strong a word - for this man they mourn begs the question: "What achievements, what legacy?" And in what way did he fail? For Democrats can blame turnout, blame Twitter, blame Hillary Clinton, blame fake news, but surely the failure of his party to get a third term in the White House was in some sense Mr Obama's responsibility? As he said, his name wasn't on the ballot, but his achievements were. This goes to the heart of a question about character: his, Donald Trump's, most importantly their country's sense of self. From the moment of his first victory in 2008, President Obama was pinned in place by America's horrible history. Even extraordinary actions would struggle to escape the orbit of the mundane, buried under the weight of that primary achievement. The first line in the encyclopaedias would always be: "The USA's first black president." So it has come to pass. But few, eight years ago, expected him to be followed into the White House by someone who is in every respect his opposite. You could argue President Obama has no legacy, the achievements of eight years already lie shredded by the election of Donald Trump. Mr Trump has indeed promised to undo Obamacare, the Iran deal, the Paris climate change deal, new environmental rules and regulations and much else that he has derided as "horrible". But we can't really judge Mr Obama's legacy until we know how profoundly it will be undone. This will be important. How history sees Barack Obama depends on Mr Trump, in more ways than one. Because this is about character, charisma and storytelling. For a masterful writer, for a man who quite literally wrote his own tale long before others could define him, it is sobering the way Mr Obama lost control of the narrative in the White House. What were seen as positive qualities, a relief and a reaction after George W Bush, looked less favourable to some as time went on. Thoughtfulness seemed like dithering, eloquence became loquaciousness, "no drama Obama" wasn't the soap opera some in the American public craved. Mind you, there was no massive switch thrown where most of America changed its mind. The votes involved were comparatively few: this is still the old story of two Americas, as different as Donald Trump and Barack Obama. Mr Obama is cool, Mr Trump is hot. Indeed, Mr Obama is cool when Mr Trump is not. He's deliberative, Mr Trump is instinctive. Mr Trump is angry where Mr Obama is preternaturally calm. One suspects Mr Obama walking alone in the Rose Garden conducts several inner monologues at once, we know Mr Trump blasts out his first thoughts in 140 characters on Twitter. Mr Trump would eat crocodiles and drink vinegar while Obama soliloquises on maybes and might-have-beens. If US politics was a Western, Mr Obama would be the magical preacher, mystically advocating collective action, Mr Trump would be charismatic snake oil salesman, shouting from the side of the wagon, captivating, infuriating and embodying a certain sort of frustration. We don't know whether, when the black hats ride into town, he'll surprise us all with heroic feats, or be discovered cowering under the saloon counter. But Mr Trump is already much closer than Mr Obama to an American archetype - the boaster -bumptious, self-confident, quick to anger, but with a confidence and optimism in his own abilities, which respect no horizons. What is attention-grabbing is when the horizons have to buckle and broaden and widen in the face of that force of will. Mr Trump is the embodiment of the sort of America who shocks Europeans: brash and vulgar and unsophisticated. Many in the US, particularly on the coasts and in the cities, share that horror. But the truth is this is a deeply divided country. Mr Trump speaks for those other Americans who felt Mr Obama never did. When Mr Obama says: "The great American hero - Lincoln - could see the fundamental contradictions of the American experiment clearly," they can't. They didn't want nuance. They didn't want empathy towards other cultures and religions. They didn't want, in the end, cool. They want righteous fury and clear promises to do something dramatic to make it stop hurting - whatever "it" is. Two Americas face each other, watching their new president. Most are nervous, expecting a rollercoaster ride. Many are hopeful. These are an optimistic people, and he is, after all, not a passing politician but their head of state, the person who embodies their country. Even those who want him to fail, want their country to succeed. In mining country, in West Virginia, I was struck by those who had hope for a new future under a new president. Not faith, not trust, but hope, some what shop-soiled and held together with gaffer tape, but hope nonetheless. That, at least, is similar to 2008. But what the first line of Mr Trump's biography says is not defined from the first day.

इसलिए पेंडुलम फिर से झूलता है। वे ध्रुवीय विपरीत, व्युत्क्रम, थीसिस और विरोधाभास हैं, मजाकिया नाम वाले पतले बच्चे से लेकर मजाकिया बालों वाले बूढ़े आदमी, चाक से लेकर उसके पनीर तक। यह अमेरिका के असंबद्ध राज्यों के बारे में बहुत कुछ कहता है कि ऐसे दो अलग-अलग ब्रांड इसके सबसे अधिक बिकने वाले राजनीतिक उत्पाद हैं।


Herald owner Newsquest expands portfolio with acquisition

Summary: Herald and Evening Times owner Newsquest has gained about 30 new titles after buying local newspaper publisher Romanes Media Group for an undisclosed sum.

The portfolio includes about 20 newspapers in Scotland. They include the Greenock Telegraph, the Dunfermline Press, the East Lothian Courier, the Alloa Advertiser and the Border Telegraph. It also has some titles in south-east England and one in Northern Ireland. Romanes originated with the Dunfermline Press, which was founded by the Romanes family in 1859. Newsquest chief executive Henry Faure Walker said: "Newsquest is focused on building one of the leading local multi-media publishing businesses in the UK, and I am delighted to welcome Romanes Media Group to the company. "We operate in separate markets but this portfolio of good quality weekly titles provides a strong fit with plenty of opportunity."

हेराल्ड और इवनिंग टाइम्स के मालिक न्यूज़क्वेस्ट ने स्थानीय समाचार पत्र प्रकाशक रोमनस मीडिया ग्रुप को एक अज्ञात राशि में खरीदने के बाद लगभग 30 नए खिताब हासिल किए हैं।


Family resigned over land for Guernsey runway extension

Summary: The family which owns the land needed to extend Guernsey Airport's runway has said it is resigned to losing it.

Nick Le Messurier, speaking on behalf of his two brothers, said he had played in the two fields as a child, which have been in the family for decades. He said there was little hope of the States deciding against the compulsory purchase of the land. Mr Le Messurier said: "The States might not go with this but... let's be realistic that's not very likely." He added: "We're just really getting used to the idea that the fields will be compulsorily purchased."

ग्वेर्नसे हवाई अड्डे के रनवे के विस्तार के लिए आवश्यक भूमि के मालिक परिवार ने कहा है कि उसने इसे खोने के लिए इस्तीफा दे दिया है।


Maidstone: Two arrested following man's death

Summary: A murder investigation is under way after a man in his 50s suffered fatal injuries.

Two men in their 30s have been arrested in connection with the incident on Friday at about 18:40 BST in Bower Place, Maidstone in Kent. The victim was flown to a London hospital where he died from his injuries. Police were called out to reports of an assault. The two men, arrested the same evening, remain in police custody.

50 के दशक में एक व्यक्ति के घातक रूप से घायल होने के बाद हत्या की जांच चल रही है।


£5m A40 link road given the go ahead in Carmarthenshire

Summary: A £5m link road in Carmarthenshire has been given the go ahead and will be paid for by the council.

The route from the A40 will connect more than 1,000 new homes and the new headquarters for Welsh language channel S4C. Carmarthenshire council will have the money paid back by the developers. It is hoped the road will be completed by 2018 and will link the A40 at Travellers Rest with College Road.

कार्मार्थेनशायर में 5 मिलियन पाउंड की एक लिंक सड़क को मंजूरी दी गई है और परिषद द्वारा इसका भुगतान किया जाएगा।


Bloodhound Diary: Super-track for supercar

Summary: A British team is developing a car that will be capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h). Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the vehicle will first mount an assault on the world land speed record (763mph; 1,228km/h). Bloodhound should start running on Hakskeen Pan in Northern Cape, South Africa, in 2017.

By Andy GreenWorld Land Speed Record Holder With just one year - 365 days - to go until we'll be running Bloodhound SSC on the desert in South Africa, work continues to get the Car ready. This seemed like a perfect time to inspect our desert track in South Africa, and to take a moment to celebrate the amazing achievement of the team which has prepared the best straight-line race track ever. To build the excitement a little, we got them to spell out "365" on the desert, as a message to the world that Bloodhound is coming. When I first saw the surface of Hakskeen Pan, in the Northern Cape of South Africa, over seven years ago, two things were immediately obvious. The first was that the hard, smooth clay pan surface could be the best land speed record track ever. The second was that it would take a truly huge effort to clear the layer of stones that covered most of the 20 million sq m that we would need. The Northern Cape Provincial Government very bravely agreed to take this immense task on and, seven years later, the results are just astonishing. With work now all but complete, we went from one end to the other, over 12 miles (20km) away. As we raced along, all we could see was a perfectly smooth and stone-free surface, as far as the eye could see. The track team of over 300 people has worked away for the past seven years, clearing an area equivalent to a wide road from London to Moscow. They have prised around 16,000 tonnes of stones (over 50 tonnes per person!) out of the surface to leave the most incredible track surface behind, ready for Bloodhound to arrive next year. The track team has hand-cleared the largest area on earth ever prepared for a motorsport event. We felt this should be formally recognised, so we contacted the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). I was thrilled by the response: while the FIA President Jean Todt was unable to join us personally for the celebration, he sent the track team a very warm video message of congratulations. His message highlighted the essential contribution that the Northern Cape team has made to Bloodhound, and he told the workers that "the credit will be shared with you" for everything that Bloodhound achieves. Absolutely right. In addition, the President of the FIA's Land Speed Record Commission, Dennis Dean, flew half way round the world to represent the FIA and to thank the track team personally. Dennis presented every member of the team with a certificate of recognition from the FIA, and Bloodhound gave each person a medal to thank them for their unique achievement. We were also joined by the Premier of the Provincial Government, along with several of her cabinet, and the whole event was covered live on national TV in South Africa. A great day out for a great bunch of people. Being back in South Africa also gave me a chance to meet up with Dirk Coetzee. Dirk is the young South African who won our design competition to paint one of the Arai helmets that I will be wearing when I drive Bloodhound SSC. He proudly presented me with the finished article, resplendent in its Northern Cape sunrise orange, with the twin flags of South Africa and the UK, and (very aptly) an outline of the fastest local antelope, the Gemsbock. It's a real work of art. Meanwhile, work in Bristol carries on, getting the car ready for record-breaking speeds next year. The car has been stripped down, separating the 3,500-odd bespoke parts that make up Bloodhound SSC. Each one is being carefully inspected, before being prepared for reassembly - the final build before running the car. Each component and system will also be tested to check that it works as advertised. One of the first bits to undergo an end-to-end test will be the fuel system, which is being installed in the rear lower-chassis. The fuel system has a main tank (400 litres of Jet-A), which provides more than enough fuel for a full-power run. However, we also need to allow extra fuel for jet engine warm-up and cool down, plus a reserve in case there is a delay before a run. The main fuel tank already fills the space available for it, so we've added another two 100-litre auxiliary tanks, in the narrow spaces behind the main tank, just in case. The three tanks will be connected together, with pumps to feed the fuel to the main tank and then into the EJ200 jet engine. We'll take the whole system down to our UK test facility at Newquay Aerohub at the end of this year, for leak and function testing. After that, the fuel system's next job will be to feed a live and screaming jet engine, when the car fires up for the first time next Summer. Can't wait. There was clear evidence the other day that we're now into final assembly, when a tank of liquid nitrogen turned up at the Bloodhound Technical Centre in Bristol. The tolerances for some of the components, such as the wheel bearing carriers for the suspension uprights, is so small that they can only be assembled when they are extremely cold (in this case, liquid nitrogen is below minus 195C). Once each carrier goes into its upright and warms up again, it won't be coming out again. This really is the final build. The cockpit monocoque has been hoisted up into the air, so that the titanium floor can be fitted to the underside and trimmed to its final size. When the car travels across Hakskeen Pan at supersonic speeds, the shockwaves around the wheels will rip up the surface, creating a supersonic dust storm immediately behind the wheel. Over the course of several weeks of testing, this supersonic "sand blasting" would start to wear away the underside of the car, just as it did on Thrust SSC, back in 1997. The titanium floor panel is hard enough to survive this extreme environment, so that's one less thing to worry about. One thing we haven't started work on yet is refining the cockpit displays and controls. We are still looking to recruit a couple of key people for the team, including a software engineer to look after the cockpit. If you know anyone with the right skills who might like to join us for this unique once-in-a-lifetime Engineering Adventure, please do get in touch. Bloodhound continues to draw young people in to the fascinating world of science and technology. In advance of the car's arrival at Newquay next Summer, the Royal Cornwall Museum ran a Bloodhound experience over the past few of months. To the museum's surprise and delight, the "Bloodhound Effect" has doubled the number of schools visiting the museum, compared with this time last year. I went down there a few weeks ago, to talk about next year's testing and record-breaking plans, and saw a very excited group of youngsters building their own rocket cars. Talking of rocket cars, if you haven't put your name down for a free rocket car kit for next year's competition (first prize - the chance to see Bloodhound SSC run in South Africa), then you have until the end of November. Book now to avoid disappointment!

एक ब्रिटिश दल एक ऐसी कार विकसित कर रहा है जो 1,000 मील प्रति घंटे (1,610 किमी/घंटा) तक पहुंचने में सक्षम होगी। एक यूरोफाइटर-टाइफून जेट इंजन को बोल्ट किए गए रॉकेट द्वारा संचालित, वाहन पहले विश्व भूमि गति रिकॉर्ड (763 मील प्रति घंटे; 1,228 किमी/घंटा) पर हमला करेगा। ब्लडहाउंड को 2017 में उत्तरी केप, दक्षिण अफ्रीका में हक्सकीन पैन पर चलना शुरू करना चाहिए।


M4 crash: Road reopens after pedestrian dies near Bridgend

Summary: The M4 has reopened after being closed for several hours following the death of a pedestrian.

The motorway was shut in both directions between junctions 35 at Pencoed and 33 at Cardiff West, after several vehicles hit the man at about 05:45 GMT. South Wales Police said the 34-year-old's family was being supported by specialist officers. The road reopened shortly before 16:00, about 10 hours after it was closed. Related Internet Links South Wales Police

एक पैदल यात्री की मौत के बाद कई घंटों तक बंद रहने के बाद एम4 फिर से खुल गया है।


Best ever ranking for Kulasekara

Summary: Sri Lanka’s young pace man Nuwan Kulasekara has claimed best ever rating of his cricketing career as he was ranked as the second best bowler in the shorten form of the game by the world governing body.

Kulasekara, 26, has achieved the rank after his impressive match figures of 3-17 off seven overs in the third one day international (ODI) against Pakistan in Lahore. Jumping four places from his last ODI rankings, he has also taken over Sri Lanka’s veteran bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, currently ranked at fourth place. “It’s a fine achievement for Kulasekara who has enjoyed a remarkable few months with Sri Lanka,” a statement issued by the ICC said. Sri Lanka’s new talent, Ajantha Mendis is ranked 13 and veteran pace man Chaminda Vaas is ranked 18 in ICC rankings for the ODIs.

श्रीलंका के युवा तेज गेंदबाज नुवान कुलसेकरा ने अपने क्रिकेट करियर की अब तक की सर्वश्रेष्ठ रेटिंग का दावा किया है क्योंकि उन्हें विश्व शासी निकाय द्वारा खेल के छोटे प्रारूप में दूसरे सर्वश्रेष्ठ गेंदबाज के रूप में स्थान दिया गया था।


Why did some French women walk out of work early?

Summary: It seems an insignificant time: 16:34 on Monday 7 November.

And yet, for women across France, it has huge importance: it is the moment they effectively stop being paid for 2016, thanks to the gender pay gap. And this year, many were determined not to let it go unnoticed. On Monday, French women were urged to quietly pack their bags and walk out of their offices at the appointed time to unite in their call for equal pay. In France, the gap between men and women's average hourly wage was 15.1% in 2010, which, feminist group Les Glorieuses calculated, means a woman will work 38.2 days more than a man for the same salary. And that, they say, is not on. Rebecca Amsellem, founder of Les Glorieuses, which launched the campaign, told the BBC: "To be really honest, I knew there was a huge difference between the pay - but I thought the difference would maybe be 10 working days, not a month-and-a-half." 52-year wait Ms Amsellem had been inspired to do the maths after reading how Iceland, a country considered a world leader in gender equality, still has a pay gap of 14%. For the last 11 years, women in Iceland have been walking out on 24 October at the time they should leave every day if they were to be paid the same hourly-rate as their male counterparts. In that period in the Nordic country, the time has moved from 14:08 to 14:38. If the pace continues, it will only take another 52 years for them to be able to leave at the same time as men - an unacceptable length of time, according to Gylfi Arnbjörnsson, president of the Icelandic Confederation of Labour. He told Iceland's national broadcaster: "No-one puts up with waiting 50 years to reach a goal. It doesn't matter whether it's a gender pay gap or any other pay gap. "It's just unacceptable to say we'll correct this in 50 years. That's a lifetime." 'In 2016, we still need to fight' In France, it appears a parallel sense of injustice has inspired activists to adopt the symbolism of Iceland's precisely timed protests. More than 10,000 women have indicated their interest in joining the movement on Facebook, and the hashtag "7novembre1634" has been trending in France, with hundreds sharing cartoons and memes highlighting the issue. Others write just one word: "Egalite." The movement even has the backing of two government ministers, and has landed on the front page of a French national newspaper, Liberation. "Support for the #7novembre16h34 movement: the struggle for equal pay must be by the whole of society," tweeted education minister Najat Belkacem. "Do not wait for 2186!" But France is far from the worst offender in Europe when it comes to the gender pay gap. In neighbouring Germany the gap was 22.3% in 2014, while in the UK it stood at 20.9%, according to Eurostat. The average pay gap across Europe was 16.7%, with the largest in Estonia, where it was measured at 28.8%. Whether Iceland and now France will inspire more movements remains to be seen. Ms Amsellem is just happy it has provoked a discussion in her home country. "What I am happy about is that feminist issues are still burning issues in people's minds," she said. "But it is crazy to think that in 2016, we still need to fight for these things."

यह एक महत्वहीन समय लगता हैः सोमवार 7 नवंबर को 16:34।


Tamara Ecclestone burglary: Man in court

Summary: A man has appeared in court accused of being involved in several burglaries, including a £50m jewellery and cash raid on heiress Tamara Ecclestone's west London home.

Italian Alessandro Maltese appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with conspiracy to commit burglary between 30 November and 1 February. He was held in Italy under a European Arrest Warrant earlier this month. Mr Maltese will next appear at Isleworth Crown Court on 13 November. Diamond earrings The 44-year-old was flown from Italy to Heathrow Airport where he was charged with burgling the homes, including Ms Ecclestone's home near Kensington Palace on 13 December. A £300,000 pair of diamond earrings and a Louis Vuitton bag were among the items stolen, which had a total estimated worth of £50m. The burglary occurred after Ms Ecclestone, the daughter of former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, left the country for a Christmas holiday with her husband Jay Rutland and their daughter Sophia. Mr Maltese, who was assisted during the hearing by an interpreter, spoke only to give his name and nationality as Italian.

एक व्यक्ति कई चोरी में शामिल होने के आरोप में अदालत में पेश हुआ है, जिसमें 50 मिलियन पाउंड के आभूषण और उत्तराधिकारी तमारा एक्लेस्टोन के पश्चिमी लंदन के घर पर नकद छापा शामिल है।


War-time explosives at Nairn's East Beach made safe

Summary: Two mortar bombs found on a Highland beach used to train troops for the D-Day landings in World War II have been safely disposed of.

The devices found by a member of the public at about 09:45 were thought to have been exposed by shifting sand at Nairn's East Beach. Edinburgh-based bomb disposal experts made the weapons safe, police said. Nairn's beaches were used to prepare soldiers and sailors for the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944. Military personnel were based at nearby Fort George at the time. The remains of tanks used in the rehearsals have previously been found further east along the coast from Nairn. A Valentine tank was lost by the Royal Hussars at Culbin Forest and two others in Burghead Bay. Northern Constabulary had put in place a 100m (328ft) cordon at East Beach.

द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध में डी-डे लैंडिंग के लिए सैनिकों को प्रशिक्षित करने के लिए उपयोग किए जाने वाले हाईलैंड समुद्र तट पर पाए गए दो मोर्टार बमों का सुरक्षित रूप से निपटान कर दिया गया है।


From counting to characterising exoplanets

Summary: ` We've come a long way since 1995 when Michael Mayor and Didier Queloz claimed the first official detection of an exoplanet orbiting a distant star - the somewhat prosaically named 51 Pegasi b, orbiting a sun-like star some 51 light-years from earth in the constellation Pegasus.

Tom FeildenScience correspondent, Today According to Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that figure now stands at 932, with a further 2,717 planet candidates waiting to be confirmed. Much of the heavy lifting when it comes to spotting these new worlds has been done by the Kepler Space Telescope. Trailing in the earth's wake as it orbits the sun, Kepler has been staring, unblinking, at a narrow patch of the Milky Way between Cygnus and Lyra for the last three-and-a-half years - waiting for the telltale dimming of a distant star's light as an orbiting planet passes in from of it. Kepler's share of the planet-spotting booty, according to the latest tranche of data released at the American Astronomical Society in January, is 2,740 including 114 confirmed planets. It's an astonishing achievement by any standards, but Kepler's enduring legacy may be much more profound that its contribution to a simple head count of exoplanets. According to David Latham at the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, a better measure of the project's success would be to acknowledge that it has shifted the goalposts of scientific debate. The question now is not are there planets orbiting distant stars, or even how many, but what do these planets look like and, crucially, could any support life? "There are planets out there, but that's not the same as saying there's life on them. How often the Universe has planets truly like the earth - true earth twins, planets the size of the earth, rocky planets with a surface that supports liquid water - well, we don't have that number yet, but I'm optimistic we'll figure it out." Some measure of how far the scientific debate has shifted can be gauged from the extensive list of sub-clauses in the title of a two-day Royal Society discussion meeting on exoplanets earlier this week. It reads "Characterising Exoplanets: detection, formation, interiors, atmospheres and habitability." One of the key presentations at the conference was given by Dr Giovanna Tinetti who's leading the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory, or EChO, mission recently selected for further development by the European Space Agency. EChO will use spectroscopy to study the atmospheres of exoplanets, hoping to spot the tell-tale chemical signature of life. "EChO won't search for exoplanets directly." Dr Tinetti says "Instead we will observe planets we already know exist. We will study their composition to see if they're really similar to earth, and we'll look at the light of the star filtered through the atmosphere of the planet to tell us about the molecules present in those atmospheres and habitability". And the EChO project is not alone. One of five European Space Agency missions being considered for launch in the early 2020's, Nasa also has a series of exoplanet projects at various stages of development, and both the James Webb Space Telescope and ground based observatories are getting in on the act. And because what we're finding - planets that are bigger than Jupiter or smaller than Mercury, denser than iron or lighter than styrofoam - Bill Borucki, the Kepler Mission's principal investigator, believes the next ten or 15 years is going to be even more exciting than the last. "Everything we're finding is different from what was predicted by the theorists. We didn't expect to find planets bigger than Jupiter. We certainly didn't expect to find small planets which are almost entirely gas. So lots of surprises in every way."

"" "हमने 1995 के बाद से एक लंबा सफर तय किया है जब माइकल मेयर और डिडिएर क्वेलोज़ ने एक दूर के तारे की परिक्रमा करने वाले एक एक्सोप्लैनेट का पहला आधिकारिक पता लगाने का दावा किया-कुछ हद तक 51 पेगासी बी नाम दिया गया, जो पृथ्वी से लगभग 51 प्रकाश वर्ष दूर एक सूर्य जैसे तारे की परिक्रमा कर रहा है।"


The hidden strengths of unloved concrete

Summary: Nearly 20 years ago, poor families in Coahuila state in Mexico were offered an unusual handout from a social programme called Piso Firme. It was not a place at school, a vaccination, food, or even money. It was $150 (£118) worth of ready-mixed concrete.

By Tim Harford50 Things That Made the Modern Economy, BBC World Service Workers would drive concrete mixers through poor neighbourhoods, stop outside a home, and pour the porridge-like mixture through the door, right into the living room. They showed the occupants how to spread and smooth the gloop, and made sure they knew how long to leave it to dry. Then they drove off to the next house. Piso Firme means "firm floor", and when economists studied the programme, they found that the ready-mixed concrete dramatically improved children's education. Find out more 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy highlights the inventions, ideas and innovations that have helped create the economic world we live in. It is broadcast on the BBC World Service. You can find more information about the programme's sources and listen online or subscribe to the programme podcast. Previously, the floors were made of dirt, which let parasitic worms thrive, spreading diseases that stunted kids' growth and made them miss school. Concrete floors are much easier to keep clean. So the kids were healthier, and their test scores improved. Economists also found that parents in the programme's households became happier, less stressed and less prone to depression. That seems to be $150 well spent. Beyond the poor neighbourhoods of Coahuila state, concrete often has a less wonderful reputation. Soulless structures It has become a byword for ecological carelessness: concrete is made of sand, water and cement, and cement takes a lot of energy to produce. The production process also releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. That might not be such a problem in itself - after all, steel production needs a lot more energy - except that the world consumes absolutely vast quantities of concrete: five tonnes, per person, per year. As a result, the cement industry emits as much greenhouse gas as aviation. Architecturally, concrete implies lazy, soulless structures: ugly office blocks for provincial bureaucrats, multi-storey car parks with stairwells that smell of urine. Yet it can also be shaped into forms that many people find beautiful - think of the Sydney Opera House or Oscar Niemeyer's Brasilia cathedral. Perhaps it is no surprise that concrete can evoke such confusing emotions. The very nature of the stuff feels hard to pin down. "Is it stone? Yes and no," opined the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1927. "Is it plaster? Yes and no. Is it brick or tile? Yes and no. Is it cast iron? Yes and no." However, the fact that it is a great building material has been recognised for millennia - perhaps even since the dawn of human civilization. There is a theory that the very first settlements, the first time that humans gathered together outside their kinship groups - nearly 12,000 years ago at Gobekli Tepe in southern Turkey - was because someone had figured out how to make cement, and therefore concrete. It was certainly being used over 8,000 years ago by desert traders to make secret underground cisterns, some of which still exist in modern day Jordan and Syria. The Mycenaeans used it over 3,000 years ago to make tombs you can see in the Peloponnese in Greece. Shockingly modern The Romans were also serious about the stuff. Using a naturally occurring cement from volcanic ash deposits at Puteoli, near Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, they built their aqueducts and their bathhouses with concrete. Walk into the Pantheon in Rome, a building that will soon celebrate its 1,900th birthday. Gaze up at what was the largest dome on the planet for centuries, arguably until 1881. You're looking at concrete. It is shockingly modern. Many Roman brick buildings are long gone - but not because the bricks themselves have decayed. They've been taken apart, cannibalised for parts. Roman bricks can be used to make modern buildings. But the concrete Pantheon? One of the reasons it has survived for so long is because the solid concrete structure is absolutely useless for any other purpose. Bricks can be reused, concrete cannot. It can only be reduced to rubble. And the chances of it becoming rubble depend on how well it is made. Bad concrete - too much sand, too little cement - is a death-trap in an earthquake. But well-made concrete is waterproof, storm proof, fireproof, strong and cheap. More from Tim Harford How Rudolph Diesel's engine changed the world The iPhone at 10: How the smartphone became so smart How fertiliser helped feed the world That is the fundamental contradiction of concrete: incredibly flexible during construction, utterly inflexible afterwards. In the hands of an architect or a structural engineer, concrete is a remarkable material. You can pour it into a mould, set it to be slim and stiff and strong in almost any shape you like. It can be dyed, or grey, it can be rough or polished smooth like marble. But the moment the building is finished, the flexibility ends: cured concrete is a stubborn, unyielding material. 'Fatal' flaw Perhaps that is why the material has become so associated with arrogant architects and autocratic clients - people who believe that their visions are eternal, rather than likely to need deconstructing and reconstructing as circumstances change. In a million years, when our steel has rusted and our wood has rotted, concrete will remain. But many of the concrete structures we're building today will be useless within decades. That's because, over a century ago, there was a revolutionary improvement in concrete - but it's an improvement with a fatal flaw. In 1867, a French gardener, Joseph Monier, was unhappy with the available range of flower pots, and devised concrete pots, reinforced with a steel mesh. Less than 20 years later, the elegant idea of pre-stressing the steel was patented. This allowed engineers to use much less of it, and less concrete too. Reinforced concrete is much stronger and more practical than the unreinforced stuff. It can span larger gaps, allowing concrete to soar in the form of bridges and skyscrapers. But if cheaply made, it can rot from the inside as water gradually seeps in through tiny cracks, and rusts the steel. This process is currently destroying infrastructure across the United States. In 20 or 30 years' time, China will be next. China poured more concrete in the three years after 2008 than the United States poured during the entire 20th Century, and nobody thinks that it was all made to exacting standards. Environmental rewards There are many schemes to make concrete last longer, including special treatments to prevent water getting through to the steel. There is "self-healing" concrete, full of bacteria that secrete limestone, which re-seals any cracks. And "self-cleaning" concrete, infused with titanium dioxide, breaks down smog, keeping the concrete sparkling white. Improved versions of the technology may even give us street surfaces that can clean up cars' exhaust fumes. Researchers are trying to make concrete with less energy use and fewer carbon emissions. The environmental rewards for success will be high. Yet ultimately, there are many more things we could be doing with the simple, trusted technology we already have. Hundreds of millions of people around the world live in dirt-floor houses. Their lives could be improved with a programme like Piso Firme. Other studies have shown large gains from laying concrete roads in rural Bangladesh - improving school attendance, agricultural productivity and boosting farm workers' wages. Perhaps concrete serves us best when we use it simply. Tim Harford writes the Financial Times's Undercover Economist column. 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy is broadcast on the BBC World Service. You can find more information about the programme's sources and listen online or subscribe to the programme podcast.

लगभग 20 साल पहले, मेक्सिको के कोहुइला राज्य में गरीब परिवारों को पिसो फर्म नामक एक सामाजिक कार्यक्रम से एक असामान्य हैंडआउट की पेशकश की गई थी। यह स्कूल में जगह, टीकाकरण, भोजन या यहां तक कि पैसा भी नहीं था। यह तैयार मिश्रित कंक्रीट का $150 (£118) था।


Baby 'dragons' hatch at Caerphilly Castle

Summary: Two 6ft (1.83m) animatronic models of baby dragons have "hatched" from giant eggs outside Caerphilly Castle.

The twins are the latest addition to Cadw's family of dragons along with proud parents, Dewi and Dwynwen. They have been brought to life by Cardiff-based prop designers Wild Creations. The twins and Dewi and Dwynwen, which weigh two tonnes each, were sculpted and moulded before being cast and built out of fibreglass. They are expected to spread their wings and drop in to other castles across Wales this summer.

बेबी ड्रेगन के दो 6 फीट (1.83m) एनिमेट्रोनिक मॉडल कैर्फिली कैसल के बाहर विशाल अंडों से "निकले" हैं।


RNLI lifeguards take to Dorset beaches

Summary: Lifeguard cover has begun on beaches across Dorset as the peak season for RNLI lifeguards gets under way.

The patrols on 21 beaches include Lyme Regis, West Bay, Poole Bay and Christchurch. Barry Heathfield, RNLI divisional lifeguard manager for Dorset, said thousands of people were expected whatever the weather. The charity has also launched a beach finder mobile app which can locate the nearest "safe" beach. Ross Macleod, RNLI coastal safety programmes manager, said: "It makes finding a lifeguarded beach extremely easy and convenient." RNLI lifeguards attended 2,150 incidents and assisted 2,246 people in Dorset in 2011.

आर. एन. एल. आई. लाइफगार्ड्स के लिए पीक सीजन शुरू होने के साथ ही डोरसेट के समुद्र तटों पर लाइफगार्ड कवर शुरू हो गया है।


Why is Spam a luxury food in South Korea?

Summary: Asia is celebrating the annual lunar thanksgiving holiday this week. In South Korea, where it's known as Chuseok, the holiday is celebrated by visiting family, paying respects to ancestors... and the giving and receiving of packaged cans of Spam.

By Lucy WilliamsonBBC News, Seoul The pre-cooked tins of pork meat are the stuff of jokes, lunch boxes, wartime memories and, here in South Korea, a low-key, national love affair. Spam has become a staple of South Korean life, and the country is now the biggest consumer of it outside the US. Since Spam was first launched in the US before World War II, more than seven billion of these chunky little cans have rolled off production lines - like the ones at Spam's South Korean factory in Chuncheong Province. Here you can find Classic Spam, Mild Spam, Bacon Spam, Garlic Spam…. "If you've got Spam" the slogan on the can proclaims, "you've got it all!" So, not for South Korean cans, a dusty shelf at the back of the supermarket. Humble origins Spam, and its home-grown competitors, are prime gifts for the lunar thanksgiving holiday, and they are displayed with verve, in lavish gift-boxes, sometimes topped with ribbon. The premium Black Label hamper will set you back around $75 (£50). "It has Andalucia Olive Oil, and nine tins of Spam," the company's brand manager, Shin Hyo Eun, explains. "Spam has a premium image in Korea. It's probably the most desirable gift one could receive, and to help create the high-class image, we use famous actors in our commercials. "Anyone who gets a Spam gift-set also gets a warm feeling in their heart." Spam does have a different image here, compared with the West. Where else would television commercials show a young couple ditching their romantic dinner to head home for a plate of Spam? But its origins here are much more humble. Smuggled spam Spam was introduced to Korea by the US army during the Korean War, when food was scarce - and meat even scarcer. Back then, people used whatever they could find to make a meal. But the appeal of Spam lasted through the years of plenty and it's now so much a part of South Korean food culture, that it's the staple ingredient in one of the country's favourite dishes: budae jigae or army stew. There are lots of restaurants specialising in it, but the most famous line one particular street, just around the corner from a US military base. One of the restaurants there is run by Ho Gi-suk. She claims to have invented Army Stew back in 1954, when someone brought her smuggled spam, sausages and bacon from the local army base. Mrs Ho made them into a spicy soup, and the rest is history. "Back then," she tells me, "there wasn't a lot to eat. But I acquired some ham and sausages… the only way to get meat in those days was to smuggle it from the army base. "We had to make do with whatever the soldiers had left over; sometimes it was turkey, sometimes Spam. We'd make a stew with whatever came out, and my recipe was copied and spread throughout Korea." Army Stew is now well-established as part of South Korea's culinary landscape - as traditional here as Spam gift-sets for thanksgiving. "It's salty, and greasy, and goes very well with the spices," one customer told me. "Korean soup and American ham - it's the perfect fusion food."

एशिया इस सप्ताह वार्षिक चंद्र धन्यवाद अवकाश मना रहा है। दक्षिण कोरिया में, जहाँ इसे चुसेक के नाम से जाना जाता है, यह अवकाश परिवार से मिलने, पूर्वजों को सम्मान देने... और स्पैम के डिब्बाबंद डिब्बे देने और प्राप्त करने के द्वारा मनाया जाता है।


Your pictures on the theme of 'garden creatures'

Summary: We asked our readers to send in their pictures on the theme of "garden creatures". Here are some of the pictures sent to us from around the world.

The next theme is "My summer" and the deadline for entries is 1 September 2020. Send pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or follow the link below to "Upload your pictures here". Further details and terms can be found by following the link to "We set the theme, you take the picture" at the bottom of the page. All photographs subject to copyright.

हमने अपने पाठकों से "उद्यान जीव" विषय पर अपनी तस्वीरें भेजने के लिए कहा। यहाँ दुनिया भर से हमें भेजी गई कुछ तस्वीरें हैं।


Slough Tesco car park murder: Man arrested in Birmingham

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a man who was stabbed to death in a Tesco underground car park.

Nadeem Uddin Hameed Mohammed, 24, from Southall in west London, was found injured near the store in Wellington Street, Slough, on Wednesday afternoon and died later in hospital. A post-mortem examination found he died from a stab wound to the chest. Police arrested a 26-year-old man from Slough in Birmingham on Thursday evening. He remains in custody. Det Supt Ian Hunter said he was still appealing for anyone with information to come forward. He added that the victim's family had been informed of the arrest. Related Internet Links Thames Valley Police

टेस्को भूमिगत कार पार्क में चाकू मारकर हत्या करने के संदेह में एक व्यक्ति को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


DUP adviser 'said fill our boots' over RHI, inquiry hears

Summary: A former DUP adviser allegedly said "we could fill our boots" with money from NI's flawed green energy scheme because he believed it was coming from the Treasury, an inquiry has heard.

By Jayne McCormackBBC News NI Political Reporter The claim was made by senior civil servant Andrew McCormick. He was appearing on the final day of evidence at the RHI inquiry. The scheme was set up in 2012 to boost uptake of eco-friendly heat systems, but huge subsidies led to a £490m bill for Northern Ireland taxpayers. Friday marks day 111 of oral evidence heard by the panel, which is being chaired by Sir Patrick Coghlin. The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) inquiry was set up in January 2017 and began its hearings last November. 'Relaxed and smiling' On Friday, Mr McCormick made his claim about Andrew Crawford, who was DUP leader Arlene Foster's special adviser when she was in charge of the RHI scheme as enterprise minister. Mr McCormick, who is a former permanent secretary in the enterprise department, said Mr Crawford had made the comment to him at a dinner in October 2016. He described it as a direct conversation with Mr Crawford, who was "very relaxed and smiling". Mr McCormick said that led him to believe Mr Crawford had misunderstood how the scheme was funded, but he said evidence uncovered by the inquiry pointed to the view that Mr Crawford was aware of the potential for the abuse of the scheme and the financial impact it could have. Even after it had emerged in 2015 that there were problems with the scheme's budget, some officials were of the belief that any overspend would be paid for by the Treasury. Ultimately, that was wrong and the overspend was left for Stormont to deal with. The inquiry has already heard claims that Mr Crawford was involved in a decision to delay cost controls to the scheme in summer 2015, claims he has repeatedly denied. The four-week delay to introduce cost controls allowed a spike in about 800 applications to the scheme before the lucrative subsidy levels fell, which did the most damage to the public purse. 'Reality at Stormont' In January 2017, Mr McCormick named Andrew Crawford as the adviser who exerted influence to keep the scheme open - the DUP adviser resigned as a DUP ministerial adviser shortly after that but denied the claim. On Friday, Mr McCormick said he was told by another DUP adviser, Timothy Cairns, that "others in the party" didn't want cost controls and the "inference" was that it was Mr Crawford. He also told the inquiry that before devolution collapsed in January 2017, it had become "a reality at Stormont" that special advisers in the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers (OFMDFM) were in charge. Much of the inquiry's work has focused on the relationship between ministers and unelected special advisers, and how much power they wielded in terms of taking policy decisions. Speaking to the inquiry, Mr McCormick said he felt "ashamed" by the whole RHI debacle, as did many of his colleagues. Appearing emotional and tearful at the end of his testimony, he said he remained passionate about making Stormont's institutions work - but that everyone involved needed to find a way to "build trust". He told the inquiry he only learned in December 2016 that Department of Enterprise civil servants were communicating with industry officials about introducing cost controls in summer 2015. He received emails containing the contact - leaked anonymously to him at the time - but the inquiry has since learned that a DUP adviser leaked them to Mr McCormick and the media. It was done with the knowledge of then DUP enterprise minister, Simon Hamilton, whose permanent secretary at the time was Mr McCormick. On Tuesday, Mr Hamilton said it was not his "proudest moment", but that it had been done in a bid to shift the media pressure from the DUP onto officials. 'Disclosure was wrong' At the time, several DUP advisers had been accused of working to keep the scheme open at the behest of ex-enterprise minister Jonathan Bell, who had made a series of allegations in a BBC interview. Mr McCormick later passed the emails onto PriceWaterhouseCooper, which was carrying out an investigation into the RHI scheme for the civil service. He told the inquiry he had not authorised his officials to liaise with people in the renewable energy industry about the incoming changes. "I did not know at all - the degree of contact and disclosure was just wrong and is recognised as wrong," he said. Inquiry chair Sir Patrick Coghlin put it to him: "We know from the code there is a basis upon which officials can get in contact with potential or real stakeholders. Are you saying this contact overstepped that line?" "Yes," replied Mr McCormick. He said the first time it was drawn to his attention was when he received the envelope containing copies of the emails. He admitted officials in the department had made a number of mistakes in relation to its handling of the scheme, and that there were too many people who knew early on of red flags, but "didn't tell", including DUP advisers. Mr McCormack also told the inquiry of the "anxiety" he felt after he learned he had been secretly recorded talking to Mr Bell about the RHI scheme. He was secretly taped in conversation by the former DUP minister in late 2016. The men met as Mr Bell had requested access to departmental documents. He had lost his job as enterprise minister in May that year. A week after the meeting at which Mr McCormick was recorded, Mr Bell went public with claims he had been forced to keep the scheme open by DUP advisers. Anxiety and fear The long-standing civil servant said he was "shocked" when he received an email from Mr Bell, who told him he was going to put the tapes in the public domain. He said he had not been concentrating on what he had said, and worried he might have said something "outrageous or derogatory in an unguarded moment", given the political tensions at the time. During the discussion, Mr McCormick expressed surprise at a suggestion that the senior DUP adviser Timothy Johnston had been the instigator of the delay in adding cost controls to the scheme the previous year, although he later said Mr Johnston had been involved. On Friday, he told the inquiry he never had any knowledge of a personal role in the RHI in summer 2015 by Mr Johnston. He told the inquiry his level of anxiety and fear went up several notches when he learned of the tape. Mr McCormick said he had been told that "visibility and prominence" were not to be sought by civil servants, and he felt news of secret recordings would put him in the spotlight in "the most embarrassing way". Mr Bell has told the inquiry he made the recordings because he wanted to have a "valid record of what my concerns were". He said he regarded Mr McCormick as a "person of integrity", but that as in late 2016, he was no longer enterprise minister he wanted to have his own account of events, as he could not access information as easily from the enterprise department by that stage. 'Shoulder to cry on' Meanwhile, DUP MP Ian Paisley has described Mr Bell as "Walter Mitty in the flesh" over his version of events around the RHI scandal. A written statement by Mr Paisley to the public inquiry has been published. In March, the MP for North Antrim was accused of being involved in an "intimidating" lobbying phone call on behalf of an RHI applicant. He told the Commons the inquiry chair Sir Patrick Coghlin had been "putting words in the mouth" of a witness. His written statement said Mr Bell came to his home in December 2016, before appearing on BBC's Nolan Show where he gave an explosive interview claiming DUP advisers had stopped him from closing the flawed scheme. Mr Paisley said Mr Bell did not tell him he was going to go on the Nolan Show. He also said it appeared the former minister wanted a "shoulder to cry on" over the scandal. "Frankly, I listened out of interest and, at times, amusement as he outpoured his incredible view of his place in government," he added. "I was aware I had just met Walter Mitty in the flesh and I believe Jonathan Bell believed he had just met someone who would support his assertions. Only one of us was correct." On Friday, the inquiry chair Sir Patrick Coghlin set out the timescale for what happens next at the inquiry. Sir Patrick said in light of evidence, it was necessary to adjust the timescales. He said more time will be allowed to allow witnesses to submit written statements. The additional hearings will be held on 12, 13, and 14 December as necessary, he added. 'Objective and accurate' The inquiry was due to return for a couple of days in December to hear closing statements from some of the core participants - that will be extended to a third day. Sir Patrick said the inquiry had prided itself on being "dynamic and flexible" and described the extension as a "modest adjustment". Last month, Sir Patrick had warned the media not to "sensationalise" some of the evidence that had been heard. However. on Friday, he said he accepted the media coverage had been "clear, objective and accurate". He was grateful for that and need not have issued a "degree of caution", he added.

एक पूर्व डीयूपी सलाहकार ने कथित तौर पर कहा कि हम एन. आई. की त्रुटिपूर्ण हरित ऊर्जा योजना से धन ले सकते हैं क्योंकि उनका मानना था कि यह कोषागार से आ रहा था, एक जांच में पता चला है।


Saudis seek virtual freedoms denied in real life

Summary: When it comes to freedoms, human rights organisations will tell you Saudi Arabia doesn't have the best track record. And perhaps because compared to elsewhere there is limited personal freedom, defiance across the region has gone digital.

BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why In this part of the BBC's special series "Saudis on social" we tell the stories of three anonymous accounts on Twitter which all tell of searching for virtual freedom in Saudi Arabia. But what impact does this secret life have on those who live this way? "Hussein" tells of what life is like for a religious minority in the kingdom. 20-year-old "Youssef" tells of the perils of being a transsexual in Saudi Arabia. "Mazen" lost his eyesight when he was seven. Here he tells how online tools for the blind changed his world and gave him freedom of faith. To follow and join the conversation about life in Saudi Arabia, search for the hashtag #SaudisOnSocial. Produced by Mai Noman Animations by Ashley Choukeir and illustrations by Hanane Kai

जब स्वतंत्रता की बात आती है, तो मानवाधिकार संगठन आपको बताएँगे कि सऊदी अरब का ट्रैक रिकॉर्ड सबसे अच्छा नहीं है। और शायद इसलिए कि कहीं और की तुलना में सीमित व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता है, पूरे क्षेत्र में अवज्ञा डिजिटल हो गई है।


Totnes: The way forward for the UK's ailing High Streets?

Summary: Beneath a chorus of church bells and seagulls, the steep hill of Totnes High Street is coming to life. This small Devon town is famous for being passionate about its local economy; it even has its own currency. And Totnes hit the headlines this year when it said a resounding "No" to High Street giant Costa Coffee.

By Rebecca WearnBusiness reporter, BBC News, Totnes Could this be the secret to a thriving High Street? Totnes has a shop vacancy rate of just 6% - less than half the national average. Eight out of 10 businesses there are independent. Compare that to the national average, where around 68% of retailers are independent, and Totnes is definitely different. But the big question remains: is having so many small shops sustainable? Could this even work far away from the idyll? Would going independent save more British High Streets? No. Not according to Arnold Wilcox-Wood. The manager of The Rock, a shopping and entertainment centre in Bury, Lancashire, says that the big names are the big draws. "We would never even build a shopping centre without our anchor tenants - they bring in the volume," he explained. The Rock does have a number of smaller, independent stores, "but they feed off the volume of people coming to visit Debenhams or, M&S," he said. Competitive edge And there's certainly evidence of the UK's love affair with spending in the big stores. On Tuesday, British Retail Consortium figures confirmed that sales in December were pretty flat across the UK. But this week Debenhams, Next and John Lewis have all reported bumper results. It suggests that if we're willing to part with our cash anywhere, it's with brands like these. The big companies do of course have a competitive edge - they have the buying power to secure the cheapest deals, and the capacity to support a loss when discounting. It's much harder if you're a one-man operation, but not impossible. "There's a bit of a perception problem, but actually independents are very competitively priced," said Michael Weedon, from the British Independent Retailers Association. "They're more value-sensitive than other shops, and often group together to improve buying power." And let's not forget that chain retails are vulnerable too. In just the last year Game Group, Peacocks, Past Times and Clinton Cards have all fallen into administration. Perhaps just as small shops need help from the big boys for footfall, the chains need independents in order to keep a High Street vibrant, lively and different. No one likes shopping in a clone town. This is certainly true in Totnes. Lisa Hosking, who runs two independents on the High Street, Wild Fig Deli and Aromatika, a beauty products firm, thinks independents make Totnes a destination. "People travel here from all over; it makes people want to shop here." Friendly Darren Thorne and his partner Lucy Hornsey, from Seeds2Bakery, agree: "It's bringing people into town, but what's best is that all the retailers here are working together instead of trying to compete with each other." Throughout the morning in Totnes there was evidence of this: the greengrocers were taking boxes of produce to the cafes, the bakeries preparing quiches for the delis. Everyone knew each other and were interested in one another's business plans. It is this incredible amicability that sets Totnes apart. But it's much tougher in the real world of business. Despite everyone claiming to love independents, most of us are hooked on supermarkets and chains - if only for convenience and value. Smaller retailers are a treat to be savoured, but not the saviours of our High Streets. BBC Breakfast is visiting a number of High Streets across the UK this week to ask what kinds of shops ensure retail success. Coming up: could leisure trump shopping in our town centres, and what empty shops can become once the clearance sales are over.

चर्च की घंटियों और सीगल के एक समूह के नीचे, टोटनेस हाई स्ट्रीट की खड़ी पहाड़ी जीवंत हो रही है। यह छोटा डेवोन शहर अपनी स्थानीय अर्थव्यवस्था के बारे में भावुक होने के लिए प्रसिद्ध है; यहाँ तक कि इसकी अपनी मुद्रा भी है। और टोटनेस इस साल सुर्खियों में आया जब उसने हाई स्ट्रीट की दिग्गज कंपनी कोस्टा कॉफी को "नहीं" कहा।


Brexit: Theresa May being urged to 'take back control'

Summary: How tough is Theresa May? She has a death stare which makes Gordon Brown look, by comparison, like the kind of prime minister who'd be dead-legged by a nine-year-old in a school playground.

John PienaarDeputy political editor@JPonpoliticson Twitter But is she as tough as she looks? Or is Mrs May merely stubborn? And cautious? And rather indecisive? For a prime minister who has - or at least, once had - a reputation for strength, Theresa May's now spending a surprising amount of time being urged behind closed doors in Downing Street to stand up, and face down, the hard-line Brexiteers in her own party. A stream of Tory MPs have been urging Mrs May to defy the hard-line Brexiteers for the sake of striking compromises to achieve what they're calling a sensible Brexit. Three former Cabinet ministers were the latest through the door. Amber Rudd, Justine Greening and her former deputy Damian Green. Green told me, in an interview for BBC Radio 4's World at One: "There's a danger of assuming that those who shout the loudest represent the most and I think there is a silent majority within the parliamentary party that wants Brexit, that accepts that Brexit is going to happen, but wants it to be a pragmatic and sensible Brexit that means, above all, there's no disruption if we can achieve that." What, then, about the whispered threat among Brexiteers that Mrs May might face a vote of no confidence, if she strays too far from the Brexit straight and narrow? Was he sure she'd win? "Certainly that, but I think even before that, the vast majority of my colleagues, even those who have been very strongly campaigning for Brexit, recognise that this is absolutely not the time to do that sort of thing." So what might a so-called sensible Brexit look like? While Cabinet ministers search for agreement on Britain's future customs relationship with the EU - a search which, I'm hearing, is getting nowhere fast - attention's focussing on getting Brussels to agree to the fall-back plan of extending a customs deal until new trade deals are struck, and ensuring British borders have the staff and high-tech equipment to cope. Meanwhile, at Westminster, there is more talk among Tory MPs than many people suppose about perhaps extending some form of single market relationship at the same time. The former head of Theresa May's Policy Board, ex-minister George Freeman, certainly thinks so. And look closely for a phrase which seems to have become fashionable. "The silent majority of the Conservative parliamentary party want the prime minister, and support the prime minister in negotiating a deal where we have as frictionless and as cost-free access to the European market as we can negotiate, and the freedom to do our own deals with the emerging economies," he told me. "The mood in the parliamentary party is that the balance of probability falls in terms of staying with our existing market, and the burden of proof falls with those emerging trade deals. If we see them and begin to see what they could be worth then the mood shifts. But right now the vast majority of Conservative MPs want to deliver a prosperity Brexit." Maybe so, but getting even broad agreement among MPs would be tough. Getting agreement in Brussels, maybe tougher still. And there's a view among senior Tories that it would take a parliamentary defeat at the hands of Tory rebels and Labour opponents to force Theresa May's hand. Or untie them, depending on your point of view. The Tory rebels' unofficial chief whip in the Commons is Stephen Hammond. Were the rebels who are threatening to vote to stay in the EU Customs Union holding firm? Ready to defeat the Government? The answer was "yes... if forced". "But we're a long way away from that. I am trying to work with the government, as a number of others are, to make sure that we can get what the prime minister wants, which is frictionless trade. We need to start concentrating on the interests of British industry. And therefore if in the short term, we need a longer period in the customs union to sort out our new customs arrangements, that's what the government should do," he said. Ask me Share this bot. Committed, convinced, Brexiteers insist enough compromises have already been made. Peter Bone doesn't shout. He's quite softly spoken. But still manages to make himself clear. "There have been lots and lots of compromises by people who believe in Brexit to keep everyone together," he said. "But there are certain things that we've compromised enough on to get agreement and we really can't go any further on those. We shouldn't be listening to people who shout the loudest, we should be talking to everyone and trying to create an agreement that everyone can support. But that has to be based on what the British people voted for." To state the obvious, Brexit's a struggle. With Brussels. In the Tory party. And remember the wrangling in the Labour Party will be every bit as crucial to the outcome - whatever that may be. But just now, the silent majority in the Tory party, if that's what they are, are keen to give a new meaning to the Brexiteer's favourite slogan. The one about "Taking back control".

थेरेसा मे कितनी सख्त हैं? उनकी एक मौत की नज़र है जो गॉर्डन ब्राउन की तुलना में, उस तरह के प्रधान मंत्री की तरह दिखती है, जिसे स्कूल के खेल के मैदान में नौ साल के बच्चे द्वारा मृत पैर दिए जाते हैं।