Albert Newman named as fatal East Midlands M1 crash driver

Summary: An 87-year-old man who died in a crash on the M1 after driving the wrong way on a carriageway, has been named.

Albert Kenneth Newman, from Nottingham, was at the wheel of a Mazda Premacy when it collided with a Ford Transit van near Kegworth in Leicestershire. Michael Luciw, 27, from Nottingham, who was a passenger in the van, was also killed in Monday morning's crash. The driver of the van was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where he remains in a stable condition. Highways England confirmed Mr Newman's car was heading north on the southbound carriageway before the collision. Mr Luciw's mother, Andrea Shelton, said in a statement: "Michael was a loving father, son, brother, uncle, grandson and nephew".

कैरिजवे पर गलत रास्ते से गाड़ी चलाने के बाद एम1 पर एक दुर्घटना में मारे गए एक 87 वर्षीय व्यक्ति का नाम लिया गया है।


Twitter sues US government over spying

Summary: Twitter has sued the US government over surveillance laws.

Under current regulations, Twitter cannot reveal certain information about government requests for users' data relating to national security. Twitter argues that this violates the right to free speech, as defined by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. The firm said it brought the case in an effort to force the government to be more transparent about personal data requests. "It's our belief that we are entitled under the First Amendment to respond to our users' concerns and to the statements of US government officials by providing information about the scope of US government surveillance," Twitter's lawyer, Ben Lee, wrote in a blog post. Twitter brought the action against the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a northern California court on Tuesday. In April, Twitter submitted a Transparency Report to the US government for publication; however, so far officials have denied the firm's request to share the full report with the public. That report includes specific information about the nature and number of requests for Twitter user information relating to national security. "The US government engages in extensive but incomplete speech about the scope of its national security surveillance activities as they pertain to US communications providers, while at the same time prohibiting service providers such as Twitter from providing their own informed perspective as potential recipients of various national security-related requests," wrote Twitter. 'Obligation to protect' Although Twitter receives significantly fewer government requests than rival technology firms such as Google, the American Civil Liberties Union said the suit might spur others to act. "We hope that other technology companies will now follow Twitter's lead," said Jameel Jaffer, American Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director, in a statement. "Technology companies have an obligation to protect their customers' sensitive information against overbroad government surveillance, and to be candid with their customers about how their information is being used and shared." Several of the largest US tech firms have been fighting government requests for their users' private data, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Dropbox. Others, such as Apple, have taken steps to circumvent US government requests by encrypting user data in a manner that puts it beyond the reach of law enforcement.

ट्विटर ने निगरानी कानूनों को लेकर अमेरिकी सरकार पर मुकदमा दायर किया है।


'Green' appeal to RockNess music festival-goers

Summary: The organisers of a music festival held close to the shores of Loch Ness have urged fans to take public transport or car share to protect the environment.

RockNess will be held at Dores from 10 to 12 June. Kasabian, the Chemical Brothers and Paolo Nutini are among the headline acts over the three days. Festival-goers have been asked to use the event's Go Green with RockNess discount coach scheme, travel by train or car share. In the newly published guide to the festival, organisers encouraged people to think about reducing their carbon footprint. More than 30,000 people attended over the three days last year, when headline acts included Fatboy Slim, Leftfield, Blondie and The Strokes.

लोच नेस के तट के पास आयोजित एक संगीत समारोह के आयोजकों ने प्रशंसकों से पर्यावरण की रक्षा के लिए सार्वजनिक परिवहन या कार साझा करने का आग्रह किया है।


Clint Eastwood goes to Iraq

Summary: I was apprehensive about interviewing Clint Eastwood. Not because of his iconic status, or his reputation for being taciturn, but because I did not go a bundle on his latest film, American Sniper, a biographical film set in the Iraq war.

Will GompertzArts editor@WillGompertzBBCon Twitter Based on the autobiography of US Navy Seal Chris Kyle, the story follows the military marksman played by Bradley Cooper. Given the film was the reason for our meeting, I felt a bit awkward. The good news was the 84-year-old director seemed happy enough when he came into the foyer of the Warner Bros cinema on the studio's lot in Hollywood. He was casually dressed in cream coloured slacks, light blue polo shirt and a dark linen jacket. The bad news was the running order: I was last to go in a long morning of interviews he was giving - time for him to get tired and scratchy and for me to dwell on my small social dilemma. As one Japanese journalist after another went into the cinema to meet The Great Man, I whiled away the time watching a Tina Fey show being shot outside. My cameraman told me that back in the day the LA movie studios had retractable roofs so directors could use the sun as a top light. "Conflicts keep people wondering" It was nearing 2pm when I got the nod indicating my turn had come. I made my way to the interview spot in the auditorium, where - a few moments later - I was joined by Clint Eastwood. He looked good: a slow walk and slight stoop being the only obvious outward signs of old age. And his good mood was intact. "Hello Will," he said with a broad, warm smile. "Nice to see you. Are we standing or sitting?" "Sitting," I say. And soon he is talking about American Sniper. "I'm not a guy who is fond of the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. But I am very sympathetic to veterans," he says. "People who are forced to go and do the job, whatever the morality aspects are." Overly sympathetic, I suggest, to one veteran in particular: Chris Kyle, whose true story the film is based upon. Why not show at least some compassion for those on the other side? Wasn't he being rather jingoistic? He turned his head and looked directly into my eyes. And then said… nothing. Just kept on staring. Oh dear. Had he taken umbrage already? We'd only just started. It was difficult to know what he was thinking, as we know from his movies he can do a good poker face. He took a breath, paused, and said… "Too what?" Eh? Oh... Ah! He hadn't heard me. To be fair, I had been told beforehand to speak up because he is a little hard of hearing but had forgotten, partly because he is so softly spoken. I repeated the question. There was no waiting this time. He was straight back at me. Not aggressively though, or defensively, but thoughtfully. He said that whenever you're in a war you have conflict of one side against the other. And conflict (without paying attention to all the myriad subtleties) is the basis of drama, and that's the business he's in. Which, he explained, was why he's been interested in exploring the nature of human violence for six decades. "Conflicts keep people wondering. And as long as people wonder maybe they'll go to movies based on that," he said. That thought seemed to sum up the man. He's not a tough guy, or a hothead, or - for that matter - a man of few words. Quite the opposite, he is a storyteller. That's what drives him. He said he wasn't "smart enough" to come up with his own scripts and plots, but when he spotted them - maybe in a magazine or in the blurb on the back of a book - he was quite good at telling them. 'Cool my heels' It wasn't a long conversation - maybe 20 minutes at most - but even in that relatively short space of time it was apparent the alter ego we have placed on Clint Eastwood is as fictional as Gran Torino. Maybe I got him on a good day, but I met a man who was open, straightforward and talkative. He didn't play the big shot, far from it. In fact, one could see how this natural born storyteller could have persuaded himself it might fun to spoof the Democrats by having a faux conversation with a chair, only for it to backfire spectacularly because he didn't quite understand how the world wants to see him. It wants the alter ego, the self-assured tough guy - not the innovative film-maker and risk-taking artist. Clint Eastwood is old, for sure - it took him a while to shape his thoughts and he lost his thread on one or two occasions - but he was gracious throughout. He's promised his family he's going to take a break and hopes nobody offers him a script he can't refuse in the meantime while he takes six months off to… "Cool my heels."

मैं क्लिंट ईस्टवुड का साक्षात्कार लेने के बारे में आशंकित था। उनकी प्रतिष्ठित स्थिति या मौन होने के लिए उनकी प्रतिष्ठा के कारण नहीं, बल्कि इसलिए कि मैंने उनकी नवीनतम फिल्म, अमेरिकन स्नाइपर, जो इराक युद्ध पर आधारित एक जीवनी पर आधारित फिल्म है, पर काम नहीं किया।


Brighton seafront death crash: Second suspect charged

Summary: A second man has been charged in connection with the death of a man hit by a 4x4 on Brighton's seafront.

Suel Delgado, 20, from Crawley, suffered fatal head injuries and two others were hurt in the crash with a BMW X6, on Marine Parade on 1 December. Irfan Khondaker, 26, unemployed, of Caithness Road, Mitcham, has been charged with assisting an offender. Earlier, Iftekhar Khondaker, 34, of the same address, was charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder. Both men are due before Brighton magistrates later. Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.

ब्राइटन के समुद्र तट पर 4x4 की चपेट में आने से एक व्यक्ति की मौत के संबंध में एक दूसरे व्यक्ति पर आरोप लगाया गया है।


Your unusual town names

Summary: The towns Dull in Perthshire, UK and Boring in Oregon, US recently paired up in a drive to improve tourism. In response the Magazine asked people for their pictures and recollections of unusually named towns. Here is a selection.

Thomas Holden, who took the picture above, writes: My wife and I were taking a short break in Devon and we were paying a visit to Bere Ferrers which is a tiny village I'd noticed on a map. The road to Hole is off the route to Bere Ferrers and I just had to take a photo. I think the name comes from the fact the road plunges down almost as though into a hole. Piles, Karpathos, Greece Andrew Jennings, who took this picture,writes: Whilst on holiday in Greece in 2008 on the island of Karpathos we came across this rather painful sounding town. Accident in Maryland, US Cathy Cook from Ballydehob in Ireland asks: Is it time that Accident, Maryland, US was paired with Hospital, Co Limerick, Ireland? Pratts Bottom, Kent, UK Roger Storer says: Pratts Bottom is very near Badgers Mount. Both in Kent. I lived in the dull sounding town of West Kingsdown - so every time I drove passed these they gave me a huge snigger. I dread to think what they could be twinned with. David in Orpinton, Kent writes: I live near Pratts Bottom. I notice that the small green signs indicating the name of this village have recently vanished, which is rather a shame, since it would be nice for travellers to know when they enter and exit Pratts Bottom. Not far away is the village of Badgers Mount. Ugley in Essex, UK has proven memorable to Magazine readers Gavin Collins says: The village of Ugley has a peculiar name, but is actually very pretty and is set in a very scenic part of Essex. There is rumoured to be a branch of the Women's Institute in Ugley, but I think this may be a myth. However, I have seen the Ugley Village Hall, but contrary to expectations, it is a handsome building with fine garden. Shoshana Hantman in New York, US says: What about the village of Ugley, in Essex? Close by is Ugley Green. I have long desired to become a member of the Ugley Women's Institute. Peter Turner in Bishop's Stortford writes: Nearby are the villages of Ugley and Nasty. Not so long ago the local paper was able to use the headline Ugley woman marries Nasty man. Les Arses in Switzerland Andrew Allshire, who took this picture, suggests that this town in Switzerland might work well for a Father Ted reunion. Lost in Aberdeenshire, Scotland Iain Wright says: There must be some potential for twinning 'Lost' in Aberdeenshire with 'No Name' in Garfield County, Colorado. Both are tiny hamlets, each with less than a hundred population. And I've been to both. More of your choices: Jan Pearce in Grantham, UK writes: Is it easier to sleep in Little Snoring or Great Snoring, Norfolk? Steve Millar in Falkirk, Scotland writes: Not so much an embarrassing name, but not too far from here is a village called Crook of Devon. Years ago, somebody put a sign below it saying: "Twinned with the Thief of Baghdad." Pity that someone took it down, no sense of humour. Paul Wilson in Goxhill, North Lincolnshire writes: Story recollected of old from my late father regarding two Lincolnshire villages. A signpost gave directions: To Mavis Enderby and Old Bolingbroke. To which had been added "A son, both doing well." Mary Arneson in Minnesota, US writes: We once drove several miles northwest of Linz, Austria just to see the town sign for Rottenegg.

पर्थशायर, यू. के. में डल और ओरेगन, यू. एस. में बोरिंग शहरों ने हाल ही में पर्यटन में सुधार के लिए एक अभियान चलाया। इसके जवाब में पत्रिका ने लोगों से उनकी तस्वीरें और असामान्य रूप से नामित शहरों की यादें मांगी। यहाँ एक चयन है।


Call the Midwife to get first regular black character

Summary: BBC drama Call the Midwife is to get its first regular black character.

Casting is already underway for an actress to play West Indian nurse Lucille in the next series. It's to reflect the influence of nurses from the Commonwealth on the NHS in the 1960s. Series creator Heidi Thomas said Lucille will be "elegant, funny and clever" and bring "a fresh new energy to life at Nonnatus House". "My research is continually bringing up new things," Thomas told the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival. "[It] has made me very aware of the contributions made by West Indian and Caribbean nurses to the NHS in the early 1960s. She's going to bring stories with her, and a different cultural point of view, and that's very exciting." Series six of the popular drama finished last month, concluding with a birth, death and a marriage in the final episode. It will return to BBC One for a Christmas special, before series seven kicks off in the new year. The casting news comes as Call the Midwife was voted the best TV drama of the 21st Century in a Radio Times poll. It beat finalists The Night Manager, The West Wing, The Bridge, Happy Valley and Merlin, which won separate genre categories last week. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

बीबीसी ड्रामा कॉल द मिडवाइफ को अपना पहला नियमित अश्वेत चरित्र मिलने वाला है।


‘How my son went from gamer to compulsive gambler’

Summary: The NHS has opened its first clinic for young people addicted to gaming and gambling, a year after a Gambling Commission report found that 55,000 11-to-16-year-olds in the UK were problem gamblers. For some the path to gambling begins with playing online games, as the BBC's Becky Milligan heard from the father of one young man now getting help for his addiction.

"Not in a million years, not in a million years did I think that gaming could lead to compulsive gambling." Steve is sitting on a bench in a churchyard. He's agreed to talk to me about his son's gambling addiction. He's nervous, he hasn't done an interview before and I can feel his anxiety. His son, now in his early 20s, is in recovery and doing well, "but we take one day at a time" he says. "We've had a terrible three years. We wouldn't want anyone to go through what we have gone through. When we first discovered our son had the compulsive gambling disorder we didn't know what to do." Steve tells me how one night his son lost his weekly wage in a matter of minutes. Distraught, he appealed to his parents for help. They did what many other parents would do: They paid off his debt, hoping that would be end of it. But it wasn't. I tell Steve that I've spoken to other parents whose children have developed gambling disorders, and they also paid off the debts at first, not realising the extent of their children's addiction. "We thought this was just a little glitch, this is what kids do," one father told me. And that's what Steve thought at first. He and his wife had known for some time that their son enjoyed having the odd bet. But lots of their friends enjoyed a flutter and it didn't seem to be out of the ordinary. A year later, though, Steve was shocked to find out his son was gambling with other people's money, and losing large amounts. "It was online roulette. That was his downfall," he tells me. Now Steve realised it was a very serious problem. He and his wife didn't know what to do. They began to isolate themselves, avoid going out or seeing friends. They were worried what people would say. "We were pretty helpless. We didn't know which way to turn. We spent months finding the answers and doing our own research," Steve says. Last year, he and his wife went to a GamAnon meeting for families. Earlier this year his son also began to get help. Find out more Becky Milligan's reports on teenage gamblers can be heard on the PM programme this week, from Tuesday to Thursday, after 17:00 on BBC Radio 4 You can also listen now on BBC Sounds: Steve has had a few months to do a great deal of research and he now believes his son's addiction was sparked when he was 12 or 13 and was obsessed with playing online games, particularly football games. He would play for hours and hours in his bedroom, Steve tells me, and all his mates were into to it as well. Steve didn't really understand what the games were about, let alone the new technology the games used. And anyway, at least his son was occupied, he says. "We all want an easy life, a quiet life. Parents can be lazy. If he was playing upstairs I would think, 'It's not doing any harm is it?'" Steve now thinks that the football games promoted habits, including spending hours online, that "developed into gambling". Crucially, Steve's son was encouraged to pay for extra products, such as "ultimate team packs". The identities of the players in these packs would only be revealed once he had paid, which Steve says introduced his son to the "thrill of gambling", the game of chance and risk - including the chance of acquiring a star player who would make him unbeatable. Steve thinks the difference between online gaming and gambling is very subtle, and that those children who excessively game online, like his son, are at risk of becoming compulsive gamblers later in life. It doesn't matter, he says, whether the game involves winning or losing real money. Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, a psychiatrist at the new NHS treatment centre, says no link between gaming-related activities "that may be toxic for young people" and gambling has yet been established. It's currently a "big controversial conversation", she says. "I believe so little is known in this country about both these behavioural addictions in children, that we need to hear it on the ground, we need to understand what these people are doing then work with policy makers, politicians and public health professionals to change the environment they live in," she told the BBC. Where to get help GamFam Gam-Anon BigDeal (for children and young people) Gamblers Anonymous GamCare It has been a very hard few years for Steve and his family. He recently decided to leave his teaching job and set up a charity, GamFam, to help other parents who might be in a similar position. However complicated it is, Steve says that parents need to know what their children are doing online, they need to become the experts in order to protect them. "Do research, put the barriers in place, take control of the device, set up family time. Screen [the child's activity] so that you are in control of what's going on. And most importantly do not have any of your credit cards, debit cards linked to the account," he says. "There are horror stories where children are spending excessive amounts of money on in-game purchases. Many of these games promote themselves as free games but the loot boxes in the games [are not]." Like the "ultimate team packs" that Steve's son used to buy, loot boxes may contain virtual items such as weapons or shields that help a player win the game - and gamers don't know what's in them until they have bought them. MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee recently recommended that the sale of loot boxes should be regulated as gambling, and that selling them to children should be banned entirely. In a statement to the BBC, the association for UK interactive entertainment, Ukie, echoed Steve's call for parents to monitor their children's behaviour online. "Alongside robust age-ratings for games, all major consoles and mobile devices offer smart and simple parental controls. Above all, we recommend that parents and carers engage directly with players, talk to them about the games they are playing and even join in," the statement said. Wes Himes, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, said it was very difficult for children to get through the verification process to gamble online. He added that the industry was not allowed to advertise near schools, or to target under-25s with its advertising. Steve Ginnis of Ipsos Mori, however, told the BBC that focus groups conducted by his company showed that children and young people found aspects of existing gambling advertisements appealing - "in terms of promotional offers and use of celebrities and presenting it as fun or skilful". 'Part of the game' Stewart Kenny, the Paddy Power founder who resigned in 2016 over what he saw as the failure to tackle problem gambling, says advertising is "normalising" gambling for children, and that it has become "nearly part of the game" when watching football. "That is dangerous, because it is promoted by well-known people, it's a constant barrage of advertising they see it before, during and after the match… It's become normal for children to think gambling and soccer are the same thing." Steve says his family is now doing better. His son's last bet was in February. They are not ashamed any more about what happened, but in order to protect his son, Steve doesn't want to give his full name. He hopes his new charity will be able to visit schools and talk to parents. Steve says the problem of children's gambling addiction has to be addressed. If nothing is done, he believes we will have an "epidemic on our hands of catastrophic proportions". At present, he says, the only help these youngsters have got is their parents. "For me, if I don't do this now, then I will never do it, I feel it is a calling, I need to do, I need to be putting the message out there and support the parents. I wouldn't wish what we have been through on my worst enemy." You may also be interested in:

एन. एच. एस. ने जुआ आयोग की एक रिपोर्ट में पाया गया कि यू. के. में 11 से 16 वर्ष के 55,000 बच्चे समस्याग्रस्त जुआरी थे, जिसके एक साल बाद जुआ खेलने और जुए के आदी युवाओं के लिए अपना पहला क्लिनिक खोला है। कुछ लोगों के लिए जुए का रास्ता ऑनलाइन गेम खेलने से शुरू होता है, जैसा कि बी. बी. सी. की बेकी मिलिगन ने एक युवक के पिता से सुना है जो अब उसकी लत के लिए मदद प्राप्त कर रहा है।


Why Nakba is the Palestinians' most sombre day, in 100 and 300 words

Summary: Palestinians have been protesting at Gaza's border with Israel in the lead up to the the most mournful day in their calendar. The date, which falls on 15 May each year, commemorates events which caused Palestinians to lose their homes and become refugees. They refer to it as al-Nakba, or the Catastrophe.

Here it is briefly explained, in both 100 words and 300 words. On 14 May 1948, Israel declared independence, and in a war which began the next day, up to 750,000 Palestinians who had lived on that land fled or were expelled from their homes. Neither they nor their descendants have been allowed by Israel to return. The Palestinians' displacement has led to years of upheaval. There are around five million Palestinians currently recognised as refugees by the UN. Most live in Jordan, followed by the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and East Jerusalem. Returning to their former homes is a key Palestinian demand, but Israel says it would be overwhelmed. The Nakba stems from the Arab-Israeli war which began on 15 May, 1948 - the day after Israel declared independence when British control of the land, known as Mandate Palestine, was about to end. Most of the Arabs who lived in the area which became Israel fled or were expelled by Israeli forces in the 1948-49 war, and hundreds of thousands were freshly displaced by Arab-Israeli fighting in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in June, 1967. Today some five million Palestinians are registered by the UN as refugees. Most live in Jordan, followed by the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and East Jerusalem. Almost a third live in refugee camps. Every year, Palestinians gather to participate in demonstrations to commemorate the Nakba, often displaying symbolic keys, emblematic of their lost homes. Al-Naqba is a highly charged occasion, and tensions with Israel on the day have erupted into violence down the years. The right of return is a key demand of Palestinians and their leaders. They base their claim on a United Nations General Assembly resolution, which was passed in 1948. The resolution says "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date". Israel says it cannot allow five million refugees to return because this would overwhelm the country of 8.5 million and mean the end of its existence as a Jewish state. Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to tackle the issue of refugees in the end stages of negotiations - but even peace talks themselves remain a long way off.

फिलिस्तीनी अपने कैलेंडर में सबसे शोकपूर्ण दिन तक इजरायल के साथ गाजा की सीमा पर विरोध प्रदर्शन कर रहे हैं। यह तारीख, जो हर साल 15 मई को आती है, उन घटनाओं की याद दिलाती है जिनके कारण फिलिस्तीनी अपने घरों को खो देते हैं और शरणार्थी बन जाते हैं। वे इसे अल-नकबा या तबाही के रूप में संदर्भित करते हैं।


Tajik mosques repair Lenin statue

Summary: The media in Central Asia has been intrigued by the story that a group of Muslim clerics in southern Tajikistan have spent their congregations' weekly donations on fixing a statue of Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution that imposed 70 years of atheism on their country.

By News from Elsewhere......as found by BBC Monitoring The imam-khatib prayer leaders of the mosques in Shahritus spent the collection money on putting the statue of the Russian Communist leader back on the plinth in the town centre, from which he was unceremoniously toppled two years ago, Radio Liberty's Radio Ozodi Tajik Service reported. The statue has also been repainted gold, and a missing hand has been replaced. Mehriniso Rajabova of Shahritus Council said the imams had come up with the idea themselves. "They repaired the statue, and had the park around the monument cleaned up, as well as having the fountains fixed," she told Ozodi. One imam who spoke to Ozodi was coy about the total amount of money spent, but did say each mosque took about $100 (£77) a week in donations. The Shahritus Lenin was put up under Soviet rule in 1980, and was the tallest in the whole of southern Tajikistan. After independence 11 years later, the country saw most major statues to the founder of the Soviet Union pulled down, but this monument was deemed to have historical value and so survived the cull. You might also be interested in: Tajikistan ministry's book tells women how to dress Tajik leader told 'you are worthy' as cult takes off Ukraine: Lenin statue given Darth Vader makeover That is until 2016, when the local authorities caught up with a new wave of replacing Soviet-era statues with those of Tajik national heroes from the pre-Russian past. They shipped their Lenin off to the village of Obshoron, where it languished in a builder's yard. 'Our history' The imams did not explain why they funded Lenin's return to Shahritus, but the town-centre plinth had remained empty for more than two years since his demotion. The saga has prompted a wide range of reaction on social media, with many comments expressing incredulity. "They aren't clerics, they're idol worshippers," complained one writer on Ozodi's site, while others said the money could have been spent "on helping the poor". But some were quick to compare Tajikistan's current state unfavourably with living standards under Soviet rule. "They did the right thing. If it had not been for Lenin, all Central Asians would be illiterate like in Afghanistan," wrote 'Muhojir'. There were also users who said it was simply better to acknowledge the country's past. "Leader or not, this is our history, and our children need to know it," read one comment on the Ozodi news site. Reporting by Azim Rakhimov, Shomurod Avezov and Martin Morgan Next story: Finnish travellers warned about flawed passports Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.

मध्य एशिया में मीडिया इस खबर से हैरान है कि दक्षिणी ताजिकिस्तान में मुस्लिम मौलवियों के एक समूह ने अपने देश पर 70 साल के नास्तिकवाद को थोपने वाली बोल्शेविक क्रांति के नेता, लेनिन की मूर्ति को ठीक करने के लिए अपनी मंडलियों के साप्ताहिक दान को खर्च किया है।


Somali piracy: A broken business model?

Summary: The business model that has underpinned maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia for the past few years has effectively been broken, according to the Operation Commander of the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) in the region, Rear Admiral Duncan Potts.

By Frank GardnerBBC security correspondent He told the BBC that a number of factors had led to Somali pirates being "contained and restrained", and that a combined naval forces raid on one of their land bases back in May had had a profound effect in discouraging pirates from putting to sea. But he warned that progress against piracy was fragile and still reversible. The statistics show a dramatic reduction in pirate attacks off Somalia. In 2011, according to EU Navfor Somalia, there were 151 verified attacks on sizable ships, with 25 vessels being successfully pirated. So far this year, the number of attacks has shrunk to 31, with just five ships captured, the last one in May. "October and November would normally be two of the busiest months for maritime piracy as they come between the two monsoon seasons," said Admiral Potts, "but this year they have been surprisingly quiet." 'Psychological effect' He puts the drop in piracy down to four factors: On 15 May, EU Navfor conducted their first and only raid on a Somali pirates' land base. It lasted just a few minutes, with a helicopter crew launching from a ship just offshore and raking beached and unmanned pirate speedboats - known as "skiffs" - with machine-gun fire. Fuel stores and other equipment were also fired on, but EU Navfor says there were no casualties on either side and there were no European "boots on the ground". "Surveillance by our reconnaissance aircraft shows this had a significant psychological effect," said Admiral Potts. Somali pirates are probably now under more pressure than at any time in the last five years and the risk-reward ratio for putting to sea and raiding commercial shipping is now far less favourable than it used to be. But Admiral Potts is under no illusion that the problem is already solved and knows it could still return. In fact, there have been signs of renewed activity this week. As ever, the source of the problem is on land, and until Somalia can reach a certain level of stability and prosperity, the spectre of piracy is likely to hover over its coast for years to come.

इस क्षेत्र में यूरोपीय संघ नौसेना बल (ई. यू. नेवफोर) के ऑपरेशन कमांडर, रियर एडमिरल डंकन पॉट्स के अनुसार, पिछले कुछ वर्षों से सोमालिया के तट पर समुद्री डकैती को बढ़ावा देने वाले व्यापार मॉडल को प्रभावी ढंग से तोड़ दिया गया है।


National Grid agrees power cables under Menai Strait route

Summary: The National Grid has said it was trying to protect the Menai Strait's beauty by keeping connections to Anglesey's planned Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station away from the coast.

Last year, it said it would use underground cables instead of pylons between Anglesey and the mainland. It has since confirmed three miles (5km) of underground cables with no pylons between Gaerwen and Bangor. The local AM said it would not affect plans for other pylons across the area. The National Grid said it could refine its proposals further following more technical considerations and it would provide extra information later this year. Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth said he was "frustrated" the company was not listening to people and considering alternatives. But National Grid senior project manager Gareth Williams said the revision affecting the Menai Strait followed a public consultation which showed it was a "valued landscape and tourist destination".

नेशनल ग्रिड ने कहा है कि वह तट से दूर एंग्लेसी के नियोजित विल्फा न्यूएड परमाणु ऊर्जा केंद्र से संपर्क बनाकर मेनाई जलडमरूमध्य की सुंदरता की रक्षा करने की कोशिश कर रहा था।


Gary Rhodes' life in pictures: Michelin stars, MasterChef and more

Summary: Gary Rhodes, who has died at the age of 59, was one of Britain's most popular chefs on and off screen - showing his love of good British food on numerous TV shows, and winning Michelin stars for his restaurants.

Rhodes grew up in Kent and began cooking at the age of 14, when his mother went back to work and asked him to cook his younger sister's dinners. His first kitchen job was at the Hilton in Amsterdam. While there, he was hit by a van and needed brain surgery, but he recovered and returned to England. He made his first TV appearance on Keith Floyd's Floyd on Britain and Ireland in 1988. His first full series for the BBC, Rhodes About Britain, was broadcast in 1994, and a second series followed a year later. Then came programmes like Open Rhodes, Gary Rhodes's New British Classics and Classic Rhodes. By the time he opened his first restaurant, City Rhodes in 1997, he was a household name, and his trademark spiky hair made him one of TV's most recognisable celebrity chefs. City Rhodes won its Michelin star within 12 months. In 1998 he opened Rhodes in the Square, in Pimlico, which also won a Michelin star. In 2001, the BBC chose Rhodes to take over as host of MasterChef from Lloyd Grossman, who had been at the helm for 10 years. But Rhodes' incarnation of the show lasted just one series before being cancelled. It was later relaunched - without Rhodes - in 2005. His other TV shows included Gary Rhodes at the Table, Cookery Year and Rhodes Across India, while he published more than 20 cookbooks. He often said he disliked the reputation he had among some food writers ("all this cheekie-chappie rubbish"), which was embodied by his spiky hair. But he said: "I think it wouldn't matter if I changed my hairstyle tomorrow, they wouldn't like the next hairstyle either." When Rhodes was made an OBE for services to the hospitality industry in 2006, he said the honour was more exciting than receiving a Michelin star. "As a young lad growing up you would hear about these people getting these honours and think how proud they must feel. I never thought something like this would happen," he said. He took part in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2008, partnered with Karen Hardy. But his dancing wasn't quite up to the standard of his cooking - they were the third couple to be voted off. He's pictured here on St George's Day 2009 with Boris Johnson - then mayor of London, now prime minister. Rhodes is wielding a bread and butter pudding, and once said he was most proud of redeeming the humble dish's reputation. He's pictured with fellow chefs Heston Blumenthal (left) and Michel Roux Jr (centre), who were judging chefs competing to win a Roux Scholarship in 2009. He championed tomatoes on BBC Two's Great British Food Revival in 2012. Rhodes' family said he died on Tuesday in Dubai, which had become his home and where he ran two restaurants. Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

गैरी रोड्स, जिनका 59 वर्ष की आयु में निधन हो गया है, ब्रिटेन के सबसे लोकप्रिय रसोइयों में से एक थे, जिन्होंने कई टीवी शो में अच्छे ब्रिटिश भोजन के प्रति अपना प्यार दिखाया और अपने रेस्तरां के लिए मिशेलिन सितारे जीते।


Budget 2021: Apprenticeships mean 'you learn from everybody'

Summary: Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he wanted to boost job opportunities with his Budget , unveiling £126m for more traineeships and raising incentive payments for firms taking on apprentices. But what is it like to be an apprentice in an uncertain jobs market and what could the cash injection mean for others?

'It's given me independence' Martha McKeown has been an apprentice for 18 months at a charity for people with learning difficulties and mental health problems. The 18-year-old, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, works at Teamwork Trust and helps members in numeracy, literacy, singing, arts and cooking classes, which have moved online due to the pandemic. While her apprenticeship was due to end soon, it has been extended indefinitely as she was furloughed for five months and her final NVQ exams in health and social care have been delayed. Miss McKeown said she would like to remain at the charity, but "lockdown made me realise nothing is certain". However, she was convinced she had made the right choice in plumping for an apprenticeship. "For me doing an apprenticeship was important because I get to see how my work impacts on individuals," she said. "I see their progress and how the theory fits in with the practise. "You can learn from everybody and because your title is 'apprentice' people say, 'I'll show you this or that.'" Miss McKeown said earning a wage had also given her a head start on saving for her own place to live. "It's given me a lot of independence - I've been able to do so much. I can save and I have a car - I wouldn't have if I'd been studying full-time." She also felt the Budget announcement to fund extra traineeships and employers' incentives would give people her age more freedom of choice. "I think a lot of young people are pressured to feel they should go down the academic or educational route, but feel like they have to rather than want to." What are apprenticeships and traineeships? 'I'm a hands-on learner' Zac Hopkins, 22, has just finished his apprenticeship at a plumbing and heating firm in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and said he had "never looked back" after taking up the role. After leaving school he studied IT, but said he soon realised he did not want to sit at a desk all day. "I'm a more hands-on learner and it's been amazing ever since," he said. "You're getting paid to learn and you're learning from all different people. "At the end of it you'll see how far you've come and be really proud of it." Mr Hopkins' employer Carl Yeomanson said apprentices were the "foundation" of his company and enabled experienced staff to get promoted. "For me, it was really difficult to get into the trade... so if I can make that journey a little easier then I will," he said. Mr Yeomanson said the news that more government money was being invested in apprenticeships was good, but felt many firms were still unaware of the benefits. "It's trying to make businesses realise the low risk but high reward," he said. 'I wanted something different' Steven Sydenham, 39, is close to finishing his two-year apprenticeship working at French-based industrial group Bouygues - which has seen him divide his time between its site in Barnet, London, and a training facility in Acle, near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. As a highways electrical apprentice, the father-of-three said he was now following the career path he always wanted after working at a department store for years. Mr Sydenham is studying for an NVQ at Electrical Testing Ltd in Acle, which he normally visits for a week every three months - giving him the chance to take away the theory and implement it hands-on back on site. He said his age meant he received a slightly higher apprenticeship wage, while his wife worked and it had not been a "massive cut" from his previous earnings. "I had my first child when I was 18 - I should have pursued it but I needed money and it would have been particularly difficult with a young child, but I wish I had," said Mr Sydenham. "I was really interested in electrical testing through my uncle when I was younger. "I decided I fancied a new challenge - not a midlife crisis, but I wanted something different." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk Around the BBC BBC Bitesize: What is a degree apprenticeship? Related Internet Links HM Treasury

चांसलर ऋषि सुनक ने कहा कि वह अपने बजट के साथ नौकरी के अवसरों को बढ़ावा देना चाहते हैं, अधिक प्रशिक्षुता के लिए £126 मिलियन का अनावरण करना चाहते हैं और प्रशिक्षुओं को लेने वाली फर्मों के लिए प्रोत्साहन भुगतान बढ़ाना चाहते हैं। लेकिन अनिश्चित नौकरियों के बाजार में प्रशिक्षु होना कैसा होता है और दूसरों के लिए नकद निवेश का क्या मतलब हो सकता है?


Residents in Dover 'People's Port' referendum

Summary: The residents of Dover have taken part in a referendum to decide whether they want it to become a "People's Port".

The referendum set out plans for a buyout of the port to stop Dover Harbour Board's privatisation plans. Ballot boxes were at the usual election points in the town and votes were being cast from 1600 until 2100 GMT. The count was taking place at council offices with the results, which are non-binding on the government, due to be announced later in the night.

डोवर के निवासियों ने यह तय करने के लिए एक जनमत संग्रह में भाग लिया है कि क्या वे इसे "पीपुल्स पोर्ट" बनाना चाहते हैं।


Rugby League World Cup 2021 in England aims for high impact

Summary: Next year's sporting calendar is shaping up to be a crowded one, with the staging of the delayed 2020 Olympic Games and European football championships, but one major event being held in England believes it can cut through the clutter.

By Bill WilsonBusiness reporter, BBC News Organisers of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup believe their tournament is unique - with its focus as much on communities and legacy as on sporting and financial prowess. With tickets prices announced I spoke to tournament chief executive Jon Dutton about planning for the tournament under the shadow of coronavirus and the potential impact of that on tickets, on mental health and legacy initiatives, and on bringing new teams and audiences to the sport. Tickets and price adjustments due to coronavirus Ambitious World Cup targets include getting 750,000 people to attend games, up 50% on 2013, and doubling the numbers from 2017 in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Ticket revenue is expected to make up 40% to 45% of the 2021 budget. "We are heavily reliant on ticketing money," says the 47-year-old Dutton. Some 10% of ticket sales are expected to go to overseas fans, mainly from Australia and New Zealand, a smaller percentage than experienced at football or rugby union World Cups. But Dutton is aware of the impact the coronavirus outbreak has had on people's disposable incomes and is sensitive to this when it comes to tickets. "We have had to review our budget... during the past few months," he says. "We have had a difficult balancing act - ticket revenue is important to our commercial success, but we are aware of how people's spending has changed. "We have a good understanding of our core rugby league market, but also need to reach new markets, both in the UK and overseas. "So we have made some adjustments to ticket prices since last year. There are lots of different price points." RLWC2021 ticket prices are being announced, and fans will be able to apply for tickets from 21 September. Prices start at £2.21 for concessions and £10 for adults across all three tournaments. Some 80% of tickets are under £50, and top price tickets - which make up 4,000 seats at the final - are £121. Tournament organisers have also made 20,021 tickets available across the tournament for key workers as a way of saying thank you for their contribution during the Covid-19 pandemic. The continued spectre of Covid-19 looms over the event itself, with Dutton admitting: "We have looked at various scenarios, including social distancing by fans at games, games behind closed doors, and what would happen if the event was postponed, or even did not go ahead. "Every option is on the table, but we have tried to focus on what we can control. We are looking to be agile in our responses, as we have the responsibility of public funds to look after." Fans are guaranteed full refunds if any of the above situations come into play and tickets cannot be used. Social impact and mental health legacy The 2021 World Cup will be the 16th staging of the tournament, first held in 1954. Dutton says: "Obviously we want to fill the stadiums and make this a commercial success. But we also want to deliver our legacy programme - creating a social impact in terms of helping support the government's 'levelling up' agenda for the north of England. "We started talking to the-then government back in 2015 about how we could bring added focus to the cities and communities in what was at the time known as the Northern Powerhouse." The Northern Powerhouse was a proposal to boost economic growth in the north of England, and has since been replaced by the "levelling up" pledges of Boris Johnson's government. The result of those 2015 discussions at Whitehall was that central government has provided £25m in funding for the 16-nation tournament. Some 80% of the event will take place in the north of England, focused on the M62 corridor, which connects Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. There will also be games in Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Coventry and London. "We want to make a difference," says Dutton, who went to his first league game at the age of five. "Our volunteering programme will be very inclusive and represent the local communities where games are being staged. "There will be cultural, heritage, public health, education and participation initiatives. There will also be a mental health legacy as we work with Movember in drawing up resilience training for young adults. "It is also important that we leave behind a bricks-and-mortar physical legacy in the shape of facilities. We can help transform facilities at smaller rugby league clubs via cash grants." New nations and audiences It is also the first time in the World Cup's history where the men's, women's and wheelchair competitions will be held at the same time. In a deal struck with the BBC, all 61 games will be shown live, compared with just seven out of 28 games when the event was last hosted in England in 2013. There are 21 venues of different shapes and sizes, including many high-profile football stadiums. Highlights include the opening game in Newcastle, a double header at Liverpool's home ground Anfield, the first non-football sports event at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, and the double-header men's and women's finals at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, new names in the tournament include Greece, Jamaica and Brazil. "We are hoping to reach a new global TV audience so that anyone anywhere can consume the RLWC," says Dutton. The men's event has 16 teams participating in four groups of four teams. The women's event has grown from six to eight teams, and the wheelchair event has increased from seven to eight teams. "We are ensuring every team is treated equally, in terms of appearance money," says Dutton. "There is also prize money for the first time in the women's and wheelchair events." He goes on: "It is important that the World Cup plays its part in the evolution of rugby league. "We want to make sure there is longevity. We want to use the tournament to engage and pique people's interest in the sport."

2020 ओलंपिक खेलों और यूरोपीय फुटबॉल चैंपियनशिप के विलंबित आयोजन के साथ अगले साल का खेल कैलेंडर एक भीड़ के रूप में आकार ले रहा है, लेकिन इंग्लैंड में आयोजित होने वाले एक प्रमुख कार्यक्रम का मानना है कि यह अव्यवस्था को कम कर सकता है।


Dana, Imaani and Ulrika: When Eurovision last came to Britain

Summary: It's now 20 years since the UK last hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. Two decades of mostly underwhelming results since Katrina and the Waves landed the crown in 1997 mean that the buzz of welcoming the cream of European pop - as Lisbon is set to do this weekend - is something the nation has almost forgotten.

By Lisa WrightBBC News It wasn't always this way: seven of the first 27 were held in the UK, but 1998 is the only time in the past 36 contests that Eurovision has been staged here. As it turned out, the event at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena proved to be one of the great nights of Eurovision. BBC News takes a trip down memory lane. A diva is born Israeli singer Dana International made history by becoming the first transsexual woman to win the contest with her song, Diva. Her selection as Israel's representative had caused outrage among some Orthodox Jews and she even received death threats. However, her victory by public vote was a signal of how progressive Europe was becoming in its attitudes towards the trans community. Alasdair Rendall, president of OGAE UK, the UK's largest Eurovision fan club, describes her as "one of Eurovision's most iconic and groundbreaking winners". "There were conservatives in her country unhappy about her representing Israel, [but] the fact she won showed Europe had become a more progressive place to be," he says. And the winner certainly lived up to the title of her song, leaving the audience at the National Indoor Arena waiting after she'd triumphed. "In your own time," Terry Wogan remarked as he and fellow host Ulrika Jonsson waited on stage. Indeed. But Dana International wasn't the only act that had people talking in 1998. Germany's Guildo Horn brought the house down with an outlandish performance of his song Guildo hat euch lieb! (Guildo loves you!). The balding singer, clad in a turquoise suit (though he discarded his cloak and jacket over the course of his three glorious minutes in the spotlight), twice jumped into the crowd, stroked people in the front row of the audience including legendary former Eurovision host Katie Boyle, badly mimed playing cowbells and even clambered up the set, completing his song astride a podium several feet above the stage. "If that man doesn't have a heart attack, he's a constant encouragement to all we elderly broadcasters," mused a chuckling Wogan. While some feared Guildo's eccentric act would make Germany look silly, his antics saw him finish in a respectable seventh place and conferred cult status on him in his homeland. The UK almost wins - again In recent years the UK has spent more time in the bottom half of the table than the top - with the ultimate rejection coming in 2003 when Jemini didn't score a single point - but back in 1998 it was still a nation that believed in its ability to deliver a continent-pleasing pop tune. While Britain might now be the sick man of Eurovision, it is still actually the third most successful country - level with Luxembourg and France and behind only Sweden and Ireland - having triumphed five times. Sandie Shaw, Lulu, Brotherhood of Man and Bucks Fizz had all graced the top spot, before Katrina and the Waves won with Love Shine A Light in 1997. Twelve months on and Imaani almost made it back-to-back success, finishing in second place with Where Are You?, her 166 points only slightly behind Dana International's 172. "I was shocked to come second and come that far," says Imaani, who is currently touring with the acid jazz band Incognito. "It was really big and it's probably my proudest moment because I represented my country. I was pleased as punch." Not bad for a singer who had initially been dubious about entering the competition. "I was approached and asked 'will you be the vocalist?' and I said 'most certainly not, I'm far too cool for Eurovision'." She says she's glad she changed her mind. "I thought it was the most famous competition and it would be an opportunity I would be stupid to miss. It turned out being one of the most fun things I've ever done - fun and stressful." This year's contest in Lisbon sees the hopes of millions of Brits rest with Royal Academy of Music graduate SuRie, who represents the UK with her track Storm. Mass televoting is introduced Before 1998, the decision on who to award "douze points" was down to national "juries" of experts in each country. But for the first time - after a trial the previous year - mass televoting was introduced and from the comfort of our own armchairs us mere mortals were allowed to cast our votes Only countries that didn't have fully functional telephone systems were still allowed to vote through juries. You might also be interested in: "I think it certainly made it a lot more of a performance contest as well as a song contest," says Mr Rendall, who attended his first Eurovision in 1998 as a fresh-faced 16-year-old. "You've got three minutes to cram something in that's memorable." The change in the voting system saw people vote with emotion, according to Imaani. "It didn't matter how good they were," she says. "I truly believe to this day it's difficult not to vote with your heart. I don't necessarily think [coming second was] all based on my performance." Over the years the credibility of the voting system has been marred by rumours of vote-rigging and claims of countries doing deals to support their neighbours. Nowadays fans can vote over the phone, on the Eurovision app or by text. And jury votes have also made a return, accounting for 50% of the total score. "People go on about political voting - I don't think there's political voting, there's cultural voting," Mr Rendall says. "And obviously a few years ago they brought back the jury so it's 50/50, so I think we've got the right balance." The introduction of televoting wasn't all plain sailing though. Despite voters in Spain awarding 12 points to Germany, the top score went to Israel instead. The mistake was rectified after the show. Ulrika Jonsson has an unfortunate mishap The contest was hosted by Ulrika Jonsson and Terry Wogan, who also provided his legendarily barbed television commentary, dashing between the stage and the commentary box during the live show. Wogan commentated on the contest for the BBC from the 1970s until 2008, although for some fans he was not a popular choice as they felt he didn't take it seriously enough. But it was Jonsson who provided an unintentionally comic moment while she was receiving the scores from the Netherlands. Dutch spokeswoman Conny Vandenbos, a former entrant, told Jonsson her "heart goes to all the singers in the contest because I know what they feel". She added that it was "long ago", but, due to the noise in the arena, the audience only heard Ulrika's apparently rude reply of: "A long time ago was it?". Jonsson was visibly taken aback by the audience's boos, although Vandenbos remained oblivious. None of this did Jonsson or Wogan much harm though - they were voted the most popular presenters of the 90s in a 2016 vote on the Eurovision website. Wogan vacates his hotel for Bill Clinton OK, so we're pushing it a little bit on this one, but Wogan did namecheck the then-US president in his Eurovision opening. Just a week after Dana International had left the city in triumph, world leaders descended for the G8 summit. Wogan referred to this impending visit during the Eurovision opening. "Next week [Birmingham will] host G8, the meeting of all the world's most powerful leaders," he said. "Just to show you how important that is, Bill Clinton will be taking over the very bedroom I've just vacated in the hotel here." We can't confirm whether the pair did indeed stay in the same hotel room. But what we can do is give you a picture of President Clinton enjoying a crafty pint at the canalside Malt House pub during the summit. Cheers! Salud! Prost! The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 is on BBC One from 20:00 BST on Saturday

अब 20 साल हो गए हैं जब ब्रिटेन ने पिछली बार यूरोविज़न गीत प्रतियोगिता की मेजबानी की थी। 1997 में कैटरीना और वेव्स के ताज पहनने के बाद से दो दशकों के ज्यादातर निराशाजनक परिणामों का मतलब है कि यूरोपीय पॉप की क्रीम का स्वागत करने की चर्चा-जैसा कि लिस्बन इस सप्ताह के अंत में करने के लिए तैयार है-कुछ ऐसा है जिसे देश लगभग भूल गया है।


Tony Britton dies aged 95, daughter Fern Britton confirms

Summary: Actor Tony Britton has died aged 95.

His daughter, TV presenter Fern Britton, announced on Twitter that he had died early on Sunday morning. "Great actor, director and charmer," she wrote. "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." Britton was best known for starring in BBC sitcom Don't Wait Up alongside Nigel Havers in the 1980s, as well as many British films including The Day of the Jackal. He also appeared in Robin's Nest alongside Richard O'Sullivan and Tessa Wyatt, and films Operation Amsterdam as well as Sunday Bloody Sunday. In 1975 he won the Broadcasting Press Guild's best actor award for his role in The Nearly Man. Fern Britton's tweet sparked hundreds of tributes and messages of support on social media. Jasper Britton, Britton's son from his second marriage, also tweeted, saying: "As he was wont to say, 'that's show business, kid'". Comedian and actor Sanjeev Bhaskar wrote: "Profound condolences Fern and gratitude for the joy and entertainment your Dad brought to me and millions of others. Sending love and strength." Actor Peter Egan tweeted: "Very sad to see the passing of the legend Tony Britton. A wonderful actor and light comedian. Condolences to his family. A lovely man too." Born in Birmingham, Britton served in the Army and worked in an aircraft factory during World War Two. Interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 1973, Britton said he did not come from a theatrical background "at all". "I believe one of my many aunts had a good voice but she never used it professionally," he said. Britton added: "Ever since I was old enough to think, I've always wanted to be an actor. I couldn't tell you why, it was just there." He joined an amateur dramatics group in Weston-super-Mare before turning professional. He went on to appear on stage at the Old Vic and with the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as the role of Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady for two and a half years as part of a national tour. In 2013, Britton appeared in a production of Shakespeare's King Lear at the Old Vic in London. He had two children with his first wife, Ruth Hawkins - Fern and scriptwriter Cherry Britton. He had a son Jasper with his second wife, Danish sculptor Eva Castle Britton (nee Skytte Birkenfeldt).

अभिनेता टोनी ब्रिटन का 95 वर्ष की आयु में निधन हो गया है।


HIA investigates allegations of abuse at Rathgael Training School

Summary: The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry has been told that some former residents claimed they suffered physical and sexual abuse at Rathgael Training School in Bangor.

By Kevin SharkeyBBC News NI The alleged abuse relates to a 30-year period from the 1970s. The inquiry also heard that other former residents have made complaints to police about alleged abuse at the state-run school. Those complaints relate to the same period. The inquiry was also told of claims that in the mid-1980s "some boys were able to keep runaway girls in their unit all night and have sex with them". It was also alleged that one former senior member of staff tried to cover up allegations of abuse. He told another staff members not to report abuse as it would give the school a "bad name".

ऐतिहासिक संस्थागत दुर्व्यवहार जांच को बताया गया है कि कुछ पूर्व निवासियों ने दावा किया है कि उन्हें बांगोर के रथगेल प्रशिक्षण विद्यालय में शारीरिक और यौन शोषण का सामना करना पड़ा।


Disability benefit claimant rode in speedway and taught exercise class

Summary: A disability benefit claimant who said he was virtually unable to walk and needed a wheelchair was discovered to have been competing in speedway races and teaching an exercise class.

Stephen Hodgkinson, 58, of Harvest Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, started receiving benefits in 2002. The Department for Work and Pensions said he had claimed more than £90,000. Hodgkinson was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He claimed he needed 24-hour care, but an investigation in 2019 uncovered evidence he was the lead as a health representative for a local trust and was involved in competitive speedway, the DWP said. He also taught a cycling exercise class, called Vibe. Hodgkinson admitted failing to report a change in circumstances and dishonest representation in order to obtain benefits. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

एक विकलांगता लाभ दावेदार जिसने कहा कि वह चलने में लगभग असमर्थ था और उसे व्हीलचेयर की आवश्यकता थी, वह स्पीडवे दौड़ में प्रतिस्पर्धा कर रहा था और एक व्यायाम वर्ग पढ़ा रहा था।


Kidderminster murder arrests after man's body found

Summary: Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man in his 40s was found dead in a house.

The victim's body was discovered at the property in Broad Street, Kidderminster, on Thursday night. West Mercia Police said three men - aged 27, 28 and 61 - all from Kidderminster, have been arrested. A 48-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after the body was found has been released without charge. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.

40 वर्षीय एक व्यक्ति के घर में मृत पाए जाने के बाद हत्या के संदेह में तीन लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया गया है।


How to stand out from the musical crowd at SXSW

Summary: Since its inception in 1987, the SXSW [South by South West] conference has become the world's biggest music industry event, with the number of delegates leaping from 700 in the first year, to more than 25,000 in 2013. But with hundreds of acts a day on display, just how easy is it to get noticed?

By Emma JonesEntertainment reporter, BBC News, Austin It's an event where, this year, audiences could see free concerts from Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Coldplay and Soundgarden, to name but a few. As well as the headliners, there are about 2,000 bands playing the small pubs and clubs of Austin - of which more than 100 are British, making them the biggest national contingent outside of the US. Established artists like Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker can be found, as well as newer bands like London Grammar, Syd Arthur, Jungle and Fat White Family. "It's an amazing opportunity really," says Russell Marsden of Southampton-based rock group Band of Skulls, who played the first ever US edition of the i-Tunes Festival this week, which was launched as part of SXSW. "The reason everyone should try and do it is that you never know who will be listening or standing in the audience watching you. We first came to SXSW in 2009 and got festivals and live event bookings over here in the USA. "Of course this year we are playing the luxury version of SXSW, as even the carpet is softer as well as the iTunes venue being bigger than most of the ridiculously small venues we usually have to play. "But those small venues are a great leveller for bands. It brings out your punk rock spirit and shows you what you are made of." Money, however, is the major reason that many bands cannot afford to travel to Austin, due to the expense of flights, accommodation and business visas. Each year the PRS for Music Foundation, based in London, donates funding to selected artists to travel. This year 19 British acts have been chosen, including Oxfordshire-based quartet Glass Animals. According to frontman Dave Bayley, "it would have been really difficult without financial help". "The exposure to the US market is so important because it's the biggest market in the world. And it's a showcase for us to see what we can do. "There are so many bloggers, magazines, and industry people here to connect with. And it makes such a difference to connect face to face than be a digital file away. "I think there is a certain thing about being British which is still fascinating to Americans, especially in Texas. They keep asking me to pronounce Harry Potter for them." Some kind of concrete international "deal" is the holy grail of what most British bands are searching for at SXSW, according to Vanessa Reed of PRS Music Foundation. She says that since the British first "invaded" the city in 2002, which was the year bands really started coming out and trying their luck, "we've seen success stories like Bat for Lashes, Everything Everything and Django Django coming out here and becoming the buzzed about band. "That's what everyone's seeking - that 'buzz' - but just because they're British it doesn't mean they're entitled to it, although our music industry has immense creative respect over here. "The festival's a different animal to what it was a few years ago with much bigger acts wanting to play SXSW. To some extent, everyone's already made up their mind who to see before they arrive in Austin." Reed estimates that about 82% of British bands her organisation funds returns with a tangible offer of distribution abroad. Last year, Canterbury-based group Syd Arthur's trip to SXSW resulted, three months later, in signing a global deal with Harvest Records. "SXSW can be beyond your wildest dreams," explains Joel Magill, Syd Arthur's bassist. "Certainly it was for us because we went there only seeking to create opportunities for the band. I think what happened to us though is still unusual. "It's important for artists to come out to Texas at the right time, when they're ready to go looking at broadening their horizons internationally, because there are so many bands out here that if you're not ready, you can come back home feeling crushed. You have to manage your expectations." Spandau Ballet premiere Ironically, in 2014 the British band causing most of a sensation in SXSW has been 80s group Spandau Ballet, who premiered their career-spanning documentary, Soul Boys of the Western World, at the festival. They also performed their first American concert in 28 years, which the LA Times described as "pulling it off in grand fashion." Singer Tony Hadley explains: "Making it here in America is as difficult as when we first tried it. "You need to come out here and stay out here, you have to prove yourself every time you go on stage because they have their own amazing artists." Guitarist Gary Kemp adds: "America loves Britain for its idiosyncrasies. "I think those kinds of bands do the best, rather than trying to be American. It worked for us and I think it's working for those bands who make a success out of the festival." Russell Marsden from Band of Skulls says the festival has "really got that global feel to it now". "When we first came up here, you couldn't find Lady Gaga. As long as it has an open door policy though and new bands don't get crushed under the weight of the superstars, then it can get as big as it wants. "It's not just luck that gets you noticed. You have to impress and bring your show. But a great band will always be a great band and do the work. If you can manage to get out here, it's still the best opportunity the industry offers."

1987 में अपनी स्थापना के बाद से, एस. एक्स. एस. डब्ल्यू. (साउथ बाय साउथ वेस्ट) सम्मेलन दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा संगीत उद्योग कार्यक्रम बन गया है, जिसमें प्रतिनिधियों की संख्या पहले वर्ष में 700 से बढ़कर 2013 में 25,000 से अधिक हो गई है।


How big retailers learned the tricks of high fashion

Summary: When Sir Stuart Rose says something on retail, it's worth listening. With a 40-year track record in the industry, the former chief executive and chairman of Marks and Spencer is famed for turning around struggling retailers.

By Katie HopeBusiness reporter, BBC News Now an independent, non-executive director at South Africa's Woolworths Holdings, a chain of shops selling fashion, food, beauty and home ware, he says retail has changed. "Where the customer used to be king before, the customer is now the master of the universe: and they want what they want, how they want it, when they want it." For Woolworths, this shift has been felt most keenly in clothing - an area that along with beauty and home ware makes up 38% of its business in South Africa. In response, over the past two to three years it has made a conscious effort to make its clothing more fashionable, which crucially has involved getting it from the design stage to the shop floor much more quickly. "Previously it was 11-months-plus for all of our clothing products to the point now where we can turn [an item] around in 90 days," says Ian Moir, chief executive of Woolworths (which has no connection with the former British High Street chain of the same name). The strategy appears to be working. The company's most recent results for the year to the end of June saw clothing sales grow by 13.7%. "If we don't give the customer the trend, the colour, the fashion they're looking for, at the end of the day they're going to go somewhere else," says Mr Moir. New shopping ethos Neil Saunders, managing director at retail consultancy Conlumino, says the changes at Woolworths reflect a "sea change" in how supermarket groups sell clothing. "They have become more like clothing retailers. Five years ago they used to merchandise it in the same way as, for example, baked beans. They piled it high and sold it cheap. But now they have become lifestyle rather than commodity-led." Mr Saunders says the 2008 financial crisis and resulting recession is a key reason behind this change in approach, with a trend for people to choose quality items that they expect to last. "Before the recession people bought lots of stuff... they even bought stuff they didn't wear. There was a disposable element because clothing was cheap and people felt affluent. "People are more frugal now. They buy less stuff and follow the ethos of, 'If you buy it right you buy it once.'" Mr Saunders says, however, that low prices can still lure in customers if they are combined with fashion, citing Primark as an example. "It's on trend and that makes people very interested. But if a retailer just chases value then they struggle," he adds. Fashion focus UK supermarket group Sainsbury's founded its clothing range Tu almost a decade ago. James Brown, clothing business director at Sainsbury's, says when Tu began it was focused on core products such as leggings, jogging bottoms and T-shirts, with ranges changed every 12 weeks or longer. But in the past two years it has become more trend-led. "Since our recent rebrand the new Tu range is refreshed every six weeks to keep up with the latest fashions, and offer new products to our customer," says Mr Brown. "Over the last nine years we have learnt more about our broad customer base and have adapted the range to offer more High Street-style garments at supermarket prices to meet customer demand," he adds. The approach seems to be working - at its recent trading update for the 16 weeks to 28 September it said its general merchandise and clothing business grew at more than twice the rate of its food business. Mr Brown says new items are planned up to seven months in advance, but that it can react quickly to last-minute trends by turning around a style in just eight weeks, assuming it can get the necessary fabric and has the production capacity. Turnaround time In contrast, for High Street chain Zara, production capacity is rarely an issue because unusually its owner Inditex has its own factories. These manufacture what it says is a "significant share" of its clothing for its eight brands, which include upmarket Massimo Dutti and teen label Bershka, but primarily the most fashionable garments. For those items the clothes can be produced and in store in a rapid two to three weeks. "Customer expectations are higher than ever so our capability to adapt and react to their demands is one of our key strengths," says an Inditex source. For Ian Moir, this is the key to Woolworths' future. "The importance of fashion is becoming greater and greater and customer awareness is getting better and better. "They're very fashion aware and they want it now. That's the way the world is going, it's the way it's changing and it's the way we've got to change as a business." Escape from the Boardroom is a five-part series broadcast on BBC World News on Saturdays at 02:10 and 15:10, and Sundays at 09:10 and 21:10 (all times GMT).

जब सर स्टुअर्ट रोज़ खुदरा पर कुछ कहते हैं, तो यह सुनने लायक है। उद्योग में 40 साल के ट्रैक रिकॉर्ड के साथ, मार्क्स एंड स्पेंसर के पूर्व मुख्य कार्यकारी और अध्यक्ष संघर्षरत खुदरा विक्रेताओं को बदलने के लिए प्रसिद्ध हैं।


Jane Tomlinson: 10 years of fundraising

Summary: The family of the late Jane Tomlinson is set to embark on another fundraising trip - 10 years after a mother-of-three from Leeds decided to put on her trainers and raise millions of pounds for charity.

Jane Tomlinson hit the headlines for defying doctors after being told she had only a matter of months to live. What started as a 5k run around Roundhay Park in her home city turned into a series of mammoth sporting challenges. She tackled marathons and triathlons and cycled across the UK and America, all while battling against terminal cancer. Now her family are to embark on their latest challenge to raise money - her husband Mike and daughter Becky will complete the Paris Marathon, cycle through France and arrive in Hull via the ferry. The father and daughter duo will then cycle to London, with the aim of completing the London Marathon on 22 April - 10 years after Jane completed her first London Marathon. Mr Tomlinson said: "I think the poignant moment for us is when me and Becky do the London Marathon 10 years on. "I don't think we'll be able to keep a dry eye to be perfectly honest." Mr Tomlinson added: "I think you have to accept that this is the path we chose. It's a path I'm choosing to stay on. "I could walk away but I would feel like I wasn't doing the right thing in terms of Jane." Mrs Tomlinson was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991 and underwent a mastectomy, but nine years later she was told the disease had spread to her bones and lungs. In 2002 Mrs Tomlinson started a series of astonishing sporting triumphs, including completing the London Marathon and then four months later a triathlon, as well as the Great North Run. The 38-year-old spent almost three months training six times a day in preparation for the events. Mrs Tomlinson's determination to carry out some of the country's biggest sporting challenges led to her receiving many accolades including a CBE from the Queen in 2007. She was also voted the UK's most inspirational woman in 2003 and handed the BBC Sports Personality of the Year's Helen Rollason Award. "Death doesn't arrive with the prognosis" the Yorkshire woman once exclaimed.

स्वर्गीय जेन टॉमलिंसन का परिवार एक और धन उगाहने की यात्रा शुरू करने के लिए तैयार है-10 साल बाद लीड्स की तीन बच्चों की माँ ने अपने प्रशिक्षकों को पहनने और दान के लिए लाखों पाउंड जुटाने का फैसला किया।


Swiss Gotthard rail tunnel - an engineering triumph

Summary: The world's longest - and deepest - rail tunnel opens in Switzerland on Wednesday. The Gotthard rail link has taken 20 years to build, and cost more than $12bn (£8.2bn). It will, the Swiss say, revolutionise Europe's freight transport.

By Imogen FoulkesBBC News, Geneva The Alps are sometimes described as Europe's natural trade barriers. From Roman times, the routes across them have been mapped, and fought over. In the Middle Ages, mule teams trekked painstakingly up the alpine passes, carrying everything from salt to wine, metal and leather goods. Accidents were common, and, in winter, the routes were closed. So, when the first rail tunnel through the Gotthard opened in 1882 the then president of Switzerland, Simeon Bavier, could not contain his euphoria: "A triumph of art and science, a monument to work and diligence! The barrier which divided nations has fallen, the [Swiss Alps] have been breached. Countries have moved closer to each other, the world market is open!" Today, Italian olive oil destined for the Netherlands or German cars for Greece all still have to cross the Alps. So too do many thousands of tonnes of goods from China or India: they may dock in Rotterdam, but their final destination could be Rome, Vienna or Zagreb. The existing routes across the Alps cannot cope: the old rail tunnel is slow and the Gotthard road tunnel, opened in 1980, now sees more than a million freight lorries a year. Communities in the alpine valleys have long complained about the air and noise pollution. Lorry drivers don't like the tunnel's single-lane structure. In 2001 two lorries collided in the tunnel, causing a fire which killed 11 people. Engineering feat Plans for a better rail tunnel have been around since the 1940s, but it was not until 1992 that Swiss voters backed their government's plan to build a new high-speed rail link through the Alps. Two years later the project got added impetus, when Swiss voters also backed a proposal from environmental groups to move all freight travelling through Switzerland from road to rail. But the plan was ambitious, costly to the Swiss taxpayers who had agreed to pay for it, and fraught with engineering challenges. The first geologists surveying the proposed route suggested it might be impossible to bore a tunnel straight through the Gotthard, because of the unpredictable quality of the rock. Once work began, those challenges soon became apparent. In some areas the rock, one engineer remembers, was "as soft as butter" meaning excavation inched along at no more than half a metre a day. In other places things went more smoothly. A massive 10m (30ft) diameter tunnel-boring machine could, on a good day, dig out 40m of tunnel a day - a world record. But the Gotthard is also the world's deepest tunnel, and with 2.3km (1.4 miles) of mountain pressing down on it, gravity constantly tried to close up the space which had been excavated. And so, along the tunnel's length, reinforced steel rings had to be inserted, to prevent it collapsing in on itself. For 17 years, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, more than 2,000 people have worked on the tunnel. There have been accidents: nine tunnel miners have died. A tunnel for Europe But now the tunnel is ready, and Europe's leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, are all arriving to take a look. Twin tunnels running in both directions north-south should transport Europe's freight not only much more safely, but much faster. With no danger of collision, trains will race through the tunnel at speeds of up to 250km/h (155mph). Where older alpine tunnels corkscrewed their way up through the mountains, the new railway line, from Zurich in the north all the way to Lugano in the south, is completely flat and straight. The ultimate goal is a high-speed rail link, with the Gotthard at its heart, connecting Rotterdam to Genoa. It is a project the Swiss are immensely proud of. Switzerland's transport minister, Doris Leuthard, is especially happy that her country, not in the European Union but in the heart of Europe, can contribute something so important to the European economy. "We are a small country, we are landlocked," she explains, "and we know co-operation is key, and this is a very nice project of co-operation... I think it is very important for Europe. "I think it symbolises what Europe, and what Swiss engineers can do... and they did a fantastic job." For the engineers themselves, the opening of the tunnel is going to be a little strange, admits the head of construction company Alptransit, Renzo Simoni, "Well, it's a milestone," he says, "and of course all of us who worked on it are proud. "But on the other hand things will be different... the tunnel will be handed over to the railways, and we will just be passengers like all the others."

दुनिया की सबसे लंबी-और सबसे गहरी-रेल सुरंग बुधवार को स्विट्जरलैंड में खुलती है। गोटहार्ड रेल लिंक को बनाने में 20 साल लग गए हैं, और इसकी लागत $12 बिलियन (£ 8.2bn) से अधिक है। स्विस कहते हैं, यह यूरोप के माल परिवहन में क्रांति लाएगा।


Loch Ness Monster: Is Nessie just a tourist conspiracy?

Summary: It is 80 years since hotel manageress Mrs Aldie Mackay first reported seeing a "whale-like fish" in the waters of Loch Ness. Now an academic at St Andrew's University is trawling through 1,000 eye-witness accounts since to see what they can tell us. He wryly notes more than a few hotel proprietors among typical spotters. So is "Nessie" just a conspiracy to boost tourism?

By Emma AilesBBC Scotland It was 14 April 1933 and Mrs Mackay, manageress of the Drumnadrochit Hotel, was driving with her husband along the road to Inverness. As they drove, she glanced out across the still calm waters of Loch Ness towards Aldourie Castle. There, in the water, she saw something. In a rare interview years later, she described the moment to marine biologist and founder of The Loch Ness Project, Adrian Shine. "She said it was black, wet, with the water rolling off it," he says. "It went in a circle, round and down. She yelled at her husband "Stop! The beast!" It is an interesting remark, Mr Shine says. Mrs Mackay's sighting was reported in the Inverness Courier on 2 May 1933 by Alex Campbell, the water bailiff for Loch Ness and a part-time journalist. It is widely regarded as the first "modern sighting" of a monster in the loch. "But the fact that she said "the beast"... It's as though she knew there was something strange in the loch," Mr Shine says. Local legend There was already one account of a monster in the area dating back to the Middle Ages. According to Adamnan's account of the life of Saint Columba, believed to have been written in the 7th century, the Irish monk saw a "water beast" in the River Ness. But Mrs Mackay's sighting opened the floodgates. Police inspectors, bank managers, students, town clerks, lorry drivers, clergymen, forestry workers, office workers, water bailiffs and fishermen were all among the people who claimed to have seen the monster. Tourists and 'Nessie hunters' flocked to the area. There were traffic jams around the loch. There were even a few celebrity spotters such as authors Gavin Maxwell and Sir Compton Mackenzie. Dr Charles Paxton, a research fellow and statistical ecologist at St Andrew's University, has so far sifted through 800 of the 1,000 recorded sightings. And, he adds, a sizeable number came from cafe and hotel proprietors, including Mrs Mackay herself. Certainly there was much to be gained from the legend. According to Visit Scotland, Nessie tourism brings in more than £1m to the area per year. So was Mrs Mackay motivated by cynical thoughts of her bank balance? Mr Shine believes not. "She was far from a self-publicist. It was her husband who told the water bailiff, and she stayed anonymous in the newspaper report. "She didn't say anything for two reasons. Firstly, because she thought she would be seen as self-advertising. "But also because they used to say for people who had seen something in the loch "take more water with it"… suggesting they were drunks." But there are plenty of people who have made a living from Nessie, including Mr Shine himself, who now runs the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition out of Mrs Mackay's old hotel. Fame and fortune "I don't conceal that I first came seeking fame and fortune, that there was a wildlife mystery and I was the one to solve it," he says. "I have become more sceptical over the years, but oddly enough I have made a living out of being a fairly sceptical investigator. "But I do believe the vast majority of witnesses are sincere…and not drunk," he adds. What does Dr Paxton - who is using the Loch Ness phenomenon to analyse how science handles anecdotal and low frequency data - think? He has trawled through old newspaper clippings, reports, books and records from the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau of the 1960s and 1970s, for all recorded sightings that peaked especially after the infamous 'surgeon's photograph' of 1934. Highly respected British surgeon, Colonel Robert Wilson, claimed he took his photograph on 19 April 1934, while driving along the northern shore of Loch Ness. It was later revealed to be a toy submarine outfitted with a sea-serpent head. "I suppose it is possible that people have an agenda," Dr Paxton says. "But I stress that I believe the vast majority of people are reporting the truth. They believe they have seen something strange. "Now there might be a lot of people who are mistaken, but I think they are sincere." In fact, Dr Paxton says, analysing the eye-witness accounts may tell us more about ourselves than whether or not the Loch Ness monster exists. He is due to publish the results of his study later this year. "I am carrying out a statistical analysis of Loch Ness monster accounts since 1933, specifically looking for clusters in terms of what is reported," he says. "In some cases there are multiple witnesses, or witnesses giving multiple accounts of the same event, which allow us to test eyewitness consistency. "These cases are very interesting because they allow us to consider whether certain witnesses have a tendency to see Nessie more than might be expected by chance alone." He could have chosen another unexplained phenomenon to analyse - ghost sightings or Big Foot, for example - but as a former aquatic biologist, Nessie appealed to him. On Sunday, a boat will set sail onto the still calm waters of Loch Ness. Onboard will be Dr Paxton, Mr Shine, and a number of other 'monster hunters', Loch Ness experts, and Visit Scotland representatives. They may not agree when it comes to Nessie, but there on the loch they will raise a glass of whisky to Mrs Mackay and 80 years of the legend of Loch Ness.

80 साल पहले होटल मैनेजर श्रीमती एल्डी मैके ने पहली बार लोच नेस के पानी में एक "व्हेल जैसी मछली" को देखने की सूचना दी थी। अब सेंट एंड्रयूज विश्वविद्यालय में एक शिक्षाविद 1,000 चश्मदीद गवाहों के खातों को देख रहा है कि वे हमें क्या बता सकते हैं। वह ठेठ जासूसों के बीच कुछ होटल मालिकों से अधिक नोट करता है। तो क्या "नेसी" पर्यटन को बढ़ावा देने के लिए सिर्फ एक साजिश है?


Jose Mujica: The world's 'poorest' president

Summary: It's a common grumble that politicians' lifestyles are far removed from those of their electorate. Not so in Uruguay. Meet the president - who lives on a ramshackle farm and gives away most of his pay.

By Vladimir HernandezBBC Mundo, Montevideo Laundry is strung outside the house. The water comes from a well in a yard, overgrown with weeds. Only two police officers and Manuela, a three-legged dog, keep watch outside. This is the residence of the president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, whose lifestyle clearly differs sharply from that of most other world leaders. President Mujica has shunned the luxurious house that the Uruguayan state provides for its leaders and opted to stay at his wife's farmhouse, off a dirt road outside the capital, Montevideo. The president and his wife work the land themselves, growing flowers. This austere lifestyle - and the fact that Mujica donates about 90% of his monthly salary, equivalent to $12,000 (£7,500), to charity - has led him to be labelled the poorest president in the world. "I've lived like this most of my life," he says, sitting on an old chair in his garden, using a cushion favoured by Manuela the dog. "I can live well with what I have." His charitable donations - which benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs - mean his salary is roughly in line with the average Uruguayan income of $775 (£485) a month. In 2010, his annual personal wealth declaration - mandatory for officials in Uruguay - was $1,800 (£1,100), the value of his 1987 Volkswagen Beetle. This year, he added half of his wife's assets - land, tractors and a house - reaching $215,000 (£135,000). That's still only about two-thirds of Vice-President Danilo Astori's declared wealth, and a third of the figure declared by Mujica's predecessor as president, Tabare Vasquez. Elected in 2009, Mujica spent the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Uruguayan guerrilla Tupamaros, a leftist armed group inspired by the Cuban revolution. He was shot six times and spent 14 years in jail. Most of his detention was spent in harsh conditions and isolation, until he was freed in 1985 when Uruguay returned to democracy. Those years in jail, Mujica says, helped shape his outlook on life. "I'm called 'the poorest president', but I don't feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more," he says. "This is a matter of freedom. If you don't have many possessions then you don't need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself," he says. "I may appear to be an eccentric old man... But this is a free choice." The Uruguayan leader made a similar point when he addressed the Rio+20 summit in June this year: "We've been talking all afternoon about sustainable development. To get the masses out of poverty. "But what are we thinking? Do we want the model of development and consumption of the rich countries? I ask you now: what would happen to this planet if Indians would have the same proportion of cars per household than Germans? How much oxygen would we have left? "Does this planet have enough resources so seven or eight billion can have the same level of consumption and waste that today is seen in rich societies? It is this level of hyper-consumption that is harming our planet." Mujica accuses most world leaders of having a "blind obsession to achieve growth with consumption, as if the contrary would mean the end of the world". But however large the gulf between the vegetarian Mujica and these other leaders, he is no more immune than they are to the ups and downs of political life. "Many sympathise with President Mujica because of how he lives. But this does not stop him for being criticised for how the government is doing," says Ignacio Zuasnabar, a Uruguayan pollster. The Uruguayan opposition says the country's recent economic prosperity has not resulted in better public services in health and education, and for the first time since Mujica's election in 2009 his popularity has fallen below 50%. This year he has also been under fire because of two controversial moves. Uruguay's Congress recently passed a bill which legalised abortions for pregnancies up to 12 weeks. Unlike his predecessor, Mujica did not veto it. He is also supporting a debate on the legalisation of the consumption of cannabis, in a bill that would also give the state the monopoly over its trade. "Consumption of cannabis is not the most worrying thing, drug-dealing is the real problem," he says. However, he doesn't have to worry too much about his popularity rating - Uruguayan law means he is not allowed to seek re-election in 2014. Also, at 77, he is likely to retire from politics altogether before long. When he does, he will be eligible for a state pension - and unlike some other former presidents, he may not find the drop in income too hard to get used to.

यह एक आम शिकायत है कि राजनेताओं की जीवन शैली उनके मतदाताओं से बहुत अलग है। उरुग्वे में ऐसा नहीं है। राष्ट्रपति से मिलें-जो एक रामशेकल खेत में रहते हैं और अपना अधिकांश वेतन देते हैं।


Dundee United colours worn at Liam Colgan's funeral

Summary: A funeral has taken place for Inverness man Liam Colgan, whose body was found 10 weeks after he went missing on his brother's stag party in Hamburg.

The 29-year-old vanished on 10 February. His body was later recovered from the River Elbe in the German city. Some of the mourners at his funeral in Inverness wore Dundee United colours. Liam was a fan of the Scottish club. His Royal Mail colleagues also wore their uniforms as a tribute to his work as a postman. Liam's death has been described by his family as a "tragic accident".

इनवर्नेस आदमी लियाम कोलगन का अंतिम संस्कार किया गया है, जिसका शव हैम्बर्ग में अपने भाई की स्टैग पार्टी में लापता होने के 10 सप्ताह बाद मिला था।


Aberdeen tree planting project means roe deer cull

Summary: A tree planting project - which will also involving the controversial culling of deer - has started in Aberdeen.

Several animals face being killed at Tullos Hill, as the local authority tries to protect about 80,000 new trees being planted. Aberdeen City Council's director of housing and environment Pete Leonard said it was vital to preserve the area. Campaigners had said the planting should be postponed rather than a cull.

एबरडीन में एक वृक्षारोपण परियोजना-जिसमें हिरणों को विवादास्पद तरीके से मारना भी शामिल होगा-शुरू हो गई है।


Claire Louise Smith: Two deny Barnsley woman's murder

Summary: Two women have denied the murder of a 42-year-old found dead after a "very severe physical attack".

The body of Claire Louise Smith, was found in Union Street, Barnsley, on 19 May. Penelope Brownlie, 45, and Justine Wainwright, 57, both of Britannia Close, entered not guilty pleas at Sheffield Crown Court. Both were remanded in custody to face a trial at Sheffield Crown Court on 5 November. A 71-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of murder was released on police bail last month. Justine Wainwright is also known as Bridget O'Keefe, police said. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service

दो महिलाओं ने "बहुत गंभीर शारीरिक हमले" के बाद मृत पाए गए 42 वर्षीय व्यक्ति की हत्या से इनकार किया है।


Heavy snow and blizzard warning for Yorkshire

Summary: People across Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire have been warned of heavy snow, with possible blizzards on higher ground.

A Met Office amber warning has been issued for Friday evening. More than 10cm (4in) could fall on higher ground in the north, with between 5-10cm (2-4in) in other areas. A yellow warning of heavy rain has been issued for Sunday, which the Met Office said combined with snow melt could lead to localised flooding. BBC weather forecaster Paul Hudson, said: "There is going to be quite a lot of snow coming from the west and it is expected to reach the east coast by the early evening."

यॉर्कशायर और उत्तरी लिंकनशायर के लोगों को भारी बर्फबारी की चेतावनी दी गई है, जिससे ऊँची जमीन पर बर्फ़ीला तूफ़ान आ सकता है।