Britain's Tehran fortress falls to rising Iranian ire

Summary: Britain's embassy in Tehran is one of the most forbidding buildings in Iran's capital. The compound stands out on one of Tehran's main avenues with its high walls, barriers and fortifications.

By James ReynoldsBBC Iran correspondent The fortress reflects the uneasy nature of UK-Iran relations. To some in Iran's establishment Britain is seen as the mastermind of all the evils that befall the Islamic Republic. In recent days several events have coincided to raise the temperature between Britain and Iran. On 22 November Britain cut off all ties with Iran's banks in response to report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear programme. On 27 November Iran's parliament voted to downgrade its diplomatic ties with the UK - in effect ordering the expulsion of Britain's newly appointed Ambassador Dominick Chilcott. At the same time, the anniversary of the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran approached. Protesters announced they would hold a demonstration outside the British embassy on 29 November to mark the event. Iran says the West was responsible for Majid Shahriari's assassination - Britain says it had nothing to do with it. Symbolic importance The night before the protest, the Foreign Office took the unusual step of releasing a statement calling on the Iranian authorities to ensure that the British embassy was adequately protected. But it was not. TV pictures show that protesters easily managed to breach the walls of the compound and police wearing riot gear did not manage to stop them. It is not immediately clear whether or not the protesters were following orders or whether they decided to act alone. But the demonstrators' views on Britain coincide with those of many inside Iran's conservative establishment. A group of demonstrators also stormed a separate British diplomatic compound in northern Tehran known locally as Qolhak Garden. This 50-acre compound has plenty of symbolic importance for some conservative Iranians. They believe that Britain stole the grounds from Iran. One Iranian politician suggested some time ago that Britain could keep Qolhak Garden if Iran was given London's Hyde Park. After hearing news of the first incursions, the Foreign Office in London tried to contact its staff inside the two compounds. One initial call lasted 10 seconds and was ended by the words: "We're being breached." UK Foreign Secretary William Hague later said that all British staff and dependents in Tehran appeared to be accounted for. On Wednesday, the Foreign Office said some of its staff were being evacuated for their own safety. 'Consequences' For many, an incursion into a Western embassy in Tehran triggers memories of one event - the storming by Iranian students of the US embassy in 1979. More than 50 US diplomats and staff were held for more than 400 days. The US and Iran have yet to overcome the legacy of this event - the two countries have not restored diplomatic relations. The British government has called the incursions into its own diplomatic compounds outrageous and indefensible. It warns that Iran will face serious consequences. What these consequences may be is not yet clear, but Britain will want to act alongside its partners in the EU. In April 1997, all EU countries withdrew their ambassadors for seven months because Iranian intelligence agents had been found guilty of murdering four Iranian Kurds in Germany. Mr Hague is due to meet his EU counterparts in Brussels on Thursday. Expect to hear more about the consequences then.

तेहरान में ब्रिटेन का दूतावास ईरान की राजधानी में सबसे अधिक निषिद्ध इमारतों में से एक है। परिसर अपनी ऊँची दीवारों, बाधाओं और किलेबंदी के साथ तेहरान के मुख्य मार्गों में से एक पर खड़ा है।


Claims GCHQ wiretapped Trump 'nonsense' - NSA's Ledgett

Summary: The claim that GCHQ carried out surveillance on Donald Trump during the election campaign is "arrant nonsense", Rick Ledgett, the number two at the US National Security Agency (NSA) has told the BBC in an exclusive interview.

By Gordon CoreraSecurity correspondent, BBC News A commentator on Fox News had claimed that GCHQ had carried out the activity on America's behalf, but Mr Ledgett said the claim showed "a complete lack of understanding in how the relationship works". Each side, he said, was prohibited from asking the other partner to carry out acts that they were prohibited from doing. He also said the huge risks to the UK in carrying out such an act would completely outweigh any benefits. "Of course they wouldn't do it. It would be epically stupid," he told me. GCHQ had also dismissed the allegation as nonsense. Mr Ledgett's comments came in a wide-ranging - and long-scheduled - interview in his office at NSA headquarters at Fort Meade. He acknowledged that these were unusual times when it came to the political maelstrom surrounding America's intelligence agencies and their relationship with the new administration. "Our job in the intelligence community is to be apolitical. Our job is to speak truth to power," he emphasised. The origins of much of the tension lie in the assessment by the US intelligence community that Russia interfered in the presidential election, and the subsequent reaction from Donald Trump. Mr Ledgett said the evidence of Russian involvement was "extraordinarily strong" and "irrefutable" and that the NSA had played a key role in establishing the case. Mr Ledgett said he was "dead solid 100% confident" that the Russian state was behind the attempts - although he said it was not for the intelligence community to evaluate the actual impact of those attempts on the vote itself. There has been speculation that Russia will interfere in upcoming European elections, but the NSA deputy director said it was hard for him to talk about any evidence supporting that. There has been a shift towards more aggressive action in cyberspace in recent years - from Russia but also other states - with some commentators claiming that "cyber war" is breaking out. Low-intensity conflict rather than war is a better description, Mr Ledgett said. "Cyber war is going to look very different - you are going to see massive failures of key infrastructure systems in the countries that are being targeted in a way we have not seen yet." The problems in attributing attacks and the lower barriers for entry mean that this trend may well continue, though. The US last week indicted a group of Russian hackers as part of a broader strategy of trying to develop layered deterrence. Chinese and Iranian hackers have been indicted in the past. "Our assessment is that it does cause actors to pause," Mr Ledgett said, while acknowledging it did not provide absolute deterrence. The spread of internet-connected devices in the home is another concern. "It's a truism that the more things you connect to a network, the more vulnerabilities you introduce," Mr Ledgett argued, adding that he did not have what are called "Internet of Things" devices in his own home. Last week there were claims that the CIA - along with Britain's MI5 - had found vulnerabilities in some "smart" TV sets which allowed them to be turned into bugging devices. Mr Ledgett emphasised that the mission of the NSA was to focus on foreign intelligence and not domestic. He said that 90% of vulnerabilities in systems that the NSA spotted were reported to companies so they could fix them. And any vulnerabilities that the agency sought to leave in place to exploit for intelligence gathering needed to be approved by other government agencies. "There's a fringe narrative out there that the US and UK and all these other governments are willy-nilly just exploiting every vulnerability in every device they can in order to gather information into a big pile and then root through it for interesting things. That's not what we do at all." He acknowledged that the debate around the NSA's power was healthy, but said the way it came about was bad, referring to the Edward Snowden revelations. He said that while he would not point to specific terrorist attacks or deaths as a result of disclosures, the NSA had seen one thousand "entities" (such as terrorist groups or foreign military units) which had tried to change behaviour to avoid surveillance. Mr Ledgett is due to step down in the coming months after a 40-year career in national security. Twenty-nine of those years were spent at the NSA, where he ended up as its most senior civilian. He acknowledged that the current environment - with the intelligence agencies drawn into political debate - was unprecedented. "It is an uncomfortable place to be," he said. "Intelligence needs to not be politicised to be at its best."

अमेरिकी राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा एजेंसी (एन. एस. ए.) में नंबर दो रिक लेजेट ने एक विशेष साक्षात्कार में बी. बी. सी. को बताया कि यह दावा कि जी. सी. एच. क्यू. ने चुनाव अभियान के दौरान डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प की निगरानी की थी, "बेतुकी मूर्खतापूर्ण" है।


Circuit of Wales payment backed 'against advice'

Summary: Ministers have been asked why they went against civil servants' advice in guaranteeing a loan by the firm behind the £425m Circuit of Wales to pay a company owned by its chief executive.

Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies said Michael Carrick's Aventa firm was paid nearly £1m for consultancy services. Mr Davies said backers of the Ebbw Vale motor racing project were effectively "paying themselves" for advice. First Minister Carwyn Jones defended support for project development. The Circuit of Wales promises to create up to 6,000 jobs in the south Wales unemployment blackspot of Blaenau Gwent by building a motor racing track with hotels and industrial units. Although insurers Aviva have been named as the scheme's likely financial backers, the Heads of the Valleys Development Company (HOVDC) has been in negotiations with ministers over the taxpayer shouldering some of the risk. In April, former Economy Minister Edwina Hart rejected a request that the taxpayer underwrite the entire project. Her successor - Economy Secretary Ken Skates - said in July he wanted the firm to find at least 50% of the budget and underwriting from private sources. The Welsh Conservatives have questioned the extent to which the Welsh Government has already been covering development costs by the firm. In an email obtained by the Tories under Freedom of Information law, senior civil servant James Price states that "it appears that our loan guarantee will facilitate a very substantial payment from one company in which Michael Carrick has a significant interest (HOVDC) to another wholly under his control. "Consequently I have been resisting allowing these payments to be funded from the guaranteed loan," the email continued. Raising the issue during First Minister's Questions on Tuesday, Mr Davies said HOVDC was "effectively paying themselves to advise themselves". "That clearly cannot be right, especially if there hasn't been a robust tendering process and indeed when the civil servants themselves, the director general, is offering such advice to ministers. "Why would ministers go against that advice and approve such a transaction?" 'Prudence' Mr Jones responded by saying it was a matter for the minister concerned - Mrs Hart - who was no longer a member of the assembly. But he added: "We will seek to ensure - as she did - that there is prudence in terms of money that's accessed from the public purse." Raising other issues including £9m paid in bank loan guarantees, Mr Davies said the Circuit of Wales project offered "great opportunity" but he was concerned about the "execution". Responding again, the first minister said Mr Davies "can't have his cake and eat it". "He can't say on the one hand this is a good project, and on the other hand say, well, this project shouldn't have been financed in its initial stages," Mr Jones said. "As a government, we will provide amounts of money for business in order to take them to the next stage of business development. "But there comes a point where it's absolutely right to say to any business we will not finance the project unless you find enough private backing that will take the project ahead without there being a 100% guarantee from the taxpayer."

मंत्रियों से पूछा गया है कि वे अपने मुख्य कार्यकारी के स्वामित्व वाली कंपनी को भुगतान करने के लिए £425 मिलियन सर्किट ऑफ वेल्स के पीछे की फर्म द्वारा ऋण की गारंटी देने में सिविल सेवकों की सलाह के खिलाफ क्यों गए।


Bafta Games Awards 2021: Hades takes Best Game

Summary: Hades has won Best Game at the 2021 Bafta Games Awards.

By Steffan Powell and Imran Rahman-Jones Newsbeat reporters The Ancient Greek-themed action adventure was the big winner of the night, taking away five awards in total. The title, made for PC and Nintendo Switch, has been commended by critics for its unique art style and distinctive gameplay. Fans voted voted The Last of Us Part 2 as the EE Game of the Year. Sackboy: A Big Adventure took the British Game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons won in the Multiplayer category and the Game Design award went to Hades. It was the second time the awards ceremony was held online due to lockdown. Completing Hades in the middle of a pandemic had its challenges but it's something Greg Kasavin, creative director at Supergiant Games, will never forget. "The trust that we put in each other - both was tested in some respects but was really just it's what got us through into this," he tells Radio 1 Newsbeat. "It's something to never, ever take for granted - that as a group, we all believe in each other in this way." Studio director and co-founder Amir Rao agrees: "Hades was a game that a lot of people played for a long time, and hopefully it helped them in some way, and they came out with a lasting positive impression as a result of their time with it." 'A platform for changing gaming's image' Analysis by Steffan Powell, Newsbeat gaming reporter Bosses sitting in PlayStation HQ will have a big smile on their faces after watching this year's ceremony. Titles that are exclusive to Sony's consoles walked away with almost half of the awards up for grabs on the night. From Ghost of Tsushima to Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Adventure, PlayStations's knack of making exclusive games which resonate with players was clearly on show. However, the big winner of the night was action roleplaying game Hades which walked away with five golden masks - some achievement for a team of only 20 developers at Supergiant Games. Aside from the winners and losers, the ceremony also took the opportunity to celebrate the positive role that games have played in boosting people's mental and social wellbeing in lockdown. From winners' speeches, to presenter commentary and videos that were shown during the event - the industry used the shop window that Bafta provides to try and keep changing the perception of gaming as just a pastime. The message was clear: The industry wants those who've turned to games in recent months to become ambassadors and encourage more people to pick up a controller. Fan-favourite Last of Us 2 wins three awards A record-breaking 13 nominations this year meant Naughty Dog's title The Last of Us Part 2 was always expected to do well. In the end, it won three awards: Audience-voted Game of the Year, Animation and Performer in a Leading Role, for Laura Bailey. It won big at the 2020 Game awards and was crowned BBC Sounds podcast Press X to Continue's game of 2020. Despite controversies over its depiction of violence, divisive plot twists and character portrayals, the title had an overwhelmingly positive reaction from players and critics. The lockdown effect Right from host Elle Osili-Wood's opening speech, the positives of gaming during lockdown kept coming up. "Games, and the developers behind them, have proven themselves to be more essential than ever," she said. "In 2020, games connected us in a way that wouldn't have been possible a decade ago." So it wasn't a surprise when Animal Crossing: New Horizons - one of "the" games of lockdown for many people - won two awards. The Nintendo title won in the Multiplayer category, and also took the Game Beyond Entertainment award - which recognised "games that made us think and made us feel". Diversity recognised in Bafta's highest honour Siobhan Reddy was honoured with a Bafta Fellowship for her work as studio director of games company Media Molecule - the team behind games such as LittleBigPlanet and Dreams, the game creation software made for PlayStation. The accolade comes in recognition of her "pioneering work on advocacy for diversity, inclusion and creative and collaborative working culture". "To be honest, I felt like vomiting," laughs Siobhan as she recalls the moment she found out she'd won the prestigious award. "It's incredibly humbling. I went through a lot of emotions, and I came out the other end of just feeling incredibly grateful, incredibly moved, and incredibly motivated. I'm totally delighted," Siobhan tells Newsbeat. The winners in full Animation: The Last of Us Part 2 Artistic Achievement: Hades Audio Achievement: Ghost of Tsushima Best Game: Hades British Game: Sackboy: A Big Adventure Debut Game: Carrion Evolving Game: Sea of Thieves Family: Sackboy: A Big Adventure Game Beyond Entertainment: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Game Design: Hades Multiplayer: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Music: Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Narrative: Hades Original Property: Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition Performer in a Leading Role: Laura Bailey (The Last of Us Part 2) Performer in a Supporting Role: Logan Cunningham (Hades) Technical Achievement: Dreams EE Game of the Year: The Last of Us Part 2 More from Press X to continue Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

हेड्स ने 2021 बाफ्टा गेम्स अवार्ड्स में सर्वश्रेष्ठ खेल का पुरस्कार जीता है।


Breaking Bard: Ruining Shakespeare for fun

Summary: In this week of seismic political change in Europe, a deadly terror attack in Turkey and troubling protests by police officers in Rio, social media has not been finding much funny. However, a viral hashtag has been providing some respite. And it's all to do with Shakespeare.

By BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why When you think of Britain's contribution to culture, we bet the Bard crops up in your thoughts somewhere. This year marked the 400 year anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. And it's perhaps a good thing that he's not around to see how social media has been mangling his greatest work in the last few hours. The hashtag #RuinShakespeare invited people to adapt the great playwright's works to contemporary times and, well, mess it up, and the internet happily delivered. There were plenty of references to Millennial behaviour. And those stalwarts of popular culture, the Kardashians. Remember that great debate about why Kate Winslet didn't let Leonardo DiCaprio on her raft in the final scenes of Titanic? And the iconic Lionel Richie 'Hello' music video (a.k.a your dad's favourite song) also got a shout-out. The references were also timely. Remember that it's the summer festival season. And political figures were very much on people's minds. US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump's hair came under the spotlight. Although the hashtag originated on the US comedy show Midnight it quickly spread around the English speaking world. And it was applied to British politician Nigel Farage's controversial post-referendum speech at the European parliament on Tuesday, telling fellow MEPs that they had never done a "proper job". Blog by Megha Mohan Next story Germans reveal why they still 'Love UK' Silly walks and queues are some of the reasons why Germans say they still love Britain after the Brexit vote.READ MORE You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

यूरोप में भूकंपीय राजनीतिक परिवर्तन, तुर्की में एक घातक आतंकी हमले और रियो में पुलिस अधिकारियों द्वारा परेशान करने वाले विरोध प्रदर्शनों के इस सप्ताह में सोशल मीडिया को ज्यादा मज़ेदार नहीं लग रहा है। हालाँकि, एक वायरल हैशटैग कुछ राहत प्रदान कर रहा है। और यह सब शेक्सपियर के साथ है।


Lincolnshire meeting over underground power cable plans

Summary: A public meeting is to be held to discuss proposals to lay underground electricity cables in Lincolnshire.

RWE npower renewables wants to take power from the proposed Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm to Bicker Fen substation, near Boston. The energy company said no decision had been made regarding the route and it would continue to update people. The meeting will be held at 19:00 BST at Irby and Bratoft Village Hall. A planning application for the offshore wind farm, which would be about 20 miles off the coast of Lincolnshire and could power about 850,000 homes, has been submitted.

लिंकनशायर में भूमिगत बिजली केबल बिछाने के प्रस्तावों पर चर्चा करने के लिए एक सार्वजनिक बैठक आयोजित की जानी है।


Derbyshire fatal crash: Man and woman killed in Tideswell

Summary: A man and a woman died when the car they were travelling in was involved in a crash with another vehicle.

A black Peugeot 208 and a grey Toyota Rav 4 collided on the A623 near Tideswell, Derbyshire, at about 14:10 on Sunday. The driver and passenger in the Peugeot, who have not been formally identified, were treated by paramedics but died at the scene. Those in the other vehicle were not injured, Derbyshire Constabulary said. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. Related Internet Links Derbyshire Constabulary

एक पुरुष और एक महिला की उस समय मौत हो गई जब वे जिस कार में यात्रा कर रहे थे, वह एक अन्य वाहन से टकरा गई।


Migrant children in the US: The bigger picture explained

Summary: "Severely neglected" children detained in what have been called squalid conditions, as well as deaths on the US-Mexico border, have brought the treatment of migrants into focus in the US.

Lawyers who visited a border patrol facility in Clint, Texas, have described overcrowded cells, with children locked up without adult supervision or sufficient access to food or showers. The border authority has said it is trying to provide the "best care possible", but that it "urgently" needs additional funding to help the children, some of whom entered the US independently, and some of whom have been separated from their families. But why this is happening, and why now? Here, we have looked at three key pieces of context that will help you understand the fuller picture. 1) Growing migrant numbers The numbers of people from Latin America seeking protection in the US and being held at the border are rising. There is not one specific reason why people are leaving Central America and Mexico for the US. But there are a few that are cited regularly. Reason one: Violence "We leave our countries under threat. We leave behind our home, our relatives, our friends." Maritza Flores, from El Salvador, was one of about 1,200 people who travelled in a so-called "caravan" of migrants north through Mexico in 2018, headed for the US border. "Many people think we left because we are criminals," Ms Flores told the BBC at the time. "We're not criminals - we're people living in fear in our countries. All we want is a place where our children can run free - where they're not afraid to go out to the shops." Gang violence is rife in El Salvador and Honduras. According to the most recent UN figures, the two nations had the two highest homicide rates in the world in 2016. Rights groups cite the influence of armed gangs who act with impunity - as well as the targeting of women and LGBTI people - as key factors for the high homicide rates. Among the most prevalent groups is MS-13, a brutal street gang that started in the US but is now thought to have at least 60,000 members in Central America. The gang is said to recruit at-risk and poor teenagers and demand they commit murder as an initiation rite, often using a machete. In El Salvador, MS-13 controls entire neighbourhoods. Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of people travelling to the US because they fear persecution by gangs like MS-13. While persecution is not the only reason people from Central America migrate to the US - economic volatility, natural disasters and the desire to join family members have also been cited by aid groups - there is evidence it is a growing factor, and a credible one. People seeking asylum in the US can request a "credible fear" interview if returning home would put their life at risk. An asylum officer then tries to establish if their request is based on a fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership of a particular group, including a gang. In the 2012 fiscal year, there were 13,880 credible fear applications. In 2018, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, there were 99,035 applications, and the vast majority were deemed to be justified in both years. In 2018, the highest number of credible fear applications came from citizens of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The UN refugee agency says that those three countries have all "experienced a dramatic escalation in organised crime by gangs" that have turned parts of the countries into "some of the most dangerous places on earth". Far from striking down credible fear applications, the Trump administration is granting them at an unprecedented rate. But Mr Trump has been keen to raise the threshold for what counts as "credible fear". In 2017, the attorney-general at the time, Jeff Sessions, said the system had been exploited. A year later, he issued a ruling that said victims of domestic abuse and gang violence should no longer generally qualify for asylum in the US - although this was eventually struck down by a judge. But the US isn't the only country to which people are fleeing in large numbers. About 294,000 refugees from north and central America were registered worldwide during 2017, an increase of 58% on the previous year. "We hear repeatedly from people requesting refugee protection, including from a growing number of children, that they are fleeing forced recruitment into armed criminal gangs and death threats," a UN statement said. As the number of people requesting credible fear interviews has increased, so too has the number of people being detained at the US border. In May 2019, 144,278 people were held or denied entry while trying to cross the border, compared with 51,862 in the same month the year before. Reason two: Escaping poverty One UN survey of a group of migrants in January 2019 again found many were fleeing violence - 68.3% said they had had to change homes due to incidents related to violence or insecurity in the preceding 12 months. But 68% also said they were moving for better labour opportunities, and 12% for education opportunities. Countries in Central America are among the poorest in the world while the US is one of the richest, with the world's largest economy (by GDP): President Trump has repeatedly condemned economic migrants, saying two months after he launched his candidacy that "they're taking our manufacturing jobs, they're taking our money." However, many studies say that immigration produces net gains for the US economy. Those entering the US for a better quality of life are not considered refugees. However, US and international law currently says that people can seek asylum if they fear persecution at home on the basis of their race, political opinion, nationality, religion or because they belong to a particular social group. Five more things to read There's another factor to bear in mind too: climate change. With economies that are heavily reliant on agriculture, Central American countries are particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature and the weather. A number of recent reports - including a series by the New Yorker magazine - have acknowledged the role climate change is already playing in driving people from Central America. But one World Bank report last year said the number of people displaced because of climate change in Latin America could rise to 2.1 million by 2050. 2) The main players and their motivation To understand the zero-tolerance policy on immigration, it helps to understand who is behind it. When Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the White House on 16 June, 2015, he set the tone for how he would later approach the presidency. "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," he said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems... They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." And so, in early 2018, Mr Trump announced a "zero tolerance" policy to prosecute all adults who try to cross the US-Mexico border illegally, including those who planned to seek asylum in the US. Mr Trump often cites the dangers of MS-13, which sprung up among Salvadorean immigrants in 1980s Los Angeles and has since spread to at least 46 states. Mr Trump has called them "animals" and threatened to rid the US of their influence. He has focused closely on immigration since becoming president, repeating many of the same claims he made on the day he ran for office. He has backed proposals to cut the number of legal immigrants to the US by 50% over the next 10 years, and by cracking down on immigration, he is not just sticking to a campaign promise, but playing to his base: his core supporters. A Washington Post - ABC News poll in April 2019 found that 63% of Republicans said they were more likely to support Mr Trump for re-election in 2020 given his handling of illegal immigration. However, the same poll found that his approach was less popular with Americans overall - with 44% of adults saying his approach made them more likely to oppose him, compared with 31% who were supportive. The zero tolerance policy also reveals the influence of one man in particular: Mr Trump's senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner tasked with putting the president's words into actions. Mr Miller, one of the president's few original aides to keep their job, was the person who put together the ban on immigrants from majority-Muslim countries announced soon after Mr Trump came to office. The New York Times reported that in April 2018, when it became clear that the number of people being held at the border was growing significantly, Mr Miller pushed for a harder line on immigration. "It was a simple decision," he told the New York Times. "The message is that no-one is exempt from immigration law." His position in 2019 is even more secure than a year earlier when the border crackdown began, thanks partly to the departure of immigration officials who supported less restrictive policies. 3) The law and the loopholes Is it legal to separate families and detain children in poor conditions? This question goes to the centre of the debate on immigration and is not as easy to answer as you may think. Firstly, the policy of family separations at the border - a Trump policy, despite his claims to the contrary - ended after the initial outcry in 2018 with the president signing an executive order, then a judge separately ordering the practice to end. So why are some families still being separated? The New York Times has reported that 700 families had been separated in the past year via "loopholes" in the court order - when parents have a criminal conviction or a disease, or when it is an aunt, uncle, or sibling accompanying the child. Some parents may themselves be under 18 and also detained. There is also significant debate about the conditions under which people are being kept. This too is because of a lack of clarity in the law. A 1997 court decision, known as the Flores Settlement Agreement, sets a standard which the US government must follow when it comes to treating migrant children. But the Department of Justice has sought to amend the agreement to allow it to hold children for longer, and has disputed interpretations of the 1997 court decision - most notably, when a government lawyer argued in June 2018 that the order does not specify that detained children be given showers, soap or toothbrushes. As long as children continue to be separated from their families, the legal challenges from both sides are likely to continue. But aside from the loopholes and the legal disputes, plain old bureaucracy also appears to be a problem. Unaccompanied children are by law supposed to be detained for only up to 72 hours. But several reports say many are being kept in detention centres - often in squalid conditions - for much longer, as government agencies struggle to process the vast number of people being held at the border. "The agents are working their tails off trying to get this squared away," one immigration official told the Washington Post in May 2019, "but it's a daily struggle with the amount of people we're encountering."

खराब परिस्थितियों में हिरासत में लिए गए "गंभीर रूप से उपेक्षित" बच्चों के साथ-साथ अमेरिका-मेक्सिको सीमा पर होने वाली मौतों ने अमेरिका में प्रवासियों के साथ व्यवहार पर ध्यान आकर्षित किया है।


Bitcoin buster? The search for a more stable cryptocurrency

Summary: Cryptocurrencies - digital tokens known as cryptos for short - have investors in the grip of a gold rush fever, with billions being traded every day. Prices fluctuate wildly, making them high-risk investments. But could a more stable, less volatile crypto persuade us to think of digital money less as a speculative investment and more as a mainstream "smart" currency?

By Matthew WallTechnology of Business editor There are now more than 1,500 cryptos - Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin to name just a few - being traded on about 190 exchanges around the world. Prices have soared and crashed alarmingly. In 2017 the price of a bitcoin rocketed to nearly £15,000 before losing two-thirds of its value in just a few months. It's currently worth about £5,000. This volatility may be a speculative trader's friend, but it has reinforced cryptos' reputation for being high-risk investments for the adrenalin-fuelled "get rich quick" brigade. Crypto fundraising schemes, known as Initial Coin Offerings, have alarmed regulators around the world. So a growing number of crypto start-ups are developing alternatives known as stablecoins, digital tokens pegged to traditional fiat currencies such as the US dollar, British pound or Japanese yen, with the aim of reducing this volatility and increasing confidence. Hong Kong-based Tether has blazed a trail in this market, swapping about $2.7bn (£2.1bn) worth of fiat currency into its eponymous digital tokens. It claims to have all its digital tethers backed by traditional money in its bank accounts - a claim that has been disputed by some. But Tether's 90% dominance of the stablecoin market is enticing several others to try something similar. For example, crypto finance company Circle is launching a new token called USD Coin. "Imagine a US dollar coin that you can make payments with, use on crypto networks, or use in smart contracts to pay dividends, but which you can convert back to fiat currency at any time," explains Circle chief executive Jeremy Allaire. Circle's USD Coin will run on the Ethereum blockchain - the distributed ledger technology underlying cryptos - and have an open standard infrastructure overseen by a body called Centre. It wants Centre to become the main platform for other stablecoin operators. "Crypto represents the next layer of infrastructure for the internet," he says. "It will allow money to move at the speed of light around the world for free, but also offer binding, verifiable contracts, enabling anyone to do business together. "We're going to see a lot of businesses using tokens for revenue raising. And eventually central banks will want to do this," maintains Mr Allaire. Circle, which is backed by the likes of Goldman Sachs and Baidu and has an estimated value of close to $3bn, recently attracted another $110m in investment led by investors such as Chinese crypto mining giant Bitmain. Kory Hoang is the founder of Stably, a firm in Vancouver that is developing StableUSD, another US dollar-backed stablecoin. The Vietnam-born entrepreneur believes the sector presents "a huge opportunity", especially for people in countries with unstable currencies. "Fruit sellers on the streets in Zimbabwe could accept your digital payment via an app," he says. "Their fiat money is almost worthless, but they could receive tokens in seconds and sell them very easily for a small commission." Obi Nwosu, founder and chief executive of Coinfloor, a crypto exchange collective, says: "There are about two billion people who are unbanked or underbanked, which means they have no access to the world of e-commerce. "Bitcoin and cryptos give these people access at much lower cost, but admittedly with less protection." What price stability? But there is disagreement within the industry about the best way to reduce the price volatility of cryptos. Coinfloor hopes to solve the volatility issue by attracting far more money into the sector in the belief that greater trading volumes will lead to a more efficient market. This will require better regulation, argues Mr Nwosu, before large institutions are likely to commit serious money. Concerns about the abuse of cryptos for money laundering and terrorist financing remain a barrier to mass acceptance, he says. But this is still better than going down the stablecoin route, he believes, which requires a central organisation to back the digital tokens, with the extra cost this entails. And this structure conflicts with the decentralised nature of cryptos and blockchain technology and could be "the worst of both worlds", he says. More Technology of Business "We think that although stablecoins could be popular in the short run, a decentralised currency that is stable and doesn't have a central organisation behind it will be safer in the long run." Whatever the disagreements about how to achieve price stability for currency and investment purposes, most people in the sector agree that a crypto's additional ability to act as a smart contract presents huge opportunities to "tokenise" physical assets. "Say I have a house in downtown Saigon worth $1m," says Mr Hoang. "I could tokenise it and sell those tokens on the global crypto market. You could issue a billion pieces of your house if you wanted. Then people would start trading them, just like shares in a real estate investment trust. "It gives investors around the world access to investment opportunities they never had before." Akbar Thobani, chief executive of crypto trading platform SFOX, says: "We think that tokenising assets, such as trucks, cars, planes and real estate, will become big business." But if stablecoin cryptos do become as mainstream as fiat currencies, will the system be able to cope with the volume? Many fear blockchain is getting slower and in danger of seizing up altogether. Ethereum, one of the most popular blockchain platforms, is only able to process about 13 transactions a second, whereas card payment processing platform Visa can cope with more than 20,000 transactions a second. This is why work is afoot to create more flexible blockchain-based platforms, such as EOS and Stellar, that could cope with a vast increase in transaction volume and millions more users.

क्रिप्टोकरेंसी-डिजिटल टोकन जिन्हें संक्षेप में क्रिप्टोस के रूप में जाना जाता है-निवेशकों को सोने की भीड़ के बुखार की चपेट में है, जिसमें हर दिन अरबों का कारोबार होता है। कीमतों में बेतहाशा उतार-चढ़ाव होता है, जिससे वे उच्च जोखिम वाले निवेश बन जाते हैं। लेकिन क्या अधिक स्थिर, कम अस्थिर क्रिप्टोकरेंसी हमें डिजिटल धन को सट्टा निवेश के रूप में कम और मुख्यधारा की "स्मार्ट" मुद्रा के रूप में सोचने के लिए राजी कर सकती है?


Lindsay Lohan and the Kettering Christmas lights conundrum

Summary: Lindsay Lohan and Kettering: an unlikely pairing, thrown together by her "offensive" tweet about the town's Brexit vote and again when she apparently agreed to switch on the Christmas lights to make amends. On the day of the big event, the Mean Girls star apologised to say she would not be able to make it. But what do residents make of the saga?

By Jodie HalfordBBC News In the onslaught of EU referendum stories in late June, there was one that seemed more unexpected than most. Lindsay Lohan, the US actress famed for her roles in Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, weighed in on Twitter with her own form of punditry by asking: "Sorry, but #KETTERING where are you?" as 61% of its residents voted Leave. Before long, the tweet gained traction - to the point where it was discussed in the House of Commons. "Everyone knows where Kettering is," the town's MP, Philip Hollobone, told fellow politicians a few days after the now infamous tweet. "It's famous as the home of Weetabix breakfast cereal, Cheaney and Loakes shoes. "And Kettering Town Football club has scored more goals in the history of the FA Cup than any other football team in the country." Mr Hollobone's zeal to defend his town did not stop there - he then invited the actress to switch on the town's Christmas lights as a gesture of goodwill. Much to the delight of the MP, she seemed to accept: "Would be happy to light the Christmas tree," she tweeted. But subsequent efforts to track her down and hold her to her promise were met with a wall of silence, leaving former EastEnders actress Cheryl Fergison, who is appearing in a pantomime in the town, to do the honours instead. The council said on Tuesday Lohan's manager was checking her schedule and "may still turn up" to the event, but the actress later posted a video apologising for not being able to make it. Certainly, Mr Hollobone said he believed it was a mistake for the 30-year-old actress to give the event a swerve. But what do shoppers on Kettering's autumnal streets think of the switch-on U-turn? "I think she should have kept her promise, but I didn't really expect her to," said shop worker Anna Sye, 55. "I think she's had her own problems in her life so she probably said it and didn't really mean it. "I can think of many more interesting celebrities we could have had. I think George Clooney would have kept his promise." Chris Hamilton, 24, says Lohan would have been made welcome by residents. "It would have been nice for her to come - we don't really get big celebrities coming here. We had Jake Wood last year, but I wouldn't mind meeting her." Council worker Talitha Reynolds, 16, was rather understanding about the travel involved. "I think she should have kept her promise, but I didn't really see her doing it - it's quite a way to come to turn the lights on." However, sustainable fashion business owner Tom Cridland is rather more critical of the actress's flip-flopping. Asked if he had a message for Lohan, he replied: "Next time you want to tweet something incredibly rude about somewhere and imply its citizens who have a different political opinion to you are irrelevant, I suggest you Google the place you haven't heard of on your gold-plated iPhone and you could perhaps be better informed." Mr Cridland, 26, grew up in a village just outside the Northamptonshire town and is proud of his Kettering connections. He founded his business there and now splits his time between his parents' home and London. "I couldn't really care less about people who see places like Kettering as irrelevant," he said. "I think there's more to life than that and I'm certainly at my most happy, productive, peaceful when I'm in this area." Kettering's credentials Mr Hollobone is disappointed and feels attending the event would have helped "redeem her political reputation". "I think we always assume celebrities live in a different world, and we all expect she wouldn't come," he said. "But a big bit of me thought she might see it as a great opportunity, and loads of publicity. It could have been the Lindsay Lohan event of the year. "For the sake of a £40 return on the train from London, she would have generated a huge amount of goodwill - this is a real missed opportunity for her."

लिंडसे लोहान और केटरिंगः एक अप्रत्याशित जोड़ी, शहर के ब्रेक्सिट वोट के बारे में उनके "आपत्तिजनक" ट्वीट द्वारा एक साथ फेंक दिया गया और फिर जब वह स्पष्ट रूप से सुधार करने के लिए क्रिसमस की रोशनी चालू करने के लिए सहमत हो गईं। बड़े कार्यक्रम के दिन, मीन गर्ल्स स्टार ने यह कहने के लिए माफी मांगी कि वह ऐसा नहीं कर पाएंगी। लेकिन निवासी इस गाथा के बारे में क्या सोचते हैं?


Saltdean Lido petition to be considered by council

Summary: A petition to safeguard the future of Saltdean Lido has been referred to a key committee at Brighton and Hove City Council.

A 2,500-signature petition was handed to the full council on Thursday before a debate on the lido. Councillors decided to refer the issue to the culture, recreation and tourism committee. The lido was recently put on English Heritage's "At Risk" register due to its poor state of repair.

साल्टडेन लिडो के भविष्य की रक्षा के लिए एक याचिका को ब्राइटन और होव सिटी काउंसिल की एक प्रमुख समिति को भेजा गया है।


Wrexham council staff drink and drugs test approved

Summary: A proposal to test council staff for drink and drugs after whistleblowers reported alleged substance misuse at work has been given the go-ahead.

Wrexham council will initially only test those suspected of having an alcohol or drug problem, but after six months it could introduce random tests. It said it intended to secure "a safe environment for all employees". The move comes after a number of alcohol-related disciplinary cases and illegal substances were found on-site. Before the meeting, councillor Bob Dutton, lead member for organisation, said the council would give "all reasonable assistance" to staff with drink or drug problems. But he added: "Individuals testing positive must be aware that in having chosen to report for duty with substances in their system they are exposing themselves and others to an unacceptable level of risk."

व्हिसलब्लोअरों द्वारा कार्यस्थल पर मादक द्रव्यों के कथित दुरुपयोग की सूचना के बाद शराब और मादक द्रव्यों के लिए परिषद के कर्मचारियों का परीक्षण करने के प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दे दी गई है।


The UK women seeking divorce through Sharia councils

Summary: The use of Sharia councils in the UK to settle disputes using Islamic religious law has been criticised for discriminating against women. With rare access, the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme looks at what takes place inside one such council.

By Jean Mackenzie and Adam EleyBBC Victoria Derbyshire programme "Is it not possible to forget all the things he has done to you?" one of three Islamic scholars asks Yasmeenah - not her real name - in a side room of Birmingham Central Mosque. Yasmeenah has been in an arranged marriage since the age of 15, and says her husband has emotionally and physically abused her throughout the relationship. She has come to this Sharia council - one of an estimated 30 established councils across the UK, often referred to as Sharia "courts" - in the hope the scholars will grant her a divorce from her Islamic marriage, or nikah. She dismisses the idea that she can overlook the past and continue the relationship. "But he loves you very much," the scholar continues, having spoken to her husband previously that day. "Yes, but this is not enough," she replies. "Something makes me afraid of him and scared of him. If I see him, suddenly all my body starts shaking," she had explained shortly before. The scholars listen to her case and, when they feel they have enough information, ask Yasmeenah to leave the room to allow them time to deliberate. She returns nervously, but it is good news - the scholars have unanimously decided the marriage should be terminated with immediate effect, saying they are sad to hear what she has been through. "When they announced [their decision] I felt that something happened that I had wanted for years," she explains, overjoyed. "I'm really surprised, because they cared about my emotions. I thought, 'Finally I've got my freedom.'" Find out more The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays from 09:00-11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. The courts' rulings, such as this one, are not recognised by the UK system, and these councils have no legal powers - although many of the women who claim they have been abused also go to the police. The scholars' judgements, however, can carry moral and cultural weight by ending the divorce before God. "If I went to an English court [my ex-husband] would say, 'Where is their right to decide about my life?' Now he can't say anything because the decision has been made using Sharia law, and we all believe in that," she explains. 'Discrimination' There are claims, however, that some Sharia council decisions legitimise forced marriage and act unfairly towards women - although the council in Birmingham visited by the Victoria Derbyshire programme is regarded by many as one of the fairer councils. "I am quite concerned [about Sharia councils], purely because of the cases we get on our helpline - and they come in regularly," says Shaista Gohir, chairwoman of the charity Muslim Women's Network UK. She worries that women are being asked intrusive questions about their personal lives, and, in some cases, being discriminated against. Many incidents concern women being told to mediate with their husbands, against their will. Aleena - not her real name - says she wanted a divorce because her partner used to rape her on a regular basis. He was also a polygamist. "When I contacted my nearest Sharia council for a divorce they pressured me into mediation, which I didn't want. "It arranged the mediation with one of its local religious advisers. I had to visit this man alone at his home. He asked me very personal questions about my sex life. "He said that polygamy was allowed. He said, 'Be patient, you have lasted 22 years, why do you want a divorce now?'" Another woman told us she was referred to mediation with her husband, even though "there were injunctions stopping him going anywhere near me". Sharia Sources: Islamic Sharia Council, University of Reading The Sharia councils are not regulated, so it can be difficult to assess what takes place inside - especially in some of the smaller councils that are not linked to mosques. In May, the government announced an independent review to assess whether Sharia law in England and Wales was compatible with UK laws and whether it has been used to discriminate against women. But Ms Gohir believes any recommendations it suggests will be difficult to enforce. "Who is going to force these bodies to implement those recommendations," she asks. "There is no way of forcing them because most of them do not operate under the arbitration act anyway. So it might just be left to good will." The Home Office says it can propose legislation should the review set out a clear case for it. The councils, however, believe they are providing an essential service. Amra Bone, the UK's first female Sharia council judge, says without them, the women could feel trapped and oppressed. Their Islamic marriages are often not legally binding and so can only be ended by one of these councils, rather than a civil court. "If we left them [without the option of these councils] in miserable situations - where they're distraught, they don't know what to do, where to go - [they could] fall into deep depression," she explains. Yasmeenah also sees the courts as something of a lifeline. "If the council wasn't here for me, what would I have done, how would I have got my divorce," she enthuses, as she pays the £300 it cost to bring her case. But with a lack of consistent rules and standards, the councils do not work for everyone. Ms Gohir believes that, if the rights of Muslim women were improved in wider society, they would not need to turn to such councils for a divorce. "What I would like to see is civil solutions - and laws and policies strengthened - so Muslim women are less reliant on these Sharia councils. That would then - in the longer term, over 10 to 15 years - make a lot of them redundant."

इस्लामी धार्मिक कानून का उपयोग करके विवादों को निपटाने के लिए ब्रिटेन में शरिया परिषदों के उपयोग की महिलाओं के साथ भेदभाव करने के लिए आलोचना की गई है। दुर्लभ पहुंच के साथ, बीबीसी का विक्टोरिया डर्बीशायर कार्यक्रम देखता है कि ऐसी परिषद के अंदर क्या होता है।


Who is talking to the dissidents?

Summary: There have now been 35 dissident republican attacks this year.

By Andy MartinBBC Ireland reporter A stark figure against a background of apparent contact between dissidents and the two governments. If talks are actually taking place, as Martin McGuinness has claimed, one wonders what they are talking about. There is no doubt that a deal was done with relation to conditions in Maghaberry prison. Back channels involving a Londonderry go-between and a trades unionist, ensured a peaceful parade for the Apprentice Boys of Derry on Saturday. A planned protest was called off. But it shows the limits of such an agreement, as half way through the biggest single parade of the year, a bomb exploded 55 miles away. There are of course a number of different organisations committed to disturbing the peace. Increased co-operation They are the Real IRA, Continuity IRA, possibly the INLA and two groups operating under the Oglaigh na hEireann name (OnH). Recent assessments suggest that there is significant cross-over in terms of membership, and an increase in co-operation between them. But it is OnH which is believed to have the greatest capability, having grown from the membership of the first Real IRA group behind the Omagh bomb. However, this co-operation should not come as any great surprise, as Omagh demonstrated. That 500lb bomb was made by Continuity IRA, but planted in the town by members of the Real IRA. Martin McGuinness claimed that up-surges in dissident activity comes in 'flurries'. It is now a year and half since two soldiers were shot dead at Masserene barracks in Antrim. Days later, Constable Stephen Carroll was killed in Craigavon. This year another policeman has been seriously wounded, and four others with security force connections have discovered bombs under their cars. Martin McGuinness says he is absolutely sure that those talking to the governments are not just political representatives, but those involved in planning and carrying out these attacks. But a stated dissident pre-condition to talks, is a British withdrawal. With the prison issue resolved, it is hard to see what there is left in terms of bargaining tools. Perhaps that is why the British government said it was not possible to conduct "meaningful" talks with those not committed to peaceful means.

इस वर्ष अब तक 35 असंतुष्ट गणतंत्रवादी हमले हो चुके हैं।


Isle of Man TT fan jailed for walking on circuit

Summary: A racing fan who "took a huge risk" by walking on a closed road during the TT festival has been jailed for eight weeks and banned from the Isle of Man.

David Seager, 47 and from Bristol, appeared at Douglas Court House on Monday charged with a public disorder offence and being on a closed road. Police said such anti-social behaviour would not be tolerated. Inspector Derek Flint said: "We will do everything in our power to ensure the marshals' difficult job is supported." Police issued a warning after a video - widely shared on social media - showed several spectators at the TT races "wandering" around on the closed roads. A spokesman said: "If a road is closed it's a race track - if you take the risk, you could be looking at a prison sentence."

एक रेसिंग प्रशंसक जिसने टी. टी. उत्सव के दौरान एक बंद सड़क पर चलकर "बहुत बड़ा जोखिम उठाया", उसे आठ सप्ताह के लिए जेल में डाल दिया गया है और आइल ऑफ मैन से प्रतिबंधित कर दिया गया है।


Coronavirus: How amateur radio is connecting people during lockdown

Summary: Amateur radio use in the UK has seen a "significant" rise during the coronavirus lockdown as people seek new ways of staying connected. The national body that represents users - the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) - has said many people who formerly enjoyed the hobby are also returning to it.

By Vanessa PearceBBC News Mark Rider's social life before the coronavirus lockdown consisted of the occasional trip to the pub, rehearsing with musician friends and visiting his wife in her care home. "But when I knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon I decided to dust off my amateur radio equipment to seek out some other social interaction," he says. Mr Rider, a retired engineer from North Warwickshire, said "ragchewing" - or chatting to people on the airwaves - "has become one of the highlights of my day". "Because I live on my own, and because of lockdown, I knew I couldn't do what I used to do, which wasn't going to be very good for me or my mental health." The 67-year-old says keeping in touch with others has been more important since his wife was taken into care after a stroke. "Just speaking to somebody else in the same situation is very rewarding," he says. The RSGB defines amateur radio as a "technical hobby for people who want to learn about, use and experiment with wireless communications", like Mr Rider, who uses his radio kit to speak to others using designated radio frequencies. Steve Thomas, RSGB general manager, says the organisation has experienced a threefold increase in the number of people asking to sit licensing exams since social distancing rules came into place. There are currently about 75,000 licensed users in the UK. "Across the country, clubs and individual radio amateurs are supporting one another by setting up 'nets', or online meetings," Mr Thomas says. Anne-Marie Rowland has been running twice-weekly meetings to help keep people in contact. The 11-year-old from Leedstown near Hayle in Cornwall, who has held a licence for about a year, set up the transmissions with the Cornish Amateur Radio Club to help keep people in contact during lockdown. "We have some regulars but also some new people join in," she says. Dad Bill, who also runs a weekly meeting, says "we're always available with the radio on, there are a lot of older people out there self-isolating, so this helps them feel connected". Amateur radio users have also been showing their support for the NHS by adding "/NHS" as an extension to their call signs and taking part in a "get on the air to care" campaign (#GOTA2C), aimed at supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of the radio communications community. An amateur radio call sign, issued by the Government Office for Communication (Ofcom), is a series of letters and numbers unique to each radio operator and allows enthusiasts to identify each other and establish which country they are in. Paul Devlin, from the NHS Emergency Care Improvement Support Team, launched the campaign in an "unprecedented" partnership with the RSGB, whose National Radio Centre is based at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes. He was responsible for creating the health service's amateur radio station GB1NHS. "The NHS is the only government level organisation to routinely use amateur radio to help improve the lives of communities globally," he explains. "We want radio operators to simply get on the air, reach out to fellow enthusiasts and check how they're doing," says the 55-year-old from Lichfield, Staffordshire. "Being such a well-recognised brand, whenever GB1NHS is on the air we have queues of radio operators wanting to engage with our messages." Analysis by Jim Lee, BBC Radio announcer and newsreader I first got hooked by the magic of radio as a schoolboy in Nuneaton. I passed the necessary technical exam and Morse test and got my call sign (G4AEH) dangerously close to my A-Level exams. Listening to the pirate stations in the 60s made me want to work in radio. When most of them were closed down, tuning around the shortwave bands on a radio that my mum bought for me at a church jumble sale led me to amateur radio. That was over 50 years ago and even though I spend a lot of time reading the news and introducing programmes for the BBC, communicating around the world with an antenna I've made from a few bits of wire is still part of radio's magic. Amateur radio is ideal for social distancing and it's no surprise that more and more people are turning to it during this crisis. Social media and video calls are OK, but depend on there being sufficient internet bandwidth for efficient communication. You can't FaceTime the International Space Station, but there have been occasions when radio amateurs have been able to speak to the astronauts via their radio sets in a shed or back bedroom. The digital world and amateur radio can exist side by side. There's no way the new kid on the block will replace the magic of talking to someone on the other side of the world with less power than it takes to run a light-bulb. It's science in action. The RSGB introduced remote invigilation in the middle of April to allow people to take their foundation exam - the entry step to obtaining an amateur radio licence. Pete Sipple, 50, from Leigh-on-Sea, who runs the Essex Ham amateur radio club with his wife Sarah, has been offering online training courses for the exam for some time but says since the coronavirus lockdown he's seen a "massive" surge in demand. "We've had 1,135 people apply for a course so far this year, and due to the Covid demand, are running two courses a month instead of one," he says. Mrs Sipple, 46, says she's noticed a rise in transmissions from people who haven't been on air very recently. "Pete has been getting messages saying, 'I haven't used the radio for six or seven years, can you just help me get back into it?'" Callum McCormick, a 61-year-old antenna manufacturer, hosts a daily amateur radio welfare "net" for the over-65s from his home in Lapworth, Warwickshire. It has reached hundreds of users, with thousands more watching via his YouTube channel. "The oldest user who has been in touch is 101-year-old George from Dorchester who just wanted to call and tell us he and his wife Ivy were being looked after by their daughter and were OK." Mr McCormick says he was able to help one disabled and housebound user "who was down to his last half cup of milk". "He'd been calling in and over the days I'd clocked he needed help, so I managed to mobilise a response to get some shopping to him and he's now being looked after by the council," Mr McCormick says. "I wanted to do something for the old boys who were feeling a little bit lost and isolated." Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

ब्रिटेन में कोरोनावायरस लॉकडाउन के दौरान शौकिया रेडियो के उपयोग में "महत्वपूर्ण" वृद्धि देखी गई है क्योंकि लोग जुड़े रहने के नए तरीके ढूंढते हैं। उपयोगकर्ताओं का प्रतिनिधित्व करने वाले राष्ट्रीय निकाय-रेडियो सोसाइटी ऑफ ग्रेट ब्रिटेन (आरएसजीबी)-ने कहा है कि कई लोग जो पहले इस शौक का आनंद लेते थे, वे भी इस पर लौट रहे हैं।


What is jihadism?

Summary: A BBC investigation has found that more than 5,000 people around the world died during November as a result of violence caused by al-Qaeda, its offshoots and groups which subscribe to a similar ideology, commonly referred to as "jihadism".

What does jihad mean? The word "jihad" is widely used, though often inaccurately, by Western politicians and media. In Arabic, the word means "effort" or "struggle". In Islam, it could be an individual's internal struggle against baser instincts, the struggle to build a good Muslim society, or a war for the faith against unbelievers. BBC Religion: Jihad What is the difference between jihadists and Islamists? The term "jihadist" has been used by Western academics since the 1990s, and more widely since the 11 September 2001 attacks, as a way to distinguish between violent and non-violent Sunni Islamists. Islamists aim to reorder government and society in accordance with Islamic law, or Sharia. Jihadists see violent struggle as necessary to eradicate obstacles to restoring God's rule on Earth and defending the Muslim community, or umma, against infidels and apostates. If the umma is threatened by an aggressor, they hold that jihad is not just a collective obligation (fard kifaya), but an individual duty (fard ayn) that must be fulfilled by every able Muslim, just like ritual prayer and fasting during Ramadan. The term "jihadist" is not used by many Muslims because they see it as wrongly associating a noble religious concept with illegitimate violence. Instead, they use delegitimising terms like "deviants". How Islam got political: Founding fathers Do all jihadists want the same thing? Jihadists share the basic aims of advancing Islam and countering danger to it, but their priorities can vary. A recent study by Thomas Hegghammer of the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment identified five prominent objectives: How do they justify violence? Jihadists divide the world into the "realm of Islam" (dar al-Islam), lands under Muslim rule where Sharia prevails, and the "realm of war" (dar al-harb), lands not under Muslim rule and where under certain circumstances war in defence of the faith can be sanctioned. Muslim rulers and governments who jihadists believe have abandoned the prescriptions of Sharia are considered by them to be outside dar al-Islam and therefore legitimate targets for attack. Why are civilians killed? Jihadist groups targeted civilians before the emergence of al-Qaeda, but it resorted to violence against them on a scale which no other had until then envisaged. In 1998, Osama Bin Laden and the heads of four jihadist groups in Egypt, Pakistan and Bangladesh signed a declaration of total war against the United States and its allies, and called for the targeting of both soldiers and civilians. The Prophet Muhammad said Muslim armies should do their best to avoid harming children and other non-combatants. But the declaration says that killing them is an act of reciprocity for the death of Muslim civilians. After 11 September 2001, Bin Laden sought to justify attacking American civilians by arguing that as citizens of a democratic state who elected its leaders, they bore responsibility for their leaders' actions. The targeting of Muslim civilians has proved more controversial. In 2005, Bin Laden's then deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, advised the late leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that killing Shia civilians - particularly by beheading them - "won't be acceptable to the Muslim populace however much you have tried to explain it". The use of similar tactics in Iraq and Syria by Islamic State (IS), which grew out of AQI, was a factor in Zawahiri's decision to disavow the group in February 2014. Islamic State: Can its savagery be explained? Why is the US often the main target? In his 1998 declaration, Osama Bin Laden accused the US of "occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorising its neighbours, and turning its bases in the Peninsula into a spearhead through which to fight the neighbouring Muslim peoples". These "crimes and sins" amounted to a "clear declaration of war on Allah, his messenger, and Muslims", it concluded. In 2013, two years after Bin Laden's death, Ayman al-Zawahiri wrote in his General Guidelines for Jihad that "the purpose of targeting America is to exhaust her and bleed her to death, so that it meets the fate of the former Soviet Union and collapses under its own weight as a result of its military, human, and financial losses. Consequently, its grip on our lands will weaken and its allies will begin to fall one after another." How big are the Islamic states they want to establish? Many jihadist groups seek to establish Islamic states in their respective countries of origin, such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Other groups want to establish a "caliphate" - governed in accordance with Sharia by God's deputy on Earth (khalifa, or caliph) - that extends across regions. Some, like al-Qaeda, want to re-establish the caliphate that once stretched from Spain and North Africa to China and India. Its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has vowed to "liberate all occupied Muslim lands and reject each and every international treaty, agreement and resolution which gives the infidels the right to seize Muslim lands", including historic Palestine, Chechnya and Kashmir. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi also wants to "demolish" the borders established by the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, but his group has already acted on this by declaring the creation of a caliphate that stretches across eastern Syria and western Iraq. Al-Qaeda and IS also differ in their approaches to establishing Islamic rule. Al-Qaeda's has been more long-term, while IS has immediately sought to implement Sharia in its territories. What's the appeal of a caliphate? Are there Shia jihadist groups? While there are militant Shia Islamist groups that are jihadist in nature, they differ in many regards to Sunni groups. According to Shia tradition, mujtahids - the most senior religious scholars - have the authority to declare a "defensive" jihad. But only the 12th or "hidden" Imam - who Shia believe did not die when he disappeared 1,100 years ago - can declare an "offensive" jihad. For centuries, most Shia clerics advocated political quietism while they awaited the Imam's return. But that outlook changed in the 1960s and 1970s, giving rise to the activism that culminated in the 1979 revolution in Iran and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. In recent years, the sectarian nature of the conflict in Syria has seen Iranian-backed Shia groups come to the aid of forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, a member of the heterodox Shia Alawite sect. The groups and their thousands of "volunteer" fighters - from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Yemen - say they are in Syria to defend the key Shia shrine of Sayyida Zaineb in Damascus. Lebanon's Hezbollah movement has described members killed in Syria as martyrs who died "while performing jihadist duties". Similarly, the advance of IS across Iraq in 2014 saw the mass mobilisation of Shia militia to defend holy sites.

बीबीसी की एक जाँच में पाया गया है कि नवंबर के दौरान अल-कायदा, इसकी शाखाओं और समूहों द्वारा की गई हिंसा के परिणामस्वरूप दुनिया भर में 5,000 से अधिक लोग मारे गए, जो एक समान विचारधारा की सदस्यता लेते हैं, जिसे आमतौर पर "जिहादवाद" के रूप में जाना जाता है।


Is India's Bangalore doomed to be the next Cape Town?

Summary: A recent report has said the south Indian city of Bangalore could be doomed, like Cape Town in South Africa, to face the threat of running out of drinking water. But is this really the case? The BBC's Imran Qureshi investigates.

The fact that Bangalore is under "water stress" cannot be denied. The term is used to refer to pressure on water resources which causes problems like shortages. Officials and experts admit the growth of the city has put pressure on its water resources, particularly because in the last few years alone more than 100 villages have been absorbed into this rapidly expanding metropolis, known as India's Silicon Valley. In 2012, nine million people lived in Bangalore. Now, there are 11 million. Government officials say shortage of water is a very real problem, particularly in the peripheral areas of the city which are already dependant on tankers for drinking water supply. These tankers get their supply from borewells, but as demand increases they are being forced to dig deeper and deeper to find water. The Bangalore water supply and sewerage board ( BWSSB), the agency that provides drinking water and manages the city's sewage system, acknowledges that in 2014, a survey predicted Bangalore was on the verge of running out of water. But, they say the situation has changed since then - one critical government decision just may have staved off complete disaster, at least for now. In 2013, the government decided to divert an additional 10 thousand million cubic feet of water from the Cauvery river to Bangalore for its drinking water needs. The Cauvery is the principal source of water for not just the city, but also for the irrigation needs of much of Karnataka state where Bangalore is located. And Cauvery water is precious. The state has been involved for more than a century in a dispute over sharing water resources from the river with neighbouring Tamil Nadu state. The Supreme Court has had to intervene on multiple occasions, but has also permitted states to prioritise the use of water for drinking purposes. "The current supply of water to Bangalore amounts to about 100 litres of water per person per day," Tushar Girinath, chairman of the water supply board, told the BBC. Officials estimate that by diverting the river water, the city will gain a little more than 50% of its current supply. The project, called "Cauvery Water Supply Stage Five", is funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. The additional supply is expected to help Bangalore provide drinking water to a 225 sq km (87 sq-mile) area that is currently dependent upon water supplied via borewells and tankers. In addition to the additional supply from the Cauvery, the city will in the next 18 months also receive water from another river called the Nethravati. Mr Girinath said this would make the water position of the city more "comfortable". "Yes, we will face some water stress until 2023. But we certainly are not facing a crisis, because we are augmenting the supply," he said. Officials say the plan has taken the rapid growth of the city into account. Merely increasing supply will not be enough to ensure Bangalore has adequate water supply though. The city's residents also need to participate in conservation and harvesting efforts. But this has not been the case so far. The water board has run massive campaigns promoting rainwater harvesting in an effort to help replenish ground water supplies. But this has got a disappointing response. It is mandatory for people to construct rainwater harvesting facilities at their homes, but this is often ignored. The board in fact, collects a sum of more than 20m rupees (about $300,000; £222,000) in fines every month from people who have not complied. "Bangalore's annual rainfall alone could give the city 2,740 million litres of water a day," Vishwanath Srikantaiah, a water expert, told the BBC. Mr Girinath adds that people will also have to begin recycling water using their own sewage treatment plants. "They will also have to understand that the board cannot provide treated water. Our sewage treatment plants are so huge that we have set them up outside the city. So, we expect people living in complexes housing 50 or more apartments to construct smaller plants to treat water for their own needs," he said. A sewage treatment plant small enough to be used by an apartment costs around 750,000 rupees to install. People living in smaller houses or slums will get free treated water from the water board. "Of the 100 litres used by every person per day, people need only 20 litres for cooking, drinking water and bathing purposes. The remaining 80 litres is used for non-potable purposes like flushing toilets, cleaning floors and washing cars,'' BN Tyagaraja, who headed an expert panel to look for additional water sources, told the BBC. "The citizens have to realise that water is a scarce commodity. Not just in Bangalore but across the world. We need to conserve water," he said. Mr Srikantaiah agrees. "Bangalore is not likely to run out of water but we will have to manage it well," he says.

हाल की एक रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि दक्षिण अफ्रीका के केप टाउन की तरह दक्षिण भारतीय शहर बैंगलोर को पीने के पानी की कमी के खतरे का सामना करने के लिए बर्बाद किया जा सकता है। लेकिन क्या वास्तव में ऐसा है? बीबीसी के इमरान कुरैशी जांच करते हैं।


No such thing as the internet

Summary: Six decades after the Advanced Research Projects Agency of America's Defence Department (ARPA) began funding research on time-sharing between computers, which led eventually to the revolutionary technology we call the internet, the time has come to drop the definite article.

Amol RajanMedia editor@amolrajanon Twitter Just as the claim that politicians are merely following "the science" when it comes to the pandemic is an attempt to create the illusion of consensus, so talk of "the internet" now refers to a phantom. Today there is no such thing as the internet. There are internets - plural - with different, indeed rival, systems erupting in many places, but two dominant kingdoms: an American (OK, Californian) internet, and a Chinese one. The latter, being the product of the Communist Party, has a plan to win the future. The former, being a collection of disparate and competing companies, does not. After the splinternet Over the past year, I have been thinking and writing about the fact that one of the great questions societies need to ask themselves today is: What kind of internet do you want? As I mentioned in that earlier blog, the idea of a splinternet has emerged, and with it the claim that there are two other main internets aside from the Californian and Chinese ones: a libertarian free-for-all of the kind envisioned by an earlier generation of digital pioneers; and also a more regulated, European one. That makes four in total. Now I'm starting to think this idea of "four kingdoms" is also rather damaging, in a couple of ways. First, it overlooks the fact that there are potentially - not yet, but potentially - as many internets as there are nation states with laws. When, earlier this year, TikTok and 58 other Chinese-owned apps were banned in India, the world's largest democracy slipped into a category all of its own, and certainly not covered by those four kingdoms. India-without-TikTok wasn't a Californian, European, or libertarian internet. And neither, obviously, was it a Chinese one. It was an Indian internet. When, earlier this year, TikTok was banned in Indonesia, the ban only lasted for a few days, and was initially justified on different grounds from the ban in India. India banned the Chinese apps mainly because of how they use data. Indonesia banned TikTok - though not many of the other apps banned by India - because they were thought to be blasphemous, and promote pornography, in the world's largest Islamic population. It's not particularly useful to understand India or Indonesia's decision through the paradigm of the four kingdoms. These countries came to their own, unique decision for their own, unique reasons. As more and more countries do this, it will be instructive to think not of one internet, but many internets, each with their own specifications attuned to local custom, practice and freedom of speech. This will help, for instance, businesses planning their operations in different territories. And it will help us all to grasp why people in different parts of the world have such wholly different responses to, and understandings of, the same event. For instance, what if, in the maelstrom of the US presidential election, Beijing invades Taiwan? This may not be as fanciful as you think. Should it happen, those in the West who are horrified need to remain very alert to the fact that, in China, citizens will be getting a very, very different version of events. Which brings us to the second shortcoming of the splinternet theory of four kingdoms. It's true that, the internet is splitting into as many territories as there are nation states. Yet at the same time it is true that one paradigm matters much, much more than any other. Tech Cold War This is the age of the Tech Cold War. It is America v China. All the stories you have seen this year about President Trump clamping down on TikTok (and demanding its sale to an American owner), or about Huawei, are best understood through this prism. America and China are vying for technological supremacy. Cyberspace is the battlefield. When President Trump demanded that TikTok's US operations be sold to an American company, and that the US Treasury take a cut, there was a predictable outcry from those who saw this as an appalling incursion into the economic liberty which did so much to create American hegemony. And yet, intriguingly, America's leader was merely borrowing from the Chinese playbook. In China, YouTube, WhatsApp and many other platforms are of course banned. The internet is policed, and is itself used as a policing surveillance tool by the Communist Party. Fans of democracy everywhere have to ask themselves: why shouldn't nation states demand control of the internet within their borders? And if there is a trade-off between economic liberty and national security, why should the former automatically win? China is one of those very, very rare subjects which commands bipartisan support in the US. A Biden administration would see technology as a foreign policy issue, and China as a tech policy challenge. They may be encouraged in this, by the way, by Sir Nick Clegg of Facebook. Biden is one of the US politicians Sir Nick knows best, since they were both de facto deputy national leaders at the same time, have a similar political heritage, and used to talk regularly. Through its extraordinary investment programmes in central Asia and Africa, China is already making a play for good favour from the people of those regions. Many of those people are among the three billion who still don't have access to the internet. China has a plan to ensure that the internet they do have access to is a Chinese one: a highly-controlled digital service in which data is ultimately controlled by the Communist Party. If the US has a plan as coherent and well invested in, it's been remarkably quiet about that. One of the many reasons democracies have made such a mess of regulating the internet, and have struggled to spread its benefits while reducing its harms, is the astonishing lack of basic knowledge among policy-makers. Alerting them to the fact that there is no such thing as "the internet" any more, if ever there was, might give them a better chance of competing in the Tech Cold War that is upon us, and in which China has hitherto been more strategic. If you're interested in issues such as these, please follow me on Twitter or Facebook; and also please subscribe to The Media Show podcast from Radio 4.

अमेरिका के रक्षा विभाग की उन्नत अनुसंधान परियोजना एजेंसी (ए. आर. पी. ए.) द्वारा कंप्यूटरों के बीच समय-साझाकरण पर अनुसंधान के लिए धन देना शुरू करने के छह दशक बाद, जो अंततः उस क्रांतिकारी तकनीक की ओर ले गया जिसे हम इंटरनेट कहते हैं, निश्चित लेख को छोड़ने का समय आ गया है।


Campaigners hope for Derby Hippodrome restoration

Summary: Campaigners trying to save a Derby theatre are optimistic after a report found it was possible to restore the derelict building.

The Grade II listed Hippodrome on Green Lane, which opened its doors in 1914, was damaged by repair work in 2008 and more recently by fire. An architect's study found the theatre could be renovated at a cost of £15m. Joan Travis, of the Hippodrome Restoration Trust, said the theatre could be Derby's "jewel in the crown". She said: "It would bring in a lot of people in, make money and be the centre of culture." The trust is also set to publish the results of a public survey, which was extended due to the large number of responses it received about the building's future.

डर्बी थिएटर को बचाने की कोशिश कर रहे अभियानकर्ता आशावादी हैं क्योंकि एक रिपोर्ट में पाया गया कि जर्जर इमारत को बहाल करना संभव था।


India school-leaving exam: The controversy that cost 23 lives

Summary: At least 23 teenagers in the southern Indian state of Telangana have killed themselves since their school-leaving exam results were announced in April. BBC Telugu's Deepthi Bathini explains why the results have become controversial.

Thota Vennela enjoyed cooking, watching comedy shows and eating street food. Her older brother, Venkatesh, 19, had recently taught her to ride his motorbike. "I was so happy that she could ride it like a professional biker. But sometimes I would follow her without her knowing to make sure that she was safe," he says. The siblings fought over the bike and played pranks on each other, but they were close. Venkatesh struggles to hold back tears as he pulls out his wallet to show his sister's photograph. On 18 April - the day she found out that she had failed her 12th class (school leaving) exams - Vennela consumed poison. She died hours later in a hospital. "She kept repeating, how could I fail?" recalls her mother, Sunitha. "We consoled her and told her it was fine and she could apply for re-evaluation or take the exams again. But even at the hospital she kept saying, 'I should have passed'." Vennela was one of more than 320,000 students in Telangana who failed their school-leaving exams. All of them were enrolled in schools that teach a syllabus set by the state education board. (Some Indian schools also teach syllabuses set by a national education board.) Higher education in India is fiercely competitive. And school-leaving exams are crucial for securing a spot in good universities - they are seen as a ticket to a well-paying job and a bright future. Top universities also conduct independent admission tests, but students who perform well in those can still lose their seat if they fail their school-leaving exams. In the days following the announcement of the exam results, shocked students and parents protested, alleging there had been errors in marking and demanded the exams be marked again. "My son scored full marks in maths, physics and chemistry in his 11th class exams. But this year the results show that he scored one mark in maths and zero in physics. How is that possible?" says Venugopal Reddy. "He had been studying for other competitive tests. But after the results, he is dejected. He has stopped studying and eating, and refuses to leave the house. I am worried about his mental health," he adds. As protests intensified, suicides by students who had failed the exams were reported from across the state. A child rights group petitioned the state high court, which ordered the board to re-mark the answers of all those who had failed. The new results were announced on 27 May - the scores of 1,137 of the students who had failed were revised, and they were declared successful in the exams. One student who had initially scored zero marks in a subject, ended up scoring 99 when her answers were re-marked. At the heart of the controversy is a private software firm, Globarena Technology, which in 2017 won the government contract to conduct the exam across the state for more than 970,000 students. It is also responsible for processing the final scores to announce results. The state education board, which outsourced the job to Globarena, has said the suicides were not "connected to mistakes due to technical and result processing errors". Globarena conceded there had been errors. "We follow the process prescribed by the board. The incidents that have happened are unfortunate. Initially there were technical errors. We have made the corrections," VSN Raju, the company's CEO, told the BBC in April. The family of one of the students who killed herself - Anamika Yadav - has said it will file criminal charges against the education board and Globarena. Her family told the BBC that the 16-year-old killed herself hours after finding out that she had failed the exams. On 27 May, the re-evaluation said she had passed the exams, but hours later the marks were again revised - she had failed again. It seems there was a mistake in updating the scores. Board officials said Globarena was not involved in the re-evaluation process. "This makes us suspicious," says Anamika's father, Atul Ganesh. Vennela's father, Gopalakrishna, also says he wants to file charges. "I can't trust the board. How can my daughter, who was always a good student, fail? I need answers." Read more India stories The re-evaluation did not include the marks of any of the 23 students who killed themselves. But their parents are not sure what to make of these results - they are shocked and heartbroken, but are also bewildered and suspicious. Most of the parents spoke of their children's diligence and ambition. Vodnali Shivani, 16, woke up at the crack of dawn every morning to study. She wanted to be an engineer and she would often say to her father: "Wait for five years and our lives will change." Devasothu Neerja wanted to become a doctor, and she spent most nights studying. "She always passed all her exams. So we thought we must do whatever we can to help her," says her father, Rupal Singh. Bhanu Kiran, 18, loved maths and wanted to become an ethical hacker so he spent a lot of his time watching YouTube tutorials about the subject. But what underscores all of these memories is the immense pressure to succeed. Students in India - especially those who want to study engineering or medicine - take a series of highly competitive exams in quick succession. And the race to secure a college place starts early - as early as two years before the school-leaving exams - allowing for a risky and prolonged mix of stress, expectations and dreams. "The exam itself is surrounded by stress," says psychologist Vasupradha Kartic. "Students need to be counselled regularly." She adds that students need to be able to see beyond the exams - that failing doesn't mean they have no options left for a career or a future. If you are feeling emotionally distressed, visit Befrienders International for more information about support services.

दक्षिणी भारतीय राज्य तेलंगाना में अप्रैल में अपने स्कूल छोड़ने की परीक्षा के परिणाम घोषित होने के बाद से कम से कम 23 किशोरों ने आत्महत्या कर ली है। बीबीसी तेलुगु की दीप्ति बाथिनी बताती है कि परिणाम क्यों विवादास्पद हो गए हैं।


Election 2013: Doncaster mayor results

Summary: Labour's Ros Jones has been elected.

Voting in the mayoral election in Doncaster went to 2nd preference votes.

लेबर पार्टी के रोस जोन्स चुने गए हैं।


The deadly 'ghost gear' which haunts seas and coastlines

Summary: More than half a million tonnes of fishing gear is estimated to be lost or abandoned every year in the world's seas and oceans. Some of it entangles and kills wildlife at sea and on shore.

By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter Conservationists call it "ghost gear". It includes fishing nets, long lines, fish traps and lobster pots left drifting at sea usually after being accidentally lost from fishing grounds or boats, or discarded in an emergency such as in a storm. "Fishing gear is designed to trap marine organisms, and it can continue to do so long after the gear is lost or discarded in the ocean," says Joel Baziuk of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI). "When lost fishing gear keeps catching fish after its intended lifespan, it is called ghost fishing." He said ghost gear was the most harmful form of debris to marine life because of the risk of entanglement or entrapment. GGGI estimates at least 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear are lost or abandoned every year. The hotspots include the Gulf of Carpentaria in Australia and Hawaii in the Pacific. Joel says: "Ghost gear is a problem anywhere fishing takes place, and that includes Scotland." The risks this marine pollution poses to wildlife include entanglement, when animals get wrapped up in rope and other gear. In Scotland, the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (Smass), which investigates marine animal deaths, recorded 12 entanglement cases in 2019. They included a pregnant whale found dead and tangled in a fishing net in Orkney in October. The net was jammed in the animal's baleen, the filter-feeder system inside its mouth. In May, a humpback whale entangled in fishing gear washed up dead close to Scrabster, near Thurso on the north Caithness coast. The previous month, another humpback whale was found to have been entangled in rope for "weeks, if not months" before it drowned off the East Lothian coast near Tyningham. What are the other risks? Entanglement is not the only threat posed to whales. A sperm whale that died after stranding on the Isle of Harris in November had a 100kg "litter ball" in its stomach. Fishing nets, rope, packing straps, bags and plastic cups were among the items discovered in a compacted mass during an investigation by Smass. Seals have also been caught up in nets and ropes, though there have been successful rescues of these animals, including the saving of a five-week-old grey seal pup entangled in a plastic net on Lewis. A hotline run by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) has received 47 reports of entangled seals this year in Britain. Some of the animals were lucky and were rescued, or managed to free themselves. Other ghost gear victims include animals that forage on shorelines. In 2017, stags on the Isle of Rum were found with fishing gear caught in their antlers. Two of the animals died after becoming snarled up together in discarded fishing rope, while another stag was photographed with an orange buoy and rope balled up in its antlers. Even tiny fragments of ghost gear is a risk, say conservationists. Noel Hawkins, of the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Living Seas project, says: "Some of the small stuff can be as devastating to wildlife as many seabirds swallow it thinking it is fish eggs or food. "They choke on it and even use it as nest material, which endangers chicks." What is being done? Scotland is playing its part in a global effort to tackle ghost gear. In a GGGI project, divers from the Ghost Fishing UK initiative have carried out underwater clean-ups in Orkney. BDMLR, meanwhile, is part of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (Sea), a coalition of conservation groups, rescue teams and fishermen. The coalition is seeking to find best practices to avoid entanglements and the most effective responses to any incidents. This year the alliance trained 20 people working in the fishing industry throughout Scotland in how to help disentangle animals. Public agency Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), which is involved in Sea, describes ghost gear as a "huge international problem". Fisheries policy and advice manager David Donnan said: "Fishing gear that has been lost can continue to be a hazard, with ropes and netting frequent sources of animal entanglement. "To combat this issue, SNH has worked with partners, including fishers, to raise awareness and help develop solutions." And there have been success stories. In October, BDMLR helped to free a humpback from fishing ropes in Orkney. New technology, such as prawn creels that can be lowered into the sea and returned to the surface without the need of ropes is also being trialled. What else is happening in Scotland? The Scottish Fishermen's Federation says the fishing industry across Europe is "actively engaged" with the issue of discarded gear. "Very little" fishing equipment is lost at sea by the Scottish fleet, according to the federation's chief executive Elspeth Macdonald. She says: "Trawl nets are expensive, which means that skippers try to get as much use as possible out of them, and put them ashore to be mended when required. "The bulk of the ghost gear found in the Scottish sector is monofilament netting used by French and Spanish gill netters and longliners on the west coast." There is also an effort to clean up ghost gear that washes up on Scotland's shores. In the north west Highlands, Scottish Wildlife Trust's Living Seas project has been setting up beach clean stations in remote locations. The stations are large pallet boxes with litter pickers and bags attached and members of the public walking along the beaches are encourage to use the stations to gather up any litter they find. The project's Noel Hawkins says: "One of these just north of Ullapool at Dun Canna beach has taken in over tonne of rubbish alone." In July, tonnes of rubbish was removed from the Summer Isles in the north west Highlands in another of the project's clean-ups. Fishing ropes and nets were among the other items gathered in a clean-up But Noel says: "It is worth remembering that some estimates think only 3 to 5% of rubbish actually comes ashore though. "There is still a lot more out there." He added that the "majority" of the plastics and other rubbish being found on beaches and shores was from Scotland's fishing industry, not material lost by other European boats. All images are subject to copyright.

अनुमान है कि दुनिया के समुद्रों और महासागरों में हर साल आधे मिलियन टन से अधिक मछली पकड़ने के उपकरण खो जाते हैं या छोड़ दिए जाते हैं। इनमें से कुछ समुद्र और तट पर वन्यजीवों को उलझाते हैं और मार देते हैं।