Covid: Wales' school return could start after half-term

Summary: Primary school children could begin a phased return to school just after half-term if Covid rates continue to fall, Wales' first minister has said.

Ministers have been under pressure to set out plans for a return to face-to-face teaching after weeks of lockdown. Mark Drakeford said the tough "alert level four" restrictions would remain for another three weeks. However, from Saturday people will be able to meet one other person from another household to exercise. And changes to rules on bubbles would allow people "to dissolve the bubble they're in at the moment and reform it with another household, provided there's a 10-day gap between the two," he added. Mr Drakeford told the Welsh Government's Friday coronavirus briefing if infections continued to fall the youngest primary school pupils may be able to return from 22 February. The BBC was later told this would be children in the foundation phase of primary school. "Our children and young people have had a torrid time, over the last 12 months, they are missing out on education, every week," said Mr Drakeford. He added he hoped older pupils and college students who had to do vocational examinations could also have a phased return to schools and colleges after half-term. Mr Drakeford said he wanted "everything to be on the table", including whether having smaller groups of children in school - or having pupils go in for part-weeks - would be possible. However, he warned things could still change, adding "things we don't know about today could emerge, even before half-term". What do parents think? For mum-of-two Charlotte Harding, from Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taf, the possibility of the youngest years returning to school is "positive" news. She said home-schooling her sons, six-year-old Harrison and eight-year-old Ethan, has been "hard to navigate" and "difficult". "My eight-year-old has been emotionally drained, I think it is related to having a lack of routine and structure," she said. "It is the fact they aren't integrating with children their own age, that they are mentally missing out." However, Tasha Hughes, from Neath Port Talbot, who has a six-year-old child, said she did not understand the decision. "I'm just not understanding, one minute it's not safe and the next it is but as far as children and teachers are concerned nothing has changed," she said. "Why are teachers not getting the vaccine if they are made to open back up? They also have families to protect." Mother-of-four Jo Herschell from Swansea, who has eight-year-old twins, a six-year-old and 11-year-old, said that although it was "devastating they've missed so much school", it feels too soon to be going back. "I also feel that we've made these sacrifices and if we go back too soon we'll just keep repeating the cycle over and over," she said. "It's more disruptive, I feel, in the long term than if we kept it a few more weeks, we were a bit more sure and then we had a chance of it being the last time that schools are going to have to close." With two of her children having been diagnosed with additional learning needs, routine is essential, she added. "Every time they go back to school that's really difficult and every time they're off that's difficult. Last term, between different isolations, they only attended seven days of school from October 22 'til Christmas and so that's really disruptive for the children and for myself and as a family," she added. When do Welsh schools go back? The first minister told Friday's briefing he wanted to give "two clear weeks' notice" about plans for a phased return. He added that while the situation in Wales was improving, lockdown restrictions must continue for another three weeks "to allow the NHS to recover". Wales' chief medical officer Frank Atherton said on Wednesday the headroom to relax restrictions was "really quite limited". The Welsh Government decided to close schools to the majority of pupils as concerns grew about the new variant of coronavirus, which was blamed for the rise in cases seen before Christmas. Schools remained closed except to vulnerable children, and those whose parents are key workers. Mr Drakeford said he "understands the anxieties" teaching staff might have in returning back to the classroom. He told Friday's briefing the Welsh Government would do everything it could to work with teachers and unions to ensure the workplace was "as safe as it can be" before they return to school. What's happening across the UK? Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said 8 March was the earliest date schools in England could reopen and that "depends on lots of things going right". In Northern Ireland pupils will not return to school until 8 March at the earliest, while rules on lockdown restrictions in Scotland are to be reviewed on 2 February. With regard to a four nations approach to schools reopening, Mr Drakeford said the falling numbers of Covid cases in Wales had allowed him to make the move. Mr Drakeford told Friday's briefing there was "unlikely to be much headroom" for further coronavirus restrictions in Wales to be lifted at the time of the next review. He said: "If things were to continue in the direction they are now, where things are going well, then more headroom may emerge in the month of March." Alert level three would allow the reopening of schools, higher education, pubs and hospitality businesses - with rules on alcohol sales and opening times - and non-essential retail, among others. He told the briefing that his government would not rely on a "crude" single piece of data to decide whether to confirm the plans for schools. Mr Drakeford said a "combination of factors" would be considered before children could begin returning to schools in Wales including the rate of cases per 100,000 people, Covid test positivity rate, hospital numbers and "the mitigation measures that we are able to put in place in schools". "The key thing is the trend - those numbers need to continue to fall," he said. When asked whether the Welsh Government would prioritise vaccinating teachers and school staff, after the first four priority groups set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have been vaccinated, he said he would "follow the advice of the JCVI". 'No play dates' Deputy head teacher Rachel Antoniazzi, at Thornhill Primary School in Cardiff, said the announcement was a "welcome return" and parents in Wales would be "breathing a huge sigh of relief". "The bigger concern is that parents take this seriously and that when children return to school, that it's not like a return to normality, so they don't begin play dates and sleepovers, thinking it's normal," she said. Laura Doel, director of school leaders' union NAHT Cymru, said there were "still too many unknowns" - such as vaccine efficacy and infection rates - to put the 22 February date "firmly in the diary yet". Ms Doel added the teaching workforce should also be prioritised for vaccinations. Eithne Hughes, director of the association of schools, colleges and leaders in Wales (ASCL Cymru), described the plan to allow the youngest school pupils to return as a "sensible first step" as school learning is "so important to their development". Sally Holland, the children's commissioner for Wales, urged ministers to set out the "milestones" needed to be reached before children returned. On Wednesday, Dr Atherton said the outbreak was "shrinking rather than growing", but rates were still "way too high". However, Mr Drakeford told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast there would be "minor adjustments" to lockdown rules - including bubbles and exercise. What changes are there to exercise rules? From Saturday people will be allowed to meet one person from another household to exercise in a public outdoor place. Runner Michelle Graham from Cardiff said: "This is such good news. It's been really, really hard to keep training, just to keep running, when all you can do is go out and run on your own. "I'm supposed to be training for an ultramarathon in June and a couple of marathons later on in the year, fingers crossed, if everything goes ahead. "But just getting out there on your own, day in day out - it's going to be so great to be able to run with someone else. Really, really excited about today's news." In Friday's briefing, Mr Drakeford said the change was in response to "messages we've heard from women about not feeling safe" when exercising at this time of year. He added they would still have to leave from "your own front door and return to your own front door". The Welsh Government said social distancing must be maintained and children under 11 were allowed to accompany adults. How are bubbles affected? Mr Drakeford said changes to rules on bubbles from tomorrow would allow people "to dissolve the bubble they're in at the moment and reform it with another household, provided there's a 10-day gap between the two". He said "weeks into this some people will have moved, some relationships will have changed." Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies has called for a "route map out of lockdown" which included "crucial targets concerning the roll-out of coronavirus jabs, falling numbers of infections and the reopening of schools and businesses". Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price urged a raft of new measures, including making medical grade masks compulsory for everyone and increasing the level and flexibility of the self-isolation support. Find out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average: A modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection are required to view this interactive. How many cases and deaths in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out If you can't see the look-up click here. The postcode search has been updated to replace data for health boards in Scotland with data for local councils. In England, data for county councils has been replaced with data for district councils. Figures for boroughs and unitary authorities remain unchanged.

वेल्स के प्रथम मंत्री ने कहा है कि यदि कोविड की दर में गिरावट जारी रहती है तो प्राथमिक विद्यालय के बच्चे आधे कार्यकाल के बाद चरणबद्ध तरीके से स्कूल लौट सकते हैं।


Kim Jong-nam death: Unravelling the mystery

Summary: It's got all the markings of a John Le Carre novel: the killing of the North Korean leader's brother with one of the deadliest chemical weapons created by man. But who by? And why? Many questions remain unanswered.

Here's a look back at how the killing unfolded, the details that emerged, and the subsequent accusations and diplomatic row. 13 February - The airport attack He was waiting at a budget departure hall inside Kuala Lumpur international airport when the attack happened. Leaked CCTV footage would later show the 45-year-old man loitering in the budget terminal, a rucksack slung over his shoulder, ahead of his return flight to the Chinese territory of Macau at 10:00. Suddenly a woman in a long-sleeve white top approaches him from behind. Her hands grab his face, before she walks away. It's not clear if she uses a cloth or her bare hands to touch his face. The attack is over in a matter of seconds. The man reportedly told airport staff that "someone had grabbed him from behind and splashed a liquid on his face". He sought medical help at the airport, but later died en route to hospital. A day later, he was confirmed to be Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 14 February - The media catches up Reports on the attack first start to emerge in South Korean media, who name the man as Kim Jong-nam - it's not until two days later that Malaysia confirms his identity. To complicate matters, he was travelling on a passport under the name Kim Chol. It was not the first time Mr Kim had travelled under an assumed identity: he was caught trying to enter Japan using a false passport in 2001. He told officials he had been planning to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Many believe it was this incident that led to his father's decision to pass him over for leadership, forcing him to live a life in exile. During a time of estrangement from his family, Mr Kim became one of the regime's highest-profile critics. Theories abound that North Korea might have been involved in his murder - what some are already calling an assassination - despite a lack of proof. South Korea was one of the first to point the finger at its northern neighbour. 15 February - First arrest Malaysian authorities begin the autopsy, ignoring demands from North Korea to send the body back for investigation. Meanwhile, the first person suspected of involvement in the attack is arrested: a 28-year-old Vietnamese woman named Doan Thi Huong. Police say she was identified from CCTV footage taken at the airport, where she was seen wearing a white top emblazoned with the letters "LOL". 16 February - Confirmation and further arrests Four days after the airport attack, Malaysia's deputy prime minister officially confirms the dead man is Kim Jong-nam. Another female suspect, Siti Aisyah, a 25-year-old Indonesian, is named and arrested. Her Malaysian boyfriend, Muhammad Farid Jalaluddin, is briefly questioned by police. 17 February - 'It was a prank' Events take a bizarre turn when Siti Aisyah tells police she thought she was taking part in a bizarre TV prank with Mr Kim. Indonesia's most senior policeman, Tito Karnavian, said Ms Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong had performed the prank on other men - persuading them to close their eyes before spraying them with water. "She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents," Mr Karnavian told reporters. Tensions between Malaysia and North Korea also start to simmer after North Korea's ambassador to the country says Pyongyang will reject the results of the autopsy - he does not trust the inquiry, he says. Malaysia also refuses to hand over the body until it receives a DNA sample from Mr Kim's next-of-kin. 18 - 19 February - North Koreans implicated Malaysian police arrest the first North Korean person over Mr Kim's death - a 46-year-old man called Ri Jong Chol. A day later, Malaysian police widen their search to include four more suspects, all men from North Korea. They are named as: Ri Ji Hyon, 33; Hong Song Hac, 34; O Jong Gil, 55, and Ri Jae Nam, 57. The deputy police chief said the men had left Malaysia on 13 February, the day Mr Kim was killed, after arriving on different days within the previous fortnight. International police agency Interpol are later requested to issue an alert for the suspects. At the same time, South Korea explicitly states it believes its northern neighbour was behind the killing of Kim Jong-nam. 20 February - Diplomatic row Tensions between North Korea and Malaysia threaten to turn into a full-blown diplomatic row as the latter recalls its ambassador from the North Korean capital Pyongyang and summons the North Korean ambassador "to seek an explanation". Fuji TV airs grainy CCTV footage of the attack for the first time. The lady with the white top emblazoned with the letters "LOL" is seen lunging at Kim Jong-nam. 21 February - No family ID Malaysian authorities say they are unable to formally identify the body because no family member has come forward. Security is high at the Kuala Lumpur mortuary, amid widespread speculation Mr Kim's son, Kim Han-sol, might travel to Malaysia. Malaysia and North Korea continue to trade harsh words as the situation escalates. 22 February - Embassy official in firing line A senior North Korean embassy official is named as one of two men wanted in connection with the killing as the investigation widens. The men are Hyon Kwang Song, 44, the second secretary of the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur and Kim Uk II, 37, who works for North Korean airliner Air Koryo. Malaysian police also confirm Mr Kim died after two women wiped a toxin on his face while he was waiting for his flight to Macau. 23 February: The blame game continues North Korea appears to blame Kim Jong-nam's death on Malaysia, without actually naming him. The state news agency KCNA said only that "a citizen of the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]" travelling on a diplomatic passport had died due to "a heart stroke". Reports of poisoning were false, it said, slamming Malaysia for holding an autopsy without North Korea's permission. It is the first time North Korean state media have referred to Mr Kim's killing. 24 February - Deadly nerve agent One of the deadliest chemical weapons created by man is confirmed by Malaysia to have been the nerve agent that killed Kim Jong-nam. Just a small drop of VX, which is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations, can kill a person within minutes. One of the woman who attacked Mr Kim suffered symptoms of vomiting, which Malaysian officials say was probably due to exposure to the agent. Weapons expert Bruce Bennett says a small quantity of VX was likely to have been put on cloths used by the attackers to touch his face, with a separate spray possibly used as a diversion. Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar previously said the fact the woman who accosted Mr Kim immediately went to wash her hands showed she was "very aware" that she had been handling a toxin. It would have begun affecting his nervous system immediately, causing first shaking and then death within minutes. VX is not available commercially, which experts say points to some kind of government involvement. There are a number of North Korean organisations capable of directing such an attack, including the exclusive Guard Command.

इसमें जॉन ले कैरे के उपन्यास के सभी निशान हैंः उत्तर कोरियाई नेता के भाई की मानव द्वारा बनाए गए सबसे घातक रासायनिक हथियारों में से एक के साथ हत्या। लेकिन किसके द्वारा? और क्यों? कई सवाल अनुत्तरित हैं।


Hurricane Irma: Barbudans tell of daring rescues and loss

Summary: Survivors of Hurricane Irma, which devastated the tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda, have told tales of sheltering in cupboards as the winds tore the roof from their homes, death-defying escapes during the eye of the storm, miraculous rescues and heart-wrenching losses.

By Gemma HandyCodrington, Barbuda The island - once described by the late Princess Diana as the only place she could find peace - is today an expanse of rubble, its charming buildings and rustic surrounds little match for Hurricane Irma. Almost apocalyptic in its devastation, the wrath of one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the Atlantic is evidenced in the smashed ruins of Barbuda's candy-coloured homes, the hopeless faces of residents who have lost everything they own, and the haunted eyes of their children. The smell of decaying animals hits us a few moments before we come across the bloated corpses of sheep, lambs and goats, akimbo and undignified, among a mangled mass of uprooted trees. Irma also wiped out a vast stretch of west coast beach, once a valuable nesting area for critically endangered hawksbill turtles, fringing a lagoon supporting one of the world's largest colonies of frigate birds. All of Barbuda's 1,800 residents were ordered to evacuate the 62 sq mile (160 sq km) island on Friday as Hurricane Jose approached, amid fears of more fatalities should anybody remain inside the precarious remaining structures. 'I have never been so scared in my life' Irma had already claimed the life of a two-year-old boy, ripped from a woman's arms as she clung desperately to a post after the storm ripped the roof from her house. Sira Berzas, 40, related how she and a friend were forced to seek cover on two wardrobe shelves as the wind and rain tore apart their house. "When the roof came off the bedroom, we tried to get to the kitchen but everything was flying around too much. We ended up in the wardrobe for an hour and 10 minutes," Ms Berzas said. "I have never been so scared in my life. Jackie and I were holding on to each other and basically saying our goodbyes. "When the eye came, we ran outside in our underwear screaming for help. Luckily there was a police truck which took us to a safer building." Ms Berzas lost her Pink Sand Beach home and adjacent bar and restaurant which she opened in 2016. The business was uninsured. "I have never, ever cried so much," she added. 'The disaster services office is a disaster' Jamieson and Amy George, and their son Kelijah, 10, spent two and a half hours huddled in the shower of their house in Codrington as Irma wreaked havoc across Barbuda early on Wednesday morning. "The noise was like howling and pounding; I have never heard anything like it," Mr George said. "Later we came out to find everything destroyed; it's the worst I have ever seen in my whole life." From Madison Square, Codrington's erstwhile hub, to the K-Club, which had been under redevelopment by actor Robert De Niro, the scale of the destruction is mind-blowing. The Extra Man bar, usually a hive of activity, is shattered and ghostly quiet, along with the town's tiny grocery stores, ice cream parlour and church. Even the Disaster Services office is a disaster. 'I rescued an old blind lady' Policeman Philsbert George was in an upstairs room at the police station in Codrington when he realised the roof was about to collapse. "I dashed out to the pick-up truck but it was already wrecked," he recalled. "There was water everywhere. During the eye, I rescued an old blind lady; I had to throw her over my shoulder but we didn't make it to the shelter before the winds started up again. I took her to a neighbour's house instead. "I was acting on sheer adrenalin, I couldn't even think," he added. Over at the "River" dock, Barbudans and their few salvaged possessions were preparing to board boats, usually used for tourist excursions, to take them to safety in Antigua. Beautymey John said she did not know where she and her five children would go upon arrival. "I would rather stay here; it doesn't feel right to leave. We have to try and start again," she said. Maurice George, a teacher, vowed to return to Barbuda as soon as the secondary school he works in reopens. And Frederique Bonfils, who is originally from France but moved to Barbuda in 1996, said: "People will not desert Barbuda for anything. This is their home, their land. They are not the type of people to give up." Gulliver Johnson Francis, from Forest Gate, in London, agreed. Mr Francis, who has a Barbudan mother and moved to Antigua in 2001, said: "I came to check on a couple of properties we have in Codrington. I didn't think they would be too badly damaged, then I got here and it was like Hiroshima." He added: "I couldn't believe it. But the only thing to match the strength of the hurricane is the resilience of the people. They are determined to rebuild and are just thankful to be alive."

तूफान इरमा से बचे लोगों, जिसने छोटे कैरेबियाई द्वीप बारबुडा को तबाह कर दिया था, ने अलमारियों में शरण लेने की कहानियाँ सुनाई हैं क्योंकि हवाओं ने उनके घरों की छत को फाड़ दिया, तूफान की नजर में मृत्यु-विरोधी पलायन, चमत्कारी बचाव और दिल दहला देने वाले नुकसान।


NI 100: The new state emerges from a tumultuous decade

Summary: Just over a century ago, Ireland was united as one island under British rule. But that was just about to change forever.

By Ciaran McCauley BBC News NI With the passing of the Government of Ireland Act by Westminster on 23 December 1920, the island would be partitioned, with new governments to be formed in Dublin and Belfast to oversee two new jurisdictions. This was the culmination of one of the most tumultuous decades in Irish, and European history and set the path to an eventual Irish Republic. Below we look at the years between 1916 and 1922 and the key moments that led to partition and the establishment of Northern Ireland. The road to 1916 In the decades before 1921, the key phrase when it came to Ireland was not independence or partition - it was home rule, in which Ireland would get more say in how it was governed, via a devolved Irish parliament, but still remain part of the United Kingdom. In the 1880s, Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell led the parliamentary charge in efforts to secure an Irish government. The first Home Rule Bill was defeated in Westminster in 1886 as well as another in 1893 - but in 1914, a third bill passed. This was despite fierce anti-home rule sentiment from the unionist population, the majority of of whom lived in of Ireland's north-eastern counties, who felt alienated by the idea of being ruled by a parliament in Dublin. Their grievance led to the formation of a military organisation, the Ulster Volunteers (later the Ulster Volunteer Force), under the leadership of redoubtable Dublin-born unionist Edward Carson. In response, the Irish Volunteers were formed to underline the demand for home rule amongst many Irish people. It seemed inevitable that this backdrop of escalating tensions would give way to sustained violence - but the outbreak of World War One turned everyone's attention from Ireland to Europe. The war's impact on events in Ireland could not have been more crucial, particularly in 1916. April 1916: Easter Rising On Easter Monday, a coalition of Irish rebel forces stand on the steps of Dublin's General Post Office (GPO) and read a proclamation declaring the establishment of an Irish republic. This is the start of the Easter Rising, in which the rebels sought to assert Ireland's "national right to freedom and sovereignty". After a week of conflict, in which much of Dublin's city centre is destroyed under a barrage of artillery fire, the rebels surrender. A total of 450 people are killed, among them 64 rebels. 2,614 were injured, and nine others were reported missing, almost all in Dublin. The rising does not gain wide support among Irish people. But the British government's decision to execute 15 of its leaders, arrest more than 3,500 men and women and impose martial law throughout Ireland provoked outrage and sympathy for its cause. July 1916: The Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme begins - its opening day would prove to be the bloodiest in the Army's history, with a total of 19,240 British troops killed within 24 hours. Almost a tenth of those who die that first day are from the 36th Ulster Division, a unit mainly made up of members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, formed three years previously to block home rule. Many expect the death of so many Ulstermen at the Somme to be seen as a loss that would be remembered, and rewarded, by Britain when the issue of home rule came up in the future. July 1917: The Irish Convention Prime Minister David Lloyd George calls for an Irish Convention with the aim of coming up with parliamentary solutions that would be acceptable to all shades of public opinion. The event brings together more than 100 delegates - nationalists, unionists (both from Ulster and the south) and many others. However Sinn Féin, already increasingly popular in the aftermath of the Easter Rising, refuses to participate. The Irish Parliamentary Party, a party dedicated to securing home rule, agrees to take part but its credibility, already damaged by the swell in popularity of Sinn Féin, takes another hit when the convention failed to reach any agreement by the time it issues a final report in March 1918. April 18: Conscription crisis The UK government passes a bill introducing conscription in Ireland, but the backlash unites Irish political parties and the Catholic Church in opposition. The government faces particular criticism for linking the passage of conscription with the introduction of home rule, leading Irish MPs to walk out of Westminster. In May, the Lord Lieutenant in Ireland - the highest ranking British official in the country - orders the arrest of 73 Sinn Féin members, including its leaders Arthur Griffiths and Éamon de Valera, claiming that the party is conspiring with German forces against the British. No evidence of a conspiracy ever emerges. US involvement in WW1, which helped turn the tide in Europe, leads the government to drop its plans for conscription in Ireland, but the months of strife lead to even more support for the independence-seeking Sinn Féin party. November 1918: World War One ends About 210,000 Irishmen served and more than 35,000 were killed. December 1918: A resounding victory for Sinn Féin Sinn Féin secures 73 of the 105 Irish seats in Westminster during the general election. The diminishing Irish Parliamentary Party is almost wiped out, winning only six seats despite previously controlling 67. The other 22 seats are won by Irish unionists. Sinn Féin members, as per their manifesto, do not take their seats. Among them is Countess Markievicz, an Easter Rising rebel held in prison, who becomes the first woman ever elected to Parliament. The party vows to form the first Daíl Eireann (Irish parliament). January 1919: A new parliament - and a new war Sinn Féin members form Dáil Éireann, a breakaway parliament that is the first iteration of what would become the modern-day seat of Irish politics. Invitations are sent to all elected Irish MPs, including unionists, but others did not attend. The members proclaim an Irish Republic and demand British withdrawal from Ireland. On the same day, 120 miles away in County Tipperary, Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteers, acting on their own initiative, ambush and kill two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) officers at Soloheadbeg. These deaths are considered the first in the Irish War of Independence, a war between British forces and the guerrilla members of the IRA that lasts more than two years and kills about 2,000 people. September 1919: Long Committee paves the way to partition With World War One over and the Paris Peace Talks having secured the Treaty of Versailles to officially settle the peace, Westminster's attention once again returns to its commitment of home rule. However, the task is now considerably more difficult than it was in 1914 when home rule was agreed - both unionists in the north, who want to remain under Westminster's rule, and nationalists in the south, who want complete independence, oppose the move. David Lloyd George, the prime minister, tasks the Long Committee - led by unionist Walter Long - with recommending how to implement home rule. It suggests two home rule parliaments, one in Belfast for a new northern state, and one in Dublin for the south. Unionists come to reluctantly support the move. These findings would form the basis of the Government of Ireland Act, the legislation that would officially introduce partition into the statute books. February 1920: Bill published The Government of Ireland Bill emerges on 27 February and, with it, details on partition. Originally, the Long Committee recommended that the northern parliament control the nine counties of Ulster. However, unionists who come to support the committee's recommendations instead argue for only six counties - Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone - as those counties had more substantial unionist populations than those in the three other Ulster counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan. Summer 1920: Rising violence in the north In parts of the north, particularly Belfast and Londonderry, the year had been characterised by spiralling sectarian tensions, which then begin to spill over into significant disorder. Derry is engulfed in sectarian skirmishes between the IRA and UVF - in one week in June, 20 people are killed and scores more injured. In July 1920, rioting breaks out in Belfast, the first of what would become regular flaring of sectarian violence. Between this month and autumn 1922, 465 people would die and 1,000 people be injured in the city as a result of the violence. December 1920: Partition green-lit at Parliament The Government of Ireland Act officially passes at Westminster. It approves the partition of Ireland, with a devolved government in Dublin and another devolved government in Belfast for the six northern counties. Sinn Féin rejects the proposals but unionists accept them, coming to believe that a devolved administration could look after their interests better than Westminster. June 1921: Northern Ireland's first Parliament Following an election in March, Northern Ireland's first Parliament opens in Belfast's City Hall. James Craig, who has replaced Edward Carson as the leader of Unionism, becomes Northern Ireland's first prime minister. King George V opens the Parliament by urging "all Irishmen to pause, to stretch out the hand of forebearance and conciliation, to forgive and to forget, and to join in making for the land which they love a new era of peace, contentment and goodwill". July 1921: Truce in the War of Independence A truce is agreed between Britain and Irish rebels. Prime Minister David Lloyd-George and Éamon de Valera, the president of Sinn Féin, agree to hold a conference in October for talks over a permanent settlement. December 1921: Anglo-Irish Treaty and beyond The October conference leads to weeks of talks between a British delegation, led by Lloyd-George, and an Irish delegation, headed up by Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith. The result is the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed on 6 December 1921. The treaty cements partition and secures an Irish Free State, which will have dominion status within the British empire. However, the settlement is unacceptable to de Valera, and many nationalists, who are dismayed that the treaty does not provide an Irish republic and believe it secures partition in perpetuity. Those who advocate for the treaty argue that a proposed Boundary Commission, which would be set up to finalise the Irish border, would diminish Northern Ireland further and make unification inevitable. January 1922: Treaty's ratification signals civil war The Treaty passes in the Dáil by 64 votes to 57, underlining the deep divide in nationalist politics as Sinn Féin and the IRA breaks into pro- and anti-Treaty factions. A general election in June leads to a majority for the pro-Treaty side but, by the end of the month, civil war had broken out. It would rage for 10 months, with at least 1,500 people losing their lives. Among them, Michael Collins, who was assassinated on 22 August. December 1922: Irish Free State established Westminster passes legislation ratifying the establishment of an Irish Free State. As part of the legislation, Northern Ireland would automatically become part of the free state but would have a month - known as the Ulster month - to secede. A day later, Northern Ireland's secession passes through the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, copper-fastening the existence of the two states.

एक शताब्दी से भी पहले, आयरलैंड ब्रिटिश शासन के तहत एक द्वीप के रूप में एकजुट था। लेकिन यह हमेशा के लिए बदलने वाला था।


China: Beijing marathon runners in 'public peeing' ban

Summary: Organisers of the Beijing Marathon have said runners will be disqualified if they're caught urinating in public, apparently after dozens of people relieved themselves on the red walls of the Forbidden City last year.

By News from Elsewhere......as found by BBC Monitoring Contestants who exhibit "uncivilised behaviour, such as relieving oneself in public and littering" at the 42km (26 mile) race in October will be banned, the organising committee says on its website, and participants who break the rules may face extra punishment from the Chinese Athletic Association, says the South China Morning Post. The ECNS news site reports official advice for runners explicitly warns against urinating on "red walls". Pictures of runners lining up to relieve themselves on the former imperial palace - a UN world heritage site - caused public outrage last year. But veteran marathon runners say unscheduled loo breaks are tolerated at races across the world, and former participants say that in Beijing it had almost "become a tradition" to urinate on the red walls. Plus, there were reportedly very few toilets catering to more than 30,000 runners taking part in the marathon. Organisers now say they will ensure enough toilets are available this year. Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.

बीजिंग मैराथन के आयोजकों ने कहा है कि धावकों को अयोग्य घोषित कर दिया जाएगा यदि वे सार्वजनिक रूप से पेशाब करते हुए पकड़े जाते हैं, जाहिरा तौर पर पिछले साल दर्जनों लोगों द्वारा निषिद्ध शहर की लाल दीवारों पर खुद को आराम देने के बाद।


The drugs don't work - so what will?

Summary: Antibiotics have been one of the greatest success stories in medicine.

By James GallagherHealth reporter, BBC News But there is growing concern that the drugs' usefulness is coming to an end. It has been reported that antibiotic resistance has reached "unprecedented levels". Last year in Europe more than 25,000 people died of bacterial infections that were resistant to antibiotics. As the director general of the World Health Organisation, Dr Margaret Chan, put it: "The world is heading towards a post-antibiotic era in which many common infections will no longer have a cure and, once again, kill unabated." During the last decade, MRSA became one of the most feared words in hospitals. The latest concern is NDM-1. It is resistant to one of the more powerful groups of drugs, carbapenem antibiotics, and has been detected in UK patients. Why not produce more antibiotics? One solution to antibiotic resistance is to develop new drugs. The eminent microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington told the BBC: "There are no new antibiotics coming along and we've run out of easy targets. "Pessimism is the order of the day, we're holding the line, but we're not gaining." However, Professor Chris Thomas, molecular geneticist at the University of Birmingham, says that while a degree of complacency did set in: "There is a pipeline of new antibiotics from the evidence I've seen. There are new ways of developing drugs and new drugs have come through." Drug manufacture almost inevitably depends on the pharmaceutical industry and unfortunately there are problems with the present business model. To take a drug from discovery to market is estimated to cost £700m. Colin McKay, from the European Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, said: "It is very difficult to make economically viable models for antibiotics." "With heart medication or anti-depressants a lot of people take them for a long time so you can make money back. An antibiotic that works is unlikely to be used for more than a couple of weeks." He added: "A new way to promote research is needed and there is an ongoing debate into how to do it." Virus vs Bacteria Viruses have long been touted as a solution to antibiotic resistance. Bacteriophage are a group of viruses which infect and kill bacteria. They were discovered in 1915 in the former Soviet republic of Georgia and have remained part of medical practice there. However, research on them was largely abandoned in the West due to the success of antibiotics. Clinical trials on phage are taking place, but the subject area has attracted some critics who say the field has not delivered. Dr Martha Clokie, a microbiologist at the University of Leicester working on phage for Clostridium difficile, said: "That criticism is fair, there has been a lot of talk and hyperbole about phage, but recently there is increasing evidence that they do work." "It's an exciting time to be in this area, I hope the criticism won't be accurate soon. I'm very optimistic that phage have a future." Vaccines Vaccination has also attracted a lot of publicity. Just like for seasonal flu, a vaccine would be developed for superbugs. This could be taken before going into hospital for surgery. In 2008, the then chief medical officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, said vaccines for MRSA and C. difficile should be ready within a decade. Surveillance and hygiene Monitoring antibiotic resistance in the UK is the responsibility of the Health Protection Agency. Its executive director of microbiology services, Christine McCartney, said: "The emergence of antibiotic resistance, especially against carbapenems, is a major public health concern. "Antibiotic resistance makes infections much harder to treat and its spread underscores the need for good infection control in hospitals." Prof Pennington said: "We need to stop patients passing bugs on. It needs very strict rules with patients kept in isolation and barrier nursing. We need to sharpen infection control practices." Prof Thomas argues that "hygiene appears to be responsible for the reduction in MRSA cases" and that "we need to get back to careful nursing." He concluded: "We need to pursue every possible link, having one strategy is like having all your eggs in one basket."

एंटीबायोटिक्स चिकित्सा में सबसे बड़ी सफलता की कहानियों में से एक रही हैं।


South Africa's Ramaphosa warns of racial division after school clash

Summary: Violence outside a South African school between residents and activists from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) over alleged racism could be used to "cause racial polarisation", President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned.

The EFF said its members were attacked by "right-wingers" while protesting against a whites-only graduation party. The school in Cape Town said it had nothing to do with the event. White-minority rule ended in South Africa in 1994. In a statement, Mr Ramaphosa said that "the spectacle of parents and protestors coming to blows at the school gate is deeply unfortunate". "What happened... brings back hurtful memories of a past we should never seek to return to." He called on all sides to exercise restraint and resolve the tensions peacefully. A legalised system of racial discrimination, known as apartheid, was abolished in the run up to the country's first democratic election in 1994, when all race groups voted. Racist education policies under the system became a rallying point for anti-apartheid activists. On Monday, in response to the call by the EFF opposition party for a protest at Brackenfell High, parents, residents and security guards gathered outside the school, the Cape Argus newspaper reports. Pictures and video being shared online showed EFF members being shouted at and then fighting breaking out, which the police struggled to contain. One man has been arrested for allegedly firing shots in the air. In a statement, the EFF, which is the second-biggest opposition party in South Africa, said the protest was peaceful and "armed right-wingers" attacked its members "in what was a display of pure white arrogance". "It must be further noted that since 1994, there has never been a single black teacher at Brackenfell High School, which reveals how entrenched racism is at the school at an institutional level," the party added. A parent and former pupil were quoted by local media as saying the school was not racist, and the protest was uncalled for. Brackenfell High has distanced itself from the private graduation party, which, the EFF said, was only attended by white people. Two school teachers were also reportedly present. 'Don't bring back segregation' "The masked ball... was a private party organised by the parents... and did not fall under the control of the school," the school authorities said in a letter to parents sent on Sunday. They added that only 42 of the school's 254 graduating students attended and that Brackenfell High does not "condone or accommodate any events that are exclusively reserved for certain groups". The school also asked parents not to get involved in any violence. Referring to the reports that only white people attended the party, the South African Human Rights Commission, which is a statutory body, said that "no-one should be allowed to bring back racial segregation to this country". "The deep racial divisions of South Africa's apartheid and colonial past cannot be healed while children are socialised separately on the basis of race," it added.

राष्ट्रपति सिरिल रामफोसा ने चेतावनी दी है कि कथित नस्लवाद को लेकर दक्षिण अफ्रीका के एक स्कूल के बाहर निवासियों और आर्थिक स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों (ई. एफ. एफ.) के कार्यकर्ताओं के बीच हिंसा का इस्तेमाल नस्लीय ध्रुवीकरण का कारण बन सकता है।


Kosovo violence leaves election in tatters

Summary: It was a local election that was supposed to have an international impact. But it started with farce and ended with chaos - amid tear gas, smashed ballot boxes and accusations of "dark forces" at work.

By Guy DelauneyBBC News, Mitrovica, Kosovo The votes from the majority ethnic-Serb, four most northern municipalities in Kosovo were supposed to have been tallied up on Sunday evening. But by Monday morning they remained uncounted, and it was unclear whether the abruptly curtailed election could be declared valid. Trouble had been brewing ever since Serbia agreed to normalise relations with the Republic of Kosovo in April. That was a key condition for the European Union to approve the start of membership talks with Belgrade - but it was greeted with dismay by the 50,000 or so ethnic Serbs who live in Kosovo's four northern municipalities. The deal spelled the end of the "parallel institutions" in which Belgrade funded healthcare, education and judicial systems for the North Kosovo Serbs. Instead there would be an association of Serb municipalities within the Republic of Kosovo. The municipal polls were supposed to make that possible. The Serbian government said the ethnic Serbs could only benefit by electing mayors and councillors who would be recognised in Pristina as well as Belgrade. It was never likely to be an easy sell. The Serbs in North Kosovo have been steadfast in their refusal to recognise the legitimacy of the government in Pristina. And for that matter, despite the normalisation agreement, Belgrade still says it will never recognise the Republic of Kosovo's unilaterally-declared independence. But Serbia was under pressure to keep its EU membership ambitions on track by showing that it was co-operating with the elections. So it tried to persuade the North Kosovo Serbs to vote. It formed a list of candidates under the banner "Srpska" (Serbian) - and promoted it with posters of Serbia's most powerful and popular politician, First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. Then it started appealing to people's pockets - suggesting a high turnout of Serb voters was the best way to ensure Belgrade continued payments to public sector workers. As polling day approached, the arm-twisting became ever more explicit. The implication was that if the people of North Kosovo were so proud to be Serbs, then they should follow the instructions of their government - or pay the price. "If you don't believe your own country, then don't believe your own pocket," said Danijela Vujicic, a senior member of the "Srpska" list in North Mitrovica, the largest municipality in North Kosovo. "If you don't want to accept your own country's message, please be good enough not to go and get a salary from the Republic of Serbia every month." But there were other arm-twisters at work. A campaign to boycott the vote was particularly well-organised in North Mitrovica, where the "No" banners and posters far outnumbered the publicity for any of the candidates. One of the boycott organisers, Nebojsa Jovic, said no-one was listening to the people whose lives would be most affected by the new system. "I invite all sides - the Serbian government, international community and Kosovo institutions - to understand the reality on the ground. Ninety-five percent of Serbs don't want to live in the state of Kosovo. We demand the same rights that the ethnic Albanian people had when they declared independence from Serbia." On election day, it seemed the boycott campaign was poised to score a spectacular success. There was a farcical start when some of the ballot boxes marshalled by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were not ready for the early voters. But after that the polling stations in North Mitrovica were extremely quiet. With two hours to go before they shut, it seemed that very few Serbs had voted - raising the possibility that an ethnic Albanian mayor might be elected in North Mitrovica. That would have been an untenable - if darkly comic - proposition. More importantly, the whole idea of an association of Serb municipalities would have been in tatters. Staff attacked But an incident at a polling station at St Sava primary school prevented that scenario becoming reality. Masked intruders smashed up ballot boxes and assaulted staff. OSCE staff made a dramatic exit from North Mitrovica in full body armour and a convoy of Land Cruisers immediately after the intrusion. They said other polling stations in North Mitrovica were also attacked - and called a halt to the vote in nearby Zvecan. In a late night press conference, the head of the OSCE in Kosovo, Jean-Claude Schlumberger, said that "indications that the elections would be a success were obviously not acceptable news for everybody". With no count in the four northern municipalities, no-one could claim victory - or suffer defeat. The government swiftly placed the blame for the fiasco on "extremists" - but the "No" campaigners claimed the polling station attacks were ordered when it was clear the boycott had succeeded. They condemned the incidents, and suggested the "dark forces of the official political agenda" were responsible. Now the question is whether there will be another attempt to persuade North Kosovo's Serbs to vote in an election called by a state which they fervently believe should not exist - and to which, they insist, they will never belong.

यह एक स्थानीय चुनाव था जिसका अंतर्राष्ट्रीय प्रभाव होना चाहिए था। लेकिन यह प्रहसन के साथ शुरू हुआ और अराजकता के साथ समाप्त हुआ-आँसू गैस, टूटे हुए मतपेटियों और काम में "काली ताकतों" के आरोपों के बीच।


Coronavirus in Scotland: 'I come here because I don't know what else to do'

Summary: Graziano Borghese has been going to his deserted cafe every day since the coronavirus lockdown came into effect two weeks ago. He is trying to find a way to prevent his business closing for good, and admits: "I don't know what else to do."

By Angie BrownBBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporter Pacing up and down inside his Italian cafe, the father-of-three is close to tears as he tells of his fears that his business will only be able to survive for a few more weeks. Since restaurants and cafes were ordered to close on 24 March, Graziano has been trying to continue as a takeaway and by offering home deliveries. The 40-year-old put all his money into opening Buon Gusto, in a busy row of shops in the Edinburgh suburb of Buckstone, 18 months ago. His dream had been to set up his own business and to work for himself after spending 10 years as a restaurant manager in the capital's city centre. He took out loans to pay for a 10-year lease on the premises and to kit out the cafe with all the equipment he needs. Graziano then set about putting in 12-hour days in a bid to build up a base of loyal customers. He said: "It is difficult to start up a new business and takes a lot of hard work. "It was starting to come together and I was proud of what I had achieved, but then this happened and suddenly I had no customers." He tried to move into deliveries by selling an Italian afternoon tea box, but only sold four last week. "Look at the street, look at my shop. It is usually busy at lunchtime but it is empty, a ghost town," he said. "I feel very worried and I am trying to think of how I can survive." Mr Borghese said he had ended up throwing out food because his attempts to offer deliveries had not taken off. Despite the lack of business, he said he still needed to pay rent to his landlord, as well as paying the loans he had taken out. He has applied for some of the government help available for businesses, but said: "If I'm not allowed to reopen as a cafe very soon I will be closed for good. "I think I can only survive for another few weeks. I feel very anxious and desperate at this situation. "And I just keep coming here because I don't know what else to do."

दो सप्ताह पहले कोरोनावायरस लॉकडाउन लागू होने के बाद से ग्रेज़ियानो बोर्गीस हर दिन अपने सुनसान कैफे में जा रहे हैं। वह अपने व्यवसाय को अच्छे के लिए बंद होने से रोकने का एक तरीका खोजने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं, और स्वीकार करते हैंः "मुझे नहीं पता कि और क्या करना है।"


Harrow 'stabbing': Arrested man 'did not have machete'

Summary: A man arrested on suspicion of murder, amid reports he was carrying a machete near the scene of a killing, has been released without charge.

The victim, in his 40s, was pronounced dead from suspected knife wounds in Harrow, north-west London, on Wednesday. Officers arrested a man after being told he had fled the scene, in Northolt Road, with the blade. But the Met Police has since found he did not have a weapon. The force said it was treating the death as unexplained and does not think anyone else was involved. Formal identification and a post-mortem examination are yet to take place, and police are working to inform the dead man's next of kin.

हत्या के संदेह में गिरफ्तार एक व्यक्ति को, हत्या स्थल के पास एक हथौड़ा ले जाने की खबरों के बीच, बिना किसी आरोप के रिहा कर दिया गया है।


A64 between York and Scarborough resurfacing works begin

Summary: Work on a a £3.3m scheme to improve the A64 between York and Scarborough has begun.

The work will take place in four stages between January and March and aims to improve road safety. Work on the first stage between West and East Heslerton will take place overnight between 20:00 GMT and 06:00 from 12 January to 1 February. Highways Agency project manager Steven Wright said the work would involve five weekend closures. "During the closures diversion routes will be clearly signed and drivers should allow extra time when travelling in the area," he said.

यॉर्क और स्कारबोरो के बीच ए64 को बेहतर बनाने के लिए 3 करोड़ 30 लाख पाउंड की योजना पर काम शुरू हो गया है।


Sri Lanka introduces tough new legislation

Summary: The Sri Lankan cabinet has announced tough emergency legislation aimed at curbing the activities of the Tamil Tiger rebels and their supporters.

The regulations give sweeping powers to the police and armed forces, including increased power of arrest and the right to detain suspects for months without charge or trial. However the cabinet stopped short of implementing an outright ban on the Tigers. Some analysts say this leaves room to revive the faltering peace process. The cabinet's decision comes after months of escalating violence between government forces and the rebels.

श्रीलंका के मंत्रिमंडल ने तमिल टाइगर विद्रोहियों और उनके समर्थकों की गतिविधियों पर अंकुश लगाने के उद्देश्य से सख्त आपातकालीन कानून की घोषणा की है।


Fifth Bristol cash machine 'blown up'

Summary: A bank cash machine in Bristol has been "blown up" overnight, in the fifth such incident in the city in a year.

Police were called to the burning Lloyds Bank ATM in High Street, Shirehampton, shortly after 02:00 BST. A force spokesman said cash had been taken from the machine by suspects who left the scene in two cars. One of the cars was later stopped and a 19-year-old man arrested. He is still in police custody. Similar attacks - in which witnesses reported "loud bangs" - have also recently taken place in Brislington and St George, with two in Bedminster. Police have previously said that a gas cylinder may have been used to cause an explosion in the Brislington attack.

ब्रिस्टल में एक बैंक कैश मशीन को रात भर "उड़ा दिया गया", एक साल में शहर में इस तरह की पांचवीं घटना में।


Pope Francis 'scores goals' for image of Catholic Church

Summary: Very recently, it was hard to find a good word about the Catholic Church in the world's press, amid sex abuse and other scandals. That has changed dramatically, with Pope Francis riding the crest of a wave that has culminated in him being named Time magazine's person of the year. We asked Vatican commentator Gerard O'Connell, who reported on the PR failures three years ago , to examine what has changed.

Pope Francis has been a godsend to the Catholic Church and to the Vatican. Prior to his election, the Vatican was bogged down with a negative image in the world's eyes, due to scandals and blunders. It was in freefall, with little sign of relief on the horizon. But after Benedict XVI resigned on 28 February, and Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope 13 days later, the tide turned. Ever since Pope Francis made his first appearance on the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica on the evening of 13 March, the Vatican has basked in the glow of positive media as he touched hearts across the globe by embracing people with deformities, reaching out to the mentally and physically disabled, kissing the feet of young prisoners, including a Muslim woman, and launching a global consultation on the family. Has the first-ever Latin American Pope been responsible for this dramatic transformation, or has the Vatican suddenly become media savvy thanks to a carefully honed communications strategy? I put that question to Greg Burke, 53, a former Fox News TV reporter whom the Vatican hired in July 2012 to help improve its failing media strategy. International media recently credited him with being behind this amazing turnaround in the global perception of the Vatican. They hailed him as the "PR genius", "marketing mastermind", who has quietly worked behind the scenes to project Pope Francis into the international limelight and lead the Catholic Church out of one of its darkest periods in recent history. "Give me a break!" Burke retorted sharply when I put this theory to him. Dismissing it as a total misrepresentation of reality, he insisted: "It's him! It's him!", referring to Pope Francis. "He's the one who's done all this." Then he confided: "Yes, we have a strategy: kick the ball to Francis and he scores the goals! He's better than Maradona and Messi combined." He cited two high-profile initiatives that Francis decided to undertake at short notice and "scored goals": his visit to Lampedusa to highlight the tragic plight of migrants from Africa and the Middle East who drowned at sea while fleeing poverty and war in search of a better life in Europe; and his peace initiative for Syria, involving a day of fasting and prayer just as the US was considering bombing the country. "The ideas were his, we just helped with the media," Burke recalled. Encounter, not confrontation Francis tends to prefer actions to words to convey the message of Jesus, and frequently takes the Vatican off-guard with spontaneous gestures of compassion, love and tenderness. "We never know what he will do next," Burke admitted. "Do you seriously think that we planned to have the Pope embrace and kiss the man with boils? Or respond with such tenderness to the five-year-old boy that came up and stayed beside him while he was addressing a large audience?" Burke asked me. He was referring to two recent happenings in St Peter's Square which photographers and TV cameras immortalised and broadcast worldwide. "The Francis effect" has energised the Catholic Church and opened many people's hearts, in Asia and the Middle East too, but it has also led to rising expectations that this Jesuit Pope will introduce radical changes in the Church's stance towards women, the divorced and remarried, homosexuals and many other issues. This is causing concern among many Vatican officials and Church leaders, including such ardent supporters as Cardinal Walter Kasper who, in a new biography of Francis (Francisco: Vida y Revolucion, by Elisabetta Pique), warned against "exaggerated expectations that will necessarily end in new disappointments" because "the new Pope can renew the Church, but he cannot invent a new Church". Vatican officials are aware that "the golden glow" could fade under new attacks or disillusionment, even if "the Teflon Pope" can help soften their impact. One such attack came last week when the Vatican was accused of not responding adequately to the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child. For this reason they are working hard behind the scenes to overcome past communications failings and develop an integrated media strategy that can better respond to future challenges. Many believe this will require structural changes too, as Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of its Council for Social Communications, acknowledged recently. He noted that besides his office, which handles the new social media and has links with the world's broadcasters, there are several largely independent actors on the Vatican media front: the Press Office, Vatican Radio that broadcasts in 45 languages, L'Osservatore Romano - the 150-year-old Vatican daily with weekly editions in various languages - and Vatican TV. While these co-operate to some extent, they are far from being a well-co-ordinated, fully-integrated media operation. But all that could change over the next two years when Francis reveals his reform plan for the Roman Curia, which could result in the Vatican establishing an overall Ministry for Communications. Right now, Archbishop Celli told me, the Vatican media offices are promoting "the culture of encounter" that Francis is insisting on, together with "transparency" and rejection of "the idea of confrontation". Francis is blazing the trail, but how well the Vatican team follows him remains to be seen.

हाल ही में, यौन शोषण और अन्य घोटालों के बीच, दुनिया के प्रेस में कैथोलिक चर्च के बारे में एक अच्छा शब्द खोजना मुश्किल था। यह नाटकीय रूप से बदल गया है, पोप फ्रांसिस एक लहर के शिखर पर सवार हैं, जिसकी परिणति उन्हें टाइम पत्रिका का वर्ष का व्यक्ति नामित किया गया है। हमने वेटिकन के टिप्पणीकार जेरार्ड ओ 'कोनेल से पूछा, जिन्होंने तीन साल पहले पीआर विफलताओं पर रिपोर्ट की थी, कि क्या बदल गया है।


The first fractions of a second after the Big Bang

Summary: "I'm hoping there's something surprising there for them. If they just say, 'well, other people were right' - that's not exciting; the last decimal places are never very interesting. What we want is some new phenomenon."

Jonathan AmosScience correspondent@BBCAmoson Twitter American Nobel Laureate John Mather believes the bar has been set very high for the European Space Agency's (Esa) Planck surveyor. The satellite was launched in 2009 to make temperature maps of the sky, and on Thursday this data will finally be released to the worldwide scientific community. There is great hope that Planck will be able to tell us what happened in the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang when the Universe that we can observe today occupied almost no space at all. And by fractions, we mean about a millionth of a billionth, of a billionth, of a billionth of a second after it all got going. To get at this information, Planck has sampled the "oldest light" in the cosmos - the light that was finally allowed to spread out across space once the Universe had cooled sufficiently to permit the formation of hydrogen atoms. Before that time, about 375,000 years into the life of the cosmos, conditions would have been so hot that all the light would have been bounced around and trapped in a fog of ionised matter. The Universe would have been opaque. The "fossil" light is still evident today. It bathes the Earth in a near-uniform glow which, thanks to the expansion of the Universe, can now be found at microwave frequencies. Its temperature profile has also dropped to just 2.7 degrees above absolute zero, with only a minute excess of warmth or cold either side of this signal depending on where you look on the sky. These temperature fluctuations reflect differences in the density of matter when the light parted company and set out on its journey. American satellites, including Mather's historic COBE mission in 1989, have already extracted astonishing insights from this Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. These include refined estimates for: "Planck has the extra sensitivity and resolution to retrieve yet more information," the Nasa scientist told BBC News. "The question then is: have they done the right things with the data?" The European team behind Planck will present maps of the sky in nine frequencies - six more than COBE, and three more than its US successor, WMAP, which flew in 2001. This broader sweep was designed to give the Esa mission a sharper, cleaner view of the CMB, and the minuscule fluctuations in temperature that are seen around that mean of 2.7 kelvins (-270C). It is with this keener vision that Planck will endeavour to find "some new phenomenon", not at 375,000 years after the Big Bang but long before then. Information encoded in the satellite's maps should also tell us about "inflation", the faster than light expansion that cosmologists believe the Universe may have experienced in its first fleeting moments. Inflation has become the accepted add-on to Big Bang theory in the past 30 years, even though its physics is highly speculative. Scientists like the concept because it would explain some important observations, not least the geometry of space - a superluminal expansion could have stretched everything until it was flat. The tiny quantum fluctuations that drove the expansion could also have given rise to small variations in the amount of matter from one place to another, seeding the later gravitational growth of stars and galaxies. But there are numerous models for how inflation might have worked. They cannot all be right. "What we need to do now is back some of these models into the corner, and Planck can help us do that," said Prof Andrew Jaffe from Imperial College London. One of the ways scientists study the CMB is by subjecting the warm and cold spots in the radiation to a detailed statistical analysis, examining the deviations in temperature as a function of their size on the sky - their angular scale. This produces a characteristic wiggle on a graph, a so-called power spectrum, which can then be matched against theoretical expectation. Inflation - if it happened - predicts that this spectrum should be ever so slightly tilted; and WMAP has seen evidence for this. "It's not yet very precisely determined but this is one of the instances in which Planck will make a real difference," explained Prof Bruce Partridge of Haverford College, Philadelphia. "Because it has high resolution, it is spanning a wide range of angular scale. And what you want to do to see a slight tilt with respect to angular scale is to have as large a lever arm as possible, and Planck will do that," he told BBC News. Another prediction of inflation is that the CMB should be gaussian. If you pick up all the temperature data points in the sky map and put them in histogram, you should get a nice bell curve. "If it's not gaussian then we have to re-think inflation or maybe inflation is more complicated than the simplest models suggest," said Prof Marc Kamionkowski from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Planck's capabilities mean it will provide one of the best checks yet for non-gaussianity. The ultimate test, however, would be to look for a special signal in the CMB referred to as B-Modes. Most models of inflation suggest the expansion would have been accompanied by ripples of gravitational energy. These should have been imprinted on the fossil light in its polarisation. Even if they are there, these B-modes will be very hard to detect, and the Planck team does not intend to make a statement on the issue until a further year of analysis has been completed. Nonetheless, Thursday's announcement is likely to make some important statements on inflationary tests. A whole swathe of models will probably be confined to the bin at the end of the day. Esa's Planck project scientist, Dr Jan Tauber, will not be drawn on the findings before the release in Paris. Asked to describe the new temperature maps, he says merely: "They're beautiful."

"मुझे उम्मीद है कि वहाँ उनके लिए कुछ आश्चर्यजनक है। अगर वे सिर्फ कहते हैं, 'ठीक है, अन्य लोग सही थे'-यह रोमांचक नहीं है; अंतिम दशमलव स्थान कभी भी बहुत दिलचस्प नहीं होते हैं। हम जो चाहते हैं वह कुछ नई घटना है।"


Letter from Africa: Nigerian migrant dreams in the lap of the gods

Summary: In the latest in our series of letters from African journalists, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani looks at why - despite knowing the risks - Nigerians are willing to make the dangerous journey across the harsh desert and unpredictable seas to reach Europe.

Many migrants deported from Libya to Nigeria will tell you that they had indeed heard of the horrors that lay on the path to Europe, the slavery in Libya, the drowning in the Mediterranean, long before they left home in search of greener pastures. Activists also say that they frequently show graphic videos in schools, markets and other public places, enlightening people in high-risk areas about the dangers of being trafficked to Europe. Yet, these tragic stories are usually not enough to put off determined migrants. "People feel that the ill-luck that these [migrants] have will not come to them," said Josiah Emerole, head of press at Nigeria's anti-trafficking agency, Naptip. "It is not my own destiny," they say. Or, in Nigerian parlance: "It is not my portion." This attitude can be traced to a prevailing belief system in Nigeria. Long before Christianity and Islam became the two main faiths in the country, Nigerians, like the majority of Africans, believed in the existence of supernatural forces, which control one's fortunes in life. And so, if you were walking up the stairs on your way to a job interview at Shell Petroleum, tripped and cracked your skull, there has to be more to it. Why did you slip? Why that day in particular? That same day, millions of people were climbing up and down stairs in different parts of the world and they did not slip. Yet, you did. On your way to a lucrative job interview. Why? Why you? Some unseen force must have been behind it. Similarly, thousands of migrants do make it across to Europe every year. They eventually send money back home for their families to build mansions and their siblings to attend school. You, why did the boat in which you were travelling capsize in the middle of the sea? Why were you captured by Libyan militia when you were only 30 minutes away from Italian shores? Why were you deported? Why you? Some unseen force must have been behind it. A different force must also have been behind the success of those who made it across. Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani "The more powerful a particular spiritual expert is reputed to be, the more people flock to seek his or her intervention" Juju priests often came in handy to unravel these kinds of mysteries and to proffer solutions. Many Nollywood films feature these mediators between mere mortals and pagan deities, diligently doing their work. They could diagnose anything from an evil spell cast by a malicious relative or jilted lover to a family curse, and then prescribe rituals that should nullify these. Over time, people have learnt to not wait for something to go wrong first before they delve into the spirit realm. With the increased influence of Christianity and Islam, more and more Nigerians have (openly, at least) turned away from juju priests. But, the newer faiths offer similar spiritual services. Some pastors are known to organise special prayer sessions where the unseen forces behind anything from failed marriages to failed visa applications can be fettered or placated. Muslims also have their spiritual experts, popularly known as "malams". The more powerful a particular spiritual expert is reputed to be, the more people flock to seek his or her intervention. Where one pastor, malam or juju priest has failed to appease or cajole the unseen forces for you, another may very well succeed. Migrants who feel certain that they have the right spiritual forces on their side may then proceed to the Sahara Desert and beyond, confident that whatever tragedies have befallen others "is not their portion". Read more: Shortly after the woeful plight of thousands of African migrants in Libyan detention camps aired on CNN and sparked outrage across the world, President Muhammadu Buhari announced that his government would make arrangements for Nigerians stranded in Libya to return home. A few aeroplane-loads have since landed in Lagos. But, some migrants have turned down the government's offer, according to Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama. They prefer to remain in Libya, perhaps confident that it is only a matter of time before the unseen forces finally work in their favour. One deported migrant told me only two weeks ago about a group of friends from his community who were just about to set off for Libya, despite the CNN video and the wave of deportations. Alarmed, I asked why he didn't try to stop them. "I've not told anyone not to go," he said. "It's a game of luck. Let them go and try. If he believes in his own god, let him go and see if he will succeed." More from Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani: Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa and on Instagram at bbcafrica.

अफ्रीकी पत्रकारों के पत्रों की हमारी श्रृंखला में नवीनतम में, अडाओबी ट्रिसिया नौबानी इस बात पर ध्यान देती है कि क्यों-जोखिमों को जानने के बावजूद-नाइजीरियाई यूरोप तक पहुंचने के लिए कठोर रेगिस्तान और अप्रत्याशित समुद्रों के पार खतरनाक यात्रा करने के लिए तैयार हैं।


Warning over 'dodgy' allergy tests

Summary: A leading scientist warns that not all allergy tests do what they say. In this week's Scrubbing Up, Stuart Jones - principal biochemist at King George Hospital, London - calls for more regulation of the sector.

By Stuart JonesBiochemist More and more consumers are being duped by diagnostic tests that are unproven, misleading and, in some cases, of no scientific basis whatsoever. All manner of diagnostic tests can now be bought directly from online retailers or high street stores, without any input from a regulated health professional. The consequence is that people often receive incorrect medical diagnoses and inappropriate or potentially harmful treatments that they do not need. 'Over-diagnosis' The issue is perhaps most poignant when dealing with allergy, as the charity Sense About Science emphasise in their 'Making Sense of Allergies' guide, published last week. In it they highlight the extent to which the misconceptions around allergies are resulting in essential information and life-saving actions being diluted in a sea of over-diagnosis. In some cases clinicians are even seeing children with malnourishment because of unnecessary dietary restriction following an incorrect diagnosis of food allergy. Of course the serious health threat that genuine allergy poses should not be trivialised; across Europe there were seven times as many people admitted to hospital with severe allergic reactions in 2015 than in 2005, and UK hospital admissions for anaphylaxis increased 615% between 1992 and 2012. Allergies are now better diagnosed but there is concern that allergy has also become a catch-all diagnosis for unexplained symptoms. A study of 969 children showed that 34% of parents were reporting food allergies in their children when in fact only 5% had an allergy. 'Meaningless' tests Dubious 'over-the-counter' tests are a major factor contributing to this problem. Search the web for an "allergy test" and you are presented with a bewildering array of tests that are available at a click of a button, no doctor required. You might not realise that many of those on offer, such as hair tests, 'bioenergetic' analysis and applied kinesiology, have no scientific basis and provide absolutely no information about allergy. Others can be very misleading, such as tests for "food intolerance", which can cost upwards of £300 and measure levels of food specific IgG antibodies in the blood. But these results are frequently high in perfectly healthy individuals, and the test is widely considered meaningless. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) specifically lists the tests that should not be used to diagnose allergy or food related complaints. All these tests are included. The clinically valid tests they do recommend are: All of these need to be performed and interpreted by a qualified health professional. What concerns many laboratory and medical specialists is the regulatory flaws that continue to expose patients to potentially harmful tests. Many of the devices used to perform tests such as Bioenergetic analysis are not 'CE marked' for medical use - the legally required EU stamp of approval - yet they remain widely available. Although, CE marking itself is no guarantee that test results will be meaningful. Most food-specific IgG antibody tests carry a CE mark and yet results are widely considered to be of no clinical value. This is because EU legislation does not require the test to be clinically meaningful, only for it to measure what it says it measures. Prosecutions rare Of course there are consumer protection laws in the UK that should in theory protect patients from misleading tests but prosecutions are almost unheard of. Surprisingly, perhaps the most effective regulator in the UK has been the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which has upheld a large number of complaints against companies selling unproven tests forcing them to remove or modify misleading promotional material. Unfortunately, this is often merely damage limitation as the tests are typically still offered but with updated advertising. Until regulators get tough on manufacturers and retailers of dubious 'over-the-counter' tests patients will continue to be misled and harmed whilst genuine life-saving information about conditions like allergy will continue to be diluted.

एक प्रमुख वैज्ञानिक चेतावनी देते हैं कि सभी एलर्जी परीक्षण वही नहीं करते जो वे कहते हैं। इस सप्ताह के स्क्रबिंग अप में, स्टुअर्ट जोन्स-किंग जॉर्ज अस्पताल, लंदन के प्रमुख जैव रसायनज्ञ-इस क्षेत्र के अधिक विनियमन का आह्वान करते हैं।


Peter Andre to voice rally car in Thomas the Tank Engine film

Summary: Peter Andre is to guest star in the new Thomas the Tank Engine film.

The Australian singer will voice his compatriot, Ace - a dare-devil yellow rally car - in Thomas and Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie. The animated film, set for release in July, will see Ace mischievously inspire Thomas to leave Sodor and travel the world without the Fat Controller's permission. Andre said it was an "honour" to appear in the much-loved children's franchise. "[It is] such a buzz for me to be doing my first worldwide movie voiceover for something that I grew up on and loved as a child and that my kids now love, too," he added. The 45-year-old, a father of four, also praised the inclusive nature of the storyline, which will see Thomas explore five continents for the first time. "It is incredible for me to help introduce young viewers to the diverse range of cultures, different ways of life and animals that exist on our planet today." He said it is "really nice to see that Thomas & Friends has embraced this - it is a great new direction for the show and I think it's going to be fantastic". Andre joins the list of previous voiceover stars Eddie Redmayne and Olivia Colman. Pop return? The 90s pop star - famed for his 1996 hit single Mysterious Girl, re-released to similar success in 2004 following a reality TV appearance - has also recorded the soundtrack for the film. Free and Easy will be available on Spotify for the film's launch over the summer. Andre, now also a TV personality, says the title reflects the nature of his character, as well as his own personality. "A lot of people have this image of Australia as being very carefree and I live like that. It's so nice to play a character that represents that," he added. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

पीटर आंद्रे नई थॉमस द टैंक इंजन फिल्म में अतिथि कलाकार होंगे।


Kiwis on drugs: A blueprint for the future?

Summary: Want to know what the future for global drug control looks like?

Mark EastonHome editor@BBCMarkEastonon Twitter This week New Zealand publishes its Psychoactive Substances Bill, legislation which some believe will transform the international debate on drugs policy when it comes into force in August. The new law is a response to the problem of "legal highs", but is being seized upon by reformers because it crosses a Rubicon - designing a legislative framework built upon regulation rather than prohibition. As in Britain, the New Zealand government had attempted to control the influx of new psychoactive substances by imposing emergency restrictions under existing misuse of drugs legislation. Unlike Britain, they have concluded that a "long-term and more effective solution" is to license the importation, manufacture and sale of all new psychoactive products. In the same way as pharmaceutical companies must apply for a licence to sell a drug after extensive testing, so suppliers of legal highs will be able to market products in New Zealand if they can demonstrate they present a low risk of harm. Rather than trying to ban every new drug that turns up, the legislation shifts responsibility to the manufacturer and the retailer. Just as a bottle of aspirin can only be sold in certain outlets with all the warnings of the risks on the label, so recreational drugs will be available over the counter in New Zealand later this year. There will be restrictions on sales to vulnerable consumers, particularly young people, and breaches of the rules could see manufacturers fined up to $500,000 (£275,000) or jailed for two years. The legal highs dilemma reminds me of the panic that preceded the introduction of the Misuse of Drugs Act in the UK in 1971. The home secretary at the time, Jim Callaghan, told Parliament how Britain faced a "pharmaceutical revolution" which presented such dangers that if the country was "supine in the face of them" it would quickly lead to "grave dangers to the whole structure of our society". "Stimulants, depressants, tranquillisers, hallucinogens have all been developed during the last 10 years, and our society has not yet come to terms with the circumstances in which they should properly be used or in which they are regarded as being socially an evil," he explained. Callaghan concluded that the answer was state prohibition - the criminal justice system would be the main tool to fight drug abuse. Those who argued that Britain should retain its traditional harm-reduction model were drowned out. The New Zealand legislation comes at a key moment in the debate about global drugs policy, returning us to that moment in the late 60s when Britain and others took the fork in the road marked "prohibition". This year has been designated by the United Nations as the start of an "intense preparatory process", before the General Assembly holds a special session in 2016 to "review the current policies and strategies to confront the global drug problem". There is very little intensity or preparation in the UK, where the prime minister recently reiterated his opposition to even questioning the prohibition model. When the Home Affairs select committee recommended a royal commission to consider alternatives in December, David Cameron instantly dismissed the idea arguing "we have a policy which is working in Britain". You may recall, however, that in an interview with me, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg broke coalition ranks to demand a fundamental review of Britain's drug laws as part of Britain's preparations for the UN General Assembly meeting in three years time. His aides told me Mr Clegg believes the UK needs to have at least considered the issues and how they might shape the EU's negotiating stance ahead of a UN session that has the capacity to rewrite the international drugs conventions. What principles should guide Britain, Europe and the UN in considering a possible new approach to the problem of dangerous drugs? The former head of the UK government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), Professor David Nutt has sent me his thoughts. Prof Nutt, of course, was sacked by the last Labour government after publicly questioning the wisdom of the prohibition-based policy, but has subsequently been involved in helping the New Zealand government design their Psychoactive Substances Bill. He has a wish list of principles for laws on drugs: This is an interesting starting point for a debate ahead of the global drugs summit (UNGASS 2016 in the jargon) and I would be interested in readers' reaction to it. How Britain and the European Union line up at the special session will probably be less important than the stance of the US, who were the architects of the current key international drug conventions. Just before Christmas, President Obama was asked for his response to the decision of two US states, Washington and Colorado, to legalise the recreational use of marijuana. "It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it's legal," he said. "We've got bigger fish to fry." While President Obama has re-stated his personal opposition to the legalisation of marijuana and maintains the official US government position, some have noted that he said he does not "at this point" support a change in direction. With Uruguay announcing its intention to breach UN conventions and legalise marijuana under state control, Obama's stance on Colorado and Washington makes it very hard for the US to justify sanctions against such countries and provides ammunition for those who argue global drugs policy is no longer sustainable. Could New Zealand's legislation to control legal highs be a blueprint for the future?

जानना चाहते हैं कि वैश्विक दवा नियंत्रण का भविष्य कैसा दिखता है?


Why Transport for London's finances are far from healthy

Summary: Sadiq Khan has clashed with his mayoral predecessor Boris Johnson over claims made by the prime minister that Transport for London (TfL) was "effectively bankrupt" even before the Covid crisis. Mr Khan rejects this, and has called Mr Johnson a "liar". He insists he was balancing the books until the UK was crippled by the coronavirus pandemic. What is the bigger picture?

By Thomas MackintoshBBC News, London Let's start at the beginning, in 2000, when TfL was created. Over the past 20 years, TfL has been run by three mayors with differing ideas about how best to repair London's Tube network and to build for the future. Both of those things cost money. Over the past two decades, TfL has received a mixture of government grants, fare income, sponsorship and huge investment loans from banks in order to keep the Underground on the move. Mr Johnson enjoyed two consecutive stints as mayor of London, between 2008 and 2016. A TfL report published a month before he left office showed TfL had a nominal £9.148bn of debt. Three years later, about 12 months before coronavirus hit the UK, TfL published new accounts showing its nominal debt had increased to £11.175bn in real terms - stripping out the effect of rising prices or inflation. What factors help to explain TfL's current financial state? Crossrail - more money, more problems TfL is dealing with financial pressures on several fronts - before coronavirus, arguably the biggest issue was the Crossrail project, which is overspent and late. As sponsors of Crossrail, in October 2007 TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT) agreed funding of £15.9bn for the project. However, more money was needed and so in 2009, in his first term as mayor, Mr Johnson announced he had "secured one of the largest loans ever for a transport project" - an extra £1bn from his "good friends at the European Investment Bank" for "the unstoppable force that is Crossrail". Fast-forward to 2020 and there still is no Crossrail running through central London. In fact, in August it was announced that the central section of Crossrail, between Paddington and Abbey Wood, is not expected to open until the first half of 2022 - a further delay to the line since the previous planned summer 2021 delivery date and well beyond the initial intended opening date of 2018. The escalating costs of Crossrail are huge for TfL and the DfT and, at the same time, TfL has been denied a source of income from fares, commercial advertising and retail units at stations. In 2018 TfL's then-transport commissioner Mike Brown said Crossrail's initial delay would cost TfL about £20m in fare revenues. Add another four years of lost income and it is easy to see the drain Crossrail continues to have on the accounts. But, it gets murkier. Crossrail CEO Mark Wild also said in August: "Work is ongoing to finalise the cost estimates" - effectively the actual final construction cost of Crossrail is not known. Even as Mr Johnson and Mr Khan were exchanging harsh words last week, investment service Moody downgraded TfL's long-term ratings to A1 from Aa3 and "changed the outlook to negative". Essentially, the lower the rating the tougher it is to borrow money cheaply in the future. Moody's said in a statement: "The downgrade to A1 from Aa3 reflects TfL's vulnerability to a weaker economic climate and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which will continue to depress fare revenues and other income over the medium term. "The negative impact on TfL's budget has reversed its progress towards operational self-sufficiency, with TfL now reliant on continued support from the UK government." Government grant down the tubes TfL documents show London is one of the only cities in the world that does not receive government funding to support the operating costs of its transport network - in comparison, fares on the Paris Metro make up only 38% of its income. The UK's capital city used to get grants from the government, amounting to £700m a year. This all changed in 2015 when Mr Johnson, as London mayor in the final full year of his term, and then-Chancellor George Osborne agreed to phase out this government operating grant. A report in November 2018 showed that TfL received only £55m in grants - a stark contrast to the help it received only a few years before. It said: "The loss of the government operating grant within just a few years has been the single largest change to TfL's income streams. Just four years ago, TfL received £876m in grants." Since then TfL has been heavily reliant on fares as a source of income. Dwindling passenger numbers In order for fare income to flourish, TfL needs passengers; over the years, the number of people using the Tube has always been expected to rise. This is especially the case when you consider London's population in 2000 was 7.5m, compared with 9.1m now. However, in the past two decades, people's habits have changed. In 2017, a year after Mr Khan took office, there was a 5% drop in rail journeys in London and 13m fewer Tube journeys were made compared with the previous year. It turns out bus travel activity in London reached its peak in 2014, and has been struggling ever since. A City Hall source told the BBC "there are a lots of reasons" for this. "It seems the big reason is the decline in bus travel for leisure and non-work reasons. Less people are getting on a bus to go shopping." If this does help to explain falling numbers of bus passengers, there was no such impact on Tube travel after 2017 - it had been increasing since 2018 until the middle of March of this year. Crippling cost of coronavirus TfL has just come through the most challenging financial quarter in its 20-year history. Bosses recently said the coronavirus pandemic had caused a "catastrophic impact" on the business. The most damaging consequence has been the calamitous drop in fare revenues. In March, passengers were urged not to travel unless absolutely necessary and 40 Tube stations across London were closed in order to deal with staff absences. Since the pandemic, TfL's fare revenues have fallen by 90%. There has been the same drop in advertising revenues, as companies cancelled contracts to advertise on the London Underground network. Significant health and safety changes to projects such as Crossrail and the Northern Line extension to Battersea also cost money. In May, TfL bosses and the mayor had to come to an agreement with the government over a £1.6bn bailout deal to keep London moving. The deal came with the imposition of strict conditions on the London transport network, such as the congestion charge rising from £11.50 to £15 and being enforced every day from 07:00-22:00, and the removal of free travel cards for children. As lockdown measures eased, cleaning regimes across the Tube network were ramped up, also at a cost. Passenger numbers slowly rose during the summer months - but to nowhere near the level before the pandemic. Figures from 8 September show 700,000 people used the Tube before 10:00 BST - which was up 10% on the previous week but represented only 32% of the number of passengers on the Tube before the March lockdown. Now Londoners and commuters into the capital are again being urged to work from home, TfL commissioner Andy Byford admitted earlier this month that its finances were "right on the wire". Last week, the government said it would continue to abide by the terms of the £1.6bn bailout package until 31 October - an extra fortnight on the deal representing a sum roughly equivalent to £113m - but stricter conditions are being demanded by the government, as TfL seeks a £3bn package to last throughout 2021. Prof Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, said bankruptcy was "never quite the right word" when describing TfL's finances. "By law TfL is required to balance the books year on year," he added. "It can borrow for capital projects but it cannot borrow for day-to-day spending. If it can't [balance the books] then by law it has to file a Section 114 order (the equivalent of a public company bankruptcy) that bans expenditure and would lead to mass redundancies and services stopping. "TfL's operating costs are about £6bn a year and its fare income is [usually] about £5bn. It would be amazing if it could get around £2bn this year, which means TfL is going to be £3bn down." Fares freeze Much has been made about Mr Khan's flagship policy of freezing fares across the London Underground network for the duration of his four, now five-year, tenure as mayor (the term was extended due to the 2020 mayoral elections being postponed amid the coronavirus crisis). Although controversial at the time, the fares freeze has been fully paid for through TfL's efficiencies programme, outlined in its December 2016 Business Plan, according to City Hall. In 2018, then-TfL commissioner Mike Brown, said the mayor's TfL fare freeze had helped address the decline in passenger numbers overall. The total forgone revenue of the fares freeze over the past four years is estimated to amount to £640m - the equivalent to roughly a year's worth of the government grant that was axed a few years ago. Nevertheless, after four years of frozen prices, Tube and bus fares are set to increase in 2021 after Mr Khan said this policy would come to an end. How expensive these new fares will be is still very much up for negotiation between the government and the mayor. For Caroline Pidgeon, the deputy chair of the London Assembly's Transport Committee, Mr Johnson and Mr Khan need to stop squabbling over who has done what. The Liberal Democrat assembly member said: "No-one is to blame for the devastating impact of Covid on TfL's day-to-day finances, and petty party politics about meeting the gap in funding is helping no-one. "However, the real elephant in the room is the true cost to Londoners from the huge delays in the opening of Crossrail, which have pushed TfL's long-term borrowing to new heights." Prof Travers's simple observation is that coronavirus has clearly been detrimental to TfL's financial situation. "By far the biggest impact on TfL's finances is the loss of passenger income, which has been a direct response to government lockdown or the three tier policies. "Against that backdrop of that scale, it is not something the mayor could have done anything about."

सादिक खान ने अपने महापौर पूर्ववर्ती बोरिस जॉनसन के साथ प्रधान मंत्री द्वारा किए गए दावों को लेकर टकराव किया है कि ट्रांसपोर्ट फॉर लंदन (टी. एफ. एल.) कोविड संकट से पहले भी "प्रभावी रूप से दिवालिया" हो गया था। श्री खान ने इसे अस्वीकार कर दिया है, और श्री जॉनसन को "झूठा" कहा है। वह जोर देकर कहते हैं कि वह तब तक किताबों को संतुलित कर रहे थे जब तक कि यूके कोरोनावायरस महामारी से अपंग नहीं हो गया था। बड़ी तस्वीर क्या है?